“Are you certain that the book was destroyed?”
“Of course, Your Majesty! After we ‘persuaded’ Twilight Sparkle to read the incantation, we burned the book, just like you asked.”
“Is sh—” Princess Celestia caught herself before proceeding. “Never mind. She cast the spell, that’s what matters.”
Another of the other figures agreed.
“Yes, I even remember the incantation! It was ‘O creator huius libri, da mihi potestatem ut disperdere quod quas tu fecisti.’ I don’t know what it means, though.”
“That does sound like the incantation to destroy the book—”
“Oh, and she said one more thing too! It was, um… yeah, it was ‘Et excite custos liber!’”
The Princess stared at him blankly for a second, and the pony who spoke suddenly found himself in a magical bind. Slowly, painfully, the ropes squeezed his torso and appendages as he struggled.
“DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME TWILIGHT SAID THAT LAST PART AS WELL?”
“Y-yes…” he heaved as his face slowly turned blue. The magic quickly disappeared, leaving the pony gasping for breath and his companions nervously backing away.
“Well… You all may leave. Your services are no longer required. My guards outside will compensate you for your actions.”
“O-Of course, Your Majesty.” The four ponies hastily scurried out of the throne room as the Princess of the Sun pondered.
I guess I’ll have to pay a visit to Ponyville.
A haze of colors, muffled sounds, a strange, sweet aroma lingering in the air.
That was all that Twilight’s senses could process as she attempted to rise from the merciless grasp of fatigue. Eyelids heavy and muscles stiff, she took notice of the green softness she lay on. The color was so familiar, something that lingered in the back of her mind.
It was nice to know that her instincts were still working, though.
CLAP
A large thunderbolt struck nearby, and the unexpected noise reverberated throughout Twilight’s body. Her mind jolted awake as she sprung up in fright, but she was not quick enough to stop from falling muzzle-first onto the floor.
Ooowwwww…
Rubbing her jaw vigorously, she inspected the image before her: the comfy couch in which she had lain, a simple lamp, and… a small white rabbit?
Huh?
Wait, why am I at Fluttershy’s?
Her brain cruelly divulged information of the past hours, replaying every scene with unrelenting speed, yet emphasizing every small detail: the mysterious creature, the book, the captors, the knife, Rainb–
CLAP
Twilight almost leapt in fright again, but she managed to subdue her instincts in time.
And then she heard it.
EEEP!
That’s Fluttershy!
Without hesitation, ignoring the pain and the lightheadedness, Twilight rushed towards the scream. The image of her assaulters still fresh in her memory, she prepared for the worst. Bounding up the stairs with lightning speed, Twilight slammed the door onto the floor, and before her eyes sat a yellow pegasus in a corner, cringing in fear.
Odd, there’s nopony else here.
“Fluttershy, are you okay?”
“I-I-I’m fine. It’s just that the l-lightning scared me.” A smidgen of shame worked its way onto Fluttershy’s expression, but it hastily vanished as she recognized who stood before her.
“Twilight, what are you doing? You should be resting! Come on, down you go!” With newfound strength, Fluttershy began pushing Twilight out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
“B-But I h—”
“No, Twilight, you shouldn’t be ramming into doors like that, not in your condition! When I found you, Spike, and Rainbow Dash, all of you were uncon—”
“RAINBOW DASH! WHERE IS SHE?” Twilight forced Fluttershy to stop as she turned around and looked her straight in the eye.
“WHERE IS SHE? IS SHE ALRIGHT? TELL ME!”
“Sh-Sh-She’s in the g-guest bedroom, right next to mine. B-b-but you shouldn’t w—”
Without another thought, Twilight bolted past the stuttering pony and reached the desired room in less than three seconds. This time the purple mare remembered she had magic: she slammed the door open with a powerful purple beam.
“Hmm… Just five more minutes…”
There, on the bed in front of her, lay a fluffy tangle of fur; a couple sheets fell off as it stirred. A smile as wide as Pinkie’s arose from the corners of Twilight’s mouth as immeasurable joy welled up from the depths of her heart.
