> xjuggerscrapsx
>  by xjuggernaughtx
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Squared Circle - Chapter One (Comedy, Adventure, Romance)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Big Mac silently counted as he crept across the darkened kitchen. He was getting close to the eighth floorboard, and it was the squeaky one. He’d been meaning to nail it more firmly into place, but he never remembered until it was past the time when everypony went to bed. Keeping his eyes on the floor, Big Mac took a slow, careful step over the board and—
 
“Big Mac, what in tarnation are you doin’?”
 
The stallion leapt into the air, his mane bristling out at odd angles. Whirling, he landed on the board, and both he and Applejack winced when it squealed. “Me?” he replied between ragged breaths. “What are you doin’ s-sneakin’ up on ponies like that?”
 
“I ain’t sneakin’ up on nopony.” Applejack held up an empty glass. “I got thirsty, so I came down for a drink. And here you are, creepin’ around in the dark for some reason.”
 
Big Mac squinted for a moment when Applejack flipped on the light, then swallowed hard. “Creepin’ around? Who’s creepin’? Not me, that’s for sure.” He forced a chuckle, and wiped away a layer of sweat that beaded his brow. “I’m, uh… Well, I’m just about to fix this floorboard you’re always on me about.”
 
“At this hour?” Applejack glanced up at the antique wall clock. “Mac, it’s ten-thirty.”
 
“Well, I… Um…”
 
Applejack smirked. “Know what I think, big brother? I think you’re off to meet somepony special. It’s a full moon tonight, ain’t it? Looks like you got your saddlebags all packed up. What’re you bringin’?”
 
“Nothin’!” Big Mac replied a little more forcefully than he intended. With a flush creeping into his cheeks, he backed away from his sister. “Ah, I mean, I ain’t goin’ off to meet nopony special. I-I got this loose board to fix and all.”
 
Applejack rolled her eyes before turning on the tap and filling her glass. “Whatever you say, Mac. You just remember to get home at a decent time. We got a lot to do tomorrow.” She paused for a moment, stared back over her shoulder with narrowed eyes. “Is this why you can’t ever seem to get up on time any more?”
 
“Yeah… I mean, no! I mean… What’re you talkin’ about? I always get up.”
 
Applejack arched an eyebrow. “Oh, you always get up, all right. Only it’s about two hours after sunrise when the rest of us have already crossed three chores off our lists.” Applejack held up her hoof when Big Mac angrily opened his mouth. “Now hold on. I ain’t sayin’ you don’t do your share. I seen you workin’ through lunchtime and past supper. I just didn’t know why ‘til now… loverboy!”
 
Big Mac’s blush deepened, and he pawed at the floor. “Ain’t like that.”
 
“Course it ain’t.” Applejack smirked again and tipped her brother a wink before making her way out of the kitchen. “You just remember to be careful on this date you ain’t havin’. Apple Bloom’s too young to be an aunt.”
 
“Applejack!”
 
“Just sayin’.” Applejack’s voiced floated back to him as she trotted back up the stairs.
 
Big Mac frowned at the doorway his sister had disappeared through. “It ain’t like that. Ain’t like that at all.”
 

~~~

 
As he approached the forest glade, Big Mac leaned against a tree and let out a relieved sigh. She did come after all. He shook out his mane, then pulled his hoof through it a few times. Applejack was always on him about looking messy, but he couldn’t tell if he was making the tangles better or worse. Sighing again, this time more heavily, he stepped out into the clearing.
 
Startled, Fluttershy took to the air briefly before dropping back to the lush grass. “Oh, um... hi.” she said, fidgeting.
 
“Hi.”
 
The glade’s stillness settled over them again as both ponies stared down at the ground near their hooves. Both Big Mac and Fluttershy took turns opening their mouths, but as the other would look up, the mouth would snap closed again, and the grass and rocks at their hooves suddenly seemed very interesting.
 
C’mon! You just gotta do it! Big Mac took a deep breath and forced his head up. “Uh, thanks for comin’ tonight.”
 
“Oh, it’s no bother at all—” Fluttershy rubbed her foreleg with a hoof “—but I-I’m not sure what this is all about. You, um… you said you really needed to see me… privately.” Fluttershy’s wings twitched again, and a rosy blush bloomed on her cheeks.
 
“I…” Big Mac swallowed hard. “Well, there just ain’t no easy way to say it, so here goes.” Pulling himself up to his full height, Big Mac took a steadying breath. “I got a secret, Fluttershy, and I need you. I need you real bad.”
 
Fluttershy gasped, and she made several incomprehensible squeaks before her hooves finally flew to her mouth. Wide-eyed, she waited.
 
“I’ve known you’re the one for a while now.” Big Mac paced. He’d always felt more comfortable letting actions speak for him, and just being in motion calmed his nerves a little. “You’ve got some kinda… thing that draws ponies to you. Puts ’em at ease a little.”
 
Blushing furiously now, Fluttershy looked everywhere but at Big Mac. “That’s very nice of you to say, but I’m really not all that special.”
 
Big Mac stopped and frowned at the fidgeting mare. “Now that just ain’t so. You’re plenty special, and that why I had to see you. You’ve got all kinds of friends and folks that want to be around you. Why, you were even a model for a little while.”
 
“I try not to think about that.”
 
“What I’m sayin’ is that you’ve got, uh…” Big Mac tapped his hoof for a moment before perking up. “Charisma! That’s what they call it! You got a way with ponies.”
 
Fluttershy plucked off a long piece of grass and twisted it around her hoof. “Oh, it’s not me. I just have really great friends.”
 
Big Mac shook his head. “Well, I think you’re pretty darn special, and that’s why I want you to be with me.” Wincing, he took a step back. “I-I mean, if you want to.”
 
The blade of grass fell, forgotten. “Y-you want us to be together?” Fluttershy said, her eyes wide as dinner plates. “I don’t know, Mac. I-I mean, this is very sudden.”
 
“I know, and I’m sorry.” Big Mac laid a hoof on the trembling pegasus’s shoulder. “I been workin’ up the courage to ask you for a while now, but I’m afraid some other pony’s gonna snatch you up. I’d just never forgive myself if that happened.”
 
Fluttershy somehow blushed a deeper shade of crimson, and she fanned herself with a hoof.
 
“Now, you probably got to think about it, and I wouldn’t have it any other way, but I need to know before tomorrow night.”
 
“Tomorrow night!” Fluttershy’s wings flared, and she took an involuntary step away. “B-but that’s hardly any time at all!”
 
“I know.” Big Mac’s guilty hooves twining around one another. “I’m real sorry I put it off so long, but my big match is tomorrow.”
 
“It’s all so sudd—” Fluttershy’s brow furrowed as she paused. “Wait. Big match?”
 
Big Mac nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be facing Gorgeous Horse in the wrestling ring tomorrow, and I’ll need all the help I can get!” Undoing the bucket on his saddlebag, he fished out a red and gold spandex body suit and matching face mask. “Remember that secret I told you about earlier. Well, don’t tell nopony, but I’m The Crimson Hoof.” Big Mac stretch the mask and forced his wide head inside. Pulling at it for a moment, he worked to get the eyeholes aligned. “So what do you say, Fluttershy? Will you be my manager?”



> Squared Circle - Chapter Two (Comedy, Adventure, Romance)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“A manager? I thought you—” Fluttershy stared up at the garish red and gold mask that covered Big Mac’s face. “Uh, nevermind, but I don’t know anything about finance or… or accounting, or—”

Big Mac held up a hoof and chuckled. “It ain’t that kind of management. All you gotta do is tell ponies why they oughta come see me wrestle.”

Fluttershy looked away for a moment, frowning. “But… I, um… I hope this doesn’t sound mean, but why don’t you just tell ponies to come and see your matches yourself? Why ask me?”

“’Cause I ain’t no good at talkin’ to ponies.” Big Mac sighed, then slowly pulled off his mask and stowed it back in his saddlebag. “I tried just standin’ by the road and flexin’ a lot, but the foals just laughed at me. Eventually, Mayor Mare came by and asked me to move along. Said it was only a matter of time before somepony called the guard.”

Fluttershy reached up to rub the stallion’s shoulder, then stopped. Her hoof wavered for a moment before she patted him gently a few times. “That’s terrible. I’m sure you were really impressive, and if you’d just had a little while longer, everypony in town would be there to see your match.”

Grinning, Big Mac pointed at the pegasus. “See? That’s what I mean! I’m feelin’ better already ’cause you always know just what to say.”

Color leapt back into Fluttershy’s cheeks.

“If you’d been there, I’ll bet this big crowd would have formed up, and you could’ve talked me up real good while I showed ’em my stuff! Watch this!” Trotting over to a large rock, Big Mac crouched down and wrapped his hooves around it. 

“Oh, Mac!” Fluttershy held up a restraining hoof. “That’s too—”

A deep growl rumbled its way from the stallion’s chest. Fixed on the horizon, his eyes bulged as he gritted his teeth and strained. For a moment, the rock resisted, but inch by inch, his trembling rear legs forced his body into an upright stance. Big Mac’s were lips pulled back into a fearsome snarl, and he snorted twin jets of steam from his nostrils.

“Don’t!” Fluttershy started forward, then stopped. Finally, she settled for covering mouth with her hooves. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”

With a roar, Big Mac flexed again and lifted the enormous rock over his head. His whole body trembled under the weight, but he continued long enough for soil falling from the boulder’s underside to lightly layer his muzzle. His eyes flicked over to where Fluttershy half-crouched, mostly hiding her eyes behind her wings. “Ain’t… nopony… stronger.”

Fluttershy nodded, her eyes wide and fearful. “Okay! Now please—”

Grunting, Big Mac tipped forward slightly and allowed the large rock to fall. It hit the ground with enough force to rattle their teeth. “So whaddaya say?” He blanched when Fluttershy scowled up at him.

“I can’t believe you!” Fluttershy wagged a hoof at the stallion. “I come all the way out here in the dark because I thought you… that you…” She swallowed. “Well, I didn’t think this is what you wanted to talk about, and then you do something crazy like that!”

Big Mac blinked. “Crazy? That?”

“Yes, that!” Fluttershy took to the air and flew over Big Mac. Hovering, she hesitated for a second, then lightly ran her hoof over his spine. “Your poor back. You need to be more careful, mister!”

Looking away, Big Mac nodded. “See, that’s the problem. AJ thinks that, too, and that’s part of why I’m in this fix. I ain’t no good at talkin’ to ponies, but even if I did say somethin’ to ’em, they’d know it was me. Then Applejack would hear about it, and I’d get it for sure.”

Fluttershy landed, then sat. “Um, well, what’s wrong with that?”

Big Mac sat across from her, lowering his head to look directly into Fluttershy’s eyes. “Shy, you know AJ, right? You know how crazy she is about hard work and chores and such, right?”

Fluttershy nodded. 

“Well, how do you think she’s gonna take it if she hears that her big brother, who she relies on everyday, is off riskin’ his body in some fool sport?”

“Well, she’d probably say something like—” Fluttershy tried to approximate Applejack’s country twang, failing remarkably “—Big Mac, have you lost your ever-lovin’ mind?”

“Eeyup, but she’d probably have some different words in there. The kind that Granny Smith used to wash our mouths out with soap for sayin’.”

Fluttershy hid her spreading grin behind a hoof. “She gets so nervous whenever she has to talk to Princess Celestia or Luna because she’s afraid something’s going to slip out.”

“See? That right there’s the problem,” Big Mac replied, shaking his head.

Fluttershy’s brow furrowed. “I-I’m sorry, Big Mac. I’m not sure what you mean.”

“The Apple Family ain’t had too many chances to rub elbows with royalty over the years, but all of a sudden, Applejack’s with some princess more than she’s at home. Seems like every week there’s some crazy thing goin’ on that she’s got to attend to.” Big Mac sat, then lowered his head to look Fluttershy directly in the eyes. His voice fell to a whisper. “Fluttershy, we’re fallin’ behind on the bills, but Applejack don’t know it. Granny Smith’s keepin’ it from her ’cause Equestria needs her. We’re all tryin’ to pick up the slack, but you’ve seen her in those fields.”

Fluttershy nodded.

“She’s like magic out there. Ain’t nopony like her.” Big Mac bit his lip for a moment, looking away. “I thought maybe we could ask the princesses for some bits to cover when Applejack’s away, but Granny Smith’s dead set against it. She says the Apple family ain’t gonna take charity. We had some real nasty fights about it, truth be told, but we made sure to do it when Applejack was out and Apple Bloom was already in bed. It ain’t their problem, but it’s a problem all the same.”

A trembling hoof made its way to Fluttershy’s chest. “Oh, Mac. I-I didn’t know. I’ll talk to Twilight, and we’ll get something worked—”

“No!” 

Fluttershy squeaked and leapt into the air.

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Big Mac said, wincing. “I didn’t mean to yell, but it won’t work. Applejack’ll get wind of it, and she’ll have to choose between family and her new job helpin’ y’all. It ain’t fair for her or anypony else to make her do that. I got it all worked out, though. If you’ll help me, that is.”

Slowly drifting back to the ground, Fluttershy shook her head. “I’d… I’d love to help, but I don’t think that it’ll work.”

Big Mac’s face clouded over. “Huh? Whattaya mean?”

“Well, I’m away just as often as Applejack. I wouldn’t be able to help, either.”

A relieved grin spread across Big Mac’s face. “That’s the best part, though. It don’t matter when you’re gone. We can spread the word about my matches when you’re around, and I can take care of business in the ring all by myself.”

Fluttershy looked away. “You don’t want me to go with you?”

“No, I ain’t sayin’ that,” Big Mac said, throwing a hoof out. “If you ain’t on some kinda Equestria-savin’ mission, I’d love to have you at ringside. I’m just sayin’ it ain’t strictly necessary. Once the talkin’ part’s done, I’m good to go.”

Fluttershy smiled up at the stallion. “Oh, Big Mac, you just need to believe in yourself a little bit more. We’re having a lovely conversation. You’re doing just fine.”

“I know, and that’s ’cause you make me feel so comfortable!” Big Mac tugged at has yoke and swallowed hard. “You… well, like I said, you got this thing about you that makes a pony feel like he can trust you. I’ve probably said more to you tonight than I say to all the other folks in Ponyville in a year.” Reaching out, Big Mac took Fluttershy’s hoof in his own. “That’s why I picked you, Fluttershy. You’re really good at this talkin’ stuff, and I’m real good at the wrestlin’ part. We’d be great together!”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed crimson. “Um…”

Big Mac stared down at Fluttershy for a moment, then nodded. He gently placed her hoof back on the ground. “Sorry. I’m real sorry. It ain’t right for me to put all this on you. I just thought maybe you’d want to, but there ain’t no hard feelin’s. I know you’re just as busy as AJ, so you got your own things to look after. Thanks for talkin’ to me tonight.”







> Unnamed Pinkie Adventure (Comedy, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Okay, Gummy, let’s go through it one more time.” Pinkie pointed the small, wooden platform with her hoof. “First, you’re gonna get a good running start and jump—” Pinkie leapt high into the air to demonstrate “—for the platform!” She slapped the platform with her tail on the way back down, and the spring beneath it released. She grinned as the platform shot up a foot, waving gently from side to side. “That’ll send you flying through the air, where you’ll somersault through these three hoops, and then land in this tub of water!” Pinkie tipped one side of the tub up so that Gummy could see into it. Grinning, she splashed a little of the water around, just in case he hadn’t noticed. “Okay, you ready to try again?”
 
Gummy blinked.
 
“Good!” Pinkie pulled out a stopwatch and a clipboard. “Okay… Go!”
 
Gummy stared off into a corner.
 
Pinkie found a relatively clean spot between several of the doodles that littered her score sheet. Nodding, she make a check mark there. “Hmmm. Okay, what if there’s a scrummy treat in the pool?”
 
Gummy blinked again.
 
Pinkie tossed aside the clipboard and laid down on her stomach. Sometimes it helped to see things from his perspective. “Aw, come on, Gummy! The Precocious Pets of Ponyville talent show is next week. Don’tcha wanna take first place?”
 
Gummy twitched with enthusiasm. Either that, or he was itchy. One of the two.
 
“C’mon, Gummy! Strut your stuff! Show those ponies what you’re really made of!” Pinkie flopped over onto her back, tipping her head to stare at her alligator upside down. “Which I guess is scales and bones and stuff, and they probably know that already, but still!” Pinkie batted at the swaying platform, enjoying the way it bobbled back and forth. “Fluttershy probably knows a whole bunch of acrobats, but you’ll be Equestria’s first acrogator!”
 
A thin line of drool crept from the corner of Gummy’s mouth. It dangled for a moment before breaking and falling to the floor.
 
Pinkie’s brow furrowed. “Is this about the cupcakes? It is, isn’t it?” Flipping back onto her stomach, Pinkie wiggled her way back over to where Gummy stood. “Fluttershy says your cholesterol is a little high, and that I can’t give you any more cupcakes. You never ate them, anyway. They always got all stale, which was okay, I guess. They made good cupcake trail mix when they got all crunchy like that, but I guess it’s the thought that counts.” Pinkie’s eyes lit up. “Oh, hey! What if I draw you a nice picture of a cupcake? Wouldn’t that be fun?”
 
Gummy curled his tail to the right.
 
“I have a fresh box of crayons!” she added in a sing-song voice.
 
Several long seconds ticked by before Gummy slowly closed one eye, and then the other. A moment later, they opened in the same order.
 
Pinkie rolled her eyes and rested her chin on her hooves. “Gummy, you drive a hard bargain, you know that? Okay, how about one piece of original Pinkie Pie cupcake art, and three Gummy treats before—huh?”
 
Pinkie didn’t lay on the floor this way too often. While it was a nice floor, and she really appreciated the job it did for her, it just wasn’t as bouncy and soft as her bed. It was generally more of a walking sort of thing, rather than a laying around kind of place for her. But it was from this rare vantage point that something beneath her bed caught her eye.
 
Crawling forward, Pinkie scooped out several large dust bunnies and tossed them into a box marked ‘Fluttershy.’ Her friend always made the funniest face whenever Pinkie brought them over, but she didn’t the slightest clue how to take care of them. Twilight’s library book on zoology hadn’t been any help at all, and so she’d tossed it—
 
“—Under the bed! Oh, no! I forgot all about it!” Pinkie dove for the book. Pulling the book out, she blew a thick layer of dust off of the cover. She flipped the book open and pulled out a worn library card from a pouch glued to the inner cover. There is was: Her signature. Right next to tomorrow’s date.
 
Pinkie’s eyes widened, and she leapt up. Rushing to the window, she stared out at the blackened ruin of the old library. “Without a library, I can’t return the book. And Twilight takes book returning super seriously, Gummy!”
 
Gummy slowly made his way toward the pool of water.
 
“No, this is bad, Gummy!” Pinkie clutched the book to her chest. “I was late with my last one, and she gave me this really disappointed look. It was all frowny,” Pinkie ears drooped, “and it makes me really sad to see other ponies upset. Especially when they’re upset with me.”
 
Turning away, Pinkie paced around the course she’d set up for Gummy. “Okay, need a plan. Gotta think. What would Twilight do?” Pinkie tapped her chin. “She’s probably have several cross-referenced calendars with alarm clocks taped to them, all set to go off three days before the due date. Then she’d return it early. I’ll do that!” Pinkie took two skipping steps toward her alarm clock before her grin collapsed. “Oh, I can’t do that! There’s still no library. I-I don’t know what Twilight would do if there wasn’t a library to return the book to. She’s probably get all twitchy and forget to comb her mane again.”
 
Trotting to her mirror, Pinkie mussed up her mane and let her eyes drift apart. “This isn’t working, either!” she said after several eye-straining seconds.
 
Glancing out the window again, Pinkie stared at the ruin. She still couldn’t believe the library was gone. She could almost see Twilight out on her balcony still, reading a book. Pinkie giggled and covered her mouth. That balcony had been a great place to watch Twilight learn how to fly. She’d lost track of the number of times Twilight had ended up crashing into the fountain. Pinkie sighed. “I wish Twilight would get back from Canterlot already. I’d just give the book to her.”
 
Pinkie gasped. “That’s it! If Twilight’s not here to take this book back, I’ll bring it to her!” Throwing open her closet door, Pinkie tossed her saddlebags onto her bed and shoveled several rolls of streamers and packs of balloons into it. “Then she won’t be all frowny when she gets back. All I have to do is get to Canterlot by tomorrow.” Grinning, Pinkie closed her suitcase and clasped the latches. “Easy Peasy.”
 
Pinkie checked herself in the mirror.  She looked resolute.  She looked determined. She was book-returning machine! Nodding to her reflection, she galloped from her room.
 
Several seconds later, she galloped back and threw her saddlebags over her back. “Oops!” As she galloped past her mirror, her reflection looked a little less resolute and a little more sheepish.
 
A minute later, her door flew open again, and she skidded to a stop. Pointed ignoring her reflection, Pinkie scooped up the library book and stowed it in her pack. Then, with a wave to Gummy, she left for what she hoped would be the final time.


~~~


Notes:  Applejack is coming into Sugarcube Corner with Apple Bloom for a special treat. Pinkie runs into her and they discuss Pinkie’s panic. Applejack tries to alleviate Pinkie’s fear, but Pinkie is having none of it. She’s in a such a state that Applejack decides to go with her, telling Apple Bloom to let Big Mac know she’s going to be gone for a day or two.


> Scratch and Tavi - Conflict in A Flat (Comedy, Random, Slice of Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl pressed her ear to the kitchen door. At first, nothing, then the delicate clink of a porcelain cup onto a saucer, and what sounded like a muffled crunch. “Bingo.” Fighting back a grin, Vinyl put hoof to the swinging door and shoved. The kitchen door flew open, then slammed against the wall with enough force to rattle the dishes in the cupboard.  

Sauntering in, Vinyl yawned to cover up her spreading grin. Just as she’d imagined, her snooty roommate Octavia was sitting at the table having her morning tea. Or she had been. Now the tea was all over both her lap, the wall, the table, and whatever fancy bready thing she was pretending that she liked today. Pulling open the nearest cabinet, Vinyl stared into it.

Octavia ground her teeth with ferocious intensity. “You really are a cretin, do you know that?” 

“Whoa! Looks like somepony woke up with her tail in a knot,” Vinyl pushed the items in the cabinet back and forth. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she blinked several times. Something was wrong.

“Mmm. No, actually. I woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated for once, because you stayed out all night carousing or whatever it is that you get up instead of tromping through the house at three in the morning.” Octavia wrenched open a drawer and pulled a second napkin from it. For a moment, her hoof hovered over her crumpet as if trying to decided which angle was best to start dabbing up the pooling tea from her plate. Finally, she sighed and dropped the napkin over the whole thing before pushing it away. “You should try staying away more often. It suits you.”

“No can do,” Vinyl replied, fishing through the items on the second shelf. “Unlike you, I’ve got an actual job, so I can’t just loaf around. Sorry that I have to come home after the club closes. How lame of me.”

Octavia’s lips pulled back into an involuntary snarl. “It’s not the ‘coming home!’ It’s the ‘turning on the stereo at full volume!’ It’s the ‘dancing on the creaky old bed that you’ve dragged from whatever Tartarus pit you come from!’ It’s the ‘slamming the doors against the walls every time you go to the bathroom!’

“Oh, right. ’Cause you totally don’t break out that stupid double bass and practice at daybreak or take up all the hot water with your marathon showers.” Vinyl frowned into the cabinet. “Octavia, where’s the coffee?”

Octavia tapped her chin with a hoof and theatrically squinted up at the ceiling. “Coffee… coffee… Let’s see…”

“Where. Is. It?” Vinyl turned to glare at her roommate. “I need it.”

“Think, think, think, Octavia. Did you see any coffee?”

“Where is it?”

Octavia perked up. “Oh, that’s right! Your coffee. I went to the market yesterday, and do you know what they had? Earl Greymare! Several boxes! It’s so trying to come by in this region of Equestria. Well, I just had to snap them all up, but when I got home, well, there just wasn’t room for it all and that huge tub of coffee. I threw it out.”

Vinyl’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, you did, huh? You think I’m bad at three in the morning? You’re about to find out how bad I can get! I’m—”

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake, you grand diva, I saved some for you.” Octavia pointed to a small packet hidden deep within the cabinet’s back corner. “It’s just there.”

Vinyl lunged for the packet, pulling it out by the attached string. Frowning, she held it up to the light. “Octavia, I’m sure this kinda thing was really funny in your snotty private school, but you’ve got three seconds to give me my coffee before I show you what the inside of your bass looks like.”

“For the last time, it’s not a bass! It’s a cello.”

“You know what? I believe it. Figures you wouldn’t know how to play it right.”

Octavia gasped. “It’s not my fault that I’m short!” she said through gritted teeth.

“You’re gonna be short one head if you don’t give me my coffee!”

Octavia snatched the packet from Vinyl’s hoof. “It is coffee. I loaded it into a spare teabag so that you could steep it like a civilized pony.” She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a small metal box with a clasp. Flipping open the lid, Octavio held it out for Vinyl to see. “You have five more after that one.”

Vinyls stared down at the tiny packets. “There’s not even enough in there for one pot!”

“My, my!” Octavia replied as she set the box down on the counter. “Whatever will Vinyl do without her three pots of coffee to keep her up at all hours?”

Vinyl curled her hoof and held it up between them. “Probably snap and go into some sort of violent, snob-killing rage!”

“Oh, please.” Octavia rolled her eyes and pushed the kitchen door open. At the threshold, she looked back over her shoulder with a smile. “I suppose you’ll have to walk to market and back, leaving the house for a good bit of the morning. Shame, that.” 

