“You want to what?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with horror.
All the Pillars and other Elements were watching me try to reason with the pegasus mare next to the map table. “Calm down, Dash. We just want a few threads,” I replied.
“You’re not ruining my scarf!”
“Like I said, we just need a few threads from it. Rarity will make sure it’s as good as new when we’re done. Besides, technically it belongs to Somnambula and she is fine with the idea.”
The Pillar of Hope nodded her head while smiling encouragingly at my friend. Rainbow continued to grumble but reluctantly hoofed the token over to Twilight who had been waiting patiently for her friend to get over her inevitable tantrum.
“Thanks, Rainbow,” the alicorn said before she took it over to a table where she and Star Swirl examined it with their magic.
The preservation spell on the blindfold, now scarf, resisted any attempts to unravel it, so that had to be undone before we could go further. That kind of magic wasn’t intended to be cancelled, so it was tricky, even with Star Swirl and Twilight working together. Between the two mages, they were able to set up a localized field where the preservation spell was temporarily neutralized. Rarity moved in and swiftly pulled out a seam, removed a single thread, and stitched the seam back in place. The entire task was accomplished in a few minutes and I honestly could not tell the difference from the original. Remind me to have Rarity do the stitching if I ever needed surgery.
I placed the thread in a pouch for easier handling and so it wouldn’t get lost. Then I hoofed it over to Dash.
The colorful mare glared at the bag and then at me. “What, is this my consolation prize? I don’t need it, thanks so much.”
She turned and trotted away, making me have to chase after her. “Rainbow, this will help us find the Pony of Shadows.”
Dash turned back and regarded the bag again after I successfully gave it to her. “How? What am I supposed to do with this?”
“You know how we’ve been unable to track down the whereabouts of the Pony of Shadows all week? Well, Starlight suggested that instead of attempting to find him, let’s try finding the criminals that he’s been taking to increase his power. However, to track them, we need something that the Map Table can detect. As it can consistently find the Pillars’ tokens, we’re hoping it can do the same for a part of one. So, what we want you to do is go for a flight and we’ll watch the Map to see if our theory holds weight.”
“Blah, blah, blah, egghead stuff, you want me to go on a joy flight. Got it.” With that, she exited the room at her usual breakneck speed.
The rest of us headed to the map room to check out the table. Twilight was the first there and she immediately exclaimed, “It’s working!”
Sure enough, we could all see two icons of the scarf, one stationary at Friendship Castle and the other rapidly heading south, skirting the Everfree Forest. Then the path changed trajectory to head east over Froggy Bottom Bog to Rambling Rock Ridge before heading back to the castle. This took only a few minutes. Rainbow Dash had to be going supersonic to get around that fast. Flash Magnus whistled as he watched the icon of Somnambula's blindfold zoom across the map.
A crash of thunder announced the return of the prismatic mare to Ponyville airspace. Yep – sonic rainboom. She must have been wanting to let off some steam after having her precious scarf ‘mutilated’.
Rainbow raced back into the map room trailed by her trademark rainbow streak. She landed next to Sunburst while tossing the bag onto the table. “Well?” she demanded.
“The experiment was a success,” Twilight replied with delight. She described the path we had witnessed and Rainbow Dash nodded.
“But how exactly are we supposed to get the Pony of Shadows to take one of these?” Dash asked.
“Simple,” I replied. “Rarity will weave the thread into the prison uniform of a criminal that we consider to be a prime target for our nemesis. We’ll go to the jails that the demon pony hasn’t struck yet, pick out candidates and put a thread tracker on them. Neither the criminals nor the Pony of Shadows will be able to detect them.”
“More threads!” Dash groaned. “My poor scarf.”
Despite our friend’s worries, very little harm was done to her favorite piece of apparel, and Rarity kept reassuring her that it could be restored as good as new later.
