Storms On the Horizon

by Eeveexpert

10 - Flight Of the Unicorn

There were no nightmares this time around; Twilight simply awoke to the slowly receding throbs of a painful headache. Thankfully her gag had been removed so she could finally breathe normally again. Apart from the absence of its horrid taste in her mouth, its disappearance was of little solace to the unicorn; her blindfold was still in place. Even so, she could still tell that her legs were bound once more, this time with rope instead of iron.

There must have been a door somewhere in the darkness caused by her blindfold; Twilight could hear faint voices, as if blocked by darkness.

"So, what do we do now? Sit here in this hole in the ground?"

"For the time being, yes. We're dealing with the Elements of Harmony here. If we step too far out of line, that's it, we're done. Do you remember how far we got last time we tried this? We didn't get a single Element."

"Well, that was because the princess held all the Elements. It's not like we could just walk up and ask for them."

"So just because they're separated now, our job is supposed to be magically easier? If anything, we have three times the work to do. You two featherbrains aren't helping our cause either!"

"Explain to me how our situation is my fault!"

"Six Elements to pick from, and you two grab the one closest to Celestia!?"

"We were ordered to get the Element of Magic! Her connection to Celestia was an unforeseen circumstance!"

"Enough! All of you!"

Twilight's heart skipped a beat at the new voice. It was far louder, as if it spoke with magic. That voice...there was no mistaking it.

"Cease your inane squabbling, you petulant foals! You exist as my agents because I will it! I have not forgotten your previous failure! What little patience I have left is rapidly wearing thin with all your idiotic questions! I could never hope for any of you to understand my methods, but if it will shut you four up, I will say this. Your orders to go after the Element of Magic were not a mistake. I want Celestia involved in this; I want her to feel the loss I felt when she...banished me for a millennia! I also require the raw energy from the Element of Magic. It is the most important Element."

"Why?"

"It is the younger princess, Luna... Since her return, her magic has recovered at a rate far greater than I could have fathomed. Even now, her power is still growing. She is stubborn and has a strong will, and, without assistance, my influence and voice within her mind will go unheard. I was able to reach her directly because we had two Elements in our possession. With just Magic, my influence is much weaker; limited to dreams and faint suggestions. The Element of Magic is also the key to which all other Elements respond. If we are able to turn Magic, the remaining Elements will follow suit."

"'Turn' the Elements..." Twilight repeated. "What does that mean? Like opposites?"

"Turning the Elements is only the first part of your task. Princess Luna is no longer a suitable vessel for me to exist through. She is no longer jealous of her sister as she was one thousand years ago. Without that weakened state of mind, and as long as she denies it to me, not even all six turned Elements will permit me full control. A separation ritual would be required before I could return."

Before she could stop herself, Twilight let out a squeaky, "Oh no!" Seeing as she was tied up and unable to clap a hoof over her mouth, she did the next best thing and bit her tongue, hoping that nopony had heard.

Thankfully, it didn't seem that way, as the unseen conversation continued. "The Elements work through partial separation; and an ancient knowledge of magic is required to achieve a complete separation. Have you found any tomes that might possibly contain such knowledge?"

Something in the unicorn's mind clicked at the word "tomes." No...those pegasi... They did that to the library? What were they look- Suddenly, as if by magic, Twilight knew exactly what they were looking for. The Harmony of Magic; the book that Princess Celestia sent me... That's what they're looking for...

"N-no...we have not found any such tomes..."

"Useless foals!!"

Instinct fought with rope as Twilight tried to cover her ears from the booming voice.

"You four are one failure away from me renouncing your sorry existence! Since you obviously cannot do anything on your own, here is what you're going to do. Three of you will continue searching for any information for the separation ritual. The most competent of you, should that even be possible, is to stay here and ensure the captives remain as such."

"Captives?" Twilight parroted. "As in, more than one? Who else is here?"

"That-cough!-would be me..."

Oddly, the mare didn't jump at the voice. In fact, she recognized it. "It's you; you're a Canterlot guard, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am..." the voice wheezed, obviously having trouble breathing."Officer...Sky Runner...at your service... I presume that this is...Miss Twilight Sparkle I am speaking with?"

"Yes, it is." she answered quietly.

"I thought so..." Sky Runner gasped. "Forgive me for asking, but...would you come closer? It's hard...speaking this loudly... They only...bound your legs; you should be able to untie them yourself..."

