//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: In search of Answers // Story: Turmoil Rising // by JFT //------------------------------// Twilight… It was dark. Nobody was around. She wasn’t even aware of her own presence. Twilight. Yet she could hear it. A familiar voice, calling out to her, accompanied by a gentle breeze that caressed her. Twilight! She finally felt the grasp on reality returning to her, the blurry vision slowly depicting a purple dragon. Her companion loomed over her, waiting by her side as she finally started to open her eyes. “Spike?” she whispered. At the drop of the word, her little brother embraced her. Rarity sat by her side, holding a fan over her head. “Darling, I’m so glad you’re alright,” she sighed in relief. “Where… where’s everypony else?” The dragon parted from her. “After that black blob got knocked off you, it came to life and crawled off into the treehouse, they all went after it. Although I’m not sure what’s happening in there.” “Black… blob?” she asked, confused. “Oh, well, you probably missed it considering what happened. Were it not for Zecora, I shudder to think what could’ve happened,” the white unicorn explained. The princess turned her head to the side. The zebra sat with her staff over her shoulder, looking far into the distance with a concerned look, observing the darkness rising from the distance, while her fire-lizard rested on top of her saddlebag next to her. “Thanks for curing me, Zecora,” she said with a smile. “Cure?” the zebra’s ears twitched. “That has not happened, princess, I can tell for sure.” “What?” she asked, perplexed by the shaman’s response. “But… but I feel great. I’ve not felt this good in a- AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” As she tried to rise into a sitting position she immediately jumped up in a scream, then fell forward, letting out a noise of pain; something had just given her a sharp prick in the rear. While she whined, Spike looked at her perked-up posterior and noticed something stuck in her tail hair. He managed to pull it out from the tangled mess, but even then, he couldn’t understand what it was; all he saw was an incredibly prickly dark nut. “I dunno how anypony missed that earlier,” he wondered. She finally managed to sit back normally, wincing at the phantom pain. “Twilight,” Rarity asked, “what is this thing?” It took her a moment to recollect, but she recognized the nut. “I… I remember these things. They grew on the tree inside that cavern. Seems they got stuck during my battle with Queen Chrysalis when I was sent flying through the branches.” Zecora eyed it for a moment. “I will take charge if it’s alright with you. Despite their dark nature, they’ll work for us too.” She extended her hoof in Spike’s direction. The dragon handed her the prickly nut and she immediately scooped it into her saddlebag. “Zecora, what did you mean earlier, when you said that I wasn’t cured?” Twilight inquired. “That creature of darkness drained your surplus Doubt away and took on the form you saw today. It will not fade, and Doubt will again be made if you ask for its aid,” the shaman exposited. “But... isn’t there a permanent solution to this?” she hoped for a positive response. “Removing your doubt? What a rarity! How would you expect then to have clarity?” the zebra asked. “One cannot stay if you remove the other. It’s how life works, it’s truly a bother.” Zecora’s words reminded Twilight of something. She recalled years ago when the Cutie Map requested help for Peaks of Peril; Applejack told the story how the kirin living there became so afraid of being consumed by their own anger and turning themselves into nirik, twisted burning reflections of themselves, that they cut themselves off from emotions altogether and it took her and Fluttershy to convince them to stop being afraid of their own nature. Was this situation the same? Because it sure felt like it. “Best advice for me to say, is live in now and today, to keep all your worries away,” the shaman finished. Easier said than done. After what she had been through she couldn’t help but think of what comes next. But at the very least she had to try. She inhaled and exhaled then looked about to see what had occurred in her absence of mind, and it didn’t take long to notice something out of the ordinary. “Why does the treehouse look so… dull?” POOF! She would not get an answer as a flash of magic happened not a few feet away from her, materializing three very familiar unicorns before her; a bright blue mare, wearing a magician’s hat and cloak, a yellow stallion with long and unkempt mane and beard, and lastly her