Lost Legacies

by AkibaWhite

Episode 04: What You Wish For

Motes of amber light danced across the ceiling of the Ponyville Library's guest room, cast by the pendant that still sat untouched on the table. Derpy Hooves lay on her back with the covers pulled up to her chest, snoring softly with a happy smile on her face. The gray mare with violet eyes stood on two legs at the bedside. Her giant leather-bound book rested in the chair just behind. Her expression remained completely impassive, even as she brushed a forelock of blond hair off of Derpy's face. She pressed her hoof lightly against the snoring mare's forehead. One corner of her mouth began to rise.

"The partition held for the most part," she whispered. "Minor outbursts notwithstanding."

The gray earth pony mare froze when Derpy's left forearm reached up to her hoof and pulled it down. The still-sleeping pegasus hugged the captured limb to her chest and snuggled it tightly. One second passed, then two. The mystery mare dared to exhale. She smiled a bit at Derpy's reaction, but the moment quickly soured. Her mouth returned to the form of a straight line. Her eyes watered and began to glow faintly.

"Just how much of you is still you, little sister?" With naught but a simple tug, the mare's outstretched forearm passed right through Derpy's, only a brief plume of pale white energy marking its ethereal passage.

Derpy brought her limbs close to her body to make up for the sudden emptiness, but her smile did not fade. The great leather book floated from the chair and settled onto the covers between the two mares. It opened without impetus, its pages giving off just the barest shimmer of white light.

The gray mare pulled her black mane behind her shoulders and sat in the familiar chair that she'd brought over from the desk. Her violet irises flickered as if a pair of candle flames burned just behind them. She drew in a deep breath.

"The reading is from the Lost History," she said as the energy within the book began to wreath itself about Derpy's head. "First Book of Kings, Chapter 18, Verse 17." The tone of her half-whispered voice became terribly somber. "Let us be attentive."

To the south and east of Poison Joke Gorge lies an alpine valley nestled betwixt a pair of mountain ranges. The Summer of Snow Glories has draped the depression in a cloth of verdant green, its hills and meadows uninterrupted by trees even up to the foot of the granite guardians encircling them. Small stone roundhouses and tracts of farmland dot the northern end of the valley, growing more numerous as they near the great sandstone building at the base of the tallest mountain. What resides above is wreathed in eternal mist. The flowers and fields below drift lazily in the morning wind that blows from the South Road.

In an unassuming thatch-roofed house overlooking golden fields of wheat, a hero's welcome is soon to begin . . .

Do it, said Derpy Hooves.

Silver Cross stood at the edge of an oaken four-poster bed. He'd already donned his shirt, leather harness, and claymore, but his cloak still hung from the post of a nearby hammock. Feather Quill lay asleep on the reddish-brown cotton duvets in front of him, her gray-furred body rising and falling with every slow breath. Her calm face had been engulfed by her long black mane in slumber. The rose-hued rays of daylight's first hour filtered in through the burlap-covered entryway. The savory aroma of wood smoke drifted from the fire pit and tantalized Cross's nostrils. An early morning chill still hung on the air.

Cross moved one of his partner's feather hair ornaments about in his teeth. You're sure about this, eh?

Positive, Derpy replied from somewhere within the warrior pegasus. She's so stuffy. It's like she's asking for it.

Cross rolled the ornament's bead back and forth with his lower jaw. Somepony stuffy get on your bad side lately?

Derpy couldn't stop the image of a white unicorn mare and her violet mane from flashing through both their minds. No, she lied.

It's a terrible idea in the first place, thought Cross. I'm surprised that a clever fairy like yourself can't figure out why.

Just go for it, Derpy goaded, unsure of what irritated her so much about the sight of the peaceful pony asleep on the bed. Harvest will be back any second.

Cross's partially open mouth turned up at the corners. If the lady insists . . . He rolled the feathered jewelry to the front of his muzzle and leaned forward, tickling the inside of Feather Quill's nose with the improvised tool. The sleeping mare drew in one quick breath, then two. She might have even sneezed if Cross had been able to suppress his sudden chortle. Feather's horn flared brilliantly. Her stylized dagger spun out from under the pillows and dove straight for Cross's throat.

CLANG!

Feather's violet eyes snapped open. She looked first into Cross's crimson irises, then to her blade grinding in midair against the hilt of his claymore, and finally to his foolish grin. "Cross," she began in an uncertain tone. "What are you doing?"

Cross let the hair ornament fall to the floor rug below, his shoulder pushing the sword handle back against the enchanted assailant. "Playing around," he answered simply. "How 'bout you?"

Feather's magic continued pressing on the dagger. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Not playing around."

"Good morning, everypony!" came a cheery voice from the entryway. Golden Harvest emerged from behind the burlap with eyes closed in familiarity, a few dandelions sticking out of her saddlebags. "They're serving breakfast over at the Estate, and you two are more than wel-" She opened her green eyes and stared in slack-jawed silence at the two ponies locking blades over her bed. They both turned to look at her, Feather with an embarrassed blush and Cross with a sly grin. Harvest flashed a nervous smile and broke out in a light sweat. "Y-you two obviously n-need a minute to yourselves. H-how silly of me." She slowly backed out of the door with a forced and awkward laugh.

Cross looked back at Feather, unable to tell if the redness in her face was from shame, anger, or some lopsided mixture of the two. "Well, now that you're awake," he said over the sound of scraping metal. "Care to grab a bite?"

The Estate that Harvest had referred to was a walled-off building at the far north end of the village. Forged out of red sandstone and rising three stories into the air, it dwarfed the humble houses and farms around it. Only the watchtower at the southeastern corner rivaled the prominence of the primary architecture. The refectory, a cross-shaped vaulted chamber meant for communal meals, sat on the eastern side of the main building, its doors open wide to accommodate those in need of morning sustenance. A trio of ponies—two gray following one yellow—passed through the entryway.

I'm sorry about earlier, said Derpy as a series of clicks and clacks signaled their transition from the dirt path to ceramic tile. That didn't turn out like I thought it would.

Cross smiled, causing Feather Quill to throw him a curious glance. I thought it a good bit of fun, he replied, but I do hope you learned something. Just think if you'd been the one to wake Feather instead.

Golden Harvest pranced forward, the sound of talkative banter from around the corner muting the impact of her hooves. She turned about with a flourish in the creamy rays of light cast by the high arched windows. "Well, what do you think?"

Silver Cross's mouth opened to respond, but words failed him at the sight of the mare who rounded the corner from the main dining room just behind Harvest. The white pegasus cantered toward them on delicate hooves as if she weighed nothing at all, barely making a sound even on the stone flooring. A voluminous mane of deepest crimson flowed all about her, partially covering a Cutie Mark of two foreign-looking trees and an orange crescent moon. The matronly curves of her generous figure contrasted sharply with her height; she stood nearly a head taller than Cross himself.

She's- Derpy began.

"Gorgeous," Cross finished.

Harvest smiled broadly. "You mean to say, 'The room is gorgeous.' Right, Mister Cross?" A white-furred hoof came to rest on her shoulder, causing the yellow mare to flinch in surprise. Harvest turned her gaze upward. "My lady?"

The beautiful pegasus mare at Harvest's side gave a warm smile to all present before speaking with the clarity and precise sound of a finely-crafted instrument. "He said unto Abner, the captain of the host, whose son is this youth?" Her emerald eyes focused on Silver Cross. "And Abner said, as thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell."

What? was all that Derpy could manage.

Cross's own expression of shock lasted only a moment longer. He stepped forward in confident stride. "'Twas no giant that I slew in the wilderness, fair lady, and 'twas not a stone from a sling that felled he and his band." Cross took hold of the hoof on Harvest's shoulder and kissed it respectfully. "Your ladyship ought to save the Tome's praise for the deserving."

Feather Quill let out a barely audible groan.

The white pegasus mare withdrew her hoof. "Well met, Silver Cross," she intoned with a glance to the yellow earth pony at her side. "And to think that I doubted young Harvest's tale of a warrior-scholar and his mystic companion; after years of immersion in the Grand History, I should have known better." She bowed her head and curtsied. "I am Paradise, headmistress of the Estate and ranking member of the village council." Her wings flared open in grandiose fashion. Golden Harvest ducked reflexively under the spread. Paradise looked each of the two ponies before her in the eyes as she said, "Sir Silver Cross, Lady Feather Quill, welcome to the town of Sunny Stables--a haven for all ponies who wish to live in peace and harmony."

Cross and Feather both bowed briefly in return. The former couldn't have looked more pleased, and even the latter's mouth opened just a bit in awe.

Derpy Hooves felt her own heart flutter a bit in the presence of the majestic authority figure, but she found her attention drawn to the actions of another pony some distance away. Hey, Cross, she attempted to whisper, forgetting that no one else could hear her. Somepony's giving us a funny look.

I'd imagine so, Cross thought dismissively. We are strangers here, after all.

"I do not mean to be forward," said Paradise, "but it has reached my ears that the two of you have journeyed far in search of a place to settle down and start a family."

Harvest's eyes widened. "Wait, that's not-"

Feather Quill shuddered. "We don't have that kind of relationship."

Cross, Derpy prodded. That yellow pony way in the back is staring a hole in us.

Not now, Derpy.

"Oh dear," said Paradise as she looked to Golden Harvest. "Did I read a bit much into it?"

Harvest nodded vigorously.

"I hope you can forgive me, Miss Quill," Paradise implored with an expression of genuine worry. "I have a terrible habit of playing matchmaker even when it is perfectly uncalled for."

"No offense taken," Feather remarked impassively. "You're certainly not the first to get that idea."

Oh crap, Derpy exclaimed. She tried to recoil, but Cross's idle hooves budged not an inch. Um, Cross? She's charging.

