//------------------------------//
// Chapter Twenty: Lessons Still To Be Learned 
// Story: PonySide 
// by Puzzle Piece 
//------------------------------//

	Katie stood in the shade of a willow tree near a small lake. She was a few miles outside of Ponyville, with the tops of the tallest buildings just barely in view over the trees. She wore her basic uniform without the armor. She’d left the rest of her equipment in Canterlot. She closed her eyes to take in the peacefulness that surrounded her. The animals in the surrounding countryside chirped and called occasionally, punctuating the quiet atmosphere with their natural ambiance. The trees whispered in the gentle breeze that passed though their leaves. The willow tree creaked as a gust caught its branches and shifted them languidly to one side before letting them sink back into their restful positions. It had been almost two months since the humans had parted ways and spread out across Equestria. Katie was worn out from the long hours of study and research in the city and it felt good to get away from it.
Ponies rarely came out this far from town. But when Katie opened her eyes again, she could see the evidence of recent visitation near the base of the tree. Flowers had been laid out carefully before the three gravestones. Even though it had been weeks since any of the humans had been here to pay their respects to their fallen companions, the flowers couldn’t have been more than a day old. The freshness of the arrangements suggested that at least some of their pony friends had continued to return here to pay tribute to the memories of the dead.
The burial had happened on the second day of their community service sentence. Recovering the bodies was hard on all of them, as their emotions were still raw from the fighting. Most of the guards had escorted the Major and Mathew to Fluttershy’s cottage on Twilight’s orders, apparently to ensure returning to that place and seeing the remains of the battle didn’t spark new conflict. Anthony’s body was removed from the MAX suit, which was carted off to Canterlot for safekeeping, just as the rest of their equipment had been after their sentences were completed. Trevor’s equipment was similarly seized and sent away.
The ponies assisted in preparing the bodies and their resting place was decided on, but after burying them, the graves had been marked with basic, temporary headstones. Now it was time to offer more permanent farewells. Katie had been able to drown out her sorrow with hard work; had been able to put on a smile for the ponies around her because of the infectious smiles they offered her; had even been able to see clearly into her own future without Nathan and find hope. But standing here now, she found it hard to feel anything but the sting of his death and the heavy guilt that it had come at her hands. She heard voices behind her and wiped away the tears that had crept up at the corners of her eyes.

“Lookin’ sharp Major!” Mat called out.

The Light Assault was striding toward the graves from the hills to the west, followed by his pony companions. He waved to Gadrik as the other made his way around the lake from town to where Katie was waiting for them both. Mat still wore his armor, though he’d opted to sling his helmet from his belt, and now sported a travel bag over one shoulder. He walked with a saunter that exuded confidence. His armor had been scrubbed of the dirt it had undoubtedly accumulated on the road and his wind whipped hair was clean even if it wasn’t neat.
Gadrik was outfitted in light plates of steel armor with a pale purple uniform underneath. Although none of his TR weapons were visible, a steel spear was strapped across his back. He was accompanied by a pair of translucent ponies in similar attire.

“I see that the road has not tarnished you either,” he replied.

As he drew nearer, Gadrik shifted the box he held so that he could draw his spear. The ponies with him did the same and as one, they knelt as if in prayer and planted the spears in the ground. Then they stood again and walked the rest of the way to where Katie and Mat stood. Mat nodded to Katie and shook her hand when she offered it.

“I trust you’ve enjoyed yourself?” she asked.

“You’d better believe it!” Mat laughed. “I thought I was going to walk country roads the whole time, but then, about a week out, these two decided they’d actually act like living beings and talk to me. And boy did they know where the sights were!”

He glanced back at the guards, one of whom flashed him a cocky smile in return. Both guards were a stark contrast to the rigid attention they had held when the three had first set out. Now they stood leisurely to one side, exchanging idle chatter occasionally.

“Did you know they had cities with skyscrapers? Whole bustling populations and with all the excitement that comes with it!”

Mat let out a contented sigh as he reveled in the memories. His smile faded as his eyes wandered and eventually found the graves. He bowed his head and nodded at the ground, glancing at Katie, who was watching him neutrally.

“Who are these two you’ve got trailing after you, Major?” he asked Gadrik in a more sober tone.

“A couple of soldiers from my unit in the Crystal Empire, Privates Glory Grey and White Spire. They’ve decided to accompany me here to pay respects.” Gadrik inclined his head to each of them and they nodded in turn. “And I’m no longer a Major. I’m only a Corporal now. But I am perfectly content to leave it where it is.”