The blood pounded through Vinyl’s temples as the door swung closed. “Why that snooty, boring…” Grinding her teeth, she pounded on hoof into the sole of the other. “Two can play at that game!”


~~~


Vinyl grumbled several extremely devastating comebacks to herself while stomping back to the market district. In her mind’s eye, Octavia was huddled into a corner, tearing up and promising to find a new place to live. But she was leaving those really nice, extra-fluffy towels she’d brought. That was the best thing about Octavia. Her family had loaded her up with cush stuff.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried. She’d found this new apartment and had fallen in love with it immediately. It had it all: A hot tub. Good acoustics. This really freaky new dishwasher. And, best of all, it was close to all the coolest places in town. It was perfect.

Well, almost perfect.

Vinyl had spent a tearful afternoon with Twilight that day, begging her friend to find a way that made the finances work. In the end, the alicorn gently pushed the notepad back to her with a circled figure at the bottom and shook her head. Vinyl just didn’t make enough bits.

“Why don’t you get a roommate?” Twilight had asked.

As though it was that it was just that easy. Lyra was all caught up with Bon Bon. Vinyl barely even saw her anymore. Derpy had kids now. Noteworthy would probably take it the wrong way if she asked, and she didn’t want a repeat of her college senior year with that guy. He was nice and all, but he took everything you did as a romantic invitation.

Twilight had just shrugged. “Well, take out an ad, then. Somepony out there is going to love the place as much as you do. It’s a win-win!”

“Yeah, right! That’s the last time I go to her for advice.” Vinyl kicked a loose stone several yards up the path and wished it was a certain pony’s hindquarters. “Just get a roommate! It’ll be great! Win-win!”


Twilight had been right about one thing, though: It hadn’t taken very long. Octavia had answered Vinyl’s ad the very next day, and they’d gotten together for lunch. She should have seen the signs when it took them more than an hour to agree on where to eat, but she was too busy thinking about the layout of her new bedroom to care. 

It had seemed like it could work. They both really liked music, though Octavia was apparently into all that really boring chamber kinda stuff. They could talk about that. Octavia had just finished up her degree, so there wouldn’t been any complaining about needing quiet study time. And from the looks of things, Octavia’s parents had some money to throw around, so Vinyl wouldn’t have to nag her about rent.

But best of all, they had opposite schedules. Octavia said that she freelanced with several smaller groups for elegant social functions. Lots of business luncheons and private dinners. Vinyl’s work day didn’t start until after ten at night. They’d probably never even see each other! It would almost be like having her own apartment!

Vinyl caught her reflection in the dusty store window of Ponyville’s second-hoof store. Bleary eyed and tousle-maned, she looked every inch the wreck she felt without several morning mugs of coffee. Well, “morning,” but seriously, who gets up before noon, anyway? Muttering dark curses under her breath, Vinyl ran a hoof through her mane several times to try and work the worst of the tangles out of it. It was kind of cool to have a messy mane, but there was stylishly messy, and then there was this.

“Throwing my coffee out, huh? Well, we’ll see about that! Once my brain wakes up some, that mare’s gonna wish


> No Light (Dark, Slice of Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pick’s wooden shaft was as smooth as glass. Many hooves had held it in the past, and their labors had worn away any features. What remained was a tool, overused and without identity. The justicar had placed it in Burl’s hooves the last time he’d seen sunlight.

But the pick really belonged to King Sombra. Everything belonged to King Sombra.

Upon arrival, each of the prisoners received a pick, along with a stern warning: .Try and use it on a guard, or the other prisoners, and it would paralyse you where you stood. Once the guards retrieved a rogue prisoner, they would disappear for a few days. Upon return, they were given a new pick. They never complained. They rarely said anything ever again.Nopony could remember any prisoner attempting a second revolt. When Sombra’s guards solved a problem, they liked it to stay that way.

The pick carried a battery of enchantments for strength and durability. It was to be used until completely exhausted. None of them had ever seen it happen, but several of the old-timers said they’d heard of picks just finally disintegrating in a pony’s hooves. But so long as the enchantments held, the picks were used until the legs that held them could no longer swing that day. Broken picks meant downtime, and downtime was inefficient. In the mines, there was no greater transgression.

There was a rhythm to the swings, and it was born of necessity. To work the near pitch-black tunnels, each prisoner received an enchantment at the beginning of their shift. What was once impenetrable darkness became a hazy grey. It was like wandering through the memory of light.

But chromium was luminous. To see it without the enchantment was to look upon hope made physical. The shards glimmered with an internal brilliance that none of them understood. Truth be told, none of them really cared, either. Filling the cart was all that mattered. A full cart meant that you entered the lottery. That was all anyone cared about in the dark.

So they all learned the rhythm. The eyes found a spot. The pick went up, and then back down. The eyes closed. The pick hit and the eyes opened again. Unexpectedly discovering a shard of chromium carried the threat of blindness because the light collection dweomer caused the smallest fleck to glow like the sun. The only solution was to strike the wall with your eyes closed. At least, that was the only solution they were offered.

Picking chromium flecks out of the dross was the only time they were permitted to stop swinging. Two seconds, ideally. No more than five for a splintering. A prisoner was expected to pick the chromium up and toss it into their cart promptly. Work stoppages were inefficient.

Look. Up. Down. Close. Hit. Open. Search. Repeat. All day, every day.  

The rhythm broke you, and once broken, it entered you. Each prisoner became the rhythm, a cog in Sombra’s machine. The rhythm became purpose. It transformed into religion. It was not to be disrupted. Disruption was inefficient.

But for a moment, the rhythm no longer mattered to Burl, and the pick fell from his nerveless grip. His guard spat out a curse and stomped around the pair’s assigned mine cart, but pulled up short. Together, they squinted, throwing their hooves in front of their sensitive eyes. They couldn’t look, but they couldn’t look away.  

There, buried in the tunnel walls, was the blinding light of hope.

> Cheerilee's Thousand - The Lost Chapters - Chapter One (Comedy, Random, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tent’s bright yellow banner snapped and popped in breeze, and Cheerilee found her gaze drifting over in its direction again. One leg dropped off the bench she was occupying. She started when it touched the ground.
 
No. Nu-uh. Frowning, she tucked her errant leg back into place and forced her eyes down to the book she’d been attempting to read for the last hour. I’m just going to finish a few chapters and then find someplace for a bite to eat.
 
The wind picked up again, and Cheerilee had to slap a hoof over the pages as the breeze flipped through several pages. Muttering curses under her breath, she tried to find her place again. I’ve read the first three paragraphs of this chapter ten times now. Honestly, how does Twilight concentrate out here with all this distraction?
 
Cheerilee winced. She hadn’t meant to think about Twilight, but now that she’d started, she found it hard to stop. The unicorn acted so strangely around her these days. Almost… guilty, in a way, but try as she might, Cheerilee couldn’t recall a single awkward moment between the two of them.

Sighing, Cheerilee closed her book. What is with that unicorn? I used to think there might be something there, but now… The events of the past few months played themselves once again in her mind. Every time that she’d found a reason to drop into the library, Twilight turned into a stuttering mess. Every time she saw Twilight on the street, the unicorn ducked into a building. 

At first, Cheerilee had taken it as a hopeful sign. Everypony knew that Twilight was a little unsure of herself in awkward social situations, and 


> Cheerilee's Thousand - The Lost Chapters - Chapter Two (Comedy, Random, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grrrllllrrrrppppp!

Cheerilee winced, backing rump-first into the elevator’s furthest corner.  Rubbing her stomach, she could feel it churning.  Why?  Why did I eat those alfalfa pinwheels?  I promised myself that I’d never, ever eat alfalfa in public again after last time!  

Gggllleeeerrrkkkkk!

Cold Snap pulled his head out from inside maintenance panel.  “Did you hear that?”

Cheerilee threw on what she hoped would be a winning smile.  “Hear what?”

Cold Snap leaned his ear against the elevator’s brushed-steel walls.  “That horrible creaking noise.  I hope everything’s all right with this cable.”

Sskkkrreeeeeeeccgggg!

“There!”  The stallion straightened, walking slowly around the car, his ear still pressed firmly against the wall.  “There it is ag—”

“Are you making any progress over there?” Cheerilee said quickly, pointing to the tangled mass of wires that he’d managed to dig out of the maintenance access.  “I think you’re right.  It’s our best shot.”

Cold Snap sighed, scratching his mane with a pale-blue hoof.  “I don’t know.  I found a loose connection, but re-tightening it didn’t seem to make a difference.”  He looked up, squinting.  “I don’t get it.  The lights are still on, so we should have power, but I can’t the doors to respond, and I should be getting…”

Cheerilee let the stallion ramble on, relieved to have him occupied once again.  Please! she thought, trying to calm her intestines.  Please, just get me out of this elevator.

“Maybe I’ve missed something,” Cold Snap said, pushing the wires aside to peer into the panel again.  He frowned deeply as he thrust his muzzle into dark hole.  “May as well look.  It doesn’t seem like this building’s maintenance department is in any big hurry, does it?”

Cheerilee forced a laugh.  “No, it sure doesn’t.”  She gritted her teeth as another large pocket of gas rolled through her gut, seeking escape.  Cheerilee sat and clamped, refusing to give in.

“Aha!”

Cheerilee jumped up, her heart racing.  “You found it?”

The stallion wormed his leg deep inside the elevator’s wiring, sticking out his tongue as he fished blindly.  “I’m not sure.  I saw a disconnected wire in there, but it’s in a really tough spot to reach.”  Cold Snap set his back hooves and pushed his shoulder further into the hole.  “It’s got to be around her somewhere—Ah!”  The stallion pulled, smiling as a new wire slithered into view.  Pushing it aside, he ducked his head back into the chaotic mess.  “Now if I can just find where this connects.

Cheerilee felt some of the tension drain away.  She sighed, pressing her hoof against chest. “Oh, thank Celestia!  That’s such a reli—“

Frrt.

Cheerilee eyes flew wide, and she backed into the corner again, wrinkling her nose.  Oh, sweet sisters, it’s horrible!  At least his still occupied.  Maybe he won’t notice!  She fanned the air with her hooves as quietly as she could manage.

“Ugh!” Cold Snap said, coughing.  “I think a rat might have chew through some of this stuff and gotten electrocuted.  It smells like something died in here somewhere.”

Bblllrrrrrbbbbblllllllgggggg!

> Cheerilee's Thousand - The Lost Chapters - Chapter Three (Comedy, Random, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It’s that time again, polo fans! I’m Stat Sheet—”

“And I’m Mallet!”

“And we thank you all for coming to yet another exciting game here in the beautiful Canterlot Event Center - the Epi-“Center” of Excitement. Today’s game features the Canterlot Unicorns—pardon me, Alicorns—versus the Las Pegasus Timberwolves. It should be a great game!”

“Don’t worry, Stat. I’m still adjusting to that change, too. Not sure any of us saw that move by the Alicorn upper management coming, in my opinion.  Lots of ponies still shaking their heads about that one.”

“Well, name change or no, the Alicorns have been on a tear this season, haven’t they, Mallet.”

“You’re not kidding! With seven wins out of the last ten matches, this is a team that’s fired up and ready for the title that eluded them two years ago.”

> Cheerilee's Thousand - The Lost Chapters - Chapter Four (Comedy, Random, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheerilee relates a bad date to a nurse while in the hospital.  She eventually wants to be put in the same room as Caramel, but he was just released a few hours before.

“Ow!”

Nurse Tenderheart lifted the surgical needle away. “Well, suturing this wound would be a lot easier if you’d just stop wiggling so much.” 

“Sorry, it’s just…” Cheerilee paused, searching for the best way to say it. “It’s just hard to, um, sit.  Or lay on my back.  I’m still a little… delicate back there.”

Tenderheart ignored her patient’s hiss as she pushed the needle back through the wound and tugged the surgical thread through.  “I know, dear, but 

> Cheerilee's Thousand - The Lost Chapters - Chapter Five (Comedy, Random, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Come on. You can do it!” 

Cheerilee bit her lip and waved her hooves frantically to the left, willing her bowling ball to alter its doomed course. She swore when it landed in the gutter with a thunk and rumbled its way to the return mechanism.

“Ooh! Almost!” Roseluck flashed her a pained grin before licking the end of her pencil and entering in a zero for the frame. “Really close that time!”

Rolling her eyes, Cheerilee flopped in the modeled chairs surrounding the ball return. “Yeah, I only missed the pins by ten feet this time.”

“It’s in your release,” Roseluck picked up a bag of talc lying on the scoring table and tapped it lightly against both hooves. “You’re letting the ball go to the left on your backswing, so it goes right when you let go of it. Watch me.”

Roseluck 

> Cheerilee's Thousand - The Lost Chapters - Chapter Six (Random, Comedy, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taking a few deep breaths, Cheerilee tried to get her pounding heart under control.  It’s certainly different when the horseshoe is on the other hoof, isn’t it? she thought.  Raising her hoof, she tried to knock on the cottage door before, dropping it to the ground again.  Dropping her head, she bit her lip.  How do the stallions do it? she thought.

“Oh, hello, Cheerilee,” Fluttershy said quietly from somewhere behind her.

Startled, the teacher jumped, a small scream escaping as she whirled.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Fluttershy said, cringing.  “I-I didn’t mean to scare you!  I’ve never wanted to startle, and I don’t want to start startling now.” The pegasus reached out with a tentative hoof, almost touching Cheerilee before pulling it back.  “Can we start over?”

“Oh, Fluttershy, it’s okay,” Cheerilee said, laughing weakly.  “I just thought you were inside.  The lights are all on.”

“That’s for the critters,” the pegasus said, smiling.  “I’ve been encouraging them to experience the great works of pony literature for self-enrichment, but they keep saying that it’s too dark this time of year.  When I go out, I leave the lights on so that they can read.”

“Does that actually work?” Cheerilee said, cocking her eyebrow.

“Well, the ferrets have made a nice burrow lining with some of the pages from Of Mice and Ponies,” Fluttershy replied, fishing her key from her saddlebags.  “And I think that’s a pretty good start for them.  And Angel only refused to give any of the books ten times this week.  He actually flipped through Warren Peace!”  Fluttershy stepped inside the warm cottage, and the animals surrounded her, chattering and pawing at her legs.  “Won’t you come inside, Cheerilee?”

The teacher took a deep breath, trying to relieve the tightness in her chest.  “Y-yes, I’d like that.”  Carefully avoiding the scampering animals, Cheerilee smiled at the cozy, homey feel the cottage exuded.  I could only dream of my apartment being like this.

“I must say, the pleasure is all mine, but what brings you all the way out here so late, Cheeriee?”  The pegasus perked up, her eyes growing wide with alarm.  “Oh, no!” she squealed.  “You have a pet, don’t you?!  A hurt, sick pet that I didn’t know about!”  Fluttershy dove for a closet, wrenching the door open and rummaging through several bags, throwing medical supplies over her shoulder.  “I’m horrible!  I never took the time to notice!  What is it?  A cat?  A goat?  Some sort of cat-goat?”

“No, no!” Cheerilee said, ducking as a package of gauze flew by her head.  “Nothing like that.  I don’t even have a pet.”

“You don’t?” Fluttershy said, whirling, and Cheerilee took a step as the pegasus advanced on her, a strange gleam in her eyes.  “We can fix that!” she said, inhaling. Now, Cheerilee, dear, I cannot express my delight—

“NO!” Cheerilee cut in, waving her hooves, cringing as Fluttershy’s face fell.  “Ah, no!  Sorry, I heard about this from Rainbow.  I-I have the schoolfoals, and they’re all I can handle.”

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy said, as animals leaned into the room from all around her.  Together, their eyes swelled and shimmered with the unshed tears of the lonely.  “I have so many…”





> Cheerilee's Thousand - The Lost Chapters - Chapter Seven (Comedy, Random, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And you see, that’s why the HN-315 is such a huge improvement over the HN-314!” Ratchet said, pointing to a gleaming hexagonal nut.  Reaching into the velvet-lined tray, he removed it, picking up its neighbor in his other hoof.  “Check out these threads!” he said, tilting the nuts to allow Cheerilee to see the inner wall.  “See how we angled the treads?”

“Uh…” Cheerilee replied as she squinted.  The two nuts looked exactly the same to her.

“We tilted the angle three thirty-eights of a percent!” he said, grinning.  “Lab tests indicate that for anything less than critical stress, it has almost identical strength!”

“Well, that sounds, uh, nice—” Cheerilee said, sighing as she tried to find some other topic of conversation.

“And if the nut is already at critical stress, then the metal itself is failing!  Thread strength is immaterial at that point!” Ratchet said, the words tumbling out rapidly as he dropped the older nut back into his display case.  “That means one less revolution in the tooling!  We’ll be saving one bit every hundred thousand nuts produced!  This innovation will literally save the company twenty bits a year!”  He stared at Cheerilee for several long moments, a wide smile stretched across his face.

“Um… wow,” Cheerilee finally replied when it was apparent he would continue to wait for a response all night.  “That’s sure… something.”

Cheerilee had met Ratchet earlier in the day as she left her therapy session.  He’d been patiently explaining how to maintain the correct tension on the nuts and washers in the office’s water cooler to a bored looking secretary, and she’d though that anyone taking the time to patiently educate might be a pony she’d like to know better.  She was beginning to regret that now.

“Isn’t it?!” he cried.  “Look! 


 

> Cheerilee's Thousand - The Lost Chapters - Chapter Eight (Comedy, Random, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Snips took a deep breath and tried to still his racing heart. I’ll never have another chance like this! I’ve gotta make my move!  He cleared his throat loudly.  “So, um, do you come here often?” he said with a hopeful grin.

Cheerilee looked down at him, startled.  “Excuse me?”

Snips placed a hoof against the gallery’s wall, crossing one hind hoof over the other.  “I, ah, just don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before.”

Cheerilee’s brow furrowed. “Well, you haven’t been here before, have you?. The gallery only agreed to allow school field trips last month.” The teacher turned back to the painting before them.  “Now, what do you make of this? Can you tell me some of the techniques the artist might have used to make this?”

Snips frowned, biting his lip. This wasn’t going well. Get in the game, Snips! he thought as he lightly bonked his forehead with a hoof. Gotta be smooth! As he spied the information placard by the painting, his eyes lit up. I’ll bet she loves smart stallions! 

Trotting to Cheerilee’s side, he made a show of scanning the abstract. Sitting on the tiled floor, he placed a hoof to his chin, tapping it.  “Hmmmmm. Well, I’d say that this was made with, um… paint?” He stared up at her hopefully. A-and maybe brushes?” 

Cheerilee rolled her eyes, laughing. “I think you could try a little harder than that, Snips! It’s a painting, after all.”

Snips fought back the urge to leap up and punch his hoof into the air. Yes! She’s laughing! Score one for the Snips! Now to seal the deal! Snips waggled his eyebrows at the teacher. “Forget the painting, this gallery’s only got one true masterpiece.”

Cheerilee’s eyes darted from side to side momentarily before she turned to give Snips her full attention. “What did you say?”

Got her! Snips thought, shifting from hoof to hoof. Now, I’ll hit her with a little charm! 

(I was going to put in some terrible pickup line here)

Snips grinned widely as Cheerilee’s mouth dropped open.  She’s speechless! He nodded casually toward the gallery’s tiny food court.  “What do you say? 

> Cheerilee's Thousand - The Lost Chapters - Chapter Nine (Comedy, Random, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia fought to keep from sighing as she entered the council hall.  They hadn’t even begun yet, and already the scowls were deeply set into the faces of her advisors.   

It was going to be one of those meetings.

Trotting to the head of the polished mahogany table, Celestia cleared her throat. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice.”  She nodded to a stallion three spaces to her right.  “Greymane, would you mind filling us all in as to why you’ve called an emergency session?”

Greymane picked up the large pile of official documents in front of him.  The mare opposite him drummed her hoof while he tapped them on the desk to make sure they were properly aligned.  Squinting that the stack of paper, he nodded and looked up.  “Honored Members, Equestria is beset by a siege.  We are in great peril!”

The declaration hung in the air like a storm cloud, pregnant with rain; stifling and oppressive before the deluge.  Celestia licked her lips nervously and opened her mouth.  “Grey—”

The storm broke.  

Summerset reared, slamming her forehooves onto the table.  “Oh, for pony’s sake, Greymane!  This again?!”

Cobblestone snorted, rolling his eyes.  “I should have known better than to travel all the way here.

At the far end of the table, Rye held her hooves out wide.  “Members!  Are we beasts?  Hear him, at least.  We will all have plenty of time to respond.”

“Enough,” Celestia spoke the two small syllables soflty, but their power rattled the windows and sent pencils skipping across the table.  “Council Greymane, please continue, but remember that this is hardly the first time that you’re seen danger where there was none.”

Greymane tugged at his collar, sweating.  “Ah, yes.  I-I’m aware of that, Your Majesty.  But Baltimare has been attacked by a horrible monster!”

Summerset snorted, her legs crossed tightly across her chest. Leaning back, she balancing the chair on its back legs.  “A monster, huh?  And what did this monster look like?”

Greymane mouth tried to twitch up into a smile, but settled for a grimace.  One after another, beads of sweat dripped down his muzzle and onto the table.  “Well, she’s a purple earth pony mare.”

Cobblestone threw his hooves up.  “Your Highness, I travelled five hours to get here!”

“I’m telling you, she’s a menace!” Greymane yelled, glaring at the council.  Veins stood out on the stallion’s neck in pulsing cords.  “In a single afternoon, the city lost its central park, an upscale delicatessen, and two bars!”

Summerset leaned forward, allowing her chair to fall back into place again with a loud bang. “What?!” 

Greymane shot Summerset a tight smile.  “Oh, good.  It seems I finally have your attention.”  Greymane leafed through the pages in front of him.  “Yes, it’s all right here.  Timberwolves rampaged through our newly landscaped park, the deli’s water main broke, flooding the entire street.”  Flipping to last page, shook his head.  “And the bar caught fire.”

Cobblestone stared at the large stack of paper, the blood draining from his face.  “W-what about the other bar?”

Greymane hung his head.  “It caught fire, too.  It was right across the street.”

Rye rested his cheek in a hoof and arched an eyebrow.  “Okay, so you’ve got some sort of serial vandal.  Why do we need a council meeting?  Have the police deal with it.”

Greymane leapt from his chair, scowling at the group.  “You don’t understand!  We have eyewitnesses!  She was on a date!”  Taking a deep breath, Greymane turned, bowing his head to Princess Celestia.  “Your Majesty, I implore you.  A dating moratorium for this mare is the only way.”

Celestia rubbed her throbbing forehead with her hoof.  “Greymane, you know that isn’t going to happen.  It’s completely against our laws.”

“That’s why I’ve called this meeting!” he cried, waving the report at the council.  “We need a constitutional addendum!  Our society depends on it!”

Celestia frowned, her wings unfurling.  “Council, please calm down and clarify this for us.  Was this a date or a crime spree?”

Greymane pushed away from the table and rose slowly.  For a moment, he let his eyes travel around the room, locking and releasing each set of eyes until he arrived at the princess.  “Your Majesty, I believe either of those options fit.  This was nothing short of a national disaster!”

Summerset shot to her hooves, scowling. “Really now, Greymane!”

Cobblestone threw out his hoof, pointing repeatedly at Greymane while trying to catch Celestia’s eye. “Five! Hours!

Sighing, Rye reached for the ceramic jug and refilled his cup, wishing that it was something stronger than water.

Standing in silence, Celestia set her unwavering gaze on each of her council in turn.  Slowly, they sank back into their chairs, but not before several more insults passed between them. “Greymane,” Celestia said, “The damage to you city is obvious, but why are you so sure it’s the work of one mare?”

“Like I said, we have witnesses.”  Greymane tapped his reports.  “It’s all here for you to review, Your Highness.  We questioned the public extensively.  She was there, at each site.”  He threw his hooves wide.  “I’m aware of how it sounds, but there can be no other explanation!”

Cobblestone rolled his eyes.  “And so we do what?  Ring your city with guards and tell them to be on the lookout for bouquets and chocolates?   Pass a law banning holding hooves?  Force the public into kiss licenses?”

Greymane narrowed his eyes.  “Didn’t Las Pegasus just lose a ferry set out for a sunset cruise?”

The muscles around Cobblestone’s eye twitched and an ugly flush crept up his neck.  “Yes, and I don’t see what that has to do with anything!  I’ve already informed this council that we are investigating—”

“Well, I’ve done it for you,” Greymane’s oily smirk spread around his muzzle.  “Page thirty-four, to be precise.  “You’ll notice that we have a picture of a certain purple mare boarding the ship.”

Summerset leaned forward while Cobblestone leafed through the report.  “Are you honestly trying to tell us that you think these incidences are related?”

Greymane’s smirk grew into a full blown smile.  “Your Majesty, do you recall the… ah… incident at the symphony recently?”

“Yes,” Celestia answered carefully.  

Greymane stood again and held up a newspaper for them to see.  “And who do we see entangled with Sapphire Storm—”

“Shores.”

Greymane brow furrowed as he swung his head to Rye.  “I’m sorry?”

“Shores.  Her name is Sapphire Shores.”

Greymane waved his hoof at the council.  “Yes, yes.  Whatever.  The important part of this is that it’s the purple earth pony who is there!”

Summerset cleared her throat.  “But surely this is overblown—”

Greymane slammed his hooves down and leaned over the desk.  “Doesn’t Manehatten have a new bridge it’s nearly completed?  What if this mare happens along it with her new beau?”  Swiveling to Cobblestone, Greymane shook page thirty-four at him.  “How many more ships in Las Pegasus, Honored Council?”  Turning again, he nailed Rye in place with a stern glance.  “How long before she decides to visit Salt Lick City?”  He stepped away from the table and circled toward the princess.  “How long before she returns to Canterlot?  Your Majesty, we simply cannot allow this!  She must be locked up for the sake of Equestria!”

Celestia allowed the words to hang in the air before tossing her head.  Her dazzling mane, everflowing, fell around her in regal waves.  Each of the council watched with poorly disguised envy.  Her mane silently spoke the word that was written in their souls: Power.

“Greymane, your report is exhaustively detailed.  I commend you.”

The stallion raised his chin and smirked.

“However, it’s missing a key detail.”

The smirk fled.  “I, uh, i-it does?  I mean, it is?”

The princess nodded.  “Yes, I’ve scanned through it just now, and I’m not finding the section that details how the mare in question is friends with the Element Bearers.”  Celestia allowed herself the smallest of frowns.  “Or with the Throne.”

It was several seconds before Greymane realized that he was back in his chair.  He’s legs seemed to be in full rebellion.  He swallowed hard.  “But… but Your Majesty.  The evidence.  The… the danger!”

“If we imprison the innocent at our convenience, we are no better than the tyrants that came before,” Celestia replied.  “I’m sorry, but it’s out of the question.” The council members all began to speak at once, but Celestia still them with a hoof.  “That is not to say that I wish to ignore this problem, Honored Council.  I suggest a that a committee be formed to study this.  We will meet again when we have sufficient data.”

The council opened their mouths collectively, looking mutinous.

Celestia sighed.  “And I promise to keep an eye on Cheerilee.  Interfering will corrupt the study, but I will intervene if things become dangerous.  If a disaster happens, we will allow you to draw funds from the palace coffers for repairs.”  Celestia scanned the room.  “ Are we agreed?”

Her council made her wait for several long seconds before finally nodding.  Pushing away from the table, the glared at one another as they filed out.

Finally alone, Celestia flopped back into the plush throne and massaged her temple.  Why can’t it ever be easy?

Parchment trotted up, his quill already out. “Your Highness, might I be of service?”

“Yes,” Celestia replied, continuing to rub her aching head.  “Please send for Twilight Sparkle.  Tell her that I need to know everything about a friend of hers.”

   




> AppleDash - Attempt One (Romance, Adventure, but this chapter is SoL)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Land’s sake, where do they come from? Applejack thought as she strained against the metal pole.  She’d been trying to work a rock out of the south field for the last ten minutes, but its stubborn refusal to move was really beginning to irritate her.   With a low growl, she pulled the pole out from beneath the stone and brought it down repeatedly, hoping to break the rock up into smaller pieces.  Five strikes later, the stone still sat, whole, before her. Same thing every year, she thought, leaning on the pole and wiping her brow with the back of her hoof.  We spend weeks clearin’ these fields, and these dang rocks just show up outta nowhere come spring!
 
“Hey, Applejack!”
 
Applejack grinned, craning her head to watch Rainbow fly in.  She’d always admired the sleek efficiency the pegasus displayed.  Ain’t no wasted movement with that one, she thought, watching the minute adjustments Rainbow’s wings made as she angled toward the ground.  Look at her!  Like she was born to move.
 
“Ah, earth to Applejack,” Rainbow said, waving a hoof in front of her friend’s eyes.  “You still with me here?”
 
“Ah, yeah,” Applejack returned, feeling the blood rushing to her cheeks.  How long have Ah been starin’ at her? she thought, bending down to examine the stone, trusting that her hat would hide her blazing cheeks.  Ramming the pole into the ground, she attempted to chip away some of the hardened dirt around the rock.  “So,” she panted, “Whatcha up to, Rainbow?”
 
“Oh, just the coolest aerial maneuvering you’ve ever seen!” Rainbow said with a smirk, polishing a hoof against her chest.  “AJ, you gotta see it!  First I rocket straight up into the air!” she said, using her hoof to illustrate.  “Then, I bank, twisting into tighter and tighter helixes, you know, with my contrail streaming out behind me!” she continued, spinning in a circle.  “And finally, when I’m about to break the sound barrier, I shoot back up through the contrail circles and out over the top!  The pressure wave turns the contrails inside out and spreads them out like a fan!”  Rainbow flapped her wings, briefly taking to the sky to perform a quick loop-the-loop.  “You’re gonna love it!  Seriously, AJ!  It’ll be the most awesome thing you’ve ever seen!”
 
Applejacks eyebrows shot up into her hat.  “Wow!” she said, “Where’d ya learn to do that?”
 
Rainbow looked away, pawing at the dirt.  “Well, I haven’t exactly learned to do it yet.,” she said.  “I kinda just dreamed it up last night, but I’m about to learn!”  Breaking into a wide smile, she stepped forward, wings outspread.   Sidling up to Applejack, she elbowed the earth pony in the ribs. “That is, if Equestria’s second-best athlete can come watch me for a little while and let me know how I’m doing.”
 
“Second best?” Applejack said, smirking.  “Rainbow, now Ah know you’ve been dreamin’!”
 
“Well, put your bits where your mouth is!” Rainbow said, stretching.  “Let’s go for a run and loosen up!  Then we can work on that trick some.”
 
Applejack frowned, sighing.  “Sorry, Rainbow, but Ah can’t right now.”  Rearing back onto her hind legs momentarily, she raised the pole over her head, and then plunged it back into the ground under the rock.  “Ah… uh… gotta get… ugh… this here rock up… gah… before Big Mac can till this field!” she said, straining against the pole. 
 
“Oh, jeez,” Rainbow muttered, rolling her eyes.  Grabbing onto the pole, she threw her full body weight against it.  Together Applejack and Rainbow worked the stubborn rock out of the ground bit by bit.  Finally, as they both spat curses at it, the rock grudgingly gave way.  It popped out so suddenly that the two ponies lost their balance and fell into a heap, laughing as the rock flew into the air and landed with a few feet away with a muffled thud.
 
“Whew!” Rainbow said, leaning her head against Applejack’s shoulder as she panted.  “No wonder you’re so strong!”  Playfully, she groped Applejack’s shoulders and sides.  “I think your muscles have muscles!” 
 
Applejack rolled her eyes.  “If Ah was that danged strong, Ah’d’ve had that rock outta the ground ten minutes ago!”
 
“Well, whatever,” Rainbow said, dusting herself off.  “It’s out now, so let’s go!”
 
Applejack sighed, shaking her head.  “No can do, Rainbow,” she said glumly.
 
“What?” Rainbow shot back, already in midtrot.  “Why not?”
 
“That’s just one rock, Rainbow,” Applejack said.  “Ah gotta clear this whole field today,” she continued, spreading her hoof in wide arc in front of her.
 
“The whole field?!” Rainbow cried, her jaw dropping open.  “AJ, that’s, like, three days of work!”
 
“Well, it’s gotta get done,” Applejack sighed.  Rainbow frowned as she watched her friend’s mood darken.  “It’s plantin’ season, and we gotta get them seeds in the ground before you and the weather team get the rain goin’.  Otherwise, the crops won’t grow right.  So Ah need to get all these rocks outta here pronto, or the farm’s sunk.”  Applejack trotted the next rock and began wedging the pole into place.
 
“Well, I could ask the weather team to hold up for a week or two?” Rainbow said, trotting to catch up.  “It’s not like it’s going to make a huge difference.”
 
“That’s just it,” Applejack said breathlessly as she strained against the bar.  “That rain ain’t just for us.  Lot’s of ponies need it.  Ah can’t ask them to hold up the weather just ‘cause Ah don’t wanna work hard.”  Applejack stopped, tipping her hat back to give Rainbow a disapproving stare.  “You know better than that, anyway, Rainbow!” she said, frowning.  “You’re on the weather team, and you know how delicate that rain schedule is.”
 
“Yeah, yeah.  I know,” Rainbow said, looking away.  “I… I just don’t like to see you like this Applejack.”  She placed a hoof on Applejack’s leg.  “Look, I don’t want to get all up in your business, but we’re all kinda worried.  You’ve been pushing yourself really hard, and that’s great and all, but we haven’t really seen you in weeks.  We keep coming around, but you’re always working.”
 
“Well, what’m Ah supposed to do, Dash?” Applejack said, throwing her hooves out beside her.  “The barn got busted up last winter and we had to let Caramel and Barleystalk go to afford the repairs.  Right now, it’s just me and Big Mac.  Granny Smith’s too old to work at much, and Applebloom’s got school.”  Applejack swallowed hard and took up her pole again, leaning on it hard.  “It ain’t like Ah’m havin’ the time of my life, ya know.”
 
Rainbow sighed, dropping her eyes to the cracked field.  To the pegasus, it looked as hard as steel.  “I’m not trying to blame you, Applejack.  It’s just… we all really miss you a lot.”  She sat heavily, her shoulders slumping.  “I miss you a lot,” she said quietly.
 
“Well, Ah miss y’all a heap, too, but right now Ah just got too much to do to be foolin’ around.”  Applejack paused, tilting her head back so that she could see Rainbow clearly around the brim of her hat.  As Rainbow’s face clouded with worry, Applejack’s heart sank.  Good goin’, Applejack! she thought, wishing she’d just kept her mouth shut.  Now you’ve gone and upset her!  Sighing, she walked over to her friend.  Sitting down, she threw her leg around the pegasus.  If we could just sit like this.  Just for a little while, she thought, I’d give anythin’.
 
Applejack gave her friend a playful shake, squeezing her in a strong hug.  “Look, it ain’t that I wouldn’t love to be out there helpin’ you out with your fancy flyin’.  I’ll be around just as soon as we catch up around here.  It just...”  Applejack scanned the farm, mentally checking off the vast multitude of chores that had piled up.  “It just… might be a little while, okay?”  Applejack caught Rainbow’s eye and smiled.  “Besides, what does an earth pony know about flyin’ around, anyway?”
 
Rainbow grinned, rolling her eyes.  “Trust me, Applejack.  You’re worth like ten of those pegasi in Cloudsdale.  Okay, so maybe you can’t fly, but you know how to move!”  Rainbow shrugged, shaking her head.  “I dunno how to say it right, but you always see stuff.  Like when I’ve got my wings out too far, or my legs aren’t tucked enough, or whatever.”  She playfully poked her friend in the side.  “Too bad you weren’t born a pegasus!  Maybe then, somepony could give me a run for my money!”
 
“Run for your money?” Applejack said, trying to snarl but grinning in spite of herself.  “Land or air, if we was gettin’ paid to race, you’d be flat broke!”
 
“Pfft!  In your dreams!” the pegasus said, jumping back to her hooves.  “You’d never—”
 
Applejack stood, throwing out a hoof to stop Rainbow.  “Ah hate to do this, sugarcube, but I can’t sit here jawin’ all day.”  Slowly trudging back to her rock, she picked up her pole again.  “I got lotsa rocks to move,” she said, squeezing her eyes tightly shut as she strained against the pole.
 
“I think you mean we’ve got lots of rocks, AJ,” Rainbow said, adding her strength.  “I’m not going to leave you hanging here.”
 
Suddenly, Rainbow was beside Applejack again, pressing against her as the pegasus wrapped her hooves around the metal pole.  Oh, Rainbow, Applejack thought, struggling not to move closer still.  What are ya doin’ to me?  I-I just don’t have no time for complicated right now… She tapped her rear hoof smartly against her shin, and found a refuge in the pain.  “Oh, Rainbow, you don’t have to do this!  It’s your day off!” she said, trying to shoo the pegasus away with a hoof.  “You shouldn’t waste it workin’!”
 
“Yeah, it is my day off,” the pegasus, as she worked the pole back and forth.  “And that means I get to do what I want.”  She flicked Applejack’s hat back with a hoof.  “And what I want to do is help out my best pal.”
 
“Thanks, Rainbow,” Applejack said thickly, trying to get her emotions under control.  She hated asking for help, but for days she’d been feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the list of chores.  “Ah… Ah know it ain’t much fun…”
 
“AJ, you better catch up!” Rainbow said, smirking.  “My side of the rock is coming out already!”
 
“Oh, what?” Applejack said, leaning harder into the pole.  “You’re some sort of getting’ rocks outta the ground expert, now?  Ah’ll show you how we get some rocks up on the farm!”  With a final push, AJ popped the rock from its resting place.
 
“Well,” Rainbow said, wiping the sweat from her brow.  “That’s two.”

~~~

 
By the time they finished tossing the last of the rocks onto the large pile in the field’s corner, the clouds above them were tinged with the pink and orange of the setting sun.  As they both reclined against the pile, they wiped their brows and panted.
 
“Rainbow, Ah just can’t thank you enough!” Applejack said, throwing her hoof up to stop her friend from downplaying the day’s effort.  “Nope, don’t start.  We both know Ah wouldn’t even be halfway done without your help.”
 
“Pfft!  You think this is something?” Rainbow said, leaning back against the rocks and cradling her head in her hooves.  “Wait until tomorrow!”
 
“Huh?”  Applejack replied, propping herself up on her elbow as she turned toward the pegasus.  “What happens tomorrow?”
 
“Oh, just a little project called Operation Free Time!” Rainbow said, grinning.  As Applejack cocked her eyebrow and scratched her mane, Rainbow snorted out a laugh.  “I’m gonna get the girls together and were going to whip this place in shape for you!”
 
Applejack stood quickly, shaking her head.  “Nope,” she said, dusting herself off, “Not gonna happen, Rainbow.”
 
“Oh, don’t start this stuff again!” Rainbow said, frowning deeply.  “Yeah, we get it!  You’re the hardest worker of all time!  Didn’t we deal with this taking on the world thing of yours before?”
 
“It ain’t like that, Rainbow!” Applejack said, “It ain’t that Ah don’t want the help, but most everythin’ we’ve got to do takes some time to learn.  It ain’t all diggin’ up rocks!”
 
“So we’ll learn it,” the pegasus returned, shrugging.  “What’s the big deal?”
 
“The big deal is that I got a peck and a half of things to get done,” Applejack said, looking off into the distance.  From here, she could see the say the barn leaned unnaturally, and it tore at her.  “We’ve got to recalibrate the milkin’ machine, retool the plow seating, drill a new well for the west orchard, and splice new seedlings.”  She turned back to Dash, pursing her lips.  “Ya know how to do any of that?” she said, staring at her friend.
 
“Well, no, but—” Rainbow began, fidgeting.
 
“There ain’t no ‘but’ about it, Rainbow,” Applejack said sadly.  “Believe me, I’d love if  y’all could lend me a hoof, but we’re on a deadline right now, and I can’t take the time out of my schedule to train and supervise y’all.  It’d take three times as long as if Big Mac and I did it alone.”
 
“AJ,” Rainbow said helplessly.  “There’s gotta be something we can do to help!”
 
“Ya already did, sugarcube,” Applejack said, embracing her friend tightly.  As Rainbow returned her embrace, Applejack sighed, wishing she could just stay there forever.  “But I’d be mighty happy if you’d show me that neat flyin’ trick when this is all done!”
 
Stretching her wings, Rainbow leaned forward until her shoulders popped.  Sighing, she repeated this with her hips.  “Well, okay, I guess, but you gotta promise to come get us if we can help.”  She placed her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder, gripping it tightly while holding the earth pony in a fierce gaze.  “Pinkie promise.”
 
Applejack grinned, rolling her eyes.  “Okay, I Pinkie promise as long as you Pinkie promise to get that trick workin!”
 
“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow said airily.  “We’ll see how far I get.”
 
“Well, see if Fluttershy can help you out,” 
 
Rainbow held her friend’s gaze with a flat, half-lidded stare.
 
“Well, it ain’t like you need her to do the flyin’, Rainbow,” Applejack said.  “She’s probably better than me!  She could see from all different angles.”
 
“Applejack, you know how windy it gets up there!” Rainbow cried, throwing her hooves up.  “Fluttershy hates that!  I spend more time trying to keep her from flying home than doing any actual training whenever she comes.  Well, whatever,” Rainbow continued, tossing her mane to get it out of her eyes.  “Maybe I’ll ask Cloudchaser at the bar tonight.  She likes that athletic stuff.”
 
“Whattayamean, ‘ask Cloudchaser’?” Applejack said a little too quickly, wincing internally as Rainbow cocked her head to the side.
 
“What do you mean, ‘What do I mean’?” she asked, throwing a hoof out wide beside her.  “You’re busy, you don’t want any help, and you do want me to learn that trick.  Cloudchaser and I fly together sometimes.  She’s strong, she’s fast, and she likes athletes!  I’d rather it was you, but I need somepony who can keep up!  What’s the problem with that?”
 
“Nothin’!” Applejack said, busying herself with the rock pile.  She was just moving rocks from one place to another, but she just couldn’t look at her friend right now.  “Ah… Ah just didn’t know Cloudchaser liked that stuff.  Ah always heard she was kinda frou-frou-y.”
 
“What, ‘cause of that hair?” Rainbow said, “Yeah, she kinda goes overboard on the gel, but don’t let that fool you, she’s pretty fierce in the sky!  Last week, we were flying back from Cloudsdale and she pulled off this barrel roll around me, and then punched through a cloud right where I was about to go so that I didn’t get wet.” she said, demonstrating again with her hooves.  “You wouldn’t know this, but you lose a little speed due to drag when your feathers get wet from the clouds!  So when she flew around me and through the cloud, it let me rocket through the hole at top speed and the cloud just burst apart into all these water droplets, and the air was just filled with them, AJ!”  Lost in her story, Rainbow swooped her hooves through twists and turns.  “They were, like, all around us, and the sun hit them and soon everything was rainbow patterned.   We were just whooping and laughing, flying through it because it looked so awesome!”  Rainbow stopped as AJ dropped a rock with a dull thud.  Stepping forward as her friend’s back twitched twice.  “AJ, are you okay?  What’s wrong?”
 
“Nothin’!” Applejack said again, rubbing her eyes.  “Ah dropped a rock on my hoof just the wrong way and it hurt me bad for a second, that’s all.”
 
“Here, let me see it,” Rainbow said, snatching her friend’s hoof and inspecting it.  “I dunno, AJ, it looks okay.”  Rainbow gently massaged the hoof, carefully feeling the bones.  “Probably just a stinger.”
 
“Somethin’ like that,” Applejack returned.  “Look, Ah gotta get in before Granny Smith starts yellin’.  You know how she hates it when anypony’s late for dinner.  You… you have fun with that new trick, you hear?” she said, doing her best to smile.
 
“Will do, AJ,” Rainbow said, giving her friend another quick hug.  “And I know you’re not going to listen, but I still say you guys need some help.”  Jumping into the air, Rainbow beat her powerful wings, rapidly gaining altitude.  “You’re missing all the best stuff out there!” she called down as she banked away.
 
“Ah know, Rainbow,” Applejack sniffed, her eyes welling.  This time, she didn’t try to stop the tears as she watched the pegasus disappear.  “Ah’m missin’ out on a lot of things.”


> AppleDash - Attempt Two (Sorry, this one is horrible) (Romance, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoo-ey! What a state! Applejack thought as she surveyed the messy bedroom.  Since she was a filly, Applejack had kept it tidy.  It helped to keep down the number of chores she had to do, but ever since Rainbow had begun to stay there, things had gotten a bit sloppy. Guess we get a mite distracted sometimes, Applejack thought.  Eyeing a wastepaper basket that Rainbow had accidentally knocked over last night when she’d playfully thrown Applejack into bed, she grinned.  Well, maybe a little more than ‘sometimes.’

Still snuggled under the covers, she’d spent the last half an hour trying to sleep in, but years of tending the farm had ingrained lifelong habits into her.  She found that sleeping much past sunrise was almost impossible for her.  

The spot that Rainbow Dash had left was rapidly cooling, despite Applejack moving into it once her marefriend had flown away. Laying her head on the pillow, she inhaled deeply, drinking in the scent that Rainbow’s mane had left there.  It always smelled of fresh air and sunlight, with a hint of perspiration.  Just enough to get Applejack’s blood pumping.

Glancing out the window again, she could see the sun peaking through the hills that boarded the south fields.  Alright, filly Applejack thought, taking a deep breath.  Enough lollygaggin’.  Time to rise and shine.

Throwing the sheet back, Applejack swung her legs out and hopped onto her hooves.  Groaning, she leaned forward, stretching her muscles and crying out as her shoulders popped.  You’d think I was an ol’ mare, the way my body hurts in the mornin’, she thought, repeated the process by leaning back on her hips.  After two more sharp cracks, she sighed deeply, shaking out her legs to get the muscles loosened up.

Grabbing her hat from the bedpost, Applejack casually dropped it onto her head before catching herself in her bureau’s mirror.  Once her appearance hadn’t concerned her, but these days she caught herself looking at her reflection and trying to make sure her mane was a little tussled, but not messy.  Nearing the mirror, she placed her hat on the bureau’s wooden top and ran a hoof through her mane a few times.  There, she thought, pulling out a hair tie and slipping it over the end of her pony-tail. At least it looks like I care now.

As she lifted her hat to put it back on, a piece of paper underneath flew into the air. She tried to grab it as it fell to the floor, but the paper’s random zig-zagging motion was difficult to predict and she missed twice before it slid underneath the bed.  Dang it! she though.  That better not be what I think it is!  

Falling onto her stomach, she fished around under the bed, grimacing at the large amount of dust bunnies that had appeared to have taken the area over.   A guess we really have let things go a bit, she thought, finally snagging the dusty paper with her hoof.  With a grunt, she rose to her hooves again.  Yup, she thought as she stared down at the paper. She forgot her cloud chart.  Again  Sighing, she put it on the small table next to the window.  

Applejack clapped her hooves together repeated, knocking the dust off of them.  Well, if I’m ever goin’ to get this place together, I’d better get started, she thought, shaking her head at the piles of discarded towels, bits of paper, muddy hoofprints, and rumpled sheets.  Those wings sure make a mess of things, she thought, righting a picture frame that had fallen over when Rainbow had taken off this morning.

Stopping for a moment, Applejack stared at the picture, tracing a line down Rainbow’s smiling face with her hoof.  That picture had been the start of it all.

~~~

“Just wait and see, AJ!” Rainbow said, flapping so hard that she actually rose from the ground for a few seconds.  “You’re gonna flip when you see The Tarantula!  I went on it like twelve times yesterday!”

“I know,” Applejack said, snagging her hat out of the air as Rainbow’s downdraft caught it.  “You’ve been tellin’ me about it all mornin’!”  

“Oh, yeah,” Rainbow said, flushing a little.  “But that’s not all!  There’s this thing called The Seat of Terror!”  Rainbow took to the air again, flying backward in front of Applejack and using her hooves to demonstrate.  “First, they strap you into a chair that’s hooked up to this gigantic slingshot!  Then, after they try and scare you with all this medical mumbo-jumbo, they let it go, and you shoot up into the air almost as fast as I take off!”

“If it’s slower than your actual flyin’ speed then what’s the big deal?” Applejack said, arching an eyebrown.

Rainbow rolled her eyes.  “Because then it bounces back, and it totally leaves your stomach way up there in the air!”  Rainbow sniggered, rubbing her hooves together.  “I saw Cheerilee and some stallion get on there yesterday, and he totally fainted!  You should have seen her face!”

“And you’re sayin’ this is fun?” Applejack said, scratching behind her ear.  “Bein’ shot up in the air and bouncin’ around all over the place?”

“Oh, I get it?” Rainbow said, smirking.  “I didn’t take your for a scaredy-pony.  We can just stick to the foal rides if that’s more your speed.”

“I didn’t say nothin’ about bein’ scared!” Applejack replied, her jaw jutting forward.  “I just said it doesn’t sound like all that much fun!”  Applejack narrowed her eyes, grinning slyly.  “Besides, I got a better idea!”

“Oh, yeah?” Rainbow said.  With a thud, she landed beside the farmer, unconsciously matching her stride.  “What do you have in mind?  The Night-Mare?  Sombra’s Saddle?”

“I ain’t heard you say one word about the haunted house,” Applejack said, glancing sidelong at Rainbow; grinning as the pegasus blanched.  “Amethyst Star says it’s the scariest one they’ve ever had.  So frightenin’ that they have to close it down halfway through the night ‘cause nopony else is willin’ to go through it a second time!”

“What’s so awesome about a house?” Rainbow said, swallowing hard.  “It doesn’t even go fast.”

“Oh, nothin’,” Applejack said with forced nonchalance.  “I just reckoned you were lookin’ for thrills, is all.”  She shrugged, looking away.  “But if you’d rather just stick with the foal rides ‘cause they ain’t too scary, I understand.”

Rainbow took to the air again, flying in front of Applejack and thrusting her nose in the farmer’s.  “Hey, you want to go in the stupid haunted house?” she growled.  “We’ll go in there first thing!”

“Fine,” Applejack said, shrugging, “If that’s what you want, it’s right over there,”

Rainbow whirled around, flapping her wings to rise a little higher in the air.  The pair had finally crested the last hill, and the Ponyville Faire stretched out in front of them.  Off to their left, nestled into the edge of the Everfree Forest, was a rickety wooden building that seemed to lean and twist in all the wrong ways.  The branches from the nearby trees seemed to lean over and clutch the house, and numerous thick vines had wormed their way into cracks in the rotting wooden walls.  Both ponies winced as a blood-curling shriek rang out from the dilapidated structure.  

Applejack forced her hooves into motion again.  Suddenly, the haunted house didn’t seem like such an appealing place to start.  Biting the inside of her cheek lightly, she forced herself into a trot.  “Time’s a-wastin’!” she called back to Rainbow.  “Thought you said you wanted to go on all the rides!  You can’t do that from up there!”   

~~~

“Two, please,” Applejack said to the bored looking stallion as she arrived at the haunted house’s admissions booth.

“Have a good time,” the stallion said, yawning.  Applejack eyes flew wide before she started laughing at herself.  His mouth was filled with fangs.

I reckon they are takin’ this place seriously this year! Applejack thought, a little unnerved at how convincing those fangs had seemed.

As Rainbow landed next to her, the stallion opened the gate and the pair walked slowly up the cracked stonework path that twisted through the weed-choked courtyard.  Before them, a large fountain oozed glowing ichor from a demonic pony’s mouth.

“I hope nopony’s making wishes in that thing,” Rainbow whispered.

“I wouldn’t use that fountain wish anythin’ on my worst enemy,” Applejack replied.  As she stepped around the fountain, the demonic pony’s eyes seemed to follow her.  

“Well, here we are…” Rainbow said, chuckling weakly as they stood before the house’s rotting front door.  Pushing the door lightly with her hoof, both ponies winced as the door hinges screamed like a living thing.  “Um… after you.” 

“Thanks,” Applejack replied dryly, shooting Rainbow a sidelong glance.  Swallowing, she stepped into the house, with Rainbow close behind.  Standing at the entrance, they hesitated, taking in the gloomy hallway before them.

“Ah, it’s not so bad in here!” Rainbow said, flipping her hoof dismissively.  “It’s just dark and dirty looking.  C’mon, AJ.  Let’s look ar—”

Applejack and Rainbow shrieked as a section of the nearby wall bent and twisted.  Arm-like planks with claws of rusted nails reached for them.  Growling, it swiped the air just above Applejack’s hat.

“Ruuuuuuun!” they both screamed, pounding down the narrow corridor.  Behind them, the beast snarled and reached for them.  Applejack winced as it snagged several of her tail hairs.  As Rainbow skidded into the next room, she pivoted, her hooves sliding.  Scrambling for purchase, she grabbed hauled Applejack through the door before slamming it closed behind her.

“Welcome,” a silky voice whispered and both Rainbow and Applejack froze.  A ghostly pony wrapped in chains floated down from the darkened ceiling, hovering nearby.  Its eyes shone with malignant hunger.  “So kind of you to drop by.  You can’t imagine how long it’s been since I’ve last fed!”

As the creature swooped down toward Rainbow, Applejack shot forward, tackling the pegasus.  “You stay away from her, you creepy thing!” she shouted as it disappeared into the ceiling again.

“Ow,” Rainbow said, rubbing her head where she’d slammed it on the floor.  “Calm down!  It’s just part of the house.”

“I-I knew that!” Applejack said, happy that the haunted house’s dark atmosphere hid most of her blush.  “I was just gettin’ into the… uh, spirit of things!”  She hooked her leg around Rainbow, hauling her up.

“Hardy har har,” Rainbow said, dusting herself off.  “You want me to hold your hoof?”

“No, I’m fine,” Applejack said coolly.  “Seems like you were the one shootin’ in here fast as lightnin’.”

“Well…uh,” Rainbow said, looking anywhere but at Applejack, “that’s because I needed to make sure it was safe in here!”

“And you did a fine job,” Applejack replied, rolling her eyes.  “No monsters in here at all.”

“Whatever, let’s just get moving.”

Opening the next door, they peered out into a moldering hallway.  Several of the doors that lined the path rattled, and the sounds of screaming and pounding hooves chilled both of them.

“You know… I would,” Rainbow said, glancing quickly at Applejack before looking away.  “If you wanted.”

“Huh?” Applejack replied, lifting her hoof to step into the eerie hallway before putting it back down again.

“Hold your… uh, nevermind,” Rainbow said, taking the first tentative step.

“I already said I didn’t need no babyin’!” Applejack snapped, moving to follow the pegasus.  They both cringed as something unseen nearby slammed against a door gibbering insanely.  “But, uh, I wouldn’t say no if you walked a little bit closer.”

Rainbow slowed her pace, sidling up against Applejack.  After a moment, she lifted her wing and spread it over the farmer’s back.  “It messes up the feathers when they get rubbed a lot,” she said as Applejack turned to stare questioningly.

Applejack felt the heat rising to her face.  She could feel the pegasus’ sleek muscles ripple against her with each stride, and the warmth of Rainbow’s wing was more comforting than she’d anticipated.  She found herself leaning into her friend as they walked.

“AJ, is it just me,” Rainbow said, her voice quavering, “or are we not going anywhere?” 

Applejack shook her head, clearing away the confusing feelings that suddenly seemed to have over-taken her.  They’d been walking at a near-trot, but glancing around, she could see that they were still roughing halfway through the short hallway.

“Maybe we ought to pick up the pace a little,” Applejack said, breaking into a brisk trot.  Nodding, Rainbow followed suit, her wing bouncing several times against her friend’s back before she folded it against her side.  Applejack felt an unexpected wave of disappointment as Rainbow moved away again.

“I… think we’re in trouble!” Rainbow said, pointing.  

Applejack gasped as the hallway receded from them.  The staircase at the end began to seem smaller and smaller.

“Pick up the pace, Rainbow!” Applejack yelled, breaking into a full gallop.  “We’ll be trapped in her forever!”

Wham!

Both ponies stumbled as something slammed powerfully together behind them.  Turning their heads in unison, they could see that the door they had come through originally had turned into the maw of some terrible creature, and it was sucking in the hallway’s carpeted runner, pulling them along with it.  As they began to lose ground, the mouth slammed closed again bone-shaking force.  The ponies quailed as it opened again, eating the runner with even greater speed and laughing.

“Rainbow, just take off!” Applejack yelled as tried to outpace the voracious doorway.  “Get outta here!”

“No way!” Rainbow yelled back, staring the farmer down and pouring on more speed.  “You always say you’re the fastest, so prove it, slowpoke!”

“All right, I will!” Applejack shot back.  Growling, she poured everything she had into her powerful hind legs.  Slowly, she began to gain ground on the stairs before her, and the beast behind bellowed in frustration.

“Keep it up!” Rainbow cried, sweat pouring off of her.  “We’re gonna make it!”

Suddenly, the stairs stopped receding.  Applejack and Rainbow Dash backpedaled furiously, managing to get tangled up together as they attempted not to run headlong into the wrought-iron banister.  They both fell, rolling and tumbling until they ran into the stair’s first riser with a loud bang.  Panting, Applejack stared around, wide-eyed, then burst out laughing as she spied Rainbow.  Somehow, she’d ended up wearing Applejack’s hat backward.

“What’s so funny?” Rainbow fighting a grin that slowly spreading across her face.  “We almost got eaten by a door!”

“Almost don’t cut it when you’re talkin’ about Equestria’s premiere athletes!” Applejack said, plucking her hat from Rainbow’s head.  “Thanks for hangin’ in there with me,” she said softly, giving the pegasus a squeeze.

“I couldn’t let… well, i-it’s nothing, AJ,” Rainbow said, glancing into Applejack’s eyes before looking away quickly.  “It’s just a part of the Faire, anyway.  It not like it’s… real?”  Both ponies stared down at the tattered runner at the end of the hallway.  “It’s just a big, spooky house… on the edge of the Everfree Forest,” Rainbow continued with a gulp.  “The forest that’s full of weird, uncontrolled magic…”

“Yeah,” Applejack said, beginning to tremble.  “The forest where all kinds of unnaturalness happens all the time.”

“Maaaaybe we should get out of here, AJ,” Rainbow said, her eyes darting back and forth.  “I’ll just bust out one of these windows, and then we can go ride the Tarantula.”

“Rainbow,” Applejack said, frowning.  “You can’t go bustin’ out windows!  This belongs to somepony!”

“Oh, calm down,” Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes.  “I’ve got the bits.  I’ll pay for it!”

The pegasus took to the air, gaining altitude quickly.  With a war cry, she dove for the window, her hooves outstretched.  Applejack winced as Rainbow rebounded off of the iron bars that slammed down just as she reached the pane.

“You okay?” Applejack said, rushing to where her friend had fallen.

“Ow!” Rainbow said, rubbing her sore hoof.  “I guess we’re not getting out that way,” she said, biting her lip as they both stared at the gated window.  The design on the wrought-iron bars looked like tortured ponies, stretched beyond their physical limits.

“Nothin’ for it but to just go on,” Applejack said quietly as she lifted the pegasus back to her hooves.  Without a word, Rainbow snuggled up against Applejack, spreading her wing over her back once more.  

“I’m glad it’s you in here with me,” Rainbow said softly as they began to make their way up the stairs.  “If it was Fluttershy or somepony else, they’d probably have fainted or something, and I’d have to carry them the whole way.”

“If you were here with Fluttershy, you wouldn’t be in this creepy house in the first place,” Applejack said, rolling her shoulder so that the feathery wing sat up a little higher on her back.

“Good point,” Rainbow said, nodding.  “Still, I… I’m glad I’m here with you.”

Applejack beamed at the pegasus.  “I’m happy it’s you, too, sugarcube,” she said.  As they reached the top of the stairs, Applejack paused, her heart hammering inside her chest.  Dropping her eyes for a moment, she swallowed hard, then stepped in close to nuzzle the side of Rainbow’s face with her nose.  “Real glad,” she added.  

Rainbow’s eyes flew wide as she rocked back on her heels.  Slowly, she blushed as she touched a hoof to the spot where Applejack had touched her.  

“C’mon!” the earth pony said, grabbing Rainbow’s hoof and enfolding it with her own.  “I wanna get outta here some day,”

“Applejack,” Rainbow said, her voice filled with disbelief.  “You—”

“Let’s go!” Applejack said, pulling her stunned friend along.  “I’m thinkin’ we don’t want to be in here when the sun goes down.”

“Yeah, that’s for sure!” Rainbow replied, nodding vigorously.  Squeezing Applejack’s hoof, she followed as the earth pony opened the next door.

Both ponies gasped, recoiling from the horrible scene.  Inside, a bare bulb hummed and clicked as it struggled to stay on; its intermittent illumination revealing a room filled with experimental creatures that had been sealed away in fluid-filled tanks.  Several had been broken, and the horrible creations lay in wet patches on the floor.  In the flickering light, Applejack and Rainbow could only guess as to what that moisture might actually be.

“So, we just need to get over there, right?” Rainbow said, pointing to the stained metal door on the opposite side of the room.

“I-I reckon,” Applejack replied, stepping carefully around the mysterious damp patches on the floor.  “Just gotta watch—”

Both ponies screamed as one of the things on the floor lifted its head, gurgling unintelligibly at them.  Their manes bristled as the thing’s flabby, mucous-covered arm shot out, digging furrows into the floor as it dragged itself forward. 

Applejack tried to reverse course, but slipped in a patch of slick mucous.  Crying out, she fell to the ground, slamming her head into the tile hard enough to see stars.  She tried to get her hooves under herself again, but her head was ringing like a bell.  With a yelp, she fell again, wincing as she slammed her elbow painfully into the floor.  Looking up, she saw that the monster was almost upon her

“Oh, no you don’t!” Rainbow yelled, swooping down and lifting the earth pony out of harm’s way just before the creature’s slimy hand closed around her.  “You stay away from her!”

The creature roared unintelligibly, struggling to rise.  As it tilted a lump that might have been a head to the side, a fetid fold of skin shifted, revealing a single baleful eye.  Gibbering, it lurched toward where Rainbow was hovering.

“We… gotta get out of here!” Rainbow said, panting.  “I can’t hold you up for much longer!”

“I know!” Applejack shouted.  “Just get us to that door.”

Bobbing and dipping, Rainbow flew over the creature, gasping as Applejack kicked at the grasping hands that clawed at her.  Desperately, she flapped her wings with all of her might, gaining just enough altitude to pull them out of harm’s way.

“Keep it up, Rainbow!” Applejack called from below.  “I know you can do it!”

Dripping sweat, the pegasus angled toward the door, dropping rapidly as she glided downward.  As she neared the floor, she released Applejack and landed in a crumpled heap, gasping for air.

“I hate to say it, sugarcube,” Applejack said, throwing legs around the pegasus,” but we ain’t got no time for breaks!”  With a grunt, she threw Rainbow Dash over her back.