student. “Starlight?” Twilight gasped in surprise. “Twilight? What are you doing here?” she asked. “It’s… too complicated and long to explain. What are you doing here?” “Emmm… not sure this is the right time to ask,” Sunburst interjected, “but what’s that giant veil of perpetual darkness over in the distant part of the forest?” “Is it me, or does the Tree of Harmony house look less… shiny?” Trixie pointed out. Starlight looked about the two scenes several times, trying to process everything. “Uh oh… seems like the map was being serious,” she responded. “The map? As in the Cutie Map?” the princess questioned. Starlight nodded. “Just a few moments ago it suddenly turned on.” “And it was signaling a friendship problem? To here?” “No, no friendship problem,” clarified Sunburst. “There weren’t any cutie marks signaling. It only showed… THAT in the distance,” he pointed at the darkness far away. “But…” the princess was confused. “That doesn’t make sense. How could the map activate when the Tree of Harmony was destroyed?” “Your guess is as good as ours, Princess Twilight,” the illusionist said. “Maybe your friends can enlighten us.” She heard a distinct sound of hooves coming out from the treehouse. Out of the front door, the team in charge of pursuit wandered out. “You guys!” Twilight rushed to their side and their friend’s expressions lightened up after hearing her voice. “Twilight!” Applejack hugged her. “You feelin' better?” “Thanks to Zecora. I’m not sure what we’d do without her.” Rainbow Dash smirked. “I can vouch for that.” “Did Zecora manage to cure you?” Fluttershy asked. She curled up an awkward smile, trying to not make the situation depressing again. “Well… she said the best thing to do right now is to keep thinking positively. What about the rest of you? Rarity and Spike told me what happened after I passed out. Did you manage to capture the manifestation?” The atmosphere immediately changed with those words, their smiles dissipating and they all looked at one another with a worried expression. “Well, yeah but…” the yellow pegasus tried to speak, but went silent as she heard the sound of slow heavy footsteps coming up behind them. The six students came out of the house, wearing heavily somber expressions as if something had just drained the light out of them. “Students!” the unicorn trio called out as they rushed to them, filled with concerns. “Sandbar, Smolder, Yona, Silverstream, Gallus, Ocellus,” Trixie counted through them, then sighing in relief. “Okay, you’re all here.” “Thank Celestia! Something happened back at the castle and we were worried for a moment that it happened to- “ Sunburst tried to explain, but Starlight stopped him. She walked closer to the students. She knew something was not right, she could see it on their faces and the way they postured in depression. “Students, what went wrong? Tell me what happened,” she asked. They didn’t say anything. Not one of them dared to open their mouth. Silverstream finally spoke, trying not to choke up. “The tree’s spirit… it’s…” Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, along with the six students got through the door of the room at the bottom of the treehouse and watched in terror at the events taking place. An image of princess Twilight Sparkle, covered in bright luster stood in the room, yet so was the blob of shadowy mass; its maw wide open, draining the light from it. The spirit remained motionless, yet as the creature continued to drain it, the luster from the tree's remains was being depleted in the process. The luster remnants were now only left on the ground and it didn’t take more than a few seconds for that to be drained as well, leaving only the spirit intact. Finally, it contorted in pain as the shadow proceeded to absorb it. The students rushed out, trampling the adults under them before they could be stopped, as they tried to intercept the mass of darkness from completely consuming it. The spirit only looked at them, letting out only a few final words. “I’m sorry… I have failed… again…” And with those parting words, its form collapsed and disappeared into the dark blob, forming a single speck of light within its body. The group stopped dead in their tracks. Their emotional progress was slow, trying to process what they just witnessed. The dark creature meanwhile turned to face them, letting out a shrilling cry, flailing about with its tentacle. BAM! As a response, Yona, without hesitation charged and bashed the blob with her head, causing it to fly across the room and splatter against the wall. “EVIL BLOB ATE TREE SPIRIT! SMASH IT!” the yak cried out in anger and she charged at it again. The shadowy