Exordia

by Claystead

Part 5: The Perfection of Nature

Equa, capital of Respublica Universalis Equestrica, the Year of the Ascendancy of the Divine Diarchs

The unicorn mare behind the desk of the Library of Equestria smiled widely.
“Good day, Mistress Clover. How can I help you today? Research material or the… special collection?”

Clover smiled back, the movement rippling across a few dozen wrinkles.

“The latter, Ala.” the elderly mare answered.

“Ok…ay.” the clerk said, snapping up a key with her muzzle from a drawer and catching it in midair with magic from her horn.

The pair made their way to the back of the library. The librarian pulled out a copy of The Great and The Powerful: The Life and Times of Starswirl the Bearded and inserted the key where it had been. She turned to her grey-maned visitor.

“You know the procedure, Mistress Clover. I have to inquire as to the purpose of your visit to Room 32 before granting you access.”

Clover sighed. “Object #007. Do you need to consult the catalogue?”

The librarian rolled her eyes. “Like anypony here does not know the first ten objects of the collection by heart. Why do you need to access the Fifth Starswirl Amulet after so many years?”

Clover hesitated. “Did you hear Consul Scipio’s speech the other day?”

Ala raised an eyebrow. “Did anypony in the city not? ‘Here we have our exordia - the grand beginnings of pony civilization!’” she mimicked in a faux-pompous tone.

Clover’s smile did not reach her eyes. “Remember the next part?”

“Er… ‘It is time to end our cowardly flinching in the face of chaos and darkness! Today the Senate has found the courage to…’ er… to…”

“’…to stand up to our oppressor.’” Clover finished, “They refuse to pay Discord any more tribute.”

“And what does this have to do with #007?”

The old mare sighed. “Years ago my master hid the location of some kind of weapon within the amulet. I never used it so as to not be able to give up its location under duress. But if the Senate insists on charging headlong into a conflict… I just want some insurance, that is all.”

The librarian stared at her for a few seconds, then twist the key. A section of the bookshelf slid aside.
“Welcome to Room 32, Mistress Clover. The Starswirl Archives are at your full disposal. I will be at the front desk if you need me. You can leave the shelf open, the only other pony in the entire building this late in the evening is a young bookworm of a mare over in the History section. She spends most of her time here.”

The room was not very large; it only contained a few hundred tomes and scrolls. However, every word in the room was written by Starswirl the Bearded, an oddly comforting thought for Clover as she walked up to the centerpiece of the room; five busts, each carrying one of Starswirl’s amulets.

She grabbed the last one and sat down at a table in the corner of the room. With a deep breath of air she prepared herself to experience the memories of her mentor one last time.

Part V – The Perfection of Nature

3rd day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, the Valley of Flowers by the Clucking Stream

Everypony stood still for a few seconds.

I dropped my magic barrier to see better. “By the gods…” I whispered incredulously.

One of the soldiers started shaking and whimpering, closing his eyes and mumbling “Oh Luna and Celestia of Night and Day, Life and Death, Light and Darkness, hold Your hooves over us and deliver us from those who seek to oppose Your divine will and Providence. We are but the tools of Your grace and the corporal manifestation of Yo-“

A voice interrupted him. “Does… this… look like a temple to you, Corporal? Compose… Yourself!”

We all turned to the left. “Commander?” I asked the sooty stallion.

“I am… okay. Just… a little shaken up” he said, although the visible shaking seemed to indicate him being somewhat more distraught than that.

“But… I thought…” I started, but upon second reflection took a few steps forward and looked around the corner of the cave, seeing three blackened skeletons, not one. “Oh. Pallas.”

The dragon flapped back down into view and stared at us, then made a series of guttural vocalizations.

“Is he trying to say something? Is it Horthinian?” the Commander asked.

I swallowed when I realized everypony were looking at me. “Uh, I am hardly at the level in the language were I can…”

“Yet you know more than us, so translate!” I was ordered.

I took a deep breath, “Okay… Er… bill, no; payment… lacking… receiving… untied… promise… live… now… leave… change… mind… I think he is saying he had not yet received his payment and was as such not bound by his honor to complete his mission. But we should leave before he changes his mind.”

The dragon looked irritated at us one last time and flapped away, but the Commander hit me congratulatory in the shoulder with a hoof. “I knew you could do it, you beautiful hornhead!”

“How did you even know I knew a little Horthinian? We hardly saw each other in Horthium!” I answered, irritated.

“Because your head, my dear unicorn, it is like an egg!”

“I… uh… Pardon me?”

He threw a foreleg around my shoulder. “Never mind. Pegasopolitan saying. Let us focus on the task at hoof. Say, have you ever ridden an elephant before?”

13th day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, Unnamed Jungle

The serving mare gave me a playful smile. “Buttered yam with cinnamon and honey, sir?”

I tried my best not to become even greener than I already were.
“Thanks, but no thanks.”

The platform suspended on the back of the elephant swayed even worse as she went over to the edge and flapped down to the ground with the serving bowl she had presented me.

The Commander looked up briefly from his low-key conversation with a scout to grin at me.

I moaned silently for myself and went over to the front of the platform to calm my revolting stomach.

The army and the supply train was an impressive sight, stretching for miles and ending a few elephants in front of me. Soldiers carrying machetes hurried alongside ox wagons and elephants, cutting down any vegetation the massive grey beasts of burden did not knock down or pull out with their trunks. On level with my face I could see curious monkeys swinging along the foreign horde moving through their forest.

A low thump made me turn, and I saw the Generals Ariegois and Hippokrates had landed on the platform.

“Go fetch them.” The Commander said to the scout before turning to the generals. “Ah. You are here! Excellent. Marlin thinks we are just hours away from Ponitthaya now.”

General Ariegois sighed. “Our scouts have flown over this area for a week now, Commander…”

“Are you hinting at something, General?”

General Hippokrates looked angry and stepped closer to the Commander. “What she is hinting at, Commander, is that every minute we are here we are wasting countless military resources on this magic crystal fantasy of your horny friend!”

The Commander’s eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to Hippokrates. “I should have known.”

Hippokrates looked confused. “Known what?”

“My ‘horny friend’ told me that he had overheard you talking with Strívo Paltó about saving my life, yet you have not made any mention of the whole ordeal. Not a pip.”

“I did not want to steal the glory of his actions!” The general protested.

“So one would think,” the Commander snarled, “but I never anticipated Pallas to betray me, and if he was capable of such an act of treachery, I would not put it above you to know about it the whole time and try to sabotage the attempt to save my life…”

“You are being consumed by irrational paranoia and fear, Commander!”

“…just like you now are trying to sabotage this expedition!” the Commander finished.

“We are losing a hundred and three-score stallions A DAY due to snakebites, diphtheria and mysterious diseases, we must tu- Gackh!”

The general had been interrupted by the Commander grabbing him by his armor and pulling them both to their back hooves.
“You are relieved of your duty as Surgeon General, Hippokrates.”

“You have lost your mind, Alexálogo!” the general spat.

The Commander yelled in anger and flung the unfortunate stallion towards the low railing of the platform, sending him over the edge and cartwheeling down the side of the elephant.

He struggled up onto his hooves and rubbed the mud out of his eyes. “You are unfit to lead, Alexálogo, and a blight upon your father’s na…”

His voice died down to a whimper a moment before the foot of the elephant behind ours bore down on his back. The result was… not pretty to look at. I finally threw up over the edge of the platform.

“By Luna…” General Ariegois mumbled.

“That was… not what I had intended,” the Commander said, “but we are not stopping to scoop him up.”

“What?!” the general exclaimed furiously, “He was a top-ranking officer!”

“I relieved him of duty, remember? Besides, we are expecting guests.”

The old and grey-bearded drab stallion and his similar-colored younger companion shifted nervously from side to side. In height and build they were fairly similar to earth ponies, albeit having rounder faces.

“We found a village a mile south of here,” the scout that had brought them explained, “these cheeky fellows were the only ones who did not book it out of there at first sight.”

“Do they speak Horthinian?” the Commander asked.

“Garac Horthine?” the scout barked at the pair.

The elder one looked confused, but the younger nodded. “Garaco pallo.”

“He speaks a little, sir.”

The Commander scratched his chin. “Ask him if any of them knows of any cities, ruined or otherwise, in the area.”

