Days passed in the world below Canterlot. Life grew comfortable within the society’s secret base. But no matter how comfortable she got, Sunset kept her cloak on at every hour of the day. When night came, she took the furthest bed in the hopes of avoiding anypony else. Sometimes, when the hideout became crowded, she’d pull the blanket over her head and staple it down with a spell.
Most of the time the hideout remained sparse. A few regulars would make their daily appearance, such as Saffron. The Masters rarely showed; the Grandmaster never did. It became easy to tell when a Master did appear. Their insignia distinguished them from the others, but several ponies would also follow them through the base. Questions, orders, or concerns were the usual talk.
For those just starting out, like Sunset, it grew difficult to tell who was who. The silver pins were the most common. By the end of her first real day within the society, she’d had enough of the mystery. After developing a system overnight, she convinced Saffron to mimic her magic.
It wasn’t any different than a small firework. The user sent a set of sparks above their head in the design they desired. For Sunset, she chose the sun. Not the same design as her cutie mark, it’d be too obvious. Instead, it resembled Celestia’s. Golden, with orange tendrils.
Since she lived in Canterlot, Saffron left at night, returning to her home. The next day, Sunset found it difficult to sieve out the other ponies from her new friend. With her image system, Sunset sent her logo over her head whenever an Evoker arrived. Saffron would display cooking utensils, and the two would greet each other. It cut out the unnecessary awkward greetings in meeting unintended ponies, and avoiding the use of names.
When the other regulars noticed the salutations, they made their own as well. Some even came to talk to Sunset about it. A spool of twine was one image she befriended, another a balloon. No one spoke their name or showed their face, but they knew Sunset, even if they did not know her face.
While she and Saffron became closer friends, Sunset also taught those willing to learn. Saffron would bring ingredients, prepare dinner, and then settle down with seven others. They all crowded around Sunset, and soon she became the most popular mare in the hideout. She had no doubt that it was due to her skill.
But Sunset didn’t understand. So many of the unicorns here in the society didn’t have proper training. How could they get inducted into a society meant to protect Equestria? Why would they put their lives on the line when push came to shove, when they didn’t even know more than levitation? And so she taught. With nothing better to do than lie in wait for the Grandmaster to show, she made herself useful.
“Lower the shield, then fire. If you keep it up while you fire, you expend too much magic. Then, when you’re struck, the shield will break and you’ll be vulnerable.” Sunset stood in the small room the Masters used to induct her. With her magic, she raised a shield toward the straw dummy. It sat against the limestone wall, strung up beneath one of the blue flame sconces. “Lowering the shield makes you vulnerable too, so don’t do it unless you can be sure you’re safe.”
Soon, her little group grew with the training. “Lower, fire, raise,” she instructed, drilling it into their heads. And as the group grew, more ponies joined in. Even some of those who were visiting from Manehattan, the Crystal Empire, or elsewhere. They stayed to train, and left to teach their own groups.
“Teach us something you’ve created!” Saffron pleaded over one dinner. “You were magnificent in your initiation. Your repertoire must be expansive, right?”
“Where did you learn all this?” the balloon pony asked. A stallion, one of Canterlot’s noble stock, judging by the accent. “I’ve learned more from you than all the books in the Library of Magic!”
“Experience is a better teacher than books. You can read about how other experiments have gone, but what’s the point if you don’t experiment yourself?” Sunset answered. She had experienced a lot, and learned more from it than she could say.
Saffron replied, “Like cooking! Experimenting in the kitchen is a necessity.”
“Exactly.” Sunset levitated her fork to her mouth—Saffron’s delectable cooking was top-notch. “I suppose tomorrow I can start teaching you about wards. You all are keeping up on your levitation strength training, right?” Saffron and the other members around the table nodded, bringing a smile to Sunset’s face. “We’ll see who’s lying tomorrow then,” she said with a bit of laughter.
As dinner continued, an interruption came in the form of a group of ponies entering the mess hall. Each insignia pinned to these members held a golden status. One in the center, however, had three horns. “A Master,” Saffron whispered as the group came to their table.
Moving their head from side to side, the Master examined each of the members. Though their features remained hidden by the cloak, it became clear they searched for somepony in particular. On a hunch, Sunset sent out her greeting. A sun appeared over her head. The Master nodded. “There you are.” It was the mare who spoke the most during Sunset’s initiation. The inflection in her voice sounded more from Manehattan than Canterlot. Sunset could tell the difference now that she’d spent time with the slow, enunciating Canterlot stock.
