//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: To Whom We Speak // Story: Primordial Conflict // by Jumping Jack //------------------------------// Chapter 10: To Whom We Speak "So, let me get this straight. From what it sounds like when Twilight's copy spoke to you, you can actually change this course of history?" Thi began. I shook my head slightly. "I don't think that's what she meant. I don't even know what happened. All I know is that today, I fought myself and won." I said, wincing as Flitter dabbed a cotton ball against my sore cheek. The lilac pegasus smiled. "Well, I'm glad you made it out okay. That must have been really terrifying for you." She began. I couldn't help but brush it off with a cool hoof wave. "Me? Pssh. Did you hear what they said? I have the courage to face anything ahead of me. I can totally take on Ouroboros if I wanted too." "You better check your ego privilege, Fie." Thi said. I looked over and saw her looking rather stoic. She was gazing out into the winterland before us. Cloudchaser floated over us, having a very beaming smile on her face. "Are you kidding, Thi? Did you see those moves? It almost felt like I was watching a real life action movie!" She turned to me. "Say, Fie. You wouldn't happen to teach me a couple of those moves, do ya'? I've never seen a fighting style like that." I felt my heart race and my face going hot. I found myself avoiding eye contact and bashfully tapping the tip of my hooves together. "Err... I can't really... teach you that..." I said pathetically. Cloudchaser slumped, but quickly waved a hoof in dismissal. "No big. It looked uncomfortable to stand on your hind legs like that." Flitter chimed in. "I believe she used zebra martial arts. It's native to the Zebra Lands. You wouldn't know it existed unless you went there and were tutored by one who knows it." Flitter said. Cloudchaser rubbed her chin. "Hang on... doesn't Ponyville have a resident zebra? Zecora, I believe." I nodded to her response. "Yes, Zecora lives just at the edge of the Everfree. She has actually helped sick ponies get better and even helped or aided Twilight in her friends in their struggles." I rubbed my chin. "In fact, I remember somepony mentioning Twilight was mentored by Zecora at one point." I noticed I caught the attention of Cloudchaser, Flitter and Thi. I gave a nervous smile. "W-well... I don't think she taught her the martial arts. I think it was a more medatory one. Zecora isn't really a fighter much. She's a gatherer and medicine mare by trade." I smiled. "She's really nice. I like her rhymes." Cloudchaser chuckled. "Guess it's true about what they say to Ponyvillers. Everypony basically knows one another." she said. I nodded and took a casual swig of my water. "The life of an egalitarian society. I'll be honest. If I had stayed in Canterlot, I would have probably wound up getting a job as a Canterlot Guard. Which... would have made my parents proud. But when I moved to Ponyville, I was given a welcome party and everything." Thi chuckled. "Wow. I take it back. Stone Shire was nothing like Ponyville. But... that does sound nice to be welcomed into the community." I giggled. "It is, buuut everypony there is skittish. When a wild creature from the Everfree decides to pop in, or you know... a Parasprite infestation happens. Or something else happens, Twilight and her friends would tend to be the ones to solve it." The day continued on and as I explained more about my neighbors in Ponyville, the more I couldn't help but enjoy myself. It felt nice to have this many ponies to accompany me. Even better that I somehow lucked out and paired with a pretty cool mare. But after a bit, something had started to bother me. I noticed Thi Billette looking a bit more distant. I could tell that the sun was about to set as we headed back to Canterlot. The gates not too far away now. I scooched over to Thi, who seemed to be lost in thought. "Hey... you okay?" I asked. Thi nodded and gave me a smile. "Oh yeah, totally fine. You know. Just thinking back about what happened today." she said. She then sighed and looked back out to the valley. I gave her a worried look, but turned it into a smile. "I think I've vented to you plenty of times the past couple of days. Perhaps it's my turn to listen to you?" I asked, putting a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. Thi gave me a sideways smile and pushed herself up from having rested her chin on the wagon edge. "Well... today put a whole new perspective of my usual ways I handle things. First, the creatures that attacked the disposal wagon. And then just earlier when you were thrown into a fight against yourself. I dunno. I just couldn’t help but feel like I could have done something more.” She frowned. “And the next time I see a Roc that is going to attack, I’m not going to be helpless this time…” I chuckled and patted her shoulder. “It’s okay, Thi. You are knighted to protect me after all.” I said. Thi groaned. “Don’t remind me!” She grinned. I playfully nudged her and she nudged me back. We continued our way towards Canterlot, taking another thirty minutes to get to the gate. The guards waved us in. As we gathered our things and got off the wagon, I noticed that the center of town seemed different. There were way more guards than usual. Silver Scribbler rubbed his chin. “Odd. The patrols seemed to have changed.” He said. A voice called out. “Ahh, good! You two are back. We need all wings and hooves on deck!” A commanding voice said. Cloudchaser and Flitter winced before turning and saluting a yellow pegasus with a sleek back fire streak mane and tail. Much more orange than my red. I froze and felt my heart sink a little. I was just starting to enjoy their company. Cloudchaser and Flitter exchanged glances before nodding. “Ma’am, yes ma’am!” They said in unison. Cloudchaser gave a furrowed look mixed with worry. Flitter gave us an apologetic look as they took off. I waved my hoof to them. “Uhh… bye! I hope we can see you… again… hopefully…” I bowed my head and sighed. “And you know… say hi and stuff….” Thi pat my back reassuringly. “Gotta’ remember, Fie. We are in a state of crisis.” She said. I nodded and rubbed my foreleg. “Pretty sure Starswirl is to blame for it.” I said with a hint of grudging spite. Silver Scribble adjusted his saddle bag and frowned. “I’m going to do research on something. With your task done, you are to report back to the castle.” He shrugged at us. “It’s what the letter stated.” The stallion took off down the road in a trot, leaving me and Thi to exchange glances. “Welcome back, Quiet Fire. Thi Billette.” Princess Celestia greeted us from her throne. Princess Luna stood by her said, watching us with interest. At the foot of the throne was Starswirl. He was scanning through a parchment. When we stopped at the foot of the throne, he looked up and for a moment, I could see a small hint of a smile underneath that beard. Thi Billette spoke. “Alright, we did your task. Now what?” She asked with a lazy hoof wiggle. Starswirl pocketed the parchment in his hat. “Now, you recount what happened and I’ll try something that could aid us.” He said. I heard Din hum. The fool. I arched a brow. “What do you mean by that exactly?” I asked. Starswirl waved a hoof in dismissal. “Questions for later. This must be paramount to saving our realm. Tell us what happened.” I cast a worried side ways glance to Thi, who “hmphed” at the stallion. I recounted what had happened when we left for Buckhorn Mountain. The attack on the disposal wagon, the trial of courage I had to take. It was short, but enough that seemed to make Starswirl brush his beard in thought. “It’s all too coincidental. It’s almost as if-“ he began. I interrupted. “Like someone is pulling strings? Yeah, Ouroboros.” I said. Starswirl eyed me. “Look, you are right that Ourboros doesn’t have our best interest. He’s not out for our survival. He wants to watch us survive. What does a place like Equestria to him matter?” “Everything, my dear Quiet Fire.” A voice said. I yelped and turned around, almost getting into my fighting stance as Ourboros grinned