//------------------------------// // Morning Preparations // Story: Episode 2: The Return to Flatts // by mr lovecolt //------------------------------// The spires of the Crystal City castle rose against the horizon; the light of Celestia’s Sun shone through the prisms and sent spectrums of rainbow colored light through the streets of Crystal City. In the distance, multicolored ewes leaped on the hills and were immediately corralled by a lavender pony as she waved a shepherd’s crook in her hoof at them. As the ponies went about their daily routine, a multi-cart train made its way into the station. Tufts of smoke swirled in the air as the engine hissed to a stop. Out of the smoke, Twilight Sparkle emerged and turned her head towards the castle. If Shining Armor and Princess Cadence found out she had come here and hadn’t visited, they would be upset with her. Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes and imagined the front steps of the Crystal City Library. Twilight disappeared in an orb of purple light and immediately reappeared in front of the library. She took a moment to consider the two stone griffons that stood guard at the entrance before she ascended the stairs. Inside the library, Twilight Sparkle had to contain the excited squeal of delight at the thought of so many potentially unread books. The circular stairs in front of her led to even more books. This is going to be even more difficult than finding The Crystal Empire’s History, she thought. “Is there something I can help you with?” An elderly voice asked Twilight Sparkle, “Oh, it’s you!” Twilight Sparkle turned and saw that the librarian stood in to her side as she adjusted her glasses. “Oh,” Twilight Sparkle replied, “Yes, I’m looking for a book.” “Well, this is certainly a good place to look for one, Princess Sparkle,” the librarian said, “I’m Agatha, and I run the library here, thanks to you and your friends.” Twilight Sparkle winced for a moment, but regained her composure. “Yes,” she said, “That is actually the reason I’m here. One of my friends has gotten sick, and I’ve gone through all of the books on magic that I could get my hoofs on, but I could not find any remedy. I was hoping that you would have a book from the earlier ages, perhaps?” Agatha’s face immediately furrowed into a frown. Her eyes turned to glass for a moment, but the light of the morning sun broke through the front window and her eyes regained their luster. “I’m sorry, dear,” Agatha replied, “But we don’t have any books from that period anymore. We do have a collection of works from Starswirl the Bearded’s earlier period, before he began to write…” Twilight Sparkle watched as Agatha’s face darkened once more. She waited to see if Agatha would continue her sentence, but Agatha stood still for a few more moments. “Before he began to write about what?” Twilight Sparkle asked, “I’ve already read up on his time travelling spells. Believe me, those things are more trouble than they’re worth.” “Right,” Agatha replied as her eyes shifted back and forth, “His time travelling spells. Yes, everything after that was taken by Princess Celestia and placed in Canterlot.” “Oh,” Twilight Sparkle replied with a huff, “I’ve read those, too. Are you sure that all of his books were taken to Canterlot?” “Yes.” Agatha replied. “But please feel free to peruse our selection of magic books. You’ll find the healing books based on healing on the third floor, just past the section of defensive magic techniques.” Twilight Sparkle watched as Agatha made her way down the hall and towards a foal asked her for a book about crystal structures found in the farmland of the upper empire. She stood and looked up towards the books in the corner of the third floor. She wasn’t very helpful now, was she? “Discord?” Twilight Sparkle watched as a group of ponies turned in her direction with wide eyes. Twilight Sparkle blushed and her wings unfurled. She began to back away with a sheepish grin until she backed into a bookshelf and sent the contents falling to the ground on top of her. She emerged from the cascade of books in a daze. Oh really, Twilight, you are just so much fun to surprise. Why don’t I do it more often? “What are you doing here?” Twilight Sparkle whispered. Listen, I know you, so I’ll cut to the chase. You’re looking for the magic that destroyed Fluttershy, aren’t you? “Destroyed?” Twilight Sparkle whispered. Please, just think, Twilight. We don’t want ponies thinking you’re crazy now, do we? Twilight looked back and forth at the other ponies in the library. Now, the only reason that I am going to impart this information on you is because I know that you are the only one close enough to talk about this with the princesses. Do you understand? Twilight Sparkle nodded. You