Chapter Seven
"Trixie must admit," Trixie said as she looked at the book she was studying. "She is creeped out by the thought of meeting a Pony of Shadows."
"Well, at least it isn't a piece of Nightmare Moon like the legends claimed," Rainbow Dash said from her own spot as she tried to focus on a different book, though from the way she was constantly twitching and flicking her wings, she wasn't having much success. "From what Starswirl's saying, apparently it happened before she ever existed."
"True. Trixie - I am still creeped out though." Trixie shivered, before she turned back to studying her book.
The entire group had gathered in a private area of Canterlot Castle's library soon after the big reveal, where the twelve of them were hard at work on researching the six ponies Celestia had named, along with the information in Starswirl's journal. Twilight in particular was trying to figure out where this final showdown had actually taken place, but work was slow-going though, and even Sunburst had to admit that he'd had a tough time deciphering parts of the journal.
"I don't blame you," Spike had muttered when he'd seen it. "I think one of Fluttershy's chickens could write clearer than this!"
His remark had brought on a lot of laughs, before they'd thrown themselves into their work. That had been a few hours before though, and as late as it was, some of them were getting tired.
Finally, Moondancer sighed as she looked up from her own book. "I hate to say it, but Trixie and I need to duck out for a bit," she said. "Dream Guard work."
Twilight nodded. "It's okay," she said. "We'll see you in the morning then." She gave each of the two a hug. "I'm going to keep going for a little while longer."
"Just make sure you get some sleep of your own, okay?" Moondancer smiled as she hugged Twilight back.
"I will," Twilight promised.
When the two had left, she went back to studying the journal. "Spike was right," she muttered. "His hornwriting is terrible."
"No kidding," Tempest remarked as she peered over Twilight's shoulder. "How did he even understand it himself?"
"Very carefully, I imagine," Starlight said as she walked over. "I- hmm..."
"Starlight?" Twilight asked.
"It's bad, but I've seen worse," Starlight said. "Let's see... Hearg sylfum se Ponhenge. What's that?"
"The Temple of Ponhenge!" Twilight looked at her in astonishment. "What else does it say?"
"Toward dol grimlic of Fola Firgenbeorg," Starlight read. "User endemest scield."
"At the base of Foal Mountain, our last stand," Sunburst breathed. "That's it!"
Twilight looked around at her friends who were still there. "Well, it looks like we have our heading." She looked down at Spike. "Spike? Can you make sure we have a skimmer ready at dawn?"
Spike gave her a thumbs-up. "Sure thing!"
"Then let's get some shut-eye. We leave first thing in the morning!" Twilight grinned, and everyone else nodded in approval.
About ten hours later, after a sound night's sleep and a quick breakfast, eleven ponies and one dragon boarded the same larger airskimmer that they'd used for their trip to Laronda and headed out.
"Foal Mountain isn't that far away, comparatively speaking," Twilight was explaining. "Fillydelphia is on the far side of it."
"Yeah, but it's near Hollow Shades," Rainbow Dash contributed. "That place is creepy."
"Creepiness aside, hopefully we'll be able to get some answers," Applejack said. "And Ah have the feelin' this ain't gonna be the only place we have to stop before this is all over."
There was a round of nods.
"It's gonna be so exciting when we meet all of them!" Pinkie squeed from her own seat. "Especially Somnambula. She was awesome!"
Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. "Personally, I like Flash Magnus better. He never turned his back on his teammates, no matter the danger."
"I always preferred Mistmane," Rarity said. "She was so selfless and heartfelt, it really changed her friend Sable Spirit for the better."
Applejack chuckled. "Rockhoof for me," she said. "Apple Bloom loves to hear his story."
Fluttershy ducked her head shyly. "Um, I read Mage Meadowbrook's story, when we were researching," she said. "She seemed really nice."
"And of course we know how much Twilight hero-worships Starswirl," Spike said as he focused on the controls.
"I think most unicorns who were studying at Princess Celestia's school hero-worshipped Starswirl," Moondancer commented. "Even me, to some extent."
"Trixie must confess, she's a bigger fan of Hoofdini," Trixie said from her own seat. "But she understands why Twilight likes Starswirl."
