//------------------------------// // II. Master // Story: Twilight's Dollhouse II: Lyra's Quest // by Kaidan //------------------------------// “You’re kidding me, Spitfire,” Scootaloo said. She looked at the steps in front her that ran all the way to the top of the mountain above Canterlot. “Nope. If you want him to teach you martial arts, you have to climb to the top of the mountain,” Spitfire explained. “He’s one of the few samurai left in Equestria who knows the oldest ways of war.” “And we can’t fly up there, because it’s some sort of test?” “See, you do understand,” Spitfire said. “He’s teaching more than self-defense, he’s teaching self-control, patience, and other things. Trust me, if you want to find Twilight, this is the pony to teach you how to do it and get out alive. Do whatever he says, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I don’t understand. Still, I better get started.” “You won’t need those saddlebags.” “What?” Scootaloo sighed and shrugged the saddlebags off. “This is the worst day ever.” “And don’t try to fly halfway or anything, he’ll know.” “But there’s like a thousand fucking steps!” Scootaloo threw up her forelegs in exasperation. “Hey, it’s this or a lifetime ban from the Wonderbolts. Sorry, squirt, but this is tough love.” Scootaloo mumbled to herself as she began to trot up the steps towards the top of the mountain. She found it ridiculous to have to walk anywhere when she could fly, much less up the side of a mountain, but Spitfire forced her hoof, so she bit her lip and continued up the mountainside. Lyra relaxed in her peaceful glade again, talking with her newest friend, Soarin. She had found a pony who was willing to listen, and she was quickly growing attached to him. It felt like years since she had really talked with another pony openly. “So what do you think happened to all those dolls?” Soarin asked. “Twilight had a plan in case she got caught. She teleported everypony somewhere. I hope for their sake Celestia didn’t mortally wound Twilight. I may never be able to find them. . .” Lyra sighed and continued to stare out towards the Everfree. “Are you going to take Luna up on her offer to teach you magic and go find them?” “Of course I want to, but look at me, Soarin.” Lyra stared into his eyes, and then pointed down at her cutie mark. “My talent is music not magic. As much as I want to learn self-defense spells or a way to track Twilight, I can’t. . .” Soarin reached over and held her hoof. “Hey, I believe you can do it. Us Wonderbolts don’t get cutie marks in stunt flying. Most of us were weather team, but with hard work and determination, any pony can do any job. If you want to learn magic, then you’ll be able to.” “Thanks, that means a lot.” Lyra smiled and squeezed his hoof, then got up. “I guess I should head off to see her.” Luna hardly noticed the door open or the unicorn that entered shortly after. Before her on a table lay the Elements of Harmony. One of them was clearly inert—the once golden apple now black as obsidian. The Element of Magic thrummed softly, yet its purple glow was cloudy. Luna could sense it was still active but it was searching for something. “Luna? You asked to see me?” Trixie asked. Luna snapped out of her thoughts and turned around. She smiled at one of the few ponies who had walked out of the Ponyville incident alive. “Trixie, please have a seat. Would you like some tea?” Trixie’s eyes went wide and she stuttered something in response. Luna smirked before breaking her facade and laughing. “And Celestia says I have no sense of humor.” “Trixie—I mean I don’t really find that funny.” “Well I suppose that’s fair.” Luna took a seat across from her at the table. “So, have you made up your mind on my offer?” “I still can’t believe it. I mean, why me? Why would you want me as a pupil?” Trixie played with her cape under the table, nervously fidgeting with the cloth between her hooves. “You are a skilled magician, Trixie, and I have decided to be prepared for the day Twilight returns. Can you think of a unicorn more gifted than yourself?” Trixie blushed slightly. “No I just—you’re serious? You trust me enough to teach me everything you know about magic and ruling not one month after Celestia’s pupil snapped?” “That is all the more reason I need your help. I can not study how to fix the Elements of Harmony while ruling in my sister’s stead. She needs time to come to terms with what has happened. I need somepony who can not only help in my own research, but be prepared should Twilight Sparkle return.” “That explains why you’re starting your own school. Alright, I’ll do it. So what do we do first?” Trixie asked. Luna gestured at the elements. “We don’t fully understand the Elements of Harmony. They can be used like any tool, and yet to harness their full power requires a special connection that only the Element