Meadow Lark wiggled a forehoof back and forth on the ground while she waited for her new friend. Maybe since Tempest had never set foot in Equestria, she didn’t have the proper identification papers? What would the border security ponies do if she didn’t have her papers?
Before she could ponder the matter further, Tempest emerged. The mare looked flustered, as if she had just found out she was going to be interviewed by one of those shock-journalists for The Canterlot Sun. The moment passed, leaving Tempest with the same bored expression from before, spotting Meadow after a moment and teleporting over to her side with a pop.
"Everything okay, Tempest?"
Instead of answering, the mare trotted ahead, calling out over her shoulder. “Come, Meadow." Her head panned back and forth. "Let’s be off—you wanted to stop for some tea, correct?”
Tea had been the first thing on Meadow Lark’s spontaneous itinerary. She had hoped to visit a cute cafe, gently easing Tempest into the modern-day mayhem otherwise known as Manehattan before they picked out a few points of interest to visit. However, that idea was sidetracked for the moment as she pondered what had flustered her unflappable friend. Deciding that Tempest's rather abrupt departure likely meant it wasn't up for discussion, Meadow tabled the issue for now. Besides, there was something more exciting to ask about.
“You know how to teleport?” Meadow rushed forward in a flurry of hoofsteps. “That’s amazing! Most unicorns can't even do that. What’s your max distance?”
Tempest pursed her lips, not taking her eyes off of where they were heading. “Far enough, I imagine. It gets me from here to there.”
“Aww, don’t be so modest, Tempest!" Meadow studied Tempest’s fluted horn for a minute. Her horn had an impressive length, but it matched her dimensions. She seemed to be a bit taller than most mares. “Teleportation is a valuable skill. I can't tell you how many times I've wished that I had that ability---a mare could get out of all sorts of situations!"
At that, Tempest glanced over at her. "Oh? And what would you be trying to get away from, Meadow?"
"Me? I've been in a few scrapes, what with my traveling the backlands of Gryphus during my studies. And don't even get me started on that good-for-nothing colt, Phil Lander. Darn, no good letch!" Meadow's muzzle crinkled in disgust. "Ugh." She looked back up at Tempest, who seemed to be trying to hide a small smile.
Meadow almost commented, but she was interrupted by some commotion behind them, further up the street. Turning to look, she noticed a few ponies running towards the pier, near the area they had just vacated.
“Huh. I wonder what’s going on?” She looked over to Tempest, noticing that her horn was glowing lightly with a sheen of her pale green magic. “Think we should go back to investigate?”
“I am sure the guards are well trained and have things in hoof. Let’s not make a nuisance of ourselves... now, where did you want to stop for tea?”
Meadow was about to quibble the point, but after thinking better of it she just gave a shrug. "Tea. Right... well there's a lovely cafe just around the corner over there!” She pointed with a hoof, at least content that Tempest seemed to be opening up and was in better spirits now. Still... “What was that magic you were doing a moment ago?”
"Magic?"
"Yeah. I saw your horn glowing a little. During that commotion behind us."
"Ah. It's a minor security spell. I don’t know this city very well.”
“Security? No worries, Temp! We’re in my town. We're perfectly safe!”
Tempest was probably just overly cautious after spending her life either in rough-and-tumble Gryphus or further east of that nation, beyond the backlands. As far as she knew, beyond the backlands was a territory considered either unsettled or uncivilized. It also featured harsh, almost uninhabitable terrain. Conversely, she knew the topography of Gryphus proper rather well, having combed back and forth across it several times in her chosen field of research in ornithology. She only knew stories of what lay beyond from her bodyguard, a gruff griffon she left behind named Gorinyn.
Tempest looked over the busy streets and soaring buildings. “Safe. If you say so.”
***
“…So then my cousin told her, ‘You didn’t actually lose, you won! Suri Polomare was hoping that if you thought you lost, she could claim the first prize winnings!’ And that’s how Coco Pommel got her business booming. Thanks to the Element of Generosity!”
“Fascinating." Tempest pursed her lips. The story Meadow related was rather whimsical and materialistic, but it did leave her with some important facts to consider. "And this Element of Generosity—this unicorn… her hometown, the one she and the other Elements live in is called Ponyville?”
