The Steadfast Sky

by Greytercakes


LXV : Friends Together IV

The Steadfast Sky : Friends Together IV
The Grey Potter
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/11495/The-Steadfast-Sky
http://cosmicponyfiction.tumblr.com

~Discord~

I don’t think either of us slept very well last night. I wasn’t used to sleeping beside someone, and she was worried that I’d wander off almost every half hour. Maybe an hour before sunrise we gave up and just dragged the half-remembered bedding off into two separate directions. I passed out so hard, I woke up in the grass maybe three hours later with a stick jabbing at my abdomen and a rock under my chin.

But then I rolled over to see Luna snoozing not a foot away, snout tucked under her knees and breathing softly.

And I think I can live with that.

And I think Luna can too.

So, despite barely sleeping at all, the morning felt new and refreshed. Dawn was pretty. Clouds overhead, those are really nice to look at. This abandoned building is 100% the best thing ever in my books. And breakfast was super, extra, amazingly minty this morning. I think I mastered it. All it took was letting go. A little. Just. A tiny bit. No need to go crazy here.

My hands were shaking as I packed up my own breakfast, re-wrapping and tucking the uh, meat, back out of sight. But I don’t think my disgust is what’s making them shake. Nah. That’s the sleep deprivation. My arms and feel like jelly. Hollow jelly.

Especially when I look at Luna.

I can’t stop myself. I don’t think I’m supposed to stop myself. Even though her mane’s messy and uncombed, it still forms a perfect little frame around her head. Her aura sparkles… I mean, it’s always sparkled. But today I can watch every little ping and pip of magic as they pop and depop out of sight. And that smooth arch of her neck into her back …

“So! Um…” She leaned over, and I watched her hoof as it scraped against the Orb of Honesty, rolling it towards us. “The Element,” she said.

“It’s still a rock,” I commented.

She nodded. “Yep. Still a rock. Big problem.”

“Why’s that?”

“We’ll have to carry it.”

“Huh.” I said. “That does seem like a big problem.”

“It’s weird though…”

Luna’s shimmering aura enveloped the Element, lifting it into the air. I watched her, resting on my stomach and curled in my own arms, as she turned the rock over and over. It was shapeless, or really, just a perfectly average, heavy sphere. Bigger than a pony’s head, little rough and speckled, but without a single flaw on its surface. Not a scratch or a chip or even the slightest imperfection on its rough surface. Strange, really. For how it’s been dropped and tossed around, I’m surprised that it didn’t suffer one bit of damage…

Or, should I be surprised? Even in this unbounded stone form, can something so powerful as an Element ever be damaged?
I wondered with an excited stab if Luna was wondering what I was wondering.

“What do you think is weird about it?” I asked.

“With everything we said last night? All that drama and confrontation and just tossing ‘honesty’ around like we did?” She turned the rock over again, frowning at it. “After all that? No light show, no transformation, no reaction? Just… nothing?”

Another impulse grips me. A bad one. For an instant, I can’t breathe.

I squeak, “You didn’t lie to me, did you?”

“No!” Luna turned gaped at me. “What? Did you lie?”

“Of course not!” I object. “Last night, I was being as honest as I could be! I mean, I lie about a lot of stuff… wait, no!” I’m rambling, I sound stupid. I try to quickly wave my line of thought away. “Honest! Last night? I meant every word I said…”

Wow. She looked suspicious now. Life… sky… I messed up. I messed up bad.

But slowly, the expression leaves, and her eyes returned to The Big Ball of Rock. “Then why nothing?” she asked. “No reaction at all…”

Her aura faded slightly, and the Element drifted slowly down between us, half hidden by the tall grass. Luna frowned down at it as she sat opposite of me, on the other side of Honesty. I looked at it, resting innocuously on the flattened grass. A squat monolith of fat, dull, and hyper-magical proportions.

Luna huffed. “Confessions and confrontations definitely count as honesty, right?”

“Why not?” I shrugged.

“The other Elements weren’t nearly as picky,” she complained.

“Yeah, as we’ve said, what, eighty times now?”

