My Little Pony: The Pyres of Friendship

by Scribe of the Nightwings


The Rite of the Withdrawn Mystics

Chapter 12: The Rite of the Withdrawn Mystics

Musical Cue - Sinking Feeling
The following day felt like a complete slog for Twilight and her companions. Once back on the road, the blackwagon got stuck multiple times in sticky mud, forcing Twilight, Applejack and Jodariel to push it out of the earthy trap. Beside those inconveniences, the atmosphere had gotten no better as they made their way to the Pit of Milithe. The air was heavy and humid, and the smell of stinking sulfur still permeated the air. It also didn’t help that the sun still couldn’t shine through the heavy smog above. As dusk arrived, the blackwagon finally made it to its destination and came to a full stop. Everybody wordlessly left the wagon, leaving Twilight alone in the common room. Part of the alicorn really didn’t want to go outside and have to deal with more of what the Flagging Hands had to offer, especially after what she saw in Coldmoat. However, she shook her head clear and grabbed the Book of Rites. If she wanted to get back to Equestria, she had to toughen up and hold her head high.

Twilight carefully got out of the wagon to get a good look at their destination. Around the surrounding area were more of the giant monster skulls she saw yesterday. She also noticed that there were pools of a bright green liquid scattered all about with hissing steam pouring out from them. Based on those context clues alone, Twilight made the safe bet that it would be best if she and the rest of the group to avoid the pools. However, the crowning spectacle of the area was towering just a few meters away from where she was standing. At first glance, it appeared to be a giant, tan cocoon of some sort, speckled with dark red and grey splotches. However, as the alicorn began to scan it more and more, she noticed more oddities about it. Giant, jagged spikes surround the cocoon in all different types of directions. She then saw that the cocoon was anchored down to the ground by giant, heavy chains. The purple mare was confused about the purpose of these chains, and then she remembered what Tariq had said last night. Was this cocoon supposed to be the remains of the legendary Greater Titans that where used to mark the Celestial Landmarks? This was definitely a stand out from the other Titans she had witnessed so far. Twilight figured the best thing to do now was to ask Tariq about it later. Right now, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Everybody had already left out of the blackwagon and began to set up camp for the night. Twilight was about to help as well, until Rukey caught her attention. Though the Cur was not as enthusiastic as he usually was, the wordless gesture for her to follow him was enough for Twilight to understand what he meant. The alicorn and Cur walked along an adjacent path for five minutes until they came upon what they were searching for. There before them was Falcon Ron, perched on his father’s back as usual. Surprisingly, the merchant was still in a perky mood and greeted them both with a cheesy smile. Twilight was curious as to how he was in such a good mood in such dismal conditions, but Ron simply answered that he was happy to find commerce in the Flagging Hands in the first place. Regardless, the purple mare decided to move on and show the merchant what she had found yesterday. Ron’s eyes lit up a bit when he saw the alicorn bring out the Noxshroom. She then offered to sell it to him, to which the merchant was more than happy to buy for a generous amount of coin. Once the exchange was complete, Ron then offered up his wares from the bag his father was carrying.

As Twilight perused the objects, none of them really caught her eye. Sure, some of the items could be useful in the present, but there was something in the back of her mind that told Twilight that there might be something better in the shop in the future. The prospect of saving her money for something more useful was causing the purple mare to not purchase anything at all. Although, Ron was selling a bit of stardust, which would help in improving the talismans the Nightwings already had. Twilight finally decided to spend a bit of her funds to purchase the stardust for later. With their business concluded, Twilight and Rukey bid Ron a polite farewell and made their way back to the campsite.

Twilight made it back just in time to see the Nightwings had already donned on their rainments. Rukey went back inside the wagon to get his rainments as well.

“Hey Twilight, how you doing?” Twilight looked over to see that it was Rainbow Dash that had greeted her.

“Oh, hi Rainbow,” the alicorn greeted back. As she looked over the blue mare’s features, she noticed something a bit peculiar. It appeared that the pegasus’s mood had slightly improved since she had left for the Slug Market. “you look like you’re in a better mood from before I left. Did something good happen while I was gone?”

Rainbow was a bit surprised by the question but answered anyway. “Oh, um, not exactly.” Her hoof shuffled a little at the ground while averting the alicorn’s gaze. “It’s just…it’s just that I’m actually kinda excited about seeing the Rite.”

“You are?” Twilight asked, surprised in her friend’s sudden interest in the ceremony.

“Yeah!” Rainbow replied. “From the small bits that Hedwyn and the others told me, they sound pretty exciting. I don’t know, I guess maybe after all this traveling, I’ve been kinda bored.”

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle a bit. “Well, the Rites are certainly interesting, a lot different from anything we’ve seen back in Equestria. Although, it can get a bit intense at times.” The alicorn slightly lowered her head as she remembered the difficult time she had with the Dissidents a few days ago. Her doubt began to surface again until she suddenly felt a hoof on her shoulder.

“Twi, we talked about this. Remember?” Rainbow lightly scolded her. “Don’t give me that gloomy look again. You got this, okay? You got me, AJ and Fluttershy behind you as well.”

Twilight looked back up to see the confident look Rainbow was giving her. She had to admit, the pegasus’s sure-of-herself attitude could become contagious among her friends, and now was no different. The alicorn then looked over the cyan pony’s shoulder and glanced at Fluttershy cheerfully talking with Ti’zo. Seeing the animal lover continue to smile and lightly cheer everyone during their dismal trek through the Flagging Hands lit up a spark in Twilight’s heart that made her feel like everything would be fine in the end. “I think you might be right, Rainbow.” she said as she looked back to the Wonderbolt. “As long as I have you guys behind me, we can take on anything.” It looked as though the pegasus was about to say something in response, but a sudden chirping interrupted them both.

“Hraah-nahh-nahh-naaahh!” Ti’zo screeched out into the evening air. The Imp then swiftly flew off from Fluttershy and fluttered behind some rocks and immediately quiet down.

“Oh! Is Ti’zo alright? He was so frightened!” Mae said in worry for the little creature. The group instinctually looked to Fluttershy since they all knew that she could translate for Ti’zo.

“He’s not scared,” the timid mare explained. “he’s trying to warn us. Something’s coming; something really…really bad.”

“Everybody, take cover.” Jodariel calmly instructed. No one hesitated in following the Demon’s orders. Within ten seconds, the Nightwings and ponies were all hidden away from sight using nearby crags, boulders, and rotting logs. Twilight followed Tariq in hiding behind a large rock. The next few minutes were silent, as no one wanted to speak or move in the risk that they would alert the approaching danger. The alicorn was especially tense in this moment of intensity. It felt as though all of her senses were dampen and all she could feel was a creeping sense of dread. Finally, Twilight couldn’t take it anymore and slowly peaked out from her hiding spot. At first, she couldn’t find anything in the small clearing that they were just in. However, that soon wasn’t the case as something suddenly emerged from the shadows.