She’s alright!
In an instant, Twilight was squeezing her in the tightest hug that she could muster. It was enough to pull Rainbow out of the clutches of her dreams.
“Wha-What’s going on?”
Her mind still clouded, Rainbow Dash froze at the contact. Five seconds of pure warmth passed through her fur until she noticed what was happening. Her first instinct was to escape from what was confining her, but as she started to squirm, she noticed who was holding her…
And the small tears streaming down her muzzle.
“Twilight, what’s wrong?”
“You’re okay. Rainbow, y-you’re okay.” Twilight could not stop her voice from cracking as teardrops began to dribble down her face— tears of joy, of relief.
Only then did Rainbow Dash remember the happenings of hours past: crashing into Twilight, being tied to a chair, receiving the cold, sharp end of a knife…
And Rainbow melted into the hug, truly grateful for the chance to continue breathing, to continue flying… to continue living.
“I’m here, Twilight, and I’m not going anywhere. You can count on that.”
Rainbow took in all the warmth, the joy… A single tear streamed down her muzzle, regardless of how much she tried to contain her emotions. Even the weather seemed gleeful, the weather ponies having already cleared up all the clouds to give way to the warm, shining sun. Such a perfect day for flying: the pegasus resisted the urge to launch off her bed and zoom out the window. Right now, a Sonic Rainboom could wait, especially when her friend needed her by her side.
Still, Rainbow didn’t understand one thing.
“Hey Twilight,” she began, slowly straightening herself up. “How did you save me? I thought I was done for!”
“I… I don’t really know. I remember wishing it from the bottom of my heart, and then there was this flash of light, and the next thing I know I’m waking up here!”
“Then allow me to explain. Forgive me, but I will need to borrow some more of your magic.”
“Wait, what did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything, Twilight.” Rainbow eyed Twilight suspiciously, unsure of what to make of her question.
“Then wh—”
All of a sudden, Twilight felt her horn tingle slightly. A small amount of magic began seeping at first, but it rapidly grew into a fount of mana as the purple aura condensed in front of the two ponies. The magic slowly morphed into a creature with legs of grayish shades, a flowing cape of shimmering blue and silver… and a face that Twilight would recognize anywhere, even if only from books older than Granny Smith.
“S-Starswirl?”
“I am not Starswirl,” a feminine voice replied.
Rainbow Dash struggling to contain her laughter at the unexpected mismatch as the figure continued talking.
“I have taken a form that you recognize to establish better communication. If you prefer, I can choose a form of one much closer to you.”
Not one second later, Rainbow lost her composure.
“BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!”
The sound of her joy cut through the peaceful atmosphere as she fell off the bed and slammed her hooves onto the wooden floor.
“Eep!”
Nobody had noticed Fluttershy open the door before the spectacle. She had wanted to check up on Rainbow Dash, but once she walked in, she witnessed the entire display from the doorway, frozen in awe and fear, hooves glued and motionless. The only thing that could have restored her was exactly what Dash provided: a scare.
“Fluttershy!”
Twilight quickly summoned a small amount of magic to stop the pegasus from crashing to the ground, though strangely, she felt more drained than usual.
She really has to remember her wings… and she could probably cut down on some food, too!
In that split second, another swirl of colorful magic arose and wrapped the new pony in an ethereal cocoon of light. Twilight briskly turned around and beheld a different figure in Starswirl’s place— another pony, and an alicorn at that, colored in the most cheerful and lovely hues of pinks.
“I have decided to change into this form, the pony whom you call ‘Princess Cadance.’ I have seen that memories of her bring you immense joy.”
Twilight almost fainted at the sight, still unsure of how to process what stood before her. She fought the urge to step forward and hug this pony, for she knew it was not really Cadance. It was but an image, a façade, an illusion…
Or maybe she’s a changeling?
Mentally, Twilight prepared to attack.
“I can assure you I am not a changeling. It pains me that you hold such anger and hatred for them, even after what you have read and after one of them saved your life.”
Wait, how did she know what I was thinking?