Twilight nodded eagerly. "I can't wait to ask him about some of his work," she said. "Even if he is a little cranky when we meet him."
Sunburst nodded in agreement, then noticed Starlight looking over the journal and carefully transcribing parts of it onto another scroll. "Starlight?"
"My hornwriting's not perfect, but it's better than his," Starlight said as she focused. "Maybe, if I copy it over, you guys can have an easier time of reading it." She hoofed one paper over to Sunburst, who scanned over it and nodded.
"That is better," he said. "Thank you."
"No problem," Starlight told him.
"So, what are we going to do when we get there?" Tempest suddenly asked. "I mean, this whole battle happened over a thousand years ago. What kind of evidence would be left?"
"You'd be surprised at how durable magic artifacts can be," Twilight told her. "And some non-magical ones. The Castle of the Two Sisters is still standing, and it's over a thousand years old... and all the books they had there were still intact too!"
"Including one that should have been thrown in a volcano rather than just locked away," Rarity said with a huff. "We... had a slight incident with one dark magic spellbook I discovered there, without knowing it was dark magic, while you were away, darling. Thankfully, Princess Celestia noticed what was happening and stepped in before it could cause too much trouble."
"Oh, the Inspiration Manifestation spell?" Twilight flicked her ears. "She wrote me about that. She said at least your creations were mostly harmless, compared to what some other ponies would have done with it."
Rarity looked embarrassed. "Still, the fact that I let myself fall under its influence in the first place..."
Trixie reached over and patted her shoulder. "So long as you did not attempt to enslave others and control their minds, I can safely say, you have done far less damage than I did under those kinds of influences," she said.
Rarity blushed. "Well... there is that," she admitted.
Talk soon turned to other subjects, and about an hour later, they'd landed at the base of the mountain and begun looking around. Soon, they found what they were looking for: a large circular clearing covered in a flat, circular stone, with a strange well-like spot in the center and a set of six boulders around the edges, with stone slabs behind them.
"This place is a mess," Tempest muttered as she pushed one vine out of the way. "If it weren't for the risk involved in hanging around this area, I almost wish I'd let Grubber come along. He'd do a good job of clearing some of this stuff."
"Mess or no mess, the runes here are incredible," Sunburst remarked as he studied the markings on one of the large slabs. "Have you ever seen anything like them, Twilight?"
"No," Twilight admitted, setting Starswirl's journal down on another rock. "This is-"
Then she cut herself off as she saw the book begin to glow, and flip open. A moment later, an image of Starswirl sprung up from it, and then five others from the larger rocks that made up the edges of Ponhenge.
"The Pillars..." someone whispered.
The hologram of Starswirl lowered his horn and fired a beam from it, causing a black sphere to arise from the well in the middle, before reshaping itself into a massive shadowy figure with glowing white eyes, causing Trixie to shiver.
"You summon me at your peril, Starswirl! Once I defeat all of you, this realm will embrace the darkness as I did so long ago!" the hologram declared. Rearing back, it roared, and released shadowy vines from itself, wrapping them around each of the Pillars.
Starswirl grimaced, before his horn glowed and severed the vines. The Pony of Shadows, however, only laughed. "Drawing me here will only make me stronger. You will never defeat me!"
Starswirl shook his head. "We did not come here to defeat you," he said. A holographic journal rose up behind him, and lit up, releasing a beam of light. One by one, the other Pillars also held up items, the beams of light traveling between them until they'd formed a hexagon around the edges of the clearing.
"What are you doing?" the Pony of Shadows demanded.
"We came," Starswirl declared, "To contain you!"
Then all seven of them began to rise into the air, the Pony of Shadows screaming in shock before there was a brilliant flash of light.
And then, the Pillars and their enemy were gone.
Only six holographic objects remained, each falling to the ground and blinking out, before only Starswirl's journal remained and closed itself.
"That was... unexpected," Moondancer said, still clearly startled by all they'd seen.
"Yeah," Sunburst agreed. "But I think I know what happened. Whatever they did to imprison the Pony of Shadows, it was a powerful magic, and it left an impression on this place. So when we brought one of the original artifacts they used for the spell, it let us see what happened!"
