//------------------------------//
// II-VIII. The Knighting 
// Story: Hùndùn 
// by LoZLttP13 
//------------------------------//

"It's a work in progress," Pinkie said with a small, shy smile. "But this is what I've come up with so far- I hope you like it."

Pinkie was clothed in a medieval bard's traditional attire- right down to the soft leather boots, fur cape, and large crimson teller-beret. She was holding a beautiful dark brown walnut mandolin, and was standing before her six best friends, who were sitting attentively in a semi-circle around her.

The seven young Beings were alone in one of the Castle Camelot's fine drawing-rooms. Except for Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, they were all adorned in the same ensembles they had worn to the Gala just a few weeks ago. It was late afternoon, and they had all just enjoyed a long day of fun, relaxation, and celebration; they had gone shopping in Olympus's grand market district, enjoyed some of the finest dining the capital city had to offer, and had even spent a few hours rolling dice and playing cards in some of the exuberant casinos there.

None of these were the reason they had come back to Olympus, however. At four o'clock, they had returned to the guest bedchambers Celestia had lent them to change and prepare for the ball being thrown in Camelot that night; a ball in celebration of the extraordinary and brave deeds of Rainbow Dash, who was to be honored with knighthood in commemoration of her remarkable heroism by the High Princess herself.

In the modern age, accolades had become such rare and momentous events that there was no living mortal who had been born before the day Celestia had last performed one. Other Gods, of course, had honored mortal Beings from the nations they ruled with knighthood to recognize great acts of service they had performed to their communities and countries- but to be dubbed by Celestia herself was to be marked as having served the entire world and all Beings, mortal or immortal.

For this reason, Rainbow had received a unique and ornate military uniform as a personal gift from the Pantheon. Far finer and more valuable than even the uniforms of the Royal Guardsmen, Rainbow Dash's uniform was a work of art that had astonished her and her friends with its sheer beauty when it was first delivered to Avalon and they first beheld it.

It consisted of a pair of high leather dress-boots, trousers, and a jacket. The trousers and jacket were hand-woven from the finest Dragon Imperial silks and stitched together with silver and gold thread. The jacket was sky-blue, and the trousers were as silvery-white as clouds, and both of them were covered in delicate indigo embroidery that depicted a breathtaking skyline of waterfalls, flowers, drifting leaves, and majestically flying birds. The jacket had a black, hot pink-edged standing mandarin collar embroidered with a lightning-bolt; a golden braided epaulette draped over each shoulder; the ribbons of the medals awarded to Rainbow by the mayors of various towns sewn onto the left breast; and was fastened at the front by golden frogs and gold buttons bearing the likeness of Rainbow Dash's cloud and lightning-bolt Mark. In addition, Rainbow had been given a stunning silver basket-hilted saber, which she was now wearing in its scabbard at her hip; she was to present this to Celestia at the ceremony, who would then use it to knight her.

In addition, Rainbow had allowed her friends to further make her up as a showing of their gratitude; Rarity had carefully applied makeups of vibrant magentas, blues, and violets to her lips, cheeks, and eyes, and Fluttershy had ornately braided Rainbow's hair into an intricately regal woven ponytail worthy of a Goddess. When Rainbow beheld the results in a mirror, she was astonished to find that she was quite impressed; she was worried that the makeup and braiding would make her look too "girly," and that she would lose her trademark tomboyish charm as a result. However, Rainbow instead saw an image of the grace and beauty of a fierce tropical bird, such as a peacock or phoenix. Noble, courageous, dignified, and strong. Rainbow saw a true shining knight in the mirror.

"Wow," Rainbow had said, making a small smile as her chin quivered and her eyes began to water. "This is... amazing. Thank you so much, you guys. I really-"

"Be careful not to ruin it, darling," Rarity cheerfully interjected as she dabbed at the corners of Rainbow's eyes with a disposable paper handkerchief.

Rainbow laughed. "Yeah, sorry, Rare," she said. She then took a long, deep breath, smirked at her reflection, and said with a voice again filled with a warrior's determination, "I'm ready."

"There's just one thing you're missing...!"

Rainbow and her friends had all turned surprisedly to the dressing-room's door, where Pinkie the Minstrel was standing, grinning and holding her dark walnut mandolin. "You can't be a knight if you don't have a bard, Dashie!" Pinkie cried before strumming a few chords and giggling.