“That’s right! Of course, they no longer possess the elements in a physical form. The Elements were returned to the Tree of Harmony in order to defeat the Plunderseeds Discord had planted ages ago in his bid to overcome the Tree and capture the princesses!”
"Plunderseeds?" Tempest blinked before shaking her head ruefully. Meadow Lark had somehow skipped that story when she was giving her account of the escapades of the Elements of Harmony, the heroines of Equestria. But she knew all about Discord.
Discord was a creature she hated. All ponies did. When she was a six year old filly, living with her adoptive mother Sweet Potato, she recalled having to evacuate Hoofdale along with the rest of the ponies in order to get away from the nation's capital. Discord had overthrown the whole of pony society and had made his base of operations the Castle of the Two Sisters. With his ability to seemingly warp the very fabric of reality itself, residents of Ponyvale and neighboring cities were forced to flee to the far reaches of the country, hunkering down in smaller groups and away from any population centers. It seemed that the more ponies tried to organize themselves, and the more they clumped themselves together, the more they would draw Discord’s ire. It was a harrowing time of fear and sorrow, and with the loss of the constraints of civilization, many unscrupulous and violent ponies took advantage of the weak and the defenseless.
To this day, Tempest couldn’t stand the thought of eating grass, since there were many nights Mavis and her adoptive mother were unable to find anything else while foraging for food. Through it all, however, Mavis was a rock, defending them from possible raiders and seeing to it that they did not suffer too much.
It wasn’t until Tempest was eight years old that the princesses were able to settle differences between them and harmonize sufficiently to wield the Elements. It was their third attempt, Discord having laughed them off the previous two times, and of course this was the origin of the expression the third time’s the charm.
Meadow was giving her a funny look again. On further introspection, Tempest decided she needed to hide her moments of brooding better. “Yes, Meadow?”
“Oh, nothing… you were just living in the past again.” The light blue pony grinned, until she caught Tempest's apprehensive look. “So, you wanted to catch up on the latest news? Learn about the Equestrian way?"
"Yes. That would be most beneficial."
"Well, the Manehattan Library is about two Kilometers down that way on Gaskin Street. But before we do that, why don't we go visit my cousin?"
"Your cousin—Coco Pommel, right?"
"Right! Her shop is just around the corner past the intersection of Chestnut and Gaskin.” She indicated a soft blue and green shop with arching windows a few doors down with a point of her hoof. “If we stop there, maybe we can get your wardrobe up to speed. You know, something a little more modern than your cloak!”
Bringing a hoof up to her mouth, Meadow froze in horror, her ears folding back in dismay. “Not that there’s anything wrong with your cloak, Tempest. Heh heh. It’s umm…”
Amused, Tempest tried to keep a straight face, her ears perking up innocently. “My cloak, you say? What’s the matter with it?”
“N-nothing! It’s a fine cloak! It has a very… classic look!”
Tempest regarded her cloak for a moment before looking back up and responding with a raised eyebrow. She wasn’t one to joke around very often, but this pony left herself wide open for it. “Classic as in timeless, or classic as in ancient?”
Meadow made a small choking sound.
Chuckling, Tempest hoofed Meadow’s shoulder lightly. “It’s fine. This cloak is actually older than you know. But first things first. As much as I would like to address my wardrobe, it is more urgent I find a magic store. Could you lead me to one?”
Meadow seemed to let out a breath she was holding before she grinned and trotted ahead. “Sure! There’s a good one back that way called Krystal’s Crucible. C’mon!”
***
The shop was a cacophony of color, with bizarre clashes of electric blue, pale teal and dark pink stars. The sign over the door was garish, brightly lit in glimmering light. It displayed the store's name, Khrystal's Krucible, over what looked like a crude crucible emitting sparks and smoke. Comically, the lights on the sign followed a pattern where the crucible would light up, then the sparks, and finally the smoke giving the appearance of a magical brew reacting out of control.