can make.” Luna lifted up the Element of Honesty. “Applejack is dead. I know from experience the element is only inert when it has no bearer alive. They were in this state when we used them on Discord, fueling the Element with my own Honesty.” “So if you don’t need bearers, why’s it important to fix them?” “Neither Celestia nor I have the strength to power six elements, especially as often as they’ve been used lately against Discord, Chrysalis, and to save me. When Celestia used them to banish me to the moon she fell into a coma for months to recover. I must find a way to link the elements to new ponies, because we do not have the strength to constantly wield them.” Trixie picked up the Element of Magic, and watched it pulse slightly. “So let me get this straight. We have to find six new elements, break the bond to Twilight, and then find Twilight and use them on her?” “I’d settle just for getting them working again, but yes. In fact, I was going to attempt to bind the Element of Magic to you.” Trixie set the tiara down on the table and scooted back. “Wait, but you just said they choose a bearer. You’re telling me you can just force it on me?” “The Element of Magic is a special case,” Luna explained. “Since Twilight last used it, it has been. . . in a state I am not familiar with it. Not inert, not active, almost as if it’s searching for a bearer. I hope to influence its decision.” Trixie shrugged. “Well then, I just put it on?” “Yes.” She reached forward and lifted up the Element of Magic as if it was going to bite her. When nothing happened, she levitated her magician’s hat off and put the tiara on. After a few moments of silence, Luna’s horn glowed briefly and then faded. “So, looks like it didn’t work?” Trixie asked. Luna sighed. “It looks like you can not become the next Element of Magic.” The door to the chamber swung open as Lyra trotted in. “Luna, I hope I’m not interrupting but I came to accept your offer—” Her eyes scanned the room and landed on Luna and Trixie. Between them the elements sat on a table. The Element of Magic was rattling on the table and glowing brightly “Oh crap! Sorry to interrupt!” Lyra quickly backed up out of the room, swinging the door closed. The glowing tiara fell to the table and the light faded from the six pointed star. “Wait!” Luna shouted. Lyra gulped and peeked her head back in. The two ponies were still glancing between the elements and her. “Yes, Princess?” “Lyra, come sit down.” She walked in, letting the door close behind her. As she got closer, the Element of Magic began humming again and glowing green. Lyra stopped halfway. “Is it supposed to do that?” Trixie could only stare in shock as the tiara bathed the chamber in magic. She had to shield herself from the raw power being given off by it, and it amazed her Luna wasn’t more concerned. Instead, she sat there with a surprised smile on her face. “Yes, Lyra, it’s perfectly safe to approach the Elements.” She walked up to the table, her eyes mesmerized by the tiara. As she reached a hoof towards it, the tiara fell to the table glowing a cool mint green. The other elements also stopped rattling. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Luna said. “At least, not since the night of my return from the thousand year banishment. Lyra, I believe you’re the next Element of Magic.” Lyra gasped. “No! There must be some mistake, I’m just a lyrist! I’ve never even tried to do more then levitate.” “Then it’s a good thing you accepted my offer to be trained.” Trixie slapped a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be easy. Why, I bet we’ll have you teleporting in no time, and if you’re lucky, you won’t lose all your hair the first time you try it!” Lyra gulped and smiled, chuckling nervously. Nine hundred seventy-two, nine hundred seventy-three, nine hundred seventy-five. . . wait, I skipped one. Was it seventy -wo? No wait, I was higher. Nine hundred. . . “Fuck.” Scootaloo stomped a hoof and looked behind her. She had really wanted to find out if it was really a thousand steps to the top. She was nearly to the peak of the Canterlot mountain and had been climbing up the cursed steps all day long. She stopped briefly to catch her breath but was careful not to lay down. Her legs felt like lead and she was convinced she would fall asleep if allowed to rest. Her wings twitched in irritation, as if signaling her brain that they were—in fact—still there. Scootaloo could use them to fly to the top of the mountain any time she wanted. Scootaloo felt her anger from earlier resurfacing. She was angry at Twilight for destroying the lives of her friends and taking Dash from her. She was angry at Spitfire for telling her to hike up the side of this damn mountain. And most importantly, she was mad at whoever the hell this master was that wanted all of his students to hoof it up a freaking