“The change of pace isn’t tripping you up?” Mat asked.

“I didn’t expect it to be easy,” he replied, but didn’t expand on that. Instead, he turned to Katie. “How has the city been treating you?”

Katie felt the smile she’d worn so easily over the past month slide back into place as her enthusiasm for her work took hold again.

“It’s been wonderful. Ponies generally accepted me once introductions were out of the way. Granted, those were hard and in some cases, a bit awkward. But as soon as we could find common ground, there was hardly a snag. I’ve been working with Princess Twilight off and on when she has time and our project has been progressing nicely. I think I’ll wait until after we’re done here to go into that though.” She was excited to share it with them but knew that this wasn’t the right moment for such news. So she took a deep breath and moved on. “Other than that, my studies are fascinating. So much history and culture, not to mention all of the differences in technology brought on by their magic. I’ve only begun to explore how much there is that I still have to learn!”

She let out a breath of excitement at the mere prospect of digging into such a vast wealth of knowledge.

“What about you though. You didn’t give us a whole lot to go on.”

Gadrik remained stone-faced. But as both Mat and Katie waited patiently for him to say something, he relented. He began with a great, resigned sigh. “Ponies aren’t as accepting of me as they seem to be of the two of you. I’ve tried my best, I really have. But I still can’t shake the feeling that I’m out of place. Thing is, I can’t think of any other place I belong than in a platoon, following orders.” He considered the ground at his feet dejectedly. “Perhaps I’ve made a mistake.”

“You’re not alone Finnegan,” White Spire said suddenly. “We are with you.”

Private Grey nodded emphatically. “It isn’t your fault. Most of us in the Crystal Empire are still trying to adjust to being free after out long absence from Equestria. They’ll come around eventually. Just give it time.”

Gadrik gave them a shadow of a smile to show his appreciation for their words. Mat stepped over and put his hand on Gadrik’s shoulder.

“Listen, Finn. Don’t worry about it. You can’t make everyone happy. You can’t make everyone your friend. But if experience has taught us anything here, it’s that if we keep at it and stick together, we’ll get though our trouble.” He gestured at the graves. “We’ve got a lot of baggage between us and yet we’re still managing to move past it. If the three of us can come together after something like this, you can find acceptance in Equestria. And it looks like you’ve already got a start on that.” He indicated the Crystal ponies. “Keep at it, but remember that it takes time.”

Gadrik’s smile widened until he genuinely looked optimistic. He nodded and placed his hand on Mat’s shoulder in a show of solidarity. They both broke away when they heard several others approaching. Princess Twilight made her way toward the lake unhurriedly. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walked together just behind her, speaking in low tones. Applejack was a few paces back, stepping gingerly as she favored one leg, but otherwise appearing to have recovered well. Rarity stayed close at her side, ready to give support if needed. Pinkie Pie bounded merrily ahead of them all, reaching the humans first and launching herself at Mat.

“Whoa hey!” he exclaimed as he staggered back and caught his balance.

“You’re back!” she shouted, hugging him until his armor creaked. “You’ve got to tell me all about it! Where did you go? What did you see? What kind of food did you meet? What kind of ponies did you…wait, that’s not right. But still! You have to tell me ALL OF IT!”

Mat managed to dislodge her stranglehold as he laughed. “Don’t you worry, I’ll fill you in on the whole adventure. But it’ll have to wait until later.”

Pinkie nodded in understanding and made an effort to contain herself. The others trotted up and set their saddlebags down. Rarity passed a box to Applejack and helped her open it. Rainbow took a wrapped bundle out of her bag and looked at Fluttershy, who nodded encouragingly. Rainbow approached Gadrik hesitantly while he waited stoically. She held out the bundle for him to take.

“What’s this?” he asked as he unwrapped it carefully.

“We wanted to put something together for you…and for him,” Rainbow replied forlornly, glancing at Anthony’s grave. “It’s not much, but still.”

Inside the thin cloth wrap was a gathering of white gladiolus flowers and a single pink rose. Gadrik held the gift tenderly for a long time before reaching down and drawing the Pegasus into a one-armed hug. He gestured to Fluttershy to join them and wrapped his other arm around her while still holding the flowers.

“It’s more than enough,” he said softly, closing his eyes as he held them both.

