//------------------------------// // Pt. 3 - A Princess' Sage Advice // Story: Chase the Wind // by Witching Hour //------------------------------// When she initially finds the Cirrus at the end of her blind flight from the ancient temple, Witch can tell it isn’t in terrible condition, easily salvageable as long as she can figure out how to repair the windows that she and Twilight had smashed through, reshape the rigid structure, and patch the torn envelope and gas bags. However, that’s all she manages to discern before the Librarian’s words catch up with her mind. In the small clearing, she sits and stares at the downed airship without actually seeing it, lost in her thoughts. “I don’t do anything special… I just help…” Witch murmurs to no one but herself, trying to find reassurance in the solitude. Sighing, she lays down on the pungent moss carpeting the glade, closing her eyes as she forces herself to think of nothing beyond her immediate surroundings; the sound of exotic birds and insects wafting on a warm and moist breeze rich with smells from strange plants. She smiles slightly at the thought of how her brother probably reacted to this place; and thinking of her father’s potential reaction successfully distracts her for a few precious moments. “Why me?” she asks silently, huffing irritably at a strand of moss tickling her nose. Out of deeply ingrained habit, she starts building her comfort place in her mind; an expansive library, at least twice the size of the castle library in Canterlot, well lit by wall sconces and the full moon shining through the floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows spanning one long end of the room. A large fireplace is on the left end of the library, with two comfortable couches and a low mahogany table with a china tea service that glints in the flickering firelight from the hearth. Still in her mind, Witch goes to the pale blue couch and curls up on it, though the crushed velvet upholstery smells faintly of the moss from her physical location. Time passes with no real meaning there, and her mind’s eye stays fixed on the deep indigo couch across from her, tracing the grain pattern in the ash wood accents until, finally, Luna arrives. “Witching Hour,” Luna starts in greeting, “I’m surprised to find you here so early…” She pauses thoughtfully as she settles herself on the indigo couch that had held Witch’s attention. “You do know you needn’t to report to me every night, much as I was concerned at your absence last night…” “I’m in Saddle Arabia… So it’s only just morning here…” Witch responds, blinking as her eyes refocus on her teacher. “The guardian at the library Leaf got the books from… He contacted me like you usually do while I was at Twilight’s, in my dreams two nights ago, and asked me to come. Leaf left the map in one of the books.” Luna frowns. The information did not bring about her expression, but the manner in which her student relays it; in a tone that spoke of many thoughts occupying her mind. She usually only sees Witch in this state physically. It’s both concerning, and at the same time pleasantly surprising that Witch is able to dream lucidly in such a frame of mind. “Twilight agreed with me, that we should go… But now I’m wishing I hadn’t…” Witch adds quickly, looking worried. The edges of the library fade, a sign of Witch’s rising panic. Luna quickly reinforces the dreaming, bringing the shadowed edges back into vibrancy, before addressing Witch. “My dear Witch… Whyever would you regret following any lead in this task I gave you?” she asks, smiling gently at Witch, which brings a confused expression to the unicorn’s face. “You were frowning when I told you where I was,” Witch replies, her voice trembling, “and the Librarian… the guardian here… he keeps treating me like he should be treating Twilight. He calls me Princess… Or Hope… Or ‘your loyalness’…” Luna sighs, hearing something familiar in Witch’s words and tone, but nothing she could place with any certainty. “And this Librarian told you why he calls you these things?” Witch only nods, forcing Luna to prompt her further. “Witching Hour… It clearly bothers you… If you cannot talk to Princess Twilight, would you tell me at least?” “I… It’d be easier to show you…” Luna gives her student a sympathetic look. “If you think it will be easier for you, then by all means.” Witch sighs heavily, pushing herself up to a sitting position. Closing her eyes, her expression becomes one of intense concentration. The library setting around them flickers, showing glimpses of the relatively barren infirmary with only two cots