//------------------------------//
// Harmonize - II 
// Story: MLP ~ The Song of Seven 
// by ScarletSet 
//------------------------------//




The sky was the deepest black, the Spirit Stars shimmered brightly behind the sliding, wispy clouds, and the moon hovered high above the mountains and they glowed silver beneath the light. It was the perfect atmosphere for a long, dreamless sleep. Lightning Bug could not sleep a wink.
It could have been nerves. It could have been the anxiety of sleeping in a completely new environment. It could have been Echo Shade’s back lying heavily on her wing, or Snowy’s hoof in her face. How could anyone sleep like this? At least Smoky had more space to himself on his own mat, on the other side of the room.
Please, Stormtouch, she told herself. Don’t zap them, don’t zap them, don’t zap them…
Lightning Bug tried to turn herself over, but her wing was firmly fixed beneath Echo Shade. She could roll over on her side, but she didn’t feel like cuddling. Not that she had much of a choice with the arrangements, the ponies of Harmony were very affectionate, even by pegasi standards.
It was very stuffy. Lightning was used to open-air houses with open balconies and large windows. This single-room cottage had three windows exactly, two near the door, with another one at the back. She didn’t know how little Snowy could stand it in here.
Lightning wormed her way free and snuck to a corner of the room. She found where she had left her radio and she flicked it on. A blast of broadcasted noise filled the room for an instant and she switched it off. She peaked over her shoulder and watched her hosts toss a little in their sleep. She let out a sigh and switched the volume down before she turned it on again. She was met with a mix of noise from all sorts of stations. If there was music she couldn’t recognize it, and if there was a news broadcast she couldn’t discern anything. Would they still be talking about her and her squad, or was that old news? She switched to the frequency that should put her in contact with another soldier.
“This is Private Lightning, can anyone hear me? Any available Meteoran forces please respond.” But no response. Lightning slumped down and held the buzzing radio in her hoofs.
A large thud from outside caught her attention and nearly made her scream. She stood up as much as she dared and peeked out the back window. She expected a bird or some critter, but even in the bright nightscape she couldn’t see anything. She was just about to lie down when she heard the same exact sound. Before she could look she heard the sound again. Something was being thrown over and over at the back side of the house. The others stirred lightly but didn’t get up.
Lightning Bug was about to go right along and ignore the sounds too, but then she heard a voice. “Private!” it hissed. “Private…!”
Instantly she untangled herself and made for the window as quietly as she could. “Polaris?” she whispered. The unicorn was waiting right beneath the window. His horn was alight and he was getting ready to throw something, but she couldn’t see what it was.
“Oh thank heavens you’re up,” Polaris set the something down. “I ran out of rocks and was about to throw a rabbit.” Once he set the something down, it scampered away.
“Is everything alright?” Lightning whispered.
“Oh, everything’s fine,” Polaris said. “I was just…”
“Hm?”
“I was making sure you were alright, you know…” Polaris cleared his throat. “We’re still in enemy territory after all. Our hosts seemed generous enough, but if they were doing anything to make you feel uncomfortable, well! That just wouldn’t do, so I thought I’d check on you.”
“Actually, it’s gone pretty well,” Lightning said. “Nobody’s said or done anything since we got here.”
“You mean there have been no bouts of anxiety keeping you up? No lingering fears? No sounds in the middle of the night?”
“Besides just now?” Lightning just leaned out of the window and rested her elbows on the sill. “Not really.”
“...Oh, that’s good.” There was a long pause. Polaris sat there in the grass below for a solid ten seconds.
Lightning Bug yawned. “Well, if that was all…”
“There is a third party living in that pegasus’ shack!” Polaris got on all fours and blurted out.
“Oh,” Lightning Bug leaned against the window again and sighed.
“The pegasus lives there over the hill in this big, wooden shack with only a bed and a closet and I had to sleep on the floor and everything was fine till I heard something move and at first I figured it was the wind or another pony but it certainly didn’t sound like another pony so I decided I’d take my chances elsewhere… It must have been some kind of animal! Really, ponies should stay ahead of time if there are pets on the property prior to having guests over…”
Lightning had actually hoped whatever Polaris had to say would actually help her feel more like going to sleep, but no such luck. “That is pretty weird. What are you gonna do?”
“For one,” Polaris stamped his hoof. “I’ll have to pitch my tent somewhere out of the way of other ponies.”
“That makes sense.”
“And I was wondering if you might help me?”
Lightning blinked. “Help with what?”
“Setting up my tent! Why, it’s hardly a one-pony job…”
“But you did just fine when we had our lunch. Why do you need my help?”
“Why? Why that’s easy… er…” Polaris’ coat blended in with the dark night, but it made his eyes stand out as he furrowed his brow over and over. He swallowed. “Listen, this place still just doesn’t sit right with me and you’re the only pony here I trust more than a fellow unicorn!”
“Um, thanks?”
“And if I may be candid, I am quite uncomfortable and quite anxious. I have a lot on my mind, and I’ve barely had time to think since we came into the valley.”
“Oh. That makes sense… but at midnight?”
“You weren’t sleeping anyway, were you?”
The truth was she was not. Lightning sighed and climbed out of the window and gently glided to the ground beside him. “What exactly’s on your mind?”
The two gently strode along the outskirt of town. Not a single house was lit up. The grass and the trees almost looked blue in the light.
“When I started this mission I was prepared to deal with wolves, mountchasers, and even monsters like a torus. I never thought I’d have to worry about a dragon.” Polaris deftly stepped down a steep hill and Lightning barely stumbled after. “I certainly didn’t expect to find a place like this. I thought I’d never taste good food until I returned to Lustre.”
“So you did like Echo’s treat,” Lightning beamed and flapped her wings.
Polaris’ soft expression turned dark. “I am thankful for the respite if nothing else, but if that dragon were to find us…”
“Is that why we didn’t tell them anything before?”
“...Yes. An inelegant solution. I didn’t want to validate their concerns or else…”
“They might have kicked us out,” Lightning said.
“No, Private, worse. These ponies are no fools, credit where it’s due, that blue brute was already on a good hunch about the dragon’s presence. They may not realize how much danger they’d actually be in. If he or more ponies were to rush out and face the thing...”
“Then maybe it’s just best if we keep quiet,” Lightning said, and then Polaris just laughed.
“And you! I should’ve just escorted you out of the mountains in the first place. I don’t know why I let you convince me.”
“But if we just turned back we never would have found the grove,” Lightning paused. She looked down and her ears drooped. “Or Meadow,” she murmured.
Polaris made an uncomfortable sound.  “And now we’re driven into this gilded cage by the dragon with no easy way out.”
They turned the bend on a particularly tall hill, which afforded them a very nice view of the town square. Most of the houses were dark, but indeed a few windows were lit, even at this hour. Off in the distance they could see lights on the edges of the valley.
“I think it was worth it,” Lightning said with a smile. “So far anyway. It’s all so weird and cool, don’t you think?”
Polaris didn’t answer at first. He kept walking, and Lightning followed. “How on Cabalos did this happen?”
“To us?”
“No, the valley!” Polaris said. “Where did all this come from?”
Lightning knit her brow. “Is ponies working together really so strange to you?”
“Oh, it is indeed! But that’s the least of my concern…” Polaris sat beneath a tree, and just over the bend they could see the Star Pillar, the one Echo Shade had shown her class the day prior. “The locale, the biome, the size, these strange artefacts…” He furrowed his brow and tapped his hooves. “How have we never heard of this place?”
“If the other nations think the badlands are forbidden, how could they ever find out?” Lightning asked.
“There’s no way these ponies are completely isolated,” Polaris said. “Their town hall has a clock, they have books… Hay, they have a library! Those don’t spontaneously generate in hidden, closed-off villages. There is obviously influence from the outside here, even if it’s light.” Polaris wiped off his glasses. “And don’t even get me started on the genepool and the problems that entails.”
“You mean some ponies have to be coming or going?” Lightning asked. “And someone should have seen them?”
“Exactly,”
“Maybe the Wanderer doesn’t want anyone to find it.”
Lightning didn’t think much of what she said, but it brought their conversation to a screeching halt. For a solid thirty seconds Polaris stopped talking, and when Lightning looked at him, he was staring at her.
“What.”
“The Wanderer, from the story,” Lightning said. “If this is her domain, maybe there's a good reason she kept it a secret.”
“Oh Private,” Polaris shook his head. “Don’t tell me you actually believed all that?”
Lightning felt her coat bristle. “Believe what?”
“There is no Seventh Alicorn,” Polaris said. “Either this Rat Tail made her up, or this entire valley is terribly misguided. Really, this may be my biggest concern about this whole debacle. Such an outlandish story that they’re all supposed to believe.”
“Why would you say that?!” Lightning flapped her wings. “Echo and Master Tall Tail didn’t think they were lying, at least it didn’t seem to me that way.”
