//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - Calm Before A Storm // Story: (Re)Birth Through Fire // by Spacecowboy //------------------------------// Jason sat down in the chair in his room, letting out a sigh that Philomena mirrored. "You too, huh?" Jason thought back on how upon their return, he and Twilight had been informed that it was simply 'too late' to continue any discussion. The fact that half of the ponies in the room appeared to be asleep supported that statement. He had turned right on out of the room, leaving Twilight to talk with Celestia. He moved around in the chair, causing Philomena to squawk in alarm. "Yeah, yeah, Philo, I know. But, you try to find a comfortable position when you suddenly sprout a pair of wings." he mockingly glared at her, raising an eyebrow and trying to look as comical as possible. "I'm blaming you for this, you know that? Everything was just perfectly fine, I'd even gone almost ten years without dying this time, then..... poof, wings and this ridiculous hair." Jason remarked, grabbing a lock of the hair and brushing it out of his eyes. Philomena chuckled in her own way, a warbling sound that was nearly musical in nature. "Oh, yeah, go ahead and laugh it up. You probably got a kick out of Twilight kissing me too, didn't you?" she laughed some more at him, causing him to eventually join in. As their laughter died down, he couldn't help but let out a sigh, shifting again in his chair. Philomena flapped her wings a few times, moving from the back of the chair to Jason's leg, staring up at him expectantly. "Oh, so now you want to play therapist, too?" he rolled his eyes, "I swear, everypony... and everyone, thinks they're a doctor these days, jeez." She simply squawked once, the melodic sound filling the air. "Okay, I get it. It was... weird, having a pony kiss me. Never had it happen, even with how long I've been wandering around for..." he trailed off, closing his eyes and carefully leaning back, mashing his wings between the chair and his back. "I mean, sure, I kinda reacted and returned the kiss for all of a second, but..." Philomena squawked again, hopping to his bed and warbling out a few notes. "You want what now?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. She warbled out a few notes, seemingly pointing at the bed and making a few motions. "Oh, I see... I don't see why not." Jason walked over to bed and laid down, carefully feeling out the new muscles and spreading his wings to their full span. Looking over his shoulder, he couldn't help but admit that it was pretty cool seeing his wings in such a state. While he stood at six feet, his wingspan appeared to be nearly double that. Philomena cawed gently before hopping onto his back, carefully running her beak through his feathers. His nerves relaxed as she began to preen his wings, causing him to let out a sigh. She paused a moment to let out another warble, to which he just chuckled. "Heh, why should I bother learning how to do this myself when you can do it for me, Philo?" she indignantly squawked, causing him to break into laughter. "Sure, and the next time you mess with Celestia's cake, don't come running to my room for sanctuary. Gotta give to get, birdbrain." Jason simply laid there, his eyes drifting closed as he splayed his other limbs out, sinking into the bed. A peck against his back forced him into awareness again, followed by a series of squawks and warbles. "Wha– oh... you wanna hear more?" she nodded her head, causing him to chuckle. "I suppose I can, after all you're doing that awesome thing... preening, that's it." He sighed in comfort as Philomena went back to work. "Well, putting aside the awkwardness of it all, I just... don't know. I see her as a sister almost, I mean she helped me get up to speed on the modern day things here. Don't have to wander anymore, and so long as I don't piss off Celestia I've got a permanent home here. Even then, it's just..." he grabbed a pillow and shoved it under his head, squirming around slightly, "I can't quite put a word to it. I'll have to talk to her about it, and soon, ya'know?" Philomena squawked and warbled out a mixture of sounds, Jason nodding his agreement. "Yeah... now, don't mind me if I go to sleep, it has been a long day. Plus, as you probably know, the whole rebirth thing. Really takes it out of you." a yawned ripped its way from his mouth as he closed his eyes, letting the sweet embrace of sleep carry him away. Jason was within the forest, ready to strike at the deer. First meat, this early? However, as he felt the tension ease from the string as he released the arrow, he felt himself yanked, falling through the very ground. Panic immediately set in, his mind unable to believe what he was feeling. He hit the ground, hard, nothing visible to him. Everywhere he turned his head, darkness greeted his vision. He was manhandled as if he were a mere babe, and his back was brought up against something cold and unyielding. Surely this was the work of the Devil, testing his faith in God. After all, nothing else could make sense, nothing. Jason soon found himself secured to a wall, or something else flat, the