Two worlds hang in the balance as Chaos moves to complete its conquest of both Equestria and Earth; A traveler between worlds may be the key to saving them both
Months after the events of Ponies Give Me Hope, Twilight and the refugees from Equestria have built a new life for themselves hidden in the Badlands. But they can't hide forever, and the forces of Chaos grow eager to complete their conquest.
Back on Earth, Max finds that the magic of Equestria has begun to fade—although a few familiar faces continue to weave in and out of his life like old friends from a half-remembered dream. When the residual magic from his journey to Equestria attracts the attention of Chaotic forces back home, Max is thrust back into a world-hopping adventure to save them both from annihilation.
Long ago, in a time when kings and queens still ruled Equestria, ponykind was confronted with a relentless foe unlike any they had faced before. The creatures were strange, twisted amalgamations. Their bodies were covered with scales and fur, with the limbs of lions and bears, and vicious claws.
They called themselves “Draconequus.” Wielding powerful Chaotic magic, they sought to conquer the peaceable races of ponykind, devastating vast swaths of Equestria as they waged war.
Ultimately, the ponies drove the Draconequus back. But they paid dearly for their victory.
As vast swaths of Equestria were subdued by Chaos, the Draconequus pressed ever closer to the heart of the kingdom. The king and queen of ponykind at that time hatched a daring plan: they would give up their lives to form the Alicorn Aspects and the Elements of Harmony. They believed that these magic artifacts would be able to turn the tide of war in their absence.
Instructions were left to bestow the Aspects on those that were honorable and pure of heart, that they might serve as princes and princesses in their stead. Likewise, the Elements were empowered to bestow unique abilities upon noble bands of ponies for the defense of Equestria. At the Alicorns’ discretion, ponies would be allowed to take up the Element which resonated with their heart of hearts.
Leaderless, the ponies turned to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, daughters of the king and queen. They took up the first Alicorn Aspects, infused with Order. The sisters then bestowed the Elements upon six of their closest and most trusted friends. With their power combined they were able to drive back the Draconequus and restore peace and tranquility to Equestria.
The ponies mourned their king and queen but rejoiced over their victory. The Age of the Princesses was renowned as a time of bliss and plenty. Due to their seemingly endless reservoirs of Order, the Alicorn Aspects granted such long life as to make the princesses’ nigh immortal. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony aged as normal, given great power but no extension of life. Many generations of ponies came and went, with Celestia and Luna selecting new Elements of Harmony from the ponies with the greatest potential in each.
Then Luna was corrupted by the Nightmare and became Nightmare Moon, a being of incredible power that grafted Chaos together with the Order of her Aspect.
Fearing the strength of her sister in the embrace of the Nightmare, Celestia was forced to use a powerful spell to banish her far above the green fields and mountains of Equestria on the moon. For a thousand years, Luna grappled alone with the Nightmare force that grasped at the source of her power. But she fought it to a stalemate and the Nightmare waited, biding its time—as an ancient evil must learn to do.
For it too knew the nature of the spell that Celestia cast. That a prophecy foretold the banished would return after a thousand years. It knew that it would be given another opportunity to obtain more Alicorn Aspects and grow its own power.
When the spell ended, Nightmare Moon found herself confronted by the six strongest Elements of Harmony that had ever been. And leading them was Twilight Sparkle, a magic user that far surpassed other Unicorns, rivaling even the Princesses’ in their prime.
Twilight and the other Elements subdued Nightmare Moon, restoring Luna to her right mind and casting the Nightmare away into one of the world's darkest corners. Into Tartarus, where it waited and brooded once more.
Centuries before Twilight and her friends took up the Elements of Harmony; before the combined forces of Chaos rampaged across Equestria, driving the ponies into exile; while Nightmare Moon still paced the lifeless dunes of the lunar surface; the sages of zebrakind portended that Chaos would return after its defeat. They spoke of another world, its fate entwined with that of Equestria. That one would rise—a hero destined to save both worlds from the greatest threat they had ever known…
But in so doing, it would cost him his life.
*****
The future’s dark, that much is true But a mote of Light I bring to you When the wrath returns; the evil ones And Chaos reigns beneath the sun Two worlds to fall, but One to rise And made to shine in dark of night He bears our burden, both in kind The Golden One to guard his mind To save, he must like stars to fall And wake the Hopes and Dreams of all
-Chieftan Tan’eruk of the Southern Zebra Tribe, Year 226 After Luna’s Banishment
Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, lay with legs tucked beneath her in the middle of the library. A dusty, leaf-bound book hung in the air before her, glowing with the purple aura that accompanied the use of her inborn magical powers; the natural gift of all unicorns. The aura rippled as she turned the last page, savoring the moment with a deep breath of satisfaction before returning the book to its spot on the shelf.
