//------------------------------//
// The Hunt For Insanity 
// Story: Diprosopus 
// by WritingSpirit 
//------------------------------//

	"Sister-in-law?"

"You seem surprised," Princess Crystallia questioned inquiringly when she saw the wide-eyed look of Dapple Deuce, her aptly-cold voice resonating through the fortress she was in. Odd, she wondered; she was supposed to be the surprised one in the room. After all, not many knew of their existence. Who could blame them?
"I assume you all have... encountered her, if I may put it?"

"Yes we did," Phoenix answered.
"Back at the Shrine of Duilliúr."

"She still lives in that damp marsh of hers? I'd really thought she had moved out of there by now."

"Hold on a minute! It was a marsh? I thought it was a shrine!"

The response from Pinkie earned her a look from the alicorn, before Velvet cut in:
"She's rather...oblivious to some things."

"Perhaps so."
With a waving gesture of her hoof and all supposed transgressions forgiven, the caravan seated themselves back into their respective seats with the exception of Pinkie Pie, who once again plopped her haunches right next to the uncomfortable Artemis. Silently, Princess Crystallia took a sip from her chalice, the invigorating warmth flowing through her veins and thawing the frost encrusted around her heart.
It wasn't until she opened her eyes when she noticed a blue shimmer in the pink one's eyes, the quirky little pony staring up at her with a fervor that she could only dub as curiosity. One blink and still, the pink pony just kept on staring, which was long enough to ease her off the throne, even if by a little bit.
"What is it?"

"Aren't you gonna tell us?"

"About what?"

"You know!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in place.
"How Princess Terra is your sister-in-law!"

The princess just grimaced with a huff.
"None of it concerns you, pink one."

"But I wanna know how!"

"Huh. You're an obstinate one," was the only comment she could bother giving to Pinkie, before Princess Crystallia turned away with a cross of her hooves. Of course, all that proved fruitless when she saw that inquisitive mare once again from the corner of her eye, the puffy red cheeks she was sporting almost as if they were about to burst. To her, it was a quaint sight, for none in her dominion had ever had a shorter patience than the pink mare. Not that all of it mattered.

At least, that was what she thought.

"Princess?"

A sigh escaped her mouth.
"What?" Princess Crystallia snapped.

"Can you tell the story now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because..." she began, though the words spilled out of her mouth before she could catch them back.
"B-Because... uh... because..."

Artemis had disbelief written on every inch of her face. There was the Princess Crystallia, great ruler of their arctic domain and a feared and highly respected monarch at the highest caliber; the alicorn where no deer dared to speak up lest to incur her dreadful wrath and yet, she had been rendered speechless by not one, but two strangers who had trotted into her kingdom.
"Your Highness?" she called, a little afraid.
"Is something the matter?"

"D-Does one need a reason to disclose something so confidential, pink one?" the alicorn chastised suddenly, ignoring the concerned question of her fellow subordinate.
"I, for one, do not wish to bring up the notion of Princess Terra. We promised to never talk about our brethren for sake of the safety of the universe. The powers that be had sworn the oath of silence and I shall follow them in their honor."

"Who's we?"

"Myself and the rest of us alicorns."
Before she realized she had revealed too much, the rest of those present, with the exception of Selena who was gripping her aching temple, were already on the edge of their seats, the urge to continue amplified only by their looks of majestic awe. A foggy sigh escaped her mouth; the damage had been done anyway. What more harm can come?
"It was a promise we kept," she finally said.
"That none of us shall reveal the others unless the situation demands it. We don't want to risk exposing ourselves. It would be too dangerous, for both ourselves and the safety of this universe."

"What do you mean?" Phoenix questioned, grimacing.

"You must've known about the growing unrest and the bombings in Canterlot."
All of them nodded; the first time in a while that Pinkie heard about it. It shows that no matter how remote of a place you can be in, news will still get to you. She always felt a little knot in her joints every time someone mentions about them, almost as if she was there or she had some experience to it. Velvet always said it was just the natural instinct of shock, yet shock seems to pale in comparison to what she was feeling.
"The enemy is ancient, his origins beginning alongside ours," the ice princess stated.
"If he ever finds out about our existence besides our kin in Canterlot, the end of Equestria may arrive sooner than one can hope to imagine. His influence is extraordinary; almost as great as that of Celestia's. They had been patiently gathered over time, the knowledge of the ancients passed down to the next generation and so. In fact, I believe there may be some of them plaguing the regions around as well. Fortunately, they had not discovered my domain yet."

"Princess Terra..." Velvet began.
"We believe... or at least I did, that her shrine was desecrated by some of his soldiers."

Princess Crystallia's jaw dropped in shock, her chalice almost following suit. She was quick to reel back however, instead shooting her own question back immediately:
"What happened? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. We've liberated the Duilliúr Shrine alongside her. Somewhat."

"Thank Elysium..." she muttered.
"At least she's safe. I couldn't even begin to think what my brother would do if otherwise."

"Ooh! So she is married to your brother!"
The grim, tense mood was broken at the revelation from Pinkie Pie, who jumped into the conversation fervently and veered the topic off course. With a quiet cough, Princess Crystallia took a sip from her crystal chalice again, secretly praying that anyone of them, be it from the pink mare's comrades or her cervine subjects, save her from her cruel ordeal. Those bright blue eyes, however, tipped her that it was not meant to be.

