//------------------------------// // Part Twelve // Story: Velvet Sparkle and the Queen in Stone // by Tundara //------------------------------// Velvet Sparkle and the Queen in Stone By Tundara Part Twelve Life’s first uncertain breaths began to filter through the manor long before Selene had set and been replaced by her fiery sister. Servants pulled themselves from their beds, brushed their coats and manes, stallions putting on their best vests and mares their white frock aprons and caps.   The manor, so quiet moments before, slowly built in warmth from the relit fires and the hushed giggles of the maids as they moved from room to room. Luna had just set Selene when the maids came through to put fresh logs on the library’s fire. She responded with a slight nod to each maid as they gave their curtsies, and tracked them from the corner of her eye. They stared at her and then the Seer’s Mirror for a few moments before hurrying about their duties. Even then Luna noted constant little looks towards herself or the artifact. One maid dropped several logs she was so distracted, and when Luna offered to help her, she hastily tossed them in the firewood rack before dashing from the room.   The silvery disc and crystal sat just to Luna’s right, its surface unmoving since Velvet had left. Shattered fragments of the pink crystal doors hung in the air while young Velvet looked on in a combination of dread and shock. Mouth twisted with surprise and corrupted eyes wide, Velvet stood frozen in a half spin, her white cloak with it’s collar of black feathers billowing like the wings of a pegasus readying to take flight. Luna frowned at the pony within the mirror. Based on the eyes she was beyond the tipping point of losing herself. In all her years, Luna had never seen a pony able to resist the allure of the Dark runes once they’d gained such a hold. Soulless, terrible abominations, Luna had hunted a number of wizards seduced by the promises of easy power. The Third Reformation had been a blessing in that regard. After Discord’s original defeat all the disc had come together and in a single voice rejected the vile runes. Luna herself retained only a bare dozen, gleaned during her time as Nightmare Moon, and only then at Celestia’s insistence. Yet, Velvet had managed to step back from that precipice. With the help of the geas, yes. But a geas was not infallible, and the Dark Runes were insidious. Though not self-aware, not like some of the more powerful artifacts or enchantments, dark runes hovered in a particular space within the mind. They were drawn to combine with other runes like iron filings to a lode stones, especially in the moment when a unicorn began to call on her magic. Luna used to image the runes were suggesting spells, or creating new ones. But it was all just a trick. The more powerful the unicorn, the more the runes combined even when not actively being summoned. For this reason Luna kept hers segmented and locked away, a precaution Star Swirl himself had discovered. The geas must have done something similar for Velvet.   Rolling onto her side, Luna propped her chin on a hoof. Truthfully, Velvet’s redemption was only a small curiosity. Within the mirror sat the possibility of answers to questions that burned deep within Luna. If it truly was Sombra in Velvet’s story, and he was at the battle… No, it couldn’t have been Sombra. The real Sombra died, consumed like so many others by Namyra’s darker aspects. He’d taken her Pride. Bearing the concentrated essence of such energy would have destroyed anypony. The Sombra that Luna had known had to be nothing but bones and dust for over a thousand years. Then again, if anypony could have overcome Death, it was Sombra. A long sigh rattling from her throat, Luna turned away from the mirror. The mirror itself was confusing. One of Star Swirl’s many creations during his struggle to perfect temporal magic, it had been hidden like so many other spells during the Third Reformation. Luna was certain Celestia retained copies hidden in the forbidden archives of the Royal Library, along with much of his research. How Velvet had learned the spell was a puzzle. Access to the archives was strictly controlled. Unlocking the doors required two keys, one of which the head librarian possessed. Only members of the royal family or the Arch-Mage could freely enter. It was entirely impossible for Velvet to have learned the spell in the archives without Celestia’s consent. And, Velvet couldn’t have learned the spell elsewhere. Unless Sombra had taught it to her. Which meant he’d have been the real Sombra, and not some imposter. And that was impossible as even a kirin couldn’t live for more than a few centuries. Unless he’d managed to attain Namyra’s immortality after-all. It was a prospect that filled Luna’s mouth with rancid bile. Her hooves shook at the mere idea of that despoiler not only getting away with the murder of her cousin, but profiting from his crimes to such an extent. Teeth snapped together and in a quick twist Luna brought herself to the mirror. All it would take would be the simplest of touches to make the images it contained spring to life. Luna was halted, however, by the sound of approaching hooves. “He won’t be in that mirror for a little while.” Velvet trotted slowly into the library, keeping as much distance between herself and the mirror as possible on her way to the small liquor cabinet tucked next to a window. Tears, fresh and old, matted the fur of Velvet’s face, giving her a haggard air. Guilt tickled along the back of Luna’s mane, and with a long sigh she abandoned the mirror and her curiosity. “What of you?” Pulling out a bottle of rye whisky, Velvet snorted at the room at large. “Me? I was such a foal. But what else would I be? I was a teen, and a very arrogant, stupid teen at that. I never saw or acknowledged that I almost always had help or was monumentally lucky. Even that day. Being a young pony in a sea of halla had its advantages.” Velvet brought the bottle and two glasses over to Luna. “I meant… never mind. So,” Luna drew out the word as she accepted her glass, trying to find something else to discuss. “Llallawynn…” “You’re curious because you knew her when she was a star and pony both.” Luna gave a hesitant nod. “Not much to say. I don’t know what happened to her after I surrendered her. I imagine the Eagles locked her in a vault. Maybe they were kind and put her in a place of honour in some hall, but that’s unlikely. Either way, she rejected me after what I did with her.” Whisky swirled in the bottom of Velvet’s glass, and Luna felt a pang of sympathy for the mare. “You’ll see, if you keep watching the mirror. I’m done lying and twisting the past.” Knocking back the glass in a single gulp, Velvet gave an appreciative shudder. “I kept trying to tell the truth, but I always strayed, or I found I’d forgotten details and filled things in. For years I tried not to think about my time in the north, and now, when I want to share…” Velvet’s voice trailed off. Luna could sense that she wanted to say more, but the matron snapped her mouth shut and turned to regard Sol rising over the trees. Velvet’s gaze grew unfocused, lost wandering the hazy past. The silence stretched for several minutes until Luna couldn’t stand Velvet’s glower any longer.   “So, you encountered Sombra, and he spoke for Faust?” “Huh? Oh, the message stuff? I… don’t really remember that night too well in all honesty. We talked about something, but what? I… can’t say. I was pre-occupied and he could have said almost anything. Mentioning it seemed like a good idea yesterday. Set-up for the big confrontation where I lie through my teeth about what really happened and make myself out to be some big, damn hero that the fillies could look up to, and not the villain.” Pouring herself another glass, Velvet gave her head a slight tilt as if she were looking at a curious painting. “I’m surprised. I thought you were going to interrupt or confront me about my claims.” It was Luna’s turn to shrug. “You didn’t say anything Celestia and I haven’t thought of in the past. Mother must have known his intentions. I am more curious how you know about Sombra.” “Because he helped train me.” Velvet sighed and retreated from the sunlight now flowing through the window. “Crisp Winds was my first master. Algol gave me the runes. And Sombra, he… he tried to help me manage them. But I was a terrible student by the time we met and I thought I knew better than him. Ha! He was a hundred times my age with a thousand times the experience. Yet, he never gave up hope and tried so damned hard to make me see what he saw; that I was a better pony than the monster I still see in the mirror.” Velvet sagged more and more as she spoke, her gaze becoming fixated on the whiskey in her glass. Over the years, Luna had seen many mares broken by tragedy and loss. Velvet was not one of those ponies. The drinking, the far-off gazing; they were an act. Anger pinched the corners of Velvet’s eyes just so. At the moment it was unrefined, searching for a focus. Luna had to wonder if it would turn inward, or be directed towards the disc. The eyes Velvet fixed on her glass were dangerous, and powerful. Even having suffered a terrible blow, there was something to the way Velvet carried herself. Pride and strength flowed in an undercurrent like a dragoness returned to her nest to find her eggs stolen. Had Velvet been much younger, Luna would have thought nothing of offering to take the mare as a student. Her first since… Luna could not recall when she’d last taken a student. As it was, Luna wondered how much she could teach Velvet. A sparing partner, perhaps? Luna made a mental note to ask Velvet to join her at Moonstone Castle sometime in the near future. “You are very nearly at our confrontation.” Velvet took the chair Shining had used the previous day, her tail snapping and a streak of tension running up her jaw. “But I should warn you, it won’t just be Sombra you see in that mirror. It’s tuned to what I saw, and that day is when I met Namyra.” “That is wholly impossible. I saw her die.” Luna gave Velvet a dark scowl, to which Velvet responded with a dispassionate shrug. “I’m telling you out of courtesy, nothing more. I didn’t want you surprised by painful memories.” A slow laugh followed from Luna. There were many painful memories in her past. Some clearer than others. Namyra was far from alone as a pony Luna had loved and failed to protect. Some of her oldest memories, stretching back to her own fostering, were the loss of sisters and parents. The scent of burnt hair occasionally lingered at the edges of Luna’s dreams, as did the rain upon her face and back as her real father was laid to rest. The pain that accompanied such memories had long since faded, but it had taken Luna centuries to achieve that peace.     