“Tomorrow morning we will be having the Trial of the Evoker. Another pony desires the test, and you will be going against them. Whoever wins becomes an Evoker,” the Master explained. “It won’t be easy. Prepare tonight. It’ll be your quickest way to advance.”
“What about the rest of us? When do we get to advance?” the stallion with the balloon image asked.
Before the Master could answer, Sunset interjected, “Oh, don’t be jealous.” She patted his hoof. “When you can teleport more than three inches, I’m sure they’ll let you advance.” The ponies around the table bellowed with laughter. Had the balloon pony not grown accustomed to Sunset’s snarky jibs, the Master might have worried of a fight breaking out. But Sunset knew he would laugh, as he did indeed, removing tension. “I’ll be ready,” Sunset told the Master. “I can’t wait to show off to the ponies here.”
“Do not be so confident,” the Master replied. “This test is one that both participants can fail.” With that, the Master and her entourage left the mess hall.
After Sunset went to bed, she stayed awake and wondered what sort of test they planned. She didn’t fear failing. Her biggest concern was whether the Grandmaster would finally make an appearance. What should she do? Try to capture her and take her to Twilight, or maybe butter her up and find out just who she was? The path remained unclear.
When morning finally came, she found that not only did the Grandmaster not show, but a Master had missed too. Members gathered inside the hall that Sunset performed her magic for the trio of leaders. Several shot off their images to show their support, while her opponent had no one.
Two glass boxes big enough to fit a pony and twice as tall sat opposing each other. “We’ll be taking this outside,” a Master said, the same one from yesterday. “Evokers, at the ready.”
The world exploded with greens and blues as the limestone walls evaporated. They hadn’t shifted reality like Sunset had. Instead, they teleported the occupants. Everyone stood in between two grassy knolls surrounded by forest. Canterlot sat far above on its mountain, looming down in judgement. “No one should notice us out here,” the other female Master stated. “Would our initiates step forward?”
Sunset met her opponent in front of the Masters.
“Let us go over the rules, shall we? In this competition, you’ll be put in a glass box each. Atop the box is plywood, and atop that is hay. We’ll hit the hay with a fire spell. As the hay burns down to the plywood, you must figure out how to get out of the box,” the Manehattan Master explained. “Several spells are not allowed during this. Teleportation, levitation, and transformation. You cannot damage or change the box, plywood, or hay. There is a time limit, which is the hay. When the plywood breaks, the hay will fall and so will the fire. You must escape before then.”
“This seems awfully dangerous for an advancement test,” Sunset said. “And can’t we just break the time limit by making it rain?”
The other Master clapped her hooves together, and suddenly a bubble extended around the society’s gathering. “Does that answer your question?” she asked. “Yes, it’s dangerous. Our whole work is dangerous. You’re free to quit now if you’re scared.”
“Quit and save me the trouble.” It was Sunset’s opponent who spoke—a mare. Sunset didn’t recognize the accent, though it spoke to her of Canterlot. The authoritative tone that gave it away. Canterlot ponies commanded in a way other city ponies did not. Mostly for their benefit, rather than the pony they spoke to. Quick and to the point—to be done with it.
“Being cocky is my shtick, thank you,” Sunset reprimanded. “I’m ready whenever you are.” Turning back, she headed for the closest box. A few of those whom she taught stood near. Saffron shot her image above her head, and Sunset waved in response.
The rules bewildedered Sunset. No teleportation, levitation, or transformation. No damaging or changing the box or wood. A very tricky challenge. Sunset couldn’t imagine what the solution would be, even as she climbed into the box. Once inside, an Evoker closed the latch.
She watched her opponent get in her own box. Studying her opposition gave Sunset a better idea of the dimensions, such as height. Looking up, she first thought of the idea to flood the box. A fountain of water spraying from her horn and pushing off the wood. When they brought the hay atop the plywood, Sunset realized she’d drown before the water could float off the heavy bale.
“Time.” The Master’s signal went off, and two different Evokers set the tops of the hay bales afire. Sunset watched for a moment, judging her opponent’s hay. It didn’t burn quickly, nor slow enough for the wind to blow it out. Even if she created an air current, it could increase the flame spread.
Swaying side to side, lost in thought—Sunset didn’t fully comprehend the test had started. She watched, debated, revised, and took her time. Only when the heat of her hay began causing sweat to drip down her muzzle did she realize the urgency. The hood of her cloak clung to her soaked brow. She watched her opponent, but it grew incredibly difficult as the hood covered her eyes. In a moment of frustration, Sunset threw off the hood. Several gasps rang out as the crowd saw her face. But she refused to lose, and her opponent hadn’t done anything either.