"Unofficially," she snapped, still keeping her stern look even though the excited looks of every single being in the room was enough for amusement to tickle out a smile on her face.
"We didn't have a proper wedding. They just declared themselves to be husband and wife, 'tis all."

"Aw..." Pinkie cooed, leading the conversation for them all.
"What's the lucky boy's name?"

A sigh, flustered with a single droplet of merriment.
"Aquaros. The Prince of Water who rule over the sea ponies like how I rule over the northern cervine natives. He's also my elder brother, around six years senior of my age, if my memory does not fail me."

"How's he like?" Ganger popped his question.

The alicorn wanted to scoff. How her big brother is like? She would've called him the most miserable, most desperate stallion to fall in love with someone simple such as Terra herself. Then again, there is more to Aquaros than meets the eye; there was a reason he had the responsibility for the caring of every lake, river and ocean there is in the world, aside from volunteering for that post immediately.
"He... he's a good brother."

"Oh, come on!" shouted Ollivander with a lift of his mug of ale, much to her surprise.
"Cer'ainly there must be more than that, Yer Highness!"

"Well..." Princess Crystallia couldn't help but stifle a smile.
"He was one of the most noble stallions I know. Sure, his head can go beyond the clouds sometimes, to the point that it gets on my nerves a lot, but he has that... stupid courage, if such an expression is viable. Even in the most dangerous situations, you would see him charging in for your sake, like the time he rescued Terra and myself from a few Tartarian creatures. I'd say, that was one of his most glorious moments."

"No wonder Princess Terra liked him~!" Pinkie coyly spoke, some of them snickering quietly.

"No doubt she did," the alicorn rasped bitterly at the notion of that name, crossing her hooves.
"Honestly, I will never understand the chemistry of those particular two. How my brother Aquaros came to grew fond of her will forever be a mystery I can never comprehend."

"You don't have to, Your Highness."
After retaining such a long moment of silence, Selena had finally spoken, which was quite a surprise for the rest in the room, especially Ollivander's. She stepped forward, hoof clenching on a small pint of confidence and what seemed to be a little bit of alcohol in her system as she tried her best to explain in her state:
"Love is like... is like a spark. Once you set it off, it starts a chain of reactions that can give you the greatest explosion in your entire life, larger than anything you would ever feel in your life. Larger even than the fireworks you see in the sky."

The pegasus suddenly gripped onto one of Ollivander's talons, the gryphon only able to chuckle nervously at her antics. Phoenix and Velvet already had their eyebrows raised at the mug in her hooves, then to the small red tint on Selena's cheeks, then to the sweat beads showering down the furs on Ollivander's back.
"That's what happened between me and Ollie," she said with a drunken wave of her hoof, her brows furrowing so suddenly and her smile turning into the darkest glower she could ever muster.
"If anything, and I do mean anything, ever, EVER, takes him away from me, I'll swear I will tie them against a chair, slice their guts open and STUFF EVERY SINGLE BOMB I MADE DOWN THEIR THROATS!! THEN I--"

"Okay~! Party time's over!!" Ollivander spoke up suddenly, clamping his mate's mouth even as she screamed on and on with such ferocity, it was enough to make Artemis pale a brighter shade of white. All of them watched in shock as the gryphon excused himself and carried her away, trying to calm her down throughout the journey to the closest bedroom. Princess Crystallia, however, had her eyes transfixed upon something else, particularly on Selena's face. It was something she hasn't seen for a long time; something she herself had feared yet admired in its purest, most destructive form.

Rage.

She sighed to herself: how long has it been?

"Sorry about that, Your Highness," Phoenix began, cutting her from her slight daze.
"It always happens, these uh... violent psychotic episodes of hers. Don't mind what she's saying."

"Even if she is psychotic," the alicorn stated, sipping from her chalice.
"I'm rather certain that there are some truth in those words."

"I-I beg your pardon, Your Highness?"

"The insane can portray reality in a way the sane cannot," she answered.
"From what little experience I have, there is this certain degree of truth that only they can see. A degree that can extend itself higher than the mountains of the north. As much as I discourage one to dwell beyond the depths of sanity, I encourage it. Without insanity, we would forever be restricted in our own boundaries."

"In other words, Your Highness?" Velvet questioned.

"What Selena has spoken of love, despite her... drunken stupor, I would call it, may be true. I would exclude the portion where she talks about suffocating one with their own pyrotechnics however."
The room was filled with mirthful chuckles at her joke, though it was quick to fade soon after.
"Even in my domain, I had faced such beings more in touch of what's beyond than those around them. If my brother, Terra or even the other alicorns were here, they might say I'm fond of being around the insane."

Pinkie's eyes grew bigger at that point, but stopped once she saw, in the corner of her eye, Artemis dip her head down low. It was then that Princess Crystallia suddenly beckoned her hooves towards her beloved Oracle, instructing her to rise and step up to her side, which she only did so after the alicorn sported a glare. All of them kept their silence, the caravan watching as the princess wrapped a wing around her most beloved subject.
"Artemis was one of those beings," she said regally, much to the horror of the caravan. The fawn could only shiver, a small tear threatening to creep out the corner of her red eye.
"She became Oracle for a reason, after all."

