A great gate loomed over Class 1-A. While the gate towered over the class, the fences that extended out from its sides were not as tall, revealing a dense cluster of concrete, steel, and steam. Celestia stood at the base of the gate.
“Welcome!” she declared. “It’s good to see all of you back from your internships!”
“Huh, already waiting for us, eh?” Dash mused. “I’m always used to her making such a big entrance.”
“Probably just a case of the Mondays,” said Rarity.
Celestia did not react to them or perhaps had just not heard them and instead continued, “This will be a nice chance to see how you’ve improved through a small rescue mission.” She glanced up at the gate. “Think of Field Gamma as a more concentrated version of Fillydelphia’s industrial sectors. I’ll place myself deep within it and then send out a distress signal that will also be the sign to start racing towards me. The first student to reach me wins. We’ll go in groups of four to prevent overcrowding.”
She paused and looked over the class with her eyes coming to rest momentarily on Sunset, Dash, Bulk, Pinkie, Applejack, and Twilight. “Treat the race to me as if you were going through an area with highly expensive material. Some of that material is also highly combustible.”
Dash whispered to Sunset. “I feel like we’re being singled out.”
“Shut it.”
“Let’s get started!” said Celestia.
~~~
The first group waited inside Field Gamma: Twilight, Pinkie, Lyra, Applejack peered at the pipes and steam in front of them and looked up at the roofs of the buildings. Outside, the rest of the class waited alongside Photo Finish, there once more to relay the events in real time.
“Wonder if Applejack will be okay,” said Aloe.
Lyra furrowed her brow “After that fight with the Black Griffon…”
“I think she’ll be fine,” said Rarity. She glanced at one view that showed off Twilight.
“Worried about Twilight lacking in speed?” Dash asked.
“And mobility.”
Dash grinned. “Think you might be in for a surprise.”
A second later, a shot of magic flew up into the air. Applejack burst forward and used cans, pipes, and smaller buildings to gain height until she disappeared up onto the roofs. With only the gaps between buildings to stop her and her vision unobstructed, she became a blur and jumped from roof to roof. Every vault to make it to the next building shook where she leapt and landed, but left nothing more than small scuffs.
Every now and then though, she had to pause at the edge of a roof and scan her surroundings for her next landing. She then had to back up in order to gain enough momentum.
Pinkie attached a smaller version of her party cannon to her waist with a grappling hook sticking out of the barrel. The hook shot out in a blast with a rope trailing after it. It latched onto a roof and then pulled Pinkie up. She gave a squeal of delight as she rocketed after Applejack.
While Applejack had to pause to find a spot to land on, Pinkie could always pull out a new item to clear a gap or move past an obstacle. She still needed to assess what was blocking her path though and figure out the right tool she needed. This left her neck and neck with Applejack.
Lyra immediately transformed her forelegs into arms. The hands at the end now had much smoother fingers. The anatomy of her hindlegs also shifted so that the joint now bent forward. The hooves of her hindlegs also grew outwards and became more flexible. She used her transmogrified legs to leap up even higher than Applejack and then used her new hands to grip the edge of the roof. Like Pinkie and Applejack, she raced toward where Celestia was.
However, unlike Applejack, her options on where to land were not as limited because she could grab edges or clamber down to a lower level at a much faster pace. And, unlike Pinkie, she had a tool in the form of her transmogrified limbs that could be used to get past a variety of obstacles on the fly. This led her to swing past both Applejack and Pinkie.
“Humans are said to have been most populous in urban areas,” Lyra chuckled as she sped along. “This test was practically built fo—”
Something blasted past her, leaving behind thin trails of rainbow energy.
“Rainbow Dash?!” Lyra almost lost her footing, but managed to hold on and raced after the blur. Now focused on it, she could make out Twilight’s purple fur, veiled like the rest of her body in a crackling rainbow aura. “What?!”
Twilight bound across Field Gamma. To an average pony, it may have looked like she was nearly flying, but a closer inspection revealed that she dipped in height every now and then, but would land a carefully placed hoof on one of the harder surfaces and kick off it, propelling her forward.
“Whoa whoa whoa! Those are some crazy moves, Twilight!” Pinkie, while in the midst of grappling to another building, pulled out a pair of binoculars to get a better view of Twilight. “They look kinda familiar though…”
Back outside, Dash had a similar thought. I knew she was faster, but I hadn’t been able to tell in the alley. Now I’m certain…
“Oh… Oh my.” Fluttershy glanced away from the screen toward Sunset. The air waved and distorted around her. “Oh dear.”