"You're right," Twilight agreed. "Starswirl and the rest of the Pillars sacrificed themselves to save Equestria. I guess their spell was different from what the Elements of Harmony did when they were used to defeat Nightmare Moon, or Discord..."
"But what exactly did they do?" Starlight asked.
Tempest looked around. "They said they were going to contain him," she said. "My guess? They trapped him in some kind of other dimension, and themselves with him."
"Contained?" Twilight repeated. "Then... they could be released!" She looked excited.
"And the Pony of Shadows with them," Trixie said nervously. "Unless you have some way to get rid of his powers when he comes back too?"
"We might just be able to," Applejack said slowly. "The six of us together..."
"But... how do we release them?" Rarity asked. "It can't be as easy as simply reproducing and reversing their spell, can it?"
"We use their artifacts," Rainbow Dash said, drawing everyone's attention. "I've seen it before, in the Daring Do novels - there was this place called the Temple of the Great Crossing, and the ponies who built it had sealed it up with special symbols of power for each of them. Only those keys could unlock it again, so she could get in and get the treasure inside that she needed to beat some other monster and stop it from destroying the town it was hidden under. I'd bet almost anything that we need to do the same thing here, using the items they had when they were sealing up the Pony of Shadows."
"So it looks like we've got a fetch quest on our hands," Spike said from next to Twilight. "Neat!"
Twilight nodded. "We need to get back to Canterlot... and probably Ponyville too. We're going to need to do some more research and get supplies for this."
Scooping up the journal, she led them back to the skimmer, and the group was soon on its way again.
By the time they'd gotten back, the group had formulated a plan, based on the most likely places for the five items they needed. Applejack had agreed to go to Rockhoof's home island in order to try and find his shovel, while Rarity would visit Mistmane's village to retrieve her flower. Fluttershy would go to the Hayseed Swamp in order to recover Meadowbrook's mask, while Pinkie would go to the village of Somnambula, where they believed its namesake's blindfold could be found.
"That just leaves Flash Magnus's shield, and I'm not sure where to begin looking for it," Twilight admitted. "Rainbow Dash, I think this one should be yours, once I do some more research and hopefully figure out where it might be."
Rainbow Dash nodded.
"Anything the rest of us can do?" Starlight asked.
"Starlight, you can keep transcribing the journal so Sunburst and I can read and translate it," Twilight said. "Moondancer, Trixie, you can help us research more. Tempest..."
"I should probably go with one of the girls on their quest, just to make sure they stay safe," Tempest said. "If that's okay."
Fluttershy nodded. "I'd like some company, if you don't mind."
"What about me?" Spike asked from the pilot's seat.
"I'll need you to help me keep some of this information organized," Twilight told him. "And to send Celestia a quick message asking for a few more pilots, so everyone can get where they're going as fast as they can."
"All right."
It took them another hour or two, but by early afternoon, four airskimmers were on their way to different parts of Equestria, and Twilight and most of her immediate team were hard at work in the library. Two others, however, were running an errand for her.
"Thanks for coming with me, Rainbow Dash," Spike told the prismatic mare as the two walked along.
"Hey, no problem," Rainbow Dash told him. "What are friends for?"
Spike chuckled. "Come on, we'd better get those books Twilight wanted from her office."
As the two headed into the school, they spotted a couple of the students still hanging around outside, and one of them waved. "Hey, Spike!"
"Hey, Smolder," Spike called back.
"What's up?" the other dragon asked.
"Gotta get some stuff from Twilight's office," Spike told her as she came over.
"Cool."
"So what's the big adventure this time?" Garble asked as he came up behind his sister, looking at Spike.
"Ah, gotta retrieve a couple of artifacts from around Equestria," Rainbow Dash said lightly. "Still trying to figure out where that shield went to before I can go pick it up."
"Shield?" Smolder blinked. "Didn't you have a shield in your hoard back home, Gar-Gar?"
“I said not to call me that in public,” he grumbled under his breath. "But... yeah, I think I did. Made a great surfboard on the lava flows."