Charging what? Cross replied, his attention divided. He flashed his most debonair grin. "Or the last, if Lady Feather continues to cling to me like an unnervingly sarcastic limpet." Cross glanced back at Feather to see a furious scowl. Satisfied, he turned back to a mildly bewildered Paradise. "All misunderstanding aside though, you do have a nugget of the truth there, Lady Paradise. We set out from the Northerlands in search of the Green Pastures, or someplace spiffin' enough to bear the name at the very least."

Paradise sat back on her haunches, a curious delight sparkling in her eyes. "I am familiar with the Tome's promised land. While I would never be presumptuous enough to declare your journey to be at an end, I would say that you are unlikely to find any place on this Earth so close to that ideal as Sunny Stables has become."

Heads up, said Derpy.

"Indeed," said Cross with an emphatic flick of his tail. "From the very moment that I entered this valley I-"

WHAM!

Cross had seen the yellow mare with a blue mane just a second too late. His attempt to sidestep the oncoming bull rush sent them both to the floor in a sprawling heap. The blue-eyed mare with a white blaze on her muzzle came out on top.

"Hi, Mister Cross!" she barked with a heaping helping of enthusiasm. "I'm Bubbles!"

Her face was too close, even for such a compromising position. Pinned to his backside by the uncomfortable prospect of wriggling his way out, Cross leaned his head back and gave Feather Quill an upside-down glare. "And here I thought you had my back, old chum."

"She got you from the front," quipped Feather with a fake yawn. "Besides, I'm not worth much as a lookout when I get woken up on the wrong side of the bed."

Cross looked back to the pony on top of him to find a pair of sultry half-lidded eyes studying his well-built form, a lust-ridden smile leaving no question about the mare's intentions. Struck by a sudden chill, he struggled against Bubbles's surprisingly wiry muscles only to confirm that there was no easy way out of this predicament. He gulped and did his level best to present a nonchalant attitude.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Bubbles," Cross ventured in a less-than-composed tone of voice. He gestured down then up with his muzzle. "Would you mind?"

"Oh, I'm more than pleased to make yours," Bubbles responded, her face and body drawing even closer. "And I don't mind at all."

She smells nice, Derpy commented.

"Bubbles!" Harvest exclaimed, her entire face glowing bright red. "Y-you get off of him t-this instant, you s-shameless hussy!"

Bubbles looked back over her shoulder at Harvest and swished her tail from side to side. "I'm shameless? I'm not the one who didn't tell anypony else what a stud she had staying at her house all night long."

Harvest's mouth fell wide open. "Wha?" she babbled as she attempted to get her facial muscles under control. "W-what are you implying?"

Bubbles turned back to Silver Cross, her voice and expression much calmer than a few moments before. "Don't worry, Mister Cross. I know you two weren't up to anything naughty last night."

"Oh good," said Cross as he continued to inch out from under Bubbles with his shoulder blades. "That's good to hear."

"Harvy's too much of a cold fish anyhow," Bubbles elaborated. "She wouldn't know what to do with a good time if it bit her on the rump."

The high-pitched whine of a boiling tea kettle began to emanate from Golden Harvest.

Do ponies explode? Derpy wondered.

Paradise cleared her throat. "Bubbles, would you be a dear and release our poor guest?"

"Yes, ma'am!" the mare in question chirped, bounding off of her prey and hopping to Paradise's side.

Silver Cross bolted upright with a nervous cough. "Well, that's an interesting way to go about introducing oneself."

Paradise stepped forward, her face the very picture of concern. "I do hope that our . . . eccentricities shall not cause you to reject the thought of remaining with us."

"This little trifle?" Cross replied with a confident grin. "'Tis nothing but a regular occurrence in the life of a ladies' stallion such as yours truly."

"Don't let him kid you," Feather remarked as she began to walk toward the dining area. "That's the most action he's gotten in years."

Golden Harvest stood slack-jawed as she watched Feather move past.

Bubbles grinned. "We're gonna have to do something about that."

Paradise cleared her throat loudly. "Why not try a simple chat over breakfast first?" She waved a hoof toward the dining room and smiled with a slight twitch. "Shall we?"

The discussion at breakfast, oft interrupted by heartfelt thanks and praise from passing villagers, had indeed been simple. Paradise had been quick to offer Cross and Feather citizenship and land as a reward for extinguishing the threat of Iron Bound from the countryside, but she would not hear an answer at the table. Instead, she had insisted on the two travelers experiencing the highlights of Sunny Stables while the residents of the Estate prepared a feast in honor of their great deed. Golden Harvest and Bubbles had been excused from their normal duties to serve as guides.

"With Bubbles?" said Harvest, one hoof lifted in confusion. "Surely you can't be serious, Lady Paradise."

"Touring the village 'Harvy-style?'" Bubbles pulled a face. "You do want these two to like this place, right?"

Paradise laughed knowingly. "And you wonder why I'm giving the responsibility to you both?"

One hour later, the group of four ponies ascended a long series of stone staircases set into the contours of the hills and cliffs at the village's northeastern edge.

What did Feather mean about you not getting any action? Derpy commented from the back of Cross's mind. There was plenty of action going on back at that Poison Joke canyon.

A powerful gust of wind whipped Cross's snow-white mane to the other side of his neck. There are many different kinds of action to be had in this world, little fairy. We should have a chat one day about the magic of context.

But I'm not a unicorn, said Derpy.

Cross sighed out loud. That's exactly what I'm talking about.

Bubbles had taken the lead in this guided tour at the outset. She turned about from her position in front and began to walk backwards up the stairs with a smile on her face and no visible increase in effort. "Don't get tired yet, Mister Cross. You've gotta have endurance to keep up with me!" She turned again, nearly swishing Cross in the face with her azure tail. "Besides, isn't the view great from up here?"

Silver Cross coughed nervously and averted his eyes. "Yes, quite."

Derpy turned her gaze out from the stairs to look at the village below. From this height, the dirt paths and cobblestone walls of Sunny Stables caused the fields and meadows below to resemble a green patchwork quilt of grand proportions. It really is a pretty sight, she observed.

Golden Harvest turned her nose up from her position at Cross's side. "Try to keep the entendres to a minimum, Bubbles. These are seasoned warriors and honored guests that you're escorting."

Bubbles giggled heartily as she continued her bouncy ascent. "Sounds like two ponies who could use some fun, especially my kind of fun!"

"Your kind of fun. . ." Harvest muttered. The words left her mouth as if she were spitting out rotten food.

"What sort of 'highlight' are you trying to show us?" Feather questioned with more than an undercurrent of irritation. "I can see the waterfall at the summit, and there were plenty of mills and flumes on the way. I'm guessing that you've got an embankment dam up here to manipulate the water flow, and it wouldn't be the first time that either of us has seen one. Wouldn't the product of this system be of greater interest than the system itself?"

The quartet reached another square landing, and it became immediately apparent that the next set of stairs was indeed the last. Bubbles gave out another cheery laugh as she bounded right along. "You're a silly filly, Miss Feather! Just follow me—we're almost there anyhow!"

Bubbles disappeared from sight over the top step. As Cross and Feather crested the final landing, their eyes met with a spectacle that stole their breath away.

"Oh," said Harvest as she arrived at their side. "I can't believe that I forgot about Bubbles's job." She turned to study the faces of her two charges, her own eyes wide in expectation. "So, what do you think?"

The waterfall that Feather had seen indeed emptied into a reservoir held back by a dam of compacted earth and stone that was a good distance away and still about ten feet above where the ponies now stood. Auxiliary spillways had been cut into the hillsides and funneled the flowing water into basins of varying size and depth, each resting on its own terrace with one or more wooden floodgates controlling the output. A complex series of wooden chutes sat above the spillways and relayed water directly from the reservoir down to the mills and fields below. Though an impressive feat of pony engineering, it was not this system that drew the attention of Cross and Feather.

The basin on the current terrace level possessed a starkly different appearance. Its' shape was that of a perfect rectangle cut into the solid rock, perhaps 80 by 40 feet. A deck of smooth stone and varnished lumber surrounded it and housed several ponies either sunning themselves on straw mats or just relaxing in general. A few even swam about in the astonishingly clear water, their movements indicating frivolous intent rather than anything relating to hygiene. The warm sun shone down on the whole affair from high overhead. The only sources of shade to be found rested with a set of cloth overhangs on wooden posts or what could only have been a thatch-roofed drink bar at the northern edge.

Oh. My. Gosh, Derpy exclaimed. They've got a swimming pool.

Feather struggled to keep her jaw from dropping all the way. She turned slowly to Golden Harvest. "You forgot about this?"

Harvest waved a hoof. "Not the pool, Miss Feather. I just forgot that Bubbles maintains it." She sighed and gave the glittering body of water a wistful look. "Still, it does sort of blend into the background after a while."

Feather looked at Harvest as if the mare had turned into a tomato. "You're kidding."

Both Cross and Feather felt the soft impact of red-and-white flower necklaces descending across their shoulders. Bubbles revealed herself as the adornments' point of origin by swinging around in front of two in a blur of motion.

"Isn't it awesome?" Bubbles exclaimed, her enthusiastic tone leaving no doubt as to her own opinion. "And it's all me too! Well, keeping it pretty, that is." She brought her smiling face uncomfortably close to Cross's. "Are ya impressed?"

"Rather," Cross replied in genuine fascination. He ignored the perky mare's proximity and moved close to the edge, his hooves thumping across the wooden deck and coming to a rest on the russet ceramic coping. He stared intently at the shimmering surface and straight through to the smooth stone at the bottom some five feet below. "How d'you manage this? It's barely even flowing."

Bubbles giggled. "It doesn't have to if you know what you're doing," she said with a sway of her hips that emphasized her Cutie Mark of nine bubbles, five green and four blue. She pranced over to a small three-sided wooden shed at the corner and pointed proudly at the devices arranged within. "Gravity pushes the water through the sand filtration. I can feed the water anything else it needs to stay clean from right here." Her eyes glazed over a bit. "Green-Out Flakes, Rust-B-Gone, Rock Food . . ."