Tempest felt a little mystified by the decor, but Meadow urged her onward, opening the front door. A bell hanging from the door latch jangled, drawing the attention of an older unicorn stallion sitting behind the counter near the back. The stallion was a brick red color, grizzled with a smattering of gray through his coat. His graying light aqua-colored mane was a short-cropped, and he had a matching beard to compliment his warmly smiling face.
“Good morning, ladies! How may I help you today?”
Tempest’s eyes scanned through the various aisles to her right and the many display cabinets on her left and in the back. She was disappointed by what she saw.
“Hail, kind sir! Art thou the proprietor of this establishment?” Tempest paused as she heard a snicker behind her, turning to regard Meadow who was attempting to cover her smile with a hoof.
“See? See?”
Apparently she had slipped into more archaic speech patterns again. After giving Meadow a flat look, Tempest turned back to the older stallion. “Pardon. You are the shopkeeper, I presume?”
The unicorn gave an single nod, stroking his graying goatee with a hoof “That'd be me. The name's Flint Foundry. My wife is Krystal Krucible, is the talented one, but together we manage this store. What can I do you for?” His gaze traveled from the taller unicorn to the smaller earth pony.
“This is Meadow Lark. And my name is... Calypso Moonchild.” Tempest's eyes scanned the room again. On display were a variety of compact cylinders and boxes in the display cabinets. To her left were shelves and shelves of books. To her right, taking up an entire wall of the store, were what looked like potion ingredients arranged in rows of multi-colored bottles.
What about amulets?
“May I see the more powerful magical items in your inventory, sir? Coin is not an issue.”
The shopkeeper’s smile widened as opened the fold-over counter access with a flick of his horn. He removed a key from the cash register on his right before he trotted out, grinning the whole way. “Absolutely, my dear.” Flint pointed a hoof to the wall full of colorful bottles. "Our store is well stocked with practically any potion ingredient you can think of. Even the most hard to find or magically unstable. And if we don’t have it, we can have it shipped within the week!”
Tempest scanned the shelves for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. So far it sounded legit. There were not only potion ingredients, but cauldrons, mortars, and crucibles as well. “Okay. And what about the items in those cases over there?”
“Of course! Magic power supplies. We have all the top brands, even some of the more rare sizes and power ratings!"
Tempest blinked, her brows furrowing after a moment. “Magic power supplies?” Again she looked at the cylinders and boxes. “What sorts of magical effects are these items capable of?”
“Effects?” The stallion scratched at his beard again. “Well, to power your device, of course. You want to power your music player? Take four of these." He pointed to a box labeled in the corner with a letter and a number.
"C3?"
"Yes. You want to power your auto-scooter? You'll need six of those." He pointed at rows of larger boxes on the bottom shelf each labled with the cryptic message of 'D6.' "And for your household's automated hoof scrubber? A basic D1 will suffice.” He lifted a cylinder out of the case, the diameter being about half the width of his hoof.
Tempest was now well and thoroughly confused. What the hay was he talking about? She continued looking at the strange manager, only this time there was more distance between her upper and lower jaws.
Meadow finally cleared her throat, tapping on Tempest's shoulder just to make sure she had her attention. “Tempest, all of these things store potential energy," she said gently. "Ponies call them magic power supplies, or MiPS. Griffons just call them batteries."
“What about the ship we were on? The Windsong didn't use magic for power; only fuel.”
“Yes, well... “ Meadow paused to gather her thoughts. “The Windsong was built in Gryphus shipyards. Their technology is more based on steam-powered devices, you know. Designed specifically to not depend on Equestrian energy. Equestrian shipyards, on the other hand, build ships almost exclusively with engines fully dependent on larger versions of these power supplies, all capable of self-recharge under normal daylight conditions. You can still find many steam powered engines due to local enthusiasts, but for the most part such things are slowly being phased out. Incidentally, the further you travel from the unicorn-dominated city of Canterlot, the more Steam-tech you'd find.”
The smaller mare looked pensive for a moment. “As a matter of fact, that’s probably why things are getting more and more unstable over in Gryphus and Minos right now…their exports have been shrinking. Anyway!” Meadow shook her head and held up the battery, giving it a tap. “The ponies of Equestria use these for portable power. They are typically charged by worker unicorns in factories, but recently Princess Twilight Sparkle has pioneered ways of mass charging via generator turbines that are driven by moving water."