She stepped back to admire the sight of a half-dozen shelves, laden with books of all sizes and colors. The thing that Twilight missed most about Equestria-that-was was having any number of libraries at her disposal, like her treehouse library and the Great Library of Canterlot. Limitless amounts of knowledge at her hooves on any topic she could think of. For Twilight, libraries were as good as a second home. They were places of familiar comforts, where she could rest body and soul while exercising her mind.
Which made the literary desert of exile in a strange land all the more challenging for her. She took another deep breath, relishing the smell of so much paper and ink, before turning away. There were duties to attend to, after all. She wandered out of the room and down a narrow hall, passing colorful crystalline structures that wove intricate mosaics in relief along the walls. At the end was a crystal door propped open with a box of books Twilight had yet to sort through.
Spike, her purple-and-green baby dragon companion, stood just outside with eyes wide and mouth agape.
Twilight gasped, her horn flashing as she cast a spell of levitation to lift Spike. She swept out of the hall and kicked the box of books inside, causing the library door to swing back into place.
The seams were nearly invisible when the door was closed. It looked just like any another unadorned wall in the throne room of Twilight's crystal castle.
“Twilight?” Spike said. “What was that?” Still small even for a baby dragon, he floated in a hazy purple cloud of magic just in front of Twilight's nose, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
Twilight grinned sheepishly until she squinted from the effort. "Well, Spike.... You see, I modified the layout of my castle when the crystal seed was growing with a few carefully placed growth and inhibition spells. I may have added a room or two, and ..."
"I can see that," Spike said. "If you want a castle with secret rooms, that's your choice. Where did you get all those books?"
Twilight ended the levitation spell, dropping Spike to the pearlescent floor in a heap. "Would you look at the time? I need to go meet up with the girls!"
"But we don't have a clock," Spike called after her. She galloped away, out of the throne room and through a series of hallways to the mezzanine overlooking the foyer, taking the spiral staircase to the ground floor. Halfway down the steps she noticed that somepony was already waiting for her.
“Lily Blossom,” Twilight said with a genuine smile. “What a pleasant surprise.”
Lily bowed deeply, a half-saddlebag swinging by its straps at her side. The violet Pegasus did not return the smile. “Princess Twilight, I have news from the perimeter.”
"More ponies from the Crystal Empire?"
Lily nodded. "The ones in this group were from several small villages on the outskirts. I sent guardsponies with them to find living arrangements and work to do. There were several carpenters and masons in the group—they've already been sent to help with the boundary fortifications."
"Excellent work," Twilight said, barely restraining a frown. Her brother Shining Armor and his wife Princess Cadance had fallen out of contact since the northern reaches were first besieged by the Draconequus. It was hard enough to sneak around the highlands of Equestria; traveling that far north across open heathland, slate fields, and tundra would certainly prove deadly for any ponies she sent. So Twilight had no choice but to wait, wonder, and worry.
"No word from Shining Armor yet," Lily said. "We asked the new arrivals, but they haven't seen him either."
Twilight sighed, then offered Lily a thin smile. "Thank you, Lily. You've proven to be most capable as my Captain of the Guard."
Lily scuffed the crystal floor with a hoof in reply.
"How is your sister doing?" Twilight asked.
Lily grinned. "Derpy found a job she really likes, helping Zecora with her potions. I think she's really taken to it."
"She always seems eager to learn. Maybe one of the newcomers is an herbalist as well."
Lily's smile faded as quickly as it had appeared, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Your highness," Lily said, "should we be taking in so many?"
This gave Twilight pause. She considered her answer a moment before replying. "Is there somewhere else for them to go?"
"Well, no. But all these new ponies—they're putting an awful strain on already limited supplies of food and other resources. Not to mention that the Earth ponies are predicting lower than normal yields of staple crops. Fall isn't far away. Our food stores might not even last through the winter."
"Lily..." Twilight said softly. The truth of Lily's words touched the immaterial burden on Twilight's shoulders. She was well aware of the situation, but what other choice did she have?
Despite everything, Twilight straightened her back and mustered another smile. "Do you remember when I asked if you would be my Captain of the Guard? Do you remember what you told me?"
Lily blinked, then nodded slowly. “I told you I would love to, but I wasn’t sure I could do it.”
"Oh, you said a little more than that. You said that you would love to do it, at least until you gave it a second thought. What was it you said? That you weren't 'leadership material'?"
“Every morning, I wonder if this won’t be the day that you come to your senses.”