As the list continued, Derpy's gaze wandered to a pair of foals on the far side. One of the two leaned over the edge only to find herself pushed in by her companion, who laughed heartily until he got splashed in return. That looks fun, she mused. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud gasp from Bubbles.

"Buff Powder!" the poolgirl pony proclaimed. Her expression seemed to have been shaped by a head-on collision with a startling epiphany. "I wonder if it needs Buff Powder?" She lowered her head to the water's surface and gave a curious sniff before rocketing back upright with a giddy smile. "It does need Buff Powder!" Bubbles disappeared behind the walls of the shed in a flash. Her excited visage poked back around the wooden panel just long enough to declare, "I love Buff Powder." As she whipped back around the barricade, her voice continued in a slightly muffled echo, "And other buff things."

Feather and Harvest had both walked forward to stand by the water's edge. "We noticed," they deadpanned in the same instant.

Derpy huffed inside Cross's mind. What's Feather's problem? Bubbles is a nice pony.

Silver Cross raised an eyebrow. Terribly so. The eyebrow arched further. Why just Feather?

Derpy took notice of how close Feather Quill was to the edge of the coping. She gasped. I've got the best idea.

A wooden trough that sat between the walls of the shed and the thatch roof tipped forward, dumping a copious amount of white powder into the pool. It cascaded down the shell wall and expanded across the bottom like a reverse mushroom cloud. A few seconds later, the entire pool began to bubble and fizz in the same manner as a shaken carbonated beverage. The foals squealed in excitement and swam toward the curious reaction. Even the adults who'd been caught in the cloudy bubbling tide looked about with momentary wonder.

Bubbles bounced out from behind the shed to admire her handiwork, pure delight writ large on her face. "I love this part!"

"Buff Powder?" asked Feather as she turned about from observing the additive's effects. "That's baking soda, not a sanitizer." Her voice dripped with a curious mixture of haughtiness and disappointment. "What does that even do besides make bubbles?"

Push her in, said Derpy.

Not this again, Cross groaned inwardly. What's got you on this kick, little fairy?

She's being such a know-it-all, Derpy complained. Just dunk her.

"It makes the water buff 'n tough!" Bubbles responded cheerfully with a flex of her muscles. "So buff that even bad stuff falling in does nothin' to it!"

That line is so perfect, Derpy began to plead. You can't not push her now!

Cross rolled his eyes. I'm not playing along this time, Derpy. If you want it done, go do it yourself.

"I remember hearing about this," Harvest chimed in. "The powder keeps the water from making your eyes itchy." She cast the doubtful unicorn mare a sideways glance. "Even simple things like leaves and bird feathers can foul up the chemistry if they just keep falling in."

No way, Derpy thought. She pushed with all her might against Cross's idle legs. You can't let that go; you just can't! It's like lightning striking twice!

The bait's got a hook behind it, Cross admonished. Best to leave it be. He walked forward to join the conversation. "Do feathers get dropped in that often?" he remarked.

Oh, come on! Derpy pushed with manic force.

Cross's right arm shot out at Feather's midsection. The unicorn mare toppled over the edge of the coping. As the next second seemed to extend into infinity, both the pushed and the pusher looked at each other in utter surprise.

"You son of a-" Feather shouted before disappearing beneath the foamy surface in a thunderous splash.

Golden Harvest stared at Cross with wide eyes. Bubbles trotted over to the edge as Feather broke the surface and began to flounder about.

"Why didn't you say you wanted to get wet?" asked Bubbles in an earnest voice. "All you had to do was ask."

"Screw off!" Feather managed before she went back under, her meager swimming skills barely keeping her afloat even in the relatively shallow water.

Harvest burst out laughing.

All right, Cross! Derpy cheered. You wanted to play along after all! Why didn't you just push her to begin with?

Cross joined Harvest with an intensely fake monotone guffaw as he backed away from the sputtering Feather. "Oh yes, it's gosh-darn hilarious until you realize that she's probably going to kill us all when she gets out!"

Harvest's merrymaking stopped abruptly. "Wait, what?"

I didn't do a thing, Cross thought with a strong emphasis. You failed to mention that you could move my limbs without my consent, Derpy. I don't appreciate being misled, and I like being used as a plaything even less.

Derpy's delight at the situation faded instantly. I . . . I didn't know that I could . . .

It was then that another pony walked in on the situation. The violet-furred newcomer bumped Bubbles aside and reached a hoof down to the flailing Feather.

"Galaxy!" Bubbles gasped. "I didn't know you were here today!"

"It's a good thing that I am," the pony named Galaxy replied in a sardonic alto, pulling Feather Quill over the coping by her arms. "Seems that nopony else around here knows any common courtesy."

"Thank you," Feather muttered. She turned her soaking wet face up to get a proper look at her savior and gawked at the orange, red, pink, and white of Galaxy's multicolored mane.

Cross whistled, both glad for the distraction and stunned at this new pony's appearance. He sauntered forward and gave a toss of his mane. Galaxy lifted a hoof in apprehension.

"Begging your pardon, fair lady," Cross implored, his eyes wandering from the blue bow on Galaxy's tail to the long set of eyelashes that blinked over the pony's rose-hued eyes. "If it's courtesy that such a beauty desires," he said as he took the lifted hoof and gave it a light ceremonious kiss. "Let it begin here."

An awkward pause followed. Only the fizzing of the pool water and the shouts of playing foals interrupted the silence.

Harvest tapped Cross's shoulder from behind. "Um, Mister Cross?"

Galaxy turned to Feather with his eyelids at half-mast. "Is your friend blind?"

Feather stared daggers at the confused Silver Cross. "Friend?" she seethed. "Where? I don't see any."

"Mister Cross," Harvest hissed with an aggressive shoulder tap. "Look down."

Cross's ignorant eyes descended to Galaxy's nether regions. They came back up to meet the violet stallion's own angry gaze very quickly. "Oh," he said, his face scrunching up as if he'd suddenly been struck ill.

Feather and Galaxy's angry stares persisted in silence.

"Well," Cross announced as he turned about and began to walk away at an uneven gait. "I'll be donating my breakfast to one of those bushes over yonder for the next couple of minutes. Everypony keep calm and carry on."

Galaxy's horn glowed with a faint orange light, the aura it produced adjusting knobs on a brass telescope at his side. "Almost there," he muttered.

By the time that Silver Cross had returned to the group, the tour through Sunny Stables had suffered a second hijacking. The four--now, five--participants sat at a short wooden table placed underneath a freestanding cloth awning near the edge of the pool deck. Bubbles sipped at a flagon of curious blue liquid that she'd obtained from the drink bar, her senses fully absorbed by the flavorful experience. Feather stared in rapt attention at Galaxy's activities, and as for Harvest . . .

Cross turned to look at the yellow earth pony mare just in time to see a quick blur of auburn. Harvest's gaze was locked on Galaxy and his telescope, but movement of her mane indicated that she'd just turned her head. Cross raised an eyebrow. Had she been looking at him?

Cross? asked Derpy. I'm really sorry about before.

"No offense, Mister Galaxy," said Feather, "But did you really call us over so that we could watch you stargaze? In broad daylight, no less?"

"Not stargazing," corrected Galaxy, his right eye firmly ensconced in the device's eyepiece. "Weather prediction. I'm checking on tomorrow's rainfall chances." A black knob higher up on the cylinder twisted in a magic aura. "Just a few more moments, Miss Feather. These windows in the clouds wait for nopony."

Cross? Can you hear me?

Silver Cross tilted his head to the side. "You really expect us to believe that you can bally well predict the rain 'fore there's even a dark cloud in the sky?"

Galaxy sighed and snapped the eyepiece shut. "I hadn't figured you for a backwater rube, Silver Cross." He posed in a manner that emphasized his Cutie Mark, a constellation of red stars. "As it is above, so it is below. In all of your journeys, you expect me to believe that you've never heard of astrology?"

"We have," Feather interjected. "Though it's always fallen into the 'believe it when we see it actually work for somepony' category."

Cross?

Galaxy stood up on his two hind legs, stretching a forearm out toward the valley below. "Then see, proud warriors," he intoned with a confident smile. "And believe."

"Oh boy," said Bubbles, her expression halfway between amusement and dismay. "Now you've got him all excited."

Galaxy pointed a bold hoof to the eastern edge of the valley, which sported a pine forest and several quarries cut into the ground. "Resources!" he exclaimed. "Both lumber and mineral." He swiveled about, his hoof now pointing to the crop fields betwixt cobblestone walls along the western side of Sunny Stables. "Agriculture with a diverse and bountiful yield." He pointed again at the mills along the river south of their present position. "The means of production for a wide variety of goods." His arm turned to the Estate and the houses that encircled it. "Culture, and a strong community." He extended both hooves upwards. "All of it is made possible by the magic of understanding. The past, present, and future are in the Grand History, the people, and the signs of the stars above." Galaxy turned his hoof to Cross and Feather, his mane billowing dramatically in a sudden gust of wind. "Sunny Stables should leave not a doubt in your minds as to the quality of its people and practices. After all, by their fruits, you shall know them." He smiled. "Isn't that what you believe?"

Bubbles leaned toward Feather and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "Gal-Gal's kinda insecure about how pretty he is. When he tries to act all manly like this,you should just nod and-" Her mouth stopped suddenly, its muscles frozen by an orange magic aura.

"Gal-Gal?" Galaxy growled, his horn aglow. "Whose stupid mouth came up with that nickname?" His angry gaze turned to Bubbles. The aura he projected began stretching the mare's cheeks back and forth. "Was it this one? Was it this stupid mouth?"

"Galaxy~" Bubbles whined, helpless before the unicorn stallion's magic. "Cut it out~ That huuurts~"

"Should I be counting Iron Bound among those fruits?" Feather questioned, ignoring Bubbles's plight. "If he was such a problem for this town, why were we left to deal with him? Doesn't Sunny Stables have a militia?"