Musical Cue - Dread Design

The figure had a wide, hulking frame that appeared to be hunched over. Its arms were thin and scrawny leading up to sharp, wrinkle claws on each had. Overall, the shape had to be near the same size as Luna, if the purple mare had to estimate. Her eyes widen a bit when she looked down to not find legs, but instead the long tail of a large snake. However, the most peculiar aspect of this new creature was that it was donned in raiments for the Rites. Its colors were a mix of dark green and seafoam green with brown for the trimming, giving it a swampy and overall ugly pallet. The final piece the complete the set was the mask that the shape was wearing on its face. The mask looked rather wide and curved down at the bottom, where the eye and nose holes were located. Judging by the attire, it looked to the alicorn that this new creature would be one of the adversaries that the Nightwings would face tonight. Twilight attempted to peak out more to get a better look but then quickly retreated back when she saw the figure looked in her direction. The mare’s heart was thumping against her chest at a rushed pace as she began to wonder if it saw her. Thankfully, she didn’t hear it approach her location and it then gave out a loud hiss.

“…Wise of ye to hide yourselves from usss, little Nightwings.” A hushed, strained female voice hissed out in the open. “Ye trespass on the resting-place of the Astral-Born. We shall see ye when the starsss muster the courage to illuminate this place.” The creature then slithered back into the darkness. Once it was confirmed to be safe, everybody emerged from their hiding places and reconvened.

“What in tarnation was that big ol’ thing?!” Applejack said in alarm at what they all just saw. “And why the hay did it have that snake tail…thingy?”

“That was a Bog-Crone.” Hedwyn began to explain. “They’re a serpentine race that are native to the Commonwealth’s Southern Bogs. They’re widely feared, so I’m not too surprised that some of them were exiled here in the Downside.”

“Indeed.” Tariq concurred with the Nomad. “And that Crone was none other than Witch Udmildhe of the Withdrawn triumvirate.”

“W-W-Witch?” Fluttershy stuttered out in slight fear.

“Harrummm.” Ti’zo hummed while he was perched on the timid mare’s back. Even without translation, it was clear that the Imp had no love for wicked Crone.

“Um, I don’t want to be the downer here,” Rainbow began to add. “but should we be concerned by the fact that old snake lady non-directly threatened us just now?” Twilight did think that she brought up a good point. What would that do if Udmildhe decided to preemptively attack them before the Rites could begin?

“Do not fret too much, Rainbow Dash,” Tariq answered. “The laws of the Rites dictate that adversaries are to not cause bodily harm before, during or after the Rites. However, given that we are dealing with her, it would be best not to take any unnecessary chances.”

“We’ll take what chances we can get in all of this.” Hedwyn said in an attempt raise some morale. He then looked up to the night sky. “Everybody? It’s time.”

Twilight looked up along with the others to see what the Nomad was talking about. Up in the sky above, it looked as though a large majority of the smog from before had finally cleared up. From this clearing, the group was able to spy the familiar star constellation that had graced the night of every Rite so far. The stars began to shine brilliantly, leading to a soft glow to the ground below. The alicorn then looked back down to see the area right before the giant, chained cocoon illuminated by the stars. It was a circular field with a few sizable mounds of dirt on the surface. The most notable feature, however, was that the field’s circumference was surrounded by a moat of that mysterious green liquid that she had seen earlier. It looked as though that the field for tonight’s Rite would be slightly more hazardous than the previous ones.

The group decided to not waste anymore time and made their way to the field.


Musical Cue Continue - Dread Design

“WHY, YOU MADE IT, READER!”

“MADE ALL THE WAY HERE TO THE DETESTABLE PIT OF MILITHE! I SURELY HOPE THAT THE JOURNEY DID NOT WEAR YOU DOWN…TO THE BONE.”

Twilight winced at the Voice’s belittling chuckles, no doubt that he was referring to all of the bones she had found yesterday in Coldmoat. Nevertheless, the alicorn thought it best to try and ignore the Voice and continue to walk with the group.

“AND LOOK AT THAT! ANOTHER ONE FROM YOUR WORLD HAS BEEN DUMPED HERE IN THESE FORSAKEN LANDS. QUITE THE “UNIQUE” LOOK SHE HAS THERE.”

“Hey, what’s that suppose to mean?” Rainbow angrily yelled at the sky. “I’m probably look twenty percent cooler than you’ll ever look like, you weird…invisible, voice in the sky!”

“HMPH. ONLY TWENTY PERCENT? HOW QUAINT.”

Rainbow was about counter the Voice’s condescending remark, but Twilight stopped her and told her friend that it wasn’t worth it. The pegasus grumbled and looked down to the ground.

“EITHER WAY, BY STEPPING FOOT ONTO THESE CURSED GROUNDS, YOU HAVE DESTURBED YOUR ANCIENT ADVERSARIES: THE WITHDRAWN.”

When the group made it to the edge of the river of green liquid, Twilight looked over to find that Ulmilde was already on the field along with two Savages donned in their masks and raiments.

“THE DERANGED WITCH WHO LEADS THEM HAS BIG PLANS IN STORE, SHOULD SHE PREVAIL IN ALL OF THIS.”

“NOW AS YOU KNOW, I WOULD NORMALLY WISH YOU A SHAMEFUL DEFEAT. BUT IN THIS CASE….I WISH YOU A BIT OF LUCK.”

Twilight then looked to see that the sigils of the two triumvirates both suddenly burst into flames. The dark green flames rising up from the Withdrawn’s pyre made the purple mare feel a bit uneasy. She began to feel even more anxious when she saw Udmildhe slither up to the middle of the field.

“A little flame as that ssshall never warm ye here, much less sssurvive the night.” she hissed out, referring to the Nightwings’ pyre. The wicked Crone then turned to the sky raised out her arms. “Hear usss, Yslach! Make the Nightwings sssuffer!” she proclaimed out into the night sky. Aside from the toxic remarks, there was one thing that Udmildhe said that confused the alicorn. Who or what was this ‘Yslach’ that the Crone was calling out to. Twilight was tempted to try and ask her what exactly she was referring to, but she never got the chance. Rukey trotted forward and confronted the Witch.

“Listen up, you old bag!” he yelled out to her. “You don’t scare any of us one bit! You, or your buddy Yslach!”

Stirred on by the Cur’s sudden act of courage, Rainbow Dash also moved ahead to provide her own retort. “Yeah, what Rukey said! You got no idea who you’re messing with. We’re totally awesome at this Rite…stuff! So why don’t take that scaly hide of yours and buck off!”