Pinkie had told them that she had a surprise for Rainbow, and would meet them at Camelot just before the accolade the day before. She explained as they were moving from the dressing-room to the drawing-room that she had been writing a traditional knight's ballad in Rainbow's honor, and planned to perform it during the ball. With's Rainbow's permission, of course.

Rainbow had grinned delightedly upon hearing this. "Hell yeah!" she cried. "On just one condition: you gotta let me hear it first."

Pinkie nodded, beaming. "Alright, Dashie!" she said. She then gestured to the chairs, adding, "Have a seat, please, everyone!"

Now that her audience was attentively seated, Pinkie took a few deep breaths to calm her nervousness, positioned her fingertips into a chord on the mandolin's bridge, then began plucking an arpeggio. After a few bars to set the introduction, Pinkie began singing the song proper;

"This is the story of Dashie,
Fair Avalon's greatest hero
There are none that are braver than she;
To number such Beings yields zero!"

Spike and the girls in Pinkie's audience laughed at her perfect delivery, causing her smile to widen as she continued,

"From the dark depths of Tartarus, there came
A Dark Thunder-God so wicked and vile
He snatched up the babes; Scorpan's his name
And his stench could be smelled for miles!

Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash!
I sing the deeds of Dame Rainbow Dash
Who felled a God as a lightning-storm flashed!
A toast to the steadfast and loyal knight Rainbow Dash!"

With this, Pinkie strummed two more chords, then bowed.

After a moment, Pinkie's friends all burst into loud, enthusiastic applause. "That was spectacular, Pinkie Pie!" Rarity cried.

"That was awesome!" Spike added.

"Don't reckon Ah could'a done it any better!"

"That was a beautiful song, Pinkie. Thank you for playing it for us. It was lovely."

"I assume there'll be more verses, yes?"

"Of course I'll write more, Twilight!"

"You rock, Pinkie." Rainbow was smiling with tremendous gratitude, and she was clearly in danger of weeping again.

As Pinkie answered Rainbow with an affectionate, thankful smile of her own, however, the door was gently knocked before Twilight's family butler Frederick pushed it open and poked his head in. "We're ready for you, ladies," he said pleasantly.

Jumping to their feet, Twilight, Spike, and their friends all followed Frederick together as he led them to Camelot's throne room.

As it was midday, the castle was brightly lit by the flood of sunlight pouring in through every window. There were no added decorations within the long chamber, except for a new stained glass window that Celestia had made and installed in one of the walls that depicted Rainbow's victory in her historic duel against Scorpan. Nobles from all over the world were standing alongside the families of the children freed from Scorpan's captivity (they had all been invited here, and most had come) on either side of the long red carpet leading up to the two raised thrones, where Celestia stood in her traditional toga and Luna and Cadance at her sides. Standing at the foot of the throne's platform was Shining, who was in full dress and officially on-duty as Captain of the Royal Guardsmen, who were holding bugles adorned with the High Princess's Banner.

Twilight, Spike, and their friends all entered together- except for Rainbow, who stayed behind with Frederick. She was to enter the room only after her arrival had been officially heralded.

Upon Twilight's entrance, Celestia nodded at Shining, who turned to address the Guard. "Tennnn... HUT!" he shouted.

The crowd feel silent as the Guardsmen all clacked their boot heels together and stood in attention.

"Raise your horns!"

The guards obeyed, pressing their lips to their mouthpieces.

"On behalf of Her Royal Highness and her subjects," Shining shouted, "I introduce to you... Rainbow Dash of Asgard!"

The doors were magically flung open, revealing Rainbow herself.

As Rainbow began marching in, a drumroll sounded, then the Equestrian National Anthem was blown by the guards over their bugles. Rainbow's strides were confident and sure, and it wasn't long before she was standing just before Celestia. She fell to one knee, placed her hand over her heart, and bowed her head in deference as the horns blew their last notes.

Upon the Anthem's completion, Celestia held out her hands. "Rainbow Dash, Angel of Avalon," she said with booming authority. "Present your sword to me."

With a single smooth motion, Rainbow drew her silver saber from the scabbard at her hip, carefully placed her empty palm beneath the blade, then released the hilt and turned it towards the Princess.