“I see," Tempest replied. "Well, what about about devices that can act as more than a simple reservoir for energy? Devices that can carry an ongoing and powerful magical effect, such as granting the wearer the ability to breathe underwater indefinitely?"
Flint laughed. “There is a finite amount of much magic that can be pushed into an inanimate object, my dear, restricted by the size of the object. I am sure you had that driven into your horned head back in magical kindergarten like the rest of us. Now for simple magic like the Cloudwalking charm, sure: that was developed millennia ago to permit pegasi to have earthen tables and , all successfully tucked away in their cloud homes. It’s why we don't have random pegasus furniture crashing down on our craniums! Surely that is what you mean?"
"You heard me. Breathe underwater. Indefinitely."
The stallion's chortling broke into louder guffaws. "Ridiculous! You'd need a magical rune the size of my store to provide the magical effect. Indefinitely?" He broke into laughter again. "Who are you meaning to drown with this magical prank?"
Tempest scratched at her mane in confusion. She was missing something. The amulets she had developed had successfully surpassed the Rune-Size-Rule. The whole of magical science should've been revolutionized by now. Yet this stallion thought the very idea ludicrous.
She sat back and slammed a hoof into the floor. "I'm talking about amulets! Surely you must've heard of them before!"
Mr. Foundry's laughing simmered down, but not until he had turned on his hoof and made his way back behind the counter. Tempest watched him go, her anger starting to go higher. "Mr. Foundry!"
"What?" He rolled his eyes. "Look, if you kids are done joking around, I need to get back to running my shop. There's the door."
Tempest’s brows furrowed while she started to piece together the clues. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen any evidence of a single amulet in use. It was like they never existed at all! But then to hear this pretentious proprietor demean her biggest triumph? To declare that the technology she pioneered was nothing more than the stuff of fantasies? Her anger boiled up just a little higher, but at the same time, it would be misdirected if she focused it here.
One more time, she pounded the floor, this time in aggravation. “That infernal mare! To Tartarus with her—she... she covered it up!”
Startled by her outburst, Meadow put a hoof on Tempest's shoulder. “What is it, Tempest? What’s wrong?”
Steeling herself, Tempest shook her head. “It’s nothing, Meadow. Nothing that can’t be remedied, anyway.” She sighed before inclining her head to the proprietor. “I… I humbly apologize for the prank, sir. It was in poor taste. You have a pleasant afternoon.”
The stallion behind his catalogue grunted in reply.
Tempest turned on her hoof to leave, but then she remembered the other reason for why she was there. “Oh! There is one more thing."
Mr. Foundry lifted an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"I'm sorry, sir. Could I purchase a potion ingredient? If you don’t mind?”
The stallion sighed before pulling a catalogue out from somewhere beneath the countertop and dropping it down in front of him. Watching Tempest for a few seconds, he finally starting flipping through the pages of the tome. “I have an excellent variety of ingredients and supplies. You won’t find better anywhere else. What do you need?”
Tempest thought for a moment. If amulets had been covered up somehow, then the methodology for making them would of course be a complete mystery. Amulet creation was a very painstaking process, and it necessitated an intensely focused beam of resonant magic, more focused and powerful then any unaided unicorn could withstand for long. However, if a disembodied horn were used, encapsulated within a amplifying resonance chamber, the beam would be sufficiently organized to achieve the process.
“I was wondering, sir, if you might have a unicorn horn?”
The shopkeeper grew slightly pale, before his expression became grave. “I beg your pardon? A what?”
Rolling her eyes, Tempest repeated herself. “A unicorn horn. Typical potion ingredients may include powdered unicorn horn. Would I be able to acquire one here?”
Mr. Foundry’s face reflected a look of horror. “A… a fully intact horn?” His suddenly looked indignant. “W-what kind of store do you think I run? Why would I be in possession of such a thing?”
Uh oh.