"W-What..." Pinkie stammered.
"What do you mean?"

"Is it that complicated of an answer?" the alicorn chided, even as the fawn started to weep quietly underneath the shadow of her princess. Pinkie bit her lip as the softest trembling whispers came from Artemis's mouth, traveled through the petrified crowd and nestled into her ear, striking a cord in her heart that almost struck down the curls in her mane.















"Please don't say it..."















"Artemis is a psychopath. The best a princess could ever ask for."

Before any of them could ask, she suddenly stood up and glanced down at the table, satisfied at the sight of empty plates, used silverware, finished bottles and her Oracle slinking at the side, spirit shattered and heart crushed. With a small glimmer in her horn and a clap of her hooves, she faced her subjects and the caravan, smiling when she saw the looks they were giving.

It was of pure, abject horror.

For the alicorn however, it was an invigorating sight worth soaking in.

"I declare this feast over!!"




O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O




There was a reason Stellar Lionheart admired the Palgiots.

Sure, he was taken in by Pendulum Palgiot at a very young age. No doubt, their innovations and contributions they done to the scientific and technological advancements in Equestria were astounding. Plus, who could forget their fabulous wine? To him however, as the former butler of the family, he admired the Palgiot name for none of those; rather, it was their spirit to help others in need without a second thought.
It was in the hallways they were in that he was reminded of the family, having trying to keep those thoughts out of his head for a while. He knew there was no way to save them, yet something always nagged him in the corner of his head, telling him that there is a way for everything. Someday, he had to take up on Caduceus's offer on seeing a psychiatrist.

"... and sure enough, my parents had the deed for the inn."

"All that traveling and fighting for a small business contract?"

Stellar chuckled quietly, glancing back at Caduceus and Harmony swapping a few of their stories. It was the doctor's idea to start up the session, just to break a little ice along their journey. He had already ran out his own a little while ago, leaving him to listen to Harmony's tale of how her parents ventured across the Straits of the Eastern Peninsular, stumbling upon the most exotic cultures and fought with a house of bandits or two just for the sake of a deed.
"Hey, you do what you gotta do, as they say," Harmony quipped.
"Besides, it gave me a place to stay and earn some bits when they're gone."

"Well, I find the lengths they would go to rather astonishing."

"It's hereditary. Did you know my grandfather had to hang-glide through the entire Vardunskrr canyon in the Badlands just to look for a small herb?"

"Save your stories for now, Harmony," Stellar cut in, raising a hoof.
"I see an opening. Get ready."

With a small click, the stallion hoisted up his rapier on his left hoof and a pistol on his right, his old friend readying a rifle. However age had affected them, both could still hear the soft chattering of what they could only describe as the chitinous carapace of some large insect. Slowly, they trudged forward, the only sound being made is that of Harmony unsheathing her curvaceous, white blade.
They soon emerged in the middle of a large crater, created as a result of the explosion that obliterated the entirety of Pendant Lakes. Harmony looked around, biting her lip at the few pieces of parchment scattered around, a tapestry, drawn with smudged etchings of constellations, still hanging from the remains of a cement wall and what seemed to be a cannon, twisted and bent limp on the floor, the tip blasted upon like an upturned umbrella. She remembered the last time she was here.

Princess Luna was shriveling on the floor, mind, bone and spirit crumpled.

Twilight Sparkle was screaming her lungs out, begging her to stop.

A flock of ravens pecked at her, their deranged caws chasing her away from the abyss.

"This is the observatory of Ravine Palgiot."

"Ground zero," Caduceus muttered, kicking some shrapnel around.
"We sure have ventured quite some distance from the palace."

"So it would seem," Stellar replied, looking back over his shoulder to see the silhouette of the crumbling palace perched on the giant rock. To stand at the source of the destruction of his beloved hometown... the chaos that happened in that one night itself was a legend that would reverberate across the strings of time. His fellow citizens would tell their children of the glory that once stood here and they, in return, would do the same to their children. Quietly, the butler sighed.

Pendant Lakes would become nothing more of a fairy tale.

A city surrounded in the foggy throes of fables and myths.

"I don't see anything here."

"Me neither," Caduceus remarked, glancing around the wasteland.
"Any reason you brought us here, Miss Peridot?"

Harmony just stared at them glumly, taking one step back with her dagger raised.
"Miss Harmony?" Stellar called, raising his pistol. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Just as the mare stepped back, a roar so infernal shook the crater, the two stallions glancing around in alarm. Striking his gaze back to Harmony, he could only grit his teeth, his arsenal loaded and ready.
"What have you done?"

"I'm sorry."

"We entrusted our lives with you, Miss Peridot!"

"I HAD TO DO THIS!!"
There was no point. They wouldn't listen. Leave them. Those voices rang in her head over and over, yet she couldn't just abandon them. However, there was no defying the laws that governed these ruins, especially when it comes to a direct order given by the very head of these remnants itself.
"I had to do this..." she gasped amid her tears, sheathing her dagger.
"It's been nice knowing you two... you bloody old coots."

