Princess Luna paced back and forth in her chambers. The other unicorns had gone back to their rooms, leaving behind two thestral guards who stood at the entrance as far away from the angered princess of the night as they possibly could. Princess Luna’s shadow whipped across the room as she passed either side of the fireplace. She turned her gaze up to the mantle where a large painting of her and her sister was placed. Princess Celestia’s gaze was turned towards a rising sun, and her own gaze was turned towards a crescent moon.
“Why do we even have guards?” Princess Luna mumbled to herself, “How did you let him get by you, Sergeant Greywing?”
Princess Luna shot an angry glance at one of the guards.
“Your highness,” Sergeant Greywing replied, “All he said was that he needed to use the restroom. I heard the door close behind him.”
“And you did not stand guard?” Princess Luna asked, “We told you that he and the others’ protection is of utmost importance.”
She watched as the guard shifted his hooves, as though he were ashamed. Good, Princess Luna thought, he ought to be. She paused and observed his actions further. He showed something else, and she knew he still hid something from her.
“What did he say to you that made your own standing in the Royal Guard to not guard your task?”
“Well,” the guard said as he swallowed at the implied threat to his job, “He asked if I wanted to be near him so that I could find out how a gelding urinates, your highness.”
Princess Luna watched as the two guards shuddered. She shook her head.
“And you felt it best to leave him alone after that.” Princess Luna turned to the other guard, “And you just gave the same reaction that he did, Corporal Night. I take it you feel the same way?”
“I did feel the same way, your highness.” The Corporal Night replied, “I’m sorry. It was highly unprofessional of me.”
“The unicorns we gather here need to feel safe, protected, and most of all, cared for. Edger even more so. When you reacted how you did, did you consider how it made him feel?”
The guards looked at each other, and then turned back to Princess Luna.
“Corporal Night,” Princess Luna said, “Patrol around Canterlot and see if he is hiding somewhere in town. Though after the way you’ve made him feel, I would highly doubt he is anywhere near public.”
Corporal Night shifted his gaze downward for a moment, but then saluted and trotted out the door. Princess Luna then turned to Sergeant Greywing.
“Sergeant Greywing, go to the Canterlot Train Station and see if any unicorn matching Edger’s description has left anytime this morning. And please, try not to make it seem like he’s a criminal or whatever it is you view him to be.”
Sergeant Greywing nodded and saluted Princess Luna.
“Yes, your highness,” he said, “And if I find him, I will be sure to apologize for my reaction to his… condition.”
“He doesn’t have a condition, sergeant,” Princess Luna huffed, “He is still a stallion, just like you.”
The guard saluted once more and then left her chambers. Princess Luna’s aura wrapped around the doors, and they slammed shut. She leaned over to her desk and sheets of paper and a quill lifted from the desk and flew over to the fireplace. Princess Luna moved to the large cushion and began to write in the tables she had created. She had already written under Leila’s, Shale’s, and Aloga’s sections, but now needed to add what information she had obtained from the past few days.
Leila, the first student, had immediately excelled in psychokinesis, clairvoyance, and moiramancy. Given her start, it would be easy to train her to work with additional abilities. This made her a clearly viable candidate as what she learned was a "vessel". Likewise, Along had easily learned the four elemental magics, but had only recently learned to transmute them to one another. However, his abilitiy to concentrate on physical phenomena would not necessarily translate into "vessel" abilities, but she still categorized him as likely. Shale, though highly expert in the abilities of necromancy and photokinesis, did not seem to share the work ethic of his two peers, nor the matching ability of umbrakinesis. This left him in the category of negligible. Edger, on the other hand, only knew of photokinesis and umbrakinesis. However, if his short story he wrote was to be believed, clearly, the citizens of his hometown thought him to be a "vessel".
Princess Luna traced the edge of the quill against her chin as she considered what to write next. She had the evidence she needed to conclude that Script was another user of old magic, and that he used either necromancy or umbrakinesis. She settled with writing “potential” under each category, and left it at that. She realized that he would now be the most difficult to reform. She wished she had known he was an old magic user when she met him. She wouldn’t have treated him like a common criminal. That would explain why he used his powers to escape, Princess Luna thought, he is just scared of us. When she finished writing, she rolled up a scroll, and imagined it in Princess Celestia’s bedchambers, where she would read the updated report.
“Hello, Luna.”
Princess Luna looked around the room to find the source of the voice. She then looked up to the mantle, only to find that instead of her and her sister’s images, she found Discord in a top hat and coat while he sat in an armchair and drank tea.
“Discord,” Princess Luna said, “What are you doing here?”
“Honestly, I could say the same for you.”
“It is daytime,” Princess Luna replied as she forced a smile on her face, “I came here to rest. What can I do for you?”
“Well, that depends,” Discord said as the teacup in his claw began to chatter against the saucer, “Are you trying to bring back Helioselene?”
