A Traitor's Song: Act I

by etempco

Fated Meeting

A Traitor's Song
Act I: Crimson Solstice
By Nicholas Saulsbury
Special Thanks to Alex Slater

“...Good night, Spike.” Twilight Sparkle whispered as she pulled the blanket over the sleeping dragon. She knew he would find his way to his sleeping spot once they returned from the day's adventure. Twilight turned towards the window of her library. Outside, she could see the moon casting its subtle rays across Ponyville as most of the town rested. Twilight's eyes were heavy, but perhaps not enough to send her to sleep quite as quickly as her assistant.

“Nothing wrong with a good book before bed.” Twilight said, pondering the list of her books in her mind. She walked closer to the bookshelves, the names on their spines coming into view in the faintly lit room. “It's a bit late for study material... A good story will do.” She gazed upward, shifting the names of the books she had memorized through her head. “The Adventures of Don Coltte.” She decided, a personal favorite of hers.

She scanned the shelves until she saw its title upon one of the spines. Her horn shimmered lightly as she tugged on it with magical telekinesis. She pulled out the book, but was startled when a second book came tumbling down towards her. She jumped back as the rogue book landed in front of her, along with The Adventures of Don Coltte that she had lost her magical grip of. She stepped forward and saw a familiar cover. A leather-bound book with the golden unicorn insignia imbedded on the front. “Predictions and Prophecies. Must have got caught on the other book. Spike needs to work on putting the books back in alphabetical order.” She lifted it with her magic to place it back into the shelf. But something caught her attention, drawing her concentration towards the book. Gazing at the cover once more, she briefly recollected her adventure she was thrust into on her first visit to Ponyville, to save Equestria from Nightmare Moon. However, it was not her memories that were drawing her towards the book, it was another feeling; something primal that stirred in her gut. “Maybe... I'll read this book instead.” She decided.

She returned The Adventures of Don Coltte to its spot on the shelf and proceeded towards her bed, magically carrying the other book with her. She hopped into her bed near the library balcony and dropped the book in front of her with only the moon to illuminate the rustic pages. She quickly turned the pages with her telekinesis. “I'm pretty sure I have everything here memorized already...” She assured herself, although something still pressed her to search the old pages anyway.

Something caught her tired eyes as she near-mindlessly turned the pages. Two pages were completely blank, although this was nothing new (she had pondered as to the purpose of them before). But what was new were the glowing red letters that began to form on the page, seeming to seep from the recesses of the ancient paper itself. In awe, Twilight read the words aloud as they appeared.

The sun and the moon return to their graceful dance,
played by the two goddesses in unison.
Even as the rulers take their solemn stance
chaos lingers in the heart of one.

They will return in the image of the divine,
once cast down by their worldly sires.
The plot soon unfolds, a tell-tale sign,
comes the song of the greatest liars.

Black fire will course the land,
a wave of unrelenting destruction.
The return of Nova has since began,
intent of the master's instruction.

Nothing can cease Nova's war path,
lest the master's touch be severed
before the final aftermath,
a memory upon the souls untethered.

Nova
Harbinger of the End.

Twilight's eyes were struck open out of surprise and fear. “Nova... Harbinger of the End?” She silently whispered to herself. “This seems much too dark to be just an old pony's tale... But I don't know. I shall inform Princess Celestia of this tomorrow. She should give me better insight as to what it could mean.” Twilight closed the book and magically moved it to her study desk across the room to be ready tomorrow. She then got comfortable in her bed, tormented thoughts of the prophecy still toiled in her mind...

~

“Come now, Duskmane, the guests have arrived, do make sure you are on your best behavior.”

“Of course, mother.”

It was night of the monthly ball hosted at the grand manor of Saddlestone's mayor, Madam Sapphire. Duskmane really displeased these large gatherings, especially when he could be in the comfort of his room, reading a book. Sure, he fit right in, being the son of the mayor, but the attitude that seemed to be expected of him always dulled any moment he tried to create any sort of real enjoyment from these parties.

The colt studied himself with his large mirror. His tuxedo jacket wrapped snugly over his light gray fur and his dark blue mane (aside from the white stripe that ran through it) coursed neatly down his neck. Perhaps too neatly, he thought, shaking his head a bit to stir it up. Heaving a reluctant sigh, he pressed his room door open and emerged.

The sounds of conversation immediately filled his ears. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling illuminated the room with a bright, golden glow. Looking down from the second-story balcony, he saw many well-dressed ponies in the foyer below. Most were standing towards the center, chatting amongst themselves with their sophisticated dialects and hearty gestures. Towards the edges of the foyer were tables lined with the finest wines (and the best apple juice for the foals), and fresh green vegetables along with the best tasting flowers.

Duskmane walked down the stairs that conjoined the balcony and the foyer below, aimlessly gazing into the crowd. He recognized most of them, since they attended almost every gathering held at the manor. His mother often held these gatherings to please her investors, for she was the owner of the Saddlestone Mines, of which his hometown of Saddlestone got its namesake.

Once he reached the first floor, Duskmane blended in as just another pony in the crowd. He never showed his face very much during these parties, so he only knew a few of the names of the familiar faces he saw. He made his way through the crowd and towards the food tables, thirsting for a good drink. When he made his way there, he used the ladle to fill one of the ornate diamond goblet, and proceeded to drink. “Sweet Apple Acres always makes the best apple juice” he said to himself, greatly pleased with the drink.

“Oh Duskmane!” Madam Sapphire's voice rang out. Duskmane, surprised by the call, jumped back from his drink, nearly knocking over the goblet. He turned around to see his mother staring at him with a somewhat sinister grin.

“Yes mother, what is it?” Duskmane responded quickly, already dreading what her request might be.

“It's great to see you out of your room for once.” She responded, a hint of disdain in her words. “Now, make sure the guests are happy. Ms. Rosethorn mentioned wanting to take a sip of the wine. Do be a dear and carry a glass over to her.”

“But... who is Ms. Rosethorn?” Asked Duskmane, gazing aimlessly again into the crowd in the foyer.

“Oh, my son, you really should learn the names of our patrons. It does make them happy to be called by name.” Madam Sapphire placed her front hoof around Duskmane's neck and used the other to point at a white unicorn wearing a yellow and orange dress. “That's her, talking to the overseer of the mines, Stonebreaker. And remember, be sure to impress the guests!” She lowered her voice and brought her head closer, “And don't you dare mess it up like last time!”

“Of—of course, mother.” sighed Duskmane.

“Oh, Madam Sapphire!” called a posh looking stallion beside them with a regal white mustache. “If I may, I'd like to have a word with you.”

“Of course, Mr. Goldstride!” Called Madam Sapphire, walking alongside him into the crowd, immediately engaged in conversation.

Duskmane grabbed a goblet with his mouth and brought it close to the large dish filled with wine. He set down the goblet and used the ladle to fill the glass, the smell of fermented grapes filling his nostrils. He then lowered his head to be level with the table, and slowly pushed the cup onto his snout, as always requested by his mother. “..And remember, be sure to impress the guests!” Her words echoed in Duskmane's mind, along with thoughts of his own; “Suppose this is the only way to impress somepony while delivering a drink....”

Goblet in place, he very slowly lifted his head, eyes focused on the goblet barely in view. Equally as slow, he turned to face Ms. Rosethorn's direction. This wasn't the first time he had done this, as his mother often made him learn to turn another routine task into something overly difficult every once in a while. Sounds of many shattered goblets still echoed from his memories, and worse than the embarrassment would be the scolding leer from his mother that follows afterward. He tip-hoofed slowly, giving wide berth to the ponies along the way, for any bump would likely send the goblet falling. Every second seemed to be a minute's length and his heart raced in contrast to his dwarfed steps.