The fashionista traveled with Twilight to all the cities that had not been hit yet. While the alicorn kept the chosen inmates distracted with an informative slideshow about the Pony of Shadows, Rarity used her magic to deftly weave a thread into the collar of their prison garb where it wouldn’t be noticed. I don’t think the prisoners appreciated the pop quiz at the end of the lesson. For that matter, I don’t think the guards liked the convicts’ unanimous requests for a repeat of the entire lecture “just to make sure they got the idea.” Doubtless, the Princess of Knowledge was the most entertaining break to the monotony of prison life in the history of ever. Fortunately, Rarity was there to tear Twilight from her appreciative audience and on to the next town and another jail.
We had immediate success. That night, the Vanhoover Penitentiary was raided and three ponies disappeared. When the Map Table was consulted, we found the duplicate icons hovering over Hollow Shades.
“Didn’t we already go there?” Flash Magnus asked.
“We did,” I confirmed. “Of course, we didn’t find the Pony of Shadows at the time, and while it seemed to be a prime candidate, there wasn’t any proof that he was anywhere nearby. Now we know for sure. Even if he’s not present when we arrive, we can wait for him to return.”
Twilight said, “Star Swirl and I have worked out a new, stronger banishment spell utilizing the Elements in conjunction with the Tokens. It will be able to send the Pony of Shadows to Limbo without dragging any of us along with him.”
“Wait!” Starlight said with a frown. “The Map only ever sends us to solve friendship problems but you’re going to send Stygian to Limbo without even trying to help him as the Princess of Friendship? Just zap him and wipe your hooves of the matter?”
Twilight looked startled. “What? Oh, no! I’m sorry that I didn’t make myself clear. Of course, we’re going to try talking to him first, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll try to cleanse him just as we did Nightmare Moon. Hopefully, we can evict the shadow demon and redeem Stygian. Star Swirl insisted that we have a backup plan though, and it does make sense. We’ll only banish him if all else fails.”
“I see,” Starlight said with a nod of understanding. “I would hate to think what would have happened to me if your first impulse had been to send me to Limbo rather than show me the error of my ways.”
Twilight gave her a hug. “Don’t worry, Starlight. Trust us to do the right thing.”
“So, what happens now?” Pinkie asked as she passed around bags of popcorn.
Twilight replied, “Now, we go to the Tree of Harmony and retrieve the Elements.”
Fluttershy said, “Umm… Won’t that hurt it?”
Twilight shook her head. “The Tree survived a thousand years without them. We’re only going to borrow them for a day or so and then put them back.”
There was a daggerscale portal located at the Castle of the Two Sisters which we used to quickly get to the cave that was home to the Tree of Harmony. It was a short walk, but that gave me time to think over something Starlight had said. The Map sent us all over the world to solve “Friendship Problems” and it had been particularly proactive with regard to the Pillars and the Pony of Shadows. The explanation from the Pillars about Stygian’s motives seemed too glib and simplistic to me regardless of Star Swirl’s emphatic opinion. Despite standing up to the old wizard earlier, I believed that Twilight was still seeing him through rose-colored glasses. Something felt wrong but I didn’t know exactly what, so I went with the flow for the moment.
All six of the Pillars were awed by the sight of the Tree of Harmony.
Somnambula said, “I am pleased to see what has grown from our efforts so long ago.”
“It truly is beautiful,” Mistmane agreed. “It seems a shame to harm it.”
“A necessary sacrifice,” Star Swirl said sternly. “With the addition of the Elements’ power, we will be able to bind the Pony of Shadows in Limbo when Twilight’s plan to talk the Pony of Shadows into submission fails.”
The alicorn’s face fell at the lack of faith her idol showed in her and Starlight frowned at his dismissive attitude.
Star Swirl’s horn lit up and the Elements were plucked from where they resided within the Tree of Harmony. Of their accord, they flew to their Bearers and transformed into their familiar necklaces. Star Swirl tried to intercept the Element of Magic only to have it slip from the glow of his telekinetic field. It made a beeline for Twilight, transforming into her tiara and settling on her head.