An awkward silence filled the air as Udmildhe didn’t respond to their insults. Instead, she simple looked at the pair for a few minutes. Ever though the Bog-Crone was wearing her mask, Twilight could still practically feel the glare she was giving Rainbow and Rukey. The pegasus and Cur began to squirm a little at the uncomfortable atmosphere they had unintentionally made. Finally, the wicked Crone moved her slender fingers behind her mask to unclasp it. The alicorn was a bit shocked at what was behind the mask. Even though she was quite a distance away, the purple mare could still make out quite a few of the wrinkles that graced Udmilde’s face. Her complexion was pale white, and she had pale-purplish hair that was thick, shaggy and even almost looked like her hair was made of snakes. Her eyes were pitch black with two, piercing yellow pupils. Lastly, it appeared the Bog-Crone was also wearing a crown that had bright-brown, jagged branches pointed upward. Overall, the Witch looked even more menacing without her mask.

“Foolishhh.” she hissed out. “Yslach will grow. Yslach will grow. Yslach will grow.” The wicked Crone returned her mask back onto her head. “He shall consume ye…ere your little flame has died. That, we shall ensure.” Udmildhe then slithered back to her pyre and joined back with her two Savage followers.

Rukey and Rainbow were still motionless for a moment before they slowly looked to one another with shocked expressions on their faces. “Uhhhh…whoops?” the Cur eventually said.

“I think we may have pissed her off a little bit.” Rainbow then said, stating the obvious.

When the two of them return to the group, Applejack was quick to let out her remarks. “Rainbow, would ya please do us all a favor and not go and provoke the competition like that next time?”

“Agreed, you should know better by now, Rukey,” Jodariel added in. “the last thing we need right now is a hex or curse casted on us because of your big mouth.”

While the pair was busy being scolded, Tariq pulled Twilight aside to get her attention. “A moment, Madame Twilight?” he politely asked her. The alicorn tuned out the conversation behind her and listen to the minstrel. “I feel as those a should remind you of our situation before the Rite begins. As we discussed yesterday, the trek through the Flagging Hands has caused a massive blow to our companions’ sense of Hope.” Twilight then looked over to the group to notice that they all still appeared rather tired and miserable from travelling through the marshlands. “As such, you should be cautious to try not to have your companions banished, as it will take them much longer for them to appear back on the field.”

The alicorn nodded at the minstrel’s advise and began scanning the area for a suitable vantage point for the Rite. Eventually, she found a tall dirt mound nearby that would give her a clear view of the field. The mound was too steep to climb, meaning she would have to fly up there. “Alright everybody,” she announced to the group. “I’m going to fly up to that mound over there so that we can get started for the night.” She then fluffed up her wings and began to take off. She winced out the dull pain that came from her wings, a clear sign that she was still recovering from her earlier wounds. However, before she attempted to work through the pain and fly, she suddenly felt two forelegs wrap around her body.

“I gotcha, Twi” she heard Rainbow say behind her. Once Twilight was held tightly against the cyan pony’s chest, Rainbow flapped her wings and took flight. As they left, the alicorn heard her friends wishing her luck. It only took half a minute for the Wonderbolt to fly Twilight to the top of the mound. Rainbow then let the alicorn go and let her look down to make sure she had a good view of things. She confirmed that she had a complete view of the field, including a look at the Withdrawns’ sigil: a faraway mountain.

“Thank you, Rainbow.” Twilight thank her friend for the ride.

A small blush appeared on the blue pony’s cheeks. “No prob, Twi. Good luck with the whole…leading thing.”

The pegasus then flew back with the rest of the group on the side, leaving the alicorn by her lonesome. Just then, the Book of Rites floated out from under her wing and opened itself in front of her. On the pages were the usual lists of Nightwings and talismans at her disposal.

Musical Cue - The Eight Scribes

“NOW LET US GET STARTED.”

Twilight thought carefully about who would participate in the ritual tonight. Tariq’s advice about Hope ringed through her head as she considered her options. Her first instinct was to go with Ti’zo, the only Nightwings who seemed unaffected by the journey through the Flagging Hands. The alicorn selected the Imp, as well as equipping him with the Ashen Coal to strengthen the Nightwings’ pyre.

“TI’ZO”

“Skrrrrraa!” the creature chirped out in determination as he appeared on the field with his mask equipped.

As the purple mare looked through the rest of the Nightwings, she suddenly began to feel a sense of some of their more abstract qualities, Hope included. She wasn’t sure it was because the Rite was beginning or that it was because the Book was in front of her, but she decided to contemplate that later. For now, she noticed that Jodariel was the one with the lowest Hope amongst the group, which made sense given her recent behavior. Twilight decided it would be best if the Demon sat out for this night. Moving on, she noticed that Hedwyn’s Hope was only a bit lower than normal, meaning he would be a viable choice. Giving him the Moon Crest would also help him in the Rite as well.

“HEDWYN”

The Nomad appeared onto the field and let out a small huff. “Alright, let’s do this.” he said half-heartedly.

Twilight did feel a little bit bad about dragging the Nomad into this when he wasn’t feeling his best, but she knew that it had to be done. Finally, the alicorn decided that she would have Rukey on the field tonight, as it would give her the opportunity to try out Jomuer’s Fang that she and the Cur had won from that Scribe Trial.

“RUKEY”

“Oi, this going to be a tough one.” the Cur said as he appeared on the field.

With everybody present on the field, the Nightwings’s collective aura began to appear around them on the ground. Twilight looked over to the Withdrawn to see that their aura appeared, but there was something different about it. While the Savages’ auras were perfect circles on the ground like she was used to, Udmildhe’s aura was less circular, appeared wavier and was more centered in front of her. Everything was set, and the Rite was about to begin, but not before the wicked Crone yelled out one more threat.

“No matter where ye go….Yslach will find the ye…and devour ye.” The Witch hissed out. A pillar of light beamed down from the heavens and smashed the Celestial Orb down in the middle of the field.

Musical Cue - Dread Design

“COMMENCE!”

On both sides, Ti’zo and Udmildhe rushed towards the orb. At first, Twilight was quite certain that the Imp zipping across the field would reach the orb first. However, the alicorn was caught off guard when she saw that Udmildhe was not going for the prize. Instead, the wicked Crone suddenly leaped in the air and landed right onto Ti’zo, banishing him from the field. While Twilight was still overwhelmed by what had just happened, the Crone slithered forward a bit and began to charge up her aura cast. When she released her cast, her aura shot out in a wide, fan-shaped area and simultaneously banished both Hedwyn and Rukey. Just like that, there were no remaining Nightwings on the field. Twilight was left speechless.

“TEN SECONDS IN AND ALL OF YOUR TRIUMVIRATE HAS BEEN BANISHED. NEVER BEFORE HAVE SEEN SUCH A SPECTECALE OF FAILURE!”

Before the alicorn could even hope to have one of the banished Nightwings return, Udmildhe had already circled back to grab the orb and then jump right into the blue flames.

“THE NIGHTWINGS’ PYRE IS THE FIRST TO FAULTER. A NICE CHANGE OF PACE, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF! HA HA!”

