//------------------------------//
// Chapter Eight: Exposition 
// Story: CRISIS: New World Order 
// by GanonFLCL 
//------------------------------//

The great cubical structure rested in mid-air in the center of the endlessly dark chamber, suspended by some unseen force at the top of a great set of stairs made of the same magical force as the bridge before it, only of a different color. The structure was constructed of a strange black metal that didn’t reflect any of the light coming from the infinite magical columns. An array of dish-shaped devices surrounded it, collecting specks of magic that flittered through the air and filtering them inside.

“And ye’re sure this is the right way ta get us out o’ here?” Sundial asked as the group ascended the stairs, Rarity still in the lead.

“Of course I’m sure, darling,” Rarity replied, a pep in her step that she hadn’t felt for quite some time, at least not since she’d arrived in this world several days earlier. “Why do you ask? Are you worried?”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Aye, cheers lass, I’m looking forward ta walking inta some new unknown floating box without knowing what’s inside. O’ course I’m bloody worried! Ye said this place was safe, but oh, that must be besides the bloody booby traps, aye?”

“Yeah, for somepony who says they’ve been here before, you sure missed a few important details,” Bluebolt grumbled.

Rarity wasn’t bothered by their attitudes in the slightest. “Well, we’ll just chalk those little differences up to there being something wrong with whatever generates this pocket dimension like you said, Sundial. Besides, we’re through all that trouble now, and I’m completely, one hundred percent certain that we’re going in the right direction now. Trust me.”

“I believe ya, Rarity,” Bloom said, stepping up along her. “Ya wouldn’t lead us inta trouble on purpose, and if there is anything wrong up ahead, we’ll deal wit’ it.”

Rarity gave Bloom a little smile. “Why thank you, dear. Your confidence in me is much appreciated.” She chuckled slightly, and patted Bloom’s shoulder. “Sometimes I wonder if you and Applejack really are sisters. She’s been rather critical of me in the past, always thinking I’ve got my head in the clouds as it were.”

Bloom shrugged. “I just don’t see no point in arguin’.”

“Well, at least that’s something different about this whole trip.”

“This whole place is just fascinating,” said Venture as she examined the structure up ahead with a twinkle of wonder in her eyes. “And you say that the gryphons built this place right under the ruins or something like that? All without anypony knowing about it?”

“That’s how I remember it, yes. This part of the old gryphon city is the only place that was completely untouched when Silvertongue unleashed his horrible plague on the gryphons.”

Venture suddenly looked very sad. “Yeah, I’ve been reading up on how things happened back then. I’m amazed that somepony that seemed so dedicated to light and good and harmony could do such a terrible thing, to inflict so much death on so many creatures.”

“From my understanding it was because he’d become corrupted by Nihila by that time, or perhaps had been for some time before that and merely kept it hidden.” Rarity shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m not the one to ask about that sort of thing. It’s all very interesting conversation, but better for another time and for another pony.”

“So, this structure we’re going towards, is that where the exit is?” Bluebolt asked. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting pretty tired and I don’t know if I feel right making camp in this place.”

Rarity gave her a little smile. “Trust me, darling, you’ll have your answers shortly. Just keep up the pace, hmm?”

Bluebolt and Symphony shared a brief look. “You know when Rarity of all ponies is telling you to hurry up that something weird is going on,” Symphony muttered.

“I don’t know if I should be worried or excited,” Bluebolt replied.

At the top of the stairs was an entryway into the structure, which was wide open and free to pass through with no door to bar the way, closed, locked, or otherwise. Rarity trotted on ahead of the others through the arch without a worry in the world, with all the self-assurance as if she were walking into her own home. The others followed behind her, a mix of curiosity, worry, and confusion passing through them in fairly varied amounts, some showing more of one emotion than the others.

What was seemingly the only room inside the structure was dark—almost pitch black—save for tiny lights on the high ceiling that illuminated small portions of the floor below. Descending from the ceiling at the center of the room was a large, odd-looking device of some unknown function, which was covered with screens and other oddities. The device itself was connected via large wires to a raised platform far below it as well as to various spots on the ceiling, where colorful lights indicated that magical energy from outside was being transferred into the structure.

On the raised platform itself was a ring of input devices covered in buttons, switches, and lights in varying color and size. Screens made of shiny glass surrounded the devices, each displaying various figures, graphs, equations, and text, the latter written in a language that nopony present could read. All of this surrounded a chair built for a creature roughly twice the size of an average pony.

“Hey, this thing looks kind of like the setup my mom’s got in her throne room or Chief Storm has in her office, just smaller,” Bluebolt said, marveling at all the bright lights. “Is it like a security system or something?”

“It looks more like it’s used for studying things based on some o’ the information there,” Sundial said, eyeing a graph. “Maybe those columns outside, aye?”

“This is gryphon techno-magic!” Venture exclaimed, hustling up to the platform and getting a good look at everything on display like a kid in a candy store. “Wow! Holy smokes! This is the find of the century! We’re gonna be rich! And famous! Do you have any idea how much of a big deal it is that we’ve found some functional gryphon techno-magic?”

Rarity grinned knowingly as she glanced around the room expectantly. “You don’t know the half of it, darling.”

“What’re ya lookin’ ‘round for, Rarity?” Bloom asked. “You’ve been actin’ kinda weird since we got ta the bridge.”

“Just excited, dear, that’s all,” Rarity assured her. “I have a feeling the rest of you will be, too, soon enough.”

A small, metal clicking sound came from someplace out in the darkness. Symphony, and Sundial glanced in its direction.

“Anypony else hear that?” Sundial asked, stepping towards the sound defensively. “What’s that noise?”

Symphony drew her broken sword and held it towards the direction of the sound, settling into a combat stance. “Rarity, you didn’t forget to tell us about any other threats, did you?”

“Not at all, darling,” Rarity said as she stepped past Sundial towards the sound. “Yoo hoo! Mister Gilderoy? Is that you?”

The clicking sound in the darkness suddenly stopped. “Well, this is quite a peculiar, unexpected development,” came a slightly metallic voice.

From out of the darkness stepped an honest-to-goodness gryphon. He was twice the size of the average ponies in their group, only a little taller than Flurry Heart despite his waning figure, and he was quite ancient. His beard and hair were thin, gray wisps at this point, and his fur and feathers were drained of color. He wore a purple silk robe, which looked to be in excellent condition compared to the rest of him. He was carrying what looked like a magician’s wand in his good claw, which was half-heartedly pointed at Symphony.

However, where his body was frail, his various techno-magic prosthetics were not. Both of his wings, both of his hind legs, his left claw, and his tail were all made of complex mechanical parts. The majority of his chest was made of the same, with a large, yellow light resting where his heart would be. Most of the left side of his face, too, was metallic, including his eye, which was little more than a green, telescopic lens.

The only difference that Rarity noticed compared to the last time that she saw him was that his other, natural eye was milky and white. He’d clearly lost vision in it completely.

“Mister Gilderoy!” Rarity greeted with a smile, stepping towards the old gryphon. “You have no idea how good it is to see a familiar face after all that we’ve been through.”

The old gryphon tilted his head as he looked upon Rarity with confusion and wonder. “Miss Rarity, is that really you?”

“It is.”

He smiled weakly and let out a sigh of relief. “Then my eye sensors are not misreading things. I was worried for a moment there.” His voice was hoarse, though it carried a metallic hint to it, as if he were speaking through a filter that wasn’t working too well. “My my my, of all the things I was expecting today, this was not among the possibilities, not even close.”

Gilderoy lowered the wand, setting it into one of his robe’s pockets, and stepped further out from the darkness as he made his way towards the chair on the platform. Rarity didn’t offer to help him over, she just did so naturally. The others of the group were so taken aback by his sudden appearance that not a one of them said a word just yet or even moved, except for Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart.

The latter, naturally, moved to help Rarity to help Gilderoy instantly and without needing to be asked to do so. The former moved over to the chair itself to turn it around so Gilderoy could be seated without much trouble, holding it steady in her best attempt to be helpful as she was used to with older ponies in need.

“Okay, so, everypony else is seeing this right now, aye?” Sundial said to the others, not taking her eyes off of Gilderoy. “I’m not hallucinating am I?”

“Oh, I see it,” Symphony said, her eyes glued to the gryphon, her sword sagging in her grip. “I just don’t believe it. I’m convinced now that we died after that hallway started glowing back in the ruins. It vaporized us all and now we’re all in afterlife or something, and the caretaker is an old cyborg gryphon.”

“An actual, living gryphon,” Bluebolt said, shaking her head in amazed disbelief. “My mom is gonna freak when I tell her about this. Not to mention a cyborg gryphon. Do have any idea how amazing this is?”

The ecstatic smile on Venture’s face was, frankly, worrisome with how elated it was. “Oh my stars, oh my stars, oh my stars, oh. My. Stars.”

“How come the rest of you guys aren’t freaking out over this?” Bluebolt asked, gesturing towards Rarity and her friends. “This is the most amazing thing that anypony’s seen in hundreds of years!”

Flurry raised an eyebrow. “Why would we be? Griffins are perfectly common where we come from.”