only thing he knew for certain was that he was still in a standing position, his feet barely reaching the ground. Letting his body go slack, the restraints perfectly supported his weight, distributing it evenly. He quickly lost all semblance of time. Was it seconds he spent locked up, or hours? Maybe even days? Nothing made sense to him, and the darkness that refused to dispel no matter how many times he prayed began to cast doubts within his mind. Every so often, screams would reach his ears, the faintest echo of them all that remained. That, and the voice. Cold, uncaring, emotionless. Every time he heard it, the very life drained from him, leaving Jason shivering and praying harder for salvation. He struggled against the bonds, unable to even budge them one bit. Figures began to slowly emerge from the darkness, a small spotlight illuminating each one. Jason began to panic, trying to rip his way from the bonds tightly holding him, but he was unable to do so. “It’s your fault…” A small colt spoke, his voice carrying an echoing quality behind it. “If you had been faster getting there… I would still be alive.” he spoke, haunting Jason as his mind vividly recalled the details. Bandits holding the colt hostage, the bodies of his parents laying still nearby. Red painting the grass and the carriage laying on its side, Jason pleaded with the ruthless ponies before him. Laughter, mocking the naked diamond dog, before a single slice of the blade. “I would’ve still been there, and so would they…” he raised his head in a taunting laugh, revealing the red smile across his throat as the light expanded to include the colt’s parents before fading to black. Jason shuddered, the memory fresh in his mind as another failure stepped forward, this one a gryphon, barely an adult from the looks of things, who stared at him with her wide, unseeing milky eyes. “You!” she accused, pointing a taloned claw in his direction, even without her sight. “You took it all away from me! My parents were simply trying to make a living to support me, their chick, who’d been born blind! You killed them in cold blood!” He was nearly seizing, once more recalling the memory in question. It was a cool autumn day, and Jason was out hunting for small game. Voices drew him to a pair of gryphons holding something small, and his vision went red. He had died dozens of times that he could recall to the feathered monsters, each one brutal and uncaring. The only satisfaction he ever got was that as he died, they were within his grasp, the flames he knew coming would end up charring them to their bones. Jason refused to wait for these to do something first, having decided that preventing it was justified. They hadn’t even know what had come down upon them as he cut them down where they stood. Only after the red had cleared, and he saw what they were holding did he realize his error. The chick that had grown up, and he had later on encountered. She had been shunned and ostracized by all, living in destitution as there had been no one else in her life besides her parents. Those whom he had taken from her. “It’s your fault…” her voice said, even as she faded from view, just like the colt. They continued to torment him, one after the other, each one accusing him for his actions, or lack thereof. It was either that he was too slow, too late, it was not enough, too much… nothing was ever good enough for them. Even his reasoning behind the actions were not left alone. The would-be bandits that resulted in crops and a village destroyed, the livelihoods of an entire community gone in an instant. He had killed a supposedly innocent pony, only to later hear that a child trafficking ring had been cracked wide open as a result. Every action that had gone the way not intended weighed heavily on his fragile mind, beating him down further and further. The entire time, Jason was forced to remain there, immobilized, unable to even cover his ears to muffle the words. Even screaming refused to drown out the voices; everything proved to be a lesson in futility. Relief came at long last, the darkness slowly yielding to a new arrival. A figure whose coat and wings were of a blue hue and a horn was included amongst its prominent features. "Begone, nightmares, may you not harm our friend!" she spoke firm and loudly, the mist receding almost like ink running across the ground as it withdrew. Growling, Luna forced a bit more power into the dream, rays of sunlight shining out and striking segments of the ink, causing it to vaporize with a wail. "I apologize that I could not arrive sooner... that mist is most foul, and that you are having nightmares again... I wish that a more permanent solution could be found. Now, sleep well, Jason, and we shall see you in the morning, all too early I'm afraid." The dream shifted, vibrant hues of colors shining down from a radiant sun as Jason lay in the grass, soaking up the sun's rays. Closing his eyes, his mind once more drifted off into the deeper sweet embrace of sleep, his mind now guarded by the Princess of the Night, yet lingering on the shadows. Jason awoke with a start, nearly falling out of bed as consciousness