After what felt like an eternity, and several close calls with passers-by, Ms. Rosethorn was only a few steps forward. “Almost there Duskmane... Don't screw up now.” He whispered through his teeth. But as fate would have it, he felt a tug on his hind hoof as passing pony clipped him whilst passing by. The goblet lurched forward from the tug, barely resting on the tip of Duskmane's nose. His heart raced even quicker as he tried to re-balance the goblet, swaying his head in all sorts of directions to prevent its fall. Perhaps he tried too hard, for one of his jerked movements caused him to lose his hoofing on the glossy purple carpet. In what felt like slow motion, he fell forward. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he felt the goblet leave its place upon his snout. Even before he felt his jaw collide with the carpet below, thoughts raced of his impending scolding by his mother. “Useless! You never get anything right!” Her tormenting words echoed in his head.

The pain of colliding with the floor came immediately, but this is not the pain Duskmane was waiting for. He laid upon the floor, eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the shattering sound of the lost goblet. After a few seconds of nothing but the normal sounds of the party around him, he slowly opened his eyes to see himself level with a pair of sparkling yellow shoes on the purple carpet, but no shattered goblet to be seen! He peered upwards, to see the goblet he was carrying surrounding by a faint purple glow, in the grasp of Ms. Rosethorn's magical hold above him. “Er... Here's your wine, Ms... uh, Rosebush--Rosethorn.” Duskmane stuttered nervously, his racing heart impeding his words. He quickly got back on his hooves and glanced around. To his relief, only a few ponies witnessed his embarrassing tumble.

“If you had ruined my new dress with that wine, we would have had a big problem.” exclaimed Ms. Rosethorn, putting great emphasis on the last two words. Duskmane was speechless, although such snobbery was too be expected from the people that usually gathered here. Without responding, he quickly ran for the front door, hoping to escape the crowded atmosphere.

Dashing out of the double doors, he exited his home and entered the threshold of a moonlit night. Ahead of him laid the cobblestone path that traveled from the manor down the plateau and into the town of Saddlestone. At the level hills beneath the plateau, the large homes of the upper class ponies were first to meet the path. Further along were the small houses of the many ponies that were employed by Madam Sapphire to work the mines. The mine kept the town alive, as the materials are sold far and wide to many of the outlying communities, including the capitol of Equestria, Canterlot.

Duskmane wandered from the manor and into the gardens within the property's fenced perimeter. Finally at ease, the pain in his jaw caused by his fall began to emerge more prominently as the sting of embarrassment subsided. “I wish my happiness came before the happiness of her business partners.” Duskmane said vainly to the winds, caught in a grizzly hold by the memories of the many other times he had thought the same thing. Even though tonight's occurrence was quite minor in comparison some of the other events that led to those words, the mounting resent caused a lump to form in his throat. He resisted the tear that wanted to escape from his eyes, and laid beneath the large tree at the corner of the manor property. With even the moonlight blocked from illuminating him, he felt secure that nopony would find him there, should anypony want to find him. It was a spot he liked to return to when he was troubled, for he had no worries of being judged with only the trees and flowers nearby.

As his brief vent of anger subsided, he came to the conclusion that he always did, in spite of himself; “Mother loves me, I just need to prove that I am deserving of that love... by not being useless.” With the thoughts of the past now gone, the present came more into focus. Tomorrow, his mother and he were going to travel to a town known as Ponyville, near the foot of the mountain Canterlot rested upon. Just like any other trip made to outside of Saddlestone, it was to drive more sales and investors her way. While Duskmane was not particularly comfortable of his mother's seemingly unending desire for more bits, the business fueled the life of his hometown. He took solace in that fact, and the feeling of uneasiness from tonight's events left him.

It was late, and the weight on Duskmane's eyes confirmed it. He turned his head towards the manor; golden light still flowed from the windows. His mother's guests would probably not leave till later still. Not wanting to go to back inside, Duskmane closed his eyes and fell asleep under the tree, as he had many times before.

~

There was nothing but fire in the black shroud, closing in. A sinister yet familiar laugh cracked through the inferno as she struggled through the grasping heat and suffocating smoke, but then another voiced called out through the fire and blackness...

“Twilight?”

The blackness and fire around her dissipated as light erupted into the empty space. There was a slight tug and pull from an invisible force...

“Twilight!”

Twilight, free from the grips of her nightmare, slowly opened her eyes to see Spike in front of her, pushing on her body attempt to wake her. The light of day ambushed her eyes, and she closed them quickly by reflex. She put a hoof in front of her face to block the light coming from the nearby window, and tried again to open her eyes.

“Spike,” she called arduously beneath her exhaustion. It had felt as if she didn't get a single minute of sleep. “What's wrong?”

“You're asking me?” Spike responded with a spring of surprise. “You were tossing in your sleep, I was just making sure you were okay.” Spike stepped away from the bed as Twilight slowly rolled out of it. She could feel her mane was a disaster, much like how she felt.

“I was having a nightmare, there was fire and darkness and--” In the midst of explaining her plight to Spike, her eyes landed on the book that she had laid on her desk the night before. Her eyes immediately sprung wide “That's right! Quickly, Spike, take a note for Princess Celestia.”

“Already?” Spike said with a hint of annoyance. Twilight turned to face him, and he saw the look of seriousness in her eyes. He retrieved parchment and a quill from one of the supply shelves nearby and returned to her side.

Twilight saw Spike was ready, and spoke; “Dear Princess Celestia, during my studies, I came across a tale I have never heard before, about Nova, Harbinger of the End. It mentioned the sun and moon returning in unison, which I believe represents your recent reunion with Princess Luna. I would like your thoughts and advice on the matter. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle”. Spike finished the last few words, having struggled on the spelling of “Harbinger”, and exhaled his green flame upon the parchment, sending it on its journey Canterlot.

“What was that about, Twilight? You sounded awfully worried.” Asked Spike, obviously clueless of the content of his letter.

“There was a passage in Predictions and Prophecies,” said Twilight as she walked to the desk the book laid, “That told of Nova bringing fire and destruction to the land.”

“Nova? I haven't heard of that one.” Said Spike nonchalantly.

“Me either, which is why I'm especially worried.” Twilight said, “If I haven’t heard of it, it's likely nopony else would have either. I'm hoping Celestia knows what to do.” Immediately upon finishing her sentence, Spikes eyes suddenly widened, along with his cheeks. He belched out a green flame, in which a rolled parchment appeared. “That must be her!” Twilight shouted, knowing the letter was Celestia's response. She opened it with her magic and drew it closer to her eyes, reading it aloud; “My dear Twilight Sparkle, I must say I am intrigued with your story. However, upon going through my own copy of Predictions and Prophecies, I was not able to find any passages mentioning Nova, or Harbinger of the End, or even those that included my recent reunion with my dear sister. Do make sure you weren't reading that from one of those story books of yours. Your teacher, Princess Celestia.”

Twilight reread the note again, caught off guard by the Princess's response. “It wasn't in her book?” She turned to face Predictions and Prophecies and opened it with her magic. She rapidly flipped through the pages, until she found herself at the familiar blank pages she saw the night before. “And now the letters should appear in red.” She gleamed down at the book, expecting the dark prophecy to appear as it had did.

Both she and Spike looked down on the book for several seconds, until the suspense was cut by Spike's voice; “So, er... What's supposed to happen again?” The words did not appear.