"HARMONY!!" Caduceus yelled, watching as she jumped over the edge, leaving them in the darkness to be preyed by the horrors of the deep. Standing back to back, Stellar was the first to point his gun, sweat beads crawling down his head from all the mangled cackling and chattering of their predators. Any of them would strike now. Any of them would take the chance to pounce and announce the starting of the grand feast.

Any time now...

"Steady, Caduceus."

"Say it to yourself."











*BANG!*

The first gunshot erupted from Stellar's revolver, the target being a shadow that zipped across from the edges of the crater. Stellar hissed at himself, though not before another gunshot, this time from Caduceus, pierced through the brief veil of silence. Whirling back, he quickly pulled his trigger again, to no avail. The potshots they were giving only created a maelstrom of laughter among their adversaries, which only infuriated him more.
"Reveal yourself, you Tartarian beasts!!" he yelled.
"Face us in the open, I dare you!!"

Caduceus's next shot finally sent one propelling towards them, the body of an onyx, chitinous creature skidding across the rocky floor to the bottom of their hooves. Wracked with scars that leak a dark shade of purple, both of its sickle-shaped arms twitched fervently in its desperate struggle to live, with one of its six pointed legs reaching out as it hissed and croak, before the creature's violent trembling came to a standstill.
Another one leaped towards Stellar, who managed to stick a rapier from below its abdomen just in time, the impaled creature flailing around the blade. Swinging the monstrosity off, he soon fired his revolver with a loud, echoing bang, leaving a third crumpling onto the floor with a creaky whine.

"You alright, Caduceus?" Stellar had to ask, looking over his shoulder.

"Aiming's a little rusty, but otherwise I'm fine."
The doctor couldn't help but snicker, his friend only raising an eyebrow.
"Been a while since I used one of these in actual combat. All Princess Luna gave me in the barracks for practice were some bloody straw dummies."

"Pah! Talk about mobile targets!"

Their gunfire soon resumed, lead piercing through the bodies of their assailants. Every creature that flung themselves upon them, they struck them down like dominoes in the forsaken valley. Blood splattered all around, staining their coats; one creature even expelled a shower of its essence on Stellar's face, the stallion having thrust upwards in a narrow escape from death. Quickly spitting out the revolting liquid, he fired at his next target, trying to see through the tainted curtain of blood.
"Stellar!" Caduceus cried as his friend was tackled down, both weapons thrown to the side. With a grunt, Stellar grappled against the creature, both hooves straining to push its pincers apart as it screamed and roared into his face. Three short pangs later, the creature slumped off to the side, leaving the panting stallion to see his friend staring down at him, his rifle smoking.
"Thank me later, Lionheart."

"I would have all the time to thank you when we're done."

"Really?" Caduceus panted with a grin, throwing his spent rifle aside just to reach for a new one.
"Well then, I wouldn't mind ending this fight a whole lot faster."

"Zastavit!!"

Suddenly, the feast come to a halt, the monstrosities growling and hissing as they circled the two stallions warily, waiting for the order to strike once more. From amid the darkness stepped out a figure that seemed neither pony nor demon; rather, it was a bit of both. Slung around him was a shotgun, the barrels carved in ominous runes that glowed a faint orange in the dark and on their assailant's head was a metallic hat that reminded them of those used by the farmers in the east.
"Well, well," the figure chuckled darkly.
"All my dear hunting dogs I've lost, to two aging ponies, of all things... certainly our prey here knows how to put up a decent fight."

"The result of your underestimation, you demonic cretin."

"Oh the horror, Stellar Lionheart," he rasped, giving the stallions a fanged grin.
"Why the colorful formalities? Aren't we but old comrades, my friend?"

A perturbing silence blanketed the crater, save for a few menacing growls by the so-called 'hunting dogs'. Caduceus, however, was the first to step forward, squinting his eyes while glancing underneath the hat of their attacker. It wasn't long before those same eyes widened, the doctor's hoof shaking.
"It can't be..."

"Bingo, Caduceus."

"But... it can't be... I saw you! I measured your pulse! You were dead!!"

"No..." Stellar muttered, finally realizing it.
"Impossible... you couldn't be him..."

"Side by side on friendship's shore, no?" the figure replied, laughing out loud at the shocked expressions; a response that he had longed to see. Without hesitation, he pulled his hat down, whatever little light striking his face to reveal to them, clear as day, who he was. One pump of his shotgun later, he swung it towards the duo, licking his lips as he spoke:
"The name's Sidus Sirenheart..."

Stellar and Caduceus held their breaths.

"... and the hunt has just begun."

*BANG!*




O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O





Look through all the records.



Find out who's responsible for this madness.



Bring them to me.




