//------------------------------//
// CRISIS: Equestria - Chapter Nineteen 
// Story: CRISIS: Equestria 
// by GanonFLCL 
//------------------------------//


CRISIS: Equestria


Chapter Nineteen: Invigoration


“-heck is happening?” Twilight finished.

The transition had been practically instantaneous. Twilight and her friends now found themselves in a massive chamber. It was not as dark or dirty as the hallways of the ruins; magical torches spread around the walls kept the room lit with a bizarre green light. The decorations were minimal: no columns, plaques, or metallic flowers and vines. There were, however, two grandiose gryphon statues standing easily fifteen ponies tall at either side of a massive doorway leading further into the complex. One was clothed with formidable armor and weaponry, the other in elaborate robes and holding a book. Golds, silvers, and gems decorated both, reflecting the light of the chamber torches in rather beautiful fashion, casting various different colors about the pristine walls.

The room was otherwise a perfect square, with markings along the floor piquing Twilight’s curiosity. At first glance, they appeared to be more Hierogryphics, but as she examined them more closely, she could see that they were more akin to runic markings. The still-glowing section of floor they were standing on intrigued Twilight the most. It was a six-pronged star, glowing a bright pinkish-purple, overlaid atop another, smaller six-pronged star that glowed a dim silvery-white. In her mind, it looked almost exactly like her cutie mark, though it lacked the tiny starbursts surrounding it.

“W-where are we?” Fluttershy squeaked, huddling closer to the others.

“I don’t know,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “Wherever we are, it’s still in the ruins... but this place certainly doesn’t look ruined.”

“Oh my, and where did Tick Tock and the boys get to?” Rarity asked as she looked around. She pouted. “How awful. Oh, I do hope they’re okay. Why didn’t the teleport bring them here with us?”

Twilight sighed. “Most likely they were out of range of the spell. It looks like we’re on our own in trying to figure a way out of here... wherever ‘here’ is.”

“We sure could use Tick Tock’s map right now,” Rainbow said.

“This here don’t even look like the rest o’ the ruins,” Applejack observed. “It’s too... neat.”

“Is this the ‘Sanctuary’ the riddle was talking about, then?” Rarity asked.

Applejack scratched her head. “If it is, it seems pretty... uh... not-library-ish. I don’t see no books or nothin’.”

“This must be the lobby. That looks like the entryway just ahead,” Twilight said with a point towards the massive door on the opposite end of the room. She gestured for the others to follow her. “Come on, no sense in loitering about. Let’s find out what’s beyond here, and then we’ll figure a way to get back to the others. I’m worried about—"

As soon as Twilight stepped off the glowing mark, the entire room reacted. Bright golden streams of magic raced out of the twelve prongs on the star and snaked their way through the runic marks, lighting up the entire chamber.

“Oh my...” Rarity breathed.

“Whoa...” Twilight gasped. “It happened again.”

“Why exactly does that keep happenin’ anyway?” Applejack asked. “Every time y’all get near anythin’ ‘round this place it starts actin’ funny. It’s gettin’ weird.”

“I’m not doing it on purpose,” Twilight said. “I honestly have no idea what’s going on or how it’s happening, but it’s like everything’s reacting to me. Very strange...”

“Well, whatever the cause, it’s certainly making this dark and dingy place more bearable,” Rarity added. She glanced at the wobbly pegasus leaning against her side. “Are you feeling alright, Fluttershy darling?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh... yes, I’m fine.” She attempted to walk on her own, but only managed to take a single step before slumping back against Rarity. “Um... I’m still a little dizzy, b-but that might be from the teleport magic. I’ve felt dizzy when Twilight used it before...”

“Oh, you poor dear.” Rarity helped Fluttershy prop herself upright. “I know I don’t have a wing to help support you, but I will do my best, darling.”

“Oh... um... t-thanks, Rarity,” Fluttershy murmured.

Twilight and her friends continued towards the massive doorway.

“Look at all these markings,” Twilight observed. “These definitely aren’t Hierogryphics—these are runic markings.”

“And that means?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, runes were used in ancient times as magic conductors for extremely powerful spells. This whole chamber is covered with runes... there’s enough magic here that it could easily teleport a small town a very great distance. Other-side-of-the-world distance, even.

“Wherever we are, it’s got a great deal of magical importance.” Twilight lit up her horn and pointed it at the door. “As far as magical radiance is concerned, this room isn’t even scratching the surface. Rarity, can you sense it too?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes, I believe I can,” Rarity agreed, lighting up her own horn. “Up ahead, there’s a very strong presence of magical energies. I can’t quite put my hoof on it, but some of them feel familiar. If I can sense it so clearly, it must be something fantastic.”

“I just hope it’s nothing dangerous,” Pinkie muttered, moving closer to Rainbow.

“It doesn’t feel like anything malevolent,” Twilight said. “In fact, it all feels rather... Good.”

“Yeah, come on Pinks. Just relax, okay?” Rainbow said. She wrapped her wing around Pinkie. “We’ll figure our way outta here, no problem. Then, we’ll be back on track with everything. There ain’t anything to be afraid of, you hear me?”

Twilight approached the doorway first, and used her magic to push it open. She and her friends walked through its generously-sized arch, coming to what appeared to be another hallway. The golden light from the entry chamber still trickled through here, giving enough light to let them see. Various displays of objects and devices adorned the walls on the left, attracting Twilight’s interest. Extremely elaborate and detailed engraving depicting gryphon achievements decorated the walls on the right. The engravings were a wondrous display of magical aptitude, colorful and bright enough to almost be like looking out of a window into the past. Magic was one thing, and art was another, but magical art was a breathtaking combination.

“Oh my, these are lovely,” Rarity cooed. “The artwork is so detailed!”

“This is... meteorite,” Twilight said, awed. “Amazing! They carved these murals out of pure meteorite! The magical properties are incredible...”

The first mural displayed a gryphon using a telescope to look into the starry sky above, which was coated with some of the most gorgeous details Twilight had ever seen. Churning nebulae, swirling galaxies, flickering stars, and trailing comets decorated the false sky, all of them moving and fluctuating as if in real-time and with lifelike renditions. She had to resist the temptation to catalog this world’s constellations.

“‘Discovery - circa 0 A.D.’,” Twilight read from the placard. “‘Our ancestors first discovered the existence of magic during the declining rule of Emperor Gamaliel XXVIII. The Great Schism ends as gryphonkind comes together to learn more about the new universe we’d uncovered’.

“Wow...” Twilight took a deep breath and glanced over the artwork again. “The gryphons of this world discovered magic through cosmic origin. They harnessed the stars. Astral magic is some of the most potent there is. No wonder this place reeks of so much magical power.”

Rarity tapped her hoof on the mural. It glowed blue under her touch. “How long ago was this? Further, when was this grand piece of exquisite art created? It looks brand new!”

“Well, since I guess the gryphons amended their calendar after the discovery of magic, we won’t know until we see something depicting events around their final days,” Twilight explained. “The A.D. must stand for ‘After Discovery’, judging by the date listed here. Apparently, after this discovery gryphon culture completely changed to revolve around magical study. Fascinating stuff...”

“Yeah, a whole society of eggheads,” Rainbow said in a joking awe. “Sounds right up your alley, Twi.”

Twilight shot Rainbow a look, but shook it off. “Still, I don’t know when this piece was crafted, since meteorite doesn’t deteriorate like other materials do.”

The group continued along the hall and came across the second grand art piece, depicting a gryphon holding aloft a tiny, but heavily-emphasized rod. The rod glowed a bright silver, and the elaborately-detailed magical auras emanating from it shined with every color imaginable. The piece itself exuded a great deal of magical energy.

Twilight read aloud again. “‘The Dawn of a New Age - circa 100 A.D. The brilliant scientist Gourdine, under direction of the newly appointed Grand Council of Elders, invents the Wand, ushering gryphonkind into a new age of magical study and practice. Gourdine is named first Lorekeeper in honor of his achievement, and the Sanctuary of Knowledge is constructed to begin diligent studies of the magicks of the universe’.”

“Do all gryphons have names starting with ‘G’?” Rainbow asked.

“Well now, that’s just a hasty generalization, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a huff. “We only know two gryphons from this world—"

“And two from ours,” Rainbow reminded her. “All four of them have names starting with ‘G’. I think I’m seeing a pattern here.”

Twilight put a hoof to her face. “Four gryphons is hardly a basis to assume their entire society follows that naming scheme, Rainbow. You should be ashamed, creating a stereotype like that.”

“Well, I’m just sayin’ is all.” Rainbow shrugged. “At this rate I’m gonna start feeling pretty weird that I called Gilda ‘G’ all those years. I wonder why she never said anything about it?”

The third picture depicted several gryphons standing around an object which, like the ‘Wand’ in the previous piece, was highly emphasized with orbiting colors and lights. The object was a cube of some kind with various markings and grooves on it that glowed bright gold.

“‘The Age of Techno-Magic - circa 511 A.D. The first techno-magic device, a magical power converter, is invented. More follow, bringing gryphonkind into an era of supreme advancement as the dominant race of Gryphonia. Construction on the Elysian Island Research Facility begins, beginning our race’s rapid advancement in the techno-magic field beyond even our own predictions’.”

“Where in the hay is ‘Gryphonia’?” Applejack asked.

“It sounds to me like the gryphons didn’t call this planet ‘Equestria’ at all,” Twilight observed.

“They thought they were somethin’ else, huh?” Rainbow huffed. “Fat lot of good that did ‘em.”

“So this is where the techno-magic of this world first came from, hmm?” Twilight stroked her chin. “If the rest of these artworks are any indication, they’d been advancing techno-magic for an astounding period of time before their collapse.”

“I wonder how the ponies of Pandemonium managed to get a hold of it all,” Rainbow said.

Rarity hummed. “Didn’t Tick Tock say that nearly all of the technology in the city was derived from techno-magic?”

“Maybe one of the next ones has a clue,” Twilight suggested.

The fourth depicted three figures standing upon a hill in what appeared to be a friendly exchange. One was a gryphon, clad in great purple and gold robes. The second was a large, green pegasus that wore an elaborate dress of silvers and blues. The third, to Twilight’s curiosity, was a zebra, and was as different from Zecora as Twilight thought possible. He was garbed in decorative white furs that covered him almost like armor, most striking of which being the great horned helmet upon his head. His mane and tail were long, unkempt, and black as night, as was his thick beard. Upon his back was a massive axe nearly twice his size.

“‘Alliance - circa 762 A.D.’,” Twilight dictated. “‘Our ancestors extend the olive branch of peace and kindness to our neighbors, the Ponies and the Zebras. The mutual pact between our kinds ushers in an age of prosperity that would last nearly five hundred years. With our assistance, the Ponies construct their new capital city of Utopia, but the Zebras do not accept help in expanding their capital, Zeb’ra’den. In exchange, the unicorns of Ponykind assist us in with our magical research, and the Zebras share their knowledge of runic magicks’.”

Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “So they have zebras in this world, too. And they researched Runes, rather than Biomancy. Fascinating.”

“Yeah, check that guy out,” Rainbow said, pointing eagerly at the zebra. “He looks like he’s suited up for a fight! That’s pretty cool, huh? See, that I’d be interested in reading about, not all this magic-y, science-y... stuff.”

“Well, I would like to learn more about them too. Maybe we’ll ask Tick Tock when we get a chance,” Twilight agreed.

The fifth piece depicted not gryphons, but ponies, and Twilight did not like what it showed, not one bit. Pony fought against pony in a brutal, bloody war, wielding weapons and magicks to slaughter one another. Ponies of one side of the conflict wore armor of silver trimmed with blue, while the other wore armor of black trimmed with red. Zebras could also be seen fighting alongside the silver-garbed ponies, while gryphons were depicted as watching the conflict from afar, atop a floating island.

Applejack seemed the most disturbed by the picture, and kept walking past it even as Twilight began to read.

“‘The First Rise of Darkness - circa 1207 A.D. Ponykind, previously a mostly peaceful race, becomes involved in a terrible civil war’. Oh dear...” Twilight shook her head, and continued. “The Harmony Guard are backed by the Zebra Kingdom, and after years of brutal conflict manage to drive out the Nihilist Coalition. The Grand Council of Elders decides to relocate gryphonkind to the uninhabitable northern continent to escape involvement in the fighting. Lorekeeper Gardenia begins her plan to geo-alter the northern desert into more habitable lands’.

“This is... terrible.” Twilight sighed, and shook her head. “Harmony Guard... Nihilist Coalition... I don’t think those names are coincidental.”

Rainbow shifted nervously, and wrapped her wing tighter around Pinkie. “I know ponies sometimes get into disagreements with one another, and sometimes things come to blows and stuff, but... all-out war?”

“Let’s just move on ta this next one,” Applejack snorted from near the next picture. “I don’t wanna look at that’n anymore. Lousy piece o’ work.”

“I couldn’t agree more, darling,” Rarity said. She turned to Fluttershy and gestured up ahead. “Let us see what else their artists have to offer, hmm?”

The sixth piece depicted a grand mountain range with a massive city in the center that had towering spires and great metal domes. The mountains glittered with gold, and the city shined with lights of silver, red, and purple. The city itself sat in a great, green valley with the tallest trees and clearest lakes Twilight had ever seen, putting their own world to shame.

“‘Settlement - circa 1315 A.D.’,” Twilight read. “‘Mountains of the northern desert geo-altered for habitation purposes, rechristened Goldridge Pass in reflection if its new appearance. New gryphon capital of Aeropolis founded in the lush valley created during the geo-altering process. Pony civil war ends circa 1327 A.D. in an uneasy truce between the warring sides. Ponies of the Nihilist Coalition settle regions of the northern continent to distance themselves from their former enemies. Zebrakind elects to follow our example, and withdraw into their snowblown tundra to isolate themselves from their former allies’.

“So the gryphons are responsible for Goldridge, huh?” She nodded in approval. “That would require an incredibly impressive amount of skill with Geomancy and Biomancy magicks. These gryphons truly were masters of magic.”

“Hoo-whee, if the gryphons really made that, then they sure as shootin’ got my approval,” Applejack said. “Growin’ plants ‘n’ cultivatin’ earth is right up my alley.”

Rarity, who had trotted on ahead with Fluttershy, gasped. “Oh my goodness! Twilight darling, the next art piece is simply... incredible! You must come and see this!”

Twilight cantered up to Rarity’s side, and she too gasped when the seventh picture came into view. It depicted something instead of gryphons, but Twilight had trouble deciding what exactly it depicted. The pure essence of magic itself was depicted here, two such essences in fact: one radiated with the purest light and good, the other an equally powerful magic with the foulest darkness and evil. Twilight was unsettled by how much they felt like the magical essences she could sense around Princesses Celestia and Luna.

“‘Harmonia and Nihila - circa 1771 A.D. Gryphons make a startling discovery: there are beings of magic far beyond our simple comprehension. The Ponies and Zebras discovered these beings far before we did; our pursuit of practical science and magic blinded us to their existence. These so called ‘goddesses’—Harmonia and Nihila—are revered religiously amongst the Ponies and Zebras. Our magical pursuits have turned to discovering more about these deities. One thing is for certain: the factions known as the Harmony Guard and the Nihilist Coalition began their war all those years ago in the name of these goddesses. More must be uncovered to prevent a Second Rise of Darkness’.”

“Didn’t Tock Tock mention that Harmonia and Nihila were goddesses?” Rarity asked.

“That she did,” Twilight agreed. “It would seem that they are deities of some great reverence... but I didn’t hear about anything called the ‘Nihilist Coalition’ while we were in Pandemonium, did you?”

“No, I didn’t. Strange. If Nihila is supposed to be worshipped by ponies in these parts, then surely we would have seen some sort of proof of that.”

“As fascinatin’ as all this stuff is, girls, can we hurry it along a lil’ bit?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow grunted in agreement. “Yeah, let’s get moving, Twi. We gotta find a way out of here, and strolling down memory lane ain’t helping matters any...”

“Come on Rainbow, there’s always time for discovery,” Twilight said, winking at the pegasus. “What would Daring Do say if you told her you weren’t interested in learning anything about the ancient ruins you were exploring?”

“Well... hmmm.” Rainbow paused, apparently having not considered this. After a moment, she shook her head. “Well, Daring Do is usually busy worrying more about traps than taking the time to study. Daring Do’s about action and adventure!”

Twilight nodded and shrugged, conceding the point. “Fair enough.”

Twilight led her friends further into the hall until they reached another door. It was engraved with more of the glowing purple lettering, smaller than they could read plainly, so Twilight had to move in close and squint to make it out. Once the words were clear, she read aloud:

“‘Into the First, you now must go;
A Trial to test all you know.
Your wisdom,
Your courage,
Your perception, too;
But fail, t’will be the end of you’.”

She chuckled. “I’ll give the gryphons credit, they write a pretty good poem. I was never much for the art myself.”

“So what’s it mean?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah, another riddle perhaps?” Rarity suggested.

“I don’t think it’s really a riddle,” Twilight said. She glanced closer at the lettering, just to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. “There’s no hidden meanings or anything of the sort. It’s pretty straightforward, don’t you think?”

“Is it a... test?” Applejack suggested.

“That’s my guess, Applejack. It calls itself a ‘Trial’.” Twilight hummed and tapped her temple in thought. “This must be one of the safeguards of the Sanctuary, to keep intruders and unworthy candidates out. Let’s see..., ‘wisdom’, ‘courage’, and ‘perception’? A problem-solving trial perhaps?”

“What’s all this about ‘t’will be the end of you’, though?” Rarity asked. “You don’t think we’ll be any danger, do you dear?”

“Well, it would certainly explain the ‘face the dangers’ line from the riddle earlier.”

“Pfh. Danger. I laugh in the face of danger!” Rainbow laughed. “Bring it on, I say! Right Pinks?”

Pinkie shook her head. “I don’t know... w-what if it’s something really dangerous? You guys might get hurt... or... or worse...”

“Oh come on Pinks, ain’t nothing in there gonna hurt us,” Rainbow scoffed. “It’s all just fancy talk and boasting, to scare off ponies... er, gryphons. It says it’s gonna test our courage, right? Well, I say we head in there and solve this sucker! That’s courage right there, yeah?”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “And ‘sides which, y’all heard Lockwood. Them gryphons were a peaceful folk. Heck, all them artsy things back there said they done moved away when there was fightin’ near ‘em. They didn’t wanna get inta no tussle with nopony or nothin’.”

“I guess...” Pinkie murmured.

“Let’s get this over with,” Twilight declared, opening the door with her magic. “If what it says is true, this one is only the ‘First’. No telling how many more there are. Forward!”


***


“No no no!” Tick Tock shouted, slapping her hoof against the wall. “That’s not right at all!”

Lockwood winced and put a hoof to his ear. “Please, Tick Tock, no need to shout. If you want to disagree with me that’s fine, but holy cow, tone it down just a tad, eh? You’re worse than Pattycake...”

Flathoof groaned and threw his hoof into the air. “All this arguing is getting us nowhere! We’ve been at this for nearly an hour now, and you two still haven’t come up with anything.”

“I don’t see you helping any,” Tick Tock snapped over her shoulder. “If you want to offer an alternative, I’m all ears. But right now, all I’m hearing is you bitching and moaning like a bloody prima donna.” She gasped mockingly. “Maybe Flathoof got sent along with all of the girls, and we somehow got stuck with Rarity in his body.”

“Lucky jerk if he did,” Lockwood muttered.

“I’ve already suggested we just keep moving!” Flathoof spat. “We’re wasting too much time putting about and trying to learn a dead language than actually getting anything done.”

Tick Tock pushed her map up into his face. “Point to me where on this map you can see them, and we’ll head there immediately.” She wheeled the map back to herself. “Oh, what’s that? They’re not on there? Ohhh, well then it’s a bloody waste of time to just go wandering about without an idea where we’re going! Do you want to get bleedin’ lost in here?”

Flathoof stomped his hoof on the floor. “It’s not a waste! What if you can’t see them on the map because it’s not full yet? Ever think of that? Huh?” He snorted in disgust. “How would we get lost with that thing anyway?”

“It’s perfectly possible to get lost with a map if you just wander around in circles! If you’d get that through your thick skull, maybe we could—"

“Hey hey, calm down, both of you,” Lockwood interjected, pushing himself between the two. “You two getting at each others’ throats isn’t helping us any. Flathoof, I know you’re worried about them, but please, just relax, okay? Everything I can tell about these gryphons leads me to believe that they’re just fine. They’re not going to be facing down an adult Gargantuan or anything like that; they’re probably on another level of the ruins that the map hasn’t seen yet, or something. We need to be patient and try to figure out where that might be.”