She did not immediately respond, caught in her in disbelief. “But... It was here last night, I'm sure of it!” She panicked slightly, unsure if this was some sort of cruel joke, or a perhaps something she had witnessed in her nightmare. “The prophecy of Nova was in here! It told of the Harbinger of the End and his fiery doom across Equestria.” Her words were spat so quickly, it took Spike a moment to translate her statement.

While apparently unnerved about Twilight's dark ramble, he responded; “Twilight, maybe it's like the Princess said, were you reading another book when you saw it?”

Twilight sighed in frustration, today's surprise events and her lack of sleep have summed up into a bad start of the new day. She wanted to go back to sleep, but knew she couldn't just ignore these unfortunate occurrences. Spike still stared at her, expecting a revelation from Twilight that she did not have. “I'm going for a walk, and I'm taking the book with me.” She decided.

“But where are you going?” Spike asked, not hearing what he was expected.

“I don't know yet. Something strange is going on, and I plan on getting to the bottom of it.” Twilight went and gathered her saddlebags from under her bed and levitated it onto her back. She then magically grabbed the book and placed it in one side of the saddlebag, while placing some parchment, a quill, and a sealed inkwell in the other side. “I'm leaving for a while,” She said as she walked towards the library door, “take care of things while I'm gone.”

“But... Twilight, wait!” Spike called, but the door had already closed in front of him before he could finish. He pouted, disliking being left alone in the boring library.

~

“I figured I'd find you here.”

The smell of the morning dew filled Duskmane nostrils and he slowly awoke from his sleep, by the cue of the voice he could never forget. “Good morning, Mother.” He said, looking up at her.

“Good morning indeed.” She replied indifferently, “I heard from Ms. Rosethorn about your mishap. You're lucky she's not quite as useless as you are.” Duskmane winced at her words. “Regardless, today is the big day. Surely even you didn't forget?”

How could he? It was the day for his mother and he to go to Ponyville with the obvious goal in mind of spreading her economic reach. “No mother, of course not. I didn't plan on bringing much with me.” He replied, standing up. When he did, he could see a large purple chariot resting at the main gate of the manor. Tethered to the front were two pure white pegasus ponies adorned with golden armor and helmets, waiting patiently in their staunch pose. “Who're they?”

“Princess Celestia herself sent a detachment of her royal guard to escort us to Ponyville. Even she knows the benefits for the communities to be had from the resources here. Now, take off that tuxedo and take it inside before you get it dirtier, and be ready to depart soon.”

Duskmane nodded and immediately ran for the front door of the manor. He pressed the door open to see the foyer looked exactly as it had before the party; the carpet cleaned and tables of food gone. He ran up the stairs to the second floor and went into his room, immediately pulling off his tuxedo jacket and tossing it into the corner. He could take a few small items with him, but he wasn't quite sure if he needed anything. He gazed upon his small library of books, knowing he will probably be having too much fun exploring the new town than to conceal himself inside. With the rest of the decor of his room being mostly magical trinkets that serve only for aesthetics, Duskmane decided there was nothing he needed to bring along.

He left his room, walked back down the stairs, and returned outside. He scanned the front yard of the manor, seeing if he mother was still around. Only the flowers and trees swaying in the light breeze met his gaze, “She must still be inside gathering what she needs.” Duskmane mumbled. He saw the rear of the chariot ahead, knowing the two royal guards awaited his mother and he. He walked up to it and towards one of the adorned royal guards. “Hi!” He said with a smile, wanting to ask the guard a little about the town he was to be visiting. The guard did not make any sign having heard him, not even shifting his eyes in Duskmane's direction. “So... What's Ponyville like? This will be my first time visiting there.” Duskmane's heart sunk as the guard still made no response, as if silently mocking Duskmane's curiosity.

“These guards are the most disciplined and effective force under the rule of the Princess.” He heard his mother call from behind him, “It's called being professional, my dear son – something you still have much to learn about. I hope you're ready, we're leaving now.”

“Yes Mother, I'm ready.” he responded dolefully. He climbed into the chariot, followed by Madam Sapphire. This was his first time getting a personal escort from the princess, the cushioning of the chariot was superb, with golden borders along the edges of the chariot that curled into elegant designs that put even the decor of the manor to shame. In every other trip outside of town, his mother hired the services of the town's best charioteers, whose best chariot matched nothing close to the design and comfort of the one provided by the Princess.

“We're ready.” Said mother, and almost immediately, there was a lurch as the chariot was pulled forward by the two royal guards. They started down the plateau path, with Duskmane looking into the horizon beyond, pondering to himself....

“While I'm at Ponyville, perhaps I should try to help mother.” Duskmane thought to himself, “If I can do at least that, I'm sure that would make her happy.” His thoughts were interrupted as the chariot suddenly gained a lot of speed as the royal guards ran down the plateau slope. He looked ahead and could see where the road branched off the plateau and turned towards a milder slope, leaving a steep cliff directly ahead of them. The chariot showed no signs of slowing down as it approached the cliff and even greater speeds. Duskmane gripped his seat as best he could, his heart racing as images of the inevitable plummet erupted in his thoughts. The royal guards and the chariot dashed off the cliff, Duskmane giving off a loud yelp as he looked over the side of the chariot to see how far it was to the ground... But the ground did not come closer as he was expecting. Instead, the breeze blowing in his mane indicated that they were, in fact, flying. He looked ahead to see the royal guards' wings spanned, beating down as they both hoisted the chariot through the sky.

“You'd best not make a fool of yourself like that once we're in Ponyville.” Madam Sapphire remarked, “You know I have a very valuable reputation that I cannot afford to get soiled.” The sting of Madam Sapphire's remark was counteracted by Duskmane's awe of the endurance of the royal guards; able to carry themselves wearing a suit of armor, and a whole chariot with two other ponies through the air. Duskmane peered back as his mother, her eyes were closed with a hoof supporting her chin, obviously deep in thought. He looked back over the side of the chariot, enjoying the view from high above. His hometown was nothing but a gray smudge in the distance, with expanses of forest below him and towering mountains in the distance, the sun only barely hovering above their silhouette in the morning dawn.

~

Twilight slowly trotted away from the library and started towards the town square, rather clueless as to what her next step should be. She drowned out the sounds of the world around her as she delved into her thoughts...

“No... It wasn't another book, I'm sure of it. Why the words have never appeared before, and have disappeared without a trace is still beyond me. What does it all mean?” A headache began to form under her mental strain and physical weariness. She moaned as she continued down the road, with the expanse of the town square coming into view. She wandered near the fountain, wanting a place to pause for a moment. The sound of the cascading water was relaxing to her, and helped her concentrate on her dilemma. She sat down and levitated the book from her saddlebag and brought it in front of her. She once again turned to the pages that held the nightmarish prophecy, with blind hope compelling her to check again. Still, the pages remained blank, with not even the impressions of a quill having pressed into the paper present.

Twilight heaved an aggravated moan, and closed the book shut. Her train of thought shifted rails a bit as it reached a dead end on the prophecy's appearance and sudden farewell. Now, it road the track of what the words meant. She strained to remember the contents of the red words she had witnessed, slowly piecing back the important bits she did recall. “The sun and moon return to their graceful dance... That could only mean Princess Luna's return, which probably means that whatever the prophecy foretold is going to happen, and soon. Emerge in the image of the divine...” Twilight paused on it, caught yet again without a answer. “The divine... gods... does it mean our immortal rulers, Princess Celestia and Luna? Only they control powers potent enough to raise the sun and moon each day, making them the closest to any 'god' in Equestria. If that's true, then... That must mean Nova is an alicorn!” Twilight unintentionally jumped to her hooves at her deduction, startling a passing pony. She gave an apologetic smile to the passer-by, and lowered herself back down against the fountain.