The mare did notice Sunset. Mimicking, she pulled down her hood as well, exposing her blue face. Twilight hadn’t told her what Minuette looked like aside from her coloring, and so Sunset assumed it to be her. A simple initiate, knocked down from her Evoker status after the reveal of the society. Now they both wanted to be an Evoker, though for very different reasons. It made sense to Sunset.
She wiped the sweat from her eyes with the back of her hoof as her breathing grew harder and harder. Neither she nor Minuette made any progress. They stood staring at one another, each contemplating the dimensions, the spells, and the rules.
And then it struck Sunset. Not once did the Masters say they couldn’t ask for help!
She turned away from Minuette, to Saffron. “Hey!” she beckoned the unicorn, refusing to use Saffron’s name. “Come here.”
Saffron looked to the Masters, though neither of them made a move to stop her. She drew close to the box, the flames of the hay brightening her cloak. “Are you alright? What do you need?” Saffron asked.
“Undo the latch,” Sunset commanded.
“What!?” Saffron stepped back and shook her head. “I cannot do that. That’d ruin your trial! Why in Equestria would you want me to have you fail?”
“You wouldn’t be causing me to fail. Look, we’re friends, right?” Sunset asked, and Saffron nodded hesitantly. “Friends help each other out of jams. You just got to trust me. Undo the latch and let me out.”
Saffron glanced to the others who came to cheer Sunset, then to Minuette, and finally the Masters. None made an attempt to stop her. Even when she put her hoof on the latch rather than her magic, no one made a peep. Saffron let the metal latch slope, allowing Sunset to open the glass. She thanked Saffron with a hug, and then announced to the Masters, “I’ve succeeded.”
“You did not succeed.” The Manehattan Master came forward. “Not in the way we expected, at least. But we did not state that you could not ask for help. In a way, you surpassed even our own mantra. Helping Equestria requires us all, and you proved that in asking for help. Your fellowship grants us all a boon.” The other Master stepped forward, presenting the Evoker insignia. “We grant you an advancement, Evoker.”
Sunset allowed the Master to place her new insignia on the cloak. When she went to show the charade of bravado she’d built up, her words fell under the loud scream. A bang followed, like a flowerpot striking cement.
“No!” The scream echoed against the glass. “If Moondancer were still here, I would’ve won!” The blue unicorn slammed both hooves into the door before teleporting out. It was indeed Twilight's friend Minuette, whose tears littered the grass beneath her. “I knew the answer! I knew it! I knew it right off the bat!” Her head hung low as she screamed into the dirt.
The world altered as the other Evokers put out the flames and teleported the members back to the base. Minuette’s screams now deafened the occupants due to the small room. Even so, Sunset rushed to the crying mare. “Hey, hey. It’s okay, it’s not the end of the world,” she said, raising a hoof to the mare.
For an instant, Sunset believed Minuette would slap away the hoof. The anger behind the eyes blared with a rain of fire. But she did not assault Sunset. Instead, Minuette threw up her hood and stormed out—the door slamming behind her.
“Everyone, please take your leave,” one of the Masters commanded, pulling Sunset aside. “Do not fret for the mare. She is the one whose friend betrayed us. Let’s focus on you instead.”
Sunset watched as those she knew filtered out until only Saffron remained. But the other Master pushed her out, leaving Sunset alone with the more talkative one. Though she felt pride in accomplishing the feat, Sunset remained on the upset mare. “What’s going to happen to her?” she asked.
“Nothing. She’ll have to find another way to earn the Evoker rank. We’ll also have to find a new trial now that the solution is out there. Letting others see your success will only further their want for training and growing. You truly are a boon.”
Sunset didn’t respond. Her body shook, processing her success.
“And now that you are an Evoker, we can allow you to focus on the next test.” Sunset turned to the Master, her attention focused on the matter at hoof. “Master-in-Training. You’ll be leaving tomorrow for Cloudsdale. The other Master here today will be your advisor. She’ll be scoping out the city to see if they expect us.”
“Cloudsdale? Won’t they notice a unicorn?” Sunset asked, surprised by the location. “What are we doing in Cloudsdale? What kind of test?”
“We test many things to prepare ourselves for an event that will change the world. Raising and lowering the sun and moon was one. This is a test of our abilities to control pegasus magic. Creating weather is one thing, but this is combining a few different aspects. You’ll be bringing Cloudsdale to the ground, literally. Every cloud, every building. A test of strength.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“For us, of course. But we’re not here expecting safety. Completing this final test will prove to the Grandmaster we are ready.” As she walked away, she stopped and turned back to Sunset. “Oh, one more thing.” Lowering her hood, the Master revealed herself. “You should expect the unexpected, since this is your first real taste of what we can do as a group. The Master who is advising won’t come to you in cloak.”
