//------------------------------// // (H) Chapter 45 -By a Thread- // Story: Shattered Skies // by Arctikfox //------------------------------// -By a Thread- "Do you know how hard it is to keep our existence a secret from the regular population?" Crossroad said, his annoyance clear as he led Skyfall into a set of large industrial building by the waterfront. Various lights and antenna sprouted from the roof like a steel Christmas tree reaching for the sky. "Very hard, in case you were wondering." A waterway bisected the compound leaving two large land masses and a small island in its center. The rotating bridge linking the island was guarded and was kept in the undocked position so no access could freely flow without the proper permissions, if the Spirit leading Sky's reactions were anything to go by. "One coming in with guest." Crossroad called to a hooded guard hefting a firearm. The firearm made Skyfall slow a step as he was under the impression from Sunset that this world had no weapons like firearms. The presence of vehicles and all the other technology in this world was obviously Spirit influenced, but one of the sole reasons for proposing a ban on most tech from the time before was now assembled and fully ready before him. At seeing Sky's pained scowl toward the rifle, Cross placed a hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met to convey that it would be talked about later, but not now. He drew a phone from his pocket and tapped a couple of times to dock the bridge, allowing them to cross. Old tracks for train cars crisscrossed the compound. Making their way over the bridge, through a turn and between many tall, red-bricked buildings slapped with ducts and hazy windows. Throughout the area of Aileron, retired construction equipment, shipping containers, and industrial machinery was ever-present. Golems of earth materialized from the walls of the largest building and moved large containers out of the way of a set of double doors, allowing them passage. "It's next to impossible to keep little shows like yours covered up. Even now, that footage of you diverting that curse is headline news. We were able to censor the one of you chasing the girls through the mall, but now you're in the open. We're creating counter stories, but news media can be a little tenacious." "Had to break it." Skyfall shrugged. "And then what happened? Boom went the portal." Crossroad stopped just short of another set of doors that held glowing runes. "Listen, my lord. I don't mean to be snippy, but you being here has put our sanctuary in jeopardy. We've had a hard fought peace and I'd like to keep it that way, many of us would. I received advanced word about you, so my worries about your identity have been shelved, somewhat, but the others are still in the dark." Skyfall stared on as Crossroad slowly stopped talking. "Just remember that when you speak to Earth." Crossroads turned and disappeared into the dark of the hall. Skyfall thought for a long moment before pushing the doors open with no effort, the magic making them move as if weightless, he tried to grab them so they wouldn't slam, however, he missed. The room was a buzz with motion as he stepped through the doorway. What he saw gave him pause, the dark room was long and filled with people. Trees and shrubbery covered small hills with small, shop-like buildings surrounding the room like a village. A deep waterway ran through its center, it's luminescent water gave everything a ghostly, blue glow. The room stretched on in every direction for more than it looked like it should have, the ceiling reached up so far that the soft light gave way to darkness and only small twinkles could be seen to mimic a night's sky, but Skyfall saw small reality-warping cracks suspended by the folds of the room's walls, they were in a pocket dimension. With a closer look, Skyfall saw a bear statue holding the reality for that room as it was. It stood tall, half submerged in the pool with a single, bikini-clad woman sat on a ledge to its side, coconut drink in one hand and a fishing rod in the other. "I see our newest visitor has arrived." The woman called, freezing the whole room with her voice. In near unison, the other Spirits looked up to see an ominous man standing in the doorway. Skyfall looked from one side of the room to the other and spotted the siren trio: Adagio, Aria, and Sonata, glaring at him from just inside a small shop. "Why are you standing in the shadows like a villain." Earth laughed, leaning back on the hand that held her fishing rod. "I was told someone was approaching the compound, but you're too cautious to be another Spirit thrown here from some Podunk section of Equestria." "Earth, that's the guy who chased us!" Adagio announced, only to be waved down by Earth's calming hand as she sipped her drink. "I gathered that from your collective glare." Earth mused. She reached out to the man that was now the center of attention and snapped her hand shut to make the doorway behind him as smooth as the rest of the walls, effectively cutting off his route of escape. She stood up and set her rod down before walking forward, a path of stone extending from the ledge she stepped off to support her. Wherever she stepped, a path appeared. Spirits began to emerge from their homes to join the ones that were standing in curiosity. A small feeling of belonging grew in Skyfall's heart at seeing Spirits gathered around him. Even though they looked different, he could plainly see their colors and their individual mannerisms, like recognizing an old friend after being away for too long. Cold air wafted through the space causing his eyes to peer upward to Earth's smile. With the dim light, he could still see the human world gifted her with a slender and well-endowed frame of mocha skin. Her dark hair was pulled into braids and a ponytail, her shoulder length bangs did nothing to obstruct her unforgettable green eyes. "So, you are accused of hunting down three Spirits of ours and yet you remain where you are, why?" Earth asked. She tapped down on the pillar she was balanced on and it shrank until it was level with the ground. "Adagio, Aria, and Sonata have told me who you impersonated. I must tell you, I won't entertain Spirits pretending to be others." "Oh?" Skyfall chuckled, finding what was otherwise a serious situation funny. "And why is that?" Earth's smile faded into a cold look. "Shattered Skies was a dear friend of mine. No one here thought it was funny, or particularly clever." "If I may." Skyfall asked as he stepped forward, prompting Earth's guards to respond in kind. "We don't have much time. If we can bypass this." He gestured to the room. "we have much to discuss." "Be careful young Spirit." Earth warned, not catching on to Skyfall's rhetoric. "I alone dictate the time here." "Fine." Skyfall sighed. "None of you were there when I was struck down, so your stance on my identity is nil." Skyfall scolded, having become uncharacteristically irritated, looking around at the Spirits around him. "Why are you here? With the apparent means at your disposal, you stay. Our realm is in trouble, yet you sit here doing what? You live quietly on an abandoned compound." "And who are you to question us?" Earth chuckled, causing a low roar of whispers through the room. "We were persecuted in droves and were made to live on this plain of existence. Celestia, the mortals, and other world leaders made it very clear, we