mass reformed in the meantime, just as Yona stomped on it. It begun to wriggle through her hooves and then quickly crawled off in the direction of the only exit. The rest of the students noticed and jumped in, they weren’t about to let this THING slink away after it just devoured one of their mentors. Hooves and claws began to swing about in desperate effort, but no matter how hard they tried it simply kept squeezing through their grip. The adults finally got up and also joined in the attempt, but the result was no different; the shadowy blob simply couldn’t be deterred. Nothing worked! And once the blob gets out of the room it can just squeeze through any crack and disappear for good. The creature was about to crawl through the doorway and nothing could stop it! They had failed… PLANK! Just as the dark blob passed the threshold, a giant glass jar got put over it, stopping it on the spot, scooping it up, and shutting the lid close. It struggled, trying to break through, but it was no use; the glass was simply too thick, and it was so weak in comparison. Then Pinkie Pie revealed herself from around the corner she was awaiting, looming over the now pathetic-looking creature, with an angry smug on her face. “You got caught with mitts in the cookie jar, mister.” The other mares sighed in relief and traipsed over to her. “Quick thinking, Pinkie!” Fluttershy said, joined by the blue pegasus. “Yeah! Even I didn’t see that one coming!” She got face to face with the amalgamation trapped in the jar, taunting it. “Whatcha gonna do now, you slimy little thing? No cracks about through which you can weasel out now-!” The country pony put her hoof over her muzzle to shut her up, getting her attention, before pointing out this really wasn’t a moment to celebrate and taunt the opposition. The students sat in a depressed pile. They all just lost one of their life guides, one who helped them face their own fears and brought them closer together as friends, despite their boundaries. They were already depressed once when they discovered that the Tree was destroyed, but that was different; they had no control over it, and even then, in the end, they managed to save the tree’s spirit from its demise. This time they watched it happen; they were there and couldn’t save it in time. The four ponies watched outside the room, unsure if there were even words to console them in this situation. “I say we give them some time,” Applejack told them. And they waited. Not sure how long it was, but unease hung in the air, more specifically with what was outside. The darkness that spawned here may have been caught, but who knows how long it will take before the evil they sighted in the distance finds its way here. After some time passed, Rainbow Dash finally spoke up. “Kids, we have to go. I know this may be a bad time, but we may not want to stay here if the giant-size version of this nasty little thing finds its way here.” It took some time, but eventually, the students picked themselves up and slowly marched out of the room, with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy leading them in front, while Pinkie followed behind, pulling faces at the animated mass inside the jar, around which she had her hair wrapped like a rope as she carried it up. “We failed it,” Ocellus said in a mournful tone. “It warned us all just before it happened and we still couldn’t protect it.” “Hold on… the tree warned you that this would happen?” Trixie asked suspiciously. “Well, we didn’t get it at first,” Smolder added. “It just told us that the darkness was coming, a few moments before Princess Twilight and her friends arrived. It wasn’t until sometime later that darkness made itself manifest and crawled into the house.” “But… you caught it, right?” Sunburst wondered. “Sure did!” a loud hyper tone came out of the house as Pinkie skipped, carrying the sealed jar. He closed in, to examined this strange creature made of dark mass. He’s never seen anything of the like. While Trixie tried to comfort the students and Starlight questioned the other mares, Twilight simply watched from the distance, listening to events that transpired. She was mortified. She was the one who caused this to happen; had she not sought shelter here in the first place, none of this would have happened. Then the familiar feeling started to creep up on her again and remembered what Zecora just told her. Getting worked up about it would just bring out the worst in her. She closed her eyes, trying to clear out her thoughts, inhaling and exhaling. Finally, regaining some measure of clarity, she walked over to the headmare. “Starlight, we have things