Celestia took the saber, then laid it across her own hands as Rainbow bowed her head again. "Rainbow Dash," Celestia said. Her voice was loud, but the room was silent, so the volume almost seemed unnecessary. "When Prince Scorpan, the Dark God of Storms, returned to our world, he threatened the lives and communities of all mortals. As the personification of tempests, few except for the most courageous of mortals could muster up the bravery to challenge him to a duel."

Celestia made a small smile. "But not only did you have the courage and valor to challenge a Dark God, brave Rainbow Dash- in the defense of the many innocent children he threatened, you did what had been deemed impossible and defeated him."

Celestia gripped the saber's handle, and held it at her side. "Today, we honor the immeasurable courage and compassion you showed on that day, and the service you've demonstrated for all the world." Celestia raised the saber and gently tapped the tip of its blade against each of Rainbow's shoulders, declaring, "I hereby dub thee Dame Rainbow Dash the Loyal, in my name and title: Celestia, Princess of Equestria and High Princess of the Earth."

The hall burst into uproarious applause, and Celestia quietly returned Rainbow's saber to her.

After her sword had been sheathed, Rainbow received handshakes from each one of the nobles, as well as a thankful embrace from all the relatives of each child she had freed- including, to her surprise, Filthy Rich, who was every bit as tearful as Stephen had been.

After Rainbow had greeted all of the guests to her knighting and had received congratulations from her friends, father, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Celestia called for the feast to begin.

The feast was opulent, delicious, and very long and merry. Laughter mixed in the air with the smells of the finest spices, fruits, and meats to be found in the world as the feasters exchanged jokes, stories, and songs. Rainbow and her friends all agreed; this was how a party should really be.

After several hours, as the dusk began to fall, the feasters all finished their meals before making their way to the ballroom. It wasn't long before the sounds of fiddles and mandolins filled the air, and nearly everyone began dancing.

No one was a more popular dancing-partner than Rainbow Dash. Her father had insisted on having the first dance with her, which she cheerfully obliged, and Dash's friends were all astonished at the naked adoration in Rainbow Blaze's eyes for his daughter as the first jig played.

"Wow...." Pinkie had whispered to Rarity during this. "Blaze really does love Dashie...."

"Of course he does," Rarity said, turning surprisedly to Pinkie. "She is his daughter, after all. I'm sure he thought he'd never see her alive again."

"Yeah, well," Pinkie said, looking down and frowning, "he didn't really seem like he did when I met him. He was too busy staring at my boobs."

"He was, was he?" Rarity said, sounding pleasantly surprised. Pinkie astonishedly looked back at her, and saw that Rarity was gazing at Rainbow Blaze with a hint of lascivious curiosity.

"He's a creep, Rare," Pinkie said, frowning.

"So you rebuffed him?" Rarity said, not looking away from Dash's father or losing any of her mischievous smile. "I can't imagine why you would. I don't think his handsomeness is too far behind that of a God...."

Pinkie rolled her eyes, but then saw that Luna had approached Rainbow Blaze as the song finished. Her flirtatious body language suggested that she was trying to pick him up.

Pinkie smirked. "Looks like he might already be taken for the night," she commented. "Better luck next time, huh?"

"On the contrary," Rarity purred, narrowing her eyes and widening her smile, "if Rainbow Blaze has the appetite you describe him having, I can't imagine him or the Princess turning down one more...."

Pinkie gaped in shock at Rarity. "W-what...?" she stuttered. "You'd...?"

"Of course," Rarity replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I thought that you weren't into girls," Pinkie said confusedly.

Rarity cast a sideways, smirking glance at Pinkie. "The beauty of the Gods is transcendent, remember?" she said.

With that, Rarity regally made her way towards the Goddess of the Moon and her newest suitor.

Pinkie scoffed and rolled her eyes again, then looked over at Rainbow Dash, hoping to see her alone. However, this hope was dashed, as she saw that Rainbow was now laughingly dancing with Scootaloo, causing her to let out a small, sad groan of disappointment.

Pinkie felt someone tap her shoulder, and she turned to find that it was Spike, who was offering a hand to her. "May I?" he said politely.

With a flattered, surprised smile in return, Pinkie took Spike's hand and waltzed through the next song with him.

Pinkie desperately searched for a chance to steal Rainbow during the next few songs, but each time another Being beat her to it; first Stephen, then Filthy Rich, then Twilight, then Spike.