“AJ, what—”

“We gotta get outta here, so I’ll carry you!” Applejack said, yanking on the door.  It didn’t budge.  “Oh, no!” she wailed.

“It’s… locked?!” Rainbow said, her voice ratcheting up a few octaves as she sucked in huge lungfuls of air.

Applejack stole a look over her shoulder.  Every time the light came back on, the she could see that shambling horror had gotten closer.  Lashing out, it slammed its slab-like limbs into anything it could reach.  As it smashed a nearby tank, Applejack heard her friend swallow loudly.

“Rainbow,” Applejack said in a low voice, “I got a plan, but it’s gonna be dangerous.”  She was sure that Rainbow could feel her trembling, but she turned to face the monster, jamming her hat more squarely onto her head.  “I’m gonna jump outta the way at the last second, and let that thing smash this here door to bits.”  She turned her head to look behind her, making sure she had Rainbow’s attention.  “But that means at the next to last second, I need you to take off!”

“Right!” Rainbow said, adopting a combative snarl.  “We’ll show this thing who’s boss!”

“Okay, then,” Applejack said, taking a deep, steadying breath.  Before her, the monstrosity howled, smashing its limbs into the floor and showering them with tile shards.  As it dragged its fetid body across the floor to where they stood, it pulled an arm back.

“Now, Rainbow!” Applejack shouted.

It went wrong immediately.  Deceptively fast, the horror lashed out at the pegasus as she launched off of Applejack’s back.  Only Dash’s years of Wonderbolts training saved her.  As the slimy talons reached for her, she twisted her wings, barrel-rolling over the arm.  As the monster pulled back for a second strike, Applejack noticed that the claws had torn out several large feathers.  Out of control, Rainbow slammed into a wall.

“Down here, you varmint!” Applejack screamed, kicking several large chucks of floor up at the beast’s face.  Charging the beast, she jumped, launching a kick into it side.  “Hey, you—ugh!”

Applejack’s leg sank into the monster’s putrescent body, and the odor issuing from its punctured skin made the earth pony gag.  Looking down, the beast roared at her.  I guess I got its attention, at least, Applejack thought, trembling.  Behind the monster, she could see Rainbow climbing back to her hooves, shaking her head to clear away the cobwebs.

“I’m okay,” Rainbow called out, sounding a little woozy.

Applejack let out a relieved sigh before jumping desperately to the left.  Her teeth rattled as the creature’s monstrous arm slammed down on the space she had just vacated.  Applejack winced as the tiles shattered, leaving a crater several feet deep.  “All right, you!” she said, tossing another chunk of rock at the thing’s head with all her strength.  “Come and get me!”

The farmer darted away, weaving back and forth as she tried to time the monster’s strike properly.  She needed it to hit the door squarely or the effort would be wasted.  But I can’t keep this up forever! she though as she leapt over the swiping claws.  Leaping to the door, she swore as the beast smashed the wall several feet to the right, cutting off her escape.

“Hold on, AJ!” Rainbow called, dropping a heavy piece of lab equipment onto the thing’s head.  The pegasus gagged as a cloud of putrid vapor poured from the wound.  “I got this!” she said, coughing.

Applejack held her breath as the pegasus banked and turned in ever more constrictive circles in front of the door.  She could see the intense look of concentration on Rainbow’s face as her increasing velocity threatened to throw her out of her pattern.  Any mistake now would probably knock Rainbow Dash unconscious.  “You can do it!” Applejack whispered, clasping her hooves together in front of her chest.  “I know you can!”

With a roar that shook the room, the beast punched its arm out, and at that moment, Rainbow broke her pattern.  The beast’s flabby skin rippled as the pegasus streaked by, her rainbow contrail encircling the room as she furiously worked to bleed off the speed she’d built up.

The thing’s claws smashed the door to bits, and as it pulled back for another strike, Applejack leapt into the open doorway.  “Come to me!” she cried, holding her legs out wide.  “I’ll catch you!”

Rainbow banked, streaking past the monstrosity’s head.  It growled as it coiled for another strike but the pegasus was simply too fast.  Like a bullet, she shot through the doorway and into Applejack’s waiting legs.

“Oof!” Applejack grunted, tumbling end over end.

“Ack!” Rainbow replied, clutching the earth pony.

Together they tumbled across the floor, and Applejack curled a protective hoof around Rainbow’s head, trying to protect the pegasus as the bounced and rolled.  They both cried out as they slammed into a door.

And with a loud bang, they were suddenly outside.  Blinking in the waning sunlight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash clung to each other, breathing hard.  Muzzle to muzzle, Applejack could feel the pegasus’ warm breath tickling her nose.  She could feel the strong, steady beat of their racing hearts, and despite the terror she still felt, it was strangely thrilling to be in this mare’s embrace.

“Oh, to hell with it!” Applejack said.

“Wha—” Rainbow began.

Applejack pulled the pegasus to her, tilting her head a little as she kissed Rainbow aggressively.  She could feel her friend stiffing in surprise, her wings extending, then flapping reflexively.  Undaunted, she pressed hungrily, her heart soaring as Rainbow returned the kiss.  As Rainbow pushed the earth pony onto her back, Applejack drew her in close, making sure to keep from crumpling Rainbow’s feather as she tightened the embrace.

“Whoa, I guess you guys really liked my haunted house, huh?” a merry voice said.

Releasing each other, both mares scooted backward, blushing furiously.

“Pinkie?” Applejack said, goggling at her friend’s sudden appearance.  After the gloom of the haunted house, Pinkie’s vibrancy was almost shocking.  

“Your haunted house?!” Rainbow cried, throwing her hooves up into the air.  “That place nearly killed us!”

“Huh?” Pinkie said, raising an eyebrow.  “But that place is funnerific!  I even took the girls through it after school!”  Pinkie bounced rapidly up and down.  “They loved it!”  Pinkie stopped, smiling slyly.  “I never would have guessed that you two were such scaredy-ponies!”

“Are you out of your ever-lovin’ mind?!” Applejack said, climbing back to her hooves.  “You took Apple Bloom in there?!”

“Well, yeah,” Pinkie said, shrugging.  “Why not?  It’s all just spooky fun.”

“There’s nothing fun about that place!” Rainbow yelled, turning to point at the house.  “It’s a…”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s mouths fell open as they turned.  What had once been a looming, dark, twisted structure was now a riot of silly ghosts, rubber bats, and dancing skeletons, all painted on a small wooden shack.  

“But…” Applejack said, taking a few involuntary steps away from the house.

“… That’s not possible!” Rainbow finished.  She turned to look at Applejack, then to the curious Pinkie, and back to Applejack again.  “That really happened, right?” she said to the farmer.

Applejack lifted one of Rainbow’s wings, running her hoof over the gaps the torn feathers had left behind.  “Yeah,” she said quietly.  “It happened all right, but it looks like it ain’t happenin’ no more.”  She looked up, holding Rainbow’s eyes with her own.  “I-I can’t explain it, but you know what?”  She ran a hoof through Rainbow’s mane, drawing the pegasus close.  “I was awful scared in there, but you were with me every step of the way.”  Applejack blushed, biting her lip before continuing.  “I… I’d like it if you’d be there with me from now on.”

“Are you asking me out?!” Rainbow said, her eyes lighting up.  She laughed as Applejack nodded, suddenly shy.  “I’ve been trying to figure out a way to ask you out for months!  I was kinda hoping for the Tunnel of Love or something, but I guess this works, too!”

They both turned as Pinkie sniffed loudly.  Standing nearby, she was mopping her eyes with a handkerchief.  “Y-you guys liked my haunted house so much that it made you fall in love!” she said, hiccupping.  “They’re totally going to ask me to do it again next year!” she continued, a wide smile spreading across her face.

“Uh…” Rainbow said, glancing at Applejack apprehensively.

“Hey, you two!” Pinkie squealed, pulling a large camera from seemingly nowhere.  “Let’s get a picture!”

As Pinkie extended the legs on a tripod, Applejack stole another kiss.  Laughing, Rainbow was just about to return the favor when Pinkie’s camera flashed, catching the moment.

“C’mon, Dash,” Applejack said.  “Let’s go ride The Tarantula.”
> Twenty-Four - Celestia (Ten AM) (Slice of Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The stallion held out several color swatches. “But which colors would you prefer for the festival, Your Majesty?”
 
Celestia fought back a sigh. “Top, we’ve been through this. You were placed into a team with Rarity and Herringbone for a reason. I trust in your abilities, so please go with what you think is best.”
 
Top Stitch glanced quickly from left to right before cupping his mouth with a hoof. “But that’s just it,” he said in a carrying whisper. “We’ve been arguing about this for days! Rarity insists that we need softer colors accented with brilliant sparkles. Herringbone will hear none of it. She wants big, bold colors with complimentary patterns. Honestly, I’m at my wit’s end!” The stallion hung his head for a moment before holding out the swatches again. “Especially since they are both obviously incapable of pushing the boundaries. Just think of it! The Autumn Color Festival, all in black and white! Why, it’s never been done before! We’ll make event history with two tones! With your approval, Your Majesty—”
 
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Your Highness, but this simply can’t wait. A pegasus mare in a crisply pressed uniform pushed the sputtering designer aside.
 
Celestia rose, halfway down the dais’s steps. “What is it, Vanguard? He’s something happened?”
 
Vanguard removed her helmet, holding it to her chest while standing at attention. “It’s what isn’t happening, Your Highness. The rank and file are having some difficulty with the changes you’ve set into motion.”
 
Celestia allowed herself a small frown. “Why do you think I have officers, commander?”
 
The pegasus fidgeted for a moment before answering. “Uh, well, to disseminate orders and execute them effectively.” Vanguard looked up, not quite meeting the princess’s eye. “But also to report back on problems within the enlisted, and… and to act as their advocate.”
 
Celestia briefly closed her eyes and lightly rubbed her temple. “Tell them that I’m very sorry, but the sweep must be done! If Tirek could have escaped, there is no telling what else might have be walking Equestria. Tartarus is vast, and it wasn’t empty when we discovered it.” Celestia pursed her lips. Did none of them understand the greater picture? “If creatures from the lower planes are walking the land, it’s vitally important that we find them before they have a chance to become a problem.”
 
Vanguard shifted from hoof to hoof, sweating lightly. “I’m not disagreeing, Your Majesty. It’s just that there are families to consider. Some of the guards haven’t been able to rotate out to see their loved ones for weeks now, and it’s stirring up some ill-will. If it hadn’t have been ordered direction after the rebuilding effort, I’m sure that—”
 
The door at the end of the audience chamber slammed closed.
 
“Your Majesty!” A dappled orange mare said through labored breaths. “Emergency dragon post!” Shouldering the soldier aside, Marmalade thrust the parchment into Celestia’s hooves.
 
Celestia broke the seal and unrolled the paper.
 
To Her Majesty, Princess Celestia,
 
It is with great urgency that we write to you. We have yet to hear back on our proposal that Las Pegasus be named the next host for the Summer Sun Celebration.  Manehattan is beginning to move forward with preparations, and we fear that might sway your vote. The Las Pegasus city council is dedicated to fiscal responsibility, and therefore will not move forward with emergency spending when they’ve received no word from the crown. We respectfully request a meeting at your earliest convenience so that we can demonstrate why our city is the best choice for this cherished event.
 
                                                                                                                                    Awaiting your word,
 
                                                                                                                                    The Las Pegasus City Council of Elders
 
Celestia rested her throbbing head in her hoof. “When do I have an opening in my schedule, Marmalade?”
 
The mare fished out a worn day planner from her pack. “Well, not for several weeks, I’m afraid. I could cancel the talks with the griffons, but you know how touchy they can be.”
 
“No.” The pounding in Celestia’s head ratcheted up a notch. “Equestria’s diplomatic relations are more important now than ever. We need their cooperation in this search.” The princess glanced out a window and sagged back into her plush throne. It barely mid-morning.
 
Marmalade licked her hoof and turned a page, and then another. “Well, you’re going to have to cancel something. It’s either that or tell the council that you won’t be there for at least a month. Additionally, the Astronomer’s Guild has petitioned for audience again.”
 
Celestia opened her mouth, then snapped it closed again. Taking a few deep breaths, she willed herself back into practiced serenity. “Please re-inform them that Princess Luna oversees their guild now, and that all petitions should go to her.”
 
“I have, but they won’t listen,” Marmalade said with a shrug. “Parallax says that he didn’t build up twenty-five years of relationship with you to just start over again when some new princess shows up.”
 
“New?” Princess Celestia found herself suddenly on her hooves. Below her, the three subjects had taken a few steps backward as the word rolled through the audience chamber, rattling windows and shaking the floor. Closing her eyes, Celestia stood silently for a moment before seating herself once again on the throne.
 
Top Stitched inched forward with his hoofful of swatches. “I can see that you’re pressed for time, Princess. Just say the word on the colors and I’ll be out of your mane. Or I could just go with the black and—”
 
“Your Highness, the scheduled leaves—”
 
“So we could cancel your appearance at The Commerce Banquet next week, or tomorrow’s tour of the damaged—”
 
“Enough,” Celestia said in a quiet voice that left no room for argument. “I’ll—”
 
“Oh, no!” In a far corner of the room, something fell, followed by soft swearing. Celestia craned her neck to see over the petitioners. Halfway behind a pillar, Twilight grinned sheepishly and waved while magically repairing a broken vase. “Sorry,” she called out. “I hit it with my wing.”
 
Celestia felt something inside of her unclench. “I’ll be right back,” she said to the group.


> Twenty-Four - Apple Bloom (Six PM) (Sad, Slice of Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Halfway to the kitchen, Apple Bloom skidded to a stop and doubled back. “No! It’s the hall closet!” Running at full tilt, her hooves skittered and slipped as she tried to make the turn on a wooden floor worn slick from generations of use. Leaping up, she grabbed the knob. “Just hold on!” she said, sparing a glance over her shoulder.

Granny Smith still hadn’t moved.

She’d been trying to read her new book when Granny Smith had come in and started jabbering away about some old story Apple Bloom had heard a thousand times before. The filly had tried to ignore it, but Granny Smith had this… thing she could do. No matter how hard you tried to tune her out, you always found yourself listening.

That’s just great, Apple Bloom had thought. The one time both Big Mac and Applejack are off sellin’ apples all day, and Granny decides to not take her nap… 

Apple Bloom had tried holding the book closer to her face. She’d tried facing the other way. She’d even cleared her throat really loudly and wiggled the book, but Granny Smith had just gone right on talking. Finally, she’d lost it.

The memory was a winter’s stone in her stomach.


~~~


Apple Bloom slammed her book down on the couch. “I’m tryin’ to read!”

Granny Smith dropped her eyes and folded her hooves in her lap. For a moment, she was silent.  “What’s that now?” she finally said.

“I can’t read when you’re always tryin’ to tell me some old story!”

Granny Smith pointed a trembling hoof at Apple Bloom’s book. “Well, it’s just that I saw you readin’ about Equestria’s wild frontier days and I reckoned you might want to know about your Great Great Uncle Winesap. Why, he—”

“I know!” Apple Bloom threw her hooves up. “You told me that story yesterday when I was tryin’ to read, and the day before that!”

Granny Smith looked away, her eyes unfocused. “I… I did? I don’t recall...”

“Yes!”

“Oh, Apple Bloom, I…” Granny Smith sat quietly for a moment, rubbing her left foreleg.  “I’m sorry.  I don’t mean to get the wagon on the fiddlesticks. The apples fieldplow.”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom’s brow furrowed. Something seemed like it was wrong with her granny’s face. “Granny, a-are you okay?”

The elder pony trembled and her right eye darted back and forth. The left one didn’t follow. It stared straight ahead, glassy and lifeless. She reached for Apple Bloom with a palsied hoof. “...No.”

Apple Bloom screamed when her granny fell from the couch and slammed face first into the floor.


~~~


Apple Bloom yanked open the closet door and tore through the clutter. “Where is it? Where is it?” Shoveling through the miscellaneous contents, she nearly cried when she finally spied the battered white container. Apple Bloom bit down on its handle and galloped back into the living room.

Granny Smith still lay where she’d fallen.

“I got it, Granny!” she said from around the handle. “I’m comin’!”

The filly slid to a stop and threw the metal case to the floor. Kneeling, she tried to undo the clasps but her hooves were shaking too badly. “Come on!” she said, slamming her hoof onto the top of the case. Then she burst into tears.

Beside her, Granny Smith coughed.

“Thank Celestia!” Apple Bloom leapt for her granny and pulled on her shoulder until she finally maneuvered the elder Apple onto her back. “I-I’m here, and I got the kit! You just hold on!”

Granny Smith mumbled something.

Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom turned back to the kit and forced her hooves to stop shaking so badly. Carefully, she worked the metal clasps until they unlocked. She nearly tore the lid off the box in her haste to finally get it open. Apple Bloom dug in, pushing the contents this way and that.

Gauze. Tongue depressors. Aspirin. Alcohol wipes. Two metal splints. Iodine. Safety pins.  

Apple Bloom sat, staring, and then flipped the box over. The medical supplies spilled out onto the floor, where she frantically searched through them again.

“There’s nothin’ here,” she growled, her eyes tearing again. She wiped them hard with a hoof. “There ain’t nothin’ here!” The filly jumped to her hooves. “I-I gotta run to town! I gotta—”

“Apple Bloom…”

The filly knelt and slid her hoof under her granny’s head. Raising it off the floor seemed to help her breath a little more easily. “I’m goin’ to town to get some help!  I’ll be—”

Granny Smith’s head spasmed and jerked from side to side. One eye seemed to have no life at all. The other was filled with fear. “Don’t… don’t leave…”

“But I gotta go get help!” Granny Smith’s head was suddenly very heavy, and Apple Bloom’s hoof slowly sank back to the floor. “You’re sick or… or hurt or somethin’, and you need a doctor!”

“Ain’t no use,” Granny Smith’s voice sounded strangely thick, like she was talking from around a mouthful of food. “Won’t last.”

Apple Bloom squeezed her eyes tightly closed and shook her head. “No! You just hold on! I’ll go get somepony, and—”

Granny Smith’s hoof crept into Apple Bloom’s own, and the filly’s mouth went dry at her touch. Her granny’s fluttering heartbeat felt like an exhausted bird. One that was struggling to escape a net. Struggling and losing. 

“No, Granny,” Apple Bloom bowed her head, nearly coming nose to nose with her beloved grandmother. “Nopony’s here. You can’t… you…”

“Shh.” Granny Smith’s hoof squeezed her own surprisingly hard. “You’re here, and that’s all any Apple can ask for: To be with kin when it’s time.”

“I’m sorry!” Apple Bloom’s tears ran down her muzzle and fell onto her granny’s cheeks. She wanted to wipe them off, but Granny Smith held her hoof in place. “I’m sorry I didn’t want to listen! I love your stories. I didn’t mean—l”

“Shh. Ain’t your fault, Little Seed,” Granny Smith whispered. “It’s just my time, and you can’t help bein’ ornery. It’s just part of bein’ an Apple. ’Sides, I wouldn’t tell you stories if I didn’t think you loved ’em. You tell Big Mac and Applejack—”

Apple Bloom shook her head harder. “No! You tell them!”

“Can’t.” Granny Smith’s pulse surged and then slowed. It was fading away. “You just tell ’em that… tha…” Her good eye bored into Apple Bloom and she squeezed her hoof again.

Then, she was still. 

Alone in the farmhouse, Apple Bloom pressed her face into Granny Smith’s chest and wailed.

> Twenty-Four - Vinyl Scratch (Eleven PM) (Sad, Romance, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Out of the corner of her eyes, Vinyl watched the beat thump out of the club’s massive stacks. Placed next to the smoke machine, the speakers pulsed and pushed the air in front of them out in concentric rings. Vinyl craved this moment. The anticipation. Each pony holding their breath collectively. Together, they waited.
 
The beat was simple. Kick. Kick-snare. Kick. Kick-snare. Sixteen beats, then thirty two. At seventeen, several ponies in the audience had gotten antsy, launching into their first dance steps before realizing the drop wasn’t coming yet. Others, more patient, nodded along and waited for a cue.
 
At forty-nine, Vinyl raised a hoof, and the crowd responded with a roar. The crowd’s mood shifted. Head bobs turned into full-body bounces. Suddenly hooves were beginning to move, scooting in small, neat patterns on the floor: A warm up to the main event.
 
Fifty-seven. Vinyl slowly began dropping her hoof to the mixer. Before her, a sea of eyes shined. Tongues wetted lips. Pulses quickened. It was almost here.
 
And then it was.
 
Vinyl’s hoof slammed down on the delay switch and the synth hit erupted out of the speakers and rolled over the audience. The first real note of the night, and it was a declaration. It hit the audience hard, slamming into the crowd like an unshackled beast.
 
The delay spanned what was normally a single synth note into something more; an open door that beckoned the crowd to follow.
 
They roared again and surged forward.  Manes flew when heads moved from side to side. Eyes closed, they swayed as one. It was irresistible. Packed in so close, it was impossible not to be influenced by the pony’s rhythm next to you.
 
Despite everything, Vinyl grinned. She’d been dreaming of that delayed synth hit for days. Fooling around on the decks at home, it had just come to her. She’d tried it a few times, growing more excited with each attempt. It was a simple effect, but sometimes that worked best during shows. The crowd wanted excitement and adventure, but more than anything, they wanted the beat. Complication on the decks often interrupted the flow.
 
Complications. Vinyl had enough complications right now.
 

~~~

 
Vinyl leaned her head out from around the door jamb. “Hey, can you come listen to this transition and tell me if it’s working or not?”
 
Curled up on the couch, Octavia frowned from over her magazine. “Vinyl…”
 
“Aw, c’mon!” Vinyl edged into the room. “Look, I just need you to listen for a sec. I can’t tell.”
 
Octavia put the magazine down with a sigh. “Well, you know I can’t tell either! Why do you always ask me to do this?”
 
“Come on, Tav. Just let me know if it sounds good or not!”
 
“You know I’m not going to like it, so why ask me?”
 

~~~

 
The track had kicked into full gear. Drums hammered the crowd while a filtered high-hat adding syncopation to the breakbeat. Off to the side of the room, several ponies had formed a circle, with one popping and locking inside. Vinyl pointed to them. She always liked to acknowledge the old-school breakers. They really brought the energy.
 
Vinyl flipped through her crate and pulled out her next track. Sliding it out of its sleeve, she held it up to the light for a moment. She’d been bitten in the flank a few times earlier in her career when she hadn’t noticed a scratch or a bit of dirt stick to a record. Nothing was worse than the needle going haywire in the middle of a set.
 
After speeding the pitch control, Vinyl set the record on the slipmat and powered up the second turntable. Gently resting her hoof on the spinning disk, she rotated it back to the bit of blue tape that marked her cue point and dropped the needle.
 
Inside her headphones, the record came to jarring life. Even after all this time, it was disconcerting. One song playing for the crowd, a completely different one just for her. That’s why focus was key. You had to listen—really listen— to what was important.
 

~~~

 
Vinyl pointed to where Octavia sat. “Why are you always like this? You’re not even doing anything! It’s not like it’s hard!”
 
Octavia’s frown deepened. “It’s not a matter of if it’s hard or not, though for your information it is quite difficult for me. It’s a matter of respect. We’ve been over this before. I’m not good at helping you with this!”
 
Vinyl looked away, disgusted. “That’s BS, Tav, and you know it. Your degree’s in music! I’m pretty sure that you had to listen to a bunch of stuff you didn’t really like all that much to get it, so I’m not buying this whole ‘I’m not good at it’ crap.”
 
Octavia hopped off the couch. “Well, I’m not good at it, and if we are going to get into it, I just don’t enjoy it. Is that what you want to hear? Is that why you keep at it?”
 

~~~

 
Four beats, and the tracks were already sliding out of synch. Inside her headphones, the rhythm pounded away much more quickly. Vinyl dragged her hoof along the edge of the turntable’s platter. As it slowed, the two tracks slid back into synch. With their beats pounding in unison again, Vinyl pushed the pitch fader away from her to adjust the speed down. This time, the beats moved out of synch much more slowly. Vinyl repeated the process until both the beats from both tracks were locked together.
 
Over the speakers, her track had reached its break. It was nearly time. Dropping the needle back to her cue point, she rocked the record back and forth a few time, listening to the beat. It was vitally important to release at just the right time. Too early or too late, and you’d need to adjust on the fly. It was all too easy to make a mistake that ruined the set doing that.
 
Without the beat to move them, the crowd slowed. The break gave them an opportunity to catch their breath. Their communal rhythm never fully stopped, but it was more subdued. Deeper as each unconsciously continued to bob with the beat that still played in their heads.
 
Vinyl twisted the bass knob on channel two to the left. It was almost time to mix in her next track, but the two beats together would be jarringly loud if she didn’t take the edge off the incoming track. Counting silently, she rocked the record back and forth with where the beat should be playing, then released it just as the break ended and the beat in her original track kicked back in. For just a moment, the control blurred and swam before her eye. Gritting her teeth, she wiped her eyes hard with the back of her hoof. She couldn’t afford a lapse in concentration now.
 
It was time for the transition.
 

~~~

 
The blood rushed to Vinyl’s face. “Yeah, kinda! It is what I want to hear! I don’t like helping you carry your cello when you’ve got a concert, but I do it! I don’t like sitting there turning the pages for you when you’re practicing, but I do it!” She threw her hooves up in the air. “But sorry, don’t let me interrupt your really important magazine just because I need a hoof with something.”
 
“Well, if you didn’t want to do any of those things, then you should have spoken up about it!” Octavia’s voice had ratcheted up several decibels.
 
Vinyl jabbed a hoof at Octavia. “I did them for you! That’s what it means to have a marefriend! Sometimes you do stuff you don’t wanna do to make the other person happy!”
 
“Yes, and it’s also supposed to be a place where we can be honest and adult,” Octavia replied through a clenched jaw. “Not a place where we are keeping score of who has done more favors for whom.”
 
“Fine!” Vinyl whirled, stomping from the room. “Whatever. I guess I’ll figure it out on my own!”
 
For a moment, silence.
 
“Yes, I suppose you will!” Octavio called back. 
 
Then the front door slammed.
 

~~~

 
Vinyl inched the crossfader toward channel two. Slowly, the incoming track blended into the first, bringing new layers of complexity. Together, the two together made a greater whole.
 
The interplay between the two tracks ignited the crowd again. Those ponies inclined to dance stepped with renewed vigor, and those content to just feel the music leaned into the beat.
 
Now past the crossfader’s halfway point, Vinyl slowly twisted the bass knob in unison. With the first track fading, the beat needed to stay nice and strong. Nothing killed the mood faster than moving into a track and forgetting that you’d subtracted out the bass.
 
Counting down again, Vinyl knocked the crossfader fully into position on right on beat.
 


> Dear Princess Lunchtime - Chapter One (Comedy, Random, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Lunchtime,
 
Well, I’ve arrived in Baltimare, and I hope the citizens here are as ready to receive the magic of lunchtime as I am to spread it! Trotting through the city, it seemed like there’s a lot of hustle and bustle, and that makes me a little bit worried. A lot of these ponies seem like the type that might just work right through lunch without taking that extra bit of time to appreciate what it really means. But that’s why I’m here, right?
 
I still can’t quite believe all of the things that have happened to me recently. Just last week, I was waiting tables at The Feed Bag and wondering where I was going in life.  Now look at me! I’m studying lunch magic under a princess! Honestly, I’d never heard of the midday magic before, but our talk really opened my eyes. As soon as you left that twenty percent tip, I knew you were the one. My heart swelled with the magic of lunchtime, and I wanted to spread those good feelings to the rest of Equestria!
 
So just like you said, I booked a ticket to seek out the Baltimare Culinary Repository of Recipes and Techniques. I can’t wait to get there! I can see the Whisk Wing stretching into the sky from my hotel. The staff here says that side of the Repository alone has over two thousand books on proper emulsification techniques.
 
Speaking of books, this old tome you gave me is really hard to understand. I hate to admit it, but I’ve never really been the best reader. This book seems like it was written a really long time ago with a bunch of words that I don’t know, but I’m going to take it with me to the Repository and see what they have to say about it. Close as I can figure, something terrible’s going to happen if we run out of onion rolls. That doesn’t seem right, somehow. I mean, sure it would suck for sandwiches, but it hardly seems like the world-changing event that you’re worried about. I’m probably reading it wrong.
 
There is something that I’m really struggling with, though, Your Bountifulness. I’m really honored that you’ve chosen me to be the Element of Deliciousness, but I’m… well… I’m just not sure how to go about finding the other Elements. Do I just walk up to ponies and ask them about what makes lunchtime special to them? Should I just observe until I find something incredibly lunchy about their behavior? What would that even be? I guess I’m not going to know until I get out there and see.
 
I hate to bring this up again, but did you make a decision on that stipend? I know you said the Royal Coffers were running a little low, but I only made minimum wage plus tips. Your twenty percent was really, really nice, but I don’t have that many bits in savings. That train ticket plus this hotel are both a little more than I’m comfortable with. If your Royal Peckishness could find it within the realm of possibility, a few bits would really help me spread the message of a decent lunch enjoyed on an hour break.
 
Your faithful student,
 
Poppyseed

> Dear Princess Lunchtime - Chapter Two (Comedy, Random, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Lunchtime,
 
The peppermint disk enclosed with your letter was appreciated. Not quite as much as the stipend that I asked for would have been, but it did help to freshen my breath when I presented your request for a discounted rate to the hotel manager. He… how do I put this? He struggled to see that the “Ask About Our Lunch Special!” sticker that you put on your last letter was truly a Seal of Royal Decree. He said that Celestia’s official stamp has iridescent ink that sparkles.
 
And he also said that he’s never heard of you.
 
Well, I gave him a peppermint-scented tongue lashing for that! I told him all about how you’ve been held down and forgotten by history. The alicorn princess of midday, reigning over meals on the go and trips to the bank and then maybe over to the dry-cleaners before you have to go back to work. The lobby fell silent around us while I educated him on Celestia’s inclusion of your royal ponyage as Equestria’s fifth sovereign.
 
I could tell the magic of lunchtime finally reached him because he pulled me into a corner and told me that he’d give me a fifteen percent discount if I’d just stop shouting so much. Several guests had stopped to listen, but they trotted off in a hurry when I came over to see if they had any questions. That’s the thing with lunchtime. It’s so short that everypony is always on the run.
 
I tried going to the Culinary Repository today, but this city has confusing streets. Like I said last time, I can see the Whisk Wing from my room, but I got turned around somehow when I was trying to get there. After a few hours, I was so frustrated that I wanted to cry.
 
But then you wouldn’t believe what happened! I was in the lobby of this skyscraper trying to get the security guard to tell me where I was. I kept saying that I was looking for NE 34th St. and he kept saying that this was 34th St., NE. I kept telling him that it amounted to the same thing, and he kept saying that it didn’t. It ended up with a lot of shouting, which seems to be a thing here.
 
Anyway, this guard was on his walkie-talkie calling for more security when I saw it! Off in an alcove, there was a vending machine, with a bunch of angry ponies around. They were kicking it and pushing that change return button over and over because the chips and candy bars were all stuck. But then this grey pegasus trotted up and told them all to back off. He kind of eyed the machine for a minute, and then he just gently tapped it. And guess what happened!
 
The magic of lunchtime happened! All of the items just dropped into the receptacle, and the ponies all cheered! Well, I knew right then that this stallion must be one of the Elements, and I trotted right over to talk to him. Turns out that was a good move because all these security guards just showed up, and they were trying to get me to leave.
 
I marched right up and told that stallion that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was The Element of Getting A Quick Bite Out Of A Vending Machine So That You Don’t Really Have To Leave Your Desk And Stop Working On That Really Important Thing. He just blinked a few times before telling me that was quite a mouthful, which I told him was pretty funny since he represented something that wasn’t really that much of a meal. 

It sounded a lot funnier in my head.
 
I showed him your royal decree and told him to drop everything because he’s needed. He kind of blinked a bunch again. It’s something with that guy. He blinks. Lots of standing and blinking. I guess he communicates with vending machines better than with ponies.
 
But I’m writing because I think I’m going to need a better decree. I hate to ask, but he kind of blew me off when he was done with all the blinking. He said that he can’t just quit his job and go running around talking about lunch. I asked him why that is, and he just started blinking again. I did get a brow furrow, though. I called it progress. But I think if maybe you just send him a letter explaining why this is so important, he might come around. Maybe I’m just not royal enough.
 
And I hate to be a pest, but did that Little Sword That Holds The Sandwich Together Tax bring in any revenue? Even with my fifteen percent discount, I’m running a little low. It’s hard to spread the word about the importance of lunchtime when you’re eating instant noodles.
 
Your faithful student,
 
Poppyseed


> Dear Princess Lunchtime - Chapter Three (Comedy, Random, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Lunchtime,

When I asked for a more regal letter, I wasn’t exactly expecting... this. I’ll give it a shot, but I’m not sure that the larger letter, the more majesty it brings. On the plus side, this letter does fit well on a queen sized bed. I wonder if this is the first time a sheet of paper has actually been used as a bed sheet. Don’t get me wrong, I can practically feel the authenticity dripping off this thing, but I’ve been attuning myself to lunch magic, but that grey stallion might miss it, you know?  It’s a subtle kind of power.

I do think infusing it with the scent of potato skin appetizers was a nice touch, though. It really helps sell the whole thing. 

But I realized last night that I’d forgotten to get his name or address or anything other than blinking. I guess I just got too carried away trying to get him to see that spreading the message of lunchtime was so important for the well-being of Equestria. I kept talking right up until the elevator doors closed and I couldn’t see him anymore. Then those security guards pounced on me and tossed me outside.

But I’m going to try again with this new letter just as soon as the hotel gets back to me about whether or not these rooms come with a complimentary wheelbarrow. They seemed pretty surprised when I asked. I can’t believe nopony has requested on before.

Oh, and I had a little time to kill earlier, so I decided that there was no time like the present. You would have loved it, Your High-Noon-ness! I took that roll of “What’s For Lunch?” stickers you gave me and stood out on the busiest corner that I could find. I’m not that good at yelling, but I did my best to tell the passers-by all about the importance of lunch. They didn’t want to stop, so I eventually just started jumping in front of them and asking if they’d really thought about what they were doing with their hour? Mostly, they just tried to run off, but most of them didn’t get away before I tagged them with one of those stickers. I know the truth can be shocking, but I think they’ll see that message later today and probably have a really good dialogue with themselves about what noon really means.

But the most amazing thing happened! There I was, yelling about senior discounts and warning the citizens against brunch’s false truth when the citizens started giving me money! I’d left my saddlebag off to the side, and I guess I forgot to close it when I got those stickers out. Occasionally, some pony would walk by and shake their head at me. Then they’d toss a bit or two in my bag and tell me it was going to be okay. I can’t believe what power that the message of lunchtime has, Princess! Somehow, these ponies knew I needed money, and they gave it to me. I never dreamed the midday meal had such a wide sphere of influence.

Eventually my throat got a little sore, so I went back in and used some of that money to buy a map of the city. I think that might have been a mistake because I’m more confused than ever. These streets are more twisted and tangled than a plate of spaghetti. Actually, I think that might be the problem. Spaghetti is more of a dinner thing, so I think the city is working against me. It’s no wonder I got turned around.

I’ve been meaning to ask you if I should tolerate the other meals, or should I try to smite them or something. I’ve been trying to pack all of my eating in the time between noon and one o’ clock, but then I feel a little ill afterward. Plus, I’m hungry again by the time I want to go to sleep. I eventually decided to just order off the lunch menu whenever I’m out. The wait staff in the restaurants around her get a little bent out of shape about it, but I told them that I have dietary restrictions. Until I hear from you about it, I’m only having lunch items, and if that’s at six at night, then so be it!

I keep seeing ponies going to dinner, and it makes me a little angry to think that they probably planned that night out on their lunch break! In fact, I marched right into this bistro they have next door and started asking the ponies in there when they’d made their reservations, but the manager escorted me back outside.

Not before I got him with a sticker, though. 

But I’m a little unsure what to do now. Do I go back to show your letter to the Element of Getting A Quick Bite Out Of A Vending Machine So That You Don’t Really Have To Leave Your Desk And Stop Working On That Really Important Thing, or do I go to the Repository to have them look at the book? Both seem so important to our cause! I just can’t decide. What should I do?

Your faithful student,

Poppyseed



> Dear Princess Lunchtime - Chapter Four (Comedy, Random, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Lunchtime,

Oh, you have no idea how good it was to hear that you want the three established mealtimes to come together in harmony. It will be so nice to eat breakfast again. I’ve tried to be strong, but around ten-thirty, I get a little lightheaded and I start bumping into things and snapping at anypony who notices.

You’ll probably be as shocked by this as I was, but this hotel doesn’t offer complimentary wheelbarrows with the room. I thought it might just be a new staff member or something, but I read the fine print front to back to front again, and I don’t see it listed in the amenities anywhere. I have to say that I expected a little bit more from Baltimare’s hotels, but if spreading the magic of lunchtime was easy, everypony would be doing it.

But as you suggested, I decided to forge ahead with recruiting the Element of… You know, I need an abbreviation or something. I’ll just call him The Element of Vending Machines when it’s not some formal occasion. Anyway, I think you’re right. We need to make our move before he decides to move or change jobs or something. Where would we be then? 

Princess, I’ve come to believe that there are forces aligned against the magic of lunchtime. Some strange power take over the minds of ponies and steers them away from me. I often time have to grab hold of them to spread your word, and even then they fight me.

I feared that whatever dark forces are aligned against you were probably working their magic on that stallion, Your Peckishness. I thought it would probably be best to get to him before they did. After all, the Repository isn’t going anywhere.
 
But without a wheelbarrow, I was at a loss as to how I should get the paper over to him. I mean, it’s not that it’s heavy, but at over ten feet long, it’s difficult to maneuver through a busy city street.
 
The answer just came to me out of the blue, or I guess maybe I should say it was out of the beige. I hit my head on the bathroom door jamb. You see, I was trying to open one of those little packs of soap when there was a knock on the door. I ran to answer it, but my hooves were all slippery, and I tripped. I’m not sure how long I was unconscious on the bathroom floor, but whoever it was had gone by the time I came to. I think it might have been housekeeping. When I came to, they’d left a pillow mint on the floor beside me.
 
Anyway, when I woke up, I had this idea. And a big bruise, but the idea is the important part. I’d just go up to the roof and make a big paper airplane. Then I’d just fly over to the office building and show it to him! I can’t believe the things you come up with when head trauma is involved.
 
You might not know this, but I could make a mean paper airplane when I was a little filly. I took your letter up to the roof and started folding. In no time at all, I had the best royal glider Equestria has ever seen. I aimed for the office building and ran as fast as I could, jumping it at the last second!
 
I’d probably flown a few yards before it occurred to me that I didn’t really have a way to steer. That’s the funny thing about these narrow city streets: The tall buildings really funnel the wind right down them. Rather than gliding down to the street, the plane when up, and I… well… I sort of smashed into an eleventh story window. Luckily, the window washers had just moved, so the glass was still a little bit wet. When the plane hit it, the paper unfolded and then just stuck to the window.
 
Your Highness, it was destiny! I couldn’t see it because the paper was in the way, but it was his floor! The window washers caught me, and he got the message. I did run into the complication of a restraining order, but at least I know his name now! It’s Spreadsheet. Isn’t that perfect? Like, your sheet of paper that spread all over the window? Or like spreading icing on a sheet cake? It’s confirmed now. I just have to convince him!
 
I’m awfully sorry to hear that your tax didn’t receive approval from the council. I thought it was pretty progressive. Do you have anyone more ideas for building the assets of the royal coffers. I’m only asking because I’ve just received this fine for operating an aircraft without a license, and it’s nearly cleaned me out. I couldn’t talk the guards out of it, but they did let me know that strict lunch provisions are in their union contracts. We may have allies there.
 
Your faithful student,
 
Poppyseed


> Dear Princess Lunchtime - Chapter Five (Comedy, Random, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Lunchtime,

What a couple of days it’s been, Your Half-a-Sandwich-With-a-Bowl-of-Soupness! I thought and thought, but I just couldn’t figure out what to do about Spreadsheet. The guards stop me whenever I come to the office building now, and he gets an escort when he leaves. Personally, I think that’s a bit much. I just want to talk to the guy!

But you know me, Princess. I’m not going to let some stuffy old laws get in the way of spreading enlightenment, so I headed down to the library to look for some answers.

Bingo! 

I had to do some delivery work when I worked for The Feed Bag, and sometimes that called for a little creativity. Ponies would do the darnest things! They get in the shower, or fall asleep, or try on their wife’s socks or something, and their you’d be, standing outside ringing the doorbell for twenty minutes. Nu-huh. Not this pony.

It’s amazing how unappreciative ponies can get when you pick their locks and drop their food off. I mean, I always woke them up or yelled into the bathroom or whatever. It’s not my fault they weren’t paying attention. I even had to talk to the city guards for a whole afternoon once. I still have nightmares thinking off all the tips I lost that day.

Back to the situation at hoof. I figured that the office building would have the standard duct layout, and I was right. Big buildings like that usually buy from one of three main distributors: Canterlot Zephyr, Richwind, or Equin-Ox. None of the companies have a duct size smaller than three feet across. More than enough room for a pony and her hotbag!

Public record shows that Spreadsheet’s building upgraded to the Richwind Windigo cooling system three years ago! That’s all your faithful student needed to see! I’ll be going to see Spreadsheet tomorrow, and I’m sure he’ll come around once he has all the facts.

With that off of my hooves, I trotted on over to the Culinary Repository and asked to speak with one of their scholars. Princess, you would not believe the eye rolls I had to endure trying to convince the secretary that the ancient tome I carried with me contained truths about lunchtime that nopony had read for thousands of years. You’d think they’d be over the moon, but they kept telling me that solicitors were prohibited, and that whatever I was peddling would have to be done somewhere else. The nerve of some ponies!

Well, I had a spicy surprise for them. I’ve been around the block a few times (mostly running from the guards), and I’ve picked up a trick or two. After three hours of arguing, I finally threw my hooves up and hit them with a liquid smoke bomb. I sometimes had to use them to make a getaway from my deliveries. Some liquid smoke, a little black pepper, some cayenne for flash, all tied together with some tapioca paste as a binder. Bam! Whoever gets a muzzleful of that will be coughing and sneezing for a good twenty minutes.

Wasting no time, I snatched the registry off their desk and galloped for the elevator. It looked like research and archives were both on the fifth level, so that’s where I went.

Your Majesty, you would not believe the difference! All of these professor types were wandering around in the hallways because the security alarm was going off  In my experience, you’ve got about twenty minutes at that point. The guards will hang around for about five, hoping that it’s some pony who went out the fire exit. Five more minutes of arguing about who’s turn it is to respond, then ten minutes or so of looking.

So I grabbed two of these stallions and asked them what they knew about the magic of lunch. They asked me what I was collecting for and why I hadn’t cleared it with the front desk. What is it with these ponies?!  

So I pulled them into an office and told them that I’d been sent by you to explore the magic of the midday meal, and that I had texts of ancient wisdom to share. I’ll admit that I was a little hurt by their lack of enthusiasm.  Here I was, trying to help their cause, and they were giving me some line about ‘improper scope of research’ or somesuch. After several minutes of hot debate, I was dismayed to find out that they generally limited themselves to research on recipes and cooking techniques. What a waste!

It was trump card time, so I hit them with the book.  Well, I didn’t literally hit them with it, but I did slam it down in front of them quite hard. I needed their attention. They thought it looked a little light on measurements for a cookbook, and I had to steer them back to the prophecy. I was halfway through explaining what we’d been able to piece together when one of them jumped up and started jabbering on. I had to hide behind a desk when he tore through his bookshelf, tossing books left and right as he searched. Finally, he cried out and held a book up over his head.

It turns out that your book is written in an all but forgotten language. In Prance, there was once a pony tribe called the Gourmands, who founded someplace called Gourmandy. Most of their history has been lost to time, but the Repository has several copies of a cypher used by the Prench nobility of the era.  

The pair tore through the book, picking out key names and places by comparing them with the cypher, and when we heard the guards coming, they told me to hide under the desk.  When questioned, they said that they hadn’t seen anyone unusual and that they had no idea with that office smelled so strongly of liquid smoke and tapioca.