The guard was right; save for the sinkstone still around her neck, there was nothing else there. She quickly freed her legs from their binding and let out a silent sigh of relief. "I...I can't see anything... Where are you, Sky Runner, sir?"

"O...over here..."

Taking the utmost care not to step on anything, Twilight slowly crossed the room. Her stomach turned as her hoof landed in a puddle of something wet and sticky. Instinct instantly told her what it was. "Oh no... you're hurt, aren't you?"

"It's...just a scratch..." he replied."My well-being is not our first concern. You need to get back to Canterlot...at once. The longer...you stay here, the longer the other Elements are in danger..."

"I know! I heard!" the mare said under her breath. "But what can we do? There's two of us and four of them!"

"Not...for long... I don't know how much...you heard, but three of our captors are on their way out... I'll bet the two of us...can outsmart one of them..."

Twilight nodded shakily, unsure if the guard she was conversing with would even see such a motion. "What do you need me to do?"

"Remove my blindfold... I'm no use to either of us with it on..."

Just as she was about to ask how, Twilight heard a small grunt and shortly thereafter, could sense a face inches from her own. With deliberate movements, the Element of Magic carefully sought out the guard's eyes.

"Thank you, Miss Sparkle... Now...allow me..."

Her cell wasn't as dark as she had previously thought. A small hole in the dirt ceiling afforded the unicorn just enough light to see. She recoiled at what her eyes first met. When she had guessed her cellmate injured, she had thought it to be his leg or...something. No...it was something else entirely. A single, uniform gash was traced upon his face, effectively forcing his left eye closed and useless for the rest of his life. Since ponies had no claws to speak of, it must have been caused with some type of weapon. Whatever it had been, this same weapon had left its mark on his chest as well, which much have accounted for his difficulty speaking.

"I...expected that reaction..." he wheezed. "I must certainly look a sight..."

Twilight had never seen such injuries before, and she was still in shock. "Celestia above..." she breathed."I'm almost afraid to ask... What happened...?"

"Gust and I weren't...expecting your captors to...outnumber us two to one... He fell in battle and...I was claimed as a prisoner..."

This news made the mare sick to her stomach. "I-I'm sorry... I can't believe I've caused all of this trouble..."

"Nonsense, Miss Sparkle; you've done nothing wrong..."

"Oh no... Oh no... You don't understand. This is bad-no, this is worse than bad! Ponies have died! Because of me!" Twilight was barely keeping her voice low and tears were collecting in her eyes. "I don't want that to happen anymore!"

Sky Runner let out a grating cough before replying. "There is something you should know, Miss Sparkle... A member of the Royal Air Guard...is always ready to relinquish their life to...protect a member of the Royal Family... Your apprenticeship under Her Majesty...qualifies you as such..."

Is that why Princess Celestia took me as her student? To protect me? Her entire life, Twilight, had though it was only her magic that had earned her admission to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. This fact was doing a good job of shredding that notion. "I...I didn't know..."

"No harm done... Now, listen carefully. As soon as we're sure that...three of them had left, here's...what we're going to do... Get them to open the door...and I'll jump them..."

"Then what do I do?" she asked as Sky Runner removed her sinkstone.

The stallion dropped the jewelry into a leather case strapped to the inside of his foreleg. "Run. I want you to run... Run as fast as you can. The sun is up; run towards it." His leather case came off and was tossed to the mare.

"W-what's this...? Run towards the sun...?" Twilight stumbled over her words in confusion.

"The sun rises behind Canterlot. We aren't that far from the forest's edge. That tactical case I gave you...contains three emergency flares... As soon as you clear the forest, use them. Somepony is bound to notice and send help."

"I-if not?"

"Keep running. I'll be completely honest with you... I'm not expecting to walk out of here... I'll do my best to 'entertain' our captor...but, if I fail, they'll be after you like an Ursa Major after her cub."

"Ulp!" Twilight had read accounts of the unparalleled ferocity of the Ursa Major. Hearing that wasn't terribly reassuring.

"There's a combat knife attached to the side of the case should you need it." Sky Runner instructed.

"A what!?" The unicorn had just belted the case to her leg. She cast is a quick glance and started dancing about, shaking her leg wildly, as if a venomous snake were crawling up it. "I can't pull a knife on somepony!"