a serpentine grin and waved. “Miss me?” I gasped and patted my chest. “Warn me next time.” I said exasperatedly, trying to calm my startled heart. Starswirl eyed him. “How much have you’ve heard?” He asked. Ourboros used a claw to dig out his ear and flick something yellow off him. “Enough to know how much you don’t trust me. But that should have been predictable from the start.” He grinned and trotted past me. “To think that the great and heroic Starswirl the Bearded accounted for everything. I admire such a rebellious heart! You are ready to make a great sacrifice once again to your home. The lone wolf who doesn’t want to endanger his fellow creatures.” He wrapped a claw arm around Starswirl, the latter looking not too pleased by the gesture. “You truly are a hero that has inspired plenty throughout the 1000 years you’ve been gone. Why, you’ve even inspired young Quiet Fire here as well!” I balked and frowned. “The hell he did! He’s not the one that fought themselves and made it back.” I spouted. Ouroboros pat the stallion’s shoulder. “Au contraire, Fie. Starswirl’s many trials had one where he had to play himself in 5D chess.” Ouroboros chuckled before pulling away at the same time Starswirl shrugged him off. “Nothing more exhilarating than besting yourself and living to tell the tale.” I arched a brow at Starswirl. “Being trapped in your conscious on a high steaks chess game isn’t what I call exhilarating. What are you here for exactly?” Starswirl growled. Ouroboros looked bored and began to examine his claws, taking out a nail filer and brushing it over the nail. “I came to watch you extract Fie’s key from her.” He said. The room went quiet. Thi shot a glare at Starswirl as well as did I. Starswirl narrowed his eyes. “How did-“ He was interrupted by a chuckle from the serpent pony. “I told you. It’s fun watching how much you think you can best fate. You do realize that without the Elements of Power, your world will die. A mortal like you interfering with the sake of balance. Oh, no no no that won’t do. I’ve already had one being disturb the balance, I will not have another.” He then tapped his chin. “Although… there is another realm I can go to. Who knows. I hear that place is quite magical. Of course, when the magic from this realm has been seeping out, it would be truly an interesting development.” Starswirl stomped his hoof. “You are meddling enough as is, serpent! It is your job to maintain the balance and you are here playing with us mortals. For what, amusement?” He said with a stern tone. Ouroboros shrugged. “That’s column A. What about column B. Does anypony know?” He looked between each of us. “No pony? Well, I’d be happy to answer that. Though that would require your second call in. Are you sure you don’t want to figure it out yourselves? It’ll be a fun adventure for sure!” I eyed Ouroboros suspiciously. He caught my look. “Aww, what’s the matter? I know Din can be quite scary sometimes. And she has a habit of speaking her mind. But look at you two, working together and tolerating one another. I’d say, if you two could be best of friends, you’d make this old serpentine cry.” He wiped a tear away. I shook my head. “If I take it you already know, then I need not say anything.” I stated. “I just want to ask one simple thing. What about the other six?” Ouroboros dipped his head to the side in an amused manner. “Do they have to go through similar trials?” Ouroboros shrugged. “That’s up to what the monuments say.” He said. I growled. “You put them there to extend this game. Are you really out to help our realm or are you taking a page right out of Discord’s book?” I stated. Ouroboros looked hurt. “How can you? Comparing that draconiqus to me? He’s nothing more than a fond creation.” He said. I arched a brow. “You created Discord?” I asked. Ouroboros seemed to look past me and I turned to see a stained glass window of the six heroes defeating Discord. “More like granted him the power. Such a fascinating creature. You can’t have Harmony without a little chaos you know?” I frowned. I guess I now know where Discord gets it from. Though I can’t help but feel Ouroboros is changing the subject. “So, did you put the monuments there just to keep us in the loop? Poor Twilight must be played a fool for you.” I hissed. Ouroboros chuckled. “Oh, trust me. Those monuments are real. I wouldn’t put them there. The young Princess of Friendship can eat her heart out to ancient history. Definitely follows after a certain somepony.” He cast a backwards glance to Starswirl. Starswirl remained stoic and challenging. Ouroboros then turned to Thi Billette. He rubbed his chin. “I say, I can’t help but notice the internal conflict of your companion here.” Thi narrowed her eyes and reached for the bat with her magic. “Back off, freak.” She glowered. Ouroboros chuckled. “Oooh, feisty.” He then snapped his claws and the bat from her holster was yanked away. “Wha? Hey!!” Thi threw herself forward to catch the bat, but fell onto her stomach with an “Oof”. The bat hovered over to the serpent pony. “Ugh. This thing has really decayed so much.” He then spun the bat from the bottom, balancing it on paw. He then took a single claw and began shedding away at the bat. Thi stared in horror. I was getting ready to jump in when Ouroboros caught the bat and held it out to her. Thi blinked out of her stupor. I gasped. The bat looked freshly made. As if it hasn’t aged a day. The decayed wood was now a wooden chestnut color. The eyes on the bat were suddenly burning brightly from the slit pupils with green fire. “A knight needs to keep her weapon well maintained if she is to maintain her duty.” He smirked. Thi yanked the bat away and studied it. She looked dumbfounded. “The weight of it… feels lighter.” She said. Ouroboros grinned. “Not only that, but I refreshed the ancient magic inside of it. Something Mr. Beardy couldn’t possibly wield.” Starswirl cast him a venomous glare. I suddenly heard a loud hum in my right ear. I pressed my ear. “Hello?” I began. ”Finally made it through! This is Twilight. I’ve just heard back from my friends that they had copied their monuments. They are on their way back. We’ll meet up at my castle and go from there.” I saw Starswirl press his own ear. “See to it that we are fully prepared for anything. I have some personal matters to attend too.” He turned to the Princesses. “Keep in contact with Twilight and her friends. I need to know exactly what goes on. Every detail is crucial.” Princess Celestia and Luna nodded as Starswirl turned and walked down the red carpet out of the throne room. I frowned and turned to Ouroboros. “You were going to sit by and watch Starswirl extract Din from me?” I asked. Ouroboros smiled and pat my head, making me flail and back away from him. “It’s why I showed up in the first place. I’ll let the ambitious fool do whatever he pleases. Because in the end, he cannot win. How are you enjoying your new weapon and found courage?” He put his paw and claw together. I slumped. There is just no reading this creature, is there? I withdrew the gem out of my hoodie pocket and held it up eye level with me. The tiny, burning fire inside of it swirling. “Courage? Have I’ve been cowardly?” I asked, more to myself. I didn’t think I was. I mean, I am terrified of Din, but that’s a different matter. I’ve never once hesitated in my actions. I even flunked my classes with confidence in myself, only to lose it when I got my grades back. And I don’t even want to mention somethings I had to go through just to deliver a letter. I have no clue what Ouroboros meant. But the amber gem floating in my magic. Something felt entirely different. “You do realize, Din isn’t willing to let me use her power.” I then looked to Ouroboros. “And I don’t plan on using it either. I’m not going to let a force of nature destroy my home.” Ouroboros sighed. “The road to friendship is a long one. I understand. These things take time. And like what the tree said. We have all the time in the world.” He grinned. I blinked as he walked past me. “Wait a minute…” I turned to him. “Wait! How do you know what happened there!? Was