//------------------------------// // Murmurs in the Dark // Story: Dawn of the Vanguard // by Mystic Song //------------------------------// Twilight had spent weeks stewing in her own guilt, had countless sleepless nights plague by the nightmares underneath her eyes. There had been no shortage of moments where she wished that it was all over, where she could finally bare her soul to her mentor and have her say ‘It’s going to be all right’. Now, she stood before the court, in the most minimal sense of the word, and shivered under Luna’s steady glare. Luna had never looked at her like that. Twilight had never seen such a sense of disappointment cross Luna’s face when addressing her, and it hurt. It hurt so much because at that moment they both knew that she did something wrong, but only one of them knew how wrong that thing was. Only Twilight knew how cruel her actions were, and dreaded the moment when Luna’s became informed of all that she did. Her throat was dry and she strained with every painfully slow breath she made. Worse she could see as Luna began to lose her patience. Why wouldn't she? The newest princess had done something wrong, and now was stalling in front of her. Twilight knew that the longer she stalled the worse it was going to be. Especially since what she did couldn’t ever be forgiven. Not with the amount of damage that she did. Not after she turned her back on what it meant to be a princess, what it meant to be a pony. Nothing could change that fact. Even if Zachery completely healed from his injuries and was safely returned to the Forsaken Islands, nothing could be done to salvage her original mission. The success of mission that she gave to herself to apologize to the human race and bring their two species together was more than infeasible now. How could she possible apologize for something that her ancestors did out of ignorance and hate, when she had knowingly done the exact same thing? The very thought of such an encounter made her sick. A sickness that she knew would only get worse the longer that she refused to confess to Luna. With said sickening feeling twisting and amplifying from the distraught look that Luna gave her, she finally broke down admitted the entirety of what she did. Every last thing that she had done since stumbling into that hidden cavern so many months ago. How she had reacted to what they found in the secret room. How she had created chain and shackles with the sole purpose to trap a human. How they had laid unsuccessful traps hoping to catch one. And how they had reacted when Zachery had very suddenly appeared. With each word, each phase of her past plans she bared to Luna, the princess of the night became less distraught and more aggravated. Twilight couldn’t hold her composure. Not with the heated look that Luna directed towards her. Not when Luna looked at her with such disgust. With a bemoaning cry she sobbed as she told Luna how she lead the charge to capture him, how they fought, how she finally captured him after beating him to unconsciousness. Twilight spared no detail with the injuries that she had personally inflicted on him. It was better for Luna to know the truth know then hear it from either Fluttershy, Rarity or Pinkie Pie. Finally, as tears leaked from her eyes, and Luna’s gentle breath was reduced to a harsh cloud of steam, Twilight revealed how because of her own error Zachery’s justified retaliation had almost killed them all. She collapsed and cowered as Luna in a final show of control tired forced her anger down. Twilight paled as Luna’s stance harden, her sliver-blue shoes brutally cracking the white marble floor. Twilight wanted to stop. She wanted it just all to be over! She couldn’t, and nothing she felt would change that fact. She owed it to Zachery, Celestia, Luna and her friends and family to tell the truth. Oh, Celestia. Her family. How would Shining and Cadence react when they find out? What of her parents? How could they even look at her when she could barely look at herself? Opening sobbing, Twilight revealed her greatest betrayal, and with her reveal Luna lost her composure. Heavy dark clouds, and crackling lightning produced from Luna’s pure fury blinded and threated to singe her as she spoke. Twilight’s voice wavered as she stressed how after weeks of finding nothing, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie came to them. How they told them that they had made friends with Zachery, and wanted to introduce them. Then how she lied to them to find out where Zachery was, and how once they had turned their backs how they poisoned Zachery, tied him to a tree, and then… Twilight screamed as lightning crashed down around her and left the air smelling of painfully dense ozone. “You tortured him!” Luna roared her anger