to discuss. Just… not here. We need to get the students back as well.” She nodded, then faced the young ones. “Okay, everycreature! Gather around!” The students came closer, as well as the mares and Zecora. Then the princess and her former student looked at one another, nodded, and with a flash of magic, everybody disappeared. The silence was all that was left on the grounds now. The treehouse was left without any signs of life, while in the distance, the looming darkness was left visible to everybody’s sight. They assembled at Twilight’s old castle. The princess soon realized that what Starlight said about the Cutie Map activating after all these years was true, and saw the dark shadow looming over the Everfree Forest, resembling the darkness that Zecora revealed through her ritual. Yet it still didn’t make sense why the map activated all of a sudden. The Tree of Harmony couldn’t have done it. Was there perhaps another force at work? Those speculations would have to wait, as the focus was set on bringing the school faculty members up to speed with everything. Starlight Glimmer sat down and rubbed her head. “So let me get this whole picture: Canterlot got invaded by earth elementals, Chrysalis somehow managed to escape, found a powerful artifact that nopony else but Zecora knew where it was, got empowered after she summoned some ancient evil which Twilight had been seeing in her dreams, which then summoned Windigos and ate them, you all got your rears whooped by it, and to top it all off, a piece of that evil ate the spirit of the Tree of Harmony.” Trixie handed her a mug of tea, which she promptly drank, before finishing. “Have I missed anything that could make this even worse?” The sound of glass hitting the stone table rang out as Pinkie Pie put up the sealed jar full of dark living matter. “This little bugger is the culprit responsible for it. And it’s been pulling mean faces all the time since we got here. It’s such a giant mean grump I’ve decided to name it Grumpy.” “If Queen Chrysalis is back,” Ocellus spoke, “then Thorax needs to be warned. If she’s somehow managed to regain the ability to reproduce the swarm, our hive will be under possible threat.” Starlight sighed loudly. And while the party pony was making faces at the jar, taunting the blob inside it, she pulled the jar over to her side and examined it up close. “There’s a distinctly noticeable spark floating inside it. There may be a small chance that the spirit hasn’t been lost yet.” “Really?!” those words piqued the student’s attention, pulling them out of their state of depression, Gallus being the first to hear it. “You mean there’s still a chance to restore her?” “That’s the main problem,” Twilight spoke. “It’s immune to magic. I tried to use it against it, but it did not affect it. And I’m not sure how you could extract it directly… Heck, we don’t even know what this thing is supposed to be.” “Yeah!” Rainbow Dash yelled, still unable to use her wings. “And if we’re to ever face it again, the last thing I want is to go through this... again.” “I’ve read all the books in the castle after all the time I’ve spent here, so I would’ve likely remembered anything that you’ve just described,” Sunburst said. “Now, seeing as that’s not the case, I’d say the only viable course now would be to search the Canterlot library.“ Twilight shook her head. “Sunburst, there’s really no need for any of you to strain yourself with it. I can requisition the book from the library and-” Pinkie Pie suddenly let out a loud yell, as if she had just realized something. “I just remembered, I left the organization for the bakery contest back at Canterlot unattended!” “And… we’re supposed to be back as well for the bookstore opening!” Spike prodded the princess. “And that was like an hour ago!” “I…” Fluttershy leaned in. “I guess we were all so caught up in what just happened that we just left everything unattended. I’ve got a lot of animals to handle back at the sanctuary.” The rest of the gang also remembered they’re left things unsettled: Rarity left her bags back at the Canterlot train station, Rainbow Dash dodged out of a party, thinking she’d manage to get back in time. Then everybody looked at Applejack, who hasn’t said anything. “Well, I got nothin’. I just cut time getting back home.” “Then our course of action is clear!” the blue unicorn boisterously announced. “Starlight, Sunburst, and I, the Great and Powerful Counselor Trixie will take up this arduous task, in identifying the source of the Everfree Forests’ evil! The three of us combined, we shall succeed.” “Make that four,” the zebra, who was quiet this whole time finally