They returned the hug in kind. While they shared their moment, Applejack brought her box over to Mat.

“We put a little something together too,” she said with a small smile.

He accepted the box wordlessly and opened it. Inside was an arrangement of white tulips and red poppies.

“I don’t know what to say,” he began, unable to look away from the gift. “Thanks, for sure, but I never would have…I mean…”

“It’s alright." Applejack batted the air with her hoof. "There ain’t nothing else that needs sayin’.”

He kept looking at the flowers until a thought crossed his mind.

“Um, these flowers are really nice and I appreciate the thought but, well...Trevor and I were really good friends but I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea…”

Rarity stepped forward, anticipating his meaning. “Not to worry dear. This arrangement is completely platonic. I have enough experience in this field to avoid that mistake.”

“Platonic?” Pinkie observed, looking closely at them. “Those flowers don’t look like they’re made of Play-Doh.”

The others laughed while Rarity took Pinkie aside with a patient smile and explained it to her. Katie looked over to see what Twilight was doing and found her marking off space behind the gravestones. With a final nod, she turned to the gravestones. With a flash and three sharp pops, the temporary stones were replaced with flat marble slabs, about two feet square each. They featured the name and faction symbol of their respective soldier along the top, leaving the rest of the marker smooth and open. The others noticed then and gathered as Twilight turned to address them.

“Is it time for the…” Pinkie began, but clamped a hoof over her mouth to prevent herself from saying any more.

Twilight nodded, which caused Pinkie to vibrate with excitement.

“Since we last gathered," Twilight began. "I have put some thought into the best way to honor these lives lost and at the same time mark this moment as the first step toward moving past the conflict. I commissioned a special piece to be made so that we will always remember how much our peace has cost us.”

Her horn lit up and the area that she’d marked off behind the gravestones glowed. With a bright burst of purple energy, a life-sized statue appeared. All three soldiers were present in the blue marble, posing side by side and intricately detailed. The MAX stood tall and menacing in the middle with its weapons raised at the ready. To the MAX’s right was the Heavy Assault, stance unyielding and shotgun aimed outward. On the other side, the Infiltrator was a subtle presence behind its expressionless mask while the rifle was held in a casual position.
Most of the ponies, including a few of the guards, uttered sounds of surprise and admiration for the exquisite sculpture. The humans considered it solemnly, taking it all in. Pinkie looked between them eagerly, waiting for their reactions. Then Gadrik raised his right hand to his brow slowly and deliberately, placed his feet together and stood rigid. After a pause, he finished the salute sharply. Mat walked over to the statue, glanced at Twilight for permission, and put his hand on the Heavy’s shoulder. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, not moving for a long time. Katie stood where she was, hugging herself tightly as she absorbed every facet of Nathan’s stone likeness. Twilight stood beside her, lending a sympathetic presence.

With a shuddering breath, Katie said, “It’s perfect.”

“I’ll say,” Mat commented. He ran his hand along the lines and edges, following the etched details of the Heavy’s armor plates. “This is a fine cut. The quality of the stone is incredible.”

“It’s the work of one of the top sculptors in Equestria, Chisel Chip,” Twilight said.

“And the stone came from my family’s rock farm!” Pinkie interjected excitedly. “You should have seen the look on Maud’s face when she heard they’d gotten a royal commission!”

“It’s a fitting inscription as well,” Gadrik said.

“What’s a what?” Mat asked, looking back at him.

Gadrik pointed to where a neat script was etched into the base of the stone.

“I’ll be,” Mat breathed, stepping back to read it for himself.

Katie moved closer so that she too could see what it said.

The inscription read: These three soldiers, though not Equestrian or aligned with each other, are held in memorial here as a symbol of devotion to the causes they lost their lives to uphold, as well as a reminder of the cost of violent conflict. Each of them was consumed by a war of divisions that threatened to engulf the ponies of Ponyville, yet through their sacrifice, each was able to teach us a part of the lesson that would put that conflict to rest. Now we carry on, still mindful of what sets us apart, but with a new focus on what brings us together.

Mat took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?”

“There’s something it doesn’t say. It doesn’t speak with your words,” Twilight said. She gestured to the headstones on which there was ample space for inscriptions. “Let me know what you want them to say and I’ll carve it in with my magic.”

Mat stepped back to look at the blank space and frowned.

“Can I have a moment to think it over?” he asked.