Galaxy's expression calmed somewhat. "I'm sorry to report that we do not." He relinquished his hold on Bubbles's cheeks. "Consider it a casualty of a century's dedication to pacifism. We've no shortage of young able-bodied stallions, but not a single warrior capable of training them resides among us."

"And thus the red carpet," Cross quipped.

Galaxy raised an eyebrow. "Now that's the sort of thinking I expected from the mind of a swordfighter." He crossed his arms. "Paradise might believe that goose-stepping around the issue of your skillsets is prudent, but I beg to differ." He smiled ruefully. "Gratitude is temporary, after all. I doubt that you'd trust anything less than a genuine desire for your abilities."

Cross! Derpy shouted. I said that I'm sorry! Why won't you answer me?

"I appreciate the honesty," Feather sighed, "but it's not your intentions that have me curious." She leaned forward. "What is this 'Grand History' that I keep hearing about? Is it like our Tome, some sort of sacred book?"

Cross!

Galaxy's smile grew wider. "Much more than that, Miss Quill. You see . . ."

Seeing that the conversation had drifted away from his interests for the moment, Silver Cross leaned back against one of the wooden posts and closed his eyes. You can stop yelling, Derpy. Whatever hearing I've got betwixt my ears remains intact.

Then why didn't you answer me before? Derpy meekly inquired.

You haven't said anything worth responding to.

Derpy paused. You mean that you're not mad at me?

Of course I am, Cross replied. You've had nothing but disrespect for my best friend all morning and you took control of my body for the sole purpose of trying to humiliate her. How would you feel if I'd done the same?

But I said that I'm sorry! Derpy pleaded.

You did say that, Cross confirmed, but that's not how you feel.

What?

Cross shifted against the post. You do not believe your actions to have been wrong, Miss Hooves. You're simply afraid that you've angered me.

What's the difference? Derpy asked in frustration. I'm sorry either way!

Not so, Cross corrected sternly, and I won't accept an apology from any creature too scared or stupid to know the difference between regret and fear.

Derpy's temper flared. I am not stupid! she exclaimed.

Is that so? Cross raised an eyelid to observe Feather and Galaxy still conversing intently. Then you have the capacity to learn, Miss Hooves. Stop treating your time with me like a game that you can't lose. Observe yourself and others with care. Do that, and you're sure to understand. When you understand, you'll no longer be too afraid to see what you've done wrong here.

THUNK!

Cross's eyes snapped open at the sound of Bubbles's forehead hitting the table.

"Ugh," Bubbles groaned. "You two are so boring. When are we gonna actually do something?"

"Mister Cross?" asked Golden Harvest.

Cross turned to find the mare standing on his left. When had she gotten there?

Harvest's hooves shuffled a bit as she spoke with a nervous smile. "I was wondering: if you don't have any interest in what they're talking about, do you want to go swimming instead?"

Bubbles's head snapped up from the table, her right eyebrow raised. "With you?"

"Yes," Harvest answered, her green eyes not leaving Cross's gaze.

Bubbles cocked her head to the side. "But you hate swimming."

This time, Harvest looked around Cross to give Bubbles an angry stare. "I do not!"

Bubbles's eyes darted from the pool to Harvest. "You do when there's other ponies in the pool."

Golden Harvest blushed. "Well, I was bound to get comfortable with the idea sooner or later." She turned back to give Cross a sheepish grin. "So, do you want to?"

All eyes were on Silver Cross. Despite her intense frustration, Derpy felt Cross's surprise at the circumstance give way to the same warm feeling that had encompassed her at the end of their first adventure. It was impossible to ignore, and Derpy's confusion over her rejected apology began to fade in its presence.

Cross smiled at Harvest. "Last one in is a filthy parasprite." He whirled to his hooves with a flare of his wings and bolted into the water, pulling a stylish backflip as he did so.

It's so easy for him to set aside bad feelings, Derpy thought to herself. Flashes of her lashing out at Rarity entered her mind. She shivered inwardly. Why can't I do that? Is it really because I'm scared? As a happy Golden Harvest splashed into the water beside her with an excited whoop, Derpy swallowed her bewilderment and decided not to say another word until she knew precisely what to say. Besides, the cool water felt amazing after spending such a long time in the sun.

"Ah, the joys of simpletons," Galaxy sighed. "Well, Miss Quill. Perhaps you'd enjoy a more detailed look at-"

"Uh-oh," Bubbles interrupted. "Looks like I'm gonna be the last one in." She gave a sultry look to Galaxy and swished her tail about on the deck. "That means I'm filthy. Wanna help clean me up?"

Feather stood up from the table with a jolt. "Why yes, Sir Galaxy. I'd be delighted to take a look at . . . whatever it is you're talking about. It's got nothing to do with Bubbles, right?"

Galaxy ignored the salacious request from his fellow resident and rose to walk alongside Feather. "Not one thing, as far as I know. Shall we?"

Bubbles stuck out her lower lip at the two retreating ponies. "Party poopers."

In a drainage basin several feet below Bubbles, a dead sparrow floated toward the overflow line, its carcass bloated and eyes bleached white by the powerful chemicals. Nopony in the swimming pool realized that it had died there just hours earlier. Nopony observed it now as it disappeared into darkness.

Silver Cross spent the rest of the day in the company of Bubbles and Golden Harvest, though the poolgirl pony was eventually forced to leave their side and apply her expertise to a complaint of mold in the baths at the Estate. Though they feigned disappointment, both Cross and Harvest were glad to be separated from the source of constant innuendo. The pair got along famously as they cut a slow and meandering path on their way back to the Estate at dusk.

Derpy Hooves, for her part, used the time to think of an apology that Cross would accept. However, her mind strayed constantly from the task at hoof. Even when she managed to set aside the stimuli from Cross's experiences, Derpy ended up fighting a losing battle between frustration at her failure to be mindful of her actions and fear of not being able to regain her companion's friendship. After a time of drifting between these depressing avenues of thought, it occurred to Derpy that this sensation was terribly familiar.

This feels like when I lost my job, she realized. Like I can't do anything right. Derpy's proximity to that miserable state caused her sense of panic to escalate. How did I do this to myself again? I thought I was changing. She wanted to cry, but she had no tear ducts to call her own. She wanted to call out to Cross for help, but the contrast between her depression and his happiness couldn't have been any sharper. I can't ruin this for him, she thought. He'll just hate me more.

Just as Paradise had promised, a tremendous feast awaited Cross and Feather upon their return to the Estate. Nearly the entire village of some 200 ponies turned out for the festivities, and the cooks and kitchens of the Estate were ready for them. Twelve varieties of salad containing all manner of freshly cut greens moved about the wooden tables of the refectory like ships on the open sea. Savory harvest loaves and slices of sweet spicebread disappeared into the gullets of hungry ponies almost faster than the servers could fill the baskets. Cheese wedges adorned the spread in red, yellow and white, each of them studded with all manner of nuts, herbs, and apple bits. Pitchers of cold beverage drifted back and forth in a veritable rainbow of unicorn auras. Milk, tea and juice floated right past flagons of ale, wine and cider, nopony caring quite enough to see that a few of the stronger drinks made their way into younger hooves.

Feather did her level best to shrink away from the merrymaking and simply focus on having a nice dinner with Galaxy, who she'd apparently become good pals with in their time exploring the Estate's massive library. Cross, on the other hoof, could barely be restrained from crowd-surfing as he reveled wholeheartedly in the gratitude of the masses. Many of those attending even offered to personally help him start a homestead if he should choose to stay. Some of the ponies were so generous and warm-hearted that even the normally glib Cross found himself at a loss for words.

Derpy's mood improved considerably once Cross began to wolf down the various assortments of tantalizing food, and she became doubly thankful when she noticed that Cross was deliberately avoiding the alcoholic beverages. Was it for her sake? She doubted that, but it made her feel relieved all the same. When she had a chance to take a mental step back from the party, Derpy felt terribly glad for Cross. After all that he'd gone through, he seemed to have finally earned his just reward.

This is how ponies should act when you do great things for them, Derpy thought. Not like what Rarity did to poor Spike. She looked over at Feather Quill to see the gray unicorn mare impassively sipping at a bowl of mint tea before wiping her chin with an enchanted napkin. Stuffy sourpuss, Derpy huffed. Even at a party in the middle of paradise you won't crack a smile.

A new thought stopped Derpy's rising temper dead in its tracks. This party's for Feather too, she realized, because Feather helped Cross get rid of those slavers. A cold chill enveloped her ethereal senses. Feather did something great. She deserves this just as much, right? An epiphany washed over her mind like a salty oral rinse. Why am I getting angry over a little thing like her attitude? That question made Derpy feel small and petty. All the wonderful food and drink in the Estate did nothing to erase that sudden and terrible sensation of emptiness.

She deserves to be here more than I do.

After a few hours of joyous celebration, the party at last began to die down. Ponies with full stomachs, inebriated senses, or both began to file out of the refectory one by one. Eventually, only about 50 of the original participants remained on the cushions and couches arranged all about in the flickering torchlights that adorned the dining hall.

"Everypony quiet down now," an elderly stallion eventually announced in a calm and clear tone. "We'll soon begin the Nightly Reading. Find a place and settle in if you wish to stay."

Golden Harvest had lost Silver Cross in the crowd earlier on, but had pulled up a cushion to sit beside him as soon as the number of ponies began to dwindle. She'd been inching closer with every passing minute, but she now found her efforts foiled by a curious fluffy bundle that snuggled in between her and Cross.

"Miss Harvest, Mister Cross," squeaked the white earth pony filly with a royal blue mane. "Can I sit with you?"

Harvest's momentary disappointment melted into a warm smile. "Of course you can, Sleepy Pie," she said with a reassuring nuzzle. "You don't mind, do you Mister Cross?"