She wondered how long would it take Velvet to accept the loss of her last sister. Until then, her friend was in pain and needed her compassion. “Rather than discuss history, I would know how you fair.” Still considering her whisky, Velvet was slow to respond. “Numb. Death is an old friend, and Sateen isn’t… wasn’t the strongest of ponies. I’ve known for a long time that each winter could be her last. But to lose her to a fire? Not just Sateen, but all… all of them…” She sipped at her whisky, savouring the burning as her brow knitted together in thought. “Limelight… or Star?” The shift caught Luna off guard. Not just the nature of the question, but the speed with which the brooding anger vanished and was replaced by careful consideration. Even the glass was put aside to be forgotten on a distant corner of an end table. “I’m not sure I follow,” Luna admitted, more concerned with the alteration in Velvet’s demeanor than the question. “One of them will have to be named as my heir.” “Oh.” Luna had never put much stock on the importance of lineage, but rather living up to the honour of the House. It didn’t matter if the pony was the matron, the heir, or the least member of a branch herd; a Sparkle was a Sparkle.  “Either way, the line of true Sparkles ends with me.” The words were stated very matter-of-fact, and brought Luna out of her thoughts before she could be fully lost to them. “You’re not so old that you can’t have another foal, I thought.” At once Luna regretted her words. Velvet didn’t seem to hear her at first, and then the matron began to chuckle. After a few moments Velvet was laughing almost to hysterics. Unsure how to respond Luna looked away. Her laughter draining away, Velvet said, “No, I’m not too old. But there is a slight problem. I’ve been barren since my time in Gur Moloch. Diamond Dogs, you see, don’t want slaves to breed uncontrolled, so they take preventive measures.” No doubt anticipating Luna’s next thought, Velvet added in a swift voice, “Shining was a gift. No, ‘boon’. I recall Iridia quite clearly calling him a boon to reward my service in freeing her.” “If Shining was a boon for freeing her, then why would Iridia not grant one for raising Twilight? No, do not try to argue, for I will tell you now, she will. If you ask her properly.” “I’m fresh out of cuttings from the First Tree.” Velvet actually chucked, a little smile bringing back some of the glow she’d possessed while telling her story. Luna thumped a hoof on the floor in a dull boom. “Bah, that is hardly the only method for seeking her favour.” “True, but it doesn’t matter.” Velvet’s smile grew a little wider. “I know no less than a dozen methods to invoke the favour of the Springbringer. No, I simply refuse to ask her to take a foal from a different mare so I may continue my line. As you say, she would do it, and it would be wrong. I have been blessed beyond measure already with a plethora of daughters and three sons; even if I did not bear most of them myself.”   “Is this why you dote on your lesser daughters?” Velvet raised her head a little at the question, but did not answer. Letting more of her exasperation show, Luna indicated with a slight tilt of her head the upper floors and the general direction of the nursery. “I’ve rarely seen a House where the lesser sons and daughters are treated as equals to the matron’s own foals. I don’t mean that they are treated poorly, rather, there is always that odious hint of favoritism.” Luna let out a little laugh at the distaste that was beginning to spread across Velvet’s features. A slight, nervous jitter fluffed Luna’s wings and her laugh drew on for a little too long. “I don’t judge you. At least, not poorly. Truly, after the rumours we’d heard of you among court, why, we did not know what to expect of how you’d treat your wives’ foals.” “Rumours? I would have thought you wouldn’t listen to the idle gossiping that the other nobles practice.” Velvet waited a few moments before adding, “What did these rumours say, exactly?” Following an airy wave of her hoof, Luna shrugged, and said, “Oh, this and that. I only paid attention to the comments about Twilight and your daughters. There was no shortage of baronesses and ladies whispering one thing or another about House Sparkle, especially before Cadence and Shining’s wedding announcement.” Luna regretted her choice of words at once as Velvet stiffened. The baroness cast a narrow glare at Luna, one not meant for her, but rather the sources of the rumours. It was a very dangerous look, one that made Luna worry for them should Velvet ever learn their names. Through the mirror, Luna had seen enough to recognise Velvet as a deadly opponent with a blade. A little bud of curiosity pressed up against the back of Luna’s mind, making her wonder how much of her old skills Velvet retained. Luna reminded herself to later ask Velvet if she’d like to spar. To get away from that fuming glower, Luna indicated the mirror. “How about we see some more of this battle, yes?”   Velvet gave a sharp shake of her head. “I promised Tyr not to proceed with the story without her.” Luna was spared having to find something else to deflect the conversation by the ringing of the breakfast bell. Unlike dinner, breakfast was a far more informal affair. Served in a sunny sitting room on the east-side of the manor, the family had plenty of room to stretch out in various chairs and lounges, with a fine spread of food on a long, low table. It was an unusually solemn affair, with little spoken as each pony withdrew into their own thoughts. The silence, broken by the occasional request for one of the newspapers to be passed along, was especially heavy on Luna. Since her return, breakfast for Luna meant dining with Celestia, and Blueblood, Cadence, or Shining if they were visiting Canterlot. Even without the others, Celestia was a font of small talk as she detailed the events of her day—Luna’s ‘breakfast’ often being Celestia’s ‘dinner’—with questions about Luna’s plans.   It was a rare treat to actually have a proper breakfast, and it was a shame that the air was so sullen. Not that it could have been anything approaching happy after the previous evening’s news. The arrival, and departure, of the children created little distractions at least. Elegant and Melody jostled with each other, fighting over the largest apple and croissant for a full minute before Adamant raced in, snagged both, and gave his mothers a quick kiss each on the cheek before darting back out of the room. Unable to accept such a defeat, the twins gave chase, Elegant back peddling enough to grab a Hackney muffin sandwich for herself and her sister. Spike slumped through the room, tail dragging along beside his favoured blanket. Heavy bags clung to the undersides of his eyes, giving him an aged, haggard air. A single, long grumble about morning’s being too early in the day rolled from the drake. He took an extra large cup of rich roasted coffee and speared some bread on one claw. Holding the bread up, Spike toasted it with his flame as he too left the room. Even Pennant didn’t sit down. She was already covered in a lather from sparring with one of the crystal guards and still carried her training sabre as she made her excuses for not staying while gathering a simple bowl of oats and milk. As the last of the younger Sparkles vanished with their food, Glitterdust cleared her throat and looked up at Limelight. “So, love, do you want to tell Velvet, or should I?” “Tell me what?” Velvet asked only half interested as she skimmed over the Huffington Free Press. “Nothing!” Limelight exclaimed with a little too much force, making Luna lift her own head out of curiosity and scrutinise the young mare. Her coat, usually so reminiscent of cherry blossoms, glowed a far brighter red across the face. Silently, she pled with Glitterdust to change the subject, altering her gaze to Luna when Glitterdust only shook her head, a resigned glint in her periwinke eye. Defeat, utter in it’s totality, flowed off the young mare when Luna gave a slight shake of her head. She was not going to interfere in what was clearly a familial matter. “I’m sorry, dear, this is important,” Glitterdust gave a slight wince, before saying, “Limelight was discovered by the Nightguards out by the north shed meeting with a young stallion.”   