“You know,” Princess Luna said as she held a hoof to her chin, “The Canterlot Gardens are missing some statuary. I’m sure we can find a place for you there once again if you continue to speak of that name. Twilight would be more than happy to gather the Elements of Harmony to do it once again.”
Discord disappeared from the painting and reappeared in front of Princess Luna. She watched as the red in his eyes began to dilate until it replaced all of the yellow around it. His body trembled with anger as he stood before the princess.
“Princess Luna,” Discord continued, “Maybe your millennium on the moon has made you forget some things. Need I remind you again of what Helioselene is capable of?”
“We do not know of what you speak, subject.” Princess Luna replied, “And need I remind you of the fact that you submitted to Princess Celestia willingly and have thus given up your right to address us in such a manner? Princess Celestia thought it best to try to reform you using Fluttershy’s kindness, but maybe we should have tried a different approach.”
"Flutershy's dead."
"Excuse me?"
“Fluttershy’s dead, Luna. I saw the glyph. And the other Elements admitted to your spiriting two of them away somewhere in this very castle.”
Princess Luna’s eyes grew white, and Discord heard the sound of hooves as they banged against her chamber door. Discord snapped his fingers, and everything went black. When Princess Luna’s vision returned, she stood at the edge of a desert. In front of her was a large field covered in green and purple squares. The outcroppings that surrounded them were bent in unnatural angles, and some areas of earth hovered above the ground. Princess Luna looked behind her, and when she saw the Macintosh Hills and Appaloosa Mountains, she knew where he had taken her.
“This area is quarantined for a reason, Discord.”
“Did you not hear what I just told you, Luna?” Discord asked, “Fluttershy has been killed, and I found the evidence of the old magic near her. When I saw her, I had a feeling that I hadn’t felt in a long time, and I don’t like it.”
Princess Luna watched as Discord stared out onto the field that he and the two alicorns had fought on millennia ago. The green and purple squares of earth flipped over each other until they occupied each other’s spots.
“Do you honestly think that this was a battle, Luna?” Discord asked as he waved a paw over the site. “I am the spirit of discord, one of the most dangerous beings in this world, as you believe. But these things that you are trying to resurrect do not even believe in what I believe.”
“If this is part of some elaborate plan to bring discord between my sister and I, then I regret to inform you that our bond is much stronger than when we last fought you.”
“Luna, I know that you and your sister believe that you can reform whatever beings controlled this magic because you are the spirits of order and harmony, but please, listen to me. They have no concept of what you are.”
“Enough!” Princess Luna shouted, “If you do not return us to our bedchambers this instant, I will ensure that your punishment is expedient and severe.”
“Very well,” Discord sighed, “Have you at least found a unicorn with the ability to create life?”
Princess Luna said nothing but simply stared back into Discord’s eyes. The red had retreated back to their original size. She saw Discord close his eye and slump his shoulders. He snapped his fingers and everything went black again. Princess Luna opened her eyes and looked around the room. The guards had opened the doors and looked around the room as well.
“You had called, your highness,” one of the guards said, “And there was shouting. Do we need to inspect the room?”
“No, everything is fine.” Princess Luna replied.
“Is that the source of the argument?”
Princess Luna saw that the guard pointed towards a cushion on the floor. She looked down and saw that a rock had been placed on it with an inscription carved into it.
“I hope this does not symbolize the productiveness of our conversation.” Princess Luna read, only to turn her head at the guards who looked at her anxiously. “I was not speaking to that rock.”
“Of course, your highness.” The other guard said, “Did you need our assistance?”
“No,” Princess Luna sighed, “You may leave us.”
Princess Luna listened as the door closed and then turned back to the rock.
“Everypony is out to make us look crazy.”
Princess Luna gritted her teeth and focused her magic to transport the offending rock to the Canterlot Gardens. She then levitated a scroll from her desk and began to write.
“Dearest sister,” Princess Luna said to herself, “It has been brought to my attention by none other than Discord that a terrible fate has befallen Fluttershy. We must send guards there at once before the ponies of Ponyville discover this event. He mentioned a glyph. Your ever loyal sister, Luna.”
Princess Luna sent the scroll to Princess Celestia’s bedchambers. Discord watched the scene from a nearby window. He knew, at least, that the princesses had found unicorns that carried the old magic within them. He had to put a stop to this. You can’t let what happened to Fluttershy happened to anypony else, he thought.
“Since when did I become the voice of order around here?” Discord said to himself as he lowered himself down to the bottom of Princess Luna’s turret.
A flash of light to Discord’s side caught his eye. He waited behind a bush as the white flash turned purple. Twilight Sparkle appeared out of the light and began to make her way from the main castle doors and back to Canterlot proper.
“Ugh,” He heard her say, “No books there at all. There is only one other place that I can think of, and of course it’s too far for teleportation.”