Tempest’s mind raced as she observed Mr. Foundry’s reaction. In hindsight, maybe it would have been better to spend the day researching in the library before asking stupid questions. The possession of a disembodied horn in ancient Equestria was generally accepted for apothecaries and potion masters. But modern day Equestria? Apparently it was either taboo or illegal to possess one. Perhaps in her attempts to expunge amulet technology, Celestia made even possessing a horn verboten. Perhaps that was why nopony else had ever discovered it, even by accident.
Maybe i should just put all four hooves in my mouth?
“Oh, you misunderstand... I know that normally, only horn shavings are ever used. Um, you know, like from beauty salons and such. But see, I am publishing a research article on the effects of different grits of horn shavings on potion vitality.” Tempest winced. Did that cover story make any sense at all?
Meadow leaned in between them at this point, giving the shopkeeper an apologetic smile. “She’s… not from around here, sir.”
Mr. Foundry’s expression did not improve.“Is that so? Just where is she from, then?”
“I… I think we should just go.” Meadow squeaked, as she began to push Tempest towards the door. After some brief resistance, the larger pony began to budge, until Meadow finally called out behind her, still pushing Tempest around the corner. “She didn’t know, sir! She didn’t mean anything by it. New to Equestria and all!”
***
The Library was massive. Huge columns were interspersed in soaring archways, allowing ponies entrance on either hoof or on wing. It looked like the towering shelves of books would be exposed to the elements for how big the entrance was, until Tempest examined it with a diagnostic spell. Apparently, the entry was maintained by a magical barrier of some type that sealed the weather out.
Statues of the Princesses, each standing about eight meters high, impressively framed the soaring entrance. Further to the sides, the building was walled by brick masonwork of earthy tones, interspersed at intervals by stained glass windows.
Feeling an excitement she hadn’t felt in a long time, Tempest couldn’t help but speed up a little. Meadow hurried along with her until Tempest finally stopped, turning to Meadow with a smile.
“Meadow, it has been twelve weeks since you were last in Equestria, correct? You said you were gathering data for your ornithology research?”
“That’s right! But I wanted to make sure you got settled! You sure you’ll be okay?”
“In a library? I’ll be more than okay.” Tempest smiled warmly. “Your help has been welcome, Meadow, but I am sure Coco would be happy to see you. Why don’t you let me take it from here?”
“Well, okay then,” Meadow replied, beginning to turn the other way. “ But let’s get back together for dinner tonight. My cousin would love to meet you—and you could tell us more about your time east of the Griffon lands. I want to hear about your adventures in the backlands—no more deflecting, alright?”
“No more deflecting, got it!” Tempest rolled her eyes with a smile. She waved a hoof back at the departing pony, and then turned again to face the magnificent temple of learning and knowledge.
“Okay, wondrous Library of Manehattan. Let's see what you have for me.”
***
Tempest scrutinized the lobby as her eyes panned back and forth. Reading couches were clustered at intervals around low tables, all arranged strategically to allow through-traffic. Around the periphery, benches, desks, and organizing shelves were placed.
The building was not experiencing heavy use at the moment, so after another moment of scrutiny, Tempest's gaze fell upon on older mare seated behind a desk piled high with books and other materials. If her current activity of stamping books were any indication, she was the librarian. The unicorn’s grey and mint-green mane was pulled back into a bun, and her spectacles were managed by a delicate jade-beaded chain that wrapped behind her slender neck. Her eyes were a similar mint-green color as her mane highlights, and she looked rather furry at her fetlocks, above her elbows, and at her chest.
Tempest took a deep breath, and then approached. She had much to learn, about modern equestria, but her goal was singular: get Celestia far away from Princess Luna and in a position where Tempest could make her move. Only then could she have a chance to stop the usurper’s reign and finally defeat whatever foul magics that were still holding her mother’s mind prisoner.
The unicorn mare looked up as Tempest strode towards her work desk, and gave a small smile as she set a stack of materials aside. “Can I help you, Miss?”
Tempest dipped her head briefly in response. “You are the curator of these archives… er, the library?”
“I am an assistant librarian, yes. My name is Moonlight Sigil.” The pony stood up from her stool and Tempest’s eyes quickly flicked to the mark on her flank, a crescent yellow moon fringed with runes along its perimeter. Tempest smiled to see a cutie mark that would be so dear to her heart.