“Precisely,” Tick Tock agreed. “So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to deciphering this wall here, so we can figure out where to go next.” She turned back to the wall and put her hoof on the etched emblem that was the source of the arguing. “I’m telling you, this symbol has something to do with that debate hall or whatever rubbish that you were talking about earlier with Twilight. It might be a good place to start.”

“I insist that it isn’t the same symbol at all,” Lockwood said. “The symbol she was looking at was a gryphon paw, remember? This one looks more like a talon... perhaps from a bird? Wait, don’t gryphons have claws too? Claws and paws? Dreadfully confusing...”

Tick Tock groaned. “A gryphon paw is on their hind leg. This looks like it could be from their fore leg, which seems to me to be in line with the war-like motif that Sparkle inferred. If these gryphons fought at all, they’d be fighting with whatever they have in the front.”

“How can we be so sure you’re right though? Did you see the symbol she was looking at when she started reading?” Lockwood asked.

“Did you?” Tick Tock asked right back.

“Well... no,” he admitted, shaking his head. “But she clearly called it a paw, and this is a claw. I trust Twilight to be exact about these sorts of things. They’re not interchangeable.”

“Of course they’re bloody interchangeable, you posh tosser!” Tick Tock shouted. She put her map in Lockwood’s face and jabbed her hoof at it. “Look, it’s even in the same direction as you said the debate forum was in the first place! Who cares if Twilight called a claw a paw or whatever bollocks you’re on about now?”

“That doesn’t mean it’s the same thing though. It could be a completely different place of business that’s in the northwest corner of the city, not the center. We’d be going in the wrong direction.”

“Oh for buck’s sakes...” Flathoof put a hoof to his face. “We’re going in that direction anyway, why are we arguing about it?!”

“Because I’d rather try and find some sort of an idea of where to start looking, and feather-brain here is getting all the wrong ideas!” Tick Tock spat.

Lockwood rolled his eyes. “Please, don’t start the name-calling. We’re not in grade school here.” He sighed and put his hoof to the bridge of his nose. “Look, let’s just drop it, shall we? You make a good point—we can follow this marking to the central area or at least near it, and work from there.”

“About bloody time,” Tick Tock grumbled. She straightened her map, glanced at it for a brief moment, then pointed off along the left hallway. “This way.”


***


A large metal door slid open, and great swaths of black smoke poured into the hallway beyond. Six pony-shaped figures emerged from the smoke-strewn doorway, which then closed behind them.

“Oh, thank Celestia that’s over with.” Twilight coughed as she pushed her way through the clearing smoke. She was covered head to hoof with dirty black soot. “I can see why they included that little warning at the end.”

“Remind me never to listen to Rainbow Dash ever again when she has ideas on how to solve a puzzle,” Rarity complained, pawing dejectedly at her tangled, scorched mane. “Oh my beautiful mane... my beautiful dress.” She wheeled around and glared at the cyan pegasus just behind her. “Rainbow Dash! Just you wait until we get home; you owe me some modeling time!”

“Oh come on guys, it wasn’t my fault,” Rainbow said, taking her goggles off and revealing two great patches of untouched face. Pinkie clung to her like glue, visibly shaken from the ordeal and frantically trying to smother a lingering flame that smoldered in Rainbow’s mane.

“‘Not yer fault’? Sugarcube, when there’s a button that says ‘Do Not Touch’, common sense tells ya not ta touch it,” Applejack huffed as she shook the soot off her hat and shirt. “Darn idiot idea that was, Dash. What in the hay was goin’ through yer head when y’all worked that one out?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Hey come on guys, lighten up, I was just using my adventurer’s intuition. In the Daring Do books, the obvious solution to every puzzle is to do what is least expected, whatever the builder of the test didn’t think of. A big puzzle room with a button like that is just begging for somepony to touch it.” She crossed her hooves over her chest. “Besides, it sure was the easier solution, wasn’t it?”

“Oh yes, because outrunning fireballs and sliding walls is so easy,” Twilight scoffed.

“Well, it was easy for me. Would’ve been easy for Daring Do, too.”

“Rainbow Dash, in case you haven’t noticed,” Rarity said, fluttering her eyes at first, then snapping, “this isn’t a Daring Do book!”

“Sheesh, relax, Rarity,” Rainbow chuckled, twisting a hoof in her ear. “We’ll get your dress fixed up. Somehow. Hey, we made it through and everything, right?” She sunk back to the ground and flexed her wings, then glanced sideways at Pinkie. “I’m set and ready for the next test, how ‘bout you, Pinks? See? Told you I was invincible. No little explosion is gonna keep me down.”

“Yeah but... that was just a little explosion,” Pinkie muttered. “What if it had been bigger, huh?”

“Then I’d just have to fly faster!” Rainbow boasted. Seeing no reaction from Pinkie brought Rainbow back down to earth. She shook her head. “C’mon, Pinks... what happened to finding fun in all the dangerous stuff?”

“That was before I realized how much danger you were really in... doing all those things...”

“Nothing like a little danger to get the blood pump—"

“P-please don’t mention blood...” Pinkie said, her face paling.

“I didn’t n-need to get my blood pumping...” Fluttershy murmured. She clung tighter to Lockwood’s somehow-unharmed jacket. Whatever the thing was made of, it was fire-retardant.

“Enough dawdling around girls, we need to get moving,” Twilight called from up several paces ahead. Before her stood another door much the same as the first, purple glowing letters and all. “Out of one trial, and straight into the next one. Let’s see here...

‘The First is done,
Is left behind.
For the Second,
A test of mind,
A test of skill,
A test of speed.
Acuity
Is what you need,
But to move forth,
Do think clearly,
Or else you shall
Pay most dearly’.”

Twilight tapped her chin. “Well... now this sounds like a different kind of trial altogether. A test of mind, skill, and speed?”

“Sounds right up my alley,” Rainbow said, with a proud grin and a flair of her wings.

“Yeah, all ‘cept the ‘mind’ part there, button-masher,” Applejack added.

Twilight nodded and opened the door. “Well girls, no sense in wasting time discussing the issue. We finished one trial, we can handle another, can’t we?” She trotted ahead into the doorway.

“As long as you don’t let Rainbow Dash near any more buttons,” Rarity huffed as she and Fluttershy followed behind.

“Man, I am never going to live that down, am I?” Rainbow muttered.


***


After coming to yet another fork in the hallway, Flathoof felt he’d had enough. “We’re going around in circles,” he said, slamming his hoof on the wall beside him. He panted, out of breath; they’d been walking for what felt like hours. “I recognize this corridor. It looks the one we hit half an hour ago. Your brilliant idea isn’t working, Tick Tock.”

“The halls all look the same, Flathoof,” Tick Tock said, rolling her eyes. “The map says we’re right on track; it just looks like we’ve gone in circles. We changed floors a few corridors back, when we passed the symbol that looked like a feather, remember?”

Flathoof thought for a moment, not recalling changing floors at all. “Did we? I didn’t notice any stairs.”

“There don’t seem to be any stairs at all, but we’re definitely at a higher elevation,” Lockwood noted.

Flathoof quirked an eyebrow. “And how can you be so sure?”

“It’s a pegasus thing. There must have been an incline somewhere back there, but it was too subtle to really notice.”

“According to the map, we’re almost dead-center in the city,” Tick Tock said as she poked a hoof into aforementioned map. “Still no sign of them though...”

“Well at least we’re getting better at navigating these halls without Twilight,” Lockwood assured her. “I’m still not sure we’re completely accurate on these translations, but it’s better than nothing.”

“How can you stay so calm?” Flathoof asked. “Seriously, Lockwood, I’m over here having a heart-attack with every corner we round when I don't see them on the other side, but you’re acting like this is just a walk in the park. You’re always like this.”

“You want to know how I make it look so easy?” Lockwood tapped his head. “It’s because a calm mind helps one to think clearly, helps one to analyze things and take count of what’s important. We need to find them, yes, but if we get all in a panic about it we’re just going to wear ourselves out and start shouting at one another.”

“I said I was sorry,” Tick Tock grumbled. “Come on, it’s not much further.”

The trio rounded another corner and traveled down another hallway, then stopped when they came to a great archway. At last, they’d reached the city’s center.

They let out a collective groan as they looked into the vast, spherical chamber which had no visible walkways of any kind. Dozens upon dozens of tunnels led off in every direction, and a quick glance at Tick Tock’s map could only tell them which tunnel they’d just come from. Only the very top of the ceiling was left bare for several yards around. There was a marking of a gryphon’s claw upon it.

“Well so much for my theory of the gryphons being organized,” Lockwood muttered. He sighed and gestured with his hoof out into the chamber. “Look at all these passages. There aren’t any walls, just more and more tunnels.”

“It’s a central transit hub of some kind,” Tick Tock said. She unfolded her map, then set it down on the floor so they could all get a good look. “Okay, the directions we’ve been following did at least lead us to the city central, so hopefully we can try and get a better idea how these Hierogryphics translate. The gryphon claw must stand for ‘Center’ or something.”

“How we looped all the way from the southeastern section of the city back around to the center still baffles me,” Flathoof muttered. He shook his head as he glanced out at the myriad tunnels before him. “We’re not seriously going to consider trying every one of these passages, are we? We can’t even reach most of them.”

“Oh stars no, that’s a terrible waste of time and effort,” Tick Tock said, shaking her head. “We just need to find some sort of idea where we stand. Each symbol means something different, and if you look out there, each tunnel has a unique symbol above it.”

She gestured out into the hub. Strange symbols marked the various tunnels, each representing a vague idea that, to the gryphons, must have been intuitive. Each symbol led someplace different, but trying to figure out what was what was like trying to solve a puzzle. A symbol that looked sort of like a feather obviously lead somewhere, but where exactly did it lead? Some sort of grooming salon for feathers, perhaps? A mattress store? A pet shop exclusively for birds?

“So, if we follow one of these tunnels,” Lockwood said, “it should lead to whatever the symbol represents. We need to find which of these symbols could lead to wherever the others ended up?”

“Exactly. Following that logic, we know that we came for the corridor that was marked for the Sanctuary, right? This six-pronged star?” Tick Tock said, pointing at the marking above their heads. “Well, we know that just leads to the teleporter that bloody well disappeared, so we have no immediate use for this route.”

She glanced down at her map and traced her hoof along it, creating a dotted line that stretched from their starting point to their current position. “We need to think about where it could have taken them to, though, and then we’ll have a good foundation for our search. Think back to the riddle; was there anything useful there?”

Flathoof scratched his head. “Uh... well, something about a ‘right source’ that we couldn’t figure out before. Twilight figured it was magic of some kind, so maybe something to do with that?”

“Sounds like a good place to start,” Lockwood said with a smile. He patted Flathoof on his back. “See, Flathoof? Just stay calm and think, and we can figure this out. Now, what symbols here could have something to do with magic?”

Tick Tock sighed. “And here comes the hard part: there’s more passages here than I can count, and I can’t even see the other side of the room. We’re going to have to find which one of these corridors might be the proper way, judging from the symbols, one by one. And by ‘we’,” she added, “I mean ‘you’.”

She pushed Lockwood off the ledge and into the chamber proper. He yelped and flapped his wings to stay airborne, and looked back at her with a pleading pout.

Lockwood huffed. “Oh come on now, surely you have some other way to—"

“I don’t.” She sat beside her map and crossed her hooves over her chest. “You can fly, I can’t, so you can do this better than I can.”

“But there’s got be nearly a hundred or more of—"

Tick Tock remained firmly seated. “Then you’d better get started, shouldn’t you?”

Lockwood rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. I really hope this isn’t too complicated. How I’m supposed to know which symbols represent ‘magic’ things, I have no idea.”

As Lockwood fluttered off, Tick Tock turned to Flathoof and sighed. “That friend of yours really is something, isn’t he?”

Flathoof chuckled. “He sure is ‘something’. I’m not sure what, yet. He’s been like that for years.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “You know what?” she said, glancing in Flathoof’s direction. “I’ll admit it. I’m a little... jealous.”

“Of what?” Flathoof asked.

“Of what you two have. Your friendship. I don’t mean just with one another; I have a close friend too, but...” Tick Tock sighed. “I don’t know if I’ll be close with him the way you are with Lockwood. Not with all the traveling my job entails.”

Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “This is sudden. What brings this on?”

“I’ve got better hearing than you all seem to think,” Tick Tock huffed. “Twilight and her friends don’t think I really care, and I don’t think you two do either. You think I’m just in this because it’s my ‘job’?”

Flathoof made to argue, but decided not to bother. Instead, he nodded. “You certainly don’t act like it’s any different than that. If you want to change anypony’s opinion, you’re certainly going about it the wrong way by shouting and getting angry all the time and arguing over every little thing. I’ll concede that you know a lot, but you could be a little nicer about it.”

“You’re right, I do know a lot,” Tick Tock said. Then, she sighed. “But, I suppose you’re also right about the rest of it. I haven’t done much to give anypony a reason to think otherwise. It’s my job to get things done as quickly and efficiently and quietly as possible. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for socializing, you understand? I... I am sorry if I come off as a little... hostile.”

Flathoof snorted. “Not the word I’d use, but then again the word I’d use isn’t exactly polite.”

“Yes, well.” Tick Tock coughed into her hoof. “Like I said, I am sorry. Those other six mares made me realize something. If I keep acting the way I do... I... I may end up driving you all away. I was worried sick that Twilight would up and decide you all didn’t bloody need me anymore. So I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one who deserves an apology, you know. You give Twilight a lot of flak for just trying to get her friends home as safely as she can.”

“I know, I know. I just... it’s hard,” Tick Tock admitted. “I’ve only been at this job for a few years, you understand, and until this assignment I’d never had any real troubles. Everything that’s been happening has put me a little... on edge, you understand?”

Flathoof hummed and nodded. “Surprisingly enough, I do understand. I do think you’re trying to do the best you can to help them... don’t let anypony say you’re not. But why talk to me about this? Lockwood’s the better ‘counselor’, why not bring this up with him?”

“Bloke’s too bloody nice for his own good.” Tick Tock chuckled. “I’m worried the tosser’s gonna offer me a shoulder to cry on, give me a tissue and a hug, all that rubbish. I’m not up for any mushy stuff; I just needed to get this off my chest. I... do owe you an apology though, even if you won’t accept it. I still blame myself for—"

“I know what you’re gonna say, and don’t. Just... just don’t, okay?” Flathoof interrupted. “The past is the past. Let’s get back to the task at hoof, shall we? We have some mares to find.”

“Right right, of course,” Tick Tock agreed. She pointed at the map, then looked out into the central chamber. “Ah, here comes our intrepid little explorer now.”

Lockwood fluttered over and touched down beside them on the ledge, breathing heavily. “Holy moly that’s a lot of hole-y’s.”

“Well? Anything to work with?” she asked.

“Hang on a second, let me catch my breath,” he panted, holding up a hoof. Several seconds of heavy breathing later, he continued, “Whew! Okay, so, I found one that looked like it might help. It was kind of like a stick with a star on it. Like a... a wand or whatever it is that stage magicians use. Weird, eh?”

“Interesting...” Tick Tock scratched her chin. “I know that the gryphons had to manufacture other means to use magic, since they lacked unicorn horns. Pony stage magicians are all unicorns though; the wands are just for show. But... that idea had to come from somewhere. You might be onto something here. Which tunnel is it?”

Lockwood backed off the ledge and pointed at a downward angle. Tick Tock walked out and looked over the edge, and could see that the tunnel he was pointing at was directly below them.

“You’ve got to be bleedin’ kidding me,” she muttered. “That’s just going to lead us right back the way we came.” She sighed. “Well, at least we have a new lead. Let’s give it a look, shall we? Down we go!”


***


A large metal door slid open, and six disgruntled mares stepped out into the hallway.

“Well, at least it wasn’t my fault this time,” Rainbow said. “I don’t wanna hear any complaints from you guys, no pointing hooves, none of that.”

“Ain’t nopony blamin’ ya fer nothin’, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Personally I think y’all’re lookin’ good.”

Rainbow snorted, then brushed her long, blonde mane out of her face. “Seriously AJ, how do you deal with this thing? I could never fly with a mane like this. Too much wind resistance.”

“Oh don’t you start complaining about having your mane ruined,” Rarity huffed, blowing a large puff of pink curly mane out of her face. “Pinkie darling, did you know just how uncooperative your mane is? This poofy thing just can’t decide what it wants to do! How do you even get it in this style? The curls just don’t make any sense; they’re almost unnatural!”

“Sorry, Rarity,” Pinkie muttered.

Rainbow tucked a wing around Pinkie. “Don’t apologize to her, you didn’t do anything wrong.” She stuck her tongue out at Rarity. “She’s just in a fit because your mane is better on you than it is on her.”

Rarity stuck her nose in the air. “Hmph.”

Rainbow grinned. “Look at it this way, Pinks: if this is the worst thing we’re worried about, we can’t be in much danger can we?”

Pinkie wiped her eyes and nodded. “Well... yeah...” She smiled and batted her now-purple mane out of her eyes. “To tell the truth, I don’t mind it. I kind of like it...”

“That’s because y’all got Twilight’s mane,” Applejack said, her shiny purple mane bobbing and weaving as she turned her head. Her hat fell off; she replaced it, but it fell off again the second she moved. “Rarity, this here high-falootin’ mane o’ yers just feels dang weird. How in the hay d’ y’all deal with it?”

“Years of practice, dear Applejack,” Rarity replied. She sighed and tried to brush her pink curls out of her face again. “To be honest, I’d have rather gotten your mane than Pinkie’s. Maybe I’d have finally had a chance to give that gorgeous golden mane of yours a real, proper styling, hmm?”

“You can work on it while it’s on me,” Rainbow offered. “It ain’t mine, so I don’t care what you do to it.”

“Over mah dead body,” Applejack snorted.

“Please don’t say that...” Pinkie murmured.

“Everypony just calm d—oof!” Twilight tripped over her long, flowing pink mane. “Oww...”

“Oh... um... c-careful, Twilight, that’s my mane you’re... um... stepping on,” Fluttershy peeped. The others looked her way, so she desperately tried to find a way to hide her face behind much shorter rainbow-colored hair.

Rainbow chuckled. “Oh hey, lookin’ good by the way, Fluttershy. You oughta think about making that a permanent look. I’d say you look maybe... hmmm... five-percent cooler.”

“Perish the thought, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity said. “Why, it would be a crime against style if dear Fluttershy decided to take such a butch cut.”

“Yeah yeah, just joking around, Rares.” Rainbow chuckled and shrugged. “Look at the bright side, you could have ended up with my mane.”

Rarity paled. “Oh... oh my, I’d look dreadful! Oh, that cut! Most unladylike. Why, I’d be laughed out of any social get-together I ever attended!”

“Wow. Gee, thanks for letting me know what you think of my mane, Rares...” Rainbow muttered.

“Ah... ha... um...” Rarity gulped and chuckled nervously. “I... I did not mean—"

“Twilight could y’all please jus’ fix this already?” Applejack pleaded.

“Hang on, hang on,” Twilight grunted as she got back on her hooves. “This kind of alteration spell is pretty basic and easy enough to fix with some concentration.” She flared her horn, and a brilliant white light filled the corridor.

When it cleared, however...

“Well, y’all’re half-right there, Twi,” Applejack mumbled as she poked at her mane. It was neatly tied back in a tail again, but still very much a royal purple. “At least it don’t feel weird no more. Now it just looks weird.”

“Oh heavens, this just will not do,” Rarity flustered. She flipped her impeccably-styled pink mane. Her mouth drooped in a frown. “This color is not me, if you’ll beg my pardon, Pinkie Pie. It fits just gorgeously on you, dear, but... it doesn’t mesh well with my coat. No offense intended, of course.”

“None taken,” Pinkie muttered.

Rainbow barely suppressed a chuckle. “Pffh, Pinks, that... that poofy curl you’ve got doesn’t work so well with so many colors in it. You look like you dunked your head in a tub of wild berry sherbet. Hey, doesn’t that sound delicious, Pinks? I could go for a scoop myself right about now.”

“I... do like that flavor...” Pinkie said.

Rainbow sighed as her repeated attempts continued to fall flat.

“Oh my...” Fluttershy peeped with a look behind her. She ran a hoof through her long, flowing, rainbow-colored mane. “Wow, Rainbow... maybe you’re the one who should reconsider their hair-style. Your hair looks so... pretty, when it’s long like this...”

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Rainbow dismissed. “Like I said, wind resistance, terrible for flying, dumb idea, etcetera.” She grunted and glanced at Twilight. “Come on, Twi, stop messing around and get this all fixed up. I’m Rainbow Dash, not Blondie Dash.”

