Silence reigned through the library as Twilight and Dante worked in sync with each other. The morning light filtered in through the windows, illuminating the room while they bent over their task. Neither spoke as each dragged their sticks of chalk along the floor of the building. Lines of concentration stretched across their foreheads as each stroke was made carefully and precisely. With a final stroke, the two stood up and regarded their handiwork from the edge of the library.
Almost two hours of work had gone into revising the spell circle. Large intricate chalk drawings accompanied various runes written in both old Equish and the language of Dante's home. Appearance wise, the circle had remained largely the same as the one Twilight had first used. Only a few runes had been replaced and just two sections of the inner circle were redrawn to redirect the spell’s outcome. An additional circle had been drawn as well, encompassing the original and filled in with much smaller runes and symbols. The new circle had become much larger than the original one, though, and instead of covering the centre of the library, it managed to reach even to the far wall. The elements had been placed within the same six circles in the inner most part as well, their bearers were absent for the obvious safety reasons and neither Dante nor Twilight wanted to risk the other's safety with their plan.
In fact, none of the others were even aware that any progress with the spell had been made. Dante had kept quiet about it, presumably to avoid distractions. Ever since Sam had been hospitalised, Twilight had watched him practically work non-stop on Starswirl’s spell. It was by no means as bad as when Twilight had spent the entirety of a week by herself working on the spell. In fact, she was, in a way, happy about working with Dantel. It had given her hope that maybe she would learn something from, or about, her guest.
However, much to her frustration, it seemed the peculiar white haired student was particularly adept in dodging all of her questions. All of her friends had managed, in one way or another, to learn something about the others. In her case, questions about his past or anything about him were met with silence or excuses. In total, save for his name, race, and occupation, she knew next to nothing about him.
The thought saddened her as she watched him double check the circle. Numerous reports on the subject of friendship and lessons learned over her time in ponyville hadn't prepared her for this. Did he not trust her? She had done next to everything to establish some sort of bond, yet it seemed as though her efforts hadn't amounted to anything. Then the thought hit her: What if he didn't want to be her friend?
That can't be true... Can it? She thought to herself. There had been a few times she could recall a spark of friendliness between them. His current focus, on the other hand, was telling her otherwise. She knew that Dante wanted to go home more than anything, but it seemed as if there was an ulterior motivation. His companions had integrated without too many problems, but Dante was almost dead set on returning home without so much as a thought.
"Are you ready, Twilight?"
Her musing halted as she looked up, noticing Dante had finished his inspection and had grabbed his staff.
"Oh, yes, I'm ready. Just lost in thought," she said, excusing herself. She marvelled at the circle, impressed by how much more complex the entire thing had become. "Do you think it will work?"
"Hopefully, I'd rather not imagine what happens when a spell like this backfires. I doubt it's pleasant."
"How do you know if the elements will even work without the girls?" she asked. Dante had not divulged many of the details, but had only told her the general gist of the task. "They usually don't work without their bearers."
"There's residual magic left over from the last time they were used. It seems as though the backlash you experienced trapped it in the elements themselves. It's not much, but it should work for now."
"But how'd you notice it?"
Dante shrugged after picking up the Element of Magic. The artifact looked small in his hands as he pointed to the jewel form of Twilight’s cutie mark. “The elements act the same way as staffs do in our world. They’re powerful tools in theory, but they require a wielder's innate power to be used.” He placed the crown on the ground before he backed up and out of the circle. “Simply put, the elements are conduits which funnel and direct your inner power. Without your power, they’re just pieces of jewelry that look pretty.”
Twilight nodded at the statement. She knew how the elements worked, but had never thought of them as simply extensions of her own power. She had always thought that they had just embodied the elements. She never thought that maybe the elements drew the power from the ponies linked to their respective attributes. However, Dante had still failed to explain the issue. “So how did you manage to find this residual energy?”
He pointed to the pair of horns that sprouted from his head. “These are more than just an ethnic trait, Twilight. They’re sensitive to magical frequencies. I use them to help detect natural wells of magic and alert me, subconsciously, to distortions around me.”
“So you can find magic with just your horns?” Twilight asked, astounded by the information. Unconsciously, she touched own horn and began to wonder about how similar their appendages were. “Can they act as conduits as well? You know, like unicorn horns?”
“Not without implants,” he replied. “Though I doubt many would do that because of how sensitive their horns are. Some of my kind won’t even allow others to touch their horns unless it’s their wives or husbands.”