Spike and Rainbow Dash traded glances, before Rainbow Dash held up a hoof. "Hold that thought, I'll be right back," she announced.
The three dragons watched her fly off, before Garble looked at Spike. "So, what's it for?"
"One of the keys to releasing six of Equestria's greatest heroes from a prison of their own making," Spike told him.
"Whoa."
"Yeah." Spike grinned.
Rainbow Dash came back a moment later, a book in hoof. "Is this what the shield looks like?" she asked as she flipped to a page.
Examining the illustration, Garble nodded. "That's it exactly," he said. "If you guys really need it, it's all yours."
"Thanks, Garble," Spike told him.
"No problem," the older dragon replied. "What are friends for?"
All of them smiled.
It wasn't until two days later that everyone had returned with the items they needed and exciting stories to tell, including Spike and Rainbow Dash arriving back from the Dragon Lands with the shield.
"Good thing Garble sent a note with us to say it was okay to take it," Rainbow Dash remarked as she presented the shield to Twilight. "I don't think his folks would have been too happy with us otherwise, even if Ember did vouch for us."
Twilight nodded. "Smart thinking of him," she said proudly. "We've got everything we need now, including the new spell to release the Pillars and then re-confine the Pony of Shadows."
"And now that everyone's home, we go back to Ponhenge at dawn tomorrow," Moondancer added, Twilight nodding in approval.
"Rest up, everyone," she said. "It's going to be a big day."
The night passed, and after a few hours of flight, the team arrived at their destination.
"Here we go," Twilight said as she placed Starswirl's journal down on the same rock, the others setting their artifacts down as well. "Starlight, Sunburst, it's time. Everyone else, be ready."
Then she lit up her horn, and the trio cast the spell.
Starswirl's journal lit up, extending lines of light that connected to the shield, and extended from it to each of the other items in turn. Once again, the hexagon of magic formed, and the items lifted into the air, spinning before releasing six ponies.
"Quickly! Get them to safety!" Twilight called, seeing large rocks appear above the six.
There was no time for anyone to reply as they did what she said. Nor was there time for Twilight to say anymore, as she gestured to her friends to get into position, even as she heard Starswirl groan behind her, watching him out of the corner of her eye.
"What... What has happened?" he asked as he got to his feet.
"There's no time to explain!" Twilight called. "Everyone ready?"
"Mm-hmm!" came the replies, as eight Powers began to glow and three other unicorns lit their horns.
Then there was an evil laugh as a black sphere appeared and tentacle-like extensions emerged from it, the sphere taking the shape of a monstrous pony.
"Now!" Twilight called.
Light filled the clearing and encircled the Pony of Shadows.
"Come... on..." Twilight muttered.
"Ah-hah-hah-hah!" the monster laughed, before extending its wings and breaking the bindings. "Foolish ponies! Your pitiful attempt to contain me has failed!"
Twilight stared. "How..."
"The Pony of Shadows is no mere mortal," Starswirl said as he stepped forward. "It is a monster from the darkest pits of Equestria, the strongest of the Shadow Pony Sect made even stronger from its union with a mortal filled with hatred!"
"True," the Pony of Shadows acknowledged. "But you do indeed have power together, young ones. Not enough to defeat me yet... and once I free my people, you will never have enough power to defeat us!"
His laughter grew, as he suddenly turned into a single bolt of dark magic, and shot into the sky.
"No..." Starswirl muttered, before he turned to Twilight. "What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that together, with the power of Harmony and more on our side, we could free all of you and then trap him again!" Twilight shot back.
Starswirl's eyes widened. "Harmony?"
"And more," Moondancer said as she and Trixie walked up. "Six Bearers of Harmony, three unicorns with power and knowledge alike... and the two of us as well. Princess Luna's powers flow through Trixie and I, and Twilight was sure that together, we eleven could recapture him after we freed you."
Starswirl stared at her for a moment, before nodding slowly, the bells in his hat ringing softly. "You meant well, but it was not enough," he said. "Now that fiend is loose!"
"We'll stop him," Twilight promised. "Come on. Let's get back to Canterlot and start planning."