Perfect silence reigned after Glitterdust’s proclamation until the first muffled snickers from Limelight’s brothers. The pair looked like a couple foals that had just been told they were getting extra Hearth’s Warming Eve present  Comet spared his sons scathing glares before turning a far more devastating look on his daughter. “Is this true?” Ears flat, and unable to look at anypony else present, Limelight mutely nodded. “I thought we raised you better than this,” Comet said to himself. “We didn’t do anything, father!” Limelight insisted as she snapped her head up. Pushing away his half-finished bowl, Comet merely continued to frown. “And we’re to take your word for that?” “Father!” “You sneak around behind our backs to see this boy, and while you are…” he faltered over the words. Shaking off his discomfort, he continued as though he’d not slipped at all, “And you expect us to simply believe you? No, daughter, I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way.” He paused for a beat, visibly collecting himself. “So, who is our potential new son-in-law?” Limelight flinched and muttered angrily under her breath. Comet stomped his hoof, drawing her eyes to his, and demanded an answer. Her entire demeanor shifted, anger giving way to the fear of a mouse caught in a lion’s den. Chewing her lower lip, Limelight was slow to answer. When she did, she hedged her words with an anticipatory wince. “You know Intrepid?” “Harmony preserve us!” Whisper said shaking her head. “The Plowshare colt, Limey? You can do so much better for yourself.”  In a flash, Limelight went from embarrassed to furious. Her face grew a darker shade of red, puffing up around the cheeks as she fought to contain her anger, and failed. “Why? Because he’s an earth pony? He’s a good, gentle, kind-hearted stallion, mamma.” “I never said anything against his character. That has no bearing on—” “Oh yeah? Name one earth pony you would approve of!” “I… I…” Whisper floundered for a moment before recovering. “That is unfair and beside the point. Had he been blessed with a horn, he’d still be poor and far below your station.”   Luna’s mouth fell open just a little hearing such casual tribalism from one of Twilight’s parents. Though Glitterdust and Comet both visibly winced, neither spoke up against her. Limelight trembled, ears quivering, and mouth opening and closing a few times as she struggled to form words. Not allowing anypony else to get a word in edgewise, Whisper continued, “This had better just be a dalliance. You are a contender for heir, Limey. The other nobles will have a hard enough time accepting you into the House of Ladies as it is. If you marry a low born commoner, Velvet may as well pass you on for Star.” “Maybe she should! I’m not you. I won’t marry for political gain into a loveless union!” Limelight jumped out of her chair, and for a brief instant, Luna thought her about to charge Whisper. Instead, she banged down her hoof, her voice continuing to rise as she added, “I’m old enough to remember the bad days, when you’d sulk in the library and mother was—” “Limelight, that is enough.” Though his voice was low, Comet’s words smashed into Limelight and drove her back into her seat.   Wondering why Velvet had yet to speak, Luna shot a quick glance to where she sat. A rare intensity blazing behind Velvet’s eyes, taking in every aspect of her daughter as the argument progressed. “I’m not some filly in her first season, father, and I resent you and mamma implying as much! We met so I could end the relationship, such as it was. Of course I’m a contender. No, I’m the best candidate. Star couldn’t managed a simple dinner if you gave her a script. She’s hopeless, like some other members of this family, I may add. You probably have a list of potential husbands for me sitting in the study, waiting for you and mother to go over it together. Well, fine! Sell my life away to the highest bidder. Faust knows you’ve never given me any say before. Why would you start now?” Standing up abruptly, Limelight marched to the door. With her aura resting on the doorknob, Limelight turned back for a moment to level a final glare at Whisper, “I know my duty, even if it breaks my heart. It’s about the only trait I inherited from you,” before stomping up towards her room. The effect on Whisper was immediate, the mare seeming to grow smaller by several degrees, off-white coat darkening to a pale grey as she wilted and a few tears sprang to her eyes. Both Glitterdust and Velvet leaned over to give comfort, but it proved ineffective. It was only a few moments before Whisper sprang up, apologising as she darted from the room. “I’ll find Whisper,” Glitterdust said to Velvet and made to follow their wife, while Comet said, “And I will have a talk with Limelight.” “Do either of you want my help?” Velvet looked from one to the other. Both Glitterdust and Comet shook their heads, saying it’d be better if Velvet didn’t become involved, yet.   Only a few minutes passed before Two-Step stretched and, as he left, said, “I’m going to be late tonight, mother. Briny wants to discuss some new method he theorizes will double the yield of potion from the flowers.” “Anything I should be involved with?” Velvet asked as she set aside her partially finished food. Two-Step shrugged. “I don’t believe so. You know how he gets when he believes he’s onto something. Which is why I’ll be late.”   After the door clicked shut behind Two-Step, Luna gave Velvet a slight, enquiring look. The Sparkles’ potions and poultices had saved many of her ponies during her war with Celestia. It was a comfort to know the medicines had been preserved when so much else had been lost from that period. “Briny is in charge of the distillery,” Velvet said, and from the way she stood it was plain that she’d given all the explanation Luna would receive. Clearly eager for some distraction after the argument, Velvet inclined her head in the direction of the stairs. “How about we go to Tyr and keep her company. I can tell you all some more of my story.” “Yes! That would be most agreeable.” Luna clapped her hooves together. “We can retrieve the Crystal and take it up to Tyr’s room.” Velvet gave a little start followed by a slow shake of her head. “No, I’m done with that spell. I’m going to dismiss it and return to telling the story the proper way.” True to her word, Velvet returned to the library long enough to collect the Dreamer’s Crystal and banish the mirror. After returning the artifact to it’s proper home, Velvet joined Luna and Shining in Tyr’s room. Unsurprisingly, Elegant and Melody had already beat them, and the trio were stuffing their faces from bowls of sliced apples and donuts when the adults arrived. “So, the story,” Velvet almost purred as she took her seat next to the bed. “Where were we? Ah, yes, the doors had collapsed…” “No more mirror?” Tyr and Elegant asked through mouths full of food. Forcing down her breakfast, Tyr hastily wiped her mouth clean. “I liked the mirror. It was honest.” “The mirror was a mistake, dear. One I don’t think your mother will be too happy about when she hears I used it.” Hooves crossed, Tyr pouted and looked away. The filly’s forced sullen nature made Luna smile. It had been too long since she’d been around foals. Regret pooled a little at the back of her heart for the lost time when Cadance had been little. “No need for faces, little ones,” Luna playfully chided, using a wing to tickle the fillies’ noses until they giggled and rolled around the bed to escape.                   The serenity created by the gate’s destruction was shorter lived than the toll of a single bell. Horns sounded across the breadth of the plains. Among them I recognized the brassy thunder of Growler and the sharp reports of Mountain. To them I added my own notes, each harsh as the cries of carrion crows. My eyes darted across the battlefield for signs of my friends or coterie. Of the few dozen Ravens that made up my band I could only locate half through the swirling sea of bodies and fighting. It wasn’t that they were hard to spot. Unlike the other halla, the Ravens used their magic with indiscriminate glee. Each had fallen into a comfortable pattern that relied on their own specialties. Lightning crackled leaving trails of burnt flesh. Chunks of earth spun through the air crushing bone and sinew. Pillars of jagged ice shot from the ground, razor edges stained with red. Easiest to spot were the Triplets, the trio forming a rolling inferno around their antlers as they barreled through the diamond dogs. This visibility, while inspiring to our fellow halla, worked against them all, acting as a beacon for bolt and spear. A young hind from the coastal mountains was surrounded, her shields of stone cracking under the continual barrage. Yelling, she dropped a boulder three times her own size on the nearest dogs with a wet squelch, deflected three pikes, snapping off their heads, and then took a bolt through the throat. She staggered back, shields crashing around her, a spear piercing her belly from a dog that rushed forward. Nearby an aged master stood beside a former apprentice, the pair working together to deflect and counter. There were too many bolts and spears for the old master to block, his strength flagging after the long weeks of marching and the charge. His shields faltered and they were both dragged down by hooked chains.   