“And you’d take their word over mine?”
“N-no, but…”
“There are only six Alicorns, Private,” Polaris closed his eyes and nodded. “The Sisters in Lustre, the Brothers in Meteoras, and the Lovers in Sylvain. This seventh must be an extra-canonical creation.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because it’s superfluous!” Polaris said. “There are three tribes, three nations, and two alicorn leaders each. Why on Cabalos would we need seven of them? Who would she rule? Where would she even rule?”
“The Mercurial Mountains,” Lightning said. “Echo’s story said that.”
“Who would want to rule the mountains?!” Polaris said. “There’s nothing here!” Polaris paused and looked over at the sleeping village. “Besides the obvious, I mean.” He looked back at Lightning. “All that notwithstanding, if she’s so important, where’s the historical proof?”
“Is there anything that proves she never existed?” Lightning asked. Polaris opened his mouth and no words came out. Lightning looked up at the sky. “Back in Meteoras we have stories about the music-mother, my mom said she might have been an alicorn. That kind of lines up, doesn’t it?”
Polaris rolled his eyes. “Yes, Private. My mum also told me that the Alicorns directly descended to Cabalos from the Spirit Stars themselves… but then something happened, Private: I grew up, and I grew out of fairytales. The Alicorns could not have possibly lived on burning balls of gas, and even if they did, we have no reason to believe there were seven of them.”
The night sky rolled on by like it did every night, but every night there were no less than six stationary lights hovering high above, beyond the moon, but not much farther. Lightning watched them glow against the dark blue of the night. “But there are seven Spirit Stars, aren’t there?”
“Yes, sometimes,” Polaris said. “There are six that shine every single night, and there is one additional fickle one. It’s likely the additional one has no bearing on the others at all. The Unicorns know our stars, Private.”
Lightning pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “You mean the seventh star wanders?”
“Wuh-- I-- No, but...! There’s no cause for me to believe something so silly.”
“Why not, though?” Lightning asked. “Everyone here does.”
“Because it’s impossible for someone of my standing to buy such a thing.”
“Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
“It’s not belief, it’s fact!” Polaris nearly screamed.
A few birds flew from their perches in the branches. Lightning gave Polaris a look, and he settled down. “Sorry.” He readjusted his hooves and for a while neither of them said anything.
Lightning yawned.
“I just don’t see why you’d take the words of these strangers over my own,” Polaris said.
Before Lightning could answer, the two heard a familiar sound. For a split second, they thought they heard the soft and gentle wail of a ghost, and they both nearly believed it. It was coming from the direction of the Pillar near Echo Shade’s house.
Lightning’s ears perked up, and without thinking she followed the sound. Polaris followed after. They stopped at the hill right before the Star Pillar, and watched as a pony studied the strange artifact.

The galloway’s white coat reflected the moonlight, and his mane matched the muted nighttime colors of the grass and trees perfectly. He circled the pillar and tapped it occasionally with his hoof, and all the while he sang a song to himself.

Oh secret rock of ancient age, tell me your story not known by page...

“Meadow Skip?!” Lightning cried.
“The bard?!” Polaris asked.
That got the pony to turn around. His yellow eyes looked very solemn and perhaps conflicted, but once he laid eyes on the two his expression lit up. He waved over to them.
“Meadow Skip!” Lightning dashed over and laughed. “We thought you were done for!” Lightning flew up to hug him, but he gently side-stepped her, and she skid past. 
“Well!” Meadow said. “I’ve met some eager young fillies, but this is something new!” He reached out and took her hoof. “Allow me to introduce myself.”
“Meadow?”
“So you do know my name! What an interesting little filly.”
“Meadow--”
“I’m just a humble bard in search of the song. And what song you may ask? Well it's the song sung by all living things, and it just happened to lead me to this valley… Of course no pursuit is so great that I can’t stop to smell the roses so to speak, especially for a lovely filly such as yourself--”
“Meadow Skip!” Lightning yanked her hoof back and stamped. “It’s me, Lightning Bug!”
Meadow kept smiling, but he blinked once or twice. “Huh?”
“The soldier! We met in the grove with Polaris, remember?”
“Oh!” Meadow’s jaw dropped. “Oh…! You don’t look like, uh… you look very different without your armor on. I couldn’t recognize you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Polaris’ expression was far from amused when he finally caught up to Lightning. Meadow saw him and nodded. “There’s the sourpuss in question, not far behind.”
Polaris grumbled something indiscernible.
“And how are you, friend?” Meadow held out his hoof to shake.
“Charmed,” Polaris said through grit teeth. “Charmed to see you again, safe and healthy.” The two did not shake hooves, and Meadow merely retracted his hoof once Polaris was finished. 
“How did you come to the valley?” Lightning asked. “I thought you’d be lost in the caves still.”
Meadow smiled at her. “Oh, I arrived the same as you I reckon.”
“Most certainly not!” Polaris said. “I’ve been in this valley for nearly a quarter-day and a night and haven’t seen you once!”
“How did you get out of the cave? Were you hurt?” Lightning asked.
“Oh, please. It’ll take more than raging rapids of water to keep Meadow Skip down.”
“A what?!”
“Oh, you couldn’t tell?” Meadow shrugged. “I didn’t mean to leave you guys hanging back there in the cave. I took a wrong step and I found myself rushing down an underwater river. I kinda thought I was done for until I got dumped out that waterfall over yonder,” and Meadow pointed in the general direction of the lake on the other side of the valley. “I just fished myself out, dried off, and took a small six-hour nap.”
“And not one soul gave you any trouble?” Polaris asked.
“Not really, on account of everyone heading the general direction of town square at least. No one really seemed to notice me. Why, did you two run into some trouble?”
“Not exactly,” Polaris’ eye twitched. “You’re very nonplussed by all this, you understand that, right?”
“I suppose?  I don’t actually know what nonplussed means.”
“You’ve never been here before?”
“Nope, this is my first time in the valley.”
“You mean to tell me you washed ashore a lake in a secret community of ponies and you’re not phased at all? I’d think even a Sylvainnian would find the presence of this town a little troubling. ”
“What’s there to be troubled by?” Meadow laughed and shrugged. “I’ve gone to stranger places, if you can believe it. I just go where the winds take me.”
“Underwater rivers, in this case.”
“Tomayto, Tomahto, overripe aubergine, who can say, then?” and Meadow flicked his braid back and smiled. His eyes darted between Lightning and Polaris. “Why so prickly, Unicorn? I didn’t interrupt something with my singing, did I?”
“Most certainly not,” Polaris said. “But what exactly did we walk in on? Why are you circling the monolith like an enraptured animal on the verge of ascension?”
“Yes, well, I was about to get to that.” Meadow cleared his throat and stepped back to the pillar. “I saw one or two of these up by the lake, but I didn’t wanna seem suspicious so I just went with the flow and made my way down here. But what luck to find another one so close to town!”
“Do you know what it is?” Lightning asked excitedly. “Do you know where these things came from?”
“Ha!” Meadow laughed confidently. “Not in the slightest!”
“Oh.”
“I just think it’s inspiring, is all. A secret community is one thing, but these strange monuments are another! What are the symbols for? Do you see this writing?” He rubbed his hoof along the surface. “These are definitely Caballian-adjacent. Who knows what they speak of, though. I haven't been able to read any of it.”
“The Wanderer maybe?” Lightning asked.
Meadow smiled and pointed at her. “Yet another fascinating part of the valley! I’ve met hopeful ponies who spoke of a seventh but never thought I’d meet any who outright believed it, let alone an entire town.”
“Do you believe there was a Wanderer?” Lightning asked.
“Ah…” Meadow did seem to consider it for a moment, but all he did was shrug. “Who can say? The problem with living in a world as old and magical as Cabalos is sometimes you can’t sort history from myth. It is such a fun puzzle to think about, though. Did you know that across all the three nations, the most recurring myths are about secret sanctuaries, hidden oases and seventh Alicorns?”
Polaris got right up in Meadow’s face, his horn just missing the galloway’s forehead, and Meadow nervously backed up. “Speak truth, bard,” Polaris said. “What were you doing in the badlands in the first place? How do you keep managing to follow us? Why are you here?”
And once more a serious look on Meadow’s face was overtaken by a sigh and a shrug. “The truth is I don’t really know anything.” That got Polaris to back off. “You hear all kinds of things when you’re out and about like I am, so what if a thing or two comes true? I just think it’s fun to find places like this! Some people think there’s nothing more to Cabalos with the Alicorns gone. I think it’s just brimming with potential. And the three of us dropping in on a festival… free food and music, what luck, amirite?! No better time to smell the roses, so to speak.”
Polaris crinkled his nose and nodded. “Indeed.”
“It all makes for the perfect inspiration for songs… and a chance to come up with stuff to practice on my newly fixed lute!” Meadow swung the instrument from off his back, twirled it once, set it on the ground and gave it a strum. “Care for a listen?”