“Of course,” she nodded. “Take all the time you need.”

Gadrik cleared his throat. “If I might, I think I’ve decided what I would say.”

“Go ahead,” Twilight said as her horn lit up.

Gadrik cleared his throat again and spoke with a formal tone. “The epitome of loyalty, ready to give his all, right to the end.” As he finished, his voice grew husky with the feelings his words invoked and he wiped his eyes quickly.

The beam from Twilight’s horn traced across the smooth stone of Anthony’s grave. In its wake were the words Gadrik had spoken, marked in the same neat script as the statue’s inscription. When she’d finished, Twilight turned to Katie expectantly. Katie was once again struck by a wave of guilt. Nathan had been her enemy in the end, willing to kill any of them if it served his purpose. She couldn’t shake that tainted image of him from her mind but she didn’t want to let it rob him of the tribute he deserved. She still loved him, even if she only loved the part of him that was preserved in the pleasant memories of him she still carried. She thought back to the times they had laughed together, both on Auraxis and in Equestria. She found that almost all of those memories were in a lab or during their search for a way home: In research and discovery. She knew then what she would say of him now.

She did not cry as she spoke. Instead, she wore a reflective smile, sustained by Nathan’s child-like enthusiasm for learning. “I’d like it to read ‘Endlessly seeking knowledge, now exploring the last great mystery.’”

Twilight’s magic cut across the stone in a fluid motion and the words appeared behind it. She turned to Mat and waited. The Light Assault had gone several paces away and was gazing out over the lake. One of his companions was standing beside him, conversing in low tones. No one tried to approach them or listen in; what they were saying was between them alone. Applejack stepped over to the statue to get a closer look.

“Ah never thought it would go as far as it did. We all got caught up in things so quick, Ah didn’t even stop ta think we were fightin’ our friends.”

“Ideological divides can sneak up on us,” Katie murmured.

Gadrik nodded. “It can cut families apart and whole nations with them. Much of Earth’s history is fraught with such conflicts. But when that wormhole appeared, we realized that we had our priorities mixed up. All it took was a common cause for us to put aside our differences and unite. The rise of the Republic happened almost overnight and the wars stopped before the year was out. In the Republic, we were one people: One human race. With that common denominator, the old, bitter grudges that had kept us in perpetual war for centuries fell away.”

“The key, I think, is to accept the differences and learn how they can become strengths,” Katie added. “To look past first impressions and seek deeper understanding.”

“Funny how you needed to learn that lesson again here in order to stop this fight,” Rainbow laughed humorlessly.

Katie and Gadrik were both guiltily silent. Fluttershy approached the statue as well, gazing up at the grim mask of Anthony’s MAX.

“Did it really have to cost so much for us to realize how wrong it was?”

“I think it did,” Gadrik said despondently. “It’s hard to come to a conclusion so far from your established ideals without a shocking example staring you in the face. It’s petty and it’s sad, but it’s also mostly true of humans in general.”

“I know plenty of ponies who can be the same way too,” Twilight said solemnly.

Mat rejoined them then, making his way slowly, still mulling things over. The pony with him gave no indication of what had passed between them.

“I’m ready,” Mat said simply. When Twilight’s horn lit up, he spoke, intoning slowly and purposefully. “Fighter. Leader. Rebel. Friend. Free at last; free forever.”

The words, gone from his lips in a moment and carried away on a soft breeze, lingered on in the deep-felt emotions inspired by them, and longer still in the stone they had been etched into. With the inscriptions complete, Twilight backed away to let the humans lay out their flowers. Katie stepped behind the willow tree to retrieve a pack she had brought. She took out a small basket of purple hyacinth that had a ring of eleven blue roses woven around the edge.
She stood back while Gadrik spread the fan of gladiolus at the edge of the Corporal’s grave. He took an extra moment to make sure the pink rose stayed in the center. He straightened up, saluted and stepped back. Then Mat followed, putting the arrangement of tulips and poppies down carefully and then laying a hand on Trevor’s name. He murmured a few words before stepping back as well. Katie took her turn, kneeling down in the grass. She placed the basket on the marker and fussed with it for a moment, her hand lingering on the blue roses and tracing the ring they formed. There was a surreal finality to it as she stood again. By leaving the flowers, she was truly leaving Nathan behind and moving forward in her life. The tears that fell from her cheeks were not of sorrow this time. They were of hope and relief. As she stepped away, the weight of her guilt lifted and she took a deep, calming breath.
The entire group moved away from the graves, splitting off into smaller groups. Twilight spoke with Gadrik about his training in the north while Rarity explained the exact meanings of each flower arrangement to a curious Mat. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow crowded around Applejack, bothering her with concerns and questions about her recovery that she was trying to deflect. Mat’s companions were speaking with the Crystal ponies that had arrived with Gadrik, exchanging their views on their respective human acquaintances. Katie was doing up her pack when Gadrik and Twilight approached her.