Cross grinned. "The more the merrier, little one." His voice brimmed with confidence, but Derpy could tell by the shifting of his back hooves that Cross wasn't quite used to the presence of children. Even so, all four of them were soon distracted by the activities of Paradise at the far end of the tables.

The regal pegasus mare opened a large leather book on the wooden surface and spoke in a strong yet gentle voice. "I bid you good evening, proud ponies of Sunny Stables and honored guests." The pages in the book glowed with a faint white light and began to turn on their own. The torches in the room dimmed as trails of faint energy began to spill outward from the volume and wreath about the entire chamber.

Silver Cross looked to Harvest as a coil of smoke-like light trailed past him. "What is this?"

"Don't worry," Harvest whispered. "This is how it always goes. Trust me, you'll love it."

Paradise smiled warmly at those gathered before her. "I believe it fitting on this night of celebration that we look back to the origins of our fine community, for it was not so very long ago that such a feast would have been stolen from under our hooves before we had a chance to partake of our efforts. Join me, dear friends, as I pull back the curtain so that we might peer into the mists of time."

The white energy that had enveloped the room suddenly caused all light and detail to drop out of sight. In the perfect darkness that resulted, the only two sources of light came from the book itself, and a strangely identical glow in the eyes of Lady Paradise. "The reading is from the Grand History," she proclaimed in a tone of utter reverence. "First Book of Kings, Chapter 10, Verse 24. Let us be attentive."

From this point onward, Paradise's voice began to echo through the minds of all present, her mouth not moving in the slightest.

10:24 For a time in the Era of Chaos, the land of Southsward fell under the scourge of a great warlord. "Bring me the treasures of all the world," was his command, and his vast army raped and pillaged with total abandon.
10:25 A certain Black Stallion rose through the ranks, his ways more cruel and brutal than his master's, his mind desiring not a single treasure. "Who is this monster in the shape of a pony?" even those who served under him began to ask. "How can he have no Heart and yet walk the earth?"

As the story unfolded, an orange light like that of a roaring flame overtook the darkened chamber. The shadows of a great pony army moved across the stone walls, ransacking villages and killing innocents just as the Grand History proclaimed. In this way, history itself began to play out all around the awestruck listeners.

10:26 The warlord's reign seemed invincible in the eyes of his victims, but a great horde rose in the west and marched upon the land. Evil bred from evil, too numerous and insatiable for any one pony to command, they broke upon the warlord's army as a merciless storm.
10:27 Thousands upon thousands were slain in the great battle, and even the warlord himself fell by the sword. At the head of the surviving Hundred, with the treasures of his master his for the taking, the Black Stallion looked out over the land of Death and said, "Come, my brothers. Leave this place with me, and we shall find for ourselves the way of Life."

Derpy Hooves felt smaller than she ever had in the presence of a story so grand in scope and dark in nature. Was this the shape of the world beyond Ponyville, beyond Equestria? If not, had it been at one time long ago? Her mind reeled at the possibility. She'd become so engrossed in the tale that she nearly yelped in surprise when Feather Quill quietly pressed herself against Cross's left side in the darkness. The two ponies' faces were so close that the barest whisper became perfectly audible. Golden Harvest and Sleepy Pie remained oblivious to Feather's presence.

"Hello there, chum," said Cross, his gaze not wandering, his mouth barely moving. "Galaxy still with you?"

"He left," Feather responded in monotone. "Said something about having heard it all one too many times."

10:28 And the Hundred journeyed north, far from the borders of Southsward and deep into mountains and valleys untouched by war. It was there that they came upon the place called Sunny Stables, and a people besieged by a host of villainy.
10:29 "Let us take what remains of these farmers and their town," the Hundred said. "Let us kill them so that we may live a bit longer." The Black Stallion answered them, "Stay your hooves, foolish ones, lest we walk the path of the dead."

"So," Cross began. "What's your take? Can they be trusted?"

This surprised Derpy. Hadn't Cross been enjoying his time here?

"For once, I want to say 'yes,'" Feather replied. "None of the usual flags came up. If they're hiding something, then they're experts at hiding the fact that they're hiding something."

Feather's manner of speaking struck Derpy with deja vu. Hadn't a conversation like this happened before?

10:30 Then he spoke with the farmers of the valley. "We shall do what you cannot. We shall kill your enemies and free you from the grip of endless fear. In return, do for us what we cannot. Make a place for us to rest our heads, and free us from the curse of our barbarity."
10:31 And so it was that they reached an accord. From that day forward, Sunny Stables flourished, and its enemies wept bitterly. Those who stood against the Hundred were cut down. Those who fled were hunted, their fate sealed by the honest word of those who'd once been their prey.

Cross smiled. "If there's somepony that can train a town of 200 to pull the wool over your eyes, I'd like to shake his hoof." He nudged his companion. "Is this the Green Pastures or isn't it? I'll trust your judgement, Feather. I always have."

Feather sighed. "It doesn't match the Tome's description, not by a long shot. Even so . . ." She paused before returning Cross's nudge. "The land is rich, and there are good ponies here. If you're asking what I'd choose between a dusty fairy tale and Sunny Stables . . ." Her eyes looked into Cross's with an intense earnestness in the flickering light. "I'd choose this wonderful place in a heartbeat, old friend." With that, Feather pulled away to a comfortable distance.

It's another act,Derpy realized. Just as Feather had played the part of an unfeeling traitor to free Cross from captivity, she'd donned the role of a disinterested and jaded traveling companion to draw out any deception in the friendliness of Sunny Stables. In the room of dancing lights and shadows, Derpy Hooves came to an understanding. Cross? she said. I think I know what went wrong.

10:32 When a year had passed and the killing was done, those of the Hundred who'd survived returned to the promised land. There, in a place of plenty that they had fought and died to protect, the barbarians from the south were welcomed as conquerors and heroes.
10:33 "Do you see now?" the Black Stallion said to his loyal followers. "We had but to turn from the path of Death to win for ourselves the treasure of Life that the dead can never know." The Hundred answered him, "Evil is evil's reward. The good belongs to the good."

I'm listening, thought Cross.

Just a little while ago, Derpy began. A friend of mine named Spike worked really hard for months on end just to make this mare called Rarity happy. He really put everything he had into becoming the perfect stallion for her, but it was all for nothing. She just said 'no,' and that was the end of it. Spike was sad, and that didn't seem to bother her at all. Derpy fought with her temper to keep an even tone. I got so frustrated when that happened. I even yelled at her, but I couldn't do anything to make it right.

10:34 It was in this way that the heartless Black Stallion and his heartless followers found their Hearts in the town of Sunny Stables. Turning aside the blood-drenched blades of the past, they took up the tools of farmers and lived amongst their newfound family, their hooves firmly set upon the path of everlasting Life.

Then I came here again, Derpy continued, and even though you went through so much to find a nice place to live, Feather didn't seem to care at all. I mean, this place is as awesome as can be and she wouldn't even smile. She just stared at everything and complained. I thought she was acting just like Rarity, and I got mad all over again. I was so frustrated that I didn't think twice about using you to upset her, Cross. Derpy paused as the shadows on the walls began to fade into darkness. I was a big dummy though. Feather's your friend, and she really does like this place after all. I wasn't even mad at Feather; I was just frustrated because I wanted her to be happy too.

At the end of the reading, the normal torchlight of the room flickered back into view. The white energy from the book dissipated, and Paradise's eyes returned to normal. "Over time," she said, "the lineage of those warriors has faded, and we are once again beset on all sides with no real means of protection." She looked directly and Cross and Feather with a warm smile. "I believe that the arrival of these two heroes is no coincidence. If Silver Cross and Feather Quill should choose to leave behind the way of the wanderer and remain with us, let us welcome them in the same manner as our ancestors once did." She nodded sagely. "May the two of you find your true hearts in this land of plenty."

I'm so sorry, Cross, thought Derpy. Even though I want to be a good friend, I just keep messing up. I promise I'll try harder from now on. Can you forgive me?

As a round of approving applause coursed through the tile floor of the refectory, Cross smiled. Apology accepted, Derpy, though I fear I may have been a bit harsh with you. You were never in danger of losing a friend.

But I-

You weren't acting like yourself, Cross interrupted. I just wanted you to stop and think for a while. You can relax now, little fairy. Thoughtlessness is thoughtlessness, but it doesn't ruin anything if you put a stop to it. You have, and that's that.

If words were to attempt to describe Derpy's sense of utter relief at that response, they would fail miserably.

Even so, said Cross. You shouldn't get so worked up about what happened to your friend.

Huh?

Everypony's on a journey to the place where they can truly smile, thought Cross. Mister Spike and Miss Rarity simply aren't on the same road. As long as Spike doesn't give up on his journey, he's sure to meet a companion who'll joyfully walk by his side.

Derpy couldn't think of a proper response, but even considering the question made her feel a bit better about the whole ordeal.

Sensing this, Cross added, Besides, I think you misunderstand the way things are between Feather and I.

She's your best friend, right?

She is, thought Cross as his mouth creased into a frown, but her attitude has merit. You see, even though I've journeyed far and wide to find a place where we can both be happy . . . The pause was long and felt quite unnatural. I'm the one who stole Feather's smile from her in the first place.

A soft snore and a snuggling warmth at his side brought Cross back from his internal conversation.

"Oh dear," said Golden Harvest, looking at Sleepy Pie. "Well, now you know where she gets her name."

As Golden Harvest eventually explained, Paradise's primary job was to care for and educate the orphan foals of Sunny Stables. For that purpose, the Estate doubled as the town's orphanage, though its positively beautiful architecture and loving caretaker flew in the face of the title's depressing implications.

Quiet reigned in the Estate's dormitory. Moonlight filtered in through the narrow windows of the long chamber and cast slants of pale blueish-white across the clean well-made beds. Silver Cross used a hoof and a wing to guide the slumbering form of the filly named Sleepy Pie from his back to the soft mattress.