turning the throne room into a thunderhead. The thunder was deafening, the lightning blinding, and Twilight trembled on the wet ice cold floor as the wind rushed violently around her. “I know!” Twilight screamed over the gale tearing at her mane and pulling painfully at her wings. “I’m sorry!” “Do you really think that a simple apology will fix this?” Luna barked the power in her voice shook the throne room and threatened to shatter priceless, ageless mosaic, “Do you realized what you have done?” “I betrayed everyone’s trust and almost kill someone who couldn’t hurt me because he tried to protect himself!” Twilight replied tears streaming down her face. “I know! I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry!” “There is more to it than that Twilight!” Luna shouted the winds slowly dying and Twilight knew that Luna wanted her to hear this, “This was more than just a friendship assignment. The minute that you found that the humans existed your wish seeking journey turned into a diplomatic mission! Twilight I know that you are well read on history. My sister would have accepted nothing less for her protégé. You know of the failed diplomatic missions of the past and the horror that came from them.” With the silence that Luna allowed her Twilight spoke up, “I-I know of failed diplomatic missions. Back in Appaloosa the buffalo-” Luna’s brutal stomp demolished already cracked marble, viscously cutting Twilight off. “My sister wasted her time on a fool if you truly believe that insult of a battle counts among the great horrors of war!” Twilight kept her head down as a thunder roared around her, “The horrors I speak of left villages burned and many staved and dying in the streets.” Luna hissed through her teeth, “The fear of our strength pressed our enemies to drastic lengths. They called on magic and beings that neither my sister nor I have ever face. With the power of those beings they took the power of the sun and moon from us. Without our guidance our powers rampage. Hundreds of thousands were killed before we could take control of the moon and sun again. Even though we had little to do with that grief do you think that our enemies hated us any less? Do you think it softened the blow of losing their loved ones?” Twilight kept her head down as Luna continued to rant. “Well do you?” Luna said steeping closer to Twilight with each word, “They turned their hate to the border towns and killed the ponies that resided there! It took us countless life times to achieve peace between our countries again. Even today we do not know how far false stories of our cruelty traveled.” Luna was nearly on top of Twilight her eyes blazing, “All that death and destruction from one terrible accident, because we couldn’t comprehend the possibility that another being could disconnect us from our magic. Twilight you have attacked another race in a way that would be seen as an act of war between many of the known races. Have you once thought of the larger repercussions of your actions?” Twilight kept her head down as she carefully collected her thoughts, “I have thought of what could have happened. What I concluded doesn’t lessen all that I did, in fact it makes what I did worse, but I don’t believe there will be an aftermath. The humans do not have a collective fighting force. Well, Zachery doesn’t act like the humans have a force to fight with. He doesn’t act as if someone would save or fight for him.” “How could you come to a conclusion like that? You yourself said that you didn’t know how he ate, let alone what his behaviour means from a human’s social point of view.” Luna huffed, brutally outlining the faults in Twilight’s reasoning, “You are my sister's apprentice. For what I know you have never acted like you had the whole of my sister's guards, or many of your brother's soldiers watching your every move. For all that we know Zachery could be royalty with hundreds ready to fight for him. What keeps his own kind from seeking him out?” “He said that he was traveling, and from what I know hasn’t seen another human in a long time.” Twilight said weakly. “The reasons and conditions of his travel does not matter. What matters was that he was doing so of his own free will. From what you told me he was not banished. You said that he has close family and friends did you not? What keeps them from looking for him?” Luna said her voice finally coming down from a shout and stabilizing at a certain disappointment, “You said that Zachery was able to nearly kill you and your friends. What keeps his kin from attacking us when he shows them the scars you gave them? The wars of Equestria’s past were fought on suspicion and suspected malice. If another breaks out it will be fought on known and wholly unmistakable malice.” Twilight eyes