Chapter 14
Game of Shadows
Twilight placed the last book back on the shelf and took a long glance at the wall of tomes and parchments, feeling a sense of pride for her work. She had re-arranged them in order of proficiency rather than alphabetically, something she enjoyed doing back and forth every month or so. It was one of her small guilty pleasures, but recently it became a way to keep her mind off a certain colt.
The door to the library opened, and a worried dragon rushed in. Spike took a few moments to catch his breath, as small clouds of smoke rolled out his nostril and floated towards the ceiling.
“Take it easy Spike, you’ll damage the books!”
“Twi’, Blink’s in trouble. I saw a guard chariot flying from his house, I’m pretty sure they picked him up again.”
Twilight brought a hoof to her head, while letting out a nervous sigh.
“Why can’t we have a month pass by without things like this happening?” she asked herself, making her way to a nearby desk while levitating a piece of parchment and a quill to herself.
Spike started to cough loudly, and soon enough he heaved a stream of fire, a letter falling on the ground after the flames dissipated. Twilight turned and grabbed the letter, unfolding it and started to read.
“It’s from the Princess, I hope he didn’t get into too much trou-”
Her voice cut off as a lump formed in her throat. She re-read it again to be sure she hadn’t misinterpreted anything.
“This can’t be . . .” she murmured on the verge of tears.
“What? What happened?” her assistant asked worriedly, rushing to her side.
“Blink . . . he’ll be exiled.”
*** *** ***
“This can’t be . . .” I whispered, barely able to articulate at that point.
“You have to understand Blink, if I don’t pass this sentence I risk voiding the pact,” Celestia said flatly.
Light was falling on less and less of the throne room’s floor, the sun taking its place on the clear autumn sky. With the corner of my eye I noticed a large figure stepping out from a dark corner of the room, the light revealing her to be the Princess of the Night.
“Sister?” came more of a question than a greeting from the dark blue alicorn.
“Luna, this is the right decision; for us, and for him. He can go to the Crystal Empire, he will be given refuge there, I am sure,” Celestia said, without even turning towards her sibling. She knew very well that Luna had been present to that trial all along, hiding in the shadows of a pillar. She also knew her sister would not agree to her ruling.
“It may be the easy way out of this situation, but it’s not the only one. Midnight Blink, are thou aware that there is an alternate judgment that can be passed in case of breaking the pact my sister signed?” the younger princess asked, casually approaching me.
“Luna, no . . .”
“A judge or a high ruler of Equestria can also decide to send the accused pony to be trialed by the High Mountain Court of the Griffin Lands by their own laws.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, confused by why Celestia would have not told me about this in the first place.
“It means that after you receive thine punishment, thou can return to Equestria,” Luna explained, looking straight into my eyes.
“You know very well that is a harsher fate,” Celestia countered, stepping off of her throne.
“Yes, but I am sure he would like to see this kingdom again in this life. Pray tell Midnight Blink, am I not right?” the younger Princess asked, ignoring Celestia’s rebuke.
“What could happen to me at their court?” I questioned, considering the option.
“The gryphons are known for their harsh punishments, but luckily they don’t pass death sentences anymore. Imprisoning ponies is also something they refrain from,” she went on. “I studied extensively on this matter ever since I returned a few years ago. Signing that pact avoided conflict, although I would have preferred the more . . . direct approach to our political quarrels.”
Luna’s look became distant for a few moments, time in which Celestia came to me, determination clear in her steps.
“The laws permit you to choose between two willing supreme judges. It’s your choice then Blink, unfortunately a choice you will have to make now, as word must be sent to the Griffin officials in due time,” the white regal figure demanded.
That was the moment when I had to decide my fate. I had to choose between never seeing Twilight and the rest of my friends ever again and being punished by the gryphon authorities in their own kingdom. Judging the way their official ambassador behaved the previous day, I was inclined to believe that said punishment would be extremely disciplinary. However, as soon as Twilight’s image came into my mind, the decision was made. For the first time in years, heart triumphed over mind, and I would have gladly faced everything they could throw at me just so I could return to Ponyville.
Both sisters were patiently observing me, waiting for my decision. I turned towards the Princess of the Night, and silently nodded.
“Are you sure this is what you desire?” Celestia asked, her face betraying disappointment, “There are other places you can go in this world, and you could still keep in touch with the friends you made in Equestria, but traveling to the Griffin lands can end badly for you. The journey alone can prove to be dangerous, as most of your path would be out of Equestria’s borders.”
“I made my decision. I want to be able to return to my home in Ponyville-”
“Does she mean that much to you?” Celestia interrupted me.
My eyes widened at the unexpected question, and even Luna herself gave her sister a skeptical look.
So that’s what it’s all about . . .
“Yes, she does,” I answered firmly.
“So be it then,” Celestia spoke after a few seconds of consideration. “I revoke my previous ruling. Luna, as you support this so much, you may pass the sentence. I’ll require your presence immediately after this in the council room,” she said, making her way through a small archway near the throne.
When she left our sight, Luna turned to me, letting out a sigh.
“You will have to travel to the Griffin Lands and attend thy own trial, by their laws,” she explained in an informal tone. “The trip will most likely last a month, and even with the current advancements in technology you are expected to take at least two weeks. The sea between our kingdoms is a treacherous stepping stone in your journey, and you’ll also have to travel through the Dragon Lands briefly.”
“I’ll make it. Thank you for this chance. Can I-”
“No, Midnight Blink. I am afraid thou shall have to go through this journey alone. I forbid any of the Elements of Harmony to join you, if Celestia hasn’t done so already. It’s just too dangerous,” she added, as if she had read my mind. “They can, however, help you prepare for the journey, so make good use of Twilight’s knowledge in the field of magic. You have three days to get ready.”
“All right then. I think I’ll head back home if that is all,” I uttered.
I took a deep bow, avoiding eye contact with the Princess, and slowly turned away, waiting for the guards to escort me.
“Wait,” her voice came from behind, this time sounding friendlier.
She closed the gap between us and spoke in a whisper. “Tomorrow midday an escort will provide you with transport from Ponyville to this Castle. I wish to mentor you in magic training for a few hours. There are certain things Twilight Sparkle does not know or wishes to teach you. Those are the skills you will especially need in your journey.”
“Uhh, I- I don’t know what to say,” came my hushed response, caught off-guard by the more than generous offer from the princess.
“It would be wise to accept, given that thou needs all the help you can get,” said Luna all-knowingly.
“I really appreciate the help, I’ll be more than happy to come by tomorrow.”
She then nodded at a pair of guards and they quickly escorted me out of the throne room. I walked on unsteady hooves, my heart still racing after that blitz trial. All the way out I kept wondering why Celestia would take such a decision without any other consideration. Gilda was about to murder my friend, yet I was the one that became number one on their wanted list. Something felt wrong about that whole thing and I hoped that the following day’s private lesson with Luna would bring some light on the situation.
Soon enough I was on one of the castle’s large towers, where a chariot awaited me on an aerial pad. My mind was filled with questions and my heart was heavy with the fear of what was to come. I had to face Twilight and her friends; I also had only three days to prepare; possibly the last three days I would ever spend in Equestria.
*** *** ***
Celestia silently stood near a lone desk against a wall, waiting patiently after having finished a letter. The stale air and dim light complemented the rustic, spacious room, most of which was occupied by a vast circular table in the center. Only she remembered how many decades had passed since the numerous chairs had been sat in.
Luna made her appearance. The candle on the desk Celestia was at went out as her sister stepped into the room. A draft originating from the unknown traveled through the entire chamber, and the Sun goddess felt a chill down her spine.
