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Old Pony's Tale1,129 words
Whispers in the Wind1,164 words
All Is One, One Is All1,684 words
Those Who Are Left2,831 words
Kingdoms Through Ages1,797 words

All Is One, One Is All

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. ― Lao Tzu

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Princess Cadence hunched over a large table, a multitude of books, scrolls, quills and bottles of ink surrounding her with their clutter. She blinked at the page in front of her, re-reading the blurry passage for the fourth time. She sighed and wearily dragged a hoof down her face. Nothing, absolutely nothing, she thought. I can't find anything to help these people, and all the while, Sombra's presence bears down with malicious intent.

A knock on the door to the library in which the princess sat startled her briefly, and she thus composed herself. "Come in," she voiced.

A guard poked his head in, eyes softening at the absolutely exhausted princess he helped protect. "Your highness, the Prince has retrieved the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. They will arrive shortly."

The pink alicorn nodded her head. "Thank you. Please show them in when they arrive." The guard, now dismissed, saluted her and shut the door behind him.

Cadence stood and stretched, moaning as her tense muscles relaxed. Her pink ki enveloped most of the books on the table and put them into their correct shelves, knowing she would not find anything useful in them. She continued cleaning the area for her guests, anxious for their input on the situation. The workplace was much less cluttered when again a knock sounded, preceding the opening of the door. It was opened wider this time to let the ponies pass through, Twilight Sparkle leading the winded-looking group.

A cry of delight was heard as the Princess and Twilight Sparkle hugged each other tightly. They were truly like sisters, and the alicorn struggled to keep her relieved tears.

Shining Armor entered the room last, touched by the picture of his wife and sister's embrace. He, too, had been nearly overcome by Twilight and her friends' arrival, though it conflicted with his feelings of embarrassment. After all, he was the big brother, and now a prince, and he should have been able to keep both of the mares in his life safe. Nonetheless, he was grateful for all the help he could get at this point.

"I'm sorry for the circumstances of our reunion, but I am truly happy you've all come," Cadence said, smiling.

"We're only too happy to help!" The purple unicorn exclaimed. She was truly happy to see her sister-in-law and brother, though it was dampened quite a bit as she truly looked at the Princess. She looked about as bad as her brother, and the situation truly sunk in. The mares broke their embrace as they turned to everypony in the room.

"Your highness," Rarity and Applejack said in unison, being the well-mannered and outspoken mares they were. They, along with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie bowed formally.

A flush rose to the Princess' cheeks as she waved a hoof in front of her. "Oh please, don't bow, we're all friends here. You needn't be so formal, truly." The ponies rose from their positions and gave gentle smiles to the alicorn.

Shining Armor trotted over to his wife and sat down next to her. The other ponies followed his lead, sitting comfortably around the table. "I haven't really explained what has been happening, especially since we were a bit side-tracked getting here."

"Did you run into much trouble?" Cadence asked, a worried look coming over her visage, giving a cursory glance over her husband for injuries.

Shining huffed, rubbing his neck with one hoof. "Yeah, you could say that. Sombra unleashed a strong, blinding storm, and he came too close for comfort near us. That, and something really odd happened to Miss Rarity," he gestured with a hoof to the white mare.

Rarity, in a rare show of sheepishness, blushed hotly. "I apologize for adding undue stress to everyone," she said. "I--well, we--don't really know what happened, Cadence, but we were hoping that perhaps you could shed fresh light on this situation. Although," frowned the white mare, "I am unsure if it has anything to do with this King Sombra fellow."

"With that stallion, anything is possible," said the princess, a stormy look crossing her face. "I would hear your situation, my dear Rarity. It may help us."

Nodding, Rarity looked at the floor for a moment. It was still fresh in her mind, yet it seemed somehow fuzzy to her. "The girls and I came off the train--"

"--And me!" Spike added, slightly indignant.

"Yes, and Spike as well. Shining Armor greeted us when a swift yet fierce wind blew. He informed us that it was Sombra's doing and that we has best hurry to the safety of the city limits. We started running but snow blinded us and Twilight and Shining told us to stick together and follow the glow of their magic. Twilight implored me to use my ki as well, and I tried..." Rarity fell silent, trying to come up with words to phrase what happened as best she could. "It was like my magic was blocked; I remember a fierce headache, and a voice, laughing, saying something about not running from fate..." She continued frowning as she left off, but Twilight continued.

"Well, when we were safe inside, I kind of got angry at her," Twilight shuffled her front hoof. "She told us what happened, and it was decided that it was better to talk with you before anything else. I'm still sorry I got so angry with you, Rarity. I should have known there was a reason why your ki wasn't there."

"Oh my, that is quite an interesting adventure." Cadence, though slightly amused (only these girls would find so much trouble just stepping off a train!), was nonetheless worried. She shared a glance with her husband, seeing the curiosity and worry in his eyes, mirroring her own. "Unfortunately, girls, I do not know why such an occurrence happened. I have been searching this entire library for any information regarding Sombra. I do not think such an incident was mere coincidence, though. Perhaps there may be something in the books on King Sombra and fate," she offered.

"We can help you if you'd like," Fluttershy offered softly.

"A fresh set of eyes would be great," Cadence smiled appreciatively. "However, I should debrief you on the situation first. We don't truly know what is happening, or why. We know that Sombra was a king many, many years ago, and his rule was, for the most part, prosperous and just. We don't know how he came into power, either, since this was before the Arctic Frost came into Equestrian providence. He turned cruel and vicious towards his subjects, cast a curse upon them and their generations, before he was vanquished by Celestia. The citizens continued to be despondent and apathetic, so we knew he was not truly defeated."

The friends gave each other worried glances. "Have they been suffering all this time?" Twilight asked.

Cadence nodded her head, a despondent look across her face. "No one knew what to do for them. They lived, died, married and had children, and continued to work. But there was no drive, no passion, other than just living. Auntie sent me here, hoping that my magic could help them... if maybe they were shown love, what it felt like, the curse would break. But that's not the case, and so here you are." Her husband left a foreleg on her shoulder in silent support. She took a shaky breath. "Please, I don't-don't know what to do."

"Of course we'll help!" Applejack said, rousing a chorus of agreement from the other bearers of the elements of harmony. While it may has seemed presumptuous to others, the girls were usually of one mind in such situations. When asked for help, one spoke for the group to answer in the positive. Their dynamic was so strong, and the love between them was not lost on the young princess, that they seemed almost as one entity at times. They had magic all their own, magic that had nothing to do with the elements of harmony. It was strong and balanced. While unknown exactly what it was, it felt safe and trustworthy to any and every pony.

"So where do we start?" Asked Rainbow Dash. Her wings rustled slightly in apprehension.

"We should learn more about Sombra," Twilight voiced. "Books, logs, artifacts, whatever you can find. I doubt that the citizens would be open to conversation, but..." she shrugged. "We could try to ask around."

Princess Cadence cleared her throat, feeling slightly out of the loop. "I have done some research already, but there isn't much to go on," she admitted. She shuffled some papers in front of her before grasping it with her ki and handing it to her sister-in-law. "While it's not much, it is a start. Unfortunately, this land is not as self-sufficient as it should be, and I must see to this matter." She stood and stretched, instantly feeling more awake. "So much to do, not enough ponies to help," she grinned wryly.

Shining Armor chortled in agreement, He, too, had to defend his kingdom and his subjects, though the word was a sour taste in his throat. Though the stallion hated being referred as such, he was a prince; thus, he was shown his due deference. "We have faith in you girls," he added. Together, husband and wife left the library to tend to their respective tasks.

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