I sounded my horn again and again as I charged towards the nearest raven. Llallawynn spun around me in a crimson song of steel as I gathered my ravens and rallied the nearby halla. More and more, Llallawynn began to move of her own accord, as if she could predict attacks or the holes in the enemy's defences and adjusted her flight to strike deeper while keeping me safe. With Llallawynn dancing I could hold my magic in reserve, saving it only for emergencies.   Soon, I’d gathered almost a dozen of my fellow mages. The Triplets were the last to arrive, their coats matted with blood and Violet wobbling on her hooves. “Master Velvet, what do we do?” asked a buck from the southern herds. Sparing a few moments, I glanced around the battlefield. The ravens and I stood within a pocket of relative calm. Mountain and his Ironbarks were driving the dogs hard along the right flank, while Snowflame and her bands had reached the first of the trebuchets. A last, defiant stone was hurled by the siege machine before it fell with a splintering groan as the supports were pulled out by a group of halla. “We must reach Lord Growler and the doors. The dogs must not  enter the Vale,” I responded as my focus fixed on the shattered doors. “He and his band reached the Guardian and are holding their ground around her,” reported White, pointing to the heaviest fighting. Nodding once, I took off at a brisk trot, once more setting my blade to her bloody dance. “Then let us not tarry. Once there, I will enter the vale while you collapse the entrance.” In the center the fighting was still thick and brutal. After the crushing blow of the halla’s charge, the dogs had rallied into two distinct groups. The units that suffered the initial impact and chaos naturally broke into small packs, creating dangerous clusters across the field. Meanwhile, the unbroken formations closer to the glacier walls held their ground. Pressed between the wall of ice and spears of the halla, they made a desperate stand to hold their ground. From the front I lead the way, Llallawynn darting like an angry hawk across our path. Even with the expert work of the sword and our spells, three more of us fell on that short march. Further and further my sword strayed, each length dimming my aura upon her grip and the gem set into her pommel glowing in replacement. Then she was entirely free of my control. I have rarely seen anything so beautiful as when the final shard of my aura was slipped and Llallawynn truly began to fly as she had those many centuries ago. My own strikes had been clumsy flailing compared to the grace and speed she possessed alone. I could even make out the ghostly essence of Wynn beneath the dancing sword. Terrified of the ghost and her blade, the dogs fell back. Those that didn’t were cut down in strokes so quick they defied the eye to follow their arc. She was a silver blur cleaving a path for us to charge through. Around the fallen guardian the fighting was at its peak with the mightiest of the dogs pressing against the halla. As they would to protect their own fawns, the halla formed a protective ring around the dragon. Other groups formed into wedges and stampeded back and forth, their formations smashing time and again into the dogs. In the distance Snowflame and her halla continued their drive towards the remaining siege engines, only to be cut down by volleys of crossbow bolts. Likewise the Ironbarks began to give ground. From their center Holm Mountain rallied his halla, his armour torn free from his right shoulder and viscera dripping from his bladed antlers. The halla were growing tired and the dogs numbers seemed almost endless. Every halla and diamond dog could sense the battle balanced on the edge of a sword. The barest shift and victory would fall to one side or the other. Closer and closer we drew to the center. So close I could almost reach out and touch the halla defenders, we were driven back by the Molochian Royal Guard. Blows that had felled so many of the dogs bounced off the heavy armour the Royal Guards wore, and even Llallawynn had difficulty finding an opening.   I caught in the corner of my eye, the sight of the Triplets rushing forth off to my right. Wreathed in flames like they were phoenixes, the trio fell on the elite guards. The dogs held their ground with unnatural stubbornness against that roiling inferno. Undaunted by the magic, the elite guards surrounded my friends, thrusting with their short-spears. A quick twist of their spells diverted most of the attacks, but not all. Red took a spear to the breast, the steel tip piercing her heart. Her sisters, already deep in the throes of conjuring their shared magic, were not ready for the power that burst through them at their sister’s death. While White and Violet remained untouched by their flames, all others—dog and halla alike—were sent skittering back as fire burst in a searing white pillar. Those nearest were consumed in the conflagration at once, while the other ravens and I had to give back some of the precious ground we’d gained. Through the fire, I saw my beloved at the heart of the battle. Growler stood before the shattered doors alone, holding off King Selim and the Molochian Royal Guard from entering the glacial chasm. More than a dozen dead dogs surrounded Growler in a testament to his power. There was an ancient force draped over his withers that day, like our Queen was standing there, loaning him a fraction of her divine strength. No other Halla could have stood alone against such enemies. A sweep of his antlers felled two more of the heavily armoured dogs, slicing through their defenses with unnatural ease. The old king, so powerful in his prime, retained much of his former strength. Along with it he added years of cunning and guile gained by ruling the fractious city of Gur Moloch. A few nearby halla attempted to halt his advance and were dispatched with ruthless efficiency. A short charge brought the pair together, metal ringing on metal as they clashed, seeking a hole in the other’s defences. The metal haft of the king’s bardiche locked in Growlers antlers. King Selim held his ground, and then he began to drive Growler back. I rushed forward, forgetting the flames until the heat became too much, and I pranced back like a frightened animal..     Desperate, I plumbed the depths of my spells for something to quench the Triplets magic. I’ve never been good with Abjuration school of magic. My talent lays along different lines, and it would be years before Whisper taught me a basic, short-range teleportation spell.   I couldn’t even attempt to hurl Llallawynn, the sword still performing her dance to keep the other dogs at bay. Helpless to intervene, I could only watch as Selim broke the lock, feinted towards Growler’s blind side, and hooked the bottom point of his weapon beneath Growler’s chin. Growler’s eye widened, feeling the tip dig into his flesh. He didn’t have time for anything else as Selim drove it home. It was as if the blow had been to my own heart, driving me to my knees in the blood soaked mud. The shock lasted only a moment before it was buried under incalculable rage. Magic shot along my horn as all my thoughts were bent towards a singular goal; vengeance.   A mournful, half-formed cry among the halla who had witnessed Growler’s fall faltered as I unleashed my fury. Simultaneously I cast two summons, entwining the spells together so each fed the other. From the ground burst a dozen ursta—the great spirit-bears of earth and stone that tend burial sites—and the sky was filled with shrill shrieks and heavy beats of wings as endless ravens appeared from the clouds. Unleashing primal roars at being pulled from their homes across the disc, the spirits fell upon the royal guard with reckless abandon. Granite claws shattered the last defenses of the dogs while the ravens sowed chaos among the enemy from the burning trebuchets to the distant edges of the armies. Through the chaos I spied Selim make his way into the glacier. At last the flames that had surrounded White and Violet subsided. Ready to chase after King Selim, I was halted by a ragged call from the latter. A gash ran from her brow and split her left ear in half before tracing to the base of her jaw, showing the white of bone all the way. Eyes glazed from pain she collapsed against White’s side. “Velvet… what are your orders?” White asked between long, laboured breaths. “We are all too exhausted to close the passage.” Casting a quick glance around, I found the fighting dying down around the guardian. My ravens, already dissipating in puffs of oily smoke, had turned the tide, but the battle was far from over. Given time, it was possible for the dogs to rally, and I was too spent to perform such a spell again.   “Then hold them back,” I snarled at the pair and the other surviving Ravens. Llallawynn fell from the sky, blade sinking into the earth next to my flank. Once more her pommel was still, Wynn’s spirit expended and dormant. Taking up my sword, I let my anger rise. “No, do more than that. Crush them. We must destroy them so thoroughly no that Diamond Dog will ever again think to threaten halla or pony ever again.” My tail snapping as I turned, alone I marched after Selim, stopping only for a moment at Growler’s side. “For River, and all the other fawns yet unborn,” I whispered to Growler as I bent down to place a last kiss on his brow. Lifting Llallawynn high,  I rose with a shout to the remaining halla, “Drive the dogs into the mouth of Tartarus. Leave not a single one alive. Expunge their taint from these holy grounds!” Then I charged down the canyon, driven on by a surge of cheers.     