And those passages… Were they the truth?
“As for the first question, I am bound to you until I retake my place in the Book. I am able to use your magic and share your thoughts, and likewise, you are able to do the same with mine. As for the second, only the truth may be written in the Book.”
“Woah, woah, woah. What in the hay is going on here?” Rainbow Dash had been shifting her gaze back and forth between the shape-shifting figure and Twilight, unable to understand what she believed was a one-sided conversation.
“Forgive me for ignoring you, Rainbow Dash. I was simply answering Twilight’s questions.”
“But she didn’t even ask you anything! And how do you know my name?” At that point, Rainbow was only a hoof’s length away from this ‘Princess Cadence,’ eyeing her warily.
“I shall explain in one moment. Twilight, is it okay if Fluttershy hears this, too?”
“I… I guess so?” Twilight’s brain was still toiling at making sense of all this new information.
“Very well. I shall start with my real name. I am the Guardian of the Book of the Creator. I have held many names in the past, but you may call me whatever you wish.”
The Guardian bowed down to Twilight and continued.
“When you spoke those last words, before the Book was destroyed, you awoke me from my slumber. You see, the Book can only hold the words, but it is I who holds the knowledge. With regards to my magic, I am adept in many spells, and as a collector of facts, I read the thoughts of anyone in close proximity. In addition, I am able to take the physical form of any creature on this world.
“There is one catch, however. When you invoked my power to heal Rainbow Dash, you used a large portion of my energy, as well as your own. The cost of using my magic to such an extent is that the caster’s own spirit suffers, cutting down years of her life. To use the power the Creator had bestowed upon me to save your friend, I am sorry to say it cost you fifty-three years, eight months, two weeks, five days, and twenty-one hours of your life.”
“What?” Rainbow couldn’t believe her ears. “B-But she doesn’t look a day over twenty!”
“That is why I said her spirit,” the Guardian explained before turning back to a slightly blushing Twilight. “You have noticed that levitating Fluttershy was not as easy as the last time you held another pony. When you opened that door, did you notice how it did not fly off, given the amount of magic you thought you used?”
Twilight stood there in amazement; her jaw hung open as she corroborated the events.
So that’s why…
“It doesn’t matter to me. I did what I had to do to save my friend, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.” Twilight looked over to Rainbow without a single regret. Rainbow, however, failed to return her gaze, for inside, her sadness and guilt had begun to build.
“Please, Guardian, there has to be a way to help Twilight’s spirit heal! I’ll do anything, I swear!” Rainbow’s eyes beheld fiery determination as she spoke without wavering. The Guardian hesitated a bit, as if choosing the right words to say.
“There is only one way. As Guardian of the Book of the Creator, now that there is no Book, I am only able to exist until my magic depletes, which could be anywhere from a few days to a few years, depending on how much power I use. My true objective, however, is to recreate the Book, and for that I will need your help.” The room began to shift around the four ponies as small swirls of color swirled by.
“I ask for your help in finding three things: a feather from the Almighty Griffon, hair of a draconequus, and the All-Seeing Crystal.” The strands of color united into distinct images with a golden glow, emphasized by the darkness that now stood in place of the room.
Fluttershy briskly rushed over to Twilight’s side and almost toppled her over. After a second, Twilight understood.
“Excuse me, Guardian?” Twilight asked. “Can you show us without the darkness, please?”
“Oh, absolutely. I’m so sorry, Fluttershy.” The surroundings once again began to swirl, taking the familiar form of Fluttershy’s guest room.
“These items are somewhat hard to obtain, but they are absolute necessities to recreate the Book. Oh, and of course, a book cover and a page. Though I am sure we have that taken care of. Fluttershy, would you please go down and bring Twilight the knapsack that you found next to her?”
“Oh, s-sure, Miss Guardian.” With that, she hurried out of the room. The Guardian waited until she was out of earshot, and the room once again became dark.