The scout turned back to the two confused natives. “Gellac, ha’aba mollo tutt’ore zeivehos allalla?”

The younger stallion translated quickly for his elderly companion in a language that consisted of a series of uvular consonants and guttural vowels. I could have sworn I heard the word ‘Ponitthaya’ in there somewhere.

The older native furrowed his brow, but the younger started speaking to the scout in a panicked flurry. The scout visibly struggled to keep up with the speed of the Horthinian sentences and stopped the native several times to ask questions.

Finally he turned back to us. “It appears we are only a quarter of an hour away from it, in a northwesterly direction, but the locals have some sort of taboo concerning entering the place. This one does not know-“

The elderly stallion said something slowly in his native language. His younger companion looked disoriented, but translated to the scout.
The scout looked at the Commander with a raised eyebrow. “This old fellow once snuck in as a foal, he said. It is the resting place of the Great Golden Mother and should not be disturbed.”

“The Golden what now?”

The scout had a short conversation with the younger local. “Some sort of regional goddess, sir. He also adds that the old stallion is more than a little senile.”

The Commander sighed. “Have some of your fellow scouts fly them back to their village. They are of no further use to us.”

A second before the older stallion was lifted away he looked at me directly and said something to me, with the curious pronunciation of somepony who has only seen a language written, yet with an unnerving insistence.

“What the… Hey, wait! What did you say? Hey!” I called out, but too late; they had already lifted off.

“What happens to be the matter?” the Commander inquired, “What did he say?”

I frowned. “I believe it was ‘Do not open this door, for beyond lies a power not meant for you. If you try to use it, the Dark Ones will find you.’”

The Commander rolled his eyes. “These quaint village elder types. Always maintaining that flair of drama.”

“I do not know… His words were not what troubled me.”

“Then what did?” General Ariegois asked.

My eyes narrowed. “The fact that he spoke them in old-fashioned Unicornian.”

14th day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, Ponitthaya

The Commander lifted aside the flap of my tent. “You ready?”

I threw aside my blanket without hesitation and grabbed the bag where I had my notes and memory amulets. “Sure thing!”

The morning sunlight had a hard time penetrating the dense canopy of the massive trees that kept Ponitthaya hidden from flying observers. When I first saw the trees the night before I had expected massive tree root damage to the city, but the trees turned out to be planted, apparently on purpose, in a number of small gardens throughout the area.

I felt the heat on my body and quickly dove back into my tent to take off the armor I had taken to wearing over the last couple of months. My tent was with the officers’, in some sort of central temple courtyard, while the enlisted pegasi slept in the crumbling houses around us.

When I reappeared, General Ariegois had joined the Commander. She glared angrily at me. “I am not going in there with him!”

“How so?” the Commander asked.

“That unicorn is bad luck. Everypony in the General Staff save me and you have died or become severely injured with him around!”

The Commander rolled his eyes. “You will be fine. I will be there, and we will bring… Hey, Hurricane, come with us, would you?”

The mare materialized from behind a tent, nodding nervously.

I tapped him on the back, “One thing… I have never done this before. If we find the stones and I do something wrong, we might be looking at a fatal release of raw magic.”

“Meaning…?”

“Meaning there is a risk of a small explosion. We might want to do the spell away from the camp.”

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “What about doing it inside, where we find it? In that temple over there, is not that were you said they would most likely be?”

I looked at the mastaba-like, scorch-marked structure, the only visibly structurally damaged building. “Er… Are you sure that is safe?”

He patted me on the back with his hoof. “Live a little. I would be more worried that that ridiculous beard you have been growing will catch fire on a torch.”

“Ha ha. You decided on a test subject yet?”

The Commander smiled a devious smile, then signaled a familiar face from a few tents away. “Yes. That useless guard Pansy.”

Our small group ventured over to the entrance of the temple structure. I could not help but wonder what had caused such scorching and damage to the building.

“Sir?”

I looked over to the Commander and saw he had been approached by a small group of soldiers.

“Report, Captain Alguno.” He said.
A bearded beige stallion came forward. “We have swept the premises, sir, and located the jewels in a chamber in the center of the
structure. No sign of any dangers. It is all yours.”

“You had somepony search the building beforehoof?” I asked incredulously.

The Commander looked at me. “Of course? Did you really think I was going to just traipse in there, subjecting us to untold dangers and deadly ancient traps? Any other brilliant ideas? Splitting up? Polishing cursed tablets? No? Well, let me do my job, then. Captain, grab two of your stallions and escort us there. The rest of you, go to camp and tell them to set up a secure perimeter around the area. Nopony enters without my express permission, and we are not to be disturbed for any reason whatsoever the next hour. Have I been clear?”

The bearded captain saluted. “Yes, sir! Somos, Vamos, come with me. If you would follow us, sirs…”

The temple itself was no advanced construction. We only traversed a few corridors before arriving at a large central chamber, supported by pillars.

“Watch your step,” the captain said as we entered the room, “especially the door and the pools.”

“Door?” the Commander said, “What do-“, then he tripped on a large rectangular slab lying on the floor and faceplanted into it. “Oh. That door.”

He lingered in that position for a few seconds.

“Uh, you okay?” I asked hesitantly.

“Do not open this door, for beyond lies a power not meant for you. If you try to use it, the Dark Ones will find you.”

“What?”

He jumped to his hooves and pointed to the door with his hoof. “I guess we know where that old geezer got it from.”

I stepped onto the door, using a light spell to make my horn shine a bright white, providing better light than the torch Hurricane was carrying in her muzzle.

I raised an eyebrow, then pulled out a scroll and a quill from my saddlebags with magic. Out of old habit I said out loud what I wanted written down rather than merely think it, a sign of amateurish magic my old master would no doubt have disapproved of showing.

“Door to structure Alpha, Chamber: Central; Broken off hinges with simple tools, probably by local grave robbers. Door four by two wingspans in size, approximately one hoof in thickness, and made out of bronze. Inscribed with message ‘Do not open this door, for beyond lies a power not meant for you. If you do, the Dark Ones will find you.’ repeated in Old Unicornian, Archaic Pegasopolitan, a dated form of what appears to be Earth Ponyish, Horthinian and three languages unknown to the author of this scroll. All languages are rendered multiple times, in Pegasopolitan script, Horthinian cursive, Earth Ponyish/Unicornian runes, and four unknown scripts, most likely local or Eastern in origin. Find may suggest commercial contact or at least knowledge of other regions. Note to self: Investigate unknown scripts before cataloguing find.”

I hopped down from the door and started walking ahead of my comrades to the center of the room, still writing.

“Description of structure Alpha, Chamber: Central; Sandstone chamber roughly 100 by 100 cubits in size, supported by eight pillars on two walls. The other two walls have entrance portals. Along the length of the colonnades, there are two pools; one apparently filled with water, and one… Hey, Hurricane, what are you doing?”

The others all turned their heads and followed my gaze. Over on our left Hurricane was leaning over the other pool, the torch in her mouth dangerously close to the surface. “Fey,” she called out to the best of her ability, “fhif fing ofer ‘ere ifn’t wafer.”

“NO! THAT I-” the bearded captain yelled and seemed to cross the room in seven-mile strides.

Before he could finish the sentence, however, the sudden movement startled Hurricane, who dropped the torch in surprise. A second later she jumped back in horror as the entire surface of the pool erupted in flame. A few moments later flames flickered to life in a series of decorative alcoves carved out of the columns.

“Great, a pool of liquid fire. Bodes well.” General Ariegois mumbled.

“…one pool filled with what is most likely lamp oil; a reservoir for the oil lamp fixtures of the building, apparently.” I continued, “The centerpiece of the room is a hexagonal sandstone pyramidal with a golden tip, corresponding to illustration on previously found tablet. Most likely used as a fixture for a permanent levitation spell, possibly surrounding the focusing crystals that are the primary purpose of this inquiry. And… Ooh, this is good!”

For some reason my companions seemed somewhat distraught by the skeletons and rusty knives I giddily danced past, closer to the
centerpiece.

“What in the name of all that is holy happened here? The place looks like-“ the Commander began, then noticed what the others had started staring slack-jawed at moments earlier. He cleared his throat. “Is- Is that…?”