Noticing how dejected and lonely Pinkie looked, Fluttershy approached her and quietly muttered, "Umm... Pinkie?"

Pinkie turned to Fluttershy, who blushed and looked away as she said, "Um... may I... may I have a dance with you... please?"

Pinkie's eyes watered a little as she nodded and gently grasped Fluttershy's hands.

The next song was a slow one, and so Fluttershy and Pinkie were steady enough in their movements to have a conversation.

"Are you having fun, Pinkie?" Fluttershy said.

"Oh, yes. This is a great party. Definitely way better than the Gala," Pinkie giggled.

Fluttershy smiled. "I'm glad," she replied. "And I agree."

Pinkie flashed an enormous grin.

They were silent for a few more moments, then Fluttershy said, "Um... Pinkie?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you... um... like Dashie?"

Pinkie blinked. Her expression was blank. "... What?" she said quietly.

Fluttershy's face burned. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she reassured Pinkie quickly.

Pinkie's mouth opened slightly. However, after a moment, she smiled again as she said, "Well, of course I like Dashie! She's one of my best friends, right?"

"That's... not what I mean...." Fluttershy said.

Pinkie's smile immediately vanished. Of course she already knew what Fluttershy had meant. "Why do you ask?" she said.

"Just... the way you were looking at her," Fluttershy said. "It looked like you were just watching her while she was dancing."

Pinkie nodded, but said nothing.

After a few more moments, Fluttershy again said, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

After a short pause, Pinkie scoffed and looked away, muttering, "I'm sure you know already."

"Why don't you tell her?"

Pinkie's eyes widened, and her gaze shot back to Fluttershy's. "What?" she said softly.

"Why don't you tell Dashie that you like her?" Fluttershy said.

Pinkie's mouth opened slightly, and she stuttered, "I... I...."

Fluttershy blinked and made a small nod, letting Pinkie know she was still listening.

After a few moments, Pinkie frowned and looked away, muttering, "I don't know."

Fluttershy nodded. "Well, I think you should," she said.

Pinkie shrugged.

They were silent for the remainder of the song, and Pinkie didn't look at Fluttershy's face again.

She had just lied.

Pinkie did know why she didn't tell Rainbow how she felt. And why she never would.

Pinkie was utterly, hopelessly in love with Rainbow Dash. She always had been, ever since they first met. But she knew that Rainbow would never feel the same way about her.

Why? Because Pinkie annoyed her. Exhausted her. Pinkie could already tell that Rainbow could barely tolerate being her friend, let alone seeing her every day.

And Pinkie knew Rainbow was attracted to her. As dense as Pinkie was, even she could understand all of the lewd looks and suggestive flirting Rainbow directed at her, but whenever this occurred Pinkie always had to remind herself that Rainbow was like that to all of their female friends.

Pinkie wanted nothing more than to take Rainbow up on one of her joking suggestions to shower with her or decorate her naked body with cake frosting, but she didn't dare do it; Rainbow would surely have no use for Pinkie as anything other than a bedmate, though Pinkie would have gladly given anything to spend every waking moment of the rest of her life with her.

The song ended, and the dancers all applauded the orchestra.

"Hey, Pinkie?" Fluttershy said politely. "Do you want to play the ballad you wrote now?"

Perking up a little, Pinkie smiled back at Fluttershy as she nodded.

"Go do it, then," Fluttershy said.

After giving her gentle, soft-spoken friend an affectionate hug in thanks, Pinkie stepped up onto the musician's platform and cried, "Um... hey, everyone!"

Once the other Beings had her attention, Pinkie announced, "I'm Pinkie Pie, and I'm a friend of Rainbow's. If you don't mind, I'm going to play a ballad I wrote for her for you all."

After the partygoers applauded, Pinkie smiled gratefully, bowed, and began.

It turned out that the complete ballad that Pinkie had written was an energetic, fun, and utterly hilarious epic that lasted for over ten minutes. During this time, everyone was dancing and clapping along, and they even all joined in during her last recitation of the chorus.

"... I sing the deeds of Dame Rainbow Dash
Who felled a God as a lightning-storm flashed!
A toast to the steadfast and loyal knight Rainbow Dash!

A toast to the steadfast and loyal knight Rainbow Dash!"

Upon the song's completion, the crowd applauded again, to which Pinkie's eyes again watered as she smiled and made a final deep bow to them. "Thank you."