“Hm…” Luna began a furious staring contest with the orb. As if glowering at it would solve the problem immediately. “Maybe,” she grunted, “We were both so worthy, it just doesn’t know who to go to.”

“Is it even…” I scratched my chin, a thought coming to me. “Is it conscious enough to make a choice? Wouldn’t it just naturally gravitate towards the most honesty?” I stopped, frowned, and immediately waved the thought away. “No, sorry. Then it would have to directly quantify exactly how honest every action is…”

“You think so?” Luna asked, still staring at the rock like she intended to divine the future from its mercilessly opaque surface. “I mean, it’s magic. Super powerful, super advanced magic. It would just be able to know the right answer, wouldn’t it?”

“That doesn’t sit right with me,” I said firmly. “Magic… even the crazy, superpowerful, and spontaneously summoned magic of the Elements, is very, very specific. Specific in its creation parameters, specific in the internal logic, specific in the effective outputs.”

Okay, now she was staring at me like she was trying to divine the future.

“Yes.” She said crisply, still obviously confused. “Yes. It would obviously be created, make sense, and do stuff. Except… beyond our understanding.”

“Current understanding, but not beyond our ability to discover… I mean, let’s say I’m casting an illusion.” I cupped my hands in front of me, glancing down at my uneven fingers. “I’ve told you this, haven’t I? I can’t just think of a cat, then expect it to act exactly like a cat. I have to think about exactly what I want it to do, what its supposed to look like, act like, and so on.”

Unconsciously, a little black cat bloomed from my fingers. On reflex, I made it yawn, stretch, and lick its paw. “I mean,” I said, “It’s simple for me to understand how a cat acted, then make it act. But it’s still me making it act. And if I want it to, you know, wander around without directly thinking about it, then I have to set down the exact rules for it to follow. And even for something as simple as a cat, it can get very complicated very quickly… Oh. I’m sorry.” I laughed nervously. I’d just noticed that Luna was looking down at her hooves, face expressionless. “I’m just blabbing. You probably know all this. You know. From classes and such…”

“No, actually,” she said clearly, still staring at her hooves. “I’ve never thought about it that way. When I cast…”

She closed her eyes and took a slow breath. Like me, unconsciously casting… I could see the vauge shimmer of her aura, just barely there, twinkling on the surface of her horn.

“It’s a feeling,” Luna said, “I grope for shadows and just pull at them this way and that. But they can only go directly and specifically where I want to, don’t they? And the moment the magic stops…”

“The shadows snap right back,” I offered.

She nodded. “Yes. Okay. But then how does that work with the Elements? I mean, their magic doesn’t seem to ever end, does it?”

“It also doesn’t start until we pump something into it. Be it magic, or friendship.” I shrugged. “So I dunno. Maybe it’s our friendship that’s recharging the Element’s magic?”

Luna gasped. “Oh! So that’s the problem! Well, that’s easily fixed then, isn’t it?”

With a mischievous grin, Luna leaned over Honesty. Then, quite clearly to the stone, she loudly said:

“Friendship!”

I chuckled. “Friendship friendship, honesty! Look! We’re such awesome friends!”

“All cool and friendly, and wow! You feel that? That’s the feeling. Of friendship.”

I laughed, loud enough to surprise myself. “Okay! This is really stupid!”

“How dare you, Discord!” Luna chided playfully, “Saying friendship is dumb?! No wonder Honesty doesn’t like us!”

“Sweet life! I’m sorry, Honesty!” I fell into the grass and heaved in fake-sobbing actually-laughing. “I’ll try to be more positive in the future!”

“You fool!” Luna roared, “It doesn’t care about positivity! ONLY FRIENDSHIP!”

“Oh crap!” I cowered in the grass for a few more moments, until both of our laughter faded. I peeked above my fuzzy arm and, darnit, Element was still a stone.

“Yeah,” I sighed, “That probably wasn’t going to work.”

“No, probably not. Worth a shot though. But... You know? If the Element operates on set rules, and if the Element is powered by, well, us...” She frowned. “Big ‘if’s, actually. Just stating a theory here...”