“Hold on, I’m trying,” Twilight grunted. She flared her horn and filled the corridor with light again.

When the light cleared, everypony was back to normal.

“Oh thank goodness,” Rarity cooed. She stroked her mane like a kitten. “Did you miss mommy, sweetie? Mommy missed you.”

“Well, glad that’s all outta the way,” Applejack said. She sighed and readjusted her hat on her head. “Look, there’s another o’ them doors up ahead. Another trial thingy?”

“Seems that way,” Twilight agreed as she approached the door. She cleared her throat and read aloud:

“The Second test is done and gone, the Third now is what lies beyond.
Before you venture further forth it may be wise to take a rest.
For deep within this last trial, we will judge you of your guile.
Fight back your fears all the while, lest you fail this simple test.
Beyond the door you must now go, to face the ultimate test.
Truly, it is for the best.

“Looks like we’re almost done, girls. One more test to go.” Twilight hummed in thought. “Hmm... I wonder what this one entails? There’s no sort of hint or anything.”

“This one sounds... bad...” Pinkie said with a shudder.

“We’ll handle it, Pinks, no problem,” Rainbow assured her.

“I’m eager to see what lies beyond this one,” Rarity said thoughtfully. “If we get past this one last test, we’ll find out where all that magical energy is coming from, won’t we?”

“Certainly seems like it,” Twilight said with a nod. She turned to the others. “Is everypony ready?”

“Darn tootin’,” Applejack said with a tip of her hat.

“Yeah!” Rainbow cheered, pumping a hoof. “Bring that sucker on!”

“Right then!” Twilight declared. She opened the door with a flash of magic. “Let’s hop to it! Forward!”


***


“Here’s the next one!” Tick Tock called. She pointed her hoof at a symbol on the wall in front of her; it was shaped like a rod with a star on one end. “Come along, lads, we’ve got to be getting closer!”

Flathoof grunted as he attempted to keep up with her. He leaned over to Lockwood, who was flying just beside him. “She’s getting awfully enthusiastic, isn’t she?”

Lockwood shrugged. “I’d rather have her yelling because she’s pleased with herself than because she’s angry at somepony.”

“And you’re sure this is leading us the right direction?”

Lockwood sighed. “Well it’s impossible to be one hundred percent certain, seeing as we’re dealing with translations and interpretations of a language that nopony is able to read.” He patted Flathoof on the shoulder. “I have confidence in the path we’ve chosen though, if that’s any consolation. This is the best lead we’re going to get. Tick Tock certainly thinks so, at any rate.”

“Not that I trust her judgement that much,” Flathoof snorted.

“Found another one!” Tick Tock called from up ahead. “Come on you two, stop lollygagging about. This is no time for idle chit-chat. Don’t tell me you two strapping lads are going to let a mare out-pace you.”

“We’re not lollygagging,” Flathoof huffed. “We’ve been at this for hours now, and to be frank I’m starting to run a little ragged. Maybe we should take a breather.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “We’re almost there,” she said, pointing at her map. “The symbols are directing us to a more central location.”

“Well, if you say so.”

The trio rounded another corner, and another, then came upon a door with the same wand-shaped symbol on its face as the one they’d been following. With Flathoof’s help, Tick Tock pressed it open and the trio entered into the chamber beyond.

The room appeared to be a shop of some kind. Most of the chamber was blocked off by a sales counter as tall as the ponies present, the perfect size for a gryphon. Behind it was a vast array of barren shelves that stretched towards the back of the chamber and into the darkness.

“Hello!” Tick Tock called. “Anypony there?!”

No response.

“I’m getting the feeling we’re not in the right place,” Flathoof said, narrowing his eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”

“What is this place?” Lockwood asked.

Tick Tock sighed. “The gryphons utilized wands for their magical study and practice. It would seem as if we’ve been directed to the wand shop.”

“The empty wand shop,” Lockwood added. He shook his head. “Who cleared the place out, I wonder?”

“Who cares?!” Flathoof exclaimed, throwing a hoof in the air. “We were supposed to find the girls here, but I don’t see anypony here, do you?!”

“Whoa, whoa, easy there big fella,” Lockwood chuckled. “Just a little detour, nothing to worry—"

“Detour?! We’ve spent the past hour walking around to pursue a false lead!”

“And your shouting again is helping how?” Tick Tock asked.

“Oh, don’t you start on me,” Flathoof grunted. “This settles it. You have absolutely no idea what you’re doing!”

“Look, I’m the one that thought the wand would be the way to go, right? I didn’t think there would be a wand shop down here,” Lockwood said. He sighed. “Tell you what, you look around and see if you can find anything. Tick Tock and I will see if we can figure out where to go from here. Okay?”

Flathoof grit his teeth, then let out a breath. “Fine.” He trotted off around the sales counter towards the empty shelves.

As soon as he felt Flathoof was out of earshot, Tick Tock muttered, “Thanks.”

Lockwood quirked an eyebrow. “For what?”

“Taking the blame for part of this.”

“Well, I don’t like seeing Flathoof mad, is all. He won’t get so upset at me. And it is partially my fault. I mean, I’m no expert on magic. I just thought that symbol looked like the magic wands I’d seen stage magicians use, so it should it have something to do with magic.”

“I would have had the same idea, personally.” She shook her head. “I’ll be honest, I’m starting to have my doubts as well.”

“Me too...”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lockwood in surprise. “Really? Well this is quite an interesting twist. You? Having doubts?”

Lockwood sighed. “Look, I know I’m right, and that they’re all going to be okay. I have to believe it. I need to believe it. I’m just... beginning to wonder if maybe we’re going about this wrong way.”

“It certainly is a possibility... but what alternatives are there? Wait around for them?”

“We could always seek out an exit and wait for them there.”

Tick Tock scratched her chin. “Could work. I don’t know if that’ll put Flathoof at ease.”

Lockwood chuckled. “I’ll pitch the idea to him. It is my idea after all. My smiling face is about the only thing keeping him from having a panic attack.”

“I’m amazed you’re able to keep up the facade,” Tick Tock muttered.

“It’s important to keep in high spirits and maintain a pleasant demeanor at all times,” Lockwood said. “Nothing ruins a social engagement more than somepony being a sour puss. You and Flathoof could stand to learn that lesson,” he added with a big smile. “Come on then, let’s see a smile.”

Tick Tock put her hoof to her face and groaned. “Look, if I wanted to be an upper-class twit, talking all bleedin’ posh and all that rubbish, then I would. You’re not going to change me by laying on the charm and flashing your pearly whites.” She straightened her bow tie and sweater vest, then stuck her nose in the air. “I must maintain a sense of professional confidence in my duties, and if that means being a little abrasive, then so be it.”

“Fine, fine, far be it from me to try and get you to lighten up a bit,” he said with a shrug. “So then, what’s the next target? We can’t just head out the way we came, so where would another exit be?”

Tick Tock glanced at her map and hummed. “Well, what with the whole city being underground now, we’d need some sort of exit that would likely still lead to the outside. First thing that comes to mind is perhaps the waste disposal system. What with the city being abandoned, there’s likely no waste to worry about there either.”

“Great. The sewer.” Lockwood sighed. “Not exactly the way I envisioned my day going...”

“Funny, with all that’s happened this week I thought you be used to dealing with shite.”


***


A large metal door slid open, releasing pungent, unpleasant air into the hallway beyond. Twilight was the first to step out of the dark archway into the hall. She was slightly damp, but her horn was alight with magic attempting to remedy that. Her friends each followed behind her, one by one, each as damp, if not more so, than she was. None of them made eye contact with one another, and an uncomfortable silence wafted about them.

Several awkward moments later, Twilight was dry. She cleared her throat, and said, “Okay... well that was an... interesting experience.”

“If that’s what y’all wanna call it,” Applejack muttered. She fanned her hat through the air to dry it off as well. “I can think of a few other words I’d use ta describe it.”

“Yes, well... uh, at least we got through it,” Twilight said. She nervously glanced about between her friends, and gulped, then shook her head before any memories of the prior events could reestablish themselves. “Now, if nopony minds... can we agree to never speak of this again?”

“No arguments here darling,” Rarity muttered as she made absolutely sure her mane, tail, coat, and dress were all dried entirely. “My lips shall remain sealed forevermore.”

“You’ve got my support. Now, can somepony find me some bleach for my brain?” Rainbow said. She wiped the fogged-up lenses of her goggles and continued to dry her feathers. Even she and Pinkie were hesitating to make eye-contact at the moment.

“Are you alright, darling?” Rarity asked Fluttershy. When the pegasus didn’t respond, Rarity tapped Fluttershy’s shoulder to get her attention. “Dear—"

Fluttershy squeaked and hid her face behind her mane. “Um... d-don’t w-worry about m-me.”

“I hope we never have to do anything like that ever again.” Rainbow sighed. She then perked up, and pointed up ahead. “Oh hey, check it out. I think we’re almost there!”

Twilight glanced ahead, and her mouth curled in a smile. “I think you may be right, Rainbow; I see a light up ahead.” She gestured for the others to follow her. “Come on everypony, let’s go!”

As the group proceeded forward through the hallway, the light ahead grew brighter with every step. Eventually, the light was bright enough that Twilight had to squint just to see ahead of her. She licked her lips in anticipation; the light was laced with powerful magicks, and her horn was absorbing some of the energy. It was a much-needed, much-appreciated, and most importantly, enjoyable recharge.

“Wow... do you feel that, Rarity?” Twilight asked breathlessly, hoping the other unicorn was enjoying the experience as much as she was.

Rarity let out the breath she’d been holding. “Mmhmm. My horn feels all a flutter, dear.” She giggled, then gasped suddenly. “Oh my... oh myyy...”

Twilight giggled too. “You felt that too, huh? It sent shivers right through my horn...” She bit her bottom lip. “This is all so exciting!”

“Uh... do I even wanna ask what’s goin’ on here?” Applejack muttered.

“Well it can’t be that impressive,” Rainbow snorted. “We could all feel Starlight’s magic, but none of us can feel this.”

“It’s not the amount, it’s the kind,” Rarity said curtly. “Quality over quantity, my dear Rainbow Dash.”

“We’re almost there,” Twilight said as they approached the archway at the end of the corridor. She cantered ahead with a great pep in her step. “I can’t wait to see the source!”

Twilight passed through the archway, the others close behind her, and gasped in shock at the sight that she beheld. She and her friends now stood in an absolutely gigantic chamber, its ceiling and floor so far above and below that Twilight could see nothing but darkness. The hallway connected directly to a bridge made of solid magic leading onward into the abyss. Surrounding the bridge, and the only thing that would keep them from accidentally tripping and falling into the void below, were faint blue magical barriers. Twilight tested one of the barriers with a hoof, and was surprised with how strong the magic was.

That, however, didn’t hold her interest for long, as what that had attracted her friends’ attention now attracted hers. Massive columns stood all around them, starting from someplace unseen far below and reaching up into the unknown above. They were columns of the purest, most potent, most beautiful magic Twilight had ever laid her eyes on. Every towering shaft shined in a different color, and each had its own unique fluctuation: a bluish-white stream to Twilight’s left snapped about like lightning; a scarlet one to her right flowed as though made of liquid magma; a green spire ahead snaked and parted through the void like overgrown vines. Every single variant of magic was represented here in some form, from the superschools—Divination, Mathemagicks, Psychomancy, Animation, and Thaumaturgy—all the way down to their innumerable subschools.

Twilight had trouble restraining herself. “This just isn’t a library of knowledge,” she declared with such wonder and amazement that it came as little more than a whisper, “this is a library of magic. This... this is the single most incredible thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Every form of magic in its purest form, out for display for me to study...”

“An’ here I thought a good book was all that could make Twilight all flighty-like,” Applejack said with a smile. “I ain’t never seen ya this excited before, Twi.”

“She looks like she just accepted to the Wonderbolt Academy,” Rainbow snickered.

Fluttershy hummed in delight. “Oh my... they sure are pretty.”

“Pretty is putting it mildly, darling. This display is absolutely gorgeous.” Rarity gasped and pointed to a stream of purple to her left that rippled in the air like silk. “Ooh! Just look at those colors! Oh heavens... so many ideas, so much inspiration! I have so many ideas for when we get home.”

Twilight pressed her hooves and face against one of the barriers to get a closer look at the nearest pillar of white light. “Everything anypony could want to know about magic... all within a hoof’s reach. It’s like something out of a fairy tale...”

Applejack patted Twilight on the back. “Well, fer those o’ us that ain’t too distracted by all the pretty lights, we’re headin’ further on in. Y’all comin’, Twi? I’m sure there’s some kinda, I dunno, library up ahead that did all yer learnin’ for ya.”

Twilight brightened and gave Applejack her most beaming smile. “Of course! Surely the gryphons did some research on these magicks and cataloged it. I’d just need to find it and read it!” She bounded ahead of the other with such speed that she nearly knocked Applejack over. “Come on, girls! No time to waste!”

Twilight and her friends galloped full speed along the bridge for several minutes before tiring out and slowing to a brisk trot. Twilight truly got a sense of the chamber’s size just from how much distance they’d crossed without seeing anything; she still couldn’t see the other side and had lost sight of the archway they’d entered through. Several more minutes passed before she saw anything ahead of the group, but finally, Twilight caught sight of something.

In the distance, a large cubical structure was suspended in the air by unseen means, connected to the bridge by a stairway made of similar, equally solid magic as the bridge, only a different color. As they got closer, she could see it was made of a bizarre black metal that reflected very little light, and that an array of bizarre, dish-shaped devices surrounded it, collecting specks of magic out of the air.

When she and her friends finally reached the structure, they ascended the great stairway and entered through the large entryway into the structure’s largest and apparently only room. The room was dark, almost completely pitch black, save for the dull glow of tiny lights coming from the ceiling. The magical energy from outside the structure was being streamed into a great compartment there, which was connected to more devices, constructs, and screens than Twilight could count. Large wires connected these other smaller machines to the raised platform at the center of the room.

Twilight approached this raised platform, her curiosity getting the better of her. A ring of devices surrounded the platform, each covered in buttons, switches, and lights of various colors and sizes. Several sheets of shiny glass surrounded the ring of devices; they reminded her of the computers she’d learned how to use back in New Pandemonium City. They appeared somewhat dated compared to those she’d used in the city, however, but were still an impressive sight. Each monitor displayed various figures, graphs, equations, and great, sprawling masses of text which she did not immediately understand. At the center of the platform was a chair large enough to hold a creature much larger than she was.

“What is this thing, Twi?” Rainbow asked, snapping Twilight out of her analysis.

“This must be a central database,” Twilight said as she circled around the station. “It’s just like the one they had at the city library. I bet we could find anything we want with this! If all that magic out there is what powers it, it’s probably loaded with all sorts of juicy information. A veritable encyclopedia of information on every kind of magic there is...”

“Do y’all know how ta work it, Twi?” Applejack asked.

Twilight frowned and shook her head. “I only had a minimum amount of practice, so I’m not exactly sure. All the symbols here are in Hierogryphics, so I’m just sort of playing by ear. Hmm... I wonder if I can get a reaction out of them like I did the others.”

She leaned in and lit up her horn; nothing happened. She let out a sigh and gave her friends an apologetic smile. “Well, there goes that idea. It was worth a try, girls. Any other—"

A small, metal click sounded from someplace behind the group. Then another. Then another. Each one came closer than the last.

“Anypony else hear that?” Applejack asked. She turned behind the group and looked out into the darkness, but there was nothing there.

“It sounds metallic,” Twilight said, tapping her hoof. She looked out into the darkness as well, but, seeing nothing, turned back to the station to continue her examination. “It’s probably just one of the machines around here or something,” she added with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “I’ll keep trying to work on this, the rest of you should start looking around, see if you can find anything.”

Rainbow groaned. “Find anything? Look around, Twilight,” she said, waving a hoof out into the room. “Other than that little gadget you’re working with and the junk it’s connected to, there isn’t even anything here.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” a voice said from behind them.

The group wheeled around to face the source of the voice and instinctively got into defensive positions. Their jaws dropped at the sight.

“A... a g-g-gryphon?!” Twilight exclaimed.

The gryphon was much larger than them, easily twice their size despite his waning figure. He was old, very old indeed; his beard and hair were thin and gray, and his fur and feathers were drained of color. While his natural body was quite frail and thin, his unnatural body was not. His wings, left claw, both hind legs, and tail were made of a complex series of creaking metallic parts. A great portion of his chest was covered in a similar material, and a large yellow light rested over where his heart would be. The left side of his face, too, was covered in metal, and his eye had in its place a strange green lens with a telescoping tube that rotated in and out as he looked back and forth across the mares. His other, natural eye was a glassy, dull blue. He also wore a purple robe made of silk; the robe, at least, looked brand new.

“No need to act so surprised, my little pony,” the gryphon spoke, his voice hoarse and twinged with a slight metallic sound. “This is gryphon territory. I would think it should stand that you’d see a gryphon here, wouldn’t you agree?” He gave them a warm smile and raised his non-metallic claw to gesture for them to relax. “I won’t hurt you, so you can all be at ease. I’m just an old gryphon, getting too far along in his years to be much threat to anygryphon... or rather, anypony.”

“B-b-but, Tick Tock said you guys were extinct!” Rainbow said. Applejack nudged her in the side, so she quickly added, “I mean, that’s what I heard anyway.”

The gryphon chuckled and shook his head. “Extinct?” He laughed, and stepped towards the station behind them. “No, gryphons aren’t extinct just yet, though it may not be long before that statement is true. With all that has happened, I cannot say I am surprised that that would be the first thing on your mind.”

The gryphon continued towards the platform; Twilight and her friends stepped aside to let him through. As he approached, however, it became quite clear that he was struggling just to walk, let alone try to take the first step up onto the raised platform. Rarity turned to look at Fluttershy, then tilted her head towards the old gryphon. Fluttershy nodded, and the two of them stepped forward to assist the gryphon in ascending the platform.

“There there, my good fellow,” Rarity cooed. “Here, allow me to help you into your chair,” she added as she did exactly that.

“Do you need anything, mister gryphon?” Fluttershy asked.

“Ah, thank you, my dears. I am quite alright,” the gryphon said as he eased back into his seat. “Though, I do believe I am due for a tune-up sometime soon. I don’t suppose any of you young ladies have any experience in these matters? I could certainly use a helping claw... or hoof, rather.”

“I’m afraid not, sir,” Twilight said, with a shake of her head. “What... is all that stuff?”

“Why, the finest in techno-magic bionics, of course,” the gryphon said with a chuckle. He then coughed loudly, and the yellow light on his chest turned bright red. He pounded his good claw a little on it until it turned green. He smiled weakly and gave a light-hearted laugh. “At least, they were at the time they were invented. I’m afraid they’ve fallen quite behind in the times, much as I have, and I lack the materials to properly repair them.

“But I digress,” he said as he leaned back in his chair. “Nogryphon, or rather, nopony, wants to hear the trivial complaints of an old gryphon like me. Now then, I see you’ve managed to enter into my Sanctuary. That’s good... that’s very good indeed. This has been quite an eventful decade!”

“Yes, we... um... ‘solved’ your riddle, if that’s what you mean,” Twilight said. “It was kind of an accident.”

The gryphon raised his good eyebrow. “An accident, you say?”

“Twi was just trying to shine some light on the slab when it started glowing and brought us all here. She doesn’t even know how it happened,” Rainbow said.

“Thank you for being so blunt, Rainbow,” Twilight muttered.

“And we got past them trials o’ yers too,” Applejack said with a proud stomp of a hoof.

“And so good that you did as well. I am always eager for a conversational companion,” the gryphon said. “Visitors are usually so few and far between that I concern myself less with how they came to meet me so much as who they are. What are your names, my little ponies?”

Twilight flustered. “Oh... forgive me, we forgot to introduce ourselves!”

She introduced herself first, then went down the line through her friends until they had all given their names.

The gryphon smiled and looked out amongst the mares, his telescopic eye adjusting slightly with every glance. “You and your friends are certainly a colorful bunch, Twilight Sparkle. I do not often see such bright hues in ponies of the northern lands. They are more often of duller shades, much like their towering skyscrapers.”

He shook his head, then placed his metal claw over his chest and bowed his head. “Ah, but where are my manners? It is a pleasure to meet you, my little ponies. I am Gilderoy, Lorekeeper, Second Elder of the Grand Council of Elders, and Caretaker of the Sanctuary of Knowledge.”