“I did not want Fluttershy to hear this,” the Guardian stated, “for reasons that you will clearly see. The truth is, Twilight, that you are dying. Normally, I can stay in a host for two years without any adverse effects, but the amount of magic I used to help Rainbow Dash was immense. If I continue to stay in your mind and body, I am afraid you will die in one month, perhaps two at best.”
Rainbow Dash was about to interject, but the Guardian simply stuck out a hoof in her direction.
“Quiet, please. There is not much time before Fluttershy returns.
“There is a way to save you, Twilight, but both of you must listen. If the book is completed with the All-Seeing Crystal, I will have access to all the information in this world. I will also be able to access my direct link with the Creator, and with it, I could restore those fifty years and reverse any adverse effects of using my magic. It is now your decision if you wish to tell Fluttershy.”
The scenery reverted to its original condition a second before Fluttershy entered with a small sack.
“Thank you, Fluttershy.” The Guardian levitated the sack with her magic (or, more accurately, Twilight’s magic) and pulled out a small book cover displaying tinges of mahogany and burgundy.
“The Book’s previous master, cautious as he was, was able to make the cover from sacred Sagetree wood, and also the paper from the clouds of the Northeast.”
She took out a small piece of paper, the perfect size for a page to string onto the binding.
“As for why you are here, it was the Book’s previous master who saved you from your captors by teleporting you to the entrance of the Everfree Forest. Before you blacked out, I sensed Fluttershy nearby, so I briefly teleported you all to her.”
“Oh, so that’s why you appeared right next to me,” Fluttershy commented. “One moment, all I saw was grass, and then I turned my head and you popped up.”
“Now,” the Guardian continued, “there is something of grave importance I must tell you. My past owner had been following leads to the All-Seeing Crystal, and it seems that my deepest concern was right.
“The one who possesses the crystal is the one and only Nefarius Celestia.”
“Nefarius?” The three ponies held their expressions in shock.
“You can’t mean… our Princess Celestia?” Twilight’s question was met with a silent nod.
“Yes, that is her. The ‘Princess Celestia’ you know is not who she seems to be. The name, she chose herself. She cares little for changelings and has always held a bitter hatred towards them. There used to be hundreds of copies of Books of the Creator in the Creator’s Library, protected by a group of changelings, but still available to all. One day, one of the Books of the Creator had finished cataloguing information for the day when Nefarius broke into the forbidden section of the Library. She took the All-Seeing Crystal and used it along with the Book’s power to turn herself into an almost immortal alicorn. She sought the power to destroy the changelings, and her plans were meant to be secret. However, as she continued to look through the tome, she noticed that her thoughts, her plans had already been recorded in the books.”
The Guardian shuddered at the next thought.
“The Book I was in was being repaired, so I was absent when it happened. But I still felt it, the massive disturbance in magical energy. She killed the changelings that guarded the Books and destroyed all the copies… or so she thought. Afterwards, she traveled from one village to the next, weeding out the changelings and destroying them, spreading vicious lies about their true nature.”
“No, that can’t be right!”
Twilight did not want to accept it, but her mind once again drifted to that one comment from her previous captor. “It can’t be true. Princess Celestia is a benevolent ruler! She would never do something as awful as that!”
“Benevolent only to the ‘Transformed Ponyfolk.’ I have heard that a war may be brewing between the ponies and the changelings. Would you like to know something else I learned as my previous master traveled? The changelings do not want war— not after the Canterlot fiasco. The negotiation meetings were never for achieving a compromise; It was Nefarius’s way to appear ‘benevolent’ to her subjects.”
“No, you must be lying, stop lying! And stop calling her that! She’s Princess Celestia!” Twilight’s eyes had turned red with anger as small droplets began to mist her vision.
“I am sorry, Twilight, but it is the truth.” The Guardian slowly walked over to the unicorn and placed a wing over her. The soft feathers, the soothing touch slowly calmed her down, as if Princess Cadence were truly beside her. “I wish I could say I was lying, but Nef— Princess Celestia hates these changelings with a passion, and she will continue to destroy them…
“No matter what the cost.”
The Guardian’s ears suddenly perked up.