“I apologize for that, sister; this room brings back . . . memories,” she said, glancing at the table and the two particular large chairs at one of its sides.
Celestia’s horn glowed for a moment, restoring light to the large room. She levitated a new parchment and began writing again.
“I take it that he went along with your proposal.”
“That is correct.”
“How many days until he departs? I need to send this official letter today,” Celestia asked, still scribbling.
Her tone was rather cold but Luna was not about to give in to her authority. Her innocent expression suddenly changed, becoming determined and somewhat irritated. She was about to have that conversation with her sister one way or the other.
“Three days. I assume you’ve already sent your protégé a letter of clarification on what she can and cannot do about it,” Luna quipped rather defiantly, “Perhaps, when the time comes, you’ll ask of her to send thou a letter reporting her loss of innocence to a stallion or a mare-”
“Enough!” Celestia voice resounded through the large room.
She dropped the quill and turned to face her sister, whose expression remained unchanged, even after the use of the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“This is no way to act as a monarch, especially the way you did in front of our subjects,” Celestia chided, taking a firm step towards her sister.
“Midnight Blink is not one of our subjects, and neither is Twilight Sparkle. You know that very well, dear sister,” Luna calmly rebuked.
“She is my student,” the white alicorn rushed, “of all the ponies in my kingdom, she is the one I care about most; she’s the Elemen-”
“Our kingdom, sister. And what about me? Thou have not any well-intended feelings for myself anymore?”
Celestia’s eyes widened when she realized everything she had just said. Her face drooped and her heart sunk in her chest as she stared at the gap between them.
Luna's straightforwardness pierced the thin veil of her reality as the consequences became staggeringly clear. Her own behavior was similar to how it was a thousand years ago, every day passing like nothing important had happened. Of course, there were the few weeks right after her return that were more interesting for the two of them, weeks during which they spent more time together, but after those precious moments, she didn't realize how their relationship fell into a deep monotonous pit.
“I am sorry Luna, I did not mean to . . . it’s been so long; too long. For over a thousand years I’ve taken care of this land by myself. You’ve been back for over four years and I sometimes still wake up in the morning forgetting that you are in the castle . . . with me.”
“And I was here, every day, for four years. Yet during that time you conversed with her more than you did with me. You haven’t even noticed when I stopped using the royal we; it was like I never returned. What has gotten between us, sister?”
Celestia’s eyes were now filled with tears of regret. The realization of how the link between she and her sister had degraded suddenly hit her. Memories flashed back to her, memories of how she, after finishing her royal duties, spent time writing to her protégé, the presence of her younger sister often lingering in the room. She knew very well of Luna’s ability to magically project herself over a distance, but Celestia always shrugged it off as being just the way her sister was, always putting out a show, trying to pass out as a mystical, elusive royal figure. Not for one moment did she realize that her sister was yearning to spend time with her. After a while, Celestia stopped feeling Luna’s presence.
“My little ponies,” Celestia said, remembering the thing that was most important to her, “I had to stay strong for them. It was so hard when you were not here by my side. For the first years after your banishment I used to shed tears every night, ripping at my soul and wondering if I did the right thing, if I took the best decision to protect this land and the ponies that live on it.”
“I am here now, and you can yet again share thy burden with me. Thou no longer have to wear the mask you’ve put on so long ago,” Luna said, trying to comfort her sister.
“I wanted him out of Equestria, as far away from her as possible,” Celestia confessed, her eyes still facing the floor. “I couldn’t spare him, Gilda would have sent news back home and the next and last letter I would have got from the High Mountain Palace would have been a declaration of war. So I knew that if I choose to banish him as punishment, they would never meet again. And she would be safe; they both would have been . . .”
Especially her . . . Things tended to revolve around that certain purple mare lately, Celestia realized in her mind.
“We should not interfere in such matters of free will, it wouldn’t be fair to them,” the younger sister spoke, leaning towards the white alicorn and gently bringing her face up with a hoof. “I’ve seen the sparkle in your eyes whenever you read her letters, the joy on your face shining through that regal mask you’ve put on for the rest. She means a lot to you, that I understand, but it’s her decision what she chooses to do in life. As for me, I am here for you, and I shall never leave your side, come the day the sun will shine for the last time and the moon will fall from the sky. I beg thee, let me be your sister again, dear Celly . . .”
Celestia’s heart jumped at the mention of that name, having never been called like that for over a millennia. Her eyes filled up with all the tears pent-up over the years and she reached to her smaller sister, wrapping her long immaculate hooves around her neck.
“Ohh Lulu, I’m so sorry . . .” Celestia murmured, hugging her tightly.
They kept that embrace for a while, before the white alicorn spoke again.
“I’ve tried to be a good Princess for everypony, yet I realize that since you’ve returned I’ve only been a bad sister to you and an awful judge to Blink today.”
“That’s all right, I forgive you. Our subjects are more important, and you did a great job ruling over this kingdom for so long. Now let’s return to our duties, we have enough time to discuss family matters at dinner.”
Celestia nodded in silent agreement and grabbed the unfinished letter from the desk. Both monarchs headed back into the throne room, the Princess of the Sun taking her place on one of the thrones. She brushed her tears away, hoping none of the guards had seen what she considered to be an act of weakness from her. The day court was about to start and there were numerous ponies waiting for an audience with her.
“I’ve taken the liberty of having Midnight Blink over tomorrow for a private lesson before he departs,” Luna said, joining her sister on the second, darker throne.
“I imagined you would. He could definitely use some of the skills you possess, although he has a good start already. Read this report Twilight sent yesterday on her magic tutoring with him.”
A letter appeared in front of Celestia’s glowing horn and was quickly grabbed by the smaller sister’s magic. She unraveled it and started reading, her eyes betraying how impressed she actually was by what the letter had to say.
“Seems to be one of Star Swirl’s spells, but from what’s written here they’re more than mere visual deceptions. This has Bellona the Wise written all over it!” Luna realized. “Pray tell dear sister, do you know of her final fate? I know that she was present during the time my darkness prevailed, but I can’t remember anything else unless . . . unless she died that night as well,” Luna ended in a lower voice, recalling the unfaithful events that took place over a thousand years ago.
“Indeed she went missing, but I don’t know any more than you do about that. It was a long time ago, and not even written word can reveal much about what happened back then,” Celestia mused.
A sharp immortal mind like hers on the other hoof . . . In truth, Celestia was more or less certain about Bellona’s fate. She had vanished, in front of the Sun Princess, like so many other brave ponies that blindly forfeited their lives for their imperishable ruler that dark night.
She shook the terrible image from her head, trying to focus on what was more important for her regarding that matter.
“Leaving that behind us, I believe Blink is not aware of her origins yet. On the other hoof, what he learned most likely from an advanced book on magic is quite useful for his future endeavors. With a bit of luck, he can actually return home in one piece.”
“I thought we wanted him banished, now we are assisting him?” Luna casually asked, smirking to her sibling through her mane. “Although tell me sister, is that really what happened yesterday? I watched that excuse of an ambassador blabber her rehearsed story to you but I won’t think for one moment that you believed her.”
“Twilight sent me a letter immediately after the incident took place. She was the one that saved Rainbow Dash from a potentially lethal attack, but Blink was there and things quickly got out of hoof,” Celestia explained, recalling the letter received from her student the day before.
“So the gryphon struck first?”
“Indeed she did, but believe me, if she wasn’t who she is, we would have had her standing in front of us today, not Midnight Blink. The way things are now, she has diplomatic immunity and because of that, she is untouchable. The word of the Griffin King’s niece is way above mine, let alone my student’s. He would have never reason with us if I wouldn’t have tried the one that harmed his ambassador.”