Twilight did her best to shrug off the Voice’s cruel remarks and regained focus as the field reset. There were now only the two Savages on the Withdrawns’ side of the field, giving the Nightwings the advantage. The Celestial Orb landed in the middle of the field again and one of the Savages rushed for it. Thankfully, Rukey was quicker on the draw and ran towards the middle and banished the Savage with an aura cast. The Cur then picked up the orb and easily maneuvered around the only remaining adversary. Rukey jumped into the pyre, causing it to slightly shrink.

“IN HONOR OF THE SCRIBES!”

Though the Nightwings had finally chipped some damage at the Withdrawns’ pyre, Twilight still continued to remain cautious now that Udmildhe had returned. The alicorn had Ti’zo zip across the field in a zig-zag fashion until he grabbed the orb. The Imp then took shelter behind one of the dirt mounds when the wicked Crone cased out her large aura. Twilight then had an idea and ordered Ti’zo to pass the orb over to Hedwyn. The Nomad tried to run for the pyre through the left side of the field but was soon cut off by one of the Savages. However, this was all part of the purple mare’s plan. For right before Hedwyn was banished away, he tossed the orb back over to Ti’zo and fluttered right over Udmildhe while she was still distracted by Hedwyn’s movement. The Imp then fell right into the green flames.

“THE IMP MADE IT!”

The field reset and there was no hesitation on either side for going for the orb. Rukey ran up first and began to cast his aura at an approaching Savage but the Savage casted their aura at the same time, leading to both of them to be banished. Hedwyn was quick to react and quickly snatched up the orb. The Nomad then outmaneuvered the other Savage and made a jump for the pyre. However, Udmildhe jumped into the air as well and intercepted Hedwyn, causing him to drop the orb onto the ground. The Savage then grabbed the orb and made their way to the other side of the field. Twilight looked over to the Nightwings’ pyre in hopes that Rukey had returned for his banishment but was met with disappointment when she couldn’t find the Cur. There was nothing stopping the Savage from plunging into the blue flames with the orb.

“IT APPEARS THAT YOUR COMPANIONS ARE NOT SO EAGER TO RETURN FROM BANISHMENT. WHATEVER COULD THAT REASON BE?”

Twilight gritted her teeth at witnessing how much the Nightwings’ decrease in Hope was affecting their performance in the Rites. She dearly wished that there was something she could do to mitigate this, but her mind kept drawing a blank for a solution. The best she could do for now was to try and work through it and win for this night. The field was reset and this time the Nightwings would go on the offensive. Twilight took control over Ti’zo and lead the small creature to the other side. He dodged the incoming aura casts from the Withdrawn and eventually made it to where he was in between two of them. With one focused implosion, Ti’zo banished away Udmildhe and one of the Savages. Even though the Imp was also banished, it still left the field open for Rukey to rush for the orb and make his way towards the pyre. The remaining Savage attempted to block the Cur’s advancement, but Rukey easily ran circles around the lone figure and dove into the pyre. Twilight looked on in relieve as she saw that the green flames were at half its intensity.

“THEIR PYRE SPUTTERS!”

The Rite was half-over now, it would only take a few more hits to the Withdrawns’ pyre and the Nightwings would earn victory for the night. That was the plan that Twilight had in her head, but she was immediately caught off guard when she suddenly felt the ground start to shake. After everything had reset itself, parts of the field began to crack open. From these new openings, the green liquid that surrounded the field began to emerge. As a result, the field was now covered with small puddles of the green ooze. While Twilight was still confused about what was happening, Udmildhe let out a menacing chuckle.

“The life-blood of Yslach!” the wicked Crone hissed out. It flowsss within this lair, and beneath this world. His life-blood…it shall engulf ye, in such blackness and despair!”

“THE WITCH INVOKES A PROFANE NAME I SHAN’T REPEAT. BEST BEWARE HER FOUL SORCERIES.”

The alicorn had no time to formulate a plan as to how to avoid these new hazards as Udmildhe began to slither to the orb. The Crone’s serpentine body structure allowed her to move around the puddles with relative ease. She grabbed the orb and passed it over to one of the Savage’s who then made their way over to the Nightwings’ pyre. Twilight tried her best to position Hedwyn and Ti’zo to provide the pyre defense, but it was significantly harder to do so without touching the green liquid. Hedwyn managed to block off the Savage, but they simply passed the orb back over to Udmildhe. This allowed her to leap over to the right side of the field and then quickly slither around the two Nightwings and dive into their pyre.

“ANOTHER BLOW FROM THE DREADED WITCH.”

Twilight was starting to sweat a little when she saw that the pyre was almost half out, but she still tried to stay focused. She now had three Nightwings compared with the Withdrawns’ two, so she figured that she had the advantage here. She started by have Rukey advance to the orb, but the Cur was banished by an aura cast from a Savage. The alicorn was starting to get nervous as the Savage picked up the orb and went for the opening between the two remaining Nightwings. The alicorn quickly had Ti’zo try and block their way. However, in her panicked state, she failed to realize that she was directing the Imp right into a puddle. When Ti’zo stepped into the green liquid, the aura around his feet receded back into him and he began to move extremely slow. The Savage easily sprinted around the immobile Imp and jumped into the Nightwings’ pyre.

“ONE MORE LIKE THAT, AND THE PYRE WILL BE NO MORE. COULD THIS BE IT FOR THE NIGHTWINGS THIS EVE? HAS THE READER FINALLY MET HER LIMIT?”

Twilight was honestly at a loss at the moment. The blue flames were barely crackling on the Nightwings’ sigil, meaning that it could only take one final hit before it would go out. She was dangerously close to losing the Rite, an outcome that was hoping to avoid. While she didn’t know exactly what the consequences would be if the Nightwings lost, the purple mare’s mind was quick to think of some worst-case scenarios. If she did lose, it would be very well possible that another one of her lost friends wouldn’t appear from the sky this night. That did push her to continue on with the Rite, as she didn’t want to have any of her friends trapped in whatever limbo they were located in-between this world and Equestria. However, as the field reset, her hopes of pulling through and winning were sinking as she saw the conditions the Nightwings were in. Twilight could see that both Hedwyn and Rukey were tired and frustrated even with their masked donned on. Ti’zo still looked determined as before, but Twilight doubted that she could pull through with only one member of the triumvirate at the top of their game. She had no idea how she was supposed to rally them all to victory.

“Foolishhh Nightwings,” Udmildhe began to gloat. “ye have barely enough Hope to stand, let alone keep your flamesss alive. Thisss eve will be a glorious victory in the name of Yslach!”

Back on the sidelines of the field, everybody watched on as the Nightwings were on the edge of losing. “This is mighty bad,” Applejack stated. “Twilight and the rest gotta pull of somthin’ if they wanna keep those flames alive and kickin’.”

Rainbow groaned and hovered in the air in frustration. “Ugh, isn’t there something we could do the help?! I can’t just stand here and do nothing when they’re out there getting creamed!”

Before the cyan mare could do anything reckless, Tariq stopped her. “We cannot directly interfere, lest we risk disqualification from the Rites. The laws dictate that only the triumvirate and their Reader can earn victory.”

