The sun rose beyond the horizon and came to the apex in the sky. Crimson stood on a balcony in the Duchess’s illustrious mansion, staring at the city and thought about his options. The deck was of finished wood with decorated railings and foliage all around the deck. Large double doors were made up of mostly glass were open to let the gentle breeze pass through the doorway, and into the room rustled the curtains that hung on the door and windows. Crimson had an idea on what may happen, but the interpretation was hazy at best. He debated on if he should act on the interpretation, or wait and hope the young filly seer would share more of her dreams.
He lightly turned his head toward the door as Twilight knocked on the door with her hoof. “Hey, you want some company?”
Crimson looked back into the distance. “Your company will never be unappreciated.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She walked next to Crimson and stared off into the distance with him.
After a brief pause, Crimson started to speak his mind. “The Seer and the mare… I have never seen anything like it.”
“What do you mean?”
“The harmony. The closeness. I do not understand.”
“You mean the bonding?”
“I do not understand.”
Twilight shook her head with a sigh. “Don’t worry, you’ll understand soon.” The two stood quietly for a moment before Twilight turned to Crimson. “So I’ve been thinking - we should find your brothers. We need to find the elements.”
“Your words ring true. However, without the seer’s assistance, the search would be futile.”
“You mean Ellena?”
Crimson nodded. “Yes. She is our only hope of finding my brothers and your relics.”
“Could we find another pony with this power?”
Crimson shook his head. “Unlikely.”
“Yeah, we’d have better luck finding your brothers.” Twilight said with a half-ass chuckle.
The two stared off in the distance in silence, both thinking of what to do next. Both turned around as Sara knocked on the door. “Um, I-um… I’m sorry for the way I acted. I just… I just want to protect my daughter.”
Twilight smiled. “It’s alright. There is no reason to be sorry.”
She took a couple of steps forward to approach the princess. “And… And I’ve been thinking… Ellena wants to help you… And I should let her, especially since the Elements of Harmony are missing and Van Hoover might be in danger because of it.”
“Are you sure?”
Sara nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. We have to help save Van Hoover.”
Twilight smiled. “I appreciate it.”
“Let me talk to my daughter.” Sara turned and went back inside.
Twilight looked up at Crimson, who looked down at her. “As I said, your title demands respect.”
“Oh hush.” She turned and took a couple of steps forward before turning around. “Besides, you weren’t entirely right either. She doesn’t fear me, and I don’t want her to fear me. Yet I think she has a respect for me now.”
Crimson shook his head. “We shall see how far your method goes.”
“Yes, we shall.” She turned back toward the door and went back inside. “And now that Ellena is going to help us, we’ll be able to figure out where the Elements of Harmony are.”
“Not quite, Princess.” Crimson started to walk inside and the two made their way toward the room where Ellena and Sara were. “She still needs to learn to control and interpret her visions.”
“Is there anything we can do to help her?”
“This is not a field in which I am proficient in.”
“Oh… So we’re on our own then.”
“I am afraid so, Princess.”
“I’ll start looking through books to see if I can find something after we talk to Ellena and Sara.”
“A wise idea.”
They wandered around the mansion, discovering many rooms they didn’t think the house had. They found the kitchen, a bath house, an indoor swimming pool and spa, game room, lounge, sun room, a breakfast nook, another library, and more. “Where are they?” Twilight asked, starting to get the feeling they were lost. “The mansion didn’t look this big from the outside.”
“Perhaps we should return to a familiar location to get our bearings.”
“You’re right.” They turned around to find the butler standing behind them.
“Princess, Ms. Sara wishes to see you.”
“Great! We’re trying to find her right now.”
“Please, come with me.” The butler turned and took them down the hall. In a single turn, they ended up in a very large indoor conservatory. Various plants and foliage grew in an extremely tall glass dome. The butler led them into the greenhouse toward the middle where the mare and her daughter were waiting. “Ms. Sara, your guests have arrived.” The butler turned and walked away.
Twilight looked around. “What a beautiful place.”
Sara stood and walked toward the two. “Ellena is the most calm here, I think.”
“I can see why.”
Sara looked at Crimson and Twilight, who turned her attention back to the mare. “Let’s get one thing straight - I don’t know you. I don’t trust anyone who puts my family through suffering, and you two have. I don’t care if you ARE a princess. That doesn’t mean you’re a good princess. But if Van Hoover is in trouble, and Duchess Vanderhoof thinks you’re the only one that can save it, then I HAVE to trust you.”
“It’s not just Van Hoover that’s in danger, Sara. It’s all of Equestria.”
Sara looked a little surprised at Twilight’s response. “That’s impossible.”