Discord watched as Twilight Sparkle made her way into Canterlot proper and tried to follow as inconspicuously as possible. However, as the only draconequus in Equestria, he was certain that he stuck out. He willed himself to a smaller size and flew by the buildings as he followed Twilight Sparkle to the Canterlot Train Station. She gave a few words to a thestral guard, shook her head, and continued on her way. He listened as she reached the ticket counter and placed a few bits on the counter.
“The Crystal Empire, please.” Twilight Sparkle said.
*****
Pinkie Pie entered the Cherry Hill Ranch just as the sun moved to the center of the sky. She had been in Dodge Junction for the past hour as she tried to find the right desserts to bring home to her family. It had been four years since she had seen them last, and she hoped that cherry was still their favorite. As she rode the train from Ponyville, she thought about how much better it would have been had she been able to make her own pies for them, but under the circumstances, she knew she had to leave Ponyville as soon as possible. The letter that had been written to her sounded too urgent. Still, she knew that it would be bad manners to arrive back home to help her family without some delicious treat. She entered the bakery and ran to the counter. As she gathered her bits to pay for the dozen cupcakes and four cherry pies, a familiar voice called out to her.
“Pinkie Pie,” Cherry Jubilee called out to her.
Pinkie Pie looked up and saw Cherry Jubilee behind the counter; her face was covered in so much flour that even her beauty mark had disappeared, but her red mane still looked impeccable.
“Why, as I live and breathe, it is you.” Cherry Jubilee continued, “Oh my, whatever happened to your ear?”
Pinkie Pie reached up to the bandages on her ear. She knew that she had planned on making a joke of losing an ear by pretending not to hear the ponies that spoke to her, but now every time somepony mentioned her injury it made her feel strange.
“Oh, it’s a long story.” Pinkie Pie replied.
“Well, I have time to listen.”
“No,” Pinkie Pie answered to a shocked Cherry Jubilee, “I mean, thanks, but I really need to take these pies to my family. I haven’t seen them in a few years and I know they just love cherries.”
“Why of course,” Cherry Jubilee said, “Everypony loves cherries. So where are y’all from? I know I only got to see you for a few days, so I didn’t get to know you too well.”
“They live in Flatts.”
The register dinged and the drawer opened, but Cherry Jubilee didn’t move.
“I’m sorry,” Cherry Jubilee said, “Did you say y’all were from Flatts?”
“Yes.” Pinkie Pie replied.
“Nopony ever leaves Flatts. And y’all are going back?”
“Yep,” Pinkie Pie said as she reached over to grab her purchase.
“Pinkie,” Cherry Jubilee said, “Y’all said you left Flatts a few years ago? Were you the only one?”
“No,” Pinkie Pie said, “A few of my friends left, too. But I need to go see my family.”
“I see.”
Cherry Jubilee shook her head, and a cloud of flour rose from her features. She flashed a smile to Pinkie Pie as though the exchange hadn’t taken place.
“Well, of course nothing is more important than family, I suppose.”
“Do you know of any carriages that can take me there?”
“Nopony goes near there. You have to either hoof it or you can take one of the hoof-powered carts to get there.”
“Oh, I see. Well, I took that cart all the way to Ponyville last time, I’m sure I can do this easily, too.
Pinkie Pie smiled back to Cherry Jubilee as she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small vial. The contents of the vial were filled with a pink glittering substance that glowed even in the shadows of the bakery. As she opened the vial and poured the contents onto the frosting of her purchases, Cherry Jubilee’s hoof stopped her.
“Oh dear, Pinkie,” Cherry Jubilee asked, “What in Celestia’s name are y’all doing?”
“Oh, I once confused one of my pastry books for Twilight’s magic spell books, and ended up making an ingredient that makes ponies extra happy. I put it on all of my frosted goodies now. No matter how sad or angry a pony is, one bite of this dessert will now make them so happy they can’t help but smile. Speaking of which, do you think you could put some frosting on these pies?”
Cherry Jubilee raised an eyebrow but nodded anyway. Once all of the desserts had been covered in Pinkie Pie’s special ingredient, she turned to Cherry Jubilee and waved her hoof. Before she left the bakery though, Cherry Jubilee stopped her.
“Pinkie, why don’t you take this hat?” Cherry Jubilee offered, “Nopony as pretty as you should have to walk around with that ugly bandage.”
Pinkie Pie’s face froze for a moment, but she accepted the hat and tilted it on her head enough so that it covered the bandaged area. She smiled back at Cherry Jubilee and made her way to leave Cherry Hill Ranch. She made her way towards the train station to find a hoof-powered cart. She was only thinking of your best interests, Pinkie Pie thought, the bandages are ugly, and you should cover them so it doesn’t make other ponies feel bad. She knew that once she got started on the cart, she would be able to reach the entrance to Flatts in an hour. She would still be able to make it before sundown.
As Pinkie Pie’s form became smaller in the distance, Cherry Jubilee continued to watch until she reached the exit and made her way to the center of town. She turned back to the bakery, but then back to Pinkie Pie. Cherry Jubilee began to run off of the front porch, but then shook her head and turned back around to go back inside.