“That’s a mouthful,” Rainbow said. Her eyes brightened, and she gently nudged Pinkie in the side, a wide grin on her face. “Hey, you’re keeping track, right Pinks? That’s five gryphons now starting with ‘G’.” She turned to Twilight, her grin growing so wide it threatened to split her face in two. “I told you I saw a pattern.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “So, this is the Sanctuary of Knowledge. Where exactly are we, anyway? This place looks so much unlike the ruins of the city... uh... Aeropolis, I believe?”

“Aeropolis... oh, how I miss those bright halls...” Gilderoy said with a wistful air. He shook his head and cleared his throat. “The Sanctuary is aptly named because it is a neutral zone. None can enter here without my permission, and those that do must face the trials as you all have. Ah, but to answer your question, we are quite distant from Aeropolis, and yet not.”

“What does that even mean?” Rainbow asked, scrunching up her face in confusion. “Distant but not? What?”

Gilderoy laughed. “Forgive me if I confused you, my dear Miss Dash. To clarify, this is what has been dubbed a, ‘pocket dimension’, a tiny, self-contained universe with unlimited space, compacted within a real-world object. A fascinating concept we learned from an ally of ours ever so long ago.”

“Oh my, a pocket dimension spell? That’s one of the highest-caliber spells there is,” Twilight said with an eager grin. “So, what exactly is it that you do here that you needed a pocket dimension to do it?”

“This, my little ponies, is my life’s work,” he proudly declared. He paused to cough and clear his throat again, pounding his chest plate in the process. “As I was saying, all of those beautiful pillars of magic outside represent every school magic in existence.”

Twilight nodded, barely able to contain her excitement. “Yes, I noticed that! You managed to harness even the superschools! I’ve never felt pure Mathemagicks before, just the subschools like Arithmancy and Algebraics. Do you study them? I’d love to study them.”

Gilderoy laughed. “My my, you are quite an astute observer, and so eager for scholarly pursuits. Yes, as the last Lorekeeper and Caretaker of this facility, it is my duty to monitor and study those fields.”

“How did you even manage to create such pure fields? I’ve only ever read theories about how to manifest pure energy from any of the superschools before, and they were only dealing with very small amounts. You’ve got fields so massive that I can’t even calculate their energy output!”

“I don’t mean to be rude, Twi, but come on, we don’t have time to be studying and debating on magic and all that egghead stuff,” Rainbow said. “We came here looking for a way out, remember? Or like a map, or something.”

Twilight blushed and sheepishly scuffed her hoof on the floor. “Oh... right. Sorry.”

“You ladies are seeking a map?” Gilderoy asked, raising an eyebrow. “Such a trivial concern to come seeking the Sanctuary for. Surely you would find a library a better location for such a thing?”

“Well... we thought this was a regular library,” Twilight admitted. “I don’t exactly have a firm grasp of Hierogryphics, so my assumption was that Sanctuary of Knowledge was just the name of the library, not all of this,” she added with a wave of her hoof through the air.

“Would you be so kind as to direct us to the proper library, good sir Gilderoy?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, I am afraid the gryphon library has long since been pilfered, not long after the Fall in fact.” He let out a long sigh. “At times I wish I had perished alongside the rest of my kind, so that I would not be alone. At times I curse my life here, where I cannot be harmed except by the ravages of time, which is a harsher master still.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “The... Fall? Ohhh, is that the event that Tick Tock was talking about, the one where your people were... um...” She didn’t feel it was in good taste to finish the sentence, so she coughed instead.

“No need to beat around the bush, my dear.” Gilderoy put his natural claw upon her head, which eased her trepidation. “Genocide is a delicate topic, yes, but I have had a long time to reflect and mourn. The Fall is what we called it, though we had little time to record such information. We knew what was happening the moment it began, but it was already far too late to reverse. Did you not notice it in the riddle?”

“Ah, so that’s the ‘fall’ the riddle spoke of, the one that needed to be ‘resisted’?”

“That it is. I erected that tablet, hoping that some of my kind would escape and one day return to find me here to help me rebuild our people. But... it has been far too long for any hope of that to come to pass, I am afraid. I am the last of my kind, and a great weight has been placed upon my shoulders to ensure our people’s greatest works are not forgotten or lost.

“Hence all the machinery,” he said with a weak smile as he flexed his metal wings, which gave grating creaks in response. “I seem to be replacing pieces of myself every few dozen years or so, and I fear it will not be long before I am unable to replace any more. A pity our kind never managed to perfect our bionics before our end.” He laughed. “I’ve seen that you ponies have done wonders with our techno-magic, though I do regret the circumstances in which they came into your possession.”

“So, can you help us... or can’t you?” Rainbow interjected.

Twilight shot her an angry look. “Rainbow! Don’t be rude!”

“It is quite alright, my dear Miss Sparkle,” Gilderoy said. “I am sure Miss Dash would like to continue with whatever quest you all were on before you stumbled along down here. You say you were seeking a map? Whatever for?”

“Well, we’re kinda lost here in the ruins, see, and need to find the way out.”

Gilderoy raised an eyebrow. “Can you not simply retrace your steps and leave through the southern corridor?”

“That’s exactly what I said,” Rainbow said, crossing her hooves over her chest. “But my plan’s just dumb, I guess.”

Twilight huffed. “We went over that this morning, Rainbow. Starlight and her sisters may be waiting for us back there, and in our state we wouldn’t stand a chance, and even you agreed to that. We need to find some sort of alternate route.”

“Ah, if it’s an alternate route you’re searching for, that I can provide. Where are you headed?” Gilderoy asked.

“Hope’s Point.”

Gilderoy frowned. “I’m afraid I am not familiar with that place.”

“Oh... um, it’s a city to the southeast of here, on the coast.”

“Ah, then you would need the eastern exit. That I can certainly assist you with, though you may wish to reconsider your options.” Gilderoy leaned forward in his seat. “There is great darkness and evil through the route I will send you. Perhaps you would find it more suitable to confront this ‘Starlight’, hmm?”

“Out of the question,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I do appreciate the warning, Mister Gilderoy, but frankly I think we can handle whatever it is along your path far better than trying our luck with Starlight’s crew.”

Gilderoy leaned back in his chair again, and stroked his beard for a few moments before responding. “If that is your desire, far be it from me to deny you the answers you seek,” he said. “The city has long been buried under a mountain of rock, and many of the exits were sealed during the Fall. However, the city’s aqueduct system is still in complete working order. The treatment plant can be found at the northeastern edge of the city; you can exit the city through the old reservoir, which has long since been drained.

“But,” he continued, “that route leads to a cursed, tainted place. The plague that killed my people originated there. I am not sure what you ponies call it today, but in my time we called it the ‘Red Death’. During the Wardens’ War, lingering dark magicks corrupted the very ground, and brought with the corruption a plague that created... abominations to everything natural and good about the world. When the war ended, we erected a magical barrier around the region to keep the evil magic that soaked the place at bay.”

“Oh dear...” Twilight muttered. “What do you mean by... ‘abomination’?”

“I don’t think describing them would do much justice, nor do I think any one of you would be able to stomach the detail.” Gilderoy shuddered. “Let us just say that I urge you and your friends to make haste through the region, lest you find out for yourselves.”

“Great, into another deathtrap we go,” Rainbow huffed, shaking her head.

Twilight hummed. “If this plague could kill a gryphon, what chance do we have of protecting ourselves?”

“The magicks have dwindled greatly in power, and lack the the power to kill outright anymore,” Gilderoy assured her. “However, the horrors that they wrought upon the land are still bound to it, and they can still spread the plague much the same as any disease.”

“I see... hmm...” Twilight shook her head. “What exactly did happen to your people, anyway? What does this plague do?”

“Come on Twi, this isn’t the time for a history lesson!” Rainbow exclaimed, throwing her hooves in the air. “We’ve got a schedule to keep!”

“We should at the very least know what happened, Rainbow. Any information could prove useful and possibly keep us alive,” Twilight explained. “‘Those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.’ It’s a very well-known saying.”

“And a very wise one,” Gilderoy agreed with a smile. “Fear not, my dear Miss Dash, Miss Sparkle’s curiosity is well-founded. There are a great many things one can learn from just a little look into the past.”

“Ugh... fine,” Rainbow grumbled. “This better not take too long though.”

“Keep an eye on the clock there, Miss Dash,” Gilderoy said, gesturing at a clock display beside him that read eighteen minutes after noon. “The wonders of magic allow one to do a great many things in very little time. Here, allow me to show you.”

Gilderoy reached into the pocket of his robe and drew out a thin silver rod, etched with tiny markings that glowed a dull blue. He swished it around in the air just once, and the little rod’s glow intensified, much like a unicorn’s horn would.

“What in the hay is that?” Applejack asked, eyeing the object warily.

“A magic wand, of course,” Rarity said. “Surely you recognize a stage magician’s ‘weapon of choice’, as t’were?”

“Miss Rarity is correct,” Gilderoy said as he continued to swish the rod around in the air. “Our kind lack horns as you unicorns do, and so cannot employ magicks of our own. At first, we simply wished to enjoy the pleasure of telekinesis, but it grew from there to include other forms of magic as well.”

“What’s with all the swishing?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, unlike unicorn horns, which simply channel the unicorn’s natural magical energy, wands gather magic in the air and channel that into spells. They are made of a very powerful conducting metal that we call ‘arcanium’, which can absorb even the powerful magicks outside the chamber. Forgive me if this takes a moment; I have not used my wand in many years, so it may take some time to recharge.”

Twilight watched Gilderoy’s wand sweep about in the air, gathering magic and growing brighter as it did so, for several moments. Then, she gasped. “This spell you’re using... is it a memorandum spell?”

“Indeed it is, my dear,” Gilderoy laughed. He swished the wand one more time in the air, then pointed it straight up. “Now, my little ponies, let us take a little journey into the annals of history.”

The wand flashed with a blinding white light.

Twilight shielded her eyes. She’d had a memorandum spell cast on her before, when Discord had taunted her about incorrectly solving his riddle, so she’d been ready for the flash. However, she knew that memorandum spells typically only went back a few years at most, as most ponies’ memories weren’t perfect enough to accurately reconstruct images from much further back. At least, she thought she’d known that.

She and her friends now stood in a grand chamber that she knew to be the Aeropolis entryway they’d spent the morning in. The room was no longer dark and gray, but decorated with lavish banners of purple and red. The bronze statues gleamed in an unseen sun, the artificial leaves and vines were more lifelike than ever, and the walkways were bordered by stretches of green grass and plots of roses and violets. Everything looked new, as though only years had passed at worst.

Most importantly, the entryway thrived with life, as gryphons of all ages walked, hovered, and flew about the chamber. Some chatted with one another in private, others engaged in open discussion with larger groups. Most of the gryphons were wearing robes similar to Gilderoy’s, barring a few that stood proud and tall in armor beside the arches leading into the city and out into the mountain pass. Gilderoy himself, however, was nowhere to be seen.

“Whoa... what’s going on?” Rainbow asked as she looked around. “Did I hit my head or something?”

“Don’t worry Rainbow, we all see it too,” Twilight said. “This is a memorandum spell. It’s showing us images of the past as Mister Gilderoy witnessed them.”

“This room is simply gorgeous,” Rarity cooed, stepping closer to some of the decorative banners. “The colors are so bright, and they stand out so well on this fabric. I wonder what—" She reached out to touch the banner, but her hoof simply passed through it as if it weren’t there at all. “Oh... what a shame.”

“Speakin’ o’ Mister Gilderoy, just where in the hay did he get to?” Applejack asked.

“Do not fret, my dear Miss Applejack,” Gilderoy said, his disembodied voice floating out into the air from everywhere at once. “I am here, yet I am not. These are my memories, so I am present here in some capacity. This was a very long time ago, many decades before the Fall. Our kind were prosperous then, but we stood ever watchful, for even in this supposed time of peace there were signs of darkness on the horizon.”

“What sort of signs?” Twilight asked. “The murals in the Sanctuary entrance hall spoke of a Second Rise of Darkness.”

“An astute guess, my dear, and the correct one.”

The scene before Twilight melted away like water, revealing a new scene in its wake. No longer were she and her friends in the grand entryway to Aeropolis, but out in the middle of nowhere, standing upon a lonesome cliff. She recognized the surrounding terrain as that of the Wastelands, but it did not look quite as barren, and in fact she could make out traces of fauna here and there.

There was no great cloud of murky magic in the sky, and Twilight could see the moon and stars as clearly as she could back at home. The stars were brighter, more numerous, and even twinkled with different colors. The constellations were of many strange shapes that she could not easily identify. The two moons, one silver the other red, had few blemishes between them; the silver one, in fact, was almost unnaturally perfect.

A noise from below drew her attention, and she stepped towards the edge of the cliff to see what it was. Below her, marching in even formation across the desert, was an army of ponies of all the different races. Each was clad in fearsome black armor, and each carried terrible weapons with blades and spikes stained red with blood.

“The Second Rise of Darkness came as no surprise to us,” Gilderoy said. “We predicted its coming decades before it began, and we were ready. To the north of Aeropolis was the city of Pandemonium. It was less a city than it was a fortress, a temple of sorts to the goddess of destruction and disparity, Nihila.”

Twilight hummed. “She and Harmonia truly were worshipped as goddesses, then?”

“Aye, that they were,” Gilderoy answered, his voice solemn. “Harmonia treated her subjects as a mother dotes upon her children, giving them love, compassion, and a paradise realm where they need not fear hunger, poverty, or war. Their love for her fills her with the power of Light. Nihila, however, treated her subjects as little more than tools, a means to an end. The evil in their hearts fueled her Dark magicks, so she inspired her most loyal subjects to bring destruction across the northern wastelands in order to increase her power.”

“Light and Dark magicks?” Twilight asked, her voice betraying her curiosity and confusion. “Surely you mean Good and Evil?”

“Light and Dark are similar to Good and Evil, to a... certain degree, so you are not entirely wrong. They are the two fundamental magical forces of the universe,” Gilderoy explained. “Their delicate balance is all that keeps the foundation of our world in check against certain destruction from the powers of the Void beyond.”

“Aha!” Twilight exclaimed, throwing a hoof into the air in triumph. “I knew it! I told you guys it wasn’t Law and Chaos! Ha! Oh I can’t wait to see Tick Tock’s face when she hears this.”

Gilderoy hummed. “Law and Chaos magicks? Ah... your friend, this Tick Tock, must be a Chronomancer?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “You know about the Chronomancers?”

Gilderoy laughed. “I knew the Chronomancer of this period personally. A pegasus mare, if my memory serves, with a positive outlook on life despite witnessing the horrors her own kind could reap upon one another. Your friend must be the replacement for Zenith. Ah, that old pony spoke quite highly of her. A pity he did not have more time to spend in my company; I daresay he learned more in his brief stay here than he did over the years as a Chronomancer. But I digress; where was I?”

“Chronomancers and the nature of Light and Dark magic,” Twilight said.

“Ah yes. Well, despite our allegiance, the Chronomancers have always been at odds with our widely differing matter of opinion on how magic works. Your friend isn’t necessarily wrong; her terminology is just a little misconstrued. Law and Light are natural allies, as are Dark and Chaos, but that does not mean that they are synonymous. There are such things as Chaotic Light forces, just as there are Orderly Dark ones.”

Gilderoy laughed. “Ah, but we have become distracted from my story! I was speaking of the Dark magicks that Nihila wielded, wasn’t I? Yes, she was a most fearsome creature who wanted nothing more than to bring the entire world to its knees. She commanded a grand force of devoted, no, fanatical followers that served her every whim, as delegated to them by their leader, the goddess’s personal steward, or ‘Warden’.”

The scene shifted slightly so that the mares were closer to the marching army below, utop a tiny hill below the cliff. Standing beside them was a large earth pony with a black coat, brown mane and tail, and blood red eyes. One eye was closed shut, the great gash of a poorly-healed scar across it. He wore a suit of black armor covered in spikes and metal from head to hoof, and then some, with a large axe strapped to his back. His mouth seemed curled in a permanent scowl.

“Blood Beryl, Nihila’s Warden during the Wardens’ War. He was a monster in the plainest terms,” Gilderoy explained, his voice hinting at his disgust. “I... often tend to skip past the portion of these memories that involve him, and I daresay you’d thank me for the gesture. I doubt you have the stomach for it. Let us return to happier memories, shall we?”

The scene melted away and returned to the Aeropolis entryway.

“Blood Beryl was no threat to us. We erected a barrier around the city that only allowed those attuned to magicks similar to ours to enter. In other words, only creatures empowered by Light magicks, our allies and friends. But, we feared that if left to Nihila were left to her own devices, Nihila would conquer the rest of the north, and amass enough power to break our shield. We spent many years with futile attempts to find solutions, and came up empty-clawed.

“Then, he arrived.”

There was a great trumpeting sound from the entrance archway, and the gryphons in the vision all turned in unison to face the source of the noise. A visitor had arrived. The first to march through the archway was a procession of dozens of ponies of all races, each decked in silver armor with blue trims that gleamed in the light. A unicorn marched in the center of the procession, tall and sleek-figured with a pristine silver coat of dazzling radiance and purity. His bright golden mane was impeccably-styled and shone like real gold. His eyes were a bright blue, though his vision was clearly not perfect as he wore a monocle over one. He wore an immaculate dress uniform of white silk and purple trim.

The ponies stopped dead-center in the entryway chamber. Some gryphons kept their distance to observe, others approached to get a closer look. It seemed the ponies were waiting for somegryphon.

Rarity’s jaw fell to the floor. “By Celestia... who is that?” she exclaimed. “He’s the most gorgeous unicorn I have ever seen!” She bounded over to the stallion and circled around him, eyeing him up and down like he was some sort of model. “Oh... he’s perfect...”

“Whoa there, Rarity, calm down,” Applejack chuckled. “This is a look inta the past, right? Like a million years ago?”

“A millenium,” Twilight corrected.

“That’s what I said. A million.”

Twilight groaned and put a hoof to her face.

Applejack trotted over to Rarity and put a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “Jus’ keep yer dress on there, sugarcube. Ol’ pretty boy there is already long gone I reckon.”

“Oh... r-right, yes. Of course...” Rarity pouted, and sighed. “Well... at least a lady can look for a little while, I suppose.”

Rainbow snickered. “Gawking doesn’t sound very ladylike at all, Rarity.”

Rarity huffed. “I am not gawking, I am observing. A lady can simply look at a stallion she finds attractive without being accused of leering at him, can she not?”

“Hey, whatever floats your cloud, Rares.”

Rarity stuck her nose in the air, then returned to observing the stallion. “Oh, that uniform of his is simply marvelous! Such a fine choice of colors! Look at his figure; such poise! Such grace!” She gestured at the stallion like he was being placed on display. “Take note, ladies, this is a stallion.”

“Now y’all sound like ya wanna try ‘n’ sell ‘im,” Applejack muttered. “No sale, Rarity. He ain’t my type.”

“He’s a little... intimidating...” Fluttershy murmured.

“Shoot, size don’t mean everythin’. Big Mac may be a big pony, but he knows I’m the boss now, don’t he?” Applejack shook her head. “So, even though this here pretty boy may be tall ‘n’ all, I ain’t afraid o’ him. Looks like just another prissy, fancy type.”

Rarity ignored Applejack and reached out to touch him, but as with the banners, her hoof slid right through him. She gave an exaggerated pout in response. “Oh... how terribly disappointing...”

“Okay, enough gawking and lollygagging, who is he?” Rainbow asked Gilderoy. “You act like he’s important.”

“He was important, my dear. Very important,” Gilderoy replied. “His actions all those years ago set forth a chain of events that have made this world the way it is today. I do admit that his methods were brilliant and his results proven. Though it pains me to say it, he actually did do this world a lot of good in the end. ‘The ends justify the means’, seemed to be his philosophy. Every time I review these events, I find myself admitting that that silver tongue of his does make quite a speech.”

A moment later, a gryphon came out to greet the unicorn and his procession, and the scene melted away again. The mares now found themselves within the chambers of the gryphons’ Grand Council of Elders, a small circular room that was plainly decorated with different shades of gold. Five gryphons of varying ages sat upon a raised platform, each behind a podium decorated with a unique symbol similar to a cutie mark. The silver unicorn stood alone before the Council with such a proud, dignified stance that he looked almost like royalty. The old gryphons on the Council all eyed him with some degree of contempt, apparently unsure what to make of this pony coming before them with such airs.

The unicorn spoke to them with a voice that dripped with imposing vigor, completely unfazed by the repugnance their eyes.

“Gryphons of the Grand Council of Elders, greetings,” he said as he ran his eyes across the elders. “It would seem the fates have smiled upon you, that I have arrived before tragedy could befall your kind.”