“We have company. Fluttershy, if they ask about us, tell them you do not know our location.”
In an instant, Twilight’s horn began to glow as the Guardian cast one more spell. A strange tingling sensation enveloped Rainbow, Twilight, and the Guardian, and it took a couple seconds for the unicorn to understand.
“This… This is an invisibility spell! I haven’t even mastered it yet!” Twilight was more and more astounded at the raw power and knowledge this other being possessed, but all her surprise transformed into confusion as she heard Fluttershy open the door.
“P-P-Princess Celestia!”
The Guardian’s face paled slightly, and with more concentration, she cast another spell that slightly warped the air around her and her comrades.
“This is now more than an invisibility spell. It is made up of five layers that make it almost impossible for any creature to see us. They can still hear us, however, as I do not wish to use more magic for a sound barrier.”
The Guardian had already noticed that Twilight’s store of magical energy was steadily depleting; the spell would probably last for only a minute or two before she would have to resort to the power of the Creator.
“T-T-Twilight and Rainbow Dash? They’re gone? W-Where could they be?”
Fluttershy tried her hardest to act astonished, but small beads of perspiration threatened to betray her act.
“Is it alright if I come inside for a while? I’m afraid I haven’t eaten any breakfast yet.”
“Oh, of c-course, Princess!”
The ponies upstairs only heard the door closing and two sets of hoofsteps pacing somewhere below them.
And then, another sound broke through the tense air.
CRASH
“Let me help you, Fluttershy,” Princess Celestia offered as she stopped two more plates from striking the tiles. She soon began rearranging the rest of the dishes into a neat stack.
“Oh, thank you, Princess. I haven’t had much sleep because, you know, the storm had scared some of my animals.”
“Oh, no problem at all.”
“Here, I still have some muffins! You’re welcome to as many as you like.”
“Why, thank you very much! I’m sure they’ll be delicious!”
Fluttershy smiled sheepishly, silently scolding herself for her actions. Meanwhile, only one room upstairs, the Guardian developed a small grimace as she pondered.
Why is she withholding? By now she would have sca—
Oh, no!
Hastily, the Guardrian dropped all the spells and erected another barrier. On its light green surface, small lines traced around odd shapes, almost as if a pony were dragging a hoof in the sand. After a couple of seconds, the movement stopped, and the Guardian lowered the spell.
I should have known that she would check the entire house for other magical entities!
Twilight began to feel dizzy; Rainbow Dash leaned her body towards her to interrupt the fall.
“I am using too much of your magic, Twilight. I will try not to use any more.”
Twilight shook her head from side to side, attempting to clear her head, when she noticed something familiar in the far corner of the room. There lay a small creature of green and purple; a small bandage adorned its arm, and its scales glistened in the morning rays that shone from the open window.
“SPI–”
Rainbow Dash hastily stuck a hoof in Twilight’s mouth, effectively silencing her, but the damage had been dealth.
“Did you hear something, Fluttershy?” the Princess asked as she finished her third muffin.
“Oh… It’s… It’s probably one of my animals. Here, do you want some more t–”
A quick trip and a splash later, Fluttershy found herself in the Princess’s levitation hold.
“Fluttershy, you should be more careful! Is something wrong?”
“NO, oh, no, no, no, of course not. How could anything be wrong on such a sunny morning?”
Fluttershy mentally facehoofed as she wiped up the spill she had caused.
Above the kitchen, everybody stood in dead silence, holding their breaths as they waited. Knowing that talking would not have been the brightest idea, Twilight decided to communicate mentally with the being sharing her mind.
Maybe the princess can help us! I mean, I’m sure that if she heard the whole story, she would help us recreate the book to help me recover! She w—
No, the Guardian responded. She sent killers to take care of the book; she will not have anything spoil her plan now, especially not something as all-knowing as the Book of the Creator. Trust me, it is best that she not see you. She most likely already knows you possess the knowledge of the Book.
Twilight lowered her head in defeat.