"And we've got over a thousand years' worth of history and changes to catch you guys up on," Spike added. "The skimmer's this way."
Starswirl looked at him in surprise, before he and the other Pillars nodded.
"Never expected to see a dragon among ponies," Flash Magnus noted as he walked alongside Rainbow Dash.
"That's part of the long story," she told him. "Word to the wise though? I wouldn't say anything bad about dragons around Twilight. She tends to take it personally if someone insults her son."
All six Pillars looked at her in astonishment, and then Starswirl shook his head, with a chiming sound followed shortly. "I see we do indeed have a lot to catch up on, if things have changed so a pony can call a dragon their child," he said.
A little while later, everyone had managed to squeeze into the airskimmer, which the Pillars were marvelling over.
"Amazing," Rockhoof remarked as he sat next to Applejack. "This is a vehicle unlike any I have ever seen! Who crafted it?"
"The minotaurs," Spike told him as he sat in the pilot's seat. "And this isn't even the biggest or best they've made. But it is one of the fastest and sturdiest we got to use during and after the war."
"War?" the burly stallion repeated. "Against whom?"
"The Storm King," Tempest said. "Over a year ago. He wanted to conquer the entire planet and steal the special magics of the alicorns and others. Luckily, Twilight here found out what he was up to, and the united armies of Equestria and several other nations defeated his army while she, Pharynx and I dealt with him personally."
“Pharynx is an odd name for a pony,” Starswirl said with a frown.
"Oh, he's not a pony!" Pinkie chirped. "He's a changeling!"
Starswirl turned to her, eyes blazing. "A what?" he roared. "Those monsters-"
"Were never all bad, and the worst of them has been de-powered, in more ways than one, and locked up," Twilight interrupted him. "The changelings are our allies now, along with the wolves, the ahuizotls, the dragons, the minotaurs, the yaks and many more."
Starswirl still glowered, but he sat back. "The world has much changed if that is indeed the case," he muttered.
"So, the Dragon Lord actually likes Equestria now?" Flash Magnus asked. "That's weird. Back in our day, they just wanted to raid us all the time, it's part of why I was part of the Cloudsdale Royal Legion."
"Torch, the Dragon Lord Emeritus, is kind of a grouch, but he's okay," Spike said. "And it helps that we got to be friends with the wolves again before we went to meet him. He knew we were there for a friendly visit and not just invading his turf."
"That's good to know," Meadowbrook said from her place next to Fluttershy. “You said Emeritus; who is the new Dragon Lord?”
"His daughter, Ember," Twilight replied. "She just got the position a few months ago when she won the Gauntlet of Fire. And she was acting as their ambassador to Equestria even before that, so we know she'll do a good job."
"Aside from that," Rarity commented. "Going back to the changelings, they have actually changed for the better. Not only is Chrysalis no longer a threat, her people have discovered that they can share their love, rather than take it by force. They are no longer starving, and can live among us peacefully. In fact, two of the hives live in Equestria full-time now."
“There is also the fact that Luna’s foal is half changeling,” Fluttershy said.
"I- foal?" Starswirl looked startled. "She is a mother?"
"Less than a week old," Pinkie confirmed. "Pharynx is his daddy!"
Starswirl still looked startled. "When last I saw her, she was barely into adolescence by her people's standards," he said. "But now she has a child... oh my."
"She's going to be thrilled to see you again," Trixie said. "Her and Princess Celestia both."
"And Princess Cadance should be excited to meet you for the first time," Applejack said. "Once she has time to get away from the Crystal Empire for a while." She suddenly winced. "Er, you'll have to promise not to freak out if a couple of her friends come with her though."
"Why not?" the stallion asked, stroking his moustache.
"Well... I'm sure you remember the sirens," Applejack said. "The ones you banished to another world."
Mistmane nodded. "They were terrorizing a village when one of its people, a unicorn named Stygian, came to get our help," she said. "We came together for the first time then." She looked at Applejack curiously. "How did you come to know of them?"