“And what possible tragedy could befall us that worries you so, pony?” asked the fifth gryphon, whose emblem was that of the setting sun. “We remain safe within our barrier’s walls; we have nothing to fear.”

The unicorn frowned and shook his head. “Ah, if only the rest of us could safely hide away and ignore the plight of our fellow creatures.”

The gryphon in the second seat, his emblem a duo of five-pronged stars, sneered. “Your sarcasm is not appreciated here, pony.” His voice was instantly familiar, though it sounded significantly younger and did not possess a metallic tinge. Gilderoy’s younger self did not take his condemning glare off the unicorn for a moment.

The disembodied voice of the present Gilderoy took this moment to interrupt, freezing the memory in place. “I apologize if my younger self has caused any offense to anypony,” he said, his voice quiet with shame. “In those times, I believed my kind to be quite superior to yours. I have since realized just how wrong I was. Had I considered your kind equals, I might have paid more heed to the signs that came before our Fall.”

“It is quite alright, Mister Gilderoy,” Rarity said. “We all learn from our mistakes.”

Gilderoy unpaused the memory.

The silver-coated unicorn bowed low to the ground. “My apologies, Elder Gilderoy. I meant no insult, of course. I merely express my wish that all creatures could be as wise and resourceful as the gryphons.”

“You know our names?” asked the first gryphon, his emblem a dragon’s head.

The unicorn raised from his bow and nodded. “I find it prudent to learn about those I intend to speak to on important matters as a sign of respect, Elder Garrick. Tell me though, Council, from within this glorious shield of yours, do you not see how the armies of Blood Beryl taint your lands? Slaughter innocents and destroy settlements across the desert? Befoul everything that is good in this world?”

“We do see this,” answered the fourth gryphon with a solemn tone. His emblem was a winged shield.

“But we do not have the means with which to put a stop to it,” continued Elder Garrick. “Our kind do not make war upon others. It is not our way, and never has been.”

“The means?” The unicorn laughed. “Why, you sell yourselves short my fine, feathered friends. I have seen the incredible capabilities of your techno-magic, the wonders it can create from even the tiniest amounts of magical energies. You’ve already utilized that power to erect this mighty barrier of yours, stemming the tide of darkness even as it surely surges against you.”

“Our techno-magic has never been used for combat,” said the fifth gryphon.

The unicorn dismissed the concept with a hoof. “A trivial matter for now. To the matter at hoof, I have come to request your aid in my crusade against the coming disaster, for in my heart I believe that I alone cannot hope to succeed. I am certain you, Council, in your wisdom can sense what is happening to our world. The imbalance.”

The gryphons looked at one another with concern, and began hastily speaking amongst themselves. All the while, the unicorn stood at attention, tall and proud, his mouth curled in a small smile.

After a few moments of deliberation, the fourth gryphon spoke. “You speak of the imbalance between the Light and Dark?”

“Naturally,” the unicorn responded with a small nod. “Milady Harmonia has sensed the deaths of thousands here in the north. Her heart aches with sorrow for those she could not save, and she has gone many restless days and nights unsure of how to solve this dilemma. She is hesitant to act, to strike out against evil, as paying blood unto blood is not her nature.

“The forces of Darkness blacken all in their path, leaving ruin and death in their wake as though they were a swarm of locusts, hell-bent on devouring all that they see. Within a few short years, they will have conquered all of the northern lands save your own. And, when they have nothing left to destroy, they will turn upon you with the full force of Nihila behind them. They will not be deterred by your barrier. They will not be held back by your meager soldiers. They will not be stopped until every last one of you is dead. The Darkness will have won.

“With the north under their hooves, they will then move south, and they will not be met with nearly as much resistance as your kind can muster. My brethren to the south lack the fortitude to take up arms, they lack your vast knowledge of magical arts, and they lack your phenomenal techno-magic. It will be a massacre. Harmonia will be unable to stop it. And, when the Darkness has engulfed even those lands, this world will be no more. Chaos and death will reign.”

The gryphons remained silent in thought for several moments, before finally one of them spoke. “We, the Council, have seen these visions ourselves,” the fourth gryphon stated, “but we have not shared these visions with anygryphon, and especially not with any pony.”

Gilderoy’s younger self placed his elbows on his podium and rest his chin on his claws. “How is it that you know these things? The nature of Light and Darkness? This manner of magic is not intuitive to your kind.”

The unicorn brandished an emblem emblazoned with a glorious purple shield with a bright silver cross at the center. He held it up high; it shined with a bright, white light. Twilight could feel the pure magicks radiating from it, the same as those she felt from the mural of Harmonia, those so similar to Celestia’s own.

“I am the Warden of Harmonia, and it is through her blessings upon me that I know of these things. She shared her own visions with me as one would share a secret, and it is through her visions that I have seen the future of this world if nothing is done. I cannot allow that to happen, and though she did not command it, I have led this crusade in hopes of stopping this plague of destruction before it spreads. I will fight back the forces of Darkness with the humble few that are loyal and devoted to Harmonia’s vision, even if her nature prevents her from declaring war herself.”

“The Warden of Harmonia,” said the third gryphon at last, his symbol that of an open book. “You would declare war in her name, claiming to support her ideal? From our understanding, and from your own words, this goes against her nature, does it not? I am surprised she has not yet stripped you of your rank.”

“Milady Harmonia trusts me,” the unicorn said. “She knows that in all of this, I have made the correct decision, the one that will save this world. That I still maintain her blessings is proof of that fact. Even if she did doubt my intentions, they are pure. I would gladly have laid aside my rank if asked, if only that I may be allowed to continue the task I have set before me. The ends justify the means, my friends. Barbarians do not respond to diplomacy, they only respond to war, and I will bring it to them. I mean to bring an end to this, here and now.”

“So you say,” Elder Garrick muttered. He hummed, tapping a claw to his chin. “Out of curiosity, what would you ask of us?”

The unicorn smiled and bowed. “My forces are few and dwindle by the day as the fighting continues. My supplies are fewer still, and I have no safe haven here in the north from which to acquire more. I have brought all the support I could from Utopia and the zebras, so I cannot ask for more. I merely ask, as humbly as I can, that you aid me indirectly; there will be no need to risk your own lives in battle. Supply my soldiers with but a sample of your techno-magic that we may find a use for it against our foes. With your help, Elders, we will drive back the Darkness and we will save this world!”

The gryphons conferred amongst themselves once again, for a great deal of time. The Warden of Harmonia watched with intense scrutiny as the Elders bickered back and forth, seemingly not at all bothered by the occasional glares that Elder Gilderoy was shooting in his direction.

At last, the third gryphon nodded and stood tall. “The truth of impending disaster is a hard one to swallow for most,” he said, his voice loud and clear. “Our kind believe in the visions of the Grand Council of Elders as true Divination. We have seen that if we do not act, our world may yet falter and die. But, we are a peaceful people. We lost our will to fight long ago. However, knowing that we have an ally in the Warden of Harmonia may yet ease our minds. Very well, Warden... you have our blessings. We will aid you in your crusade.”

“I thank you, Council,” the Warden said with a bow.

The scene melted away, but took the mares back to the chambers of Grand Council of Elders again. This new scene was taking place sometime later; two of the gryphons on the Council had been replaced. The first gryphon, Garrick, had been replaced with one using a telescope as her symbol. The fourth gryphon had been replaced with one using a beaker as his. Gilderoy still retained his second seat, though he had clearly aged since the previous vision. The Warden of Harmonia stood proudly in the same spot as before, though his silky garments before had been replaced by shining white armor with purple trim.

“The Warden’s war against Blood Beryl was a success the likes of which we’d never dreamed,” the Gilderoy of the present said. “He was a brilliant tactical mastermind, and an exceedingly powerful mage in his own right. The war was over in a little under a decade, far ahead of expectations.”

“Council!” the Warden exclaimed, elation in his voice. “It has been many years since I saw you last, and it warms my heart to see some familiar faces. I deliver my respects, of course, to Elders Garrick and Gideon. May Harmonia watch over their souls.”

“That’s seven now, Twi,” Rainbow interrupted. “Come on, this has to be more than a coincidence.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m still not convinced, Rainbow.”

“Convinced of what, dear?” Gilderoy asked. “What are you two going on about?”

“I’m just telling Twi here that you gryphons all have names that start with the letter ‘G’,” Rainbow said. “I noticed a pattern, is all, and—"

“And I’m telling her it’s a hasty generalization,” Twilight interjected. She raised a hoof. “Oh! Perhaps you can set us straight?”

Gilderoy laughed. “Miss Dash is most intuitive. Our kind does in fact utilize a common naming scheme. In the art of Appellamancy, the three letters with the greatest potential for magical dominance are ‘G’, ‘S’, and ‘T’. Creatures with names that start with those letters are more often predisposed to great feats in magic, at least in theory.”

Rainbow pumped a hoof. “Booyah! Told you.” She gave Twilight a bright smile. “Oh! Hang on, ‘S’ and ‘T’ work too? Hey Twi, your name—"

Twilight sighed. “Appellamancy is a sketchy school of magic, filled with a lot of superstitious nonsense. Just because both my first and last name start with ‘T’ and ‘S’ does not make me predisposed to greater magical feats.” She paused, then let out a nervous chuckle. “Er... no offense, Mister Gilderoy.”

“Well, that Starlight Shadow creep follows that same rule. Maybe there’s something to it?” Rainbow added.

“Can we just get back to the vision, Mister Gilderoy?” Twilight huffed.

“Certainly, my dear,” Gilderoy chuckled.

“However, I come not just to reflect on lives lost to the cruelty of time,” the Warden continued. “I come before you today to announce a great victory! Blood Beryl has been defeated, and his grand fortress-city of Pandemonium has been razed to the ground where it will no longer be a blemish upon our world. The Darkness will threaten us no more.”

The gryphons Elders all nodded in acknowledgement. The younger Gilderoy spoke first. “We have seen evidence of your victory already,” he said, “We admit that when we lent you our aid, we were skeptical at first.”

“Do not take offense, Warden,” said the first. “Your appearance was sudden, and we knew very little about you. We had not predicted aid from the outside would come to us.”

“No offense taken, Council, I would not expect any less of the wisest of your kind,” the Warden said with a bow. “However, not all that I come to deliver is pleasant to hear. I bear grave news indeed. Let us not waste words; I am sure you are aware of the new dilemma that has arisen as well?”

The fourth gryphon nodded. “Yes... we sense it. The powers of Darkness have waned too greatly, and now it is the Light that threatens to devour the world. It would seem that your success was beyond even your own expectations.”

“Perhaps,” the unicorn said with a slight smile. “Fear not, Council, for I may have devised a solution that I hope meets with your approval, for it depends greatly upon it. If I may be bold enough to present it?”

“You think quickly, Warden,” said the first elder. “We have only just sensed the imbalance, and even we have not begun to formulate a plan. Speak, that we may have your input.”

The Warden sighed. “I have already asked much of you, Council, so it troubles me that I must ask for more. I have done no small amount of research into the workings and capabilities of your techno-magic marvels, and I have learned of a specific, particularly fascinating device in your possession that may be of service: the Beacons.”

The Council muttered amongst themselves a moment. “The Beacon is not a device to be treated lightly,” said the fifth. “Our engineers have only recently progressed through the final stage of the project, and even they are unsure of its full potential. The intent of this project was to do research on Harmonia and Nihila, so what do you intend to do with it?”

“I intend to construct a pair of them, one in Utopia and the other in the remains of Pandemonium, where the greatest concentrations of Light and Dark magicks in the world reside,” the Warden said. “Rather than use the Beacons’ energy to merely attract Harmonia and Nihila, they would be used to harness their power. The Beacons, fueled by this power, will generate the fields of the same magic, supplying the world with all the Light and Dark magicks it needs to survive in an absolutely perfect balance, regardless of the actions of even vast quantities of creatures.”

“You speak with little skepticism,” said Gilderoy, his face bearing a curious scowl. “You sincerely believe this will work?”

“I know it will work,” the Warden said with a smile. “There will never again be worry of war or strife beyond their physical ramifications, because even those will not skew the balance even the tiniest fraction of an arcanum. The amount of magic required to affect it by even the smallest amount would have to nearly rival perhaps the powers of Harmonia or Nihila at their base strength.”

The Council conferred amongst one another again, then the center Gryphon stood tall. “Your words are as wise as they have always been, Warden,” he said. “Without Light to prevail against Darkness, the world would be covered in shadow. But, without Darkness to threaten the Light, we may all be blinded in our complacency. If there is a way to prevent this from happening again, then it would be our duty to ensure that this comes to pass. You have our blessings, Warden of Harmonia. May you use the Beacons well.”

“I will not disappoint you, Council,” the Warden said with a bow.

The scene melted away again, and Twilight and her friends found themselves overlooking a field of red... stuff. Twilight couldn’t tell what the red gunk was, nor the piles of black masses that were scattered about, but it all certainly looked unnatural. The trees were black and unnaturally rotten. The recognizable murky orange magic from the Beacon now churned in the sky above. She could just make out the massive wall that surrounded New Pandemonium City under construction in the distance.

The Warden of Harmonia stood beside them, and though he himself looked the same as he had in the last two visions, his uniform was different. Black had replaced white, red had replaced purple, and leather had replaced silk. He looked every bit as dark and intimidating as Blood Beryl had been, even without the earth pony’s broader frame.

A lithe pegasus pony wearing similarly-colored clothing approached from behind. As soon as he landed, he bowed in the Warden’s presence. “I have returned, milord,” he said.

“So you have, Quickdraw,” the Warden replied. “Then you have delivered my letter to the Grand Council of Elders. Excellent. You are late, however. Explain.”

“There was a minor complication, milord,” Quickdraw said, not raising himself from his bow. “Elder Gilderoy was not present when I delivered the letter.”

The Warden hummed. “A shame then that he will not bear witness to this. A small matter.” He turned to Quickdraw and shook his head. “I had tasked you with ensuring the entire Council were all present within the city. How did Gilderoy escape your eye?”

Quickdraw gulped. “I... I do not know. The Council did not tell me when I asked where he was.”

“I see. Very well. As I said, it is small matter, almost trivial. Gilderoy alone cannot hope to counter this.”

The Warden looked out onto the sea of red, and with a bright red glow from his horn he unleashed a single spell. A massive purple barrier around the region that had not been visible before began to sputter and die like a flickering flame. The horrible red ooze seemed to come to life and spread towards nearby fertile ground, devouring it like a hungry, ravenous beast. A great swath of the stuff sped towards the Warden and Quickdraw.

“M-milord, w-what is this stuff?” Quickdraw asked.

“The end of an era,” the Warden said.

He launched another spell at a grand structure that sat embedded in the side of the mountains in the distance. The ooze abruptly changed paths, now moving towards that structure instead with a speed that was astounding.

“Incidentally, Quickdraw,” the Warden said as he watched the ooze scurry away, “I believe that you did not complete your assignment as asked. You arrived late, and did not ensure that Elder Gilderoy would also be amongst the dead. I will have to enlist other means to ensure the Red Death spreads properly.”

Quickdraw frowned. “I... I am s-sorry, milord. With the gryphons’ Spring Festival in full swing, I was hampered by the crowds. It won’t happen again.”

“No,” the Warden said as he lit up his horn, “it won’t.”

Quickdraw abruptly vanished, only to reappear in the middle of the sea of red ooze in front of him. He didn’t even have a moment to react before it washed over him and swept him away, screaming.

The Warden lit up his horn again, and he was gone with a flash and a pop.

“The Warden of Harmonia... betrayed us,” Gilderoy said, anger seeping into his disembodied voice, causing it to echo. “That day, he committed genocide upon our kind, and never looked back. Had I not been performing my research at the time, I too would have been among the dead. I do not consider this a mercy.”

“Why... why would he do such a thing?” Twilight asked in disgust. Even with the evils of this world she’d already seen, this was a new kind of evil that she could not comprehend.

“I wish I knew exactly what had happened, but I do not.” Gilderoy sighed, and the scene began slowly melting away into darkness. “Did you recognize his uniform? The colors are those that Nihila prefers. He’d sworn himself to her, becoming her new Warden and forsaking Harmonia. When or why, I do not know. He unleashed the Red Death upon us, knowing that our city’s barrier could not prevent the tainted earth from spreading. The Red Death permeated the soil under our barrier, then set itself upon us like a plague. Once its work was complete, he summoned it back to leave no trace of our kind, but to permit travel within our empty city. It did not take long for him to pilfer our libraries after that.”

“How terrible...”

“What a rotten trick,” Applejack spat. “If he was gonna try ‘n’ take y’all out, the least he could is do it with some honor. Fight y’all face-ta-face like.”

Gilderoy chuckled. “With his knowledge of our inner workings and the power he carried at the time, I’m certain the outcome would have been much the same. Despite his change in demeanor, his magicks still drew from the power of Light. I know not how he was able to accomplish that... but he is proof, I believe, that Light and Good are not synonymous.”

“That guy was bad news, that’s what he was. Glad we don’t gotta deal with anything like that,” Rainbow said with a shudder. “Right? He doesn’t have all those fancy gizmos like you do to keep him alive, does he?”

“No, thankfully he does not,” Gilderoy said.

The vision finished melting away, bringing Twilight and her friends back to reality.

“One thought still eats away at my mind, even after all these years. I find myself admitting that his dedication to Harmonia’s purpose was... commendable. The ends justified the means, I suppose. Gryphonkind was eradicated, the prized Warden of Harmonia, lost to the Darkness, but by his actions the world was now in perfect harmony, balanced between Dark and Light. Only very recently have I noticed a change in the balance, but it strangely reversed itself only a day or so later.”

“Wait, you mean it went back to normal?” Twilight shook her head. “No, that can’t be possible. Your vision just said that it would take phenomenal power just to change it in the first place. What could have the power to change it, then change it back?”

Gilderoy sighed. “I wish I knew. Ever since the initial imbalance, the balance has been constantly shifting, but the Light is slowly giving way; a most curious observation, and a foreboding one as well. If the imbalance continues as-is, I have no doubts that the past may indeed repeat itself. Darkness is coming, my little ponies.”

“I got a question,” Applejack said. “How’d y’all get that there shot o’ the Warden in that red swamp place? Same with the Bloody Barrel guy, or whatever his name was. I didn’t see y’all around them parts.”

“Hey yeah, I thought these were supposed to be your memories,” Rainbow added. “How can you remember something if you weren’t there?”

“Ah... well...” Gilderoy laughed, coughing in between and pounded his chest plate. “I find the simplest explanations to be the most forthcoming: magic.” He gave them a broad smile.

“Oh please,” Rarity said. “That is a simply terrible explanation. How can you expect us to believe that?”

“I believe it,” Twilight said with a quick nod. She turned to smile at her friends, who were giving her incredulous looks. “With the right application of energy, magic can do just about anything imaginable. Y’know, like raise the sun? It’s not unfathomable for him to alter his memories based on records he may have read, or even inspired with his own imagination.”

“Well put, Miss Sparkle. Your understanding of magic is commendable,” Gilderoy said. “Come on now, everypony. Haven’t any of you ever heard the old gryphon saying, ‘It’s magic, thus I am not required to divulge any further information’?”

Rainbow groaned and put a hoof to her face. “Fine, okay. Anyway, did you have to waste so much of our time? We were in there for hours listening to all that.”

“Rainbow!” Twilight snapped. “Why must you insist on being in such a hurry? I learned a lot about what to expect; it was not a waste of time.”

Gilderoy chuckled. “No need to get cross with her, Miss Sparkle. Allow me.” He turned to Rainbow and gave her a bright smile. “My dear Miss Dash, did I not advise you to keep your eye on the clock?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Uh, yeah?”

He pointed at the clock to his side. It read twenty-two minutes after noon.

Rainbow balked. “What in the... h-how did you—"

“Magic, of course,” Gilderoy said.

“Aren’t memorandum spells amazing?” Twilight said wistfully.

“I know for a fact that there is something horrible happening up there, and I know not what it is or how to stop it. I only can hope any I may share this knowledge with may be able to help.”

“So if’n I understand this right, y’all want our help with savin’ yer world from this here ‘darkness’ or whatever? That’s why ya showed it ta us, ain’t it?” Applejack asked.

“I had hoped I could ask that of you, yes.”

Applejack removed her hat and placed it over her heart. “Well, no offense, Mister Gilderoy, but we already got a world we need ta save.”

Gilderoy raised an eyebrow. “Beg pardon?”

“It’s a... long story,” Twilight said. “Even though it’s all happening right now, I still have a hard time believing it’s real.”