Great, I’m dying, I have to go on a journey to find mystical artifacts to reconstruct a book, and I can’t even ask for help from Princess Celestia. Even worse, I have to hide from her, one of the most powerful beings on the planet. How could this get any worse?
TWILIGHT, NO! DON’T THINK THAT!
Alas, the Guardian’s response came too late; at just that second, a small feather had entered from the window. It slowly, peacefully glided down and landed on Spike’s nose.
“Ah… Ah… Ah…”
Silence, complete and utter silence.
See, it was no big d—
AH-CHOOOOOO!
The Guardian glared at Twilight, but she quickly tensed as she felt a large magical surge.
“We have to go! Forgive me, Twilight.”
One blinding flash later, the only living creature left in the room was Princess Celestia, who was staring inquisitively at the orange feather as it floated down onto a small bed of blankets.
“Princess Celestia, where did you go?”
A second later, the princess reappeared in the kitchen.
“I thought I heard something upstairs, but it was nothing.”
“Oh. By the way, Princess, i-if you don’t mind me asking, why are you looking for Twilight and Rainbow Dash?”
Princess Celestia’s expression hardened:
“They stole a powerful artifact from me, and I have to stop them before they cause chaos. I am going to ask you to gather all your friends and have them meet me back here.
We will have plenty to talk about.”
“Twilight! Twilight, wake up! It’s been two hours already!”
Hmmmm…
“TWILIGHT!”
“Ah, I’m up, I’m up!” Twilight woke with a start. The unsettling sensation of standing in a swirling vortex slowly passed as her eyes began to recognize shapes from the haze of colors before her.
“Spike?” Twilight’s eyes dramatically grew in size as she picked up the dragon and held him close.
“Spike, you’re all right!”
“Yeah, I’m fine, Twilight. Can you stop squishing me?” Spike’s cheeks had become an even darker shade of purple as he struggled to breathe. Fortunately, Twilight released him in an instant when she noticed it.
“Okay, first things first. What just happened?”
“I teleported you, Spike, and Rainbow Dash out of Fluttershy’s house.”
The Guardian was resting on a small chair, one that Twilight recognized instantly.
“Unfortunately, in that small amount of time, the only place I could think of was the library. Let’s get some supplies and leave before any others come by to investigate.”
Twilight blinked, processing each sentence word by word until she agreed. “Okay, Spike, get my emergency kit and my emergency emergency kit.”
“You have an emergency emergency kit?” Rainbow Dash stared at Twilight in disbelief as Spike hurried over to the far bookcase.
“Of course, in case something happens to the emergency kit!”
“Bu–”
“Shhh!” interjected the Guardian. “Someone approaches.”
The door to the library opened to reveal two guards, dressed regally in golden armor. Luckily, the invisibility spell was already cast, hiding the three ponies from their view.
“So, who are we supposed to find again?”
“For the last time, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. You know, the purple one and the one with the rainbow mane? Celestia wishes to speak with them.”
“Right, yeah, but I don’t see anypony here!”
“Ughhh… Go check upstairs, I’ll check down here. Just use that spell or else you’ll take too much time. We’re already behind.”
Why did I have to get stuck with him?
“Fine, fine, fine.”
I am sorry, Twilight, but I will have to use more of the Creator’s magic if they cast another spell like Celestia’s.
The guard on the first floor started charging up magic in his horn. A small yellow ball emerged from the tip, sparkling a bit as he closed his eyes. He prepared to cast the searching spell…
“Hey, look, the purple one’s over there!”
The other guard bounded down the stairs, knocking into the first guard and messing up his concentration. His magic slowly began to dissipate, but it did not matter to him at the moment.
“Where? Where did you see her?”
“Right outside! Come on!”
The two guards hurried outside and slammed the door behind them. Almost a full minute passed before anybody dared to speak, but eventually, the Guardian dropped the invisibility spell.
“What was that all about?” Twilight received her answer almost instantly as a small green flash appeared right beside her. In a second, another figure popped up, a certain pony…
Who looked exactly like Twilight?
The figure quickly removed his camouflage to display a black, chitinous skin under a gray cape of sorts.