showing recent use, Twilight Sparkle beside Witch, and the large hippogryph construct, but the scene never solidifies. It takes only a few moments of this for Luna to become more concerned than she already is. Rising from her couch, Luna steps lightly around the table and sits next to Witch to run a gentle hoof through Witch’s mane. “Witch… Stop… I don’t need to know so badly that you should hurt yourself.” Released by her mentor’s gentle words, Witch slumps back down on her couch with a cringe and a whimper. “Sorry… I should’ve taken the medicine before I ran off…” she says, nearly groaning her apology. “Stupid concussion…” she mutters, putting a hoof to the side of her head. “Witching Hour!” Luna exclaims, shocked. “You have a concussion?! How?” Witch groans again. “Crashed the airship we borrowed from the Cloudsdale Air Guard…” she answers softly as she presses her muzzle into the cushions, as though she could bury her head in the couch through the plush material. Luna sighs and continues to gently run her hoof through Witch’s mane, understanding now her student’s inability to control her dreaming as she usually did. “I know it is not as easy as you would like… But would you please tell me why this Librarian’s words have upset you so much as to neglect your well-being?” Witch responds with another whimper, before raising her head slightly and sniffing back the tears that had begun forming at the corners of her eyes. “He said that his people were ruled by princesses that embodied aspects of…” she trails off, furrowing her brow as she tries to remember the phrase he’d used. “I think he said Cosmic Harmony?” Witch sighs, frustrated with her uncertainty. “Hope was… Is? One of these aspects. He said that my bracelets could only be worn by Hope…” “How appropriate for you to have them then,” Luna comments with a fond smile at Witch. Witch jerks upright, looking mortified. “Luna! How can you say that?!” she demands, the tears reforming. “I may inspire hope, but I certainly don’t embody it! He also said that Celestia is Life, one of the other princesses! She’s the one who told him about me! I’m certainly not on the same level as your sister!” Luna’s soft smile doesn’t falter at the outburst, and she gently brushes a blue lock of mane from Witch’s face. “Witching Hour… I want you to believe me when I say that I have known only one other pony who exemplified the idea of hope so much as you, and that was many years before my banishment…” Witch leans into Luna’s touch, covering her teacher’s hoof at her cheek with her own to keep it there. “I’m scared, Luna… This feels like too much for me to bear…” “My dear hopeful student,” Luna starts, her smile broadening to an affectionate grin. “You won’t bear it alone. If not for the ponies around me, yourself included, I would not have borne my sister’s absence so well… With them, I am able to shoulder the burdens placed on me… I’m sure Princess Twilight will tell you something similar, as her friends have been crucial to her successes.” “But why me?” Witch queries plaintively, sniffling again in an attempt to stem her tears. “Who can ever say for certain?” Luna replies softly, gently brushing her hoof under Witch’s teary eyes. “If such were within my power to tell you, I would… But that is beyond my ability, my dear Witch.” Witch slides down from her couch to sit next to Luna. To the princess, Witch’s intentions are transparent, but Luna has no objections to obliging her and so allows Witch to slip under one arm. She adds her wing to the comforting embrace, holding her student close while resting her head atop Witch’s. “You may not believe that you, or what you do, are special, but I can think of several ponies, myself included, that would argue that you are…” “You’re biased…” Witch’s tone is dry with humor, and her weak smile almost audible. “And Tricks doesn’t count… He’s just a foal.” “Then what about Miss Monkey Wrench, who would not be flying if not for your research and magical talent? And Siren Bliss, who speaks nothing but praise for you? And Sound Chief Piano Treble, who sends me a recording of each new musical piece you arrange or compose with a note thanking me for sending you to the Wonderbolts? I’ve gotten around sixteen of them now…” Luna chuckles as Witch squirms, clearly uncomfortable with the praise. “Even though it simply seems natural for you to do as you have, even that small effort may make all the difference in the world to somepony, my hopeful student.” Witch sighs, leaning her head against Luna’s shoulder. “I’ll try to remember that…” Luna chuckles again, smiling down at