answered. “Then your chances will increase for sure.” Trixie looked at her funny. “You? You can’t join, you’ll ruin our team’s power dynamic! I’m the sneaky one, Sunburst’s the clever one and Starlight’s-” “TRIXIE! Not the right time!” the purple-maned unicorn called her out. She playfully shoved her. “Relax, Starlight. Did you really think I was being serious about that even for a moment?” An awkward silence fell all around the illusionist. Knowing her ego, nobody would put it past her that she wasn’t joking. Twilight sighed. “Okay, this is how we’ll do then: everypony else go about their business, while you four go to Canterlot library and search for answers. By the end of the day report to me if you’ve found anything and we’ll decide what course of action to take next. And in the meantime, I’ll send a warning letter to Thorax’s hive about Queen Chrysalis’ return. But whatever happens, nopony must tell anyone of what happened today.” “Hold on there, Twilight,” the country pony stepped in. “Don’t ya think that’s really unwise? It’s best to tell everypony the truth. So in case something comes up, we’ll be prepared for the worst.” “Not just yet, Applejack. I completely understand what you mean, but until we get further information on the threat we face, we don’t need to put all of Equestria in a worry mode.” “After what happened today, I’d say we’ve every reason to be worried,” she bristled. “Just give it until tomorrow, okay?” Starlight then faced the students. “The rest of you, return to your dorm. And from now on I don’t want anycreature to approach the Everfree Forest. Do you understand?” “Yes, principle Starlight,” all of them said in unison, before the yak added. “After what Yona saw, Yona don’t want to remember the bad stuff that happened.” “Wait! If we’re away, then who’s going to look after Grumpy?” Pinkie Pie voiced concern, as she watched the angry blob pressed his open maw against the glass, trying and failing to break it. The jar levitated off the table and to Sunburst's side. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep an eye on it.” Applejack went to Fluttershy’s and Rainbow Dash’s side. “The three of us will escort the students back.” Twilight nodded. “We’ll see each other tomorrow again for the meeting to discuss things further. Everypony else, we’re good to go then.” Everybody else gathered. The princess and the headmare used their magic and disappeared with a flash. “What am I supposed to do?” the rainbow-maned pegasus asked. “I gotta report to the academy that I’m out and I can’t fly over there.” “I’ll go and deliver the message for you, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said. “You better rest your wings at my place in the meantime.” She sighed. “It’s gonna be a long week.” FLASH! The princess, her former pupil, and their respective teams popped up at the bottom of the stairs in front of the Canterlot library, and at the drop of the hat, both Rarity and Pinkie Pie ran away to handle their own respective problems, and not a moment later, so did Spike. “I’ll go over to the bookstore and tell them there’s going to be a slight delay on your appearance.” “You do that,” Twilight said to the little dragon, as he ran off. “The rest of you, let’s go in.” The door clanked open. A familiar scent washed over her; the very distinct smell of books, one she didn’t have a chance to enjoy in a while. The glass roof dome illuminated the central hall where most of the visitors gathered. The group walked over to the counter where the librarian was minding her own business, handling the documents on the new book orders, unaware of their presence, until the princess finally made herself known. “Oh my! Princess Twilight! It’s an honor!” the teal unicorn said. “To what do we owe the pleasure? We’ve got a lot of books at disposal if you’re interested.” The urge was difficult to fight. She was already late and couldn’t waste too much time as it was, but the temptation… No, she had to be strong. “As tempted as I am, I’ll have to pass on it this time around since I’m already late. But I would ask for a favor: my friends here are doing research and I’d like you to give them access to any book section in the library, that includes the heavily restricted area.” “Oh my,” the librarian said. “Must be serious if you’re willing to go that far.” Twilight stopped herself for a moment when she realized she may be giving out the idea that something was wrong. “Oh no no no, it’s not serious. I mean at least not yet anyway. That’s why we want to look into it in case it does get…” She shoved her own hoof in the mouth to stop herself since she clearly wasn’t helping. “Of