Twilight shook her head. “It’s actually not. My friends and I have saved Equestria on a number of occasions ranging from chaos, invasions, taking care of powerful creatures, and so much more. This time, our enemy plans on using our defenses against us - the very defenses that’s saved Equestria in the past. That’s why we need to find them.” Sara looked blankly at Twilight as she started to slowly understand exactly what was at stake. After a brief pause for the mare to take in the words she said, Twilight continued. “I don’t ask for your daughter’s help likely. I don’t want to cause her such nightmares or put her through the stress she has gone through.”
“I get it.” Sara said with a sigh. “Alright, go talk to Ellena.” She turned and walked back to her daughter, who was looking at a gardening book.
Ellena looked up and slightly recoiled in fear.
Sara lifted her hoof and put it on her daughter’s shoulder. “Shh, it’s okay darling. Remember what we talked about?”
“Y-Yes.” Ellena replied a little scared. She got off the ground and sat in a chair so that the group could all talk.
Twilight smiled at the filly. “Hello again, Ellena. Do you like to read?” Ellena nodded her head. “I love to read! I’ve learned so much through books that-”
“Have you remembered anything else about your vision?” Twilight glared at Crimson. “I am sorry, Princess. We do not have time for idle talk now that we have a seer on our side.”
Sara put her hoof in front of Sara to guard her from Crimson. “Stop stop, I forgot to ask about your ‘friend’ here. What’s with his name, ‘The Destroyer’?”
“Oh.” Twilight turned back to Sara. “That was all a misunderstanding from a misguided and overconfident lawyer. He thought that, by giving him this ridiculous title, the jury would want to side with him.”
“Side with him in what?”
“A trial in Ponyville.”
Sara’s eyes popped open. “You mean you brought a criminal into our home and into our lives?!”
Twilight lifted her hooves to try to calm Sara down. “It’s not what you think. It was all a misunderstanding. It was a massive assault case that-”
“And a violent one?!” Sara stood up and got between Crimson and her daughter.
Crimson had enough. He stood up and stomp his hoof. “Ms. Sara, I have grown tired of your insolence and arrogance.” The ground started to lightly shake and the dirt lifted in the air as to defy gravity, then surrounded the group as Crimson’s horn and eyes started to glow. Sara, in fear, sat down next to her daughter. “You will listen to Princess Twilight Sparkle and give her the respect she deserves.” Sara nodded her head, then Crimson’s features dimmed and go back to normal.
Twilight smacked her forehead with her hoof and sighed as Crimson sat back down. “That wasn’t necessary, Crimson.”
“With all due respect, Princess, we need to stay on target.”
“Right.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Anyways, as I was saying, it was an assault trial where he was found not guilty because it was all clearly self defense, and a huge misunderstanding. And as for the Elements of Harmony, we HAVE to find them or we’re all in trouble! Ponyville, Vanhoover, and your family - they’re all in danger.”
An awkward silence ensued before Sara looked at Twilight. “Princess, do you promise to save my family?”
“My friends and I have already gone through hoof and back to save your family. We’ll do it again.”
Another brief pause of silence before a tear fell from Sara’s face. “Okay.” She lifted her hoof, releasing the guard she held on her daughter. “Take her.”
“Take?” Twilight lifted a hoof. “No, no. I don’t want to take her. We just need her help.”
“Wait, what?” Sara looked at Twilight confused.
Twilight smiled. “We don’t need her to go anywhere.”
“Her visions are what we want, not the filly." Crimson added.
Twilight put her hoof down. “We need to figure out how to control her dreams.”
“So… If this works, she won’t have anymore nightmares?”
Twilight looked over to Crimson for an answer. “Ms. Sara, the filly’s control over herself and her powers will greatly improve every aspect of her life.”
Twilight looked back at Sara and Ellena. “In other words, ‘no more nightmares.’”
The two smiled at those words. “Okay, let’s get started then.”
“See, that’s the thing… I never knew about this magic until lately. I don’t know anything about it.”
Sara looked at Crimson. “I do not know how to harness this power.” Crimson said. “Seers were held and isolated from the rest of us.”
The group turned as they heard trotting come from a distance. Rarity and Fluttershy urgently ran up to the group.
“Is everything alright, dear?” Rarity asked.
“We felt the ground shake. We thought-”
Twilight lifted her hoof. “Everythings fine, girls. But now that you’re here, you can help us figure out this problem.”
Twilight started to catch Rarity and Fluttershy up on the conversation as Crimson looked at Sara. “Ms. Sara, would it be okay with you if I talked to the filly?”
Sara nodded.
Ellena looked at the red coated pony. “I’m scared. All of my dreams end very bad.”
“Young one, remember what I said - Your visions are not what will happen. They are what may happen. You have the power to change your visions.”