Witch. “See that you do, my dear Witch… Now… I think you may have worried Princess Twilight long enough.” Feeling Witch flinch, Luna sighs herself. “Go sort things out with Princess Twilight and this Librarian. It’s clear he only desires to help you, and if he has been in contact with my sister, then you should trust him.” Luna leans down to lightly nuzzle at Witch’s mane. “Time to wake up, Witching Hour.” When Witch opens her eyes again, the sun is beating down on her mercilessly, no longer hidden by the hills or foliage. She blinks as her vision comes back into focus and she feels small objects bumping repeatedly against her shoulder. Looking down, she spots the two vials the Librarian had given her earlier, now with glowing green wings attached to them. Sighing, she quickly grabs the tubes and downs their contents. As she’d expected of an herbal remedy, both taste bitter in her mouth. She notes the distinctive flavor of willow bark lingering on her tongue with a thoughtful nod, as that is a common ingredient her father used in his headache cures. Closing her eyes, she lays her head back down to wait for the potions to kick in, wishing that the sun weren’t so bright overhead. The potions have more than just willow bark to them, and the headache which had returned full force due the bright sunlight ebbs away quickly; far quicker than Witch would’ve anticipated. Relieved of that pain, Witch stands and goes through the wreckage, finding her notebooks and Twilight’s satchel full of research supplies. She straps the bags on and turns to start heading back the way she’d come, hoping that her blind panic had left enough of a disturbance for her to follow through the foliage, and then shrieks in surprise and fear she nearly runs into the large tawny manticore from the night before. The great beast merely looks down on her with curious golden eyes, cocking its head slightly to the right as though silently asking, 'what are you doing back here?' As Witch realizes that the manticore is not about to attack, her paralyzing panic slowly fades and she coughs nervously. “Um… Nice, not-killing-me manticore…” she starts shakily, “Can you, um… take me back… to the library?” To her surprise, the manticore’s eyes flash with an icy blue glow, stunning her momentarily with the similarity to her own magical aura, and then it nods before turning and heading back into the jungle. Before she loses sight of her newfound guide, Witch shakes her head and runs to catch up, falling in behind the manticore at an easy trot. In the relative silence, Witch considers all the information she had already, and the questions she still needed answers for. Luna’s words had helped ease her mind, much as they always did. While it was not her mentor’s forte, Witch had learned a little from Luna about the ways of fate, and that destiny was not a thing that could be avoided. Sighing, she still feels inadequate to the task, like her actions did not merit such exultation. Too soon for her liking, they enter what can best be described as a garden leading up to the main temple, with each plot of flowers, herbs, fruit shrubs or root vegetables neatly sectioned off with paving stones or rope, and organized with labels written in the same foreign lettering as the engraving on her bracelets. Pleasantly arranged throughout the area, fountains and benches are interspersed, and Witch can easily imagine how this might’ve looked before the empire’s fall; full of ponies reading or discussing their books with the gentle hum of the jungle wildlife and the soft splash of water surrounding them. Witch halts in her tracks as the manticore stops and turns to face her. Wordlessly, it extends a paw to point out a set of wide doors with a verdant oak tree emblazoned across them at the far end of the garden. “That’s where I need to go to get back to the Librarian?” Witch asks, silently hoping that the manticore would continue to understand her. Its eyes flash with that same blue aura, and it nods again before silently walking past her and back into the trees. “Thank you!” she calls after it belatedly, waving before realizing it wouldn’t see the gesture. Puzzled, she wonders at the magic that had allowed the manticore to understand her. “I am glad Felynx was able to find you, my lady.” Witch jumps at the Librarian’s sudden voice, shrieking as she twists midair to turn and face the construct. “Gah!” She presses a hoof to her chest over her pounding heart. “For being made of stone, you’re scary quiet!” “My apologies, your loyalness… Perhaps you would like me to wear a bell?” the Librarian offers, a corner