“It’s you! I thought you died back then, with the other ponies!”
“I did say I could handle them. Your name is ‘Twilight,’ I presume? The guards over there were calling that out as they chased me.
“Anyway, nice to meet you under better circumstances. My name is Cloak Stealth, and I have very important information. I was there when Nefari—”
“Um, Cloak, would you mind just calling her Celestia?” Twilight interjected. The changeling looked up and, noticing the mild anger in her eyes, accepted her request.
“I was there when Celestia almost caught you. I stayed for a bit longer, and it seems that the plot has thickened. You are now wanted for stealing something called the ‘Chaos Crystal,’ and there are signs posted all around town offering a reward for your capture.”
“What? But-But I don’t even know what this ‘Chaos Crystal’ is!”
“It is an extremely powerful device,” responded the Guardian. “It gives the wielder ‘Chaos Magic,’ which is akin to the Creator’s magic, only demonic. It is very hard to control, and it usually consumes the creature who desires to use it.”
“Okay, yeah, great, now we all know what that crystal thingy is,” Rainbow cut in. “But what are we supposed to do now? Just hide from everypony?”
Something about the changeling made Rainbow Dash uneasy, but she chose to ignore it for the time being.
“Well, just now, Nef— Celestia was back at a yellow pegasus’s house talking to a bunch of other ponies. Perhaps they are your friends? If so, you may want to inform them of your situation. Friends are a necessity when on these types of journeys.”
“Then let’s do that, Cloak,” Twilight replied. “And we’ll walk there. I think the invisibility spell uses much less magic than teleportation.”
“I agree,” the Guardian replied as she started the spell.
Twilight, however, suddenly furrowed her brow in thought.
“You know, Miss Guardian, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your real name?”
“I do not have one,” the Guardian replied. “I am given a name by my master, and so when my master changes, so does my name. What do you wish to call me?”
Twilight hesitated a bit before responding.
“Do you mind if I call you Hope? Your voice kind of reminds me of someone I used to know in Canterlot: Hope Evergreen.”
“Of course, Twilight. My new name shall be Hope. In fact, I may be able to change into her form.”
Another flash of rainbow colors later, a smaller unicorn with a similar pink coat replaced the previous figure of Princess Cadence. This mare looked slightly younger than Twilight, and her mane streaked with silver lines and rosy hues.
“Hey, how come you never told us about this ‘Hope Evergreen’ before?” an annoyed Rainbow inquired. “I thought you told us everything about your past in Canterlot!”
“I’ll explain later. Right now, we have to go to Fluttershy’s house. Our friends are probably still there.”
After checking outside for guards, the group began to exit the library. They were almost halfway out when something in the back of Rainbow’s mind prompted her to stop.
“Hey, doesn’t it seem like we’re forgetting something?”
“Guys, where are you going? I’ve got the kits right here.” Everybody turned to face the voice, surprised to see two huge suitcases teetering on Spike’s small claws.
Rainbow Dash fought the urge to laugh at Spike’s predicament.
“Those are the emergency kits? How are we going to carry them?”
“Watch this.” Twilight charged up more magical energy, after which she shot one beam at the kits. The cases began to shimmer with light as they slowly shrunk down to the size of ink bottles.
“See? Now we can bring them along anywh–”
Twilight winced in pain; her legs suddenly turned to jelly, unable to support her body as she fell onto her side.
“Twilight, you should not overexert yourself! Your magic is already weak as it is!” Hope rushed over to her side and rolled her back on her stomach. Stretching out a foreleg, she helped Twilight rise. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, no, I’m fine,” replied Twilight, who was still struggling to keep her balance.
“If you desire, we could rest here f—”
“No, Hope, I’m fine. We need see my friends.
“Oh! Before I forget, it might be a good idea to bring these.” Twilight was about to use some more of her magic when Hope broke her concentration.
“No magic. Cloak, will you assist her, please?”
“Of course. What do you need, Twilight?”
“There’s a small lever over by that bookcase. I need you to pull it and bring me the book that pops out.”