"Turns out, the magic there wasn't as gone as you thought," Moondancer said. "They were still able to feed a little, but eventually, Equestrian magic leaked over, and their leader came up with a plan to use it for herself. Princess Celestia went over and met others who could use the magic of Harmony, and together they defeated them again. And another friend of ours took away Adagio's powers for good. Then it turned out she'd actually enslaved the other two and was just using them as her pawns, so... one of them received her special magic, and they both came back to Equestria so Aria could learn how to use it responsibly and for its intended purpose - Cadance is her teacher now."
"Adagio is still over there though," Spike added. "Celestia and Luna's Others, and some other Others we met, are keeping an eye on her."
Starswirl sniffed. "They should never have been brought back," he said disdainfully. "Once a villain, always a villain."
Twilight stiffened, then turned to look at him, her eyes blazing. "I guess we shouldn't let you see Luna then," she said. "Seeing as how she spent a thousand years as Equestria's enemy after being possessed by an evil spirit, until we were able to purge Umbrea from her."
"I..." Starswirl looked taken aback. "That is..."
"And that's not the only time we've saved someone from darkness," Rainbow Dash said, giving him a dirty look. "We - or Fluttershy, at least - managed to redeem Discord."
"And Twilight talked me around when I was serving the Storm King, before I realized what a liar he was," Tempest added.
"She brought me to my senses when I was leading an anti-Cutie Mark cult," Starlight admitted.
"She got me to give up the Alicorn Amulet when it was corrupting me," Trixie said.
"She made sure the Dragon Lord found out about this one dragon who wanted to smash phoenix eggs for fun, and set him on the road to changing his ways," Spike said.
"And we aren't saying every villain is redeemable," Twilight admitted. "Tirek's back in Tartarus after a friend of mine and I... well, we got really, really mad at him for what he did. And the Storm King and Sombra are dead - there was no reasoning with them. But how can you be so sure the Pony of Shadows is beyond saving?"
"I..." Starswirl still looked taken aback. "All right, outside influences may be one thing," he admitted. "But Stygian chose his path. He attempted to steal our artifacts and take away our powers for his own use, before we caught him and sent him away. He became the Pony of Shadows on his own, accepting that fiend into him when his first attempt to gain power failed. He cannot be saved!"
"Maybe. Maybe not," Twilight said. "I won't believe it until I'm sure there's no other way."
"Hmmph." Starswirl closed his eyes. "Mark my words," he said. "You'll see."
Twilight sighed.
"Um, but didn't you say he was part of the Shadow Pony Sect, before merging with a mortal?" Fluttershy asked. "Doesn't that mean he is an outside influence?"
"Only one who already had darkness in their heart could call a member of that sect to become one with them," Somnambula explained. "Stygian... after we discovered him with our artifacts, we always thought he'd return and seek forgiveness. But when we saw him again, his heart was bent on revenge, and he transformed into the beast you saw today. In doing so, he dashed even my hope of saving him."
"Sounds like what happened when Luna got tricked into letting herself get possessed by Umbrea, before Umbrea turned her into Nightmare Moon," Tempest noted.
"That doesn't surprise me," Meadowbrook said. "The Shadow Pony Sect were born of pure dark magic and always sought to corrupt others and then took over their bodies. Was this Umbrea one of them?"
"Um, yes," Fluttershy told her. "Eventually. Princess Luna said she used to be a normal pony until she made herself over into a shadow pony."
All six Pillars looked startled at that.
"We had never heard such a thing was possible," Rockhoof noted. "And you are sure she is no more?"
"Death himself took her when we purged her from Luna's body," Twilight said.
“That’s a... peculiar manner of saying you slew them," Starswirl said slowly.
"Nope!" Pinkie shook her head. "When her spirit got kicked out of Luna's body, Death was waiting, and took Umbrea into the afterlife where she belonged. It was way past her time, and besides, she'd been abusing her Mantle even before she tried to merge it with one of Luna's."
"Pinkie..." Twilight hissed.
"Oh." Starswirl looked at her more carefully. "Then you know about that aspect of this world."
"Yes," Twilight told him.
Sunburst blinked. "Um, what aspect?"
"It's a very long story," Twilight said with a sigh. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you know too," she said, directing this last to Starswirl.