After Pinkie had stepped back down to the dance floor, she was shocked to see Rainbow Dash approach her.

With her maddeningly charming smirk, Rainbow offered her hand to Pinkie. "Wanna dance, Pink?" she said.

With a small, delighted gasp, Pinkie struggled to keep herself from weeping as she nodded and allowed Rainbow to pull them closer together.

It was heaven to dance with Rainbow Dash. She was a surprisingly sweet and competent partner, even though she wasn't head-banging as she was prone to do in her favorite nightclubs. Pinkie had never felt happier than having Rainbow's fingers gently holding her waist and hand now.

After a few silent moments, Rainbow said, "Uh... Pinkie?"

"Yes?" Pinkie replied.

Pinkie was surprised to see Rainbow's face burn a little as she said, "Listen, Pink... about that night before the duel...."

Pinkie flinched.

Rainbow continued, "I just... you don't have to do anything." She swallowed, then added, "I know that you promised if I survived, you'd...."

"It's okay, Dashie," Pinkie interrupted her.

Rainbow looked astonishedly back at Pinkie, and saw that she was smiling serenely at her. "I was just... scared. I wasn't all there. I was worried that we'd lose you."

Pinkie laid her head against Rainbow's shoulder, whispering, "You're alive. That's all that matters. I'm glad I got to see you again."

Rainbow's face was burning intensely, though she continued to gently sway with Pinkie resting against her.

When the song finished, Pinkie was roused by the sound of the other partygoers applauding. She looked around, then turned back to Rainbow. "Well, I have to go pack," Pinkie said. "Goodnight, Dashie."

Pinkie kissed Rainbow's cheek. When she drew back, she saw that Rainbow was still intensely blushing.

With a small, girlish giggle, Pinkie said, "Well, anyway, see ya later!" before cheerfully turning, waving, and skipping away.

Rainbow gently stroked the cheek Pinkie had kissed, then let out a low, sorrowful sigh.

She went made her way to the castle's restrooms. She'd have to remove her makeup before it could betray the tears that were ruining it.

During this, Twilight was finishing a dance with Spike. Once the song ended, Twilight saw that Celestia was approaching and looking directly at her.

"You wish to speak to me, Your Highness?" she said once Celestia was standing before her.

Celestia nodded. "Indeed, Twilight," she said. "Alone."

Twilight could tell by Celestia's frowning lips that it was something serious. She nodded, then said to Spike, "Go get our things ready for our trip home, alright?"

Spike nodded, making a small smile to his mentor. "Right on it," he said before saluting her, spinning around, and jogging to their living-chambers.

"Follow me," Celestia said.

Nodding, Twilight obeyed the High Princess, who led her out of the ballroom and into the castle's halls.

Twilight was surprised that they didn't go towards the Royal Bedchambers. "Um... where are we going, Your Highness?" Twilight said confusedly.

"The library," Celestia replied.

"Why's that?"

"Because Luna's currently occupying our bedchamber," Celestia answered bluntly. "She has guests; your friend's father Rainbow Blaze and your friend Rarity, to be specific. We mustn't disturb them."

After a moment, Twilight blushed as her eyes widened and her jaw fell open. "Oh- ... oh." she said, suddenly understanding.

"Besides," Celestia added, "there's something I want to show you in the library."

With another nod, Twilight remained silent as she and her teacher crossed the rest of the way to the tower that housed the castle's library.

Once they were inside, Celestia locked the door, then cast a quick spell to be sure that no one else was there. She then extinguished all the lights, leaving only the stars in the night sky.

"What's going on, y-Your Highness?" Twilight said nervously.

"We can't have anyone knowing we're here," Celestia said. "You must also swear to tell no one of what you're about to see without my permission."

Swallowing, Twilight made a small nod. "I promise," she said quietly.

Nodding in reply, Celestia took a deep breath, then held her hands up. Her eyes and Marks glowed with pink Ether, and Twilight gasped as she saw lines of pink light materialize above the ground and weave themselves into a Ritual Circle.

Once the Circle was drawn, Celestia snapped, activating the Ritual.

There was a faint, low rumbling, then Twilight heard stone scraping. She gasped again as she saw the marble blocks in the floor lower, forming themselves into a spiraling staircase leading underground.

Celestia beckoned to Twilight. "Come," she said, before descending down beneath the library.