Stiff Peaks told me that, given enough time, he should be able to translate the whole book! Your Snackiness, this is exactly what we’d hoped for! Truly, the magic of lunchtime must be guiding me. 

I decided to leave the tome in their care, and they let me borrow a torque and an apron that they had lying around so that I could make my escape with the rest of the evacuees. Don’t worry, I made sure to look perplexed and complain about the souffle that I had in the oven. Those guards didn’t suspect a thing!

Your faithful student,

Poppyseed

> An "It's In Your Hooves" Adventure (Comedy, Random, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sweetie Belle, you come back here with my pinking shears!”
 
“Don’t worry, sis!  I’m just—whoa!”
 
Spike grimaced and threw himself to the left just as Sweetie Belle rounded the corner.  Her eyes flew wide and she had just enough time to hop over him.  Spike covered his head as her hooves came dangerously close to his face.
 
“Sorry, Spike!” she called back to him as she left the path and ran into the forest.
 
“Hey!” he answered, dusting himself off.  “Didn’t anypony tell you not to gallop with—oof!”  Spike groaned as Rarity plowed into him.  Together, they rolled into a bush in a tangled heap.
 
“Sweetie Belle, when I catch you…” Rarity yelled after the receding hoofbeats of her younger sister.  Spike gingerly touched the growing lumps on his head.
 
“What was that all about?” he said, climbing slowly back to his feet.
 
“Oh, Spike, my most sincere apology,” Rarity answered, pulling out a small whiskbroom to clean the dirt and twigs caught under the dragon’s scales.  “My sister’s friends think they might get their cutie marks in scrapbooking.”  Rarity glared into the forest where Sweetie Belle had disappeared.  “Apparently, this means shearnapping my heavy gauge, limited edition Pink Dream pinking shears!”  She whirled around, snarling at Spike.  “I swear, if those shears come back with even one spot of hot glue on them, they will be wearing last year’s motifs for the rest of their lives!”  Spike shrank back, his eyes darting from side to side.
 
“Uh, It sure—” he began.  Rarity threw her back, pressing the back of her hoof to her forehead dramatically.
 
“Oh, if only there was some brave, noble somepony who could return my shears to me!” she exclaimed, her large eyes moistening.  “I’m afraid I’m quite pressed for time.”  With a sigh, Rarity turned to walk away.  Kicking a small rock, she slowly made her way back to town. 
 
What will you do?
 
To offer to help Rarity, hit ctrl F and type 001
To continue on your merry way, hit ctrl F and type 002
To check out what Pinkie Pie is up to, hit ctrl F and type 003
 
001 – Helping Rarity
 
“Hey, Rarity!  Stop!”  Spike called after the unicorn.  As she turned back to him, Spike’s heart fluttered in his chest.  As her eyes met his, he could feel the world recede.  They were all alone.
 
“Yes, Spike?” she said, batting her expertly curled eyelashes.
 
“Would you, uh, I mean, can I… do you need me?”  Blushing furiously, Spike held out is hands in front of him to ward off Rarity’s questioning gaze.  “I mean, do you want me to go get the shears for you?”
 
“Why, Spikey-Wikey, would you?!”  Rarity rushed back and pressed her hooves into his cheeks, rubbing his face.  “That would be most appreciated!”  Rarity pulled him close, snuggling her cheek against his.  “Spike, you are such a gem!  A pony can always count on you!”  Releasing the little dragon, Rarity pulled out a small mirror and checked her mane.  “Ah, perfect.  Of course.”  She turned back to the road into Ponyville, trotting brinkly away.  “Thanks ever so much!” she called over her shoulder.  “I’ll have a little something special ready for you when you stop by the boutique!”  Spike’s hands shook as he watched Rarity turn the corner and disappear from view.
 
“Perfect,” he sighed, swaying slightly from side to side.  “Absolutely perfect.”  Shaking himself, he turned to stare into the forest.  “And she’s got a present for me!”  Bringing his fist to his heart, Spike drew himself up to his full height.  “Rarity’s in trouble and I’ll show her that nopony is more reliable than Spike!  Now, where should I start?”
 
To send Spike to the CMC clubhouse, hit Ctrl F and type 004
To send Spike to Cheerilee’s schoolhouse, hit Ctrl F and type 005
To send Spike to bed, hit Ctrl F and type 006
 
002 – Spike Continues on His Merry Way
 
Spike nearly called out to Rarity as she turned the corner.  She had briefly glanced back at him and sighed, hanging her head low.  On his right shoulder, a tiny winged Angel Spike whispered words of friendship and encouragement to him.  On his left, a red-suited dragon with a pitchfork reminded him that this was his day off.  Panicking about Princess Luna’s upcoming visit, Twilight had worked his claws to the bone recently.  The forces within him were still arguing when Rarity stepped around the corner and out of sight.
 
Stretching, Spike thrust his hands high above him, and sighed as his shoulders popped.  With a last look back to where Rarity had disappeared, he shrugged and continued on.  He had been planning this trip to Zecora’s hut for a week now.  She had promised to show him how to prepare amethyst brittle.  The thought of the sweet flavors of gems and freshly roasted nuts was suddenly overpowering.  Drooling, he began to run into the Everfree Forest.  The dark, forbidding Everfree Forest.  The Forest with timberwolves.  And cockatrices.  And manticores.  Pulling up short, Spike slowly scanned the wall of tangled branches before him.  Swallowing loudly, he glanced back to sunny Ponyville.  Maybe somepony would want to come with him.
 
To send Spike into the Everfree Forest alone, hit Ctrl F and type 007
To head back into Ponyville, hit Ctrl F and type 008
To turn this into an unnecessary crossover, hit Ctrl F and type 009
 
003 – What’s Pinkie Pie Up To?     
 
“Hey, wait!  Where are you—?”  Spike cries out as you rapidly flip away from his boring ol’ story.  Rarity and Spike!  Pfft!  Flying rapidly way, you land near Fluttershy’s cottage and abandon this weird second person stuff.  Where did you come from, anyway?
 
Pinkie bounced around Fluttershy with ever increasing speed.  “I can’t believe it!” Pinkie squealed.  “I just can’t believe it!”
 
Fluttershy dropped her gaze down to her hooves.  She was beginning to get woozy, and Angel Bunny was looking a little green.  She loved having Pinkie over, but the problem was that Pinkie was over here and over there and over everywhere a little too much.
 
“Pinkie, I never knew you were so interested in the annual otter reunion.”  Smiling gently, she fished out an invitation.  Pinkie snatched it away, ripping it open.
 
“Never knew I was so interested?!” she cried, her eyes devouring the inviting.  Suddenly she looked away, frowning.  “Actually, I didn’t know I was interested either.  But look!” she said, thrusting the invitation into Fluttershy’s face.  “They have mud sliding!”  Angle rolled his eyes as Pinkie did a small dance of joy.  “Who wouldn’t love that?!”  She reached down and gave Angel’s check a playful pinch.  “It otter be a really great time!” she giggled.  Angel slapped her hoof away and hopped off in disgust.
 
“Oh, but you must be careful,” Fluttershy said, cringing slightly.  “Some of the otters slide really fast, and they make a really big splash when the hit the water.”  Pinkie raised an eyebrow.
 
“What’s the problem with that?” she asked.
 
“Well,” Fluttershy said, rubbing one foreleg against the other.  “It’s just… loud.”  Pinkie threw her legs around Fluttershy and drew her into a bear hug.  Fluttershy let out a surprised squeak. 
 
“Oh, Fluttershy!” Pinkie squealed.  “You’re such a crack-up!”  She released her pegasus friend so quickly that Fluttershy dropped to the ground.  “We’ll leave immediately!” Pinkie said adventurously, drawing herself up to her full height. 
 
“But, um, the reunion isn’t, um, until later this week,” Fluttershy said from behind a curtain of silky pink hair.  “And it’s going to be here at the cottage.”  Undaunted, Pinkie pulled out a pith helmet, thrusting onto her head.
 
“Then we will go on a quest to the deepest, darkest, most uncharted part of Sugarcube Corner, and return with the Cupcake Idol!”  She smiled widely at Fluttershy, trotting in place.  “The otters will hail us as heroes!”  Fluttershy retreated a few steps.
 
“Um, Pinkie, what are you talking about?” she asked, wishing she had left with Angel Bunny.
 
“Adventure!” Pinkie said, laughing.  Fluttershy struggled as Pinkie grabbed her and tried to fit her with an eyepatch.  “C’mon, Fluttershy!  You’ll need this where we are going!”
 
To send them to Deepest, Darkest Sugarcube Corner, hit Ctrl F and type 010
To have sanity return to Fluttershy’s life, hit Ctrl F and type 011
To say “Okay, what the hell?” and return to Spike, hit Ctrl F and type 012
 
004 – Spike Goes to the Clubhouse
 
The sound of giggling drifted toward Spike as he hurried along the well-worn path to the Crusader clubhouse. 
 
I’m supposed to be meeting Zecora now, but I’m sure she won’t mind if I’m a little late, Spike thought.  This is a fashion emergency, after all!
 
Despite his rationale, his stomach growled loudly.  Zecora was going to teach him how to make amethyst brittle and he had purposefully skipped lunch to make it extra special.
 
I sure hope the girls have some snacks! he thought, ascending the ramp to the door.
 
“Hey, did y’all hear somethin’?” Apple Bloom’s muffled voiced asked through the door.
 
“Yeah, I heard it to!” replied Scootaloo.
 
The clubhouse door slammed open, and Spike barely had time to dodge out of the way.
 
“Who goes there?” Sweetie Belle boldly cried, standing challengingly in the doorway “Declare yourselves or – oh, hi, Spike!”  She cocked her head to the side.  “What are you doing laying around on our porch?”
 
“Laying around?!” Spike said, dusting himself off.  “You nearly killed me with that door!”
 
“Oh, sorry!” Apple Bloom said, poking her head outside.  “Sweetie Belle here gets a mite excited sometimes.”  She poked the little unicorn in the ribs.  “Don’tcha?”
Blushing, Sweetie Belle reached out a hoof to help Spike back to his feet.  “How come you’re here, Spike?”  Pausing, her eyes grew wide and she gasped.  “You wanna join up, don’t you?!” 
 
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom lunged out of the clubhouse, each grabbing one of Spike’s hands.  He began backpedalling furiously, but their enthusiasm-fueled combined might was too much for him and they pulled him in.  He jumped as Sweetie Belle slammed the door shut behind him with enough force to knock a map of Ponyville off of the wall. 
 
Scootaloo thrust a worn crate under him, knocking the dragon off of his feet, while Apple Bloom threw a cape around his shoulders.  Taking a step back, she eyed it critically.
 
“Spike,” she asked, tilting her head to the side, frowning, “did you ever think of dyin’ your scales?  The color kinda does go with the uniform, if you know what I mean.”
 
“But—” Spike began.
 
“Don’t be ridiculous, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes.  “Spike can’t dye his scales.  We’ll have to paint them!”
 
“Now, hold on—” Spike said, attempting to get up.  Sweetie Belle pushed him back down with both hooves.
 
“Do you bring the snacks?” she asked, smiling widely.  “It’s always the job of the newest member to bring the snacks to the meeting.”
 
“Wait, I—”
 
“YOU CAN BEGIN CRUSADING TODAY?!” all three of the girls cried out in unison.  Spike grimaced, pinwheeling his arms and falling off of the crate into the corner.  Cringing, he held up his hands to ward the girls off as they advanced on him.
 
“I-I can’t join your club!” he sputtered, eyes darting left and right for an exit.  “I’m a dragon!  I can’t even get a cutie mark!”
 
Apple Bloom place a hoof on the wall over his head and leaned down toward him.  “You sure about that?”
 
Scootaloo crossed her hooves, eying him coolly.  “Yeah,” she said.  “Have you ever tried?”
 
Spike looked up at them as they loomed over him.  Wringing his hands, he was looking toward the door when a gleam caught his eye.  There, on the table, was a set of pinking shears.  Unconsciously reaching out for them, Spike jumped as Sweetie Belle stepped directing into his line of sight.
 
“Come on, Spike!” Sweetie Belle implored.  “It’ll be fun!  You can help us with our scrapbooks!”
 
Spike grinned, seeing the possibilities before him.
 
To join the Cutie Mark Crusaders hit Ctrl F and type 013
To grab the shears and make a break for it, hit Ctrl F and type 014
To give the Cutie Mark Crusaders a lecture on responsibility, hit Ctrl F and type 015           
 
 
012 – Returning to Spike
 
Spike jumps to his feet as you arrive, giving you a disgusted sigh.  “Oh, so you’re back, huh?” he says, hands on his hips.  “You think you can just drop my storyline and then come crawling back when Pinkie Pie is too weird for you?” 
 
Turning on his heel, Spike walks off into the dense forest.  “Well, you can just forget it.  I’m not hanging around with fickle readers!  I had all this great stuff planned out, but why bother?”  Spike gives you a dirty look as he pushes back a branch, allowing himself passage into the Everfree Forest.  “Go bother some other fictional character.  I’m out of here.”
 
Good job, reader.  You made Spike angry and changed the tense of the story.  Now I have to re-edit.  You go back to the beginning of the story and think about what you did!


> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter One (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Ritual


“Please don’t do this!” Clover said again, quickening his pace to catch up to the wizard. Ever since they’d met with the royal couple, his unease had grown steadily. Now, Clover was beginning to feel nauseous. “There must be another way!”

Grimacing, Star Swirl shot Clover a look of irritation. “Really? Then what would you suggest?”

Clover’s jaw worked as he wracked his brain for some sort of insight. “Well, I… uh...”

“Having trouble, Clover?” Star Swirl said, pushing his hat back from his eyes to wither his apprentice with the full power of his intense stare. “Didn’t we just go over this? That idiot Sombra has cocked this up entirely. The city’s half-deserted. The army’s wiped out. The beast is practically in the castle’s throne room, but somewhere in that dusty wreck you call a brain, you’ve got the easy answer all worked out, eh?" Star Swirl looked his assistant up and down, curling his lip. “Well, spit it out! We’ve no time left!”

Clover flushed, scanning the hallway for answers that didn’t exist. He wanted to look anywhere but at Star Swirl. “Well, no. I mean, I don’t have—”

“Then stop wasting my time!” Star Swirl barked, whirling and heading down the hallway once more. “It’s not like I want this, Clover!” he yelled over his shoulder. “I know that it probably surprises you that I didn’t spend our meeting with the king daydreaming about tomorrow’s lunch or whatever it is that you do when you ought to be listening, but my mind works rapidly, Clover. Very rapidly!" Motioning impatiently to the guards outside the throne room, he tapped his foot as they hauled the huge, metal doors open. “Haven’t I already told you that they waited too long? At this point, there is only one sure way left!”

“But the cost…” Clover muttered, making sure that his protest didn’t reach his master’s ears. Sighing, he followed the wizard into the gleaming throne room. I’ll just have to trust him, he thought, trying to rid himself of the feeling of impending dread. But how can I be part of this? How can anypony?

~~~

“Now, you both remember what your instructions are, correct?” Star Swirl said impatiently to the king and queen as he inspected the patterns of runes he’d etched into the audience chamber’s marble floor. “Well, speak up! Can’t you see I’m busy?!” he barked as they nodded.

“Yes!” the royal couple said in unison, flustered. Clover thought that King Sombra looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks, and even the radiantly beautiful Queen Chrystal was showing signs of fatigue. Why? he thought, suddenly furious with the two rulers. Why did they wait so long? Now look what it’s come to!

“Good,” Star Swirl snapped, nodding at the runes. “Now, you stand here,” he continued, pulling the queen into a glowing circle of twisting magic.

“Unhoof the queen!” shouted a guard, running toward the wizard. With a nonchalance that chilled Clover, Star Swirl waved his free hoof at the charging soldier, who hit the floor face first. Clover winced at the hollow thud his skull made against the stone.

“I have no time for this,” the wizard shouted. “Clover, clear the room! Only the king and queen may remain with us. All others are to wait outside.”

Clover swallowed hard as he eyed the hulking guards. Seven remained in the room, and each one seemed to be carved from stone. They outweighed Clover several times over, and their spears looked very, very sharp. “You heard him,” Clover said, doing his best to replicate Star Swirl’s tone of authority. “Clear out! The king and queen are safe with us!” he said, hating himself. If the guards heard him, they made no sign of it.

“Obey them,” King Sombra rumbled to the guards as he made his way into the larger circle opposite his wife. “This is for your safety." The guards look at each other uneasily, moving uncertainly away from their posts. Sombra smiled at them gently. “Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s going to be alright." The guards let their eyes travel over their king’s new crop of welts and bruises, tightening their grips on their spears. “That’s an order!” the king snapped. 

One by one, the guards filed out of the room. The last two stopped to retrieve their comrade, throwing suspicious glances behind them as the slammed the heavy doors closed. Although the throne room was vast, Clover felt it shrinking, choking and constricting him. The slamming doors had the sound of finality, and Clover imagined that was the last sound that bodies interred in a crypt ever heard.

Star Swirl tapped a hoof impatiently, glowering at the king. “Get a move on!” he growled. Clover sucked in his breath quickly between his teeth, his eyes darting between the king and his master. For just a moment, something blazed in King Sombra’s eyes. Something that chilled Clover’s heart.

Apparently his master had caught it, too. “Oh, please don’t let me interrupt your dignified stride, your majesty!” Star Swirl sneered, his eyes narrowing. “The whole of the Crystal Empire is on the line, but what’s that against your ego, hmm?”

Clover tensed as it looked as though the king might actually try to strike his master, but Sombra suddenly slumped, lowering his head as he trotted forward into the circle of eldritch power. Thank goodness, Clover thought. This is hard enough as it is.

“Now, remember what I told you both!” Star Swirl snapped, rechecking his runes. “There is no room for error here. You must both do exactly as I’ve told you, or all is lost." He stared at each of them in turn. “For the final time, do you understand your roles? If you have any questions, you must bring them up now, and do it quickly! We are nearly out of time!”

As if on cue, a deafening clap of thunder shook the castle. Stumbling and catching himself on the halfwall that separated the observation gallery from the royal dais, Clover eyed the room’s wide marble columns nervously. It looked like nothing could ever collapse such solid construction, but he’d sworn they’d just rippled like water.

“Is that—” Queen Chrystal began, cringing. Even from his removed position, Clover could see her trembling violently.

“Yes,” Star Swirl cut in, flipping rapidly through his spellbook. “The beast has broken through another barrier. He could be here in days or minutes. We have no way of telling how long the spell will continue to hold against a being with that kind of power. We must start immediately! Clover, get into position!”

For a moment, Clover hesitated. This… he thought, miserably. This is the point of no return. He stood, letting his eyes wander over the king’s earnest, worried face. How can I be part of this?

“Clover!” Star Swirl’s voice snapped out like a whip’s crack. “Remember your oath to me!” 

Starting, Clover shook himself and trotted over to the king. “I-I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t want this!”

Sombra smiled down at the magician’s assistant, and Clover’s heart ached at the sadness the smile conveyed. The unicorn king’s eyes were lined with red and his skin hung from his cheekbones in sallow, unhealthy curtains. “It’s okay,” the king said. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but through this one act, I will set it all right. I can be a hero again,” he said in a shaking voice, “even if I’m not around to enjoy it." He gazed across the marble floor to where Chrystal stood, and Clover watched as the corner of his mouth managed a small upward turn. “I’ll know that she’s safe, and that’s all that really matters to me." Clover fought the bile that tried to force its way up his throat.

“We begin!” Star Swirl cried, launching into a chant that rolled and dipped through sonorous phrases. As always, his horn began to shine, and within seconds, Clover had to shield his eyes with his hoof, lest the horn blind him. Wind seemed to swirl in from the floor, blowing all of their manes into tangled knots. As Star Swirl’s chanting reached a fever pitch, he pointed to Clover.

“Your majesty,” Clover said urgently. “Remember what we’ve told you! Concentrate on the empire. Concentrate on your people. You must think of your family and think of your bride!" Clover watched as the king’s face slackened, his thoughts propelled out of control by the spell’s power. “Concentrate!” Clover screamed, allowing himself a sigh of relief as the king’s eyes began to focus again. “You’ll be their savior, King Sombra,” he bellowed, “but you must focus!”

Slowly, Sombra’s face tightened and he snarled, gritting his teeth against the spell’s mental pressure. Clover stepped back as the king was lifted from the ground and he floated above the mirror-like marble floor. Ascending and descending at the same time, Clover thought, as he watched the king’s mirror image recede from him.

A subtle change in Star Swirl’s tone brought Clover out of his thoughts, and he galloped over to the queen. She was shaking as she watched her husband rise above the ground, caught in the throes of Star Swirl’s magic. Her eyes streaming, she looked down to where Clover stood miserably.

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?!” she screamed at him. “Look at him! Something’s going wrong! You said he’d be safe!”

“No!” Clover said, attempting a smile. It felt ghastly. “Everything is going just as Star Swirl said it would. It’s all under control. Just remember what Star Swirl said." The queen took a few steadying breaths, trying to look anywhere but at her floating husband. “You need to think of your love for the king, and only that.”

“Now?” the queen said uncertainly.

“Yes, now,” Clover said, doing his very best to radiate calm. “Your love will fortify the spell and protect the empire, but you must be steadfast. Think of everything that you’ve ever loved about your husband.” 

Queen Crystal closed her eyes, her face relaxing into a state of tranquility. She started briefly as her hooves lifted off the floor.

“Focus, your highness,” Clover called out to her. “Remember your love!”

Throwing her head back, Queen Chrystal allowed herself to be carried by the spell’s swirling winds and she rose high above the floor, and out of the range of Clover’s voice. Finally! he thought bitterly. I’ll gag if I try to say another word!

Star Swirl thrust his hooves high overhead, tilting his head back and squeezing his eyes shut in concentration as he reined in the vast cosmic forces he’d summoned. His chanting soon became a command, and Clover shivered as the primal forces of magic ripped through the room. He could feel the air around him pulsing and bending, caught between otherworldly forces. Before him, Star Swirl seemed to writhe and shimmer as reality itself buckled under the spell’s pressure, and Clover’s stomach heaved. Having completed Star Swirl’s appointed tasks, Clover gave in to the nausea and vomited. Wiping his mouth with the back of a hoof, he let his eyes roll up to the figures floating above him.

Delicate pink tendrils of translucent energy emanating from the queen were twisting through the air. Clover breath caught in his throat as they coiled like a single living thing, and then plunged into the king’s chest. Arching back, Sombra screamed, and the queen’s eyes snapped open. Clover gasped as glowing veins of green and black shot from the king, through the tendrils of the queen’s love, and into his bride.  Queen Chrystal cried out, and the energy flowing from her snapped, dissolving away into the air. Suddenly the royal couple were both falling.

“NO! Clover screamed at them. “You must do this!" Feeling panic rising inside him, he quickly looked to Star Swirl, who was choking and gasping his way through the ritual’s final moments, but he could see the sorcerer’s skin beginning to split from the effort of controlling the faltering spell. Star Swirl’s embroidered cape darkened as blood from dozens of wounds seeped into it. “Remember your promise!” he screamed at the royal couple. “Remember your love for the Empire and for each other! You can save them all! IF YOU’VE EVER LOVED YOUR HUSBAND, YOU MUST CONCENTRATE ON IT RIGHT NOW, OR YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING!” he bellowed. Even at this distance, he could clearly see the tears falling from the queen’s eyes as they streamed out behind her. To Clover, each one of them seemed like  an accusation.

I’m sorry, something whispered in Clover’s mind, and suddenly he was the one falling. Writhing on the floor, he gasped as darkness flooded his mind. Every wrong he’d committed, every moment of despair, every loss threatened to overwhelm him. Shaking, he managed catch Chrystal out of the corner of his eye.

The twisting pink energy had burst from the queen once more, and now slammed into the her husband. Soon Sombra was screaming again as the pair ascended. The queen’s tears flowed freely now, but Clover could see that her jaw was set and the power between them was strong.

“INCATUM FINALOS!” Star Swirl roared, and the twisting beams of energy flared. Clover was momentarily blinded. Squinting and blinking, he shielded his eyes with a hoof, and then gasped; Sombra was fading before his eyes. Clover could clearly see the wall behind him. In fact, the only part of the king that seemed substantial was his beating heart, surrounded by the queen’s writhing, green-and-black-laced tendrils of pink energy. 

Unable to look away, Clover traced those eldritch lines back to the horrified queen. Floating above him, she screamed as she watched her husband fade away. Clover vomited again as he watched her begin to blacken and shrivel. The spell’s sucking her dry! he thought. What have we done?!

With a clinical detachment, Star Swirl watched as the last of the queen’s love fortified Sombra’s beating heart. Fishing a velvet bag from his supplies, the magician trotted to the circle that Sombra had once stood in and waited. As the pink aura faded from around the heart, it began to harden and cool, gleaming like polished crystal as it floated above him. 

As suddenly as it had begun, the spell ended, and both Chrystal and the heart dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Star Swirl neatly caught the falling heart, and Clover dove to catch the queen, but he was nowhere near close enough. He winced as she slammed into the floor with a sickening thud.

For a moment, all was silent. Then Star Swirl tied the string at the bag’s mouth closed, and sat down heavily. 

“There,” he said wearily. “It’s done.”        
> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Two (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


One Day Before The Ritual - Bluestreak


Bluestreak’s eyes fluttered open as dust rained onto his muzzle. He was supposed to be guarding the doorway to the bunker’s inner command center, but he’d been on active duty more than a day now, and he was worn out. Rolling his eyes up to the ceiling, he noted dully that the crack in the ceiling above him was widening. 
 
When he’d first arrived on the front, he’d been so terrified that he thought he would never sleep again, but soon enough he’d found a combination of terror and boredom had exactly the opposite effect. Even now, with the battle going so poorly, he could barely keep his eyes open.
 
Quit worrying, he chided himself, covering his wide yawn with a dirty hoof. That stone is ten feet thick. Nothing’s getting through that.
 
As the heavy wooden door slammed abruptly against the wall beside him, Bluestreak jumped, snapping to attention and wishing he could rub his chest where his heart was hammering wildly. Deep in conversation, the two ponies emerging from the interior command center didn’t even spare him a cursory glance.
 
“We’ve got no choice! We have to hold!” the larger of the two growled. 
 
Bluestreak kept his eyes respectfully focused on the wall in front of him, but pursed his lips. He had no love for Ironsides, the company captain. He’d heard all kinds of stories about the enormous, shaggy stallion. How he was obsessed with glory. How victory was more important than the lives of his soldiers. In Bluestreak’s tenure as a guard, he’d never seen Ironsides do anything that would dispel those rumors. 
 
How long’s it been since you’ve gone out there and risked your neck? Bluestreak wondered, staring with distaste at the back of the captain’s head.
 
“That’s what I keep telling you!” the smaller pony shrieked. “There will be no holding! We must retreat!” 
 
Bluestreak winced, attempting to rub his ear without drawing attention to himself. Battleplan had joined the company several months ago when they’d lost their original strategist in a surprise attack, and had been rubbing them all the wrong way ever since. His nasally, screeching voice sounded to Bluestreak like rusty nails and broken glass being dragged across a blackboard.
 
“We’ve been driven back on all fronts!” Battleplan continued, absently pulling his ill-fitting uniform back into place. Bluestreak had often wondered if they’d needed to make Battleplan’s uniform especially for him. Where Captain Ironsides was a muscular brute of a stallion, Battleplan was anything but. Fat bulged out from beneath his uniform jacket, but his legs were so spindly that Bluestreak often wondered how they didn’t snap under the strategist’s weight. “We don’t have the ponypower or the resources to hold this position!”
 
Ironsides whirled, snatching the front of his strategist’s uniform in his hoof, lifting Battleplan’s front hooves several inches from the ground. “We will hold!” he snarled into Battleplan’s face. As his collar twisted painfully into his neck, Battleplan choked and pulled ineffectually at Ironsides’ hoof. “Now get back in—”
 
A sudden, intense concussion hit the base and Bluestreak stumbled, slamming his head against the wall. For a moment, he lay dazed on the ground, comforted by the cool stone floor.
 
So tired, he thought, blinking away the brilliant spots swimming before him. I’m so tired of all of this. He glanced over just in time to see Ironsides heave off Battleplan’s corpulent, quaking body. The strategist landed a few feet away with a flabby thud. 

Bluestreak grabbed his spear and scrambled to his hooves. He wanted to return to his position before Ironsides could turn around. He’d seen what being on the wrong end of Ironside’s temper could be like, and the captain looked angier today than Bluestreak had ever seen him before.

Moving slowly, Bluestreak leaned over and quietly spit out the blood that had filled his mouth. Though he couldn’t remember it, he must have bitten his tongue when he’d hit the wall. Shuddering, he worked his tongue around his teeth, trying to scrape away the blood’s flat iron taste. He hated having blood in his mouth. It reminded him of every schoolyard fight he’d ever lost. It tasted like defeat.
 
“Now listen to me, you fat, useless coward!” Ironsides yelled, his lower jaw jutting forward as he advanced on the cowering strategist. “The king himself put me in charge of holding this valley, and I am not going to lose it!" As the captain advanced on Battleplan, Bluestreak began to sweat more profusely. Ironsides’ eyes were brilliantly white. His pupils seemed to be mere pinpoints in the fort’s dim emergency lighting.
 
He looks like a trapped animal, Bluestreak thought, swallowing hard. Like a mouse that’s been backed into a corner by a cat. He knows that it’s fight or die! For the first time, he felt a surge of pity for the mewling strategist as the captain towered above him.  But how can we fight that thing? We don’t even know what it is!
 
Battleplan got his shaking legs back under him and stood with a groan. Busying himself with dusting off his uniform, he avoided Ironside’s intense stare. “We’ve lost eighty-five percent of our force. There is approximately one week’s worth of food in storage, and less than that in munitions." Battleplan raised his eyes hesitantly up to the captain’s face, and immediately wished he hadn’t. He’d been hoping another logical breakdown of the situation might sway the captain, but his unyielding, furious face told the strategist that nothing short of total obliteration would force Ironsides to see the battle for what it was: a totally lost cause. “We simply don’t have the resources,” he finished miserably.
 
“Then I’ll order all reserve and support forces to join the front!” Ironsides spat out, clipping each word short with his snapping teeth. “The enemy won’t expect it! One final push, and this battle is ours!”
 
“There are no reserves!” Battleplan screamed. Throwing caution to the wind, he grabbed the captain’s lapels and attempted to shake the hulking stallion, with little success. “We’ve already sent them out—”
 
Another explosion rocked the base, and Bluestreak followed the crack above him with his eyes as it snaked its way across the ceiling. He shifted uneasily, glancing at the reinforced steel door that opened out into the once-lush valley that bordered the Crystal Empire. It was the only way in or out.
 
Maybe I should tell them, he thought, licking his lips nervously. He tried to tell himself he was imagining the faint cracking sound above him, but as more dirt began to fall around him, he found himself unconsciously edging for the door to the surface. Frowning, he forced himself back to his assigned position. I don’t even know why I’m still here, he thought, leaning on his spear as the ground continued to shake. I’m just a guard. That thing out there is leveling whole platoons! 
 
The two oblivious stallions arguing before him reminded Bluestreak of his mother and father. When King Sombra had instituted the draft, his father had been all for it, proclaiming that it was necessary for all Crystal Empire ponies to do their part in this time of aggression. His mother had argued vehemently against sending untrained bakers and gardeners off into war to die by the hundreds. It was one thing for soldiers to do it, she’d said. They’d signed up for it. It was another thing entirely to force ponies into battle. She’d said they were risking more lives by possibly putting inexperienced and unwilling troops onto the battlefield. 
 
On and on they’d argued, until the day his letter had finally come. His parents had stared at it in quiet horror as he packed up his saddlebags. Finally, his father had taken him aside and offered to send him away to Hoofington. It was big enough that a pony could hide there, if he was smart and kept his nose clean, his father had said. But Bluestreak had refused. He’d lived all his life in the Crystal Empire, and everypony that he knew was being called off to war. He’d felt it was his duty to help out.
 
I’m such an idiot! he thought as he watched his superiors scream into each other’s faces. These guys don’t have any idea what they are doing. Why didn’t I run?! He glanced at the heavy steel door. I could still run! Bluestreak lightly bit down on his swollen tongue, hating the pain, but also perversely drawn to it. It was irresistible, in a way, and the pain helped to sharpen his mind. The stress was beginning to make him feel sleepy again. He could feel his body shutting down, wanting to hide away in unconsciousness. Unable to stop, he scanned the ceiling again, and felt his blood pressure rise. Secondary cracks were beginning to branch away from the main fissure. To Bluestreak, they looked like claws.
 
“Then find some way!” Ironsides screamed, saliva frothing at the sides of his mouth as he tore into Battleplan. “You’re supposed to be this great strategist! Figure something out!”

“I can’t squeeze blood from a stone,” Battleplan replied with surprising strength, “but you’re going to find a lot of blood on your hooves if you don’t order a retreat!" Battleplan’s knees were knocking so loudly that Bluestreak could hear them all the way over at his post, but the rotund stallion held his ground. “No matter how much they might wish to, a school of salmon cannot fight a grizzly! We don’t have any options left!”
 
A grizzly, huh? Bluestreak thought, reflexively clenching and unclenching his grip on his spear. The solidity of it felt reassuring. If only it was a grizzly! If we only knew what it was at all! Eyes on the ceiling again, Bluestreak was reminded of the snaking lines of marching soldiers that he’d arrived with. They’d seemed invincible to him. Row after row of recruits, fresh out of training and ready to help defend the empire. He’d felt so proud. Terrified, but proud; not just of himself, but for all of them. For the whole empire because they’d chosen to fight.
 
That sure didn’t last long, he thought, sucking his teeth. The taste of blood was still thick in his mouth, and he’d never wanted a drink of water so badly in his life. We thought the troops would welcome us with open arms! We thought we’d be heroes! They treated us like we were a bunch of morons, and they were right. We were morons. We were just too naive to know it yet. 
 
When Bluestreak had arrived, he’d been bitterly disappointed that he’d pulled guard duty as his assignment. He’d been daydreaming of serving on the battlefield, working shoulder to shoulder with the other recruits to help protect his brothers-in-arms. Maybe even winning a medal or two he could show to the cute mares back home. The veterans had treated him like he was out of his mind when he’d complained loudly in the mess hall. They’d told him that he had no idea what he was talking about and to shut his mouth. 
 
Little by little, he started to get the picture. Stories came back of terrible, vicious battles where the rules of reality itself didn’t seem to apply. Gravity would reverse, and suddenly whole battalions would fall into the sky, screaming, never to be seen again. Soldiers would mistake friend for foe and fall on each other, stabbing the life out of the pony next to them without realizing that they themselves were impaled. Battlefields transformed into vast living carnivals, with rides that whirled and tilted, scooping up screaming stallions and drawing them into their mechanical maws.
 
With ever-increasing and alarming frequency, panicked sergeants and lieutenants thundered past his post to breathlessly recount losses so terrible that Bluestreak would suffer from nightmares for weeks afterward. These days, it seemed he was always on the verge of falling asleep, but he never seemed to be able to drop off when he returned to his cot.
 
As the bunker shook violently again, the ceiling shuddered. Bluestreak gulped as tertiary stress fractures snaked off past his field of vision. Taking a few deep breaths, he stood at attention again. “Sir, may I make a report?” he said, saluting.
 
Locked in a battle of wills with Battleplan, Ironsides didn’t spare Bluestreak so much as a glance. “No one asked you for your—” he began, snarling out the side of his mouth.
 
Then, chaos descended upon them. With a deafening crash, the ceiling gave way. For perhaps the thousandth time, Bluestreak thanked his lucky stars that he’d been assigned guard duty. His proximity to the walls of the inner command office were all that saved him from the falling rubble. As the ceiling began to fall, he’d ducked into the recessed doorway and thrown his hooves over his head. Coughing and dazed, he felt uncontrollable laughter welling up inside of him.
 
“And I used…  I used to… to complain about this post!” he cackled. In the ruined bunker, it was nearly pitch black, and the air was thick with dust. Despite his best efforts, the laughing caused Bluestreak to take a deep breath, and he started coughing. A deep, hacking cough, that only filled his lungs with more dust. Rolling over onto his side, he covered his mouth with his hoof, trying to get himself under control. I hated this stupid guard job and I’m probably the only one left in the whole division! he thought. Inside, he felt the laughter trying to fight its way out again. A wild, screaming laughter that might never stop. A laugh that didn’t move up past your mouth and left your eyes looking terrified and out of control.
 
“Well,” a jovial voice called out somewhere above him, “that performance certainly brought the house down, didn’t it?”
 
“Who’s…” Bluestreak croaked, coughing. “Who’s there?" He attempted to get up, but hissed in pain as something pulled on his tail. Turning, he was dismayed to feel that it was caught beneath what was surely tons of rubble.
 
“Why, do we have a survivor?” the voice called merrily. “Ah, that good ol’ pony will to live! It’s so inspiring! I’m simply moved to tears!" As the voice broke into comically loud sobs punctuated by trumpet-like blasts that sounded like an elephant blowing its nose, Bluestreak frantically ran his hooves along the doorway. When he slammed his leg into the shaft of his spear, he nearly fainted with relief. Turning it awkwardly in the tiny space, he set the sharpened edge against his tail and started sawing.
 
“So, what did you think of my bombastic performance today in this great theatre of war?” the voice called out again, snickering. “Did you have a blast? All of your ponies friends did, I can assure you of that! They were so moved that they simply went all to pieces over it!”
 
“What do you want with us?!” Bluestreak screamed out, ripping the last of his tail out from beneath the boulder. “We didn’t do anything to you!”
 
“What do I want?” the voice replied with a silkiness that reminded Bluestreak of a coiled viper. “I want what we all want. A little fun. Some good times. Your king’s head on a platter and dominion over the world. You know, the basics.”
 
Bluestreak cringed against the wooden door as the huge boulders in front of him began to shift. Shaking, he watched as they floated gracefully up and out of the ruined bunker, and that laughter began to well up again as he noticed that each one was tied to a smiling balloon. In the middle of it all, a patchwork monster stood, silhouetted against the blood-red setting sun. With reflexes that he wasn’t even aware he had, Bluestreak cocked his leg back and threw the spear into the creature’s chest. I got him! he thought, grinning savagely.
 
In the blink of an eye, the monster grew in tenfold in size, until it towered over Bluestreak. With a horrifying casualness, it plucked the spear from the air with its lion-like paw and began to use it as a toothpick, working it around a single protruding fang. 
 
“As for what you’ve done to me, well, why don’t you ask your king about that one, eh?” the monster said to him. “I’m sure he’ll be able to make it… crystal clear!" The best threw its head back and roared with laughter.
 
Bluestreak took the opportunity to jump to his hooves and begin scrambling out of the bunker. He didn’t know what this insane thing was going to do next, but it was his only shot. He’d have to make a run for it and hope this thing was slower than it looked.
 
“That’s right, pawn!” the thing called out. “Run on home and ask good King Sombra how he’s rooked the Crystal Empire!”
 
Bluestreak put his head down and pumped his legs for all they were worth. He’d been a mediocre student and an average soldier, but there was one thing he was better at than anypony else: He was the fastest stallion in the Crystal Empire, and he used every bit of that speed as he ran from the living nightmare.




> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Three (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Four Hours Before the Ritual - Cobblestone Cream


 

Cobblestone Cream kicked at the loose stones outside her house, scanning the city with disdain. She hated Crystal City. Her parents had moved here from Detrot when she was just a year old, and she thought that was probably the dumbest thing they’d ever done. And that was saying something, because she hated her parents, too.
 
Sighing, she kicked another rock and watched it arc across the street, landing in her neighbor’s neatly manicured bushes. I hope he hits it with those stupid, loud trimmer things and they break! she thought, making a face at his house. Cobblestone hated her neighbor. That’d teach him to make noise when ponies are trying to sleep!
 
Cobblestone perked up at the sound of hoofbeats. These days, Crystal City seemed almost deserted. All of the young stallions, and quite a few of the mares, had gone off when King Sombra had told them to go fight, and that had included her brother. Now, whenever she heard hoofbeats, she ran to the window, just it case he was finally coming home.
 
She hadn’t seen Flagstone for at least a year now, and while she just shrugged when her parents asked about him, she spent more time in his room than hers. Lying on his bed and leafing through his yearbooks, she wished she could talk to him again. He wasn’t lame like all the rest of the ponies. Flagstone always made her laugh and told her how to sneak around their parents to do something fun. When they were still really little, he even kicked some colt right in the nose so hard that the colt had missed three days of school. Flagstone had been suspended, but he’d said it had been worth it because no pony picks on his little sis.
 
Cobblestone turned and waited, hoping. Whoever it was, they were coming really fast, and that made Cobblestone’s heart race. Flagstone had been on the track team at school, and he could really run. 
 
As she waited, a cold breeze bit at her skin, and she pulled Flagstone’s letterpony jacket more snugly around her. Stupid winter, she thought, shivering. Cobblestone hated winter. She hated being cold and cooped up with her dumb parents.
 
Finally, the runner rounded the corner and started up her street. Cobblestone’s mouth turned sour and she kicked another rock extra hard, blinking back tears. It wasn’t her brother. It was just some lame blue pony that she didn’t know. She watched him sullenly as he streaked past her, grudgingly allowing that he was pretty fast, at least. He neared her, then passed her all in the blink of an eye.
 
Cobblestone frowned as she watched him turn another corner and disappear into the deepening gloom. The streets should have been lit up at this hour, but no pony bothered going around and lighting the streetlamps anymore. Flicking her half-lidded eyes back and forth, she saw far more darkened houses than occupied ones. Anypony who was smart had left Crystal City long ago, but she was still here because her parents weren’t smart. They were stupid, just like this city. 
 
Cobblestone only knew some of what was going on. Some outside army was attacking the empire, but the soldiers were fighting them off. Her dad said they were winning, but it might be a little while before the soldiers came home. Looking around, it didn’t look like they were winning, but her dad was an idiot, so what did he know? Still, she clung desperately to the idea. Whenever she thought anything else, her stomach twisted into knots. Her brother was out there.
 
I don’t know why we don’t all just move back to Detrot! she thought, glaring at the deserted houses. What’s so great about this stupid city, anyway? It’s not even pretty, anymore! 
 
Like everypony else, she’d been dismayed to see the gargantuan crystals that permeated the city grow dark and cold, though she made sure not to show it. With each pony that left the city, more of the crystals’ internal light and warmth died. Now, it was almost always dark and cold, and it seemed to be getting worse every day.
 
The wind was picking up, and Cobblestone shivered. She didn’t want to go in, where her parents would be reading or cooking or whatever; Cobblestone knew that what they were mostly doing was pretending. They told her and each other that everything was okay, and that was one reason why she knew that they were totally dumb. They could lie to each other if they wanted to, but Cobblestone wanted to know the truth.
 
For a little while, she’d asked around. When direct questions had gotten her in trouble with adults, she started trying to just get ponies talking about the war, hoping something would slip out. But she soon realized that no pony knew anything. They all just told each other the same stories over and over, and any time she brought up questions they told her to shut her mouth.
 
“Cobblestone, why don’t you come in? It’s getting dark,”
 
Cobblestone rolled her eyes and turned toward her front door, where her mother was standing, holding it open. Taking her time, she slouched up the five steps to their porch and walked inside, dragging her hooves. 
 
“Do you want some dessert, hun?” her mother asked, trotting into the kitchen. “I made some popsicles earlier,”
 
“What’d you make popsicles for?!” Cobblestone said, making a face. “It’s, like, freezing!”
 
“Watch your tone,” her father rumbled from the other room. Cobblestone could hear the pages of the newspaper rustling as he turned them. Cobblestone didn’t see the point in reading the newspaper. It never had any actual news.
 
“You know why,” her mother said, busying herself with the last of the dishes. “And don’t complain. They’re in the freezer if you want one.”
 
Cobblestone did know why: The stupid war. Crystal City had been on strict rations for two years now, and they never had anything anymore. Flour. Sugar. Coffee. Even water. It was all doled out by the government now. The markets had all been closed for years, and if you walked by them now, you had to cross the street. They were full of rats and many of the stalls had collapsed. Ponies had better things to worry about. So the families made do with what the government gave them, but Cobblestone was tired of the same things all the time. They’d gotten those stupid popsicle flavor packs four times in a row now.
 
Cobblestone shivered. “No thanks,” she muttered, heading for her room. At least there, she could put on some music and get under the blankets. She’d been cold all day.
 
“Well, take one to your father,” her mother called out. Cobblestone winced and shot daggers at her mother through the hallway wall.
 
“Lime, please,” came the rumbling from the den.
 
“Lime, please!” Cobblestone mouthed silently, sticking out her tongue as she neared the door to the den, but she carefully forced her face back into its normally bored expression as she passed. She didn’t want restriction. She already spent enough time in the house.
 
“Here you go,” her mother said, twisting the popsicle rack to free the frozen dessert. Rolling her eyes as much as she could get away with, she grabbed the nearest green popsicle and pulled it out. Her skin crawled as the cold air around the stick chilled her hoof. She hurried out of the kitchen and into the den, wanting to be rid of it.
 
“Thanks, Cob!” her father said brightly. Whatever, she thought, nodding to her father before leaving. She hated when he called her Cob; she hated the name Cobblestone. She had no idea why they had chosen such a stupid name. Her family didn’t do anything with rocks and she wasn’t creamy looking at all. She was brown, and not even like a cute, chocolate brown. More like old mud. 
 
Entering the hallway again, Cobblestone stomped back to her room, which was the furthest room away in the house. That suited her just fine. The further she could get away from her parents, the better. Twisting the knob, she pursed her lips as it made its telltale squeak. Something inside the mechanism was busted, and it squealed horrendously whenever she opened her door. Her dad joked that he kept it that way because it was like an alarm telling him when she was trying to sneak out, but the truth was that both the locksmiths that they knew were away at war, and her dad just didn’t know how to fix it. 
 
Once in her room, she shut the door, not quite slamming it. She didn’t want her dad coming to give her a talk. Here, she could finally relax a little. Her room was a cheerfully chaotic mess of old school papers, notes from friends, music, and posters. As she fell onto the bed, she twisted out of Flagstone’s jacket, and threw it to the floor, where it sat in a rumpled heap. Cobblestone tried to ignore it, but finally got back up and hung it properly in the otherwise bare closet. All of the rest of her things were in a pile in the corner.
 
Jumping back into her bed, she grabbd the corner of her blanket and rolled, allowing her soft comforter to wrap itself tightly around her shivering body. Giving the room a final glance, she blew out the candle on her nightstand, plunging the room into darkness, save for the moonlight coming in from her bay window.
 
In the past, she’d loved sitting in that window, bathed in the soft, pastel glow of the giant crystals. Looking out, she could see the crystal ponies bustling to and fro, attending to the last of their chores. Off in the distance, the castle reached elegantly into the sky.
 
But now, the crystals were mostly dark, and nopony went anywhere, except off to war. She hadn’t sat in her bay chair for at least a year. What was the point? There was nothing to see that she hadn’t seen a million times before.
 
Hating herself for doing it, she poked her nose out from the blanket cocoon and stared down at the pile of books and papers that she knew the moonlight would be illuminating. They were her old school things, but she didn’t go there anymore. A year after the war had started, school had been called off. The teachers were needed for other things, and a lot of the older colts and fillies had been drafted into the auxiliary services. They were considered mature enough to do work behind the lines.
 
Still too young for that, Cobblestone now spent her days here in the house or wandering the streets. Her friends had mostly moved or gone off to the lines, but she’d still had one friend, Buttercup, until a few months ago. They’d gotten in a big fight, and Buttercup had stopped coming around. Whenever Cobblestone saw her, Buttercup just went back inside her house. Cobblestone didn’t even remember what the fight was about, but she’d be damned if she was going to be the one to come crawling back. She was fine on her own, and Buttercup was a moron, anyway.
 
Staring down at the disorganized mess of old papers and schoolbooks, Cobblestone let out a coughing sob, and then slapped a hoof over her mouth. She didn’t want company right now, and her mom had this spooky good hearing. Snarling, she threw one of her pillows at the offending materials and then froze.
 
The sky was suddenly filled with light. Brilliant, harsh, blinding whiteness that filled her room. Blinking furiously, she tried to get up, tangling herself in the sheets. As she fell to the floor, she kicked at the comforter until it released her, then jumped into the bay chair.
 
“The castle!” she cried, wide-eyed. “Mom! Dad! The castle’s on fire or something!”
 
From the other side of the house, she could hear the clattering of hooves hurrying down the hallway. With its terrible screech, her door opened and her parents nearly fell into the room, breathless. In the light’s brightness, their faces looked hollowed and desperate. The faces of ponies on the edge of something both terrible and completely alien.
 
Shaken, Cobblestone turned back to the castle. The light erupting from the castle’s central spire was dimming now, focusing up into the sky. The three ponies watched as the light punched a hole in the clouds and boiled into the upper atmosphere.
 
“D-dad,” Cobblestone said, her voice trembling. “What’s going on?”
 
For once, her parents didn’t have something stupid to say. They might not have even heard her. Cobblestone looked up at her father, and his jaw was just working, opening and closing without sound. Her mother’s eyes were open wide, and Cobblestone could clearly see the grotesque bags that had grown there recently that her mother had tried to cover with makeup. Cobblestone wondered if they were filled with tears.
 
“What is it? What’s going on?!” Cobblestone said again.
 
Her parents had no answer.


> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Four (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Three Hours Before the Ritual - King Sombra


Sombra worried at his hoof with his teeth as he gazed absently out the elegantly arched window near his throne. Once, the nights in Crystal City had been filled with a soft pastel glow that had been the envy of Equestria. Ponies had flocked here to walk side by side in the romantic light and make cherished memories to tell the ponies back home.
 
But that was before the war. As pony after pony left the city to join the front, or to escape to safer regions of Equestria, the famous crystals steadily lost their luster. Now, Crystal City was dark. Dark and cold and empty, Sombra thought, chewing relentlessly. Somewhere, another part of his mind screamed at him about decorum. He knew he was ruining yet another meticulously crafted hooficure; just another item in the long line of things he’d ruined since his ascension to the throne.
 
Somewhere nearby, ponies were talking. Sombra whipped his hoof from his mouth, scanning the throne room to see if anyone had noticed. He’d been drilled on royal etiquette for years, but the training seemed to be slipping away recently. Everything seemed to be slipping away.
 
Beside him, his bride and the shining queen of the Crystal Empire sat regally on her throne. As always, Sombra found it hard to swallow when he looked at her. Even now… he thought, sighing. Even after everything we’ve been through, she’s still so beautiful. Sombra wished for the hundredth time today that they could just retire from the throne and go out into the garden, just the two of them. To just be together for a little while, without the weight of governmental responsibility weighing down on them.
 
He’d loved Chrystal since they were foals. His family had been at the lower end of the Crystal Empire’s noble class, but they’d still received invitations from the royal family from time to time. It was during the first of these visits that he’d met Chrystal, and despite the princess being a year older, they’d quickly become friends. 

Sombra had been in awe. He’d never really given fillies much thought before, but something about Chrystal made his heart beat faster. For weeks before the visits, he’d be a wreck, unable to sleep or eat. Sombra’s brothers had teased him about his crush, but it had hardly mattered to him. Nothing mattered besides the reunion, but it seemed the closer he got to her, the harder things worked to keep them apart.
 
His mother had tried to put a stop to it. She’d argued late into the night with his father that Sombra’s obsession was unhealthy. He was just a colt, after all. She’d pleaded with him to beg off the visits, and that it wasn’t fair to put Sombra through all of this when their family standing wasn’t nearly good enough for a marital union.
 
As the arguments escalated, his parents’ voices would ring through the halls of their small stone castle. Each pleading, nearly hysterical request from his mother and flat refusal from his father stabbed at him. Each was an accusation and a burden, piling on top of him; reminding him over and over that he wasn’t good enough.
 
His father asserted that there were ways. All Sombra had to do was to make something of himself and all of the barriers would fall away. He’d repeated time and again that Sombra’s special relationship with the princess was advantageous to the family, and that a little puppy love never hurt anypony.
 
At some point, even his brothers had let up. Sombra had lost so much weight that his ribs stood out clearly beneath his skin. When Chrystal had seen him, she’d gasped and insisted that he head straight to the kitchen where she could watch him eat. That had perhaps been the happiest dinner they’d ever had together. Chrystal had tucked them into an alcove in the kitchen, around a worn, well-loved table that the cooks used for their breaks, and together they’d eaten a small banquet of grains, exquisitely prepared by the staff. Chrystal had all the cooks wrapped around her hoof, of course, but Sombra didn’t even try to pretend his feelings for her were anything special. She was the radiant star that everypony wanted to shine on them, even if it was only briefly.
 
What had been special was Chrystal’s response. The royal family was cordial, but distant, and they’d made it very clear that the only reason that Sombra’s family was entertained at courrt as often as they were was because of their daughter’s preference of playmates. Chrystal had told Sombra again and again how she’d wheedled yet another invitation from her father just so they could hang out some, failing to realize that each of these stories was a dagger into Sombra’s heart. It was a constant reminder to him that she was ultimately unattainable.
 
“Dear, your hoof,” Chrystal said quietly.
 
Sombra shook himself, trying to resurface from the memories that threatened to engulf him at all times now. Whipping his hoof from his mouth again, he sat up and tried to appear regal. The courtiers politely ignored the transgression, but he could feel their disdain. To them, he was just one step above common; a bumbling buffoon who was pretending at greatness.
 
That hadn’t always been the case. For a brief time, they hadn’t been able to get enough of him. Everypony adores a literal knight in shining armor, after all, and after his great deed, his armor had shined brightest of all.

When he’d gotten old enough, he’d joined the royal guard. His father had been incredibly proud, believing that military distinction was the surest way for Sombra to improve his standing. Sombra had just been hoping Chrystal could pull some strings and he’d end up as a guard at court.
 
Neither had happened. He’d ended up as a border guard, protecting the kingdom from encroaching trees and the dire villainy of poorly-repaired roads. He, along with the rest of the soldiers, complained loudly that they were nothing but day laborers with spears. But it did them no good, and Sombra fell into despair, performing the bare minimum to get by without disciplinary action. 
 
It had been there that he’d met the monstrosity who’d ruined everything. While out on patrol, he’d heard wild laughter deep in the woods, and he’d gone off to investigate. Procedure would have been to report back immediately and request a squad, but Sombra was sick to death of procedure and had grown to hate most of the spoiled nobles that were in his division; each one of them trying harder than the other to prove that their bloodline was older and more pure. They would bray to each other about how many times they’d been to court and how Chrystal favored them above all others. Only Sombra knew that they were all lying, and through that, he learned what a hollow thing nobility truly was. These ponies were to be the future rulers of the Crystal Empire! The thought of it made Sombra want to vomit.
 
Sombra had been so startled when he entered the darkened grove that he’d dropped his spear, and had ended up tripping on it as he scrambled backward. Before him, a sinuous, motley creature stood howling in a large mud puddle. A lively pink shower cap with a speckled daisy pattern sat atop the thing’s head, stretched tightly over some sort of protuberances, and the beast was scrubbing itself vigorously with what appeared to be a very frightened flamingo. Worst of all, the puddle was raining a steady stream of brown water up into the sky.
 
“Ah!” the creature had cried, as it pulled a shower curtain closed from thin air. “Naughty, naughty, pony!" It coyly turned, staring at him with one gleaming eye over the curtain. “Ah, well. It can’t be helped, I suppose. It’s what comes of lack of specifics! Here I’d asked for a shower, and I’m showered with attention!" Turning to leer at Sombra, the thing’s fang had glistened. “Wanna scrub my back?” it continued, waving the flamingo at him.
 
Sombra felt his skin grow cold and clammy, and he scrambled to get up, only to catch his hoof on his spear again. As he tried to run, it rolled out from beneath him, and he fell. Sprawling, he wiggled backwards the way he’d come as quickly as his awkward position would allow.
 
“Oopsie!” the creature said, grinning. “Ponies always seem to be trying to give me the slip, but yours is a truly novel approach, ace. Nice form, though leaving something to be desired in the artistic aspects. A solid seven point five." With a snap of its fingers, the thing had dismissed the ersatz shower and began walking toward him, hands clasped behind its back.
 
“So what should we play now, hmm?” it had asked, leaning over him. Sombra shrank away as it lunged forward, but the creature merely lifted the unicorn to his hooves again, summoning a small army of whisk brooms that descended on Sombra in a mad, dirt-annihilating frenzy. “It’s a good thing you came along, little friend. I haven’t had a decent laugh in minutes,” the creature continued, chuckling as the brooms continued their assault, “but now that I’ve, ah… swept you off of your hooves, we can get down to some serious hilarity!”
 
“What… are you?” Sombra had asked with some difficulty. In a desperate attempt to keep his skin, he’d used his magic to immobilize the whisk brooms, but they were struggling valiantly.
 
The monster had rolled its eyes. “What am I?” the creature rumbled, its mouth curling ever so slightly. “My, my. The manners ponies have these days. If I were a bush…” the thing said, gesturing with its claws. Sombra’s scream was cut off as he transformed into a small, green muleberry bush. “… or a tree…" Sombra suddenly swelled in size as his body became an oak. “… or a pest…" To Sombra’s amazement, he was briefly a sleek white alicorn mare with a sun on her flank before returning to his normal body. “… I’d be a ‘what’! However, I’m a ‘who’ and you’d do well to remember that, sport. Getting on my bad side can be a transformative experience for anypony.”
 
Sombra’s mouth had sagged open as the creature fell to the ground, cackling and clutching its stomach. “Oh! Oh, you should see the look on your face! Priceless!”
 
“I-I should be getting back to my post…” Sombra had said, retrieving his spear and backing away. He was afraid to take his eyes off of the twisted thing before him.
 
“Oh, don’t be such a spoilsport, sport,” it had replied, rising to its feet again. Sombra began to tremble as the grove dimmed. All around him, the plants had been rustling, growing wild and lush. Suddenly, the grove had been surrounded by thousands of twisting vines, each one sporting hundreds of glistening barbs. “Getting out of here is going to be a thorny problem, as you can see,” the beast had said, breaking off one of the thorns and inspecting its glistening tip. “Ooh, poison! My favorite!” it had continued, breaking into a wide grin before tossing the thorn into its gaping mouth. “Kind of an aperitif, you know,” it had said, eyeing Sombra.
 
“I… um…” Sombra had said, his eyes darting frantically, looking for a way out. 
 
“Fine, fine. I suppose I’ll do the introductions,” he said, shrugging its shoulders. “My name’s Discord.”
 
Sombra’s body had stiffened as Discord snapped his fingers. Suddenly, he’d been walking toward Discord, his hoof extended. Panicking, Sombra had tried to stop, but his body refused to obey. “Hi, Discord! So nice to meetcha!” he’d heard himself say cheerily. “Why you’re positively the most charming and devastatingly handsome draconequus that I’ve ever met!”
 
“Oh, you flatterer!” Discord had said, fluttering his eyelids. “The tales you tell! Well, by all means, please continue…” he’d said, the last few words taking on a sinister tone.
 
“Well, golly-gosh!” Sombra’s body had said while his mind screamed. “Not much to tell really. I’m just another fool of a pony from the Crystal Empire that got lucky!”
 
“Really?” Discord had said, summoning a notepad and a fedora. “Do tell. All of it.”
 
And Sombra had. Every memory. Each experience. For hours, he’d poured his life out to the creature. He’d felt his voice going hoarse, but his body just kept going, forcing the words out in an unending stream.
 
Finally, well into the night, he’d stopped, having exhausted his life’s story. Discord eyed him with a mixture of comical boredom and disdain. “Sheesh!” he had sighed in disgust. “Moping around in the background, hoping for royal scraps." Sombra had felt himself nod vigorously. “What a good little lapdog you are! It must be adorable when the princess takes you for a walk.”
 
Sombra’s anger had flared, and he’d pushed against the wall Discord had erected in his mind. Pressing it with his will, he’d felt something bending, and he’d thrown everything he had against it.
 
“Well, well!” Discord had said, as Sombra fell to the ground. “There is a little bite to go with that bark! Jolly good!" Discord had hunkered down in front of the gasping unicorn. “How’d you like to learn to fetch, Rover?”
 
“What?” was all Sombra had been able to manage. The effort of breaking Discord’s spell had been enormous.
 
“Well, my fine friend, I have just what you need,” Discord had answered, lowering his face until it was only inches from Sombra’s. “You want to be the big hero, right? If you really want to win the hoof of your princess, you’ll need to do something other than stomping around at the border, scaring all manner of ferocious bunnies and birdies, eh?" A smile slithered across Discord’s face. “Luckily for you, I have the key to your love’s heart, and because we’re such great pals, you and I, I’m willing to share it with you…" Discord had leaned in further, his irregular eyes growing impossibly wide, “… for a price!
 
“You see,” Discord had continued, rising to his feet again to pace, “I know of the Crystal Empire’s royal family and their struggles. Of course, you’re familiar with the central spire, aren’t you?”
 
Sombra had nodded numbly. The castle had a large tower at its very center, but nopony had ever figured out how to get into it. Some unseen force repelled any attempt to fly onto its turrets or into its windows, but a staircase descended into some lower recess of the castle. No royal family in recorded history had ever figured out where those steps originated from.
 
In the absence of knowledge, legends had filled the void. Rumors always circulated within the castle as to what might be up there: Lost magic. Ancient weapons. A treasure; wealth beyond imagining. It could be anything, and in the imaginations of the people of the Crystal Empire, it was.
 
Discord had stopped his pacing, gazing coolly at Sombra. “What if you opened that door, Sombra?” Discord had said in his smooth voice. “What if you came back as the big hero?" Discord suddenly transformed into an owl. An owl with a disturbingly long fang. “Wouldn’t that be a hoot?” he said, landing on Sombra’s back.