“Wonderful. I am Ms. Moonchild. Could you direct me to your section on cartography? And also, where could I find reference materials on the central government of Equestria?”
The librarian smiled and nodded her head. “Not a problem. Just follow me, Ms. Evermoon.”
The mare got up from her stool and began trotting towards the Library's interior, taking a side corridor off to the right. Tempest's eyes fell upon a few smaller classrooms as they walked and cleared her throat. “Also—do you have any private rooms for study?”
“Certainly!”
***
Tempest stretched for a moment, yawning before she shook out her limbs, trying to restore some semblance of circulation after a few hours of disuse. Giving a sigh, she sat back down with a thwump again, her chair creaking in protest. Reaching out with a hoof, she pulled another book to her and opened it, smelling the familiar scent of aged paper and old adhesive for the binding. The study room Ms. Sigil had selected was perfect. It was a section of the library that was fairly noiseless, with only the occasional hoofsteps passing by outside. Even better, in was only a short walk to the nearest bathroom.
One thing was obvious: the science of amulets and amulet production was completely absent. Unless you took anything in the fantasy and fiction sections seriously, all knowledge about amulets was completely gone, which rankled considerably.
The library had been most helpful in other regards, especially when Tempest had scouted around and found the restricted section. While there were several magic wards in place, including an alert that would sound if the wards were defeated, she had been clever enough to detect and defeat them with a little ingenuity and come counterspells.
The books kept in the restricted section weren't anything to dangerous or mysterious, but in a stroke of good fortune, Tempest found a manual that contained some blueprints and schematics for a few governmental buildings, including a simplified schematic of Canterlot Castle. There were likely many secrets the schematic didn't contain, but it did give her an outline at the very least. It was more knowledge than she had.
Now she was reading up on what seemed to be a description of the daily schedules of the diarchy. Tempest’s hoof traced across the page quickly to keep her tired eyes focused.
...while Princess Luna holds Night Court as in olden times, her waking schedule now holds a respectable overlap with her older sister since her return. Night Court typically spans from ten o’clock PM to four o’ clock AM, with an hour’s recess between twelve-thirty AM to one-thirty AM. During this time she can usually be found eating, and meeting with her closest advisors. After Night Court concludes, the younger Princess usually retires to her offices to review documents and take care of administrative aspects of her rule. For those who wonder about how she works her dream magic during this time frame, she intersperses the court cases that are scheduled with segments of time where she is able to police the dream realm. There are rumors that she uses time magic in order to fit her schedule in, as most ponies can't conceive she has time for it all...
As Tempest focused on the page, the door to the study suddenly popped open, giving her a start. The kindly face of the assistant librarian was peering back at her with a cheery expression.
“Um, hello, dear. I was just wondering if you were were doing all right, and if you needed any further assistance?”
Feeling like she had been intruded upon while doing something naughty, Tempest froze, watching helplessly as Moonlight Sigil’s eyes trailed across the books and materials that had been carelessly strewn about the table. She knew without looking that of the titles visible, the librarian would definitely notice the book from the restricted section.
Moonlight’s smile dissolved, her face growing neutral as she looked back up to meet Tempest’s gaze with a blink. “So sorry to disturb you... Excuse me.” She quietly ducked back out of the doorway and made her way back up the hall, walking with poorly concealed haste.
With her heart suddenly thudding in her chest, Tempest swore under her breath. Not even a full day in Equestria and already she was going to be reported as suspicious. Making up her mind in an instant, Tempest reached out a hoof and cleared the books off the table, all falling to the floor in a clattering mess. Quickly grabbing a writing utensil, Tempest inscribed two runes: videre, the sight rune, and a second rune which replicated Moonlight’s Cutie Mark.