"Thank you so much for the help, Mister Cross," Golden Harvest whispered. "She just seems to get heavier every time. They grow so fast at that age." She moved forward to tuck the snoring filly in.

"It's my pleasure," Cross whispered back. "Though I wish you'd stop with the 'mister' business. Makes a chap feel older than dirt to have pretty young mares calling him 'mister.'"

Harvest pulled a soft cotton sheet up to Sleepy Pie's shoulders. "I didn't mean anything by it." A smile crept across her face as she watched the cover rise and fall with Sleepy Pie's every breath. "Do you really think that, or is it just another turn of phrase?"

Cross tilted his head to the side. "Think what now?"

Harvest looked at Cross with a completely open and questioning gaze. "That I'm pretty."

Cross grinned. "I seem to recall saying that you were downright beautiful when we first met. Opinions don't get any more genuine than what comes out of a poor bloke on the slave line."

"It's hard to tell with you," Harvest whispered as she rounded the foot of the bed to stand in front of the pegasus stallion. "How much of the way you act is . . . well, an act?"

Cross stared directly into her emerald eyes. "None of it when I'm in the company of ponies I care about."

Harvest blushed and fidgeted with her front hooves. "I hope that you enjoyed yourself today,Mist-" She winced. "I mean, Silver Cross. I probably wasn't the best tour guide."

Derpy sensed a curious intent rising in her shared mind. Um, Cross?

Cross didn't miss a beat. "Don't be silly, Harvest. A day with a new friend beats getting hauled around by a hired guide any day of the week."

Harvest's nervous smile faded just a bit. "Right, a new friend."

I knew it, Cross thought.

Derpy suddenly caught an unguarded glimpse of Cross's feelings. Whoa! she exclaimed. Wait a minute! I'm still here!

Cross used a gray-feathered wingtip to bring Harvest's gaze back to him. "Is that not enough for you?"

Harvest's delicate face flared with redness. "I . . . I don't . . . I mean-"

Cross's eyelids fell halfway. "Me neither." He leaned in.

Cross! Derpy yelled. I don't wanna kiss a girl! Cut it out!!

Harvest yelped and pulled away, a hoof over her lips in shock, her eyes wide with fear. Sleepy Pie shifted under the covers at the noise, but her snores continued uninterrupted. Cross, careful not to increase Harvest's sense of alarm, slowly resumed his normal stance, his smile locked in place.

Whew, Derpy sighed, her heart pounding right along with Cross's. Close one.

"I'm sorry," Harvest said from behind her raised hoof, her voice filled with undisguised fear. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to . . ."

"It's nothing you should apologize for, Miss Harvest," Cross reassured. "I was too forward. "

"'Miss?'" Harvest gasped, lowering her hoof. "No, I didn't mean it that way. I mean, I'd love to--really! It's just . . . I have this thing about . . . you know . . ." Her voice trailed off.

Cross bowed gracefully. "Far be it from me to push you into anything you're not comfortable with, Miss Harvest. It seems as if I'm taking advantage of simple gratitude." He shook his head slowly. "'Twas not my intent; I hope you'll forgive me."

Water began to well in Harvest's emerald eyes.

"Good night, dear Harvest," said Cross. " I'll see you on the 'morrow."

Cross turned toward the torchlight beyond the open doorway and managed only a few steps before a rush of air at his side gave him pause. Both he and Derpy felt a soft pair of lips press against his cheek. He turned to see Harvest's newly resolute face just inches from his own.

"Bubbles is right," she whispered. "I'm not good at things like this, but . . . I like you, Cross. I am grateful, but what I'm feeling right now is . . . different." The lights from the hallway danced in the moistness of her eyes. "You're different. I hate to ask anything of you, but . . . can you be patient with me?"

Cross answered by leaning forward and kissing the soft yellow fur of Harvest's right cheek. He pulled back to see what was quite possibly the brightest smile he'd ever witnessed.

"See you tomorrow," Harvest squeaked. She hesitated for a moment before walking off down the hallway. Cross fought back a chuckle. He could tell by the mare's gait that it was all she could do to prevent herself from skipping down the upstairs corridor.

Warn me before you do that next time, Derpy huffed. I'll try to go hide in a corner or something.

Cross smiled broadly. I'm terribly sorry, Derpy, but I'm sure you understand. A stallion has to answer when opportunity knocks.

Cross was trying to play it cool, but Derpy could feel the giddy elation behind his words. You really do like her, don't you?

A strong cough sounded from behind. Both Cross an Derpy turned about to find a bemused Feather Quill.

"Well," she said with an eyebrow arched high. "Glad to see that somepony's already making himself at home." She motioned with her head, causing her hair ornaments to clack together. "I told Paradise that we'd be staying for now. She's had a couple of guest quarters prepared on the third floor." Her impassive stare became razor-sharp. "Should I make sure that you've got a double?"

Cross flashed a deliberately foolish grin. "Not just yet. Good looking out though." He attempted to walk past his partner but found his hooves blocked by one of Feather's own.

"Cross," she said, her voice more serious than it had been just moments before. "I've still got my doubts, but either way, thanks for all those years of not letting me give up. For the first time I feel like . . . Like it all might have been worth it."

Cross exchanged his false and dopey visage for a genuine replacement. "Think nothing of it, dear friend. 'Twas for my benefit as well."

She didn't smile, thought Derpy as Feather turned to walk upstairs.

Cross stood in place. Sorry?

She was grateful, Derpy elaborated, and she sounded honest, but she still wouldn't smile. What's wrong with her? One possible answer suddenly jumped back into Derpy's mind. Did you really steal her smile? How? She felt a sickening sensation from Cross's body in response to the question.

I'd rather not discuss it in detail, Cross replied. It was a very long time ago, and it seems it will take a long time yet to make things right.

The rising contradiction became so apparent that even Derpy could no longer ignore it. How in the world are you two friends in the first place?

That's simple, thought Cross as he began to ascend the sandstone steps. I may have hurt Feather, but I've never lied to her. We trust each other, Derpy. When I said that I'd find the Green Pastures for her, she believed in me. I've done my best to live up to that trust every day since.

It looks like you kept your promise, Derpy replied, though she suddenly found it hard to focus on the sound of Cross's thoughts.

Cross smiled broadly. With a little help from a certain fairy, that is.

Derpy yawned as a warm and familiar darkness overtook her senses. Think nothing of it, Mister Cross.

The next thing that Derpy Hooves felt was the biting prick of a spearpoint prodding her thigh. Her eyes snapped open only to be greeted by darkness. She attempted to thrash about, but her limbs would not obey. A few moments later, it dawned on Derpy that her limbs were not yet her own.

Cross! she shouted. Cross, are you there?

Derpy, Cross responded. She felt him wince. I'd been hoping that you returned home.

What's going on? Why can't we see anything?

They surprised us before we left the bedchambers this morning, Cross replied. We're outnumbered.

"Gentlemen, please," a confident male voice exclaimed from not too far away. "I don't see why those blindfolds are necessary. Remove them at once."

With the departure of the offending black cloth, Cross's eyes met with the gray ocean of clouds above. He brought his gaze down to see the entire population of Sunny Stables crowded into the walled-in yard of the Estate, each of them wearing nearly identical expressions of worry and dread. There were many among them who had not been at the feast last night. These ponies wore matching sets of burnished bronze armor and the stolid gazes of career soldiers. Their spearpoints reached high into the air over the crowd; Cross counted at least fifty within the walls. He turned to his right to see Feather Quill blinking after having her blindfold removed, apparently none the worse for wear. For the moment, all of the spears had been turned away from the two of them.

Whatever happens, Cross thought, don't panic.

Derpy, on the verge of that very behavior, sought out a bit of relief. Because everything's going to be all right?

No, Cross answered with dead seriousness. Because that's only going to make what's coming worse.

"Sir Silver Cross, Lady Feather Quill," sounded the same baritone voice that had asked for the removal of the blindfolds. "I feel that I owe the two of you an apology."

Cross's gaze found the source of the voice to be a unicorn stallion sitting in an ornate wooden chair with a red cushion that had been placed just outside the entrance to the Estate. His close-cropped mane and well-brushed coat bore the same shade of deepest black. All that he wore had been made to match his dominant color; everything from his finely-crafted leather armor to his long billowing cloak blended in with his physical from so perfectly that Cross had difficulty telling where the clothing ended and the stallion began. He wore no jewelry, but the gold trim of his cloak and the intricate silver designs winding their way across his armor indicated that this was a pony of no small stature.

The black stallion smiled warmly. "This was not how I intended to welcome you to our fine community."

Cross found it difficult to look the stallion directly in the eyes. The irises were as gray as the sky above, bearing not a hint of actual color. "You seem to have us at a disadvantage," he stated in calm and careful fashion. "Mister . . ."

"Deeds," the stallion replied, his thick-bearded chin resting upon a booted hoof. "I am Fell Deeds, Lord and Master of Sunny Stables."

Feather Quill gave a light bow. "We were not aware."

"Of course you weren't," said Deeds. "I'm sorry to say that the two of you have become lawbreakers by means of a terrible fraud."

Derpy Hooves used her 360-degree vision to scan about for familiar faces. She only found Paradise just a few ponies to the right of Fell Deeds, her head lowered and her face full of terror. To see the once smiling visage of regal beauty in this state caused Derpy's heart to sink further than anything else she'd seen thus far.

"Lawbreakers?" Cross inquired.

Lord Deeds pointed a hoof at the two travelers. "Those weapons of yours, have you seen the like carried by anypony in this valley with the exception of my soldiers?"

Feather brought her gaze up to meet that of Fell Deeds. "We were told that this land follows the ideal of pacifism."

Deeds's smile grew wider. "Not quite." He cleared his throat loudly and closed his eyes. "Dearest subjects," he bellowed. "I shall start and you shall finish."