Rainbow still didn’t look satisfied with the minstrel’s warming, but Jodariel eventually coaxed her down to the ground. “There is nothing we can do at the moment,” the Demon said grimly. “All we can hope for is that the Reader will find some way to-“

Jodariel didn’t finish her thought as she was interrupted by Fluttershy stomping her hoof and took flight. The group thought that the timid pegasus was going for the field against the minstrel’s wishes but were surprised when they saw that she was heading to Twilight instead. The alicorn looked over in confusion as the yellow mare landed right next to her. She also had a frustrated look as well, but this appeared to be a frustrated expression turning into one of determination. Twilight was about to ask why she had decided to fly up here with her, but was shocked when Fluttershy did something that she hardly ever did: she shouted.

“EVERYBODY LISTEN!”

The air went silent as the Nightwings’ collective attention was turned upward towards the yellow mare. Even the Withdrawn couldn’t help but look up at the sudden outburst as well. Once it was clear that she had all of the attention, Fluttershy spoke again, albeit in a more collected and quiet tone. “Listen, you three, you all can’t give up now. Not when you’ve gotten this far! I know that this place is horrible and absolutely miserable, but you can’t let it get to you now. We…we have to show bullies like that snake lady over there that we’re not going to just lay down and give up! What do they know about us?!”

“Blasphemoussss fool!” Udmildhe called out to Fluttershy. “Dare ye question the divine guidance gifted to us by the Astral-Born?! Ye will live to regret-“

“You be quiet, you…meanie!” the timid pegasus cried out to the wicked Crone. Udmildhe said nothing in return and gave off a low hiss. Once she was done with the Crone, Fluttershy looked back to the Nightwings. “The three of you can accomplish great things when you all work together, I just know it!”

Twilight looked down and saw that Fluttershy’s words seemed to be having a small effect on both Hedwyn and Rukey. The Nomad and the Cur perked up at the pegasus’s encouraging voice and the alicorn could sense that they were less down trotted than before. Ti’zo actually looked even more pumped up than he was at the beginning of the Rite. Just as Fluttershy was about to continue with her motivational speech, Twilight noticed that a faint, pink glow began to cover her yellow body. Although, it appeared that the animal lover took any notice to this phenomenon. “Things look bad right now, I know. A long time ago, I would’ve probably have given up at this point as well. But overtime, I realized that I’m capable of doing anything as long as I believe in myself and that I have my friends at my side. Every time I had to confront one of my fears, they were always beside me. Now it’s my turn to help! So please, DON’T GIVE UP!”

As Fluttershy shouted out those last words, the glowing light around her gave off a giant flash of light. Twilight shielded her eyes from the flash and looked back in shock at her friend. The pegasus was now completely covered in a bright pink glow. The animal lover seemed to have noticed the light this time and was checking herself over for its source. When the alicorn glanced away from her glowing friend and down at the field, her shock grew even more when she noticed that the three Nightwings were slightly glowing with the same pink light as well. As the three of them were checking themselves as well, Twilight noticed something peculiar. The link that she used to influence the Nightwings during the Rites allowed her to obtain a faint sense of the emotions of whoever she was connected to. At the beginning of the Rite, Twilight could only feel dull emotions coming from Hedwyn. Now though, she could actually feel a sudden rush of positivity and determination from the Nomad.

“Woah, this is…something!” Rukey said in awe as he looked at his glowing paws. He then looked over to Hedwyn. “Hey chum, you feeling this too?”

“I do.” He answered the Cur. “I feel like my mind’s been cleared up now. It feels good! Ti’zo, how about you?”

“Skrrrri-he-HEEE!” the Imp screeched out, clearly fired up from whatever was causing that glow.

“What heresssy is this?!” Udmildhe cried out in disgust. It was clear that she was not fond of the unnatural light that was shining from the Nightwings. “Grrr, enough of thisss. We shall banish ye from Yslach’s glory!” The wicked Crone then quickly slithered over to the middle of the field. Once she was in range, Udmildhe casted her wide aura and managed to banish Ti’zo and Hedwyn away at once. However, something then unexpected happened. Instead of having to wait a couple seconds for the Nomad and Imp to return back to the field, the pair then instantly appeared back next to the Nightwings’ pyre. Twilight was completely flabbergasted at the immediate return of the banished Nightwings, along with everybody else as well.

“What the hay?” Applejack asked in confusion.

“By the Scribes!” said Mae.

“…Interesting.” Tariq simply muttered at the phenomenon.

As Twilight was still taking in what was going on, her thoughts were interrupted by the booming Voice above.

“READER! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?! IT WOULD APPEAR THAT YOUR NIGHTWINGS HAVE RETURNED FROM THEIR BANISHMENT INSTANTANEOUSLY! IS THIS PART OF SOME FOREIGN MAGIC TRICKERY ON YOUR PART?”

Twilight had no real answer to give the Voice, so she remained silent. She soon began to worry that she and the Nightwings would be disqualified from the Rites and quickly looked over to Fluttershy to find an explanation. “Fluttershy, how are you doing that? Did you make the Nightwings come back so soon?”

“I-I don’t know!” the pegasus quickly answered. “One second, I was just telling them not to give up, and then this happen.”

“HMMM. I DETECT NO DECEIT IN YOUR TIMID COMPANION’S WORDS. IF I HAD TO WAGER A GUESS, IT APPEARS THAT HER PASSIONATE SPEECH HAS LED TO AN INCREASE IN THE HOPE OF YOUR TRIUMVIRATE.”

Now it was beginning to make sense to the purple mare. For some inexplainable reason, Fluttershy had somehow raised the levels of Hope of the Nightwings to the point where they would instantly return if they were banished. She supposed she’d have to investigate how the timid mare had done it, but right now she had other things on her mind. Such as wondering what exactly the Voice would think of this newfound power. Would this be grounds for disqualification from the Rites. Twilight soon got her answer from above.

“WHILE THIS IS MOST UNORTHODOX FOR THE RITES, THE FACT THAT YOUR ENTIRE TRIUMVIRATE WASN’T BANISHED AWAY FROM THE FIELD MEANS THAT THE SCRIBES HAVE ALLOWED YOU TO CONTINUE.”

The Voice began to sound more disgruntled.

“FAR BE IT OF ME TO QUESTION THEIR INFINITE WISDOM. CONTINUE ON WITH THE PROCEEDINGS, READERS! PERHAPS THIS BOON WILL HELP YOU WIN THIS EVE.”

With the passive blessing from the Voice, Twilight let go of her worries about disqualification and looked over to her glowing friend. “Fluttershy. Whatever you’re doing, don’t stop! It could help us win tonight!”

“Umm, I’ll try.” the animal lover answered unsurely.