“But...” her thoughts resumed, “Princess Celestia would never bring destruction upon her own kingdom, and Princess Luna...” Twilight paused, coming to a potentially startling revelation. “She's only just recently returned from her banishment on the moon, and nobody's seen her at all -- outside of her brief appearance during Nightmare Night... What could she be up to that keeps her so busy?” She paused again, committing her query to memory. “Cast down by their sires... Surely it doesn't mean the parents of Luna and Celestia... Maybe by sires, it means... her sister.” The last two words played out very slowly in her mind as it fit like a piece into a large puzzle. “Maybe that's it... Maybe Luna hasn't given up her evil ways... I find it hard to believe, but it seems to be the only possible explanation, but what of her visit on Nightmare Night, she seemed so nice when the night was over... Unless that was the plan from the beginning. ” She could feel her pulse quickening, mostly out of mute fear, but also somewhat in pride of her deductive skills. “She's really the only one it could be, then... I must find proof and bring it to Celestia!” She was just about to pull out her paper and quill to write a letter to Celestia with her findings within the prophecy, but reconsidered it immediately. “No... If I tell the princess, she might do something that would alert Luna. It's already going to be hard enough to find proof without Luna thinking I'm onto her. If she were to find out, I don't think I'd ever be able to convince Celestia before it's too late. I must first find a way to show her the prophecy!” Although it was already an important task for her, Twilight had deemed unlocking the book's secret her top priority. But still, even with the foundation of her investigation declared, the matter remained that the book halted any forward progress. Twilight rose to her hooves and began to pack up her book.

“Hey Twilight!”

The voice shattered her concentration and sent her jumping back against the fountain, nearly falling into it. Rainbow Dash, who had called Twilight from above, was taken aback by her reaction. Once Twilight regained her balance, she looked up at the light blue pegasus aloft above her. “Oh, hello Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said in an agitated tone, recovering from her scare.

“Geez Twilight, what's got your mane in a knot?” Rainbow Dash asked as she brought herself to the ground and folded her wings against her side. Twilight wasn't entirely sure if Rainbow Dash meant her agitated demeanor, or the fact that her mane was indeed in a mess. Twilight thought about her response for a moment, she considered telling Rainbow Dash and the rest of her close friends about the situation, for they could certainly help with the investigation. However, her same fears arose that prevented her telling Princess Celestia; if word got leaked to Luna that Twilight was looking for evidence to use against her and prove her role in the fiery prophecy, she'd be even more cautious with her activities, and could easily order her personal guards to 'silence' her. Twilight decided that for the sake of her safety, and the integrity of her quest to save Equestria, that she would do it alone.

“Sorry Rainbow Dash, I'm just really tired.” Twilight responded. Rainbow Dash eyeballed the book that Twilight had dropped in her scare.

“You should get your nose out of your books and do something cool!” She suggested mirthfully, spreading her wings and taking a heroic pose. “I'm about to go practice some of my stunts for the next time the Wonderbolts are in town! Wanna come watch?”

“Oh, I'd love to, but I'm... er, in the middle of a project.” Twilight said in her best attempt to not reveal her activities without lying. Rainbow Dash took a good look at the book whilst Twilight hovered it into her saddlebags.

“Predictions and Prophecies? I thought you already had that book down, Twilight.” She scoffed playfully. “After you defeated Nightmare Moon and all, everyone thought you had every book in your library already memorized.”

“Well, I thought I had it down, but I've run across some strange pages where the words appeared once and never came back, but I don't know what to do with it now.” Twilight said, looking back at her saddlebags.

“Sounds cursed if you ask me.” Rainbow Dash said as she beat her wings to get airborne.

“There's no such thing as...!” the cogs were turning in Twilight's head, slowly coming into place, “Curses... That's it! Thank you Rainbow Dash, gotta go!” Twilight said as she galloped towards the edge of town, leaving Rainbow Dash behind with a rather confused face. Rainbow Dash had reminded Twilight of a good friend who knew a great deal about all sorts of random and obscure things; her friend Zecora, a zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest outside of town. “She's a hermit, any secrets she might see about the prophecy will likely never leave her hut.”

Twilight crossed over the small bridge that spanned the town's mote, and immediately the Everfree forest came into view, with the path piercing into its depths. The sun itself seemed to be shunned from the green labyrinth, as even the treetops looked dark in the mid-morning daylight. Twilight knew the route to Zecora's hut within the forest, only being a pretty short walk from the edge of town. Even with that being true, entering the foreboding forest always worried her due to the constant threat of wandering monsters and poisonous plants. Twilight put her worries aside and pressed onward.

As soon as Twilight entered the first shadow of the trees bordering the path inward, it felt as if night had fallen across the land. Towering pines lined the path while their roots carved through the path itself. Twilight kept a slow pace, keeping a stern eye on anything she might trip on, and any particularly colorful flowers (especially blue ones). After spending what felt like half an hour dodging various foliage, Zecora's small cottage built into a tree came into view. The light of fires within danced through the open windows, signaling that Zecora was most likely inside. Twilight knocked on the door a few times and awaited an answer. Surely enough, the door opened and Zecora stood before her.

“Ah, hello there my dear Twilight, what brings me such a lovely sight?” She said in her tribal accent.

“Hi Zecora! I was having a little problem I was hoping you could help me with. There is something strange going on with one of my books, but I don't have any idea what's wrong with it.” Twilight said, brushing the dirt off of her hooves.

“Please, do come inside,” Zecora said, sidestepping to make room for Twilight's entry, “We'll see what your book is trying to hide.” Twilight walked inside to see the familiar (and still somewhat unnerving) masks that decorated Zecora's walls, along with several shelves of jarred ingredients and salves. In the center of the hearth was her cauldron, currently cool and empty. “Now tell me what about the book vexes you, and I'll see what I can do.” Zecora said amidst Twilight's study of the unique items placed around Zecora's home.

“Oh, right.” Twilight responded. She levitated the book out of her saddlebags and hovered it in front of Zecora and herself. She flipped the pages until the few blank pages in the middle of the book appeared. Zecora gave the pages a quick study, and then peered back at Twilight, awaiting her explanation. “You see, last night, I wanted to read something before I went to bed, so I grabbed this book. I turned to these pages, and red letters began to appear on the pages. But now, they don't show up any more.”

“So if I've got this right,” Zecora began, “You want these words to return, like the previous night?”

“Yes, please.” Twilight nodded.

Zecora peered at the book intently, as if trying to see if any other clues lied within the pages. “This is very strange indeed, but I might have just the thing we need.” She answered, immediately turning towards one of her shelves filled with bottles, muttering words to herself in her foreign tongue. Twilight waited with great anticipation, very relieved that the answer to this mystery lie right within her grasp. Although she tried to not get her hopes too high (just in case Zecora's solution didn't work), she was jittery with excitement. Zecora eyed one of the smaller bottles for a few seconds before proceeding to grab it with her mouth. She walked over to Twilight and dropped the bottle from her mouth and caught it with her hoof. “This liquid is called the Elixir of Verity, it dispels all lies with complete certainty.” She proclaimed.

Instantly, Twilight thought of a myriad of uses for a substance that removes lies, and thought it would be an immense help for uncovering Luna's plot. Of course, she then realized she knew not the limitations of it, and asked; “So... how does it work?”