There was an audible shuffling of hooves, but nopony in the crowd dared speak out of turn.

"In our Sovereign Contract there is the Law Regarding Armaments," said Deeds. "It says therein that within the borders of Sunny Stables . . ." He paused, awaiting the passage's completion.

When it became clear that Deeds had finished, the crowd chanted the rest in perfect unison. "Nopony shall bear arms with the exception of the Hundred under pain of death."

"You see?" said Deeds, opening his eyes once more. "They know the law. Why do you suppose that they wouldn't bother to inform the two of you?"

What's he going on about? Derpy wondered. Are we in trouble? Why didn't anypony tell us that this place had a . . . a king or whatever?

I don't yet know, thought Cross, but I think his question was rhetorical.

Fell Deeds sighed heavily. "They want you and Miss Feather to kill me, Mister Cross. These ponies hoped that my guards would attack you for breaking the law and that the ensuing conflict would escalate to the point where neither of the two of us could rightly leave the other alive." Seeing his statement met with only a pair of quizzical stares, Deeds gave a light chuckle. "I know what you're thinking. These townsponies outnumber my stallions more than three to one. If they wanted a revolution, why not simply grab the torches and pitchforks and be done with it? Am I right?"

Cross raised an eyebrow. "'Twould seem the simplest course of action, if that is indeed what they want." He looked about at the ponies who met his gaze with naught but pleading eyes. "I suppose that there's something stopping them from doing that."

Fell Deeds leaned forward in his chair. "In the most literal sense, Mister Cross. Here, let me show you." The Lord of Sunny Stables stepped down from his seat and raised his head high. The horn at its peak shone with a deep violet aura and the mists that covered the mountaintops above the town began to part. Slowly but surely, the shape of another tall building on the mountainside high above became visible through the fog, this one more than thrice the height of the Estate. It was a tower in the shape of a perfect obelisk, the edges of its form so sharp and color so impossibly black that it appeared as if the mountain itself had been impaled upon it.

Feather's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. "That's impossible," she gasped. "We're too far from Equitopia. That can't be here."

Cross's brow furrowed at the familiar and most unpleasant sight. "There's no mistaking it, Feather. Sure as I live and breathe, that's an Arcane Spire."

When Derpy looked to the tower, she only saw the ominous structure for the briefest of moments before a sudden and terrible pain overtook her, not unlike the sensation of being stabbed with a blade of ice. She shut her eyes reflexively and cried out within Cross's mind.

Derpy? Cross asked as a strange brownish-yellow whirlwind left the top the tower.

It's the wrong color, Derpy gasped, her mind's eye darting between a myriad of distorted images. A white tower of the same design, endless grassy fields, and books falling from a sky of swirling rainbows appeared and disappeared within her shared consciousness like cresting waves on a turbulent sea.

Cross struggled to keep his own perspective straight as the strange cyclone drew closer. You've seen one of these before?

It's supposed to be white, Derpy answered, though her tone suggested that she was talking to herself.

Where? asked Cross. Have you been to Equitopia?

Derpy wanted to know the answer to that question as well, but her attempt to recall only made the pain stronger. I . . . I don't remember.

The whirlwind from the top of the Arcane Spire flew overhead and came to rest above Fell Deeds. It spun slower and slower, revealing itself as a magically suspended storm of yellowed parchments and falling into a neat pattern of concentric circles. When the array of papers came to a halt, they formed a series of odd halos two feet above the head of the smiling black unicorn. He was alone in his mirth—the townsponies greeted the sight of the parchments with wide-eyed dread.

"These are the Sovereign Contracts," Fell Deeds began to explain. "One for every pony in Sunny Stables, each bearing the sum of our laws and each bound to the life of the pony who signed it." He swept aside his cloak to expose his Cutie Mark, a paper much like those over his head stained with a crimson splotch at its center. "My specialty, if you couldn't guess." Deeds let the gold-trimmed cloak fall and strode to the middle of the clearing in the crowd. The Contracts followed above his head in their perfect circles.

Cross looked about. "They fear these things?"

Deeds raised an eyebrow. "Not so much as the one who enforces them. If everypony abides by the laws on the Contract, then they are nothing more than silly pieces of paper. However, once those laws are broken . . ." The parchments began to glow with a faint red aura. The crimson light reflected clearly in Deeds's colorless eyes. "They become something more."

The perilous comment hung on the still air for a moment before the Lord of Sunny Stables cleared his throat and continued. "Now, these ponies still have some hope left for conflict between you and I, Sir Cross. It is my duty to enforce the laws of the Sovereign Contract, and in all the long years of my gracious rule I've dealt punishment to lawbreakers with neither mercy nor consideration." He gave an exaggerated shake of his head, clearly meant for show. "However, while ignorance of the law is no excuse for lawlessness, a pair of offenders who've been purposely kept in the dark are a different story altogether." Deeds made a sweeping gesture with a front hoof toward the two ponies before him. "Silver Cross, Feather Quill, I hereby pardon the two of you of any behavior not in accordance with our laws. Provided that you follow them from here on out, you are welcome guests within the land of Sunny Stables."

Derpy could not make sense of the images dredged up by the sight of the Arcane Spire without incurring the same biting pain as before. She pushed the offending mess to the back of her mind just in time to experience a curious sensation from Cross. He watched Feather—who'd been staring at the Spire and Contracts in silent horror—bow her head and utter the appropriate response in an unsteady voice.

"W-we thank you for y-your understanding, Lord Deeds."

She sounds like she's about to cry, thought Derpy. Why? Isn't everything okay now?

Cross stared with cold unblinking eyes at the smiling ruler. We're not the only lawbreakers. He glanced momentarily at Feather's still-shaken expression. The Green Pastures are about to disappear.

Deeds nodded in satisfaction before turning to the crowd. "Now, as for my beloved subjects," he declared in a loud trumpeting voice so that all could hear. "In our Sovereign Contract there is the Law Regarding the Unsigned. It states that non-citizens are to be . . . what?"

A few seconds passed before the gathering of ponies responded. "Informed of the laws in that govern Sunny Stables at the first viable opportunity."

Fell Deeds touched a booted hoof to his chestplate. "I'm hurt, dear friends. You know the law that holds this community together by heart and yet you break it so heedlessly." He stretched the hoof out to the crowd. "For what? For the slim chance that a stranger could be tricked into attacking a ruler you begrudge for carrying out his duties?" Deeds shook his head dramatically. "How terrible. I truly thought better of the ponies who wrought this wonderful town from what just two centuries ago was naught but an untamed wilderness." His smile faded at last. "What's worse is that this crime is also punishable only by death." Deeds stood up on his hind legs and threw his arms open wide. "What would you have me do? Should I put this town full of criminals to the sword as the law commands?"

The townsponies drew back a step from Lord Deeds, uncertain whether or not he desired a response but certain that their ruler was becoming more dangerous by the second.

Fell Deeds dropped back to a casual four-legged stance. "Of course not," he assuaged, his voice practically dripping with undue reassurance. "The law exists for the people. I could never allow it to destroy the community that it protects." He let a bit of relief sweep through all present before continuing with an arched eyebrow. "But the letter of the law must be kept, and the guilty must be punished. One law was broken. Therefore . . . one life shall be taken from you."

"Cross!" Feather whispered urgently, her eyes still locked on the Spire. "This whole village has been press-ganged into an Experiment. We can't let this happen."

"Agreed," Silver Cross whispered back. "He'll target Harvest. She's the most directly responsible. Help me find her."

Feather gave the barest of nods.

You too, little fairy, thought Cross. We've a stand to make.

Derpy resumed her earlier search with renewed vigor. Cross, he's not really gonna hurt Harvest, is he? She laughed nervously. Why would he do that? I'm sure that they're sorry.

Cross's eyes scanned the faces around him at dizzying speed. Derpy, if you'd like to keep believing that we're not staring evil dead in the face then I suggest you focus on helping me stop this.

Fell Deeds failed to notice the activities of the two travelers, largely due to the fact that he was engaged in the same behavior. "All of you are equally at fault. How am I to determine the one who will receive judgement?" He ceased his casting about and closed his eyes. "Perhaps I'm going about this the wrong way. If all are at fault, then all should be punished, even if the sentence is carried out on one individual." Deed's horn began to glow with its dark violet aura, and the contracts above his head rotated in response, their myriad circles resembling a crude roulette wheel. "Which pony would you hate to see judged the most?"

The crowd gasped in unison.

One corner of Deeds's mouth turned ever-so-slightly upward. "Let's have the Contracts show us the answer. They see with eyes better than my own."

Feather's roving gaze came to rest on the spinning Contracts. "I don't think he's going for Harvest."

Cross's eyes continued to dart back and forth. "Watch the guards. They'll have to grab whoever he picks."

The Contracts stopped spinning, and a single parchment floated down from the circles. Fell Deeds read the name signed at the bottom. His expression lost all character. His voice sounded in monotone. "So be it."

Feather's horn crackled unexpectedly. Her eyes went wide. "Cross, those contracts are—"

The aura around Deeds's horn flared brilliantly. The Contract before him erupted into a sudden gout of violet flame before vanishing altogether. All eyes were on the Lord and Master of Sunny Stables.

Derpy Hooves felt the icy chill of dread. What did he do?

There was no ceremony in what happened next. The fluffy filly named Sleepy Pie stumbled forward from the edge of the crowd. Cross watched in stupefied horror as her wide tearful eyes gave him one last pleading look before glazing over. Her small body toppled forward into the grass, never to rise again. A nightcap-wearing teddy bear, her stuffed defender against bad dreams in the dark of night, lay at the hooves of the dumbstruck townsponies where it had fallen from her back. In the stunned silence that followed, a light drizzle began to fall from the sunless sky.

This isn't happening, Derpy whispered. Oh Celestia, this isn't happening . . .