The two mares focused back onto the field to see that everybody was still in position. Although, it looked like Udmildhe was tired of waiting around. “Enough!” she hissed out in anger. “These powersss will not help ye thisss night! Yslach shall consume this pitiful light!” The wicked Crone made a beeline for the orb in the middle of the field, but Hedwyn was quick to banish her away with his aura cast. Twilight then switched over to Rukey and had the Cur rush over to grab the orb. The last remaining Savage tried to block Rukey from getting to their pyre, but the alicorn saw this coming and simply had the Cur throw the orb into the green flames. The orb exploded, and the flames wilted a little.

“AN ADMITTEDLY IMPRESSIVE FEAT.”

This was starting to look good to the purple mare. If the Nightwings could get two more hits on the Withdrawns’ pyre, they would be victorious for the night. And with this new-found power from Fluttershy, it should be quite easy. However, this plan hit a kink when the field reset, and Twilight noticed that the Nightwings were no longer covered in the pink glow. She looked next to her and saw that the timid pegasus was no longer glowing as well. “Um, Fluttershy,” she asked her friend. “why aren’t you glowing anymore? Did you turn it off somehow?” Twilight tried her best not to sound panicked, but she wasn’t exactly doing a great job at it.

“I…I honestly don’t know, Twilight!” Fluttershy answered. “I’m still trying to figure out how I even do it in the first place.”

The alicorn didn’t have time to talk with Fluttershy on how to activate the power again as she noticed that one of the Savages rushed for the orb and grabbed it. The Savage then passed it over to Udmildhe who then quickly slithered for the Nightwings’ pyre. Twilight panicked and tried to have Rukey cast his aura to stop her. It was then Twilight noticed that his aura cast seemed to have remained longer than she remembered, indicating that this must have been from his new talisman. The Cur did banish the Crone away, but not before she passed the orb back to the Savage. They then tried to outflank the Nightwings form the right, but Hedwyn was able to banish the Savage way using his surrounding aura. The Nomad picked up the orb and passed it to Ti’zo. The Imp began to zip over across the field, minding the green puddles, and fluttered up into the air. Ti’zo was about to land right into the flames, but Udmildhe returned from her temporary banishment and jumped into the air to intercept him. The Imp dropped the orb onto the ground and the wicked Crone quickly went over to collect it. Twilight reacted fast and had Ti’zo charge up his aura until the resulting implosion managed to banish away all of the Withdrawn triumvirate. Knowing that she had a limited time before they would return, the alicorn had Rukey rush over to the other side of the field to grab the orb and dive into the pyre.

“ONE MORE LIKE THAT, AND THEIR PYRE WILL BE NO MORE.”

As the field reset itself, Twilight used this time to talk to Fluttershy again. “Fluttershy,” she pleaded with her. “please, think about what you did before you started glowing and try doing that again.”

“But Twilight, all I thought about was encouraging Rukey and the others that they could win tonight.” said Fluttershy.

“Then focus on doing that!” Twilight said with urgency. The yellow mare looked down for a second and then gave her friend a determined nod. The purple mare looked to the reset field and ordered Ti’zo to go for the orb. However, she noticed that one of the Savages were going for the orb as well and casted their aura right at the Imp. It was far too late for the small creature to dodge the cast, but then Twilight’s eyes widen in surprise when she saw Ti’zo start to glow pink again before he was banished. The Imp instantly returned back to the pyre where she also noticed that Rukey and Hedwyn were also glowing. Twilight then looked back over to Fluttershy and saw that she was also glowing again.

“I think I got it working again!” the timid pegasus said triumphantly.

Twilight gave a nod to her friend and focused back onto the field, it was time to finally end this. After the Savage picked up the orb, they tried to outflank the Nightwings to the left, but this tactic proved fruitless as Rukey used his aura to banish them. The Cur then picked the orb and dashed to the center of the field to get to the other side. Unfortunately, Udmildhe saw this move coming and banished the Cur away with a wide aura cast. The wicked Crone once again quickly slithered towards the blue flames and leapt into the air aiming right for the pyre. Right before the Crone landed into the flames, Hedwyn also jumped into the air to intercept her. The Crone dropped the orb onto the ground. Rukey quickly swept up the orb and dashed over to the other side of the field one more time. With Udmildhe out of the way, the Cur only had to deal with the other two members of the Withdrawn. The two Savages tried their best to block Rukey from the pyre, but they were no match for the Cur’s small stature and agility. Rukey weaved to the right and jumped in the air and dived into the green flames, extinguishing them from the sigil.

“AND IT IS DONE!”

All the participates returned to the field and the flames from the Nightwings’ pyre shot up into the air.

“THE NIGHTWINGS HAVE PREVAILED…JUST BARELY THOUGH.”

“LOXALAS!” the triumvirate on the field shouted out in victory.

“Fluttershy, we did it! We really did it!” Twilight cheered out and then swiftly embraced her friend. It took the alicorn about three seconds before she realized the sudden contact she was giving and removed herself from the pegasus. “Uh…sorry.” She apologized.

Fluttershy giggled at the small blush of embarrassment on the purple mare’s face. “Oh, it fine, Twilight. I’m glad that we were able to win.” She then looked down over to the group on the sidelines. “Would you like me to fly you back down to the rest? I know your wings might still be tender.” Twilight accepted her offer and allowed her friend to wrap her hooves around her. Though Fluttershy wasn’t as strong as Rainbow Dash, she was still able to lift the alicorn and fly her down from the tall dirt mound. The pair returned back down to the ground and then reunited with the rest. Rukey, Hedwyn, and Ti’zo were able to jump over the river of green liquid to rejoin the group.

“Oh my gosh,” Rainbow said to Twilight, Fluttershy and the triumvirate. “you guys were SO AWESOME back there! I never realized how action-packed these Rites were!”

“See?! Those bog-dwellers, they’re just a bunch of hissy talk. We totally rocked them!” Rukey cheered. He then looked over in Fluttershy’s direction. “Although, I think it’s safe to say that we did have a bit of help.”

Hedwyn then walked over to the timid pegasus. “Fluttershy, whatever you did back there, thank you. You gave us the spark to keep going.” The yellow mare gave a small smile at the Nomad’s compliment and bashfully looked away. She was about to say something in response, but the group was interrupted with a disgruntled cry across the field.

“YSLACH! We failed Thee,” Udmildhe cried out in anger. “and the deed shall be re-paid in blood! As for ye, foolsss…” The Crone then removed her mask from her face and looked right at the Nightwings with scorn and malice burning in her eyes. “Ye shall be consssumed! And everything around thee, from the sssoil to the starsss. Ye shall see! None shall be sssaved from Yslach’s glory! Be it thisss world…” Udmildhe then pointed right at Twilight. “or yoursss.”