don’t have to nod. I’m here, and I can understand if you simply think. Twilight Sparkle emerged from the books and turned towards them. She focused her energy and the books were surrounded by a purple aura. The books floated to the bookshelf and were placed in their correct order. Twilight Sparkle then turned around and made her way up the nearest set of circular stairs. The murmur of ponies continued around her, but she continued on her way until she reached the corner of the third floor. There was a line of bookshelves on her left and a row of tapestries on her right. The windows in between the tapestries gave light to the titles as she walked by them: The History of Pony-Dragon Relations, The History of Pony-Griffon Relations, Pre-Equestrian Pony Relations. In the shadows, Twilight Sparkle looked on as she passed by different scenes: an image of Princess Celestia as she stood before a large dragon, an image of Princess Luna as she stood before a griffon, and image of both princesses as they hovered above an earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn. Twilight Sparkle stopped in front of a tapestry that hung near the corner of the top floor of the library. The tapestry depicted Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in the middle, surrounded by Discord. What surrounded Discord, however, Twilight Sparkle couldn’t understand. Three sets of double circles surrounded Discord: one set was white, one was grey, and one was green. Twilight Sparkle looked left and right and then lifted the tapestry. She looked out the window and saw that the wall led only to the outside, and then looked toward the circular hole and the two oblong indentations beside it. She placed her horn in the hole and let her wings rest on the indentations. The wall immediately melted away and Twilight Sparkle tumbled onto the ground. A shadow emerged from her back and twirled along the floor. Out of the shadows appeared Discord. “Welcome, Princess Sparkle, to the Princess Wing of the Crystal City Archives.” Twilight Sparkle watched as Discord wrapped around the two aisles that lines the rock walls of the archives. On each shelf were ten books, and there were two shelves to each aisle. Orbs of light hovered on each edge and emitted enough light to make readable the titles of each book. “Discord,” Twilight Sparkle asked, “What is this?” “I’m glad you asked, Twilight.” Discord replied, “You see, there are events that are occurring with which I need your help. These books that you see contain all of the information that I know of what you ponies refer to as ‘old magic’.” Discord snapped his claw and two books floated through the air and towards Twilight Sparkle. The orbs that surrounded them changed color for a few moments and Twilight Sparkle watched as Discord’s eyes grew red. “Twilight,” Discord continued, “Be warned. These two books are only an introduction to the old magic and the gods that wielded it. Once you read them, I know that you will be convinced to help me speak with Celestia and Luna.” “The princesses?” “Yes, they know of these books. I wrote these books soon after I came into power. I didn’t want to forget the knowledge. I showed them to Celestia and Luna soon after I promised to use my powers of chaos for good. We placed the books in here and placed an alicorn lock on the doorway. But you will learn more of that in time. For now, I need you understand what it is that we face.” Twilight Sparkle nodded and looked at the books that still hovered in front of her. Empolemitheon and Mageismoiras. Twilight Sparkle wracked her mind for a moment before she remembered the old language she had read about. “War Torn Gods and Fate Magic?” Twilight Sparkle asked. She looked up when she received no response. She looked around her, but Discord was nowhere to be seen. She collected the books, placed them in her saddlebags, and made her way out of the room. ***** “Wake up!” Edger tossed to his side and leaped to his hooves. Script stood in front of him with the door to the storehouse open. The fog that had settled on the ground began to seep in as he motioned for Edger to follow him. “It’s morning?” Edger asked, “And nopony found us?” “Yes,” Script said, “The ponies here seem to only come out at night, with the exception of the enforcers. We’re lucky, but we need to find the others. We need to find a way to defeat this by tonight.” Script made his way out of the storehouse and Edger followed him. They looked back and forth along the main road, but Edger’s gaze stopped at the fire pit. There was no longer a pony tied to the stake, but rather a skeleton whose bones were blackened. “How did that happen?” Edger gasped, “I stopped the fire last night.” “The vesperqui can’t survive in sunlight.” Script