rapidly returned to him. He vividly recalled the nightmare, and even though Luna had interceded, it lingered on the edge of his mind. A tired squawk reached his ears, causing him to move his head to focus on Philomena, perched on the bed’s headboard. “Yeah, another nightmare, Philomena…” he muttered, taking deep, calming breaths. He began with one of the exercises that Twilight and Celestia both had claimed would do him good after such a vivid nightmare. Feeling the soft bed underneath his splayed limbs, he let his mind drift to how he met his friends, something which even now gave him a small surge of warmth. Celestia had been an interesting pony to befriend, if only because of how they had met. Holding a weapon in one hand while trespassing in their home staring at her sister. Of all things, it had been Philomena's presence that had saved him. Her quick acceptance of him stirred Celestia's curiosity of this strange creature who was locked within a state of extreme fear at the sight of Luna. From that first encounter a friendship had quickly arisen. Celestia had quickly linked his fear of Luna to his frequent nightmares and a fear of extremely dark locations. Although odd in her eyes, she had quickly come up with a plan to help Jason get past his fears through therapy. While he had considered it an extremely odd notion, Celestia claimed that friendship was one such facet of his therapy that would go a long way in helping to 'cure' him, as she had phrased it. Thus, Jason met Twilight for the first time. A wide-eyed young mare who had saved the very object of his irrational fears from something called The Nightmare just a few months prior. She was still learning friendship herself it turned out, and it was with much hesitation on his part that he went to the small town of Ponyville for a few months and lived with Twilight. She was an interesting pony, as Jason had quickly learned. Quick to ask a question concerning anything, and always over-enthusiastic over learning new subjects, Twilight had made herself an expert on therapy to further aid him. It took her all of two days to read and research the material on it, and she picked up right where Celestia had left off. Jason thought back on his time spent living in Ponyville and could not help but smile. Shuffling around, he carefully rolled around to sit up in the bed as he continued his train of thought. When he had first been introduced to her friends, Twilight had somehow not realized how bad a surprise party would go over. As they had entered the library, her five friends had popped up out of nowhere and caused him to turn around and run, as he had done many, many times in the past. Things had slowly improved from there, and he had also gotten the chance to meet all of her friends under better circumstances. Just as they were with Twilight, they came to be his friends as well, a concept that he came to better understand and appreciate. She had made surprising headway into his wide array of issues, and although she had not gotten Jason completely over them, he was much more capable of blending in with what passed for normal here. Although, Ponyville was a far cry from normal, as he had learned. He chuckled as Philomena landed on his shoulder. Absentmindedly he gently scratched at her neck, mood finally starting to turn upwards. He came back to Canterlot after six months with Twilight, and finally spoke his first words with Luna. She had been somewhat hurt at first, thinking that like everyone else at the time he was afraid of her for who she used to be. Once Luna had understood that his fear came from something deeper in him, she was able to move past it. Although even now he still repressed a small amount of fear at her sight, she had helped him a lot. And then there was Philomena, who was not only a load of trouble, but just as much of a best friend as Celestia had proven to be. He had been able to understand her sounds as words, and she had proven to be just as intelligent as the ponies, if not moreso than a large majority of them. Even then, she took a somewhat whimsical approach to life, as proven by her high amount of pranks that she executed on the castle staff. For whatever reason, she spared Jason from her pranks; although often times she ran to his room shortly after she had finished with one. Philomena and Celestia were definitely two individuals who had impacted his long life in a very short time. Now smiling widely, he stood up and stretched, every limb reaching out as far as possible. He took note at how the sunlight beamed through his wings, which filtered the light into coming out looking almost like fire. He walked over to the dresser and started grabbing clothes for his normal morning routine. As he grabbed the shirt, he paused, looking over his shoulder a moment. He set the shirt back down in its place with a shrug before moving to the bathroom. "Remind me to ask Rarity for some new shirts, none of those are going to fit ever again..." Jason quickly ran through getting ready for the day, very thankful that when it came to his shower the feathers seemed to repel the water. It was an interesting experience