widened at Luna’s implications, “Do you really think that the other humans are as strong as he is?” “Do you know that they are not?” “No. I don’t.” Twilight said looking up at Luna glad that her liquid white eyes had finally turned back, “He doesn’t really talk to me.” Luna eyes narrowed causing Twilight to shrink, “Yet he listens to you. Did he not remove his cloak when you asked him too?” “It’s more like he does what I suggest if he agrees with it.” Twilight said sheepishly before brightening, “It’s getting better though. He now acknowledges that I exist, and not only to glare at me. He’s accepted that we’re stuck together until this gets sorted out. Maybe one day we could have an actual peaceful conversation.” Luna looked down at Twilights uneasy, yet hopeful smile, “Twilight that is pathetic.” Twilight flinched, “I admit that it isn’t the ideal situation-” “You are mistaken.” Luna said, “My rebuke goes beyond your joy over the shameful thing you see as 'progress'." Luna snap biting the last word out like a swear, "You are the princess of friendship. You are meant to not only bring ponies together with each other, but also other with other races. The fact that you failed in such an absolute way when meeting with a new species disturbs me. To have a princess of Equestria change so suddenly from compassion to outright malice is unacceptable.” “You are absolutely right princess.” Twilight said her own mistakes playing like a morbid play at the back of her consciousness, “I swear that as a princess this will never happen again.” “For all the things you are wrong about, Twilight Sparkle, you are right about this.” Luna stood straight and retreated back the base of her throne, “As a princess this will never happen again.” Twilight froze. There was something in Luna’s eyes. Something that took away her breath and held her stomach in a terrible vice grip. Something that took away all that she had worked for through the years leaving her whimpering like a lost terrified foal, “Luna?” “Perhaps my sister was too hasty in your ascension. It seems that you are not ready for such a heavy burden.” Twilight slowly stood up, her eyes shrunk back into her head, “What do you mean?” Seeing nothing but cold determination in Luna’s face Twilight started to back away, “Luna?” “A princess must act in the sole benefit of her subjects, and keep a calm mind if she is to be in charge. You have done neither of these things and as such I must revoke your status.” Luna spoke her words hanging like a guillotine in the air for but a moment. “Alas. I would revoke your status if I could. My sister was the one who ascended you and as such she is the only one that can descend you. Something that I believe she would not hesitate to do if she were of right mind. She had such high hopes for you, we both did.” Twilight shook on her hooves. How was it so much worse when Luna didn’t scream, “Luna, please. I never thought that something like this could happen! I did want to help the humans, I still do want to help them! Please, Luna. Give me the chance to.” “You say that you wanted to help them. You let your misjudgement be strengthen by the fear of your friends. Instead of leading them you followed them in their panicked disorder. Yes, in leadership there times when one fails, but this goes beyond simple failure! You could have started a war! You may have started a war. You have no way of knowing if you did as Zachary, the only who could give us that information, refuses to speak to you!” Luna snarled out, “You’re the princess of friendship. My sister and I wished for you to one day be a negotiator. Yet this is what you’ve done! I have sentence many to rot for less! What should you be treated any differently?” “I can fix this!” Twilight shouted as she tried to think of anything, anything to change the fate that Luna gave her, “I’ll get Rainbow Dash to-” “Rainbow Dash does not carry the burden of sovereignty, you do. Rainbow Dash was not the cause of this disarray, you are.” Luna snapped her patience long since replaced by vehemence, “You want to fix this mess and gain back your title? Fine. However, you yourself will have to mend the damage that you have caused. You will not hide behind Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, nor Rarity, and certainly not Applejack. Whom I need to speak to once we’re done here.” Luna seethed, "I supposed you could be grateful of what Applejack did as she is the sole reason I will not lock you away. Due to her actions many of my ponies now only have distrust for me. You're disappearance by my hoof would only cause a greater panic." Twilight ears fell back pitifully as Luna’s order play in her head, “I-I can’t talk to Zachery. He barely tolerates me.” “You have written countless friendship reports to