“Yeah! Mah friend Gabby is even datin’ mah friend Spike, an’ mah other friend Gallus is the captain o’ Princess Twilight’s Royal Guard 'n' everythin’. It ain’t like I’ve never seen a griffin before.”

“Just never one with all this… machinery,” Flurry noted, indicating Gilderoy’s metallic wings.

“Yeah, but that don’t bother me none either. 'Member, mah brother-in-law’s got himself a prosthetic leg 'n' all that.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Gilderoy said as Rarity finally eased him back into the chair. “I’m afraid time has been most unkind to me, but then you already know all about that, don’t you? Things certainly haven’t improved since your last visit as far as my health is concerned.”

“And yet you still seem to be in good spirits,” Rarity said, tenderly patting the old gryphon’s claw as he rested it on the chair’s armrest. “You came out of the darkness with your wand and everything as if ready to fight. Were you expecting trouble?”

“Hmm, yes I was, actually,” Gilderoy said with a polite nod. “The alarm system indicated intruders—”

He stopped suddenly to cough loudly as the yellow light on his chest turned red. He pounded his good claw on it until it turned green again.

“Ah, forgive me, I still seem to be having some troubles with this blasted thing. The finest in gryphon techno-magic bionics… hundreds of years ago, of course. I’m afraid they’ve been in disrepair for the last hundred years or so, and I have yet to make any headway on maintenance. Difficult to do when you’re alone, you see.”

“Oh dear, I’m awfully sorry to hear that,” Rarity said, frowning. She then brightened, and turned to the rest of the group, particularly Sundial. “Does anypony here know anything about techno-magic of this sort that might be able to help? I’d appreciate it more than you could ever know.”

Sundial shook her head. “Sorry, lass, I just know a few minor things here and there, aye? Nothing about anything that complex, and certainly nothing about gryphon anatomy. I might be more harm than help.”

Rarity turned towards Bluebolt and Symphony next.

“Sorry, but like I said, I’m not exactly an engineer and I never learned much about that kind of stuff,” Bluebolt said with a frown. “I’d love to help anyway I can, but I’m just not suited for it.”

Symphony shrugged. “Sorry, Rarity, that’s not my field of expertise.”

“I see…” Rarity hung her head. “Oh well, it was worth a shot.”

Then, Venture stepped forward excitedly, practically bouncing in place. “Ooh! Ooh! I’ve got an idea! I don’t know anything about techno-magic, but maybe I can still help? That’s a pretty nasty cough he’s got there, and I happen to know an awful lot of healing magic, so maybe I can do something about it?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

“Yeah! I mean, it always pays to have it on hoof if I ever sprain or scrape a knee or something, or if I catch a cold, or if I have a headache, or anything like that decides to give me trouble. I travel all the time, so, y’know, I learned to be prepared.” Venture stood proud, chest puffed out. “Yeah, I’ll say it, I’m pretty awesome. You can hold your applause.”

“Aye, and so humble, too,” Sundial said, rolling her eyes.

“I don’t know if that’s exactly the same thing,” Rarity said, giving a look to Gilderoy. “Will that work?”

Gilderoy smiled politely. “I’ve tried using Restomancy to address the issue before, but I’ve found that it’s a rather unfortunate temporary solution so I’ve not bothered with it in a great many years. The more of my body I’ve had to replace with bionics, the less that sort of magic should work. However, if your friend wants to help, I see no reason not to allow her to do so. There’s no harm in trying.”

Venture beamed, stepped up to the platform, and lit up her horn like a tiny star. “Just you watch, Mister… Gilderoy, was it? Just you watch, you’re gonna feel better in a jiffy, or I’ll eat my hat! Now, just hold still, and relax.”

Her horn’s magic covered Gilderoy’s chest with a soft white glow that gradually spread across his whole body in less than an instant. The light only lasted for a few seconds before washing away just as quickly as it had come, and with just as much fanfare. Venture’s horn dimmed, and she looked at Gilderoy expectantly.

Gilderoy’s eye—his real one—was no longer milky white, but a pleasant shade of blue. Rarity noticed it wasn’t even glassy, as it had been the last time she saw the old gryphon; his vision had not only been restored, but improved. Some of his fur and feathers even gained a slightly healthier luster to them, and his beard and hair looked fuller.

The old gryphon smiled slightly and let out a breath, not a hint of trouble with his breathing. Even the metallic hint in his voice seemed clearer. “Hmm… well now, you certainly did not sell yourself short, my friend. You are quite skilled with Restomancy magic. I feel like I haven’t felt in many decades. I feel almost a century younger, in fact. How curious.”

Rarity’s mouth curled in a little grin. “You mean… you feel better? Better than the last time I saw you?”

“That does seem to be the case, as bizarre as that sounds. Your friend here possesses quite an astounding talent.” Gilderoy tilted his head as he looked out amongst the group. “Hmm… though I certainly notice a lot of unfamiliar faces here. What’s happened to your former companions, Miss Rarity? Did you not make it back to your home?”

Rarity let out a breath. “It’s a rather long story…”

Gilderoy pulled out his wand and gave Rarity a coy grin. “Have you forgotten that there’s really no such thing as a ‘long story’ for me so easily? I do hope that these past twenty-one years haven’t affected your memories so negatively.”

“Oh! Yes, of course, I had almost forgotten all about that wonderful magic of yours,” Rarity chuckled. “Perhaps you can offer some advice or insight that might be of help, like you did last time for Twilight?”

“What’s he goin’ on about, Rarity?” Bloom asked, gesturing at the wand. “What’s that thing s’posed ta do?”

Gilderoy turned slightly so that he could look right at Bloom, giving her a polite, friendly smile. He showed off his wand to her by giving it a little twirl through his claw. “This, my dear, is a magic wand. I suppose that you might have seen one of these before in a stage magician’s magic show, haven’t you?”

Bloom nodded, but was still clearly confused. “Yeah, o’ course I have. We’ve got a few magicians 'n' stuff back home that put on shows all the time. I always liked Miss Trixie’s shows, better nowadays than when I was just a lil’ filly. Helps that she’s got Discord and her other friends helpin’ her as assistants 'n' all that.”

“Are you saying that you’re a sort of stage magician?” Flurry asked, tilting her head. “I don’t see how illusions and tricks are going to be of much help to us.”

“Ah, the difference between me and a pony like this ‘Trixie’ is that my magic wand is a true magic wand. It contains magical power within it, real magic, like the sort unicorns like yourself can use.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye? Ye can use unicorn magic with that wee stick then?”

“Hmm, technically correct,” Gilderoy said with a smile. “More accurately, it allows me to tap into magical energies the same way a unicorn’s horn does. There are some types of magic that only unicorns can tap into, however, due to the nature of their special talents, so it’s not quite a perfect substitute.

“Now, as for what I’m doing with it to help, I just so happen to know a marvelous little spell that can let me experience the memories of another individual, to visualize their experiences accurately and objectively, and to learn what they know in a fraction of the time it would take from them to say it aloud.”

Bloom’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow…”

Gilderoy then turned to Rarity. “Let us cut to the chase then, shall we?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, let’s.”

“Clear your thoughts, and focus only on the moments that you deem important to this situation. I am sure you don’t wish to share twenty-one years worth of memories with me, after all.” 

Gilderoy swished his wand through the air, sending off a series of sparks, then tapped it to Rarity’s horn. Once he did, both his and Rarity’s eyes glowed a bright white.

In the span of a few seconds, nothing much seemed to happen from the perspective of the other ponies in the room, who merely watched the display with curiosity and concern as Rarity and Gilderoy stood and sat, respectively, fairly motionless.

Then, the two returned to normal. Rarity let out a breath of relief, while Gilderoy merely stared off, slightly dumbfounded at what he’d seen.

“He’s dead…” Gilderoy murmured as he slumped back in his chair. “After all these centuries, justice was finally delivered. Silvertongue paid for the genocide he brought upon my kind. We have been avenged…” He didn’t look so much happy as he did relieved.

He shook his head after a moment. “Nevermind that. There are more pressing matters at present, are there not? No time to reflect on the distant past. This situation of yours, Miss Rarity, provides quite an interesting conundrum. I do believe there is a staggering amount of information I must parse through if I am to be of any assistance to you, my dear.”

Rarity smiled politely and gave him a brief nod. “Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated by me and my friends. I have no doubt you’ll have something that can be of assistance.”

“What the bloody hell just happened, Rarity?” Sundial asked, eyebrow raised. “Ye say he just saw all o’ yer memories, aye?”

“That he did,” Rarity said with a nod. “With complete accuracy, as well. Everything from the moment my friends and I arrived here days ago, up until this meeting. Plus a few other details I figured he’d be interested in.”

Bluebolt raised her hoof. “So does that mean he knows who we are now or something?”

Gilderoy smiled. “It does, Princess Bluebolt. But only as well as Rarity herself knows you, of course. I have only borne witness to events from her perspective, even if I have a relatively objective view. Anything she knows, I know; anything she doesn’t, I don’t. So you have no fear of me invading your privacy.”

“Well, thank goodness for that,” Symphony muttered.