“I’ve read about their current king,” Luna suddenly remembered, “Arnost of the Razorclaw, was it?”
“Yes, the most ruthless ruler the Gryphons have had in a long time. Signing that pact with him did not come easy, I’ll have you know that.”
“I see that much time alone on that hard throne has made you soft inside, dear sister. It’s still my strong belief that a different approach should have been taken against the gryphons, and certainly not a pact,” Luna said, trying to hide her frustration and a look, a look her sister recognized all too well.
“Those times are way behind us, Luna. I would rather have generations of guards scarred in training exercises but alive and well, rather than their foals being raised by grieving mothers . . . or worse. Have you forgotten the horrors of war, Luna? If I can save the lives of hundreds of thousands of ponies over one, I will gladly and without any regret do it.”
The darker alicorn turned to the white one as the large wooden doors opened wide with an echoing uproar to allow the first ponies that sought audience enter.
“And what if that one pony would be your student? Thou certainly can’t expect the Lifebringer herself to settle down and live happily ever after? Not to mention her . . . counterpart?”
The question went unanswered, the Princess of the Night receiving just a profound look from her sister.
*** *** ***
“I can’t believe she would do that!” Twilight uttered, pacing nervously around the library’s main room, her eyes red from her recent crying.
I have never seen her so upset and concerned since the day I came there. When I arrived back to Ponyville, the library was the first place I went to. I found her surrounded by her friends, obviously in a very bad mood. And then there was the yelling; luckily for me, she made sure the rest of the gang would not be there to witness her wrath. It didn’t last long but she made her point: I should have not engaged Gilda that day. If I had just let Twilight immobilize her in the first place, things would have turned out quite different.
“I haven’t heard of a banishment sentence being passed on in centuries,” Twilight continued, seeming as shocked about the news as I was when I heard it. “And even the other option, it’s just- Gilda should have been at the trial as well, she was the first to attack! And us! We should have been called as witnesses, and . . . I just don’t know what to believe anymore. This doesn’t sound like the Princesses’ judgment at all!”
“She wants me as far away as possible from you.” I wished so much I had the courage to actually say that to her instead of only thinking it.
“Look, I only have three days to prepare. Tomorrow I’m seeing Luna for some last-minute magic tips or something so I kind of want to go home and get ready.”
I looked at the agitated mare and she stared back at me, frozen into place. She worded something but I couldn’t tell what she was on about. Twilight just didn’t know what to do. There were so many things to consider and plan out. She couldn’t take it anymore and just broke down in tears. I reached out and grabbed her into a hug, stroking her mane and whispering words of assurance.
“Please, get some rest for now, I’ll go home and do the same. It will be all right, trust me.”
I let go of her but she didn’t, keeping her hooves wrapped tightly around my neck. “No, don’t go. You need- you need to read,” she said between sniffs.
I sighed.
Of course I do . . .
She let go of me and hurried to the bookshelf walls, her eyes skimming the titles and her horn glowing seemingly random. One by one, books would fly out from different shelves and land on the table, slowly building up to a monumental stack. I was wondering how in the world I could have brought that home with me but she answered my question immediately after finishing her search. The stacks of books were engulfed in a blinding light and the next thing I knew, they were gone, completely vanished.
“I’ve sent them to your house; they’re arranged by the practicality of the information within them, so give a careful read to the top ones. I’ll have to plan a route, you don’t even know the geography of this world that well . . . and then make a checklist for everything you’ll need. I hope three days will be enough, ohh in Celestia’s name, why did this have to happen?”
I grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her deep in the eyes, putting an end to her panic-induced monologue.
“Look at me, Twilight. It will be all fine. Even if you are not allowed to come with me, I will manage. I took care of Discord pretty well last time, didn’t I? This trip will be a walk in the park. And I am sure Griffin laws are not that harsh.”
I was more than certainly lying, just to make her feel better. Fortunately it worked, and the unicorn mare relaxed, taking in deep breaths.
“Okay, I’ll calm down. I’ll still have to plot out a route for you; there is a long way ahead of you. With a bit of luck, I can have it done today. Now go study, you have a lot of reading to do.”
“I will Twilight, don’t worry. See you later, okay?”
“Ohh, wait. Spike!” she yelled after her assistant.
The dragon came out through a door, and I realised he was pretty bummed out from the news as well. When Twilight’s rather vocal scolding session had started earlier, he retreated to his room at the same time the rest of the gang left, yet he most likely heard everything.
“Spike, go with Blink and help him out. You know a lot about foraging and wild animals, you’ll cover that with him. As soon as you finish, come back here, we have a lot of work to do as well.”
“Okay, Twi. See ya later!”
We both left the library in a hurry, going straight to my home on the edge of the lake. There was a huge stack of books that could save my flank and they all needed to be read.
*** *** ***
Tiny drops of water poured down the window. The sudden rain begun right before we reached the house, so we quickly settled in for a long session of reading. The dark clouds outside appeared mean and relentless. For a single instant, a flash of bright, white-blue light illuminated the heavens, followed seconds later by a sound similar to a huge drum that had been beat in the sky, causing the earth below to tremble with its power.
A bunch of candles were lit inside the house, and in the middle of the whole thing was Spike and I sitting at the table, surrounded by open books and notes. A quill was gently hovering above my personal notepad, the same notepad in which I had written down and studied all the steps to conjure the shadow clones. Raven was silently watching over us, perched high on a coat hanger in the corner of the room. It had been over two hours of studying and noting down the description of every plant that a pony could eat out there in the wild.
“Okay, okay, so everything which is red is pretty much edible, as long as it doesn’t have any kind of spots or stripes on it, right?” I asked again just to be sure.
“Yeah, that should be it,” he confirmed, flipping through a book using his dexterous claw. “You can also always resort to eating hay or just grass, but that won’t keep you going for too long.”
“While I find them acceptable, I’d rather just catch something and cook it over a fire. I’m sure there are a lot of animals around the less green areas of this land.”
Silence fell as soon as I finished my sentence, but I continued writing things down. When I looked up I was met by Spike’s rather shocked expression and then the realization of what I had just said hit me.
“Damn it, I forgot. I guess everypony around here is herbivore, including you?” I asked.
“Yeah, ponies don’t eat meat. Dragons normally do but I was raised by Twilight so . . .”
“You mean to tell me you’ve never eaten meat?”
“We eat products that come from animals: milk, eggs, but never meat. You . . . did you use to eat meat back in your world?”
“Yeah, I did, although I haven’t had any since I got here. I sometimes miss it, but I can manage without as well.”
“Is it . . . good?” The dragon asked then immediately shook his head, raising a hand at me to stop me from answering. “Bleah, what am I saying? If Fluttershy could hear me right now, the poor thing would have a heart attack. Forget I asked.”
“It’s all right. Sorry I mentioned it,” I excused myself.
“Anyway, I think we’ve covered everything you need to know so I’ll head back to Twilight’s. She probably needs help on Celestia-knows-what checklist.”
“Sure thing, I’ll see you later. Maybe this rain will stop by nightfall,” I said, glancing at the window, the storm having settled to a calm dribble.
The dragon headed towards the door but when he reached for the handle, he stopped and turned to me.
“Uhh look, I have a question for you. Since you’re like- good with this romantic stuff. I wanted to know how I could tell someone that I - you know, like her?” he coyly asked, speaking in a tone that would have been reserved for sharing the highest of secrets.
I stifled a laugh, shaking my head left and right. “I really don’t think I’m the best one to ask for this kind of advice. But all I could tell you is: just tell her the truth. Most of the times it’s all that need to be said.”