my sister on how you overcame barriers to create friendships haven’t you?” Luna replied sardonically, “Prove to me that you earned your title, and you will keep it. Find a way to ask the questions that need to be answered and find if you have doomed us to another war. Now leave me. I have to sort the mess you have left standing outside these court walls.” Twilight’s ears laid flat against her head as she walked the castle’s empty hallways. From the activity or rather lack of activity that she saw she guessed that the castle staff, after hearing the disturbance in the throne room, correctly choose to stay away from her. With nothing but cold marble and frosted glass as company, her mind ran itself in circles trying to find a way for her to crawl back into grace. What she had told Luna was still true. Zachery loathed her. Rightfully so. Even if he only felt lystar for her there was no way that he would want to have anything resembling a friendship with her. However, when she thought about it, maybe Luna wasn’t expecting them to have a close friendship. Maybe all she had to do was present herself in a way that made him hate her guts less. She wanted to be optimistic, but had to practical. After what she did the possibility of Zachery and herself laughing and enjoying each other’s company anytime soon was less than minuscule. But she still had to try. What if she talked to him more directly instead of hiding behind somepony else? It shouldn’t be too hard to strike up a senseless conversation. They had already been spending more time together, and they had somewhat spoken lightly to each other in the last few days. Although, said times were spent with her panicking over her failing plans and him quietly tolerating her presence... Nevertheless, just speaking to him should work as long as was between herself, him and any one of their mutual friends. Twilight forced a smile on her face as she neared her personal study. A room that was large enough for them to temporarily inhabit while the staff prepared more workable suites. A room which they should be in unless they genuinely wanted nothing to do with her. Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy were still her friends. They were righteously angry at her for all the right reasons, but they were still friends. Right? Twilight took in a shuttering breath. It was so easy for her to say that she didn’t need friends a few years ago. Now after knowing what it meant to be loved and care for by others that weren’t her immediate family the thought that she could lose everything and end up alone again with possibly less after her family found out what she did- She stop, breathing in deeply a hoof going up to her chest and extending out with each rapid breath. It was okay. She was okay. Worry about one thing at a time. Repeat. Her family and their disappointment can wait. What she needed to do now was complete the task that Luna gave her. Something that as the princess of friendship, her wings twitched as Luna’s threat came back, something that as a pony she should have been trying harder to do. She was not going to make the same mistake. Not now not ever. ‘I can do this. I’ll prove that I deserve my title.’ With gentle, friendly push she opened the door to the shared room. “Hello, everycreature!” Twilight greeted brightly a large smile displayed brilliantly on her face. The silent room did not greet her back. The smile on Twilight’s face shrunk, “Girls?” The room was empty except for a mountain of luggage that suggested that she had just missed whoever occupied that room. “Where is everypony?” Twilight asked the empty room. “They left.” Twilight shrieked, launching up on her back hooves and bicycling wildly with her front. It took her tripping on the plush carpet and onto her back for her finally calm down. She quickly stumbled back onto her hooves and in the direction of the voice. Noticing something that she hadn’t seen when she entered the room. Beds. Four beds pushed together side-by-side to create one larger one. Much larger than any pony required, and had a strange lump covered in different blankets laying across it. With her heart rate rising Twilight realized that the lumped was the one that talked to her. A fact that was strengthened when it shifted to look at her. Bright blues eyes dully look at her as mismatched blankets fell away. A mass of the worst case of bed hair she had ever seen emerged as he propped himself on his elbows. Twilight froze under Zachery’s bored gaze. Of course something like this would happen. Why not have another plan fail? This has to be a new record. She had just made a plan and not even five minutes later it burned to ashes in front of her. And now she was just staring at him like an idiot. ‘Come on Twilight, do something.’ “Did I wake you?” Twilight asked with a smile. A smile that was indefinitely more awkward then the one she held a few moments ago. Zachery sat up snorting in annoyance, thankfully it was pointed more at himself then at her, “I wasn’t asleep in the first place.” “Right.” Twilight said pulling back on what little she knew about him, “Sudden changes in air pressure gets you sick. No wonder you can’t sleep being in Canterlot must be disorienting.” Zachery made a noise of affirmation and Twilight once again found herself trying to fill the silence. “So, were did everypony go?” Twilight said trying to keep him talking to her. “I thought that somepony would be here with you.” “They all had things they wanted to do.” Zachery said as he pulled back his hair from his face, “Rarity went into town. She wanted making me something since I’m down one shirt. Pinkie Pie went to the kitchens something about making 'feel good food' since I won't eat don't know these cooks or trust whatever they gave me. I made Fluttershy leave, and Rainbow Dash went to check on Applejack.” In a exchange filled with social landmines, Twilight pounced on the safest topic, “You told Fluttershy to leave?” Twilight forced herself to keep a peaceful neutral disposition as Zachery’s face began to set somewhere around mild annoyance. “She got a little too close.” Zachery said, “I told her I could clean myself, but she didn’t want me to stress myself and tried to help me.” Twilight silently nodded along to seeing that Zachery did look cleaner. The small bathrooms on the trains and ships they traveled on did not accommodate for his size. “I finally got her out, and she said that she was going to send a message to some guy, Spike I think, for an update on her animals. Whoever that is.” Zachery said slumping back into his makeshift bed. It was a clear dismissal. Like all conversations that they had it was cool, almost military like, and always about information on their current situation. Nothing more and nothing less. Twilight needed to try harder if she wanted to make any headway. Steeling her nerves she did something she had yet to do in the weeks since they had spoken on the deck of Ashen’s boat. Twilight pushed a benign conversation with Zachery. “Oh, right I need to send a Spike a message. He’s my assistant. The best in Equestria, although he does need me from time to time.” Twilight face feel as she only got a very dismissing grunt from Zachery. She switched tactics, “Well I shouldn’t worry too much since he is a dragon and all.” Twilight said emphasizing hard on the word dragon. “What’s a dragon?” Zachery said pronunciation tripping over the unknown, untranslatable word. Twilight’s smile fell. “Um, right well you see dragons are like lizards, but they can breathe fire, like to horde treasure, can grow fifteen stories high, and speak. Also some of them keep records. So, they’re not really like lizards at all.” Twilight could see Zachery’s face twist into something more than mild annoyance. “Dragons are large reptiles.” She finished quickly. “What’s a reptile?” Zachery said, and Twilight could hear how awkwardly he sounded the equally foreign word. “It’s, ah, it’s,” Twilight stumbled as she thought of the logistics of explaining the categories of the animal kingdom to a being that in his lifetime would probably never benefit from knowing such information. “Oh forget it!” Twilight said sitting down roughly, “It doesn’t matter anyway. This was a terrible idea.” “What were you trying to do?” Zachery asked irritably. “Other than keeping me awake by telling me about what ever the hell reptiles are.” “I-I” Twilight stuttered clearly remembering the strict chat that she had with Luna not a few moments ago. Once again going over how she was doomed to fail this task. Slumping in defeat she muttered, “I don’t know. I guess I wanted to make things up to you. Dragging you to Canterlot when everypony is going crazy outside because of,” Twilight moved a hoof in vague circles trying to gesture something into making sense. “-whatever is going through their heads. This is all so crazy, and you’re stuck in the middle of all of this because of me. Worst of all I don’t know how to make it up to you.” Well there it was. She ruin it. No creature wants to hear that the one who should be keeping them safe in a hostile situation doesn’t know what to do. If she told anypony in Ponyville during the many times the town went to Tartarus she didn't know what to do it would have cause a worse panic or an outright stampede. Zachery had to be panicking right now. She didn't want to see it, She couldn't see him go through another on of her failures. “You could have just asked how.” Twilight snapped to attention and seeing Zachery sitting straight up. Calmly sitting up, watching