If any average pony were to hear those orders, they would've assumed it came from the highest order, which was Princess Celestia herself. Of course she gave those orders, but Twilight Sparkle had been there to know that it was actually Cadance who pressured her aunt to do so. It was really an unprecedented moment; if pressured meant screaming and yelling at somepony over and over at six in the morning, then her foal-sitter had done her job right. What else would the Princess of the Sun do after that?
Like in most times, she was in the library, though instead of reading, she was staring down from one of the windows to see around eight rows of soldiers from the Royal Guard, both diurnal and nocturnal, lining up towards each respective royal official to present their belongings to be rummaged. There was certainly no chance of an escape; they were surrounded by the soldiers of other nationalities, which only served to pacify yet intimidate them more. To be rounded up like convicts by foreigners on your own soil ... she could only imagine the anger the Guard may be feeling right now.

Still, there is a traitor among them.

They have to flesh that pony out, no matter the circumstances.

"And... there we go," Spike said, placing a pile of books onto the table alongside others. He glanced at the three towers before him, one of them already teetering a little. Sure, Twilight may be an avid reader, but the dragon knew well enough that this was way too much for her. 
"Are you really gonna read all these?"

"I have to," the unicorn answered, remaining adamant as she flipped the first book before her.
"The faster we figure out who Janus is, the better."

"Why don't we ask the princesses? I'm sure they might know a thing or two."

"They're busy protecting the kingdom and making sure none of these things happen again."

"Which would be a whole lot easier if they could just tell you."

"Okay," Twilight snapped, having barely reached the end of the first page before closing it. With a hefty sigh, she looked up at the dragon, who was already leaning against the spine of a bookshelf with arms crossed, tail flicking around the carpeted floor. She had felt something was off the moment he asked to help out; there was no better time to ask than now.
"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Seriously, you wouldn't be here if nothing was wrong."

"Look," Spike grumbled, settling onto the floor.
"I just felt like coming here and helping you out, just like the old days."

"Spike, listen," the mare began, stopping to sigh.
"I've known you ever since the moment you were born, alright? Heck, I've been taking care of you ever since you hatched out of that egg."

"Technically, it was your mother and Princess Celestia first."

"Seriously Spike, that's not the point."
Twilight didn't know whether to laugh or yell at him for saying that, instead pushing herself to continue. She stood up, trotted to his side and, with a clench of her lips, put a hoof around his shoulder, much to the dragon's surprise.
"What I'm trying to say is... if there's anything bothering you and I do mean anything at all, you can always tell me. Who knows, there might be some way that I can help out."

Spike sighed to himself. He knew this would come eventually. Never had he planned for a confession in the morning, but there was no point pouting and grumbling about it anyway. Perhaps his foster sister can help out, perhaps not. Either way, it would be better to figure this out with someone else rather than doing it alone. The mare's hoof on his shoulder was proof enough that he needed help. Who's better than Twilight Sparkle, the mare who had been solving his problems since day one?
"It's..." he stopped, barred by hesitation.
"It's about Rarity."

"Okay..." Twilight muttered, slightly surprised.
"What about her?"

"I don't know... we aren't really getting along these days."

"Why? What did she say?"

"She didn't actually say anything... but... I don't know... I feel like she's hiding something from me."

"Why would you say that?"

"I tried talking to her about it, but she just said..." Spike stopped, paws tensing.
"She said she needed some time to herself. Without me."

"She wouldn't be the first to say that."

"Look, are you trying to help or not?"

"I was being serious," Twilight justified.
"Sometimes, we need to take a break. You were always around her everywhere she goes and never giving her a chance to breathe. Maybe... maybe she needs some time off from your relationship."

"So you're saying I should just leave her be?"

"For a while, at least."

"But what if..." the dragon began to stammer.
"W-What if Janus comes back and tries to hurt her? Who's gonna protect her?"

"See, this is what I mean, Spike."
There was no other way that Twilight could put it better, even if his feelings would get hurt. She never wanted to get in the way between Spike and Rarity, but from what she could comprehend, she could understand why her friend would want to get away from the dragon for however much time she wished it to be.
"Right now, you're just making her more insecure," she tried to explain.
"When you're around her, it's always about Janus this and Janus that and... I don't think Rarity wants to be reminded about him every single time."

"But... but I didn't even mention anything about him..."

"You probably did. Indirectly." 

"Even if I did... I..." Spike stopped to sigh, body trembling.
"I just... don't want Rarity to get hurt again. She... she almost died that day, when that pony tried to kill us in our room. Janus even almost got us at the camp that day. There's already so many things happening, like yesterday, when the barracks got hit... I'm afraid, Twilight. I'm afraid something would happen to her and I won't be there to save her..."

"I know..." Twilight muttered sincerely.
"But right now, Rarity needs someone that can take care of her and show her the good things. Yes, she must never forget about what's happening around her, but she must also never forget about what's important to her and what makes her happy and... right now, it's you. You will always be important to her, but on that part about making her happy and all... you have to try a lot harder than that."

"And if she says she needs some time alone?"

"Then give it to her, if it makes her happy."

Spike's eyes shifted to the floor, his head being dragged along. A moment of tranquility wavered throughout the library as Twilight stood back up, excused herself with a cough and trotted back to the table, continuing from where she left off. She stopped midway at the seventeenth paragraph when she caught Spike standing up, watching him striding across to the door and opening it, though not before turning back to her.
"Thanks," he said with a grin of budding confidence.

"Not a problem, Spike," she replied earnestly.