that you?!” I shouted out to him. But Ouroboros seemed caught up in a tune than anything. The creature then distorted and vanished in a blink of an eye. I was dumbfounded. Was it really Ouroboros disguised as Twilight just to inspire me or something? I ruffled my mane in frustration. I then heard somepony clear their throat. I blinked and turned around to see Princess Celestia smiling at me and Thi. "I believe now we are able to converse without any fuses." she said kindly. Me and Thi exchanged glances. "Approach, my subjects." Me and Thi carefully approached their throne. Celestia and Luna descended the stairs. "You have done a wonderful job today. Accomplishing so much in such a little amount of time." "I must say, it is quite exciting to be working with you two." Luna chimed in. Thi cocked her head slightly. "Huh?" she said with stark confusion. Celestia nodded. "It has been a while since we've done something to help Equestria." she began. "We've only ever really gone against the forces against Equestria when it is at peril with an invasion or something else dire." She coughed and darted her eyes. "And the occasional kidnapping." I rubbed the back of my neck. “So… you want to… do more than help here?” I asked. Celestia and Luna nodded. “It’ll be nice to get away from the castle. And I’ve been longing to properly talk to my pupil.” Celestia said. Luna did a small giddy in place trot. “Oooh, this is exciting, sister. Are you sure Starswirl would be okay with it?” She asked. Celestia giggled. “He said to make preparations. I don’t see how he won’t be. As long as we aid as much as we can, then I think that should suffice.” The two sisters smiled at each other. Thi had walked up beside me. She leaned in and whispered to me. “Called it.” She said. This felt so surreal. Me and Thi were unsure of how to properly think of this situation. We were casually walking down the center street from the castle. The guards were saluting or bowing as the princesses walked by. The two sisters were happily conversing with each other, seemingly unaware of their subjects in awe of seeing the princesses out of the castle. There was a reason we were casually walking down the street towards a building. I had mentioned to the princesses that we would need as much help as possible to help Twilight and her friends decipher the monument stuff they managed to get. I’m sure Twilight is capable of doing so. But, nothing wrong with eight pair of eyes helping each other out. We walked up to a building and knocked on the front door. Thi studied the building. “I would ask if this is the place. But when a big banner reading out M.E.S.S. is displayed over it, how obvious could you get?” She said. I nodded in agreement. The building didn’t stick out much. If the banner didn’t give it away, we would have probably spent hours trying to find it. It was tucked in between two busy businesses. One a restaurant and another a boutique. The princesses seemed interested in discussing whether they should check out the restaurant in their free time or browse the dresses. I smiled. Despite it being surreal, it was a nice feeling to know that the princesses were just normal ponies like the rest of us. Some ponies tend to forget that their statuses and reputations make them seem high on a pedestal. And while they earned their throne and status by rite, at the end of the their duties, they have needs as well. I knocked on the door again and waited for another brief moment before I heard shuffling. The door opened and a disgruntled and twiggy green pegasus stallion poked his head out. His glasses nearly falling off his snout as he used a wing to adjust them back on. “Y-yes?” He asked. I gave a small wave. “We are looking for Silver Scribble. We are in need of his assistance.” I said. He opened the door a bit more. I could hear subtle chattering inside. “Oh, well, Silver Scribble hasn’t been back in a while. No pony knows where he went. Last time he was here was four days ago.” The stallion stated. Thi blinked. “Wait, four days?” She looked to me. “We got here yesterday.” I rubbed my chin. The stallion suddenly balked and threw the door open, nearly smacking me in the snout. I rubbed my muzzle and glared at him, but he seemed to focus on the princesses. “P-Princesses! Wh-what are you doing here? I-I mean, what an honor. I mean… err…” Celestia held up a hoof. “At ease, my subject. We are just on a walk.” She said. The stallion looked between us and scritched his head. “W-walk? With n-normal ponies?” He stuttered. Thi rolled her eyes. “Not as normal as you think, twiggy. Do you happen to have any idea on where he might have gone that wasn’t the disposal escort?” She asked. “If you wanted to know where I was, you just need to turn around.” A voice said. We looked behind us and saw Silver Scribble eyeing us stoically. He met the gazes of the princesses and bowed. “Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. What a surprise to see you two out and about.” The princesses nodded with a smile. “To what pleasure do we have to be graced with your presences?” Celestia cleared her throat. “Me and my sister are being escorted by my old students to visit the Princess of Friendship. We were hoping you would accompany us to visit her?” She asked. Silver cocked his head slightly, but he adjusted his saddle bag and hummed in thought. “Perhaps, I can.” He then looked at me and then at Thi. “The company you keep could be trouble, with all due respect, princesses.” “Hey!” Me and Thi said in unison. The princesses giggled and nodded to him. “We would be glad of your company. I’m sure the information you gathered could be valuable for my sister’s plan.” Luna said. I cocked my head. “Plan?” I asked. Princess Celestia lowered her head with a smile. “Not here. When we are at the castle.” She said. Thi rubbed her chin. “So… are we just walking to Ponyville? I don’t think the train is an option. I don’t want to meet that ice cloud again.” She said. Silver shook his head. “The railway from Canterlot to Ponyville is closed for a while. They have to repair the tracks and salvage the derailed carts. And walking to Ponyville will take a few days. Princesses, if you don’t mind us taking the Royal Wagon?” He suggested. The princesses shook their head. Silver walked past us and removed a stack of parchments from his saddle bag and handed them to the twiggy stallion. “Please see to it that Marquis transcribes the runes from these notes. Hope it helps out with his own investigation.” The stallion took the notes and scanned the words. He balked, dropping the notes on the ground. "Is it for real then? It's alive?" he asked in shock. Silver shrugged. "Can't say for sure. It's hardly anything worthwhile. But it does mention it. Figured it'd be something." He turned and walked down the steps, motioning to us. "Shall we proceed?" Me and Thi exchanged glances while the princess walked alongside Silver Scribble. I looked back to the notes as Thi shrugged and walked after them. I didn't quite see what was written. But I did see a design of what looked like a dragon creature. I narrowed my eyes. The stallion stuffed the notes into his robe and looked at me. He gave a bashful smile before closing the door. I shrugged. Can't say for sure if this should concern me. I've got enough to do as is. I walked down the stairs and stopped when I reached the bottom. I squinted my eyes and saw a cloaked figure watching Thi, Silver and the princesses walking by. I saw his mouth move to say something as the pony pressed on their ear. I furrowed my look. That can't be good. I looked to the Princesses and rubbed my chin. I then looked to the boutique and beamed. I caught up to the group and tugged on both the princesses by their tail. They looked back at me in confusion. "S-sorry, you two, but would you come with me real quick?" I asked. Thi and Silver looked back as they had walked a bit further and exchanged glances with each other. Princess Celestia did the same with her sister. "Whatever for?" Princess Luna asked. I looked back over my shoulder, my eyes darting to make out any signs of seeing that