I turned and gave him a wide grin, then resumed my narration.

“In front of the centerpiece is what appears to be a throne, surrounded by six-and-two-score unicorn skeletons and ritual daggers. Theory: the skeletons belonged to servants or high priests who slit their own throats after locking themselves in with the mummified remains sitting on the throne.”

I approached the throne. “The mummy wears an ornate headgear, suggesting royalty. The coat and mane is gone, but the skin is covered in finely dusted powdered gold. Closer inspection…” I tilted my head around a dried front hoof, lighting my horn a little again to see between the hind legs, “…reveals it to be a female. She might have been elevated to a royal position because of her unique physical characteristics; a larger-than-usual frame, an unusually long horn… and wings. Close resemblance to the beings we call alicorns should be noted.”
I smiled and put away the quill and scroll again.

“How is this possible?” Pansy asked out loud.

“Gods can die?” Ariegois said flabbergasted.

The Commander appeared to suffer from an existentialistic crisis of sorts. “I never really- I mean, I went to the temples once a week and made my offerings and prayers, but I never truly believed that- that…”

He stopped, and his eyes narrowed as he turned to me. “’Enhance physical size and magical ability’, was not that what you told me back in Pegasopolis, Starswirl?”

“Starswirl? Who is that?” Ariegois asked.

I smiled sheepishly. “If I had told you the purpose of the spell was to create alicorns, would you even have bothered listening to me?”

“Hold up a second, who is Starswirl?”

The Commander nodded. “I suppose you are right, Starswirl. It would have seemed somewhat far-fetched.”

“Oh, wait, I see, it is him. Why did he use a fake name?”

I walked behind the throne, scanning the ground with my eyes. “If you do not wish to proceed, Commander, you are free to leave.”

“Hello? Are anyone even bothering paying attention to me?”

His eyes shone. “Are you jesting, Starswirl? An army of gods? We will smash our enemies under hoof and raise Pegasopolis to unimaginable heights of glory! Wait, are those the infamous crystals? Just lying on the ground like that?”

I had used magic to pick up what looked like old pieces of glass and blown the dust of them.

“I believe so.” I said with a smile, “the proximity to the centerpiece seems to suggest these things were once suspended in a levitation field, like on the tablet I saw an illustration of in my master’s notes. They probably fell down after everypony here offed themselves. Nopony left to recharge the spell.”

Suddenly the stones glowed and shifted in shape. I dropped them in surprise. Metal necklaces and a crown rattled as they hit the floor.

“Uh…” Ariegois most eloquently observed.

I picked up the jewelry. “Well, it appears the crystals as they appear are naught but the dormant form, a disguise if you want, removed by the application of magic. They have already been treated, shaped and set into necklaces. Excellent.”

“Why is that?” the Commander asked.

“The necklaces should enable non-unicorns to add their inherent magic to the spell, increasing the likelihood of success. Okay, I will need two of you to wear a couple of these.”

He nodded. “Hurricane, Pansy, grab those.”

I looked puzzled at him. “But… Was not Pansy supposed to…”

The Commander shook his head. “I have reconsidered. I will take the risk and the possibility of becoming the first to attain divinity.”

I shrugged and placed the crown on my head, and fastened the necklace around my neck. “As you wish. Hurricane, Pansy, you ready?”

They had put on the necklaces and both nodded, although Hurricane was shaking all over and looked like she was about to have an accident.

“Well,” I said, “try to picturing in your minds some positive feelings you have experienced. Kindness, truthfulness, loyalty, cheer, charity… something along those lines. That should put you in the optimal state of mind for this spell. I will deal with the technical parts. You ready, Commander?”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes. Do it.”

I stretched my neck a little left and right, for no particular reason except making me calm down. “Okay. Good. Everypony please step away from him. Remember what I told you, Pansy and Hurricane! We go in three… two… one…”

I closed my eyes and silently spelled out a single simple sentence I had spent weeks perfecting and learning. From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled.

Contrary to popular belief among non-unicorns, the words of a spell had no power on their own. The words can be in any language and do not even have to rhyme, although that is common in order to ease commitment to memory. The important part is the meaning of the words, the imagery and state of mind evoked.

As I finished the sentence I noticed a low hum and glow from the jewels. I focused on the Commander and… suddenly a sharp sting hit me like a sea of needles all around me and inside me, and my vision went black. I wanted to scream out in pain, but I could not control my body. I realized the crystals were drawing pure raw magic in from the surroundings, using my and probably the others’ bodies as conduits. The energy coursing through my nervous system paralyzed me and made it harder and harder to think as my mind was replaced with a pure white light…

And then it was over. I slumped to the ground and moaned. The jewelry clattered down on the ground, all smoking, and one of them cracked.

“Did you see that?” Ariegois exclaimed in the background. “Their eyes, they lit up like lanterns! And did you feel the ground shake?”

I got back at my hooves and locked eyes with a disappointed and unchanged commander.

“It did not work.” he said.

I let out an exhausted sigh, then pulled out my notes from a saddlebag and started flipping through them. “Damn! I really thought I had it! I… I need to take the remaining of these crystals back to the camp, figure them out.”

I tried to not show my uncertainty, which seemed to work nicely as I collected the jewelry and used a simple spell to change them back to crystal form, discarding the cracked one and chucking the rest in my other saddlebag. Pansy seemed rather distraught, though.

A loud crack interrupted my train of thoughts.

The Commander looked worried at me. “What was that? Do you think the shaking we caused destabilized th-“

He never got to finish the sentence, as we narrowly jumped aside from the huge falling roof block that crushed the throne and its occupant into dust; the Commander, Pansy and me to one side, the others to the other.

“Phew,” I said, “that was a clo-“

Then the floor collapsed under us.

My brain did not register what was happening before I was already underwater. A rush of sand and brick pulled me down, slowly burying me. I flailed panicked and trashed around. Through the murky water I caught a glimpse of the Commander similarly struggling.

I had just about given up when a splash reverberated through the water.

Hurricane swam down next to us, her cheeks inflated with air. She looked at us a moment, then pulled off her helmet and grabbed the Commander under the front hooves. She pulled with all her might, and suddenly they both rapidly ascended away from me.
Nopony seemed to return for me. I hit the bottom and tried desperately to hold my breath as the crushing weight of sand and brick that was burying me.

Just as I was about to accept my fate and open my mouth, I noticed two figures digging me out. One of them clapped me on the cheek, then pulled me up.

Suddenly the weight was lifted from me, and the world quickly got lighter.

I broke the surface with a gasp for air so strong I saw flashing lights before my eyes. After a few seconds I noticed a ledge and climbed up it onto dry land.

Hurricane and one of the soldiers broke the surface behind me, then followed my up onto the ledge.

Hurricane looked at the pillars on either side of us. “Dammit, wrong side!”

I looked up and realized we were standing on the colonnade on the other of the water pool from where we had been standing earlier. The falling rock had cracked the floor of the central platform and made almost half of it slide into the pool, dragging me and the Commander with it.

The Commander himself stood wet and disoriented on the other side. He pointed a trembling hoof at Hurricane. “You. Congratulations, you are a general now. And you…” he turned to a pale and trembling Pansy standing by the water’s edge, “you were much closer. Why did you not do anything?”

She tried to speak. “I… I was just… so- so frightened!”

The Commander groaned and massaged his forehead with a hoof. “You damn coward! I will make sure you are a private for the next twenty years!”

A thought struck me as I suddenly noticed that Pansy’s cutiemark was a chicken.

I glanced over at Hurricane. Her cutiemark was a rampant lion.

“Dear sweet Celestia…” I mumbled. “Commander!”

“What?”

“I… I think the spell might have had an unintended form of backfiring… There appears to have been a cutiemark transition. It also appears I overpowered the spell. It might have caused a personality disruption.”

He looked confused and tired at me. “What do you… You know, tell me back at camp. Let us get out of this place.”

“I am very sorry, Commander Alexálogo, I am afraid you cannot leave just yet.” A voice said.

We all turned towards the source of the sound. The door to the portal in the other end of the room had opened. In the darkness beyond, three pairs of eyes glowed red.

Hurricane noticed the twinkle of recognition in my eyes, and pulled me and the soldier behind a column as the trio of alicorns entered the room.