course, miss,” she said. “But I must ask something of your friends first. One: no pets allowed.” She was looking at the jar which Sunburst was still carrying, the black mass wiggling on the inside. “I’m sorry, but this is…” he stopped himself for a moment, trying to figure out what to call it. “Well, whatever it is it’s not a pet, I can assure you. And it doesn’t leave our sight no matter what.” “Right…” the librarian responded. “And second: I need you to leave the umbrella at the desk.” Umbrella? What was she talking about? Twilight looked behind at her companions and all of them looked at each other. Finally, all of their eyes locked onto the zebra; she was the only one who carried with her what would be considered “an umbrella” from the librarian’s point of view. Her nostrils flared as she walked to the counter and dropped off her staff, the wooden shaft echoing throughout the library as it made contact, grabbing everybody’s attention. The librarian blinked when she realized what she actually received and awkwardly smiled. “Don’t worry, miss. You’ll get your… stick back when you leave.” “Should damage fall upon my family heirloom, I assure you, it will spell your DOOM.” “Please wait a moment so I can get the keys,” the teal unicorn said in a jittery tone as she hurried into the back room. Twilight looked at her with concern. “Zecora, don’t you think you’ve been a bit harsh on her?” She sighed. “Forgive me, Princess fair, but this item does not leave my lair, much less my vigilant stare.” “That staff really seems to mean a lot to you, Zecora,” Sunburst joined in. “Who did it belong to?” She went quiet as if she was hesitant to speak before she finally responded. “To somezebra very close to my heart, one I’d rather not talk right now about.” Trixie tapped her hoof at the floor while they waited for the librarian to get back, her sight wandering over to the princess. “The Great and Powerful Counselor doesn’t want to sound snide, but it’s a standard that when one participates in an event, it’s very important to keep a peak appearance.” “What’s that supposed to mean, Trixie?” she looked at her, confused. “Are you really planning to go out in public looking like that?” Twilight looked down at herself and realized what she was talking about. After what she’s just been through, she was completely dusty and caked in dirt and mud, she also recalled some time earlier when she looked herself in the mirror that she looked like an absolute mess. And Spike left to inform the organizers so he can’t help her get fixed up. “You need help with that?” her former student spoke. She nodded. She was desperate, and any help right now would be most appreciated. Starlight’s horn light up and in a single shot from it, a bursting force went through the princess. After it settled, she looked at herself again and noticed she was completely clean… but why was everybody else staring at her? She then turned and noticed that all the filth from her got blown off and left a giant dirty trail behind her, leading all the way to the exit. “Sorry,” the purple-maned unicorn apologized after she received a glare from her. “I guess we should’ve done this outside…” The princess sighed. “Never mind that. Look, I’m late as it is. I’m sure you can handle it on your own from here.” “We’ll get back to you the moment we find something, Twilight,” Sunburst said. “No need to worry,” she responded. “You’ve got plenty of time before the library closes. Gotta run now.” And with that she dashed out the main door, leaving the three unicorns and the zebra to proceed on their own, but not before they heard a flashing sound coming from outside. He was nervous. Spike went ahead and informed the organizers of the bookstore opening about the situation. They were willing to wait. But as the time passed, the more the dragon thought about it the more he realized that Twilight was an absolute mess after what she was put through. No way she can show her face in public like that and he’s not there to help her get clean. What to do, what to do? But just as those words went through his head a loud flash exploded. He thought for a moment one of the photographer’s cameras accidentally went off, but then he noticed a shadow looming over him, a golden glow glancing off her royal attire. “It’s Princess Twilight Sparkle!” one of the journalists yelled. All the cameras began to snap, taking in the princess’ radiance. Spike slowly walked to her side, whispering to her. “How’d you get cleaned up?” She said only one word as she kept posturing. “Starlight.” “Ah,” that was the only response that came from him. “Am I to assume there was a huge mess