//------------------------------//
// Of History and Hatred 
// Story: Lines and Webs 
// by Airstream 
//------------------------------//

Twilight was woken up far earlier than she had expected. Grapevine informed her that she had had six hours of rest, but the time had come to move across town. "This is the best time to be moving." he said. "All the guards are getting ready to change shifts, and everything will be confused for a while. All the dangerous ponies will have been out all night, looking for you. You need to be out of the city by noon, because it's almost guaranteed that they've realized you're probably here already. It'd be in your best interests to be gone by then."

The purple mare had rolled out of bed, put her illusion back on, and trotted back outside. She was surprised to find Golden Radiance and Spike waiting for her, Spike holding the book of High Magic in one claw. "Well," he said, grimacing. "Let's get this over with." Two minutes later, the last of the light was fading from the room, and the bedraggled Earth mare sat dejectedly on the floor of the shelter, gazing at her hooves. As Twilight ate quickly, Golden Radiance placed her illusory spell around herself, layering three spells of concealment and misdirection around her person, tying the strands of the spells together tightly. Thus prepared, the four ponies moved into the early dawn, keeping to the shadows and avoiding the main roads, already filling with ponies preparing for their days.

"The stallion we're looking for is Cognizioni Antiche, a professor who is descended from one of the original settler families out here. He's an expert on the family lines of the area, and if anypony knows anything about the House of Aria, or as they were last called, the House of Cambiare, it would be him. He's been a teacher at the College for nearly fifty years, and he still lives on the campus." Twilight said, as the group meandered towards the north side of town, home to the famed institution.

"What kind of name is Antiche?" Grapevine asked, eyes on a swivel, checking for trouble.

Spike cleared his throat. "It's a perversion of the language spoken back in the Classical Era, before Nightmare Moon. A few families, especially up north, keep those old names, and some actually are still fluent in both the new version of Classic and the ancient version, True Classic. Some only speak those languages, actually. Both of us are fluent in the new, and partially in the old. His name literally means Ancient Knowledge." His mane flopped down over his eyes, causing him to toss his head. "Luckily for us, he speaks perfect Equestrian."

A disembodied voice spoke from behind. "Aye, I recall having to learn it before I could apply to the Archives. Era molto fastidioso. His family must have been important at one point if they still keep their old naming customs."

The pink unicorn ahead of them nodded. "If his family was brought along, they were probably either noble or somepony's trusted servants. Regardless, his line is one of the oldest in Fillydelphia." She rounded the corner, stopping before a low brick wall, more for show than protection. "Gates are locked. Over the wall, everypony!" she said, taking a brief run and leap over the obstacle. Landing safely on the other side, she waited for her friends to follow suit. As they did so, Twilight took in the well-manicured expanse before her, the old brick buildings and cobbled pathways dotting the landscape, and the general cleanliness of the interior. She gestured with one hoof. "Welcome to the College at Fillydelphia!".


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The campus was a bastion of order in the city, its buildings, made from either whitewashed wood or warm brick, carefully kept gardens placed in artful locations, and a quiet air of studious discipline set it aside from the noisy, lively streets outside. The group wandered past several early morning scholars, either coming to or going from redeye study sessions, saddlebags bursting with scrolls, quills, and other sundries. The group attracted little attention, thankfully, the early morning light hiding the frazzled expressions and tense postures of their bodies. As the sun began to rise in earnest, Twilight and her company wound their way towards the professor's home, set at the very eastern part of the campus.

After a bit of walking, they finally found the Professor's home, a light blue house that seemed small and cozy, a place for an old stallion to live out his evening years in peace. Taking a deep breath, the young mare steeled herself, pushing on the gate, which opened on well-oiled hinges, white paint glistening as if new. With her three allies following behind, she slowly proceeded up the brick path, knocking three times on the old wood door in front of her. After a brief pause, the steady tapping of weary hooves reached Twilight's ears. "A moment, please!" a heavily accented voice called. Twilight waited patiently as the door swung open wide, revealing a tan unicorn, his flank adorned with a yellowing scroll behind an hourglass. "May I help you? Is this about the project? I am sorry, but I cannot offer assistance to you if you need a better grade. I would suggest a tutor. Or is this something else?"

Twilight cleared her throat, speaking loudly and clearly. "Professor Cognizioni? We would like to ask you a few questions, not related to academics here."

The stallion wrinkled his face. "No need to shout, I am old, not deaf. Not yet, anyway. And I'm sorry, I don't take house calls. Perhaps if you schedule an appointment." And with that, he began to shut the door. 