“I’ve personally had enough of your performative previews presently,” Polaris politely protested.
“I’d love to!” Lightning said with a clap.
“In that case… well~!” Meadow strummed his lute, and then a nearby cabin window light flicked on. The sound died in Meadow’s throat. “Er, perhaps some other time.” He grinned and stowed his lute away. “Wouldn’t wanna sour the community’s perception before my first performance.”
“Aw.”
Polaris swished his tail. “I suppose I’ll leave you to it then, bard. But do take care not to disturb any ponies here, sleeping or otherwise. I’ve a sneaking suspicion that our unimpeded stay here is resting on shaky ground.”
“Eh, I wouldn’t worry too much. I’ll just keep a low profile.” 
“You’re positive that will be enough?”
“Get this: when in Harmony if you walk like the ponies do, nobody thinks you’re a outsider! Pretty convenient right?” Meadow asked.
Polaris frowned. “Indeed.”
“All that aside…” Meadow flourished with his hoof. “As you will, my good sir! I’ll leave you two to… whatever it was I didn’t interrupt.” 
Lightning yawned. “I guess it’s time to try and sleep again,” she said. “Do you have a place to stay, Meadow?”
“Oh, I’m not picky,” he said. “I’ll just find another nice tree to nap under. Don’t worry about me.”
“If you say so,” and Lightning stepped back to make her way back to Echo’s place. “It’s a big relief that you’re okay,” she said. “Even if you are a bit… um…”
“Meadow Skip-like,” Polaris said. Meadow was still squinting at the pillar when Lightning and Polairs went back over the hill.
“Was there something else you wanted to say?” Lightning asked.
“...No, I suppose not. I’ll just retrieve my tent and pitch it somewhere.” Polaris looked very serious. “Whether what they are saying is true… we should both be careful. There may be something at play here we don’t understand.”
Polaris nodded to her and stepped back in the direction of Slash’s home, and Lightning made her way back to Echo’s hut, and the whole time she kept glancing up at the seven spirit stars.



Smokey awoke to the sounds of shouting workers outside and the clatter of pots and pans over the fireplace. He sat up from his spot on the floor and rubbed his eyes. His sister trotted over to the small table beside him with a heavy pan of oat-bread carefully gripped in her teeth. She set it down and pushed over some plates and forks.
“Wakey!” she said.
“Mn,” Smokey used his magic to pull his mane out of his face and glanced around the room. “Where’s Echo?”
“She went to talk to Timewinder and Oaksaw about jobs for today.” Snowy cut herself a piece of the oat-bread.
“And dad?”
“He’s went into town for a meeting. We’re supposed to meet him after we eat.”
Smokey looked at the pan of oat bread. “Why’d he leave so early? Couldn’t he have made breakfast?”
Snowy had to finish chewing a piece before answering. “Well there wasn’t a lot of room down here with the three of us and Lightning sleeping.”
“Hu-whaaa?” and instantly Smokey was completely awake. He looked all over the room. “Where’d she go then?”
“I dunno, but Echo said--”
“She left already didn’t she?” Smokey got to his hooves. “She left early and now she’s going to brave the badlands with that snooty unicorn!” 
Snowy smacked her lips and tilted her head. “I think your logic is making a few jumps--”
“Maybe I can catch her!” And Smokey dashed out of the house.
“Smokey~! Your breakfast?” Snowy held up the pan as he disappeared out the door.
“Waaaait!” he wailed. His hooves pounded the dirt path. “Lightning Bug, wait!” Smokey hardly ran three gallops before his face impacted into something rosy colored with a white scarf.
“Smokey, what are you on about?” Echo Shade asked. “Did you drink something you weren’t supposed to again?”
Smokey put his hooves on Echo’s shoulders. “She’s gone isn’t she? Which way did she go?”
“Who?”
“Lightning Bug, the outsider!”
“Oh. Smokey--”
“There’s something I need to tell her, for her ears only! Tell me which way she went and I’ll--”
“Smokey!” Echo’s horn lit up, and the little colt was yanked off and held in place in the air. She turned him around and pointed at a tree about a stone’s throw away from the house. There in the branches, legs dangling, lay Lightning Bug, with one eye open.
Smokey swallowed. “Oh.”
“Hey there, you’re finally up!” Echo said as she walked over to the tree. Her horn stopped glowing, and Smokey dropped to the ground. The pegasus stretched her wings.
“I don’t remember falling asleep,” Lightning’s head bobbed with her chin resting on the branch as she talked. She yawned. “I’m sorry for ducking out. I just wanted some fresh air, I didn’t think I’d be out here till morning.”
“Aw, no worries hon,” Echo said. “We’re going to go see Tall Tail and get started on our chores. Snowy made oat-bread for breakfast. You could come with us when we’re done eating, interested?”
“Please say yes,” Smokey mumbled from his spot in the grass.
Lightning yawned again and got up to her hooves. With nary a hop and a flap of her wings she was back on the ground. She gave a tired smile and let Echo lead her back into the house. Smokey trailed close behind, and shortly after they’d make their way down into town together.



The clamor of the town was much louder than yesterday, and everyone was hurrying to finish their word. Lightning figured there’d be less laughing and joking today. Echo led everyone back down the hill, past the Star Pillar, and down into town square by the tree. Lightning didn’t see Meadow at the pillar, and she couldn’t see him during their whole walk. She couldn’t see Polaris, either.
Slashbuckler was finishing the arch that had gone neglected during the excitement last night. Some ponies were already working to paint the stage, and there were almost as many ponies out now as there were in the evening when she first arrived.
Tall Tail was near the tree and the statue of Sir Rat Tail chatting with some more of the elders. She couldn’t spy Paper Pusher amongst them, and that was a relief. “There you are,” Tall Tail called them over.
“Master?” she asked hurriedly. “I was going to show Lightning around town, maybe show her the sights, some things we missed yesterday. I’m sure she can find something to do as we go…”
“A tour?” Tall Tail shook his head. “You’re already conducting a tour! The foals and the Star Pillars, remember?”
Echo smiled and blinked. “Oh. Right.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to show your new friend around once all our work is finished, and perhaps afterwards we can worry about how the outsiders will be escorted down the mountains.”
“Will there be any time in between?” Echo asked.
“I honestly don’t know. Echo Shade listen ---”
“I know, I know. Being a Lorekeeper means spending time where it's important…”
“Good. Just let me finish talking to Oaksaw and we’ll be off. We’ll be going over our notes beside the stage, and once all the children arrive we’ll get to work. I should find something for the two foals to do when I’m back.”
“Yes, master.”
And Tall Tail walked away.
“Raw deal, huh?” Slash called from his perch of nailing the arch. The moment she saw Slash, Echo hmphed.
“Slashbuckler,” she said. “What happened to your guest? I haven’t seen him anywhere this morning.”
“Got me,” Slash didn’t even turn to look at her as he finished the next couple of nails. “He was gone when I woke up.”
“He’s probably an early-riser,” Lightning said.
“Then he got up earlier than me!” Slash said with a definitive rap from his hammer. “I’ve been nailing this since five in the morning!” The arch titled loudly, and he groaned. “What kind of bumbling idiot manages to knock a sturdy arch like this so loose?”
Echo mumbled something to herself that Lightning couldn’t catch.
When Tall Tail returned he held out a small stack of papers. “Smokey, Snowy!” he called. The two children responded and sat diligently besides their father. “I’ve got some chores for you two today -- it’s a short list, but it’ll likely take you all over the valley.” The elder unicorn passed the list to Smokey with his magic. “Firstly, you will go to Satin Splash at the loom and collect a box of ribbons and candles. The two of you will be decorating the Star Pillars this year.”
“The Star Pillars?” Smokey cried.
“All of them?” Snowy added. “That will take all day!”
Tall Tail nodded. “Only if you’re not punctual. Just be careful and diligent until then.” His brow set into a hard line. “Do NOT make a rush job of decorating the sacred artifacts or I will hear about it. Is that understood?”
The two foals gulped. “Yes, father.”
“Good. Give the list to Satin Splash, she should have everything ready by now.” Tall Tail then pointed with his chin towards the stage. “Come on then, Echo Shade. The sooner we start, the better.”
“Um…!” Lightning raised her hoof. “What should I do, Master Tall Tail?”
“You?” Tall Tail laughed lightly. “Why, that’s your own business, friend.”
“But I wanna help with the festival like everyone else!”
“Well…”
Echo walked over to Lightning. “Lightning, hon? Could you keep an eye on Smokey and Snowy for me?” she asked. “They’re good kids and everything but I’d feel so much better if they had a responsible older filly like yourself nearby as they worked.”
“Oh… okay! Like foal-sitting?”
“Yes, foal-sitting,” Echo said with a nod. “...Very-responsible-foal-sitting. Both ways.” Echo looked at the younger two. “Any objections?”