"Then keep running and hope the flares are spotted. Sky Runner said gruffly. "If they catch up to you...you'll have two choices; fight back, or get dragged back here. You have one shot at this. If you're caught...you won't be let out of their sight again. Your choice."

The lump of worry in her throat had robbed Twilight of speech. She drew the knife from its leather sheath and held it aloft before her. Yes, that pony reflected in the burnished steel blade was indeed her, but was that it? What did other ponies see? What did these pegasi see? What did Princess Celestia see? She filed those questions away for later and swallowed loudly. Come on, Twilight... You helped stop Discord... This is nothing... Finally, the knife floated back into its sheath. "I understand."

The guard nodded. "Very good. The flares you have are lit via a magical friction fuse. Just...drag it across a surface and point it skyward."

"Got it."

"Excellent. Now, all that's left is to wai-"

"Dammit! I don't see why I have to be the one left behind to rot in this hole in the ground... Me, second in command of the Shadowbolts! I can't believe it!"

Sky Runner nodded toward the door. "Sounds like our cue."

Twilight nodded slowly and followed her cellmate to the door. She swallowed again before speaking. "Ummm... Excuse me?"

"What is it?"

The mare hesitated for a split second. "I'm terribly thirsty... Might I have a drink of water?"

"Yeah, yeah... Quit your whining. I'll get it..."

"Thank you..."

Hoofsteps and mumbling receded from the other side of the door. Twilight exchanged a glance with Sky Runner as he took her place. The mare's heart skipped a bit as the door opened inward.

"All right... Here's your water. Now, I don't want any surprises..."

"Too late!" Sky Runner was poised and ready. He met the other pegasus with a two-legged kick to the face. "Now, Miss Sparkle! Run!"

Heeding his advice, she burst from the small cell into a larger circular room. She looked about wildly, searching for the exit, ignoring the clamor caused by the two stallions.

Before she had located an escape route, she heard, "Miss Sparkle, look out!"

Coming at her like an arrow was a (very) angry male pegasus. "Aaah!" A glow appeared around Twilight's horn, and with a magenta-hued flash, she disappeared from existence. Her magic had not yet recovered enough to allow for a long-range teleport and she only moved a few inches. Even so, the slight spatial displacement was enough to surprise the oncoming pony and let him go crashing into the far wall.

Dizzy though she was from the expenditure of magic, Twilight was finally able to locate the exit and was away at a full gallop. Sky Runner followed her as far as the staircase. "Good luck, Miss Sparkle..." He then drew another knife from its sheath and strapped it to his foreleg. "One on one. My kind of combat..."

This hideout must have been very far underground; it took Twilight a good thirty seconds to climb the staircase. At the top, she took a brief moment to catch her breath and reorient herself. "Sun, sun, sun... The sun rises in the east... The east is..." Purple eyes quickly scanned the thick leaves, praying for some sort of sign. Finally, through a hole in the canopy, the mare caught a glimpse of a spired tower. "That way!" Countless trees flew past Twilight in her flight. She almost stumbled a few times, as her eyes were fixated upon Canterlot's marbled buildings and their fleeting appearances through the leaves. With each hooffall, the trees grew thinner, before disappearing altogether. All right, Twilight, time for those flares.

Magic drew one of the cylindrical pyrotechnics from the hard leather case. While she was at it, Twilight also unsheathed the knife. Unbeknownst to her, the sinkstone made its escape by catching on the flare as it left. It jarred itself loose and fell into a small stream as the mare jumped it.

One... Two... Three... After three strokes across the knife blade, the fuse finally took and started burning. A few seconds later and a bright red ball streaked into the clear morning sky. Please Celestia, let somepony see this... she thought desperately, going for another flare.

-------------------------

No sooner had those words left Celestia's mouth, than she knew that there had been a better way to phrase them.

Luna wore an indescribable look of disbelief. "I am Nightmare Moon!? What...what exactly does that mean?"

"It means...that the entity that we know as Nightmare Moon is...inside you. Or, more accurately, inside your mind."

The Princess of the Night fell back onto her haunches. "Inside my mind? But what about the Elements of Harmony? I thought that they were pure good..."

"If there is no night, there is no day. If there is no evil, there is no good. That is the very nature of opposites. The existence of one is wholly reliant on the existence of the other." Celestia explained. "No matter the power or intent of a spell, laws older than even myself forbid the utter destruction of good or evil. The Elements are no exception. When Twilight and her friends freed you from Nightmare Moon, they separated you from your magic, which is what gave her form. Without it, she was unable to physically exist, and she withdrew into your mind to bide her time."