“Watch out, Commander!” the bearded captain yelled, and charged the newcomers, sword in muzzle, before anypony else could even react.

A slightly curved, single-edged longsword seemingly materialized out of the darkness and separated his head from his body, which slid to a halt.

“What are those things?!” Hurricane hissed in my ear.

“I am not quite sure,” I replied, “I have only gotten one glance at them before, but they are alicorns of some sort.”

The alicorns stepped into the light, and their eyes stopped glowing. They all wore ornate segmented armor and helmets narrowing into three points on the back of their heads; one extended from each ear and one directly behind the horn. All the metal had been treated with soot to reduce shine, it seemed, while most of their faces were covered by dark blue cloth fastened on the inside of the helmet. Their manes were not visible, but their tails were cut practically short, glistening as obsidian-black as the visible parts of their coat.

Something was highly unnerving about them all having scarlet red irises.

“Okay, Alexálogo, you are a military stallion. You know what comes next.” the older-looking middle alicorn said in an almost disinterested tone, “On your knees, all of you. If you carry a weapon, drop it in front of you, then keep your hooves in front of your head. Nopony has to get hurt. Just give us the Elements, and we can avoid any further unpleasantness.”

The Commander drew his sword with his muzzle and dropped it. “Elements?”

The alicorn rolled his eyes. “Crystals, diamonds, jewelry, whatever you call them. Give them here. I take it you recognize our species, and judging by the shape of the skull lying over there, I would say you already realize who the true owners are.”

The Commander gave a nervous laugh as he laid down with the others. “I am afraid I cannot help you fine specimens of… alicorns. We are just here to loot the ruins for treasure.”

The lead alicorn used magic to pull down the fabric covering his muzzle, revealing a black face with greying stubble, then leaned down to the Commander and looked him directly in the eye.

He tilted his head slightly and gave the Commander a small smile. “Is that so? Very well then. I believe I did not properly introduce myself. My name is Raël, and I am the one who will kill each and every pegasus in a day’s radius unless you tell me the truth.”

The alicorn on the right, a mare by the sound of her voice, interrupted. “Garach?”

Raël turned to her. “Ka?”

“Ela Horthia sêlle pégass hah ut ekki unhornin. Peroch pro-bap thele. Pro-bap galla ekki Eleman thé Hara-monia, ka?”

“Grazac, Pirrhaf Vera.” Raël turned back to the Commander. “The Private here tells me you had a unicorn with you when you left Horthium. Where is he?”

The Commander gave his best confused look. “A unicorn? Now why would I bring a unicorn with me?”

Raël sneered, then turned to the third alicorn. “Pirrhaf Skuggfaxi, drouon uni pégass, volah?”

The other nodded in compliance. “Ka, Garach.”

The remaining soldier that had accompanied the bearded captain in was grabbed forcefully by magic and dragged over to the water’s edge, protesting and pleading with the alicorn to no avail.

His colleague, standing with me and Hurricane behind the pillar, was visibly distraught as the soldier’s head was pushed underwater.
“Where is the unicorn?” Raël asked.

The Commander just stared resolutely back as the soldier in the water began to gargle and trash around when he now could no longer hold his breath.

“We have to save Somos!” the soldier with me and Hurricane hissed.

Hurricane shook her head. “We will only get ourselves killed as well!”

The soldier stopped trashing about and gargling. The alicorn left his body floating face down in the water.

“Where is the unicorn?” Raël asked again.

“He died of dysentery along the way!” the Commander spat.

“Wrong answer. Very well.”

Raël turned back to his executioner and pointed at Pansy with a hoof. “Drouon echa, Pirrhaf.”

“Wait!” I called out loud, “I am here!”

I stepped out from behind the pillar and used magic to levitate myself over the pool and down onto the other side.
Raël smiled at me. “Well, hello. Do you have anything for us today, sub-equine?”

“Hocha!” The alicorn that had drowned the soldier put a hoof on Raël’s chest.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

“Do I know you from somewh-“ he started to ask with a slight accent, before suddenly his eyes dilated in recognition.

“I think I saw you in a forest once… Yes, lieutenant Grond’s mission to get that mare in Unicornia, that was it!”

He turned to his companions. “A tuh fakki!”

Räel shook his head, initiating a loud and quick discussion between the pair. I noticed General Ariegois using the lapse in attention on part of the alicorns to whisper something to the Commander.

I didn’t hear what she said, but the Commander answered “Position 5 to 2, through movement 7, got it.”

I turned my attention back to the arguing alicorns.

The killer made a long-winded statement.
“…Ghäla qāt mār awīl-im ū lū warad awīl-im balum šīb-ī obviously a trap. He knows the hostiles, damn it!”

“You have no proof, Skuggfaxi!” Raël argued, “He could just have been an innocent bypasser. Or you could simply have him mixed up.”

“It is not a trap,” I said, “Just please take the crystals and leave.”

All three alicorns looked at me like I had just arisen from the dead. “What the…?” Raël mumbled.

The killer almost immediately used his magic to draw a sword from a sheath suspended on his flank, then levitated it directly above his shoulder, pointed at my face.

“He understands our language!” he yelled, “Need any further proof, Captain?”

Raël drew his own sword and used the tip to hold up the necklace Lani had given me back in Horthium. I only now noticed the crystal glowed softly.

“Look, Skuggfaxi. A translation-spell crystal. He might not even be aware what it was doing.”

“Fat chance!” the subordinate alicorn snarled, “Let us just kill all of them, take the Elements and get out of here quickly!”

Raël turned to him. “Private Skuggfaxi, do I need remind you who is in charge here? I decide what to-“

“NOW!” Ariegois yelled. In the blink of an eye she and the Commander had their blades in their mouths and were in the air, slicing along Raël’s entire length as they did it. He screamed in anguish.

Within seconds the blade of the longsword of the third alicorn had pierced Ariegois’ neck and came out through her mouth. Ariegois looked almost confused at it for a moment before it was withdrawn and she slumped to the ground.

Everypony in the room stormed towards the door the alicorns had entered through.

Raël stumbled erratically after Pansy, before collapsing into the pool of burning oil. His face and right leg shot up again, screaming silently as the flames ate away the coat and flesh.

“Shit!” the female alicorn exclaimed. I turned and saw the remaining alicorn stallion push her onwards. “We have to stop them, Vera!” he yelled, “Leave him!”

I took that as my cue to catch up with the others. They had stopped where the corridor split up. “They are coming!” I yelled to them, “You go left, I will go right with the crystals!”

The Commander nodded, and they disappeared into the darkness.

I galloped into a medium-sized, dimly lit half-collapsed room filled with shelves carrying scrolls. An old library or record-room.
I heard hooves behind me and quickly hid behind some shelves.

The alicorn stallion entered the room alone, slowly scanning it. “I know you are here, little mouse.” He said, “I noticed your tracks in the dust. Now come out of your hole, and I promise you a swift and painless death.”

I remained silent, slowly circling around so as to have the straightest possible route to the door once he started looking.

“You know what?” the alicorn said, and suddenly I noticed a shift in the magic field of the room. It is hard to explain unless you are a skilled unicorn, but it feels like a hum changing pitch, or in this case, dying down.

“I just lowered my magic defenses,” he continued, “You are the unicorn, are you not? Well, here you have me all to yourself. Try killing me. Just try! You do not have it in you to kill somepony. You know why? You are weak, hiding in the dark like a rat. You do not have the guts to come out and face the music.”

I looked from the door to him to the door again and then back to him. I cursed silently for myself and jumped out from behind the shelf, using my magic to hurtle a ball of almost pure energy at his left side.

The alicorn turned just in time to sidestep the ball. The spell flew past his face, sending his helmet flying and taking with it most of his right ear.

He gasped in pain, but looked at me with a pained grin. “Missed. Now, little mouse, the cat wants to play!”

Suddenly a cracking noise drew my attention upwards. Roof tiles started falling.

“Oh Luna, not again!” I mumbled, before sprinting for the exit.

The alicorn tried to block me, but I dove between his legs and galloped away as the room started to collapse behind me. The alicorn was in hot pursuit.

As I stormed down the hallway the others had gone, the entire building started coming apart around me. In a large corridor lined with big windows I ran right past the other alicorn.

“Vera, out the window, NOW!” the stallion yelled. When I turned my head they were gone.