Spike seemed to take that in, nodding in approval. “Thanks, big guy. See ya.”
He closed the door behind him, walking out into the rain and heading towards the library. I returned to my books and let out a sigh at the sight in front of me: books laid open everywhere, and I was still a long way from finishing them.
Later on, Owlowiscious came by to deliver a short written message from Twilight. She was apparently still dealing with the maps and figuring out a route. Her advice, which was more or less a command, was to keep studying up until the next day.
After a few more hours of going through topography maps, encyclopedias of wildlife, food chain charts and lists of dangerous wild predators, I was totally spent, and found myself falling asleep right there on the table, head resting on a rather large book about surviving in the wilderness.
*** *** ***
The next day came all too soon, and I had to present myself to the library after an interesting wake-up involving a certain owl crashing in my window.
“Hey dude!” Spike greeted as I entered the library.
The whole place looked like a tornado had passed through it. Hundreds of books littered the floor, notes and parchments thrown around everywhere. In the middle of the room there was a large round table with a huge map on top of it, sprinkled with notes, quills and what seemed to be a large amount of empty cups.
“Yo, Spike. Are those what I think they are?” I asked him as we made our way through the book-riddled calamity of a library.
“Yeah, a buckload of coffee. I don’t think she got a lot of sleep last night. I tried to help as much as I could but I went to bed shortly after midnight. Woke up today and she was there, asleep on the table.”
“Damn, I hate doing this to her . . .”
“Well, she’s used to this and you probably couldn’t have got away without her helping you. She even sent a letter to the Princess, but that didn’t change anything. Also, have you even noticed the guards outside your house and in the market near our home? They’re keeping a low profile but they are certainly here because of you.”
“Guards? Guess somepony doesn’t trust me. Anyway I-”
“Blink, you’re here!” a voice came from upstairs.
Before I could raise my eyes, an energy field materialized in front of me, puffing away a second after and revealing Twilight. The mare had visible bags under her eyes and her mane and tail were in disarray.
“Twilight, you look tired. You should really get some res-”
“There’s no time for that, Blink!” she uttered, one of her eyes twitching, followed by a slight jerk of her fallen down ear.
Oh, this is bad . . .
I took a step forward, reaching her out with a hoof. In turn, she leaned towards me and fell into my embrace, burying her face in my chest.
“I don’t want you to leave, Blink,” she whimpered.
I felt like an arrow shot straight through my heart, feeling the unfair pain she was experiencing right then.
“Come on now, don’t be like that. I told you everything’s gonna be all right.”
“But . . . it can’t be. The probabilities of you returning home unharmed are not in your favor at all,” she said, letting go of me and heading towards the table. “More than half of the journey will be outside our borders.”
I approached the large map, and noticed a traced line going all the way from Ponyville to the shores of a large ocean.
“All right then, what am I looking at here?” I asked, confused by all the actual complexity and detail of the map. The notes and markings everywhere made things seem even more complicated.
“Well, you start out from Ponyville, by train. It’s a two day journey south to Dodge Junction,” Twilight started, tracing her hoof along the line connecting our towns. “That’s pretty much where the limit between Equestria and the no-pony’s land is. You will have to travel by hoof for three days until you reach the Zebra Nation.”
I followed her hoof as it went past a line that was Equestria’s border into a less detailed part of the map, then going into the flatlands of the Zebra Nation.
“From there, you need to travel through Dragon territory for about a day. That’s the most dangerous part of the journey. Although they are not directly in conflict with us, they do not take kindly of strangers crossing their lands.”
“Oh great, and then? Their lands are on the edge of the sea, where are the Grif- ohh, don’t tell me they are over that damn sea?”
“I’m afraid they are. It’s a five day sea journey from the Port of Isaac, straight to Bay Openbeak. Both of those towns are in neutral territories, and they’re populated with ponies, zebras, minotaurs and gryphons alike,” Twilight explained, reading several notes written down right next to the establishments.
“Wait, what? What do you mean by neutral?”
“It means that there is no governing authority; basically, no laws but the ones they impose for themselves. As long as you stick to your route and don’t act suspiciously, you won’t get into any trouble. All you need there is to get a seat on a boat that goes across the sea. From what I know, that happens daily, so you won’t need to spend the night.”
“What about the other side of the ocean?” I asked, noticing that the map abruptly ended.
“I’m getting there,” she chided, pulling out a smaller scroll and unrolling it over the large map on the table.
It was a sketched map that apparently only showed the large peninsula containing the Griffin Kingdom.
“From here at Bay Openbeak you’ll have to head on east towards the High Mountain. There you’ll find their capital and royal palace, where your trial will probably take place. The whole journey should take you two weeks or less.”
Twilight then headed to a shelf and levitated out a small pouch from between several books, dropping it in front of me on the table.
“You’ll need to take this with you. I hope it’s enough for the return journey as well . . .”
As soon as the bag landed on the table, I saw that it was filled with golden bits. I immediately hovered it up and placed it back on the shelf.
“I appreciate your help, but I can’t take your money. You’ve already helped me a lot and I don’t want to be a burden to you anymore,” I respectfully declined, trying to be as polite as possible.
Twilight gave me a look that could burn through my soul, while levitating the bag back on the table.
“You are not a burden! There are so many things you need to pay for, and you don't have the bits to do so!”
“Twilight, I really don’t need you to-”
“But I want to!” she yelled, stomping a hoof against the floor. Tears formed into her eyes, and she immediately turned away. I realised how insensitive I was and decided to accept her help if only it would stop her from crying and feeling bad.
“Okay, okay, I’ll take it. Just don’t- don’t . . .” I repeated, holding her tight, slowly swaying back and forth to calm her.
She was clearly not going to back down from that, and all I could do was to accept her help. Truth be told, I would have been in deep trouble if it wasn’t for her lending me those bits. Working for Kazooie was mostly covering my stay at that lake house, a couple of meals a day and some spare bits to spend for myself. I managed to save some, but something told me it wasn’t nearly enough for what I was going to go through.
“I just want you to afford good meals and decent places to spend the night on your way to that place. Celestia-knows-what those gryphons will do to you,” she said, wiping away the tears from her face.
“Thank you for all the help, Twilight. I hope that one day I’ll be able to repay you somehow,” I told her, gently running my hoof through her mane.
“Coming back to Ponyville unharmed is the only payment I’ll accept,” she said, drawing a smile from me.
“Uhm Blink, there’s a chariot outside for you,” Spike’s voice came from the door.
“Listen, I have to go,” I told her, brushing a few rebel strands from her mane. “Thanks again . . . for everything. And I’ll keep to that promise, you have my word.”
*** *** ***
I nervously approached a pair of large, dark doors that had strange symbols carved all over them. The guard escorting me stopped and nodded towards them. Using his magic, he slid them open, revealing a dark, round room. I stepped inside, wondering where in heavens Luna was supposed to be.
The room’s ceiling was enchanted similarly to Luna’s Nighttime living room, the contrast of the sun toned down so much that you could see the stars, while the huge ball of fire was reduced to a mere small yellow disk. The room was round and seemed rather large for a study chamber. Tall columns that supported the dome-like ceiling were placed near the walls, which in turn had weird extrusions similar to window frames slightly sticking out of them. The lighting was coming from the stars themselves, a faint white glow pouring onto the black marble floor.
“Princess Luna?” I asked, my words echoing against the cold walls.
“Thou art here, Midnight Blink,” Luna’s voice came from behind a column, the dark alicorn showing herself. “Take a seat; you must first educate yourself in several aspects before we proceed.”