Grapevine, moving fast, caught it on one hoof, looking straight at the professor. "Hello, sir. I'm the one showing these young scholars around town. Maybe you recognize me, we've worked together in the past. These two have come a very long way to see you, and it wasn't an easy journey. Could you spare some time for them?"

Cognizioni Antiche stared at the Pegasus. "I see. Tell me, what phase is the moon in? And when does the sun rise?"

Grapevine's face was stony. "The moon is becoming full, and the evening star follows close behind. The sun is nearly ascendant, and the shadows grow short."

The old unicorn slumped. "So, it falls to me. I had hoped...never mind. And she is the one?" he said, indicating Twilight. Grapevine nodded. The scholar turned to Twilight. "Very well, then. Please, enter. And be quick about it, we don't want you being spotted standing around."

Twilight, Spike, and Golden Radiance stepped inside, Grapevine closing the door behind him. They followed Cognizioni Antiche back through his front entry, down a hallway lined with ancient maps, old sketches, and newspaper clippings from two hundred years ago or more. The professor pushed open a simple wooden door, gesturing for them to step through. Twist gasped upon entering the room. "It's bigger on the inside!" she exclaimed, noting the soaring arched ceiling, the wide and spacious windows, and the beautiful marble floors. Skeletons of various sizes and descriptions hung from the rafters, and a giant globe, made of bronze, spun slowly in one corner, clockwork whirring inside as a sun and moon chased each other across its surface.

"Yes, a spell of Expansion. Difficult to get right, and very bad to get wrong. Nearly cost Alonso and I our horns doing it." he said, gesturing at a picture of himself as a younger pony, his arm slung around a grinning unicorn about his age, their faces flushed with youth and achievement. "Saved only by the proper application of a screwdriver, and we almost crashed a airship trying it...but that is another story, Ms. Sparkle. Your companions can dismiss their illusions, by the way. The only pony who can see into this place is Luna herself, and that is because I showed her."

He closed the door behind him, sealing it shut with a bit of effort. Professor Antiche turned towards a kettle, boiling cheerily over a large burner. Grabbing hold of it, as well as several cups, he began to pour tea. "Now, I am assuming you are here in my home because of...certain recent events, correct? And if you are here, instead of where I sent your letter to, that means that you did not receive it, yes?"

Twilight nodded, trotting away from Spike, who took advantage of the situation to unravel his transformation, revealing himself as a dragon once more. The professor blinked. "Quanto sia affascinante! You are marvelous, sir! Description does you no justice at all! Ms. Sparkle is lucky to have you, indeed!"

Spike shook his head, slowly. "No. I am lucky to have her."

Professor Antiche stared at the duo, standing close to each other. His eyes, old though they were, could still see how they leaned on one another, supported each other. He shivered, realizing that each loved the other so deeply and so unconditionally that the one who tried to separate them would find itself utterly destroyed by the force of their deep friendship. "I think I see." he said. With the tea ready, he gestured to a nearby set of chairs. Setting it down, he turned to the now visible construct standing near them. "I do not know if you can eat or drink, but if you desire something, merely ask and I shall provide it."

Golden Radiance bowed slightly, trotting over to the furniture and settling in one chair. "Thank you, but I do not require sustenance."

The professor nodded. "Please, be seated. The tale I have is long, and it would be best for you to hear it all."

Twilight and Grapevine took their seats as well. Cognizioni Antiche sighed, settling himself into his chair. Taking a brief sip of his tea, he cleared his throat. "Now, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Luna's last great hope. You wished to know more of the House of Cambiare? What you find may surprise you."

Twilight frowned doubtfully. "I've seen some fairly surprising things over the past few days, things I've thought were impossible. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."

The professor grinned. "Tell me, then. What do you know of Princess Mi Amore di Cadenza?"


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The Bearer of Laughter glanced up sharply, eyes darting from side to side swiftly as the hair on her back stood up.

"What is it?"

"Twilight's nearby, in the College somewhere. Somepony has taken great pains to hide her from us, somepony powerful. Get Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. We have to get this right, or else she'll be gone again."


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"Allow me to answer that for you. You know very little of the Princess. Her full name is Princess Mi Amore di Cadenza, and her full title happens to be that of Regent of the Great Houses, Mistress of Emotion, and Ruler of the Dawn. Her name is New Classical, and her supposed kingdom is in the north, though she leads no ponies, holds no land, and has spent most all of her life near Canterlot. She is married to your brother, the Captain of the Royal Guard known as Shining Armor, and you were there for her greatest achievement to date, her defeat of the Changeling Queen."