to him, trying to dry the area between his shoulder blades, but with a little bit of thinking he managed to not take too long. As he left the room, Philomena flew over and circled around his head, causing him to playfully bat at her. She settled down atop his head as he walked to the dining room. It seemed that he was one of the last to make it to the table, the majority of the seat filled with tired occupants. The mood at the table was somber, it appeared that the majority of them were still dwelling heavily upon the revelations and events from the prior night. Jason gave a small wave as he took a seat next to Celestia, who for once also looked to be somewhat exhausted. Luna's presence surprised Jason, as she typically stayed up through the night and was typically asleep once the moon went below the horizon. "Good morning, everypony," Celestia quietly greeted as Rarity entered, the last of the group to do so. "Please, take your time and enjoy breakfast, for afterwards we'll be starting our research into finding out where Nocti Lunarum is and the extent of their reach. The sooner we can discover this, the quicker we can remove them." Trays of food carted around by servers made their way around the room, the room mostly quiet throughout the meal. Jason leaned over to Celestia, whispering a question. "Did Twilight tell you about what she did last night?" Celestia quietly leaned over, her mouth inches from his ear. "Yes... would you like to discuss it after breakfast?" she asked, her words barely audible to him. Jason nodded in reply, then turned back to his food. The rest of the meal passed just as quietly, ending when Celestia stood up from her seat. "Everypony... please follow Shining Armor to the conference room we'll be using to coordinate our research and efforts from. I'll be along shortly, I have a few other details that need seeing too first." she firmly stated, motioning with a subtle nod to Jason to have him follow her. Everyone at the table got up and followed Shining out of the room, leaving just Celestia, Jason and Philomena. She held out her hoof to Jason. "I'll teleport us to my study. As much as I love walking around the castle, best not to waste too much time." Jason grasped her hoof, Philomena tightly attached to his shoulder. With a flash, they reappeared in her study, and he swayed before grabbing the edge of a sofa. "Uuugh. I'll never get used to that..." he trailed off, straightening himself as Celestia walked to her desk. "So, while I think it helped a little bit last night, Twilight decided to kiss me." Jason stated uncomfortably. "Yes," Celestia began, looking through a stack of papers on her desk, "she told me about everything last night, including that. We also talked for awhile about what you suggested. I have a feeling it's going to take her some time to come to terms with everything, I just hope she doesn't avoid it by getting wrapped up in other things..." Jason nodded, even though Celestia wasn't looking his way. "Yeah, it's going to take her awhile. She's smart, so she's gonna find some way around it. But," he paused, carefully picking his words, "she can't try to use me, or anyone for that matter, as an outlet. Personal feelings of mine aside, if she were to try and use a relationship to get past this, it would only end badly... or so you told me when addressing my issues." Celestia locked her eyes on his, a sad smile on her face. "Very true. I don't think she'll get involved with anyone, but if she'd kissed anyone else..." she trailed off as Jason gave a small nod. "You need to go find Twilight, tell her those words you told me when I asked you about it. She needs to know it, I think." Jason stood up, sighing as he stretched. "Yeah. Knowing her, she'll be at the archives." he walked towards the door, pausing as he noticed Philomena still on the sofa's back. "You coming, Philomena?" she let out a quick squawk, shaking her head. "Okay, see you two later then." As the door closed, Celestia let out a held breath. "It was so much easier when she was just a filly, wide-eyed and asking all about magic." Philomena warbled briefly, causing Celestia to chuckle. "Very true, but still, sometimes I wish that I could pause time. And before you nag, you know it's the same for any of us immortals." Philomena flew over and perched on Celestia's desk, letting out a series of sounds as she did so. "Yes, she has grown into a wonderful young mare, I know. I'm very proud of her, although she does have some trying times ahead." Celestia pulled one paper from the stack, critically eying it. A thought entered her mind, causing her to fixate her gaze on Philomena. "Did you know about Jason?" A melodic whistle sounded out, quick and concise. Celestia raised an eyebrow at her friend, slight disappointment written on her face. "You had an idea? This entire time, Philomena, and you didn't think to ask me about it? I could've scanned him and found out that he had phoenix magic within him a long time ago..." she trailed off, waiting for a reply. Philomena did not wait long before coming back with a series of short and clipped squawks. "I see..." Celestia replied, turning her