Right when I was about to open my mouth, a chair and a desk materialized in the middle of the room, followed by several scrolls and books. To say that the whole setting was freaky was an understatement, and it was probably obvious on my face that I was slightly taken aback by the whole thing.
“Ahh excuse me, I forgot to provide suitable illumination for such activity.”
Her horn lit up and a blue glow engulfed the whole ceiling a moment later. The stars slowly faded away into a blue atmosphere, and the sun regained its blinding shine. The whole room became brightly lit by the natural light, as if there was no ceiling at all. The windows also became transparent and through them, I could see the inner court of the castle, alongside the plains and hills in the distance.
I took a seat and skimmed across the reading material in front of me. It wasn’t much, but it was definitely something that I had never seen before in Twilight’s library.
“Read these writings, and please remember to keep any inquiries you might have until I return. I will be back in four hours, do not waste time.”
With that said, the younger Princess left the room, leaving me gawking at the door she closed behind her. I assumed that was probably her way of delivering a crash course through magic for survivors, yet it still felt unnatural and off. Disregarding her unusual behavior and the rather creepy room I was in to begin with, I directed my attention to the scrolls and books in front of me, curious about what was that Twilight Sparkle did not know or wish to teach me herself.
As soon as I flipped through the first book, I realised the importance and uniqueness of the information Luna had provided me with. They were all hoof-written, probably by the Princess herself, and they mostly detailed spells and a strange, recurring term: magic states. Most of them were fairly advanced, not beyond my expertise but definitely spells that would have taken much more than a couple of days to study before attempting.
Halfway through the four-hour deadline, a feeling soon started to form up in my head, a feeling that those pieces of writing were probably used in the training of spies or special troops of some sort. It seemed rather farfetched at first, but when you read about so many variants on blending, cloaking and deceiving spells, it quickly becomes the only thing on your mind. There was even a shape-shifting spell, but I gave up trying to understand it several pages into its explanation. Some of the terms used were completely unknown to me and the more I read, the more I felt like I shouldn’t know about them in the first place. Not that my particularly status would not allow it, but for a rather normal pony, they would have been clearly out of reach.
When I thought that things could not get weirder in the realm of forbidden magic, a particular scroll caught my eyes. At first I thought it was a mind reading spell, and even if it was forbidden to perform, its existence was known by me. After reading through the whole thing though, I comprehended its actual use: it was a mind autopsy spell, similar to the mind reading one, but could access old memories as well instead of just current ones. Right at the end I spotted a grim remark that brought chills down my spine:
Performed after torture, it can still yield results ten minutes after death, provided that the artificial blood circulation spell is applied.
I immediately placed the parchment under one of the books, keeping it as far possible from me. I couldn’t believe what I was reading, or actually why I was given that to read in the first place. Individually, all those spells were rather harmless, but the context they could be used made me question the dark alicorn’s reign before her banishment. More so, I was actually having doubts about Celestia’s judgment as well, as she was more than certainly aware of these things.
“Study time is over.”
Luna’s voice made me jump in my seat, but she passed by me like I wasn’t even there, closing in on one of the windows opposite to the door and just staring out of it.
“Uhm yeah, that was definitely . . . something. I learned a few things so . . . thanks, I guess?” I muttered, getting out of the chair and idly heading towards the doors.
I hoped that would have been the end of it, and although I didn’t memorize everything, I could certainly have tried out a few things the following day. As I reached the entrance and tried to open the doors with my magic, I realised that was not the case.
“Uhh Princess? The doors won’t open.”
I used a little more force, but there were no signs that they were going to budge.
“The training hasn’t finished yet, Midnight Blink. In fact, it begins now.”
Ohh, just great . . .
“The journey ahead of you is scattered with dangers. I don’t believe mere tomes and scrolls will keep you safe,” she said, turning around to face me.
Okay Blink, relax. It’s just practical training, I like to practice magic.
The books suddenly vanished, and Luna was taking slow steps towards me. The sky from the enchanted ceiling turned dark, storm clouds forming from all directions. There was less and less light in that scary room, and it did nothing to encourage me.
“Okay, what do you want me to practice?” I asked uneasily.
“Everything,” came Luna’s cold response. “I want thou to harm me.”
“Uhh what? Princess, I think that’s umm- I don’t know, unwise or illegal or something?”
“Kill or be killed!”
Fucking hell! Was all I could think when the desk between us suddenly flew towards me.
I ducked, and the massive wooden bureau shattered into thousands of pieces against the locked doors behind me. I looked back at the Princess; she seemed taller somehow and her eyes were literally leaking smoky darkness. That’s when I flipped my shit and ran like an idiot to the nearest window, actually considering jumping out. As soon as I touched the glass window, I realised it was actually stone. The room had no windows after all, everything being a projected image of what was outside, or in Luna’s head for that matter. I found it hard to believe that night was setting in already, but then I recalled which Princess I was apparently fighting. She was just projecting her natural environment, the one which favored her combat style the most.
I looked back and right there in the center of the room, stood Luna, smirking defiantly at me and taking her time like I was the an injured mouse and she the cat that caught it. I spread my hooves, taking a defensive stance, while gathering all the energy I could muster around me. The air was starting to crackle and buzz from the pure magic surrounding me, and that’s when I made my first strike.
I condensed the air behind her, which immediately burst with a loud bang. She slightly turned her head, letting me know she had let down her guard for a mere split second.
The air in front of her violently expanded as well, sending a powerful shockwave across the room and into the walls. It was so powerful that it almost blew out my eardrums. Somehow, however, she was still there, still standing, still smirking; no dissipating shield, no nothing. She probably didn't even flinch at what was supposed to be the equivalent of over a pound of dynamite exploding right in her face.
Phase two of my plan immediately went into action: I focused on her and levitated her body into one of the room’s pillars, smashing her pretty badly. In reality, she didn’t even budge, my magic only able to cause small ripples in her mane, like she was in a mere summer breeze.
Luna probably got bored of my pathetic attempts and decided to show me how it’s really done. Next thing I knew, I was laying on the cold black marble, while searing pain ripped through my head. I barely remembered how I flew and smashed against the wall, but it was the scariest thing that had ever happened to me. It was the first time I was fighting another pony with magic, -in my case an immortal alicorn- and not being able to see when you were about to get hit by a spell was extremely frightening. The lack of light inside the room didn’t help either, as I wasn’t even able to read her body language. By that time, however, I was pretty convinced she was able to cast without any visible warnings.
Darkness . . .
I recalled a spell I read just an hour before and, forced by the situation, attempted to cast it on myself. Surprisingly, it worked. My body slowly darkened, and in just moments, I turned into shadow. I was still material and physically present, but a special magical coating on me blended my body with the darkness around. I kept to the walls, the darkest areas of the room, slowly moving around the Princess, thinking about a strategy. Suddenly, I recalled my last lessons with Twilight about multi-casting.
“A fast learner, aren’t we? Thou forgets one detail,” Luna said, her body simply fading away. “I am the Night,” her voice came right from my side.
Two large shadow tentacles grabbed me by the neck and chest and flew me across the room, pinning me on the center of the floor with a loud thud. She gracefully approached what was supposed to be me, but right as she opened her mouth, the shadow clone let out a smile before puffing in a cloud of smoke.
Gotcha!
Still in hiding, I performed my next spell, trying to keep the invisible bubble around her as airtight as possible. It was a long shot, but I hoped that the time bought by the clone would have been enough. The area around the Princess was supposed to be airless by then, but she just stood there, looking at where my clone was seconds before.