cloaked pony. Maybe more of them if they were hiding out in the crowd. The ponies out and about seemed to pay no mind or were gawking at the sight of the princesses. I gave them a nervous smile and waved for them to follow. "Trust me on this." I then walked over to the boutique and opened the door for them. Princess Celestia and Luna smiled. "Are we doing a bit of shopping before we set off?" Celestia asked with a small giddy giggle. I rubbed the back of my head, keeping up the lie. "Ahaha. Yeah... a bit of light shopping. I figured you two should have proper travel equipment. You know. To look like the stalwart travelers without giving away the identity. Story book heroes." I said. Thi snickered. "Does that boutique have any in their size?" She smirked. She quickly dropped her expression when Celestia cast a subtle glare at her. "Err... I mean, because they are tall and don't have any fat to them whatsoever. Nope, not a thing." she scrunched her muzzle as she spoke. Silver cast a sideways glance. "Smooth." He said as he trotted over to me. I was surprised that Silver didn't seem to protest heading out as soon as possible. It made me question the words of the spiritual image of Twilight. We have all the time in the world. The princess walked into the boutique after Silver and began to look around, admiring the many styles on display. Me and Thi entered last, and I shut the door behind me, taking a quick look out of the window for anypony suspicious. Thi noticed my strange behavior and peeked out the window next to me. "Whatcha' lookin' at?" she asked. I sighed and motioned for her to lean in. When she did, I whispered into her ear. "I think we are being followed. I caught a cloaked pony watching the princesses. I saw them press on their ear and their mouth move. I think... they are using a link bud." I said. Thi furrowed her look. "Link bud huh? It can't be, can it?" she asked towards no pony in general. She rubbed her chin and hummed. She then shrugged. "Well, at least we can keep an eye out for now. What's the plan?" I looked back towards the princesses who seemed to be browsing the dresses. The employee was sweating nervously as she was trying to make the dresses the princesses were checking out to sound pleasant to wear. But the sisters were discussing amongst themselves. Silver was uninterested and was buried into a scroll. What a strange pony. "We get the princesses to blend in with the crowd." I said matter-of-factly. Thi cocked a brow. "No offense, but they would stand out even in civilian clothing. The mane and tail as well as their height gives them away." she said. I nodded in response. "I know. But what other choice do we have? It's to at least try to throw them off the trail for now. And if it doesn't work, then uhh... maybe someponies will be dumb enough to fall for it." I said with a small shrug. Thi chuckled and shook her head. "Betting the lives of the princesses on other ponies being dumb enough to not see it? You sure Din didn't talk you into that?" she asked. I frowned. "I'm in no mood to joke about that. Besides, Din is too preoccupied with observing me struggle with life." Thi looked back out the window and narrowed her eyes. It was as if she was locked onto somepony, but I followed her gaze and only saw the Canterlot elite trotting about along with the guard patrolling. Now that I think about it, with so many guards here, I doubt the princesses being attacked or marenapped wouldn't go unnoticed. But still. Something was off. "Well, what do you ponies think?" a voice said. We turned around and our jaws dropped. Celestia was wearing a formal blue blouse, her mane tied in a bun. Over her blouse was a tan suite that blended well with the blouse. Princess Luna was wearing a lavender dress with a belt buckle around the waist. Her mane tied into a pony tail. I never thought I'd see the day when the princesses would be dressing in civilian clothing. Though, I didn't know what to expect. Silver Scribble looked up from his parchment and arched an uninterested brow. "A bit too light for the winter weather, don't you think?" he stated. Luna was examining herself. "Well, I'll admit it is a bit... drafty. But I really do like how it blends well with my coat!" she said excitedly. Celestia examined herself and struck a pose. "I was thinking business trip! We are technically going on one." she said. I rubbed my chin and smiled. I went over to a display and took out a beige cloak and a dark blue cloak. I tossed it over the princesses, and it fit them just enough to cover their cutie-marks. I beamed. "Better! Dressed for the occasion with winter accessories." I said with a pleased look. I looked to Thi for approval, and she gave me a baffled look. She sighed. "Now I've seen everything." she said dejectedly. We made our way to the Royal Lot and the princesses talked a couple of the guards into pulling the chariot wagon for us. Our destination, Ponyville. I sat a little uncomfortably in between the princesses while Thi and Silver had all the room to share behind us. We took off, the pullers keeping low as to not get caught into stray freezing winds. The cool wind blew past us. I pulled up my hood and adjusted it comfortably on my head, shivering. Maybe I should have bought a couple of things to keep myself warm. And there was no way I would ask Din to warm me up. Though, the invasive thought told me she would be more than happy too as long as I set the wagon on fire as well. Ignoring the thought, I looked past our wind guard and scanned the valley below. We were just passing Buckhorn Mountain. I could see the scars of battle from our time there. I shivered more and adjusted my hood, looking straight ahead. I could see Ponyville in the far distance. The snow covered townhall protruding from the trees and small houses dotting the area. I smiled. It has only been a day and it felt like I haven't been home in ages. I wonder how my house is with those mares crashing at it. I hope they aren't starving. Do they even need to eat? They were conjured by Ouroboros. What if they just vanished and were there to throw me off guard? I wondered more and more but then my eyes caught something off my peripheral. I cast a glance and saw a silhouette following the wagon. I sighed. Well, damn. It was worth a shot. But as long as we remain cool, we could probably take them by surprise. I looked back over my shoulder and turned my body to converse with Thi. "So, Thi. How are you liking the new and improved Excalibat?" I asked, my eyes looking past her and seeing the far silhouettes of several ponies following us. It was hard to make out due to the flurry of snow. But they were there. Thi frowned. "I honestly don't know if it is new and improved. Sure, it looks brand new now. And the glowing fire is more... glowy than usual. But I haven't been able to test it out yet. I don't like how he just snatched it away and did that." She snorted in disgust. "This is a priceless artifact that I'm not planning on letting go of for any reason." Silver Scribble chimed in. "You sure that thing isn't a parasite and corrupting you just a little in your judgement? Charming you into keeping it safe?" he asked. Thi rubbed the back of her neck. "Not that I can think of? I mean, sure it's weird. But it's cool. Totally normal. And it has even piqued the interest of Starswirl himself." she dropped her casual expression to a stoic one. "I'm not letting him research it for sure. That's my job." I cocked my head. "How long have you've had that bat, if I may ask?" I began. Six years away but in the years we were in school, I know for a fact Thi wasn't inseparable with a bat with eyes. Thi yawned and kicked back in her seat. "It's only been two years since I've found it. And I can safely say that those two years I've had it, I haven't felt any different." She took the bat in her magic and twirled it casually in front of her. "I did plenty of tests to make sure it wasn't corrupt. Or you know, cursed. No changes to my personality, no misfortune, no side effects. Just an old bat with a lot of powerful magic inside it." She smiled. "Daring Doo was planning