Though she might not want to accept this information, Luna could not deny that it made sense. "Why did you wait so long to tell me this, 'Tia?"

The difficulty for Celestia to talk about this was painfully obvious. "You had very little magic to protect yourself. I didn't want to give her an opening to...to..." The alicorn fell silent mid-sentence and bowed her head. "I didn't want to give her an opening to...take you away from me again."

"I wasn't a filly back then, 'Tia. I could have handled that news."

"Let me ask you something, Luna. Do you know what it's like to live in a palace with dozens of other ponies and still be completely alone?"

All at once, Luna saw one thousand long years of regret and loneliness come flooding back into her sister's pink eyes. In a few seconds, they aged a millennia, leaving them tired, dull, and filled with tears.

"You're right... You probably could have handled the news. I knew you deserved to hear it. I was overjoyed to have you at my side again, but it was my own selfishness that stayed my tongue. I felt if I had told you, it would weaken you to her influence. She had already succeeded in taking you from me once. I would rather die than let her do it again." When there was no immediate response, Celestia chanced a glance at her sister.

She sat on the other side of the room, staring out the window in silence.

"You have every right to be angry with me, Luna. I certainly would be. I'm hardly deserving of your forgiveness, but I wish to ask for it nonetheless."

Luna's mind was a whirlwind of different thoughts. This was a lot of information to take in all at once. Seeing Celestia so broken and so weak just made it that much worse. After some time, she broke her silence. "It's probably a good thing that I don't remember much about my one thousand years of banishment, but there is one thing I remember. Moments before you cast the spell, you hesitated. You hesitated and said, 'Forgive me...' I didn't know why you said that. I did know why you hesitated, though."

Celestia felt a gentle hoof raise her tear-stained face until she was looking into a pair of blue-green eyes.

"You hesitated because I was still your sister; because you still loved me. That was the one memory that Nightmare Moon couldn't take from me. I knew you loved me, despite what happened between us."

"I-I'm sorry it came to that, Luna..." The white alicorn avoided looking at her sister.

"Don't apologize, 'Tia. You did what you had to do."

The Sun Goddess' eyes flashed back to her sister, making her jump. "Did I, Luna? Did I? Was I justified in sending you away for a millennia when it was my negligence that allowed you to fall into darkness to begin with? Was I justified in banishing my sister? My own flesh and blood?"

"'Tia... Whether or not it was justified, we both know you did the right thing. Equestria couldn't live under eternal night. Do you know how many lives you saved?"

"That didn't make it any easier..."

Luna snorted in frustration. Without thinking, she grabbed the nearest thing she could get her magic on (thankfully it was only the boot Celestia had removed earlier) and sharply rapped it on her sister's helmet.

That helmet came off Celestia's head faster than if there had been a swarm of angry bees inside it. "What was that for?"

"Just checking if you still have your hearing. Have you been listening to yourself? The Celestia I've been living in this palace with has been the happiest pony I've ever seen. Why is that?"

Celestia still indeed had her hearing, although the ringing in her ears made her wish otherwise. "It's because you had finally returned, Luna. I had my sister back."

Gravity took back the boot and pulled it to the floor. Luna's wings reached around the other alicorn in a warm embrace. "I'm still here, 'Tia. Nothing has changed." she whispered. "And nothing will change."

Words escaped the sun-marked pony. Too often, the answers to our most troubling questions are the simplest. "You're...you're absolutely right, Luna. For far too long, I have looked at you as my little sister... I should have been viewing you as what you are; Princess Luna, ruler of Equestria and mistress of the night. You have always been my equal, and it's time I start seeing you as such."

A great pair of wings wrapped themselves around the younger alicorn. "Thank you, 'Tia..."

"It's the least I could do. I owe you that much."

Following a tender moment such as this with anything but a period of silence would have been unthinkable. "All right. I'm back, you're back, and Nightmare Moon had better watch out. What did you find out while I was gone?"

"I...don't honestly remember..." Luna admitted with a sheepish grin. "It's still kind of fuzzy. I'm sure it would come back if I read it again though."

"Now that's some good news. The book is still up in your room, right?"

"It should be, yes."

Discarded pieces of armor began floating back to the white pony as she moved for the door.