With the door shut and the dragon finally gone, Twilight Sparkle let out a relaxed sigh, stretching her hooves. She would pat her back for a job well done, yet time is of the essence. The answer to their enemy might be somewhere in the books and she can't just wait around for something to come up. Reaching back into her satchel, she pulled out the notebook of the late Tattertale Page, the stallion murdered in the household of Fancypants and Fleur De Lis.
"There must be something in you somewhere..." muttered the unicorn, flipping it open. She had, to no avail, skimmed through each and every bit of research that the deceased professor had done in the sandy outskirts of Saddle Arabia, hoping to find a lead that would close the case. It doesn't make any sense: how would the bombings be connected to an archaeological dig?

By the time she reached the eighth book, she was already slumping in her chair, groaning at the endless wall of words before her. With a tired sigh, she pushed the books aside, though it wasn't long before she chuckled to herself: for once, she was getting sick of reading.
Looking out, the day had already reached noon. The frustrated crowd had already diminished into several tired lines. She could only watch as the last of the guards were examined top to bottom, though her thoughts had already wandered to a certain mysterious masked caper. It had been a day since she heard anything from him, having literally ran out of his haven and galloped across town in her vain attempt to save her brother. She still could never get his voice out of her head; her nerves tingled as she remembered how calm and smooth he was. Her body shivered, remembering his fiery advances upon her that night. One could say he has the Midas touch to unlock her heart.

"I slept with the Masque of Canterlot," Twilight bemused, before chuckling at the irony of it all. Her smile soon waned, her gaze lowered with a small, airy hum escaping her mouth. There were so many things-- too many, in fact, that she wanted to learn about him; where he came from, what he wanted and most importantly, what he was hiding underneath that mask. So many questions, yet so slim the opportunities.
"If only..."

"If only what?"

Twilight yelped in surprise, only to sigh and start chuckling when she saw the Masque perched on the bookshelf, who laughed in return. Brushing her mane aside, she watched as he gracefully leaped down, hoof dipping into silence once he landed. With a mirthful grin brightened further only by the sunlight, he strode forward, finally reunited with his lover.
"I told you to stop coming up to me like that, didn't I?" she cooed teasingly, making him chuckle.

"Old habits die hard."

All that she could do was giggle. Quietly, Twilight felt herself pulled into his embrace, red flushing into her cheeks when one of it nuzzled into his chest. It was like any other feeling of warmth, yet this one felt special. This one ignited a distant fire somewhere within her, her joints tingling delicately as if being crawled over by an army of ants. It was an unusual sensation, albeit a lovely sensation all the same.
"I missed you," she mumbled.

"It's only been a day."

"It was a long day for me..." the mare professed.
"I-I didn't know what to do... I wanted to go back... but my brother..."

"It's okay. I'm here now."

A blessing. That was what it was. A damned blessing, so fortunate a chance at such a dire time. Twilight let out a trembling sigh, garnering the Masque's attention with a tear dampening his chest; in return, he hushed her, his wings folding around her. She wept a little, whether out of trauma and out of joy, she didn't know. All that mattered was that he was there.
"E-Enough..." she suddenly spoke, wiping her tears away.
"How's everything back there? Is the filly alright?"

"She's doing fine," he answered, much to her relief.
"Trixie and the rest are tending to her as we speak. Her captors had scarred her deeply, but we're trying to help her get back up to the filly she was. Hopefully, she would recover from everything she had to go through."

All Twilight could do was nod.
"And you?" she couldn't help but ask.
"What have you been doing?"

"The usual."

"What did you steal this time?"

"Na ah ah!" the Masque stopped her with a click of his tongue, much to her annoyance.
"I'm not taking any chances."

"But I was just... ugh, fine..."

"Maybe next time, Twilight Sparkle. Yes... next time..." he said, gazing out the window.
"For now, I just want to be with you."

Twilight blushed again, this time turning away from him with a flustered laugh. Grin widening, the Masque drew her head back with a hoof, the mare just looking up at his face, dumbfounded with old tears still shimmering at the corner of her eyes, her jaw slowly falling, once again mesmerized by his mystery. All it takes was a small lean forward for his lips to meet hers, the two ponies closing their eyes in a ravishing collision that echoed throughout the silent library.
"Mmph..." the mare moaned, the rosy thoughts of that night returning back in a torrential flood. She felt his strong hooves around her lithe body pulling her towards him, her nerves all rushing towards his lips faster than an adrenaline rush. Her back tingled a little once she felt it against the cold, smooth surface of the glass window, though it could never rival the lasting oral rapture she had found herself in.

The loud groan of the door was all it took to snap her out as Twilight jumped a little, hairs standing up to see Princess Cadance stepping inside, staring at her with a confounded expression on her face. Both mares stood in awkward silence, with the Masque nowhere to be seen no matter how much times Twilight's eyes scanned throughout the room.
"Um, Twilight?" the alicorn began sheepishly.
"You're drooling a little bit."

"Huh? What?"