I nodded. “Yep. All of this is theory.”

Luna’s eyes grew a little more serious, and drifted down to Honesty. “What does that tell us about the transformation into a nightmare? If what you’re saying is true…”

“Well it’s the same thing.” It dawns on me as I said it, words coming easily, “It would have to be an expected side effect. A planned result of how the Elements operate, or a known fault that allows them to function. Or... if it is powered by friendship or positive feelings or whatever. As soon as that magic stops…”

Eyes still on the cold stone, Luna offered, “The shadows snap right back.”

“But really,” I said,. “That’s not a thing especially new to us. Is it?”

“No…”

“Still. That means whatever the Element does, it’s clearly not random, and it can’t be entirely inscrutable. Everything the Element does and reacts to—” I tapped the top of Honesty firmly, conviction strong. “—Is based on an internal set of rules.” I let my hand rest atop the smooth stone, feeling its heartbeat flutter. “We just don’t know what those rules are. That’s the only problem.”

Luna was silent for a moment, the both of us watching the rock. Nothing happened of course. I don’t think either of us expected anything to.

But then Luna flopped sideways and sighed loudly, adorably pouting as she smashed and flatted the grass around her.

“Well that got us nowhere,” she moaned, “Element’s still a mysterious ball of unknown magic!”

“No,” I quickly corrected, “It’s a big mysterious ball of mysteriously specific and testable magic.”

“Wait,” Luna said. “Did you say testable?”

I shrugged. “Sure. The rules exist. We’ve just got to be…”

Luna gasped, and rolled instantly onto her belly. Our eyes locked. I grinned. There was a thrill to it. We both have the same thought. We both knew what I was going to say next.

And at the same time, we shouted, “Unicorn scientists!

She giggled like crazy and I grinned like an idiot.

~Luna~

“Unicorn and Draconequus Scientists super test number… number…” I frowned over at Discord. “Do you remember what number we were on?”

“No, why would I?” He prodded the Element with two furry fingers. “Besides, didn’t we lose track back then?”

“Oh yeah… So.” I watched as Discord cradled Honesty in both hands, looking it up and down, poking it occasionally. “What are you doing?”

“Repeating a few of the original tests. Seeing if I can alter its structure with magic or illusion. That sort of thing…” He rapped Honesty with his bird knuckles. “Results are the same though. Can’t alter it with illusions, can’t push any magic through it…” He grinned up at me. “Bet using our own Elements would help. You want to help me mess with Honesty?”

“Definitely.”

“Place a hoof on it. We’re going to see if there are any specific changes…!”

I dropped down, watching Discord, so intent on Honesty. Man. Since he stopped being weird, Discord has the most amazing mischievous grin. It’s just so casual, so self-assured. There’s so few places where Discord has that easygoing sense of accomplishment to himself. But when it comes to magic? It’s like he’s a whole new stallion. Powerful, and in control.

Why didn’t I appreciate that back in Canterlot? I mean, he would talk about magic all the time… Was I really so focused on his failures in other classes? Or just so put off by his new, creepier attitude…

“Hey Discord!” I happily cried.

“Uh-huh?”

“You’re pretty smart when it comes to magic.”

He laughed. Not his silly little snicker, but the loud, deeper laugh I loved to hear.

“Yeah, uh, thanks?!”

“You just did so poorly in your Canterlot classes… Sorry, you probably didn’t want to hear that, but I’m going somewhere with this, I swear!” Even a small reminder made his grin fade a little… I had to move quickly. “You keep bringing up stuff I’d never heard or thought of, just like it’s no big deal. Even my own magic classes didn’t talk about magic being rule-based or specific, and they never came close to experimentation. It was ‘try for this feeling’ and ‘now try for this feeling.’ Oh!” I snickered into my hoof, “And the always wonderful, ‘you’re not making this teacup hover ladylike enough, Luna!’”