~~~


Lost in his memories, Sombra missed the blue stallion as he rammed the massive double doors with his shoulder, knocking the surprised guards away in his frenzied scramble to the throne. The courtier erupted, screaming for help, and the queen half rose from her seat before the guards tackled the gasping stallion. Through it all, Sombra stared at the window, chewing on his hoof.

“Your… Majesties!” the gasping soldier has finally managed as the guards began to haul him away. “News from the front! We’ve been defeated! All is lost!”

For a moment, all was silent. Then the courtiers began to wail. Unnerved, the guards gruff voice joined them, calling out for answers, all of them screaming at a king who heard nothing.
 
> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Five (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Two Hours, Forty-Five Minutes Before the Ritual - Queen Chrystal


He’d better not be chewing on his hoof again, Queen Chrystal thought as she watched the petitioner before her flick his eyes questioningly to where her husband sat. The queen tried to maintain her poise, but she knew he must be lost in thought again. She could feel his inattention like a physical force, weighing on her. These days, It seemed that he lived in his memories more often now than in the real world. It angered her, but she also understood; their world was dark now.
 
Where did we err? the queen thought, doing her best to appear calm and collected as she watched the petitioner’s brow knit. The Crystal Empire used to be the shining jewel of Equestria. She allowed her gaze to travel around the half-empty audience chamber. Several key councilors seats sat empty and had been that way for months. The rows of benches where the petitioners and courtiers usually sat while waiting for their moment before the royal couple were largely empty. Those in attendance fidgeted, constantly looking around the room for help that never appeared. Where did it all go so wrong? she wondered, wanting badly to cry, but refusing to allow the tears to come. Late at night, long after her husband had gone to sleep, was when she could fall apart. But not here. Her people needed strength, and she refused to let them down.
 
“So, as you can see,” the petitioner said, shaking away his perplexed expression to address the queen again, “it would be in our best interest to do an entire zonal realignment within the city. With sixty-eight percent of the population gone, the old laws are wreaking havoc with our taxes and service allocations. My shop falls—”
 
“Yes,” the queen cut in, glancing to her right in spite of herself. As expected, Sombra was absently chewing on his hoof as he stared out the window, completely oblivious to his surroundings. The queen pursed her lips before turning back to the nervous shop owner. “We’ve already commissioned a study of our zoning regulations." She smiled down at her subject, and it transformed him. She watched as he relaxed, relief settling over him like a warm down quilt. “We just ask that you maintain your patience for a few more weeks and then we will announce a council meeting detailing our findings and proposed solutions.”
 
“Oh, thank you!” the shop owner said, offering up a weak smile of his own. “We’ve been without utilities for a month now, since our residential zone was declared abandoned. It’ll be a great relief to get them reinstated!”
 
As the queen watched her subject trot away, she continued to smile, knowing that the court saw it as confident and serene. Only she knew how empty it had become.
 
Her smile was once her greatest tool. Now, she fixed it into place each day, and it made her feel like a jack-o’-lantern. A grinning, empty thing with no strength and no voice. Something that was put out to show to the people. Something powerless.
 
“Is there anypony else with a question for the throne?" Her voice rang out, overly loud in the stillness of the throne room. Just a few years ago, this chamber had bustled with activity; the noisy, messy business of state, where each pony brought before her argued vigorously for favors and boons. Now, beyond a few courtiers that came each day out of habit, the chamber was nearly empty. She was lucky to see three ponies a day. So she sat for hours, looking at their sad faces. Wanting to scream and cry and beg them for forgiveness for something she didn’t even understand.
 
It hadn’t always been this way. As a filly, she’d wandered these halls, dashing from visitor to visitor, charming them all thoroughly. Even at a young age, she’d proven remarkably adept at changing minds and moods. She’d known that with her soft silver coat and pale blue mane that she was unusually beautiful, and that beauty could change ponies’ minds, but it was her tutor that had issued her the challenge that had changed her life.
 
With the king’s consent, she’d been assigned to work in a home for blind veterans of the King’s Army. There, she was tasked with helping to clean the facility and feed the infirmed. But her most important job had simply been to try and make the veterans happy.
 
She’d complained bitterly to her father about it for several weeks, but he’d remained steadfast. She’d rolled her eyes as he reminded her that it was the job of government to work for the people, and that community service helped to breed a cohesive and caring society. It would not do for the children of royalty to be sequestered away from the people, never getting to know those for whom they ruled.
 
Finally, defeated, she’d stomped out of the castle, ordering the guard to slam the door as she passed. Once at the home, she just put her head down and bent to the task, hardly uttering a word. They could make her work, but she didn’t have to like it. Hurrying through her tasks each day, she’d been eager to be on her way back to the relative freedom of her temporary apartment behind the facility.
 
However, over time, she’d found that her silence actually made the work more difficult because she couldn’t avoid hearing their stories. Try as she might, she couldn’t avoid the soldiers’ sad tales of bravery and loss as she brought them their meals in the cafeteria. She found out all about their lost loves and their children who never came to visit. And she heard all about her father, and what kind of king he was. Some of them had cursed him for sending them off to war. Others argued back, saying that the king continued to care for them, even when their families had stopped visiting long ago. Without the state’s assistance, they most likely have starved to death.
 
Despite herself, she’d found herself wanting to get to know the soldiers. One by one, she’d learned their names:  Cannonball. He was always hot-headed. Quick to laugh or to yell when something had annoyed him. Battlecry. Remarkably soft-spoken, but unyielding when he’d made up his mind about something. Summer Sun. As happy and bright as his namesake. These and many others became her friends.
 
Which was not to say that it was easy. The soldiers were crotchety, ornery, crass, and fussy. If things weren’t just so, they behaved like children. There were times when Chrystal had longed to dump their food trays on their heads and be done with them, but she wasn’t a quitter. Moreover, she’d found that charming them with her voice alone was a much more interesting challenge than just batting her eyelashes at some desperate courtier.
 
So she stuck with it, eventually growing to enjoy the challenge, and then to enjoy the soldiers as friends. She learned to joke with them, and how to ease their pain when they were lost in memories of friends long dead. From them, she learned how ponies lived their everyday lives, working to provide for their families and doing things for themselves. She’d found that she admired them. She’d never thought about it before, but their lives were much harder than she’d ever imagined. Laying in bed at night, her face burned as she remembered the times she’d scolded the castle servants for being late with her food or not having her bath water at precisely the temperature that she preferred. She vowed that she would apologize when she returned to the castle, and that she would never treat a pony that way ever again.
 
When her time of service was up a year later, she’d cried, hugging each of them in turn. She’d been amazed to see that they were crying, as well. They’d told her that she’d transformed the home from a sad place where they waited to die, into a place of laughter and joy. She’d told them that is was they who’d changed her. Heading back to the castle, she’d felt like an entirely new filly.
 
Back in the castle she thought, looking over the empty throne room once more. Around her raised dais, stately marble columns rose to the ceiling. Like bars, she thought as she traced their length with her eyes. Like I’m in a cage.
 
Returning to the castle after her time at the retirement center, she’d felt the same way. Before she’d left, she’d been the darling of the court, and she’d done as she pleased. But upon her return, she was keenly aware that her behavior had often been brattish and spoiled. Furthermore, she’d gotten used to the relaxed protocol of the retired soldiers. The castle’s meticulous etiquette grated on her. Instead of finding ponies who were happy to simply meet her, the visitors now wanted to see what she could do for them. Now, each pony had an angle that they were working. The world had become schemes and machinations. More and more, Chrystal had yearned for the simple times with the simple soldiers she’d grown to love.
 
She’d talked with her father and mother about it, and they’d taken her out to the garden for a walk. There, they’d explained duty to her. Of course, she’d always known that she’d one day be ruling The Crystal Empire, but she’d never really thought about what it had meant.
 
Vigilance, they’d told her. Constant vigilance for both internal and external threats. While she needed to be able to identify with the common pony, she also had to be aware that they all wanted things, and that some were willing to go to great lengths to get them. That was what she’d been experiencing, they’d said. Being a ruler was an act of balancing the needs and desires of tens of thousands of ponies everyday. Kindness to one was often times cruelty to another, and she needed to learn how to walk carefully between the groups, never letting one side or the other gain too much.
 
And so, she learned to walk that perilous path inside the throne room, giving ambiguous answers to those that spoke to her. She charmed them with safe, meaningless nothings until their time before her parents came.
 
Until Sombra walked into the castle one day.
 
When he’d first appeared in court, she hadn’t thought much of him. As a young heather-coated colt, he wasn’t particularly robust, and his horn was stumpy. Her tutor had clucked disapprovingly at the family’s formalwear, rolling his eyes at their rather dated finery. While his father spoke with the throne, Sombra had stayed close to him, occasionally touching his father’s leg as if to assure himself that his father was actually still there. He’d looked a little frightened until he spotted Chrystal from across the room.
 
Chrystal had watched as his jaw slowly sagged open, and his clutching hoof dropped away from his father’s leg. Seemingly of their own accord, the little unicorn’s legs had started toward the princess, first at a slow walk, and then breaking into a brisk trot. He’d been halfway to her chair before he seemed to realize that he’d been clattering his way through the royal audience chamber, his steel-shod hooves banging out a terrible racket. As the entire court stopped to watch him, he’d blushed furiously, but still came to her, this time much more slowly.
 
She’d shared a giggle with her tutor when his father moved to retrieve him, muttering furiously to his son as he’d dragged him back to the family by his ear. But through it all, Sombra hadn’t taken his eyes from her. Though she’d laughed, Chrystal had found his intensity to be both disturbing and captivating. She was used to being fawned over, but this was something entirely different. He had looked sincere and strangely focused. Strangely adult. Above all, he’d looked hungry.
 
If only he’d show the same interest now, she thought, turning to stare at him again. With the petitioners gone, she no longer had to pretend he was doing his job. The courtiers were all used to it by now. They’d lost all respect for him long ago. Where does he go when he just fades away like that?  Why won’t he tell me? She sighed, biting her lip to stop the threat of tears. There was a time when he used to tell me everything!
 
Unbidden, the memory of her fourteenth birthday party bubbled up to her mind’s surface. By then, they’d become fast friends. She’d been a little wary of him, at first, but it was rare that fillies and colts of her age came to the castle. When he visited again, she grudgingly gave him a tour of the grounds at her father’s insistence. He’d mentioned to her that such favors had a way of instilling loyalty in the minor families.
 
To her surprise, when his family’s visit was over, she’d found herself missing him. During their brief time together, he quickly moved from nuisance to peer to confidante, and she hadn’t really had any friends since she’d left the retirement home. She’d found him to be reasonably intelligent and polite. He could make her laugh and he didn’t mind if she complained to him about castle life, but what had really impressed her was that he didn’t seem to want anything from her but time. He was content to just be with her, doing whatever it was that she wanted as long as they could do it together.

 

Yes, together, she thought, letting her eyes roam over him as he sat, lost in whatever memory held him. We used to do everything together. Now it’s all I can do to remind him that I’m even here. That the world is even here. He’s so focused on whatever this is! If only he’d just tell me! Chrystal banged her hoof down on the arm of the throne, instantly regretting it as the courtiers looked up. They were desperate for something to happen that could distract them from the castle’s generally miserable atmosphere. Isn’t that part of being in love? she thought. Aren’t there supposed to be no secrets between us?  But the way he still looks at me when we are alone, away from all of the pressure. I-I just don’t believe it’s gone! I know he still loves me!

 

Love. It had come after her relentlessly. After each of his visits, she ached for him more. Her father began to grow apprehensive as she requested that his family visit with increasing regularity. He sat his daughter down to explain the realities of adolescent colts and the dangers of indiscretion. Not to mention, he’d added, that Sombra’s was a minor family, and that they didn’t really bring any advantages to the table. Her parents had decided it was in her best interest to cut off the budding relationship.
 
For the first time in her life, she’d raged. Her father and mother were shocked, staring at one another with horror and bewilderment. Chrystal had always been a good filly; level-headed and dutiful, but there she was, screaming in a voice that shook the halls and sent the rumor-mongers into overdrive. After several days of tears and fury, they relented, but warned her to keep things under control. They would allow friendship, but nothing more. He simply hadn’t the standing for a higher station.
 
They’d carried on in that emotional limbo for a year or so, each of them yearning, but not quite daring, to move forward. Sombra often talked of performing some great deed to improve his family’s standings, but they couldn’t ever think of what he ought to do. The Empire had been in a prolonged period of peace. There just hadn’t really been any pressing problems.
 
It had all changed when a different class of visitors began coming by the castle. Her father took her aside, and somewhat uncomfortably explained that many of the invitees henceforth would be families of good standing with eligible stallions. He’d wanted her to spend time with each and to see if any seemed like a good match.
 
She’d fretted for weeks about whether she should tell Sombra or not, but in the end she’d decided that they’d promised not to have any secrets from one another. She’d regretted it almost instantly. He panicked, pouring out his heart, telling her all the things that were plainly apparent to anyone with at least some sense: That he’d loved her since he’d seen her that first time, and that he wouldn’t be able to bear it if she married another stallion.
 
They’d cried, alone in their special corner of the castle. The eastern tower once held the royal slaves, but the practice had been outlawed long ago as barbaric. And so they’d turned it into their sanctuary, though at the beginning, they’d rarely been able to go there unaccompanied. Once it had been apparent that Chrystal was not going to do something untoward, her mother and father had relaxed her supervision somewhat. They still posted a guard outside the door to whatever room they were in, but she was allowed some relative privacy with Sombra should she choose it.
 
It was in the tower that he’d told her his plan. He would join the army and hope that something would happen. He’d said his father had been pushing him for ages to enlist, since it was one of the few ways the family could advance. She’d hated the bitterness in his voice then. He always despised the greedy, grasping nature of his parents. Their obsession with improving their station was a constant embarrassment to him.
 
She’d tried to talk him out of it, but he was unusually steadfast. Before, he was generally happy to go along with whatever she’d planned for them, but her possible marriage had possessed his mind utterly. Even though she’d assured him that she hadn’t liked any of the stuffy, pompous stallions that had begun to travel to the Empire, she could tell that he was tearing himself to pieces over it. He’d lost weight, and the skin under his eyes began to hang in loose folds. Whenever they were together, he seemed nervous and fidgety.
 
When they had a brief moment together, Chrystal had begged her father to station Sombra as one of the royal guards, but he refused. He said that it wouldn’t do to be seen giving plum job assignments out to friends of the court. Sombra would need to earn that duty through valor on the field. Chrystal suspected that her father had really just wanted the troublesome stallion out of the castle, and her fears were confirmed when he’d been assigned to the border, as far away from her as possible.
 
She’d hated her parents then. They pretended that they’d had nothing to do with the assignment, but how could they not have?  They were the king and queen, after all, and the military answered to them. If they’d asked for Sombra to be moved from the border, it would have happened the next day. But it hadn’t, and she’d refused to speak to them for weeks.
 
And so, she hadn’t seen him for months, and they were the loneliest of her life. She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to depend on him. He’d been the one pony she’d been completely at ease with. He knew just how to make her laugh and when to be a shoulder for her to cry on. All of a sudden, she’d had nopony, save for the near-constant barrage of suitors that seemed to besiege the castle.
 
On and on they came, one after another. Some were older ponies and some were terribly young. There were braggarts, snobs, louts, and weaklings. Very occasionally, there were even some who’d been appealing, but each one had a fatal flaw:  They were not Sombra.
 
Now, sweeping the throne room with her gaze, she was drawn again to the pillars surrounding the thrones. Yes, she thought. How very comfortable. I’ve been in cages all my life. Turning back to her husband, she cleared her throat, hoping he would turn to her, but he was still deep in his memories. The cage you put my heart in was the first one that I welcomed. she thought, sighing. And how it soared when you returned, bursting free to fly to you.
 
She could remember it like it was yesterday. The knock. The muffled, slightly embarrassed voice of the guard telling her that Sombra had returned, and that he insisted on seeing her. The guard sounded hopeful when he’d suggested that he could send Sombra on his way, reporting him to the guard for desertion, but Chrystal snapped that he would do no such thing. She’d pounded down the castle’s wide steps, the guard galloping after her, crying out for her to be careful.
 
She’d laughed at that. Sombra had somehow left his post and travelled more than a hundred miles to be with her, and she was supposed to carefully and demurely trot over to him?  She couldn’t fly into his embrace fast enough!
 
And then, there he was. He still had that haunted look that never quite left his eyes, but he’d been dashing in his uniform, even covered in dust from his travels. She’d run to him, and they held each other, coming together to form the whole that each had been aching for.
 
From that point on, it had been a confusing whirlwind. Sombra started yelling something about a key and the old legend of the central spire. Chrystal hadn’t been able to tell if it was some plot he’d schemed up to return to the castle, but she played along as best she could.
 
The key! she thought, grinning despite the throne room’s gloomy atmosphere. He’d found it! He really—
 
The queen jumped as the heavy, wrought iron doors banged open. Followed by two flustered guards, a very dirty and very tired-looking soldier stumbled in, breathing heavily. All around, the courtiers erupted into shocked shouts of protest at the lack of decorum.
 
“Your… Majesties,” the pony panted. He tried to trot to the dais, but his legs were shaking badly. It was all he could do stay upright. “News from the front! We’ve been defeated! All is lost!”
  
“Guards,” Queen Chrystal said, rising from her throne with concern. “Fetch this soldier some food and water. He’s raving.”
 
“There’s… no time!” the pony gasped between huge lungfuls of air. “The army… been destroyed. No more… left!”
 
“WHAT?!” Chrystal cried, aghast. “The whole army?! That’s impossible!" Around her, the other ponies in the room began to panic, yelling amongst themselves.
 
“I saw it!” the soldier said, quaking. “I saw the… thing! It destroyed our base… like it was nothing. Lifted tons of rocks just by waving its hands!" The soldier took a step toward her, his eyes bulging. “It said to tell the king that it’s coming! It’s on its way!”
 
“Sombra, we have to—" Chrystal stopped abruptly, her eyebrows slamming together as she pursed her lips. He’s still not paying attention! Chrystal leaned over to her husband and smacked him in the shoulder with the back of her hoof, irritated at the way he jumped in his seat. “What is with you?!” she hissed, her patience exhausted. He clearly hadn’t heard a word of what had transpired. “What are we going to do?” she asked, pointing to the soldier at the foot of the dais. “He says the our forces have been wiped out and the monster is advancing on the city! We’re defenseless!”
 
We only have one hope left, and he must take it this time! Chrystal thought, rising to stand before him. As the audience members in the throne room gasped, she knelt in front of her husband, her hooves pressed together beseechingly. “Please!” she said, her voice trembling violently. “Please! I know you don’t want to, but please! We have to!”
 
Finally, he listened.

> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Six (Dark, Adventure - Only lightly edited from this point on)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(There would have been a lead in from the last chapter here that would bring us to this flashblack.)

Inside Sombra, a war raged. His heart had leapt at the opportunity, even as his mind whispered to him to be cautious. This thing on his shoulder clearly couldn’t be trusted, but nothing was as important as being with Chrystal. I’ll at least see what he wants, Sombra had thought, swallowing hard. “So,” Sombra had said, his voice cracking. He’d taken a moment to clear his throat before beginning again, trying to force some confidence into his tone. “So, what’s in this for you?”

Discord had flown off of Sombra’s shoulder, donning himself in mystical garb and summoning up a lace-covered table with a large crystal ball. “Why, a future, of course!” he’d said, stroking the ball. “Gaze deep within the ball, and all will become clear!”

Curious, despite himself, Sombra had cautiously edged toward the table, peering into the crystal globe. Squinting, he’d been able to discern shapes from the swirling mists.

“I-Is that… the inside of the tower?!” he asked breathlessly.

“Why, yes,” Discord had replied, smiling hungrily as he gazed into the crystal ball. “Do you see those four crystals lining the walls?" Sombra nodded. “You see that one there, the one that’s flashing randomly?" Discord had locked his eyes onto Sombra’s, and for the first time, any air of joviality dropped away from their encounter. “It’s mine,” Discord had growled, and Sombra had felt the earth beneath them tremble, “and I want it back!”

“Why? What’s it to you?” Sombra had asked before wincing. He’d been able to feel the malignant power flowing off of Discord in waves so powerful that he’d felt a bit ill, but something about the monster was compelling. His terror had been slowly replaced with curiosity. If he’s truly as powerful as he seems, he might actually have the key! he’d thought eagerly.

Discord had sighed, pulling a blackboard out of the earth. “Okay, pay attention,” he’d said, pulling off his horn to use as a pointer. “You definitely don’t want me to give you detention." As he waved his claw, chalk had flown into the air, illustrating as Discord had walked slowly back and forth in front of the blackboard.

“Long ago, when the world was young, wild magic ran unchecked throughout the land!" Discord had clasped his hands in front of his chest, sighing and looking up into the night sky. “Let me tell you, it was truly a sight to behold! Twisting eddies of magical power, slamming into each other! Explosions! Instantaneous manifestations followed by utter annihilation! It was magnificent, but it wasn’t conducive for, well, much at all besides sheer spectacle. After a time, even fireworks become boring, and these were the largest fireworks you’ve ever seen, junior.

“Those of us who roamed the world at the time arranged a meeting on neutral ground. Myself, Order, Hate, and Love,” he’d said, ticking off each on his bird-like claw. “We decided that something must be done to give the world a chance to grow. So we each splintered off a piece of our souls, trapping our very essences into crystals; the idea being that each crystal could output the same level of power with consistency. Moving about as we did, the world was in constant flux, but with the four great powers in balance, the world would stabilize." Discord had stopped, his face turning sour as he watched the board catch up with his narrative. “You just can’t get good help these days,” he’d muttered as the chalk frantically scribbled images of the crystals.

“Anyway, we agreed to retire into alternate dimensions for a millennia or so and let the planet get its act together. But that’s all over with now!” Discord had said, clapping his hands together with a grin.

“But, don’t we—”

“Ah-ah-ah,” Discord had admonished, wagging a finger. “We raise our hooves in class don’t we?" He’d gestured, and a dunce cap had appeared on Sombra’s head, falling over his eyes. Irritated, Sombra had tried to remove it, but although it would swivel, it refused to actually release his scalp. Pursing his lips, Sombra held up a hoof.

Discord had made quite a show of looking around, then finally pointed to Sombra. “Ah, yes! You had a question?”

“Don’t we still need the crystals if they are stabilizing the world?” Sombra had said through gritted teeth. “And if you want it so bad, why don’t you just go get it?”

“Very astute!” Discord had said condescendingly. “So glad you brought that up. You see the world has been stable for eons now. The crystals are no longer necessary, but have you ever lost a piece of your soul?" Suddenly lunging forward, Discord’s claw had plunged into Sombra’s chest.

Pain unlike anything he ever imagined had coursed through Sombra’s body. Not just physical pain, but an aching, hungering wrongness that had screamed for succor. Sombra had felt that nothing would ever be right again. As he lay screaming on the ground, he’d just been able to make out something small and red flickering between the draconequus’ claws.

Bending down, Discord had held Sombra’s soul shard directly in front of the unicorn’s streaming eyes. “This is what your soul looks like, bucko." Grabbing the wailing stallion by his mane, he’d lifted him back to the crystal ball. “I’d like you to take a nice, long look-see and let me know if they look like they’re the same size to you," Sombra shook his head, sobbing. “That’s right. I just took out a tiny fraction of your soul. What you see there is half of mine, and I want it back! he’d screamed into Sombra’s face. “Oh, can it!” he’d said as Sombra gibbered and wailed. Rolling his eyes, he thrust Sombra’s soul shard back into his body.

Sombra had gasped for air as the pain stopped. “You… you live with that?” Sombra had choked out.

“Every day of my life,” Discord had answered, pulling out a single party popper. With a perfectly straight face, he’d pulled the cord, and watched the tiny streamers arc pathetically through the air. “It’s a real blast." Discord had waved his claw, and the blackboard disappeared, and he’d stood in its place, his hands clasped behind his back. “As to why I don’t just go get it, well, it’s because I can’t. You see, we knew that this was going to be sort of tough-ish on the ol’ psyche, so we erected a magical barrier to stop any of us from going back on our word. None of us can get any closer to the tower than I am right now." He’d leaned down, and tapped Sombra on the nose. “But that’s where you come in, hero!”

Discord had plucked out a scale from his leg and a hair from his arm, dramatically emphasizing the pain the act caused him. Pinching them together in his lion-like paw, he’d grabbed them with his claw-hand and pulled, spreading the claws apart as it went. Sombra had watched as the bits of Discord turned into a shining crystal.

“You are acquainted with the royal throne, yes?” Discord had said, twirling the glowing crystal between his claws. “You’ve no doubt wondered at the flaw in its design." As Sombra’s brows had knit together, Discord had sighed. “Of course, you haven’t,” he’d muttered darkly, shaking his head. “Listen up, pup. That chair’s missing a crystal, and I believe you’ll find that it matches this one. Set it in place, and the door to the tower opens up. You can have all the rest of the garbage in there, but you will deliver the crystal to me, understand?" Discord had stepped forward, looming over the unicorn.

“I can see the little gears in your pony brain turning,” Discord had said, giving Sombra the toothy smile of a top predator. “Don’t think to cross me. I like to laugh as much as the next celestial force, but even my patience has limits. You can’t walk three steps without tripping over your spear. You certainly don’t want to make me your enemy.

“So what’ll it be, hero?” Discord had said, holding the key out between them. “Do you want to keep the realm safe from bunnies and birdies here on the border…" Discord had twisted the crystal back and forth between his fingers. In its dark facets, Sombra had caught his own reflection. It had looked tired and scared, but above everything else, it had looked hungry.

This is it! he’d thought. This is the thing I’ve been looking for! Dad always said I had to be bold to get ahead, and nothing’s going to stop me from being with Chrystal! Snatching the crystal, Sombra had tucked it into his pouch and scooped up his spear. “Deal,” he’d said, “On one condition.”

“Oh?” Discord had said, reclining in midair. “Pray tell, what is your condition, my little negotiator? What hard bargain shall we reach today?”

“Once you have the crystal, you leave the Crystal Empire, never to return.”

Discord had rolled his eyes. “Yeesh, is that all?” he’d drawled, yawning. “I thought you were going to come up with something interesting, like wanting half of my power or somesuch. Right, whatever. Done and done." Discord had waved a claw absently and the thick vines encircling the grove had disappeared. “On you go, pony!”

Sombra had galloped hard, all through the night and much of the next day without bothering with returning to his post. They just would have detained him and asked a bunch of inconvenient questions. At best, they’d have taken the credit for themselves. At worst, he’d have been thrown in a dungeon for deserting his post. Instead, he’d run on, trusting only himself.