“That day isn’t coming,” Twilight said with a smile. “You’ve exceeded my expectations. But you doubted yourself in the beginning. You still do. Perhaps your doubt drove you to reach higher than you might have otherwise. I've been very impressed with what you accomplished these past few months. And you know what else? I think your sister's proud of you, too."
Lily didn't meet Twilight's eyes. She blushed slightly, tinging her violet coat pink and making her yellow mane seem to glow by contrast.
"You don't deserve your doubt, but neither do your fellow ponies. Your skepticism and caution are both deeply rooted in who you are. They can be strengths or weaknesses, depending on whether you control them or they control you.
"While your duty as captain is to the townsfolk," Twilight continued, "my duty as Princess is to all of ponykind. We will continue to welcome wayward ponies into our town as long as I rule. If we have food, we must share it. We will make it work. We have to keep hope alive for everypony."
Lily nodded thoughtfully. "For everypony." The look in her eyes told Twilight that she wasn't entirely convinced, but she bowed anyways. "Wise words, highness. I will remember them."
"I know you will. And I know that you want to set a good example for the other ponies, but really—you don't have to call me 'highness'. You're a friend. Plain old 'Twilight' will do."
"If it's all the same to you," Lily said, "I think it's important I keep the habit going so they see that somepony's in charge. Especially now that there's a castle watching over everypony again. It makes things feel more normal. More like they used to be."
They walked together down the length of red crystal that ran from the staircase to the wide double doors at the castle's entrance. Deep down, Twilight knew that Lily was right. While living as nomads in the Everfree Forest, Twilight believed that she could lead the ponies best if she led from among them. After all, she didn't even have her Alicorn Aspect anymore, and she had never been particularly fond of the stiff, formal nature of royal titles. But now as they worked to rebuild, having a princess leading again felt like a natural part of restoring life to the way it used to be. Uncomfortable as it was for her, Twilight knew that it was familiar and reassuring to the ponies in her care, so she accepted her role.
As possibly the last standing Princess of Equestria.
Twilight shuddered. No, Luna was still around, sent back to the moon in a last-ditch effort to protect her from the attack on Canterlot. She made herself known by raising and lowering the sun and moon, assuming control of the former after Celestia was taken captive by Dissonance. Although, as the days rolled on, it became increasingly obvious that Luna was growing tired. The sunrises came later each day as her power waned. No one princess was meant to handle the passing of day and night by themselves. The fact that she kept it up for this long was a testament to Luna's place as a living legend of Equestria. But she couldn't keep it up forever, and Twilight lacked the knowledge, training, and skill to provide any assistance.
The sun and moon continued to dance across the sky thanks to Luna, but as far as Twilight was concerned, she was alone. Her responsibilities didn't seem as magical or exciting by comparison, but even so, Twilight felt crushed beneath the weight of her duties. She would have to find a way to help Luna and bring her back.
“One more thing, highness,” Lily said. “I know about the trips you’ve been taking back to Canterlot.”
Twilight paled. “You do?”
“Even if I didn’t, it’s obvious how often you're up all night.”
They stopped at the end of the room before the doors. Twilight looked at her reflection in the ruddy floor. "I haven't made as many trips as I've had sleepless nights."
"Look, Twilight—" Lily came up beside her, placing a wing over Twilight's back. "—all this ceremony and royal hubbub aside, if you're not feeling yourself, you can tell me. Not that it hasn't been any to see anyways."
Twilight met Lily's eyes briefly, then looked toward the windows set in the wall high above the door. She nodded almost imperceptibly.
"You're the only princess we have left," Lily continued. "I wouldn't dare to tell you what to do. But as your friend, I'm worried about you. If something happened to you, all of the ponies would be completely lost. It seems like you're the only thing keeping us together out here in the Badlands. We need you. Your wisdom, your guidance, and your leadership. It's an awful lot to risk over scavenging books from what's left of Canterlot's Royal Library."
Twilight's shoulders drooped as she sighed. "You're right."
“Besides, you could have just told me you wanted books.” Lily dipped her head to the saddlebag, coming back with a book held between her teeth. Twilight plucked it away with magic, levitating it in between them as she gawked with wide-eyed, reverent wonder.
"Quilliam Inkhoof's Histories of Equestria," Twilight read breathlessly. "I've been searching for this everywhere. Where did you get it? How?"
"I had my scouts pick up a few books on their last scavenging expedition. This one's from an old bookstore outside Fillydelphia."
"Thank you, Lily," Twilight said. She was grinning from ear to ear. "You're a good friend, and an even better Captain. I mean that."
Lily blushed again.
“Keep an eye out for Shining Armor and Cadance, won’t you?” Twilight asked.
Lily nodded solemnly. “Your brother’s tough, Twilight. And so is Cadance. They’re out there somewhere. I’m sure of it. And I won’t rest until they’re safely here, in—well, I guess we haven’t settled on a name for the town yet, have we?”