are no longer welcome on Equus." "Whether you accept it or not, we're a part of Equus. And what of the oaths you took?" Skyfall asked, rousing Earth's memory. "The Maker picked you for a reason. There's no ambiguous force that swayed you to accepting your aspect, but a clear and deliberate being. You can not feign ignorance or a stance of uncertainty." "And yet here you are, challenging us instead of taking action yourself?" Earth questioned, letting her annoyed tone through. "You have yet to even share your name or show your face. Tell me why I shouldn't banish you away this instant?" "Because that isn't like you, Earth." Skyfall cupped his hands and rested them in front of him. He could see the broken hearts of those around him. Spirits often grew attached to the cultures they lived in and even grew to have mortal lovers, the sting of rejection to these immortal beings was still fresh, even after one thousand years. "You always sought council of everyone, even going as far as to spend days with someone to understand them. You would weep when every friend, mortal or ageless, died. You aren't cold." Skyfall spoke to everyone and looked around until he made his way back to her gaze, now more forlorn than dignified. She bore down on him and watched as golden light glowed from inside the hood. "I can see it isn't what you want to hear, Earth." Skyfall removed his hood to show his iconic golden light. "But Equus needs you, it needs all of you. You have no right to interfere with what you have chosen to heed." Reflection moved through Earth, drawing her to pace slowly and heavily on each foot toward the small pond. "And why would we help those that hunted us, many of us are dead due to the Spirit trials." A Spirit barked as she stepped forward. "We fought through many wars and in the end we were held responsible for a crime Shattered Skies committed and paid for it." "A crime Shattered Skies committed?" Skyfall asked, looking to Earth, who now knew who she spoke to. "Princess Luna's transformation turned Celestia into an extremist against Spirits." She smiled sadly, eyes growing misty. "She used you as the catalyst to remove any Spirit that wouldn't register under her 'Spirit Manifest' doctrine and fall under her command. Many Spirits didn't believe her, but majority usually wins." "'Used you?'" The Spirit in the crowd asked in confusion. She turned to Skyfall and squinted, grasping the handle of her blade. "Earth, you can't tell me you believe this peon is Shattered Skies." "Placid Rain." Earth called. "Calm yourself." "Seriously. Don't tell me you believe this is Shattered Skies." Cursed pointed at Skyfall. "I know you dislike talking about it, but Shattered Skies was impaled by Luna, no one can survive that. The last anyone saw of him, he was being carried away by Sif. You even saw the trails of his blood leading from the castle. That and his body was never found. And-" Without saying another word, Earth reached up and summoned a stone hand to wrap around Rain's body. "Silence." Earth said firmly, eyes closed and glowing from within. "Most of you are too young to understand, but only one being has eyes like this." Without another word, Earth disappeared and reappeared before Skyfall. Her arms wrapped around him and squeezed. "You did order me to stay alive." Skyfall chuckled. "I guess now I have the added factor of avoiding your heat seeking chancletas." "You are such a jerk." Earth chuckled, melting as he rubbed her back. "I know, but that's part of my charm." Skyfall looked up to all the glowing eyes that stared back at him. He could see the wary looks of everyone there. His appearance must have felt like an omen to the ones that grew content. "Earth?" "Yes?" "I know this is sudden, but Equus needs our help." Skyfall looked down at Earth's green eyes. "I also need you to tell me about the last thousand years." "I'll talk this over with you when we get some alone time." Earth whispered before tearing out of his arms. "OH!" A sudden, loud smack echoed through the room as she belted his arm. "Ow, now why'd you hit me?" Skyfall held up a hand, prepared for more attacks from the girl with the strength of a bear. "I told you to not work yourself too hard and eat more, look at you, you're too thin! And what happened to your retirement." This caused some laughter among those who knew Earth as a dotting mother figure. "And why are you dressed like a vagabond? I quit looking after you for even the briefest of moments and look at you. Sif has a lot to answer for." Skyfall smiled at her ranting as Crossroad walked up. "Earth, we have some visitors." She perked her eye brows up and looked to Skyfall. "And you brought visitors." "One or two." Skyfall shrugged. "Eight." Crossroad cut in, pointing at the side doors that were opening. Earth disappeared and reappeared on the enormous bear statue, fully clothed in revealing fur armor regalia with metal fittings and a stylized steel bear head on her left shoulder. She smiled as she moved her hand, wisping her voluminous dark hair into its full size before weaving itself into a neater braid before clapping once. The room shuddered and faint, sparkling lights illuminated the hall until the glow from above matched the glow from the pool below. Twilight and her companions were revealed and they watched on as glowing eyes now turned to them in judgement. "-something scary... like that." Midnight's voice petered out. "And who do I have the pleasure of meeting with in these hours of late?" Earth asked in a still voice that rang with the volume of a scream. She turned to Skyfall and opened her mouth, but paused when she saw him making a cutting gesture at his throat, silently informing her to not oust him as Shattered Skies. "...and with this lost companion that I found snooping in mine own underwear hamper!" "Skyfall!" Twilight barked. "That. Is a lie!" Skyfall shouted at Earth who then put her hand on her breast. "I was so shocked to find him raiding my panty drawer." She rested her other hand on her forehead, feigning weakness. "I tried to stop him, but he was too forceful with the fondling." "Skyfall, I can't believe you!" Twilight started stomping over to Skyfall while he held his hands out. "Literally, ten minutes!" "Okay, seriously?" Skyfall asked, moving backward away from the angered Princess causing Earth to chuckle and stomp her foot, placing a wall of earth between Skyfall and the approaching purple princess. "I jest, Princess." The wall before Twilight eroded into dust to reveal the Elemental, smiling at her. "Skyfall and I are very old friends. He is one of the few that I trust with my life." The look of surprise fell upon everyone's face, including Skyfall. "Earth." Skyfall warned, not wanting to be revealed. "Oh, come on, Skyfall. You should have learned long ago, secrets only serve to make things easier in the short term, but always turn sour in the long run." Earth placed her warm hand on his cheek and met his gaze. The Spirits in the room began to leave with Earth's dismissive glance. She ran her hand down the front of Skyfall's jacket, catching the bottom and pulling him toward her before turning to her guests. "I hear you all are being chased by one we've come to know as Unfaithful. She is very old and very dangerous, so for your safety I am confining you to these grounds." "What?" Sunset asked. "We can't, there are people counting on us to get back to Equestria, and what about our