Shadows clung to me like a second set of robes, my jaw stiff with rage. In the smooth faces of the glacier I saw my eyes had become as jade with cherry pits. Behind me, the halla launched themselves with renewed vigour upon the dogs. Long and bloody would be their day, and when it ended those who survived would look up with tired eyes to see that their fallen lord had been honoured, that not a single dog left that field alive. My hoofbeats echoed down the icy canyon in a crunching rhythm. I had to reach King Selim. I had to be in time. Too many lives depended on the vale for me to fail again. Lowering my head I pushed the fatigue and pain dragging through muscle and soul like a griffon’s talon. From that ache I drew strength, enough to carry me deep into the glacier. Offshoots, little chasms, winding side passages, and sudden drops or walls created a maze. Sol’s light shimmered in silvery-blue curtains, reflected deep into the chams in dazzling dances that could blind the unwary. But it was how the ice groaned as it shifted and moved that was truly spectacular. New paths opened and old ones ground shut around me making retracing my steps impossible. The constant noise created an odd blanket, as if the glacier was speaking to me in a voice too old to be understood. Through the shifting maze there was a path forged by two sets of hooves and the longer strides of paws. My ears perked up as a clamor reached me through the cacophony. Somepony was fighting. Charging faster, I turned the final bend to find myself at the maze’s end. Down the last stretch of canyon, before a set of open doors identical to those destroyed by the dogs stood Sylph and King Selim. My friend stood defenceless before the king. Her brace of daggers empty, the blades dotting the walls and floor between her and Selim. She took deep breaths, her stance wavering, though a firm light still glimmered within her eyes. At my arrival her focus darted away from Selim. In that instant he struck, bardiche a blur as it descended towards her head. “Sylph!” I shrieked as the heavy blade found its mark. For an instant I thought I’d lost another friend. Then light flashed around Sylph’s throat. Selim and his weapon were hurled back to strike the wall with a most satisfying crunch, and moved no more. Around Sylph’s neck hung the Crystal of Lust,  a brilliant pink corona of light emanating from within that tinted the ice a hungry shade.   A relieved sigh carried Sylph’s name as I ran towards my friend. Ancient magics spilled from Sylph’s eyes, falling like tears to the ground where they formed a sizzling pool and her entire body shook. She glanced towards me, her face scrunching up in surprise and something else.   “Velvet! Stay back! I can’t control her much longer!” Sylph held up a trembling hoof to ward off my approach. The warning was ignored. I hardly slowed until my hooves were wrapped around Sylph. “You are a fool,” I growled into Sylph’s mane. “Why did you and Sombra leave?” “Her hunger… her need for power, magic, knowledge; its eating me, Velvet. I… I was afraid for you. She wants what you possess. The Dark Runes.” Sylph tried to push me back, but I clung to her all the tighter. “She needs them. I need them.” “Well, those will be rather hard to remove.” I tried to laugh, but couldn’t remember how. Like so much at that period of my life, laughter was little more than a distant fragment floating in the recesses of my most faded memories. It was something halla did to show happiness, and I had long since surrendered mine to fuel my magic. At last releasing Sylph, I glanced over her withers in an attempt to peer past the doors. “Where is Sombra? Is he not with you?” Sylph turned to point into the Vale. “He’s in the vale’s heart with the dryads casting a ward to protect the vale from all harm.” “All harm?” Fear, cold like winter’s breath, shot through my veins followed closely by a fiery burst of anger. “He means to prevent us from waking the Queen!” Sylph’s eyes widened and she waved a hoof. “What, no! He said he needed to stop the dogs. He… He… He lied to me?” She narrowed her eyes, a thin line of magic dancing in their depths that was echoed within the crystal resting against her neck. “He means to steal from me!” I should have argued against the notion, but neither of us were in our proper minds. I’d given too much of myself to the runes and had little compassion to spare. Sylph was only just holding out against the fragment of a restless goddess chewing away at the edges of her sanity. Still, Sylph was stronger than I, and she shook her head to clear her muddled thoughts. “No, no, that is wrong. Sombra wouldn’t…”       Before either of us could take a step into the vale they were halted by Selim’s cruel laughter. My mane stood on end as the slow, manic wheezing-like laughs rolled over me. “Touching, but futile,” Selim spat, the king rising back to his paws, bardiche in hand. “You are both pathetic before Moloch. My lord will consume the Vale, and you along with it. There is no protection that wizard can create that Lord Moloch can not sunder. I am His vessel now, and soon He will consume all the foals.” Selim shambled forward in odd, stuttering steps, broken bones grinding together setting my teeth on edge. Sheer malice propelled him closer, fueled by the dark flames within his heart. He dragged his bardiche along at his side, skittering through the loose stones. A dozen paces away, a howl ripped from the depths of his being. A terrible, unearthly howl that propelled him into a sprint as he hefted his weapon overhead. “I am the instrument of his hunger. As his avatar I will have my revenge on you. On all the surfacers!” Selim bellowed as he charged. Only barely did I manage to bring Llallawynn up in time. Sparks flew in a shrill screech as his bardiche ran down Llallawynn’s length. Hot, fetid breath washed over me as he pushed Llallawynn back until the locked blade hung just above my head. “You are a foal. A child playing with powers beyond your ken,” he sneered, no doubt anticipating victory. “I am the Sorceress,” I growled back, my eyes glowing bright as I called on my remaining magic. “And you are an old fool.” And then I reached up with my aura and grabbed Selim by the throat. Like the legs of an octopus, my aura slithered beneath his helm and gorget. His eyes widened as he realised my goal, and he pushed harder. Tighter and tighter I bound my magic until his breaths began to be drawn in rasping wheezes.   I could feel his pulse through my horn as if my ear laid against his chest. The slow thump-thump-thump lessened each beat. Selim pushed his bardiche harder against Llallawynn to no avail. A grin grew across my muzzle at the taste of victory within my reach, and then it slid from my face. It was not just his pulse I could feel; it was his life. Echoes of his fear, his rage, and his pain shot down my horn. Memories followed—both good and bad. Images of love; holding his newborn son for the first time, kissing his queen as he stood champion of the arena, and weeping softly before her burial pyre. And images of rage. One in particular stood out. The moment the old king had found his dead son and uncovered what I’d done to him. More and more followed until they were an indistinguishable tangle. A scream tore from my throat, forced from me as what had become alien emotions drove me to my knees. There was too much for me to comprehend. The highest peaks of joy and the most barren pits of despair, and so many points in between that I’d traded to the Dark runes during my quest, washed through me. It seemed like my head should have split there was so much. And through the torrent I refused to relinquish my grip. Behind his helmet Selim’s eyes bulged.   “I will not be the last…” Selim’s last words bubbled in his throat as I gave a final pull and twisted. The sensation of his neck snapping, body going limp still lingers to this day. In that moment when Selim died, I could see a trace of his soul as it fled his body. I could not have paid him any attention even if I wanted, as I was struck by a different presence, one far older and more powerful than anything else I’ve encountered save the princesses and one other. It had not been a lie when Selim claimed to be the avatar for Moloch the Devourer of Foals and Duke of War. Through my connection to the fading trace of Selim I could see Moloch. He is a horned beast very much like a minotaur. Massive, with dragon wings and a forked tail. From atop a throne made of fire blackened bone he looked upon me with eyes that glowed the most sickly green, and he smiled. In one clawed hand he held a rod, and in the other an acorn of gold. Beyond Moloch stretched his demesne within Tartarus, an empty, bleak place of ash storms and burning pyres that his legions clung around.   The image of Moloch and Tartarus lasted less than half a heart-beat. But it seemed to stretch on and on, and I was certain that the demon could have stretched out a taloned hand to grab me. Perhaps he did, or maybe I was the one to touch him. Either way, I did something that I believe is unique; I touched the lands of the dead as a mortal, using Selim as a conduit, and was not lost.   Trembling from that brief encounter I discarded Selim’s body and turned to find Sylph staring at me in wide-eyed terror.     “Wait, you did what?” Tyr waved a frantic hoof to stop the telling of the story. Scrunching her face up in disbelief she snorted, “Are you insane? Who does something like that? At least hit him with a big rock first! That’s what Zeus would have done.” Several voices together repeated, “Zeus?” “You know…  The Thunderer? Stormherald? King of the Gods?” Tyr glanced from face to face, expression shifting through different phases of surprise. Then her hoof came up to tap her temple. “Of course, how could I forget you don’t know any of the other gods.” Tyr paused to chew her lower lip, brow furrowing in thought. The look reminded Velvet so much of Twilight when she’d been young that a small pang twinged her heart for the days when Twilight had been little and hers. She’d never get to see that look on Twilight’s face again, at least not in the same way. There was something about the innocent bafflement of a contemplating filly that was so much more endearing than on a full grown goddess. Coming to a decision, Tyr shrugged her missing wings. “If we’re lucky, none of us will see him. He’s… intense.” A cringe flickered across Tyr’s features at the lameness of her explanation. “But he wouldn’t kill with his aura! I think…”   “Well, if it makes you feel better, little one, I wasn’t in my proper mind and—” “Hey! You said you’ve never seen a demon!” Velvet arched a brow and chuckled. “I said no such thing. I told you that none has been spotted on the disc in centuries.” “Oh.” Tyr’s face, puffed up with indignation, fell. She quickly collected herself, and fixed Velvet with a stare that could almost have set her on the backs of her hooves.  Before Tyr could lend voice to her thoughts, the bedroom door was shoved open, Glitterdust almost charging through. She paused for a few moments just inside the door, eyes fretfully darting over the fillies before refocusing on Velvet. Rubbing her left knee and ears pressed flat, Glitterdust began to say something, then choked back the words. “What’s the matter, dear?” Velvet pushed herself up a little on her cushion. Flinching at Velvet’s movement, Glitterdust and glanced over the fillies and then around the room as if looking for something. Settling herself with a deep breath, Glitterdust finally asked, “Velvet, love, you haven’t seen Star, have you?” “She was at breakfast, wasn’t she?” Velvet pinched her brow together as she spoke, trying to recall seeing Star at breakfast. “No.” Glitterdust gave her head a vigourous shake. “No she wasn’t. I think she’s gone missing.” “Missing?” Velvet repeated, blinking a few times as her brain turned over what she’d just heard. “What do you mean?” “It’s pretty simple, Vel,” Glitterdust snapped as she began to pace at the bottom of Tyr’s bed. “No pony has seen her all day. Unless… Have you girls seen your sister?” Glitterdust shot the twins a hopeful look, one that was quickly dashed as each gave a little, “No,” and shook their heads. “Have you asked the staff? They see—” “I wouldn’t have brought this to you if I hadn’t already spoken to Mrs. Hardtack and both guard captains. Miss Darning said that Star’s bed was already made when she did her rounds this morning, like it was never used last night. And no pony can recall seeing her at all today. She never came for breakfast, nor was she seen afterwards when the pies were put in the oven. I’ve been to the library, the gardens, even the sparring field; all empty!” Getting up, Velvet went to Glitterdust and pressed herself against her wife in a way that always served to calm her. “Don’t you think you’re over-reacting? She’s probably just out for a walk. I’m certain she’ll turn up soon, a little hungry and very dirty. The guards probably spotted her, and thought nothing of it. In fact, I am certain of it.” “I told you! I already spoke to the captains of the guard, and both said that other than Limelight sneaking out last night, nothing unusual had been reported.” Glitterdust let out a long, frustrated sigh and leaned against Velvet. “What if something has happened to her?” “Everypony is on edge after yesterday, Glitter. I’m certain she’s fine, but, if it will make you feel better, I will cast a spell to find Star.” Relief flowed from Glitterdust at once, and she thanked Velvet and apologized several times in rapid succession. The spell was cast, a relatively simple divination that would pinpoint Star’s location anywhere within the manor grounds. Velvet’s heart skipped a beat when, instead of giving her a brief image of Star, it returned nothing. Thinking that, perhaps, she’d performed the spell incorrectly, Velvet cast it again to the same result. For a few, oh so brief, moments Velvet experienced a novel surge of dread. “I know that look… what’s wrong? Where is Star?” “It’s…” Probably nothing? Velvet shook her head to dislodge the response. Guiding Glitterdust to the cushion she’d been using, Velvet said, “I can’t find her.” Glitterdust let out a choked sob as she fell onto the cushion in a partial faint. “Mamma!” Elegant and Melody cried out in alarm, jumping from the bed to race to their mother’s side and press their heads against her neck. “She is just beyond the effect of the wardstone,” Velvet said with more certainty than she felt. The other possibility was too terrible to contemplate. Half out of his seat, Shining gave Velvet a very slight nod towards the door and mouthed, ‘I’ll watch her.’ Thanking him with a brief smile, Velvet kneeled down so she was level with Glitterdust. “Star will be found, love, you have my word,” Velvet assured Glitterdust, and the room at large, before she spun around and began to march towards the door. She was half-way down the hallway when Luna called to her. “What are you planning to do?” The princess asked as she caught up. “If you desire the assistance of my guards…” “That wont be necessary,” Velvet gave Luna an appreciative smile before entering Star’s room. Crossing that most awkward of periods between being a filly and a mare, Star had been moved the previous year, out of the nursery and into a room of her own. It wasn’t as large as the dorm Star used in the School for Gifted Unicorns, but it was private. There was a moment for a slight smile to flit across Velvet’s lips as she inspected the room. A forced, pristine utilitarianism dominated much of the room. Everything neat and orderly on the small bookshelf. A desk sat tucked between the bed and window, a cameo of Princess Celestia sitting on one corner, and one for Princess Luna on the other, while over the desk sat a copy of a famous portrait of Faust. Tears almost sprang to Velvets eyes as she remembered the awkward talk Star had been given along with the room. All parents both dreaded and looked forward to the day their foals began the transition to adulthood. Star’s face had gone so red from embarrassment. The melancholy was gone as quick as it came. Velvet had no time to indulge in such nonsense, driven as it was by the cracks caused by Sateen’s passing. Moving to the desk, Velvet looked from one cameo to the other. They were small things, each just a little larger than a hoof in diameter. Each held a princess in profile, carved from a single pearl set into an ebony backdrop. Their manes were done up as they’d been during the celebrations following Luna’s return with gentle smiles on their faces. Framed with flowing gold filled with loops and flourishes, the craftsponyship was beyond superb. Celestia had commissioned only a few sets, and given them to a select few ponies. The set Star possessed had been given to Twilight, and carried her name on the backs along with the number 1 to show they were the first such cameos and, as such, priceless. Twilight, in turn, had given them to Star when she’d seen how much her little sister loved the cameos. An echo of Star’s jubilant shouts rang in Velvet’s ears, along with the prayers she’d catch Star giving to the cameos each night before bed.   Star claimed to pray to both princesses in equal fervor. It was a claim made by too many ponies. All ponies had their favourite alicorn that they would turn to more often. For Velvet, it was Iridia who received her prayers and who she turned to in those moments she needed guidance. The right cameo, that of Luna, had been moved more often. Little scratches on the varnish showing where Star had picked the cameo up to bring it closer while praying. “Have you heard any prayers from Star?” Velvet asked as she picked up the cameo. Luna shook her head slowly. “Celestia and I, we keep that portion of ourselves… quiet. There are too many voices to pick any individual out. Even if we could answer every prayer, there is oft little within our domain. Celestia is the sun, and I the moon; that is the sum total of things. We are not light, nor protection, guidance, wisdom, fertility, or so many other things our ponies come to wrongly believe.” “But, if she was praying to you right now?” Velvet flipped the cameo in her magic over a few times, hope bubbling a little beneath the surface of her face. All she desired was to hear that Star was okay. Assuming the silly filly was praying to Luna. But again Luna shook her head. “I would have had to mark Star with my favour, as mother called it, to make her voice out of the cacophony. On a regular day there can be many thousand voices lifted in my name at every given moment. It is… an odd comfort, I will admit.” Luna wore a sheepish grin and her gaze darted for a moment to the portrait of her mother. “Celestia always has more, of course. This time of year especially as ponies, for some reason, believe my sister has something to do with granting healthy