“I was going to bring that up at the next council meeting, actually,” Twilight said. She threw the double doors open wide with a burst of magic.
Outside, the sun shone brilliantly in a cloudless blue sky. Grass rolled away from the crystal veranda, blanketing the hill that had been crowned with Twilight's castle. The ochre soil of the Badlands, dry and cracked, contrasted sharply with the verdant, velvet carpet of grass.
A wide, lazy river meandered through the low places of the valley that skirted the central hill. Dusty paths wove between homes and shops along both shores of the river, stone bridges crossing the gap between them, the water beneath sparkling clean after being magically purified where it entered the town.
Amidst the wooden skeletons of new construction were burst of color; flowers, shrubs, and fruit-bearing trees from the Everfree Forest had been transplanted here in the rocky soil, making the ponies' settlement a defiant patch of life surrounded by the bleak, barren, and wind-swept hills of the Badlands. Pegasi and Gryphons passed overhead between the town and Cloudsdale which had been relocated for safety, now looming over the town like a mountain peak made of cloud.
Though they could not be seen, Twilight could sense the presence of the Anti-Chaos fields she and the other Unicorns had woven over the town, keeping them safe from the sudden appearance of Draconequus through the use of Chaotic Magic. According to ancient lore, the fields would even mask the magical signatures of the town's inhabitants, making it difficult for the Draconequus to detect them and buying valuable time as they worked to establish their new home. The Anti-Chaos fields also hid Cloudsdale from a distance, rendering it invisible to Chaotic beings until they were close.
“There were some good suggestions,” Twilight said, “but only one that feels right to me. I'm going to cast my vote for Phoenixfire Town. Because no matter how bad things have been, we always keep going. Even from the ashes."
"I think that sounds perfect," Lily said, looking out over the town beside Twilight. They stood together in silence for a moment, before Lily dipped into another bow and took her leave.
Twilight watched from the veranda as Lily descended the hill, passing five ponies walking up toward the castle in single file. Even from a distance, Twilight would recognize her five closest friends anywhere. Together, they were the Elements of Harmony, guardians of Equestria, and they had much to discuss.
Today Twilight would tell them that she was leaving.
The peace and quiet of the night gave way to the beat of leathery wings. Calm air thick with the smell of damp grass carried the sound throughout the valley, rolling softly like distant peals of thunder. Though he could fly more quickly by using magic, Dissonance enjoyed the sense of power he felt in stretching his wings to conquer the skies. It felt more natural to the young Draconequus. Not to mention that a spell could be countered.
Dissonance rose with the slope of the mountain until he reached the plateau overlooking the wooded valley below. Perched on a jut of land, the ruins of Canterlot whispered tales of the once majestic castle. Though it was a warm, humid evening, there were no songs to be heard from the nightingales, nor were there fireflies flittering through the grass that grew up to the crumbled battlements and toppled towers.
Everything fell still before the approach of a Draconequus.
Dissonance swooped down to a parapet that led to Canterlot's Great Hall, landing just before the door inlaid with the royal seal. Moonlight covered him like a gossamer robe, his shimmering scales a reflection of the starry sky above. Like all Draconequus, Dissonance appeared to be a creature stitched together from the parts of a dozen others. A patchwork of limbs, horns, fur, and scales. But to witness him in his glory proved that the Draconequus did not lack for grace. Dissonance embodied the forces of Chaos under control, equal parts majestic and deadly. In a word, perfection.
And yet his claw shook as he reached for the door's gilded handle.
He threw the door open. A marble statue greeted him, a fierce looking pony wearing the armor of the Royal Guard. Dissonance snorted, then stepped inside, his clawed steps muffled by the lavish carpet that ran away from the door into darkness. Despite the damage to the rest of Canterlot, certain areas seemed to have escaped the destruction. The Princesses' throne room and adjoining halls at the heart of the castle were especially well preserved, save for the shattered stained-glass windows along the exterior walls that once depicted key moments of Celestia and Luna's reign. Colorful glass fragments glittered in the moonlight that spilled in through the doorway.
Dissonance had failed to fully eradicate the ponies' resistance force in the Everfree. They had fled into a barren land of dust and heat in the east. It was vast, harsh for mortal beings, and difficult to search in any systematic way. Not the sort of report Dissonance hoped to bring to Father.
He turned over different explanations in his mind, just as he had done hundreds of times since abandoning the hunt to bring his report. Was any excuse likely to be sufficient? Perhaps it would be better not to exacerbate the situation with impotent words. Dissonance had been given a job to do, and he was still going to see it through; time spent picking apart past failures was time wasted.