Star Swirl gasped. “What is this? I am one of its creators and yet it rejects me?”
Twilight smiled apologetically. “The Elements choose their Bearers. For example…” She levitated the Element crown from her head and placed it on mine. I gave a sheepish smile, aware of my substitute nature.
The old mage glared at me and tried to take the Element once more. Again, it slipped out of his magical grasp and settled back on my head.
“But he’s not even a unicorn!” objected Star Swirl.
“I can be,” I said, switching to Marklestia form.
“The point is,” Twilight began hastily to forestall argument, taking back the tiara, “Mark has been accepted by the Element of Magic as a Bearer. You have not, unfortunately.”
“And why is that?” he demanded.
I rolled my eyes. “Because, as we keep telling you, you don’t understand the Magic of Friendship. Until you do, you won’t ever be able to be a Bearer or even as powerful as Twilight. Think about that when we go try to redeem Stygian.”
He gave me the stink-eye but refrained from saying more.
Rockhoof broke the uncomfortable silence. “How do ye use these wee Elements of yours?”
Rarity replied, “Well we… umm… they just seem to work for us.”
“It does not matter,” Star Swirl said. “The spell will take care of that aspect. We merely have to use them paired with the Pillar’s tokens to create an irresistible portal to Limbo to banish the threat to Equestria.”
Flash Magnus said, “It will be an honor to fight the demon by your sides.”
As everypony started to walk off, I heard Starlight murmur, “I hope Twilight knows what she’s doing.”
Me too, Glim-Glam. Me too.
We made our way back to Twilight’s castle. Trixie was waiting in the map room and she reported that the icons over Hollow Shades were still there. It was decided that we go immediately and strike while the iron was hot.
My wife came up to me and said, “You don’t have to go with them, Dowser. The Elements and the Pillars should be able to take care of this problem by themselves.”
Problem. There it was again. Was this a Friendship Problem? “Sorry, Lulu, but I get the feeling that I’ll be needed. I have to go.”
“Don’t take any stupid risks or Trixie will never forgive you!”
I leaned over to give her a kiss. “I’ll do my very best to obey my Princess, but as a Prince of Equestria, it’s my duty to be part of this quest. And it’s your duty to take care of yourself and our foal that you bear.”
After a final parting hug, I left to join my companions.
Hollow Shades was a dismal place. Between the ruined buildings, perpetual cloud cover, and blighted vegetation, it gave me the shivers. No wonder it had been abandoned centuries ago.
“I don’t recall the village being anything like this when we visited it back in our time,” Meadowbrook said.
Mistmane replied, “That was long in the past. The Pony of Shadows must have twisted it to match his own dark desires before we banished him.”
“Yeah, the whole place stinks of dark magic,” Starlight commented.
I had to agree. This former small township was nestled in the midst of an otherwise healthy forest, so there wasn’t any other reason for it to be in this condition. We cautiously made our way to the center where a wide well was located, looking for evidence of our quarry. The detachment of Royal Guards that we had brought along to back us up spread out to search the deserted village.
Rainbow Dash peered into the well but couldn’t see anything through the gloom. “Maybe he’s down there?”
Before anyone could respond, sinister laughter came at us from all directions, confirming that the Pony of Shadows was not only present but also aware of us.
Star Swirl said, “Prepare yourselves.” Then he shouted, “Stygian! Come out and face us!”
In response, the laughter only grew louder and the ground started quaking. Before anyone realized what was happening, the area surrounding the well collapsed. Those of us with wings halted our fall and Rainbow Dash and Flash Magnus had enough presence of mind to catch Rarity and Mistmane. Twilight, Star Swirl, and Starlight all lit up their horns to cushion everypony’s fall with their magic. I’m sorry to say that I was caught completely by surprise and didn’t help. So, while most ended up in a pile on the floor, it was only with mussed manes at worst. For the moment, I was still in my pegasus form with my ace-in-the-hole still available.