"Drooling? As in... do I really have to explain it?"
Immediately, the bookish mare quickly wiped off the trail of saliva snaking out of her mouth, much to the amusement of her sister-in-law. With a hum of delight, Cadance stepped into the library, smirking as Twilight gave a small cough, chair lurching out for the younger mare to seat herself and resume her research.
"Sorry to barge in like that, but Shining wanted to see how you were doing," the alicorn explained.
"You know how he is, being worried and all."

"I'm fine," Twilight replied in the most sincerest way possible.
"H-How about you? Feeling a lot better?"

"Just had a talk with Princess Celestia..." she muttered glumly, though a smile broke in, stopping Twilight in her tracks of pursuing the topic further.
"It went alright, if you really want to know. She just... didn't want me to cause a scene again."

"And?"

Cadance sighed.
"Well, she almost shouted back at me. Almost."

"I knew it," Twilight grumbled.

"I don't blame her. She's really, really stressed with everything going on. In fact, I'm surprised she haven't started to attack yet. We're just sitting here while out there? Who knows what might be happening now. I mean, it happened in Trottingham, it happened in Manehatten... and you almost got caught by him too."

"Uh-huh..." the other mare muttered, visibly shivering. Her horn was still bandaged, having been fractured as a result of their narrow escape from the north. The pain had long since subsided to the point where she could use it for the simple spells, returning in an agonizing jolt only when she used it for more complex ones. It was also true for the gunshot wound in her shoulder; there was only a scar remaining after all the hell it had to go through.
"How's Radiance?"

"Scared to come out a little, but otherwise okay."

"Well, tell him he can always come to the library to see me if he wants to," Twilight said with a grin, which faltered only when she saw Cadance's disdainful look. No fault there, having believed she had lost her son to the very same explosion that nearly consumed her husband.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of him," she added.
"I promise."

"I'll consider it... but thanks, Twilight."

With that, the Princess of Love left the library, leaving once again Twilight Sparkle in her anthological solitude. Her flame of informative perusal lit once more, she flipped open the professor's notebook, browsing through the pages before stumbling upon a small wrinkled letter and, to her elation, a fragrant scarlet rose. Giggling softly, she unfolded the letter, trying so hard to contain her laughter until finally, the dam broke, her cries of joy let loose upon the silent library in anticipation of what was to come.
"Such a charmer..." she muttered dreamily, levitating the rose by the stalk before her.
"The Masque of Canterlot..."

Her voice echoed the single word he left in his parting message; the one that left her beaming with a joy like no other.

"Tonight."




O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O




Artemis was the psychopath.

The best a princess could ever ask for.

When those words hit the ears of Selena Gust, she could not believe it. The Oracle, a symbol of faith and hope in the cold cervine territory. A fawn at such a young age with a bright future ahead of her, her journey paved with greater things to come... declared insane by her own ruler? It just wasn't right.
The dining hall was empty, the caravan being the only guests remaining in the room. Selena had come to, having drank a little bit too much and apparently, according to her dear Ollivander, screamed something about stuffing bombs down throats. She was a little perturbed about it after thinking it through in her given moment of rest. Then again, it sounded like a good idea; she wouldn't hesitate to try it out sometime if Ollie let her.

"And she just... left her?"

Velvet nodded at Ollivander's question.
"Artemis ran off somewhere before we could stop her," the stallion muttered, gritting his teeth.
"I can't believe it. What kind of princess would torment her own subjects?"

"Is anyone of them looking for her?" Selena had to ask, slightly concerned.

"Phoenix and Dapple are organizing a search, but I doubt she wants to be found after what happened."

The pegasus sighed, looking out the window at the night sky, its beauty obscured only by a graceful, thick curtain of falling snow. It sparkled and glimmered like stars that fell from the sky, landing on the ground drowning in bodies of their own kin, buried only by shame. That's right... falling stars that have no place in the empyrean field before her. Just like Artemis.

Just like herself.

Selena clenched her eyes shut. The city of Gaileton came to her mind. The city she was born, bred and raised in by her parents. She remembered the day she stood for trial, wrongly accused for the murder of her family. She remembered the day that all hell broke loose, with the last resort being the remote in her hooves that would've leave a crater in the city she was proud to be from. Everything would've gone with the blast, including herself. Everything would've been lost.

She remembered the day she became an outcast.

A fallen star.

But Artemis? No, Artemis still has a chance.

"Ollie?" she called the gryphon's name while walking down the hallway five minutes later, the couple returning to their room. Ollivander just stared at her, at first puzzled, though a smile soon broke out from his beak. He already knew what was coming, oh he knew.

"Just be safe. Don't go bombin' anythin' now without tellin' me, love."

"I love you, Ollie," she whispered, giving him a peck on his fluffy cheek. This was one of the reasons she adored him so much; even though he knew of her condition, he could just let her run wild all the time. Without further ado, Selena galloped across the hallways of the Nordic temple and to the stone doors, catching a few eyes of the servants along the way. Saving no hesitation, she pushed them open with a grunt, a pulsing wave of cool air meeting her and inviting her into its frosty cradle.
Panting with foggy breaths, she glanced around the quaint town, surveying the spectacle before her. It reminded her a little of Gaileton somehow, though she shook those thoughts off immediately. Now is not the time to dwell onto long gone memories, she told herself.