Interesting . . . was what I saw her mouthing, as there was probably no air in her lungs to carry the sound anymore. Luna then turned her head straight to me and looked into my eyes, past the blending enchantment I had cast on myself. I felt my spells falling apart, all the connections of channeled magic failing one by one. Her eyes kept staring into mine, and soon a pure white light flashed in front of me.
I quickly turned my head away from the powerful light, and saw that I lying on the ground, face down. A weird sensation built in my chest, as I curiously scraped the surface under me with a hoof. It was a strange, dusty rock; I realised I was no longer in that dark room.
A shadow formed in front of me, and I raised my eyes to whatever cast it, a heavy lump forming in my throat. I coughed out the little air I had left, paralyzed with fear by the sight in front of me: a tall armored pony, her eyes leaking the same black smoke as Luna’s and the same smirk on her partially covered mouth. I could see the green and blue planet behind her and the bright lunar soil around me. I started choking even worse as I brought my hooves to my neck in a futile attempt to gasp for the air that wasn’t there.
“Why do you think depriving me of air would have worked? I’ve lived here for a thousand years, Midnight Blink.”
The dark mare in front of me didn’t move her lips as I heard that voice, and I realised during my futile attempts to breathe that those were actually her thoughts. She stared at me for a few moments, but soon enough my vision began to darken as my brain slowly ran out of oxygen. The pain in my chest was the worst by far, but it all became manageable as my body slowly went numb.
Darkness fell once again. I slowly lifted my head and found myself back in the room. I was breathing fast, massive pain still throbbing in my chest. All my senses slowly came back to me and the first thing I saw was the Princess standing a few steps away, having the same serious expression on her face.
“Nightmare Moon?” I carefully asked her, getting up on my shaky hooves.
“That was the evil part of me for a long time, the part that pooled all the negative emotions and turned them into what thou saw earlier,” Luna said, turning away and looking through one of the fake windows, “The Elements of Harmony only restored the balance in me, but that doesn’t mean it was removed entirely. It’s the darkness within me that I will have to live with, and I hope you will never lose thy own equilibrium as you go through life’s tests.”
"So," I gasped, my breathing still shaky, "wh- what now?"
“Thou must return to Ponyville and carry on with your preparation. You’ve proved thy ability to adapt and face the unexpected, but be wary, the perils you will face will be far more dangerous, and they will not stop nor will they show mercy.”
As she said those words, the doors behind me clicked and swung open, while the ceiling cleared of the clouds and returned to its previous state, showing off the stars in the midday sky.
“Thanks for the help Princess,” I said while taking a weak bow, my bones aching from the recent training.
“Move swiftly and travel with the moon and stars, Midnight Blink. My sister also sends you her best of wishes.”
I stepped out of that chamber, where two guards were waiting. They quickly escorted me to a waiting flying chariot, not saying a word or even looking at me. Although I still had some contradicting feelings about Luna’s teaching methods, I realised the importance of always having a contingency plan. That day I also found out that my affiliation with the darkness was stronger than I ever thought. Being one with the shadows for those brief moments pumped with adrenaline felt strangely comfortable. The spell itself came off so natural to cast, not having to emulate or change any energies within me to successfully cast it.
I arrived back to Ponyville as the dusk started to settle in. The chariot headed straight to the small house by the lake, landing near the water with a soft thud. The transport conditions were far better than the ones I had the last times and it was a relief to not be magically restrained for once.
I went inside my house after thanking the guards for the ride, but not before waving a hoof at two stallions that had set a small camp fire across the lake. To my surprise, one of the guards responsible for supervising me even waved back.
As I stepped inside the house, I noticed something that wasn’t originally there. In the middle of the books littered all over the main room, there was a steamy basket on the table, most likely containing food. A noise coming from my room caught my attention and as I approached, I noticed a familiar mare glancing at the writing desk, her hoof slowly running along it.
“Annabelle?” I asked.
Kazooie’s wife turned and greeted me with a smile, somehow not surprised by my sudden presence.
“Hey there, Blink. Was just looking at this old thing, it was mine a long time ago,” she said, turning back to the desk. “I brought you some freshly cooked stew, it’s on the table.”
“I saw that, thank you very much. So you’ve probably heard about my . . . incident.”
“Oh yes I did, it was very unfortunate for you and we are all sorry that you must leave. Your departure is tomorrow, right?” she asked, now looking at me.
“Yes, I’ll be leaving on a train in the evening.”
The mare nodded her head, thoughtfully. “Well, I wish you the best of luck and remember to travel cautiously on unknown lands,” she added with a kind smile, heading for the door. On the way out, she gave me a gentle hug then scuffed my mane playfully.
Her visit seemed awkward and the way she looked at that writing desk raised the same questions I’ve been asking myself when I got there. Was that desk hers in the first place? What was she doing before she started taking care of her filly? All those questions lingered on my mind for a few minutes; that is, until I picked up the lovely scent coming from that basket.
After finishing what proved to be a very delicious meal, I spent the rest of the day going through several guides and manuals about magic, trying to soak in as much information as possible. At one point I peeked outside and noticed the moon was already on full display in the middle of the sky. Dragging my sleepy self to bed, I instantly fell asleep, the night weaving a troublesome dream about shadows, Ponyville and the mare I cared the most for.
*** *** ***
The next day started out somewhat better than the previous ones, happy not to be dragged out by royal guards or called urgently by a worrying Twilight. The first thing I noticed when I stepped out of the house for some fresh air was that the guards were still there, talking to each other near the forest. The second thing I saw was yet another basket placed right on the doorstep. I brought it inside and opened it only to find three vials containing a very strange looking substance and a note. Unfolding it, I spent the next few minutes trying to work out what was actually written on it.
Apparently, it was a small gift from Zecora, who also heard about my misfortune. Accordingly to the note, those vials contained a special brew that could restore my powers and strength in the time I would need them the most. Removing the cork from one of them and taking a sniff was probably the second biggest mistake I had ever made after attacking that stupid gryphon. The smell was horrendous, my eyes instantly watering from it. I immediately screwed the cork and gently placed the vials back into the basket, debating in my head whether to take them or not. I simply couldn’t imagine a situation in which I would actually drink that. Nevertheless, I trusted Zecora’s freaky shamanism, so I placed the basket on the table, reminding myself to pack them as well.
A knock on the door drew my attention and when I opened it, I was surprised to see Applejack and Fluttershy, both carrying even more . . . baskets.
“Howdy there, Blink!” Applejack said cheerfully.
“Hello, Blink,” came Fluttershy’s more toned down greeting.
“Uhh, hi? What are you doing here? I mean, to what I owe this pleasure?” I asked, smiling sheepishly.
“We know about what happened an’ the three of us wanted to give ya a few things and wish you good luck on your trip,” said Applejack, placing the basket down.
“The three of you?” I asked, looking behind AJ and Fluttershy.
“Hi, Blinky!” greeted Pinkie, making me jump in surprise. It wasn’t the fact that I heard her that scared the crap out of me, it was hearing her from behind that really got to me.
I turned around and saw the eternally happy pink mare bouncing in place, the biggest of smiles plastered on her face.
“Hey Pinkie Pie, kinda startled me over there. How did you get in?”
“I used the door silly, how else could I have gotten in?”
I gave her a deadpan look and then turned to the other two mares, which simply shrugged.
“I brought ya some apple treats for your journey. You’ll probably have to eat some of em’ today cuz I think that would be too much to carry,” AJ said, pointing at the basket.
I levitated it on the table, and indeed it felt pretty heavy. “Thanks Applejack, really appreciate the help.”
“Oh, oh, oh! I also brought you something!” Pinkie chimed in, rushing in front of me with a pink card in her mouth.