As we either landed or got back on our hooves, I paused to look around. We found ourselves in an underground building of some kind – a temple if I was to guess. While there were sconces on the walls, none contained any form of illumination and all the light in the room came through the hole in the roof. Consequently, much of the interior was shadowed, but one corner got darker as a black cloud started to grow to the sound of echoing laughter. Star Swirl immediately threw a protective dome around us as the Pony of Shadows strode out from the midst of the cloud.
“Welcome to the Well of Shade!” the demon pony declared. “When you ‘heroes’ turned your backs on me, I discovered this place. It spoke to me with a power beyond any that I could imagine and I listened. The shadow and I became one. Soon, all of Equestria will be the same and then all ponies will feel the anger and despair that I did when you cast me out!”
Star Swirl sternly replied, “We did what we had to do when you tried to steal our powers for yourself!”
“NO! It was you who were selfish. Now you will pay!”
“WAIT!” shouted Twilight. “You have your grievances with the Pillars, but surely there must be a way for settling them without resorting to extreme measures. Why do you feel they were selfish?”
“They were unwilling to share their power and glory. I was always the one to organize and strategize, but when the deed was done, they reaped the rewards while I was ignored in the background. So I decided to take what was mine by right!”
“But these were your friends! Surely you could have talked with them and explain your resentment and being sidelined?”
“Talk? HA! If you listened to Star Swirl, you would believe that he was the one solely responsible for our victories, that it was his infallible plans and power that won the day. I was but a footnote in the tale.”
Star Swirl replied before Twilight could. “You seek to obfuscate the truth with your lies and exaggerations. The only thing that matters is that you were caught stealing our possessions in order to take more than you deserved!”
“LIAR!” roared the Pony of Shadows. He lashed out with an enormous ebony beam of power. How something can glow black, I could not understand, but I could see its effects. Our shield immediately began to crack and buckle under the onslaught. Moments later, it shattered. I switched to pegacorn form to assist Starlight and Mistmane with a new shield while the Element Bearers did their thing.
Realizing that the moment to talk was lost, Twilight called out, “Now, girls!”
Their Elements started to glow and the Bearers began to rise from the ground. However, before they were even halfway done, the Pony of Shadows reacted.
“NO! The villains whom I’ve taken within myself recognize the Elements of Harmony and you will not use them against me!”
Even as he talked, thick ropes of shadow shot out from the ground in our midst and knocked the Bearers from the air, breaking their concentration. Everypony then used their abilities to fight the tentacles but Applejack decided to go one step further. She charged right through our shield – it was designed to keep magic out, not ponies in. The farm mare raced over to the Pony of Shadows, pivoted on her forelegs, lashed out with a massive buck to one dark leg… and got stuck.
“A little help here!” she called out nervously.
Even as some of us turned to rescue her, she began to sink in further. Before anypony could get to Applejack, she disappeared within the shadowy form. The demon pony started laughing again.
“Without one of your precious Bearers, you cannot use the Elements. Enough of this nonsense – time to die!”
He lashed out at us again with his beam and tendrils of darkness. Between us horned ponies, now with Twilight and a recovered Star Swirl helping, we managed to block his attacks once more.
“Your plan has failed, Princess Twilight,” Star Swirl said. “It’s time to use the banishment spell. We don’t need all the Elements for that, but we can’t afford to lose more.”
Twilight looked torn but, before she could respond, there came a pained groan from the Pony of Shadows. A moment later, from amidst the swirling darkness of his body, Applejack burst forth doing a somersault and landing on all four hooves.
Even as Twilight used her magic to drag her friend to safety, Applejack started tearing into the reeling Pony of Shadows. “You double-crossin’, pear-lovin’, foul as a pigsty in summer, no good excuse for a low-down varmint! Ah’m gonna give you a heap more trouble than you can handle!”