left behind?” “Let’s just say somepony will be very unhappy about having to clean it.” He snickered. She sighed in relief as she leaned back on her chair in the conference room. This day was long… too long. What started as just a daily routine followed by a doctor’s appointment, turned into a face-off and a loss against a new unknown enemy. She relished in the thought of just falling asleep for the day, but somewhere in the back of her mind, there was this lingering dread of knowing what will inevitably follow. But she had to push it aside, she remembered what the shaman told her. Speaking of which, it was getting late and at this time the library should already be closed, so where were they? “Well, today was eventful, to say the least,” Spike said as he entered the room. “An understatement of the year,” she responded. “Thank Celestia the council meeting is tomorrow. Less stress and on top of that, once Starlight and the rest of the group come back with the information we need, we’ll finally be able to deal with the larger problem.” She looked out the window, the sun slowly approaching the hour of twilight. She would have to trigger the amulet soon. “By the way, Spike, did you settle the things I told you?” “Yeah. I sent a letter to Thorax to warn him about Queen Chrysalis' return and I told the guards to get into the tunnel caverns beneath Canterlot. But are you sure that's not just a wasted effort?” She shook her head. “No. Queen Chrysalis told me herself that Tirek and Cozy Glow survived the crash, just like she did. We need to retrieve them before she gets any bright idea of releasing them as well.” Suddenly, a flash happened outside the balcony of the conference room and Starlight, Sunburst, Trixie, and Zecora materialized. Finally! Now they can explain what they are dealing with. “Starlight! Great, you’re all here!” she hopped off her chair and opened the balcony doors to meet them. “So, what did you find out?” But the looks on their faces were not reassuring. “The Great and Powerful Counselor would like to note that she and her companions have searched high and low to find the answers to the great mystery,” Trixie began. “But… we found nothing.” “What?!” Twilight erupted. “In the whole library?!” “That’s why we didn’t come back until now,“ Starlight responded. “We searched every corner of the library, especially the restricted section. We looked up some of the oldest Equestrian historical records, dark incantations, summoning rituals; anything that could be linked to it, but…” Sunburst put the jar with the dark mass inside it on the table. “…but we couldn’t find any records pointing to what THIS thing is supposed to be.” “So… we’ve reached a dead end then?” the princess came to the only logical conclusion. No. It couldn’t end like this! They had absolutely nothing to go on. The worry at the back of her mind suddenly begun to spill forward; she couldn’t risk it, but if they couldn’t find anything that would aid them, there was no stopping the doubt from resurfacing again. Then a voice held her thoughts at bay. “We’re sorry it had come to this, Princess,” the zebra spoke, “but there is another way to cure this mess. If we lack written proof, we’ll need to find a still-living ancient who’ll lend a hoof.” What was Zecora talking about? Canterlot Library holds records of events that took place more than a thousand years ago. Who could there possibly be alive today that… And then it got to her. “Wait a minute… OF COURSE! Why didn’t I think of that in the first place! Celestia and Luna! They’re more than a millennium old, so if there’s anypony in Equestria that would know what happened that long ago, they of all ponies would!” She let out a sigh of relief, that creeping feeling retreating in the back of her mind. “Okay, no problem. We’ll just pop over to them and- “ “Twilight, stop,” Spike stepped in. “Look I know this is urgent, but it’s really late. Not to mention Seaward Shoals is far away and after what we’ve been through today, I think we need to have a break.” “A break?! Spike the fate of Equestria may be on the line-!” “Twilight, I know how dire this seems,” Starlight intervened. “But in your current state, you’re really not in a position to do anymore adventuring for today.” “But, the Council of Friendship meeting takes place tomorrow! I can’t just-!” “Then we’ll just go first thing at the dawn,” the dragon jumped in. “I’ll give the staff an advance notice that you’ll be absent, then we can go to Seaward Shoals, gather the two former princesses, and be back in time for the gathering.” Twilight knew how dire the current situation is, she couldn’t show restraint in a