The wicked Crone then slithered off into the darkness, followed by her two underlings. Though she was finally gone, the Crone still left an uneasy feeling in the alicorn’s stomach. Especially after what she had just said about how this Yslach would devour not only this world but Equestria as well. Questions began to swirl around in Twilight’s head, such as how Udmildhe even knew that she wasn’t even from this world. And also, how much weight did her threats of absolute destruction really have? Twilight knew that she wasn’t going to find the answers to these questions right now, so she filed them away for future investigation. For now though, the alicorn’s attention was driven to the sky where the three beams of light descended on Hedwyn, Rukey and Ti’zo.

Musical Cue - A Step Closer

“BOUNDLESS ARE THE TEACHINGS OF THE SCRIBES. WITNESS THE RITES FIRSTHAND, AND BE INSPIRED.”

A familiar glow enveloped Hedwyn for a moment and then dissipated as quickly as it came.

“THE YOUNG MAN HEDWYN SEEMS TO BECOME LESS NIAVE AS TIME GOES ON.”

The Nomad took a deep breath and exhaled. “It’s kinda funny. I used to think that the Scribes were just the stuff of stories. But all of this…it really does make me think otherwise.

After Hedwyn stopped glowing, the beams of light then faded away as well. It appeared that the Nomad was the only one to receive a mastery this night. The constellation in the sky then stopped glowing and the field returned to what it once was.

“UNTIL THE STARS ALIGN.”


Musical Cue - Sinking Feeling

Once the group had returned to camp and settled in for the night, Twilight couldn’t help but notice that there was a small up-tick in morale. Sure, the surrounding atmosphere of the marshlands was as dismal as ever, but it seemed that the recent victory of the Rite had helped improved everybody’s mood. The alicorn was certainly grateful for this and was glad that she didn’t have to worry about her companions’ emotional health, at least for the time being. Which allowed her to focus her thinking on something that had been perplexing her for awhile now. The purple mare was still confused about that power Fluttershy had bestowed on the Nightwings during the ceremony. Her mind kept churning out multiple theories has to how it happened, but none of them really held any weight when carefully examined. She did have at least one theory that that could be valid, but she decided that she wanted to tell everybody else first before coming to any conclusions. Twilight called the group together and told them that she wanted to talk about what happened with Fluttershy and the Rite.

“So, you have any explanation as to what that pink glow was?” Jodariel asked.

“Well, I have a theory, but I’m still not entirely sold on it.” Twilight answered with slight uncertainty. “Unless Fluttershy has any idea what happened?”

The timid pegasus shook her head. “No, I still don’t have a clue. I just really wanted Hedwyn, Rukey and Ti’zo to win, so I just flew up with Twilight and tried to encourage them…and then that happened.”

“A blessing from the Scribes, perhaps?” Mae guessed.

“Hmm,” Tariq mused. “I am almost certain that there is connection between this power and the fact that Fluttershy is not of this world. What is your theory, Madame Twilight?”

Twilight took in a deep breath and collected herself. “Well, I think it may have something to do with something back in Equestria, The Elements of Harmony.”

While there were only confused looks among the Nightwings, all of the other ponies looked rather surprised. “Now hold on a minute there, Twilight,” Applejack said. “now I know that what happen back there reeked of magical nonsense, but do ya really think that it had something to do with the Elements?”

“Yeah, Twi,” Rainbow added. “That seems a little far-fetch to me.”

The alicorn shrugged. “I know it sounds unlikely, but it’s really the only plausible explanation I could think of.”

“Hey, I don’t mean to interrupt your little pow-wow here,” Rukey intervened. “but mind explaining what the heck you guys are talking about? Elements of…Harmony?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I suppose I should explain.” Twilight apologized and then addressed the rest of the group. “Back in Equestria, there exist six magical items with the sole purpose of restoring balance and righting wrongs. These magical items are known as the Elements of Harmony and they the ability to transform the six virtues of friendship into immense power. However, they can only react with the chosen bearers whom embodied the ideal each Element represent.” Twilight then began to gesture to each of her friends respectively. “Applejack is the bearer of Honesty. Rainbow Dash is the bearer of Loyalty. Fluttershy is the bearer of Kindness. And I represent the Element of Magic. Our other two friends, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, are the bearers of Generosity and Laughter, respectively.”

There was a moment of silence after the alicorn’s tangent, as if all of the Nightwings were taking in this sudden information. After a while, Hedwyn was the first to speak. “So, that’s how you and your friends were about to save your world with friendship, with these Elements?”

Twilight scratched at the back of her head. “For the most part, yes.”

Then Rukey spoke up next. “And since you can use these Elements, you got promoted to Princess of Friendship?”

“Yep,” Rainbow answered with pride for her friend. “whenever evil came a knocking, Twilight was there to lead the charge and save the day! Princess Celestia was so impressed by Twi’s awesomeness, she ascended her to an alicorn and made her a princess. Pretty cool, right?!”

“…Fascinating.” Tariq said in a quiet tone. It was rather subtle, but Twilight could’ve sworn that the minstrel was in deep thought of something in particular.

“As much as this is all interesting to learn,” Jodariel said. “I still don’t see how this connects with that power that Fluttershy summoned back at the Rite.”

Twilight sighed in frustration. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. The Elements are the only explanation I could think of, but there are still some holes in that theory. For starters, the Elements are back in Equestria with the Tree of Harmony, and I doubt that their influence can reach this far. Also, Fluttershy’s power apparently led to an increase in Hope, but I really don’t know how that relates to Kindness. Do you have any thoughts on this, Fluttershy?”

The yellow mare was rather quiet throughout all of this. “Well,” she began. “I still don’t really know for sure. The thing I felt during the Rite felt different from when I use my Element, but it also felt…kind of the same? It’s really weird and hard to explain.”

“It’s alright, Flutters,” Rukey consoled the pegasus. “we don’t have to figure it out right away. What’s important is that you helped us out a lot back there. And me, Hed and Ti’zo really appreciate it. Right, guys?”

“Scree-hii.” Ti’zo cooed and snuggled up closer to the animal lover.

“Indeed,” Hedwyn answered. “We owe tonight’s victory to both Twilight and you, Fluttershy.”

As the yellow mare gave a soft, bashful smile at all of the praise she was receiving, Tariq said something else. “I concur with Rukey. We need not have to find the answer to this riddle this night. Let us all take this moment to be thankful for this blessing Miss Fluttershy has given us.”

“Blessing…” Rukey contemplated out loud. “A Blessing of Hope…I kinda like the sound of that!”

“Yer right, Rukey,” Applejack commented. “That has a nice ring to it. You like that name, Fluttershy?”

The pegasus nodded and continued to snuggle up with Ti’zo. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the scene in front of her. Sure, there was still no solid explanation as to what happen in the Rite and whether or not it was connected to the Elements, but she could worry about it later. Right now, she was just happy to see that the group was no longer in the miserable mood that they had when they arrived at the Pit. This was no doubt due to this “Blessing” ability that Fluttershy had discovered. As long as they kept going like this, the alicorn was confident that they would all make their way out of the Flagging Hands and off to where the next Rite would be held. Then they would all be one step closer to freedom. The purple mare glanced up to the night air, reminiscing on how good it would feel to eventually make it back to Equestria with her friends. She knew that Shining Armor, Cadance, her parents, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia must be worried sick ever since her sudden disappearance. She would especially have a lot to tell Celestia about all the things she had seen in the Downside. However, as she was looking up into the night sky, she saw something familiar. Just above the horizon, Twilight saw the blue twinkle that indicated that another portal would be opening. With everything that happened with Fluttershy, Twilight had almost forgotten about looking for one of the portals that would bring another one of her friends to the Downside.