“You just open the top,” Zecora said as she used her mouth to remove the cork from the top of the small glass vial, “And let flow only a drop...” With that, she gingerly held the bottle in her mouth and let only a small droplet fall onto the book's pages. The droplet of the clear liquid just rested on the page, the red letters still not appearing. After a few anxious seconds, Twilight turned and looked at Zecora, who was still watching the book intently. There was the suddenly sound of a rushing wind, Twilight turned back towards the book to see the liquid was glowing brightly and giving off the gusty noise (although the pages themselves remained still). The glowing droplet slowly grew to encompass the entirety of the two pages that were open to them. Twilight raised a hoof to her eyes as the glowing became a pain to watch. There was another sound that didn't sound unlike Twilight's winking spell, and the glowing ceased. Twilight lowered her hoof to see another light coming from the book; those of the red-lettered prophecy she had read the night before. Twilight read through the red words to see that it was still the same verse she had remembered.

“That's many a dark word.” Proclaimed Zecora, “Darker than I've ever heard.” Twilight jumped a bit, she did not want anyone else to see the prophecy before showing it to Princess Celestia, even if Zecora was the last pony she would have to worry about accidentally telling the wrong ponies about it. Twilight quickly closed the book, slightly startling Zecora, and placed it back into her saddlebags.

Twilight gave a nervous laugh, “Yeah, very dark... I'm trying to learn more about what they mean, so I was wondering; could I please have the rest of that Elixir of Verity?”

Zecora's eyes widened a bit, “This potion is one of my most rare, you'll likely never find one elsewhere... But I don't see why not, instead of returning it to its shelf to rot.” With that, she corked the bottle and held it in her hoof.

“Thank you Zecora!” Twilight cheered, and magically grabbed the small bottle and put it in her saddlebags along with her quill and parchment. “You've been a big help, thanks again!” And with that, Twilight quickly galloped out of Zecora's home and down the path leading back to Ponyville. Zecora stood at her doorway and watched Twilight disappear into the dark recesses of the forest. The words Zecora had read stirred something deep within the retreats of her memory. She wasn't quite sure what is was, but it left chill in her body as she returned inside, closing the door behind her.

In what felt like only a minute, Twilight was crossing the bridge back into Ponyville. She knew that all she had to do now is show Princess Celestia the book and gives her hypothesis on how the prophecy matches Luna, and then she would have Princess Celestia helping with the investigation. Such a boon would quickly render the contents of the prophecy null and void. Twilight had wanted to run all the way back to the library, but the pain in her legs quickly became noticeable once she didn't have the Everfree forest to urge her further. She quickly slowed to a sluggish pace, heaving large breaths in her exhaustion. “I really should...” she muttered between breaths, “work out more.” When she got back to the library, she wanted to send a letter to Princess Celestia requesting a ride in the royal chariot back to Canterlot, for walking all the way there would be very tiring and time-consuming.

The library soon came into view, a great relief to the tired Twilight. Once she reached the door, she was just about to press it open, but got a fleeting sensation that she was being watched. She turned around to face the road; there were a few other ponies walking down the road, but none looking in her direction. She looked into the windows of the nearby houses, but still to no avail. As she was just about to ignore her random feeling, something did catch her eye; a small cat skulking against one of the houses eyeballing her. At first, it looked like Opalescence, Rarity's foul-tempered feline friend, but it seemed to have witnessed Twilight staring back at itself, and disappeared around the side of the house before Twilight could get a better look. She shrugged off the awkward occurrence and walked into the library.

“Spike!” Twilight called, anxious to get that letter written and sent to Princess Celestia. To her annoyance, there was no response from her assistant. She walked up the stairs into her living quarters, to see Spike from behind, his head rested on his claw as he peered down into a book. “Ah, well, it's good to see you're finally reading a book for once,” Twilight said in approval as she approached him, “but we must...” She walked up beside him to see that his eyes were closed, having fallen asleep amidst attempting to read a book. Twilight's brief meritorious praise turned into disappointment.

“Spike!” She shouted again from right behind him. The baby dragon sprung up out of fright, causing him to fall out of his chair.

“I'm up! I'm up!” Spike called, quickly staggering to his feet. Once his eyes focused, he looked up at Twilight. “Oh, hey Twilight.” He said, then giving off a long yawn.

“I'm going to need you to send another note to Princess Celestia.” Twilight said sternly, “It's very important.” With that, she levitated the quill, parchment, and inkwell out of her saddlebags and hovered them in front of Spike. He uncorked the inkwell and dipped the quill in it while being held in Twilight's magical grip. Twilight then returned the cork and hovered the inkwell back into her bags, letting Spike take a hold of the parchment.

“Dear Princess Celestia, “ Twilight started, “I have something important I would like to show you personally, and am requesting that you send the royal chariot to Ponyville as soon as possible...” Twilight pondered her next words, wondering if she should make direct mention of the book or not. She decided against it, since it was unlikely anyway that the Princess would believe her before seeing the book first-hoof. “Along with that, I have learned something very interesting that I would also like to discuss with you in private. Your student, Twilight Sparkle.” Spike finished scribbling the last few words, then rolled up the parchment and engulfed it in a plume of green flame, sending it on its journey to Princess Celestia.

“You're going to Canterlot?! Can I come?!” Spike asked with glee, looking up at Twilight with a grin that went from ear to ear, and wide eyes full of anticipation.

“I'm sorry Spike,” Twilight responded, “but this is a very important meeting, I'm not going to be up there for long anyway.”

Spike's grin instantly melted into a frown. “Fine,” he pouted as he crossed his arms and stuck up his chin, “I didn't want to go anyway.” If Twilight were not in such a serious mood, she would probably have laughed at Spike's melodramatic reply.

Spike's cheeks inflated as he belched out a rolled piece of parchment, no doubt a response from the Princess. Twilight immediately seized it in her magic hold and opened it in front of her for both of them to see. She read it aloud; “My dear student Twilight Sparkle, as much as I would love to see what you have to show me, I am currently dealing with very pressing matters up at the royal palace, and am much too busy to come visit you personally. The royal chariot is currently in use by two very important ponies that will be arriving in Ponyville later today. I would like you to greet them when they arrive, and ensure they find their way to the inn. I think you will like the colt that is to arrive. He's about your age and loves books, I hear. Your teacher, Princess Celestia.”

Twilight let out an annoyed sigh, “Of course, the only time I'd want to go to Canterlot and the royal chariot is being used!” She spat quickly. “I guess I'll just have to go meet those ponies that are arriving, guide them to the inn, then use the chariot myself.”

“Not going to make friends with the pony Princess Celestia was mentioning?” Spike asked in jest.

“Spike, this is serious!” Twilight answered, “I will make more friends once the fate of Equestria no longer rests in my hooves!” Spike was taken aback by her wide-eyed, worried expression.

“So... you really believe in that prophecy, don't you?” Spike asked nervously. “You know, not everything in that book has come true.”

Twilight was not sure how to respond, was she the only one who took this seriously? It was starting to boil up inside her, but she tried to not let it get the best of her. “Yes, Spike... I do.” She said as relaxed as she could, although she could feel her frustration seeping into her words. “I'm going to go do as the Princess asked and meet up with the visiting ponies. If I'm gone for a while, it probably means I'm up at Canterlot for the night.”

“But...but!” Spike started, but Twilight was already down the stairs and out the door before he could finish. He sighed, knowing the only things he had to entertain him were walls full of books, any good ones of which he had already saw all the pictures inside.

~

“Wake up. We're almost there.”