Finishing her inscription and checking for accuracy, Tempest quickly uncorked her waterskin and poured out a small amount on the surface of the table. She breathed a silent word of thanks that the puddle stayed put, demonstrating that the craftspony that made it was competent and the table was level. Finally, she enacted her spell, lighting up her horn and breathing slowly as she focused. A small glimmer of magic tailed off of the tip of her horn, winding its way down until it finally met the surface of the water. Immediately, the small puddle began to glow, and the image of Ms. Sigil came into perfect focus, apparently hurrying along the hallways of the library. Tempest held her breath as she watched, wondering what she would do.
Ms. Sigil was obviously nervous, as Tempest noted that she repeatedly glanced behind her. Finally, the librarian turned a corner and walked into a small room, striding up to a desk. Tempest's eyes narrowed as she watched Ms. Sigil reached her hoof under the desk and do something. Adjusting some of the details of her spell, Tempest made her view angle change until she could see under the desk surface, gasping as she read a label printed next to a bright red button.
Police.
“Well at least it didn't read Celestia,” Tempest muttered, shutting off her scrying spell and throwing down her cloak to dry up the mess. She didn't have much time, so her mind raced as she tried to think of what her next action should be. She did have an ace up her sleeve, something that allowed her to get out of a few scrapes during her time in Gryphus. Focusing her magic, she teleported directly to Moonlight’s office.
Feeling the familiar wrenching sensation in her stomach, she kicked the door shut as soon as she felt the carpet of Ms. Sigil’s office under her hooves. Lighting her horn again, she locked the portal and soundproofed the periphery, just like she had seen Luna do countless times those many years ago. The Librarian was peeking out from behind her desk.
“I… wish you hadn’t done that.” Tempest murmured.
Straightening herself courageously, Moonlight Sigil spoke, her voice wavering with stress. “Ms. Moonchild, how did you defeat the enchantments on the restricted section? Those security measures were in place for a reason.”
Not wanting to frighten the pony further, Tempest sat down on her haunches and sighed. “My motives are pure, Ms. Sigil. I'm trying to right a wrong, not threaten innocent ponies. Did you have to go and summon the police?”
Moonlight took a step back, her eyes widening. “W-what was I supposed to do? I thought you were acting suspiciously!"
"I was just reading books!" Tempest complained.
"From the restricted section!"
Tempest frowned, cursing her own stupidity and luck. Why did she have to get the paranoid librarian with an itchy trigger hoof positioned on the bright red police button? Why did she freeze and act suspicious? Giving another sigh, Tempest lifted her head again, keeping the pony's gaze. “Well, that won’t do, will it? I need to check out a couple of books today. If you won’t provide me with a library card, you will need to provide me with a distraction.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry—you’ll receive no harm… no more than a headache when you awaken.” The pendant around Tempest’s neck began to glow with a violet light. “Let’s have a heart to heart, shall we?”
Quick as she could, Moonlight ducked down behind her desk. “No! No, somepony help me!”
Tempest raised her voice to be heard. “Your office is sound-proofed, ma’am… And please—you won’t be hurt.” As the crackling glow intensified around her pendant, Tempest began to raise it up higher. Light cascaded up and down her foreleg, then up over her horn, combining and interwining with Tempest’s own pale green colored magic. Finally, Tempest’s left eye took on a purple hue as well, with filaments of violet colored magic energies arcing out to the side.
“No, you won’t be hurt any longer.” Tempest’s voice now took on a reverberating quality as she stepped closer. “I perceive that you have been hurting already…”
Gently, the magical filaments, an intertwining helix of green and violet light, trickled off the tip of Tempest’s horn and began to encircle the horn of the older pony. Moonlight Sigil slowly sat up, wiping her nose with a hoof, and began to stare blankly ahead.
Narrowing her eyes, Tempest examined various images as they were projected across her mind. After a moment, she seized on a few.
“I perceive that your best friend passed away two months ago... and your daughter is estranged from you. I feel your pain.” Tempest took another step forward, as the lighting of her magic began to color both of Moonlight Sigil’s eyes with an eerie glow. “You are lonely. You are suffering…”
Lucidity gradually came back into Moonlight’s eyes and she looked down at her hooves, wiping her tears away with a fetlock. “Yes. It has been… difficult.”
Tempest smiled, placing a hoof on the unicorn’s withers. “Come. Let us banish the loneliness together.”