“Really? Why would that be?”
“As I said before, they’re physically sensitive,” he said calmly, but avoided eye contact with the mare. “Our horns are somewhat of an erogenous zone as well…”
“Oh…” Twilight’s face blushed at the thought. She felt slightly embarrassed asking such about such an inappropriate matter. She wasn’t going to say it, but unicorn horns, including her own, were also considered as such. She had only heard the information in the anatomy books back at Canterlot. She had been too confused to believe such facts, but overhearing a few more ‘social’ mares talk about it had convinced her of the fact. The one other memory returned to her: the party where she had touched Dante’s horn. “Oh!” she spluttered, eyes shrinking as she hid her crimson face. “Maybe we should… um… get back to the matter at hand?"
“Sure,” he said. He pointed a figure towards the other side of the circle. Twilight quickly trotted to the area, taking position just behind the outer ring. Dante took position on the opposite side, kneeling and placed his hands on the lines of chalk. “Ok, what we are going to do is simple. I’m going to funnel magic into the circle while you do the same to the Elements. The Element of Magic should activate the others after you give it a bit of a start. I’ll connect the ley lines here to the elements and hopefully everything will go without a problem.”
“I’m ready when you are!”
"Ok, start it off slow," he cautioned. She lowered her head and let her mind clear. A thin, snake like tendril grew from her horn and drifted towards the elements. It tensed and straightened as it connected to the first element, forming a clear line between her horn and the artifact. She cracked open an eye to see the similar veiny wisps of magical aura were also snaking outwards to the remaining five, forming a web of magical lines.
The circle had begun to take on the familiar blue glow, and Twilight looked to see Dante's hands glow with a similar light. Lines of blue stretched all the way from his palms, circling down the staff before it transferred into the chalk drawing. Slowly, the outer circle became filled with light as the symbols lit up. Lines grew from the circle and attached to the elements, tethering themselves to the ground.
"It's working!" Twilight exclaimed, watching the second tier of the circle take on a lighter shade of blue. A rattling came from the house as the spell seemed to shake the tree to its very roots. Books fell and pages flew as the air seemed to suck into the centre of the room. Energy crackled as multi-coloured strands of light came from the elements and centred in the middle of the spell circle.
Dante grunted, feeling the pressure beginning to set in as he increased his magical output. “Twilight, put more energy into the elements! If we don’t maintain a balance then we risk it backfiring!”
“Ok!” she replied quickly, putting more focus into her horn. The magenta line thickened and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. A slight pain nagged at the back of her head as the feeling of fatigue set in. Dante looked no better than she did. It seemed as though maintaining the flow into the circle was more effort than either had thought.
At the same time, the energy of the elements coalesced and circled each other. Rapidly they spun, the lights brightening until it was almost too much for the eye to bear. Twilight had to look away as the flash exploded outward. The two of them were thrown backwards by the sheer force of the blast, blown away like leaves in the wind. Dante crashed against the wall while Twilight was thrown onto her couch, severing their bonds with the circle. Neither moved as the energy went wild and whipped around, sending even more books and paper to the ground.
Eventually the energy died down and faded into nothingness. The elements, no longer held up by Twilight’s magic, clattered to the floor noisily. Twilight groaned and sat up, the pain in her head blossoming into a full on headache. It honestly felt like someone had violently shaken her head after pouring broken glass into her skull.
"Damn it!" Dante cursed, causing Twilight to wince. He was visibly shaking and his hands were clenched tightly enough that she could see his knuckles whiten.
"What happened?" she asked while she place a hoof to her aching temple. "It seemed like it was working."
Dante gave a disappointed sigh as he regarded the blackened floor. "I don't know, but I assume the energy in the elements wasn't as potent as I thought. The initial opening must have exhausted the reserve."
"How long do you think it will take before we can try again?"
Dante scratched his head as he contemplated the time. "Too long," he sighed, "It could be anywhere from another month to three. I'd also have to refine the outer rim we added."
"I see..."
In truth, Twilight had mixed feelings about this. Dante was obviously disappointed at the prospect of being stuck in Equestria, and she sympathized with him. On the other hoof, this meant more time for her to learn about him.
It was a win-win scenario in her mind.
"Well in that case, I guess we should try again another time,” she said. “If you want to come with me, I have a few errands to run. It’ll help pass the time.”