Cloak pulled the device, and the sound of many cogs turning and magical locks unsealing filled the air as what appeared to be a sizable dictionary arose from the ground. He levitated it towards the purple mare, who quickly touched her horn to the cover. Silver and gold letters began to glow, spiralling around the point of contact until an audible click was heard. Twilight opened up the front cover to reveal six items: the most powerful weapon in Equestria.
“Are those… the Elements of the Creator?” No words could describe Hope’s expression: wonder, excitement, perhaps even a hint of nostalgia?
“Well, we call them the Elements of Harmony.”
Twilight placed the regalia in the same sack she carried. After the book was returned to its hiding place, everybody exited the library in unison, protected from straying eyes by the invisibility spell.
“Yeah, they’re pretty awesome! We used them to defeat Nightmare Moon and Discord… That is, before we reformed him.”
As soon as Rainbow Dash uttered that second name, Hope froze in her tracks. That one name had never changed throughout the years.
“Discord? The Embodiment of Chaos, the Culmination of Corruption? You reformed him?” She could not believe her ears. The one beast that had caused the Creator so many problems, so many that She had to concentrate the Harmony of the world into those Elements to stop it… and they reformed him?
Lost in her thoughts, Hope followed closely behind as Twilight and Rainbow Dash led the way.
“So, Cloak, how do I know you’re not gonna just sell us out?”
“You really don’t trust changelings, do you, Rainbow Dash? Although I don’t blame you, given the interactions you’ve had with my kind. Ask Twilight to tell you what she read in the Book I left her. I doubt you’ll trust a word I say, though I did rescue you.”
“You teleported me out instead of healing me, and…
“Wait, you gave her the book?” Rainbow’s anger was vigorously rising as she glared at Cloak. Her eyes turned fiery, the air around her sizzling with tension.
“It was you the whole time! You gave her the book that caused this entire problem in the first place! Because of you, Twilight had to lose most of her life to fix me up!”
Rainbow’s guilt once again began to resurface as she remembered how helpless she had been, how Twilight had sacrificed almost her entire life to save her. She longed to pummel the changeling into the ground, strike him with her hooves, make him pay for bringing such a terrible fate upon her friend.
Luckily, before Rainbow Dash could speak again, the group reached the house in question.
“We can enter. I do not sense Celestia’s magic,” Hope reassured, motioning towards the door with a single hoof.
Well, here goes.
Before Twilight could knock on the door, it suddenly opened. An overactive ball of fur quickly shot out and almost tackled Hope. Luckily, her instincts kicked in almost instantaneously, and she held the unknown object in a strong levitation hold. Unfortunately, the fright caused Hope to drop the invisibility spell.
Twilight, quickly, get in! I lost the invisibility spell!
Twilight nodded and ushered everypony else inside, until only Hope and the other creature remained. The pink unicorn dropped her levitation spell and set the creature down, for the first time noticing that it had actually been…
Another pony, just as pink as her?
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! And I haven’t seen you before, so that means you must be new here! I have to show you all around Ponyville and take you to see Sugarcube Corner and Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville L–”
“Pinkie, NOT NOW!” Twilight levitated both pink figures inside, locking the door behind them and silently hoping that nopony spotted them. Once again, she had used up quite a bit of magic, but instead of feeling the fatigue, she experienced a certain warmth emanating from her horn. As she looked up, she noticed Cloak’s own horn right next to hers; a small green aura surrounded both appendages as she began feeling stronger, more alert, more awake.
“There, that should be enough.” Cloak slowly pulled back, staggering a bit as he sat down.
“Wow. Thank you so much, Cloak, but you didn’t need to do that! Now your own magic is low!”
“Don’t worry about me. You are the one who will have to tell them everything.”
Cloak pointed to the four other mares, whose expressions ranged from surprise to worry, from fear to joy, as they beheld the newcomers.
“Well guys, I think I have a bit of explaining to do.”
“You sure do, Twilight, ‘cause Ah sure as hay don’t know why you brought a changeling over here.”
Twilight sighed.
Oh, this is going to be fun.