A few moments later I saw the light of an exit, with the others standing in silhouette against the morning sun outside.

The Commander walked a little into the corridor when he saw me come running. “Starswirl, that you?”

I sprinted past him. “Get out now! This place is-”

Then the roof collapsed all around us, and it became dark.

The only thing I could hear was a low moaning. I lit my horn ever so slightly, and in the faint blue light I could see I was trapped under a large roof piece suspended by pieces of rubble, with no visible way out. The Commander was the one moaning, lying right behind me with his hind leg trapped under a large rock.

I tried to lift it with magic. I could not.

“I am sorry.” I said, “I am too exhausted to get it off. We have to wait for the others to dig us out, then I can get a lever to move it with.”

He groaned. “Leave me. I am not worth the trouble.”

“Do not talk like that. I will get you out of here.”

As I bent down to examine his leg, he looked at me. “You know, if I had gotten that army of alicorns, I would have invaded Unicornia one day.”

I concluded there was no muscle tearing, only a likely broken bone. “You know, saying things like that does not help foster good feelings on part of the unicorn trying to save your life.

He stared at me. “Starswirl…”

“Hey, Starswirl!”

I turned and saw Hurricane’s face. The others had dug through the rubble, creating an opening big enough for a pony.

“I will be right back.” I told the Commander, “Stay here.”

He gave me a weak smile. “I will try to resist the urge to mosey on off to the nearest tavern.”

I ducked out into sweet, bright daylight.

“I need a piece of wood to use as a lever,” I said, “the Commander is trapped.”

The others ignored me and looked down the short exterior staircase below us. A very pale and sickly General Kouagka hobbled up it, supported by two soldiers.

“Where is the Commander?” he asked, “I just received word the northern Hortinian satrapies are in full revolt! Hortium has fallen! We need to get back to Pegasopolis before our supply lines collapse!”

Hurricane shook her head. “There was a cave-in. The Commander did not make it. His last official act was appointing me as a general. Is that not right, soldiers?”

Pansy and the other remaining soldier nodded.

Hurricane patted Kouagka on the back. “You get yourself on an elephant, Commander Kouagka. I will lead us out of here while you recover.”

The others began to move down the stairs, but I stopped Hurricane. “You cannot just leave him!”

Her expression was blank. “Watch me.”

“But… Why?”

She sighed. “Look where he have gotten us. He is a failure and probably half-dead already. It is time to forget about ancient stones and spells and whatnot, and go home, Starswirl. You heard Kouagka, and those… things may return whenever. I will have us out of here by then.”

“I will not leave him.” I stated demonstratively.

She shrugged and gave me one last expressionless stare. “Fine. You stay. We will leave a small tent and some supplies behind. I will pray your death is not too slow. Or not. I am not really the religious type. Even less so after what I just saw. Farewell, Starswirl.”

Then she simply turned and followed the others down the stairs.

15th day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, Ponitthaya

The ancient plank croaked under the weight of the rock, but at last it rolled off the Commander’s leg.

I wiped my brow. “There we go. All fine and dandy.”

The previously pinned stallion coughed out some words of thanks. “…Grateful, really. But they have left, have they not?”

I lifted his front hoof over my shoulder so I could help him past the now mostly-cleared debris I had spent the most of the past day and my magic ability on. “Indeed they have. They travelled south to attempt to cut a deal with a local chieftain to get a guide to the nearest port town. Sadly, I have no idea where that chieftain is. But look what I have made you!”

He followed my gaze down the stairs and saw the stretcher I had made from two sticks and some vines, designed so I could drag it behind me with relative ease.

The Commander gave a single, hoarse laugh. “Oh, honey, you should not have… Really, I would have been fine with some flowers or a ticket to the new play down at the amphitheatron.“

I snickered as I helped him down the stairs. “Only the absolute best is good enough for you, sweetheart.”

“Seriously, though,” he said as I helped him onto it, “how will you drag somepony as heavy as me with your spindly unicorn back?”

I secured the straps around my neck. “Magic will help. And you will be a lot lighter soon; until we get to the town we passed in the mountains on our way here, we will have to subsist on water, biscuits and dried fruit, courtesy of your generous General Hurricane.”

“You know mares, Starswirl. Cannot live without them, cannot not be left in the jungle with a broken ankle and only dried fruit to eat by one every now and then, eh?”

“Do not forget the biscuits, Commander.”

“And biscuits.”

“Okay, you ready to go hiking across a few hundred miles of dangerous terrain, Commander?”

“No.”

“Well, good, for we are going to go hike across more than a few hundred miles. More like eight hundred.”

17th day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, Somewhere In The Jungle

Something happened tonight. I had dragged the Commander all day, past sunrise, when suddenly I noticed a flickering light between the trees.

“Hey, can you see that?” I whispered to the Commander.

He rolled over so he could see in front of us. “A fire… Ponies… Do you think they can help us back to civilization?”

“Ssssh!” I hissed, “I will leave you here and go check if they are friendly.”

He nodded. “Please, do not get killed.”

As I approached the fire I suddenly noticed a murmur of voices and a soft glow from the crystal around my neck. Somepony was speaking the language of the alicorns.

I silently cursed and crawled ever so slowly closer through the undergrowth, finally positioning myself in a bush close to the fire.

“I tell you for the thousandth time, Vera, we cannot attack the army!” the alicorn stallion without an ear said in a slightly panicking tone, while restlessly trotting back and forth.

The mare looked up from the campfire she was lying by. “We can use stealth!”

The stallion stopped and stared at her. “I followed them, Vera! They travel surrounded by scouts, and there are more than eight thousand of them still alive. Even if we could improvise an invisibility spell that lasted long enough to snag the Elements, that unicorn
they are travelling with would sense the magic from a mile away.”

The mare stood up and massaged her forehead with a hoof. “Well, what do you suggest we do, then, Skuggfaxi?”

He turned away from her and walked to edge of the darkness surrounding the campsite, looking out into the night. “Colonel Grond’s unit is just a few days’ flight west of here. We should consult with him how to proceed.”

She shrugged and poked the fire with a stick. “Fine. I will go. You follow the army.”

He turned. “Actually, Vera, I would like to go.”

She raised an eyebrow and walked over to him. “Sorry, Skuggfaxi, but what I say goes.”

“Why? We are both privates!”

She stopped in front of him, apparently wishing to use her slightly higher build to underline her authority. “You will follow my orders, Skuggfaxi. I am pulling seniority here.”

“And I am pulling out my sword!” he snarled at her as his silvery blade came out of his sheath and hovered in front of her chest.

She snuck a frightened peek over at her own sword, which I could see lying by the fire. However, before she could react the sword pierced her abdomen. Her eyes widened in shock, surprise and pain as she slipped off the blade and fell gasping to the ground.

The stallion used his magic to rip the cloth from her face, using it to dry his blade before he sheathed it. “I am sorry, Vera, I really am, but we both know you were going to blame the entire failure of this mission on me and Captain Raël. I will go. Let us see… I was the only one skilled enough to fight my way out of the sub-equine camp after you bungled it, how is that for an explanation? Far better in my opinion.”

As he was talking, the alicorn mare’s eyes locked with mine, widening upon the realization I was right there. She raised a hoof and was about to give away my position… but then smirked deviously and retracted her hoof, returning her attention to the oblivious stallion as she died quietly.

The stallion grimaced as he saw her grow still. “Goodbye, Vera. I will tell your little foal his mommy says hello.” he spat, giving her head a last kick for good measure. Suddenly he seemed to recall something, and used his magic to rip some sort of black pendant from her neck. To my surprise her coat suddenly turned light blue, and her irises changed from scarlet to turquoise in color.

He looked thoughtful for a minute. “You know, Vera, they say it does no good kicking a dead alicorn. I am not sure about that, but it sure felt damn good.”

Then he grabbed a blanket and some saddlebags, taking off into the dark night.

After a few minutes I ventured up to the fire, examining the dead mare and ruffling through her saddlebags for supplies. All I found was a few strange metallic containers I could not figure out how to open. Out of curiosity I stuffed one in my own saddlebag.

The Commander waited for me, sitting at his stretcher and checking the brace I had helped him make, when I got back. “You find anything useful?”

I sighed. “No. It was abandoned.”