foals.” Velvet numbly nodded understanding. It had been a silly hope, and it was hardly important. Yet, the depth of the sting from losing that hope was oddly deep. Lacking the time, nor inclined to search out the source of her feelings, if such a thing was even necessary, Velvet lead Luna out of the manor and into the garden. On the way down, Velvet sorted through the various means at her disposal to locate Star. There were plenty of options, mostly divinations. Velvet didn’t care for those she knew within that school. Each had some flaw, being either in the casting or in the results. It would do no good to be able to see Star without knowing where she’d gone. Outside of a divination, Velvet had her summons at her disposal. But, which to use? Hemmravn? The two headed crow-like spirits were good at finding secrets, true, but they weren’t precisely trackers. Spying, yes, that function was as natural to them as breath was for a pony. While the spirit could search from the air, so could any of the pegasi guards. Her ursta wasn’t even considered for a moment. This left Velvet with her vetfrir. It had been many long years since she’d called on the vetfrir she’d bound during the cold winter nights of her apprenticeship to Crisp Winds. His binding was the proof that Velvet was a conjurer, first and foremost, able to call all manner of object or spirit to her side. There was something about the school that pleased Velvet, and always left her feeling like a filly that had just discovered her cutie mark. This summon, however, Velvet avoided with good reason. Saying a silent prayer to Iridia for strength, Velvet pulled the necessary runes together. The spell was among the oldest of her repertoire, predating the acquisition of the dark runes by years, and leaving no room for them to insert themselves into the casting. Neither long nor complex, the spell was very personal in nature, drawing on the mark she’d left on the vetfrir she’d summoned those years before. The initial spell had been far more involved, requiring months of careful preparation and planning. Her magic had flared high that long ago night, filling the casting chambers within the Raven’s teaching lodge with blinding bands of violet and blue light. Unlike that original casting, there were no bursts of wild aether to leave scorch marks on the ground, just a simple tug and a shift in the air as Velvet’s magic pulled a spirit across the disc. Or perhaps from another realm entirely. Velvet had never bothered to discover from whence her summons answered. And then he appeared, an ancient vetfrir twice Velvet’s height. A great wolf, his fur was thick and shaggy, the white strands darkening to a grey-blue at the tips. Darker lines of blue formed symbols on the vetfrir’s shoulders and flank, while three gold stars mirroring Velvet’s own cutie mark shone from his proud brow. Rime glistened across his fur, with small clumps of ice shed like scales every time he moved or shifted his powerful frame. As his frosty blue eyes settled on Velvet, he pulled back his black lips to reveal even darker fangs. A massive paw dug into the earth, leaving a thin trail of frost, and his tail slashed sideways through the air. “Lord Auroras?” Luna exclaimed behind Velvet. “Velvet Sparkle,” Auroras growled in a voice that howled like the heralding winds of a blizzard through Velvet and Luna. “For what purpose would you break your oath never to summon me again?” A slight chuckle worked it’s way from Velvet in spite of the tension in her neck caused by worry and grief. “As I recall,” she said, “I merely said I would make every effort to avoid calling you. That is hardly an oath.” Auroras huffed and rolled his eyes, his anger abating a little. “Always twisting words and meanings, little raven. Or, is it Sorceress now? The spirits have long whispered of your deeds, terrible and astounding. Is that what I should call you?” Velvet shrugged. “I don’t care what you call me.” She then pressed ahead, placing the cameo she’d taken from Star’s room before Auroras. “One of my daughters has gone missing. I wish you to track her for me.” Cocking a brow, Auroras glanced down at the cameo, then back to Velvet. “This is why you call the greatest of the vetfrif? To find a lost foal as if I were a mere hound? My memory is long, unlike some ponies, and this indignity will be answered.” It was not a true protest, merely a slight condemnation. After he huffed again, Auroras lowered his nose to the cameo and took a long sniff taking in the smell of Star’s magic as much as the scent of her fur and perfumes. Retrieving the cameo, Velvet put it on a ledge beneath a window where it could be recovered later and not accidentally harmed. Head held to the wind, Auroras took a deep breath of the moist spring air. His tail lashed eagerly and there was a happy, hungry light that shone behind his eyes. It had been a long time since any of his kind had set paw in Equestria to ran across its verdant fields or through the lush woods. In a sharp kick he set off, bounding across the garden in long, graceful strides that would have put even the swiftest of ponies to shame. Velvet and Luna followed at a far more sedate pace, almost like they were out for a brisk stroll. With her connection to Auroras, Velvet had no worry about losing the vetfrir, no matter how far he went. “You are a pony filled with surprises, Velvet Sparkle,” Luna said as they left the gardens and entered the rolling hills and fields surrounding the manor. “Summoning is not a common art in this age.” “It’s not exactly rare, either,” Velvet pointed out as they passed the wardstone and headed for a wooded area. Luna watched the woods with concern as they began to skirt the edge of the trees. It was not an unwelcoming looking woodland, but almost none were within Equestria. Velvet dismissed the woods entirely from her thoughts. Star was not within them, Auroras having passed through the woods and already emerged on the other side. “You do not seem to be worried,” Luna said as they picked up the rime covered trail of Auroras. “We have gone quite far from the manor.” “There is farther still to go. Star is not within the wardstone’s purview, which has a radius of a few miles.” With a shake of her head, Luna came to a stop just as the bubbling Bald River came into view. “That is not what I mean. You are very cavalier about this entire situation. It is as though you do not care that Star is missing.” Velvet sucked in a hissing breath. It was as if Luna had stabbed her just behind the shoulder. There resided her worries and despair, where they could be put until Velvet had time to deal with each. “Do not mistake my focus for apathy,” Velvet shot back. “Me breaking down like a pampered, simpering foal will accomplish nothing. Of course I know that Star is probably dead! The cause? I can hardly guess. But I can’t think about it. I can’t. I have to act. I have to do something, and in those actions I can keep the terror at bay that we are but a few minutes from finding her cold and still.” Her hooves shook, as did her body and head. Dread threatened to well upwards, to overcome what remained of Velvet’s resolve and leave her prone. Tears welled in her eyes and it took all Velvet’s will to draw in a trembling breath and force her emotions back down. All the while Luna stared at her aghast, her own features wide with shock. “I am sorry, Velvet. I…” “Come on, let’s not worry about it.” But worry was all Velvet could do now her armour was cracked. She found her hooves moving faster and faster. More so as the river drew nearer. Her gaze fixed on the spring glutted water as it rushed along its course, Velvet slowly drew to a stop. Before her was a short embankment that fell into the river, the edges fresh from a section having been swept away within the last day. Auroras’ large pawprints were easy to discern, as were the smaller marks of hooves. Marks that disappeared into the portion of the bank that had collapsed, and didn’t re-emerge. Velvet and Luna said nothing, both breaking into first a canter, then a gallop as they followed the river downstream. Auroras was much farther ahead, with almost a mile head start on the mares. Through the connection Velvet shared with the vetfrir, she knew he wasn’t slowing down. A quarter mile along the Bald was joined by one of its larger tributaries, the river gaining speed and depth as a result. The Bald cut through the hills before entering one of the few forests of the region left wild for the animals. While not containing the unnatural energies of the famous Everfree, the Southfarthings were not a place ponies normally chose to venture. The air had a crisp, unkempt air about it, a breeze rattling the tall sycamores. The trails within the forest were plentiful, but not many ran along the river. Velvet and Luna kept having to either slow to forge their own path, or risk losing the river by following the trails. By unspoken agreement, they refused to let the river leave their sight. Velvet could feel hungry eyes watching her and Luna as they were finally forced away from the river as it plunged over a short series of cliffs and rapids. Scanning left and right, Velvet could see no trail nor a way to stay near the river further.   