on containing the magic and display it in a museum, but I thought of a different use of it. What if, I used it to aid me in the do goodery I've been making with my archeological stuff." I couldn't help but laugh. "Do goodery? Since when were you a do gooder?" I teased. Thi playfully slugged my foreleg. "Since never. But it does feel good to do something good for once in your life." she said. Celestia chuckled and looked to us. "And I bet it has given you a lot of perspective of yourself." she said. Thi tapped her head in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?" she began. Celestia looked ahead, as if remembering fond memories. "I run the school you two used to go too. I know how each of my students are gifted in their own way. And I won't lie, I did have a couple of favorite pupils." she snickered. "Twilight being one of them. But of course, everyone that I observed always had something that held them back from their full potential. I always gave them lessons and even tasked them to live in other places to experience outside of their element. It did wonders for Twilight." She looked at us two. "And I can see that it has done a bit of good for both of you." me and Thi shrunk back a bit. Celestia giggled. "Yes, I know you two were quite the pair of troublemakers in my school. And I wanted you both to reach your full potential. But seeing how lost you both were when you were at my school, I couldn't stand the thought of my two most potentially strong hearted students to continue any further." Thi blinked and looked up at Celestia in awe. "Wait... we flunked and it was solidified by you?" she asked with shock. I too, was baffled by this. Celestia gave a sad look in response. "It was a difficult choice for me to make. You both had mastered certain magical abilities that most students wouldn't find practical. To see you both use them in ways I could never imagine, I felt it was the right thing to do. And hopefully, it would have made you both stronger if you left the school to find your own ways." she sighed. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to teach you to the best of my abilities. I understand if you both are disappointed in my teaching." I was the first to immediately dismiss her apology. "N-no! Don't apologize, Princess Celestia!" I blurted out. Thi gave me a worried look. I sighed and found the wagon ground to be interesting. "I wasn't sure how I was going to handle myself. Going to your school really helped me get over a bit of my own past trauma and I really did try when it came to the other subjects. I can only understand scientific explanations but lack any creative ability to make devices. My arcane was terrible and I couldn't even hatch a dragon egg. A filly could hatch one, but a grown pony like me couldn't." I rubbed my foreleg. "You were an amazing teacher. I enjoyed your lessons. I just... never clicked with them. When I found out I can do illusions better than anything else, I focused on that in hopes of at least being able to stay in long enough to practice other stuff. Of course... I couldn't get that chance." I then looked up to Celestia, who was eyeing me with such kind sadness and a small smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet expectations. But I will say, I had managed to do something great with myself when I moved to Ponyville." I smiled. "I got to have a party thrown in my honor on my first day there and I made quick friends with the neighbors. It was so strange, but I made friends there. For what it was worth, I think it was the best thing to have happened since flunking." Celestia gave a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. You've grown so much since then. It is unfortunate that you are now fated to be a part of something greater than me or my sister can handle. Even our old mentor, Starswirl." she said. Thi spoke up now. "Yeah, it seems like Ouroboros is having a field day watching Starswirl struggle in this fate of our realm ordeal. Doesn't help that he has to be so stubborn and dismissive of others." she scowled. Luna chuckled. "Starswirl has always been a stern pony. But his teaching methods were highly advanced than what Celestia teaches. It's how we came to be princesses. We've faced trials and tribulations while being guided by him." she looked ahead. "When he disappeared, we were still under tutelage from him. With our mentor gone, we ended up ruling Equestria and took what we knew to aid others." I looked over to the side and noticed that there was a wagon pulling up along side us. I looked to Thi and tapped my hoof on the seat. “Thi. We need to keep the princesses safe.” Thi gave me a quick second look before realizing and saluting. She took up her bat and withdrew her new firearm. She positioned herself just enough to keep herself out of sight. Silver Scribble looked between us in confusion. Even the princesses eyed us with curiosity. I looked to them. “Can you both cast a shield around the wagon and pullers? We got company.” As I said that, two more wagons pulled up. The cloaked pegasi pulling the wagons along with the ponies in tow. Princess Celestia and Luna balked and both quickly layered their shields. And just in time too. The barrier deflected a whizzing bolt of magic and it popped into the air. “We are being attacked!” One of the guard pullers shouted to the other. I shot out a hoof to them. “Keep on track. Evade when necessary. We’ll try to get them off of us.” I then turned and saw the princesses at the ready, both on their hooves and eyeing the wagons. The barrier deflected a couple more bolts of magic before a voice projected itself to us. “By the Maker of our world, we shall cast the false goddesses from their throne and shepherd them to a new dawning. We are the Triad.” Thi clicked her tongue. “Dammit. Of course it’s them.” She turned to us. “Listen, these guys are no joke. Fanatic militias out to rule over the land with powerful artifacts. They are most likely after the bat. But they have expressed their dissatisfaction with the princesses’s rule. They will not hesitate to harm us.” I gave Thi a worried look. “Told you, that bat was nothing but trouble.” I said. Thi ignored me and climbed up the wagon, getting onto the back luggage holder. Her mane and tail blowing in the cold wind rushing past us. She took aim and fired a couple of arc bullets at the pursuing wagons. I groaned and looked to Silver. “You said you have your ways, right? Now would be a good time to help.” I said. Silver eyed me and the princesses. He sighed and reached into his satchel. I saw tiny rocks with strange carvings on them. Oh great, he’s going to toss rocks at them. If he’s lucky enough, he’d hit one and disorientate one of the wagons. I was about to say this when he crushed them between his hooves and a magical aura flowed over his forelegs. He stood up and threw out his hooves. There was a loud crack-boom and one of the wagons went down in a splintery mess, the ponies falling as well. My jaw dropped. Silver reached back and pulled out another stone. “I’ll explain later.” He said, crushing the stone and his hooves glowed with a bright amber magical aura. He then tossed his hoof out and a ball of fire hurled towards the one above us, causing a hole to open up. We saw the ponies look down at us in surprise. Silver then tossed out his other hoof and a similar projectile shot out, causing the wagon above to careen into one of the ones on the side. Wagon and pony fell below us. The barrier flashed as more magic bolts fired at us. “Sister, we must help!” Luna said through a serious expression. I held up a hoof. “You both are doing enough help right now. Trust us. We can handle this.” I gave them a confident smile. I don’t know what came over me. They looked at each other before Celestia nodded worriedly. “What about you, Quiet Fire?” Celestia asked. Good question. I didn’t have anything to really fight back range wise. My only good magical bolt is a firework spell. And that was only set to stun permanently. I could use it to probably confuse or blind the wagons, but seeing as we are now fighting back, they have