"Where are you going?"

Celestia let the gilded helmet settle back onto her head before answering. "We're going to do a little homework, and we'll need that book. I'll be right back."

"Don't worry. I'll come with you."

"No." A quick shake of her head told Luna to stay put. "You just woke up; I don't think you're-" Celestia trailed off, courtesy of the skeptical look upon her sister's face. "Right. C'mon, Princess."

As the two royal sisters exited the infirmary, they met up with General Headwind, who met them with a low bow. "I'm glad to see you up and about, your Majesty. The way your sister described Jet Stream's letter left much to the imagination."

"Thank you, General. What about you? You look to be injured as well."

"Naught but a scratch in the line of duty, Milady."

The conversation traded possession when Celestia started speaking. "You always have been a tough one, Headwind. Did the research team have anything immediate to report about that sinkstone?"

The stallion shook his head. "Negative. They promised a quick analysis though. I will keep checking back with them, and you will be the first to know, your Majesty."

"Thank you. And our captive?"

"Detained and getting acquainted with the dungeon stones."

"Excellent. As you were, General."

Captive? Luna flashed a glance at the white stallion, and then at her sister. Both ponies had continued with their travels. "What captive were you talking about, 'Tia?" she asked, breaking into a quick trot to catch up.

"Fluttershy and Applejack weren't the only ones I brought back. We were able to secure one of the perpetrators as well. Hopefully, she'll be able to provide us with some information as to Twilight's whereabouts."

"Oh. Well, I'm sure she's fine, sis. I wouldn't worry."

Feathers ruffled nervously as Celestia's wings twitched unconsciously. "Ugggh... Better said than done, Luna..." One of the biggest annoyances for an alicorn or pegasus is an itchy feather. Oftentimes, it's impossible for the victim to tell exactly where it is. By the time the pair were back at Luna's room, Celestia had gone over every feather on her right wing, looking for the culprit.

Understandably, the younger princess was apprehensive about going back inside. Her last experience therein hadn't been what one would call positive. After a long sigh to calm herself, she followed her sister in.

It was a good thing that Celestia was wearing boots, because the first thing she stepped upon crunched loudly. Hundreds more of the same jagged mirror shards littered the floor. "My goodness... It's a wonder it was only your cheek that was cut. What happened?"

"Nightmare Moon happened..." Luna's reflection answered. "Breaking the mirror seemed like the best option at the time."

"What happened with Nightmare Moon?"

The mirror shard floating before the blue alicorn dropped to the ground and she shivered. Upon first picking up the shard, she had feared that she would see that familiar black face again. She hadn't and that had been a huge relief.

Countless shards gave way under the rise and fall of Celestia's boots. She brushed an area clean and knelt down next to her sister. "Luna?" she asked softly. "What happened?"

"Nightmare Moon kept telling me that we were the same pony, and that I was...evil. She was right..." Luna muttered, kicking one of the glass shards.

"Listen to me, Luna. You're not evil. You and Nightmare Moon might be the same pony, but it wasn't you that threatened Equestria with eternal night. You are not evil. I'm telling you the honest truth." Another period of silence passed before she noticed a smile cross her sister's face.

"Thanks, 'Tia."

Celestia returned the smile and lightly touched her nose to the other alicorn's cheek. "You got it. Let's get started, shall we?"

"Right! Let me get the book; I left it in on my desk!" In mere seconds, Luna was on her hooves and away.

The sun-marked pony followed at a slower pace, stopping to gaze out the window. Luna was still herself, and with that discovery, a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Despite the good news, all was not as it should have been. Twilight... Where have they taken you? It was then that something caught the alicorn's eye. In the field far below Canterlot, a red sphere, bright as the morning sun, was cutting a glowing arc into the air. It took Celestia a moment to realize what was happening. "That's a flare!"

"What was that, 'Tia?" Luna poked her head out of her study only to find her window wide open. Through the open window, she spied the morning sun glinting off her sister's golden armor. "'Tia?" The second flare that took to the sky soon had her out of the window as well.

-------------------------

This is the last flare... Twilight had never run so long in her life; her lungs were on fire, and her muscles felt like they were tearing themselves apart. I hope somepony sees this last fla- Fatigue had slowed the mare's reaction time, and she caught her hoof against a half-buried stone and took a tumble. Of course, she lost her grip on the flare and it bounced away, eventually loosing its payload straight into the ground, and a flare aimed at the dirt draws very little attention to itself. "No... No, no, no!"