He turned his head towards Sundial, and he gave her a little nod. “Incidentally, might I say that it is a pleasure to meet another Chronomancer in the flesh? I have not interacted directly with one of your order since well before the Beacons were constructed. The last Chronomancers I’ve had any contact with were the previous two, Tick Tock and Zenith, the former only via memories, the latter only via my awareness of the ruins outside this Sanctuary. I never got to speak with either.”

Venture let out a triumphant laugh. “Aha! I knew there was something neat about you, Sundial! Ha ha!” she exclaimed, pointing at Sundial with a bright smile. “So you’re a Chronomancer, huh? That’s so cool! What’s it like? Do you get paid? What are your hours? Do you have a base or something?”

Sundial grumbled and gave Rarity a harsh look. “Ye couldn’t have left that part out, could ye?”

“I’m afraid not, darling,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “Mister Gilderoy needed to be aware of the entire situation in order to be of any help to us, and your role in things is rather important, don’t you think?”

“Your assessment earlier about that Void rift was quite astute, Miss Sundial,” Gilderoy continued. “The formation of Void energy within the ruins of Aeropolis—what you call the Gryphon Ruins—should be quite impossible. The city’s ancient Arcane signatures, even when they are not fully active, are still potent enough to prevent such an eventuality.”

“Aye, that’s what worries me,” Sundial said with a nod. 

“What does all of that mean?” Symphony asked. “I get confused enough as it is sometimes listening to you talk about Void-this and Void-that, but now you’re talking about Arcane energies? Doesn’t ‘arcane’ just mean ‘magic’?”

“To a point,” Gilderoy said. “The laws of magic divide magical signatures into one of four sources: Light, Dark, Arcane, and Void. The former two forces counteract one another, as do the latter two. Aeropolis—and gryphon magic in general—is designed to use Arcane signatures for its power. It’s less likely to degrade that way, for its opposite is so rare.”

“So, because your city has so much Arcane energy, it shouldn’t interact with Void energy?” Bluebolt asked.

“That’s precisely it. At least theoretically. Several factors go into it, but in practice, sometimes the results can be quite catastrophically violent.”

“Yes, as Twilight and Shadow could attest to,” Rarity added, shaking her head.

Sundial grunted. “So is there something wrong with yer city’s magic that’s making the Arcane energy not work properly? Because when we sealed the rift, we all ended up here, aye? I’ve got a feeling that wasn’t supposed ta happen.”

“Correct. Because that rift formed at near the entrance to the Sanctuary itself, it effectively shrouded the Arcane magic that powers it, dormant though it may be. And, when the Void rift was sealed, all of that Arcane energy instantly surged back within the Sanctuary’s entrance mechanism, unfiltered. That is why you all were transported here despite none of you having an Arcane source of your own.”

“I was wondering how we managed that without Twilight around,” Rarity muttered.

“So, what, we shouldn’t have been able to get in here without an Arcane ‘source’, like Twilight Sparkle, or one of your wands?” Bluebolt asked.

Gilderoy nodded. “Correct. And without one, you also could not activate the trial doors within the Sanctuary.”

“Aha! See, I knew there was something at play to mess that up,” Rarity said, pointing her hoof at Sundial. “I knew I wasn’t just misremembering things.”

“Aye, and fair play ta ye, lass,” Sundial said, clapping her hooves. “Fat lot o’ good it does ta be right though, aye? Being right didn’t make those traps any less real, did it?”

“Ah, yes, you must forgive the traps, my friends,” Gilderoy said with an apologetic grin. “They are there to prevent intruders who are not allies of the gryphons from entering these sacred halls, and the trials themselves are relatively harmless. Though your passing through the traps with such ease was… well, humbling,” he added with a smile towards Symphony.

“Thanks!” Symphony smirked. “Man, I can’t wait to tell my dad that I impressed a gryphon. This is so cool. Oh, Jewel’s gonna be jealous. Ha ha, I can just see the look on her face.”

“So why did the Void rift appear here then, if that’s supposed ta be impossible?” Sundial asked. “Ye were just about ta offer something up about that, so would ye mind if we get ta that already?”

Gilderoy raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? Oh, yes, of course. Well, as a Chronomancer, I’m sure that you’ve noticed the substantial rise in Void rift activity over the past decade, have you not?”

“Aye, that I have. Tick Tock only had ta leave the city once or twice every year at worst, and the ones in the city were easy pickings. It wasn’t much worse when she moved ta Goldridge, either. I have ta stay out in the wilds most o’ the year. I think I spend more time out o’ my room than in it, aye?”

“Well, I have a theory as to why that’s been happening, and I might also have a solution that could significantly impact it, perhaps even eliminate the issue altogether.”

Sundial was taken aback. “You do? Really? Aye, well then let’s hear it! Anything ta give me the chance ta spend some time at home more than a few weeks out o’ the year.”

Gilderoy smiled politely. “In due time, my dear, in due time. I believe that Miss Rarity’s issue is just as important to your work, and I promised her I would help her before I even knew who you were. It’s only fair that I deliver on my promise, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Och, well, I suppose,” Sundial grumbled. “We’ve got time ta listen ta ye tell us whatever ye know on both issues, aye? Just don’t, y’know, waste our time.”

Gilderoy turned to Rarity and smiled. “First of all, my dear, you know that I am no Chronomancer. Though I have made several attempts to research Chronomancy more thoroughly since our last meeting, I am afraid that the nature of travel between worlds is still quite a challenging field for those without the proper tools and information.”

Venture gasped in shock. “Oh my stars! Rarity’s an alien?!”

Rarity gave Venture a quick look, perturbed. “Alien? Please, darling. I’m a pony just the same as you. I’m just from a different world, that’s all. ‘Alien’ might be… technically accurate, but please, don’t call me that. Ever. It feels awkward.”

“Yeah, an’ me 'n' Flurry are from the same world she is,” Bloom said, giving Venture an apologetic smile. “So, y’know… surprise? Bunch o’ ponies from another world. Pretty neat, huh?

Venture shook her head in awe as she looked between the three. “Wow… oh wow, this is the most amazing day I’ve ever had in all my years as an explorer. First I meet a real-life gryphon that’s alive and everything, then I get to meet otherworldly travelers. Hoo boy, I need to rest for a moment, this is too much.”

Gilderoy briefly turned to Flurry and whispered, though Rarity and Bloom could still hear: “And don’t you worry my dear, your little secret is safe with me, hmm?” He gave a brief indication towards the coat she wore over her wings. “Given her reaction to that news, I daresay your true nature might be too much for her to handle.”

Flurry blinked, then nodded. “Thank you?” she said, clearly not quite sure if she should be appreciative or just polite.

Gilderoy turned back to Rarity and smiled. “Now, as I was saying, the nature of trans-universal transportation is rather complicated. I’m no expert on it, but I’ve studied it a great deal to try and understand the nature of it, inspired by our last visit. If I were a Chronomancer, the process would likely be easier, but I am not.”

“Well, I know that you’re a very knowledgeable gryphon, so surely you can offer something,” Rarity said, returning the smile. “Do you perhaps have an idea as to why that Void rift opened up and threw us here? Maybe you can give us some idea on how to get back, like you did last time?”

“Hmm… well, as to the latter question, I am afraid I cannot offer you any new advice on getting back home beyond using whatever methods you used in your last journey through this world. Miss Sundial might be of more help in that regard, being the resident Chronomancer and all.”

Sundial nodded. “Aye, and first we have ta convene with the agent that would’ve been sent ta yer world ta investigate. They’ll help us figure out what method we’re gonna use, and the timeline we have ta maintain and all that. Nothing different there, just standard protocol and procedure, aye?”

“However,” he continued, “I can offer you a theory as to what exactly happened, albeit just a theory. I can only do so much with mere empirical evidence such as sights and sounds.”

“Oh? Well, I’m all ears,” Rarity said. “Anything you say could be useful.”

“I am no expert of Chronomancy, as I have already said. And I am also not an expert in the matters of Amoremancy—that is, the magic of love.” He gave a sad smile. “I never had a mate of my own when I was younger, you see, and never had much interest in finding one. I was just an old windbag even at that age, more focused on my studies than much else.

“But I do know powerful magic when I see it, and I know how volatile certain magics can be when they go beyond one’s ability to control it.” He put his good claw on Rarity’s shoulder. “Now, as I have said, this is just a theory, but I believe that the spell that this Princess Cadence used was an attempt to contact this lover of yours in a fashion, correct?”

Rarity nodded glumly. “That’s correct. It was supposed to grant me a ‘vision’, of sorts. It certainly seemed to be working, I could see Sir Zircon in my head and everything, clear as day.”

“Well then, it is in my humble opinion that the strength of Princess Cadence’s spell, empowered as it was by Miss Heart’s magic and combined with your intense longing, was too powerful for the spell’s purpose itself to be contained to such a minor manifestation.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“Let’s put it this way: say that you have a bucket and that you wish to fill it with water. Now let us say that you filled it with too much water. The bucket would overflow, yes?” Gilderoy tapped his claw on her heart. “Between your love for this Zircon and Cadence’s spell’s enhanced power, the ‘bucket’ that was your world ‘overflowed’ in an attempt to fulfil the intention of the spell.”

“Which was?”