“Nuh-uh!” Snowy shook her head and smiled.
Smokey didn’t say anything.
“Great! Thanks again, Lightning.” And Echo walked with Tall Tail back to the stage, and the three were left alone.
Snowy was just about to fly away, but Smokey stopped her and cleared his throat. He nudged his sister. “I-I suppose we might as well start the tour?” he whispered.
Snowy’s wings drooped. “I guess,” she said. “I was just going to let Echo take care of it, though.”
“We could start with some of Town Square at least.”
“I guess…”
“So what should we do first?” Lightning asked.
“We gotta show you around town in Echo’s stead.” Smokey said. “Until we reach Satin Splash’s shop, that is.”
The two slowly lead Lightning through town square towards a series of buildings. A young stallion strode by with a wagon full of bags and packages. He waved to the two foals, and they waved back. The stallion unloaded the wagon and carried the packages into a two-story building near the edge of the square. Smokey pointed Lightning to the building. “That’s the General Store where Minty and Scales work.”
“They’re such a nice young couple!” Snowy said. “They’re closed for the festival, but you should definitely pay them a visit later.”
“Snowy, there won’t be a later,” Smokey said glumly. “They leave later today, remember?”
“Oh… right.”
“Good morning children!” A brown galloway hollered over as he tugged his cart in the other children. “Morning Miss Pegasus!”
It was the stallion from yesterday, the one who gave her and Polaris a ride, Cedar Seed. “Oh… Hi there!” Lightning waved as he passed by.
“Some kids are afraid of him,” Smokey said. “Used to be anyway. He’s really not all that bad.” They passed a unicorn mare with a saddle full of paints and brushes. “That’s Key Mono, I think she helped with the banner yesterday.”
“She’s the best painter in town,” Snowy said. “I think so anyway.”
“What’s that?” Lightning pointed north, further out of town, and the two foals followed her hoof. She pointed to a large, dingy-looking shack off to the side of the dirt road, perhaps a few gallops past the town square limits. Smokey’s ears drooped, and so did Snowy’s wings.
“That’s Spindle Sprocket’s workshop,” Smokey said. “Alicorns willing nobody needs to stop by there today.”
“Oh, okay,” Lightning paused and let the foals take the lead, and they continued their trek into town. They came to a strip of shops built together, and beside them were a few buildings on their own.
“And right over there,” Smokey pointed at a smaller, more archaic looking building. “That’s the guardhouse.”
“Is that where Slashbuckler works?” Lightning asked.
“Um, no,” Smokey scratched his head. “Nobody actually works there. Echo says we only have a few full-time guards. Anyone else are just volunteers.”
“And Slash volunteers a lot,” Snowy said.
“Most of the time the guardhouse is just a warehouse for the council.”
“Oh, oh!” Snowy hopped and ran on ahead. She stopped beside a small cluster of shops built together. “And this is Satin Splash’s store!” She pointed to the wares resting behind the large glass windows. Ponnequins were on display with elaborate and detailed dresses and suits. “She’s the best tailor in town. She gets all of her designs from outside the valley, when she can anyway. She makes clothes, suits, dresses… and they’re all really cute!” She ran back to Lightning and led her inside. They were cute, Lightning agreed, and she did recognize some of the designs, but she didn’t have the heart to tell anyone that they were a few decades out of fashion at least. Satin Splash’s references must be really limited.
“You should try one!”
“Sn-Snowy…!” Smokey sputtered. “Miss Lightning is a soldier! She surely…” his eyes wandered between the dresses on display. He glanced at Lightning and ducked his head. “She surely wouldn’t have need for such things…”
“Actually I’d love to once things have calmed down a little,” Lightning said.
“Really?!” Smokey cried. “I mean… really? Huh. I guess I didn’t take you for the type.”
“Meteorans love to find excuses to dress up. I can’t think of one tough-as-nails ladette from back home who didn’t have at least one dress in her closet,” Lightning said.
The shop was very small. Most of the floor was taken up by the displays placed besides the door. There were a couple of drawers and shelves beside the counter. Several sewing machines rested with sheets of cloth partially finished under their needles. Everything was covered in boxes, which were filled with neatly-folded bundles of cloth. A very busy galloway pony walked to and from the counter with boxes on her shoulders as she checked a list and sorted through everything.
“Good morning Smokey, Snowy…” she cheered musically. She glanced over to them. “...Mare I haven’t met before.” She smiled at Lightning, and went right back to fussing with her boxes. “Where’s Echo Shade? She was supposed to be here half an hour ago.”
Smokey quickly stepped forward all confident and responsible-like. “I’ll take care of this, Snowy,” he said with a smile. “Miss Satin,” he produced Tall Tail’s note and passed it to the mare with his magic. “Echo Shade had prior obligations, but we’ll be happy to take care of anything left in her stead.”
“Oh great! You’ll be taking these then,” and Satin pushed forward two boxes. One was filled with ribbons, and on top of that she set a slightly smaller box filled with candles of all shapes and sizes. Both were dropped on Smokey’s back, and the little unicorn staggered under the weight. Satin checked something off of a list on the table, and then excitedly dropped her notes and sighed. 
“And that’s the last order of the morning. There's nothing left besides decorating the stage later today, so that gives me…” she glanced at a clock on the wall. “Three hours of rest! I bid you all good day.” She titled back and forth like a tree and promptly tumbled backwards into a cushy box of fabric, and less than a minute later they could hear her snoring.
"Everyone really works hard for the festival, huh?" Lightning asked.
Smokey stumbled outside, and his sister leaned against his shoulder to support him. “Taking care of it?” she asked with a giggle. She slid a box off of his back and took it herself.
“I almost had it!” Smokey said. Lightning reached for the smaller box of candles, but Smokey swiped it away with his magic and carried it beside him. “Let’s get a move on then, Echo’s depending on us to get the first half done before her, and I really don’t wanna be the foals who disappoint her when she’s depending on them.”
“She’s not that bad, is she?” Lightning asked. “She seemed pretty patient to me.” Neither Smokey or Snowy said anything. One of them coughed. “...Right then. Which way to the closest Pillar?”
“We should probably start with the Pillar of Faith,” Smokey said.
“Oh, okay! And that would be…” Lightning looked around every direction, but Snowy stopped her and pointed back towards the cottage.
“The one right next to our house.”
“Oh… duh.” Lightning giggled.
The three set off, only slightly slower than when the tour had first begun. They wove past town square, and Lightning couldn’t get a good glimpse of Echo or Tall Tail. Soon they were back on the familiar trail to the cottage, and Lightning just awkwardly followed the foals as they carried every box.
 Lightning spied something out of the corner of her eye, by the side of the dirt-trail they followed. At first she thought it was a smaller hut, but then she recognized the camouflage pattern of the tarp, and she realized it was a tent.
“Polaris?” she dashed over to it. “Polaris! Everyone is looking for you, where’ve you been?!”
She lightly tapped the flap, but she received no response and she couldn’t hear any breathing. She peaked her head inside, and all she saw was a full saddle-bag and a bedroll. Polaris was nowhere to be seen.
Smokey carefully poked his head beside her and looked around. He crinkled his nose. “Maybe when the cleaners are done with your armor they can take a crack at Polaris’ tent,” he said.
“Where could he have gone? I saw him just last night. Or last morning… hm…”
Smokey shrugged. “Maybe he went outside the valley, or maybe he went home.”
The little foal hardly understood the situation the two of them were in, Lightning knew, and his words shouldn’t have made her nervous, but they did. Would Polaris really just leave her behind like this? He said she was the only one he trusted… but she’d heard stuff like that before from ponies who were much meaner than him.
She sighed and left the tent. No sense in worrying about it, she supposed. He couldn’t have gone far, at any rate.

The Star Pillars were massive things, but seeing one during the night didn’t hardly do them any justice. During the day, their brilliant white colors reflected the sunlight. The markings were much easier to spy in broad daylight, but Lightning sure couldn’t make any sense of it. Maybe she could ask Meadow if she saw him later.
When Snowy opened her box of ribbons, Lightning couldn’t help but giggle at the bright assortment of colors. “How many colors go on the pillar?” she asked.
“Just one,” Smokey said. “One color for each pillar.” He prodded through the ribbons with his hoof. “And the Star Pillar of Faith uses… um,”
“Smokey?” Snowy asked. She handed him a small note that was tucked away in the box of candles. 
“Oh, of course! Let me see here… dark blue.”
“I thought the arch near Rat Tail was meant to be blue?”
“No, that’s bright blue. This is dark blue.”
“If you say so…”
“All right!” And Lightning gingerly removed the dark blue from the box, but before she could do anything with them Smokey once again lifted them from her grip with his horn and walked away with them. “...I’ll just watch then, I guess.”