mountain in the first place. She licked her teeth and spit on the ground. There had been nothing to drink as she hiked up the mountain, and at one point she had considered eating some of the permafrost off the ground. Scootaloo was probably higher up now than Cloudsdale. She closed her eyes for a moment to feel the air currents and gauge how high she had hiked. With a sigh, she began walking up the rest of the steps. Scootaloo focused on the anger to help move her exhausted legs. She didn’t notice when she reached the last step, and she stumbled. Looking up, she saw a short stone fence running around an ancient wooden building. There were pieces of equipment of various design littered around, with a large central courtyard, and a pit of sand with several large smooth stones in it. All around the stones, lines had been drawn in the sand. Scootaloo smirked. She had seen sand gardens before and thought it was funny to see Pegasi flying around raking dirt. She didn’t have time for that artistic crap, she was here to learn how to track down and bring Twilight down. She trotted forward into the courtyard looking around for the master. Scootaloo saw an aged grey pegasus sitting in the middle of the sand garden. He was perched on a smooth stone surrounded by concentric circles. His gaunt face was framed by short white hair and his eyes were closed in contemplation. Scootaloo walked to the edge of the garden. She looked around and tapped her hoof, waiting for the pony to acknowledge her presence. After only a couple minutes she began to crack—fidgeting around and clearing her throat loudly. The aged pegasus made no sign that he saw or heard her. He sat perfectly still on his rock. “You’ve gotta be kidding me, this is so stupid,” Scootaloo muttered under her breath. “Then why did you walk up my mountain?” the pegasus asked. “To learn how to fight, and free my friends—not have a staring match with an old man.” The pony showed no emotion as he sat there, and simply moved one hoof to gesture at the rock next to him. “Then come and sit.” Scootaloo spread her wings to fly over to the rock without disturbing his sand garden. Without opening his eyes, the pegasus spoke a single word. “Halt.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes, “What?” “You must not fly or you’ll disturb the sand.” She huffed and retorted. “So I should walk in it?!” Scootaloo took a step forward into the sand. her hoof sank a few inches into it. “You will get the rake, and clean up your hoofprints behind you.” “Are you out of your mind?” Scootaloo barked. She looked down at the sand and swirled her hoof in it. “I’m outta here.” She turned and walked towards the opening in the fence. “Dash would not have quit so easily.” Scootaloo bit her lip and spun around, glaring daggers at the old man. She wanted to fly over there and knock his smart ass off the rock. “What did you say?” “Do you expect to find your friends and defeat one of the most powerful alicorns who ever lived in under an hour? Or are you always this impatient?” She could feel the familiar anger welling up in her gut. Ever since being turned back into a pony, Scootaloo had become known in the bars throughout Canterlot for her short fuse and left hook. She was barely able to control herself as she stood there and trembled, but recalled Spitfire’s advice. Trust me, if you want to find Twilight, this is the pony to teach you how to do it and get out alive. Scootaloo counted backward from ten in her head and took a few deep breaths. The pegasus on the rock smiled as he heard her steady her breathing. Finally, she turned and found the rake that was used to create the intricate patterns in the sand garden. She moved to the edge and fixed the spot she had stuck her hoof. Scootaloo pondered for a moment how to get over to him in a straight line, however the sand had been arrayed in circles. She took a few steps in and tried to cover her tracks, but she couldn’t get the rake at the correct angle without flying. Scootaloo looked behind her at the pegasus, and slowly spread her wings. He cleared his throat, somehow sensing her intent before she had flapped once. She growled and walked back out of the sand garden. Finally she figured out how to get to the old man. She began walking backwards along one of the spirals, towards the center. As she walked the rake was dragged behind her, covering her footprints. She smiled, realizing she had won his little test. Scootaloo looked towards him, and realized she would have to circle the rock several more times to reach the center. Finally, after what felt like hours of carefully working her way to the middle she reached the smooth stone. She climbed up onto the stone and spit the wooden rake out. “There, I made it.” The pegasus smiled and opened his eyes, which had also gone grey with age. “Good work, Scootaloo. You may call