“Perhaps I can assist you with a memorandum spell of your own, Miss Sparkle? I do not mean to brag, but that sort of spell is something of a speciality.”

“Well now, if yer magic is so great ‘n’ all, can’t y’all just, y’know, teleport us ta where we need ta go?” Applejack asked. “That sure would take a load off our shoulders, I tell ya what.”

“Teleportation magic doesn’t work that way, I’m afraid,” Gilderoy said. “I can only teleport you to somewhere I have physically been or seen with my own eyes, not through a vision or through the tales of others. I have not left Aeropolis since I was born.” He scratched his chin. “Though, it might not be a total wash. The furthest I could send you is perhaps someplace else within the Goldridge Pass... ah, but that would most certainly delay you rather than help. I am sorry.”

“Well, shoot,” Applejack sighed.

“Nice idea though, AJ,” Rainbow said as she patted the earth pony’s shoulder. “Man, magic sure has a lot of rules, doesn’t it?”

“Aye, that it does,” Gilderoy said. He waved his metal claw through the air. “But I believe you had a story to tell me? It would only be fair, seeing as I shared a story with you.”

Twilight coughed into her hoof. “Well, you see, our story is a little... complicated.”

Gilderoy laughed. “And mine was not, my dear? Come now, a complicated tale is no obstacle for one such as myself. I’ve heard stories woven of stuff none of you could even imagine, so I doubt anything that has happened to you would startle me. If you do not wish to explain it yourself, then perhaps my magic may be of help. When did this tale of yours start?”

Twilight hummed. “Let’s see... roughly seven days ago.”

“Then that is where we shall start,” Gilderoy said. He waved his wand about until it regained its luster from before, and pointed it at Twilight. “Now then, Miss Sparkle, for my spell to work comfortably, I will need you to relax.”

“Um... okay.” Twilight took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

“Clear your thoughts, and focus only on the moment where your journey began,” Gilderoy continued. He tapped his wand to the tip of her horn, but did not channel any magic through it just yet.

Twilight did as was asked, and cleared her thoughts of the present situation. She focused her mind on remembering exactly when this entire adventure started: when Spike had given her Princess Celestia’s letter.

“Are you ready, Miss Sparkle?”

Twilight nodded. “I think so.”

“Then let us begin.”

Gilderoy’s wand flashed, and Twilight felt a new presence in her mind, swirling through her thoughts like a pleasant breeze.

“Now then, my dear, let us relive these memories of yours,” spoke Gilderoy’s voice at the back of her mind.

Twilight fought the urge to leap in response; she knew what this spell was, and knew that her comfort was reliant on her cooperation and peace of mind. So long as she remained calm, Gilderoy’s presence inside her memories would cause her no harm.

“I am ready when you are, Mister Gilderoy,” she replied.

Gilderoy took the reigns of her memories, speeding through them so quickly that she herself barely had the time to register what memories she was reliving. Certain flashes stuck out, and at these points Gilderoy slowed down to observe her thoughts more closely.

The first of these points was when she and her friends arrived in the Everfree Forest and located the mysterious portal.

“A Void magic anomaly...” Gilderoy murmured, his tone taking on a wistful air. “Curious. I was always under the impression that the southern Beacon’s magicks stymied the formation of Void anomalies. Very curious indeed.”

“If you think that’s curious...” Twilight chuckled.

“Ah, there is more? Well then, let us continue.”

Twilight’s memories moved forward as she and her friends were sucked into the portal and thrown into a garbage-strewn alley in new Pandemonium City.

Gilderoy laughed, long and hard. Twilight was somewhat disturbed by the reaction. “Is... is there something funny I’m missing, Mister Gilderoy?”

“Oh... oh, forgive me my dear, I did not mean offense,” Gilderoy said between chuckles. “It’s just that my good friend I spoke of, the Chronomancer from my time, once explained to me why she sometimes disliked her job. She said that she felt overworked; I made the argument that for one to make that claim, there would have to be somepony to compare her workload to; other Chronomancers. I did not believe her at the time when she tried to convince me. Other Chronomancers implies other dimensions. An absurd concept.”

“Not so absurd now, is it?”

“No my dear, it is not in the least.”

Twilight snorted. “I still don’t see how that’s funny.”

“I am laughing because the drunken ravings of a close friend held more truth in them than centuries of research and experimentation.” Gilderoy coughed. “Let us continue on then. I wish to see how you otherworldly ponies react to my world.”

Gilderoy sped through Twilight’s memories again, from their encounter with the police to their befriending of Flathoof and Lockwood, from their immunization shots to their acquiring fake passports. Gilderoy slowed briefly to watch Twilight protect her friends from the explosion at their apartment, and again when she pried open the massive New Pandemonium City Gate.

“Your magical power is stunning to witness, Miss Sparkle,” he said. “I have not seen a unicorn with such power since the fallen Warden himself.”

“I’m nothing special, really,” Twilight said, blushing. “I really wish everypony would stop saying I’m so powerful. I’ve... met stronger unicorns. You’ll see.”

“Will I now? Well then, let us move on.”

Twilight memories continued flashing forward, through two days of marching across the arid Wasteland, the failed attempt to cross the Redblade Mountains, and the encounter with the Gargantuans. To Twilight’s surprise, Gilderoy did not pause to observe Starlight’s sisters wielding magic, and skipped straight through to the Goldridge Pass. Here, however, Gilderoy did slow down her memories to watch the battle unfold.

“I see now why you hesitate to leave through the main entrance,” Gilderoy said. “These mares are quite extraordinary. Each possesses a unique form of magic, some of them particularly odd to see manifested in a non-unicorn. The exception seems to be this Curaçao, though perhaps her magicks are less combat-oriented.”

Gilderoy paused Twilight’s memories shortly after Tick Tock used her Timekeeper to freeze time. “Now that is most curious... Void magicks manifesting themselves within a physical creature breaks every rule we and the Chronomancers established. Absolutely fascinating.”

He passed through the rest of her memories, though Twilight noticed him slow down a bit both when she and her friends first entered the city, and also when she activated the tablet leading into the Sanctuary. She put all of her effort into blocking her memories of the third trial, desperate not to relive those events and especially not to let anyone else see them. Gilderoy laughed, but did not object.

At last, her memories caught up to their meeting, and Gilderoy’s presence left her mind. She opened her eyes and let out a relieved breath. Gilderoy looked down at her from his chair, a concerned frown upon his face, his natural eye awash with concern.

“A most curious tale yours is, Miss Sparkle, and a most revealing one at that.” He hummed in thought, stroking his metal claw through his beard. “I believe that perhaps fate has conspired to bring us together. It would seem that your Chronomancer friend has not yet noticed the imbalance between Light and Dark yet in our world. If she did, I have no doubt she would come to the same conclusion: you six were the original cause.”

Twilight blinked. “Wait, what? How would we be affecting your world’s balance?”

“As the fallen Warden theorized, it would take a great deal of magical power to shift the balance. I always found his theory sound, for the Beacons’ magicks are indeed quite overwhelming. Centuries of research and observation have shown me that nothing in our world matches that power. The bearers of these ‘Elements of Harmony’, however, might just be strong enough together to do it.”

“But we don’t actually have the Elements with us,” Twilight said. “How are we affecting the balance without those?”

“That... I do not know for certain.” Gilderoy tapped his beak with his claw in thought. “Hmmm... my initial thought on the matter is that perhaps whatever resides within you that allows you to wield the Elements of Harmony in your world, has manifested as direct magical energy in this one.”

“So you’re sayin’ that if we’re the ones causin’ the trouble, then we oughta leave,” Applejack interjected. She stomped a hoof. “Well shoot, then we’re all on the same page here!”

Gilderoy shook his head. “Perhaps, but perhaps not. As I said, the balance originally shifted towards the Light, and it is obvious to me that you six are the cause. The timing is too coincidental to be anything else. However, shortly after, the balance mysteriously righted itself, as though an equal but opposite force to you six entered the world. Now, the balance has begun shifting towards Dark, though this is a more gradual change. I know not how the latter two events came to be, but perhaps sending you six home would somehow remedy the situation. Keeping you here certainly helps neither my world nor yours.”

Twilight nodded. “So, I suppose you’d be willing to help us get home faster?”

“Yeah! If hurrying us on our way is going to save everything and put it all back to normal, then let’s get on with it!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Fear not, Miss Dash, I shan't keep you much longer,” Gilderoy said. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Unfortunately, I doubt I can do much to help you directly. Apart from pointing you on your way, I have little in the way of methods to help hasten your travels. The coast is nearly a week ahead of you, assuming you travel the quickest route possible. If this time limit you’ve had imposed upon you is accurate, and I have the utmost faith in both those Chronomancers’ estimates, there is no doubt in my mind that you’ll be able to meet it.”

“Well that’s marvelous news!” Rarity said. “I don’t suppose this means we can... relax a little en route?” she asked, turning to Applejack. “Just a tiny bit? Please?”

Applejack grunted. “Well if makin’ it all the way on time ain’t no problem, then th’ only problem we do have is them mares showin’ up. I don’t s’pose y’all got any assurances there, Mister Gilderoy? It sure would make us all rest easier knowin’ them mares ain’t gonna show up an’ give us no trouble.”

“Ah yes, those six,” Gilderoy murmured. “I am amazed at what powers they wield, yes, but you needn’t fear them quite so much. They should prove nothing more than a delay, so long as you stay focused on your goal.”

“A delay? That’s it? A delay?” Rainbow huffed. “You’re... joking, right? Those guys have superpowers. I mean, I know I’m confident I can handle anything they can throw at me next time, but...”

Twilight sighed. “But that is assuming they’re still willing to handicap themselves, and not use... lethal force. Red Velvet certainly seemed willing to go that far... and Starlight Shadow also claimed only the six of us were not to be killed; I fear for Flathoof, Lockwood, and Tick Tock’s lives, if that’s the case.”

“Then perhaps it would be in your best interests if you yourselves don’t hold back any longer,” Gilderoy said.

He was met with blank looks from everypony.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I... don’t follow,” she said.

Gilderoy shook his head. “You don’t follow? What’s there not to follow? You say that you’re worried about them not holding back. Well then, perhaps you shouldn’t hold back either.”

“I thought we gave it our all. Was anypony holding back?” Twilight asked, turning to her friends. They all shook their heads in response.

Applejack put her hat over her heart. “I gave it my all against Grayscale Force, and she whooped me but good.”

Gilderoy frowned. “I can tell when a creature is not using all that they are capable of. There is no sense in handicapping yourselves in the face of danger.”

“We all put everything we had into our battle,” Rarity said. “Those brutish mares are simply stronger than we are.”

“Stronger than you?” Gilderoy chuckled. “Oh, my little ponies, you don’t realize just how powerful you all really are. Did I not just tell you that you six possess enough magic within you to nearly rival Harmonia or Nihila? How else would you throw off my world’s balance?”

“That’s rich,” Applejack scoffed. “Y’all ‘re good with the jokes there, Mister Gilderoy. We ain’t got magic. That’s fer unicorns ‘n’ stuff, not the likes o’ earth ponies an’ pegasi. Ain’t that right, Dash?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I know if I was able to do all the fancy kinds of stuff magic can let me do, I sure as hay wouldn’t be worried about anything. I bet I’d be able to stand up to dopey ol’ Discord all by myself.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to tell me that... all of us can use magic? Not just Rarity and I?”

“I don’t buy it,” Applejack said. “Not. One. Bit.”

“Yes, that does seem most unbelievable,” Rarity agreed. “Twilight and I possess magic, certainly, but... the others? Certainly my dear Fluttershy doesn’t have any magic, do you darling?”

“Oh... w-well, no,” Fluttershy peeped. “All I have are these feathers... and I barely use them anyway. I don’t have a horn hidden anywhere. Not that I k-know of anyway. Um... m-maybe the Stare counts?”

Gilderoy blinked. “You all are serious.” He shook his head. “You really don’t know?”

“Know what?” Twilight asked.

“This is most odd indeed...” Gilderoy tapped his chin. “Hmmm... so, you really know nothing about pony magic?”

“I know about unicorn magic,” Twilight said. “Earth ponies and pegasi can’t use magic the same way unicorns can.”

Gilderoy smirked. “Oh? Explain Starlight’s sisters then.”

Twilight frowned. “However Starlight’s sisters are doing it, it’s not the same. Clearly Grayscale Force’s boots have some sort of enchantment on them to give her control over gravity spells, and Havocwing...” She paused. “Um...”

“I do believe we’ve run into a sort of conundrum then,” Rarity said. “So if pegasi and earth ponies can use magic just like unicorns, and you claim we have such incredible power, how come our friends can’t use it?”

Gilderoy smiled. “Well... seeing as you seem to be serious about not knowing, allow me to enlighten you. First, you must understand my work here. For nine hundred years or so, I have researched the fundamentals of all the different forms of magic. I’ve discovered the truth of things that had baffled the greatest scholars of my kind for generations, categorized spells that had gone un-documented for millennia, and redefined some of the most basic laws of magic as I discovered new ways they worked under extraordinary conditions.”

Twilight hummed. “In other words, your title of Lorekeeper really means you’re a—"

“Egghead,” Rainbow said, crossing her hooves.

“Scholar,” Twilight said. “Really, Rainbow, just let him explain. This is all very interesting.”

“For you maybe,” Rainbow said. “I don’t want to hear all the ‘theories’ or whatever, I just want to get to the point. We’re still on a time limit here, remember?”

“It is quite alright, Miss Dash,” Gilderoy said. “I’d been told by my colleagues that I am nothing short of the greatest windbag to have ever served as Lorekeeper, and I take no offense to it.” He laughed, and continued, “At any rate, in my studies, I learned that you ponies are quite magnificent creatures indeed. You see, all ponies have magic within their bodies; the different races of ponies each have their own general manifestations, while for individuals it becomes more diverse.”

“I have a question,” Pinkie said, startling Twilight and the others; she’d been quiet so long that Twilight almost forgot she was there. “Now, when you say ‘all’ ponies, you do mean... all ponies? Right?”

“Well of course!” Gilderoy laughed. “Every pony out there contains at least a little bit of magic within them. Some more than others, to be sure, and that’s precisely the heart of the matter with you six.”

Pinkie hummed. “Well... what... what kind of magic?”

“Unicorns, of course, are most able to easily tap into their magic, as they are the only pony race equipped with horns. All unicorns are capable of using any type of magic, but only if they put their mind to it and if they have the magical fortitude. Mostly they rely solely on telekinesis, though unicorns are very easily able to manifest magic in the field covered by their ‘special talent’ of course, should that talent be related to a school of magic.

“Pegasi are able to fly naturally of course, and their wings are, like unicorn horns, their method of channeling their magic. While there are unicorns that can fly by use of magic, magical wings are inferior to pegasi wings, mostly due to velocity concerns. This prevents them from performing a unique pegasus property in relation to magic.”

“So wait, you’re saying I can use magic ‘cause of my wings?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes, and it’s a property I find incredibly fascinating, much more so than anything unicorns are capable of. Though... that may be my bias as a fellow winged creature,” Gilderoy said with a laugh. “While the phenomenon has not yet been given an officially-documented name, there have been many scholars that have researched it. My own theory on the matter calls it, ‘Pegasus Magical Velocity’, or ‘PMV’ for short. Have you ever noticed how, when a particularly talented pegasus flies extremely fast, they leave a trail behind them? Usually of some relation to their special talent, or some other physical qualities?”

Rainbow hummed. “Yeah... yeah, now that you mention it, I know when I’m moving fast enough, you can see the rainbow trail for miles.”

“Yeah! And it’s so super duper great!” Pinkie said with a wide smile. “I didn’t know that was magic! Oh Dashie, that’s totally neato!”

Rainbow brightened up now that Pinkie was getting involved with the discussion. “Yeah, you’re right, Pinks!”

“Don’t the Wonderbolts do something similar to that in their air shows? I can recall something like it when I attended one of their royal performances during my schooldays,” Twilight asked.

Rainbow nodded excitedly. “Yeah! When flying as a group it creates that thunderstorm look, but they all have special trails of their own that they bring out for solo performances. Let’s see... Spitfire leaves flame trails, Jet Set leaves a whirlwind, Coldfront leaves snowflakes, Thundercloud leaves a trail of lightning—"

“Rainbow...” Twilight interrupted.

“Eh? Oh... oh, um...” Rainbow blushed, and sheepishly scuffed a hoof on the floor. “R-right. You get the idea.”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. Only the best fliers are capable of leaving truly impressive trails and only the best of the best can use their inner magicks to actually control it,” Gilderoy said.

“How ‘bout me?” Applejack asked. “I got magic too, right?”

Gilderoy nodded. “Earth ponies are, of course, connected to the earth itself and all the fruit it bears. This connection makes them more physically fit and able-bodied, and gives them a powerful connection with nature, both flora and fauna.”

Applejack whistled. “Well shucks, if that ain’t true, I’ll eat mah hat. I’ve always been tough ‘n’ strong, even back when I was a lil’ filly. An’ o’ course y’all know there ain’t no better farmer in all o’ Equestria than yours truly.” She pushed her hat up to scratch her head. “Now, y’all ‘re sayin’ that’s magic though? Seems a bit far-fetched, if’n y’all don’t mind mah sayin’.”

“It is most definitely magic.”

“Golly, that’s somethin’ all right.”

“Applejack, that’s awesome!” Pinkie interjected. “This means that you’re, like, super strong and stuff! Nopony’s gonna give you any trouble!”

“There are, of course, exceptions,” Gilderoy added. “Some earth ponies are not known for the robustness of their physique or earthly connection, but for other talents, such as music. Some pegasi are not particularly powerful fliers, but possess skills elsewhere, such as weathercrafting.”

“L-like me,” Fluttershy peeped. “I’m good with animals, like an earth pony...”

“Yeah, and me!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I’m not a tough cookie like Applejack here, but I’m great at parties and having fun!”

“Precisely. In addition to these general traits, each pony has their own individual magic as well, typically related to their special talent,” Gilderoy continued. “A unicorn with a talent for finding things, for example, has a stronger tie to the magicks of Inspectromancy. An earth pony who tends to gardening has a stronger tie to Biomancy. And so on, and so on. All ponies have this capability, and some have such strong magic within them that they can wield the power actively, rather than passively.”

Pinkie bounced in place, appeared more excited than she’d been all day. “So... we do have magic? For really really? The same as Starlight and her sisters do? That’s where you’re going with all of this, right Mister Gilderoy? That those six Meanie McMeaniepants aren’t gonna mess with us anymore?”

“Correct,” Gilderoy said with a nod.

“I think y’all might be mistaken,” Applejack said. “We ain’t got the same type of powers they all do. I’ll grant that y’all ‘re right ‘bout that other stuff, ‘bout us bein’ magic and whatnot just by bein’ who we are, but doin’ what they do? No way.”

“Yeah, I can’t throw fireballs around like some kind of pyromaniac,” Rainbow said.

“And I can’t make y’all weigh different just by wavin’ my hooves around.” Applejack shook her head. “Y’all’re tellin’ us that we can do stuff like that, too?”

“That is exactly what I am saying,” Gilderoy said. “That you aren’t aware of it worries me, for you are to cross through the Red Death soon. Hmm...” He scratched his chin, then perked up with an idea. “Very well, if understanding your inner selves will grant that determination to you, then perhaps I can lend a claw after all. I think a little more of my magic may prove of assistance here.”

He brandished his wand again and pointed it first at-

“Ooh ooh oooh! Do me first, please? Please?” Pinkie shouted, waving her hoof around in the air. “I’ve gotta know, I just gotta! This means everything to me about... well, everything.”

“Ah, I only wish I still had such eagerness and energy as you do, my dear,” Gilderoy laughed.

He tapped his wand gently on her head, and closed his eyes. The wand glowed white at first, then shined with all the colors of the rainbow. He drew it away in surprise, and chuckled as he waved the wand about in the air. It gave off a sound like a kazoo whenever it moved.

“Miss Pie, I do believe you are already aware of your connection to the magicks of Verisimulation. You just didn’t know what kind of magic it was, or the extent of which you could use it.”

Pinkie nodded excitedly. “Yup! I sure do! Oh boy this is so exciting, I can’t believe that all this time, it was magic that made all my super fun stuff possible! Can you believe it, Dashie? Me! Magic! Hee hee!”

She giggled and bounced around, then without warning blasted off into the air with a tremendous display of colorful lights and sounds. Her friends each took a step back and watched on in awe as Pinkie exploded in the air, like some sort of firework. Pinkie landed seconds later, and immediately began hopping about in a circle around her friends, sending colorful sparks flying about wherever her hooves landed.