Duskmane must have dozed off during the long trip, but his mother's announcement quickly woke him up; he was very anxious to see the new town, and to make his mother happy by helping her so that he might finally get some approval from her. He looked ahead, and could indeed see a large village surrounded partly by a small river. Dense forests covered a vast distance in one direction, with long formations of mountains traveling for miles through the forested area. In the other direction were rolling plains as far as the eye could see, with only sparse trees sprouting from the green hills. As they lowered altitude and neared the town, he could see the hay-covered thatched roofs that adorned almost every house, aside from a few buildings that stood out (even one that appeared to be a large tree).

As the guards slowly lowered towards an opening near the largest building in town (which he assumed to be the town hall), Duskmane started becoming a mixture of nervous and excited. Almost every other town before this was very nonchalant, usually just involving his mother having a short meeting with the mayor there and discussing terms (assuming she was successful in convincing them to buy her resources, which she usually was). But this journey felt different. Perhaps it was the personal escort by the Princess's royal guard, or the fact that they are in such close proximity to the capitol of Equestria, but it made Duskmane's heart flutter with anxious thoughts.

“Now Duskmane...” he thought to himself, “you just have to mention that the owner of the Saddlestone mines is in town, and that what she wants to provide can greatly benefit the entire town. With luck, that should be enough to impress mother...” He kept playing imaginary scenarios in his mind, hoping to better prepare himself for his self-given task ahead. There was a light thud at the chariot and the royal guards touched down on the paved stone plaza. Much to his approval, there was not a crowd of other ponies waiting for them like he had imagined. Madam Sapphire hopped out of the chariot with her travel bags across her back, and he followed, gazing at the colorful architecture of the surrounding buildings.

“I'm going to go drop my things off at the inn.” Said Madam Sapphire, drawing Duskmane's attention to herself. “I will likely be speaking with the mayor today, then tomorrow, we will be going to Canterlot so that I may have an audience with the Princess.” Duskmane could feel the greed lingering on the last few words. If she managed to get Princess Celestia as a customer, Madam Sapphire's huge business is more than likely to swell even more. What she would do with all those bits, Duskmane had no idea. “Feel free to wander about today, just don't... do anything stupid.” She hissed. “So much depends on what happens today and tomorrow, and there will be endless punishment should you ruin it!”

Such demeaning words were pretty typical when Duskmane's mother was in the middle of a business trip, but they still all felt like fiery lashes to Duskmane nonetheless. “Don't worry,” he thought to himself, “I'm going to make you happy this time! Just you wait...” Duskmane's brooding was interrupted by what appeared to be a lavender colored pony wearing matching saddlebags walking their way. “Now's my chance!” He thought, ready to attempt his sales pitch in front of his mother.

The lavender pony drew closer, giving the royal chariot a lasting gaze, before drawing her attention to them as she got close. “Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle,” she said with a smile, holding a hoof up to herself. “The Princess asked that I show you two to the inn.”

Duskmane's scenario that he had planned through his head shattered into little bits as he witnessed the beautiful mare. He nervously stared into her violet eyes, wanting to say what he had planned, but completely unable. “Hello... Twilight. I'm Duskmane.” He could feel the blood rushing to his face, never had he seen such a beautiful unicorn.

“Charmed.” Madam Sapphire remarked flippantly. “I am Madam Sapphire, here to spread my wealth to your little... community. We would appreciate it if you quickly showed us to the inn.”

Twilight did not have high expectations for the new visitors, but could tell by the tone of Madam Sapphire that she was a stuck-up sort, a bit like her friend Rarity, but without the good qualities. She figured Duskmane was the colt the Princess had mentioned in her letter, and could see he was about as nervous as his mother was arrogant. “Certainly,” she said, “Right this way.”

Twilight took the lead as the three ponies traveled one of the major roads across town. Duskmane was busy taking in the sights, while Madam Sapphire walked with a grim look across her face. After a few minutes of walking, they came across a large, two-storied building, a sign with a bed on it protruding out of the front of it. “Here we are.” Said Twilight, pressing the door forward and letting the other two inside.

An aged brown stallion with a gray mane greeted them from behind the wooden counter once Twilight closed the door behind them. “Well lookie here, visitors to good ol' Ponyville. Are you here to rent a room?” The look of disgust was obvious on Madam Sapphire's face as she peered around the interior. It was made entirely of wood, aside from the stone fireplace on the other side of the room, with the stairs leading to the second floor being on the opposite side of the room; nothing like the brick and gold interior of the manor.

“I suppose I must.” Madam Sapphire answered, “How much is it for the night?”

“Wait a second...” The old stallion began, “You wouldn't happen to be Ms. Sapphire, would you?”

“That's Madam Sapphire to you.” She spat, “But yes, 'tis me.”

“Oh, well,” he said slightly shaken, “Princess Celestia already reserved a room for you, our best one in fact.” He went and grabbed one of the keys that hung on the board behind him and laid it on the counter. A smug grin appeared on Madam Sapphire's face.

“The Princess really does know who she's dealing with.” Madam Sapphire said under her breath, but still loud enough for everypony to hear. She went and grabbed the key with her mouth and proceeded to walk towards the stairs.

“I guess I'm done here. Now, time to take that chariot to Canterlot.” Twilight thought to herself as she reared around and headed back towards the door, “I've wasted enough time as it is.”

“Um, excuse me... Twilight?” Duskmane called in a timid voice. Twilight stopped in her tracks, slightly annoyed.

She removed her disgruntled face before turning around to answer him, “Yes, what is it, Duskmane?”

“I was wondering...” he said as his mustered up as much courage as he could, “would you be able to give me a tour of all of Ponyville? I'd love to see the rest of the town.”

Twilight really wanted to have a nice walk with Duskmane, out of curiosity of the legitimacy of Princess Celestia's claim of them being alike (and perhaps something more, but Twilight would not admit it to herself). But she knew what she had to do above all else; show the book to the Princess. “I... I'm sorry, but I have a lot of work I need to catch up on. But it was nice meeting you, Duskmane, I hope to see you around.”

Duskmane's nervous grin turned into a chest-fallen frown. “It's okay... Thanks anyway, though. It was great to meet you too.” Twilight gave a farewell smile, and turned around to exit the inn.

Twilight had a sinking feeling as she walked further from the inn towards the town square, somewhat cursing herself for being such a diligent pony in her quest. “I must get to Celestia.” She urged herself on. “I'll go visit Duskmane later....”

By the time Twilight was back in the town square, the sun was high in the sky, and many ponies were out and about enjoying the beautiful day. Twilight looked around through the small crowd of ponies to relocate the royal chariot. To her relief, it was still in the same place it was when Duskmane and his mother first arrived, with the two royal guards still tethered to it, in their usual serious pose. She walked up in front of the two royal guards and greeted them; “Hello guys, I'm sure you remember me, Twilight Sparkle?” They both stared at her, without saying a word. Twilight gave an uneasy smile, “Yeah... Well, It is very important that I get to Canterlot castle, could you gentlecolts please take me there?”

One of the guards answered, “We are to remain here, by the order of Princess Celestia.”

“Not if it's extremely important? As in the fate of Equestria depends on it?!” Twilight asked, very distressed.

“Only if the Princess deems it necessary.” The other guard answered.

Twilight gave a loud grunt, was everything trying to prevent her from reaching Canterlot? “I must think of something... anything!” She whispered to herself. She was disheartened, having hit a dead end on every possible attempt to reach the princess. The day was much too warm to trust the 'wings' spell she had cast on Rarity a while ago, and the Canterlot Express from Ponyville to Canterlot was still under construction, but there had to be a way. Walking up the mountain trail would take days, if Twilight's physique could even carry her that far. Out of options, Twilight turned to the one thing she could depend on most, “There's got to be a book with something I haven't thought of!” With that, she galloped back to the library, hoping that at least her books would hold an answer.