Fell Deeds, for his part, looked equally disturbed. "Paradise," he said in a calm voice. "I believe she's one of yours. You may approach."

Lady Paradise, tears streaming down her despair-ridden face, walked forward in a slow and stilted gait. She splayed her wings and collapsed at the side of Sleepy Pie's fallen form, cradling the sad bundle against her cheek and heaving with quiet sobs.

"I endeavor to maintain this society," Fell Deeds announced in a slow and careful fashion. "A society in which only the hooves of myself and my Hundred must be stained with blood." He gestured toward the crying Paradise and the body that had just moments ago been an awestruck little filly. "When you imagine that a better society by rebelling against those who dirty their hooves for your sake, I want you all to remember this." His expression had become hard and cold. "This filly's blood is on all of yours."

Feather Quill turned slowly to Silver Cross. "Those contracts are soul-bound. H-he could kill them all with a thought." Her fear-stricken face held no pretension. "W-we have to go. There's nothing we can do now. This . . ." She swallowed hard. "This isn't the place we were looking for."

Cross turned to look at her as well. He was smiling.

Derpy felt it approach from below. She looked into Cross's mind and saw plainly the dreaded presence that she'd only gotten a glimpse of before. Its disgusting form defied all description. It was a writhing contradiction, at once a seething hatred, a repulsive glee, and an all-consuming despair. It clawed desperately at the border of their shared consciousness, sensing that its time was near. It was all Derpy could do to keep herself away from the festering mass. Fear and sadness washed over everything within her and strangled even the tiniest cry for help.

By the look on her face, it seemed as if Feather were seeing the very same thing. "Cross?" She shook her head very slowly. "Cross, no."

Silver Cross's bitter smile stayed locked in place. "I'm sorry, Feather," his mouth said quietly. "You know what to do." With that, he stepped forward to face the Lord of Sunny Stables.

"Well," said Deeds as he turned back to the two travelers, "now that we've got that unpleasant business out of the way, I'll be needing the both of you to hand over your weapons on a temporary basis at the very least. Otherwise--"

Fell Deeds stopped and stared, interrupted by the sound of sliding metal. Cross had drawn his claymore. Deeds coughed and offered a winning smile. "Of course, you're free to hold on to the scabbard, but . . . " He arched an eyebrow. "That's not what you have in mind, is it?"

Silver Cross planted the blade point-first in the lawn and wordlessly undid the clasp on his cloak.

Deeds's colorless eyes scanned the crowd. "You're really going to follow through with their half-baked desire? Even though they deceived you?"

"They never had to," Cross replied as he shrugged off the cumbersome cloak. "All they had to say was that they had a child murderer on their hooves."

"I see," said Deeds, his tone one of admiration. "He motioned to the crowd with a single hoof. "Leave him be, my Hundred. Let nopony interfere."

The armored soldiers backed away from the center and stood at ease.

Fell Deeds simply stood in place, drawing no weapon of his own even as his opponent assumed a ready stance. "I won't tell you that this is foolishness," he said, "and I cannot say that you're wrong."

"Good," Cross answered curtly. "Saves us an argument."

"However," said Deeds with a tilt of his head. "I will say that your idea of 'justice' is but one of many, just like my own." He made a great show of stretching his arms and neck. "In this world, power stands at the top of every ideological food chain. The strong, therefore, determine what is righteous." Deeds shook his head with a whicker. "Let us see then whose justice is correct. You may even benefit from the help of Lady Feather, if you like." He sneered. "But do not imagine that your adherence to the Tome of the Forefathers will aid you. There is no power in the law but for the everlasting victory of its enforcers."

Cross, thought Derpy even as she continued to reel from the horrid shape hammering away at the walls of their common mind. Stop it, okay? Y-you can't make this better. You can't . . . She shuddered. You can't help Sleepy Pie.

You're right about that, little fairy, Cross replied. He glanced at the ghastly form of the unnervingly black Spire high above. But I've just journeyed for over a decade only to come full circle. This was never a fight that I could run from. He stretched out his left wing in a manner that caused three pinion feathers to stand out from the rest. He did not look back to see if the distraught Feather noticed the signal. If there's even one tiny chance that I can salvage Feather's smile from this godforsaken place . . . The creature at the edge of Cross's mind recoiled a bit. I'll take it.

High above the town, a ray of sunlight parted the clouds. Silver Cross smiled, pulled his claymore from the earth and launched himself skyward with a mighty flap of his powerful wings. Up and up he went, his aim for the bright sliver of sunshine proving straight and true.

Derpy felt dizzy as Sunny Stables grew smaller and smaller below; she'd never flown this high without hitting something. How are you gonna do this? she tried to shout, forgetting that the wind couldn't muffle her voice. He's got magic--you don't.

Not a problem, Cross shot back as he entered the beam of light. Unicorns distract just as easily as any other pony.

You mean he can't look right at the sun?

There's that, thought Cross as he hung in the air for a moment, his blade poised for the dive. But there's also the fact that Feather's making her horn glow down there. The way Deeds talks, I'd bet any money that he and his crew got wind of us from Fink. He knows how I fight. A powerful gust of wind nearly pulled Cross out of position, but he righted himself quickly. Even if that rotten bastard sees me coming, he'll think that the first 'me' he sees is a fake.

With one last beat of his wings, Cross rocketed downward, swordpoint first. He gave a few more flaps to put on speed before folding his wings in and letting gravity do the rest. The wind whipped fiercely around the living projectile. The patchwork fields below grew in size at an alarming rate. Fell Deeds came into view, ballooning from a black pinprick to a full stallion in the breadth of a second. He saw Cross coming, but looked away into the crowd in the next instant.

Got you, thought Cross. The gleaming sword dove for its target with the force of a meteor strike. Both it and Silver Cross froze just three inches from the black unicorn's face.

Fell Deeds turned to look at his assailant slowly, his horn aglow and face expressionless. Feather Quill put a stop to the glow of her own horn, her mouth wide open in shock. A dark violet aura held Cross firmly in midair--he couldn't even move a muscle.

Deeds's eyes looked like those of a dead thing. "Got you."

CRACK!

An unseen force split the blade of the claymore from tip to hilt. A magic fireball spawned at its center for no more than an instant before exploding with terrible force. Cross's sword shattered into pea-sized fragments. The detonation hit Cross like a battering ram, throwing him several feet back into the air. He landed on the far end of the clearing in a crumpled heap.

Derpy had felt Cross's body fold like paper against the initial impact. Now, even though the unfortunate pegasus's mind had gone silent, she felt gashes open up all over his body with a brutal series of burning stings. The pains caused by Deeds's magic were more than Derpy had imagined possible. Even as they hit her one after another, she still cried out to her friend.

Cross!

No answer.

Cross! Can you hear me?!

Again, no answer. Furthermore, her senses were beginning to dull. This time, Derpy was sure of it--she was about to leave.

Cross, answer me please! Please don't die!

The pain of Silver Cross's broken body faded, and Derpy's ability to form cohesive thoughts soon faded with it. Even as darkness began to close in, she heard the voices of those who stood over Cross's fallen form.

"Where's Feather Quill? I told you to keep an eye on his unicorn."

"Sorry, sir. She blinked out right when you blew up this fellow's sword. Probably teleported."

"You idiot. Light the anti-magic barrier."

"Sir?"

"She's an illusionist, not a damned Sorceress. It's just a fancy invisibility spell, and she can't outrun the barrier."

"That still leaves us with a lot of area to cover, sir."

"Not to worry. She'll come to us--I'm counting on it."

"What about this guy?"

There was a pause.

"Throw him in the Spire."

Tears streamed down the sides of Derpy's upturned face in the amber light, making wet spots on the pillow beneath. Her body shook with sobs, but her eyes remained shut, her mind imprisoned in the pain of a happy dream that had turned into a nightmare.

The gray earth pony mare with violet eyes stared down at her, one hoof resting on the closed leather book. "There was a time," she whispered, "when I would have given anything to keep a smile on your face." Her impassive face tightened perceptively. "It seems the only thing I truly have a talent for is making you cry."

The room's amber light brightened to full illumination for a moment before fading back to motes on the ceiling. The mystery mare cast a curious glance at the pendant on the bedside table. A barely noticeable smile appeared on her face. "Whatever the case may be, this is working," she said as she sidled toward the curious object. "You've passed the threshold." She picked up the necklace by its silver chain and gazed at the dancing lights within. "Pearl?"

Another necklace, identical to the one she held but for a creamy white jewel at its center shimmered into existence around her delicate neck. "READY," it said in a quiet feminine monotone, the word appearing as letters of white light in midair just above the jewel's domed surface.

The mystery mare looked pensively at the object dangling from her raised hoof and took a deep breath. "Access Amber's basic functions array."

"WORKING," the pearl pendant said and displayed at the same time. A few quiet seconds passed. "ACCESS GRANTED."

"Change the default mode to Bonding State."

Three small slots opened up on the back of the amber pendant, a tiny wisp of golden light escaping from each.

"COMPLETE."

"Set activation parameters to 'Auto-Guard' and 'Manual.'"

"COMPLETE."

The gray earth pony mare leaned forward onto the bed and set the amber pendant on Derpy's heaving chest. She pushed down lightly, and the pendant disappeared into the body of the crying pegasus mare as it would into the surface of a pond. The mystery mare nodded her approval. "Reset the partition to match the new settings."

Derpy's tears suddenly ceased. Her breathing became slow and normal.

"COMPLETE."

The earth pony placed a hoof on Derpy's forehead. "I don't need you carrying around something like what happened to Cross right now. Bonding State makes the partition stronger, it should hold better this time." She glanced to the side. "Pearl, retrieve Icon."

The leather volume dissolved into a cloud of white energy that quickly disappeared into the gem of the same color. The mystery mare began to dissipate in much the same fashion.

"I'll fix this, little sister," she whispered. "That much I can promise."

NEXT
Amethyst 2B: "Room 401"