With a glance at Twilight, Gadrik spoke, “You’d mentioned earlier that your work with the Princess was progressing well. I’m curious what work that was.”

“Oh, yes.” She turned to Twilight. “Should we tell them now?”

“It seems like an appropriate time,” she replied with a shrug.

“Very well.” Katie stepped out to stand prominently before the other groups. She raised her voice to get their attention “If you would gather around, there is a rather important announcement I’d like to share.” When she had their attention, she went on. “Over the past month, the Princess and I have been working to understand the events that brought us to Equestria and last week, we made a series of breakthroughs.”
“First off, I want to say that nothing is final yet, since we haven’t had nearly enough time to run the required tests. But we believe we will be able to return home. Twilight has some experience with portals to other worlds, and after analyzing texts from a known extra-dimensional traveler called Starswirl the Bearded, we’ve begun unraveling the secrets of creating our own portals.”

Twilight spoke up then as Katie indicated for her to share her part.

“By using a combination of my own understandings of the magic of the portal in the Crystal Empire and Katie’s technology to enhance our ability to measure and manipulate the energy of it, we have been able to recreate its properties and open portals to other locations,” Twilight said. “These have been little more than short range windows but we believe they have the capacity to reach Auraxis with the proper conditions.”

“Those conditions would include a target destination for the portal,” Katie said, taking over again. “I have used parts from our equipment to create a signal amplifier that has already succeeded at probing beyond this world’s boundaries. Since our systems are constantly trying to link up with the rest of our faction’s network, I only need to scan for that connecting signal and the amplifier will be able to lock onto it.”

Mat ran a hand through his hair as he worked through it in his head. “So you’re saying…it sounds like you’re saying…”

“You will finally be able to go home!” Twilight finished enthusiastically.

Mat chuckled nervously and glanced at Gadrik. Gadrik’s mouth became a thin line of concern. Katie looked between them inquisitively, having expected a completely different response to this news.

“Is something wrong?” she asked after a minute without any indication of their thoughts.

“Maybe,” Mat said. “I mean, if we go home, back to Auraxis, the war will still be going on.” He searched for words but came up short and gestured for Gadrik to back him up.

“They will never listen to us if we speak against the war," he said, crossing his arms. "We will be ignored at best and executed at worst. The three of us would be buried by the hate that has overrun our people.”

“What Finn said,” Mat said with finality.

Katie’s shoulders slumped. “Oh. I hadn’t considered that. I suppose I’ll still finish the tests, but if returning will be like that…”

“We’ll need to make sure we develop a plan for when you complete those tests,” Twilight broke in to bolster Katie’s rapidly disintegrating confidence. “It will take some time to get all of the data needed and set up the final preparations. In the mean time, we can organize a procedure for imparting the lessons you’ve learned to your allies. I think we will be ready for your return when the time comes.” She gave an encouraging smile that Katie found infectious.

“I’m sure we will,” she agreed. “One day, when we’re ready, we will return to end the war.”

“Whatever happens,” Mat said. “Going home or staying here, I’m going to enjoy every second I get to spend here.”

Gadrik grunted neutrally and made no other comment. Katie was not convinced that they were out of the woods yet, but she did feel hopeful. After all, she was surrounded by friends who would support her in the journey. The humans had proven that they could overcome the divisions between them once. She knew there was a way to bring that peace to the rest of the factions of Auraxis. And with the help of the Equestrians, she was sure they would find it.

“Come on, everypony…and human!” Pinkie Pie shouted suddenly. “Every second you spend here isn’t going to enjoy itself.” She bounded off toward town. “It’s Party O’clock and the clock is ticking!”

“Wait up Pinkie!” Rainbow shouted, taking to the air to catch up with her. “You still need to tell us where the party is!”

“The party is wherever we are, Rainbow!” Mat laughed.