Dante gave a shake of his head. “No, I’m fine. I’ll stick around here and see if I can’t pinpoint what went wrong. I’ll also try cleaning up this mess.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, slightly disheartened by the rejection.
Dante nodded. "I need to figure it out or we might be stuck here forever. And that's something neither of us want."
Would that be so bad? Twilight thought. She knew it was a selfish idea, but seeing a giant toad destroy part of a house had ingrained itself in her mind. What could be so bad about Equestria that he'd want to go back to a place in which things like that lived?
With a sigh she turned to face the door. Maybe she was right after all. Maybe there was no getting through to him.
She pushed those thoughts aside and left the library. She had a new idea. If it worked she'd know more about him without even having to bother him. She might not be able to get anything out of him, but that didn't mean she couldn't learn through his friends.
But where to begin? she thought. Rarity was out in Canterlot. The mare hadn't exactly given a strict itinerary, but she was due back today. That left one option.
With a quick step, she pivoted and began her trip to the hospital, unaware of the two ruby red eyes watching her through the library window.
*****
Ponyville Hospital was quieter than usual as Twilight trotted through the hall. Butterflies flitted about in her stomach with each step that brought her closer to Sam's room. Asking Sam about his teammate wasn't so much a problem that caused her to be nervous, it just seemed like she was going behind Dante's back.
Reaching the door, Twilight pushed the thought behind her. This was a necessity; information she needed to know. She knew that his friends might be reluctant to give up personal facts, but it never hurt to ask. Yet when she opened the door, she struggled to suppress the 'aww' at the sight in front of her.
Sam and Fluttershy were asleep, wrapped up in each other's arms. It was almost as though the two were a couple sharing the same bed. The pegasus' head only peaked above the covers, but Twilight could make out the content smile on her face. Sam was also doing the same and allowing her to press into him, while his arm was wrapped protectively around her. To Twilight, it was a rather cute scene, despite breaking about a dozen hospital regulations. She almost wished she had a camera so she could take a picture for fun, as well as to tease her friend. Yet, she decided to simply watch them for a moment.
"Well I guess I'll just leave them for now," Twilight giggled to herself as she turned to tiptoe out the room. “They seem rather comfortable. I’ll just ask him when-”
"I'm awake..."
Twilight froze and with a sheepish grin, turned around. Sam was still laying down, but had an eye open and an ear cocked toward Twilight. His face was still stuck in its usual neutral expression, but Twilight could see he was relaxing slightly. It also seemed as though he was healing quickly, despite being injured a few short days ago.
"Did I wake you?" she asked, stepping away from the door.
Sam shook his head. "No, I've been awake for the past few hours. I heard you coming down the hall. You are not as quiet as you think you are."
"Sorry about that," Twilight apologized before giggling. "Though it seems that Fluttershy made sure you weren't lonely."
Sam blushed at the remark as he looked down at Fluttershy. A gentle smile played across his features as he ran a hand through her mane. Twilight quietly 'squeed' at the sight as Fluttershy murmured something before snuggling up against his side.
"She hasn't left my side since I was brought here," Sam said quietly, the ridges of his cheeks flushing slightly. "She wouldn't go, even when I told her it was fine. But she seems to be insistent. I’m beginning to think this was somebody's idea of a joke."
Twilight smiled in return. "She cares about you, Sam. She won't leave until she knows you'll be fine on your own." She motioned towards the sleeping mare. "This is just her way of looking after you."
Sam looked at her, confused as though he were trying to solve an intricate puzzle. "I am thankful for it as well, but it confuses me. She's done much for me and I don't know how I can ever return the favor."
"If she were awake, I think Fluttershy would be perfectly happy knowing that you're ok."
Sam nodded as he returned to stroking Fluttershy's mane. "It's strange. Being around her... It makes me feel content. It makes me feel as though everything I've done before I came to this place was superficial." He looked towards Twilight with a new light in his eye. "It's hard to describe, Twilight Sparkle. I just want to thank her for everything. For my voice, my magic, for believing in me when I couldn't believe in myself. I treasure it all, and I'll always feel that way. Yet I can't seem to find the right words no matter how hard I try..."
Twilight almost failed to suppress a knowing laugh. She may not have been the most sociable of ponies, but she could see what was happening. Oh, if only Cadence were here.