“Applejack! What happened?” Twilight called out.
“That ornery son of a snake stole my hat!”
Yep. The country mare’s accent definitely dialed up a few notches when she was upset.
Twilight blinked as she absorbed what her friend said. “OK. I’m sorry for your loss, but can you tell us what you saw inside the Pony of Shadows?”
“Well… Ah’m not rightly sure. Ah kept fightin’ even as Ah was sucked in. Then mah Element started glowin’ and the shadows retreated from its light. So Ah concentrated on it and fought mah way through until Ah was plum spat out.”
Twilight’s eyes widened in understanding. “As a creature of darkness, it can’t abide the light!”
“That’s not all though, Twi,” Applejack continued. “While Ah was inside, Ah saw rows of ponies in prisoner garb, all looking asleep on their hooves. In front of them Ah spotted a very much awake small grey unicorn with a blue and teal striped mane. He just up and decided to help himself to my hat and Ah’m madder than a wet hen!”
Somnambula gasped. “That was Stygian!”
I said, “I thought the Pony of Shadows was Stygian?”
Twilight furrowed her brow in thought. “If my theory is correct, Stygian is just the core of the consciousness of the Pony of Shadows, giving the demon direction and purpose.”
I frowned. Chrysalis’ intuition about there being a unicorn stallion inside the Pony of Shadows was correct. “I think you’re right, Twilight.”
The alicorn continued. “He’s not so much possessed as subsumed, much as Applejack was. Unlike her though, he never fought his way out. Instead, he gave his will over to the demon.”
Starlight said, “If he’s still separate from the Pony of Shadows, you can’t banish Stygian along with the spirit that possesses him! The prisoners don’t deserve that fate either.”
Meadowbrook said, “If there is any hope for Stygian and the others, it is in light. Enough may cure them of this affliction.”
Flash Magnus added, “But we can’t use it. If we flood the chamber with light, the Pony of Shadows will just teleport away.”
Our opponent had recovered as we talked and resumed lashing out at us with magic and tentacles of darkness. We were forced back on the defensive. That’s when Mistmane strode up and levitated her flower to act as a shield. Sure enough, it absorbed the dark magic thrown its way with no ill effects. A thin blue form took shape around her, morphing into a translucent dragon that swam through the air to dredge a channel out of our opponent with its jaws. Unfortunately, the roiling shadow healed the wound in just a few seconds. Flash Magnus used his shield to provide cover for Rockhoof who hurled large pieces of rubble at our foe with a flick of his shovel. Their efforts partially distracted the demon pony and gave us more time to change our strategy.
“If we try to use the Elements against him, he’ll just disrupt us again,” protested Rainbow Dash as she dodged the attacks.
“Then we have no choice. We must banish him,” Star Swirl declared.
“No!” Twilight exclaimed. “If Applejack can get out, then we can get Stygian out too!” She aimed her horn at the Pony of Shadows and a burst of intense white light streamed forth. The demon roared in pain but didn’t stop his assault.
Starlight added her power to Twilight’s attack. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going in. Star Swirl – you and the Pillars hold the Pony of Shadows.”
“Don’t be a fool!” Star Swirl said angrily. “We may never have another opportunity to deal with this threat.”
“No, I’m done with that plan. I’m the Princess of Friendship, not Banishment.” With that, she spread her wings and hurtled into the shadow body where it had been weakened by the light.
“Twilight Sparkle has lost her mind,” the bearded wizard said as he fended off another dark tentacle.
“No, she hasn’t,” I replied. “The only thing wrong about her plan is thinking she can do this without her friends. Hold the demon as your Princess commanded.” I then took off after Twilight, imitating her beam of light to give me access.