Discord had truly terrified him, but he’d reasoned that the creature’s very power had been its weakness. Something that strong didn’t need to plan, and Discord clearly hadn’t thought his scheme through. He hadn’t been at all sure that the monstrosity had been telling the truth, but if it was, there’d been no way Sombra could risk the fate of the world to give that thing back its soul. Who knew what would happen if he disrupted the balance the beings had set up?

As he ran, Sombra had ticked through the elements of the deal in his mind. The crystal would open the door, and he would somehow have to get inside and remove the crystal before anyone noticed, then run it outside the border to where Discord waited. It just didn’t seem very likely, and incredibly dangerous to the fabric of reality.

But Discord had erred, and Sombra had meant to take advantage of it. The beast couldn’t enter the Empire, and therefore it couldn’t enforce the terms of the agreement. As long as Sombra remained within the Empire’s border, he was safe. Grinning, Sombra had poured on the speed, pumping his powerful legs for all that they were worth. He’d been tired of useless patrols with arrogant idiots. It was a gamble, but he’d been ready to bet everything that this would work. At least he’d get to see Chrystal again. It had been years since the last time.

When he’d finally reached the castle in the dead of night, he’d skidded to a stop on the smooth marble landing, nearly bowling over the surprised guard. He’d manage to pant out that it was an emergency and that he’d needed to see the princess right away. The guard had grumbled that this was really against protocol, but the castle guards had known Sombra for all of his life, and they were used to regularly bending the rules for Chrystal. Shaking his head, he’d dispatched a private to fetch the princess.

When she’d arrived, Sombra felt his heart stop for a moment. In the time apart, she’d only grown more beautiful. He’d nearly burst from happiness when her eyes lit up, and she’d run, half crying and half laughing, into his embrace. They’d desperately clung to one another until the guard cleared his throat, glancing at them uncomfortably.

“Come with me,” the princess had said, heading back into the castle. Sombra had followed, as did the guard. “No, Amber, you can stay here,” she’d told him.

Amber had frozen for a moment, conflicted. “No, your majesty,” he’d said, his gaze drifting back and forth between the two young ponies, “I’m afraid I can’t.”

Chrystal had inhaled to give the guard a rebuke, but Sombra had stopped her. “Don’t worry about it. We aren’t going far. I-I think I have something really important to the kingdom, but I don’t want to make an idiot out of myself in front of the full court. I need to know that it works first, and I have to be in the throne room to try it.”

Chrystal’s eyebrows had shot up, but Amber’s had knitted together, forming an angry ball between his eyes. “What’s this about, then?” he’d said suspiciously. “Some sort of secret magic?”

“C’mon, Amber!” Sombra had pleaded. “You know I wouldn’t do anything I thought was a risk to Chrystal. I just want to know that it works before I show everypony." He’d turned to Chrystal, frowning as he played the various outcomes over in his mind. “Actually, he might be right. Maybe you two shouldn’t come in at first.”

Chrystal had pursed her lips and flicked her tail in annoyance. “Alight, Sombra,” she’d said, “what are you up to? I don’t want to be the one responsible for letting you blow up the castle.”

Sighing, Sombra had reached into his pouch and drawn out the glowing crystal. “I’ve got the key!” he’d whispered excitedly as they stepped forward for a better look.

“You don’t mean—” Chrystal had begun, her eyes widening.

“The key to the tower?!" Amber had finished, awed.

Sombra had licked his lips, and after a moment, he’d nodded. “I-I think so,” he’d said. “But I won’t know until I try it out!”

Sombra had turned and pounded down the hall of the castle, with Chrystal and Amber hot on his hooves. Hitting the heavy double doors with his shoulder, he’d burst into the throne room and ascended to the top of the dais. 

There it was, just as Discord had said. A flaw in the chair’s design so obvious that he’d questioned just how many times he must have looked at the throne in all his time at court. His hooves trembled so badly that he couldn’t manage to fit the crystal into the gap, so he’d opted to use his magic to align the crystal. Expecting a satisfying click, Sombra had been shocked when the crystal resisted. Again and again, he’d pushed on the crystal, but it just wouldn’t go in.

He’d turned to look at Chrystal and Amber was they waited at the bottom of the dais, staring up at him curiously. Desperately, he leaned on the crystal, but it had popped out, tumbling down the stairs, and his heart sank. In the end, the monster had tricked him. Probably just for the laughs. 

Sombra had trembled as his rage bubbled to the surface. He’d bet everything in this last desperate bid for Chrystal, and he’d lost it all. Furious, he’d retrieved the crystal with his magic and slammed it into place, refusing to be beaten.

Yes, he’d heard a chuckling voice whisper in his head, show them you’ve more bite than bark. Concentrating, Sombra had hit the crystal with his full magical might, refusing to be defeated. Sweat beaded, then had run down his body as he’d struggled against the barrier, and finally, after what might have been seconds or hours, the crystal had slid home.

Chrystal and Amber had leapt aside as a beam of crackling energy shot from the crystal and onto the floor, opening a magical chamber filled with spiraling stairs. Sombra had whooped as Chrystal pounded up the dais’ stairs, and into his embrace. Throwing caution to the wind, he’d kissed her passionately and she’d returned it. They rejoined the world only when the throne room’s doors had slammed open again, and the court had poured in, still in their nightclothes.

From that day forward, Sombra had been the hero of the Crystal Empire. The tower had contained more than they’d ever imagined. A wealth of forgotten knowledge and artifacts of such breathtaking splendor that they’d frequently reduced visitors to tears. Sombra had been knighted, and his family was granted a spot at the top of the nobility. When Chrystal’s time of choosing had come, it had been an inevitability.

It wasn’t until the day after his coronation that it’d all fallen apart. He’d sat on his throne, waiting for court to be initiated, when the sniggering whisper floated through his mind again.

Didn’t I warn you, Rover? it said, the laughter sounding dark and ugly. Didn’t I tell you to fetch? You know what happens to bad dogs, right? They get put down.

Sombra had started, nearly falling off of his throne. Worried, Chrystal had turned to him, asking him softly if he was feeling well. Distractedly, he’d nodded, trying to concentrate.

Sorry, ‘master’! he’d thought. Maybe you should have thought your little plan through some more. I’m not gambling the Empire’s safety on your word! Besides, what are you going to do about it? You can’t reach me here!

The voice had chuckled again, sounding very much like a predatory growl. Are you trying to match wits with me? With your brainpower, you’d be lucky to match socks. Did you really think you were my plan? Sombra had felt the voice in his mind snort. Please. You see, you’ve already brought  me inside the Crystal Empire. Or, at least, a  bit of me.

Sombra had turned to stare at the crystal, horrified as he remembered the way Discord had transformed his fur and scales into the shining key.

Now the barrier spell is weakening, little by little. I’m already several feet into your precious empire, and in time, I’ll be at your doorstep. You see, I probably would have honored our little deal, well, at least for a while, but you went and insulted me with your… Sombra winced as the voice yawned loudly, ... incredibly clever double-cross. And you didn’t think I’d see it coming! Why, the very idea is ridiculous! It would be one thing if you’d just ignored the task. I would have eventually just found some other sap. But you didn’t do that, did you. Oh, no. You tried to use me! That will not stand, my young pup! I’m coming for that shard. Then I’m coming for your bride. And then I’m coming for you! I suggest that you stock up on bandages!

From that moment on, it had been war. The entire martial might of the Crystal Empire, focused on driving back the monstrosity, and they were failing, inch by inch.

“Sombra, what is with you?!”

The king shook his head, and noticed that the entire court was staring at him. Somehow, he’d missed the entrance of a blue pony who laid gasping at the foot of the dais. Chrystal was staring at him, giving him a look halfway between irritation and concern.

“What are we going to do?” she asked. “He says our forces are wiped out and the monster is advancing on the city! We’re defenseless!" Chrystal moved from her throne, and knelt before her husband. “Please! Please, I know you don’t want to, but please! We have to!”

Flushing, Sombra lifted his bride and nodded bitterly. “You’re right. We have no other choice left.”

Touching their horns together, twin beams of light shot from their foreheads and into the reflective glass dome above them. Within its facets, their magic was amplified thousands of times over and a brilliant burst of white light enveloped the castle, finally narrowing and shooting off into the sky.

“He’ll come!” Chrystal sobbed, shaking in Sombra’s embrace. “He’s got to come!"

> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Seven (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transitive Properties of Elemental Magic…  Blackstone’s Untested Magical Theorems…  Eldritch Mists: A History of Dark Forces… Ugh, where is it?!

Clover swept books aside, coughing as dust filled the air.  Why doesn’t he ever put anything away?! he thought as he attempted to control his inevitable sneeze.  Losing the battle, he hacked and coughed even the harder as the sneeze whipped yet more dirt into the air.  He’d asked himself ten times a day why he’d become a wizard’s apprentice, but he’d never had any convincing answers.  It certainly wasn’t the working conditions.  Or the hours.  Or the education.  In fact, Clover found himself hard pressed to find any good reason why he was still with the wizard, but here he was.
 
Clover certainly recognized Star Swirl’s brilliance.  Everypony did.  It was like looking up at the sun.  It burned bright and hot, and it was captivating, yet you knew if you looked too long, it would blind you.  He’d seen countless wonders during his time with Star Swirl, but wonders were not always pleasant, and Clover often found that he had trouble sleeping at nights.
 
“Clover!” a sharp voice yelled from the adjoining room.  “I’ve asked you to retrieve a book, not recalculate Mindtrap’s Fourth Law!  I’m in the middle of a time-sensitive experiment that could fall apart at any second without that research, but I suppose that means nothing to you!”
 
“Well, you see,” Clover shot back, rifling through another pile of books, “there’s this whole shelf labeled ‘Summoning Spells’, yet your book of incantations doesn’t seem to be on it!  Again!”
 
“Oh, for the love of—” Star Swirl grumbled from the other room.  “If you’d pay attention once in a while, you’d remember that we worked on astral transfers last week and I fortified the exchanges with energies from both the Great Plateau and the Seventh Dimension!  If you find the tome on the Twelve Adjoining Realms, then the summoning manual should be nearby!  It must be by the door!  Hurry!” 
 
Clover cringed as Star Swirl’s voice filled with strain, and he dove for the least dusty pile of books he could find.  Shoveling copies of worn texts aside, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the book’s metallic copper lettering glittering darkly near the bottom of the pile.  Yanking it out, he ran from the room, his eyes still streaming from the library’s assault of dust and cobwebs. 
 
Taking care to avoid the laboratory floor’s meticulous pattern of runes and sigils, he shuffled as quickly as possible to Star Swirl’s lectern. Throwing the book on top of it, he began rapidly leafing through the pages.
 
Behind the lectern, Star Swirl stood, hooves outstretched, his eyes locked onto a hole on the wall that swirled with liquid madness.  Clover tried his best to ignore it, but the hole pulsed and writhed like a living thing.  Malevolence poured from dimensional rift, and Clover was sure that whatever it was on the other side would pay any price to open the portal wide enough to step through.  Clover winced as he nervously checked on Star Swirl’s condition.  Sweat poured off of the wizard’s body as he tried to force his hooves together, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
 
“Quit staring at me and find the spell, dolt!” the wizard growled.  “This isn’t as easy as I make it look!”
 
Jumping guiltily, Clover’s hooves were a blur as he rifled through the pages until he finally found it.  “Aha!” he yelled, stepping away from the lectern.  “The Psychondal Extrusion Incantation!”
 
Star Swirl sucked in a stuttering gasp of air and began the rite.  His horn shining like a thousand suns, Star Swirl began chanting in a low, grating voice that Clover thought sounded like a stone sarcophagus being opened. 
 
The candles in the room guttered wildly, and then went out as the portal began to rapidly devour the room’s air.  Clover set his hooves widely apart, gritting his teeth against the rift’s titanic strength.  He watched with some dismay as more than a few tools and papers disappeared through the twisting maw.  Somehow, that’ll be my fault, he thought as his mane whipped around his face.
 
Despite the loss of the candles, the room glowed pestilentially.  The portal’s own eldritch light combined with that of Star Swirl’s horn, bathing the room in a spectrum that Clover knew ponykind were never meant to experience.  All around him, he could see the membranous dimensional barriers that were normally invisible to ponies were rippling and twisting.  Every so often, some terrible, unknowable shape would near those curtains of energy, and Clover would screw his eyes shut, turning away.  There were things that lived in the wider Outside that could break a pony’s sanity as easily as snapping a dry twig.
 
His sepulchral voice booming now, Star Swirl began pulling one hoof away from the portal while slowly trying to close his other into a fist.  In response, a writhing, elongated shape pushed its way through the horrible, spinning nightmare.  As the flopping, flailing thing fell into the workshop, the maw began to close, and the suction became more extreme.  Despite his firm footing, Clover found himself being slowly dragged across the floor where the eel-like monstrosity mewled.  Its tentacle body pawed the air, reaching for Clover, and he backpedaled, fighting harder than he’d ever fought for anything in his life.  Even from several yards away, he could feel hate flowing off the thing in waves so strong that his stomach heaved.
 
With a primal shout, Star Swirl finally closed his hoof, and with it, the portal.  Gibbering pathetically, the thing on the floor flopped desperately for a few seconds and then became still.  Clover’s body shook as adrenaline slammed through his veins.   Curling his lip in disgust, he watched the thing blacken and twist, shriveling into a wrinkled, baleful statue.
 
“There,” panted Star Swirl as he leaned heavily on his lectern.  “Now we have a psychondal bone to work with when we test out the Abjurant Pathways tomorrow.”  Star Swirl sat suddenly, his shaking legs refusing to support him any longer.  Resting his head against the wall, he turned slowly to Clover, his eyes heavy with fatigue.  “Now, put that thing in a pentacle-sealed case, but do not touch it with your bare hooves!” he said, coughing into his hoof.  Clover could see the foaming spittle was speckled with blood.  “Even the dead bones of a psychondal are enough to rip a pony’s mind apart.  It would like nothing more than to devour you where you stand.”
 
Clover turned back to the bone, inspecting it with disgust.  It’s stench was incredible, even from several yards away.  “That… that thing was a bone?!” he asked, tilting his head.
 
Star Swirl shook his head, laughing derisively.  “You didn’t think every creature in the multicosm had the same physiology we have, did you?  We just call it a bone because it’s an internal support structure of a sort.  It’s as close to your bones as a fish is to buttered toast, but in the state that it’s currently in, you two have a similar density.”  Leaning his head back, the wizard promptly fell asleep.

~~~

 
Clover had just stored the case in Star Swirl’s repository when the thunderclap hit.  Even in this windowless room, the effect was blinding. There’s light, he thought, squinting and shielding his eyes from the glare, filtering in through the cracks between the masonry!  How is that even possible? 
 
Somewhere above him, the tower was sounding a continuous note that made his teeth rattle.  Holding his head in one hoof, Clover stumbled out of the repository and back into the lab.  It felt like his skull was splitting open.  Still leaning against the wall, Star Swirl opened his eyes and spit out a few curses.
 
“Those nincompoops!  They’d better have a good reason for this!” he growled, pushing off of the wall.
 
“W-W-What i-is g-g-g-oing on?” Clover yelled over the noise.
 
Star Swirl stared at his assistant for a moment, before shaking his head in disgust.  “Just levitate a little, Clover,” he said between his clenched teeth.  “Why is it always too much to ask for you to at least try and perform a few experiments before asking for the answers to everything?” Without waiting for an answer, Star Swirl glided swiftly for the door.
 
Shooting his master a brief, but viciously dirty glance, Clover concentrated, assembling the spell in his mind.  As his hooves lifted off of the ground, the horrible vibration stopped.  Working his tongue around his mouth, he checked to make sure that none of his teeth had shattered. With his head still throbbing, he floated after Star Swirl.
 
“Well, since it was so loud,” he posited as he chased the wizard, “I’ll suppose it’s some sort of an alarm.  You’d need to be able to hear, or at least feel it, from anywhere in the tower, no matter what kind of experiment was happening at the time.”
 
“Truly, your deductive reasoning is a wonder to behold,” Star Swirl drawled back at him.  Clover wished for the tenth time today that he could just clock the old buzzard and be done with him.  Getting anything from the wizard, even a compliment, was like squeezing blood from a stone.  “The alarm you’re hearing signals a priority one national emergency.  More importantly, it confirms why I never leave this tower if I can help it.”
 
Clover left the statement lingering between them as long as he could stand it.  “And why is that?” he finally asked, knowing that it would come back to bite him.
 
“That bell only rings when someone has done something colossally, stupefying idiotic and they want me to clean it up for them,” Star Swirl growled, tilting his body to glide up the circular stairs that ran along the tower’s inner wall.  “Every time that happens, yet more ponies see me as the answer to their follies, and the bell rings again and again.”  He turned to regard Clover balefully over his shoulder.  “Just like you.  Obviously, all would be revealed if you only had the patience to wait a few moments, but here you are, demanding answers, solutions, just like everypony else!”
 
“I didn’t demand anything, you old bastard!” Clover yelled.  “You’re supposed to be teaching me!”
 
“You can’t cultivate a field that’s full of rocks, Clover,” Star Swirl returned, his voice full of false patience.  “First, you have to remove the rocks, then plow the field.  Once the seeds are planted, you deposit the fertilizer and water, and watch to see what grows.”  Star Swirl poured on an extra burst of speed as he neared the top of the tower.  “You’re field is still full of rocks and you want to jump straight to tilling the soil.  It’s a great way to get a broken plow, and I don’t have to tell you what that means in my line of work, do I?”  Star Swirl stopped and fished out a key from one of his many pouches.  “I probably will have to tell him, won’t I?” he muttered under his breath as he inserted the key.
 
Frowning, Clover stopped behind the wizard, squinting his eyes as he looked to the ceiling in concentration.  “And so, you’re saying that my time here has been… what?  Training?”
 
“Yes, fool!” Star Swirl exploded, whirling on his startled assistant.  “Haven’t I been telling you to deduce before asking?!  Haven’t I set up memory skills like finding the book earlier?!  Haven’t I set up linear logic exercises and projects in comparative analysis?!”  Star Swirl thrust his face into Clover’s, tapping his hoof against his assistant’s forehead.  “Before you learn, you must learn to think!  Right now, you’ve got the brainpower of sack of rotten potatoes!”  He turned abruptly back to the door, turning the key.  “Now quit bothering me!  You’re like an anchor around the neck of a drowning stallion, Clover.”
 
Clover swallowed hard, his face burning.  He’d been the pride of his village.  No pony for miles around had been able to keep up with him.  After three years of school, he’d already run out of course material.  But here he was, fumbling around like the town idiot behind this surly wizard. He’s right though, Clover though, clenching his jaw.  I’ve gotten lazy.  It was always so easy before.  He watched as Star Swirl trotted into the room and touched a panel on the wall.  With startling suddenness, the ringing vibration stopped.  Rising up on his hind legs, Star Swirl extended his other hoof toward Clover.  It’s time to show this stallion what I’ve got! he thought, his face hardening with resolve.
 
“Hey, jackass!” Star Swirl said, looking back through the door as he flexed his hoof toward his assistant.  “I suppose you want to get left behind?”
 
Though what I might have is a right hook… Clover thought sourly as he grabbed the wizard’s calloused hoof. 
 
Then there was light.  And pain.

~~~

Clover lay writhing on the ground.  Every bit of him was on fire. 
 
“Quit screaming and get up,” Star Swirl growled at him, kicking at the apprentice with a hoof.  “We don’t have time for this.  The effect dissipates rapidly, so get moving!”
 
Groaning, Clover got his hooves under himself and tried to rise.  Star Swirl clucked his tongue as his apprentice stumbled, trying to work out the stabbing pins and needles that wracked his body.  Finally, Clover thought as he rubbed his body vigorously.  While still unpleasant the pain was receding.  Clover opened his mouth that ask about the process, only to snap it shut again.  This was something he should deduce for himself. Star Swirl gave him a tight-lipped smile before trotting off toward a nearby castle.
 
Okay, I’m obviously in Crystal City, by the look of things, Clover mused, scanning the darkened city for clues as he trotted behind the wizard. But something’s wrong here.  I remember reading that the crystals were bright, but none of these are shining.  Clover squinted down an intersecting avenue as they passed.  There’s no pony out in the streets, and the houses are mostly dark.  Clover’s eyes grew wide, his lips pulling back from his teeth.  Gone! he thought.  They’re all gone for some reason!
 
“I can hear those rusty wheels beginning to turn,” Star Swirl called back to him.  “Quit dawdling and tell me what you’ve learned.”
 
Clover quickened his pace, wincing at the way it echoed in the empty streets.  “We’re in Crystal City and something has happened to the population.  They’re all missing.”
 
“Eh,” the wizard replied.  “Obvious, but nonetheless true.  How did we get here?”
 
Caught off guard, Clover blinked rapidly, looking up into the sky.  Beside him, the wizard sighed heavily.  “Molecular transfer and reassembly!” Clover said, the words rushing out.  “That’s why the sensation was so acute!  The body is rebuilding itself bit by bit, and the mind awakens before the transfer is complete.”
 
Stopping before a pair of palace guards, Star Swirl gave his apprentice a stern stare, but Clover thought he caught a hint of amusement in them. “That may be the first sign of skill you’ve shown to me.  Perhaps you’re not a total waste of my time.”
 
Star Swirl motioned impatiently at the guards.  “Open these doors and tell the royal couple that we’ve arrived!” he snapped.
 
“Err… who’s arrived?” the guard said, blinking.
 
“Who’s arr— who do you think, moron?! Star Swirl yelled, pointed a hoof at his flowing beard.  “Nevermind!  Get out of the way!”  His horn glowing, Star Swirl’s magic surrounded the palace doors, and they flew open, barely missing the guards as they dove out of the way. Muttering under his breath, Star Swirl stomped inside.
 
“Um, sorry about that,” Clover said, helping the guard to his feet.  “That’s Star Swirl the Bearded.  Your king and queen sent for us—”
 
“WOULD YOU HURRY UP?! Star Swirl’s voice roared back down the hallway.
 
Jumping, Clover cantered after his teacher, disappearing into the dark hallway.
 
 


This bit probably needs to be reformulated, as I don't think a hoof can ever be curled into a fist.


Sure it can.  Think of the way that Scootaloo curls her hoof when she says, "Here, branches, branches" during Sleepless in Ponyville.   


 


Maybe 'fist' is the problem here.  Maybe I could just go with curled.  I'll give it some consideration.


> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Eight (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Forty-Five Minutes Before the Ritual – Sombra


“You did what?!” Star Swirl shrieked, his eyes bulging wildly.  Before him, the Crystal Empire’s unicorn king stared at the floor, biting his lip.  “I’ve heard a great many things in my life,” the wizard screamed, “but none of them-not one other thing-has been as idiotic as the story that you’ve just told to me!
 
“Star Swirl—” his scrawny apprentice began in a warning tone.
 
“You stay out of this!” the wizard snapped, flicking his eyes to Clover in irritation.  “I’m already suffering through one moron right now.  Let’s not double it!”
 
Somewhere in his chest, Sombra could feel the heat spreading in familiar waves.  Even as a foal, he’d had a reputation as bad-tempered.  “Watch yourself, wizard,” he rumbled, his horn arcing streams of magic.  “I’m willing to admit some mistakes on my part, but you will address me with respect.”
 
Sombra flew into the air and slammed into the stone wall behind him.  Unseen power held him, pressing into with such force that the king could only take small, gasping breaths.  Unable to move his head, Sombra managed to roll his eyes down to the floor where the snarling magician stood.  The mewling assistance seemed to be trying to calm the wizard, but Star Swirl was ignoring him.  Sombra swallowed hard as he caught the gleam in the Star Swirl’s eyes.
 
“You come begging me for favors and dare to dictate terms?!” the wizard yelled up at him.  The wizard’s horn pulsed as he slammed another wave of power into the king, cracking the masonry behind him.  “You, who have angered one of the primal forces of the universe!  You, the idiot stallion who thought to gain from cheating that which is eternal and without limitation!  You have a dangerous habit of…” Star Swirl pulled the shaken king off the wall, only to slam him back several times to punctuate his screaming rant.  “Angering!  Beings!  Of!  Great!  Power!”
 
“Star Swirl, please!” Clover said, attempting a reasonable tone.  “Remember, we haven’t much time!”
 
Star Swirl stopped to think for a moment, shaking with anger.  Finally, he slowly lowered the battered king to the floor.  “You’re correct, Clover,” he said.  Straightening his hat.  “I apologize to you for losing control.  I cannot expect exemplary performance from you if I cannot exhibit it myself.”  He turned back to the king, who was coughing and wheezing as he tried to suck in huge lungfuls of air.  “Even when I’m provoked!” he sneered.
 
Such power! the king thought, shaken.  Sombra had been a runtish foal, but he’d grown into a massive stallion, and he wasn’t used to being ponyhandled in any way.  He threw me around like it was nothing!
 
It was just as he’d feared.  Star Swirl still had no regard for station or protocol.  He’s too unpredictable! Sombra thought, attempting to pick himself up off the floor.  Everything hurt.  But what choice do I have now?  I’m out of options.  Bitterly, he stole a glance to where Star Swirl was conferring with his assistant, their head bowed together as they muttered who knew what to each other.  ’Who-knows what?’ Sombra thought bitterly, spitting out a mouthful of blood.  It’s not too hard to guess.  They think I’m a fool.  No one’s ever good enough for the  Great Star Swirl! 
 
As a foal, he’d been in awe of his brother’s brilliant mind, and had cheered when they’d found out that he was on Star Swirl’s shortlist for pupils.  That had all changed with one visit to the wizard’s tower.  They’d travelled for days to get there, but after a brusque fifteen minute meeting, they’d been thrown out.  Star Swirl had shown them to the door, yelling to a flunky that if that was the best that Crystal City had to offer, the city could remove themselves entirely from consideration.  It was the only time he’d ever seen his brother cry.
 
His father had blustered and yelled, but Star Swirl had just slammed the door in their faces after informed them that they had twenty minutes to leave the tower’s perimeter before the guards were called.
 
Humiliated, the family had walked off with as much dignity as they could muster.  Nobility was simply not treated this way, and they had very little idea how to cope with it.  Sombra had tried to turn his attention to his brother, telling him that Star Swirl was just a vain idiot who didn’t know talent when he saw it, but it had just made his brother more upset.
 
“Sombra, just shut up!” his brother had snapped as they’d walked miserably back to the inn they’d stayed at.  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.  Star Swirl can cast spells of true seeing.  When he says I’m not good enough, it’s because he can SEE it!”

~~~

“You mean he can really see how smart you are?” he’d asked later.  Despite his brother’s mood, he’d been unable to leave the idea alone. 
 
“If I tell you, will you shut up and leave me be?!” his brother had half yelled, half-sobbed at him.  He’d been pestering his brother for hours since they’d returned to the inn.  His brother had appealed to their parents for a private room, but his mother, who could usually be relied upon for coddling, seemed to be in shock.  Worse, his dad was suddenly dismissive.  His brother had failed, and was therefore of little use to the family, so he’d ended up in a room with Sombra.
 
“Look,” his brother had sighed, his leg thrown over his eyes as he lay in bed.  “True seeing can reveal the nature of things.  It pierces invisibility and illusions, and it can reveal parts of your fundamental makeup.  But most importantly, it can see through lies!”  His brother had sat up, wrapping his forelegs around his knees and clutching them tightly to his chest.  Sombra waited in silence as his brother lowered his head onto his knees and shook.  “I c-cheated, okay?” his brother had finally said.  “I couldn’t get the h-hang of some of the upper level spells in school, so I paid off the instructor!  I-I didn’t really think it would matter.  I just didn’t have enough time!  I figured I’d catch up with Star Swirl, but… well, you saw.”
 
After that, his brother had rolled over and refused to say anything else.  Sombra had peppered him with several more questions, but nothing stirred his brother.  All the spark had left him.  And it never truly returned.  Once a promising student of magic, his brother now worked as a junior auditor in a counting house, and he rarely spoke.
 
Sombra’s heart had turned to ice when Chrystal began her campaign to call the famed wizard.  He’d known that he’d confused and frustrated his wife with his stubborn refusal, but he’d been sure that there would be some other way to defeat the… thing he’d met.  Crystal City had many fine minds that could be bent to a martial purpose.  He’d ensured they’d trained a military that would have been the envy of all Equestria if they hadn’t been constantly under siege.  The academies of magic had been instructed to place particular emphasis on warfare and combat support.  Discord had surely been vastly overstating his actual power, Sombra had thought.
 
But as the months passed, the beast had made steady progress, and his forces faced defeat after defeat.  Slowly, the beast pushed back the barriers, advancing inch by inch toward the city.  After a year, Crystal had burst into tears in their bedroom, begging him to just call the wizard and end the slaughter.
 
Sombra had felt his heart tearing, day by day.  He’d been caught in a trap of his making.  He couldn’t tell his wife that he as the cause of all of this.  He’d be stripped of his station, and exiled.  None of that would have mattered much to him, but his wife would surely walk away, and Sombra couldn’t bear the thought of that. 
 
His mind had raged at night as he lay in his bed.  He’d screamed silently, uselessly, to his troops and commanders.  He’d begged them to win.  He’d ordered them to hold the line and to find some solution!  They couldn’t hear him, of course, but it was all that was left to him.  He’d spent day after day in meetings with his military council, already knowing that they were hopelessly outclassed by the vicious thing they were fighting.
 
Today, the snapping jaws of the trap Sombra had unwittingly set snapped closed around his neck, and he’d given in.  The weight of tens of thousands of deaths was finally too much.  He slept very rarely, these days, if you could call it sleep.  It was more like hitting the limitation of his body.  After four days awake, it would just refuse to function any longer, and he’d fall wherever he was.  His mind refused to stay focused, and it tumbled down dark hallways of memories.  He’d suddenly look up to find that hours had passed while he’d wandered through the labyrinth of the past’s mistakes.
 
And so, when the exhausted blue soldier had sat, panting, at the foot of the dais, reporting to them that his last, best hope had failed, he’d given in.  He was simple too tired to fight anymore.  His mistakes were too numerous.
 
When Star Swirl had arrived, he’d ordered the king to follow him.  Chrystal and the guards had started after them, but Star Swirl had demanded a private audience.  Sombra hated himself for it, but he found himself relieved.  Chrystal would find out about the terrible mess he’d made of everything at some point, but at least he wouldn’t have to face her now.
 
When they were alone, save for Star Swirl’s nervous-looking assistant, Sombra had thought to try and salvage the situation by taking control and limiting the number of questions the magician could ask, but he’d wilted mid-sentence under Star Swirl’s intense gaze.  Sombra could feel the power and anger radiating from the sorcerer. 
 
When the questions came, he bowed his head and answered them glumly.  As the months had turned into years, his choices hadn’t seemed so bad, but listing them all out for Star Swirl, the full weight what he’d allowed to happen was crushing.  By the end, it was all he could do to keep from breaking down.
 
And then Star Swirl’s anger fell on him, and in his heart, Sombra knew that he deserved it.  He deserved all the wizard could do it him and more.

~~~

“You want to save her, yes?” Star Swirl asked, eyeing the king with distaste.  Behind him, Clover rotated between staring at Star Swirl, wincing at the state the king was in, and watching the door.  He was sure guards would be coming to throw them in a dungeon any second.  “You’re aware that there are no easy paths now?”
 
“I would do anything for her,” Sombra said, straightening.  The mere thought of his beloved was enough to revitalize him.  “I will pay any price to make sure she is safe!”
 
“Nice of you to offer!” Star Swirl snapped.  “It seems everypony else in the Crystal Empire already gotten a turn to foot that bill, so why not you?”
 
Sombra flushed, but refused to look away.  “I-I can’t say that I’ve been honorable—”
 
Star Swirl coughed out a barking laugh and rolled his eyes.
 
Sombra’s lip curled back in a snarl.  “As if you know anything about it!” he growled.  “As if you have any idea what it’s like to be driven by your heart!”
 
Star Swirl snapped his head around, flushing an ugly crimson.  “How dare you!” he said in a voice that cause the floor to quake.  “You know nothing…”
 
“I know plenty!” Sombra cut in, refusing to be cowed.  “I know that you use ponies and toss them away when you’re done, like you’ll toss him away,” he said, pointing at Clover, who was doing his best to remain quiet and unseen, “once you’ve taken what you want from him!”  Sombra advanced on the wizard, past the point of caring.  “I’ve watched you for years.  There’s been quite a line of battered, broken ponies that have exited your tower.  They came in rich and influential.  They left as shells of themselves.”  He stopped before Star Swirl, towering over him.  Slowly, he lowered his head until his eyes were just slightly higher than the wizard’s.  “You take what you want, and so do I.  The only difference is, you haven’t paid the price yet.  But you will, one day.  So let’s do away with this lily white, holier-than-thou routine you’ve been trying to display.  Saving the Crystal Empire will ultimately benefit you.  You know that, and you crave it, or you wouldn’t be here.  You’d have ignored the summons.  But here you are.  So tell me what you need me to do to fix this, and I’ll sing your praises across all of Equestria, but here, between the three of us, your hooves are as stained as mine!”
 
Clover shook slightly where he stood, ready a bolt of pure magical power to smite the king, but it didn’t fall.  He gasped as Star Swirl turned to examine him out of the corner of his eye.  He’s frightened! Clover thought, amazed and disturbed.  Well, maybe not quite frightened, but he didn’t expect that from the king.  He doesn’t like it when people watch him.  Clover swallowed hard as the magician turned back to the king.  He’s worried about my loyalties now.
 
“Since you’re so very eager, I’ll get right to the, ah, heart of the matter!” the wizard said, chuckling darkly.  “Because that is the center of this all, isn’t it?  You were so captivated by the princess that you went and did the single stupidest thing any pony has ever done.  Ah-ah!” he said as Sombra opened his mouth to spit out a retort.  “You’ve had your say.  Now I’m going to tell you how to fix this whole mess, but it’s going to cost you…”  He tapped the massive unicorn on the chest “… this!”
 
“You mean, you’re going to cut my heart out?!” Sombra said, reflexively pulling away from the wizard.
 
“Well, in a manor of speaking, yes,” Star Swirl said, beginning to pace as he often did during a lecture.  “The barrier spell that Discord and the others erected has been effective for eons, but by bringing a piece of the entity through, you’ve weakened it.  We’ll use your heart to create a new barrier.”  Star Swirl paused, thinking.  “And your wife’s love, of course.” he continued, flipping a hoof out dismissively.
 
“Absolutely not!” Sombra said, snorting.  “I’ll gladly pay with my life, but Chrystal is to remain unharmed!  I will not comply with anything that endangers here.”
 
“Oh, calm down, mighty hero,” Star Swirl said, shaking his head.  “She’ll be fine.  She hasn’t made the same mistakes you have, so it would be wrong to have her pay the price.  Besides, the Empire will still need a ruler, yes?”  Star Swirl tugged at his beard, narrowing his eyes.  “I think the turmoil surrounding the king’s death and the near destruction of the city will probably be more easily managed if the brave little queen is still here as an emotional touchstone.”  Star Swirl snapped his attention back to the king, who was beginning to sweat.  “But that’s not important for you, is it?” he said, sneering.  “What I want from you is a promise!  You love your wife with all of your heart, yes?”

The king nodded, his expression firming.
 
“What about your family?  What about the Empire?  You’ve done significant damage to both now.  Do you love them?”
 
“I don’t see—” Sombra said, his eyebrows bunching together.
 
“DO YOU LOVE THEM?! Star Swirl roared, his veins standing out on his neck.
 
“Yes!” Sombra said, “Heaven help me, I’ve always loved them, even when they’ve hurt me!”
 
Star Swirl stared at the king for a moment before nodding.  “It’s good that you do,” he finally said, “because it’s the empire’s only hope.”  Star Swirl returned to his pacing.  “When the ritual begins, Clover here will call upon you to remember that love.  Visualize it!  Feel it!  It must be clear and it must not waver!”  Star Swirl stopped, and seemed to sagged a bit, as if a great weight was setting on him.  “You’ve done more damage than you know, Sombra.  The world may never be the same again.  This is the heaviest price a pony can pay, but through this, you can protect all that you love.  Remember that when the pain begins.”
 

> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Nine (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Twenty Minutes Before The Ritual – Chrystal

 
“No, I’m afraid that’s out of the question!” Clover said, attempting to step around the burly guard who’d barred the way into the queen’s chamber.  Behind him, Star Swirl tapped his hoof impatiently.
 
“No pony is permitted to see the queen without an escort,” the guard said, glowering at the pair.  “No exceptions.”
 
Clover winced as he felt the room’s air pressure change.  It meant that Star Swirl was gathering magical energy within him.  “Now see here—” he began.
 
“Oh, for the love of—” Star Swirl snapped. 
 
The queen’s door creaked open and she poked her head out.  “It’s fine, Stronghoof,” she said, smiling gently.  “They have my permission for a private audience.” 
 
Clover released the breath he wasn’t aware he’d been holding.  Glancing behind him, he watched as Star Swirl released his hold on the energies he’d been concentrating in his horn.  Like ripples in a pond, they subtly bent reality as they bled away into nothingness again.  He’s always driving things to the point of crisis! the assistant thought, shifting his attention back to the queen before Star Swirl could yell at him for something.  How did somepony as impatient as he is get to be such an accomplished magician?
 
“But… but,” Stronghoof sputtered, “the law clearly states—”
 
“Stronghoof,” the queen said, smiling sadly, “look around you.  The time for convention is over.  The Empire is in dire trouble and these two are here to help.”  The queen pulled the door fully open, motioning for Clover and Star Swirl to enter.  “By royal decree, you are commanded to allow these two admission into my chamber,” she said with dramatic gravitas.  Chrystal held Stronghoof’s gaze for a moment before they both snorted out a small laugh.  She’d known Stronghoof since she was a filly and they’d dispensed with formality long ago.
 
Clover tried to avoid looking at the queen as she shut the door once more, but she seemed to be everywhere.  Her private chambers were filled with large, mirror-like crystals and her worried, hopeful face was reflected back at him from all directions.
 
“So, you have a solution?” the queen said, her words rushing out.  Her eyes darted back and forth between Clover and Star Swirl.
 
“Yes,” Star Swirl said, nodding.
 
“Oh, thank heavens!” Chrystal breathed.  Clover looked away uncomfortable as tears began trickling down the queen’s face, but her crying image was everywhere.  “I-I told S-Sombra that you’d know w-what to do, but he wouldn’t call you!  I don’t k-know why, but on behalf of the Crystal Empire, I apologize for how long it’s taken!  I know it’s probably compounded the difficulty.”
 
Clover’s jaw dropped open as Star Swirl offered the queen a handkerchief and gently patted her on the back.  “There, there,” the wizard said softly.  “There’s no fault to dole out.  You see, Sombra’s been under a powerful curse.”
 
Huh? Clover thought, his brow furrowing.  What curse?
 
The queen’s head snapped up, her eyes shining.  “He was cursed?!  Is that why he wouldn’t call you?!”
 
“Yes,” the wizard said, nodding sagely.  “I’ve examined him and broken the curse.  He’s been acting differently, correct?  You’ve probably seen the changes.”
 
“Yes!” the queen said, her ears perking up.  “YES!  It all makes sense now!  He’s been so stubborn and distracted!”  Chrystal reached up and put a hoof on Star Swirl’s shoulder.  “Oh, thank heavens you’ve come!”
 
“But—” Clover began.  He snapped his mouth closed as Star Swirl shot him a look that promised death.  He’d lived with the cantankerous magician for nearly a year now, and he knew his many moods, but this was something far beyond his normal irritation. 
 
Star Swirl held his gaze for another long second and then turned back to the queen, who had been busy mopping her eyes with the handkerchief.  “Your Majesty, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that your empire is in the gravest danger and that the solution won’t be pleasant.”
 
“I always knew it wouldn’t be,” she said, allowing her gaze to settle on the floor before her.  “But every resource we have is at your disposal.”
 
“Every resource, Your Majesty?” Star Swirl said, lowering his head to stare into the queen’s eyes.  “I’m afraid the price will be high, indeed.  Yes, quite high.”  Despite himself, Clover found himself shivering.
 
“What—oh, no!” the queen said, pulling away from the magician, her eyes wide and fearful.  “It’s not… a sacrifice, is it?!  Blood magic is banned in the Empire!”
 
Star Swirl shook his head slowly.  “It’s not a sacrifice, but I’ll be blunt because we haven’t much time; the beast advances as we speak.  I’ve a spell that will protect the whole of the Empire, but it will cost you, Queen Chrystal.”  Star Swirl frowned, looking at the queen sadly.  “I’m afraid it will cost you everything,” he continued as the queen gasped.  “You see, a sacrifice has to do with the magical transfer of life energy.  The moment of death is the engine that drives the spell.  The ritual I have in mind today is powered by love, but the extraction of the love is fatal.  However, if I could find a way to harvest that love without harming the host, the spell would still work.  Do you understand the distinction between those two concepts?”
 
The queen nodded miserably.  “So, you must kill for blood magic to work.  This spell doesn’t have such a requirement, but it will kill nonetheless.”
 
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” the wizard said softly.  “You’re as intelligent as you are beautiful.  It’s a shame you weren’t my pupil.”  The wizard shot Clover a sidelong glance, daring him to open his mouth again.  “I wish there was some other way, but we’re at the eleventh hour.”
 
“S-so w-what will h-h-happen?” the queen said, trembling.  Clover’s heart ached as he watched her fight for control.
 
“Clover here,” Star Swirl said, waving absently toward his assistant, “will guide you through the process.  I just have one question for you.”  The wizard grabbed the queen chin, forcing her head up.  She gasped as he held her firmly, gazing into her eyes.  “You do love your husband, don’t you?” he said in a ringing, commanding voice.  “This must be without equivocation.  You are truly in love?”
 
“Yes!” Chrystal choked out.  “Yes, he’s always been the one!”
 
“Good,” the wizard said, releasing the queen.  “Then your duty will be to think of that love, and only that when the time comes.  You’ll see your love infuse your husband, and that will give him the power to drive the beast from your lands.”  Star Swirl stopped and removed his hat, placing it over his heart.  “Your Majesty, I truly wish there was some other way…”
 
“No,” the queen replied with a new firmness in her voice.  “It’s the queen’s job to serve the people.  If this is the service require, it is my duty, and my honor, to fulfill it.”  Chrystal faltered, her voice quaking again as her luminous eyes filled again.  “I-I just d-didn’t expect…”
 
Star Swirl’s horn glowed as a vial appeared in his hoof.  “Your Majesty, please drink this.  It’s a calming draught.  I know it’s a sad gift, but I believe you’ll find it will help you through this difficult time.” 
 