Starswirl nodded. "We have... encountered Harmony itself," he said. "Shortly before we went to face the Pony of Shadows."
"Wait, are you saying Harmony is an actual being and not just a combination of magic traits?" Starlight asked.
Twilight looked at her carefully, before her eyes went white. After a moment, it faded, and she nodded slowly. "I guess we need to fill you and Sunburst in," she said. "Everyone else here knows, and it's only right that you do too."
Her explanation about how the multiverse and the Powers came into existence lasted the rest of the trip home, and by the time she was done, both Starlight and Sunburst were looking rather astonished.
"That explains those dreams I was having," Starlight muttered softly. "Guess it's a good thing you came along and talked some sense into me. I guess if I hadn't listened, I'd have ended up like Tirek?"
Twilight shook her head. "When I fought him, that was the first time I tapped Magic's full power," she said. "If you hadn't listened, I don't know what I would have done."
"But she did listen," Sunburst said, laying a hoof on his marefriend's shoulder. "And so did I, when you found me. So it turned out all right in the end."
Twilight nodded. "And that's how I prefer to solve my problems," she said.
"Everyone, hold onto your seats," Spike suddenly called. "We're coming in for a landing!"
With that, conversation was temporarily halted, until they'd landed safely.
Celestia, Thorax and Pharynx were waiting in the throne room when the eighteen entered.
"Twilight," Celestia said happily as they approached. "You've succeeded!"
"Er, mostly," Twilight said. "We've got one problem, but first things first..." She gestured to Starswirl, who stepped forward and eyed his former student.
"Celestia," he said. "It has been so long, I understand."
"It has indeed," Celestia said. "It is good to have you back. All of you," she added.
"Mm." Starswirl nodded. “I see that you have grown much in the time away, though I feel that your more sedentary lifestyle hasn’t fully agreed with you.”
"It's had its moments," Celestia said, her eye twitching.
"So I have heard." He then looked to her side, taking in the sight. "So, the stories we heard are true," he said. "The changelings have indeed changed."
"Um, yeah," Thorax said, a little hesitantly.
"Pfft." Pharynx snorted. "What my little bro here isn't saying is how much we owe Twilight for helping make it possible." Then he eyed Starswirl carefully. "So, you're my wife's old teacher."
"And you are my former student's husband." Starswirl eyed him back. "I hope you are treating her well," he said. "Or do I have to borrow Rockhoof's shovel?"
Pharynx growled with his wings buzzing behind him. "Luna is the love of my life, and anyone who hurts her won't have anything left of them to bury," he hissed.
Starswirl's eyes narrowed, and then his expression suddenly changed. "She has chosen well, then," he said. "Well met, young Pharynx."
Pharynx eyed him one more time, before his own expression shifted to a smirk. "Well met to you too, sir," he said. "I see why Luna spoke so highly of you."
Starswirl nodded. "Where is Luna, by the way?" he asked.
"Asleep, with our foal," Pharynx said. "She'll be up this evening though."
"Very well." Starswirl looked back to Celestia. "As good as it is to see you again," he said. "We do have a problem. When young Twilight released us from Limbo, she also freed our great enemy, the Pony of Shadows. Despite her best efforts, she and her friends were unable to prevent his escape. He has sworn revenge, so now we must prepare for him to return... and, I fear, his people with him."
"The Shadow Pony Sect," Twilight added, stepping forward. "And that means..." She suddenly gasped. "The Crystal Empire!"
Celestia's own eyes widened. "We must warn them immediately!"
That was when Spike belched up a letter, and they quickly read it.
Twilight,
We've got a problem. This monster of pure darkness showed up a few minutes ago, and it's trying to break through our shields. We're doing our best to fend it off, but we need help. Come quick!
Cadance
Twilight looked up. "Back to the skimmer!" she ordered. "We've got to get there, and fast!"
The others all nodded, then turned and headed for the hanger.
"Thorax, Pharynx... take care of Canterlot," Celestia ordered as she saw the group go. "And alert the Alpha. We'll be back as soon as we can, but we may need extra help."
Then she followed after her student.
I just hope we get there in time! she prayed. Hold on, Cadance... I'm coming.