"Admitting how you feel is never easy. But I'm sure she'd appreciate it either way. Just tell her when you feel the time is right," she explained.
"I'll keep that in mind," Sam said as he sat up. "But I am wondering why you might be here. From your stance, I assume you wanted to ask me questions rather than talk about my persona nurse?"
"Oh, right..." She took a seat on a nearby stool and absentmindedly clopped her hooves together, nervously pondering her question. "It's about Dante..."
Sam's eyes seemed to narrow as he stared at Twilight. The gentle aspect was now gone from his gaze, replaced by a cold stare that made her shiver. She knew she shouldn't have asked, but she didn't expect such a cold reaction.
"I just wanted to know a bit about him," she stated, avoiding all eye contact. "We've learned so much about you and the others, but Dante hadn't said anything at all. Every time I try to talk to him, he just avoids the subject. I'm beginning to think he doesn't even consider me a friend."
"Silence does not mean he lacks trust, but perhaps he wishes to withhold his past," Sam stated calmly. "But your desire to know more has brought you here to ask me for my knowledge. Does that seem like an honorable action?"
Twilight's head perked up, and she looked at Sam guiltily. “I just wanted to know more about him…” she murmured. “I know I shouldn’t be going behind his back, but what else can I do? I’ve given him every reason to trust me!”
“Twilight, I cannot help you,” Sam said. Twilight hung her head low. She knew she shouldn’t have asked, but the frustration was unbearable. It was like trying decipher a complex spell where the answer was in a book which was glued shut. She couldn’t force it open unless she was ready to do irreparable damage.
“I’m sorry too… I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Do not be, I would have helped you. I would have told all that you needed to know or wanted to know. But I cannot provide information I don’t have.”
Twilight was definitely confused now. She looked at Sam quizzically with a slight cock of her head. “What do you mean?”
“I know little of Dante, and even less about what his life was like before the group was formed. Everything about him is a mystery. He has always remained silent about who he is and was, never saying so much as a word. I know of nothing that you haven’t already uncovered.”
“How is that possible? I would have thought that you would know each other,” Twilight said. “Aren’t you all friends?”
“We are Dante’s allies, and while he may consider us friends, he has never acted in any manner to learn about others. Not once in the five months we’ve known each other has he ever allowed himself to grow close. Even at Particus, he was never seen in the company of anyone else. He never asks about other's lives, and in turn, tells others nothing about himself."
“I don’t understand… what would make you think that?” she asked. The entire situation was unfathomable to her. Sure, Dante seemed rather cold, but the same could have been said for Sam when he had first arrived. But to not even so much as consider the others as his friends was just plain heartless. If she had been in the same position, she was totally certain that she would have at least gotten to know her teammates.
Sam shook his head. “I could not tell you. But the only thing I know is that he suffers from a great pain…”
“A pain?” Twilight asked. “Do you mean like what Coppa and you went through? Did something happen to him that is making him blame himself?”
“Again, I cannot say for sure…" Sam muttered. “But what he has suffered is something far worse than what either Coppa or I have gone through. And while we may overcome the sense of loss, Dante will most likely never be able to pull himself from his hidden despair.”
“How can you be sure? How do you know all of this if you don’t even know what he’s gone through?”
Sam pointed towards his eyes. “It’s in his eyes.”
Twilight blinked at the statement. “His eyes?”
“Yes, his eyes,” he explained. “They look alive, but clouded by the presence of death. Hollow and empty. He has seen the kind of horrors and experienced the sort of loss we cannot even fathom. He may be like Coppa, blaming himself for a situation entirely out of control, but Coppa was able to move past his trauma through false smiles and jokes. Dante, however, cannot do that, and he is always haunted by the fact.” Sam’s gaze became hard again. “For the first month that we worked together, I heard him whisper in his sleep, saying names only known to him...”
“Wait, are you saying that Dante has nightmares about this?” Twilight questioned. “Are you sure it was something from his past? I mean... everyone has bad dreams, he could have just been having a regular nightmare.”
Sam merely snorted at her statement. “These nightmares are the ones of a person who is ashamed of what they have done. They see many things and it makes them unafraid of death. Instead, it pushes them to seek for it. They then close themselves off in pursuit of it.”