gained distance away but enough to stay on our tail. I grit my teeth in frustration. I closed my eyes and thought about what I could do. I opened my eyes and found myself in the black void. I blinked and looked around. I turned behind me and saw Din laying in front of me. She gave me a disappointed look. You really are asking me to aid you in a trivial matter? Forget it. But, I will happily shepherd these Triads into my domain. I’ve been longing to hear the chorus singing. Just this once, I’ll lend you a bit of power. But do not ask me for any more. I will not give it out freely. I then felt myself being pulled away and when I opened my eyes, I felt a surge of energy. I felt good. Really good! The princesses looked at me in shock. I blinked and examined myself. My mane was flowing up a bit like a swirling fire. My tail following the same pattern. My body then moved on its’ own. I found myself grinning and raised my head. I watched as a spectral ball of fire began to hum and form at my horn tip. Suddenly, a wisp of fire popped out and began circling the wagon. Then another. And another. And another. Two more. And then finally, the last one. The voice projected over us. “Your fight is futile, Thi Billette. We have you surrounded. Ground the chariot and we will discuss our terms of surrender.” I heard Thi scoff. I can imagine her grinning widely and flaunting the bat. “Oh, please. How about my terms! You get your sorry flanks away from the wagon and I promise you’d only get a life sentence in the dungeons.” She shouted. I then found myself cackling a bit before I flicked my horn up and released the magic. The fire wisps spread out and homed in on the wagons. One after another, the wagons exploded into a fiery ball bigger than what hit them. There were screams and yells as the remaining wagons pulled away. I heard a clack and saw a green fireball hurling towards one of the wagons, missing it completely. “Grrr! You may have won this one, Thi. But I promise you, you’ll be hung for desecrating ancient history!” The voice said. I felt the energy leave me and felt really tired suddenly. I slumped back into my seat as I heard Thi retort back. “Don’t be strangers! I’ll kick your sorry flanks the next time too!” I heard her climb back up the wagon and into her seat. I looked to see a big grin on her face. “Whew! Close one. I wasn’t expecting the Triad to show up.” Her grin vanished and she sighed. “That’s… still bad. If they are here, then it seems like they are getting bolder in their advances.” Silver frowned. “What advances? I knew this was trouble waiting to happen.” He said. Thi returned his frown. “You can’t blame me for not knowing it was The Triad that was following us!” She exclaimed. Silver got up in her face. “I can blame your carelessness for putting the princesses’s lives in danger!” He growled. Thi pushed back with her head. “Oh yeah? Not like our entire realm is going to the shitter because of some eldritch horror wanting to play his game! Are you too caught up in your books to even realize that?!” She scowled. Silver pressed back. “Knowledge is more powerful than any kind of magic! Not like you had any to begin with!” Thi glared and jabbed a hoof in his chest in a stern fashion. “I may have flunked Celestia’s school, but I’m not stupid when it comes to fighting or digs!” She exclaimed. I groaned as my pounding headache was increasing. I snapped finally and glared at them. “Shut up, both of you! It’s over and done with! Let’s not do this in front of the princesses and just focus on getting to Ponyville. We can discuss our chemistry then.” I growled. That got them to quiet. They looked at me and both turned away and “hmphed”. I sighed and slumped back into my seat, rubbing my head. I could tell the Princesses were uncomfortable with how we handled this situation. Or were they just upset they watched their subjects fight amongst themselves? I came to a stark realization. I need a drink. We finally touched down at the edge of Ponyville. The winter wonderland look making the place homey than usual. I stepped off the wagon with the princesses, Thi and Silver exiting on opposite ends to avoid one another. I smiled as I examined the town. The clouds overhead covering the time of day. As I thought that, I saw Celestia’s horn glow and Luna’s after. “Moon raised.” Luna said. Night time already? Has it really only been an entire day? So much has happened and it felt like no time has flown by. Ponyville was partially active. Some ponies here or there talking amongst each other. I came to another realization. I had work tomorrow. I suddenly panicked and trotted in place in a fret. Celestia placed a comforting wing on me. “Everything alright?” She asked. I groaned and face hoofed. “I totally forgot that I have work tomorrow… What am I supposed to do?” I gave a mocking tone of my boss.”Quiet, you didn’t show up to work! Leaving Derpy to fend for herself? Have you no shame! I’m going to dock your pay and have you make up for lost time on a requested off day!” I spat at the ground. The thought left a horrible taste in my mouth. I genuinely liked my work. Being a mailpony was simple and I get to travel sometimes to places just to know where I’m going. Celestia chuckled. “No worries. I’m sure I can arrange an official letter of mandatory service to Canterlot.” She winked. I looked up to her with uncertainty. Luna trotted past and looked around. “Shall we continue?” She asked, turning to us. I looked back to Thi and Silver. Both were keeping their distance from each other. Thi shrugged and walked yp next to me while Silver fell behind as he was invested in scribbling into a journal. I sighed and lead everypony down the snow covered street and turned towards the direction of Twilight’s castle. It took us a good five minutes to get there. The crystal towering structure loomed majestically overhead as we approached. My eyes fell onto a strange wagon. The purple and blue rickety old wagon had seen better days. On the side was a poster that showed a light blue unicorn with a white mane and dressed in a star spangled cloak and hat over a crystal ball: The Great and Powerful Trixie’s Winterhold Tour “What a mouth full.” Thi said, examining the poster. I rubbed my chin. “Funny. I’ve only seen this wagon a couple of times. Why does the name Trixie ring a bell?” I asked, more to myself. “You may have heard the name far and wide across Equestria!” A voice exclaimed. We looked over to the step ways to the castle. From it descended a unicorn mare in a star spangled cloak and hat. She tipped her hat up and gave a coy grin. “That is right! You are witnessing the presence of the Great and Powerful Trixie! And her amazingly awesome traveling companion!” We took a moment to gather what is going on. Thi pointed to the wagon. “That old thing?” She asked. Trixie was quick. She zipped up to her and frowned. “The age has nothing to do with a stalwart companion!” She turned and patted the wagon. “Through rain and storms, I have found solace and shelter in it’s comforting walls!” “If you count stepping on your smoke balls while trying to get anywhere to be comforting, I beg to differ.” Another voice said. I looked to see a rosey pink unicorn mare with a purple mane with lavender highlights. Her violet eyes giving away an amused but slightly annoyed expression. I suddenly blinked in realization. “Starlight Glimmer? It’s been a while!” I said with a smile. Starlight looked at me and gave a nervous smile. “Oh hi! Err… who are you again?” She asked. I took a moment to take this in. That’s right. I’ve only ever seen Starlight a few times, but she was always running about or spent most of her time in Twilight’s castle. And now that I remember it, Trixie is her best friend. It all came back to me. There was a point when Ponyville went under a tyrannical rule with Trixie. The situation was really straining on everypony, myself included. Of course, I slept through the duel between her and Twilight. The next day, everything seemed to return to normal. I didn’t realize she had come back. I frowned and turned to Trixie. “Wait a minute. I recognize you