Fate is oftentimes cruel and, in this case, had left Twilight holding on to the knife. Frustrated, she repeatedly stabbed the ground with it. Keep running... Sky Runner's voice echoed through her mind, reminding her of the gravity of the situation. He's right... I have to keep going... She staggered back to her hooves and sheathed the blade so her flight could continue.

Beads of sweat dripping into her eyes blurred her vision, but one thing still managed to draw the unicorn's attention. In the sky above her shone a golden point of light, not unlike a falling star. As curious as it was, she was not about to stop and think about it.

As it happened, Twilight didn't have to stop. This point of light grew closer at a frightening rate, before finally landing like a meteor. The shockwave from the impact spread rapidly, sending the mare to the dirt again. "Pbbbthpp!" Twilight enjoyed a good mouthful of grass as much as the next pony, but the topsoil below it? Not so much. Before she could regain her footing, a shadow fell over her. The unicorn had never used a knife before, but with the very real possibility of recapture looming over her, she was willing to learn quickly. Faster than an uncoiling snake, Twilight rolled over, ripped the knife from its sheath and flung it, spinning, at her assailant. "Get away!" What she heard in reply was completely unexpected.

"Careful, Twilight. you could put somepony's eye out like that."

"Princess Celestia!?" Twilight almost fainted from relief and let her head fall back onto a soft tuft of grass. "Somepony did see the flares..." she sighed.

"Geez, 'Tia, tell me before you start jumping out of windows."

Twilight's head came up again and she was on her hooves before the second alicorn had landed. "Princess Luna?" A slight breeze tousled her mane as Luna dropped to the ground.

"Twilight Sparkle? It's so good to see you again. Celestia was starting to get worried."

"'Starting?' I haven't gotten a minute of sleep and you know it. I'm...so relieved to see you again, Twilight...my faithful student..." Celestia met the young mare in long overdue embrace while a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Let's go home..."

There were more witnesses to this reunion than either of the princesses knew. Across the open field, just within the forest boundary, a green-eyed pegasus stallion watched the gathering intently. When he was sure that they were leaving, he finally stepped from his leafy cover. His muzzle and face wore a varied assortment of cuts and bruises, badges of his battle against Sky Runner. The Canterlot guard had given him quite a fight, but his injuries had ultimately proven to be an insurmountable handicap. Damn! That stupid guard cost me too much time! Fed up with losing his captive, fed up with the injuries on his face, and in an all-around bad mood, the stallion stomped his way out into the field, towards a small stream. He bent down to rinse his face and something laying amidst the well-rounded pebbles caught his eye. After fishing it out and inspecting the object, an evil grin crossed his features. "Well, well, well... Thank you ever so much for leaving me this..."

Comments

[UseFistNotMouth]

Awesome chapter. Short but a great setup for more intrigue.

Have some editing and feedback:

"Cease you inane squabbling
you = your

Ponies have died![\i] Because of me!" Twilight was barely keeping her voice low and tears were collecting in her eyes. "I don't want that to happen anymore!"
You used the wrong slash in the italics end tag around "died" and italicized the whole chapter.

The sun rises behind Canterlot.
Needs a quotation mark

The guard nodded. "Very good. The flares you have are lit via a magical friction fuse. Just...drag it across a surface and point it skyward."
Why does a friction fuze need to me magical?

Even so, the slight temporal displacement was enough to surprise the oncoming pony and let him go crashing into the far wall.
"Temporal" refers to time... I think you mean spatial.

All at once, Luna saw one thousand long years of regret and loneliness come flooding back into her sister's violet eyes
Celestia's eyes are pink.

[Eeveexpert]

413071

Wordsmithing at 4 A.M. is bound to lead to a couple errors. Thanks, mate.

[Starcat5]

So Moony is stuck in a shoebox (complete with gym shoes) in the back of Luna's mind, and is looking for a way out. The last of the Mane Six has been rescued, and is accounted for. And the Shadowbolts still have a fully powered Skinstone to work with. That about sum it up?

[Eeveexpert]

417807

In order of asking:
-Yep.
-Uh-huh.
-Ten-four.

I promised that chapters 9 and 10 would be devoted to exposition and explanation. Hopefully I was able to answer most of the questions that people had up to this point.