of his beak twisting up in a sardonic sort of smirk as he gestures for Witch accompany him inside. Witch chuckles sheepishly as they start towards the doors, and the Librarian simply shrugs. “Your alicorn friend grew quite concerned when you did not return after two hours, so while I sent the creatures here out to look, I suggested she peruse my collection.” “You aren’t expecting her to leave willingly, are you?” Witch asks with an amused chortle. “As the friend of Hope and one who helped you travel here with expediency, she is welcome to take any books she pleases with her when you both depart, and she may return at any time, should she so desire,” he responds in a matter-of-fact tone, pushing the doors open as if they were light as a feather. Witch smiles broadly up at the hippogryph as they pass through the doors and start up the flight of stairs there. “I’m sure Twilight will appreciate that.” “She did.” Witch can’t help but laugh at the succinct yet slightly exasperated quality to the Librarian’s voice. “I also took the liberty of gathering the medicinal journals you expressed interest in, as well as some books I think you will find helpful in learning your role in the Cosmos as Hope.” Witch bites her tongue quickly and sighs. “Librarian? How were the princesses found before?” she asks as they enter the main library. She has to pry her eyes away with a shake of her head so she can pay attention to the construct’s reply. “Typically, the princesses had students and peers with similar devotion to their aspect. Either they were sent out as emissaries corners of the empire, or learned statecraft at the side of their princess. When the Princess passed on, their students would gather in the capitol of their region and the relic of that aspect would choose the new princess…” the Librarian explains in such a way that held Witch enraptured. “What were the other relics?” Witch queries, excited and curious. “Love’s was a crystalline heart. Strength had a set of armor. Compassion’s primary relic was a book made of pulped crystal tree wood that the princess would record acts of compassion in, either witnessed or performed, and it was enchanted so that there would always be more pages. A secondary relic was a pendant which increased the princess’ magical power. Life bore an amulet, not unlike the one I wear now…” Witch hears the sadness and the far-away expression in the Librarian’s voice, being unable to form full expressions with his stone face. Before she can offer any sympathy though, he continues on. “Hope had bracelets, as you are aware, tying into your magic and amplifying all your spells, but healing magic in particular. At their full potential, they become bracers… I hope my collection may serve to help you in that regard.” Witch flinches at the hippogryph’s choice of words, as hearing the phrase ‘full potential’ brought a flash of memory when Luna had said the same thing upon presenting her with the bracelets. “How will I know if I’m… if I’m doing what I’m supposed to?” The Librarian smiles down on Witch, and she could swear she sees the same kindness in his glowing eyes as she had seen in Luna’s so often. “Your Loyalness, were you not doing as you should, you would not stand in this temple now, nor would Hope’s bracelets remain securely fastened above your hooves.” “But I’m not doing anything special!” Witch persists. “I’m just doing what I normally do, what I’ve always done!” “And that, young princess, is exactly why you are Hope.” Witch blinks, stunned and embarrassed at the level of faith the construct placed in her. “Even the smallest effort…” she murmurs softly, recalling Luna’s recent words. Whether the Librarian doesn’t hear, or simply chooses to not respond, Witch would never figure out, as she hears the quick patter of hooves across the floor and the light fluttering of wings just before Twilight’s excited shout of “Witchy!” followed closely by being tackled into a hug from the side. “Oh thank Celestia, you brought my parchment and quills!” “Time to get down to business, I guess…” Witch says with a chuckle as Twilight drags her off to a table in the expansive library that Twilight has apparently taken over, books piled high with several propped open. “You do know you don’t have to do all the research here, right?” “How am I supposed to choose what to take with me?!” Twilight frets, surrounded by floating books as she looks frantically between them. “Twilight… Really… You know how to get here now… You can come back any time! The Librarian’s never had a book go missing, so it’s not like they’re going anywhere,” Witch replies