“Yes, thank you…” the queen said, taking the vial. 

~~~

“What are you think you’re doing?!” Clover burst out when they were alone again.  Star Swirl had requested a private room for some last minute preparations, and they’d been shown to one of the guest suites.  Now, Star Swirl sat hunched over a book while his assistant paced angrily behind him.
 
“I’m saving the Empire, Clover.  It is what I was called to do,” the magician said absently, turning a page in his vast spellbook.
 
“Oh, yes!  Very cute!” Clover raged behind him.  Normally he was wary of angering the wizard, but this was too much for him to take.  “First, you tell Sombra that he’s going to die, but that it will save the queen.  Then you turn around and tell Queen Chrystal that she will die but that it will save the king!  So which is it?  What are you planning?  And what’s all this about a curse?!”
 
“Clover, you really are an idiot!” the wizard said, slamming his book shut.  “What do you think is the truth of the matter, nimrod?!”
 
Clover blinked, the gnashed his teeth as the reality set in.  “They’re both going to die, aren’t they?”  Clover through his forelegs into the air above him.  “Why?!” he yelled.  “Why did you lie to them?!”
 
“Because I need the spell to work!” Star Swirl barked.  “Do you think either would go along with a plan that killed their true love?  Oh, there are perfectly fine with idea of their own noble sacrifice, but do you think that lout Sombra would go along with something that killed the very mare that he destroyed an empire for?  Do you think the queen that loved her husband with all of her heart and soul would actively aid in his death?  Even with the empire at stake, she stayed by his side.  She could have left and come and see us at any time, but her relationship was more important!  She only thinks she puts her subjects first.”  Star Swirl flipped his hoof dismissively.  “As for the curse nonsense, I can’t risk the queen knowing the truth about her halfwit husband.  It might affect her love if she knew he was to blame for all of this.”
 
Clover slowly lowered his hooves as he cast his mind back over the details of their encounter.  “So, they both must die?” he said, frowning bitterly.  “No, I won’t believe it!  There’s got to be a different way!”
 
“Of course, there’s a different way!” Star Swirl returned, his eyes flashing dangerously.  “There are thousands of paths we could take, but we’d have to find them!  The research would take months that we don’t have!  This is the way that I know will work!”  The wizard curled his lip at his apprentice.  “What do you think justice is, huh?” he spat.  “I’m asking for the lives of two ponies!  Two ponies who are responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands, and by the death of those two ponies, tens of thousands more will be saved!”  He advanced on Clover, poking him in the chest with a hoof.  “I’ve found a way to save almost everypony, but that’s not good enough for Clover the Clever, huh?  It’s not good enough that those who caused all of this should pay the price?”
 
Clover’s mouth suddenly went dry.  He wracked his brain furiously for some other option, but finally sagged slowing into a sitting position.  “It’s… it’s just not right,” he said softly.
 
Star Swirl rolled his eyes before returning to his desk.  “There is no right, Clover,” he said, opening his book once more.  “It’s high time you learned that.  This is a high stakes profession.  My decisions affect countless lives.  I don’t have time for sentimentality, and I suggest you do something about yours.”  Star Swirl paused, turning slowly back to his unhappy assistant.
“Once the ritual begins, there is no turning back.” he said, scrutinizing Clover.  “You understand that, correct?  In that room, we must be as one.  There can be no dissent.  The magical forces will rip us all to shreds and then everypony will die.”  Clover gasped as the room seemed to darken.  Before him, Star Swirl seemed to swell, until he was the only thing that Clover could see.  The wizard’s eyes blazed.  “I must have your word that you will do your part in the ritual.  There can be no question or hesitation.  You must complete your assigned roles.  Do I have your word?!  The last sentence reverberated in Clover’s mind, sending spikes of pain rolling through his head.
 
“Yes,” Clover said.  Deep inside, he could feel his soul blackening.  “Yes, I’ll do it.”
 
“See that you do,” the wizard said, sinking back into silence as he turned a page.   
 
 


> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Ten (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Caught in the Ritual – King Sombra


Somewhere, somepony was screaming.  Is… is that me? Sombra thought, struggling to clear his mind.  The screaming sounded far away, like a recording of his own agony played back through a thick wall.  I… I should stop, Sombra thought, trying without success to shake his head.  He felt each thought slowly percolating through his consciousness, as if they were bubbling up through mud at a sulfur spring.  I don’t want to be known as the king who died screaming.
 
Ooh, aiming for the stars, eh? a voice whispered silkily through his consciousness.  Don’t worry, Fido.  By the time I’m done, it’s not your name that’s going to be on any lips.
 
Discord, Sombra thought, chuckling to himself.  You’re plan with the crystal almost worked!  It’s probably killing you that you came so close, but in the end, we’ve beaten you!  In a few seconds, the Crystal Empire will be safe again!
 
Killing me? the voice said, yawning.  You’ve read this completely wrong, old foal.  No wonder you royal types always have advisors.  Sombra felt his brain recoiling as the beast’s laughter boomed inside of his skull.  You… you thought the crystal was the important bit? Discord cackled.  Sombra, you really are a gas.  It’s too bad you’re married.  I’m rather well acquainted with a certain persistently pesky alicorn.  You two are on the same mental wavelength, and by that, I mean a totally flat line!  Discord paused, and Sombra imagined the monstrosity rolling around in a field somewhere, gasping for air as it laughed.  Okay, let me spell it out to you, though I guess I’d better use small words so that you don’t get too lost.  You see, the crystal was simply and artifact that replicated… oops, ah, did the same thing as the key you morons lost.  The important bit was the small piece of my soul that I attached to yours before I put it back in your body.  How else did you think I was talking to you?  Oh, right.  Thinking!  I forget how difficult you find that sometimes.
 
Sombra felt the rage building inside of him.  He wanted to hit, and to hurt, but his body refused to respond.
 
Oh.  That, Discord said.  That’s me, as well.  I wanted to make sure we could have a nice little chat, without all that messy screaming and crying getting in the way.  I’ve shut down your nervous system for a bit, which is a coup for the king, I’d say, because I’m about to put the fear into you!
 
What you’re about to be is airborne! Sombra snarled.
 
Oh?  And how’s that?  Star Swirl’s little plan? Discord’s bored voice drawled.  I’ve been living in your head for two years now.  I know all about his grand scheme!  But sometimes the best laid plans of mice and ponies, eh, nitwit?  I’ll bet he didn’t count on a little chaos turning his precious ritual from a spell into an inCAN’Tation!
 
NO! Sombra thought, pushing with all of his might.  I broke your spell once, and I can do it again!  Then what will you do?  Sombra could feel the monster’s presence inside his mind beginning to weaken.
 
It’s always cute when a puppy learns new tricks, Spot, Discord hissed malevolently, but you’re about to be sent to the doghouse!  You play ruff with Discord, you’ll be the bone who gets buried!
 
You were clever, tricking me into bringing you into the Crystal Empire, but with this one act, I’ll defeat you and save everypony! Sombra screamed.  Focusing on Discord’s voice, he pushed with all his might, reveling in the pain that began to creep back into his consciousness.  Do you feel that? he thought, grinning.  Do you feel my pain?  It means that you’re losing!  Ever since my mistake allowed you inside the barrier, I’ve lived each day in agony!  I’ve died a thousand times a day when the reports were brought in from the front lines.  I’ve suffered more in one lifetime than you can begin to understand!  So believe me when I say that I’m thrilled that you have chosen to reveal yourself to me!  You’re power is nothing-NOTHING-compared to the strength of my will!  I’m going—”
 
Sombra? Chrystal’s voice said querulously in his mind.  What do you mean ‘your mistake’?
 
Shocked, Sombra felt his will dissolve as he was flung away from Discord’s presence.  His mind was filling with the pure, silver light that could only be his wife’s consciousness.
 
Oopsie! Discord snickered.  I guess the queen’s love finally connected with your heart.  What inconvenient timing!  They say that every dog has its day, but I guess you’re going to be the exception to the rule. 
 
Oh! she gasped.  I can see it!  I can see it all in your mind!  Sombra cried out as he felt his wife’s presence recoil from him.  There never was a curse!  You knew what this thing was all along!  They all died because of you!
 
Suddenly, they were falling.  On the floor near him, Sombra could see that weakling Clover screaming and waving his hooves in the air, but it was like the stallion was wading through thick syrup.  His movements seemed almost agonizingly slow.
 
I’m sorry! Sombra thought.  I tried to tell you!  A hundred times a day, I tried to tell you, but… well, what good would it have done?  Discord would still be coming to wipe us all out and you’d hate me!  Believe me when I say that I tried everything!
 
You tried everything except calling Star Swirl! his wife’s voice screamed.  You tried everything that wouldn’t expose your little secret!

Doggonit, Rover! Discord snickered.  And you thought you had it all worked out didn’t you?  Oh, the things I have in store for us all to do!  I hope you both like games as much as I do.  I just know we’re going to be the very best of pals!
 
Sombra watched as the floor inched closer.  Off in the periphery of the king’s vision, Star Swirl’s skin began to slowly unzip, blood burbling up from dozens of wounds.  Near Sombra, Clover was screaming something, his veins standing out on his neck like iron cords.
 
Chrystal, I can’t say that I’ve been a good stallion, he thought, surprising himself with his calmness.  The secret that he’d carried for years was finally revealed, and part of him felt free.  I’ve been a horrible friend, a terrible king, and a worthless husband, but I never, ever stopped trying to do the best I could for you.  For us!
 
How can you say that?! Chrystal screamed, and Sombra felt his mind flinching from her rage.  Everything you did was for YOU!  Did anyone else ever matter?!
 
Chrystal, please! Sombra said, wishing he could reach out to her.  Look into my heart and tell me what you see there,
 
Oh, yuck!  Gag!  Spare me, please! Discord drawled.  This conversation is enough to turn even the mightiest of stomachs.  I—
 
We’ve heard enough from you, Sombra thought.  His tranquility had brought him into a kind of hyper-aware focus.  Gathering his will, he flung the beast’s consciousness far from him.  As Discord screamed, the king smiled inwardly.  What do you see? he thought gently to his wife.
 
I-it’s true!  It’s all true! she sobbed after a few moments.  How could you do these awful things in the name of our love?
 
How could I not do them? he returned.  We are connected, mind to mind, heart to heart.  Tell me that you wouldn’t have done the same.  Tell me, if I was the unattainable prince and you were the desperate, lonely filly with no hope, that you wouldn’t have done whatever it took!  Tell me that you wouldn’t have exhausted every option to keep us together!
 
The floor seemed closer now.  Sombra was beginning to make out the details of the marble patterning.  Starswirl’s blood was beginning to run down his body, staining his robe.  Sombra wished that he could look up to see his wife, but his falling body had tipped downward.  At the edge of his vision, he could see that Clover must be gesticulating wildly, but to Sombra, he almost appeared to be a statue from some particularly manic artist.
 
No, his wife thought.  Sombra could feel the anguish and fatigue behind those words.  Sombra, you had my heart!  You’ve always had it.  But this!  All the lives!  They were my people!  They trusted me!  How can I forgive you?!  His wife’s turmoil rolled in waves through his mind.  How can I love you after that?!
 
Sombra recoiled, his mind whipsawing between grief and rage.  By this act, you’re dooming the rest of your people!  Of our people! he snarled.  I’ve been a horrible stallion.  I don’t deny that!  But please don’t punish our people any more than they have been!  I’ll be dead and gone soon, but please, if you have any shred of love for me left, please use it to help our people!
 
Wait, Chrystal replied.  Sombra could feel her uncertainty.  You’re going to be gone?  I’m  the one who won’t make it out of this ritual!  Star Swirl said that one my love is gone, I will be no more!
 
WHAT?! Sombra thundered He promised me that you would be safe!
 
That’s what he promised me! Chrystal returned.  It was the only thing I asked for!
 
So, that was his plan all along? Sombra thought.  Neither of us making it out to tell the public any inconvenient facts.  He’d get to be the big hero, telling them all whatever would make for the best story.
 
Suddenly, Sombra could feel the presence of Discord returning, like a furiously burning fire being moved steadily closer.  Discord is fighting his way back he thought to his wife.  I won’t be able to hold him off this time.  He’s really angry.  Taking a moment to steady himself, he forced his body’s head up so that he could see his wife.  Her beautiful, pale blue hair was streaming behind her as she plummeted to the floor, and Sombra could see her tears sparkling like diamonds in the air around her.        
 
Chrystal, he said, opening his heart to her. I don’t deserve it, but I need you!  I need to you to love me with all of your heart.  What’s more important, your people need you to love me!  For the sake of all of the Crystal Empire, please remember all the ways we’ve made each other happy over the years.  Remember how we used to tell each other secrets in the tower and how we used to sneak sweets from the kitchen.  Remember how we shared our first kiss in the gardens, and how we were so scared somepony would catch us.  Remember how we cried during the wedding because we were so sure it would never be.  Sombra felt her conflicting emotions warring within her.  I know I’ve made a terrible mess out of everything I’ve done, but the one thing I’ve never wavered on was my love for you!  You loved me once.  Please, for the sake of our people, see if you can again!  The beast is here!  You heard him!  Without you, they are all done for!  I’m not saying that I’m worthy of your love, but neither was that sad, pathetic lower house colt!  We were meant to be together, and… I… I don’t want to die alone!  I don’t want to be without you!

And then she was gone, and the void she left in his mind and his heart left him utterly cold.  She’s left, he thought, feeling his mind coming apart.  Without her, nothing at all mattered.  The ritual had failed, and it was just one more thing to add to the wreckage of his life.

Wait, a new, lilting voice whispered to him.  
 
What?  Who—  Sombra gasped as Chrystal cried out in his mind.  Her silver essence filled him, and suddenly they were rising again.  Somewhere he could feel her crying, and he could feel her love and her rage violently swirling through his heart.
 
Take it, Sombra she whispered, her love streaming into him.  For our people, take it all!
 
I don’t think so! Discord’s voice snapped.  Sombra gasped as the beasts mind hit him like a fist.  They say that love is chaos, so let’s see what happens when the puppet master pulls a few heartstrings, eh?
 
Sombra snarled as an ugly green and black aura began to pollute the shining pink tendrils that pierced his heart.  Off in another corner of his mind, his wife screamed. 
 
Heh-heh! Discord chuckled.  Guess they were right after all.  Love does hurt—argh! 
 
Sombra focused his mind’s power as finely as possible and sliced into the beast with it.  He snarled savagely as he felt Discord recoil.  The monster’s presence felt torn now, ragged, and he could feel the terrible green and black tendrils receding. 
 
Wrong move, Discord Sombra thought, arcing his mental blade through Discord’s consciousness again.  Threatening my wife is the very last thing you’ll EVER do!  He smiled inwardly has the flow of his wife’s love resumed.  Stronger than ever, it poured into his heart. 
 
I think not! Discord snarled, dropping his jovial façade.  You’ve played a fine game here today, but you’re simply not in my league.  Pain flashed through his mind as Discord lashed out.  He felt the burning, clutching power of the monster encircle his heart, twisting and pulling at the energy within it.
 
Just… a little longer… his wife’s voice said faintly.  Almost… done.
 
Time you don’t have! Discord growled, plunging a claw into Sombra’s heart and slashing at the love within it.  Sombra snarled as the beast wrenched something shining and pure from deep within the heart. 
 
Gathering his will, Sombra consciousness encircled his heart, forming a hard, crystal barrier around it.  As Discord’s mental claws bounced and slid off the hardened surface, he laughed mirthlessly.  The monster’s howls reverberated in his mind.
 
There…  his wife thought, almost too softly to hear.
 
Everything was fading around Sombra.  The world had taken on a foggy, indistinct quality.  Looking down, he could see his body was dissolving like clouds in the sun.  Only his heart, shining like blue crystal, remained.
 
I’ll always love you, Chrystal…  he thought as his mind began to lose it’s coherence. 
 
I… can’t... came the reply.
 
And then, blackness took him.


> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Eleven (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Ritual Within – Queen Chrystal

  
We were meant to be together, and… I… I don’t want to die alone!  I don’t want to be without you!
 
Sombra’s thoughts tore at Chrystal, piercing her heart in a thousand places.  Below, the ground was creeping slowly toward her, and she found herself drawn to the idea of slamming into it.  Then it would be over! she thought, her mind whirling as emotions whipsawed through her.  Moments ago, the sly, sneering voice of the beast had egged her on, hinting at vile deeds that Sombra had been hiding from her, and when she’d looked for herself, she’d seen the truth.  Sombra had the answers all along and sent her people to die anyway.
 
Chrystal recoiled from her husband’s mind, feeling a vast emptiness as their consciousnesses separated, but also relief.  Their mental connection had been almost too much to bear.  His will had been confining, smothering her.  Rather than feeling strengthen by his love and concern, she’d found herself weighed down by it.  The sheer power of his emotions was stifling!
 
Sombra had always been strong, and was part of why Chrystal had found herself so drawn to him.   He’d had a core of integrity and honor that few others had been able to see.  He’d stood up to the nobles that sought to use her when she was young.  He’d kept her secrets and been her best friend.
 
He’d even protected her when she’d insisted that they sneak out of the castle to see the city.  She’d secreted away some fur dye and tried her best to make herself unrecognizable, but just as Sombra had warned, the city’s residents had still recognized her. 
 
At first, she’d thought it was a lark.  Many of them grinned at her, winking as she trotted by.  They’d come alongside to quickly whisper that they too remembered what it was like to be young.  With the blessing of her people, and Sombra hovering close by, she’d felt loved and protected.
 
The calm had been shattered when they’d accidentally gotten lost.  Chrystal had rarely left the castle’s grounds, and Sombra had lived on his family’s estate well away from Crystal City, so neither had known that the left turn they were making would bring them to the city’s seedy warehouse district.  Deep in conversation, it had been too late when they noticed that the street was suddenly full of brutish stallions.
 
“Lost?” one had whispered in Chrystal’s ear, and she’d jumped.  Around her, the circle of stallions had grinned the way a cat might when it’s pinned the mouse’s tail beneath its paw.  “You’re pretty lucky, you know,” he’d continued, allowing his eyes to move slowly along her body.  “This is a pretty rough part of town.”  The stallion had swung his hoof in a wide arc, motioning toward his friends.  “The colts and I don’t like seeing pretty young things like you walking around unprotected.”  He’d leaned in, leering.  “Something could happen, you know?”
 
“She’s not unprotected!” Sombra had growled, stepping in between Chrystal and the stallion.  “And you’d—”
 
“Shut your mouth, junior,” the stallion had said almost lazily as he cuffed Sombra with a brutally fast hoof to the side of the head.  Sombra had half stumbled, half fallen into the waiting hooves of two of the stallion’s cronies.  “Is that your coltfriend, sweetheart?” the stallion had said, running a hoof down her mane.  He’d laughed as she swatted it nervously away.  “Ooh, feisty!  Well, I like that in a mare!  Well, here’s the deal.  You deserve better than whatever that milksop is given to you,” he’d continued, waving a hoof in Sombra’s direction.  “Me and the colts, we’re gonna give you an escort out of this part of town.  It’s dangerous here.”  A smile stretched across his scarred face, but the gleam in his eye turned Chrystal’s blood cold.  “But, first, you’ve got to pay the fare.”
 
“If anything happens to us,” she’d said as she’d trembled, “you’ll regret it.  My father will—”
 
The stallion had reached out and clamped down on her mouth as his hoof.  His grip had been like iron and her teeth had ground together painfully.  “I liked it better when you weren’t talking.  Let’s keep it that way.”  He’d pulled her head up to look directly into her eyes.  “And, yeah, we know exactly who you are and who your father is.  It don’t change anything.  In fact,” he’d said, running his free hoof down her chest, “it kinda makes things more interesting.  We’ll show you how to make a stallion happy, and then we’ll let you go.  By the time you’re back to the castle, we could be anywhere.”  The stallion ran his hoof down her back and toward her tail.  “Who knows, you’ll probably even like it.  You might come back for—”
 
Chrystal’s head had been yanked brutally to the ground as Sombra had fallen on the stallion like a landslide, dragging the lead stallion’s surprised cronies behind him.  The stallion’s grip had only tightened as her enraged friend had kicked at him.  Beside Sombra, one of the stallions finally let go of his leg and began raining blows down on him, yelling for his friend to help.  His cries were cut short when Sombra had pistoned out a hoof, catching the stallion flush on the jaw.  Chrystal had watched as several teeth arced through the air and landed in a filthy doorway.
 
Chrystal had torn at the stunned stallion’s hoof, finally prying it off of her muzzle, when Sombra had enveloped the leader with his magic.  Usually a soft, pale yellow, the magic flowing from his horn had taken become jagged and dark, and Chrystal had thought it looked like the leader was caught in the jaws of some terrible monster.
 
“Sombra, look—” was all that she’d managed before her friend had lifted the lead stallion and slammed him with bone-rattling force into the lackeys that had been trying to sneak up on the enraged unicorn.  Crystal had shied away, nervously checking her friend’s eyes.
I-it’s like he’s a whole other stallion! she’d thought, unsure what as to what that meant for the two of them.
 
Sombra had wheeled suddenly and kicked both of his rear hooves into the stallion who’d been holding him, and the cretin collapsed, blood streaming from his nostrils.  With a snarl, Sombra had brought his hoof down repeated on the crony’s muzzle, and Chrystal had turned away as each stomp changed the landscape of the stallion’s face.
 
The remaining stallions had turned to run, but Sombra had lashed out with his magic again, grabbing the leader by a hind leg.  Jerking the stallion off the ground, he’d sent him flying high overhead and then pulled him to the ground again with all of his might.  Chrystal had gasped as she heard several bones snap.  Grimly, Sombra had lifted the unconscious stallion overhead again.
 
“No, Sombra!” she’d screamed, running to him.  Her tears had been flowing freely as she’d wrapped her legs around him.  “Please, don’t!  I’m okay!”  She hugged him tightly, praying that she could reach him.  “Please, Sombra!  Don’t!  We’re safe now!  Don’t do something that will make them take you away from me!”
 
She held Sombra as he trembled.  They usually weren’t allowed to be this close, and she could hear the way his heart was racing as it hammered in his chest.  She’d reached a hoof out to turn his head away from the floating form of the battered stallion.  His eyes had been so wild and she’d been able to feel his skin twitching beneath her hoof.
 
“He—they… they t-tried—” he’d said, his voice shaking so badly that she’d barely been able to make it out.
 
“Shhhh,” she’d said, stroking his face.  “We’re okay,” she’d smiled as the tension began to leave him.  “You saved us!” she’d whispered.
 
Suddenly, he’d begun to tremble again, his chest hitching.  He’d gently lowered the stallion’s broken body back to the street while his eyes began to brim.  “I-I didn’t want to!” he’d said, “but he wanted to… I’m so sorry, Chrystal!”
 
“No, it’s my fault, Sombra, not yours,” she’d said, still holding him close.  “It was my idea in the first place.  Without you, who knows what would have happened?”  Taking Sombra’s head in both of her hooves, she’d forced him to look at her.  “You’re my hero, Sombra!”
 
After all the waiting, it had been natural; almost unconscious.  They’d moved in, and their lips had met, tentatively at first, but her heart leapt as he pressed in eagerly.  Years of aching passion drove them, and for a moment, they were alone in the world.  They broke apart with a gasp as the battered stallion on the road before them woke and began to scream in pain.
 
“We can’t be caught here!” Chrystal had said, pulling Sombra back the way they’d come.  “Run!”  And they had.
 
It had been the first, but certainly not the last time that they’d kissed.  Though, she’d burned for him more strongly than she’d ever imagined was possible, she asked him to be respectful of her situation, and to her relief and disappointment, he hadn’t pressed the issue.  He’d been content to just be with her.
 
How can that sweet, wonderful stallion be the same pony who’s been slaughtering our people? she thought as the palace’s polished marble floor crept closer.  How could he do something so awful?
 
Because love isn’t about right or wrong, or good or evil a gentle, lilting voice whispered into her mind.  Love knows no boundaries.
 
Who’s there?! Chrystal thought, panicking.  Are you the beast that’s been destroying the Crystal Empire?!
 
The voice chuckled, then sighed.  In a way, yes.  But I’m not Discord, it said.  He’s my… well, perhaps brother would suffice.  What we are is complicated, but you may call me Love.  It’s as close as we can get to the truth in this short time.
 
 Love? Chrystal thought, bewildered.  Are you trying to get me to believe that you’re the actual ponification of love?
 
I don’t really care if you believe it one way or the other, so long as you listen and act, the voice said.  Belief won’t change the fundamental nature of the thing.  But the balance is shifting, and you have the power to maintain it.
 
What are you talking about?! Chrystal screamed at the voice, wishing she could move her body properly.  For some reason, she seemed to be disconnected from it.  It wouldn’t respond to any of her commands.  She was finding it hard to concentrate as the floor grew closer, and she dearly wished she could shut her eyes.  What do you mean ‘You’re behind this?’
 
Sighing again, the voice seemed to start and stop several times before settling on what to say.  It all starts with the heart, Love finally said.  You see, Sombra’s heart has belonged to you since the moment that he saw you.  His decisions were driven by love and the fear of its loss.  He’s done everything out of the fear that he would lose you.
 
But that’s madness! Chrystal thought.  How could he believe that this would do anything besides drive me away?!
 
If Sombra had fallen into a ravine, would you not have tried to reach down and help him out? Love asked.
 
Of course I would! the queen thought, agitated.  I don’t see—
 
What of the insects you mindlessly crushed as you threw yourself onto the ground? the voice returned.  What of the grass your scrambling hooves severed in your struggle to reach him?  What of the carrion birds that would go hungry?
 
That’s totally different! Chrystal thought.  I wouldn’t kill anything on purpose, but one pony life is worth more than a few insects and blades of grass!  That’s an unfair standard!  You can’t expect ponies to not save each other because they might step on a bug!
 
Then you understand your husband well, Love said, her voice cooling.  To him, you are all that matters.  The rest are like insects.  He would gladly sacrifice every pony in the world, even himself, if it meant your safety and happiness.  The voice sighed, and Chrystal felt a tremor of deep sorrow in Love’s consciousness.  In a way, Sombra’s love is the most pure that has ever existed.  It is singular and all-encompassing.  He is dedicated to you in a way that has never been seen before.
 
But why would he do this, then?! Chrystal shouted.  I never wanted this horror visited on my people!
 
Just because his love is pure, doesn’t mean that it’s healthy, Love intoned.  His love has made him unwell.  Year after year, he’s slipped further into desperation, until he was ready to try anything to be with you.  When my brother offered him a deal, Sombra grabbed at it like a drowning pony.  When the water is rising, even a rotten log is better than nothing.
 
But what can we do? the queen wailed.  Below her, Clover seemed to be screaming something at her, but she couldn’t make out his words.  It all came out as a long, low drone.  I supposed I’ve failed him she thought as she continued to slowly drift back to the floor.  I’ve failed everypony.
 
Not necessary, Love said, her musical voice taking on a certain air of urgency.  Though time is short, we still have options.  Chrystal’s felt the voice in her mind darken somehow, becoming serious.  However, it is important that you understand many things, before we can begin to fix what your husband and my brother have set in motion.  These are choices that cannot be taken lightly.
 
I will do whatever it takes to save my people! Chrystal shot back fiercely.
 
Anything? Love asked, and Chrystal felt the word close around her heart, squeezing it.  Have you seen a creature without love before?  Are you familiar with the ramifications?
 
I don’t know what you’re talking about! Chrystal thought, growing more agitated with Love’s hints and riddles.  What is my life compared to the thousands of ponies I could save?
 
Yes, Love sighed.  You could save them, but at what cost?  No, no, she thought as Chrystal’s irritation began to boil over, I will explain, but it is difficult.  We have little time and none of this is simple.  First, you will need to focus on your memories of Sombra, and of the Crystal Empire.  You will need to love again, as fully and as strongly as a foal would.  You’ll need to reconnect the emotional conduit that you severed moments ago and pour yourself into it until there is nothing left.  You must empty yourself into Sombra!
 
Yes, Star Swirl’s already told me all of this! she thought.  I-I’ll just try to reconnect—
 
NO! Love roared, and Chrystal’s mind cringed.  The power of the word rolled over her consciousness like a tsunami.  You must listen and act only when you fully understand.  Anything else is playing into Discord’s hands!
 
O-okay, Chrystal thought, trying to maintain control of flood of emotions that threatened to drown her.
 
The situation has changed since Star Swirl began his clumsy ritual, Love said with a hint of disapproval.  Always ready to use the stick, rather than the carrot, that one.  He has no idea that Discord has inserted himself into his spell, and the results will be disastrous if we don’t counter my brother!  I can give you the power to do that, but it will come at a price.  Believe me when I say that I wish there were another way.
 
W-what price? Chrystal thought, her heart racing.
 
I will change you, Love said, and Chrystal felt the voice’s warm sorrow fill her.  I’ll turn you into a condenser of love, pulling in stray bits of emotion from the ponies nearby, anypony who is experience some sort of joy, contentment, fellowship.  They will feel their moods dim somewhat, but not enough to be harmful; just a shadow passing over their hearts.  With this power, you’ll be able to overcome Discord’s interference and fully power the Crystal Heart.  It will drain you past your limits, I’m afraid.  Every last drop of love will be taken from you, along with that which we steal from your subjects.
 
And what does that mean, exactly? Chrystal thought.  Star Swirl said that I would die!  How could this be worse?!
 
You’ll likely wish that you had, Love said sadly, After the ritual, you’ll be empty, and nature abhors a vacuum.  Many things will rush in to fill the void, and with nothing to counter it, the darker parts of your personality will latch onto the influx of unnatural power and transform it.  It will transform you, in return!  But your kind cannot survive on negativity.  You will search for love and happiness within you, and you will find none.  You’ll begin taking it from those around you.
 
I don’t understand the queen said, suddenly feeling very tired.  Focusing on the floor again, she was dimly surprised to see that she’d only fallen a foot or so.  Nearby, Clover was still in mid-gesticulation, droning his never-ending word.  Chrystal wondered if it would feel like anything at all when she crashed onto the floor.  Ponies give me their love and support every day.
 
They give you their love and support in a figurative sense! Love said a little impatiently.  They don’t actually transfer their emotions to you.  They act on them.  But if you do this, you will find yourself preying on the happiness of others.  You will take it from them because your body demands it!
 
Like a vampire?! Chrystal thought, her mind recoiling.
 
Yes, something like that! Love said.  But instead of blood, you will take love, and hope, and happiness.  You will be a scourge to any living thing that feels.
 
But how is this going to save my people?! the queen wailed.  We’d be trading one monster for another!
 
But not in equal quantity! Love said, filling Chrystal up with urgency.  Yes, you would be a monster to the people.  A thing to be feared and hunted, but Discord threatens to disrupt the very fabric of power that keeps your world from spinning into total chaos!  The very existence of your planet is at stake!
 
So, in order to save everypony, I must become an evil thing? the queen thought despondently.
 
Love’s sorrow filled her again, and felt the voice’s primal power encircle her consciousness like an embrace.  ’Evil’ is not the right word.  Rabbits believe that the wolf is evil, but it is merely trying to survive.  You will be as the wolf is.  Powerful and ravenous, but not necessarily evil.  Chrystal felt a chill as Love pulled away from her.  However, you will be viewed that way.  Nothing likes to be hunted, and they will despise you.  You will be a slave to your urges, after all, and you will fall on ponies when you find them.  If you are strong, you might be able to find a way to temper your hunger, and choose when to—
 
Wait, are you saying that I’ll still be me? Chrystal asked, panicking.  I’ll be me in there, but unable to control myself?!
 
Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying Love said.  That’s why you had to know.  This is not a decision to be taken lightly.  It’s a fate that’s immeasurably worse than death.

But, why can’t you stop him? Chrystal thought.  Why does it have to be me?

The presence in Chrystal’s mind seemed to shift, fretting.  She could feel regret flooding through her.  Because of a foolish choice I made long ago, Love finally replied.  When we returned from our exiles, none of us could agree as to how to influence the world that had grown in our absence.  I argued that we should split ourselves, dividing our power evenly amongst all living things.  Discord preferred to keep his power and act independently.  Order wanted to give his power to the strong, so that they might guide the rest, while Hate wished for the utter annihilation of all creation.  I wanted to demonstrate that my idea was the correct one, and so I led by example.  However, I failed to realize that I would be trapped.  Your kind can now no long exist without love.  If I was to call enough of myself back to have a hope of stopping my brother, it would mean the deaths of thousands.  I live within all of you, and that his how I’m able to speak with you now.  I’ve hidden inside your heart, watching you grow and doing what I can to guide you to love, as I have in all living things.  I’m able to draw upon the power of life for short burst, but my decision has left me unable to counter my devious sibling.  That is why it must be your choice.  I merely have the power to facilitate.
 
Chrystal watched the floor draw ever closer and thought back to the time when the throne room had once been lively and cheerful.  Ponies would come with their requests and she’d sit by her parents and watch as they did their best to make their subjects happy.  I’ll be the opposite, she thought.  I’ll be doing my best to spread pain and misery.  I’ll be taking, rather than giving.  My whole life I tried to make myself into the perfect queen.  I’ve changed over and over to make sure I’d do the best I could for them.  But now, I’ll be changing again, but into their worst nightmare,
 
Not their worst, Love thought.  There are far worse things out there.  Your ponies just don’t know about them.  Pray that then never do.
 
But, you’re sure? Chrystal thought, trying to fight through the rising tide of panic.  You’re sure that this will complete Star Swirl’s ritual?
 
Yes, I’m certain, but the choice is yours.  I’m the only one who will know if you decided not to go through with it.  It is the hardest choice any pony has ever had to make, and I will think no less of you should you refuse.  You’re sacrifice up until this point is already far beyond what anypony should have to pay.
 
Chrystal wept.  She wasn’t sure if her body was responding, but inside her mind, she grieved.  Okay! she thought as part of her mind shrank away from the malignant idea.  If… if it will save them, I’ll do it!
 
Stillness.  Chrystal could feel the weight of Love’s pause hanging in her mind.  It was growing, turning into a powerful force.  From this point on, I will be facilitating the transfer, but you should know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten.  I will ensure it.  This is a gift to ponykind the likes of which has never been seen before! the voice finally said, and warmth and happiness began to fill the queen.  Her heart filled with the hopes and desires of hundreds of ponies, but also churned with the anger and despair at what her life had become.  One by one, she felt their lives touch her, soothing her and showing the queen what she had meant to them.  As the love burst from her, connecting Chrystal to her husband once again, she cried out.  Hovering high in the air once more, she looked into the confused and terrified eyes of her husband.
 
Take it, Sombra she thought, focusing all of her energy on the love he had for him.  She was surprised to find that it still burned within her, a hot, bright flame in her heart that cried out to be with him.  For our people, take it all!
 
I don’t think so! Discord’s voice snapped, and Chrystal shrieked as she felt his power build.  Suddenly, twisting veins of green and black shot through the emotional conduit that connected her with Sombra.  In the blink of an eye, they reached her, worming their way into her heart.  She gasped as the tendrils of energy began ripping the love from her.
 
Heh-heh! Discord chuckled.  Guess they were right after all, love does hurt—argh!
 
She could feel Sombra fighting for her.  Snarling, she reached out and pulled, gasping as emotion flooded into her.  Far below her, Clover choked and fell, writhing on the ground.  From all around, she felt the love of her people flow through her to push back Discord’s cancerous energy.  She smiled grimly as she began to push the evil tendrils away.
 
Wrong move, Discord! Sombra’s voice roared in her mind.  His mind felt like a wild animal, lunging and lashing out at Discord’s oppressive consciousness.  Threatening my wife is the very last thing you’ll EVER  do!  Despite her anger with him, Chrystal’s love swelled as her husband fought with everything he had left, buying her the time she needed to save their people.
 
Suddenly, with Discord’s power was gone, the power burst from her like a dam breaking.  Its strength arched her body backward as it shot in crackling, twisting lines across the darkened chamber.  Chrystal was caught somewhere between agony and ecstasy as the emotions of hundreds of ponies flowed through her.
 
I think not! Discord snarled, and Chrystal worried at the tone.  Before, his voice had always seemed playful, like a schoolyard bully.  Now, he sounded truly angry, and she could feel his power swelling in her mind, threatening to drive her mad as it shoved her consciousness away.  You’ve played a fine game here today, but you’re simply not in my league.
 
Chrystal could feel Discord’s energy as it ripped into Sombra’s heart, and she felt something vital come loose.  Desperately, she concentrated on the love flowing through her, pushing more of it through her by force of will.  The toll on her body was tremendous, but she refused to give in.  Just… a little longer… she thought as blackness began to creep in around the edges of her vision.  Almost… done.
 
Something was happening within her husband, be she was too drained to understand it.  Discord was attacking the heart they’d created, but somehow Sombra had protected it.  He’d shielded her love the way he always had, allowing her the last few seconds she had needed to completely empty herself.  There… she thought, rapidly losing consciousness. 
 
I will always love you, Chrystal, he thought to her. 
 
Inside, she felt dead.  His voice stirred nothing within her heart.  I… can’t she thought, as his mind dropped away.  I’ll never love anything again.
 
No, it’s not right! Love’s voice rang through her mind, bringing her back to full consciousness.  Looking down, she could see Clover running to catch her falling body, but he was too far to help her.  Discord’s attack did something to the Crystal Heart!
 
But you said it would work! Chrystal screamed.
 
It should have worked, but Discord is the master of unpredictability! Love cried.  He somehow managed to—
 
Love was silenced as Chrystal smashed headfirst into the floor.   
 
           


> A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Twelve (Dark, Adventure)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


One Minute After The Ritual – Clover the Clever


Clover froze when the sound began.  A boiling, hissing cacophony that brought to mind a writhing pit of angry vipers.   Clover nervously swiveled his head as he searched for the source of the noise, his eyes darting back and forth across the disheveled throne room. 
 
“What now, Clover?” Star Swirl said, stowing the velvet bag in his travel-worn pack.  “My head is pounding, so if you could stop that racket, I’d—”
 
“It’s not me, Star Swirl!” Clover said, his hooves going cold. 
 
The wizard looked up, his eyes wide.  “What do you mean ‘It’s not—” 
 
Both Clover and the wizard jumped back as a dark, turbulent nightmare boiled out of the space where the king had hovered, caught in Star Swirl’s spell, just a short while ago.  The cloud hissed and snarled, seemingly fighting for control over its plastic form.  Both the wizard and his apprentice backed away as the flailing vapor slashed deep grooves into the castle’s polished marble walls.
 
“This… this should not be!” Star Swirl said, his eyes bulging as he oscillated between the cloud and his assistant.  “There is nothing about this in the texts!”
 
“Well, it looks like the texts are wrong!” Clover said, earning a snarl from the wizard. 
 
“We’ll trap it in here!” Star Swirl said suddenly.  The turned and began scooping his supplies rapidly into his pack.  “We haven’t the time to deal with this now.”
 
“Will that work?” Clover returned, giving the cloud wide berth as he galloped over to help Star Swirl.  “Can we keep it in here?”
 
“How the hell should I know?!” the wizard snapped.  “But we certainly can’t just let it out into the streets.  Finish packing my supplies while I erect a barrier!”
 
“But your wounds—” Clover said.
 
“Pack!”
 
Clover bent to the task, but kept Star Swirl in his peripheral vision.  The old fool can’t take much more of this, he thought, noting the many patches of blood dotting Star Swirl’s cape.  As the wizard’s horn began to glow, several of the wounds reopened and Clover winced as bright streams of blood dripped down his master’s legs.
 
Above them, the cloud continued to swirl and twist, almost coalescing into a recognizable shape from time to time before breaking apart and striking out in frustration.  Its constant hissing and screaming was like razors down Clover’s back, and the assistant found that his hooves were shaking so badly that he couldn’t seem to work the buckles on Star Swirl’s saddlebags.  Taking a few deep, steadying breaths, he forces his hooves to thread the laces through the buckle.  With another glance to the black cloud, he cinched the pack closed.
 
“Hungry…”
 
Clover jumped at the throaty whisper, running and stumbling before he regained control of his body.  To caught up in his spell to notice, Star Swirl missed the queen struggle to rise behind him.  “Star Swirl!” Clover screamed.
 
“Not… now!” the wizard said, panting.
 
“Yes, now!” Clover returned.  “Behind you!”
 
Trembling with the effort to retain control over the magical barrier erupting from his horn, Star Swirl slowly swiveled his head.  Clover’s heart turned to ice as he watched the wizard’s spell sputter and die.  Star Swirl slowly backed away from the queen, making his way carefully back to his packs without taking his eyes from Chrystal’s desiccated form.
 
“So… hungry!” Chrystal rasped, and Clover’s mouth turned dry as he watched her skin begin to darken.  Once a delicate pale blue, the tips of her mane began taking on an unhealthy green hue.  Her whole body seemed to be pulling in on itself, as though some vast emptiness within her was consuming her body from within. “Wizard, what have you done to me?!” she growled, the skin pulling away from her eyes.  They had once been elegantly almond shaped, but Clover thought they looked almost perfectly round now, like the monstrous fish that live in the deep oceans, and they’d taken on the same unnatural green cast that her mane had.
 
“Clover, we’re leaving!” Star Swirl shouted, scooping up his packs and settling them on his back.  In an instant, he was galloping for the door.
 
“But, what about—”
 
“We have an empire to save!  We’ll deal with this later!” the wizard yelled, banging on the huge, metal doors with his hooves.  “You, out there!  Open these doors!” he yelled out.
 
“You!” the queen said, pointing to Clover.  “Your food!  I command that you give it to me!  I can smell it!”  The queen stopped, her eyebrow scrunching together as she looked away in confusion, “I can smell… you?”  She let her eyes roll languidly back to where Clover stood, horrorstricken.  Slowly, the queen moved in between the assistant and the door that Star Swirl was pushing open through a sea of concerned guards.  “Yes, I can smell you!” she said, her mouth dropping open to reveal sharp fangs.
 
“Would you get over here?!” Star Swirl roared, blasting the queen with a bolt of white-hot power.  Shrieking, the queen flew across the room, slamming into the opposite wall. 
 
Behind the wizard, the guards muscled their way in and instantly split into two groups.  The first tackled Star Swirl, while the other ran to the queen.  “No!  Stay away!” Clover shouted as they galloped past.  “There’s something terribly wrong with her!”
 
“No!  Don’t fall for their lies!” the queen cried.  Clover did a double take.  Somehow, the queen seemed almost normal again as she huddled next to the wall, shaking.  She reached out a trembling hoof toward the guards as the rushed to her.  “Help me!  I’m wounded!  They’ve tricked us all!”
 
“No!  It’s—” was all Clover managed before a glowing green aura enveloped the guards.  A smile curled across the queen’s face as she began darkening again.  She laughed as her magic lifted them into the air.
 
“Yes!” the queen returned, reversing the magic’s flow.  Clover gagged again as the burly, robust bodies of the guards began to wither and blacken.  “More!” she said, throwing the husks aside.  “I hunger!” she said, locking her eyes onto Clover again.  His eyes were drawn irresistibly to the strange indents near her hooves.  Large circles of skin and muscles seemed to be disappearing.  “I always was partial to clover,” the queen said, running her tongue over a fang.
 
Clover ran as he’d never run before.  Ahead of him, Star Swirl shouting curses as he tried to wrench himself away from the four guards who were trying valiantly to arrest him.  Clover knew that they’d normally be no match for the wizard, but in his weakened state, it was all he could to keep them at bay.
 
“PAIN! a voice above them roared, and Clover stumbled.  In his near-blind panic at Chrystal’s resurrection, he’d forgotten about the cloud.  Its voice confirmed his worst fear: Sombra had returned, as well.  Clover’s hooves scrambled across the slick floor as he fought to run again.
 
“PAIN!” Sombra screamed again.  Suddenly the swirling cloud lashed out with lancing tendrils, shooting them in all directions.  The room shook as the cloud slammed into walls and sliced through rock.  Clover stared numbly as one of the cloud’s tendrils skewered a guard.   The soldier fell, shrieking, and his vital fluids emptied onto the floor.
 
“YOU!”  The blood-curdling cries from the dying guard seemed to focus the cloud, and for a moment, Clover saw a pair of eyes flash a brilliant green within the swirling mass.  Snarling, the cloud dove for Star Swirl.  “YOUR FAULT!” it thundered as it descended.  Clover tried to reverse course, but his hooves had little purchase on the slick marble floor.
 
Clover could see red edging around his mentor’s bulging eyes as he watched the cloud that was once Sombra coming for him.  Star Swirl shouted incoherently as he struggled away from the slackened grips of the guards.  Scrambling backwards, he gibbered as the cloud retracted its barbed tendril, readying them for the kill.  Star Swirl’s eyes darted rapidly around the room, lighting up as they fell on the guards.
 
“No!” Clover yelled as he neared the wizard, nearly out of control on the slick floor.  With a yell, the wizard wrenched the retreating guards into the air.  Struggling in his magic’s grip, they were no match for Star Swirl as he threw them into the whirling nightmare of the cloud.  As Sombra lashed out at the screaming guards, Star Swirl bolted for the door, Clover only inches behind.  Clover glanced briefly over his shoulder, wondering at his numbness as the guards were torn apart.  Is this it? he thought, feeling his mind shutting down.  Is this what power looks like?
 
Once outside the door, Star Swirl turned, continuing to slide a few feet until the plush carpet runner in the hallway arrested his momentum.  “Clover!” he gasped, his breathing ragged.  “Shut… the doors!”
 
Too tired to argue, Clover set his shoulder against the nearest door and heaved.  As its momentum carried it closed, he set to work on the other one.  He hardly flinched as a dazzling bolt of magic enveloped the doors and fused them into a single piece of metal.   
 
“There,” Star Swirl coughed out.  “That… should hold them for a bit.”  Clover eyed to door dubiously.  He’d seen Sombra’s power, and the doors seemed flimsy in comparison.  Both the wizard and his apprentice jumped as something hit the door with breathtaking power, sending fine bits of dust raining down from the vaulted ceiling.  “But perhaps we shouldn’t dawdle,” Star Swirl finished with a gulp.  Another thundering impact sent them both galloping out into the night.
 
“What about the windows?” Clover called after his master.
 
“They’re too high for Chrystal and Sombra never had brains to outwit a moderately clever duck!” Star Swirled called back, pushing himself to gallop even faster.  “Let’s just hope he doesn’t remember them!”