“If I have magic, that means I’ve got nothing to worry about, because that means you all have magic too! That creepy Velvet ain’t gonna hurt a hair on your heads when you show her what you’ve got!” She squealed in delight, and launched off around the room in another brilliant fireworks display.

“She can use Veris-a-what?” Rainbow asked as she watched Pinkie tear around the chamber creating beautiful multi-colored explosions everywhere she went.

Pinkie giggled and began trying to spell the word out in the air above, looping about and tracing rainbow-colored sparks in her wake. When she was done, she touched down next to Rainbow and gestured at her display, which she read aloud:

“Verisimanamana
Verisimsimsalabim
Verishamalamadingdong
Veryhardwordtosay.”

Rainbow blinked. “Uh...”

Pinkie hung her head in defeat. “Yeah, I can’t spell that word at all.”

“Verisimulation. Very-sim-u-lay-shun,” Gilderoy said. “It is derived from the word verisimilitude, which means the appearance of truth in something. It is a very... unique form of magic, quite unlike any other, capable of performing some of the most incredible feats imaginable. It’s one of the few schools of magic that I actually don’t know much about, as it’s not easy to tap into or analyze, but I do know that it is astounding to watch in action.”

Rainbow continued staring at Pinkie’s lingering prismatic display. “Yeah... sure is...”

“I’ve never heard of such a magical school,” Twilight said. “What sort of magic is it capable of?”

“Verisimulation is difficult to explain from a technical level, even for me, so I’ll simply give you the most basic explanation. Miss Pie here can look inside her imagination, and make it into reality.”

“But... that’s how all magic works, is it not?” Rarity asked.

Gilderoy shook his head. “That is a fundamental understanding, yes, but not from a technical standpoint; Verisimulation is a little more complicated than that. It’s best not to ask questions.”

“But what about—" Twilight started to say, until Rainbow put a hoof over her mouth. “Mmfmmf?”

“Asking questions is what Twilight does though,” Rainbow said.

“In this case it would perhaps not be the wisest decision. In my studies, I have found that Verisimulation is finicky in how it takes hold in reality. It is capable of most anything, so long as there is enough faith in its success. My theory is that Verisimulation magic follows a very acute rule of perception.”

“Well what the hay does that mean?”

“In plain terms, it means seeing is believing, and believing is seeing. You’re allowed to be surprised, and you’re allowed to have your doubts, but don’t ever think for a moment that what she does is impossible, because then it very well may become so. If you can’t accept that what Pinkie does is beyond your grasp, then perhaps it is best that you follow the mantra, ‘it’s just magic, and I should really just relax’.”

“Well that’s not really—" Twilight started to say.

Rainbow shoved a hoof in Twilight’s mouth again. “So wait, hold on,” she said. “She can do anything she wants? Say, take us home? Like, right now?!” She turned to Pinkie and put her hooves on the other mare’s shoulders. “Pinkie! That’s fantastic! Go on, open up like a... a portal or something!”

Pinkie frowned. “I... I can’t...”

Rainbow stared, slack-jawed and bewildered. “What do you mean, ‘you can’t’? I thought you could do anything you wanted.” She looked at Gilderoy, eyes narrowed. “What gives?”

Gilderoy shrugged. “As I said, Verisimulation is finicky in how it manifests. There are certain fundamental rules of magic that it cannot break... and I am still attempting to figure out just what those rules are. My guess is that Pinkie’s own manifestation of the power only allows her to perform things that are entertaining to her.”

“Sorry, Dashie,” Pinkie said, putting her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “I already tried that way way way back in Chapter One, like as soon as we landed in that junk pile. But then I realized that that would be a pretty lame Deus ex Machina, wouldn’t it? Nobody likes those, and nobody would want to read the story!”

Applejack blinked. “Chapter what-now?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Read what, darling?”

“Don’t ask,” Pinkie said with a shrug.

Twilight hummed, unable to ease away a confusing thought that had just arisen. She turned to Gilderoy for the answer. “You said Pinkie already knew her power, yes?”

Gilderoy nodded. “That I did.”

“Is that true, Pinkie?”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. I mean, didn’t you guys notice?”

“Well yeah, of course we noticed, but... that was always just Pinkie being Pinkie, right?” Twilight shook her head, “Great, and now you’re telling me I can’t question it either. This is like Pinkie Sense all over again, only cranked up to the next level.”

“So all this time, you’ve been able ta use magic, y’all just didn’t know it was magic?” Applejack asked. “Well I’ll be...”

Rainbow chuckled, patting Pinkie on the back. “This is awesome! You’ve got superpowers, Pinks!” She turned to Gilderoy, a wide smile on her face. “What about the rest of us, huh? What kinda stuff can we do? I bet mine has something to do with being super-fast. I mean, it’s obvious right? Fastest pegasus alive y’know?”

“I am glad to see you are all so eager to learn more about yourselves,” Gilderoy said.

He tapped his wand on Rainbow’s head as he’d done with Pinkie. At first it glowed white, then turned a bright, neon blue. Gilderoy hummed and drew his wand back, then whipped it in the air above his head. It gave off a sound like distant thunder.

“Ah... Miss Dash, it would seem you do not fully understand your own power. While your guess was certainly a valid one, I can see much more to it.”

“Oh. So it has nothing to do with my speed?” Rainbow asked, sounding disappointed. “Huh... that’s... wow, I didn’t see that coming. You’re sure it has nothing to do with my speed?”

“On the contrary, your speed is what makes your incredible power possible in the first place. It has everything to do with your speed, but not just simply because you can fly faster than anypony else,” Gilderoy said. “You have a deep connection to the magicks of Meteomancy.”

Pinkie gasped. “Oh. My. Celestia. Dashie can summon meteors?! That’s a late-game spell!”

“Oh wow, that’s awesome,” Rainbow said. She offered her hoof to Pinkie. “Hoofbump!”

“Hoofbump!”

Hoofbump.

“Meteomancy deals with weather control, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

Both Pinkie and Rainbow’s spirits fell instantly.

“Weather control?” Rainbow groaned. “But I’m already the best at that.”

Gilderoy smiled. “Do not fret, Miss Dash. Remember, all pegasi have the ability to manipulate the weather, and particularly fast, capable fliers can generate trails of magic in their wake, typically resonating with some sort of weather or elemental effect. Under normal circumstances, however, a single pegasus cannot generate more powerful weather effects without the assistance of additional pegasi. You, however, are particularly talented, more so than any other pegasus I’ve seen, and it is because of your speed that this is possible.”

“I don’t see how my speed affects my weather control.”

“Many of the most potent forms of weather require incredible power to make possible, and with the proper application of basic physics and aeronautics, you can create a trail of Meteomancy magic of any kind. Achieving proper velocity and force is enough to cause variations in air molecules, and that is exactly the sort of thing that creates weather patterns, be it a lightning bolt or a torrent of rain. And, as a Meteomancer yourself, you’d be able to manipulate it to your whim.”

Rainbow scratched her head. “You lost me somewhere around the ‘physics’ mark.”

Gilderoy laughed. “Ah, forgive me, I tend to forget that not everypony is able to understand the more complicated descriptions. Let’s keep it simple then. By adjusting your speed and flight pattern, you will have the powers of Meteomancy at your beck and call.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “You’re saying that I can create and control weather without any help at all? Just by flying the right way?”

“Precisely.”

“Oh man... oh man! That is so cool!” Rainbow gushed. “No, beyond cool! Beyond radical! I’m my own weather factory! Ha ha!”

She beat her wings and took flight. She circled around the ceiling, her familiar rainbow trail following in her wake.

“Ooh ooh! Dashie’s gonna show off her stuff!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing around the others and sending colorful sparks sprinkling about once again. “Come everypony, let’s give her a good cheer! Gooo Dashie!”

Twilight smiled. “Yeah, show us what you’ve got, Rainbow Dash!” she cheered.

Rainbow flew around for several moments, performing some of her best tricks at top speed. Nothing seemed to be happening though, at least nothing out of the ordinary where Rainbow Dash was concerned. Then, Rainbow kicked her hind legs together and swooped around with her most impressive trick short of a Sonic Rainboom: the Buccaneer Blaze. Twilight and her friends had seen it before, but it was always impressive to watch. Rainbow blazed out of a spin in a flash of bright blue sparks, sending electricity crackling through the air.

Twilight connected the dots, seeing a correlation between Rainbow kicking her hooves and the explosion of electricity. Rainbow seemed to realize it as well, because now as she circled around the room, she continued kicking her legs together. Her rainbow trail dwindled, and with one final kick, a new trail tore out from behind Rainbow, one made entirely of silvery-blue lightning.

“That’s it, Miss Dash!” Gilderoy called. “That is how you use Meteomancy!”

Rainbow laughed. “Right on! This is awesome!”

“Woo-hoo! Go Dashie! You rock! Awesome!” Pinkie cheered. “Hey Dashie, do a barrel roll!”

Rainbow obliged, kicking herself into a wide, arcing spin. At first nothing happened, only her lightning trail seemed to be sputtering out and losing its luster. Her rainbow trail returned. As she continued spinning though, the rainbow trail began twisting itself into a spiral before disappearing again. A great gust of wind burst throughout the chamber as Rainbow’s trail became a fearsome tornado.

“Impressive!” Gilderoy called. “You are a quick learner, Miss Dash!”

Rainbow screeched to a halt; her tornado trail vanished instantly. “Oh man, this is beyond awesome. Hey Pinks, did you see—" She paused. “Pinks?”

Twilight glanced to her side. Pinkie had disappeared. “Pinkie? Where’d you go?”

Pinkie delivered a crushing hug to Rainbow from behind. In the air. “Yay, Dashie! That was so totally awesome! Oh wow, that was the best air show you’ve ever put on, ever ever!”

“P-P-Pinkie?!” Rainbow sputtered. She let out a baited breath. “Sheesh, don’t sneak up on me like that!

“Sorry, Dashie, but I just had to come up here and congratulate you!” She nuzzled Rainbow’s cheek. “Ooh, I’m so proud of you!”

Rainbow chuckled. “Oh man, this is so cool! We both have superpowers! Look at you, you’re flying!”

Pinkie gasped. “Yeah, hey! You’re right!” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Wanna fly together?”

“Oh you know it.”

Rainbow grabbed Pinkie’s hooves and began circling around in the air with her, leading her about in a sort of ballroom dance.

“Man, this is great! You and me, Pinks? We’re gonna make those punks think twice about messing with us.”

Pinkie giggled and let Rainbow dip, twist, lead her through the air, tumbling around together without a care in the world. “Yeah! You’re gonna show those meanies who’s boss, Dashie! Nopony messes with the mare that can shoot lightning tornadoes out her butt!”

“Yeah I—" Rainbow paused. “Wait what?”

Back on ground level, Twilight hummed in thought. She turned to Gilderoy. “I have a question. You mentioned Pinkie’s Verisimulation being a manifestation of her Element of Laughter because it allows her to entertain herself and anypony else. Well, what about Rainbow? What does Meteomancy have to do with Loyalty?”

Gilderoy nodded. “Remember, a friend is considered loyal to you if you can always rely on them to stand at your side, to defend you, inspire you, and support you whenever you need them, and especially when you don’t know that you need them.” He flapped his wings briefly, though the breeze generated was rather stiff. “Loyalty is like the wind: when it is at your back, you can travel the greatest of distances with the greatest of speeds; but, when it is absent, you’ll stagnate in the quagmires of doubt and loneliness.”

“So do all of our ‘powers’ have to do with our Elements?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Well, if our Elements are what makes us so powerful, then why are those other six mares so powerful in turn?” Twilight asked, tapping a hoof to her chin. “If I didn’t know better... I’d say they are somehow to blame for the balance returning to normal.”

“That, I cannot tell you, but it is a sound theory.” Gilderoy shook his head sadly. “My only theory tells me that perhaps some other powers are at work here. Maybe they are servants of Nihila? She would have sensed the balance shifting, and may likely have empowered agents to reverse the flow.”

“It would explain a lot...” Twilight muttered.

“But that is all of little importance at the moment,” Gilderoy said with a smile. “It’s critical that I help you all realize your potential, so that you may carry on your quest. So let’s move this line right along, shall we?” He turned to Rarity next. “Ah, Miss Rarity. Perhaps, as Miss Pie and Miss Dash have done, you’d like to take a guess as to what your ability is as well?”

“I think I may have a good guess,” Rarity boasted, striking an overly proud, stylistic pose. “Over the course of our travels, I’ve noticed I have a knack for empowering my unicorn friends. Obviously that would even have a connection to my Element of Generosity, as I am giving my magic to others to benefit them.”

Gilderoy tapped his wand on the tip of her horn. It flashed white, and stayed white. When he drew it back and swished it through the air, it gave a faint tinkling sound.

“Your assessment is indeed correct, Miss Rarity,” he said. “You have great aptitude with the art of Benefaction, the school of magic that deals with giving one’s power to others. But, it would appear you are not fully aware of what you are truly capable of when using this power of yours. As I said before, all ponies have within them a force of magic, and Benefaction works by empowering magic. Thus, you should be able to utilize it on your other friends as well.”

“Oh, how marvelous,” Rarity said, her smile wide. “I must say it will feel good knowing I can even assist Rainbow and Applejack in their battles. Perhaps now we truly will all have a chance.”

“Speakin’ o’ me,” Applejack said, though she didn’t sound enthusiastic. “I s’pose mah power has somethin’ ta do with makin’ grass grow. Everypony else’s special talents ‘re so... special, compared ta me. So lay it on me, what kinda borin’ power do I got?”

“Oh, Applejack,” Twilight said, putting her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder, “don’t say things like that. Your talent is very special, and you should be proud of it. Not many ponies out there can claim to have your natural aptitude for growing so many different kinds of crops. You are a critical part of Ponyville’s livelihood. That’s why you’re the Plant Team Leader during Winter Wrap-Up.”

“Indeed you are, darling! Why, I do believe you are responsible for the vast majority of Ponyville’s food supply, if I am not mistaken?” Rarity agreed, putting her hoof on Applejack’s other shoulder. “That’s pretty special, if I do say so myself.”

“That sounds all well ‘n’ nice, girls, but it ain’t nothin’ impressive like what y’all got,” Applejack said, shrugging the two unicorns off. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud o’ my upbringin’ an’ what I can do, but it just ain’t the same thing. I remember goin’ ta Bring-A-Parent Day at Apple Bloom’s school, havin’ ta stand up in front o’ that class full o’ lil’ fillies ‘n’ colts, and tellin’ ‘em what my special talent was.” She put on a big, fake smile, and said, “‘Boy, lemme tell ya, I sure do love apples’.” She replaced her smile with a frown again. “What kinda sorry ‘excuse fer a ‘superpower’ is that?”

“I didn’t think you’d be one to care about what other ponies think of you, dear Applejack,” Rarity said.

“It ain’t that, I’m just worried that I ain’t gonna be able ta help where we need it now. Being good with crops ain’t exactly gonna help me fight off some nutcase throwin’ fireballs or nothing’, well, ‘less I can make fruit explode or somethin’, but then where’re we gonna find any fruits ‘n’ veggies out here?”

Gilderoy tapped his wand on Applejack’s head. It flashed white, then glowed bronze. When he swished it through the air, it gave off a sound like the faint rumblings of the earth.

He gave a light chuckle. “Oh, my dear Miss Applejack, you sell yourself short. You do have a deep connection with the earth, but you simply do not realize the extent to which your connection can go. You, my dear, are what is called a Geomancer.”

Applejack’s face went blank. “A Geo-what-now?”

“A Geomancer,” Gilderoy repeated. “Like how Miss Dash’s power stems from a basic pegasus ability, yours lies in the fundamental capabilities of all earth ponies, only drawn out to their extremes. In your case, this is the connection with the earth and its bounty. Your magic is tied more deeply to the earth than any average earth pony, such that you can bend the ground beneath you to your will. You use this connection at home to tend to soils so that they could grow any crop imaginable, but your connection is far deeper than that. With proper application of focus and willpower, you can call upon the might of the earth below, empowering you with its own strength.”

“I don’t think I understand,” Applejack said, removing her hat and scratching her head. “Y’all mean I could make myself as strong as rock or somethin’, if I only just tried hard enough? That really don’t make a lick o’ sense ta me.”

“That is an essential part of it, yes, but with practice you could do much more. The earth will obey you without question and without failure. If you were to walk along a sandy beach, for example, the sand would respond to your call and lend you its aid. You tend to the earth, dear Applejack, and the earth will gladly repay its debts.”

“Well golly... that does sound mighty interstin’,” Applejack said, tapping her chin. “Hmm... what’s all that got ta do with my Element o’ Honesty, though?”

Gilderoy smiled. “What’s the one thing in the world more honest and true than any creature? What thing is the most ‘down to earth’, as the saying goes? The earth itself of course! Soil doesn’t lie or cheat or steal, it just is.”

“Heh, well now, that’s a good way o’ puttin’ it,” Applejack chuckled. “Say, does it work with all this here metal?” she asked, tapping the floor with her hoof. “Metal’s a part o’ th’ earth an’ all that, I mean that’s where we get metal in the first place ain’t it? Can I use this metal ta try my stuff out like ol’ Dash is, seeing as there ain’t no dirt or rock around?”

Gilderoy shook his head. “I am sorry, but no, Geomancy does not work that way. The metal that we made our home from is an artificial metal called ‘obidium’; it has no ties to the earth and would not answer to you no matter how hard you tried. Other metals may answer your call, but they’ll only do so in their natural states, untainted by tools. Once it has been crafted into something unnatural, it is no longer tied to the earth and thus no longer to you. Controlling crafted metal would fall under the school of Metallumancy.”

“Is there anythin’ y’all got I could practice with? A... a rock, or somethin’?”

“I am afraid I am running quite short on samples, none of which would be large enough to assist you. I do apologize.”

“Well shoot.” Applejack replaced her hat on her head. “I was hopin’ ta figure somethin’ out like Dash is doin’ before we headed out inta the unknown.”

“I wonder...” Rarity hummed a moment, then raised a hoof in triumph. “Aha! I did say I would try and help you turn into a fearsome fighter, did I not Applejack? Well perhaps there’s a way I can help you demonstrate your abilities?”

“Ah, now there’s an idea,” Gilderoy said. “You have a keen mind, Miss Rarity, always thinking of others. Hold for but a moment, and we shall see if your assistance can be of help.”

He leaned over to his computer station and tapped a few buttons. There was a dim flash from the terminal, and then a small hatch opened up just below the keyboard. Inside was a small container which held small masses of gold and some bright, colorful gems. Gilderoy reached inside and pulled out the largest chunk of gold in the bunch, and allowed Rarity to take it from him.

“I regret that all I have to offer at the moment is gold, what with it being so easy to come by in these parts. While it is a most luxurious metal, malleable and good for a great many things, it is not known for its... toughness.”

“It is quite alright, Mister Gilderoy,” Rarity said as she, in turn, passed it over to Applejack. “This is really just for a proof of concept demonstration after all. Applejack, darling, see if you can’t focus your energy from this gorgeous little hunk of gold, hmm? Like Mister Gilderoy said, you can use more than just rock or dirt, you can use natural metal as well, correct?”

“Well... sure, I guess I’ll give it a try,” Applejack muttered.

She took the chunk in her hooves and closed her eyes in concentration. Twilight’s ears perked up; she could hear a very faint metallic sound coming from Applejack’s hoof. Applejack apparently heard it as well, and grit her teeth in determination. However, after a few moments of nothing else happening, Applejack cracked one eye open.

“Uh, am I s’posed ta do somethin’ special or what? I don’t rightly know what I’m s’posed ta be doin’.”

Gilderoy shook his head and sighed. “That stone is likely too small for you to draw any power from. I am sorry to have gotten your hopes up, Miss Applejack.”

“She cannot call upon it on her own, perhaps,” Rarity said with a wink, “but with the marvelous Benefaction of Lady Rarity behind her, I’m sure dear Applejack will be more than capable of accomplishing such a feat.”

She lit up her horn and channeled a spell, coating Applejack with a dim white glow. Applejack shuddered as the light melted into her being.

“Whoa... uh, that feels mighty weird, I tell ya what,” Applejack muttered. “It’s like my whole body’s just... full o’ energy.”

Rarity smiled. “Go ahead, darling. Give it another try. Just focus with all your might on willing that pretty little rock to aid you.”

“Well... alright, here I go.”

Applejack closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. Twilight’s ears perked up when the metallic sound came ringing again, louder this time. Then, a faint gold glow radiated outward from the tiny gold rock, coating Applejack in its splendor. Within seconds, Applejack’s entire body shined a bright gold. Only her hat was not affected by the change.