“How?” Sunset growled. How is she doing thaumic conversion without equipment… I would have noticed if her costume changed! And those are my moves!
She managed to tear her eyes away from Twilight to Lyra, Pinkie, and Applejack. While I was getting glitzed up, they all actually improved!
In the field, Twilight noted she had passed Lyra, but kept her eyes focused on her next leap. A bit of sweat beaded on her forehead. Keep calm and let the Elements flow without letting too much out.
She recalled how among the injuries from the fight with the Black Griffon, the doctors had found torn ligaments and several sprains in her legs.
While continuing to speed ahead and keep up the task of balancing out the Elements, she failed to notice that a pipe she was set to land out was thick with condensation. She pressed down on the pipe and prepared to leap, but her hoof slipped.
~~~
“Well done!” said Celestia. Before her was Lyra with a small medal draped over neck.
Pinkie grinned. “Number two ain’t bad!”
Applejack bent down. Twilight was slumped by the rails of the roof they were on, covered in bumps, bruises, and sweat, and still trying to catch her breath. “You okay, Twi?”
“I will be after a hot bath…”
“And I mean to all of you!” said Celestia. “You’ve all shown great improvement!”
Celestia lit up her horn and placed Twilight on her hooves. While appearing to straighten her up and inspect her for additional injuries, Celestia bent close to Twilight’s head. “I barely recognize you. It seems I should have trusted Luna more. Come see me after class. We’ll talk about the Elements… and Tirek.”
~~~
Just as Twilight had gotten everything put away in her locker, it slammed shut, nearly catching a hoof and some of her mane in it. Sunset glared at her.
“Think you’re hot stuff, huh?” Magic hot enough to sear Twilight’s fur wrapped around her neck and pulled her close to Sunset. “You’re just a damn plagiarist that can’t even land right, got it?”
Twilight gulped and nodded.
Sunset undid her spell and shoved Twilight away. "Steal from me again and I’ll kill you.”
She turned around and muttered, “Cadance wishes you well. I’m sure if you don’t go squealing off to her, she’ll bug me about it.”
“You interned with her?” Twilight coughed. “How did it g—”
“Ask her yourself!” Sunset roared before stomping off.
~~~
There was tea as usual set between Twilight and Celestia, but neither moved to pick up their cups. Celestia stared down at the ground with her lips pulled tight.
“You’ve been through a lot,” Celestia spoke. “I had imagined things would start rolling once the Elements found a new Bearer. I heard from Luna, but I’d like to hear from you as well: How much do you know now?”
“I know about Tirek’s fight with you…” Twilight glanced at Celestia’s chest plate. In her shrunken form, she could see parts of the wound it was meant to cover. “And Nightmare Moon.”
“Luna…” Celestia shook her head. “I’ve been telling her for the past thousand years I forgive her, but it seems the guilt is still affecting her judgement. Though, I suppose we were both conflicted in how to tell the next Bearer about how things came to this point.”
She took a sip of her tea. “I’ve borne the Elements for so long and know far too well about the responsibility that comes with being the Bearer. You now know it’s not just about being a symbol for Equestria too.”
Twilight gulped. “I’ll have to face him. I’ll have to face Tirek, won’t I?”
“Perhaps. Until you have fully mastered the Elements, Luna and I will be there.” Celestia gazed down at her cup. “He’s not the only issue though.”
“Discord and Sombra.” Twilight felt goosebumps rise up across her body.
Celestia blinked. “Luna told me she didn’t mention them.”
“I guessed about Discord and his seal from what we’ve said before.” Twilight gulped. “Who is Sombra though?”
“He’s not well known in the mainland, but up north he was known as the Great Shadow. About a hundred years after I became the sole Bearer, he attempted to usurp the Crystal Empire’s throne. By the time I arrived, he’d already killed all but one of the royal family, but I managed to seal him.”
Celestia clasped her hooves. “Sealing is one of the Element’s greatest powers. They rob their target of their strength and had been able to restrain foes as great as Discord for over a thousand years.”
Twilight shivered. “You said ‘had.’”
“I did. There’s a reason all the routes up the Empire changed a few years ago. I investigated where I sealed Sombra and found traces of an escape. The attacks also match his magic, but they’re unrefined compared to the terrors he unleashed before. It’s possible Sombra is free but without his mind, leaving him more like an incredibly strong monster. Tirek is the more pressing issue.”
“Wh-what about Discord?” Twilight dared to ask.