focus back to the papers, "still, it would've shed a lot of light on some of his issues. If I'd known that he was a thousand and twenty instead of twenty, I could've better approached treating his problems." a few squawks sounded out, causing Celestia to sigh. "You know what I mean, I don't think even he knows how old he is exactly, but that's not the point!" Celestia paused, taking a moment to compose herself as Philomena started warbling in laughter. "You... I swear, you and your pranks. Was it really necessary to do that?" More laughter rang out and Celestia just sighed again. "I'll admit it's more than intriguing that he has magic nearly identical to your own within him. I wonder what else it might bring in the future?" Philomena took to the air, singing a short bar of a melodic tune. "Oh? I see, now that's interesting. I suppose only time can answer that question, though. As they say, anything is possible." Jason entered the royal archives, looking around. It really was an impressive part of the castle, Celestia had once told him that it contained upwards of a million texts, and after having spent some time in just one of the many wings, he was inclined to take her word about that. He walked to the desk and looked at the attendant on duty. "Excuse me, m'am. Is Twilight Sparkle here?" he politely asked, a small smile on his face which she immediately returned. "Yes, she just got here. Believe she said she'd be in..." she trailed off, scrunching her brows in thought. After a few seconds she let out a small exclamation. "Ah, yes! The Clover Wing is where you'll find her at. Good luck!" Jason thanked her before looking at the wall, a plaque identifying the various wings and instructions on how to get there. Running his finger down the list, he stopped it on the Clover Wing, then read the directions. Setting off, it took him a minute or two to get to the archway and door that served as a wing divider. Slowly opening the door, the scent of the air changed slightly, the older tomes lending a smell of age that was not associated with the newer books found in the main section. "Twilight?" he called out, having decided that it would be quicker to find her this way than by trying to go aisle by aisle. After no reply, he slowly walked through the wing, trying to find the cluster of tables that every wing included. As he turned out of one aisle, he located them and groaned. Twilight sat at one of the tables, at least two dozens tomes on its surface scattered about. Surprisingly, Jason did not see Spike with her. "Twilight." he said again, but was still not heard. He walked up to the table, pulling her chair back slowly. The only thing he managed to accomplish was Twilight was now standing and reading rather than sitting and reading. Jason sighed, putting himself between her and the book. "Oh!" she jumped, then looked at who it was. "Sorry, Jason, you scared me. What are you doing here?" "Twilight, we need to talk..." Jason started, looking somewhat uncomfortable as he fidgeted in place. "How are you doing?" She fidgeted in place for a few moments, before walking over to another chair and sitting down, pulling out one for Jason to sit in. "Well, honestly... not that good." she sighed, resting her head on the table. "I mean, I had a long talk with Celestia last night after talking with you, and it makes sense, but still..." Jason rested his hand on her shoulder. "I know, it's something that going to take time. I know you'll be able to get through it, though. You're pretty tough, even though you're rather neurotic." she swatted at his hand when he finished, causing him to chuckle. "Now, that's the Twilight I recall." The two of them stared at each other for a few moments, an awkward silence between them. "So..." Twilight began, blushing slightly as she turned her head to the side slightly. "that kiss last night..." Jason gently grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "My personal feelings on the matter aside for now, Twilight... was that a one time thing for you, or was there something more behind it?" he asked softly. Twilight blushed in response, causing him to inwardly curse. "I... don't think it was meant to be a one-time thing, Jason." she timidly replied, the words barely escaping from between her lips. "You've always been a great friend, and it just seemed like a good time..." She was pulled into a hug, Jason patting her on the back gently. "Twilight, I'm sorry, but no. To begin with, a relationship started because you experienced something truly devastating... Celestia herself told me such a thing wasn't a good idea." he paused, pulling back and sadly smiling at her. "Let me tell you something that only two or three others know, Twilight." Jason began, retaking his seat next to her. "I see you as a great friend, Celestia and the others too. Of them all, you and Celestia are probably the closest pony friends I have. But, I can't see ponies as anything else, I'm just not attracted to you all like that, Twilight." he finished, leaning forward in his chair and resting his hands on the table. "...I see." Twilight finally said after a very long period of silence. She was