Sunset stared for a moment at the lack of a horn, before falling to the face. “Y-you’re—”
“Not a unicorn? Did you think only unicorns wanted to protect Equestria? Silly girl. As Master-in-Training, you better get used to it. You may be the first unicorn Master of us. Wouldn’t that be nice? I do hope the Grandmaster doesn’t favor you, though. I tend to get jealous.” With a teeth-baring smile, she added, “You’d be wise to stay on my good side.”
“Master—” Sunset went to speak.
But the earth pony shook her head. “We don’t call each other Master, Sunset. Not in the privacy of an empty room like this.” She saw the expression of concern grow over Sunset’s face. “You’re surprised that I’d reveal my face and my name.” She wrapped Sunset in a tight hug. “Don’t be so worried. We’re one great big family. We don’t need to hide ourselves from each other. My name is Suri Polomare, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
The pony they called Auburn Nest went to Canterlot’s hospital. She’d drank poison, mind-altering poison at that, for a long period of time. Tirek didn’t care. He was glad to be back in Ponyville, inside Twilight’s castle. It meant he no longer had to wear the ridiculous sheet. Not only that, the purple servant dragon served him crisp, cold water in a tall glass.
The ponies were sitting around with their noses to their books. The snooty one and Twilight searched for anything relating to the print shop in Manehattan. Tirek had no interest in helping, though he sat close to the one who followed Twilight like a lost puppy. He watched, though mostly out of boredom, as she examined pages in a book. The thought of returning to Tartarus over continuing this tedium did cross his mind.
When watching the pony read became too mind-numbing, he switched to the condensation rolling down his glass. It was more intriguing anyway. Which little blob would hit the crystal table first? He likened it to the secret society the ponies chased. If their long term goal was secrecy, they would not have announced themselves to the world. He didn’t bother expounding this idea to the ponies. They were either already aware or wouldn’t listen. Not to him. Especially not within the snooty one’s presence.
But she kept busy with Twilight on the opposite side of the table, and the lackey wasn’t.
Leaning close, he stared over Moondancer’s shoulder, eyeing the words. She read faster than him. The pages blew by too quickly for him to grasp more than a few sentences. Finally, he asked, “What are you looking for?”
Either she’d succumbed to her own little world, or she’d forgotten Tirek was there. She jumped, twisting away, before realizing her mistake. He allowed her several heavy breaths before he repeated the question. “I’m looking for… anything,” she replied, calmly. “This book is almost pristine. There’s no highlighted passages or paragraphs. The binding isn’t worn. But several sections have cuts, and corners bookmarked, and other various markings.”
“Is it important?” he asked, feigning interest out of boredom.
“Oh, sure. We found this in the abandoned house—the one Auburn Nest supposedly owned. It’s one of the copies published by Twilight and Starlight, in fact. It contains the lessons they learned right after Twilight became a princess. All the way up to—” She paused, turning to look up at him. “All the way up to defeating… you.” Her smile fell flat.
“Me?” Tirek snorted. “What? Did they write about me?” He went to put his hand on the page, but the unicorn snatched the book with her magic.
“I-I don’t know if Twilight is okay with letting you read this.”
“I am not a pet for you ponies to decide when my feeding time is,” he replied, and grabbed the book out of the air. “You weren’t aware of my presence over your shoulder. You cannot guard what I read when you cannot even guard yourself.” He set the book back on the table, open to the first pages.
Moondancer shoved herself in front of the book. Her bushy brows pushed together in a face of anger, though it hardly mattered to Tirek. “I can take care of myself.”
“Really? Then why do you appear distraught every time you look at her?” He raised a finger to Twilight. The little unicorn’s expression did change to the troubled features he knew they would. “For her lackey, you sure seem unsure of your place at her side.”
“I’m not her lackey,” she mumbled, “I’m her friend.”
If every pony were her friend, Tirek believed the world would be a dreadful place to live. Especially for someone like him. He placed a hand on his cheek and contemplated the young mare. An opaque reflection of his stared back at him in her glasses. He knew that every moment he tried to break these ponies apart, they'd just remind themselves of their bonds. But Tirek didn’t understand Moondancer’s words. No matter how smart, he never could've drawn the conclusion that perhaps she only spoke the words to reassure herself.