Not to mention that nothing could turn Father's fury once it had been kindled, as Dissonance knew well. His heart pounded as he moved through the halls toward what had once been the Great Library of Canterlot. Rows upon rows of shelves, one after another like waves rolling in to shore, all filled with meticulously categorized books from ancient times until the modern era. Now they simply served to feed the hearth when Father came to think or hear reports.
Dissonance made one final, silent plea to anyone listening that he might have miscounted the days, or that Father had been drawn away by more urgent matters, but instead he found signs of occupation. Foreboding shadows cast by a bright, flickering flame danced into the hallway, and the broad double doors of the library stood ajar.
His time of judgement had come. Dissonance puffed out his chest and stepped into the room.
Father stood beside the stone hearth, the orange glow catching his fur and scales. Bathed in the firelight, he seemed every bit the otherworldly, mythical beast that he was.
As am I, thought Dissonance. The Draconequus were powerful and proud beings. An ancient lineage, with long lives that could stretch for centuries. But Dissonance felt none of these things when he stood before Father. He felt like an imposter—as though his scales, claws, and innate mastery of Chaotic magic were nothing more than a thin facade. The sensation was strange to Dissonance; perched precariously between anxiety and anger. He did not like to be reminded that he was at anyone's mercy.
Trembling slightly, Dissonance moved further into the room. He froze when Father held up a claw. In his other claw he held a book open to the mid-point, though it did not seem to have his full attention.
"Is the Everfree rid of their presence?" Father asked, glancing sidelong at Dissonance. His expression was notoriously difficult to read, though his tone of voice seemed to indicate that he already knew the answer.
"We have control of the forest, though the ponies have fled to the east."
"All of them." It was not so much a question as a statement of fact.
"Some fell in battle—as did many of the servants you granted me—but some did escape." Dissonance felt that there was no sense in trying to bend the truth favorably. Careful wordplay would not save him. Father would see straight through it as he always did. "I dispatched most of my remaining forces to pursue the ponies—"
"What of the human?"
Dissonance felt a sudden chill in the room despite the fire. How did Father know about the human?
"I slew him."
"You slew him," Father repeated, sounding unconvinced. "Then perhaps Malevolence saw another human not two nights ago, returned through a portal to his own world."
The human had lived? Dissonance had run him through and left him bleeding in the forest. Surely there was some mistake. And Father had sent his sister Malevolence to spy on him. He had not earned Father's trust after all.
The room began to spin. Father loomed over him, his eyes smoldering now with a fire of their own as he awaited a response.
"I... I dealt him a mortal wound. Perhaps they revived him somehow. With magic—"
Father raised a claw to silence him. That had been the wrong response. Dissonance felt trapped, locked in Father's unyielding gaze. This was the moment he had feared most.
The moment that Father heard enough.
Dissonance dropped to the ground, head bent and claws wide in desperate supplication. Words flowed from his mouth as he struggled to assemble them into apologies. Father approached him slowly, laying a hand on his shoulder. Dissonance fought the urge to whimper.
Then Father snapped his clawed fingers.
Dissonance felt something wrench apart deep within himself. Some vital portion of his being, part of his very soul, was gripped by unseen hands and torn away. Dissonance cried out, though he had only a dim awareness of the sound through the blinding surge of pain. Through blurry eyes he saw a twisting ribbon of shimmering essence, like curls of thin smoke or satin, drifting in the space between the two Draconequus. It moved up and away until Father finally breathed it in, eyes closed and expression placid. The sense of loss that struck Dissonance was overpowering, though it paled before the agonizing, all-consuming pain that pulsed through him with every beat of his heart. He fell forward face-first to the cold stone floor.
The terrible moment ended as soon as it had begun. Father did not give Dissonance even a moment to recover before yanking him upright with a single claw. "I could take your life, could I not? You who dares to lie to me, who cannot complete the tasks set before him? Witness my temperance. I took but one decade of your life, little more than an eyeblink to our kind. This is the mercy I show my children. Do not disappoint me again."
"I apologize, Father... for my failure," Dissonance said, with some difficulty. "It will not happen again. I promise you. I will not fail a second time."
"Good." Father retrieved the book he had been reading when Dissonance first entered, leafing through it until he found the passage he sought.
"The human has returned to his world," Father said. "Perhaps with some message or knowledge from the four-legged ones. And certainly with knowledge of us. He may bolster their defenses in advance of our coming, or worse, return with some advantage for them. He must be brought back under our control."
Dissonance nodded. But surely Father knew it was impossible for him to use the portals. No Draconequus could. The barrier between worlds—and the portals to cross it—were formed with Ordered magic. The fundamentally opposed forces would tear beings of pure Chaos apart.