turned away from Jason, looking towards the ground. "Is there any chance you might change your mind in the future?" she asked, a small amount of hope within her voice. Jason simply shook his head before talking. "No, Twilight... it's nothing against you personally, I promise. Heck, you ponies are wonderful to hug, you're very soft and comfortable. However, I've just never found myself attracted to a pony, period. Otherwise, Celestia might've beaten you to it." he paused as he thought back on that very awkward moment. "Would you like to talk about it, Twilight?" She shook her head. "I think I'd like it if you left me alone for awhile, Jason. Please?" she asked, almost begging at the end it sounded like to him. Jason quickly stood up and tucked in the chair before starting to walk away. "Remember, Twilight... I'll always be your friend though. No matter what." Twilight listened for the sound of the wing's door closing before lowering her head the rest of the way as tears streamed down her cheeks. Jason walked into the wing reserved for the visiting diplomats, both short and long term visitors. Taking a turn down a hall, he made his way to the gryphon’s section, looking for one in particular. He knocked on one of the doors, calling out as he did so. “Hey, Ironblood, you there? It’s Jason.” A few moments later, the door opened, Ironblood already walking further into the room. “Come on in, man. What brings you b–" he stopped as Jason entered his sight, “Woah. Dude. What in Tartarus happened to you?” Jason chuckled as he closed the door behind him. “You heard about the assassination attempt on Celestia?” he waited until Ironblood nodded before continuing. “Well, I kinda took the hit meant for her. Ya see…” Jason launched into a quick rundown of recent events, as well as briefly touching on his ability to reincarnate after dying. “Woah, that's something else... We'd been appraised about the assassin, obviously, but to find that out about you..." Ironblood whistled, lightly shaking his head. "It's something that’s long since been thought impossible." "That's about as much as what Celestia told me. Apparently, she believes I came from a magic-null world, or something like that. She mentioned that the few ponies who'd tried it basically went," he mocked an explosion with his hands, "boom. It was only because I had no internal magic that it worked. Even then, it didn't go crazy till I spent time around Philomena. More magical lingo that I didn't fully understand." Ironblood nodded, grabbing two wrapped bundles from the closet. "Practice fields?" he asked, passing one of the bundles to Jason, who accepted it with a nod. As they walked to the fields, he spoke once more. "It wasn't just ponies who tried it... not one of the better moments in the Gryphon Empire's history." Jason merely nodded his head, prompting to Ironblood to continue. "The ponies were the first to examine it, after it became obvious that neither of their princesses aged. In a craze to find a secret to immortality, they pursued the most obvious connection they saw beyond their own species... the phoenixes. Their princesses put a stop to that pretty quickly though, due to the danger to both the phoenixes and their ponies." he stopped to take a break as they walked through the castle corridors. "Oh, so you're a warrior and historian? Please, do continue." Jason said, a small smirk on his face as he laughed. "As always, my remark is that one is best served by being well versed." Ironblood quipped. "The gryphons at the time had a clan system, where the heads all ruled a council and went off majority votes in regards to the Empire's actions. At first, they were content to accept Princess Celestia's word as to why they should leave the phoenixes alone. After all, a large majority of their population lay within the lands claimed by the Empire. "However, around the time that Luna and Celestia began clearing the remnants of the Discord Era from Equestria, the clan heads at the time, at least the majority of them, became restless and fearful. For some reason, they equated age to power. They began to hunt the phoenixes, killing the few gryphons who lived near or with them who protested." They passed through a tall arch, the distant sound of metal clanging against metal starting to reach their ears. "That's something I don't get." Jason spoke, scratching at his head. "From what I've learned, you can't kill a phoenix unless you drain their magic. Just killing them doesn't do anything." They entered into the practice field, numerous sparring rings and shooting ranges greeted their eyes. They walked over to an empty ring, removing the covers from their bundles, revealing two blunted practice swords. "The magic of a phoenix is in their ashes. It's a short time window, but if their ashes end up in an enclosed area too small for them, well... you block their rebirth. Use up or scatter too much of their ashes, and they can't come back." Ironblood swung his sword once or twice, before setting its tip into the dirt, leaning on it. Jason whistled, brows raised at Ironblood's words. "Wow... that's nuts. Suppose I should careful of cramped