families? If that creature is rampaging around-" "Sunset Shimmer." Earth's use of Sunset's name startled her. "I understand that you are concerned for the people in that town, but you eight are far more important than you suspect. Because of this, I, as the Earth Elemental cannot allow you to run brazenly into danger." "Not to step on anyone's toes or nothin,' but you can't keep us here." Applejack said, clearly upset with Earth's statement. "We all have families to get back to and no one is gonna stop me from gettin' home." "All of your families have been evacuated already." Earth snapped her fingers and reformed the ground between them into a map of the surrounding regions that were under a severe disaster advisory. "I began evacuation once Unfaithful destroyed a house in the cloud district. Unfortunately, she is rampaging to draw us out, however, she is too powerful." "But our families-" Fluttershy's voice quacked. "Are being evacuated." Earth's cold tone struck hard. She paused at seeing Midnight, Twilight's human counterpart, before continuing. "They will be moved into a nearby city shelter until the situation is under control, so far, the death toll should be kept in the low hundreds." "Hundreds?" Rarity gasped. "Yes." Earth raised an eye brow, amused. "Did you all think the worst you would ever face would be three sirens and a runaway conduit?" Skyfall took a few tentative steps to place himself between Earth and his friends to stop her line of conversation, it was clear Earth did not like Twilight and the others. "Madam Earth, we've come here to talk to you. I think we can discuss what is happening in town later." "Which is more immediate? Unfaithful, or Shattered Skies?" Earth asked and squinted into Skyfall's eyes in an attempt to read him. Soon, she dropped her head and nodded. "I understand." Earth said and began to fade into the ground below her. "I apologize for my rude greeting. I will be having my meal soon, I insist on you joining me in the gathering hall." A weak grip embraced Skyfall's hand, turning his attention to the girl behind him. "Twilight?" "What's going on?" A quick look around revealed only them and their friends remained in the enchanted room. Looks of intense worry bore down on him as he held Twilight's hand. "What's going on?" Twilight asked again, her eyes now buried behind her bangs. Dropping any attempt at a cunning response, Skyfall squeezed her hand back. "Unfaithful, one of Celestia's Spirit council, destroyed Sunset's house driving us to come here, but by then it was too late for her to catch us before we took shelter behind Earth's barrier. We're stuck here until we can find a way to get back to Equestria." "Are you saying Celestia sent her after us?" "No. I've suspected Celestia to be under their influence and we dug too deep, now we're a thorn that needs removing. She likely doesn't even know about this." Skyfall said. "Likely." "What about the others?" Twilight's eyes grew hazy with oncoming tears. "If we're here, what happens to our friends in Ponyville? If we're caught between Farhaven and rampaging Spirits." As Twilight fell into the incoherent spewing of thoughts, Skyfall's mind churned. Subtle pushes from Celestia to journey with Twilight on this mission, Fury ordering fifty new guards into his unit, and the increase in captured undead at Farhaven. Owlicious' warning came to mind about the invasion beginning after the sealing the the spears, an allusion he believed was old word terminology for Spring, but now overly apparent that it was literal, four spears sealed him and his friends within the realm. "No." Skyfall closed his eyes and began walking swiftly toward the sign that read, 'Gathering Hall.' "Skyfall?" Twilight called, then felt Sunset jog passed her to get to him as he rushed away. "Sky." Sunset strode next to him, looking at him only to see he stared straight ahead. His longer legs caused her to almost remain in a light jog as he whispered to himself loudly about missing signs and cursing his own existence. "Talk to me, what's going on?" When no answer came, Sunset jogged just ahead of him until they were just out of sight of the others before putting him into a wall with her own body. "Skyfall." "I need to get to Earth, Sunset, this is important." "So am I." Sunset grabbed his arm in a vain attempt to hold it to the wall to keep him still. "Talk to me. What's the matter?" Skyfall glanced back only to see cold, dark concrete halls. "Sunset, I just realized that Ponyville is in danger more danger than I initially thought." "We're in danger, Ponyville is safe on the other side of the portal." "No." Skyfall cupped Sunset's face. "Celestia's council is going to attack Ponyville and stage it to look like Farhaven, we need to get back now. Ponyville is in danger." "How could you possibly know that?" Sunset asked, struggling to keep him against to the wall. "The entirety of Ponyville has been under Celestia's close eye. I've been there day in and day out and there is nothing to indicate Ponyville will be attacked." "Sunset, trust me." She swallowed hard. "I try. But facts are, nothing in Ponyville screams that they're going to be under attack. What you're saying makes no sense, please talk to me and think this out before taking action." "With time, inaction become action." skyfall's eyes glowed weakly, shocking Sunset, allowing him to effortlessly wrap her in his arms to move her out of the way. "I need to talk to Earth, Sunset, I can't go about this at a leisurely pace. I'm sorry." "She has already made up her mind, lord Skyfall." A tall man rounded the corner wearing equipment comparable to an elite military unit, he was clearly battered and sported a freshly lain bandage over his forehead. Skyfall looked at the man who jolted and chuckled. "Sorry, I'm Grand Shield, we have a mutual friend." "The Fox." Both Skyfall and Shield said in an annoyed tone. "He told me you were in need of some help." Skyfall looked to Sunset who had not looked away from him since he moved her. Her eyes were no longer surprised, but now glared up, eating away the stone exterior he tried to uphold. "Go ahead with the others, there are some things I need to talk to Grand Shield about." Silence. Sunset stared up at Skyfall, unmoving. "Sunset." Skyfall rested his hand on her side. "We'll talk later?" Sunset asked, her voice filled with venom. "Yes." "Do you give me your word that you'll be honest?" A long pause came from Skyfall as his heartstrings pulled. Memories of Crystal bubbled to the surface, the only time she got serious and demanded answers, she would tag 'do you give me your word?' in the sentence, knowing his true word was sacred to him. He looked into her hurt eyes and nodded. "I give you my word, Sunset." Without another prompt, Sunset shouldered passed Skyfall and toward the gathering hall. After a tense moment, the hall grew quiet of footsteps. "I see you still have trouble with members of the opposite sex." Shield chuckled. "Laugh it up, fuzzball." Skyfall mumbled. "Come, there is much to discuss and not alot of time to do so." A dinner with the Earth Queen The dinner was lavish, the gathering hall ornate. Earth lounged at the grand seat at the head of the long, wide, stone table, only she and her guests ate as she usually ate late at night to avoid the outrageous day crowds. While the girls nervously picked at their food, she looked upon each of them with either disgust or disengaged interest. Twilight