her with absolutely no panic in his eyes. She gawked. “Ask you? Just like that?” “It’s better than wasting time doing whatever it was you were doing.” Zachery said stretching in a way that let his back crack loudly, “It’s better to pull the splinter out now than to let it fester. Or so they say.” “That’s, um. Okay.” Twilight floundered as she tried to collect her thoughts. She could work with this now to careful ease into the question, “For a moment let's pretend that I’m a human.” Seeing Zachery skeptical and more than a little chagrined expression she pushed on, “I know just pretend. For what I did-,” her voice wavered as she tried not to go back to that clearing, “how would I make up for what I did?” Twilight felt her hope raise as Zachery face scrunched in thought. She still had a chance to make things better. Zachery nodded to himself while crossing his arms against his chest, “A fight to the death.” Twilight eyes shrunk to pin-pricks, “Really?” She squeaked. “That or banishment and face-branding.” Zachery said just about to make a symbol on his forehead but stopping short from actually touching his head. From the troubled self-criticizing look that past his face, she guessed he must have become aware of the horror on her own face. Although, it didn’t stop him from talking. “Something that will make everyone see and understand that you’re a danger to everyone around you.” “Just like that? Right away, death or banishment?” Twilight asked, alarm clear in her voice. How could he be so calm while saying that? “Yep.” Zachery explaining, “If you had only injured me to near death, all you would have to do was pay whatever my healer wanted. If you just insulted me I would have fought or threatened to fight you, nothing too serious. Something like that would normally be seen as people being stupid, more than likely a drunken fight. If it was just either of those things it wouldn't be that bad. But,” Here Zachery face got darker calm being replaced by something much thinner and angrier, “you pretended to me my friend and attack me we I thought I was in the company of friends.” Zachery paused to look at her, his anger replaced by calm. “Doing something like that is pretty frown upon. It is seen as one of the worst taboos. Do you know what taboo means?” “Oh, yes I most definitely do.” Twilight squeaked, Luna’s concerns ringing in her ears. If what she thought was the lesser of her crimes was that serious of an offence. She never had a chance to begin with. She didn't have a chance then but she might have one now, “But I’m not a human.” “No," Zachery said closely watching her movements, "You are not.” “So what can I do to make it up to you? Anything that you want I’ll give it to you.” Twilight was over-reaching and she knew it, but she was so close to finally making actual positive headway. “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.” “I’m a princess of Equestria in my own domain.” Twilight said, her smile threatening to waverer as she presented her now more than useless title, “Try me.” “Okay.” Zachery smiled that wide face splitting smile that showed off a dental structure that Twilight had never seen before she ventured down into the most hidden part of a swap tree's cavern. A smile that was equal parts genuine in yearning, and fake in confidence in her self stated abilities. “I want to go outside. I haven’t been outside in what honestly feels like forever.” They stood staring at each other as the innocence of Zachery’s question danced deceptively in the air. Twilight began to sweat. It’s true. Zachery hadn’t been outside in months. They had to keep him covered and hidden away from everypony or creature that they came across. Whether it was the cabin of a ship or back of a train they had essentially kept him locked up. Of course, with everything that happened, they needed to. It had been the smart thing to do. Now after months of tight restrictive quarters he had to be getting antsy, anycreature would. To make matters worse she had promised him freedom to move around when they got to Equestria, and now she had basically locked him up in the castle. She couldn’t keep him in this room or any room for a year, the very idea was crazy. However, for him to go outside now… “I-I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Twilight replied nervously pawing at the decoratively carpeted ground, “It’s too dangerous. Too many things can go wrong. I-I can’t help you with that not now.” She quickly continued at the world-weariness he expressed, “We can do something else! Like- Like board games!” Twilight said her horn flashing as her telepathic grasp pulled a games from a shelf. “This is one of my favourite games I used to play it all the time as a filly. We both chose a piece and work together to build