As the darkness closed in around me, I prayed that I hadn’t just made a terrible mistake. If Trixie ever heard about this stunt, she was going to kill me. I found myself in a dull gray expanse that snuffed out the light within a dozen feet of my horn. I folded my wings and started walking towards the sound of muffled voices. Not sure what I was walking on within a demon made of darkness, but I soon came across Twilight standing by a very downcast grey unicorn who looked just like the illustration in Star Swirl’s journal. So, that was Stygian. Frankly, the Stetson on his head didn’t really do anything for him.
“…Swirl said you betrayed them. You wanted their magic,” Twilight was saying.
“That’s not true,” he replied. “I wanted their respect. I brought them together; I planned strategy, and I read all I could about the beasts that we faced. But my body and magic were too weak to actually join in their battles so nopony ever noticed me. I decided that only by strengthening my magic could I truly join them, so I went to Ponehenge to make my own copies of their tokens. With them, I believed I could be a Pillar too and stand by their side in combat. I never wanted to steal their power. But instead of sharing and letting me help, they threw me out.”
The pony took off Applejack’s hat and tossed it away. Stygian’s eyes turned dark and his mouth twisted in a scowl. “So I became stronger than any of them. The darkness welcomed me when nopony would, and I will do what I must to protect it.”
By now, Stygian’s appearance had changed from meek and helpless to something more threatening, clouds of shadow roiling off his form.
Twilight protested, “This has all been a misunderstanding. If the Pillars truly knew how you felt, I’m sure they would never have turned their backs on you. The Shadow isn’t what you really are. Let me help you be Stygian again.”
“Even if my friends still cared, what makes you think you have the power to help me?”
“Because that’s exactly what she does,” I replied, stepping up to them. “She and her friends are renowned for their tireless work to bring friendship and harmony to Equestria and beyond. And as the Princess of Friendship, she reaches out to all beings of all nations to bring us all together in peaceful coexistence. It’s that friendship that gives all of us strength.”
Stygian scoffed. “What would you, a powerful alicorn, know of being weak and useless?”
I reverted to my normal form. “Because I’m just a clumsy pegasus with a pretty good parlor trick. Before I gained the power to transform at will, I only had my wits to serve Equestria. My biggest talent was crashing into things. Now, I am a prince of the realm and I fight alongside my friends to protect the citizens who are now my responsibility. You, too, can be a force for good once more.”
“It’s too late for that,” growled Stygian.
“It’s never too late,” came another voice. Out of the shadows strode Starlight Glimmer. She walked right up to Stygian and looked him fearlessly in his darkly glowing eyes. “Mark and Twilight once had to fight me to save all the world from my actions. And I didn’t even have a shadow demon to blame, only my own misguided and selfish motives. They saved me from my destructive course and now I am Twilight’s student. If anyponies can save a friendship, these two can.”
Stygian hesitated. “I… I want to believe you…” He looked up and snarled – his eyes glowing black. “... BUT THE DARKNESS CANNOT BE STOPPED!”
A wave of power shoved us back.
“Light will always win over darkness,” I said, switching back to pegacorn form. “Right, ladies?”
“Right!” they chorused, powering up their horns with their strongest light spell, as did I.
For a moment, I thought we had won but the demon redoubled its efforts, pushing us back further into the shadows and away from Stygian.
“You are too weak to stop me!”
Then I heard a welcome newcomer.
“Don’t be silly, Stygy-widgy! Mark didn’t mean just Twilight and Starlight.”
First Pinkie Pie pronked out of the gloom, closely followed by Rarity lighting the way, then Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and finally Fluttershy joined us, their Elements glowing.
As the darkness around Stygian whipped into a frenzy, he lowered his horn at the new arrivals. That’s when Applejack spoke up. “Ah feel Ah have to apologize. I shoudn’ta said y’all was pear-lovin’.”
The stallion blinked. “What?”