turned to meet the gaze and break the ice. "Madam Earth?" "Just Earth is fine. I've never been one for titles." Unsure of where to start, Twilight started with the obvious. "Why don't you like us?" "Twilight!" Rarity scolded. Asking such questions was faux pas at dinners. "You can't assume she doesn't like us." Earth held up her hand to halt the incoming correction from Rarity. "It's true. I don't like you." She caught the direct stares or passive glances from her guests and sighed. "Our mutual friend would scold me for such an action. To make him happier, I'll consider explaining why I dislike you." "Mutual friend?" Midnight asked. "Shattered Skies." "Oh." Midnight went back to torturing her peas with a fork. Twilight placed her spoon down and turned to Earth fully. "Earth. I think it's time we get down to business." "This wouldn't involve the huns, would it?" Earth asked. "What? No." Twilight looked on questioningly, catching Midnight's questioning look too. "A nomadic people who left the steppes of Central Asia, traveled to Europe and threatened what was left of Rome's empire. Historians think they came from a Chinese tribe known as the Hsiung-nu?" Midnight smiled. "R-Right." Twilight said and looked to Earth once more. "Not that. We're here about Shattered Skies." "What about him?" Twilight closed her eyes and swallowed hard, finding the words next to impossible to say. "We were sent here by Princess Celestia to see if you would help us by giving us a way to defeat him, or seal him if possible. But Me and Sunset spoke with him and he stated his innocence. Harmony wanted me to speak with him and..." Twilight's throat tightened. "all I want is peace." "Twilight." Sunset said, trying to comfort her. "You are a very kind child." Earth said, lounged in her chair. "Peace is, and has only ever been, a dream." "No, you don't understand. Equestria has been at peace for almost one thousand years, since-" "Since the Spirit trials?" Earth asked. "That not what I mea-" Earth held a finger to her lips to silence the room. "Let me explain." Each of the girls stopped eating and turned to Earth as her stern look became soft. "I am old, as old as the lands you were born upon. I have seen ages come and go like the changing of the seasons, much like many of the other elder Spirits. Civilizations rise, advance, and then somewhere along the line get sick of authority and fall into ash." Earth willed the center of the table to erode into loose sand and formed them to the many civilizations to illustrate her point. "We were always there to help pick up the pieces. We would make and you would destroy. Without Spirits, the world falls into disarray and becomes stagnant, like a pond." Earth slowed her speech and looked to Twilight. "And what happens to the life in a pond that stagnates? No rain, no water, no nourishment." "It dies." "Yes. Let me ask. How many nations are at eachother's throat as we speak?" Twilight gulped, knowing the answer from her mentor. Earth smiled weakly. "Shattered Skies is a good stag, but he could never do it alone. He needs people to stand with him to help him reach what he is trying to achieve." "Do you know what he is trying to do?" Sunset asked. "No." Earth admitted. "But I've known him most of my life. He lives his life by very set rules and rarely deviates. Despite the nature he tries to portray, he is very kind and chose to put his life on the line for a great many during the Great Spirit War. Had he not been there, your world may look very differently." "Earth, may I ask you something?" Twilight asked. "Yes." "What was the Great Spirit War?" Twilight asked. "I've heard vague references to it, but find nothing." "That isn't surprising." Earth sighed. "It began over eight thousand years ago. Enough time for ancient civilizations to barely know it in legend." She leaned upon her arm and cupped her hands, tapping her thumbs together. "It wasn't a war in the most conventional means, but one that spanned over one thousand years and left ninety percent of the world's surface permanently changed and scarred. Sights like the Equestrian badlands, the void plains, and Foenum's suicide forest will never recover. Civilizations fought and some that were brought onto the planet no-longer exist." "So a period of sustained conflict?" Midnight asked. "Yes. However, in this era, Spirits that were accustomed to being solitary were thrust into high positions to lead nations against their own brethren. Large battles would ensue between Spirits and nations would fall. In the end, ruling over mortals was more popular than living beside them." Earth waved her hand to form the center of the table into a scene of battle with two armies sitting on the sides of a battlefield. "Shattered Skies was always a strong voice in the council and advocated people to grow up and talk it out, but he was the first to pick up arms against Discord's side once the Alicorns were destroyed." "Alicorns?" Twilight asked, surprised to hear of the existence of more. "Once a city sprawling with invention, culture, and happiness, is now a smoldering slag of ruin upon a lifeless isle. A great race now gone and defiled." Earth waved her hand again to show Shattered Skies fighting a large horse with blind eyes and bones woven in his braided mane. "Skies saved a few survivors, but losing the Alicorns affected him. That day his heart became a little colder. He then directed his rage to fighting a losing war." Earth waved her hand for a final time, etching a symbol of an antlered crown into the table. "You say you were sent here wanting to know how to seal Shattered Skies and then stated that all you want is peace." She leaned on her arm further and glared at Twilight. "Do you think these aren't contradictory?" Twilight chewed her lip. She looked to Earth, power flowed from her like a perfume and her firm body held gentle eyes. Her armor revealed much skin, but matched her own primal beauty. "Don't tell me what your mentor would want you to say." Earth interrupted. "What does Twilight Sparkle think, deep down?" "I-I don't know." Earth deadpanned and sighed. "Then we're done here until you give me an answer." She rose and walked from the table, only to hear a bowl clatter to the floor. "Earth." Earth looked back to see Twilight and scoffed. "Youth. You're given such power, but you choose to do nothing." "I haven't made a choice yet." Twilight said, knowing their situation was dire and letting Earth walk away was bad. "You have." Earth turned in the door way as her magic willed the doors shut. "With time, inaction becomes action." Twilight sighed in defeat while the others tried to give her words of encouragement However, Sunset did not, she leaned back at Earth's words. 