Smokey held every ribbon with his magic and held them out for his sister. She took the end of one ribbon, and she flew around and around the pillar. Once she reached the top, Smokey stepped away until the ribbon was taut. Snowy then tied the ribbon around the very top of the pillar, careful not to obscure the crest. Once she was finished, she flew back down to Smokey, grabbed another ribbon, and flew back to repeat the process all over again. Sometimes Smokey tied the ribbon to the bottom of the pillar, and other times he tacked it into the ground a few strides away. There were six ribbons total.
Lightning found herself a comfortable patch of grass to sit on and watched as the two worked. The ribbons were tied down in two places, one atop the pillar, and another right below the crest. Somehow Snowy managed to create a beautiful pattern without covering the symbol. “Have you two done this before?” she asked.
“Oh, um…” Smokey looked away from the pillar and his sister and stopped to think.
“Smokey!” Snowy’s voice echoed from the top of the pillar. “Could you pull it already?”
“Oh, sorry!” And Smokey did so. “We helped take the ribbons down before,” he said. “And after a couple of festivals you learn how each pillar is wrapped. The Faith pillar has a lot of bends… the Conviction pillar is crisscrossed, that sort of thing.”
“I see…”

Once the pillar was all wrapped up, the box of candles was opened up. “This is the hard part…” Smokey grumbled. He retrieved at least two dozen large blue candles from the box, along with a few wooden shelf-thingies. 
“How so?” Lightning asked.
“Each of these candles has to be melted into place,” Smokey said.
“And some of them have to go on the pillar with these,” Snowy held up the wooden shelves. “Right below the crest.”
“What's so hard about that?” Lightning asked.
Smokey’s horn lit up, and a tiny tongue of fire appeared at it’s tip, complete with a little ‘click’ noise. It promptly went out. “Well for one thing, I can’t fly, and some of these candles are going really high up.”
“And I don’t wanna carry him,” Snowy said as her wings drooped. "I probably shouldn't too."
“Um…” Lightning shuffled through the box of candles, careful not to accidentally snap any. “Are there any spares? Maybe Smokey can light a candle and Snowy can carry it up…”
“Nuh-uh,” Smokey shook his head. “She’s not allowed to fly with open flames anymore.”
His sister lightly bopped him with her wing. “Why’d you have to say that in front of her?!”
“I’m just being honest!”
Lightning stopped to think, and then her eyes lit up. She tapped the ground and flapped her wings. “I know!” She said. “I’ll just carry you.”
“Huh-wuh…?!” Smokey’s mouth dropped open. “I-I-I um well that is to s-s-say I cannot con-concur that as being entirely necess-necessi… necessary…”
“Oh it’ll be fine,” Lightning said. “Snowy can carry the candles, and then you and me will fly over with your magic to melt them in place.”
“Um…” Smokey gulped. “Okay then.”

Lightning hugged Smokey from behind and hefted him into the air. He remained absolutely still, like a carbuncle-kitten held by the scruff. Snowy flew alongside her as they both flew up to the top crest. 
“Look, Lightning, look!” Snowy said as she did loops in the air. “Echo’s always busy and Smokey doesn’t watch me fly.” Presently Smokey’s eyes were glued to ever growing gap between him and the ground. “I’m a Skydancer, you know,” Snowy said. “It’s my mark. I’ve got a performance for the festival tomorrow,” she said. “Smokey does, too. You’ll come and watch, won’t you?”
“Oh, Snowy,” Lightning gave a sad smile. “I think if Polaris gets his way we’ll leave later today, remember?”
“Such a shame,” Smokey mumbled. He looked between the Star Pillar and the ground once more. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this high up before…” he said. “You’ve done this before? Carry ponies I mean?” A gust of wind made him yelp and cling to Lightning.
“Easy, easy,” she said with a giggle. “I got you.” Smokey didn't say anything “Yeah, I carried Polaris earlier.”
“What?” Smokey shook once. “W-why would you carry him?”
“He needed my help, just like you,” Lightning said. “Well, he kind of talked me into it, but I don’t mind. You’re lighter at least! Much lighter.”
“...Oh.”
“Let’s finish these candles and get ponies who can’t fly back on the ground,” Snowy said. She held out the first candle to Smokey. He hesitated, but he managed to get a small fire going that melted the bottom of the candle. Snowy clicked the wooden shelf into place and stuck the candle down. “Don’t move it around!” Smokey said. “You’ll just weaken the wax and a gust will knock it down. One firm press should do.”
“Alright, alright.” Snowy did as she was told. There were twelve candles total. Six on top, placed along the wooden shelves, and six at the bottom, placed in a semi-circle around the pillar.
“There!” Snowy clapped her hooves. “All done!”
“Until we do it again, Smokey said. “...Five more times.”


The Pillar of Faith looked very beautiful once it was completely decorated. If it in any way counted as a rush job, Lightning certainly couldn’t tell. With the first pillar finished, the three walked all the way to the Pillar of Mercy, at the other end of the valley, right at Rat Tail’s watch. It was fun to cross the river and follow the same trail Cedar Seed took them on in his wagon. They only had to go off the road and walk a short distance to find the second Star Pillar, the one with a crest that looked like a flower. Once more Lightning Bug watched the two foals wrap the pillar in ribbons, and when they were finished it was on to the candles. This time Smokey was much more comfortable with being carried, and they were able to secure the first couple of candles without a hitch. Lightning didn’t even think about her Stormtouch, and nothing went wrong.
Snowy put a melted candle down and sighed. “This would be so much easier if Echo were here. She could just look at a candle and melt it with her magic, wouldn’t matter how far away she is.”
“Really?” Lightning asked.
“You sound surprised.”
“Well, Polaris barely used any magic besides levitation, and he got all defensive whenever I asked him about other spells he could cast. I just kind of figured that unicorns couldn’t cast any kind of magic they wanted.”
Smokey laughed. “He’s probably was just being a priss, or he’s not as tough as he’d like you to believe.” Just then Smokey slipped in Lightning’s grip and she nearly dropped him. “What’s his deal anyway? He got real quiet after father’s story was done. I figured he would have had more questions.”
“That…” Lightning furrowed her brow. Smokey lit another candle for Snowy as she thought. “That’s a very good question,” she said. “Polaris is… I think he has a hard time believing in something if he just heard of it. Like… if he hears it from another unicorn, or reads it in a book, he’ll trust it. Otherwise he’s pretty suspicious of everything.”
“But Echo and father are unicorns,” Smokey said. “Doesn't that help?”
“Well,” Lighting had to readjust her grip and Smokey yelped. “I guess I should’ve said he only trusts other Lustrians.”
“That doesn’t make a lot of sense,” he said. “The world’s so big! What if there’s something the Lustrians don’t know?”
“They probably wouldn’t like hearing you say that…” Lightning looked to the side and mumbled. “But then I guess Meteoras is the same in some ways. Sylvain probably too.”
“You mean every pony outside the valley besides you is like Polaris?” Smokey asked. “...Ew.”
“It’s because they don’t have stories of the Wanderer,” Snowy said. “That’s what Echo told me, anyway.”
“Actually, I think we do,” Lightning said. “We just don’t call her the Wanderer.”
“What do you call her then?”
“In Meteoras we call her the Music Mother, but I only remember a few stories from when I was a filly. My mom used to tell me bedtime stories about her. I can’t speak for the other nations, though.
“What do you call the Sisters? Or the Brothers?”
“...The Sisters and the Brothers.”
“And the Lovers?”
“The same.”
“Oh.”




“Hey, what’s that pony doing over there?” Snowy asked. They had just made their way south to the springs. The ground was full of bumps and hills, and the grass grew thick and wild as they got closer. The trees were thin here, but their leaves were either huge like palm trees or had long branches absolutely covered with leaves. It reminded Lightning of the land around Clan Sirocco.
The star pillar of this area had vines and moss growing around its base, and this particular one had a familiar dark-coated unicorn examining it closely.
Lightning Bug dropped the box she was carrying. “Polaris?!” She took off into the air towards him. “Polaris!”
Polaris barely had time to look in her direction before his horn lit up. Lightning froze in front of him, suspended in the air, arms mid-hug. He moved her beside him and gently set her on the ground.
Lightning just giggled. “Where’d you go?” she asked. “Echo and Slash were asking about you. …Actually Slash didn’t but still.”
“I moved my tent and slept until daybreak,” Polaris said. “...And I just could not get anything that bard said out of my head for some reason. I had to come and look at one of these myself.”
“Okay, cool! …What did you find?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Polaris frowned. “It’s just as the bard said, these pillars are covered in some kind of language.” He scratched at the moss. His horn flashed and brought a small pad and quill up to his face. He had transcribed a few lines of text, but they were just as meaningless on paper as they were on stone. “But nothing I’ve ever seen! In Lustre every scholar must learn another language, but to no avail with this! Is it another dialect? Some ancient branch? I may have to actually seek out a local for some context, heavens forbid...”