“Contacting your love, of course. You did see him, did you not? And not just in your mind, but with your eyes.”

“Yes… yes, I did. Briefly, but I did see him.”

“We all did,” Flurry agreed. “It was like a phantom, or a spirit.”

“Rarity even reached out ta touch him 'n' everythin’,” Bloom added. “That there rift opened up the moment she did, too.”

“Yes, because that was the exact moment when the spell’s magic ‘overflowed’. It did not know how else to contain so much love and magic together in one place, so it did the only thing it could to prevent the spell from bursting apart: it broke a hole in the ‘bucket’, which as I said represents your world.”

Sundial shook her head in disbelief. “That’s bloody ridiculous, that is. Ye’re saying that this lass and her princess friend, with nothing more than the power o’ love, created a spell powerful enough ta tear open a hole in a dimension where that shouldn’t be possible anymore? I’m not buying it.”

“Ah, but you’re constraining your thinking to the way magic works in our world alone. In our world, Miss Sundial, magic is more directly powerful, that is a given, but it has little deeper meaning mostly. From what brief knowledge I have of Miss Rarity’s world, their magic operates on a different set of rules.”

“Such as?”

“Well, for example, the ‘magic of friendship’. In our world, friendship is certainly a magical thing, yes, but in their world, it has literal power.”

Rarity smiled. “Yes, such as being the source of magic in the Elements of Harmony, which have been used time and time again to defeat the evils that have threatened our world in the past.”

Flurry brightened. “Ooh! And the ‘magic of love’ was how my mom and dad helped defeat the changelings and Queen Chrysalis when they first attacked Canterlot, back at their wedding! I’ve heard that story so many times that I couldn’t possibly forget it.”

“Precisely,” Gilderoy agreed. “It is the nature of things in their world to give literal magical power to such concepts as ‘friendship’ and ‘love’, and those same concepts, from what I’ve seen of Miss Rarity’s memories, also empower their alicorns.” He gave a brief look to Flurry. “Why, if there were others alicorns in their world, they’d have to embody a similar concept, would they not?”

“Y-yes, I suppose they would,” Flurry said with a nervous nod. “They’d only need to figure out what exactly that is.”

Sundial scoffed. “Aye, right, so let’s suppose that’s all true. I still don’t quite buy that the power o’ love is so strong that it tore a hole between our worlds. That’d have ta be some mighty powerful love ta do that.”

Gilderoy shrugged. “As I said, it is just a theory.”

“And I assure you, darling, after hearing it, I’m starting to believe it,” Rarity muttered. “Cadence told me that my longing was so much that she could sense it even without attempting to do so.”

“You say that there will be another Chronomancer in Miss Rarity’s world that would be tasked with investigating the matter,” Gilderoy continued, “so I suggest that you ask them for more information when you have the opportunity. Perhaps they know something the rest of us do not, seeing as they can investigate the original site more thoroughly?”

“Aye, sure, that sounds fair,” Sundial relented.

“So you’re saying that this entire situation could possibly be all my fault?” Rarity said, dejected, hanging her head. “I… I got us into this mess. Me and my stupid, stupid heart...”

Flurry walked over to Rarity and gave her a big hug. “Don’t say that, Rarity. It’s not your fault. It’s not. Okay? My mom and I were just trying to help you because we don’t want to see you heartbroken anymore. You don’t deserve to live like that, and we just wanted to help, that’s all this is. Blame us, not yourself.”

Rarity paused a moment, then returned the hug, tears in her eyes. “Oh, darling, I’m so sorry about all of this.”

Bloom came over and patted Rarity on the back. “Don’t worry 'bout it none, Rarity. This whole thing might be a big ol’ heap o’ trouble, but look at the bright side o’ things. If that rift didn’t open up, an’ if I didn’t come through that there rift wit’ ya, I’d have never had a chance ta meet mah family here.”

“That’s right!” Flurry agreed. “Do you have any idea how happy all of your friends and families are going to be when they get to hear about the stuff that’s happened here since last time? I know Aunt Twilight will be ecstatic to hear from her old friends again. She talks about her experiences here all the time!”

“Yeah! An’ Flathoof’ll be pleased as punch ta hear he’s got two nieces an’ a nephew, an’ that his brother Thickhoof got his legs all fixed up, an’ that his sister and his other brother got their own families startin’! Do ya know how often he wonders 'bout how his family over here’s doin’?”

Rarity’s smile returned slightly. “Yes… yes, I suppose so.” She pulled Bloom in for a hug too. “Thank you, darling. I needed that. You’re just like your sister, so honest and true when I need it most.”

Gilderoy smiled and put his claw on Bloom’s back. “May I just say that it is a pleasure to meet you, by the way? I did not know Applejack all that well—our meeting was brief—but I got a feeling for the kind of honor and dedication she had to her friends and family in just that short time. I see that same strength in you.”

Bloom paused, then nodded appreciatively. “Thank ya kindly, Mister Gilderoy. That’s really nice o’ ya ta say.”

Gilderoy turned to Sundial and cleared his throat. “Now, to address your other concern, Miss Sundial. About the Void rifts rise in activity? If you have a theory of your own, may I ask what it is?”

Sundial grunted. “Aye, well the only theory I’ve got at the moment is that the world’s having a rough go at adjusting to all o’ the rapid changes happening around the north, like all the life returning so fast. I don’t know if it’s just throwing the world’s balance out o’ whack or what, but then nopony’s seen Harmonia in years so I’ve got my doubts.”

Venture fidgeted slightly. “Harmonia? You mean the alicorn goddess that they worship down south? Why do you think she would be responsible for anything happening up north?”

“Well she’s supposedly been helping ta bring life and change ta the lands up here, aye? Growing plants, healing the soil, stuff like that.”

“And you think that’s causing problems? It sounds like she’d doing good, right?”

“Och, I don’t know, lass, but since nopony can ask her if she knows what’s happening, it’s just a theory, and not one I can exactly prove, aye?”

“Your theory is well-founded,” Gilderoy said with a nod, “but you’re not entirely correct. My theory—and I have some excellent evidence suggesting I’m on the right track—is that something is creating the rifts, intentionally.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow and snorted. “That’s the most impossible thing you’ve said yet.”

“Is it any more impossible than our world’s alicorns being given physical bodies, as Silvertongue did to Nihila, and then later to Harmonia? That was supposed to be impossible, too, and yet he managed it.”

“Even so! Only Harmonia herself would have the power ta tear open a Void rift all on her own, and she’d have no reason ta do anything o’ the sort, not unless she thought it was helping for some reason. But that’s an entirely different problem, aye?”

“No, it is certainly not Harmonia’s doing, but what about Nihila, Harmonia’s counterpart in our world’s dichotomy?”

Sundial shook her head. “Can’t be. Tick Tock—my predecessor—had confirmation from multiple sources that say that Silvertongue completely destroyed Nihila and absorbed her essence inta himself in order ta go about his loony plans.”

“And you’re completely certain that these sources are absolutely accurate with no room for unknown factors or misunderstandings?”

Sundial hesitated. “Well, not exactly, but they’re all we’ve got. Starlight Shadow and her sisters were eyewitnesses ta the event and all that, and Silvertongue himself confirmed it as well during some o’ his mad ravings ta Tick Tock during her whole… experience, so she’s convinced that Nihila doesn’t exist anymore.”

“That’s only half true, unfortunately,” Gilderoy said, shaking his head. “I am of the opinion that Nihila still exists in some capacity, no matter how small that might be.”

“Aye, right? And how exactly might that be?”

“When a pony dies, what happens to their soul?”

Sundial balked. “What? That’s a weird question.”

“And it’s quite relevant, I assure you. What happens to it?”

“Well, nopony really knows, aye? Nopony knows what the afterlife is like—”

“My mom does,” Bluebolt blurted.

Sundial and Gilderoy both gave her an odd look. “What was that, lass?” asked the former.

“When my mom and dad got married, Harmonia came to them,” Bluebolt said. “She came to thank them for what they’d done for the world. They said that Harmonia gave them a vision of their friends and family, of Gadget and Crossfire, of my mom’s parents, and more. She called it the ‘Dreaming’, or something?”

Gilderoy smiled slightly. “The Dreaming is the realm just barely beyond our physical world, the home plane of our world’s alicorns. It is unique to our world’s essence.” He then turned to Sundial. “Harmonia and Nihila’s existence began in that realm, and it was there that they should have always resided, only interacting with the ‘mortal’ realms in visions and dreams—hence the name.

“But Silvertongue did the impossible, and he gave Nihila a mortal body that existed outside of the Dreaming. And then, he killed that mortal body. So, what do you suppose happened to her soul? Her essence?”

“It… returned to the Dreaming?” Bluebolt suggested. “Like all souls do?”

“That is my theory. She would have been weakened tremendously by Silvertongue’s actions, so weak that she could only influence or affect those with a deeply ingrained connection to her, such as Starlight Shadow and her sisters.”

“Harmonia removed that connection from them,” Rarity said with a nod, giving Bluebolt a knowing look. “It’s why they’ve become the ponies they are today. They regret the actions that they did while under Nihila’s influence, but they know it was merely a ‘nudge’ for them to do so. She could not control them directly… well, except for Red Velvet, apparently.”