“But I’m scared.”
“You may be scared now, but I am confident you will be a fearless pony soon enough.”
“But you said that… that I won’t have anymore nightmares. You said that, right?”
“Your nightmares are your powers running out of control. Learn control, and you can learn when to get your visions.”
Sara stepped into the conversation. “So, my daughter has these visions and you’re the only pony that knows even a little bit about them. Tell me what you know.”
“I do not know much. What I do know is they see what affects them whether it is directly or indirectly. Multiple seers can see the same vision if they are involved. I do not know the details however...” Crimson leaned forward. “Young one, was there any time where you saw something just before it happened?”
Ellena stared at Crimson. “Like… like a game?” Crimson stayed quiet, trying to figure out what these ponies meant by ‘game.’ “One time, me and my brother played Hide-Go-Seek. I saw where he was at. He said I was cheating and I peeked, but I wasn’t peeking. I never beat him in Hide-Go-Seek before. I was happy.”
“A fine example.” Crimson said. “Try to think about what you were doing at that time.”
“I was covering my eyes and counting to 20 like I always do.”
Sara added, “I remember when this happened. This was after her fifth birthday, like you said at the cabin.”
Crimson nodded at Sara then looked back at the filly. “What were you thinking about?”
“Sometimes, I can’t count past 10 so I was trying to remember what came next.”
“What else?”
Ellena started to think to herself. “I.. I was thinking about where my brother could be. He hides good. Then, I saw him in the closet shelf. I didn’t go anywhere else, but the closet. Then he hit me and called me a cheater.”
Crimson started to think to himself. “Can it be that simple?” Crimson looked at Twilight. “Princess.”
Twilight finished her sentence and turned to Crimson. “Hey, they’re almost caught up.”
“Might I request that you three walk around the mansion?”
“Uh, sure. I guess.” Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity started to leave the conservatory as Crimson turned to Ellena and Sara.
Sara questioned Crimson. “Why did you have them leave?”
“We are going to do Hide-Go-Seek.” Crimson looked at Ellena. “Close your eyes and count.”
Ellena looked confused at her mother. She nodded. “It’s okay, dear. I’ll be here just in case.”
Ellena closed her eyes and started to count out loud. “One… Two… Three…” She kept counting. “Ten… Uh… El… Um...”
Sara leaned to Ellena and whispered, “Eleven.”
“Elven… Tw...w… Twelve... Turteen… Fourteen… Fiveteen… S..Seventeen.”
“Sixteen then seventeen.”
Crimson leaned forward and lifted his hoof. “Young one, this is a very large residence. How are you going to find them?”
Ellena, opened her eyes as Crimson’s question threw her off guard. “Uh…”
“Think… Where could they be?”
Ellena thought to herself. “I… I don’t know.”
“Concentrate.”
Again, Ellena thought to herself. She started to anxiously move more and more as her mental stress rose. “I don’t know!”
Crimson sat back in thought. Sara put her hoof on her daughter’s shoulder. “It’s okay, hunny.” She hugged her daughter. Crimson stared lost at the strange level of affection the two showed.
After a brief pause, Ellena looked at her mother. “Mommy, I’m hungry.”
“Okay, let’s-”
Crimson’s eyes popped open and he suddenly sat forward and lifted his hoof to stop Sara’s sentence. “Incentive.”
Sara looked at Crimson. “What?”
“Directly affects her…” Crimson lowered his hoof. “Young one, do you know where we are located in this place?”
Ellena shook her head. “Uh, no.”
“If you can find your way to the food stores, I am sure the Duchess would not mind giving you an apple.”
Catching on, Sara joined the fray. “Yes, an apple cookie even.”
Ellena looked up at her mother. “You mean it?”
“Yes. An apple cookie.” Sara replied, then looked at Crimson.
“But first, you must find it. Focus on the food stores and find your sustenance.”
Ellena started to think, then her eyes turned white. Crimson stared intently, then Sara noticed her optical transformation. She turned in horror, but Crimson lifted his hoof. “Stay calm, Ms. Sara. This is normal for seers.”
“Is she okay?”
“I believe she is finding her way to the food storage.”
“But is she okay?!”
“Yes.” Crimson replied. Ellena’s eyes turned to normal. She got up and started to run out of the conservatory. Crimson and Sara stood up and followed her.
Without missing a turn, Ellena maked her way to the kitchen - a room she had never been to before. Without looking around, she went into the pantry, set up a step stool, then reached up to grab one of many unmarked jars. Inside the jar were apple crisp cookies. Ellena grabbed one and started to munch on her delicious reward. Sara stared in amazement.
“Apparently…” Crimson said watching the child eat her prize. “... it is that easy.”