me master or sensei. Now, I’m rather tired so I will leave you here until morning when your training begins.” Master picked up the rake and flew towards the small building that was his home. His wingbeats did not disturb a single grain of sand as he left Scootaloo trapped in the middle of the sand garden. “What? You’re just gonna leave me here? Are you fuck—” Master cleared his throat loudly. “You will not use such language again while staying at my house, or on the stairs leading to it. Now you will sit there until morning, at which time you will tell me what you learned. If you want to run away—well you know the way down the mountain.” Scootaloo was overcome with anger, but also determination. She had to prove this pony wrong, and beat his silly challenges. Scootaloo was stronger than he gave her credit for and with a fierce stare at him, she made herself comfortable on the rock. It took several deep breaths as Master walked into the house before she had calmed down. The sun was slowly setting and it was framed by the opening in the fence. Beneath it far in the distance was the Everfree, a vast sea of untamed wilderness. As the stars came out she began to count the rings in the sand garden out of boredom. Looking up at the moon she groaned. “Why am I here again, Luna?” Luna looked back once she had finished raising the moon. “What, Lyra?” “I said, why am I here again, Luna? You wanted to see me once you raised the moon.” Lyra stood there, wearing the uncomfortable tiara on her head. She was a musician who had gotten turned into a doll, and now was a key piece of Equestria’s most powerful weapon. She tried not to think of how she’d soon have a household name as the Element of Magic, and the weight of a nation depending on her to protect it from Twilight. “I have a gift that will help you learn magic. I want to share some of my memories and knowledge of spells with you. The gift may help somewhat with your lack of a formal education in magic. You will still have to work hard, study, and you’ll still be limited by your own unicorn physiology. There is a risk, however.” “What kind of risk?” Lyra asked. “Have you heard of wolfponies?” Lyra laughed. “Yeah, they’re an old wives tale, a story to scare fillies around a campfire.” “Not entirely.” Luna looked her in the eyes, fixing her gaze squarely on her. “During the Nightmare Wars, some of my most gifted warriors were known as the Moon Touched. I had bestowed upon them some of my knowledge and power to give them an edge on Celestia’s troops.” Lyra gulped, not liking where this was headed. Before she could protest, Luna continued. “The memories and power I offer you may easily drive you mad. Deep within me still lies the emotions of jealousy and rage that lead to my fall. Each pony I gifted with my power was also tested. Half of them turned feral and had to be. . . put down—giving rise to the legend of wolfponies. The other half became some of the most powerful unicorns of their time, such as Starswirl the Bearded.” “Wait, Starswirl was Celestia’s student,” Lyra corrected. Luna grinned. “Only after I was banished, and he surrendered my forces. They do say to keep your friends close and enemies closer.” “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea then. . .” “The choice is yours, Lyra, but know this: as a musician there is only so much you can learn—advanced levitation, maybe a beginner’s shield spell. if you truly want to study magic, I have to alter your destiny and unlock the new power being fed to you by the Element of Magic. And—” Luna looked down towards the floor. “There is a risk it will drive you mad.” Lyra thought about it for a moment, feeling the Element of Magically tingling above her horn. “It’s my best bet to find Twilight and save the others, isn’t it?” “Yes.” She thought about the possibility of saving her neighbors, and most importantly, finding the strength deep inside so she could save Twilight from herself. Lyra smiled. “I’ve come too far to turn back now—do it.” The moon grew brighter in the sky as Lyra was bathed in its light. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was no longer in Canterlot. Scootaloo nearly fell off her rock as the moon flared in the sky. For a fraction of a second, the bright moonlight cast long shadows across the sand garden. She felt something awaken inside her, and knew that Lyra was in trouble. Her pulse quickened as she contemplated quitting her training to check on her friend, yet she sensed something else too. She closed her eyes and could feel Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. The moment passed quickly and Scootaloo cried out in frustration. For that brief moment she knew they were okay and had been there with them, trapped underground in a damp cave. She had been so close to reaching out to her best friends, yet now the sensation was gone.