“Excuse me.” Polaris looked over at Smokey, who had just finished trotting over with the box on his back. “We have important work to do and I’d like to politely ask that you step away from the pillar.”
Polaris blinked. He stepped out of the way and mumbled to himself. “What an authoritative little colt. Hardly proper behavior, true gentlecolts leave the ordering around to the mares.” Lightning guessed Polaris wasn’t exactly a properly behaving gentlecolt himself. Polaris watched as Smokey and Snowy got out bright orange ribbons for the pillar. “What are they doing.”
“Decorating the pillars? Remember what Cedar Seed told us?”
“Who?”
“The nice stallion with the lumber cart?”
“Oh, him,” Polaris shrugged. “I honestly haven’t thought about him in a long time.”
“Polaris…” Lightning sighed. “Everyone here’s being so nice to us, and you’re just...”
“Their own fault. I merely want to learn as much as I can before I leave later today.”
Lightning couldn’t think of much else to say, so she just sat down and sighed. “Will Polaris help with the candles?” Smokey called over. They were about to start on the first ribbon.
“I’m, er…” Lightning glanced over at Polaris, and he just sat there staring at the notepad. “I’m not sure.” She leaned over. “Polaris?”
“What.”
“Can you melt candles with your magic?”
“Candles? I suppose you must think every unicorn--”
“Yes-yes! But can you?”
Polaris regarded her quietly before returning to his notes. “No.”
Lightning cupped her hooves around her mouth and called over. “Sorry, no dice!”
“What was that?” Snowy called back.
"Polaris won’t help, Snowy! That’s what she just said.” Smokey called up to his sister.
“But my wings are tired!” she said.
“Oh, Snowy! Why don’t you take a rest?” Lightning got up and trotted over. “I’ll help Smokey for this one.”
Snowy happily accepted. She bounded past Lightning and over to Polaris, who gave her a look before she settled in the grass beside him. Smokey swallowed when Lightning took the other end of the bright orange ribbon. “What’s the pattern for this pillar?” she asked.
“Oh! Um… The Pillar of Dignity… the ribbons are absolutely straight. There’s a quick knot at the top right above the crest, but the ribbons come all the way down straight.”
“Okay, that’s easy! I guess I picked the perfect pillar to pitch in on.”
Polaris offered her an unamused laugh as he turned a page in his notes. Lightning was a little afraid of accidentally carrying Smokey away, but he held his ground well as she pulled the ribbon high into the air. She expected Smokey to give her some more instructions as she went, but he was pretty quiet the entire time. She pulled the ribbon around the top of the pillar, which was about a pony and a half in diameter, tied it into a knot, and fluttered down for the next one. Smokey was still quiet. Perhaps she was doing a really good job and there wasn’t anything to say, or it really was just this easy and any pony could have done it.
Polaris glanced over at Snowy. “Can I help you?”
“Um… you wouldn’t happen to be a prince, would you?” she asked, eyes shining.
“No. Not really.”
And her eyes stopped shining. “Oh.” Snowy got up and found a different spot to sit down. “Pity.”
Lightning heard rumbling as she lifted the second ribbon from Smokey.
Her heart stopped. Trees crashing, rocks breaking, or could it be footsteps?!
But then she recognized the soft boom of thunder. There were some dark clouds rolling over the horizon, that was all. “Private?!”
It had been a while since she heard Polaris call her that. “What? What’s the matter?”
“Is your ribbon there terribly conductive?”
Lightning paused. “I’m not sure. Why?”
And then Lightning was struck by lightning.
Again.
The shock didn’t travel very well through the ribbon, but nonetheless Smokey went tumbling back into the grass with a small smoke trail following him.
“Ohmygosh Smokey!” Both Lightning and Snowy dashed to his side. He was lying on his back, eyes wide open, chest heaving gently. He didn’t look worse too worse for wear, only a little smoky, as it were.
“Lightning Bug! Lightning Bug, over here!” a cheery voice called from afar.
Snowy’s wings hit the ground. “Oh no, Echo!”
Tall Tail was leading a small troop of foals up the hillside, and Echo Shade was with him. She was smiling and waving at them. “Hey, we found you early! Are y’all finished yet?”
“Um…!” Lightning looked between the lightly crispy unicorn colt and Echo. “Almost…!”
“Almost?” Echo looked up at the pillar. “Have we ever had a tour when the pillars weren’t finished?”
“Not since you were a filly,” Tall Tail said. “Hardly the end of the world.” He pointed up at the pillar. “And as you can see…” he said to the children. “This is how we decorate the monuments to Sir Rat Tail’s work, see?” The foals let out audible gasps. Tall Tail leaned over to his apprentice. “I’ll keep yapping, you go check on Smokey, I think he had an accident.” Echo did so, and Tall Tail continued with his story. 
“Each pillar has a very specific color, and its up to responsible older ponies to carefully wrap each pillar for the night of the festival. We’ll light the candles and sing songs around them, just like the first settlers of the valley sang together around campfires and tents before the first houses were built. The pillars glowed in those days, you know. They lit the pony’s paths during the night. Each pillar glowed a specific color, the same color of the ribbons.”
Polaris had joined the small memorial for Smokey by the time Echo got to them. “What happened?” she cried. “Did he fall?”
“Oh no, of course not!” Lightning said.
“Oh thank the Wanderer.”
“The Meteoran Scout was merely struck by lightning and the colt was caught in the crossfire,” Polaris said.
“What?!”
“Why do you gotta throw her under the cart like that?” Snowy asked.
“I’m merely speaking the truth.”
Snowy knelt down to her brother. “Smokey, can you hear us? Say something!”
“...Wow… just…” he coughed a small puff of smoke. He glanced at Lightning. “Wow.”
Snowy frowned. “I think he’ll be fine.”
Lightning winced at Echo. “You’re not mad, are you?”
“No of course not!”
“Will Master Tall Tail be mad?”
“Nah,” Snowy shook her head. “He’s kind of desensitized to Smokey getting himself hurt.” 
“Besides,” Echo said. “It’s not like anyone’s to blame for getting hit by a bolt of lightning… right?” Polaris and Lightning were quiet. Smokey sat up by then, and he shook his head a couple of times. “How do you feel?” Echo asked.
“Amazing… but not in the good way. Not sure if I can finish with the ribbons. I’ll have just... hang back, and follow Lightning Bug all day.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. Before you do anything I’ll have to take you to the potion shack for a tonic.”
“You know what?!” And Smokey stood up and started trotting around. “I’m just fine, never been better! No tonics for me! Back to work!” He paused. “...I’d also like not to get zapped again though.” He looked up at the sky. “I didn’t think another storm would roll in so soon!”
Echo glanced at the incomplete pillar. “Tell you what, me and Snowy will finish this. You and Lightning just take a break.” And she and Snowy trotted off.
Smokey just sat down in the grass, and Lightning was going to sit next to him, but then Polaris stopped her. “Private,” he said sternly. “This way.” He led her a few trots away from the pillar where they were out of earshot of Echo, Smokey, and Tall Tail’s group. “What exactly was that?”
Lightning sighed and kicked the ground. “My bad luck,” she said. “As usual.”
“I think it’s a little more than bad luck. Your coat is always giving off nasty shocks, and it gets worse after you fly for long periods, not to mention the strike that fell the Torus! What exactly is all this?”
Lightning slumped to the ground and glanced up at the rolling clouds. She felt her heart sink and the color drain from her face. “Promise not to tell anyone else?” she whispered. Polaris became very solemn and quiet, and he nodded his head. “I have a… condition. My clan calls it Stormtouch.” Polaris’ eyes widened. He motioned for her to continue. “All pegasi can stand on clouds and move them around with our hooves, some better than others, it’s just natural. It’s one of the Alicorn’s gifts to us, like dowsing for unicorns. Stormtouch only manifests in ponies from the families of Clan Mistral, once a generation a few pegasi are born with it, and I happened to be one of them. We can channel electricity in our coats, or redirect lightning bolts, or…” 
“Manipulate thunderclouds,” Polaris said. “That’s how you pegasi fuel your powerplants, isn’t it?”
Lightning blinked. “You know about Stormtouch?”
“I’ve heard rumors!” Polaris said. “I know the pegasi are adept at manipulating the weather, I just never thought a superpower was required. I thought all pegasi could control thunderclouds, so I assumed Stormtouch was some tall tail.” He glanced back at the Lorekeeper. “Of sorts.”
Lightning laughed. “No. Only us privileged few can use it.”
“You don’t sound very privileged.”
“It’s because I’m not,” Lightning said. “Somebody else should have inherited the gift. I’m no good with it.” She kicked the grass again. “It always got me into trouble back home.”
Polaris blinked and cleared his throat. He was unusually quiet. “You know… not every unicorn is born with the same kind of magic. Some train their whole lives to master a craft another may simply be born with. In Lustre we say every magic power is a gift to be treasured, even if we can’t see the worth.”