I unfold it and was pretty surprised to find out it was an invitation to my ‘welcoming home party’, having a ‘to be announced’ date on it.
“Twilight told us you are very busy so instead of throwing you a 'good luck for your trip' party, I invite you to your welcoming back one!” she said eagerly, “Also, there’s some sweets in that basket there AJ gave you, but don’t tell her, she didn’t notice when I put them there,” she added in a lower voice.
“I bet she didn’t,” I said, letting out a laugh. “Thank you guys, this means a lot to me.”
“No worries sugarcube, we just hope ya’ll be all right. We knew that nasty gryphon would be bad news if she ever came back,” AJ said, taking me by surprise with a hug. For a moment all I could see was her perfectly blond mane. Taking an innocent sniff revealed that she actually did smell like apples, or actually like an apple orchard, but undeniably apple related.
“Oh, and this is for Raven,” came Fluttershy’s timid voice, snapping me out of the apple flavor-induced daydream. The yellow pegasus pulled a small sack out of her satchel and I took it from her with my magic. “They’re seeds I specially mixed with other nutrients. I usually gave them to sick or weak birds, but they are very nourishing for healthy birds as well if there is nothing for them to eat.”
Raven cocked her head up from the coat hanger when she heard her name and cawed at the pegasus, probably thanking her.
“Well, we’ll leave you to it then, we’ll all be there at the train station this evening. Take care!”
The three mares left as quick as they came, and I started packing the stuff I would need for the journey. I took the largest satchels I had and placed in them several useful books, my personal notepad filled with tips, tricks, spells and survival techniques, some of the less perishable food from Applejack, Zecora’s vials and the seeds from Fluttershy.
Another knock on the door. That time, Rainbow Dash was standing in front of it, having a rather mournful expression on her face.
“Hey Rainbow. How’s it going?” I asked as friendly as possible, trying not to start any more conflicts between us.
"H-hey Blink," she said, eyes on her hooves as she pawed at the ground beneath her, "Look, I was in the area and, well... I thought I might... I..." she sighed loudly, finally looking up and meeting my eyes with her own, "I wanted to say I'm sorry."
That took me by surprise completely, as I knew her to be not the apologetic kind. The whole incident must have been on her mind.
“I ugh- didn’t want for that to happen to you. It’s my fault; Gilda was my friend and I should’ve dealt with the situation myself,” she continued. “Thanks for standing up for me, though, that was pretty cool.”
“It’s okay Dash, but I just couldn’t let her go away with it. What I did was my fault and I must bear the consequences. It’ll be fine though, and even if I’ve said that lately to everyone, I really think everything will turn out all right.”
The pegasus cocked a smile, unfurling her wings. “Well, got to go then, I’ll see ya at the train station later. I’ll make sure the weather is perfect for your departure.”
And with that she beat her wings a couple of times, taking off into the sunlit sky.
Several hours had passed before another knock on the door interrupted me from a session of reading. Judging by who had visited me that day, there was only one more pony that I hadn’t seen. Opening the door revealed the expected pearl-white unicorn, her smile shining as bright as her coat.
“Rarity, what a pleasure. Please, come in,” I greeted, trying to sound as formal for her as possible.
“Ohh darling trust me that I would like to, but I’m just here to give you this,” she said charmingly as she levitated a small package in front of me. “I hope you like it, I found out where you would have to go and thought I could make something that would go with- well . . . everything!”
“Thanks Rarity; so I guess I’ll see you too at the train station?”
“But of course! I would stay longer but I’m afraid I’ll have to go for now, Spike asked if I would go somewhere with him. Apparently he has something he would like to tell me and it sounded pretty serious.”
I instantly recalled my conversation with Spike the other day and cringed slightly, finding myself in a very awkward situation. “Uhh, well, I hope it all goes well for you. I mean, I hope it’s- I just- have to pack up as well so yeah, see you later. Thanks again!”
I closed the door, bringing a hoof to my head. Why did I have to give that guy advice on romance stuff . . . should have kept my mouth shut.
I could only hope that things would go as he planned, yet it I couldn’t help but feel bad in case he would get rejected. I then looked at the light blue package Rarity had given me and started opening it, curious on what she could make that would help me. Naturally, I assumed it would be a scarf or something to keep me warm, as winter would soon begin.
To my surprise, it was a long cloak with a hood, bearing the same light blue color as the wrapping package it came into. I cringed yet again, feeling sorry for what could have been a rather decent traveling garment. That blue would’ve made me the biggest target out in the open, and I was sure even the night could not mask it.
Right before I was about to set it aside, I decided to try it out just to see how it would fit me. It was the first piece of clothing I ever owned -except for the bags I carried on my flank- and I really wanted to see how a cape would fit me. I threw the cloak over me, carefully tying it at the neck area.
I turned a couple of times to get the feel of it on my body and to my great surprise, it fit me perfectly; the hood attached to it was actually pretty cozy as well. With bitter regret I started untying it, but then I had even a bigger surprise. At first I thought I was just tired or seeing things but the damn thing changed color! It turned a light brown, having a pattern similar to . . . the wood tile that made up the floor and walls.
My eyes widened at the realization and I rushed outside the house, cantering over the grass around the lake, hope revived. Soon enough, the cloak slowly began turning a shade of green very similar to the one of the grass.
“This is the best thing ever,” I murmured, making a mental note to thank Rarity appropriately later that day. I ducked in the grass, playing hunter like a little cat. It was indeed the best thing ever.
*** *** ***
The unicorn fashionista was trotting gracefully across Ponyville’s square, heading towards the hillsides next to Applejack’s farm. She was slightly confused as to why Spike would want to see her there, but she couldn’t decline a request from her longtime friend.
She soon reached the place Spike had asked her to go to and, as expected, he was there. Spike grinned at her, waving a hand.
“Hello Spike, what is it that you wanted to tell me?” Rarity asked, gazing innocently at the teenaged dragon.
“Oh, well- I just want you to come with me somewhere where we can talk. Is that like, all right with you?” he asked nervously, scratching the back of his head with a claw.
“Of course it is; I hope it won’t take too long darling, we have to be at the train station when Blink leaves.”
The young dragon nodded happily, slightly unfurling his wings in excitement. He led the white mare to the top of a hill nearby where a blanket was set up under a tree. All the way up there he tried to appear serious but his eyes kept sliding towards the mare walking along his side. His mind was a tornado of pent-up emotions and confessions that he could barely hold anymore.
When they reached the tree he silently invited her to sit, and Rarity did as he wished, laying down on a pillow that was set up just for her. Spike took his place near the white unicorn, not too close but not that far away either from the beautiful mare. His heartbeat kept on rising, but his confidence never swayed.
The sun was about to start setting and large flocks of birds added color to the sky in their trip towards warmer places. The wind was carrying the lovely smell of freshly bucked apples from the AJ’s fields nearby.
“Uhh, are there no other ponies invited to this uhm- picnic?” Rarity asked a bit reluctantly, looking around and seeing no one else.
“Well, I- no, this is just for me and you,” he said, looking at the view in front of them, hoping that she was doing the same.
“Ohh, how nice,” Rarity added, trying to mask the awkwardness in her voice. She tensed up slightly, thinking of what he might actually say to her next.
Being quite familiar with those sorts of things, she was quick to recognize all the signals the young dragon was throwing at her. She was still hoping that everything was not what it looked like.
“I have something I wanted to tell you for a while now . . .” he started, taking a breath. He looked straight at her as he said those words, his eyes slightly quivering with nervousness.
Rarity’s heart stopped for a second, feeling that everything might come down crashing in a pile of rubble. The fear of what was to come overtook her.