~

Duskmane watched as his mother removed a plethora of folders full of maps, charts, and many other notes she often used during her business discussions. She stacked them neatly on the table in the center of the room, carefully organizing the stacks based on the contents of the folders. She caught Duskmane staring as her and said, “You're free to leave, like I said. I have much to prepare for this evening, just be back before we go to Canterlot tomorrow. Otherwise, I'm leaving you here until my business with the Princess is complete.”

“Of course, Mother.” Duskmane responded, turning towards the door. He exited the room and walked down the stairs to the first floor of the inn. The innkeeper gave a resentful stare at Duskmane as he passed by, probably because of the mother's remarks. Duskmane quickly trotted out of the inn to escape his gaze, and out into Ponyville. The sun was bright, and the fluorescent colors of the buildings, flowers, and other ponies stood out in great contrast to what he was use to in his gray hometown, even more colorful still than any other town he has visited. He wanted to do two things that day; the first which he had planned was attempt to make his mother happy by bringing attention to her business. The other, which he wanted to do ever since he saw the colorful town, was to explore and see the entire community. “I just gotta tell some ponies about the Saddlestone mines, and the resources it provides, and how it could help them...” He thought to himself, once again playing out his speech in his imagination. “Now, I just got to tell the first pony I come across...” He looked around, there were several ponies walking the large road. His eye stopped on two mares that were standing in place, talking amongst each other, a unicorn with a light turquoise coat and an earth pony with a pale cream coat with a bold pink and blue mane. He approached them, already feeling the tension of his nervousness building in his throat.

“Hi...” he started, drawing their attention to him.

“Hello!” Said the unicorn.

“Hiya!” Said the earth pony.

Just as it had before with his meeting with Twilight, the words he wanted to say melted. He tried to recollect them as best he could, knowing they were waiting on him to continue. “I just wanted to say... that...” He stuttered.

“Yes?” Said the unicorn curiously.

In his mind, he commanded his words return to him, yet they hid under the thick mask of his anxiety. He was not a natural speaker like his mother, and very rarely conversed with other ponies while he was at home. “That... I've gotta go.” He said hastily, galloping off down the road. The tension was too much to bare for him, and he mentally cursed himself for it. Once he was out of sight of the two mares, he slowed down, catching his breath. “Horse feathers... I'm never going to be able to impress mother at this rate.”

Duskmane looked back, only barely able to see the roof of the inn. He turned around to see the familiar town square ahead of him. It was an open expanse, with houses surrounding the perimeter, with the town hall in the center, along with a few fountains and statues scattered about. “I suppose I should just start by asking for directions.” he thought. Near the few houses behind the town hall, he could see a bridge that crossed the small river that surrounded the town, with a path leading into the dark forest beyond. Every other direction though was an expanse of houses, shops, and other sites to see; he couldn't decide where he should go first. He figured he would try to find a pony that wasn't busy to give him some directions, but almost every single pony around was talking with another one, or playing in small groups.

Duskmane walked around the perimeter of the plaza a bit, until he came across a pegasus pony that appeared to be peering into a bunch of flowers that were growing outside of one of the shops. She had a cream colored coat and a flowing pink mane, with eyes that showed only kindness. “A perfect pony to ask.” Duskmane thought as he approached her. Upon closer inspection, she was watching several butterflies flutter amongst the flowers, and although he could not hear her, she appeared to be talking to them. She did not appear to notice him as he got close, so he spoke; “Excuse me--”

The mare quickly jumped with a gasp, shaking a little bit as she turned to face him. “H—Hello.” She stuttered.

“I'm sorry if I disrupted anything.” Duskmane said, feeling embarrassed yet again, but this time for unintentionally startling the poor pony.

“Oh, no, it's okay.” She said in a very hushed voice. “Was there something I could help you with?”

“Er... yes.” Duskmane started, “I was just curious if you could tell me about the interesting places around town. I'm new here.” He was relieved he could get his sentence out without blundering again.

“Oh, well,” Said the pegasus pony, her expression switching from anxious to a happy grin, “We're always happy to have visitors in Ponyville. My name's Fluttershy, I take care of the animals around here.”

“I'm Duskmane, and I'm just traveling with my mother.” He said, considering interjecting the sales pitch about the Saddlestone mine now that he had the courage, but considered it a bad time to do so.

“It's good to meet you, Duskmane.” She said, still in her hushed tone although her initial fright seemed to had faded. “Now, what do you like to do? There are lots of interesting things here in Ponyville, it would take a while to tell you about them all.”

“Well,” Duskmane started, giving it some thought before he answered, “My favorite thing to do at home is reading books.”

“Oh!” Fluttershy gasped, “One of my friends runs the library down the road.” She pointed a hoof towards a road that branched from the plaza. “It looks like a large tree house, you can't miss it.”

Although Duskmane avoided bringing books with him so that he might be outside more, the offer sounded too tempting for him to resist. “That's great!” he said, “Thanks again Fluttershy, goodbye!” He trotted off in the direction she was pointing.

“And there's also...” Fluttershy started, but she opened her eyes to see Duskmane had already taken off in the direction she had pointed. She shrugged and resumed her peaceful gaze of the butterflies.

~

Twilight levitated her saddlebags off her back and placed them beside the bed she was laying upon, tired from the lack of sleep, and lack of success in today's endeavors. Many books were cluttered on the floor from her frantic but unsuccessful search for any other methods that might get her to Canterlot.

“Cheer up Twilight.” Spike said, attempting to put the books in neat piles on the floor, “You can just go up there tomorrow evening once those two ponies you were talking about leave.”

“But what if tomorrow is too late?!” Twilight yelled with her face against her bedsheets. She had a terrible headache, something that she unfortunately did not know how to cure with her magic. Her words were filled with distress and worry, but there was no use fretting over it at this point. She gave out a long sigh, “I guess I'm going to have to wait, then.” She closed her eyes, wanting to catch up on her lost sleep. Her ears perked up as she heard the door downstairs open, “Of all times for a visitor.” she mumbled, slowly stepping off the bed and making her way for the stairs.

Twilight walked down the stairs with her eyes half-closed. Once she reached the bottom, she absentmindedly said “Welcome to the Ponyville Library, can I he--” Her eyes sprung open: Light gray coat, dark blue mane with a white stripe, orange eyes, and the crescent moon eclipse cutie mark; “Oh, hi Duskmane!” Her heart raced, she was not expecting him any time soon. She realized she must have looked like a liar in his eyes, although the mess of books everywhere could partially cover up her lethargic respite.

Duskmane turned to look at Twilight; he blushed once again at her beauty. “Oh... hi Twilight, I didn't expect to run into you again. If you're still busy, I'll leave...” he turned to exit the library.

“No!” Twilight shouted louder than she intended. “I mean... no, you don't have to leave.”

Duskmane turned back towards her. “Oh, alright.” He could see her eyes were drooping with weariness, “You don't look so good.” he remarked, “Is something wrong?”

Something about Duskmane made her feel relaxed, although she was not too sure what it was. Perhaps it was just as the Princess said; they only barely knew each other, yet she could feel a good aura emanating from him. “Oh, I'm just in a bit of a problem right now, I'm fine.”

“What sort of problem?” Duskmane asked, “I'd love to help if I can.” He felt slightly embarrassed of the words that escaped his mouth, almost as if a bit “too” friendly for a pony he barely knew.