"Perhaps it is fortunate that you allowed him to return. It has forced me to search for old allies and the means to contact them. Not only will he be returned to us, but we will have eyes and ears on the far side of the portal as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Long ago, an old mage did battle with powerful beings called Sirens. They were defeated and banished to the human world, where they remain to this day. I have sent servants through to secure their allegiance. They will find and return the human to us."
"They can cross the barrier? And how will they find the human?"
Father offered a humorless grin. "They can once they have been reunited with the Aspects that the mage tore from them and locked away in Tartarus. They are not beings of pure Chaos, like us. Though their Order has been isolated to their Aspects; a wise maneuver by Starswirl to keep them trapped in exile."
He closed his book and set it back on the shelf. "The Sirens will find the human by seeking out his magical signature. Once someone has been to this place, it leaves a permanent effect on them."
"And what would you have me do with him once he's returned?" Dissonance said.
"Take him to Tartarus. Break him. See what he knows. He will be your sole responsibility once they return him. Until then, I will be assuming control of your forces in the Everfree."
Dissonance might as well have been slapped across the face. To be stripped of his command... but maybe he did deserve it. Either way, it wasn’t up for debate.
"And I will be sending some of your dogs through to fetch more humans for us," Father said. "It is time that I set the next portion of my plan into motion. Once we have enough, the Gates will open wide to permit us passage, and another world awaits us. For now, go speak with the Seer regarding communicating with the Sirens."
Dissonance crossed his arm over his heart in salute. "As you will, Father."
Father turned back to the shelves of books, and Dissonance instinctively sensed that the meeting was over. He turned and exited Canterlot the way he had arrived. A trip to the other world was certainly an impossibility for the Draconequus as beings of pure Chaotic magic, but the Seer would be well versed in conveying messages to and from that peculiar place.
Like Draconequus, humans were well attuned to Chaos as well; their capacity for Order seemed to dwindle as their world aged. Despite this, Dissonance found what he knew of them to be base and backward. They had great power, though they often misused it—warring within their own minds as much as they did with other humans, though Dissonance also thought it foolhardy to overlook their strengths for their shortcomings. They still retained an innate ability to harness the magic of both Order and Chaos. Most unusual, as the humans had long since forgotten how to actively practice it themselves. It was as if their bodies simply remembered. It was no small wonder that the human was able to harness the magic of this world to forestall his death.
And yet Dissonance was still surprised to hear that the human survived.
In truth, Dissonance was excited. This time the human would be unprepared. Surely he would not expect agents of the Draconequus to strike at him on familiar ground, and the Sirens had the ability to mask their true power behind unassuming forms. Father had even left the specifics of the human's defeat unspoken, giving Dissonance the freedom to decide.
He had always known that he was Father's favorite child. And that favor could be exploited when he threw down Father to don the mantle of leadership himself. Soon his destiny would be his own. Every living creature would come to fear his name. Father would seem a grim footnote portending Dissonance's reign in the legends to come.
Is this who you think you are? the voice said within him. That horrid voice. Is this what you have become? You used to dream of better things.
Dissonance clutched his head, gnashing his teeth in a rage. "Shut up, shut up!"
He leapt to the edge of the balcony, powerful wings spread wide, then flew off into the night by the light of the the near-full moon and considered his next moves. The voice remained blessedly silent.
Max stood in a clearing amid a sea of trees, bow in hand and an arrow notched to the string. His eyes darted from shadow to shadow.
It was gloomy, as though the sky were overcast. Except that when Max looked up through the tangle of tree branches he couldn't see anything. No clouds, no sun.
He saw only blackness. Thick, smothering blackness.
Max followed a thin path worn into the hillside, grass giving way to dark soil. He had no idea where he was. The forest was alien and unfamiliar to him. Oddly shaped trees leered down at him, and the colors around him felt mismatched and garish.
A flash of movement ahead through the trees caught his attention. Max didn't get a good look at it—whatever it was—but it seemed big. He thought he caught a glimpse of skittering legs and antennae. A giant ant?
Then he heard the beat of wings overhead. Broad, leathery wings. That was a sound Max knew. He was being hunted. If the creature were what he thought it was, his flimsy bow and arrow would prove to be of little use.
Movement in the trees again. This time accompanied by a flash of light.
Max raised a hand to shield his eyes, peering between his fingers. The light seemed to push back against the darkness, turning the gloomy scene into bright, sunny day in an instant. The sound of wings overhead faded as the forest brightened. The coloring of the forest was indeed peculiar, though now it seemed cheerful to Max. The lush greens of the grass and leaves contrasted with the deep browns and grays of tree trunks.