His confusion gave us the time we needed. When we gathered together, all eight of us joined hooves – not to attack but to dispel the darkness. As the pure brilliance grew, we heard the Pony of Shadows wailing in pain and fear from the darkness all around us… then abruptly, it stopped and we sprawled on the floor of the Well of Shade with no sign of the demon any longer.
As I looked around, a shaft of light flooded the temple as the clouds above us cleared away. I could see several other ponies in jail garb scattered around – undoubtedly the prisoners that the Pony of Shadows had taken from their cells. No matter – the Royal Guards who were already making their way into the Well would take care of them. The Pillars walked up as we climbed to our hooves, leaving just one haggard unicorn cowering on the stone tiles. Star Swirl stepped up to him and held out a hoof to his former comrade.
“Stygian, we could hear everything you and the others were saying. Long ago, you needed our help but instead of listening, we ignored your plight and turned our backs on you. Pride clouded my judgement. I owe you my deepest and most sincere apology.” He turned to address Twilight. “Thank you for showing me the error of my ways. It seems that I truly have something to learn about the Magic of Friendship.”
‘He finally gets it!’ I thought to myself. Not really the time to say ‘I told you so’ to his face, however.
That didn’t stop Starlight though. She stepped up to the old wizard with a smirk and said, “Well, it seems that a conversation can save Equestria.”
Star Swirl chuckled with chagrin. “Something tells me I’ll be making a lot of apologies today.”
Behind the three unicorns, I saw a delighted Applejack dusting off her hat and putting it back where it belonged. Pinkie Pie bounced up and said, “You can make them at your ‘Welcome Back to the Good Guys and We All Appreciate Stygian Party’!”
“My what?” Stygian asked, still a little confused and bewildered.
I said, “Just relax and go with the flow, my friend. You’ll enjoy it all a lot more that way.”
After a couple of hours of Pinkie Partying at Twilight’s castle, my wife gave a Royal Decree that the festivities move to the Ponyville Spa. I certainly had no problem with this. Winding down with a massage and a good soak was practically becoming a welcome routine after saving Equus. I excused myself long enough to go up to my room then returned to Twilight’s Great Hall as Marklestia wearing my favorite black imitation leather outfit. The pleased gasps of astonishment from the Pillars made me happily swish my tail, but I swished it even harder when Rarity got effusive praise for creating such fantastic apparel. On the way to the spa, the mare Pillars peppered her with questions about modern fashions, the secrets of her trade, and what might look good on themselves. Their stallion counterparts did not participate in the discussion but had their ears pointed that way, betraying their interest.
The spa was an… interesting experience for the Pillars of Old Equestria. Meadowbrook insisted on getting hoof-on lessons on giving a massage. Her test subject Rockhoof proved unsuitable. As it turned out, even the strongest earth pony masseur on staff couldn’t make a dent in his muscles. The old earth pony jogged off to the hot tub to see if that could knock his brawn down from granite to maybe just sandstone. Maybe.
I cheerfully volunteered to take Rockhoof’s place. Meadowbrook chattered away in Old Germane with Aloe while discussing the particulars of alicorn anatomy… I think. The mare proved to be a quick study if my intermittent dozing was anything to go by.
Flash Magnus proved very reluctant to remove his armor and helm. At first, I thought this was a matter of his strict adherence to military discipline. When Rarity threatened to strip him in place, the real reason became apparent. His madly blushing face told volumes, and he refused to look at the mares after he had disrobed and entered the hot tub. The soldier was deathly shy around females! This, of course, made him the target of lots of attention as he ineffectively tried to inch away from the teasing mares. I had the distinct impression of a school of sharks circling a wounded fish as they all danced for position while trying to keep their conversation as mundane as possible.
I was awoken by a hoof tapping my shoulder insistently. “Come, Dowser. Enough lazing the day away. Let us see if you have learned anything from your ministrations. You will massage Trixie’s back while she carefully relaxes in the tub.”
With a groan, I willed my muscles into working again as I slowly made my way to a standing position. After thanking Meadowbrook, I followed after my wife. “Why carefully?”