21st day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign

We entered the mountains today. Only a week or so to go before we reach our destination.

30th day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign

The pass was blocked by an avalanche. We will try to go over a mountain ridge in the northwest.

I had to throw out most of our food today. I woke up to find that the metallic container in my bag had leaked some sort of yellowy liquid all over me. The contents of the saddlebag were completely ruined. We are down to a few days’ worth of biscuits and water. I have not told the Commander yet.

4th… no, maybe 6th… I have lost count

We have been tied down on top of the ridge for several days now, unable to move due to a seemingly unending blizzard. Last night the Commander hobbled out into the storm. I awoke we he tried to sneak out of our tent. He just told me he was sorry, then disappeared into the darkness. I think he sacrificed himself to preserve supplies for me.

So… cold…

Sometime… still on top of the ridge

I guess this is… the end… Thinking… is getting… harder. I cannot keep… recording. As if these things will ever be found… up here. What a fool’s errand mine was… Yet at least… I used the crystals to create… the most powerful magical flare… I could muster up, in the vain hope… somepony will… will…

You… know, the blizzard… it ended this morning… and I could swear that in the morning twilight I caught… a glimpse of distant… domes… in the…

I… am… not… cold… any… longer… now…

*

The ancient door to the palace croaked open.

“Princess?” I called out into the darkness, “Are you here? Is this the place?”

Suddenly I heard a low sobbing coming from inside. Trying to block the ridiculous notion of ghosts from my mind, I hurried in and traversed a few corridors and entrance halls post haste.

Below a grand staircase lay the door to the throne room, slightly ajar. I snuck inside, avoiding toughing the door to avoid similar croaking as with the front door.

The room was empty save for two metallic thrones and a dusty old mirror sitting in the corner.

I was just about to leave when I realized there was a snow white shape lying curled up on the floor, made hard to see by the soft moonlight filtering in through a broken window. The sobbing came from the shape.

I took a step closer. “Princess?” I asked, more softly now.

Princess Celestia raised her head. Her crown lay on the stone floor, and her mane, usually so glittering and flowing, was a pink mess that hung haphazardly around her head. As she realized it was me she started crying again.

My eyes widened in shock, and I hurried to her side. “Princess, your mane… Have you exhausted your magic? What did you do?”

She gave a weak, teary-eyed smile. “Destroying the town around us stone by stone, mostly.”

I furrowed my brow. “What town? There were only ten-fifteen buildings around here when I just arrived, and they are all part of the palace, not townhouses.”

“Exactly.”

It really upset me to see Princess Celestia, my mentor since I was but a filly and a mother figure to me, in such a state. I suppose I really considered she… could emote… like a normal pony.

I decided to change the situation to the best of my ability. “Why are you acting like this, Princess?”

Suddenly she sprung to her hooves. “I was above this very castle I sent my own sister to the Moon, THAT is why I am upset! One minute she’s there; living, breathing… Then poof, gone! It is almost a thousand years ago tonight, yet… I just cannot help myself thinking I should have just handed her the throne. Then she would still be here with me.”

I reached out with a hoof and stroke her neck gently to calm her quivering demeanor. “It is okay to cry, Princess, but you must move on.”

Her voice heightened to a nearly hysterical pitch. “I ALWAYS move on! But nopony else does. I had friends once, you know. I had A LIFE! Then they died off from old age. One by one by one. Everypony except Luna. But for more than nine hundred years, I have been alone. Just work, eat, read, sleep, work, eat, read, sleep, work… It is not fair.”

Her self-pity angered me. “You were chosen to be a Princess because you could handle these things!”

She stared into space. “I was chosen because I followed to the letter instructions given to me by some crazed madmare who said it was our destiny to become princesses and that I had to pursue that goal at any cost! But I do not WANT to pay any cost!”

“What in THE HAY are you blabbering on about?! COMPOSE YOURSELF! You are PRINCESS CELESTIA! Act the part!”

She glared red-eyed at me. “Am I? Does the mare attempt to remove her mask and realize she has become the mask, her body having withered away eons ago?”

“Er… excuse me?”

She took a deep breath and suddenly appeared far more serene. “Thank you.”

I smiled. “A faithful student must sometimes help her teacher.”

She put her crown back on. “Hence why I called you here. I want you to help me move this mirror to Canterlot.”

“This old thing? Why? What is so special about it?”

“My sister and I placed it here because the ground beneath the Everfree Forest has a unique ability to draw excess magic from objects. Hence the portal does not work.”

“A… portal, Princess?”

“To another world, devoid of magic. I am moving it now, in secret, because it occurred to me that somepony might stumble upon it while looking for the Elements of Harmony, potentially bringing them through.”

“Wait, did you say Elements of Harmony? They are here?”

She nodded. “Yes. In one of the other buildings. I used them to banish Luna, then stored them there. I have refused to look at them since.”

“Aren’t they vital for the defense of Equestria?”

“Sometimes personal concerns have to trump national security.”

I started to severely doubt the clearheadedness of my former idol. “Can you at least show them to me?”

She shook her head determinedly. “Only I can know the location of both The Mirror and the Elements simultaneously. It is too dangerous to be entrusted to anypony, even to you, my most loyal student.”

“Why is that?”

“The magic vacuum in the other world would react with the Elements, allowing anypony to use them, and unlocking ‘illegal’ spells such as mind control spells.”

Suddenly the beginnings of an idea started to form in my head. I decided to consider it later. “Well, let’s get moving, shall we?”

Celestia gave me a broad smile. “You know, you are the best student a teacher could hope for, Sunset Shimmer.”

I sighed as I hung my coat over the knob. It had been a long day at work.
With my magic I fished out a bottle of wine from the holder in the kitchen at the same time as I popped my favorite LP into the gramophone.

Soft tones started to filter through the room as I got a glass couple of glasses from a cupboard.

“How considerate of you.”

I smiled as I filled the glasses. “I know you are always up for a glass of vintage red, sweetheart. So you stayed up this late? Are you mad at me?”

My wife came up to me and boxed me playfully in the side with a hoof. “I know you do not stay late at the laboratory unless it is important, honey. But I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me.”

We went out into the living room and looked at the bright city lights through the large window I had paid a small fortune for six months earlier.

“You know, I visited Illyria today,” she said, “her little filly is just adorable! When are we going to have one of our own?”
I smiled. “Soon, dear. As soon as the last shipment is sent, I will have all the financial stability I need to guarantee your wellbeing the first two years, or so.”

She seemed to notice the small twitch in my eye when I said “shipment”. “Honey, is something wrong? At work?”

I sighed with my nostrils. “Today we discovered a flaw in the Elements we were preparing for the third shipment. They appear to be recording memories of users, both before and after usage. Villos from the Crystallization Division is very excited about the fact that the Elements also show users who have not handled them yet. They can be seen by those who have had prolonged exposure.”

My wife raised her eyebrows. “Future users? That is great, is it not? It proves the otherdimensional non-spatiality theory regarding magic energy.”

I furrowed my brow. “How did you know of that?”

“Dearie, I am a physics teacher. I am paid to know.”

“Oh. Well, that is not what is bothering me. It is the fact that every single set shows users destroying the Elements, save for one set, which was put in storage somewhere.”

“But… why would they destroy them?”

I put my wine glass down. “Honey, we created the Elements of Harmony to be used for psychological operations and interrogations. While blessing the users with vastly increased power, their main purpose is to foster positive thought and empathy within targets. We had expected an order of maybe five sets. Instead the government ordered three hundred sets of Elements. What could they possibly use them for?”

She gasped. “You think they are using them as weapons?”

I rubbed my forehead with a hoof. “I fear so. Some sort of massive collateral damage could explain why they would be destroyed. Hopefully the All-Council can reach a consensus on whether or not to sue for-“
A huge explosion boomed through the night, causing the glass in the window to vibrate.

“What the...” I hurried over to the pane so I could see better. In the distance I could see brightly-colored flashes of magic and hear screams between the buildings.

My wife put down her own wineglass. “Is it… Is it Them?”

I shook my head. “Not this far from the perimeter with no alerts. And if you look outside there are soldiers putting up roadblocks rather than running towards it. I think… it is a coup.”

Her eyes widened. “A coup? Hey, where are you going?”