calmly as she organizes her own borrowed books by topic then title with care in a small padded trunk the size of her suitcase. Nodding in satisfaction, she closes the trunk and the stag it’s strapped to stands, giving Witch a silent nod of his own before heading towards the jungle and the Cirrus. “Thank you!” she calls after the stag, waving briefly. There’s a brief flash of blue around where his eyes are as he looks back with a nod, but he keeps plodding on, disappearing into jungle-like foliage. “I know!” Twilight responds, a whining edge to her voice. “I don’t know how you picked your books so easily!” Witch smiles slightly at the alicorn, chuckling a bit as well. “You don’t really think it was easy for me to trim down all those medicinal journals to just the three so I’d have room for the history books I needed, do you Twilight?” she retorts. “Just think of what’s important right now, and remind yourself that you can come back.” Twilight looks up from the multiple books she was still trying to choose from, smiling sheepishly in return. “I guess I should be glad that you didn’t take all the ones the Librarian recommended for you on history…” “And I’m glad you’re taking them for me,” Witch replies, her smile growing broad. “Witch, why can’t I just live here?” Twilight asks, the whine creeping back into her tone. Witch sighs, though with her own amusement and sympathy mixed in. “Twilight, really… We need to get back to Ponyville and figure out where to go next…” “About that, your loyalness…” The Librarian’s voice and sudden entrances no longer makes Witch shriek in surprise, but she does start and shift slightly away from the construct. “I should’ve taken you up on that offer about the bell,” she says, good-natured in her grousing and knowing full well that said offer was in jest. “Yes, Librarian?” “Hope, I am not so vain as believe my library holds all the answers you need,” the construct states. “There is something I wish for you to see… If you wish your friend to join us, I will require your loyalness’ explicit consent to have her join us as this room is only for a Princess to enter without such consent.” Witch blinks in astonishment at the prerequisite, and glances over at Twilight, who quickly stacks the books she’d been lusting after and looks at the hippogryph in eager curiosity. Turning back to the Librarian, she nods. “You have it. Twilight may join us in the room you refer to.” Accepting her statement with a nod of his own, the Librarian turns and walks back into the temple, leading the mares through the library and up a long flight of stairs, to a large door at what had to be the top of the temple, emblazoned with the same oak tree that seemed to be the hallmark of the temple. The Librarian raises his claw to the top of the door, only to have a glacial blue light run right down the middle of the emblem, splitting the door in half with soft clicks of locks releasing. With no force seemingly applied, the doors swing wide into the room beyond with the barest hint of sound. Shadows shroud the room for only a moment after the doors open before the same blue light flickers in long dead sconces along the walls, revealing a barren room but for a set of five mirrors at the center, arrayed around a peaked pedestal with a sheet draped over it. The Librarian looks back at Witch with a slight smirk that she doesn’t see, being too fascinated that her bracelets still glow with the same light that now bathed the room enough for her and Twilight to comfortably see. “This is the Sanctum of Life, Princess,” the Librarian explains, entering the room with Witch and Twilight trailing behind him like baby ducklings following their mother. “Each mirror corresponds to a different princess…” Life’s mirror is easily spotted, second from the right and with the same tree sigil at its crown. Next to it, glowing with the same pale blue light, is what Witch assumes must be the mirror for her as Hope, its device three small circles forming an open triangle and three rays going upward and slightly outward from that base. The mirror to the left of Life’s is topped with a comparatively simple circular shield insignia, evenly quartered by by lines with beveled edges, reminiscent of blades, with stars in the border. The next mirror is clearly for Love, its seal a heart with eight rays radiating from it. Lastly, glowing with a faint orchid-colored aura, the mirror furthest to the left holds a six-rayed star, formed by two equilateral triangles interlocked with the lines of the two shapes passing over and under the others alternatingly, at its crown. Spying