A magnificent stallion stepped out of the underbrush. Its mane and coat shimmered, seeming golden in the radiant light. After a moment Max realized that the light wasn't coming from the sun. It was coming from the stallion.
The stallion turned to look at him. Max's heart skipped a beat. His breath caught.
Then the dream dissolved around him.
*****
"Ugh," Max mumbled. "What happened last night?"
He sat up, rubbing at his temples beneath tousled brown hair. He was lying in the middle of his apartment's living room floor, surrounded by empty orange juice cartons, couch cushions, and plastic trays that once held chewy, store-bought cookies. He was cold and bare-chested, his shirt lying a short distance away covered in the dried remnants of snot and tears.
Oh, that's right. He spent the last night trying—and failing—not to think about breaking up with his girlfriend last week. Truthfully Lily broke up with him, but that felt worse to say.
Max groaned and staggered to his feet, then shuffled down the hall to the bathroom. He flipped on the light and examined himself in the mirror. Brown stubble heralded the coming of a patchy beard. Coupled with the bags and massive dark rings under his eyes, Max looked every bit as bad as he felt.
What did she say the reason was? His "flighty" behavior? His conspiracy theories about magic portals to parallel worlds filled with talking pastel-colored ponies? Some days it all still seemed crazy to him, too. He couldn't blame her. But he could blame himself for telling her, even if his heart was in the right place. He just wanted to be open and honest with her—the girl who he saw himself spending the rest of his life with.
Well, mission accomplished, he thought. You honest-ed her right out the door of your life.
Max leaned toward the mirror, his eyes moving to the massive scar in the middle of his body, just below his ribs. He ran a finger along the jagged edges around where the spike had punched through. It might be a crazy story, but this one was as real as they get.
The urge to mope washed over him like an old, familiar song. It was at once deep and dark, like standing at the edge of a pier and looking down into the depths of the ocean. Fists balled, knuckles pressed into the bathroom countertop, Max felt an overwhelming sense of nothing. And that scared him.
No, he wasn't going to give in again. He knew where this road would lead. This time he was going to fight it any way that he could. He turned and dashed down the hall to the bedroom like he was darting up the stairs out of a darkened basement. It was still neat and tidy in here, the bed made and the floor clear of clothes. Max wanted a place where he could retreat. Where everything felt right and set in order. He reached for his cell phone on the nightstand, but the picture beside it caught his eye.
It was a picture of Max and his father standing in front of an orange tree, limbs bowed and laden with fruit. They had big grins and arms over each other's shoulders, with Max reaching up to make bunny ears. That was the first harvest that Max felt like he truly participated in the family farm work, not just putting a few oranges in a basket for a pat on the back. His overalls were streaked with dirt, sticks and leaves nested in his hair, but he was happy. So was his father. That was one of the last times Max remembered seeing his father smile. Shortly after, Max's sister had passed away while still an infant. His father was never quite the same after that. None of them were. Max sighed and picked up the phone.
He had six text messages and seven missed calls. All from Twilight.
Max looked at the digital clock in a panic. It was much, much later than he thought. He grabbed a short sleeve button-down shirt from his closet and rushed out, leaving the hanger spinning around the wooden pole beside a dozen more, all devoid of clothing. Why hang something up when you had a perfectly good system of "clean" and "dirty" piles? He was still buttoning the shirt when there was a knock at the door.
Max opened it to find Shining standing on the porch, arms folded. He was about Max's age and built like the college football star he was, his shirt threatening to burst at the seams at any moment. Behind him, down the steps and parked along the curb, his younger sister Twilight sat in the open window of their family's Chrysler van, head and shoulders peeking over the roof. She pressed her glasses higher and brushed back a lock of purple-and-pink hair, waving to Max as Shining smiled and slapped Max on the shoulder.
"Hey, buddy. You ready to go?"
Max almost said yes, but the breeze through the open door felt just a little too cold on his feet. "I, uh, should probably get some shoes first."
"Yeah, maybe," Shining said, following him in. Max began hunting around the living room, kicking orange juice cartons aside with a hollow rattle as they tumbled away.
"How you holding up?" Shining asked from the entryway. "'Cause you look awful."
"I'm doing alright, I guess," Max said. He tossed a pile of clothes over his shoulder, finding only DVD cases beneath. Then Max turned to Shining and raised an eyebrow. "But you're one to talk about awful. You don't look so pretty yourself."
Shining smiled. "Got me there." He stooped over, picking up one of the DVDs. "Hey, you watched 'Them!' without me?"
"I felt like a monster movie might help me sleep."
"Makes sense."
Max threw an empty tray across the room like a frisbee. "I’ve been having trouble since before the break up too. Weird dreams lately. Not really nightmares, just weird."