spaces, huh?" he too rested his sword within the dirt while they finished talking. "That explains why there aren't many phoenixes around. I'd asked Celestia about them since Philomena wouldn't talk about it, but all that she said is that something happened, and a lot of them simply disappeared." "Sadly, yes. It's just one of the many poor marks the old Empire left for us. There were many atrocities committed that were considered justified underneath the council's rule. It's a good thing that we're a tad more civilized now, I must say." Ironblood chuckled, pulling his sword from the dirt and slowly raising it. "Instead of just swinging our weapons about, now we can swing our weapons about and also learn things on top of it." he chuckled, Jason joining in. "Well, now that the history lesson is over, time to get on with the swordplay?" Jason asked, a large grin on his face on he brought his sword up in front of him. Making a point to ignore the stares of the guards who had yet to see Jason after the assassination attempt, Ironblood nodded, and they crossed swords before taking three paces back apiece. They slowly circled one another, feet shuffling along the ground as they attempted to see who would go for the first strike. Jason made the first move, swinging his sword towards Ironblood's shoulder. With just a subtle move of his wrist, Ironblood deflected the strike, countering with a short chop of his own. Jason, still recovering from his initial strike, stumbled as he went to move back, taking the blow on his sword arm. A tingling sensation ran through it as the latent magic within the weapon activated, causing his arm to go numb as he dropped his own sword. "Ah, I see the problem." Ironblood said, offering his hand to Jason. "Your wings, it would be absurd to think you are used to fighting with new weight on your body. So, rather than sparring, we'll work on getting you used to fighting with your wings today. Your swordwork isn't affected by it, but any movement, everything that relies on you being light on your feet... you'll just stumble like you did there." Jason sighed and picked up his sword from the dirt, then turned his attention to his friend, listening closely to every word. This is going to be a long one… Celestia teleported from her study into one of the most secure locations of the castle. The Royal Guard operated out of a specific building in the city itself, but a few of the more specialized groups operated out of the castle. One of these groups is what brought Celestia down here. She paused before a heavy iron door, the edges glowing, alternating the colors of the rainbow. Her horn lit with its golden glow, creating a dot of tangible magic that was centered on the door. It moved about in a certain pattern, deactivating magical spells and tripping tumblers that kept the door secured from intruders. After thirty seconds, the last of the tumblers clicked into place, and Celestia walked through the door into a small and narrow hall. As she passed the threshold, the door closed shut once more, its safeguards reengaged. At the end of the small hall was another door, this one she simply pushed open. A network of rooms lay before her, set in the confines of the Crystal Caverns underneath the city. The crystals served to both block outside magic while also amplifying the magic used within, and because of that fact this was the prime location for scrying. A unicorn walked up to her, her coat tan and mane a sandy blonde, and saluted her. “Welcome to The Caves, Princess. What brings you by today?” she greeted Celestia, a slight smile on her face. Celestia returned her salute, and they both dropped them. “I’m certain you and your team are aware of the situation, Blend. We need to find that cult and wipe them from the face of Equestria… nay, Equus itself. I can’t accept anything less after they attacked Twilight, I want them destroyed.” Blend dropped her smile and adopted a look that spoke of pure professionalism as she escorted Celestia to the War Table. It was here that the Spymaster identified, tracked, and assessed threats to Equestria and its citizens as well as specific threats to royalty and high profile targets such as the Elements of Harmony. Blend walked to the control panel of the War Table, bringing up the display of the Nocti Lunarum. “Princess, this is the current data available on them, including finances, key players, and locations. We’re going to perform an in depth scry on them in,” she looked to the clock on the wall, “thirty-two minutes. We’ll be using three times the normal participants to boost the results, and hopefully we’ll gleam at least a few new names. From there, the minions can tear apart their lives with more specific spells and find new information from that.” Celestia nodded her head, happy with the answer. “That is sufficient to me, Blend. As always, thank you for the work you do here. It’s highly crucial we uncover new information, in our laxness they have expanded further than we could’ve imagined.” she snorted in anger as she subconsciously pawed at floor with her left forehoof. “We will find them, and we will end them. On my sun, I so swear.”