“So you’re saying that Nihila is still alive in some capacity, in this... ‘Dreaming’, you called it?” asked Venture, heavily engrossed in the conversation now.

“That is my belief, yes. I have no definitive proof, of course, but I have some new information that leads me to believe it.” He suddenly turned to Weaver, who had been totally silent until now. “Mister Weaver, is it?”

Weaver tilted his head. “Yes.”

“Your former Overseer, this ‘Pedigree’? What tasks did he have you perform in regards to the Void rifts?”

Sundial brightened. “Aye, shite, I never thought ta ask him that! We’ve been so busy trying ta move through the snow and getting the lad ta talk that I didn’t think he’d even know if I asked.”

Weaver paused for a moment, then: “Overseer Pedigree assigned locations where he knew Void rifts would appear.”

“Wait, what? How in the bloody hell would he know that?”

“Unknown, never revealed source of information.” Weaver shook his head. “Orders: patrol site while Overseer utilized Void Siphon to drain the rifts’ energy.”

“So that’s what he was doing with that strange device back in the cave.” Sundial pondered this. “Why? What purpose did he have for doing all this?”

“Unknown.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Great, that’s just more ta worry about, that twat seeking out Void rifts for some reason.” She turned to Gilderoy. “And ye think that maybe Pedigree and the Void rifts are connected with Nihila somehow?”

“It’s certainly a possibility,” Gilderoy said with a nod. “Void rifts feed off of imbalance, and Nihila’s purpose is to sow discord and adversity. She feeds off of the Void in the same way that a lightning rod feeds off of lightning. I have little definitive proof that Nihila is influencing Pedigree’s actions, but it would not surprise me.

“Now, whether or not any of that is entirely relevant to our discussion, I cannot say for certain. For all I know, it’s just a fantastic coincidence. However, regardless of which of these theories of ours are the genuine cause, if any of them, I do know one thing that is making the situation possible in the first place: the southern Beacon.”

“You mean where we built the portal that took us home?” Rarity asked.

“Correct. Harmonia directed you and your friends to construct that amplifier, as it would stabilize a Void rift to use for the express purpose of safely traveling to another world, and then could safely close it afterwards. And it was built at the site of the southern Beacon, at Harmonia’s seat of power.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye? So what does that have to do with anything?”

Gilderoy took a breath. “When Silvertongue enacted his mad plan to travel beyond this world in pursuit of his ultimate goal, he knew that he could not travel south beyond the Belt of Tranquility to use the amplifier. The Beacon of the south prevented him from doing so, as he was infused with Nihila’s essence, so he set about utilizing an agent to deactivate the southern Beacon in his stead.

“Meanwhile, he knew that if the southern Beacon fell, then the northern Beacon’s energy would consume the world, and he would never be able to contact Harmonia. Whether his intentions were truly to ally with her or to just absorb her essence as he had with Nihila, I cannot say, but that was his plan. So, at the same time that his agent deactivated the southern Beacon, he himself destroyed the northern Beacon.

“And therein lies the problem. The northern Beacon was destroyed utterly and its magic  was set free into the world. The southern Beacon, however, was merely deactivated and so not all of its magic was able to do the same. In other words, our world now is consumed by Darkness—the magic of the north—with only Harmonia’s efforts to keep it at bay.”

Venture frowned, her eyes alight with concern. “Really? Harmonia’s the only thing keeping the whole world from being consumed in darkness and evil? How is that even possible?”

“I am afraid so, my dear, at least according to the data that I have gathered. Harmonia likely doesn’t even know that she’s doing it. The north was already so consumed with Darkness that it would be difficult to detect any noticeable difference in its essence unless one traveled south.”

“So, according ta yer data, the southern Beacon is the problem then?” Sundial asked, confused. “And this is all because the Light stored in it hasn’t been released properly?”

“Correct. My kind developed the Beacons, and Silvertongue constructed them. Their purpose was to maintain a perfect balance of Light and Dark magic in our world. They were flawless, and I will give Silvertongue all of the credit in the world for succeeding in doing the impossible: maintaining that balance. The means he went through to achieve these ends—the genocide of my kind to keep us silent—were deplorable and do not justify his results, of course.”

“And why would he do that?” Bluebolt asked. “Just kill all of the gryphons, I mean? Why would he go through all of that to make these Beacons?”

“Well, you see, our world exists with a precariously delicate balance between those two forces: Light and Dark. If they are askew, the entire world could easily fall into chaos. All that would follow is hate, war, destruction, and death. You have no doubt seen the maddening winter weather here in the north as of late?”

Symphony nodded. “Yeah, you mean those freak thunderblizzards, right? Those are caused by this… whatever it is you called it? Imbalance?”

“You call them ‘thunderblizzards’? Hmm… a clever name. My attempt at appellation was ‘lightningsquall’.”

“Heh, ‘lightningsquall’ is kind of neat,” Symphony said with a smile.

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “And these storms are caused by this imbalance?”

“Not exactly, no. They existed long before the Beacons were even constructed, but they were tamer then. They lasted for days, not months, and were not quite so deadly. They did not even have a colorful name to describe them, as they were merely blizzards with lightning and thunder. The imbalance makes them worse.”

Bluebolt nodded. “I see. Huh… well, that’s definitely not a good thing.”

“And ye say that the Void rifts might also be connected ta the same thing that’s causing these storms?” Sundial asked.

“That is my theory, yes,” Gilderoy said. “The data I’ve collected in the past decade suggests as much.”

“Hmph, well, then I suppose it’s my job ta put a stop ta that, aye?”

“I believe it would be within your purview, yes.” Gilderoy gave her a little smile. “But luckily for you, I have just the solution, because without my help there would be little that you could do to make any significant change.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” Sundial scoffed.

Gilderoy tapped a few buttons on the console to his right, and seconds later, with a brief flash and a pop, a small device teleported into his open left claw. The device was shaped like a thick, blocky key, and it glowed with a sinister orange energy that crackled with black electricity.

“What in the bloody hell is that?”

“This, my dear, is the Beacon Key,” he said, lifting the device up so the group could see it clearly. “It was used hundreds of years ago when the Beacons were first constructed as a means of activating them. This allowed them to draw directly from Harmonia and Nihila—with their willing participation—to then release that energy into the world at large in an even distribution.

“As you can see, it is currently attuned to the northern Beacon’s Dark magic. Silvertongue returned it to us after activating it all those years ago, having activated the southern Beacon first.”

“Why would he do that?” Rarity asked. “He seemed completely consumed by Nihila’s will by that point, so what reason would he have to return it?”

“I suspect that Silvertongue was never corrupted by Nihila’s will.”

Rarity pondered this. “Well, Tick Tock said that he attempted to court Harmonia to his viewpoint because he truly believed his goal would bring about true harmony for all. That doesn’t sound like Nihila’s influence talking.”

Venture sighed and shook her head sadly. “He sounds like he was horribly misguided. Harmonia teaches love, compassion, peace, and good will. Not just harmony and balance.”

Gilderoy shrugged. “Regardless of his allegiances, it was a wise decision. He was thorough in his genocide, and he destroyed anything that could possibly make use of the Key or hint at any trace of its existence. Without it, there was no possible way to ruin his perfect world, unless he willed it, for he could do it without the Key as he had built the Beacons himself.”

Sundial eyed the Key curiously. “So, what am I supposed ta do with this ‘Key’, exactly? Throw it at the Beacon and hope for the best?”

“First, take it to the southern continent. Take it to the old Elysian Islands that my kind once called home long, long ago, before even I was born,” Gilderoy explained as he carefully passed the Key over to her. “The systems there are much like those here in Aeropolis, but they were not catastrophically damaged by Silvertongue.

“There is a central island which houses the city’s primary system hub, the Arcanium, a sort of what you call a ‘computer’. The Key as it is now is configured to activate the northern Beacon, but the Arcanium will configure it to the southern Beacon. Then, the Key can be used to completely diffuse the Beacon’s Light energy, counterbalancing the Darkness.”

Sundial blinked as she took the Key in her hooves. “Aye? So that’s it, just take this wee gizmo south, plug it inta some computer, then plug it inta the southern Beacon, and just like that, problem solved?”

Gilderoy frowned. “Hopefully.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “What do ye mean, ‘hopefully’?”

“As we’ve said already, Harmonia hasn’t been seen in a long while. Her energy was used to activate the Beacon initially, and there is a distinct possibility that she may be needed in some capacity in order to fully diffuse it back. That might be why the Beacon wasn’t properly diffused in the first place. Silvertongue had Nihila’s essence within him and could destroy the northern Beacon, but he could not do the same in the south.”

“Aye, that does seem ta be a wee bit o’ trouble.”

Venture set her hoof on Sundial’s shoulder. “You’ll figure something out, Sundial. I believe in you!”

Sundial gave her an odd look. “Uh… thanks?”

“Incidentally,” Gilderoy said, turning back to Weaver. “Mister Weaver, from what I’ve seen of Rarity’s memories, you possess an ability unique to yourself, quite unlike anything an earth pony should be capable of. This Umbralmancy ability, where did you learn it?”