replied, “It doesn’t matter if she had the form of a pony. Helioselene changed her. Come on, we must find the others.” Edger watched as Script made his way towards the general store. His hooves clicked against the wooden porch before Edger found the ability to make his way towards him. Edger looked back and forth once more along the street and then entered the store. He heard the door click shut as Script followed behind him. The front of the store faced south, so most of the store was shrouded in darkness. The shelves were barren save a few homemade canned vegetables and stale loaves of bread. A mouse squeaked in the darkness and Edger heard the sound of its feet as it scurried away. “There’s a backdoor that leads to the cemetery field.” Edger said, “It will take us to the north side of the village. I have a feeling Caramel took Pinkie to the smithy.” Edger walked through the store and towards the backdoor, followed by Script. Behind them, they heard the sound of the front door being opened. Edger and Script turned to each other and then dove to opposite sides of the store. Edger hid behind the shelf of stale breads and tried to find a cabinet to hide in. The only thing there was a small alcove beneath an old sink. He dove in and pushed his body as far into the corner as possible. The sound of hooves clacked against the floor and Edger immediately knew it was the sound of two ponies. One set of hooves was heavy, and Edger immediately registered the sound as similar to Ag. The other pony’s hooves were lighter and quicker, and Edger traced the sound to Verdant. Edger cringed in the corner, but the sound of the heavier hooves made their way towards him. Tears formed at Edger’s eyes as he heard the sound of Ag’s hooves move closer and closer. He tried to focus his mind on his magic, but nothing happened. He couldn’t even focus enough energy to create the slightest distraction. Maybe Caramel and Script are right, Edger thought, Maybe I am useless. He tried to control his sobs, but they wouldn’t stop. His chest convulsed from the force he used to control the sound of his cries. The hooves moved closer until they were finally next to the sink’s alcove. Edger couldn’t help but shriek when a hoof fell on his flank. “Oh, I’m sorry Edger.” Edger looked out and saw Caramel in front of him. He sobbed once more and wrapped his fore legs around Caramel’s neck. “You showed up and I couldn’t move, Caramel. You showed up and I heard you and I thought you were Ag and I couldn’t even focus enough energy to summon a cloaking spell. You are right. I am useless.” Edger felt two hooves wrap around his and then he felt himself pulled away from Caramel’s embrace. He looked and saw that Caramel held his hooves in his own and stared into his eyes. “I never said you were useless, Edger.” Caramel said, “I don’t think that, and neither should you. I don’t know what to do to convince you that you aren’t, but I know that you are special. You are so special that you have a magic that most ponies don’t even know exist. So stop.” “This isn’t magic!” Edger yelled, “This is a curse!” “Now don’t even start with that.” Script appeared from the other side of the store and stood by Pinkie Pie. The two made their way across the store and the four ponies were together. “Good.” Script began, “Now that we are here, I need to let you all know a few things. First off. Caramel, what are you wearing?” Caramel spun around to let the others look at his invention. A conical structure hung on his side over his saddlebag. The structure connected to a tube that led to a straight pipe that pointed in front of him. Another tube connected the pipe to a small horseshoe on his right hoof. “Whatever these creatures are can be stopped by physical means, so I created a device that shoots metal bearings at a high velocity. I undo the safety at my hoof and press down, then the air pressure sends a bearing through the pipe and pierces the fur of one of those creatures.” Edger nodded his head, as did Script, but then he turned to Pinkie Pie, who simply looked down to the floor. “Well then,” Script continued, “We have survived the night, but I do not think we will be as lucky tonight. We have to find one of the final pieces of information that I must collect in order to help Edger face and destroy Helioselene.” “Come again?” Caramel asked. “Right,” Script sighed, “Earth ponies. Okay, we are in the village of a group of ponies who believe that Helioselene is the true god set to take over for Celestia and Luna. They need a vessel in order to do that. They had Edger for that purpose. Then they banished him after they-” Edger coughed in an effort to stop Script from continuing that sentence. Script looked to Edger and then hesitated. “After they felt Edger