'With time, inaction becomes action.' These words were uttered by only one other person, Skyfall, someone who had been suspiciously absent from dinner. Earth's Spirit Village Sometime later Twilight sighed, looking at the water. The calm glow of the water put her at ease. Making circles in the soft grass, memories of dinner played in her head like a film. Why did she not try to think of something clever to say? Her mind drifted to Skyfall and the slight angry feeling she harbored toward him. Had he been there he could have figured out what to say. Her mind started to spiral, as it does whenever she finds herself in over her head. "Deep in thought, Sparkle?" Twilight turned and leapt to her feet at seeing an old enemy, Adagio Dazzle. Half expecting the worst to happen, She looked around the room for somewhere to take cover from, but the lax demeanor of Adagio with the added fact that she was holding a crate brought her down from her own panic. "I'm not going to hurt you, Sparkle. At least not while in an Elemental's sanctum." Adagio chuckled as she knelt down, setting the crate onto the grass. Her usual wild hair was pinched into a ponytail and the tight outfit she wore in school was replaced with loose fitting cargo pants and a black tank-top, finished off with a pair of small square glasses on her face. With a soft pop, the crate's lid slid off and one by one Adagio revealed cloths before hanging them up on a nearby cloths line. She moved gently to push back her full hair as she knelt down to go through her laundry. "You're not going to attack?" Twilight asked. "That's what I said." Adagio shook her head, obviously amused at the confusion. She jabbed a finger toward a nearby red building. "This is my house, you were squatted in front of it, that's the only reason I'm near you." "Oh." Time passed as Twilight stood there, still, searching for words to say to who she believed was an enemy. Her own perception regarding Spirits felt challenged; first Spirits went from being myth to being real. Then her mentor revealed them to be the enemy and Spirits like Adagio only cemented that belief. Now, she has spoken with not only the Spirit she hunted to no avail, but to the Spirit within her own element and an Elemental that made very astonishing claims with no recorded historical backing. Even now, she stands by someone she believed to be an enemy and it's almost as if she was looking at someone that only looked the same as Adagio; this Adagio wasn't portraying an aggressive nature, nor was she scowling; she was lightly humming as she placed cloths, one by one, onto the line. Bringing herself back to reality with Adagio's snapping of the crate's lid brought one question to mind. "Adagio?" Adagio looked over, cradling the box in her arms. "Hm?" "You don't seem the same as the person I met at Canterlot high..." Twilight said and folded her arms loosely, enough to hold her elbows. "Why?" "Are you asking why I'm not the same person, or why I'm not all "Mwahahaha, give me your magic?"" "Both." With a subtle side-nod of her head, Adagio invited Twilight to follow. She watched as Twilight reluctantly followed her to the small front porch and looked on as Adagio nestled the crate under a wooden chair. "If you're not too afraid, you can come in for some tea. Or coffee. Whatever spins your rims." The door swung wide to reveal Adagio's modest house, the wise use of space and large presence of wood put Twilight further into a sense of uncertainty. "What? Do you hate wood?" "No!" Twilight crowed. "It's just not what I was expecting." "Well, I wasn't expecting you to accept my offer." Adagio chided. "Tea of coffee?" "Coffee, please." Without missing a beat, Adagio rooted through her cabinet and drew beans from a sealed cup to grind and brew. She looked at Twilight's dumbfounded look. "Shocked I don't live in a mossy cave with bat guano lining the walls?" Adagio asked. "That's not what I-" "I'm joking." Adagio laughed under her breath. "I get that a lot from non-Spirits. One echidna Spirit does that and suddenly all Spirits are eccentric, hermit-like creatures that live off worms and wet socks." "Echidna?" "Long, bitter story. Forget I mentioned it." Adagio pressed the ground beans and after a few moments, a fresh cup of coffee was placed before Twilight, leaving her to watch as Adagio lazily grabbed a jug of dark tea from her fridge to plop down across from her. Taking the silence as an invitation to try the coffee, Twilight accepted the black liquid and hummed at the flavor. She placed the cup down and took in the smell of a light chocolate smell. "Chocolate?" "Chicory." Adagio poured herself a cup of tea. "I developed a taste for it when I was studying medicine in Cresent City, Bayou Country." "Is that in Southern Equestria?" Twilight asked. "Yes. I tried to do the same here, but no money." "Ah." Twilight jolted like she was struck in the face. "Wait, you studied medicine?" "Yes, again." Adagio mixed lemon into her tea. "I enjoy the subject. When I graduated, I did that for many years until I was sent here." "You're a doctor?" "Yes." Adagio sipped her tea. "Don't get too excited, many Spirits have some soft of honorific following them. We certainly have the time to do so." "But, you tried to invade Equestria." Twilight said and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. "Why the over exaggerated slap?" Adagio chuckled. "You're kinda on the money, I did." "It was rude, sorry." "Forgiven." Adagio placed a coaster under her tea before crossing her legs under the table. "Me and the nitwits were punished pretty hard for it by Earth so I might as well own it. I used stolen gems and tried to return to Equus." "You wanted to go back that bad?" Twilight asked, tempting fate. "Of course I did. I still do. Most of us want to return to our homes, even if we say otherwise." Adagio said matter of factly. "Even if the whole of the planet rejected us." "Rejected you?" Twilight asked, desiring answers from a Spirit that was willing to talk about what the others wouldn't. "I know Celestia forced the Spirits here, but didn't the Spirits commit crimes?" "They did." Adagio smirked. "Some of it was really fun." "So isn't this deserved?" Twilight asked. With a momentary pause of drink, Adagio set her glass down. "Princess, may I ask you a pointed question?" Astonished at the polite demeanor, Twilight nodded. "Do you have love for species outside that of Pony culture?" Adagio asked. "I do. I've made many friends-" A dismissive hand waved in the space between the two. "That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking, could you love other species to see who they are underneath? To say you could be in love with a zebra because they are someone you love and not see them as a zebra?" "To love someone like they were your family?" Twilight asked, trying to understand. "Somewhat." Adagio said. "Would you hold all Unicorns responsible for the crimes of one Pegasus?" "No." Twilight snorted. "That'd be silly." "It would." Adagio refilled her tea an offered some to Twilight, an offer she took after downing the rest of her now cold coffee. She gently swirled the smokey, black soup wit her finger. "Would it be fair to hold all Pegasi responsible for the actions of five Zebra?" "No?" Twilight asked and hummed. "Are you implying that ponies held all Spirits responsible for the actions of a few?" "No." Adagio moistened her throat with her drink. "All races on Equus held us responsible under the pretext that we could do something. Some of us exist only to test mortals or even lay waste with natural disasters, but all were hunted and put on trial. Some of us were unlucky enough to not make the popular cut." "All races?" "Your Celestia was the catalyst, but far from the primary aggressor." Adagio said. "I imagine Earth and your own Shattered Skies wouldn't want me to share this with you, but I'm telling you out of an expectation I'll get repaid with a trip home." "So you're going to tell me what I want to know?" Twilight asked. "Yes. I've met your Spirit of the Forest many times." Adagio chuckled and rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses. "He is quite