moment like this. But then again, they all had a point. Rushing this will only make things worse for her. She sighed in defeat. “Okay. We’ll call it for today. But I expect all of you to be in the meeting tomorrow as well.” Trixie gasped. “Us? Participating in the gathering of the Council of Friendship? For the Great and Powerful Counselor Trixie and her companions it will be an honor of the highest caliber.” “Come on, Trixie, no need to make it sound like a big deal,” Starlight smiled. “We’ll keep an eye on it in the meantime,” Sunburst said as he picked up the jar again. “There’s just one more issue to handle then,” Spike told them and casting his sight on the shaman. Twilight remembered now that Zecora can’t return to her hovel. Not only was it thrashed, but with the darkness and changelings now infesting the Everfree Forest, she has no place to go. “Starlight, please give Zecora a place to settle down in the castle.” “Don’t worry. There’s plenty to go about,” the former student said. “If that’s all settled, we’ll be leaving now.” The princess nodded. “Good night. And see you tomorrow.” Starlight nodded in response and with a flash, they all disappeared. “Come, Spike,” she beckoned her companion. “We best retire for today… we’ll have an early wake tomorrow.” The dragon turned off the lights in the room and they left. Skittering sounds could be heard all around the sinister tree. The newborn changelings inhabiting the cavern had been working tirelessly. Their green extract covered the cavern walls, slowly making it resemble the original hive. They had been busy throughout the day, but not as much as their queen. She marched through the entrance, there was a distinct look of exhaustion on her face. And of course, a slithery vapor hanging around her couldn’t resist but to give her a prod. “Come now, broodmother. No need to look so gloomy. You’ve accomplished your job.” “No thanks to you,” she growled. “Dragon Lands are so far away. We were lucky we had a cover of night, otherwise, any creature could’ve spotted us.” “A necessary risk,” the shadow whispered. “It is the only place with the constant active volcanoes. There was no other way to acquire this otherwise.” Two changelings came crawling out the tunnel behind them. They were pulling a giant bright rock covered in protrusions, that was at least twenty times their size, yet they didn’t seem to struggle with it one bit. They dragged it over to the edge of the pool and then skittered away. “So,” the Queen of Changelings addressed the shade, “for what purpose exactly did we have to drag this giant weightless paperweight all the way here?” The pools began to bubble up and not a moment later the Manifestation of Hate emerged from it. Its gaunt arm grabbed the rock and shoved it under the tree, between its roots. Chrysalis then watched something unexpected happen: the stone began to absorb the pool's magical substance, its magical glow completely enveloping it, until it turned into a darker shade of green. “Wait... is this…” she stumbled over her words, realizing what it was. “Are you sure it will work?” The looming teal-eyed shadow simply nodded. There was a sense of security growing inside the Pillar of Hatred, one she wouldn’t have much time to enjoy as the weaselly vapor got her attention again. “What about the rest of the brood you sent out? Did they find the deposit yet?” She sighed. “Yes, they should be bringing huge chunks by morning, but you’ve yet to explain to me why exactly do we need huge piles of- “ One of the changelings just crawled out of the tunnel and roared, grabbing her attention. “Oh… it appears the other group was successful in their endeavor as well.” “Excellent,” Doubt whispered. Five changelings came crawling out, carrying a giant wooden crate, bringing it before their queen. She opened it. Nestled in it, isolated by the protective foam was… she had no idea what she was looking at. A decoration? A stone mask? Piece of a broken statue? “What exactly is this supposed to be?” she asked. “The next Pillar,” the harrowed voice spoke. She turned to the manifestation and gave it a confused look. “This? I mean I get that it’s a rock, but how can this help us?” “He’s not whole yet, broodmother,” the weaselly vapor answered. “That is why the other group was sent out; to gather the necessary material because it’s the very same substance from which he is made now. However, to fashion a body, we will require the Shaper.” “The Shaper?” Queen Chrysalis questioned Doubt. “Who is he?” “Oh, you will meet him, broodmother. However, that all depends on the success of your next mission, one you must not, at any cost, fail.”