was not a suitable vessel. So they have offered villager after villager to Helioselene, only to be rejected. Once they were rejected, they were turned into vesperqui, mindless soldiers of Helioselene. Those are the flying creature that you saw.” “What about the others?” Edger asked, “The ponnequins, the shadows?” “The ponnequins are the typical pony soul, which is why you only see them during your visions. The shadows, on the other hoof, are the souls of those filled with regret and despair. They have unfinished business or they cannot forgive themselves, so they wander the land until somepony opens a portal to assist them in fulfilling their purpose or righting the wrongs they have committed. They need bodies. That is why they rip apart the bodies of normal ponies in their search for a suitable vessel, and it is why only unicorns tend to see them.” “Normal ponies…” Edger muttered. “This is a lot to take in, Script.” Caramel said. “Here is what I suggest we do,” Script continued, “Mister Caramel, you and I should take either Miss Pie or Edger, and-” “No!” Edger shouted, “Pinkie and I are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves!” “Edger, perhaps Script-” Caramel began to say. “No!” Edger continued, “Pinkie and I will search together… You go with Script.” “Okay.” Caramel replied. Edger made his way to the back of the store again. He kicked the door open and Pinkie Pie went to follow him. The door slammed shut, and Caramel and Script looked at each other for a moment. “I think we should just give him a little while to cool off,” Script said, “He’s always been sensitive about his… condition.” Caramel nodded and the two stallions made their way to the front of the store. The sun rose high into the sky, but there was still yet to be another pony in the streets. “I’ve noticed the ponies tend to stay in the schoolhouse during the day.” Script said as though answering Caramel’s thought, “We should stay away from it, just to be safe.” “What are we looking for?” Caramel asked. “I want to know how they conduct their ceremonies,” Script replied, “The best answers will probably be in one of the elder’s homes. We will start with Miss Pie’s home, then work our way north.” Caramel looked towards the east at the silo and the home that accompanied it and then followed Script towards it. ***** The sun had long risen by the time Rainbow Dash awoke. She paced by her bed and muttered to herself. “You can’t trust them.” Rainbow Dash said, “You don’t even know them.” Rainbow Dash stopped her pacing and turned to look out her window. The winds had carried her home north so that it hovered above Fluttershy’s cottage. A Royal Guard stood at the front door to stop anypony from getting in to see what had happened. She could see that the guard was in the middle of an argument with Mr. Greenhooves, who gestured madly to the garden hose and the tulips. After many minutes of arguing, Mr. Greenhooves finally shook his head and left. “You don’t even know which pony killed her.” Rainbow Dash tore her gaze away from the window and made her way to a small desk where she had placed the letter that was left at Sugarcube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake weren’t there at the time, so it was no trouble for her to take it. She had spent the night before at the library in an attempt to find the place called Flatts, but none of the books Spike had shown her even referenced it. Why haven’t any of us really talked to each other about our foalhood homes, Rainbow Dash wondered. A whirring sound approached her and Rainbow Dash turned her head just as Tank flew up the staircase to her bedroom. He hovered for a moment at the entrance and then moved towards her. “Not now, Tank,” Rainbow Dash said, “I have to figure this out.” Tank blinked his eyes separately and then croaked. “I have to figure out what is happening. Something is not right with Edger, I can feel it.” Tank croaked again. “I can’t help but feel that something awful is going to happen with Pinkie and Caramel if they are near him.” Tank blinked again, followed by a long croak. “Caramel got on the train with Edger yesterday morning, and now I have this letter that was given to Pinkie, so I’m pretty sure they’re all together. I just don’t know what for.” Tank was silent, and the sound of the whirligig on his back filled the air. Finally, Tank gave out a long croak. “Follow them? I don’t know if the train went to Appleloosa or to Dodge Junction.” Tank stared at Rainbow Dash for a moment and then croaked one more time. “Ask the pony at the ticket counter,” Rainbow Dash replied, “Of course. Tank, you’re a genius.” Rainbow Dash took to the air and hoof bumped Tank’s shell. She flew down the stairs and was gone in an instant towards the train station.