“That’s insane! He wouldn’t do that!” Twilight shouted, not recalling the fact that Fluttershy was sleeping. The pegasus mumbled and Sam gently fixed the sheet covering her. Twilight bit back an apology but took a few breaths as she sought to calm her rattled nerves. “I… I think I… I think I’m going to need to rethink this situation.” She turned towards the door but looked back before leaving. “Thank you, Sam, I’m sorry I disturbed you…”
“It is no fault of yours,” he said as he nestled back into his bed. Fluttershy let out an inaudible whisper and cozied herself up against him again. He closed his eyes, but kept his head facing Twilight. “Though sometimes secrets are kept for a reason. You should always bear that in mind.”
Twilight nodded and turned out the door. She had come seeking answers, but had only left with more questions. What sort of event would push a being to the limits that Sam had described? Why would Dante close himself off from his friends? And these were just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. But deep down in her mind, something nagged at her.
“Who are you, Dante?”
*****
Dante sighed as he put the last book away on the shelf. Long and painstaking work had rendered the Library back to its normal state. Stretching as he finished up, he sucked in a breath of relief as he closed the blinds and turned to view the scorched wood that currently made up the library floor.
The air seemed to become increasingly heavy as darkness replaced all the light and Dante’s skin prickled in response. He crossed the room, stepping over the faded chalk lines until he reached the other side, stopping at the small desk with Starswirl's journal on top of it. He gently opened the book and flipped through the pages until he reached the end. He gently traced the circle, contemplating the result of his test. Various new formulas and symbols came to his mind but were erased almost immediately. None of them would work, let alone even redirect the spell. The thought angered him, and he growled as he slammed the book shut and leaned on the table.
“I know you overloaded the spell. I could feel it when you shut down the elements,” he said loudly to no one in particular. “Why? Why would you want to stay here? This place doesn’t serve any purpose to you.”
She’s beginning to suspect you…
Dante twitched as the voice echoed around the library. The air grew cold and he felt a new presence reveal itself in the library. He half turned his head to see a figure clad in purple robes standing behind him. The hood had been drawn up, covering the apparition's face in darkness, but Dante could still make out a pair of red eyes glowing from within the darkness.
“Answer the question!” Dante yelled. “You and I both knew that the spell would have worked, but you forced it to overload. Why? Doesn’t your plan require us to be back home?”
Your work would have failed either way, just as you did in the past. Did you really think this time would be any different? That you might save yourself if you found your way home?
“Don’t insult me. I will get us back home and I will find a way to destroy you,” he retorted, spitting at the figure's feet. “I can promise you that.”
And how do you propose to do that? The figure stretched out his right arm, revealing a skeletal hand as the fringe of its robe moved back. A black aura wrapped around the bony white appendage and Dante felt his legs quaver as well as his chest tighten. He gasped as it became increasingly hard to breath. He felt something akin to an invisible hand squeeze his lungs and block his airway. You disappoint me, I had thought you were supposed to be intelligent. You cannot even resist my shadow, and you propose to try and destroy me?You know as well as anyone that you cannot stop fear just as you cannot avoid your true purpose in life.
With those words, the black aura dissipated and the invisible hand’s presence disappeared. Dante coughed as he leaned on the table for support. His breath came back to him in ragged gasps as the invisible force let go of his body. Struggling, he managed to stand back up straight, albeit with a slight shake in his step. “I'm not listening to another one of your lies. There is no way I will ever use that power after what happened. You can try and force me, but I will fight you no matter what.”
The figure seemed to chuckle at his resolve and began to approach him. It grinned, revealing the white rows of sharp and jagged teeth. Dante backed away slightly as it approached and grabbed him by the throat. His hands worked with a panicked quickness as he was brought close to the spirit's face, but they simply passed through the skeletal arm as though it were mist.
“Do not fool yourself, Dante,” it said as he choked and struggled. “We were born for a greater purpose than that of mere existence. You cannot fight what you are, no matter hard you resist. There will come a time when you will will be forced to accept what is to come. And when that time arrives, you will be forced to accept your position or I will happily destroy you and take our inheritance.”
The spirit then let go of Dante’s throat, allowing him to drop to the floor. An instant later, the spirit vanished, leaving only the sound of it's voice.
“You can't fight destiny. Even if you do manage to return, the ascension is still guaranteed. The question will be who is the one to obtain it.”
"You can do whatever you want," Dante growled as he got to his knees. His eyes were filled with defiance as his hand erupted into flame. The spirit paused for a moment, almost surprised by the action, giving him enough time to send the spell forward. “I’ll still destroy you, one way or another.”