“Spike, don’t do this . . .”
“What?” he started to panic deep inside, but carried on determined, “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and now that I have grown a bit more,” he said, expanding one of his wings as some sort of proof and giving her a weak smile, “I think I’m ready to tell you this.”
“Oh Spike . . .” Rarity let out, praying to both Princesses that he would not carry on.
“I love you.”
He said it as fast as he could, not taking his eyes off her even for a single moment. She winced, trying to keep her composure and gather her words. The dice were cast and everything was out there in the open. The message itself was not shocking to her, what was truly terrifying for the white mare was the fact that it was said. Not hinted or dreamt in an innocent teenage dream, or murmured after she was too far away to hear it, but said straight to her face, where she could no longer play the illustrious game of innocence.
She panicked, little alarm bells ringing in her brain. What was she supposed to do? She knew very well what she would do in a similar situation, having turned down numerous suitors over the time, but this was her friend, not a random pent-up colt that was in only for her looks.
“Spike . . . I don’t- I really don’t know what to say.”
“Well, you can say that you like me as well,” he foolishly hoped.
“I can’t, Spike. I really can’t say that. I’m sorry, but I . . . I just don’t feel the same.”
It was the easiest way out of that situation for her, yet she couldn’t think of something else at that time.
Spike looked away from her, his ragged breaths signaling a crushed heart. His eyes teared up slightly but he closed them shut to stop the downpour of sadness trying to escape out of him. Rarity saw it all, how couldn’t she? Her heart ached in tandem with his broken one, feeling sorry for him. She couldn’t have lied to him and the truth was that she couldn’t see more than a very good friend in Spike. The white mare knew for a long time what his feelings for her were, but she always hoped he would grow out of them one day.
Spike stood up, and without a word, headed back to Ponyville. Rarity watched him leave, trying to mouth some sort of apology, something that would make everything better, something that would fix that whole mess, but nothing came out.
Spike kept walking.
*** *** ***
I looked at the nervous mare pacing around my house, ticking off Celestia-knows how many things in her mental checklist.
“Twilight, I think I have everything- would you stop pacing, you’ll dig a trench in the floor!” I said, snapping her out of it.
“I know, but there are so many things that can go wrong!” she despaired, flopping down on the floor.
“The train will leave soon. Come on, everyone is probably there waiting.”
“Blink,” Twilight uttered, getting close to me and magically checking up the straps of the two heavy satchels on my lower back, “promise me . . . promise me you’ll be back,” she said in a low voice, the weight of those words making her eyes tremble with emotion.
“You have my word Twi’, I will return.”
I threw the cloak over my back and took one last glance at the small house, before stepping outside, followed by my beloved magical tutor.
*** *** ***
The seconds went by agonizingly fast. Raven was sitting the whole time on my back, surprisingly quiet. She probably felt what I was going through, but I could never tell for sure with that bird . . .
I soon found myself at the train station, where the rest of the Element Bearers were waiting for us, alongside several guards that were there to make sure I was the only one boarding the train from our group. I smiled as a hello to each of them, being too nervous to actually say anything.
The train’s whistle pierced the air, and my eyes locked on to Twilight’s. I was sure she was as nervous as me, probably more, but there was nothing that I could do about it.
“Take care of ya’ Blink, and don’t trust any strangers!” Applejack’s wish distracted me from the purple unicorn.
“Don’t be late for your welcome back party!” said the pink mare in a surprisingly happy tone, “It will have cake, music, games and I even heard Twilight’s gonna be there too,” she added jokingly, jabbing me with an elbow.
“Uhm, take care of yourself and don’t forget to keep Raven warm if the winter catches you,” came Fluttershy’s murmur.
“Hey, strange alien guy . . . thanks again for what you did. And be safe!” said Rainbow Dash, flashing me one of her signature smiles.
“I see that the cape fits you perfectly, darling, but it might need a little trim on the back. Oh well, I’ll be more than glad to give it a few touch ups when you return,” Rarity said, somewhat more nervous than the others.
“Hey Rare, are ya all right?” AJ stepped in, and the whole group noticed Rarity’s discomfort.
“I’m fine; I just had an eventful evening, that’s all. I’ll tell you all about it later, girls,” she said with an obvious fake laugh.
“All aboard!” the conductor yelled, causing my heart to skip a beat.
“Ugh, where could Spike be? I told him to be here on time,” Twilight said, looking around for her assistant. “Anyway, remember to check the map often, and do a double check with the stars as well like I thought you. And try to stay safe, don’t abuse your powers.”
“I will, I will . . .” I repeated, burying my muzzle deep in Twilight’s mane as we hugged for one last time.
The pain of leaving her was the worst one I’ve ever felt by far, and it hurt even more to know that I was probably not going to see her ever again. When we parted from the hug she gave the best gift I could have received, as she pulled me into a deep kiss. I felt the saltiness of her tears that had fallen down her face and met our touching lips. For a few moments, the world around us faded to nothingness, the surprised squees of her friends muffled by the synchronized thuds of our beating hearts.
The harsh reality didn’t take too long to fade in, and I was back on the train platform. But I was not alone. Looking around, I saw the smiling faces of six mares that would be by my side, even if they couldn’t come with me. Cringing, Twilight pushed me with a hoof, as the train was about to leave and the guards started staring. I got on the train right as it started moving its heavy wheels, steam flooding the platform. Slowly, it picked up speed, and Twilight’s pained smile became more distant by the second. Everypony was waving, shouting the best of wishes, everypony except me and her.
“I will return,” I whispered.
*** *** ***
The compartment was warm and cozy. I took the first seat near the entrance. Raven rested on the head of the opposite seat, looking outside at the beautiful twilight. The door near me opened every now and then as ponies took their seats. Fortunately, there weren’t many passengers on that particular night train so most of the section I was in was empty.
The door behind me opened and closed again, but that time whoever that came through it stopped near my seat and slowly sat down on the opposite bench. I looked at him, into his scared eyes as he clutched tightly to the backpack he set aside next to him. That look of great sadness in his eyes told me the whole story.
“Is this really what you want, Spike?” I asked, letting out a painful sigh.
His only response was a nod.
“You’re hurting a lot of ponies, Spike. Even the one that hurt you.”
“I know, but I can’t go back; not yet at least. . . I need time to think. I left a letter; I hope they’ll all understand.”
“Well, if that is your decision, I guess it’s okay to come along, since you’re not one of the Elements,” I said.
Damn it Spike, what have I done?
All of a sudden from behind him, a brown bird showed herself, jumping on the head of seat next to Raven, cautiously observing her.
“Is that . . . ?” I began, noticing the somewhat familiar bird.
“Yeah, Peewee wouldn’t leave my side ever since I got back from . . . you know. So I decided to take her with me, guess our pets will be good friends now?”
“Why is she . . . not burning?” I asked, amazed by how normal she looked without the flames.
“Oh yeah, they can do that when they need it, for example in nature they turn themselves off to protect the nest.”
“That’s pretty awesome, I’ll give him that,” I said, smiling at Spike.
The dragon smiled back and so, his heart started feeling a little less sore.
*** *** ***
On the other side of the compartment, a unicorn also wearing a dark cloak shuffled in her seat, taking small glances at the stallion and his dragon companion, careful not to be seen. She let out a smirk and then turned her head towards the window.
The blue mare’s cutie mark - a sparkling crescent moon and a wand - was barely visible behind the cloak and her pale blue mane was carefully tucked in her hood. She watched the night settle in, happily knowing that in a few days that colt and his unexpected friend would be outside the borders of Equestria.
End of chapter 14