now. You’re that pony who tried to enslave Ponyville.” I said. Trixie balked along with Starlight, the latter quick to rush inbetween them with a nervous smile. “Yes! Trixie may have done something bad in the past. But, she’s a changed pony now so everything’s fine.” Starlight said. Trixie looked unamused but she nodded. Starlight then saw Princess Celestia and Luna and quickly shrunk back a bit. “P-princesses! What uhh… brings you here this night?” Trixie balked and looked to Starlight. “Those are the princesses?!” She gawked. I could see the panic in her face. I dunno why, but I gave a proud look over to Thi, who responded with a dejected, shrugging face hoof. Princess Celestia nodded. “It’s great to see you again, Starlight. You as well, Trixie.” She said. Trixie was dumbfounded, but Starlight looked between us. Celestia continued. “I have come here with my sister and my old students to discuss an important matter.” Starligiht beamed. “O-of course! Err… forgive the place, Spike is in the middle of cleaning up the castle. Come in!” Trixie gave Starlight a concerned look, but she seemed to ignore it. The ponies walked ahead of us as me, Thi and Silver trailed behind. We followed them into the main foyer before turning down a long hallway. The castle seemed to be a bit more at home than the last time I saw it. Starlight led us up to a tall, oaken door with greenish glass. She cleared her throat before turning to us. “Everypony just got back from their own trips. So, they maybe a little exhausted.” She said. The subtle chatter behind the door became clearer as she opened the door with her magic. The six ponies looked from their thrones. Starlight cleared her throat once more. “Ahem, presenting Princess Celestia and Luna!” She said in a presentative manner. Trixie tipped her hat. “And the main attraction, The Great and Powerful, Trixie!” Trixie threw down something that puffed into snoke, filling the room. We coughed and waved away the smoke before Starlight gave a stern look towards Trixie. “Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!” Twilight beamed as she hopped over to them. Celestia and Twilight gave each other a hug before pulling away. “What are you two doing here?” She then looked past Celestia and over to us. I gave a bashful smile and wave. Thi looked uninterested and Silver was buried deep into a his journal. She looked back up to Celestia. “What’s going on?” Celestia looked to her and her friends. “We all need to talk.” “You were what!!?” Twilight exclaimed. Her friends were shocked. Princess Luna nodded. Spike pat Twilight’s back. “Breathe, Twilight.” He said. Twilight shook away her dumb founded look. “But, the princesses were attacked by some unknown group! The whole world really is at stake!” She panicked. Starlight gave a reassuring smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing too bad to worry about. Not everypony is aware if the danger we are in.” She said. Thi snorted. “Supposedly.” She said quietly under her breath. I elbowed her sternly and she hissed in reaction. Starlight continued. “And I’m certain the princesses are more than capable of defending themselves from an open attack like that.” She said. Thi stepped forward, looking stern and serious. “Unfortunately, you are wrong. The Triad aren’t a push over militia. They go back as far as the founding six.” She began. Everypony looked to her. I gave a worried look and put a hoof on her back. “I’ve always been wanting to know, Thi. You owe me at least that much from the six years being away.” I said. Thi rubbed her foreleg, bowing her head. “I owe you more than that…” she uttered under her breath. I ignored it and would question what she meant later. I’ve been wanting to know what has happened to her these past six years. She’s only told me a part of the reason. But I knew there had to be more to it. Thi stepped into the center of the room between the six thrones. “The Triad were once cultists that worshipped artificial gods. They believe that harnessing the ethereal stream that we use to draw in our magic as weapons against their enemies. They grew so powerful that they ended up becoming a small militia county off of Pony Land. They use advance military tactics no different than what we know from training ourselves. They are efficient. Annoyingly so. What attacked us was a scouting party. They usually come prepared, but it seems they weren’t accounting on Fie.” She looked to me before turning back and continuing. “They aren’t fully aware of the realm being in danger. If they find out that an eldritch being and the Elements of Power exist, they will heavily get themselves involved. No matter what creature stands in their way.” She winced as she rubbed her chest a bit. “I’ve taken too many bullets and beatings taking them on. I don’t know how long they have been working in the shadows or how close they are to getting involved. But I promise you all that the Triad will not hesitate to kill if they have too. Royalty and power status be damned.” I saw the soured scowl on her face. She must have been through a lot of stress from what it sounds like. Princess Celestia smiled and put a reassuring wing over Thi, who looked up at her tiredly. “You are indeed a brave pony to be fighting off the forces that lurk in the shadow. I can now safely say that I have no regrets knighting you to be the seven’s protector.” Thi sighed in response to the princess. “I… appreciate the kind reassurance, princess. But… I’m no knight. I’m a rebellious hot head who likes to fight fire with guns.” She snorted. “I mean, there is no use in hiding it. You all know I carry one. Illegal or forbidden in most places. The Badlands are rife with those kind of weapons.” She said. Rarity scoffed. “That ghastly place? I don’t ever want to go there again. We were almost sold!” She said. Thi nodded. “They’d break your horn off and sell it as a necklace if you let the unsavory ones manage it.” She said bluntly. That caused Rarity to diva faint on the spot, Spike quickly catching her and fanning her with his claw. Thi rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry. You ponies were lucky that you were only threatened to be sold. Regardless, we cannot let the Triad catch onto the main task at hoof. If they do, they will invade Equestria and rip it apart to get to us.” Rainbow Dash smacked her hooves together. “I’d say let them try and invade us! We can take them on!” She grinned. Fluttershy cowered behind her throne. “That doesn’t sound fun at all…” she whimpered. Silver Scribble cleared his throat and everypony looked to him. He stepped forward, Thi stepping aside to maintain her distance from the stallion. They were still fuming at each other. But he motioned to all of us. “With that in mind, I believe we are here to discuss a couple of things. The princesses have a plan and I was asked to come here in order to help out transcribing the monument writing. Shall we do so?” He asked. Twilight perked up. “Oh, yes! The monument writing! I have already transcribed most of it. But there are some things that feel… blanked out, so to speak.” She said. Silver Scribble nodded. “Then it’s a good thing I’m here. Shall we?” He asked. Wow, straight to the point. This pony was really strange. He hardly showed much emotion but his tone always seemed to match the fluctuations. Not only that. The way he fought off the Triad scouts. I’ve never seen magic like that being used. It dawned on me. An earth pony using arcane magic?! How is that possible!? I mean, I know pegasi, unicorn and earth ponies have origin magic to their species. Earth ponies are in tune with the earth and know a lot about agriculture. So the fact one can use magic so effortlessly without the use of a horn… the strangeness turned into a further mystery. Twilight looked at Silver questioningly before nodding. “Of course. The sooner the better.” Twilight levitated her own parchment. “Girls?” She smiled to her friends. Each one of Twilight’s friends handed in their own parchments to Silver, who stacked them neatly. “Now. What is this about a plan, Princess?” He looked over his shoulder to