“Oh yeah… those classes.” He tucked his chin between his fingers and grinned over at me. “They didn’t let me take many magic classes after they learned I couldn’t hover things ‘normally.’ Clever tricks were cute, yes. But not the unicorn way? Well! Why even bother? Clearly untrainable!” He shook his head, holding himself pompously. “Most of those ‘hover politely’ classes were just extensions of the etiquette training. They must have stuffed all the true professors of magic into closets or something.”

“I wish there were a few,” I declared, “Then maybe you could have had a little more respect around there!”

Discord grinned a little sideways. Just a little. Not the creepy grin, but slowly inching there. He scratched his chin and blushed under his soft fur.

“Well. Even if they did have a proper master… Eh.” He shrugged, briefly avoiding my eyes. Or was he just thinking about somewhere else? “I doubt I’d have taken that well… Anyway. Element.”

“Really? Why not?”

He looked like he was about to step over the topic, returning his focus and hands to the sides of Honesty. But then, he stopped. Blanked a little. Thought about it. The swagger about him faded a little… Drat. I had kind’ve hoped the topic would pump him up more. Not make him drift back down…

“Well,” he said, “You met my, um, teacher. Ruin. I think, if I had another teacher, I’d be afraid of, well, ruining my brother’s memory.” Discord shrugged, smile inching back stronger. “And I think that’s all I’ve got to say about that. So let’s mess with Honesty.”

A part of me wanted so badly for discord to stop avoiding topics. What did I ramble at him for all of yesterday for if he wasn’t going to try and address himself?! But, darnit, just digging that up now was only going to make him sink low again. We needed a friggin’ break from the weight. Magical experimentation is fun for Discord!

So why not let him have fun?

My horn flared to life and our golden necklaces rang out, silver and blue, two dissonant colors and tones spilling over the stone. Immediately, I could feel, and see the effects.

Honesty hummed. A third tone, different from our own, but mixing into what I’m going to call resonate ear chocolate. Science ear chocolate. Something like a song, beautiful and mournful, even if it only rang in one tone. And through the vibration, I could see it glowing, releasing little bubbles of pulsing magic. If I listened closely, I could hear each pulse of heat and light like its own little note in the song. Thrumming and thrumming…

I gripped my Element in my Aura. I heard it’s song, my personal song. Discord had stopped, already talking about the test’s completion. But I still continued.

Sounds. Tones. Music. Speech.

Sonic magic.

I opened my mouth and let notes escape. Not words, or even a song. Just letting my voice resonate with my Element, and letting that tone resonate with Honesty. Its own song changed with every note, the pale rings of light changing ever so slightly in color and pace.

I stopped to catch my breath, and the song stopped. The light died, the song faded, and all that was left was an echo in my ears and light-burned shadows on my eyes. Discord hovered around the spots, buried in his arms and trying to stop himself from beaming too hard. He was failing. His eyes were as big as dinner plates, and he looked like he was about to explode into a laughing fit.

“Y-you have a pretty voice,” he stammered.

“Thanks!” I replied, “Geez, this is so exciting! I think I want to try something!” I was burning up now, blushing like crazy. I think I can see why this made Discord so excited! “You know how I’m always complaining about not being able to talk through these things? I think this is the perfect opportunity to figure out how to do that!”

“Oh! Definitely!” Discord’s entire body bobbed as he nodded. “So. Do you need me to move away, see if I hear you from a distance?”

I giggled. “I don’t think I’m ready for distance testing yet…”

“I’ll be just right around the corner. Across the path.” He waved furiously towards the covered stone connection between the two buildings. A little black stone wall marked its location, rising out of the tall grass. “Just right over there. And if you need my help, you can just shout immediately!”

“Alright!” I looked down at the Element. “Experimenting…?” I frowned, puzzled, and looked up. “Actually. I don’t think I’ve ever seriously experimented with magic… before?”