I had rushed to the door of our apartment. “If it is as I think and the Council of Nine is getting rid of the All-Council, then there will be no peace. I have to destroy the laboratory!”

I put my coat on again. “If I am not back within the hour, go to Illyria’s and stay there.”

She looked saddened at me. “You know, sometimes I wish we could lead simple lives, like normal ponies.”

I looked at her. “What? They are at Bronze Age level, sweetheart!”

She nodded. “I guess it is just the cost of this life. Such is the lot of us alicorns.”

“…And so, absent the scrutiny of my colleagues in this fine establishment, I would like to conclude that there has been an active effort by the Royal Court to suppress the dispersion of historical normative and speaking texts regarding the period of Equestrian government 1-938 Post Asciensonem, blocking the confirmation of the thesis postulating the veracity of the so-called myths surrounding the existence of a co-princess in aforementioned period; Luna, or Nightmare Moon. Okay, that is it for today. Have a nice weekend, everypony!”

I quickly finished my notes as those of my fellow students who were still awake started rousing the less interested.

I looked at one of the bulletpoints I had written. Something piqued my curiosity about the subject. I had to ask the Professor.

“Excuse me? Professor Willow?” I called out as I threw my papers and quills into my saddlebag and hurried down to the floor of the auditorium.

The hazel-brown, curly-maned professor looked up at me. “Ah, young Ms. Sparkle! How can I help you?”

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. “It’s just… I believe you mentioned Nightmare Moon was supposedly defeated with something known as the Elements of Harmony? Do you think they are real as well?”

He smiled thoughtfully. “Without access to the Royal Archives or Royal Library, there is no way to tell for sure, although I think all myths have a core of truth.”

“I have unlimited access to the Royal Library.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You lucky little bastard. Well, I am sure you can find a book there with more information for you. Although if the myth of Nightmare Moon is true, there is something else you should be far more worried about.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

He put his things in his saddlebags. “The spell exiling her to the Moon supposedly had a thousand-year-long effect. If so, it should expire next full moon.”

The jet of hot water hit me in the face, then moved down my body, covering my entire coat. My eyes fluttered open.

Three strange beasts stood over me, green–colored, horned like unicorns and with strange plates on the sides of what I presumed to be their muzzles. Lifeless, glasslike eyes stared at me without irises or pupils.

“He is conscious.”

“Keep your gas masks and suits on until we are certain he is clean. You do not wish to touch that stuff.”

I started moving, trying to get off whatever cold slab they had put me on.

“Oh no, he is starting to struggle!”

“Restrain him!”

Rough hooves held me down while straps were fastened around my legs and head.

“Lailah, get to the Security Chief and tell him Rhûna down at the ICU would like him to bring the papers of the sub-equine to one of the residents for analysis. Maybe if we find out who he is we can treat him more effectively. Ask for the resident that diagnosed his mental condition.”

One of the creatures disappeared, then suddenly the world seemed to brighten and turn white.

The voices grew muffled. “Blood pressure increase and pupil dilation! Damnation, he is going back under!”

“Butyrophenone, diphenylbutylpiperidine or phenothiazine?”

“Diphenylbutylpiperidine! Give me twenty-five milliliters Penfluridol!”

“We’re losing him again!”

“Just give me the damn syringe!”

“One moment, doctor!”

“Can you still hear me, little pony? You are going to be fine, I promise.”

I gasped as I exited the final memory. I stood and stared into space for a few seconds before tumbling over to the elevator down to the suspended platform in the room below.

I felt the sting of gastric acid rising up through my throat. The moment the elevator arrived, I threw myself at the railing of the platform just in time to empty my stomach contents over the side. I had been under for too long this time.

Suddenly I noticed a faint light moving up the spiral staircase lining the storage vaults along the walls beneath the platform.
Not now. I knew it would happen one day, but now? It had not even been five decades since the Day the Sky Burned!
I rose to my hooves, struggling with the competing memories threatening to fracture my mind.
“Dammit… Come on… Compartmentalize…. Simplify… Dislocate… Compartmentalize…”
I kept mumbling the mantra until I had regained a better sense of the limits of my identity. I paused by The Mirror to caress its frame. It was that time of the year; I could have passed through, escaped this forsaken world. But no. It was not for me, I realized now. I still had too much work to do.

I once more peered over the edge into the cavernous room beneath me. The fluorescent blue light from the magical roof fixtures above my head failed to illuminate the bottom due to the shadow of the platform I was standing on. I could now clearly make out two figures moving up the steps, their horns glowing.

I took one last look at the faint shine of the Tree of Harmony up at the top of the elevator shaft, and scurried over the walkway connecting the suspended platform to the stairs. By the portal dividing the stairs into a corridor and the walkway, I stopped and pressed a button. The stone door blocking access to the walkway slid silently down from the roof of the entrance portal.
Instead of going left and down the steps, I quickly marched into the short corridor and through the open door in the other end, into the old guard room I had made my home.

I jumped over my mattress and store of forest roots and berries, pushing aside the chair with the skeleton of the unfortunate alicorn who had been at work here The Day the Sky Burned. It occurred to me I had never bothered to read the poor wretch’s suicide note. Oh well, I had seen enough of them the last few decades to guess what themes it visited.

In the closet I was looking for I found a dusty old gas mask and chem-suit. I quickly put them on and breathed a sigh of relief the mask still worked.

Suddenly I heard voices. I sneaked back through the corridor. With their backs to me two mares where discussing how to open the door to the walkway. I could sense no magical defenses. Excellent. I just had to move up behind them and stop their hearts simultaneously.
I snuck up behind them, but suddenly they heard my breath and spun around. I cursed silently. I had forgotten gas masks made the noise of your breath more audible!

“Who are you?” the white mare with a tricolored mane asked. She looked very surprised.

“Or rather; what are you?” her dark blue companion wanted to know, “is that your skin or some form of clothes? And why are you so tall? Say, what are you even doing here?”

My eyes widened in recognition and I gasped. “You!”

The white one looked dumbfounded. “Us?”

“You come from Equestria, yes? How is Clover the Clever doing these days?”

“Uh… She is… Old?”

The blue one raised an eyebrow. “You know Clover?”

I shook my head. “No, but Starswirl remembered her.”

“What are you talking about? Who are you?”

“You can call me Nix.”

“Nothing? Do you have a proper name?”

I shook my head. “Forget it. My identity is not important. But it is vital you listen to me! There is not much time. In fifteen minutes this entire cave system will be filled with nerve gas.”

The white one scratched her head. “Gas? What is that?”

“Ponies have not discovered it yet, but it is deadly. You cannot breathe in it.”

“But… Why here?”

“I will release it to ward off… hostiles.”

“And what will happen with you?”

“Do not worry about me, I am a survivor. But back on track; the password to that door is ‘Phoenix’, say it out loud and clear near the door. On the other side you will find an old mirror and an elevator to the Tree of Harmony. You know what it carries. Take the Elements now, those are what you need. In five years the gas will have subsided enough for you to come retrieve the mirror. Then take it somewhere safe. Now, Discord is a Dragonequus and will not be easily defeated, especially as the Elements do not allow lethal spells. Try turning him into stone. To use the Elements you need to focus on the following; laughter, kindness, generosity, loyalty and honesty. The final element is magic, which you both possess. Did you get all of that?”

The blue mare took a step forward. “How did you know what our mission was?”

I nodded my head furiously. “You remembered it.”

I turned and started walking down the corridor, but remembered something and stopped briefly to tell them.
“Whatever happens after you defeat Discord, you must become Princesses of Equestria. That is your purpose and destinies. Do not under any circumstance stray from that path. And Celestia? Your student will be more important than you can ever imagine.”

The white mare tried following me through the corridor. “Student? Celestia? We bear the title, necklaces and crowns of Princeps Philosophi, and our na- Hey! Wait! Any other hints? Tips?”

I turned and looked her in the eye as I entered the room. “You know, you pronounce it just like your mother.”

I hit the button to close the door before I could hear her response.

I immediately swung around and hurried over to the old radio on the table. I used my magic to turn it on and pick up the transmitter.

“This is Storehouse #17, sending a request for evacuation, over.” I said into the microphone with a silent prayer that the frequency was still in use.