Weaver tilted his head. “Did not learn it. Infused with it at a young age, trained in its use—”

“Infused, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Through what process.”

“Unknown.”

“I see. Hmm… that is troubling, and just offers some credence to my previous concerns.”

“What do ye mean?” Sundial asked.

“Umbralmancy is a magical power known to very few. The last pony that I personally know of that used such a power was the Warden of Nihila prior to Silvertongue, Blood Beryl. Another earth pony, as it so happens. It was a power gifted to him by Nihila in his capacity as her Warden—her avatar.” He looked at Weaver and shook his head. “Mister Weaver lacks the complete control over the magic that Blood Beryl had, but I recognize it.”

Sundial looked between Weaver and Gilderoy, concerned. “Are ye suggesting… no, ye can’t be suggesting that Nihila made the lad her Warden. Are ye?”

“No, of course not. I doubt even his ‘Overseer’, Pedigree, possesses such a title. Nihila might be alive in the Dreaming, or she might not be, but even if she is she likely doesn’t possess the strength to appoint a new Warden, and if she does, she would keep them well hidden to prevent her rise from being so obvious.”

“The records I’ve studied say that when the alicorns nominate a Warden, it splits their power so that their Warden contains a portion of it,” Venture said with a clear tone. “If Mister Weaver here was Nihila’s Warden, even at a weakened state, he should be far stronger than anypony in this room.”

“Pedigree wouldn’t have allowed that,” Sundial scoffed. “And Pedigree wasn’t even strong enough ta overpower me and Flurry when we were at our worst, so he’s definitely not a Warden. What are ye getting at here, Gilderoy?”

Gilderoy gestured for Weaver to approach. “I cannot say unless I know more. If Mister Weaver would allow me, I can cast the memory spell on him much as I did with Miss Rarity, and learn more about this infusion process.”

Weaver tilted his head, but didn’t say anything.

Sundial nodded at Weaver. “If it’s alright with you, lad, go ahead. Maybe he can help you? He seems ta be pretty smart and eager ta help, aye?”

“...yes.” Weaver took a few steps forward so that he was within Gilderoy’s reach.

Gilderoy drew his wand. “Relax your thoughts now, and focus on the memories you wish me to see. Nothing more, nothing less.

Weaver closed his eyes, but stayed silent.

Gilderoy tapped his wand to Weaver’s head, and his eyes glowed white. Weaver’s did as well, hard to see through his closed eyes.

Less than a minute later, the glowing ceased, and the two were back to normal.

Weaver staggered back slightly, his eyes sad and lifeless. Until now, they’d had a small semblance of heart within them, but now they were back to how they’d been when Rarity had first seen them.

Gilderoy took a deep breath. “Forgive me, young one, that was a lot for anypony to go through.”

“What? What did you see?” Flurry asked.

Gilderoy shook his head. “It is not my place to tell you the things this poor stallion had gone through. It will be his choice to tell you, when the time comes.”

Sundial moved to Weaver’s side to comfort him. “What happened? What’s wrong, Weaver?”

Weaver remained silent, not even acknowledging her voice with a flick of his ears.

“What did ye do ta him?” Sundial grunted.

“Reliving those memories was painful,” Gilderoy sighed. “Forgive me for asking him to do it. No creature should have to experience such things twice, and he had repressed those memories in his head for years. It is my fault that he remembers them now. Give him time.”

“I sure hope you found out something good, then, if you made him go through that,” Flurry said with a frown.

“A few things, actually. Disturbing things.” Gilderoy shook his head. “His powers come from what little is left of the northern Beacon’s energy. Nihila’s energy. It is not quite the same as inheriting the powers of a Warden—a mere imitation, in fact—but it is more power than a pony of his kind should be capable of.”

“Pedigree was infusing ponies with, what, Darkness?” Bluebolt asked.

“Correct. And not just Pedigree. He merely continued the work that Silvertongue had done before him, but lacked Silvertongue’s patience, drive for perfection, and a direct connection with Nihila. The process Pedigree used is imperfect. Flawed. Dangerous. Weaver is lucky he survived the process.”

“Oh dear,” Rarity murmured.

Symphony hummed. “He mentioned other ‘survivors’ too. Does that mean that the others didn’t survive the process?”

Gilderoy frowned. “That would be an astute assumption, Miss Symphony. He does not know an exact number, but it’s quite high.”

“Where would they even find the volunteers for this?” Bluebolt asked. “Weaver said they were barely three years old! Did parents subject their kids to this… this project?”

“I will say no more on that subject, Princess,” Gilderoy said quickly. “That is not my place to tell. Forgive me if that seems unfair, but that is personal to him. I would not reveal such a thing and break the trust that I established in our vision together. I only reveal to you what I can, what he has permitted me to.”

“And you say this is connected to Nihila somehow?” Symphony asked. “How? Is that where Pedigree comes in?”

“It is. Mister Weaver does not know the specifics, though he certainly did pay as much attention as he could. As best as he could tell, Pedigree was a lucid dreamer, and it was through these dreams that Pedigree based his actions and directed him towards the Void rifts.”

Flurry’s eyes widened. “Did you say he had dreams? Visions? Did Pedigree ever say what he saw?”

Gilderoy shook his head. “No, he was never so revealing, but I am naturally quite suspicious.” He cleared his throat. “Forgive me. I believe that I let my curiosity and nose for facts and data cause undue harm to him and to distract me from the task at, well, hoof, I suppose.”

Sundial paused, eyeing the Key in her hoof. “Aye…”

“Regrettably, Miss Sundial, the Beacon Key is the only solution that I can offer you. The worst case scenario is that it simply doesn’t work.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

He shrugged. “Then another solution will need to be considered. But I will tell you that the southern Beacon needs to be diffused of its energy if you wish to put a stop to the troubles gripping our world. It might not solve the problem on its own, but it will at least be the first, most important step.”

Sundial sighed, nodded, and tucked the Key into her saddlebag. “Well, I’ve done things on worse odds than that before, so I might as well give it a try.”

Gilderoy smiled. “Well spoken. Now, if there’s nothing else I can help you all with, I believe that your little troupe had plans to leave the ruins of Aeropolis after sealing that Void rift before you got sidetracked by all of this business. I am sorry that I threw another task at you in the process, and that I seem to have hurt Mister Weaver as well. So, to make it up to you, I can send you anywhere in the city from here.”

“Aye? Well, that’s helpful.”

“There wouldn’t happen to be an exit to the north, would there?” Bluebolt asked. “Because even if you send us to the southern exit where we came in, we’d have to go all the way back around to get to our original destination. That’s several hours of our time wasted.”

Gilderoy smiled. “Well, there is in fact a northern exit out of the city, but I’m afraid it doesn’t lead out of the Goldridge Mountains itself so—”

“Actually, there’s a northern exit out o’ the mountains these days,” Sundial noted with a grin. “That was where we were heading, so we could take the new tunnel passage near there. It’s a complicated route, aye, but it keeps us out o’ the thunderblizzards.”

“Ah, is that so? You ponies sure have been busy in the past twenty-one years, haven’t you?” Gilderoy said with a grin of his own. “Very well, I can send you there if you’re all done with your business here?”

“I don’t think we’ve got anything else ta handle, do we?” Sundial asked.

Rarity stepped up to Gilderoy. “Just one thing.”

“Hmm? What is it, Miss Rarity?”

She leaned up and hugged the old gryphon as best she could, despite her size compared to his. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me and my friends, now, and in the past. If it wasn’t for you… if it wasn’t for you, my friends and I never would’ve made it home. I would’ve never seen my family again. So, thank you.”

Gilderoy smiled and hugged Rarity back. “It’s been a pleasure, my dear. I’m just an old gryphon with not much to offer the world anymore, so it warms my heart to know that I had such an impact on the life of another.”

He paused, then smiled and drew his wand back out. Without a word, he tapped it to Rarity’s horn. She felt a surge of energy pulse through her body.

“Wh-what was that?” she asked.

“The last time you were here, I helped you and your friends unlock your potential in this world, which was fueled by your connection to your world’s ‘Elements of Harmony’, as you well remember?” He said with a grin. “I can tell that in the intervening years back at home that that power no longer existed within you to such a degree, but you’re back here now. I merely helped you reawaken that connection.”

Rarity’s smiled brightened. “I hadn’t even thought to ask that of you. Thank you, I’m certain it will come in handy.”

“Hopefully, my dear, you won’t need it.”

“What did ya just do ta her?” Bloom asked.

“When I was here last, with your sister and our friends, Mister Gilderoy helped us unlock… special abilities that were linked to our special talents, which put us on even ground against Starlight Shadow and her sisters when they were decidedly less-than-friendly.”

Bloom’s eyes widened. “Ya mean like when Applejack could turn inta rocks 'n' stuff?!” She turned excitedly to Gilderoy. “Can ya do the same ta me? Please?”

Gilderoy shook his head. “I am afraid it will not work quite like that. Your sister’s power was drawn from her connection to those ‘Elements’ and thus, you would need a similar connection to make that work. I am sorry.”

Bluebolt raised a hoof. “How about us? Could we ‘unlock’ something like that?”