“Fine, go ahead and read if you’re so interested,” she snapped in a quiet voice. “Maybe you’ll learn what friendship means.”
He doubted it, yet read anyway.
The first entry he asked about related to Manehattan. “Why is it these all have some valuable lesson about being better? I thought you ponies wanted to be friendly. Is being better than somepony else not denotative to that nature?”
“We’re not trying to be better than someone else. Just better than our previous selves.”
“Reincarnation?”
Moondancer shot a look with furrowed brows and he realized the stupidity of his question.
Returning to a few of the later chapters, he motioned to a sentence. “What is this … Sweetie Belle?”
“Oh, that’s a Cutie Mark Crusader,” she replied, as if it made sense. “And then here. This is the first entry that relates to the keys they received,” she added, as if it made even more sense. “Then here, Rainbow Dash’s. Pinkie Pie’s is this one.”
“What's so special about these keys?” he asked her. He didn’t expect the sudden, pale reaction he received. If glass shattered, the unicorn heard it when he had not. “Well? Do you know or not?”
“They opened a box,” she answered, and then her jaw clicked shut.
Playing with his beard, Tirek allowed the moment to sit in. “What box?” he asked in a slow, quiet drawl. He didn’t want to spook the mare, since it clearly wasn’t in the book. He’d need to learn it from her or another. But going through the trouble of asking somepony else wouldn’t be worth it. At least, that’s what he assumed until she answered.
“The box, a gift from the Tree of Harmony. That’s what I heard. It contained the unique power to—” she gulped down the fear emanating in her voice “—defeat you.”
Tirek’s eyes went as wide as they could. “So they did write about me! It does explain why they had their power returned. How did this tree give them such a treasure? Did it mail a leaf?” The whole idea of a magical tree granting glorious power sounded ridiculous. But he lost, and Tartarus remained his home. If a tree was the reason, he wanted to know why. “How did they come across this box?”
“I’m not sure.” Moondancer raised up to ask Twilight, but her face returned to the flustered look. As luck had it, the purple servant dragon returned to refill glasses. “Spike,” the unicorn beckoned him. “Spike, how did the bearers find the box with the keys and things?”
As the dragon filled Tirek’s glass, he replied with a single name. “Discord.”
“Discord?” She blinked.
“Discord!” Tirek spat the name.
“Yeah, back when he ruled over Equestria, he planted seeds around the Tree of Harmony. They got unleashed and Twilight and the others put back the Elements to remove the corruption. Got the box in return. Needed six keys to open it, but they used the power inside to defeat—” He stopped, realizing the mistake. His eyes shot up at Tirek. “No more water for you,” he said harshly, pointing a finger, before walking away.
When the two sat alone, Tirek returned to the book. “Ironic. Discord doomed me to fail before I even realized he sided with ponies,” he mused aloud.
Moondancer grimaced. “I might regret this, but you need to read the final entry.” Flipping to the back of the journal, she found Twilight’s admission. “This is after your defeat.”
Tirek read over the entry. Then reread it. He remained silent for a long time as he processed everything. Internally, however, was a different story. The first read filled him with anger. The second filled him with fear. The third filled him with knowledge.
The little worm had planned everything.
The tale painted a picture in his mind, to which he unfolded the events. The intruding vines forced the bearers to return the Elements. This granted them a box, all caused by Discord. He then outlined passages in their special little journal, helping them figure it out. But even knowing about the box, he still betrayed them, joining Tirek. He was no fool! Discord knew joining Tirek would only end in a betrayal—and he wanted that! The necklace. Scorpan’s necklace! That led to the key and Discord knew it!
“Tirek? Are you alright?” Moondancer asked.
Though he couldn’t see his reflection, he knew anger must’ve seeped through. His red knuckles were almost white with how clenched he held them. “Did Discord really suggest including me in your search for the society?” he asked the mare.
“Uh, yes? Why do you ask?”
Slumping back on his equine body, Tirek closed his eyes. He fell into a wave of pondering, not bothering to answer her. Tirek didn’t understand what that little abomination planned. He was needed for something. But what? How could Discord know? What could he do that Discord could not? Or was it even that way? Tirek found himself wondering if he was not just a pawn in a bigger scheme.
He relaxed in his thoughts, only for an anguished cry to wrestle him from his brooding stupor. “I should’ve known!” Twilight Sparkle yelled. Her hooves slammed into the table and rattled the glasses of water. “Flim and Flam! They own the print shop!” Pointing to Moondancer and Tirek, she commanded them to rise. “Time to make an arrest!”