"So defiant..." the spirit chuckled as he raised his hand. The ball of flame crashed against it and flared to life, engulfing the hand. "But so foolish..."
He quenched the spell with a flick of his hand, as though he were shaking off excess water. The flames died quickly and left the hand without any visible marks. Dante grit his teeth in frustration as the spirit backed away, his jagged teeth still set in a semi-serious grin. It slowly vanished, fading away into smoke as it spoke.
"I should remind you of something as well.” It laughed before a giant pair of fog like wings flared outwards, causing Dante’s eyes to shrink as visions of everyone he had met in Ponyville flashed in his mind. “The others are involved in this too. So should you act out again, I won't hesitate to show these mortals the full extent of how cruel you can be."
A sharp pain followed the incredible force as the smoke coiled and stabbed into Dante’s chest. It blew him back, sending him careening into the wall. He gasped as he felt the wind drive out from his lungs, leaving him heaving after he hit the ground with a loud ‘thud’.
A small groan came from him as he stood up unsteadily. His entire body had gone numb and his knees nearly gave out from his own weight. Images of the six mares covered in blood flashed before his eyes. They all looked like corpses; their eyes clouded and their lips parted in an eternal moan as though they were still in pain. Ponyville was even burning in the background, cascading light onto the mounds of pony corpses strewn throughout the streets. Yet, even though it was only an image created to terrify him, Dante could taste, smell, and even feel the blood in the air.
No one can stop death...
He bit his lip and hissed at the pain as his teeth broke the skin, A slight tang of iron filled his mouth and the images cleared out as his mind focused on his self inflicted wound. The mares and the burning town faded into nothingness, leaving him in the library again. He breathed in relief and wiped the liquid that had dribbled out onto his chin with the back of his hand. He sighed slightly as he looked to see the back of his hand covered in black. A frown crossed his face and he quickly wiped the offending sight away on his pant leg.
It's only a matter of time...
"Damn it!" Dante said as he smashed his fist against the wooden table. The force probably hurt him more than the table, but his anger dulled the pain.
“Well, well, such a temper on this one,” a new voice exclaimed. “I guess Celestia was right after all. We really do have some strange guests living in Equestria.”
Dante’s head snapped around as his body did a complete circle. His eyes darted from one spot to another, trying to find the source. His search came out empty handed, even after circling the library two times. Not one thing was out of place on the ground level if he didn’t count the books blown around by the spell earlier. That left only one option.
Up.
Slowly he raised his head and looked towards the ceiling. When he locked eyes with the being floating above him, Dante had to suppress a shout of surprise. The creature itself simply smiled at the shocked boy and gave him a little wave.
“Hello.”
****
“Do you think she’s alright?”
“I’m not sure, but its been a while since she started.”
“Do you think we should… Y’know? Ask what’s wrong?”
“I don’t think it’ll do much. She doesn’t even seem to notice us.”
“Why does this have to be so hard?” Twilight muttered to herself. “I can’t just go up and say ‘Hey, would it be fine if you could tell me about yourself’ or 'Sam said you have issues; wanna tell me about those?' Yeah, because that would go over really well.”
Had Twilight taken the time to really think about it, she probably would have realised that she was starting to look as though she had lost her mind. She had been circling the same plot of land in front of the hospital for nearly forty minutes, slowly wearing the ground down until her ankles were at street level. Stray hairs were beginning to pop up from her mane and there was the subtle beginning of a twitch in her eye.
“I think she’s losing it…”
“Maybe I should just ask him, maybe the thirty-third time will work?” Twilight said as a pair of shadows began to grow closer. “But what if he just ignores me again?”
“Twilight are you ok? You’ve been talking to yourself for a while now.”
Twilight turned her head slightly and saw that Coppa and Moe were standing behind her. Both were watching her with apprehension. Neither seemed as though they wanted to move any closer to the mare and Twilight only understood this when she saw her reflection in a window. She quickly fixed her mane and made herself presentable.
“I’m fine, I’m just thinking about a few things…” she said as she faced them. “Just trying to wrap my head around a few things.”
Coppa snorted, drawing the attention of both Moe and Twilight. “It’s Dante isn’t it?”