~~~

 
“Are you sure this will work?” Clover asked as they entered into the festival square.  Star Swirl had chosen it earlier because of its particular crystal structure.  He’d said that it would act as a natural antenna, transmitting the artifact’s power to the very borders of the Crystal Empire.
 
The wizard shot him a glance that was more fearful than angry, and Clover found that it was somehow worse.  “I’m not sure of anything right now!” Star Swirl spat out as he fumbled with the buckles on his pack.  “Something’s gone terribly wrong, but I’ve checked and rechecked the magical theories and applications in my head!  There is no error!  This is unprecedented!”
 
“What about the fortification process?” Clover said, taking over opening the packs from the shaken wizard.  “You told me to expect the energy conduit from the queen, but you didn’t mention anything about a transference counter-flow!”
 
“What counter-flow?!” Star Swirl shrieked, his pupils contracting to mere pin points.
 
“You didn’t see it?” Clover said, his voice trembling.  With a grunt, he managed to work the stubborn lace from the buckle, and nearly tore the top off the saddlebag as he wrenched it open.  “That green and black energy that shot from Sombra through the conduit her love was creating?”
 
“How would I have seen it?!” Star Swirl yelled, his lips pulled back into a snarl.  “What’s the very first thing I instructed you to do upon your admission into my tutelage?  I told you that you had to be my eyes during particularly difficult spells because I sometimes need to block the outside world in order to concentrate!”
 
“Well, what exactly do you think I just did, you old fool?!” Clover screamed back at him.  “Exactly when would you have preferred I inform you?  When the queen was trying to suck my life out or when the king was trying to tear me to shreds?!”
 
Star Swirl lowered his eyes and nodded.  “Yes, you are right.  You did well.”  Clover was stunned, blinking at the rare compliment.  “You’ll do better still if you can finally get that heart out of my pack!” Star Swirl growled with a little of his usual grouchiness. 
 
“Right,” Clover said, returning to the pack. 
 
He’d just fished out the velvet back when another deafening boom shattered the stillness of the night.  Clover’s eyes shot to the nearby castle as both he and Star Swirl found themselves ducking for cover. 
 
“We must start immediately!” Star Swirl said, opening the bag.  Upending it over his hoof, he gasped and sat down as his rear legs gave out.  His mouth worked wordlessly as he held out is hoof to his assistant.  Wrapped around the blue crystal heart was a gold and amethyst necklace of startling beauty.  Star Swirl stared at it, horrified.  “Clover, something has gone very, very wrong,” he said. 
 
The blood drained from the apprentice’s body.  For the first time since he’d been with Star Swirl, he was seeing his master truly bewildered and badly frightened.  If he doesn’t know how to fix this, Clover thought, what hope do any of us have?
 
 
 


> Unnamed Sequel to First Steps - Chapter One, Incomplete (Romance, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie’s eyes slowly fluttered open, but she closed them again immediately. Few things in life were as fun as lounging in bed, and she was far too warm and snuggly to get up just yet. Yawning, Pinkie pulled the covers up over her head.
 
Squirming over onto Rarity’s side of the bed, Pinkie he pressed her nose to the pillow and inhaled. Mmmmmm! Still smells like her. Cradled in the divot Rarity’s body had carved out over the years, and supported by her pillow, Pinkie could almost fool herself into thinking the unicorn was still here, holding her again. Almost.
 
Oh, why does she have to be such a morning pony? Pinkie poked her head out of the covers and ran her hooves over the silky sheets, enjoying the sensation. It was like a piece of her. Refined. Gentle. Sophisticated, but not in a snooty, stand-offy kind of a way. Rarity was always right there beside you, no matter how crazy or scary the situation was.
 
Pinkie’s eyes drifted over to a single purple hair lying on the pillow next to her. But not today… Pinkie pinched herself on the hip. Stop that. You know she’s got that super-important meeting this morning and she can’t lie around in bed just ’cause you want her to.
 
Rolling onto her back, Pinkie picking up the hair and examined it. With a sigh, she traced its flowing curves with a hoof. Even each hair is beautiful. How does she always get it so… so… Pinkie scrunched her face up, searching for the word. After a moment, she snorted. Guess that’s the problem. I don’t even know what the hairstyle words are supposed to be!
 
Her laughter trailed off little by little as the morning sun’s rays caught the hair. It shimmered with vibrancy, testament to the care Rarity put into her appearance. Frowning, Pinkie pulled out one of her own hairs and compared them side by side.
 
Where the purple hair glowed, her own pink hair seemed dull by comparison. Instead of elegantly curling in flowing waves like Rarity’s, her’s was hopelessly tangled, and the end had a two-inch split. Looks like one of Rarity’s yarn balls when Opal gets into her workroom. With a disgusted sigh, she tossed her hair off the side of the bed, and then reflexively leaned over and picked it up again. Reaching out, she dropped it into the trashcan. Rarity hated a mess. What does she see in me?
 
Rolling back onto her side of the bed, she snatched up Rarity’s pillow and hugged it. The scent was strongest there. A mixture of perfume, shampoo, and Rarity’s own subtle spiciness. A smell she was pretty sure that Rarity wasn’t even aware of. It was a smell that you found by burying your nose into the crook of somepony’s neck or by lying face to face in their embrace. A secret smell, and just like her sheets, Rarity smelled sophisticated and complex. It was welcoming and exciting. It smelled like home. Not the place where you grew up, but the one that was in your imagination. Your perfect home that you only ever dreamed about and never, ever told to anyone because they would tell you to quit acting like a foal.
 
Wonder what I smell like? Pinkie pressed her nose into her shoulder and snorted. Nothing. Squeezing the pillow tighter, she rested her head on it. That’s what I feel like, too. A big ol’ nothing. And that’s probably why she always leaves—
 
Pinkie pinched herself again, harder this time. “Pinkamena, you stop that this instant! You know better.” Sighing, she pulled the blankets up and tucked them in around her chin. She did know better, but it was just so hard to believe. She’d tried and tried, but she still couldn’t figure out why the loveliest mare in all of Equestria wanted to be with her.
 
Oh, Rarity had told her a million times. She’d said that Pinkie was loving and energetic in a way that Rarity found irresistible and inspirational. She’d been there for Rarity when the times were dark and helped her through some of her worst problems. It was true and she knew it.
 
Pinkie squinted and scooched over a bit. The sun’s rays had hit the mirror on Rarity’s vanity, and the beam was bouncing right into Pinkie’s eyes. Wiggling to get out of the light’s path, Pinkie caught herself in the mirror’s reflection.
 
Her eyes were still bleary from sleep, and her mane was a haphazard mess. Blinking, she slowly turned her head back and forth, and the whispers started again. The reminded her that she was plain where Rarity was beautiful. That she was loud where Rarity was demure. That nopony invited her to dinner parties where napkins were a must and where there was more than one kind of silverware.
 
“Oh, shut up,” she growled, throwing her pillow at the reflection. Flopping back into bed, she clutched Rarity’s pillow again. She needed something to hold on to, and the smell was reassuring. She didn’t understand why Rarity loved her, but she did.
 
“That’s right,” Pinkie muttered, snuggling her cheek against the pillow. “She does.” Unbidden, but not unwelcome, Rarity’s face came floating back to her. She’d laid on this very pillow last night, only inches away. They’d talked for hours like that, noses nearly touching. Rarity’s eyes had been luminous and sparkling. They had been full of love, and when she’d reached for Pinkie, the earth pony’s whole body had quivered. The unicorn’s touch was electric.
 
“She does!” Pinkie said again, a grin sliding across her face. Her cheeks burned and she pressed her face into the cool pillow. “She really, really does!”
 
Outside, the chirping of birds had become a full-blown symphony, and the sun seemed determined to shine directly into her eyes. Off in the distance, Pinkie could hear ponies trotting by. “Okay, okay! I’ll get up! Sheesh!”
 
With a grunt, Pinkie sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed. For a moment, she just sat there, idly kicking her hooves and letting her eyes travel across the room. For Rarity, the room was a total disaster. It was unusual for even a chair to be out of place. Hmm. She must’ve been in a hurry. She usually doesn’t leave it like this. Pinkie grinned wickedly. ’Course some of that’s my fault!
 
It had been the mayor’s inauguration last night, and Rarity and Pinkie had been in attendance. As a surprise, Pinkie had asked Fluttershy to whip up a cocktail dress for her. Something bold and sexy. Something that would get Rarity’s attention.
 
And it had! Fluttershy had poured herself into the dress, letting her imagination run wild. When the pegasus had presented the finished product, Pinkie had turned scarlet. She’d asked for daring and while her friend might not be the boldest pony in a crowd, she was apparently fearless when operating a sewing machine. It hugged each of Pinkie’s many curves, drawing attention in some meaningful ways without crossing the lines. To the average pony, it was just a fancy dress, but to a skilled seamstress, to somepony who knew what the line of a fabric meant, it would be something more. Pinkie knew that Rarity would see it as a flashing neon sign that screamed “Come and get me!”
 
She’d spent the night trotting with a little added bounce in her step. She’d felt Rarity’s eyes boring into her, and it’d been fantastic. Rarity had lost the thread of her conversation more than once when Pinkie had come by, and when she’d pulled the unicorn out onto the dance floor, Rarity had hardly been able to keep her hooves to herself. Pinkie had worked super hard to make sure she didn’t spill anything on her self or boogie so much that she ripped something, but it had still been the most fun she’d had in years. She’d felt loved and wanted by the pony who mattered most.
 
They’d barely said their goodbyes when Rarity had growled that she’d better gallop home as fast as her gorgeous gown would allow. Laughing, Pinkie had snatched up the train in her mouth and taken off like a shot. A moment later, Rarity followed, pounding along behind her with a wicked gleam in her eye.
 
The night had been explosive. They’d hit the bedroom and what were usually potent sparks had grown into a bonfire, the usually tidy room had taken the brunt of it. Both gowns had been thrown off into the corners, a chair had been knocked over, small personal items had fallen from the bureau and several picture hung askew.
 
Grinning, Pinkie looked at her discarded gown. It was a rumpled mess in the corner, but it had been worth it. I know Fluttershy said not to worry about it, but she’s so getting three dozen cupcakes for that! Still, I better not leave it on the floor. Rarity’ll get that forehead vein thing if she sees it getting all wrinkly like that.
 
Finally dropping to the floor, Pinkie landed on something. “Wha—oh.” It was Rarity’s sleeping mask. It wasn’t in the usual place on her nightstand. “Aw, I probably kept her up too late and she overslept.” Biting her lip, Pinkie couldn’t quite suppress her giggles. “That’s her fault for being sexy! Still, I should probably get this place cleaned up. She’ll be all yawnerific when she gets home.”


> Unnamed Sequel to First Steps - Chapter Two (Romance, Slice-of-Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie let the music tell her what to do. It was an old friend, and it had seen her through good times and bad. They’d spent many lonely evenings together, so she hoped it wouldn’t be too upset that she was here with somepony else tonight.

If it was mad, she couldn’t tell. The music flowing into and around her, and her hooves responded. Twisting. Kicking. Moving through complicated steps with an ease she’d never known before. 

She wasn’t just dancing. She was dancing with, and she’d never danced with before Rarity.

A week ago, they’d come to this very bar and danced. Pinkie hadn’t seen it coming, but somewhere in all that dancing, something had changed. They’d gone from friends to something more. ‘Friends That Kissed’ Rarity had called it. It was pretty confusing, but for now, they were dancing again, and that was enough.

Before her, the unicorn dipped and swayed, poised elegance to Pinkie’s manic energy. While Pinkie left it all on the dance floor, Rarity left only what was needed to be beautiful. Each step was meticulous. Each movement just enough to make the ponies at nearby tables stare without being overly flashy. 

Pinkie tilted her head back. She wanted to scream, but ponies got all jumpy when you started yelling. But lately, she’d been screaming a lot. Mostly into her pillow at night. She knew everypony was asleep, and so she’d just bury her face and let it all out. 

It was just too much, sometimes. Her dreams were coming true and she just couldn’t believe it. It would start with a grin. A real big one. The kind that made your cheeks ache because it was so happy. Then the giggles would start, and she’d hug her pillow, rolling back and forth in the bed and generally annoying Gummy when she’d pull the blankets all askew. Finally, it would just build up too much and the scream would start way in the back of her throat. She’d thrust her head into the pile and just let it—”

“—all out!”

Pinkie blinked and shook her head. “Huh?”

Rarity grinned, arching an eyebrow. “My, my! Already ignoring me. Am I boring you already?”

“What? No!” Pinkie slid her leg around Rarity’s barrel, tucking the unicorn in close. “I was just thinking about stuff and—”

Rarity bumped Pinkie gently with her hip. “I’m teasing you, my dear. I was just saying that it looked like you were really letting it all out.”

“Oh, Rarity! I’ve been waiting all week for this!” Pinkie slid her other leg around her date, raising onto her hind hooves. Together, they moved as one in their embrace. “It’s going to be the best night ever!”

Rarity tilted her head to the side. “Perhaps a bit early for that.”

Pinkie missed a step, stumbling for a moment. “Huh?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it, darling.” Rarity reached out, steadying Pinkie with her magic. “All in due time.”

> An Understanding (Slice of Life)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining Armor winced as the huge doors to throne room banged shut.  The sound seemed to roll down the chamber, amplifying and rebounding back to him again and again.  Sweeping the room with his eyes, his old habits began to kick in.

Why aren’t the guards here by the door? he wondered.  There should always be two guards stationed here.  Something’s not right.  Picking up speed, he trotted down the carpeted runner toward the princesses.  Celestia and Luna had their head bowed close together, speaking softly.  As he neared, they broke off their conversation and Princess Celestia descended from the dais to meet him.

“I’m honored to accept your invitation, Princess,” Shining Armor said, dipping into a deep bow.  

“You don’t have to be so formal, you know,” Celestia said, smiling gently and rolling her eye.  “We’re peers now, Prince Shining Armor.”

Blushing, Shining Armor shrugged and scratched behind his ear.  “Oh, yeah,” he said, grinning ruefully.  “Cadence keeps reminding me, but I’m having a hard time remembering.  I spent too much time standing here with a spear.”

“Well, I could get you one, if that would make you more comfortable,” said Celestia as her eye twinkled.

Shining Armor frowned, scanning the room.  “To tell you the truth, Princess, it might.  Where are all the guards?” he asked, pointing to the spots they should occupy with his hoof.  “There should be at least eight guards in this room!”

Celestia sighed and ascended the steps of the dais once more.  “We’ve sent them away for this meeting,” she said, shaking her head.  “This will be vital to national security.  It’s top secret.”

“But, princess!” Shining Armor replied, his brow furrowing.  “What if something were to happen?  An attack!”  He fought the urge to whirl around and look everywhere at once.  One of the first things he had learned as a military recruit was how to stand still and focus, but even how he found it difficult.  His eyes flicked over to Princess Luna as her shadow fell on him.  

Much smaller than her sister, Luna still managed to intimidate him.  While Celestia’s eyes spoke of warm and light, Luna’s cool gaze chilled Shining Armor.  Standing atop the dais, she regarded him with a frown.

“I believe our combined power should be sufficient should the need arise,” she said, arching an eyebrow.  Princess Celestia’s eye darted back and forth between Shining Armor and Luna for a second. 

“The decision was not made lightly,” Celestia said quickly as Shining Armor’s eyebrows came together.  “It is because we have faith in your guards that we can risk this private meeting.” 

> Resolution - Epilogue (Adventure, Dark)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adagio sat on one of the cave’s clammy rocks with her head cradled in her hands. It had all gone wrong somehow, and now her head was throbbing as she tried to force some ideas out. For once, Assai didn’t seem to have any clever things to whisper to her.

“Well?” Aria’s face was pulled into a hard scowl. Arms tightly crossed, she glared at Adagio. “What now? What happened to your great plan?”

Adagio lifted her head enough to return Aria’s glare. “You’re right. Looking back, I can’t believe we did go with yours. What was it again?” She tapped her chin with one finger and sucked for a moment on her teeth. “Oh, that’s right. You didn’t have one!”

Aria rolled her eyes and turned away. “Right, because I’m the one that said we should go off mission to attack some unknown village full of talking horses. I said—Sonata, would you shut up?” 

In the back of the cave, Sonata continued to sing out a warbling tune to a group of bats hanging from the ceiling above her. As the music washed over them, they hissed and clawed at each other. Sonata grinned and helped them along by poking here and there with a long stick. With each passing moment, the bats grew more irritated, and Sonata drank in the meager energy they released.

“I said” —Aria stomped over and snatched the stick out of Sonata’s hand— “shut up!” Growling, she tossed the stick into the mass of bats, who took to the air in a chittering cloud and boiled from the cave’s opening.

“Brilliant,” Adagio said, clapping slowly. “Another amazing Aria idea. I’m sure there’s no way those horse-things are going to spot a huge cloud of bats flying out of a cave in the middle of the day.”

Aria turned away and kicked the stick. Rebounding off the wall, it clattered briefly along the uneven stone floor, then rolled into one of the many black fissures that ran the length of the cave. “Well, I’m hungry! We haven’t eaten in days.”

“Um…” Sonata raised her hand. “I was eating, but then you, like, scared off all the bats before anyone else could get any.”

Whirling, Aria balled her fists at her sides. “I don’t want bat! I want to go home and eat real food, and your stupid song is just making us fight more!” 

Sonata tilted her head slightly to the side. “Maybe you’re a bat. Or, like, half-bat.”

“Ugh! Why am I stuck here with you two?” Aria replied, slapping a hand over her face.

Adagio stood and tries to whip the cave grime from her tattered uniform. The muck was remarkable sticky and smelled vaguely of guano. “What do you mean ‘why?’ You begged me to come.”

“I didn’t beg! I just asked, and I wouldn’t have asked if I’d know how bad you were going to screw it all up!” Aria’s eyes shimmered briefly, but when she wiped at them, her face was stony. “You’re always so perfect!” Adagio opened her mouth, but Aria throw her hand out, cutting across her. “Everything’s always going your way, but out here, where we need you, you keep messing up. Now, we’re probably going to get captured, or—”

“Hey! Lizards!” Sonata hopped from foot to foot after turning over a rock. Snatching one up, she wiggled it in front of Aria’s nose. “Look, Aria! Tasty lizard—oh!” Sonata’s eyes widened as the lizard dropped to the cave floor, its tail still wriggling in her hand. Shrugging, she handed it to Aria and began to sing again.

“Sonata, how did you even make it through training? You’re truly the worst! I can’t believe…”

Muttering under her breath, Adagio stomped to the mouth of the cave and stared out of it. A cloud of dust was rising in the distance, and whatever was making it was rapidly approaching. “Well?” she whispered.

I am thinking.

“We don’t have any more time to think!” she hissed, glancing over her shoulder. Sonata and Aria were still deeply involved in their argument. Or, Aria was, at least. Sonata grinned back at her, her hands occasionally rising to stifle a giggle. Adagio could see the veins in Aria’s forehead throbbing.

Your words are true ones. All doors are closed to us now, save one.

“And what’s that?”

The one the sorcerer wanted to put us through when we fought in the canyon. The door to another world.

“No.”

Adagio—

“No!” The word roared out of Adagio before she realized it. Rocks fell as the echo rolled through the surrounding mountains. Wincing, she looked back over her shoulder. Sonata and Aria blinked back at her. Adagio turned away and stepped out of the cave. Despite the desperate situation, the warm sunlight felt good on her skin. “We can’t!”

Hear my words, Adagio. All of our goals hinge upon them. When we decided to attack that village—

“When you decided.”

When we decided. Leadership is not a mantle to be thrown off when it becomes inconvenient. Yes, the idea was mine, but by agreeing to it and convincing the others, you bear its responsibility equally. Within Adagio’s mind, she could feel Assai writhing in agitated circles. We have been fortunate until now, but even the most shepherded plans sometimes go astray.

Tears suddenly in her eyes, Adagio stomped her foot. “You said it’d be easy!”

And so it should have been. I have chanced upon these ponyfolk in the past. They are easy sustenance. 

Adagio pointed out to the specks galloping toward them. “Yeah, real easy. The three of us can barely walk anymore. We’ll never be able to fight them off! They’re going to execute us!”

It is not their way.

Adagio trembled, her anger rising. “How would you know?”

As I have told you countless times in the past, you must learn to listen, and to observe. Though my knowledge is admittedly incomplete, I can tell you with certainty that they have never executed one of my kind. We have ways to bar each other from our thoughts, but at the moment of death, those seals are removed. When the passing comes, each of us lives it. In my time, I have witnessed the passing of thousands, yet none the work of these ponies.

Adagio gritted her teeth and stared out at the specks. They’d grown considerably larger.

Consider, also, the last battle. The bearded one tried to force us through his portal. They are looking to be rid of us, but without blood on their hooves. They do not have the stomach for executions.

“Well, who cares?” Adagio said, shaking her head. “Banishment’s just as bad!”

No, it is not. Not by a wide margin.

Adagio threw her hands up. “Tell me how this is good!”

She could feel the hippocampus sigh. I never said it was good. Banishment is a long way from being ‘as bad.’ Any door that has opened once may open again, and who knows what we might find on the other side? Learn the lesson of your elders. Each situation has an advantage. We must turn this one until it suit us.

Slumping against the cave’s entrance, Adagio hung her head again. It was aching fiercely, and she had no patience for Assai’s condescending tone. “Just tell me what to do.”

This must be executed carefully. Our primary goal is the protection of our lands. These ponies cannot be allowed to trace this back to our people.

Adagio threw her hands out wide beside her. “That’s what you’re worried about?”

Adagio’s knees buckled as a wave of pure anger slashed through her skull. What is it exactly that you think we are doing? What good are our carefully laid game pieces if these ponies come and scatter them to the wind? I have spent centuries learning the ways of our two races. These ponies, and the creatures that certainly must lay beyond them, represent variables, and with each new piece added to the board, our chances of winning recede! Our societies have been reactionary balance for millennia. They will hold while we find a way back, but only if we convince these ponies that we three exist in isolation.

“Six,” Adagio said automatically.

Three. In her mind, Adagio felt the faint trace of Assai’s crooked smile. It is why I have advised you to keep out of sight and let me and my brethren take the lead. Always hide your strengths and cover your tracks. It was a gamble, but good fortune is all that is left to us now. Assai’s voice faded for a few moments. The bearded one had great power.

Adagio rubbed her aching forehead. Her head felt like it would split open any second now. “Would you get to the point? They’re getting close. We should have just run!”

We lack the strength. None of us would make it down this mountain. You know this.

“So what? Give up?”

Plans within plans, Adagio. Each action must hide another. We will fight, and we will lose. That is inevitable. What matters is the time after. Interrogation is a certainty, and after that, we will be sent to wherever it is that they send their prisoners. Assai’s consciousness pulsed, and his voice quickened. That will be our moment. We must be convincing, or the ponies will find their way to our lands. His power is great. We must surmise that he has spells to force the truth from us. If we are to succeed, he must not use them. We will give him our tale, albeit grudgingly.

Adagio tried to rub her temple, but stopped to stare at her hand. It was trembling badly. A lump formed in her throat, and she swallowed hard to get rid of it. In the distance, the ponies galloped on. They were nearly at the base of the mountain. “So that’s your big plan? Lie to the ponies?”

It is curious how like Aria you are sometimes.

Adagio winced.

Good. Now that your petulance is done with, let us get on with salvaging this as best we can. One thing that you can always place your trust in is ego.

Adagio fought back an eye-roll.

Think back to our initial attack. We struck swiftly, leaving that wretched town drained of its magical energy. Yet, retaliation came swiftly. We must assume that at least one of those ponies retained enough consciousness to makes some kind of report. Your powers of influence are strong, Adagio. If a confused mind were to remember anything, what would it be?

Her brow furrowing, Adagio thought for a moment. “A powerful image. Something that scared them.”

And what do you think frightened them enough to regain partial consciousness? Three somewhat strange and tiny girls or three fanged monsters from their nightmares?

Almost against her will, Adagio felt a smile slide up the left side of her face. “You’ve been hiding us so that they—” she pointed to the approaching ponies “—won’t know what they’re dealing with.”

Precisely. Never show your true strengths or weaknesses, Adagio. They seek giant monsters, not small girls.

Adagio punched her fist into the air. “Then we’ll just hide! If they find us, it won’t matter! You three can go back into your jewels, and—”

No.

Adagio’s fist slowly sank. “What? Why? If they haven’t—”

Think! How is it that they are on our doorstep?

“They...they’re tracking us somehow,” Adagio said, and with those words, the hope blooming in her chest withered.

Yes, and that is why they must find us. They will battle their nightmares again, but the three of you will remain hidden. You are the only hope we have. We will fight, and we will lose, but once the interrogation starts, you three must sing a song that their ears will not hear. Use all of your power, for everything rides on this! You must lay a spell on them of unsurpassing subtlety. Think on all that I have taught you. This will be your test! You must sing, and they must not catch you. They will banish us, and because we are tied, you will be dragged along with us. Then the ponies will go home, and when they do, they must believe that the nightmare is over. Do you see the truth of it, Adagio?

Looking out over the mountains, Adagio oriented on where home ought to be. Somewhere over that horizon, their people stood against each other in perfectly balanced conflict. The ponies pursuit had been relentless. They might not be satisfied with just the six of them. They probably wanted revenge, or even conquest. She looked over she shoulder to where Sonata and Aria sat in stony silence, their backs turned on one another. There were thousands more like them in the cities. So caught up in their own fights that an invading army would sweep over them like a tsunami.

Do you see it? Assai asked again, more urgently this time. 

“Yes,” Adagio replied, nodding before she jerked a thumb over to where her teammates sat, “but they’re not going to like it.”

Liking it isn’t a luxury we have. We have erred. Now, we pay the price, but not without bargaining first. Remember Adagio, we have thousands of years. There will be a way to open the door again. We just need to find it.

Nodding again, Adagio stepped back into the cave and motioned for her friends to join her. They were going to be together for a very, very long time.



> Untitled Rarity and Sweetie Belle Story
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweetie Belle kept one twitching ear cocked toward the bedroom door as she ran her hoof over the chest’s ornate woodwork. Though she knew that some skilled hoof had carved the twisting roses that twined around the chest, she still carefully avoided the thorns on the interwoven stems. Apple Bloom would probably yell at her if she was here, but those thorns always seemed to glisten.
 
Don’t be dumb. Sweetie Belle pursed her lips and forced herself to touch one of the knotted stems, though carefully avoiding the thorns. Everypony knows that roses aren’t poisonous.
 
As always, the wood felt strangely cool. Even in the dim light of the curtained room, the chest seemed to glow with its own rich, warm light, but touching it inevitably sent a shiver up her spine. It felt like an autumn morning: beautiful, but a little sad.
 
Sweetie Belle glanced at the door again. It was still halfway open, just as she’d left it. Space enough to scamper out of without drawing any attention should she hear the bell over Carousel Boutique’s front door jingle. Swallowing, she turned back to the chest and took a deep breath.
 
I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier. It’s so obvious! Squeezing her eyes closed, she forced magic into her horn. Unfortunately, she hadn’t quite figured out how to do it without sending all of the blood to her head, and after a few moments, her temples were throbbing. Still, she willed her power to build just like Twilight and Rarity always said she should.
 
Pale green sparks rose from her horn, then fell. For a moment, she panicked and lost her concentration when they drifted down onto Rarity’s luxurious carpet. She stomped down where the sparks had fallen, but they’d disappeared without a trace. Come on, Sweetie Belle! You know they don’t burn things! Still, she let out a relieved sigh before building up her concentration again.
 
A light sweat bead on her brow while she struggled to focus her magical power. How does Rarity always make this look so easy? She’s always so perfect at it. Sweetie tried to copy the relaxed, unconcerned expression her sister always seemed to have when she floated various objects around the room, but the wavering magical bands threatened to dissipate.  Screwing up her face once more, she growled under her breath as she watched them slowly solidify again.
 
Almost! Sweetie Belle leaned forward on her hooves, her nose nearly touching the lock in the center of the knotted rose stems. Glaring at it, she focused on the lock and ordered her magic into it. The magic didn’t seem to listen too well, though. It wandered around on the outside of the lock and meandered around the petals of nearby roses.
 
No! Sweetie Belle stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and stared at the lock with even more force. She wasn’t sure if looking at it that hard really helped, but she wasn’t really sure what else to do. At least she couldn’t see her magic messing up that way.
 
After a few long moments, her magic fell into line, and she had to bite down on her tongue to keep from cheering. It had taken a while to get it under control, but it was a little bit less than last time. Still, her head was beginning to pound. If she didn’t get on with it, Rarity was going to wonder why the floor here was damp with sweat. She’d be grounded for sure if that happened.
 
The inside of the lock felt weird. She’d thought it would be full of little things that went up and down, but the texture was confusing.  Parts of it were hard and unyielding. Other parts felt soft and pliant. Still others slid back and forth.
 
Oh no! It’s got some kind of weird magical lock on it! Sweetie Belle stomped a hoof, then stomped it harder when her magic winked out. “Argh! I’ll never—”
 
“Mrrrw?”
 
Sweetie Belle leapt into the air and shrieked. Her heart hammered in her throat and she hit the ground running. She was halfway to hiding in an armoire before she catch a curious feline face staring up at her from around the door jamb.
 
“Don’t do that!” Hoof pressed firmly against her chest, Sweetie Belle leaned up against the armoire and tried to catch her breath.


> A Story About Gilda
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ideas
 
Gilda is just leaving Ponyville after getting kicked out of Pinkie’s party.  She’s flying through the clouds, fuming.  Complaining loudly, she’s lashing out at the clouds. 
 
Flying over the Everfree Forest, the weather turns nasty. Gilda is forced to shelter in a nearby treehouse.  She’s surprised to find it occupied by an earth pony with a withered leg.  He tries to hint that she ought to leave, but it’s storming pretty badly by that point.  Gilda is soaking wet and weather-blown, so he eventually give in.
 
Gilda doesn’t really appreciate the nuts and grains he has around to eat, and her callousness about it grates on him.  They retreat to opposite sides of the house and glare at each other.  Finally, Gilda asks him what he’s doing on here anyway.
 
After some verbal sparring, the stallion tells her that he and his wife had always lived just inside the Everfree Forest.  Everypony had told them that it was too dangerous, but they loved the freedom and wildness of it.  But one day, a huge beast came through. It flattened their house and knocked him unconscious. When he came to, his wife was gone, and his leg had been mauled.  He’s been scouring the Everfree Forest ever since.
 
Gilda asks him why he doesn’t just go get help, and he replies that nopony was there to help him before. They’d been against his family coming to their town. They’d fought against him marrying his wife. They’d refused to help them build their home. Nopony wanted to help him, and he didn’t want them around anyway.
 
They settle down to sleep, but Gilda is having a hard time. The stallion tosses and turns in his sleep, his leg never seeming to find a comfortable spot. In addition, Gilda’s treatment at the hands of the Ponyville residents is still bothering her, and this stallion’s story just reinforced that below all this friendship garbage, they are just as ugly as any other culture.
 
Morning comes and the stallion is pleased to find that the storm has passed. Gilda is kind of dragging her feet about leaving. She plays it off as being tired, but eventually drops ever more obvious hints that they should hunt the monster down. The stallion doesn’t want her help, but there’s not much he can do about her hanging around. (Possibly she can leave and then come back, maybe even a few times)
 
He finally relents when Gilda brings up how lame it is that he isn’t doing everything he can to find his wife. He’s got help right here, but he’s trying to send it away. Grudgingly, he agrees, and he digs out a battered map. He’s sectioned it off, and there are large X marks in several of the boxes. He explains that those are areas he’s fully explored.
 
Gilda offers to take the map and fly over the Everfree Forest, hoping to find some kind of clue. As she goes up to scout, she has a discussion with herself as to why she’s doing this in the first place. She tries to convince herself that she’s just bored.
 
Finding nothing, she hunts for a bit, then flies back to the cave. This grosses out the stallion, which she is halfway enjoying and halfway ashamed of. They get into a conversation about poniness and griffon-ness. It eventually comes out that Gilda is hanging out with ponies a lot now because they’ve all but banished her from the griffon lands. Her time with ponies has changed her in ways that her society doesn’t support, but she’s not pony enough for the ponies. She was hoping to rekindle her friendship with Rainbow Dash, since the pegasus was a real wild child, but she’s apparently changed and gotten new, better friends.
 
The stallion is somewhat taken aback by all of this. He wasn’t expecting sudden emotional vulnerability, and Gilda takes it badly. They argue, but finally come to an understanding. Exhausted, they sleep.
 
They get up and start to search again, but as more of a team this time. Gilda flies back and forth, scouting from the air, then returning frequently to guide the stallion away from obvious dead ends. They search all day, but find nothing.
 
Back in the cave, Gilda wants to know how long this has been going on and how he can stand it. The stallion doesn’t know exactly, but it’s been several months at least. Gilda tells him to give it up because his wife is dead, but is set back on her heels when he flies into a rage at the idea. He unloads on her about being a quitter, and for running away from tough situations instead of fighting. She fires back that she knows ten times more about hardship and fighting than he ever will. Her whole life has been a constant struggle since griffons are a meritocracy. You have to constantly prove yourself. The old and the weak are discarded, and a griffon that doesn’t toe the line is sent out on suicide missions until she eats it or leaves.
 
It’s the stallion’s turn to be nonplussed. He’d thought the ponies in his town were rough, but it’s nothing compared with being a griffon. Still, he’s not about to give in when his wife could still be out there. If she doesn’t want to help him, that fine, but he’s going out tomorrow. Gilda shrugs it off and goes to sleep.
 
The next day, they continue their search, working even more closely this time, but Gilda finds a trail of broken trees in the forest. Following it, they come to a gigantic tree, and beneath its twining roots, a cave.
 
 
 
 


> Bloom Closet
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack kicked a pile of burlap bags into one of the kitchen’s far corners. “Pardon the mess. Granny’s been mendin’ these sacks since yesterday, but it never seems to let up. She sews one up and two more rip when we head off to market. It just never ends.”
 
Cameo’s hoof wavered in mid-step as she scanned the floor. It was littered with rough burlap sacks, spools of thread, cloth shears, and home-making magazine articles. “Uh…”
 
“Don’t worry none. Ain’t nothin’ down there you’re likely to break. It’s just unsightly, is all.” Applejack grabbed her cousin’s hoof and gently guided her through the littered kitchen. “It ain’t usually like this. Granny wants things to be shipshape here in the house, but it don’t make no sense to clean this all up just to get it back out again two hours later.”
 
Glancing out a window, Cameo caught sight of one of her other cousins as he hammered a board over a hole in the barn wall. “Wow. I guess you guys don’t get much of a break.”
 
Applejack shook her head. “Nope, not really. Well, maybe in the winter months.  Lots of repairs still, but there’s only so much actual farmin’ that can get done when the ground’s frozen solid. The key is to keep things as under wraps as you can. You gotta make a plan and follow it so that nothin’ unexpected happens. Otherwise, you end up chasin’ your tail all day.”
 
“I can see that,” Cameo said. In the distance, Big Mac ran in circles, trying to get hold of a nail that seemed to be stuck on his tail with a large glob of glue.
 
Applejack wrenched the window open. “Confound it, Mac! I’m tryin’ to make a good impression in here!”
 
Big Mac lurched to a stop, then scowled at his tail. When he’d hit the brakes, it had slapped up against the barn’s wall and stuck there. Swearing, he pulled at it, first with one hoof, then both.
 
Applejack rolled her eyes and pulled down the window shade. “Don’t pay that no mind. Sweet Apple Acres might be a little rough around the edges, but we love it all the same. Hope you will, too.”
 
“Oh, I’m sure I will,” Cameo said, her grin widening. “I’ve never been out of the city before. “My dad has all kinds of stories about growing up Grandpa Winesap’s farm, but never wanted me to go visit. He always side my hooves were too delicate for that kind of work.” Outside, something crashed, and the volume of swearing increased significantly. “Uh… he might have been right.”
 
Marching to the door, Applejack yanked it open and stuck her head outside. “BIG MCINTOSH, WE HAVE COMPANY OVER, SO IF YOU COULD NOT BLISTER THEIR EARS WITH YOUR LANGUAGE, I THINK WE WOULD ALL APPRECIATE IT!
 
Several incoherent sputterings echoed back, but Applejack kicked the door close. “Ignore that.”
 
“Oh, I don’t mind. I actually just meant my hooves.” She held one up for her cousin to see.
 
Applejack tipped her hat back and whistled. “Well, I’ll be. Ain’t a line or callus on the darn thing. Smooth as a new-born foal’s rear-end!”
 
Cameo blushed a bit, then nodded. “They’ve always been really sensitive. I hated it when I was a kid. I had to walk really slowly, and the other foals made fun of me. But when I started school, I found out that I was good at arts and crafts. My hooves were so sensitive that I could use them to do really intricate work.”
 
“Huh. Well ain’t that somethin’!” Applejack lifted her own hoof off the ground and stared at it. Next to Cameo’s, it seemed almost monstrous. “I thought I was good when I could hold up three sticks. Guess you got me beat.”
 
“Hold on. Let me show you.” Cameo squeezed her eyes closed and held out a hoof. “Give me something to feel.”
 
Applejack hesitated for a moment, then dropped her hoof onto her cousin’s.
 
“No,” Cameo said, snorting out a giggle. “Something that’s hard to figure out just by touching it.
 
“Oh, uhhhh…” Applejack fished through the saddlebag she’d hung up by the door. “Here, try this.”
 
“A one bit coin” came the response the instant Applejack put it into Cameo’s outstretched hoof. “Minted last year. There’s a bit of dirt on Celestia’s nose, but that’s too easy. Give me something harder.”
 
Applejack turned in a slow circle, scanning the kitchen. “Oh, a challenge, huh. Well, let’s see if you can figure this one out.”
 
Cameo’s hoof closed over the object, and rubbed it a few times over her sole. “It’s a party invitation to something called The Applejack Back to Back Midnight Snack and Breakfast Flapjack Super Sleepover Party. It’s got embossed balloons, and sixty-five pound card stock. There’s a sticky residue on one side, like old icing or something. There’s glitter stuck all over it, and by the feel of it, it’s probably pink.”
 
Applejack’s mouth fell open. “Y-You did all that with just one hoof?”
 
Blushing again, Cameo set the invitation on the worn kitchen table. “Mmhmm. It’s what I do. I’m not too good at physical labor—” She dropped her voice into a husky, mystical whisper “—but my hooves know all…”
 
The pair stared at each other for a moment before sniggering. “Well, ain’t that the darnedest thing! I gotta introduce you to Rarity. I think you two are gonna hit it off like gangbusters. She’s real creative, like you. First, I guess I gotta get us outta this kitchen, though.” Applejack pushed a few more torn sacks to the side, then opened up the door to the hallway. “Let’s continue the nickel tour so we can get you up to your room.
 
 


> Moments (Working Title)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
Pushing through the curtain that separated the club’s front door from the main floor, Pinkie found herself nodding in time with the heavy beat pounding out of the stacks of speakers. The drums were crisp and clear, and the intermittent syncopation of the high-hat added a level of surprise and excitement to the backbeat.  When the bassline kicked back in, Pinkie swayed from side to side, her grin widening.
 
But after a moment, it faltered. The dance floor was empty. Behind her decks, Vinyl was working her magic, but nopony was responding to her. The sign outside said that the club had opened half an hour ago, but ponies were still walking around the edges of the dance floor, looking nervous and self-conscious.
 
Pinkie tried to give Vinyl an encouraging smile, but the DJ seemed too busy fiddling with her turntables to notice. Oh, look at her! Pinkie could see the tale-tell tightening around the corners of Vinyl’s mouth. It was a frown. A sneaky one. An “I-don’t-want-ponies-to-know”, professional, trying really hard not to frown kind of frown that you weren’t supposed to notice.
 
To Pinkie, though, it was clear as day: Vinyl was getting upset by the second.
 
Okay, let’s get this party started! Hope I’m not too rusty. Pinkie shook her legs out, then stretched. She’d been so busy running around all over Equestria and helping out the Cakes at Sugarcube Corner recently that it had been months since she’d had the opportunity to just let it all out on the dance floor. She’d only been here for a minute or two, and she aready felt like her boogie was woogie-ing up a storm. Vinyl’s got a yucky empty dance floor and I’ve got at least four or five rugs to cut! Two problems, one solution! I’ll have those ponies getting down in no time.
 
Pinkie trotted to the middle of the dance floor. She felt heads turn with her, and out of the corners of her eyes, she could see ponies standing up a little straighter. Ears were perking up. The barrier had been breached, and everypony was waiting to see what was going to happen.
 
Behind the decks, the tightness around Vinyl’s mouth lessened a little. The DJ bobbed a little with the beat, then turned a knob. The volume jumped a little, and the bass rolled out a little more strongly. She gave Pinkie a small nod.
 
Pinkie’s hooves tingled. The beat was pounding from the speakers and flowing out into the room. The floor thumped in time and above her, the light’s pulsed. She took a deep breath and silently counted along with the beat, her heart racing.
 
When the moment arrived, she stepped out with authority. Her hoof came down right on beat, and she was already in motion again. She slid left and thrust out with her hip to meet the snare as it hit. Rolling her shoulders and shaking her head, she embraced the music.
 
Ahead of her, Vinyl nodded along with a little more enthusiasm. The next track was seamlessly blending in as the unicorn slid the crossfader. Pinkie would never have known except that she loved the incoming track. She recognized the blaring horns and marveled at the way that Vinyl has married the two songs together so perfectly.
 
Feeling the groove, Pinkie stepped left, then right, then left again, her hooves crossing over in complex patterns. Always on beat, she tossed her head, and her mane flew out beside her. She rose onto one hind hoof and spun, a wide grin on her face.
 
The rhythm called to her, and she answered. Closing her eyes, Pinkie embraced the music. It asked her to stomp a hoof. She stomped. It wanted a rump wiggle, and it got one. Horns called for her to snap left. The bass demanded that she spin right. Pinkie welcomed it all. Stepping and stomping, twisting and twirling, she threw her head back and laughed
 
The laughter swelled, caught, and then died in her throat. As she spun, the club whirled around her, and at it’s edges, ponies were still just standing. What’s wrong with—
 
Pinkie train of thought jumped track when she stumbled. She’d been too busy checking out the crowd, and her right, front hoof hadn’t gotten the message that the rest of them had moved on from the last beat. It was a pretty good beat. One with an accompanying snare hit, but they’d gone on without the hoof, and so it was in the way. The other three hit it, and she went down.
 
The music was too loud for Pinkie to hear, but she felt a collective “Oh!” rise up from the crowd. She was shaking her head to clear out the cobwebs when Golden Harvest ran out to her.
 
“Oh, Pinkie! Are you okay?” Golden held out her hoof, and Pinkie took it. “That looked like a nasty fall.”
 
Pinkie rose, dusting herself off. She craned her neck around to check out her smarting flank. “I-I’m fine. Just a little bruise, I think.”
 
“Are you sure? Do you want to sit down for a minute?”
 
“No,” Pinkie said, rubbing her rump. “I came to shake it, and no little fall is gonna stop this dancing machine!” On the edge of her field of vision, Vinyl seemed to be watching her closely. Or not. It was so hard to tell with those glasses.
 
“Well, okay.” Golden pursed her lips for a moment as she eyed the bruise. “But don’t hurt yourself.” She turned and took a step away.
 
Pinkie leapt ahead of her and threw a hoof up. “Nonononono! Wait!”
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes
 
Pinkie dances to inspire, but it doesn’t work.  Pinkie tries to pull a mare out onto the dance floor, but the mare resists.  She’s embarrassed that she doesn’t know how to dance, but Pinkie helps to teach her.  Seeing the pony taking a risk, a few more ponies join in, then more.  Pinkie is soon surrounded by grooving ponies.