"I see." Shining nodded sagely as he read the back of the DVD case. "Such a great movie. Freaky giant ants and flamethrowers, what's not to love?"
Max reached under the couch and felt his hand brush against laces. Success! He pulled the shoes on and hurried outside.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Max said. He locked the door after Shining stepped out and started down the stairs.
"Nah, we only just got here. Twilight demanded that we stop for coffee."
"There's one for you!" she called, holding up a colorful paper coffee cup capped with a plastic lid. She wriggled her way back in through the window as Max opened the sliding side door and climbed into a seat. Shining started the van and pulled onto the street.
Twilight handed the coffee back with a smile. "You do like macchiatos, right?"
Max accepted it with a nod. "They're only the very, very best. How did you know?"
"You mentioned it the last time we got coffee, silly."
Shining took a swig from his own cup. "So where are we headed?"
Twilight set her coffee into the cup holder, fishing around in her backpack on the floor. "I think we should check the anomaly by the lake first," she said. "Then hit all the new hotspots counter-clockwise, ending up at the high school. That's where I've been getting the strongest readings. Save the best for last."
"New hotspots?" Max asked.
"They've been popping up all over the place," Twilight said. "There used to be a new one here or there, but the past week they started showing up like crazy. I'm not certain whether to be concerned, intrigued, or both."
Max brought the opening in the lid right up beneath his nose and breathed deep, savoring the smell. He tested the temperature, finding that it was cool enough to drink, then sipped it thoughtfully. Twilight's research carried her all around the city, chasing energy fluctuations and unstable pockets of space-time. Max didn't try to understand it all. He was just thankful to have some friends to keep his mind off things.
But were they friends by now? The three of them had only met a few months ago, stumbling into one another at the park down the street. Max was there as usual to see if the portal in the statue had reopened, when he found Twilight walking circles around it with an exceptionally complicated looking scanner in her hands. Her brother Shining was there to offer simple one word answers to her rhetorical questions. Max heard mention of an energy spike emanating from the statue, and it piqued his curiosity.
Though he didn't explain why at first, when he began asking good-natured questions about her research, she was only too eager to discuss her theories with someone else. After meeting coincidentally like that for a few days, Shining and Max found that they shared an interest in old, black-and-white television shows and movies. Soon they chatting amicably about favorite films like old friends. Then Shining and Twilight invited Max to join them on their next research expedition around town.
If studying metaphysical phenomena wasn't friendship, Max didn't know what was.
The last time they visited the coffee shop, Max told them his story in the hopes that it might be pertinent to Twilight's investigation. Although he left out the bulk of it, her eyes lit up when he mentioned the portal that carried him away to another place. In truth, Twilight and her brother were the first people he ever told. And they believed him. That gave him hope that he could share his story with Lily too.
False hope, it seemed.
Twilight poked a button on the radio. "—this breaking news alert. Multiple cases of missing persons have been reported now across the metropolitan area—"
Shining changed the station. Heavily distorted guitars and power chords flooded the van.
"Wait," Max said. "What was that about?"
Shining's brow furrowed. He flipped back to the news. "—late night disappearances leaving many residents fearful that they may be next. The mayor held a press conference today, encouraging residents to be vigilant and remain indoors after dark until the authorities have completed their investigation." The newscaster went on to give a phone number for reporting suspicious behavior and played pre-recorded interviews with concerned citizens.
"Disappearances?" Max said. "Creepy."
Twilight tapped her chin with a finger. "Interesting. I wonder if they have anything to do with the spike in activity lately."
"You mean, you think people are falling through these new hotspots?" Shining asked.
"I suppose there's a non-negligible chance that people could be stumbling across new, untethered portals. Hotspots are just energy concentrations though. They're not stable enough to enable transmission of matter across space and time. But untethered portals might be invisible to the naked eye and difficult to detect with my current equipment. You'd be walking along, minding your own business—then poof, you're in another world entirely."
She glanced at Max as if for confirmation.
Max took another sip. "I mean, I sure didn't see anything weird about the statue before I tripped into it, but everything happened so fast."
"It's probably just someone up to no good," Shining said. "You know, that one dude's razor."
"Occam's Razor," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. "And I suppose it's possible. But given the recent activity, the odds favor new and exciting phenomena. Either way, I'm going to need more data on the hotspots and known portals to continue my research. The pursuit of science is worth a little danger. And I'm sure that my big-brother-best-friend-forever can fend off any would-be ruffians, right?"
She folded her hands and peered over at Shining, grinning.
"If it's that important to you..." Shining said.
"Indeed it is. Science is the most important."
Max drained the rest of his coffee. "Then let's go get some data."