Twilight was taken aback. She didn’t want to say it, but Coppa had never been the one she had expected to be able to read people. He was crude and foul mouthed, and regrettably, she hadn’t thought much of the dwarf in terms of intelligence. She had just assumed he was the meathead sort; someone who was there when strength was needed. However, it seemed she had been mistaken after all. Each of the four were intelligent in their own right, Coppa was just more prone to using violence.
“Y-yes... It is,” she said as she rubbed her leg nervously. “I’m just trying to figure some things out about him.”
“Pfft, good luck with that!” Coppa laughed, causing Twilight to blush in embarrassment. “trying to figure that guy out is like hitting your head against a brick wall and expecting it to fall. There’s no possible way it’ll happen, you’d just be wasting your time and brain cells. The guy might talk, but he’ll never say anything about himself!”
“I’ve already figured that much out,” Twilight retorted. “I’m just tired of not knowing anything about somepony who has lived with me for a month.”
“Well I think I could help,” Moe said, interrupting the shouting match that was brewing. “It was only a few rumors though.”
“Really?” Twilight asked, ears perked up and her previous frustration completely replaced by hope. “What were they about?”
Moe sighed as he tapped his temple. “It was just that he and a bunch of other students were involved in a bad accident. I tried looking it up in his student folder, but I couldn’t find much.”
“It didn’t mention anything at all?”
“No, most of it was blacked out and specific parts were censored,” he replied, crushing any hope that her investigation would turn something up. Moe frowned and gave her a reassuring pat on the back. “Sorry if that isn’t what you wanted to hear.”
“It’s fine, Sam already prepared me for it,” she said as she began to head toward the library. “I think I’ll just head back home for now.”
“Well we’ll come with you, we need to talk to him anyways,” Moe said. “Maybe we can get him to talk in the meantime? Coppa’s pretty good with rope, if you didn’t know.”
“Fucking right I am!”
Twilight laughed alongside them as they traveled towards her home. “By the way, where’s Rarity?” she asked.
“She’s back in the Boutique,” Moe replied. “The entire trip took a lot out of us all.”
Coppa scoffed, but Twilight could see him grinning and giving Moe an evil look. “I’m pretty sure that only applies to you.”
Twilight giggled as Moe’s face flushed and he quickly jabbed Coppa in the arm. One thing she had learned about the two was that even though they were practically opposites, they were still the best of friends. Whatever had happened on the trip had only seemed to strengthen that. She only wished she could have something like that with her own houseguest.
But her wishes were going to have to wait as a fireball seemingly erupted from the library’s window. Twilight and the other two stood in shock as another four followed the first, bursting from the other openings of the treehouse. As she came closer she could hear voices shouting at each other and the occasional girlish scream.
The front door of the library burst open as a long serpentine body flew out and nearly took Twilight off of her hooves. An arc of lightning followed it, catching the thing by the tail as it sought to escape. She watched as it remained in the air for a second, comically twisting as electricity enveloped it. When it fell to the ground, Twilight’s eyes widened as she recognised the mismatched body that belonged to a certain spirit.
“Discord?”
“Oh thank Celestia’s mighty beard, Twilight. You have to help me!” the Draconequus said as he hugged her forehooves. Coppa and Moe backed up, confused by the strangeness of the spirit of chaos’ form. Discord whimpered as a loud crash came from the library. “Oh no, he’s coming for me!”
“Who are you talking about Discord?” she asked as her horn lit up. He snaked his way behind her and slightly pushed her so that she blocked the path between him and whatever was in the library.
“He’s a maniac! A maniac I tell you!” Discord screamed and pleaded. “A complete psychopath!” he added just before noticing that the hair at the end of his tail was on fire. He quickly snapped his fingers, summoning a pink cloud that quenched the fire with a torrent of chocolate milk. He then brought the charred hair and waved it in front of Twilight’s nose. “See what he’s done to me? He’ll burn the rest of my hair off if you don’t stop him!”
“What are you going on about, Discord?” she asked. Discord only whimpered and further hid himself behind her tail.
Just as she turned her head away, the door of the library swung open. A young stallion trotted out, uneasily walking forward as he glared at the spirit behind Twilight. A bleach white mane topped the stallion’s head, matching the short tail that sprouted from his hind quarters. His pale smoke grey coat bristled at the fringes, complimenting his glowing red eyes. Twilight had to take a step back, gasping at the realisation of who the stallion was after seeing the twin horns that sprouted from the sides of his head. However, it was Coppa who was the first to speak in light of his shock.
“Oh my god, Dante’s a pony...”