the task master. Some of us saw the plan to eradicate the Spirits from Equus, perhaps if he was around, we would have actually done something. I doubt it, but it doesn't hurt to dream." "You respect him that much?" Twilight asked. "Its hard to find someone that actually wants to talk about him." "Respect him? That's a word for it." Adagio laughed. "The tight lips don't surprise me. We Spirits are very secretive. I guess it comes with age." "How old are you?" "Geez." Adagio scoffed, trying to recall her age. "Twenty-six thousand and change? Not sure anymore." Twilight laughed, causing Adagio to burst into roarish laughter as well. The scene gave Twilight a third-person feeling, enjoying a conversation and sharing a drink with the image of someone she fought against. As the laughter died, Twilight sat with more questions than answers; a common occurrence as of late. "For a mortal, you aren't so bad, Twilight." Adagio said and paused. "Oh, wait, that's right you're an Alicorn. You joined the 'always bikini season' crowd." "Always bikini season?" "It's a joke we toss around from time to time." Adagio adjusted herself lazily. She lifted her shirt up and thumbed her waistline down to show her toned body. "We as immortals have a metabolism that cycles constantly keeping us preserved so we look young. Convenient, cause if I had to live forever in the body of an old mobster slug creature in a desert I'd lose my mind. This way when I want a man I can lure him right in." "Lure him in for what?" Twilight asked. With squinted eyes, Adagio looked at Twilight and turned her skepticism into a pointed expression. "For sex..." "Oh!" Twilight felt embarrassed and looked into her tea, avoiding the amused expression from Adagio. "I knew that, I was just thinking that it may have been for another reason." "Nope!" Adagio chuckled. "I'm not one for pillow talk, just want a rough man to do what I want and leave when I've had enough." Seeing Twilight's shocked look, Adagio tapped her finger on the table. "You know nothing about Spirits, do you?" "Not really." Twilight sighed. "Probably burned everything related to Spirits the instant the trials were wrapped up." Adagio chuckled. "Well, we Spirits aren't that different from you ponies. We enjoy the same things you do, we're just a little older." "I don't think we have ponies that lure men to their homes to engage in that." "Oh, trust me, it happens." Adagio said. "I'm a muse, it fits right in. Always has. Always will." Conflict rose in Twilight's mind. "So if Spirits are the same, why would mortals be so willing to trap Spirits here?" "I told you. We were trapped because we had the ability to cause trouble." Adagio reminded. "Before the war, we had a Spirit counsel that would find Spirits that were out of line and bring them to heel, but after the war the counsel didn't exist and some Spirits ran wild leading to public outcry. Then a city named Cahokia was destroyed and the souls of the ponies there were eaten by decayed trees, leading Celestia to start a crusade to uproot us. Before long many of us had our own families turning us in." "Families?" "Yes. Many of us had mortal families and our spouses turned on us." Adagio's voice fell quiet, revealing some pain. "Only Celestia knows the entirety of what happened during the trials, but her task force of StarSwirl the bearded and his lackeys hunted us down after the main order came down." Understanding that there were at least three sides to every story, Twilight placed a hand on her chin in thought while Adagio continued. "In one day, two thirds of the Spirit population was either destroyed, imprisoned, or sent here in exile." "We freed StarSwirl almost two years ago and he has never mentioned it." Twilight mused, thinking back to her past adventures. "Then again, he has been traveling Equestria and has only stopped by once to discuss his travels." "I hear myths are having trouble staying myths right now." Adagio said. "Heh, yeah." Twilight groaned quietly. "All the stories I grew up learning are slowly being eaten away to become something else entirely. Shattered Skies exists, Starswirl and his companions are alive, Sombra is cured, Santa Clause is a myth-" "Sombra's alive?" Adagio asked and hissed through her teeth. "He was cured?" Twilight offered. "He isn't King anymore." "I'm sure Shattered Skies loves that." "Why?" "Skies hates him." Adagio shook her head and shifted in her chair. "But he would kill me if I blabbed, so I'll remain quiet." "Hm, Skyfall hates Sombra too." Twilight mused. "Interesting." With a fluid motion, Adagio stood and two steps later met the refrigerator. She stared into the abyss as one does when half bored, looking for something to do. "Adagio?" "Hm?" "Can I trust you to not tell anyone about this?" "Yes." Adagio palmed a ball of cheese and peeled bits off to eat, playing with the strips in her hands beforehand. She turned back to the table and calmly sat down. "You're my ticket home. We haven't agreed to anything, but it's obvious no one is telling you things and if you want this kept secret, just stick up for me when I try to come with you." Twilight hated the idea of introducing another potential villain to Equestria but agreed with Adagio's points. In addition to that, this Adagio seemed worlds different than the one she fought. "Don't have much of a choice." Twilight said. "Great, all you have to do is ask and I'll answer your questions. This goes for when we get to Equestria too." Adagio dropped cheese bits into her mouth, clearly too eager about cheese. "No point in keep it a secret now." "What about the Spirit War?" Adagio paused and placed the cheese ball down. "I'll talk about it, but understand that you need to keep our exchange a secret, especially that part." "Deal." Twilight said and looked out the window to see her friends looking for her. Clear by them calling out her name. "When can we meet up to talk about it?" "It's probably best to talk about it when we get home to Equestria." Adagio said, jostling her tea that was now solid ice. "Hm, yeah perhaps it is time to end our little play date." Twilight smiled as Adagio's sad expression. "It was nice to meet you, Adagio. That real you." "I'll see you around, Sparkle." Adagio waved, watching Twilight leave to join her friends, bringing a smile to her face. As the air temperature fell, her smile fell. She glanced to her clock and the short hand had been beating the same tick over and over. "Ms. Dazzle." A dark room in a deep place "So how'd you survive being cut down by your pupil?" Grand Shield asked. He was slightly taller than Skyfall, making him near giant size. His foot falls were heavy and scrapped against the ground as he swayed with each step. Shield smiled over his shoulder at Skyfall. "That is, if the memories are too much." "They're not." Skyfall said. He lied, the memories would resurface every now and again at inconvenient moments like dinner and always bothered him. "Luna and I have reconciled. She lost control and ran me through with that cursed weapon of hers. Sif saved me by getting me to an elder tree-" Grand Shield cursed under his breath as he looked at his phone. He noticed Skyfall stopped talking and looked to him to see his questioning expression. "Sorry, I have a bingo game going. Almost forgot my numbers." "R-Right." Skyfall rolled his eyes knowing that Shield was checking his messages for updates and continued. "I entered a hibernation-like state