“Guys,” she notified the group. “another one of those portals is about to open again!” By the time everybody had their eyes on the sky, the twinkle had already opened up into a blue, swirling portal. Unlike the previous portals, this one was marginally farther away from where the group was. They all watched on as something fell through the opening before it closed up for good.

“Weeeeeeeeee!” the mass yelled as it plummeted to the ground. Though it was quite a distance away, the pink coat and curly mane along with the cry of amusement and joy was all Twilight and friends needed to know who had arrived here in the Downside.

“PINKIE!” the ponies cried out and then immediately made their way over to try and catch the pink pony. As they quickly made their way to the falling pony, Twilight saw that Pinkie was going to fall right into one of the steaming pools of the mysterious liquid. The alicorn didn’t even want to think about what would happen if her friend fell into that pool, which drove her and her friends to try and reach her in time.

“Rainbow, go try and catch her!” Twilight pleaded with the notoriously fast pegasus.

“It’s too late, look!” Applejack cried out.

Twilight’s eyes widen in horror as she saw that the party pony was already about to land into the bubbling pool. She could only cry to her friend in desperation in the miniscule hopes that it would do something. “PINKIE, WATCH OUT!”

The pink mare then suddenly screeched to halt in the middle of the air, just her poofy tail was about to touch the surface of the pool. She then scooted over to the edge of the pool and landed gracefully on the ground on all four of her hooves. “Well that was a close on, wasn’t it?” she stated the obvious with a sweet smile.

All of the ponies let out a big sigh of relief. Twilight had absolutely no explanation as to how the pink mare was scientifically able to do that, but she just chalked it up as one of Pinkie’s unexplainable feats. Nevertheless, the alicorn was glad her friend was safe now and went up to check on her more thoroughly. “Pinkie, are you okay? Are you hurting anywhere?”

The purple mare received her answer in the form of one of Pinkie’s bone-crushing hugs. “TWILIGHT! Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay! In the thirty minutes that I was falling in that blue, swirling void, I’ve missed you soooo much!” Pinkie yelled out in joy. While Twilight was struggling in the party pony’s grip, she did manage to cast the translation spell on her so that she wouldn’t forget later. Finally, Pinkie released the purple mare and gave her a bright smile.

“Land’s sake, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack said she arrived with Fluttershy and Rainbow. “Don’t scare us like that.”

The pink mare then turned to her other friends. “Oh, hey guys! Glad to see some of you guys are okay too! When we find the rest of our friends, I sense a Reunion Party in the near future!”

Rainbow Dash could help but chuckle a bit. “Glad to have you back, Pinks.”

“Ugh, finally!” The ponies looked over to see that Rukey had caught up with them while being slightly out of breath. “Geez, you ponies can really hoof it when you want to! So, were you able to get your friend okay? What’s this one like?”

Pinkie then walked up to Rukey, examined him and then let out a giggle. “Ha ha! A dog with a mustache! That’s hilarious!”

Rukey looked like he was about to correct the pony about calling him a dog, but then let out a frustrated sigh. “Ehh, I won’t even bother this time.”

“So, it’s good to see another one of your friends made it here safely.” Hedwyn said as he also arrived with the ponies.

“Twilight,” Pinkie said with a knowing smirk after she saw the Nomad. “you’ve only been here in wherever-the-heck-we-are-now, and you’ve already made friends? Typical for the Princess of Friendship!”

“Um, Pinkie,” Fluttershy politely interrupted. “we’ve actually been here longer than thirty minutes, especially Twilight.”

Come on, sugarcube. Let’s get on back to the wagon and we’ll fill you in on what’s been goin’ on.” Applejack told Pinkie.

“Oooo, is it story time?! I love story time. I especially love it when we’re all sitting in a circle and you’re telling the story and I’m there listening as you go on and on and…” The party pony trailed on as Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow led her back to the wagon. Meanwhile, Twilight, Hedwyn and Rukey decided to go at a slightly slower pace, which allowed them to talk about the new addition to the party.

“Well, she’s certainly….something.” Hedwyn stated in a polite manner.

“It’s like she’s on some sort of never-ending supply of high-powered energy? Is that normal for her?” Rukey bluntly asked the alicorn.

“Yeah, Pinkie just always operates on her own wavelength,” Twilight said. “I know she can be a bit crazy to deal with a times, but she means well. No matter what, Pinkie Pie will always try to leave you with a smile on your face.”

As the trio arrived back at camp, Pinkie had already introduced herself with the rest of the group, with each of them reacting differently to her bombastic attitude. As the ponies entered the wagon, Jodariel also decided that now would be a good time to head inside as well for some much-deserved sleep. Soon, the entire group piled inside the blackwagon with the exception of Tariq, Mae and Twilight. The former two were in the midst of a conversation as the purple mare walked up to them.

“Can you not read the stars yourself, Mister Minstrel?” Mae asked him.

“I fear it is not as simple as matters of can or cannot when it comes to me, Mae. True, we can gaze the stars and determine where they can lead us, but only Madame Twilight can determine what star will call to the next Rite.” Tariq explained to the moon touched girl. He then turned around and saw that the alicorn had joined their chat. “And here she is now. Madame Twilight, it appears that the sky has cleared to an extent to where we see the stars clearly. Please, gaze up and see where they lead us for the next Rite.”

Twilight then turned her gaze upward and did find that the smog hanging in the sky had moved away, granting her a perfect view of the night sky. She then went on to search for any stars that stood out amongst the countless others. Eventually, she focused on an aqua-marine colored star that was shining brighter than the others. Twilight then pointed out the star to the Lone Minstrel.

“Ores, the Azure Star.” he mumbled. “This is…troublesome.”

Twilight gave him a confused look. “Why is that exactly troublesome?”

“Hmmm,” he mused to himself. “I will need time to thing on this. For though, please head inside, Madame Twilight. If you’ll excuse me for saying, but you look rather exhausted. Please try to get some rest. We will talk about our next move in the morning.”

While Twilight still had questions, she had to admit that all of the excitement of the evening was starting to catch up with her. So, it was with no argument that the alicorn followed Tariq and Mae into the blackwagon so that she could finally get some rest. She ignored whatever conversation the group was having with Pinkie and went straight for her bunk. As soon as she landed on the sheets, it only took ten minutes for the purple mare to drift off.

While she was hoping that she would receive a good-night’s rest, she was in store for something else entirely different.