Again, he shook his head. “You are native to this world, I am afraid, so while your natural abilities and magics might be greater than theirs are in their world, you also lack that sort of special connection. I am sorry that I cannot be of any help, Princess.”

Rarity smiled slightly at Bluebolt and Apple Bloom. “If it helps, darlings, the ability that I had was to grant greater potential to the natural abilities of others. If we need something of that sort, you can be sure that I’ll give you all that I can.”

Bloom scuffed her hoof on the floor. “Aw, shucks…”

Gilderoy gave Rarity a stern look briefly. “However, Miss Rarity, I will give you a brief warning: do not, under any circumstances, use your ability on Mister Weaver,” he said, gesturing to the earth pony. “His body is filled with so much Dark energy—against his will, as you now know—that interacting with your brimming Light could very well do him great harm.”

Rarity frowned. “Oh dear, does that even include things like healing magic and the like?”

“No, since that only interacts with his physical form. But your ability interacts with his inner magic, which will be quite a hostile reaction, I assure you.” He turned to Weaver briefly and shook his head sadly. “I am sorry again, Mister Weaver, for what I did. Had I known what you’d been through—”

Weaver shifted his ears towards Gilderoy and gave a weak shake of his own head. “Not your fault… fault lies with Pedigree…”

Sundial nodded. “Damn right, bloody well said, lad. That twat can go die in a ditch for all the good he’s done the world.”

Gilderoy turned to the others and let out a breath. “Well then, if you ponies are ready to go?”

There was a general murmur of approval. Gilderoy swished his wand through the air again in a big flamboyant gesture and, with a bright flash, everypony in the room vanished without a trace, leaving him all alone once again.


*****


The group made camp just outside the northern exit of the old ruins, where Gilderoy had transported them to. They were eager to get some sleep after spending far too long on their “brief” detour. With a new member of the traveling party, there had been some discussion at first on how to make sleeping arrangements, but things turned out to not need changing.

There was only one tent left—the kirin didn’t have any replacements—and that went to Symphony, Bluebolt, and Apple Bloom. Two of the three sleeping bags went to Rarity and Flurry Heart so that they could sleep comfortably even on the rocky ground or out in the cold. The third sleeping bag went to Sundial, who shared with Weaver. The others of the group, minus Flurry, found it confusing, even disconcerting, but didn’t argue with Sundial about it lest she start swearing and shouting about them “minding their own business”, in less kind words, of course.

The new member, Venture, was a mystery to the group. She refused to share a sleeping bag or tent with anypony, even refused to take the group’s few blankets to make due, and just slept as-is on the ground with a rock for a pillow. She even seemed to be more comfortable than the others were with that arrangement if that was at all possible. Not to mention the general confusion when asked where her heavier clothes were for when they headed outdoors, as she didn’t have any. She just chalked it up to be used to roughing it and said it wasn’t any big deal.

The following day, the group set off through the Goldridge caverns again, and, thanks to the exit they’d taken, they had barely lost an hour off of their original itinerary. 

Rarity considered that the entire detour had been more of a benefit than a drawback, all things considered: the group as a whole had a great deal of new information to go by that might help figure out how to get her, Bloom, and Flurry home; Sundial had a new goal of sorts to put an end to the troubles that her world was still going through, and Rarity was happy to try and help if she could while she was here; Rarity had gotten to see a dear old friend that she never thought she’d see or hear from ever again, the first familiar face on this entire journey; they’d gotten some details about Weaver’s past, few though they were; and, of course, Rarity now felt herself brimming with power she hadn’t felt in twenty-one years. She felt young again.

The caverns led out onto a snowy series of ledges that didn’t have a proper trail to walk along, so climbing down was rather difficult and took a few hours, but once they were at the bottom they were back on the flat, solid ground of the Great Expanse’s northern reaches. From here they were only a few miles from the outer wall of New Pandemonium City itself.

The city still stood as imposing and vast as ever, which was no surprise to Rarity. She could still see the hideous smog that covered the city’s skyline even from here, though it didn’t seem as bad now that the actual sky could be seen overhead. Though she did find it amusing to see the smog mixing in with the natural clouds that rained snow onto the city. She wondered what sort of awful snow the city ponies had to deal with, considering they had to deal with something called “acid rain”.

As they walked alongside the mountain, Venture, the newcomer, seemed eager to talk to her newfound traveling companions about anything and everything she could. Sundial had already bluntly chased her off, though Venture didn’t seem bothered by it. She merely switched her attention elsewhere. Currently, it was on Symphony.

“So, are you a swordfighter or something?” she asked as she trotted alongside Symphony, who was trotting alongside Bluebolt, not far ahead of Rarity.

Symphony rolled her eyes. “Yes, I am. What tipped you off, the sword strapped to my back?”

“Well yeah, obviously,” Venture said with a smile. “I saw that it was broken. How did that happen?”

Symphony tilted her head towards Flurry. “She had some kind of tug-of-war with that Pedigree asino, and it sort of broke in half. I’ll have to get it replaced.” She sighed. “Same with my rapier.”

“You had a rapier too?”

“Yeah, but I lost it when we were dealing with those damned kirin psychopaths. That’s my fault, nopony else’s. I got careless.”

“Aww, songbird, don’t say that,” Bluebolt said pulling Symphony close with her wing. “You did the best you could with the information you had, and you fought like a hero. I’m proud of you.”

“Hmph… thanks, pecha, but still, that’s gonna be one hell of an embarrassing conversation when we get back home and I need to get both replaced. Ugh…”

“If you don’t mind my asking, where did you learn how to fight?” Venture continued. “I noticed when you were getting ready to fight Mister Gilderoy—before we knew who he was—that your stance resembles the kind used by zebras: hindquarters up so that you can use your tail to wield the sword.”

Symphony blinked. “Uh… yeah, that’s right. One of my instructors was a zebra. She taught me all of the proper stances so I could keep myself defended from multiple angles, and so that I could use my sword without magic if I needed to. It’s hard as hell, but I’m pretty decent at it.”

“Oh? Then why do you use your magic to swordfight?”

“Because my other instructor taught me how to use a sword like a ‘proper unicorn’, he said.” She gave a little chuckle. “He used to be a top-notch swordfighter where he came from, one of the best in the world, actually.”

“Hmm… considering the angle you held your sword at and your use of a rapier, was he a member of House Waters from Seaside?”

Symphony and Bluebolt gawked at Venture. “H-how did you know that?”

Venture tilted her head. “Well, I study all sorts of ancient customs and societies as part of my explorations, y’know, and that includes ancient pony stuff. House Waters has a long history of producing great swordfighters that use that particular style… what’s it called? ‘Water Dancing’?”

Bluebolt laughed. “Holy crap, you’re just like my mom. Just whipping out the know-how like nopony’s business and making everypony else look silly while you’re doing it.”

Venture frowned. “Oh dear, I’m sorry, did I upset you? I didn’t mean—”

“No no, don’t worry about it, it’s… kind of a compliment.”

Symphony chuckled. “Yeah, well, to answer your question, yes, I’m trained in both Water Dancing and the traditional zebra style. I put the two together to make up my own unique style. I’m not the best swordfighter in the world, but I’m trying to get there.”

Bluebolt tucked her wing around Symphony. “And you will, songbird, you will. My cousin’s not going to be the best swordfighter in the world forever, y’know? You’ve got what it takes to beat him someday, I just know it!”

Symphony rolled her eyes. “I know, I know, but Silver Shine’s just so damn good! It’s not fair, really…”

“Silver Shine?” Venture asked, looking to Bluebolt. “Would he happen to be from House Silver, in Utopia? He’s your cousin?”

Bluebolt tilted her head. “Huh? Oh, yeah. My mom’s stepmom’s younger sister’s son… so, my cousin… I think? Self-professed best swordfighter in the world, and he’s done nothing but back it up since he was younger than we are now. Do you know him?”

“No, but I was just curious. That’s a rather famous House, y’know? Silvertongue himself hailed from it. Lots of noble ponies from that House.”

“Ha! Noble? Shine’s just a stuffed-shirt cretino as far as I’m concerned,” Symphony scoffed.

“Hey, watch it, that’s family you’re talking about,” Bluebolt tutted, digging her wingtip into Symphony’s ear. Then, she smiled. “Even if he is a jerk sometimes.”

Symphony gave her a sidelong glance.

“Okay, most of the time.”

Another glance.

“Okay, all of the time! Sheesh.”

Sundial stopped the group after they crested over a hill, then looked off into the distance towards the city. “What in the bloody hell is that?” she asked nopony in particular. 

She gestured towards the city walls, and the others of the group looked out to see what she was pointing at. Even from this great distance they could see dozens of sleek airships parked out in the snow. Several of them were being covered with what looked like protective tarps. The group was too far to see much else, but the ships were clearly huge, heavy constructs. 

“Those look like… airships?” Bluebolt said, a hoof above her eyes to try and get a better view. “I’ve seen enough of them back home to know what airship engines look like. Those ships are huge though. We don’t have anything like that in our fleet, at least not that I know about.”