once in the tree and recovered slowly. Since Luna's weapon is able to destroy a Spirit's regenerative power, it took a very long time. For all intents and purpose, it was a kill shot." Grand smiled wide as he had been doing since they met. "Well, my lord. It is very nice to see you up and about." Skyfall smiled. "I don't recall telling you I was Shattered Skies." Grand slowed to a stop and put one hand on his hip and another on his mouth. "It's that little world hopper, isn't it?" Skyfall asked to which he received a curt nod. He moved to Grand Shield's front and stopped, giving him a stern look. "Who is he?" Grand Shield let out a long, ragged sigh. "To be honest, my lord? I have not a clue, no one here does, not even Lady Earth. She tried to wrap him in a hand of stone and he just slips out like hes greased up. Every time he appears the world borders shake like a tremor." He said as he slowed by a large set of stone doors. "And here we are." "I thought I was going to go see your security commander?" Skyfall asked. "I mean, the tour was nice, but come on." "I know, my lord. Lady Earth requested to see you first." Grand said and waved at the walls, causing them to ripple, golem eyes opened along the walls to look around rapidly before snapping to Skyfall. They were inlaid as a security measure. "That. Is creepy." "I'd support stationing guards, but Lady Earth is kind of a powerhouse." Grand chuckled. "Yep, a powerhouse build like a brick house." "I heard that." Earth's voice permeated the hallway. With a soft pat, Grand smiled and left Skyfall alone before her door. Skyfall pushed the door open to see Earth sitting on a balcony clear across the expanse that was her two story living space. A mixture of lavish furnishings and old world knick-knacks filled her space. He walked through the apartment-like set up, being careful to avoid crates labeled with addresses spanning the globe. As he neared, he was able to see her looking out onto another realm chasm that seemed to be an extension of the one that existed in her main party chambers. Rooms of other Spirits lined the circular wall overlooking a small lush island, sitting under an illusion of the night sky outside. Down small steps and over to the lounging Elemental he walked before stopping at her subtle hand motion. Her eyes darted to him from an electronic tablet. Contemplation passed between them before she moved to talk. "Skyfall, is it true you were in a coma for a thousand years?" Earth swung a leg over the side of her couch to anchor her as she pulled herself upright. "More or less." Skyfall admitted. "I remember some things from that time, but not more than a day's worth of memories. "That's not what I was asking." "I know." Skyfall said. "It's just hard to grasp we're here now." Her fingers sank into the lays of her hair and raked their way to her neck moving her hair with it, showing that her gaze now fell into his eyes. "Damn you." She stood and walked passed him to shield herself in her apartment. Silently, her finger beckoned him to follow. "You have no idea what you being here means." "So I keep hearing." Skyfall said. With a flippant flick of her hand, the opening to the chasm disappeared and instead painted a picture of an orange sunset over an adobe desert. The air between Skyfall and Earth felt wordless. Her eyes glowed and all manners of wards fell onto the room, nearly turning the room into a moss covered cave from her influence. A sudden, crushing hug wrapped Skyfall. He felt her head lightly tapping against his chest in supposed frustration. "That bad?" Skyfall chuckled. "Yeah, that bad." She muffled out into his jacket. Her head reared back and green eyes bore up. "Your sister just arrived at the border of our facility and started bombarding the shield when I refused to go see her." "No point?" "Not really." Earth stepped back and fell back onto a nearby couch. "With us accepting to house you, this our sanctuary is compromised. None of us are safe once that barrier comes crashing down." "Then do something." "Still stubborn." Earth smirked. "Earth, what happened to all of us." Skyfall took the couch opposite of the Elemental. "I assume you have ties to Equus still and know some of what's going on. We fought to stop this once, why are we hiding?" "For a guy who acts like a shut-off cynic, you seem really interested in helping." Earth prodded. "I just don't want the world to collapse and take everything good with it." Sky said. "You know what evils come from taking the "hands off" approach." "And would you have a different view if your daughter was still lost to you?" Earth asked, her expression turning dark. "Is this new found interest in world order altruistic?" "No." Skyfall said with no hesitation. "If the statement wasn't so blunt, I'd think you were lying." She cupped her hands and leaned back in her chair to look at the ceiling. "You. Are you really here to recruit us all?" "In a nutshell? Yes." Skyfall said. "The planet's equilibrium is turned on its side. I haven't been able to reach the Maker. And worse, all of us are toted as story book villains." He couldn't read Earth's neutral reaction, though he tried in vain. "If what I believe is true, it's too late. In trying to destroy me, Celestia and the others have set in motion the catalyst for a world war. Ponyville and Twilight would have been attacked by Spirits, setting in motion a witch hunt for Spirits that will degrade into war." Earth played with the fancy fraying on her pillows and slowly twirled the cords in her hands. "You would ask us to help a-" "Yes." Skyfall interrupted. "I get it, they betrayed you, but that was the paranoia a thousand years ago. Don't hold the descendants responsible for their ancestors." "You were always good with words, Skyfall." Earth smiled. Reviewing the conversation in his mind, Skyfall leaned forward. "What agreement did you make with Celestia? I know you came here willingly, there's no way you two would fight and be completely unscathed, even now. So you must have talked." "We did." Earth said, reaching over to scoop up a passing cat. "She came to me with her morning sun behind her, believing it would give her extra power. It would be a fair fight had it not been for Rage and that cur River's End. With them, it made things a little more bleak." She slowed her petting and looked to Sky. "After a brief discussion, I agreed to come here to guide our kind. I wanted to tear her apart for what she did to us, but we needed someone to shelter us in this world. I assure you the switch wasn't too convenient either." "So what was the agreement?" "We are to never return to the world or interfere in their affairs. Any future endeavors will have our complete cooperation and obedience. Failure to do so will result in us being hunted and sentenced to Tartarus which forced Spirits to roam a scape of shifting sands, darkness, and ruins that belonged to no civilization." "You." Skyfall squinted and turned his head slightly. Her demeanor and complete acceptance was leagues away from the Earth that lived in his memory. "You want this war to happen." "I do." Earth's eyes glowed strong. "I am disgusted with how they've taken that planet, turning it from the paradise we all made into a sad shell." "And what of the war we all fought? We did that, not them." Skyfall said. Grief struck Earth, her expression changing from sad to angry to neutral. "I know." "What's the matter?" Skyfall