the halo surrounding the last mirror on the left, Witch looks over at the Librarian, an eyebrow raised in question. Worry begins nagging at her as she notices the Librarian cocking his head slightly to one side, obviously at as much of a loss as she was. A bright flash of magenta light and a surprised squeak from Twilight draws their attention behind them. Witch’s eyes widen slightly as she sees Twilight suddenly with her crown atop her head, looking as confused as Witch feels. The glow surrounding the last mirror intensifies, deepening in color to match the halo of magic still surrounding Twilight’s diadem. “I suspected as much,” the Librarian notes drily, “though not exactly as I expected, admittedly… But it is good to know all the Princesses of this era. Fascinating that a majority are now alicorns.” Witch pales to an ashen gray, her legs wobbling unsteadily beneath her. With a sigh, sharply exhaling as though the wind had just been knocked from her, she sits as her mind reels. A majority? That meant at least three alicorns represent different aspects of the cosmos the Librarian had spoken of… And still… She… A simple unicorn doctor… She starts trembling where she sits, staring with wide yet glazed eyes at the Librarian and Twilight now speaking with unheard words. When they look over at her, she sinks slowly to lay on the floor and covers her head with her arms. Incomprehensible murmurings filter in distantly through her whirling thoughts moments before she feels a gentle wing rest across her back and shoulders. “Witchy… Breathe… It’s okay…” Witch lets out a long, shuddering breath, her body slowly relaxing and the shaking easing away, but her face remains hidden between the floor and her arms. “I can’t do this…” she mumbles, her breath starting to come in quick, quivering gasps. “I can’t… I’m not…” “You can and you are, Witch… You’re afraid you won’t meet the expectations, that you’re out of your depth… I understand… But the thing that helps most is to not face things alone… I’m here Witchy… I’ll go with you wherever you need to go to figure everything out…” Twilight’s voice is soft and comforting, bringing the swirling reflections in Witch’s mind to a slow halt. “I’m not on the same level as Celestia… Or you… I’m just a unicorn… A doctor…” Twilight’s wing tightens around her shoulders in a comforting half-hug. “Those are just parts of you, Witchy,” she responds gently. “There’s so much more to you, and those things are much more important than what you are or what your profession is. You’re brilliant, caring and selfless… You’ve taken on everything thrown at you with determination, changing jobs and even turning your world upside-down to take in a royal ward. You made a spell to help your friend keep her wings, following theorems in a way I never would’ve thought of! Despite what you may think, it’s not just anypony that can take on all those things combined and remain as optimistic as you are…” Releasing a long, shuddering sigh, Witch shifts and removes her arms from over her head, bringing the sight of the Librarian’s stone hooves and talons. Her blue eyes travel up the sandstone legs and chest to stare up at his eyes, and he stares down at her in turn, head cocked slightly to one side as though considering how to handle the situation at hoof/claw. “My lady… I apologize for overwhelming you. I understand your concern about being set equal to gods, and frankly, that is why alicorns previously were not called upon by the Cosmos to rule Equus. It was thought that were an alicorn chosen, they would take over the Council and take sole rule. Since they are immortal, their reign would be eternal, which is another mark against such a selection, as one of the functions of the Princess Council was to change with the times, and it was feared that an alicorn would not do so. That there are now alicorn representatives of Cosmic Harmony is a matter of great concern, which is the reason I brought you here.” Witch perks up a little at the new puzzle, remaining laying down while her head turns to follow the Librarian as he approaches the pedestal to remove the sheet. The fabric falls into a pool at the foot of the plinth, revealing a glowing cyan crystal eerily similar in size and shape to the pink crystal that the Shadowbolts had used. “In the days of Equus, there were two major mystical resources that were used extensively. The crystal trees of Equus were the prize of any garden, and their seeds had great magic reserves. This seed keeps the temple and its grounds in the temperate clime so different from its surroundings, and allows me