Discord was retreating fast, dragging his bag behind him as he scrambled over the stone and out of sight. I watched him, now maybe a little concerned. Why bring his bag? Jeez. I hope he wasn’t mad at me for wanting to do my own experiments. I mean, he seemed excited when I said I wanted to try something…

Still such a nervous guy! I returned to the rock in front of me, wondering what I should try first…

~Discord~

I heard her continue to sing over the wall, and I thought I could just melt, then and there. Sucked right into the cold, black stone wall behind me. She’s beautiful, she’s beautiful, she’s beautiful. I could say that word over and over and over and it would lose all meaning, but she’d be just as wonderful and elegant and perfect…

I was turning and twisting and pressing into the cold stone behind me, just trying to stop from, from, from overheating or exploding or, or I don’t know! Oh sun and moon and stars and life above LUNA IS PERFECT. 

No no! Calm down! Calm down calm down calm down…

I twisted too sharply and bashed my head into the rock. Ow. I hissed and clutched the spot. Okay. Not as excited anymore.

And, with a guilty hesitation, I slid Ruin’s journal out from my bag.

I didn’t know why really I was looking through here, or why I was guilty about doing so. But geez, between this, and last night, and oh life, when she said that she was going to experiment with me… She’s always either been impressed or just bored, but never wanting to try something herself!

What do I want from her? What do I want from me?? I thought we were supposed to be getting comfortable, not acting weird at weird moments. I didn’t want to go back to the way things were! But now I’m getting worse, and I don’t know if it’s the Draconequus, or me, or something else entirely?! Is this some kind of weird pony thing? What would Ruin even have to say about weird pony things?

But he’s got to have something to say about what’s happening to me… something else. Right?

Why does this feel so wrong to ask him? He’s intelligent. He’s taught me so much. Maybe there was something I missed, or didn’t read into… I mean, when stuff got too personal, I just skipped past. So maybe there was something to help me through this… this stuff…

Or maybe not?

Yet, I flipped through his journal. I was returning to my master, begging him for answers I wasn’t even sure he had. Maybe there was a note, or a comment, or something.

This is wonderful. This is horrible. I hate to love it, but I could bask in it all day.

Was it…

~Luna~

Really now.

I don’t mess with magic. Not really. I know there’s stuff I can do. And I do those things only. When I learned I could hide under shadows, I just hid under shadows. When I accidentally teleported, I just learned how to teleport better. I never used sonic magic for anything more than shouting at things until I was told to try throwing my voice.

I guess I could see how to do this in theory. It’s just like throwing my voice, except, instead of throwing it in a specific location, I throw it at a known object.

But if the object could be anywhere in the world…

Four Elements were here, sitting right next to me. All in different states of activity and decay. I guess it would be good for the experiment to see if each Element resonated the same. But not for seeing if I could contact my sister, or the other two Elements.

But I’m getting ahead of myself now. Here.

I closed my eyes and shoved Honesty in a random direction. I heard it softly shift the grass, then stop dead. I dipped my head under my legs. No peeping. Let’s see if this works.

I eased magic into my horn, and began humming.

My Element glowed, a light under my folded legs. I heard its song resonate with my own voice. A different tone, but it followed the rises and falls of my directionless song.

So I hummed…

And um…

Nothing really got discovered that way.

So I hummed a bit more. Weakly this time.

And then I said, “Button.”

“BZZ-mm,” my Element flashed back, light flickering like a candle.

I blinked.

“Okay.”

“NN-NN”

I cleared my throat. The coughing echoed back up at me.

“I. Will try. And speak. Clearly.”

“Bz. WHZZ tch. NND sshCHK. CKmmee.”

“Actually, this is a bit further than I expected to go. I mean, the sounds sort’ve, uh, sound the same?”

My Element flickered and buzzed in front of me, light pulsing with every sound I made.

“So. What am I missing here?” I frowned, Discord’s earlier comments coming back to me. “I mean… is this part of your internal rules? What allows you to do this? And what’s stopping you?”

The Element, of course, had no response. I felt stupid for even asking it.