“Trixie has just completed getting her treatment. The oils and essential essences that Soothing Touch applied will restore my mane to its former glory. However, Trixie needs to keep it dry for the next hour.”
I leaned closer and sniffed deeply. The blue mare recoiled back. “Ack! Do not put your runny nose into Trixie’s mane!”
I grinned. “But your hair smells soooooooo gooooood!”
That earned me a flat glare. “Trixie will have you know that you risk more nights on the couch by threatening to undo all of Trixie’s hard work.”
“Your hard work? Don’t you mean Soothing Touch’s hard work?”
“Trixie thinks she will replace the royal couch with a shorter, harder version.”
I sighed. I wasn’t sure if she was serious, but it was probably best for me not to push my luck.
My wife took slow, deliberate steps down the stairs into the huge communal hot tub, only stopping to allow Flash Magnus to drift past. He was keeping his eyes on Rarity and Rainbow Dash. The grinning mares pursued him with all the nonchalant grace they could muster. The three were very politely discussing campfire cooking, of all things. Directly in the pegasus stallion’s path was a very relaxed Fluttershy with her back turned to him. The butter-yellow pegasus sat next to Somnambula and they both had their eyes closed as they discussed something or another. So what happens when shyness collides with even more shyness? As Twilight would say, a scientific trial must be done!
Just seconds before they would have collided, a happy screech filled the air. I whipped my head around to see a delighted Nyx diving into the water… right in front of my wife. Trixie only had time to frown before she was drenched.
I came up to my wife as she sputtered in outrage. She turned to yell at the filly. “Nyx!”
I decided not to point out that the young alicorn would not hear her underwater. Besides, I had a better idea. “Can I smell your mane now?” Trixie’s eyes glared daggers at me as her anger found a willing target. Still, I laughed even as her horn started to glow. “Get used to it, dear. That will be our colt or filly doing the same thing before you know it.”
My wife’s magic aura winked out. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You… you are correct… dear. Thank you for reminding Tr… me.”
I pulled her into a hug and she slumped into me. I held her in my embrace for a while until she pulled back sharply. “You could have used your shield to protect Trixie!”
I shrugged. “Same goes for you. I think we were all distracted by the upcoming fireworks.”
Fluttershy said, “Umm… what fireworks? It’s not safe to use fireworks inside.”
“Never mind. False alarm.”
I pulled Trixie back to my side and she leaned her head on my shoulder. One thing I liked about being in my pegacorn form in these circumstances was how I could put my long foreleg right around my wife and hold her so snugly. This made her feel both loved and secure and that made me happy. We watched as Nyx suddenly surfaced in front of her mother and squirted a mouthful of water in her face. Our companions chuckled as the cheeky filly dived again before a sputtering Twilight could react.
It was good to see Nyx getting a little revenge for being ignored for days. The worst aspect of it was that Twilight had spent all that time working on a spell that we ended up not needing. The alicorn was going to get a very stern lecture from several of us about her responsibilities as a mother, especially as she now had another on the way. But this wasn’t the time for that. This moment was for relaxing and healing. I had been observing Stygian as he had been pampered along with the rest of us. He wore a slightly dazed smile even as he chatted with my friends and answered questions about his role with the Pillars. Where the stallion had once felt unappreciated, now he seemed a little overwhelmed by all the attention. Good. He was overdue all of this and more. I looked forward to discussing a future role for him in the defense of Equestria, but for now, he deserved a little R&R.
My attention shifted to my side opposite to Trixie as another pony slid into the available space. She turned and gave me a tight smile, the tips of her fangs showing. Penny said, “I hear that you went and played hero and charged into danger on my day off… again.” The last word practically dripped venom.
I shuddered. Maybe I could convince Stygian to reprise his role as the Pony of Shadows. Right now, that seemed the safer alternative to the mayhem my bodyguard’s smile promised.
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