Twilight interjected, slightly incensed at this marginalization of her brother. "It was both of them, together. The power of their love for one another bolstered Shining Armor's shield spell, and kicked the Changelings out of Canterlot."

The professor shook his head. "Twilight Sparkle, I know much about your brother. He is a powerful spellcaster, but to be frank, he is nothing special. Unlike yourself, but that is a different problem, one I have only found out about recently. His love may have been the spark she needed, but Cadance's magic was the only thing that was able to repel the Changelings, and only the Changelings. It would have been shortly after this that her hair began to behave in much the same way as Celestia and Luna's, yes?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes, her hair wasn't really flowing when I was last in Canterlot, but it was floating a bit."

"This is because she is coming into her power as an Alicorn. And the reasons for this are twofold. One, because Shining Armor's love for her is providing a low level stimulation of her magical talent. This Luna has told me herself, though she refused to say why it was important. I am assuming you know. The second is because she has been in close proximity to the Elements of Harmony, absorbing their magic as well. Celestia had hoped to start her transformation at the wedding. Much of her power flows through the Elements, and for a span of days Cadance took a large portion of Celestia's power into herself. Of course, being replaced ensured that she did not have the power needed to transform, and that the Changeling Queen herself was able to defeat Celestia in an embarrassingly one-sided display of magic."

Spike snorted. "That makes some sense, actually. I'd always wondered how Celestia had gone down so easily."

Cognizioni Antiche waved a hoof. "That is not of importance. You wish to know of how Cambiare and Cadenza are related, yes? Allow me to elaborate. The House of Cambiare, as you know, has changed names several times, which has made record-keeping a devil of a thing." At this, he hefted a tome onto the table. "This is their genealogy. Every distant cousin and third uncle is contained here. I have found that if a child is expected to be noteworthy after receiving their Mark, they are given a new name to continue the family under. Why, I do not know. But I do know this. Near the end of their line, the House members noticed something. Their numbers were decaying rapidly, with hardly any gravid couples in their Houses, regardless of whether or not they had come from fertile stock. What foals were born, however, were extremely powerful. The first and last of the Cambiare line, Ultimo, married a hardy Pegasus mare from a wealthy Condottieri family in the northeastern part of the mountains, and indeed he soon left Canterlot for her village, convinced that the ill fortune plaguing his House came from the city of Fillydelphia itself."

Grapevine interjected. "Pardon me, but what exactly is a 'Condottieri'?"

Professor Antiche indicated a bronze statuette of a bulky Pegasus, dressed in armor and holding a pike. "That is a Condottieri. They are warrior families, living in the far north mountains, fighting for glory and profit against Minotaur raids. When none are forthcoming, they fight each other. Proud fighters all, even the women. Though they are mostly Earth ponies. Such was not the case with this family. Ultimo met her in the marketplace one day, looking for work. Her name has been lost, but this mare was from one of the largest and most powerful Condottieri tribes in the north. And it was fertility Ultimo Cambiare was after. They were wed, and within three years, an unheard of time for his family, Ultimo's wife was expecting a foal. Accounts from the time describe Ultimo and his wife as a happy young couple. Though soon things went wrong."

Twilight had a horrible feeling in her stomach. This seemed familiar to her. Two powerful bloodlines, coming together seemingly by chance. She didn't like where this was headed, not one bit. The professor continued.

"Ultimo's wife, though she was in the prime of youth and in excellent health, began to deteriorate quickly. Her pregnancy lasted less than ten months, and she began to wither away, as if the foal inside was stealing life from her. The rapid pregnancy came to a head when she collapsed at a formal banquet, going into labor though she was unconscious. For a day and a night she struggled, and Ultimo waited desperately for news of his beloved, sequestered from her as he was. At last, the foal was delivered, a beautiful baby filly with purple-tinged feathers of pink...and a horn that was perfectly developed and well formed. Ultimo's wife, who spoke only New Classical, had spoken two words before slipping unconscious. They were 'Mi Amore'. Ultimo rushed to her side, as the castle at Canterlot was contacted to inform them of the birth. He never left his wife again, as she expired mere hours later, a once proud mare drained and broken from the birthing of a goddess. Ultimo died two days later of a broken heart, at the foot of his wife's tomb. Celestia herself put the filly into custody. She was named 'Cadenza', which means 'the end of a line of music'. No more did the House of Cambiare exist, as all other children were born stillborn, and gradually they all died away."