After a few moments, Applejack let out a defeated sigh. She opened her eyes, which were still green. “Well shoot, thanks anyway, Rarity, but—"

“Oh, darling, you look absolutely gorgeous,” Rarity cooed, clapping her hooves together.

Applejack blinked. “What in the hay ‘re y’all talkin’ ‘bout?”

“It worked, Applejack!” Twilight said.

“You look... pretty,” Fluttershy peeped.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Really? I don’t feel any different.”

“Why, just take a look, darling. You are positively stunning.” Rarity smiled and used her magic to generate a makeshift mirror, which she directed Applejack to gaze into.

Applejack gazed into it; her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped as she saw what everypony else was seeing. She touched her hoof around her chest, then tapped it a couple of times. Her coat was now solid, and gave a soft ringing sound with every tap.

“Whoa nelly...” Applejack breathed. “Y’all weren’t kiddin’ ‘bout becoming strong as rock or nothin’, I am rock! Well, gold, but still! Golly, this here is just... wow!”

“And you look simply marvelous, dear,” Rarity said, running her hoof along Applejack’s foreleg. “Oh my, this is simply incredible. I wonder...” She turned to Gilderoy. “Would you be so kind as to allow me to borrow some other materials please, Mister Gilderoy? I want to see what Applejack looks like with perhaps some other metals or... aha! Would those lovely gemstones work?”

“That all depends on the gem. Some gems are responsive, others are not, and I lack the knowledge of geology to know which gems would qualify off the top of my head. Let’s just say that a little trial and error will go a long way in discovering what you can and cannot manipulate.” Gilderoy reached into his container and pulled out a clawful of tiny gems. “Here you are, then. Feel free to experiment.”

Rarity eagerly took them, and beckoned for Applejack to follow her off a ways from the group. “Come along, Applejack, let’s try and figure out what else you can do, hmmm? Ooh, imagine yourself glowing as splendidly as a ruby? Or a sparkling sapphire?”

Applejack shook her head as she trailed behind Rarity. “Why do I feel like I just got recruited inta some kinda fashion show?”

Twilight glanced sideways at Fluttershy. “I think it’s your turn now, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy peeped. “Oh...oh, i-is it? Um... m-maybe I shouldn’t. You go first, Twilight. I don’t mind.”

“Nonsense! I want to find out what sort of powers you have.”

“Oh... well... if you insist...” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “I just don’t think I have anything useful...”

Gilderoy smiled, and moved his wand towards Fluttershy. “No need to be so worried, dear Miss Fluttershy,” he said. “I am certain you are blessed with just as much magic as the rest of your friends. Would you care to take a guess?”

Fluttershy scuffed her hoof on the floor. “Oh... um... well, I sort of already know my, um, ‘power’, if that’s what you want to call it. Since you never said anything about pegasi being good with animals, and well, I’m good with animals...”

“Ah, you think you are a Zoolomancer, do you? Well, let’s find out.”

He tapped his wand to her head. It flashed white, then glowed a light green. When he swished it through the air, it roared like a lion.

“Very astute of you,” he said. “You are indeed a master of Zoolomancy, the art of commanding and understanding animals, and a very potent one at that. Easily one of the greater ones I’ve ever encountered.”

“Yeah... I know...” Fluttershy sighed.

“What’s the matter, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. “Aren’t you glad to know that you can use magic too?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh, it’s not that I’m not happy, it’s just... um... how am I supposed to be of any help to anypony with my power? There aren’t any animals around... well, except those Gargantuans...”

“You likely wouldn’t get anywhere with those things, dear,” Gilderoy cautioned. “Those poor creatures have been so thoroughly corrupted by Dark magicks that they’re less animals now than they are—"

“Monsters, I know,” Fluttershy completed. “My talent is animals, but there aren’t any animals around.” She mumbled to herself and sunk down to the ground. “I’m useless... just a dead weight for my friends to carry around...”

Twilight frowned. “Fluttershy...”

Gilderoy tapped his good claw to his chin. “Hmmm... I think I may have a solution for you.”

He swiveled his chair around and leaned over to another terminal, then tapped a few buttons. A small compartment to the side began to glow, then gave a soft clunk. As soon as the light dimmed, Gilderoy opened the compartment, then reached in and pulled out a tiny, ornate box. He swiveled back around and presented the box to Fluttershy.

“Go on my dear, open it.”

Fluttershy inched towards the box and opened it cautiously, as if expecting something to jump out at her. Her eyes widened when she saw what was inside. “Ooh...”

“What is it, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy pulled out a beautiful bracelet; Twilight’s reaction was much the same as hers. It was crafted of brilliant gold that shined even in what little light was in the chamber. The band was thick, and lavishly etched not with Hierogryphics, but with Runic markings. Most splendid of all was the ornate gem that sat in the center. It was clearly magical in nature; despite looking like a regular plum-colored orb, Twilight could clearly see something moving about inside. It was a little white light that excitedly flittered about its crystal surroundings as though eager to escape.

“Don’t be frightened, Miss Fluttershy,” Gilderoy said. “I assure you, it won’t hurt you. Go ahead, put it on.”

Fluttershy gulped, but followed his instructions and slid the bracelet over her left hoof until it was half-way up her foreleg, where it clicked into place on its own. As soon as it did, its crystal glowed a brilliant white. The tiny, bouncing light from inside the crystal shot out into the open air, then began orbiting around Fluttershy as an orb of silver light.

Fluttershy gasped, and started looking around her as if in shock. “Oh... oh my...”

Twilight stepped forward. “What’s wrong Fluttershy?”

“D-d-don’t you see them too?”

Twilight looked around, but saw nothing different. “See what?”

Fluttershy gulped. “Animals... I see the spirits of animals. There are so many...” She sniffed. “Oh my... they seem so lonely. I can feel their spirits...”

“What is this bracelet?” Twilight asked.

“It is a Bonding Bracelet,” Gilderoy said, “an enchanted piece of jewelry that binds the wearer to the spirit familiar within the Spirit Stone at its center.”

“A... spirit familiar?” Fluttershy asked, turning her attention to the orb of light orbiting around her head.

“Ooh, I’ve heard of those,” Twilight said. “Some of history’s most powerful mages had spirit familiars to help them with daily tasks. I hear they take the form of animals. I believe Starswirl the Bearded had one that took the form of an owl.”

“That is all correct, but the familiars you speak of are nothing more than simple toys compared to this one,” Gilderoy said with a smile. “This is ‘Ophanim’. Unlike regular familiars, which are artificially created, he was carefully cultivated by manipulating natural Zoolomancy magicks, and thus responds to its master as though it were a real animal. This limits his handling to Zoolomancers, but he is much more potent than a regular spirit familiar because of it.

“Hence, of course, why I present this to you, Miss Fluttershy. I doubt there is or ever will be another creature in this world with the possibility to connect with him. Unlike a regular familiar, he doesn’t just take the form of an animal, he becomes that animal at his very core by connecting with its spirit. Ophanim’s connection to the realm of animal spirits is uniquely significant, as the northern continent otherwise has no animals of any kind any longer.”

“That’s terrible...” Fluttershy sniffed. “Oh... all you poor creatures...”

“Do not fret Miss Fluttershy,” Gilderoy assured her. “They are at peace now, in a realm where they cannot be hurt, hunted, or tainted by the horrors of the Darkness. Animal spirits’ souls are pure, and are drawn to places or things with high concentrations of Zoolomancy magicks. Until you arrived in this world, Ophanim’s Bonding Bracelet was that thing. Now, I have no doubt that they will be drawn to you, and as a creature yourself, they will likely be at greater ease around you. Put your mind at ease, Miss Fluttershy. Your presence soothes the spirits, I can assure you of that.”

Fluttershy smiled weakly. “Well... that’s good, I suppose. I wish I could help them more...”

“In a way, you can. With Ophanim’s help, you can allow these creatures a chance to live again, in a manner of speaking. Ophanim is a powerful entity filled with magicks that rival your own, but he relies on you to summon forth that power. He will bend to your every whim, and serve as your intermediary between the living world and that of the animal spirits, allowing you to call forth one animal of your choice to serve as your guardian or your guide, however you wish to use them.”

“Only... one? B-but... there’s so many of them. I would feel awful if I had to... choose.”

“Spirit familiars are notoriously high maintenance, and even under the best circumstances require high amounts of magic to function. Thus, they must retain their chosen form. As Ophanim is a spirit familiar himself, that rule should still apply to him, though he will likely also be able to maintain the ‘neutral’ form you see him in now.” Gilderoy frowned and shook his head. “Of course, it is only a theory. I have not had the luxury of experimenting with Ophanim to see if he can break that rule. As he is made of Zoolomancy magicks, rather than Artificing, I am not completely sure what the difference in effect would be.”

“I see...” Fluttershy sighed. “Well... th-thank you, Mister Gilderoy. I’ll do my best to put Ophanim to good use. I... might have to take my time to think about which animal I want him to be...”

“I certainly hope that you do, my dear. Now then!” Gilderoy said, turning in his seat to face Twilight. “Miss Sparkle, I saved you for last. I can sense a great deal of magic within you indeed, and... there’s something unique about it. I am most eager to see if my theories are correct.”

“Well, to be fair, I think I know my power too,” Twilight said with a nod. “Everypony says I’m really good with magic, even Tick Tock, and she’s supposedly seen a lot of strange magical phenomena. Heck, even Starlight claimed that if I wanted I could be her equal, I only needed the drive to tap into it. But...” She sighed. “I don’t see how that’s possible. What could I hope to do against what she’s capable of?”

“Your special talent is magic, and you wield the Element of Magic. Suffice to say that magic itself may just be your speciality. Let us see how far that power goes though, shall we?”

Gilderoy tapped her head with his wand. It glowed white at first, then exploded in a flash of purple. Gilderoy jerked his wand back, and marveled at the smoking tip. He hesitated a moment, then swished it through the air; it didn’t make a sound.

“Oh my... this is fascinating indeed. Absolutely astounding!” Gilderoy exclaimed. “Your special talent is magic, yes, but you wield a specific force of magic that is rare, very rare indeed.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Rare? What do you mean by that?”

“You wield the fundamental power of magic in its purest form: Arcane. It surely is no coincidence that your cutie mark is so close in resembling our kind’s symbol for Arcane magicks, the same symbol I chose as my insignia.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t ‘Arcane’ just another word for ‘magic’? That’s what I learned in school, anyway. What makes this so special?”

“Oh, Miss Sparkle, how gravely misinformed you are,” Gilderoy chuckled. “Yes, the word ‘arcane’ is often used as a synonym for ‘magic’, in the absolute most technical terms. Arcane, with a capital ‘A’, is something different. You have already expressed knowledge of the two fundamental forces of magic, Light and Dark. The third, Void, you also have experience with, for that is the source of Miss Shadow’s magic and is what gives her such destructive power. Yours, Arcane, is the fourth, and a personal favorite of my kind. We harnessed it for use in our most powerful spells, particular the energy shield that kept out the forces of darkness long ago... and did so once again very recently.”

“You mean... when Starlight and her sisters couldn’t get into the city, like we did?” Twilight shook her head. “Hold on, you mean your barrier is still working? It’s been almost a thousand years since the Fall.”

“Correct, but you, Miss Sparkle, reactivated it the moment you passed through its border. Any other techno-magic you come into contact with will do the same, for at least a brief period. You have been powering the city’s force field since you arrived, and when you leave, the field will shut down once again, its new source of energy gone.”

“I have? I don’t feel like I’m functioning as something’s battery though. Should I feel tired?”

Gilderoy shook his head. “If used properly, Arcane magicks are nearly limitless even in the smallest of amounts, much like Void magicks are.” He leaned forward in his seat, and took on a much more serious disposition. “Incidentally, Miss Shadow is unique in her connection to Void magicks, like you are with Arcane. I know not why either of you possess such power, but it can be used to your advantage. See, Void magic is most interesting in how it reacts with Arcane magic, and this is why the portal in your world reacted so strangely to your attempt to seal it. Void and Arcane magicks have very... interesting properties when they interact with one another, though they seem rather sporadic and inconsistent, so I have not been able to formulate a consistent theory.”

“How so?”

“Sometimes, Void and Arcane magicks clashing together do absolutely nothing, as though the spells ‘canceled’ each other out. Other times, they have a very hostile reaction to one another and can cause greater damage than when alone. The two forces are fundamentally equal, yet opposite, much as Light and Dark are. Were you to tap into your Arcane powers the same as Miss Shadow does with her Void, you most certainly would be her equal.”

“Well... that’s good to know. I’ll see what I can do in that case,” Twilight said. “Still, I’m more interested in the existence of a fourth magical element. I’m going to have to look into this when we get back home. I wonder if there’s any research into the subject...”

“Well come on, Twi, what’re you waiting for?” Rainbow exclaimed. “Show us what you can do!”

Twilight jumped. She hadn’t noticed that her friends had returned to her side. “W-what do you mean, Rainbow?”

“Ol’ Mister Gilderoy here says y’all got the same power that Starlight does,” Applejack agreed. “Let’s see it! Give us a lil’ demonstration.”

“Oh... well, okay, I guess I’ll give it a shot.”

Twilight took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and channeled her energy through her horn. She charged as much power as she could into the spell, so much that she began to sweat. She took deep breaths in rapid succession, pumping more and more magic into the spell. She was determined to put everything she had into it. Still, it didn’t feel like anything special, and when she chanced a glance at her friends, she could see the dejected looks on their faces; only Rarity seemed impressed, but only a little. Twilight knew what they were expecting, and she wasn’t delivering. When Starlight had displayed her power, even the non-unicorns could feel it in the air. They couldn’t feel Twilight’s, so what was she doing wrong?

“Come on, Twi, you can do it!” Rainbow cheered.

Applejack joined in. “Twi-light! Twi-light! Come on everypony!”

“Twilight, Twilight she’s our mare, she can do it, ‘cause we all care!” Pinkie cheered, leaping into the air. Her hooves were bedecked with pom-poms, and she’d inexplicably changed into a cheerleading outfit.

Twilight grinned, pleased with the enthusiasm of her friends. The more she thought about it, the more she could feel her energy surging through her horn at greater intervals. She wondered if the two events were related, and that’s when the thought struck: friendship. Was that where her magic’s power lay? It all made perfect sense now. Friendship had helped her unlock the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon. Friendship had helped her rescue her friends from Discord’s evil magic. She’d always figured that the magic of friendship was capable of a great many things, but not that friendship was magic, in and of itself.

She let her friends’ cheers soak into her spirit, and the more their love and support she felt, the more power her spell contained. It flowed through her horn as naturally as a river down a mountainside, carried along by an unseen, yet powerful force. Twilight’s horn now glowed with such intense light that her friends had to shield their eyes. With a bright flash, she completed her spell, soaking the room in such abundant light that the black metal floor turned white. Her friends’ smiles were filled with pride; Twilight’s smile could not have been wider.

Gilderoy clapped. “A fine display, Miss Sparkle! There is such incredible power in you.”

“No, not just in me,” Twilight said. “There’s a great power in each of my friends as well. That’s when my magic is at its strongest: when I have the love and support of my friends.”

“Well spoken, my dear. You and your friends certainly are at your best when you work together and rely upon one another.” Gilderoy smiled, and spread his wings in triumph. “And with that, I believe our meeting here is done. I have nothing more to offer you, my little ponies, except for wishes of good luck and of hope. I have no doubt that fate has indeed brought us all together, and it is with a heavy heart that I must say farewell to the first visitors I’ve had in years...” He sighed and drew out his wand. “Now, to send you on your way.”

“Hold on, one last thing before we go,” Twilight said, holding up a hoof. “We have friends elsewhere in the ruins, but we were separated when we came here. Is there any way you could help us find them?

“Worry not, dear Miss Sparkle. With just a little magic, one can accomplish most anything. You will not have trouble reuniting with your friends; I will transport you to the exit, so that they may find you.”

He raised his wand into the air; it let off a brilliant white flash, and for Twilight, the world suddenly tasted... gold.


***


“Damn it all, another fork,” Tick Tock grumbled. “This damned ‘lead’ we had is turning into a tiresome chore. I think we may have made a mistake after all. Where in the bloody hell are we?”

She looked at her map in every which way she could, trying to find out exactly how they’d ended up looping back around and finding themselves somewhere far northeast of the central hub. They were supposed to be finding the sewage treatment plant, but it made no sense to her why it would be in this direction. She knew enough about her map to remember that the gryphons had an abandoned reservoir to the northeast, though it had been long empty.

“Perhaps we should take a break and rethink this,” Flathoof suggested, out of breath. “My hooves are killing me.”

“For once... I’m with Flathoof,” Lockwood panted. “I’m totally out of breath, here. The ventilation here stinks.”

“We can rest up when we get there. We should be getting close by—" Tick Tock was about to start heading down the next hallway when her attention was drawn to her map. She literally slammed it into her nose to get a better look. “Oh... oh! Bloody brilliant! Flathoof! Lockwood! Look!”

She dashed over to them and pointed at the far northeast corner of the map, just an inch away from their own position. This led to another unexplored section, and thus blank, except for the six familiar dots and labels that represented the six mares they were searching for.

“Oh thank goodness,” Flathoof breathed. “They’re all okay.”

Lockwood hummed and tapped his chin. “Any idea where that section is, or which symbol it might be represented by?”

“Not a clue,” Tick Tock muttered. “Let’s see...”

She put her hoof upon the sigil list on the wall, then jerked back when one of them—a water droplet—glowed bright purple. A golden, liquid-like substance seeped out of it and dripped to the floor. It oozed along the tile until it reached the central groove, at which point the liquid rocketed through the groove along the left path, snaking around the corner in the distance. The groove began to glow the same purple as the sigil upon the wall.

Lockwood blinked. “Um... how’d you do that?”

“I didn’t,” Tick Tock said, “but I bet I know who did.” She turned to the stallions and gestured for them to follow. “Come on, boys! We have a new destination!”


***


Tick Tock rounded the corner of the next hallway first, nose buried in her map, and slammed into somepony coming the other direction.

“Oof!” Tick Tock grunted as she fell to the floor. “Oi! What the—"

“Oww...” Twilight groaned.

“Sparkle!” Tick Tock shot upright and helped Twilight up off the floor. She glanced behind Twilight, where the rest of Twilight’s friends had just caught up. “Oh thank goodness! You're all okay!”

“Tick Tock! Oh wow, am I glad to see you.” Twilight brushed herself off. “Where are the boys?”

Tick Tock turned to look behind her. “They should be right behind me.”

On cue, Flathoof and Lockwood rounded the corner, winded and sweaty. They both brightened when they saw Twilight.

“Oh thank goodness,” Flathoof breathed, putting a hoof over his heart. “We found them. Oh... oh boy, I need a break.”

“See? Told you they'd be okay,” Lockwood said as he trotted over to Fluttershy. “You are all okay, right?” he asked her.

“Oh, more than okay, Lockwood,” Fluttershy said with a grin. “Um... are you okay though? You look... um...”

“Tired, of course,” he chuckled. “We’ve been overturning every part of these ruins looking for you girls.” He noticed her bracelet, and lifted her hoof to examine it. “Ooh, that’s a pretty piece you’ve got there.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh... um... d-do you like it? I c-can’t wait to tell you all about it.”

“It’s good to have the group all back together,” Rarity said. “Now we can get out of these dusty ruins—"

“And out into the dusty desert,” Rainbow completed.

“We figured we would try an exit through the city’s sewage treatment system,” Tick Tock said as she fumbled with her map. “Let’s see, it should be... um... this way.”

“Hang on a tick, there Tick Tock,” Applejack said as she grabbed Tick Tock's map. “We’ve got a different way out.”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow and glanced at her map, which was now filling itself up with all the different halls and rooms of the ruined city. “What the bloody hell? How did you- what- but you—"

Applejack chuckled and pointed at the northeast section, labeled Aqueducts. “This here is where we're headed. It's the fastest way out. Piece o' cake.”

Twilight started towards the exit with Applejack and the others. “Come on everypony, we'll talk on the way. We can take a break when we get out into the open.”

“What exactly happened down there anyhow?” Flathoof asked. “Not that I’m complaining, but none of you look the worse for wear at all. You all look pretty refreshed, actually.”

“It’s a long story,” Applejack said.

“Long nothing, this was the longest chapter yet! I just hope Chapter Twenty isn’t this bad!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “Chapter what?”

“But this chapter just had to be long, or else my joke wouldn’t work!”

“What joke?” Lockwood asked, tilting his head.

Pinkie waved her hoof dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. Next Chapter! Go!”