“I...” Twilight was about to decline the offer, but something deep in her mind said 'Don't do it', the same instinct she felt when Predictions and Prophecies had fallen in front of her. “Well, I suppose I am in a bit of a bad situation, but I'm not sure if you could help.”

“Well, even so, I'd still want to try.” He replied solemnly, with only a small fraction of his earlier uneasiness.

Twilight smiled. Finally, somepony just offering to help her greatly improved her mood. “Well, I need to get to Canterlot... I have something important I must show Princess Celestia.”

Duskmane had only seen Canterlot in the books he's read, and only had a general idea as to the distance is was from where he was now, but even he knew the distance was a bit much to walk in only a small group. “Well, the chariot that my mother and I arrived on is still in the plaza. Why don't you ride that?”

“I tried.” Twilight replied, “But they said they were ordered not to move.”

Duskmane gave it some thought, then replied, “You know, they are waiting there to take my mother and I to Canterlot tomorrow... Perhaps they'll listen to me if I ask that us two go now?”

“Maybe... That might just do it!” Twilight said happily. “If you would do that for me, I'd be in your debt.”

“Oh, no...” Duskmane responded, “It's the least I can do for a friend. Although...”

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“As much as I want to help you, doing this might get me in big trouble with my mother... I just want to know what it is that has you in such a rush to visit the Princess.” Duskmane felt impolite to make that request, but his curiosity got the better of him.

In most cases, Twilight would have considered heavily against showing anybody the contents of the book, but that good aura coming from her new friend seemed to melt away any feeling of distrust. “Follow me up here, I'll show you.” She said, walking back up the stairs, with Duskmane following close behind her. When they reached the second floor, they saw Spike now starting to return the books to their proper place in their shelves. “That's my assistant, Spike. He helps me keep the place clean over my study sessions.” It did not appear Spike heard her from his place high on the ladder as he balanced several books in one claw, while putting them into the shelf with the other. Twilight walked over to her saddlebags that laid on the floor, and hovered the book in front of Duskmane and herself. She flipped the pages to the glowing red prophecy. Duskmane's eyes glided across the words, his expression becoming more grim as he read through the passage.

“Wow,” he said worriedly, “What book is this?”

“Predictions and Prophecies,” Twilight answered, “have you heard of it?”

“Yes, I have.” Duskmane replied, “I've read through it all, and have seen several of the predictions in it come true, but I have never see this in my book before.”

“Me either, until last night.” Twilight said, looking into Duskmane's concerned eyes. “I've used a little potion from a friend to make it stay visible, but when I wrote to Princess Celestia, she said she could not see it in her book, which is why she isn't taking me seriously. I want to show her the prophecy first-hoof.”

“I can surely see why, now. We shouldn't waste any time getting there.” Duskmane insisted.

“My thoughts exactly.” Twilight replied with relief, “And... thanks, again.” Duskmane gave a blushed smile back as they walked back down the stairs. “Spike! I'm leaving again!” Twilight called as she pressed the door open and exited the library.

As Twilight walked alongside Duskmane back to the town square, she could see the truth in Princess Celestia's words. Something about Duskmane resonated with her. She wouldn't say it was love, but something else. “A destined friendship” she called it in her thoughts, “Much like the rest of my good friends.” Twilight looked over at Duskmane, who was staring blankly forward, something obviously on his mind. Not wanting a quiet walk all the way there, Twilight broke the silence; “So... which one of my friends told you about the library?”

Duskmane blinked and snapped back to reality. “Oh, um... Fluttershy, if I do recall.”

“Oh, she's a sweet one. Awfully quiet, but my other friends and I try to get her to open up some. She's gotten better from when we first met.”

“You mean she use to be worse?” Duskmane asked jokingly, “I thought I froze her in fright when I first greeted her.” They both chuckled, the worries they had on their shoulders receded into their tranquil conversation. “So, tell me, Twilight.” Duskmane said once the giggling settled, “Are you from Ponyville?”

“Actually, my hometown is Canterlot. I'm a student of Princess Celestia, and I'm in Ponyville by her request.”

“Oh, I see.” Duskmane replied. “I'm from Saddlestone. My mother runs the Saddlestone mines, she often travels to other towns she seeks to do business with. This is the first time we've ever received a ride on the Princess's chariot, though.”

“That's the mines where lots of iron and gold is, right?” Twilight inquired, having faintly remembered hearing the name of that town from somewhere before.

“That's right.” He answered, “Our materials are sold to a lot of towns near ours. This town is the furthest one my mother has ever tried to make connections with.”

“That's interesting, I'd love to come visit Saddlestone sometime.”

“Eh, I don't know...” Duskmane said with a troubled look, “There's not much to see there, and it's nowhere near colorful as Ponyville.”

When they turned to face forward after their hearty chat, they were already only a few strides from the chariot, and to both Twilight's and Duskmane's surprise, the two royal guards still in the exact same pose. “How do they do it?” Duskmane whispered to Twilight, who gave a bewildered shrug.

Duskmane walked forward, and said, “Er...hi.” The warm courage he had around Twilight dissipated, once again having him scramble for his words. “We would like a ride to... um, Canterlot.” Both of the guards stared him down, leaving both Twilight and Duskmane in breath-stopping suspense. Were they going to deny his request?

“Of course, Master Duskmane. Please get in the chariot and we'll be on our way.”

Twilight and Duskmane heaved a sigh of relief, Quickly jumping into the plush purple seats. Once Twilight was seated, she could feel it again; the strange sensation that she was being watched, she peered around the town plaza, but too many other ponies blocked her attempts to find from who. Once the guards saw they were seated, they bolted forward once there was room to do so in the town square, heaving them into the air. With things finally going her way, Twilight had her mind on her meeting with the Princess. She gazed at Canterlot, a beautiful castle built into the mountainside with a steep path leading up to it. Duskmane had his eyes on the distant horizon, plagued by the somber realization that he would have to leave his new-found friend behind after tomorrow. They both flew silently through the warm breeze, wondering what awaited for them in their future...

Comments

[etempco]

Well... Guess it's all done now. Still greatly looking forward to any critique on the story itself. I want to spruce it up a bit before I try my luck at getting it approved on EqD. Thanks all

[HarbingerOfMe]

*sees the chapter is 29k words*
*is too scared to start reading it immediately*
*start reading it anyway*
How are we going to know if it's updated, if you do not add new chapters?

[JarOfHearts]

Hmm, promising.

I would suggest, when self editing, read aloud to yourself. GREAT way to spot mistakes or know if something sounds weird.

[etempco]

Hmm. I might add a new chapter when I've finished the fic and put the epilogue in it just to signify that it's done. Like I said, I'm such a slow writer that even putting parts into chapters would still result in long waits in between (And I'm really sorry for that). I'm new to this system so I'm still learning the gears and cogs of things.

Edit: Thanks Fragged. I usually have headphones on so I completely forgot about that step. I'll be sure to try it in the future!

[JasonTheHuman]

Chapters serve a few purposes...

1. Give readers story alerts if they are tracking, ensuring that the new part you wrote will be read
2. Get marked as "read" so that readers can come back later knowing exactly where they left off
3. Break the story into smaller, less-threatening, shorter-than-30K-words segments

I'm not really sure why you wouldn't do that.

[etempco]

278001
Alright, thanks. When I have time tonight I'll try to split it up into smaller servings. Doing something like that won't conflict with the rules, will it? Since "adding" chapters will unavoidably bump my fic?

[Abody]

One of the best fictions I have ever read.....Nuff said

[Fallen Knight]

278037

You can bump your fic as much as you want (with real chapters preferably? lol) since Fimfiction has a part for new stories and one for updates separated.