“I’ve been checking his seal even more lately, but it is still holding strong. I’m now starting to think it’s because Luna and I were so united in defeating him and not even a hint of jealousy had taken hold of her yet. You don’t really have time to be envious when Discord decides he’d like to turn gravity off for a bit… your tea is getting cold.”
Twilight took the hint and had a sip, calming her nerves a little. “So, Tirek…”
“After Luna and I sealed his power, we locked him in the deepest depths of Tartarus for extra measure. After Sombra escaped, I found his seal had weakened too, but he hadn’t noticed due to all the extra security measures. At least, that’s what I thought. But at some point, he must have realized he could access some magic again and used it to reach out and manipulate an innocent filly and possibly others to escape.”
Celestia paused for a moment. The tea in her magic’s grasp boiled a moment longer and then cooled. Despite it still steaming, she took a sip, unaffected by the heat. “I imagine he used similar means to get in contact with Equality, or she might have been the one to first make contact. Regardless, he hasn’t spent his confinement just wasting away. I’d always taken Tirek for a brute and his corruption of Luna as a last-ditch attempt at revenge, but I fear he used his might as a mask for his intellect.”
Celestia’s horn glowed and there was a flash. Dark ruby shards swam in Celestia’s aura. “We extracted these from Gilda.”
“What is it?” Twilight asked.
“The crystallized remains of Tirek’s power, concentrated into physical form. I imagine if I’d been able to stop Luna, I’d have found similar remains in her. Based on what the Guards have learned from Rainbow Dash and others, Gilda was struck by this shortly after the entrance exam.”
Twilight’s heart skipped a beat. “That’s not a coincidence.”
“No, it’s not. I’m still not sure how, but combined with Equality’s actions, it is not implausible to assume she has somehow learned you’re the Bearer.”
“H-how?”
“Being sealed means the target, in a way, is connected to the Elements,” Celestia conjectured. “Spike’s also proof that exposure to the Elements can create a lasting connection to them. Back to Tirek though, it’s not just his corruption that’s an issue now. You recall the creature that appeared with Equality at the WTF?”
Twilight nodded. “Paradox. A fake draconequus.”
“Since then, I’ve been examining its body. It’s not sealed like Discord. It’s dead.” Celestia bent her head down, darkening her face. “Or rather, it wasn’t even truly alive when you fought it.”
A bit of queasiness rose up in Twilight’s stomach. “I don’t like where this is going.”
“Neither do I. What I found was that Paradox was a mixture of different bodies that were fused together through dark magic.” Celestia took a breath. “Most of its components came from a pony and with what your classmates reported about Enigma, that base body was loaded with Talents.”
Twilight had now turned green. “Th-that’s…”
“It’s an abomination beyond belief, but I now realize it’s not beyond the scope of Tirek’s powers. His victims did lose their Cutie Marks, and his power has been shown to mutate others. If he can control how the Cutie Marks he stole are distributed, it makes connecting the dots between that and making a monster like Paradox not that unlikely.”
“And all the ones we fought in Ponyville.”
“Significantly weaker according to Luna, but a threat nonetheless.” Celestia stared down at her tea. “The optimistic choice is to believe the Paradox that attacked the WTF was specially designed to counter the Elements and creating another one of similar caliber will take time and resources. Still, we now have to assume Equality and Tirek at least have more of the weaker variants at their disposal at this time.”
Celestia looked up before Twilight had time to truly reflect on what “resources” meant in this context. “Sorry if this got a little dark.”
Twilight shook her head. “I… I’ve known what would come with being a hero. Even if Sombra, Discord, and Tirek were just stories before, now I know they’re not unstoppable. When I’m with you, Princess Luna, and my friends, I feel like I can face them.”
Celestia watched many colors dance in Twilight’s eyes. In her chest she felt something stir.
Tell her
The voice was in the back of Celestia’s head but it pulled her away from the room with Twilight and stretched out the seconds.
You have to tell her! Celestia pleaded with herself. Twilight was staring at her now. Celestia brought a hoof to her chest. Her mouth loosed but no words came out. I…
Celestia bowed her head. “Thank you, Twilight.”
“I-it’s fine,” Twilight stammered, still unused to royalty lowering themselves to her.
With her head bowed and her mane obscuring her face, Celestia hid how watery her eyes had grown. I’m sorry, Twilight, I’ll fight as hard as I can to make sure that doesn’t come to pass, but…
She raised her head and showed a grin bereft of any concern, one polished by centuries of practice but this one in particular she had not worn since shortly after defeating Nightmare Moon. “Well, don’t want to keep you from your homework any more than I have, but if there’s any concerns, know that I am here.”
But I don’t know for how long.