to use these mirrors to contact the princesses without… a princess present.” Witch’s eyes dart away from the crystal to the construct, sensing the sad reason for the Librarian’s brief hesitation. “That seems like too much for one seed…” Twilight comments, rising to her hooves and approaching the pedestal, though she remains a ‘safe’ distance from it. “If it were the seed of the common crystal trees, I would agree… However, a myth tells that this seed, and the four that occupy the other temples, came from the legendary Tree of Harmony… Its location was never fixed, going where the Cosmos deemed it necessary as it was also said to hold six more seeds known as the Elements of Harmony -” Witch and Twilight simultaneously jerk in response, their necks practically snapping as their heads whip around to look between the crystal and then back at each other. “Elements of Harmony?!” they exclaim in unison. “You have heard of them?” the Librarian retorts, now matching his guests’ in surprise. Allowing herself a small smirk at her companion, Witch responds, “You… you could… say that,” her sentence broken up by a few snorts and stifled giggles. When Twilight gives the construct a sheepish nod of confirmation, the ironic hilarity overwhelms her and Witch is back to laying on the floor, laughing loudly and gasping for breath. “It’s a long story,” Twilight sighs, “But yes, we heard of them… They were the only way to defeat Night Mare Moon and redeem Princess Luna, a little over two year ago… My friends and I found them, and we each represent one of the Elements… Princess Celestia said we’re the only ones that can use them now…” “Where were they found?” the hippogryph asks eagerly. “Not far from my home, in the Everfree Forest…” Twilight replies, strangely off-balance. “She lives in Ponyville, which is around 20 miles away from Equestria’s capitol of Canterlot,” Witch adds, elaborating helpfully, finally calming down from her fits of laughter. The Librarian releases a grumpy huff of breath. “If I may make a request, I would like to be sent a map of Equestria at your earliest convenience…” he says with a small amount of irritation. “That aside, that means you have a two options for where to go next…” Both Twilight and Witch exchange a quick, confused glance at each other before returning their attention to the Librarian. “My first suggestion would be to go to the capitol of Hope’s region, Roan. Hope’s temple there might have information on the fall of the Empire…” “Roan’s a cursed ruin…” Twilight interjects, shaking her head. “No one’s known why though… There were no survivors, and no pony’s been able to get close to it without dying.” The construct’s glowing eyes widen at that information, and then he sighs heavily, shoulders slumping as though defeated. “Then my suggestion would be finding the Tree of Harmony. It should be near this Everfree Forest as well, as it is never far from the Elements themselves. Legend tells that these seeds allowed Tree to hold the cumulative experiences of the princesses… It is likely, if true, that you may be able discover the cause of the Chaos that overwhelmed Equus.” “And you think that’ll help us figure out what the writing means? And how those pegasi are using magic?” Witch asks, her eyes on Twilight and silently asking her opinion. “Even if it does not hold that specific knowledge, I believe it will give you useful information, and probably give you another direction to explore,” the hippogryph answers. “We’ll be fighting the trade winds coming back… I’m not sure the Cirrus will get us very far…” Twilight adds, replying to Witch’s unspoken query. Witch turns thoughtful as she ponders the problem at hoof. “Well… The map started the trail here at the port of Half-Flank… We could find a ship there to take us back, and I’ll be able to send a letter to Monkey like I promised. The ocean currents mean it should only take a week to get back to Equestria…” “From what the young couple that came before led me to understand, the town is a few days by land… Your airship should be able to make the trip there in a few hours with the repairs you’ve managed,” the librarian comments. Witch snorts in amusement at the Librarian’s description of her brother and Dee. “That sounds like Dee and Leaf… Glad to see my brother didn’t demolish your garden.” “I believe he had greater concerns at the time…” the Librarian offers cryptically, garnering another snort of amusement from Witch. “Sounds like we have a plan then,” Twilight says with a nod… And then she groans again before dashing back out of the room. “I still need to pick my books!”