Twilight furrowed her brow in thought. The pieces were there, she just had to put them together. Closing her eyes, she reached for the crystal around her neck, stepping into a world of perfect clarity. When she spoke, her voice was oddly low, and without inflection. "Golden Radiance. In your book, did you notice any downward trends in your House?"

Golden Radiance shook her head. "None, at the time of my death my House was still recovering from its conflicts with the Longtooth Dogs."

"Spike. Do you remember anything about my family? Any downward trends?"

Spike was silent. "Spike? Do you remember anything?"

The purple drake spoke, his tone quavering. "Yes. If my math is correct, your family has been experiencing a decay in growth of approximately twenty percent in each generation. In fact, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are the only married couple with expectations of foals right now..."

The professor cut in. "Alicorns are infertile. They do not have children like us, this much Luna has said."

Spike's eyes widened. "Then that means..."

Twilight spoke. "If we take all of the facts and put them together, based on the similarities between my life and Ultimo's, then here is what we have. One- a very powerful unicorn from a powerful but small family. Two- seemingly random matches between families. I'd bet money Celestia arranged that meeting in the marketplace. Three- A foal is expected, the first in a generation. Four- the death of the mare birthing the foal. Five- an Alicorn being the foal, which I hypothesize is a result of hyper-concentrated bloodlines."

She opened her eyes, which smoldered with ill-contained fury. "Knowing what I know about my life so far, I can summarize my situation as thus. I was born for the express purpose of my child, an Alicorn which will kill me. I have been kept under the care of the Princess since I was very small, trained in magic, exposed regularly to the Elements, and I have been emotionally isolated as a result of my friends' pairings. All Celestia had to do was give me a nudge with my Element, just like she's done with the others, and introduce Morning Star. From there, he would only have had to ingratiate himself to me. I spent quite a bit of time around the Elements when I was in the Capitol, and it was only after Celestia had me by her side during the height of her power at the Summer Sun Celebration, wearing my Element, that I felt physically attracted to Morning Star. The lucky coincidence," she said, staring at Grapevine, "of a book being dropped by a passing Pegasus was what saved me from making what in retrospect seems like a very bad decision. I suspect the new streak in my hair has something to do with it as well."

She whirled, digging through her saddlebags and withdrawing the tomes of arcane knowledge from inside, setting them down on a nearby counter. Her voice began to increase in pitch and volume, until she was nearly screaming. "My friends have been sent to retrieve me and bring me back to Canterlot, presumably so I can be kept safely until I can birth a foal. As rape does not seem to be something Celestia would condone, although at this point I really have no idea what she is capable of, I would surmise that I will have my memories of the past several months wiped, my old loyalty to my teacher restored, and a new colt introduced, probably with a strong bloodline. Of course it will be a tragedy, but everypony will forget all about poor Twilight Sparkle when they see her foal, a testament to her magical skill. Imagine, that little unicorn gave birth to an Alicorn!" she shouted, bringing her hoof down hard enough to crack the marble. She began to breathe heavily, her horn crackling with magic, bolts of which skittered across her coat. She removed the crystal from around her neck, setting it on the counter next to the books. 

"Clearly, I need to work harder if I am going to avoid this. Times like these call from drastic measures. Golden Radiance, would you be so kind as to put a shield around yourselves? Professor, you should probably help. This will be big."

Golden Radiance’s eyes widened as she realized what Twilight was going to do. She reached into her bag, sucking two more stones of moonlight dry, and threw a shield into the air. The professor added his own magic to the mix. Hopefully it would be enough.

Twilight levitated all of the arcane tomes, four in all, into the air, as well as her crystal. Closing her eyes, she began to chant rapidly under her breath, as she reached for all of the magic at her disposal. Reaching into her very soul, she poured as much magic as she could out of her horn without killing herself in the process, bolts of purple Binding magic twisting among streamers of pitch black Breaking magic as Twilight began her spell. The books themselves contained the knowledge of a hundred hundred mages, all of them powerful beyond reasoning. Twilight's magic made those spells of ruin and desolation look like cantrips to amuse foals. Beams of light pierced the books, which began to crumble into ash. The tightly knit lines and webs of magic running between the books flared as the power and knowledge of those ancient tomes was stored inside Radiant Zenith's crystal, which began to glow slightly with the force of the magic contained inside. The beams coalesced into one massive torrent of energy as they were focused and collected, Twilight's fury lending the spell purpose as she wrought a true weapon, a massive repository of magic that would carve valleys into mountainsides and change the course of rivers if ever unleashed without constraint. Twilight tied the threads off expertly, opening her eyes as the crystal, now a smoky gray, came to rest around her neck once more, its simple cord belying the true power inside.