a new town!” Twilight said opening the box, “You can chose were we build. Personally I would stay away from the outback you'd have to be crazy to live there. Now don't tell...no one don't tell anycreature I said that." Twilight said forcing a smile as she pushed forward, "The water table in very deep in the ground and it’s nearly impossible to create proper irrigation system, which makes agriculture hard and-” “Stop.” Twilight mouth slammed shut at the tiredness in Zachery’s voice. He sounded like he was just done with everything that she possible say to him, “I understood nothing of what you just said. And if I was honest? I wouldn’t have cared if I could. I don’t want to play a game with you. I think it’d better if you just go. You said it yourself you can’t help me.” “Oh. You don't know about Equestria's ecosystems. Playing a game like this wouldn't make sense.” Twilight said still holding the game and its spilt contents in her grasp, “I guess I’ll just go.” Zachery made grunted in a very dismissing way and with a few practiced rolls he completely twisted himself in his bed sheets. Total and complete dismissal, with a hint of an ice cold shoulder. Twilight found herself staring pathetically at the barely moving bundle as Zachery’s words rang in her ears. ‘No. I can help him. I can’t let it end like this.’ Twilight thought quickly placing the puzzle back in its place, ‘I started all of this. I put him into this mess, I did this to him I’m not going to give up like this.’ She worried over her lip over what she was about to do. This was a terrible idea nothing good could come from something like this. It was going against everything that her better judgement told her. Then again the last time she went with her better, logical judgement… She briefly looked over to the suites sole desk. A large thing that was locked up tight to keep anypony from finding the very detailed blueprints to the worst thing that she had ever created. Sometimes she could hear those terrible purple restraints vibrate in her dreams. No! She couldn’t think like a princess protecting Equestria. She had to think like Twilight Sparkle. A pony that made horrible mistake, and feels so, so sorry. A pony that wants to make it up to the person she wronged, and was told exactly how to do that. “Zachery!” From the resulting shocked shuffling that entailed Twilight thought, in retrospect suddenly screaming his name wasn’t a very smart thing to do. Doesn’t matter she had his attention, from what she could see from his angrily glowing blue eyes and low grumbling. She needed to speak now. Before she lost momentum or she listen to the voice telling her how dumb this was, “You want to go outside? Well by all my titles that you think are stupid I am going to get you outside. I just need you to sit tight long enough for me to get some thing's ready.” Her hooves shook as she quickly ran out of the room. This could work. She knew where she was going to take him. It’s going to be rude kicking the gardeners and whoever else was there out of the Canterlot Gardens, but it needed to be done. She had to gather some guards, ones that she could trust to keep everypony out. Then she had to put a concealment spell around the whole place. Can’t have somepony look through a window and see Zachery doing, whatever he does to entrain himself. Maybe if he is calm enough they could actually talk to each other. ‘Do you really think that the other humans are as strong as he is?’ ‘Do you know that they are not?’ Twilight found her herself struggling to stay upright, nearly tripping over the memory of what Luna said to her. It couldn’t be possible right? She knew that Zachery was strong. She felt it when he kicked her, she saw it with how he danced around Applejacks rampage and stopped Rainbow Dash’s not so surprize attack. He had beaten them so easily it was almost unnerving in a way that she couldn’t exactly place. For a reason that she felt she should know, but still escaped her. Putting that feeling away, she knew that someone, some human with Zachery’s skills had to be a very isolated case. Nothing else made sense. So way was Luna’s warning still echoing in her head? Twilight stopped running to shake herself thoroughly. She couldn’t be chasing shadows at a time like this. Not when she was trying to fix the mistakes she made that last time she blindly chased shadows. First, she will get a very small hoof-full of guards to come with her. Then, she will clear the gardens, and cast a containment spell. To warp it all up, she will bring Zachery to said gardens and finally fulfil one of her promises to him. After that she would do something about the uneasy feeling in her stomach that was telling her that she had mistakenly overlooked a number of dreadfully important things.