After taking a deep breath to calm herself, Twilight followed Celestia down.

It seemed like ages before the stairs stopped. Twilight asked when they were about halfway down them, "Where are we going, Your Highness?"

"A secret prison," Celestia replied, cupping a flame in her hand to light the way. "It's a dungeon that only you, your brother, your parents, Luna, Cadance, and I know of."

Twilight nodded. She didn't speak again until they'd reached it.

When they reached Celestia's secret dungeon, Twilight was shocked at how small and bare it was. There weren't any cells, bars, torches, or even a door; the only object Twilight could see in this stone room was what looked like a tall statue blanketed by shadow in the far left corner.

"This is the dungeon?" Twilight said.

Celestia nodded. "Yes," she said.

Celestia then turned towards the statue. "Take a closer look at that," she said softly.

With another hard gulp, Twilight carefully conjured a flame and slowly crept up to the statue, then gasped in fear upon seeing it clearly.

It was a granite life-sized statue of Scorpan, turned away and reaching outwards as his mouth gaped and eyes bulged, as though he had been screaming in terror the moment it was carved.

"Is that...?!" Twilight whispered in horror.

Celestia nodded. "It is," she said. "That is none other than my wretched brother Scorpan himself, imprisoned in stone."

Twilight turned fearfully to Celestia. "Why is he here?!" she cried. "Why didn't you put him back in Tartarus?!"

"There's no point," Celestia answered simply. "This is as good a place as any to keep him now."

Twilight gaped at Celestia, who sighed before continuing, "Listen close, my student. What I am about to tell you is of the very gravest importance."

After a moment of hesitation, Twilight nodded.

"As you might have guessed," Celestia began, "Scorpan is Sealed here in the same manner that Discord is Sealed in Tartarus. I used the same Ritual, in fact.

"There is no better prison than this one. Any Being imprisoned with the Entombing Ritual is literally transformed into a block of stone. If this were done to a mortal, of course, they would be instantly killed. But because we Gods are immortal, we are still alive, even if made into stone statues. Gods' Souls still cling inseparably to our bodies, no matter what forms they assume, and they will continue to cling to us until the very end of time."

"So Scorpan and Discord are doomed to be stone forever?" Twilight said.

Celestia nodded. "Indeed."

As horrible as Scorpan was, Twilight found herself growing distressed at this realization. "Is he... aware of it?" she asked quietly.

Celestia shook her head. "No. My brother is nothing more than a block of stone with a Soul. He shall sleep eternally."

Twilight let out a relieved sigh. So he wasn't suffering, at least.

"My father, however..." Celestia continued ominously.

Twilight turned back to Celestia. "W-what?" she whispered fearfully.

"The God of Chaos is not like other Beings, Twilight," Celestia muttered. "He's not even like the other Gods. In fact, I think it might be an insult to call Discord a God; it's seems more likely that we Gods are pale imitations of him."

Celestia turned to Twilight, and the fire in her hand cast an ominous glow over her grim face. "He assumes the shape of a male God, but his shape is whatever he desires it to be. He can shape himself into an insect, a tree, or even a dream. But no matter what shape he takes, his will and mind are still as present as his Soul."

"So Discord's... awake?" Twilight whispered, her voice filled with terror in equal parts at the suffering this implied, and the idea of how much rage he must have accumulated from it.

Celestia nodded. "That's right, Twilight," she said. "He's awake. He's watching. Always. Waiting, waiting for the day he can escape from the deepest Hell in Tartarus and retake his rightful place on the world's throne."

"But... how can he be?" Twilight said. "I mean, he's literally a stone statue, right?"

"That's true," Celestia replied. "And I don't know. But that's the nature of Discord's power; he can alter and warp reality by means we cannot even begin to fathom. It's difficult to explain what those powers even are. But you must understand, even to a small extent, what he is. And what Discord is is a Being who is trivially capable of drinking stars, creating a weight he cannot lift, rendering a creature incapable of dying, or making a rock capable of thought. Twilight, my siblings and I were only barely able to defeat him. My siblings could shake the cosmos, and I was stronger than all of them combined, but we were still no match for him, even were he using only the Magic in his little finger."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Twilight said. She wasn't sure she could take any more; she was trembling as though there were an earthquake beneath her, and she was worried that she might faint.

"To explain why I have done what I have done," Celestia replied. She gestured towards Scorpan, adding, "To explain why I haven't just sealed all of the Dark Gods in stone."