Lightning laughed again and shook her head. “If I was more of a treasure and less of a burden I wouldn’t be out here in the first place.” She tugged at her necklace.
“...Private, I really should get you home. Let the locals handle all this, we have our own problems to take care of.”
“You’re not leaving now, are you?” Neither noticed that Smokey and Snowy had joined them. Echo was pegging the final ribbon into the ground and would join them shortly.
Polaris stood up and dusted himself off with his tail. “Yes, Miss Private here is probably desperately needed back home. We really ought to be off.”
“That’s a shame, I was hoping you’d change your minds.” Echo finally joined them. “I don’t want to sound clingy, but I don’t want you all to head off back into the Badlands after three days of traveling on your own.”
Smokey tapped his hooves together and looked over at Lightning. “Could you please stay a little longer?” he asked. “We’ve never had guests over. And I… I really want to go to the festival with you, Miss Lightning.”
Snowy leaned over and hugged her brother. “We both do. It's nice to have new friends around.”
Polaris pursed his lips. When he looked at Lightning, she didn’t look too different from Smokey. She lowered her head and smiled at him. “Can’t we stay one more day?” she asked. “It’s a long way down the mountain.”
Polaris’ brow twitched. He turned away and sighed. “Oh… fine. Whatever.”
“Woo-hoo!” Echo leaped for joy and caught Lightning in a hug. Lightning’s coat gave her a zap and she eeped. “I guess they don’t call you Lightning for nothing!”
Polaris pointed at them. “But we can’t stay here forever!” Polaris said. “We have responsibilities back home. And we most certainly can’t be a burden on our guests. We’ve got to be careful about the other elders… otherwise who knows what could happen.”
“Echo Shade!” Tall Tail called over. “The Pillar of Dignity isn’t going to get its candles fixed by itself! Finish your heart-to-heart and get over here! Do you want Paper Pusher on our tails again?”
“We were conducting the very important matter of whether we’d stay for the festival or not, sir Fall Fail,” Polaris said.
The look that the elder gave him inspired the fear of the Alicorns in all three of them, the siblings, and the little foals behind him. “Perhaps we’d have more time to chat if all of our guests were half as helpful as Miss Lightning. At least she was capable of helping with the candles, Solaris.”
And the Lustrian Scholar bristled. “I’m can melt some candles.”
“Really,” Tall Tail lifted an eyebrow. “A Lustrian Scholar capable of busywork? I thought you stayed inside all days writing papers.”
Polaris had stomped all the way over to Tall Tail by then. He got up in his face. “I walked for three days in the Badlands by myself, thank you very much! I am capable of melting a candle! I am capable of many things!” Snowy awkwardly trotted over with the box of candles, and Polaris swiped a few orange ones. “You really ought to check your prejudices, and learn to remember names, old man!” He still glared at Tall Tail as he marched over to the pillar and started to climb.
“Um.” Echo tilted her head. “Should he be doing that on his own?”
“Hey! Polaris?!” Lightning called.
Polaris was mountain-goating his way up the pillar. How his hoofs managed to find any foothold in that smooth rock was beyond her. “What?!” His voice was strained.
“Do you want any help?”
“No, of course not!”
“We could stand guard in case you fall?”
“There is no need! I will be up and down, and I will not need to be caught! Just stand back and let me handle this!”
Tall Tail swallowed. “Well, Echo, I leave this to you, just make sure he doesn’t hurt himself too badly. I’ll take the foals by the springs, and then we’ll work our way to the Pillar of Mercy, and then Conviction. That should give them a head start on the last three pillars.”
“Yes master.”
“Good. Let’s go children! …I don’t want them to see what happens next.”
It was hoof-biting to watch. Polaris scaled a few stories in a manner of minutes. He had already reached the crest and was getting read to put the first candle into place, and then Lightning remembered something. “He didn’t take the shelves with him.”
“Oh dear.” Echo lifted some shelves from the box with her magic and floated them up to Polaris. “Here you go!” She called up. “These just click into place.”
Polaris could lift many things at once with his horn, so it didn’t cause him too much trouble to manage the shelves and the candles. What seemed to cause him trouble was lighting a small fire spell and keeping everything floating at the same time. Lightning remembered he had trouble carrying his bag with his magic and climbing at the same time.
“Just set the candles on the shelf!” Smokey called up.
“Light the candles all at once and just put them down!” Snowy said.
“Don’t singe your hoof!” Echo said.
“ALL OF YOU, QUIET!” Polaris’ voice echoed down the pillar. “You’re breaking my concentration!” He put down every shelf, and put down every candle. He began his climb down, and Lightning let out a sigh of relief.
And then his hoof slipped.
He screamed all the way down and hit the ground with a thud. Grass and dust went flying, and the unicorn sat there, groaning. Tall Tail and the foals were well out of earshot by then, hopefully.
“Oh my gosh!” Lightning ran over.
“Today just isn’t a good day to be a unicorn,” Snowy mumbled to herself.
“WHY didn’t anyone CATCH ME?!” Polaris howled and held his leg. “Sisters save it, that hurt!"
“You literally just said--”
“And you listened to me?!”
“How are we supposed to tell?!”
" Scratch it all, we're leaving this place! Immediately! ...Ow.”
Polaris growled and got up on all fours… and then stumbled over onto his face. Lightning reached to help him up, but her coat zapped him. “Sorry! …Wait a second…” He was favoring three of his legs. He stood up on three and stumbled around. Lightning remembered how slowly he walked down from the caves, and how slowly he followed Cedar Seed, and how upset he was when Slash pummeled him. “Ohmygosh your leg!”
Polaris wheezed.
“Why didn’t you say anything before?! …Oh Brothers… Fire and Thunder it was me wasn’t it?! I dropped you and dragged you while we were flying, and I dragged you into the cave! Why didn’t you tell me I hurt your leg?!”
Polaris gave her a look. “That…” he pointed at her. “Is exactly why. Oh…” he stumbled forward. Lightning pressed her shoulder against him to steady him.
“It wasn’t the… you know… the d-word, was it?” she whispered.
“Sisters know, Private. I know for sure you shouldn’t blame yourself. I only noticed after we left the cave …Stars above I’m a fool.”
“Tall Tail was frustrated, but he probably shouldn’t have goaded you like that.”
“And I certainly could have handled it more gracefully.”
The siblings and Echo watched the two silently. Echo walked over and looked at Polaris’ hurt leg. “Your foreleg? That’s not your dominant one, is it?”
“It is,” Polaris said.
“Oh dear. …It’s doesn’t look too bad, just sprained. At least it’s not broken,” she almost looked jealous. “I guess homebred unicorns are made of rubber, like they say.” She gently poked his hurt leg and he seethed. “Brittle rubber.”
“Is he gonna die?!” Snowy asked as she hurried over.
“Oh, he’ll be fine,” Echo said. “He’ll just need it looked at. Otherwise he'll be off his feet for a while.”
“Brilliant,” Polaris said. “It looks like I really am staying longer whether I like it or not. I was hoping to spend it on my hooves, exploring. Not nursing a hurt leg.”
Lightning felt absolutely horrible. It was all stupid, climbing that high in the first place, but she felt worse for not doing anything. 
Echo had a thoughtful look on her face. “Lightning…” she said. “Would you stay with Smokey and Snowy and finish the Star Pillars? I may know someone who can help your friend.”
“You do??” Lightning asked.
Echo nodded. “She lives upstream, a bit of a trot away from town square, but the trip will be worth it if Polaris wants to try.”
Lightning looked up at Polaris. He sighed and shook his head. “It’s not like I’ll be doing anything else otherwise.”
“Excellent!” Echo made sure Tall Tail was well and truly gone, and then she cut the end of one of the orange ribbons before pegging it back into the ground. She used her magic to bind it around Polaris’ leg. “Smokey, Snowy? You go with Lightning to the Pillar of Conviction. I’ll help Polaris.”
“Aw,” Snowy sat on her haunches. “I wanted to do the rest of the pillars with you!”
“Me too, hon, but in Harmony we’ve got to look after each other.”
“Where will you take him?” Smokey asked. Echo just winked at him. A wave of terror swept his face. “Are you sure?” he whispered. Echo frowned. “...Okay then.”
Polaris cast a look at Lightning. “Private, just do what she says. I’ll be fine. …I think.”
Lightning slowly nodded, and Echo led him back up the dirt path to town. She didn’t look away until they were out of sight.




“Now, we could just take you the clinic and hope it gets better,” Echo Shade said. “Or we can talk to the expert and get it healed right away.”
Polaris glanced about the thick woods Echo Shade had just led him into. The ground was well-worn with several trails beaten by hoofs, but the thick branches blocked out the sun. Patches of sunlight dimly lit the trail ahead. It wasn’t unlike the borderline tropical region near the Pillar, only the sun could barely reach the plants under the thick branches above. “Where exactly would this expert be?” Polaris asked. “And why is it so far from town? I thought she’d be closer to the square.”