He let out a triumphant whoop and launched himself after the rapidly retreating pink figure with a burst from his jetpack. Gadrik made a gesture of invitation to Katie.

“Shall we?” he offered.

“I’ll be along in a bit,” she said.

He nodded and started off, with Fluttershy falling into step beside him. She nuzzled up against his side and he looked down at her. An understanding passed between them wordlessly and Gadrik reached down to scratch her behind the ears. The other mares followed after at a slower pace since Applejack wasn’t supposed to run yet. The guards assigned to Mat spoke with Twilight as they walked and the Crystal ponies trailed a few steps behind.
Katie finished packing up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Before she followed the others, she paused in front of the graves. She slowly read the inscriptions on them and on the statue and then studied the statue itself. Today, she could easily see why the other soldiers had supported the causes they had. She could even see why the other factions had fought so tenaciously for their own ideologies. Hindsight helped her see past the dogma and rhetoric that had stubbornly refused to budge for centuries.
She still believed that Vanu had called to humanity and that pursuing the knowledge that Vanu offered was in humanity’s best interests. But she also saw that humanity would not be made to accept that knowledge through force. She could see that working together, as one united people, was far more practical than separating and fragmenting as they had. Katie looked out over the lake to the mountains beyond and then around to the forests and hills that surrounded her. It was a beautiful land and it was filled with beautiful creatures. Vanu wasn’t the only alien being with secrets worth exploring.
Katie adjusted the bag on her shoulder and marched off toward Ponyville and the friends she knew held the answers she’d never known she needed.


~*~*~


Celestia stared at the image for a long time without saying a word. The strange box that held it hovered before her apparently under its own power. The screen held the last moment of the graveside gathering for a minute longer before it and the box disappeared from reality. Discord floated over her shoulder, leaning in closer than she was currently comfortable with, and smiled expectantly at her.

“Well?” he asked.

“I’m not sure what kind of response you’re looking for,” she returned reproachfully.

“Perhaps you would share your thoughts on a certain adorably faithful former student of yours and how she faired in overcoming this little obstacle,” he offered benignly.

Celestia repressed an urge to blast Discord. It wouldn’t work and she would just end up needing to replace portions of her chambers when her magic invariably passed through him ineffectually. She could tell by the twinkle in his eye as he waited that he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“I believe she handled herself and the situation admirably, though I’m surprised that you are taking these events so lightly.” She gave him a gaze of piercing scrutiny. “You wouldn’t, by chance, know how all of this came about, would you?”

“Search me,” he said unconcernedly.

He then began to actually search his pockets, which appeared at various absurd places across his serpentine form, and tossing out a number of random items ranging from live chickens to billiard balls to a very confused pony in a canoe. Last of all was what looked like a discharged EMP grenade with laser scarring. He examined the grenade briefly and glanced at Celestia before conjuring a trashcan and throwing it away. She raised an eyebrow at him dangerously and he tried a disarming smile on her, but to no avail.

“Indeed,” Celestia said. “It seems Twilight succeeded, despite your best efforts to array insurmountable odds against her.”

“My dear Celestia!” he exclaimed in mocking astonishment as he floated lazily toward the ceiling. “I had full confidence in her the whole time. Show some faith in your own protégé.”

Celestia’s nostrils flared. “I do not entertain myself by putting my former student through unnecessary hardships. And I absolutely refuse to treat this situation like a joke!”

“Come now, Celly,” Discord harrumphed, stretching his neck down until his head was at her level. “It’s not as if anypony died!”

Celestia had to take a deep breath to keep a grip on her rising irritation. “Though the ponies injured in this scheme of yours will recover, three of the humans lost their lives.”

“Yes…well…” Discord fished for words briefly before sweeping the matter aside with a wave of a paw. “I have a wager to win, and thanks to our lovely lavender friend, I think I’ll finally manage to cash in on this one.”

He dropped to the ground and walked toward the door casually. Celestia started in shock and rounded on him.

“Wager?! What wager? With whom?”

Discord stopped but didn’t turn around.

“An old acquaintance of mine,” he said, gesturing vaguely. “From eons back and a few dimensions away. You probably wouldn’t know him.”

He pulled out a small figurine of a design Celestia was sure she’d never seen before. He held it for a moment before slipping it back into the rift in space he’d brought it out of. When it vanished, Celestia felt more than heard a surge of whispers in her mind, as if a hundred voices were speaking over each other. But when they faded away, she could only remember one word.

Vanu