"Why's that?" Twilight said.

"To ensure with every once of my power that Discord never, ever returns."

Twilight blinked confusedly, then Celestia said, "Do you remember how Luna was Sealed?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. You bound her in Etherial Iron shackles, right?"

"Correct," Celestia answered with a pleased smile. "That was her Seal. For Scorpan, I Sealed him with Etherial shackles and a cell of Storm Marble."

Twilight's eyes widened. "You- what?!" she shouted. Storm Marble was what common prisons were made out of, along with Etherial Iron. Like Etherial Iron, it was indestructible without a specific counter-Ritual, but Twilight didn't imagine that would be too difficult to find.

"You never would have guessed it, right?" Celestia asked with a grin. "Such an ordinary method of imprisonment. Quite clever, I should say. The first two Dark Gods are Sealed only with ordinary magical prison-ware."

After a moment, Twilight found herself smiling back. She then gasped, however, as a realization struck her. "Wait- so Sonata is bound with three Seals, right?!"

Celestia chuckled. "Correct, Twilight," she said. "One that I uniquely made for her, and the others that I made for Scorpan and Luna. Likewise, Sombra is bound with four Seals, Chrysalis with five, and Tirek with six. And at the heart of Tartarus lies Discord, who is bound by the six Seals of his children and is petrified in stone, which acts as the seventh Seal."

"So you've made the Sealed Gods into an alarm system," Twilight said, beaming and nodding with understanding. "The more that have been released, the closer those responsible are to unsealing Discord, right?"

"That's right," Celestia said. "In truth, I wish I could simply Seal them all in stone and be done with it, but one irreversible fact keeps me from doing this: every spell can be broken."

"But how can this spell be reversed?" Twilight said.

"How indeed," Celestia said. "Since a Being subjected to this curse becomes a living block of stone, one would have to manually transmute every individual molecule in their body into its original shape to reverse it, yes?"

"Y-yeah," Twilight said.

"A feat such as that is nearly impossible. Nearly. But it is still possible, provided you have enough power and time."

"And it takes more and more of both to break each succeeding Seal?" Twilight said.

"Precisely," Celestia said. "The Gods and the Seals form a twofold barrier: first, only someone with great power and knowledge could seek to break them. Furthermore, they must have the will to do so, even knowing the malice and unpredictability they unleash by doing so. And the seven Sealed Gods vary so widely in temperament that one would have to be even madder to desire all of their releases."

Twilight's dread had returned. "You think the cult I saw unseal Luna also unsealed Scorpan."

Celestia nodded. "I am almost certain of it," she said. "Powerful, wise, and yet mad enough to unseal two Dark Gods who couldn't be any less alike. I don't believe their end goal was to release either of them; at the very least, I believe they're attempting to make an ally of any Sealed God, regardless of which one they do."

"And at worst...." Twilight whispered.

Celestia nodded. "Though still unlikely, it is certainly possible. This cult might aim for nothing less than bringing about the God of Chaos's return."

That was all that needed to be said. Twilight knew exactly what Celestia had summoned her for now; to make her realize how all-important her mission of reporting suspicious activity to her was.

They ended their conversation with Twilight agreeing to send a report to Celestia every week from then on; in addition, Twilight promised to redouble her efforts, then she left to regroup with her friends.

Once they were all in pajamas, Twilight and her friends made their way to the train station. Of all of them, Rarity and Rainbow seemed the most exhausted. Rarity seemed quite happy; though she looked quite ready to spontaneously fall asleep, she was still slightly wet from a recent shower and grinning at her pleasant (if strenuous) experiences that night as she filed with the other girls, the Crusaders, their parents, and Spike onto the train home. Rainbow, however, had bloodshot eyes. When Twilight asked her what was wrong, Rainbow insisted that she was just tired, though Twilight noticed an undercurrent of depression in her voice.

Once they were on the train and chugging along back to their little farm-town, everyone was fast asleep beneath warm woolen quilts and lulled by the clacking of the car's wheels.

Except for Twilight.

Twilight leaned against her seat's window throughout the whole night, gazing worriedly at the full moon. Though she and her friends had just celebrated the overcoming of a great menace of awesome terror together, Twilight had the deeply unsettling and horribly unshakeable feeling that their nightmare was only just beginning.