“What are they all parked out here in the cold for, though?” Symphony asked. “The city’s on total lockdown, so they don’t have airships leaving or coming in for any reason whatsoever, and haven’t for a long, long time. Nopony gets in or out, remember? By land or air.”

Bluebolt shook her head. “No way those are civilian transports. They’re too big. You could fit thousands of passengers in a ship that big. They might be cargo ships, but… the city doesn’t have any trade alliances with anypony.”

“Well they can’t be military ships, right? The whole NPAF fleet got dismantled after your mom kicked the shit out of three of their biggest cruisers by herself in a beat-up piece of junk.”

Rarity chuckled, remembering the battle rather vividly. “That certainly was quite an experience. I still sometimes have a little fear of heights because of that whole affair—did you know I almost fell out of the airship? Dreadfully frightening. Though I do think Briarthorn would give you quite an earful for calling his poor ship a piece of junk.”

Symphony scoffed, clearly a little miffed. “Ah, whatever, he doesn’t know me so I can call it whatever I want. If that pezzo di spazzatura of his was better equipped, maybe it wouldn’t have been so easy to board and sabotage, huh? Maybe Gadget and Crossfire—”

Bluebolt set a wing on Symphony’s shoulder to calm her down. “Songbird, you know my mom told you not to say that. She knows better than anypony that it’s not the ship’s fault, or Briarthorn’s, or anypony’s except that… thing that snuck on board. Blame that thing and his stupid boss, not anypony else.”

Symphony let out a breath. “Sorry. Sorry. It just bothers me, that’s all. It’s not fair that they had to die…”

Bluebolt frowned, then shook her head. “Well… anyway, you’re right, those definitely can’t be military ships, because they dismantled their whole fleet.”

“Incorrect,” Weaver suddenly said, unprompted.

Bluebolt and Symphony—the whole group, really, but notably those two—looked to him in surprise. “Did… you say something?” Bluebolt asked. “Before I asked you to say anything?”

Weaver tilted his head. “Yes.”

Symphony scratched her head. “Huh… wow, okay. That’s new.”

Flurry smiled and gently shook Sundial in delight. “He’s getting better at talking to ponies, Sundial. We’re making progress! This is wonderful!”

Sundial smirked and patted Flurry on the shoulder proudly. “Aye, lass. We did right by the lad getting him out o’ that situation.”

“You said ‘incorrect’,” Bluebolt continued. “What do you mean?”

“Those are military ships, Pandemonium-class. Your contrary statement earlier was incorrect.”

“That’s impossible,” Symphony scoffed. “They melted down every weapon and ship in the fleet after what happened at Hope’s Point. Their central leadership was demolished when Admiral Hotstreak went all psycho and their best cruisers proved incapable of shooting down one little ship. Hope’s Point was repaired within three months and even got stronger because of it.”

Bluebolt nodded. “Yeah, that whole thing embarrassed the hell out of them. We watched the old news reports in our history class. And besides, we still have all sorts of algorithms and detection devices set up to discover that kind of stuff. It all goes through their bureaucracy, and we’ve got that monitored. Unless it’s going through the old Pandora Tower database? Mom could never get that thing tapped.”

“Partially correct: dismantled Gargantuan-class cruisers, adjusted leadership positions, dismantled other superfluous systems. Developed new class of airship to capitalize on strengths of previous models, eliminate weaknesses. Process done in secret, only known to NPAF leadership and Conclave.”

“Conclave?” Bluebolt asked. “What the hell is that? Do you mean the Committee that oversees the day-to-day stuff?”

“No. New city leadership, filled void left after former city leader disappeared. Separate from Committee.”

Rarity frowned. “Former city leader… that would be Silvertongue.”

“Correct, recent information confirms this. However, Conclave formed to fill the void. Overseer Pedigree is a Conclave member, runs the Shadow Candidate Project, coordinates with NPAF for weapon development. His drones are of NPAF design.”

“Okay okay, that’s all well and good, but go back a bit,” Bluebolt said, flustered. “You said they’ve been secretly developing a new fleet? Is that what this is?” She gestured out onto the ships in the snow for emphasis.

Weaver looked out on the ships, tilting his head. Then he nodded. “Yes.”

“Shit,” Symphony spat. “We’ve gotta get this news to Hope’s Point, and fast. This is un grande affare if I’ve ever seen one. Her Majesty is gonna blow a gasket.”

“Tell me about it,” Bluebolt muttered. “How the hell did we miss this?”

“Developments are kept secret, city bureaucracy is uninvolved,” Weaver sated. “Only select few—”

“Yeah yeah, we heard you.” She paused. “Wait, then how’d you find all of this out?”

“Overseer Pedigree is involved in some developments. Often speaks freely to himself on matters when alone. Considered himself alone even if… when I was present.” Weaver, for the first time, cracked a very small grin. 

The group noticed, particularly Flurry and Sundial. “Oh my goodness, look!” Flurry nearly squealed. “I’ve never felt so proud of a pony before. He’s really recovering, Sundial.”

“Never considered it worth keeping from me,” Weaver continued. “Never thought I would listen or understand. Considered earth ponies unintelligent. Incorrect. I listened. I understood. I analyzed when he was unaware. I learned.”

Bloom snorted. “Well, serves him right then, I guess, that jerk.”

Sundial allowed herself to laugh proudly. “See? You all thought Flurry and I were loony bringing the lad along, but now look at ye. Besides getting better, he’s even helping ye in ways ye hadn’t ever thought o’ before, aye? Disabling traps, giving ye key intelligence, the bloody works! Ha! Ha ha!”

“She’s never gonna let us forget this, is she?” Symphony muttered to Bluebolt.

“Nope,” Bluebolt muttered back. She shook her head. “So, Weaver, do you know what these ships are going to be used for? Are they going to attack Hope’s Point?”

Weaver tilted his head as he eyed the ships. “Unknown. Overseer Pedigree never discussed military action, only weapon development. However, deployment in current formation and completion state suggests an attack is forthcoming.” He gestured towards the tarp-like things covering the ships. “New weather protection ‘sleeves’ absorb lightning to produce power, protects from cold and wind, will be used to power ships come spring.”

Bluebolt paled. “Shit, we need to warn my mom!”

Sundial set her hoof on Bluebolt’s shoulder. “Calm yerself, lass. They’re not going anywhere right now, aye? The whole northern continent is gonna be covered in those bloody thunderblizzards within the next two days, and Hope’s Point itself is already under a big one. Ye ain’t gonna be able ta get word ta anypony just yet, but they’re not gonna be going anywhere either.”

“But… what if they developed a secret defense against the thunderblizzards? They could move south and attack and the Hope’s Point fleet wouldn’t be able to defend against it!”

Weaver shook his head. “Incorrect, NPAF’s new leadership opts for different approach. No shielding saves money and material, allows more ships to be developed, ships and crews now considered expendable. Cannot fly ships through thunderblizzards in any capacity, hence weather protection sleeves.” 

Symphony let out a breath of relief. “Thank the stars for that. That means we’ve got time.”

Sundial grunted. “Aye, and a good thing too. This is a lot bigger than Hope’s Point, ye know?”

“Huh?”

Sundial shook her head. “That airfield they’re setting up is positioned such that they’ll have ta fly over Goldridge en route ta Hope’s Point. Considering Goldridge is allies with Hope’s Point, they’ll be a target for sure, aye?”

Rarity gasped. “Oh dear, that’s where we’ll be! Oh no, we’re not going to go through a dreadful siege again, are we?”

“Och, easy now, lass, I’ve got a plan.” Sundial took a deep breath. “Our first order o’ business is getting ta Goldridge, aye? When we get there, we’ve got a lot ta do, but we have a while ta do it in. Nopony’s going anywhere in the thunderblizzards. Not us, and not the NPAF. 

“So, while we’re getting ye lot all settled in and figuring out what ta do about getting ye home, and while we’re making plans ta head south ta handle this blasted Beacon problem, I’ll also be talking with Tick Tock and Pewter about arranging ta evacuate Goldridge as soon as the thunderblizzards let up enough ta travel.”

“But how are we gonna make it to Hope’s Point in time if we wait that long?” Bluebolt asked.

“The storms move north, aye? They’ll be dying down around Hope’s Point first, then a few days later near Goldridge, then a few days later up here near Pandemonium. We’ll have ta make fast time and do it with a lot o’ folk, but we’ll have a head-start over the NPAF. Hopefully it’ll be enough. Trust me, aye? That’ll all I’m asking.”

Rarity took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ve trusted you this far, Sundial. And you’ve done nothing but prove, time and time again, that I have not misplaced that trust. So even though this sounds completely unfeasible, even if I have my doubts, and even if I’m dreadfully frightened that everything is going to go wrong… I trust you.”

Bluebolt paused, then nodded. “Yeah. Me too. You’ve always been straight with me and Symphony, and a good friend, too. If anypony’ll think of a way to make all of this work, it’s you. We’ve got your back.”

Sundial looked between the two of them, then cleared her throat and tugged her collar. “Aye, cheers then, I appreciate that. Now, if nopony has any other worries or questions or complaints, we need ta get moving, aye? Goldridge is about two days south through the new tunnels, and we’ve got ta make every minute count now.”

The group nodded as one in agreement.