Celestia. Celestia nodded and walked forward, standing in the middle of the thrones. “As you all know, Starswirl has returned and has been busy ever since he was pulled out of Limbo.” She put a hoof to her chest and bowed her head. “I fear our old tutor maybe desperate to return to keep this Pony of Shadows at bay.” Pinkie Pie snacked on a cupcake she had pulled from her mane. “But, I thought that wasth an oldth ponyth tale.” She said with her mouth full. Applejack rubbed her chin. “‘Ah dunno, Pinkie. After what has happened these past days, ‘Ah feel like ‘Ah can believe anythin'.” She said. Pinkie gulped her cupcake down. “I know! Isn’t it crazy?! I mean, the rumors started with Starswirl coming back, unbeknownst to us that Ouroboros had pulled him out of Limbo. Then we had this nifty little talk about the seven and-“ “Dear, we get it, but umm… can we at least hear Celestia speak?” Rarity chimed in. Pinkie shrugged and pulled out another cupcake, chewing down on it. Celestia smiled and nodded. “As the days went by, me and my sister have noticed that Starswirl has been… hasty in his judgement. So much so that even Ouroboros is mocking him for it. I wish I knew what was entirely wrong with him, but he’s never shown true feelings openly.” She then looked to me. “Ouroboros was right about Starswirl planning to extract your element from you. He had planned to use a strong ritual in order to cast the spell. It… would have killed you.” There was some gasps from Twilight and her friends. But I remained quiet. My mood shot down as I remember what Starswirl had said. If it was up to him, he would contain the Elements of Power, vessel and all. Another bad taste in my mouth. Princess Luna spoke up. “It was a brash and hurried thought. So, my sister decided to think of a counter plan to the one Starswirl has made.” She said. I noticed Twilight looking nervous. “A-are you sure we should be going against Starswirl’s wishes?” She asked. Thi glared at her. “Oh? Sounds like Princess of Friendship would be fine for a casualty.” She scowled. Twilight shook her head and waved her hooves in dismissal. “Th-that’s not what I mean! The plan Starswirl had is downright awful, but… this is Starswirl the Bearded. He’s a hero. A legend. He’s my idol. I got my wings because I finished a spell of his! He’s a powerful pony that has banished many evils in the world. He could just be a little disorientated with being ripped out of Limbo.” She explained. I sighed and nodded. “At first, I thought that too. But then again, I wouldn’t have thought about having a power element living inside of me.” I said sourly. “But as they say. Pride before the fall.” Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry. I wish I can think of a better way. But… until we know for sure what the monuments mean, we can only go off of Starswirl’s warning. Ouroboros instigated the warning and he’s an eldritch god.” She stated. Applejack spoke. “That is a fair point. Ouroboros has also been mighty coy with this whole saving the realm kinda’ deal.” She said. “Yeah, it’s almost as if he’s enjoying watching us suffer in keeping our home safe!” Rainbow Dash chimed in. Thi grinned. “Glad we are on the same page then. So, Celestia. What’s your plan?” She asked. We looked expectantly at Celestia. She nodded. “I plan to unite the seven and use their powers for the good of Equestria. Just like the Elements of Harmony. I understand that the Elements of Power are completely different and sentient. They house themselves inside the host. And from what it sounds like based on Quiet Fire’s interactions with her own, these elements are not so keen on seeing eye to eye with each other.” Pinkie gasped. “Wait, are you saying we should find the seven and befriend them?” She asked. I heard a quiet hum from inside of my head. It was bitter and disgusted. I sighed. “That’s if we can get them on our side.” I began. “Din has made it clear to me that she won’t flaunt her power unnecessarily unless I decide to burn something or somepony.” I nodded to Thi. “The ice one has already shown itself in a display of raw power. It’s the reason the railway to Canterlot is under construction. We also came across creatures that were affiliated with shadow and air. They attacked the disposal escort and Din noted that they are competing with each other.” I furrowed my look. “I hate to say it. But if fire, ice, wind and shadow aren’t getting along, whose to say earth, water and light aren’t getting along either.” I looked to Celestia. “You are making a big gamble on getting me to befriend Din. I’ve almost burned a pony alive before. I was lucky Thi knocked me over the head and stopped me. “Not to mention, when she does give me a small bit of her power, I feel an uncontrollable surge of energy. And my body ends up moving on its’ own. I have no control over it.” I rubbed my foreleg. “What if the others are also experiencing what I’m going through? They could be unable to control themselves and may or may have already hurt others or themselves. Because if we are to die, then we can kiss Equestria goodbye.” The room was quiet. Celestia walked over to me and raised my chin up with a gentle hoof to face her. “And that is why I am turning you towards the best teachers I know of about friendship.” She smiled. “I believe Twilight and her friends can help you come to terms with your own element.” I then suddenly cackled, feeling a surge of energy. I didn’t even feel myself being pushed aside. I blinked and saw Din standing next to me. Celestia balked. “Ahahaha! You think being friends with my vessel will work with me? You might as well give up this futile attempt! I do not plan to share my domain with any creature else!” Twilight’s friends were at the ready, standing between me and the princesses. I felt my body take a few steps forward. Thi readied herself, standing with the rest. “You are all fools to think me and my dear sisters will ever have a chance of seeing eye to eye! Ha! The thought just ruins my sides! Ahahahaha! You creatures are so hilarious!” I felt myself give a maniacal grin. “I can’t wait to hear you all sing in my fire!” “You’re going to have to try it first, hot head!” Rainbow Dash growled challengingly. Din smirked and a ring of fire circled around them. Rainbow Dash yelped as a stray ember singed her flank. Suddenly, the whole room was on fire. I couldn’t believe it. What is going on? Why can’t I control my body? Din circled the ponies. “You want to test that theory, my little pony? Your Elements of Harmony cannot hurt us. You are nothing more than wriggling worms. We are the sole reason your realm exists in that so called ‘harmony’. You banish or destroy anyone of us and your realm will be cracked into the void of unending suffering. Starswirl is a fool to think he could contain me. I would kill him the moment he tried.” Din cackled. “Killing my vessel but unable to contain me? I nearly had a get out of jail card. But that cursed serpentine had to butt in as usual…” she growled at the mention of Ouroboros. “Vessel… have you thought about this pact further?” I noticed Din casting her gaze at me. I was cowering under her. “S-still working on it…” I whimpered. What happened to me? What is Din doing to me? Why does she terrify me to no end? Of course she does. She’s a force of nature! What can I do against something that can do what it is doing right now freely? I’m helpless. Din cackled. “Well, don’t rush yourself now. Wouldn’t want you to be extracting one of my sisters and freeing them from their captivity. I’ll burn you alive myself if I have too.” She grinned evilly. “It’s not the first time I’ve done so…” Din began laughing, tossing her head back as her laugh got louder and louder, the fire rising as everypony in the ring of fire screamed. No! Nononono!! Stop it! Don’t hurt them! In a blink of an eye, everything was calm now. There was no fire. There were no screams. I looked dumbfounded as I saw everypony look around in horrified confusion. They then looked at me. I couldn’t hear what Thi had said. Was it my name? My ears were ringing and I suddenly saw the ground meet me rather quickly.