Panting, Velvet slowed, her chest heaving as she sucked in tortured breaths. She was not a young mare anymore, and it was a minor miracle that Velvet had managed to make it so far without stopping before. They were well beyond the effects of the wardstone, by half a league or more. A foamy lather covered Velvet’s flanks and back, her mane hanging about her face in tangles from the long run. Luna, by sharp contrast, was as pristine as when they’d left the manor. The princess held her head high and she was hardly breathing. It was as if all the running was no different than crossing a room to her.   Somewhere no more than a quarter mile away, Auroras had come to a stop. Velvet cocked an ear as the dreadful howl of the vetfrir whistled through the trees, and the eyes that had been on Velvet vanished into the underbrush. Not the proud howl of a victorious hunt, rather that of a challenge. “I can hear her!” Luna cried, almost making Velvet stumble. “She’s praying for me!” An errant root completed what Luna had started, Velvet catching her hoof to fall in an unceremonious heep at the base of a particularly old tree. At once Luna’s hoof was offered to help Velvet up. “Hold on,” was all the warning Velvet got before magic alighted along Luna’s slender horn and the pair were submerged into the biting, impossibly cold aetherial plane. The teleport was short, Velvet hardly having time to understand what was happening before she found herself standing at the bottom of a deep ravine. Even that brief journey was enough to set Velvet’s teeth chattering. With overhanging trees and the ravines steep sides, little light found its way to the rocky embankment. A heavy mist hung in the air, still and creeping, cast up by the rapids churning less than a length from Velvet. Cold fingers wormed their way through Velvet’s coat, the entire area suffused in a sickly pallor. Stones glistened like the teeth of an ancient dragon, their white, jagged edges thrusting from the water or scattered about the narrow bank. Twisting around, Velvet searched for any sign of Star, Auroras, or what had caused the vetfrir’s war-howl. At once Velvet noticed a disturbance in the stones near her hooves. A path had been formed away from the river where something had pulled itself from the waters, leading up to a shallow overhang in the gorge’s face. Auroras stood half within the overhang, his powerful frame scrunched down over a still, light blue body, fangs bared and a long growl issuing from deep within his throat. The source of Auroras anger became apparent at once, for just before the king of the vetfrir sat a translucent pegasus. The mare’s snowy mane danced about her like she were floating upon a still pond beneath the moon. A soft, comforting glow flowed from the tips of her silvery blue wings, one that both set Velvet at immediate ease and jabbed a spike of fear deep into her breast. Though hidden by her mantle of floating mane, Velvet knew the mare’s eyes to be darker than the void through which Ioka herself swam. Velvet knew the mare to be a thane, spirits who act as guides for those who die peacefully. “No! You can’t have her!” Velvet shouted, jumping forward to interpose herself between the thane and Star. She dared not look away to see Star’s condition, instead driving her gaze into the startled expression of the thane. Star had to be in very dire straits, on the cusp of the winter-lands between the world of the living and the rivers of the dead. The thane turned her gaze slowly from Star to Velvet, a perplexed glow emanating deep within those eyes that were like windows into the realms of the dead. Recognition blossomed across the thane’s narrow face, her muzzling pulling up into a smile. It was the smile one gave an old friend when bumping into them at a restaurant or shop, a delighted little grin that made Velvet’s anger falter. The thane almost skipped up to Velvet, wings extending a little, only to draw short as Velvet sheathed her horn in magic. Silent laughter made the thane shake, her mouth moving as she spoke words no mortal ear could catch. “She says she knew you would come,” Luna relayed as she brushed past Velvet and both spirits to reach Star. Maintaining her defensive posture, Velvet dared glance over her shoulder for just a moment to check on Star. Luna was bent low over Star, the princess blocking Velvet from seeing anything. Every fiber in Velvet’s being told her that it should be her tending to Star, but she refused to leave an opening for the thane to strike. A touch was all it would take and even the stoutest heart would stop. “How is Star?” There was a slight pause within which the thane sat down again, still wearing her dopey grin. “She is on the cusp of death. We arrived within the last grain of time to save her.” Velvet let out a long sigh of relief and nodded her head, and in that moment the thane rushed forth. In the blink of Velvet’s eyes, the thane drew up so close the hairs on their cheeks brushed through each other. A warning growl issued from Auroras as he made a half-step towards the other spirit. He stopped, though whether from the realization that he could be freed if the thane slew her, or because he feared forcing the thane’s hoof, Velvet was unsure. “I saved her for you. I kept the keres that came for her away. It is as I promised; a life for a life.” The thane whispered in a voice that was both soothing and scratched Velvet’s nerves raw. “You lied about me, tried to spin a tale of woe and loss. But I am not mad. You saved me from my prison in Gamla Uppsala, and you saved my love from his shackles of immortality. For that I am thankful, and for that it will be I who escorts you to Phlegethon’s banks when your time comes.” A deathly chill creeped over Velvet as the thane whispered. She recognised her now as the spectre that had wandered the wretched halls of bone and misery that were the crypts upper levels. “Until we meet for the final time, Velvet the Clever.” The thane pulled away, and then she was gone as if she’d never been on the river’s bank at all.     Velvet stared at the spot a moment longer, then dismissed the thane’s words from her thoughts. There would be time enough later to contemplate why the spirit had chosen to appear before her. Thanking Auroras for his service, Velvet dismissed the vetfrir and joined Luna beside Star. His gruff acknowledgement went unheard, as he dispersed into a snow strewn wind like a cloud kicked up by a breeze after a blizzard had passed. Velvet only had eyes and ears for Star. Star was in much worse shape than Velvet had feared. Her lips were blue, and she did not have the energy to even chatter her teeth. Star’s right hind leg was twisted at an unnatural angle beneath her while welts and splotchy bruises shone through her light coat in dark, angry marks. Luna hung her horn just above Star’s head, a soothing bluish-white sheet of light dancing across the filly. “I am afraid there is little more I can do than give her a little strength.” Luna looked up at Velvet, worry swirling behind her teal eyes. “She should be dead, Velvet, there is so little life within her. I can hardly sense her breath at all.” Nodding her understanding, Velvet put a hoof on Luna’s shoulder. “I can save her.” There was a moment where Luna seemed on the cusp of arguing, then she gave a sharp inclination of her head and said, “Be swift.” Velvet knew precisely which spell to use, though it filled her with dread. For it was the opposite of the one she’d cast on Prince Selim to drive his father, King Selim, so mad with grief and rage he’d lead his nation to ruin in search of revenge. Runes flowed upwards through Velvet, slamming together with a question; what was she willing to sacrifice for their power? There were no memories nor pieces of her soul Velvet was willing to trade, only a portion of her own vitality. It was a fair trade. A few months or more to pull Star back from the edge. To infuse her with the strength to recover on her own. Blue and black, a line of magic shot from Velvet’s horn and connected to Star. She had to be careful not to give too much. Star’s leg had yet to be set, but she needed to be stabilized before tending to that injury. A few, tenuous seconds was all the spell lasted, but it was enough to leave Velvet feeling utterly drained, tired in body and soul in a way she’d not felt since the Battle of the Vale. Star’s teal eyes flitted open and she let out a low, exhausted groan. “Mother?” She whimpered, face scrunching up in pain. “Shh, it’s okay,” Velvet brushed a few stray locks of matted mane away from Star’s face. “Luna and I are here. We’re going to make you better. You need to be brave for me, Star, just like an arch-mage.” Comprehension was slow to dawn behind her eyes. When it did, Star gave a slow nod. Luna and Velvet worked fast, saying little, each knowing their part. Velvet smiled with pride as Star hardly made any noise when her leg was set and a spell applied to speed the knitting of the bone. It was a painful process, as Velvet could attest from experience, and a spell entirely beyond any other pony on all the disc. None save Velvet knew the Chaos Runes. As was their particular way, the runes proved capricious. On the first application, Star’s leg was hardly healed at all. On the second, a great wave of rejuvenating energy mended the bone so completely, it was as if it had never been broken at all. Bruises and welts faded, and Star gained a little colour to her face. Ready to topple over herself, Velvet gave Luna a quick nod. “It should be safe to teleport her now.” “Then let us make haste,” Luna replied as she wrapped her wings around Star and Velvet to help shield them from the unfathomable cold of the aether. There was a flash as Luna brought them all back to the manor, directly to Star’s room.