She opened her eyes, looking at her awestruck friends. "Now, let's go meet Luna. And when I next see Celestia or Cadance, I'll make sure they bleed for this."


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The College was in pandemonium as what appeared to be the assembled might of Equestria marched onto the grounds, moving towards a simple blue house, led by five demigoddesses, the Monarch of the Dawn, and her consort, the Captain of the Royal Guard, who had brought a sizable chunk of the elite fighting force with him. Airships hovered overhead, readying their lightning guns, as whole wings of Pegasi hovered around the perimeter, waiting to strike at their target. At last, the house was surrounded, and three ponies stepped forward.

"Twilight! We know you're in there! Come out, or we'll have to come in and get you ourselves!" Shining Armor said, his helm glinting in the mid-morning light.

The Bearer of Loyalty stepped forward. "Please, Twilight! We don't want to hurt you, but you're a danger to yourself and others! Come out before somepony gets hurt!"

Cadance stepped forward. "Twilight, Celestia forgives you! We just want to bring you to Canterlot so you can speak with her! You're not in your right mind, please let us help you!"
The house was silent.

Cadance spoke again. "We'll give you five minutes to decide, but then we're coming in after you! Please don't make us hurt you, Twilight!"


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The four ponies and dragon listened to the pleas coming from outside, discussing what to do.

"A frontal assault is out of the option. Sorry, Ms. Sparkle, but you're a Mage, so is the paper pony over there, and Spike is a dragon. Actually, I'm the only one who isn't good at magic here."

"Then what do you propose?"

The old unicorn raised a hoof. "I've got something in mind."

Spike turned. "You've got a plan?"

The old Professor shook his head. "No, it's like a plan, but better. I've got an escape route, which consists largely of me detaching the room from space and time. Unfortunately, I've only got enough power left in this glorified box of mine to get me and one other companion along. We'll end up somewhen soon, I'm sure."

Twilight nodded. "Well, that's our only option, then. Professor, take Grapevine and go. We'll catch up to you later. In the meantime, Spike, Golden Radiance, and I are going to head outside. Good luck."

Grapevine swallowed. Great, he thought to himself. I'm standing alone next to the madpony with the box.


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The front door swung open wide, and Twilight Sparkle stepped onto the front porch, her eyes small against the sun. Spike followed her, and then came Golden Radiance. Taking positions on either side of her, they waited. Twilight nudged Spike.
"Still have problems with jealousy?" she asked, as he bent down, neither of them taking their eyes from the crowd in front of them.

"You have no idea." he murmured.

"Good. On my mark, then." she said, and Spike readied himself. "Well, we're outside! Is that it?" she called, watching as Cadance stepped forward, flanked by all five Elements.

"Are you going to come back to Canterlot peacefully?" Cadance asked, her voice pitched normally, but carrying as if she had shouted back to her.

"Aye, we'll be heading for Canterlot soon!" Twilight Sparkle called. "You can wait for us there, just a few things to do first."
Cadance lit her horn. "This is no laughing matter, Twilight. We're bringing you to Celestia directly, and whether or not you are conscious when we get there is up to you."

"Speaking of trips, Cadance, how was yours? Do you remember where you were born? I doubt it, you were just a few days old. I'm sure Celestia does, after all, she took you from mommy and daddy's cold, dead hooves. We'll not be coming back for a while, we're planning on taking the long way, so to speak. And if you try and say different, I will have absolutely no problem annihilating everypony who tries to stand in my way."

Cadance was vaguely disturbed by the venom in Twilight's voice, combined with her seemingly unshakeable confidence in herself. Regardless, she had her orders. "Very well, Twilight. I had hoped you would see reason, but apparently that is not the case. I hereby place you under arrest in the name of-"

She never had the chance to finish her sentence, the crystal around Twilight's neck flaring as she unleashed a bolt of ruinous fire that blistered the air as it sped towards the Alicorn. Twilight and her companions leapt off the porch as the little blue box of a house flickered and then vanished with a *whoosh*. Spike began to grow alarmingly as he took flight towards the Pegasi and airships above, dodging lightning as he came. Golden Radiance’s form flickered as illusory copies of herself followed her charge into the nearest pack of soldiers, disabling them with brutal efficiency.

Cadance's eyes widened as she saw three take on an army, and heard Shining Armor thundering towards her to provide support, the Elements bracing for a charge. Twilight rushed at them, and Cadance lowered her horn, preparing to engage in combat against the fury of a Mage betrayed.