“Oh, it’ll be fine,” Echo said. The two passed over a shallow creek with a tiny bog at the end of it. They crossed over and walked through several bunches of bushes, and finally they came to an old dilapidated looking hut. A soft white haze billowed from its single chimney. A broken signpost sat in front of the hut’s creaky porch. Polaris took a moment to examine it, and then Echo lifted it into the air with her magic and planted it back into the ground. The sign read ‘Bloomin’ Brews.’
“Sounds promising,” Polaris mumbled.
Echo Shade opened the door and beckoned him forward. Polaris warily followed her into the dark, musty hut. A tiny broken bell rattled as they opened the door and stepped inside.
Even from outside Polaris could hear someone talking, and once he made his way in he saw three ponies. There was an older mare and her foal, and behind the counter sat the clerk for the shop. She was a younger galloway, and she appeared to be working a mortar and pestle as her customer shopped. Echo led Polaris to the counter.
“It’s so exciting out there, isn’t it?” the mare asked as she poked around a shelf of herbs and spices. “I heard we have visitors in town! Genuine outsiders if I recall. One of them sounded real handsome the way the young filly described him to me.” The clerk didn’t respond to her. The mare laughed nervously. “Not that you’d know that in here, of course. It’s so quiet in here… and dark.” Once again she wasn’t answered. “So… how about the weather? Sure hope that thunderstorm doesn’t stick around… again.” The colt was poking around a shelf and found a shelf of candied nuts as his mom continued her one-sided conversation.
The clerk would occasionally glance the mare’s way when she wasn’t looking, but otherwise she continued not answering.
Polaris tilted his head at the clerk. She had a dandelion coat, which was shaggy and unkempt, and her red mane nearly covered her entire face and was also very messy. He noticed the plants she was grinding with her tools. “An herbalist? If this is for my leg, I’d much rather see an actual doctor.”
“Her name is Apple Bloom, and she’s been mixing salves and potions ever since she was a little filly,” Echo said. “She’s as good as any doctor, she might even be better.”
“This place must be even more rustic than I thought if you think that’s true,” Polaris said. “What kind of backwater community trusts a plant-pony over an actual doctor?”
“Oh hush,” Echo brought him closer. “We’re friends, I’ll introduce you to her. Hello, Apple Bloom! How ya doing?”
The look Apple Bloom gave her certainly didn’t communicate that they were friends. “Can I help you?” She mumbled in a soft, sharp voice. Her gaze settled on Polaris, the newcomer. Her brow furrowed, but otherwise her expression didn’t change.
“Oh, you see my friend here hurt his leg,” Echo lifted Polaris’ bad leg up with her magic and pulled him closer to the clerk. She undid the orange wrapping with her magic.
“A little warning next time maybe?” Polaris said as he winced in pain.
Apple Bloom put her mortar and pestle away and leaned over her counter to look at his leg. She reached over and prodded it with her hoof, which Polaris did not enjoy. She muttered something as she slid back and started shuffling through one of her shelves. Polaris pulled his leg down and waited impatiently.
“This is always exciting,” Echo Shade whispered to Polaris. “She knows exactly what to do.”
“Oh Miss Bloom?” the mare and her colt came up to the desk. “I found the herbs I need.” She set down three small jars filled with dried leaves.
“One moment.” Without missing a beat, Apple Bloom withdrew from the shelf and carried a tiny bottle in her mouth. She walked around the counter and came up to Polaris and his hurt leg. The unicorn watched the small bottle of dark liquid warily.
“So what, I use this twice a day?” Polaris reached for the bottle with his magic, but Apple Bloom turned away and kept the bottle from him.
“Nah,” she said through the bottle in her mouth. “Once oughta do. Echo Shade.”
“On it~!” Echo sang. She lifted Polaris’ leg up again. This time he yelped and was about ready to shout at her. He sucked in a scream when Apple Bloom proceeded to empty the entire bottle’s contents onto his leg. Apple Bloom hastily rubbed the salve deep into his coat before she let his leg go.
“Mother Sun but that’s cold!” Polaris cried.
“Story of my life,” Apple Bloom muttered.
Polaris tested his hoof on the ground, and shifted his weight around. “And… yet that seems to have done the trick. My pain is almost entirely gone! Where did you get that concoction?”
“Dunno. Forgot.” Apple Bloom had already retreated back behind the counter and started tending to the mare’s purchase. “But you know, we get by. No matter how rustic we may be.” 
Polaris snorted to himself.
“That’s our Apple Bloom!” Echo said. “Our little miracle maker, that’s what we call her!”
“You’re the only one who calls me that, Echo Shade,” Apple Bloom said as she emptied the mare’s jars into paper pouches, which she placed into a larger bag. “Three bits,” she said to her. The mare handed over three small gold coins when her son walked up to her.
“Mom?” the little colt asked. He placed a bag of the candied nuts onto the counter.
“Oh, sweetie, put those back.”
“I can pay for it myself,” the colt said. “I’ve been saving up.”
“Yes but maybe later at a different store? I already paid Miss Bloom and she looks very busy. You know she likes to finish things quickly.”
Before the colt could do anything Apple Bloom had already slid the bag across the counter to the mare. It was tied shut. “Come again, don’t get sick,” she said.
“Thank you,” the mare gripped the bag in her teeth. “Come on, son.” And the two stepped out of the store. Apple Bloom idly waved at them as the door closed behind them. She blinked slowly, one eye after the other, like a frog almost. She looked over at Echo and Polaris, who were standing right where she left them. “Why are you still here. Your leg’s fixed.”
“I just wanted to see what I owe you,” Polaris said.
“Nothing,” Apple Bloom said as she went back to her mortar and pestle. “First one’s free.”
“That’s the first I’ve ever heard of such a thing,” Echo said with a smile.
“I don’t doubt it,” Apple Bloom said. “Get moving, you two.”
“Oh, don’t be like that, Bloom!” Echo said. “Polaris here is new in town and you’re already giving him the cold shoulder?” Apple Bloom didn’t answer. “Come on, where’s that galloway hospitality?”
Apple Bloom groaned and looked over at Polaris. He couldn’t tell if she was frowning at him or not. She contorted her lips into something that may have been mistaken for a friendly smile, if it weren’t for the dim lighting and the absolute lack of empathy in her eyes.
“There.” And Apple Bloom went back to her mortar and pestle.
“What a charmer,” Polaris said. “No wonder she can afford to keep her shop the way it is.”
“Now there, Bloom might seem like a big grump,” Echo said. “Something you can relate to I’m sure.” Polaris frowned at her. “But she’s Harmony’s greatest herbalist and potion maker. When it comes to brewing up a cure, even other galloway don’t know as much about plants as she does. She’s a great pony to know.”
“Yeah yeah, I think he gets it,” Apple Bloom said. “I’m good at my job and you’re easily impressed. I got a lot of work to do before the festival and I need to focus, so unless you two wanna actually buy something…” She pointed with her hoof. “Door.”
“Well, congratulations. That was almost three complete sentences,” Polaris said with a cocked eyebrow. That time he was pretty sure Apple Bloom frowned at him.
Echo smiled and led Polaris away. “Yes, of course. I guess we’ll catch you after the festivities tomorrow?”
“Not likely,” Apple Bloom said.
“Aw, what a shame. It was good to see you though!”
Apple Bloom blinked slowly, one eye after the other. “Yeah, whatever.” And she kept whiling away at her mortar and pestle.

The Mare and her colt had met with a small group of foals once Echo Shade and Polaris left the forest.
“Oh thank goodness, I thought she’d eat you!” One of the foals said.
“Who did what?” Polaris asked.
“The witch!” a foal cried. “She’s always doing weird stuff in there.”
“Oh, her,” Polaris scoffed. “Yes, she was quite the friendly filly wasn’t she? She should get some kind of award. Surely she should be one of the town’s ambassadors. She’d fit right in alongside that brutish blue pegasus bum you hang out with.” Echo frowned as she led him back to town.
“Hey, Slash isn't a bum!” Echo snapped. She paused and collected herself. “Apple Bloom is most definitely odd, but she’s really sweet once you get to know her! She just has trouble expressing herself, that’s all.”
“She seemed to have no problem being a little smart-alec,” Polaris said. “And the way she treats her customers! Honestly, I highly doubt she’s capable of thinking of anyone except herself. Except her plants, maybe. All gardeners tend to be the same in my experience.”
Echo just sighed and shook her head. “Well, so long as your leg is better I suppose that’s all that matters. Let’s stop for lunch, and then we'll see where your friend is at with the pillars.”
“She’s not my friend, we’re merely companions.”
“Right…”

“Where did this come from?” the mare asked. Her son took a peek inside the bag and let out a delighted squeak. A much larger pouch of candied nuts had mysteriously found its way into their bag.