asked, Earth being one of the few people he genuinely trusted. "I grieved." Earth said, tears welling in her eyes. "When I heard Crystal passed away with your daughter, I grieved as if I lost my own family. I tore me apart, you were too numb to see the hurt of the others around you. Then, we lost you. My heart shattered at the news and since then I have tried to live away from forests, you are one of my best friends and I never stopped mourning." She looked to Skyfall as he sat, listening. "Now you're back and I'm angry at you. I'm angry and I don't know why." "I didn't want to put hardship on you and the others." Skyfall said. "I just need to talk to them, maybe they can be helped to return." "Word of your arrival has moved to the Spirits that weren't present at tonight's little gathering." Earth said. "Many don't believe you're actually Shattered Skies. And the ones that do think you'll be fighting a losing battle. Most of us are just tired." "That, I understand." Skyfall said in earnest. "We'll have a few days to catch up. Soon we'll make a plan for all of us to get out of here, until then gather your strength and meet with my security commander, she'll update you on the minutia of what we're looking at." Earth noticed Skyfall's silence, signalling he still had one conversation piece of note. "Something on your mind, Ardennes?" "Guns." Hanging her head, she knew this way coming. "Yes, the firearms." "Why?" "You don't win battle with wishes and smiles. You used to say that." Earth said. "As I mentioned earlier, our early days here were very harsh. I made a decision and allowed their development. Firearms have been limited throughout the world as of late and aren't commonplace, but history is much like ours in the time before. This time, however, we were able to step in and stop many of the historical catastrophes that might have happened. Didn't stop them all, but the track record is good. Being immortal helps too." With a silent nod and a hug, Skyfall took his leave. He stepped out into the large maintenance hall to see Grand Shield. Quiet buzzing came from his pocket and after a brief moment, he pulled out a phone encased in a protective shell. He tapped and hissed as he quickened his pace, shoving the phone into his pocket. "We should hurry, our operation's commander just messaged me directly to hurry along and bring you." "Then we better not keep them waiting." Skyfall chuckled and followed Shield through winding hallways and security doors, in front of curious people and shocked bystanders. They continued until they arrived at a steel door in a hallway of sensors. Shield lifted his card to swipe, but paused. "Lord Skies." "Yes?" He paused and took a deep breath. "During the war, I fought against you. I remember some of the atrocities that came from losing battles against the major Spirits. I know it's not my place, but please consider the families when passing judgement." Skyfall's eyes rested onto Grand's back as he slide in his card key, remaining silent as he followed him in to almost the center of a large room. Full of monitors and electronic maps with various colored floating orbs carved like planets in the very center, he looked on at the impressive set up they had. "What is this?" Skyfall asked. "It's the room we use to monitor the barriers of the different realms. We hold mission briefings here for our various excursion teams." A familiar voice called as the harsh tapping of shoes echoed from behind Skyfall, drawing his attention. The woman was dressed in olive drab cargo pants, boots, and a tight white shirt with a laurel wreathed planet on the breast. Her long, straight hair was pulled back into a fiery rust orange ponytail, showing off her onyx skin and blue-gray eyes. "Psalm?" She smiled and wrapped her arms around Skyfall. "Hi BB." "So you're the Earth's Operation's Commander?" Skyfall raised his brow. "How'd that happen? And why didn't you tell me?" Psalm kissed her brother's cheek. "Our time is running kind of short, it's quite a tale, but it'll have to wait later." Her arms fell to his side as Skyfall looked around to see more familiar Spirits than he had in Earth's presence. Spirits he had served with and against in the Great Spirit War, now clearly his sister's close council in manners of defending their own realm's borders. With each set of eyes Skyfall met, a heartfelt nod was returned. "First and foremost." Skyfall said. "How did you follow me here? The highschool's portal is sealed." "There are always more than one link between realms, Big Brother." Psalm ran her hand over a nearby terminal before calling out location codes, sending the map into a rapid fluctuation of colors and zooms before showing a gaping hole of rock in the earth. "Like tunnels in a mine to keep it from collapsing." "A rock quarry? How?" "With events that put pressure on time and space, the force has to escape somewhere. It riots through limbo and into other verses." Psalm jabbed a thumb to the satellite image. "With the increased incidents over the past few years at the main highschool portal, we had to seek out other locations to cross. Two years ago, we found that a rift formed at a local camp called camp Everfree. So we sent a corporate puppet there to buy a large section of the land it owned. After dishing out some large numbers from the bank and a runaway conduit that some highschoolers put down, we bought the rights to the land and built a quarry a few miles from the camp." "Does Unfaithful know about it?" Skyfall asked. "Not to our knowledge, no." A large Spirit sporting a Mohawk interrupted. "The other end of the portal is in the badlands, a bit of a walk, but easier than the next best thing." Psalm said. Skyfall nodded and stood silently, deep in thought. "Any questions?" "A great many." Skyfall said in earnest. "But first, there is a nagging thought in the back of my head as to who is pulling the strings behind the scenes. Is there a place here that we can speak?" Psalm sighed and broke her eye contact with her brother's waiting expression. "I fear this knowledge comes too late." She waved her hand and commanded the computer's artificial intelligence to show the barrier worlds. She called for filters to be revealed and the worlds grew red and cracked as if magma boiled to the surface, a thick cloud of ashy smoke snaking its way from planet to planet. "What is this?" Skyfall counted as much as twelve vibrant worlds with three times as many being nearly faded from sight. "I recognize Equus and the realm we currently inhabit." "It's... difficult to explain." Psalm said sadly, hanging her head in shame. "All I can tell you is that if balance isn't brought back soon, then every world will be affected." "World ending cataclysm?" Skyfall asked, uncharacteristically happy. "Yes?" He looked over the lines of smoke to their own sources. A small, blue world with tiny islands was untouched with an aurora borealis fending the smoke off. That same smoke erupted from a broken world, just opposite the small blue one on the grand world map. A large cord of smoke was stabbed into each world and Skyfall squinted to see where on Equus it met, he recognized the location, Prance. Prance being a natural cross point for many magic lay lines. "So, Psalm." Skyfall's voice fell flat at a realization, believing he knew who laid at the center of the problems that followed his family. "Yes, Skyfall?" "Lately, have you been having nightmares about him too?"