“What am I missing what am I missing…” I closed my eyes again, the light of Laughter shining up in my eyes. Would Laughter only completely respond if I said something funny? No, that’s stupid. It doesn’t light up when I’m joking around or pulling pranks. But maybe I was losing touch with what the Element represented, so the spell couldn’t complete itself—

I am not losing touch, I assured myself. The Element accepts me. If it didn’t, then it would look like Loyalty, wouldn’t it? All tumorous and clumpy…

But the Element also wasn’t just any old magic object. It was special. It responded to positive feelings, and friendship.
Maybe it worked best along those invisible bonds? I mean, if I said ‘friendship, friendship’ enough, stuff was bound to happen. But would it be the right stuff?

I hummed again. Pushed the sound into my necklace. Made it glow. Made it resonate. Squeezed my eyes closed even tighter.

And mentally, magically, tried to reach through the stone.

I pictured Discord and Kindness… No, I heard them. I imagined the sound of his voice, and the ring of his Element. I knew he was behind me. You know. Because I saw him go that way. Geez. I’ve got to forget that! I’ve got to pretend like I didn’t see where Discord went. I’ve just got to try and mentally listen for his voice.

My mind, and my Element, echoed back to me the rustle of a page turning.

I peeked down at my Element, slightly confused. The light, and my magic faded a little…

No! I can’t lose this now!

I pushed through again, mentally searching for Discord. I listened for that gold and silver ring, the tone of Kindness around his fuzzy neck. I had just heard it. I knew what it sounded like. Holding that sound in my mind, magic rolling in hot waves against my forehead, I took a deep breath, and whispered a single word into the blue light.

“Button.”

Discord squeaked in my ear, and I heard the clap of a book being slapped shut. I could hear it right here, and also distantly behind me.

“Oh!” he said, voice fainter now. “You got it?!”

“Yeah!” I shouted into the necklace, “I think I got it! Get over here!”

I barely said a word, but in a moment’s notice he was already by my side, and with… uhg. Creepy grin. I’ve got to banish that, quick!

“So! I think I found one of those ‘rules’ too!” I exclaimed, feeling the magic cool from my horn. “I could get my sonic magic to work with the Element, but it was all fuzzy and just when I just talked to myself. Only when I thought of our special bond was I able to hear you!”

“Good. Great!” His grin grew a little less creepy, and instead became more excited. Success! “So! How does that bond work with Honesty over there? I mean, it’s not connected to a Bearer, so…”

“I uh…” I searched for the rock in the tall grass, finding it about three feet to my left. “I… have no idea. I didn’t even try with Honesty.”

“No, no, don’t look so down!”

His paw brushed by my chin, holding there lightly. He seemed nervous about it, like he was going to drop his arm at a moment’s notice. Like I’d let that happen! I pressed into his hand. He seemed pretty happy about that.

Discord said, “That just means we have more things to experiment, don’t we? Like unicorn scientists?”

“Right!”

So, with nowhere better to be than an overgrown courtyard, we tinkered. With Discord pointing me in a few different directions, we discovered so much for one short day. Not just what we could do, specifically why the Elements were working like they did. For one, this communication was something only I could do, or something that could only be done with Sonic magic. When I was casting, I could hear and speak freely with the other Elements, and they could do the same with me. If I wasn’t focusing, then Discord could blab into his Element all he wanted, and I wouldn’t hear a word. Likewise, Discord couldn’t focus and throw his voice to me. Though after several attempts, he admitted that he’d later try to send pictures and illusions over the ‘distant bond’ between Elements. Speaking of distance, no matter how far away the Element was, it never cost more magic to ‘call’ it. Discord flew very high into the sky to test that one. And reaching the other Elements was as simple as thinking about them as I casted. Thinking about Honesty or Loyalty, I could easily resonate and hear the world around them… muffled, but I could hear. I could think about all the Elements at once… but that took a great amount of magic and focus.

Which leads right to our last little experiment.

I was leaning into Discord’s side, his fuzzy wing hesitantly settled around my shoulders. We both grinned over my glowing Element, and the thick orb of Honesty. My horn felt a little hollow, heat from it seeping into my forehead. But I was still easily able to pull magic into it. It would be a little bit of a strain, but nothing a good night’s rest wouldn’t help.

I closed my eyes, let my magic ring through Laughter, and reached out for three Elements. Honesty would now echo with the sounds from Magic, and Generosity.