A small grin came with a revelation, her gaze shooting towards the forest beyond. It was the one place that the fawn could escape to without anyone else following her. If she were in one of her psychotic episodes as well, she figured she would run off into the woods as well.
Without time to waste, Selena took off, darting upwards into the dark sky and above a thick layer of clouds, freeing herself from its nebulous grasps. She stopped, whipping her mane back in the bright of the moon, a lash of snow following it and sprinkling back to the ground as she breathe in the cooling air, letting it ravish her canals and lungs until it all comes out in a single puff.

"Here goes nothing."

In a tremendous speed like never before, Selena dived down, slicing through the clouds with her wings, letting them take her towards the depths of the woods. She swerved over and under the dry branches, battling against the cold while glancing around, searching for the fawn that flew the coop.
A soft wind blew through the forest and, much to her delight, it carried the sound of small, plaintive sobs along. Slowly but steadily, she landed right behind a mangled mess of branches that would be a shrub in spring, peeking from the small cracks to see none other than Artemis herself, brought to her knees with her tears already turning into frost. What was surprising was that she was wielding a bow, eloquently made from the whitest birch with carvings of what Selena could guess were creatures from the cervine mythical lore.

Cautiously, she stepped out from the undergrowth, hooves crunching softly in the snow in her approach. The fawn had not noticed her yet, too lost in her own delusions to register anything else. Selena could hear her sobs now, however much Artemis tried to muffle them. She could hear the screams within them, the defiled sounds that reeked of loneliness.
"Artemis?" she called out.

The wails grew silent.

"Artemis, it's okay now..." Selena continued, hooves raised.
"Come back with me. The rest are waiting. We don't want to make them worry."

The wind stilled.

The snow stopped.


"Artemi-- AHHHHHHHH!!!"


The loudest shriek tore the veil of clouds as Selena fell backwards into the snow, panting and grunting from the pain coursing through her entire form. She hesitantly opened her eyes, shocked to see what looks like an arrow punctured into her right chest, the head already nestled away from view in blood, most of which were already spilling out in branches. It pierced deep, but not as deep as those of Artemis's red eyes, the albino deer now standing over her, grinning with bow in hoof.
"Make who worry?" she scowled.
"NOBODY CARES ABOUT ME!!! NO ONE WILL EVER UNDERSTAND!!!"

"That's... huh... that's not true..." Selena gasped weakly.
"I'm here to... gah... hah... take you back!"

Artemis burst out in laughter, echoes of it propelled to the skies above.
"Take me back!! Heh... TAKE ME BACK?!!" she screamed into the mare's face. Suddenly, she clutched firmly onto the feathered end of the punctured arrow, a maniacal giggle escaping her mouth. Before Selena could even utter her denial, she was forced into another loud scream as the arrow was twisted deeper into her, her body arching up and hooves grappling in place. Every nerve and fiber seared, ignited into a burning wildfire of pain that razed all her senses numb.

"Pl-Plea... hngah... hah... guh... please..."

"Why would I go back?!" she asked, laughing to herself.
"I mean, think about it! My parents are dead!! They all hated me!! If I ran off, if I... if I disappeared... imagine... I didn't do it... I saw them... she... she took me in..."

"Your... parents..."

"Shut up."

"How old were you?"

"Shut up!"

"Who did it?!"


"SHUT UP!!!"

With a loud shriek, Artemis quickly drew another arrow, gritting her teeth as she stabbed it right beneath the bleeding wound, the loud screams of Selena erupting into the silent night. It was quickly unsheathed, the blood spurting out in a geyser for a brief moment, but not before it was plugged again by the arrow. Repetitively, Artemis stabbed the mare, yelling and screaming each time the arrow tore through the deepest flesh of its target, opening new wounds as well as boring into old ones.
By the time she was done, she was panting over the most beautiful creation she had ever witnessed her own hooves do. There was Selena Gust, lying on the floor and staring blank into the sky, breathing rapidly in a desperate struggle for life like a dying animal. Blood spewed from around eighteen different punctures in her chest, forming a blooming red on the snow floor. Her mouth garbled and gurgled as more of her crude essence spilled out like an overfilled jug, sloshing about in its confines and splattering onto the ground. Her wings were frayed, twitching in an erratic beat while her body trembled in a different, rapid one.

The only mistake she saw in her masterpiece was a single tear that crept out of Selena's eye.

Artemis's smile faded at that one mistake, the frenzy in her eyes dimming.

For a moment, she saw herself. She saw a version of her laying there in the pool of blood and snow, with those eyes screaming for help, for hope, for something... anything, to hold on to. She saw what was left of her, still sane, still intact... dying. She was dying. Artemis was dying, murdered by her own hooves.
"A-Artemis..." Selena gargled, forcing out a weak smile even as blood violently spilled out from around the corners once more. It snapped the Oracle out from her brief reverie, her hanging mouth pursing back up with a tremble. Another tear took the place of its predecessor, this time forming a single, clear trail down the mare's cheek, mixing with the blood below. Quietly, Artemis gasped, brought to her knees and glancing at her stained hooves, before looking back at the bleeding mare again. She realized then, to her horror, what she was seeing.

She saw a fallen star.

One just like her.

"What have I done?"