While I didn’t know what tone they rang in, I could almost hear them through my gold band. I could hear the faraway Elements resonating along with me, both sounding so strange, and so unique. The bonded Elements, Kindness and Laughter, rang like bells when I touched them. Honesty was a deeper tone, and Loyalty a garbled sort of whine.

But Magic was almost like a hollow echo. Like wind over a cut reed. And Generosity sounded like sand being shifted by waves. Or the fuzzy sound you hear when there’s no noise at all.

Was this just the distance interfering with the magic? Or did was it indicating that the other Elements weren’t bonded, and had no tone accompanying them?

I wished with all my heart that we’d hear more than the tomb. Would we finally be able to talk to our long lost companions? Who would be over there? Would they be a fellow colt and filly? Was there another group of three, travelling like us, searching so desperately for the Elements?

Discord and I lowered our heads quietly, placing our ears on Honesty. We stared into eachother’s eyes, necklaces making our faced glow in the dim twilight. We were both so confident, so strong and certain.

Please! Something! Something…!

With a heavy push, I amplified those distant sounds, the reed and the sand through the Honesty Orb. Even with my heavy focus, everything sounded like it was coming underwater. Muted and dull, but with louder or sharper sounds coming through clearly.

Almost immediately, we both heard sharp clicking sound. Like stones being rolled together.

“That’s on Generosity’s end,” I whispered.

My heart leapt a beat. Voices were fading in through the stone. Actual, ponylike, voices!

“… so that’s it…” “Yes, things are looking normal.” “…fine…”

Eyes still glued tightly to Discord’s, I said, quite clearly, “Hello?”

That smacking stone sound again. A scraping sound, like hoof on rock.

“Generosity… then Magic…” I explained. My friend just looked bemused.

Discord whispered, “It’s just noise to me…”

I heard more sounds on Generosity’s end. Almost like a conversation. Two… maybe three voices? “… just talk…?” “Of course it did. It’s magic.” “…see?”

“Hello!” I said clearly. “This is Luna!”

“A-and Discord!” the Draconequus shouted.

“Magic!” I loudly called, “Generosity!”

“Life!” Discord hissed, “Don’t call them that!”

I mumbled, suppressing giggles, “Well, I can’t exactly say their names…!”

“Whoever has Magic and Generosity!” Discord huffed aloud. “We’re your fellow Elements! Your friends!”

“We’re looking for you!” I scrambled to say. “We’ve been looking for so long! We’ve all got to get together, as soon as possible! Right?!”

I breathed. Discord was shaking beside me. His wing twitched in my mane, and our smiles wavered in unison.
This was so exciting!

There was more scraping, a sharp snap like the breaking of tile. A male from Generosity’s end cleared his throat. “…bit specific. what…” “…who is the Healer here…” There was a wave of static, slowly resolving into a hollow ringing.

“So who’s saying what…?”

“All the voices are on Generosity’s end.”

“Then what about Magic?”

“Just some shuffling. Someone’s there, but…” I took a deep breath, and spoke again, “So if you have the Element… please! Say something! Tell us where you are. I’ll hear it!”

I leaned in, placing my ear to Honesty, horn burning hot. For a moment, all I heard was white noise. A distant mumbling… “…is it supposed to…?” “…nevermind the stone…” “…hello…?”

“Imbecilic children!” A deep male voice rang out from Magic’s end, louder than the rest. A sickly, guttering voice that snapped like a whip.

Both Discord and I shot back, the volume of the voice booming, as if it was standing right next to us. Discord even looked around, bewildered, as if he was going to spot the speaker right behind us.

“That stallion can hear you!” the voice howled, “Do you have any idea what wrath you have brought upon your heads?!”

“H-hello?” I stammered, “Are you one of the bearers…?”

Run, you foalish simpletons!” the man yelled, “RUN!”

I inhaled sharply, and the spell ceased with a small pop. My horn continued to burn, magic evaporating off of it like steam.

Discord and I exchanged one look, then dove under the night’s shadow, scrambling for our bags.