Painful seconds went by before the radio crackled to life. “Storehouse #17? We have not heard from you over 40 years! What is your situation, over?”

“The seal has been breached. The opening is lighting up like a torch to anypony with even the faintest sense of magic. Hostiles are no doubt inbound for investigation. I will release the nerve gas in… seven minutes and thirty-seven seconds. Evacuation in grid 334, map 7C requested, over.”

“How do we know it is not a trap, over?”

“Thunderstorm, over.”

“…That codeword has been outdated for more than a decade now. Who are you, over?”

“Just get me out of here!”

“And how are we supposed to know you even work at Storehouse #17, or if somepony are holding a sword to you throat, over?”

“Oh, for the love of… What is your name, operator?”

“Er… Dana?”

“Dana, I need you to do me a favor. Stand up and ask the entire room if the words ‘The Mirror’ mean anything to anypony.”

The radio went silent for more than a minute, then the rough voice of an elderly stallion came through. “Who is this?”

“The Mirror functions by harnessing the magical energy field of the surroundings to create a Casimir-field within the frame, causing the ‘glass’ to oscillate at a frequency facilitating oscillatory frequency transmission towards any object touching it.”

Silence. I looked at the last drop of liquor in my possession, an almost empty bottle of forty-year old aquavit.

I sighed. “Oh, to hay with it. This is to you, mother. For not being the better mare in the end.” I said to the air, lifting my mask with a hoof and emptying the bottle in one sip. The alcohol stung the inside of my nostrils.

The stallion came back. “Somepony will be there to pick you up by tomorrow morning.”

The guard sleepily saluted me. “Evenin’, Princess. Finally ready to jump in the hay for the night?”

I smiled at him. “I do not think that expression means what you think it does, Fern. But yes, I would like to retire now.”

He shrugged and unlocked the door to my apartments. “Well, sleep well, Your Highness.”

I lifted the papers I were reading to my face again, but before I had gone through the door Fern said: “Oh, and Princess?”

I looked up. “Yes?”

“I’m pretty darn sure the expression I used was correct. I think you’re thinking about rolling in the hay, Your Highness, ma’am!”

I laughed as I closed the door behind me. “Unless you plan to become a teacher, I think you should focus less on correct form of expression and more on staying awake until next shift, Fern.”

I loosened the parade sword from my side and put it on my desk. The parade a few hours earlier had really taken its toll, and I wished for no more than my warm bed. I sighed and used my magic to light a small oil lamp on my desk so as to better see the papers. Although I had electricity installed four decades earlier I still preferred the soft, warm glow of the oil lamp.

Suddenly I noticed something shimmer in the corner of my eye. I raised my gaze from Proposition to Be Presented to HRH Regarding Normalization of Diplomatic Relations with the Sheikdom of Saddle-Arabia, and realized there was a helmet lying on my divan by the fireplace.

At first I thought it belonged to one of the guards, but upon closer inspection I realized it did not look like anything produced for them. It had an elongated form, prominent cheek covers jutting forward from just below the ear, a hairy white plume suspended from a horn cover, and the bronze-like metal was decorated with an intricate swirling vine pattern. It felt eerily familiar, yet I could not quite place it.
The elongated shape, however, meant it could only fit two mares in all of Equestria; me and-

“Ahem.”

In the blink of an eye I had spun around, parade sword hovering in the air beside me.

“Luna.” I snarled.

The alicorn took a big bite out of an apple and exited the shadows. “You know, I find it interesting you said Luna instead of ‘Nightmare Moon’. A hint of remorse, perhaps? Mmm, thiff affle is greaf, kno’ that? Picked it in an orchard in a town named ‘Ponyville’ on my way here.”

For the first time in a long, long time I found myself completely dumbfounded. “You?”

Without looking he threw the apple core perfectly in a waste bin by the door. “Nice to see you too, little sister. Although I guess I should address you as ‘Princess Celestia’ now. You like my new helmet?”

I noticed that he was bedecked in matching armor from hoof to neck, covering most of his pristine white coat and dark blue mane. “Alaron, what are you… I thought you were dead!”

“Just because you have not seen me for almost two thousand years you assumed I had died?”

“Something like that. Why did you never visit? What about Cassiopeia’s memorial service after the coup in the Crystal Empire? She was your sister, too!”

He lifted a hoof. “If you lower that oversized butter knife, I will explain.”

I looked to my right and realized I was still levitating it. I tried not to smile sheepishly as I lowered the blade.

He looked at me with a certain… grim determination. “You have not seen me because I was ordered not to be seen to be seen, while observing your rule, usually from abroad.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Ordered?”

He nodded. “As you can see I became a fighter in the decades after you and little turnip-head ran off. We pretty much all had to be, as town after town were erased from existence. Thousands of us lived a nomadic life of fight or flight… Until one day. I was with the group that found her. We had been assigned a mission far from camp; so classified that our entire briefing was pretty much ‘Go to this enemy-filled, creepy forest in the middle of nowhere and look for somepony who are not hostile’. And would you see; luring an enemy patrol into a nasty collection of traps, there she was. Councilor Xantippe, covered in mud, half-crazed, one wing missing and only armed with a rusty, broken sword. She still has those creepy red albino-eyes, though.”

I struggled to remember thousands of years back. “Xantippe?”

“Remember her? She knew Mother and visited us from time to time, before The Day The Sky Burned.”

“So that is what you call it.”

“Indeed, Celestia. But anyway; she helped us find three other Councilors alive. Now they convene once a year, acting as some sort of government for us surviving alicorns. It is on their order I have been keeping an eye on you under a number of assumed identities.”
I pulled out a bottle of cider from a cabinet and made him an offer he refused. “Well, Alaron, what do you know of me?”

He smiled wryly. “Let us see… You banished your own sister to the Moon, that I know for a fact. In the Crystal Empire before it disappeared Luna found a large crystal containing Cassiopeia’s daughter, a state you were able to free her from twelve years ago, since whence she has been raised on the castle grounds. Her new given name is Cadance, and she does not know of her heritage. Finally, I know of your private student.”

I was surprised. “You know of Twilight already?”

Now it was his turn to be caught off guard. “Twilight? I was talking about Sunset Shimmer. What happened to Shimmer? Did she leave?”

I rolled my eyes. “If by ‘leave’ you mean ‘barricade me in this room to allow her to search for the Elements of Harmony in peace, so that she could replace me as ruler of Equestria because of lacking faith in my ability to separate my private and public personas, following which I escaped and chased her through a portal to another dimension; a portal she now refuses to return through’, then yes, she left. I tried to keep that on the down-low. Not exactly good PR.”

“And who exactly is ‘Twilight’?”

I smiled. “A few days ago I noticed a massive conflagration of raw magic in one of the buildings of the School for Gifted Unicorns. I have never seen somepony so young exhibit such an ability to act as a conduit for magical energy. I believe that with the right guidance we might be looking at the next Starsw-“

Suddenly I realized that my brother had not come to chat merrily about my private life. To be on the safe side I noted where I had put the sword. “You are not here because you are angry about Luna, are you?”

He laughed. “No, sister, I know what happened and understand why you banished her. Yet she is one of the reasons for my presence here. Her exile ends in less than a decade, correct?”

I sighed. “You know that too?”

“Yes. Anyway, the Council wanted me to keep out of things and leave you to yours. But… I am worried about what Luna would do to you. So I came to offer you chance. A chance to quit playing princess in a castle and rather come home. Leave this place for Luna”
I frowned. “What ‘home’? What is ‘home’?”

“Home is where those you care about are.”

I stepped closer. “Mother, Father and Cassiopeia are dead, Luna is banished, Sol is missing, presumed dead, and until a moment ago I thought you were dead as well. Sorry, Alaron, but my home is here now. Besides, the Luna issue needs to be resolved peacefully and quickly. When she rebelled we had a three-month night, killing dozens of sunlight-hungry crops.”

He looked saddened. “I was afraid you would say that. Do you have any sort of Plan B?”

“I have considered finding new candidates for possessing the Elements amongst my subjects.”

“Ordinary ponies? Are you insane? Starswirl was special, sister, and he never mastered them. What chance could the plebeian ponies possibly have?”

I kept a stone face. “I have faith in the power of friendship. Now, you said you had more reasons for coming here?”

My brother looked defeated. “I was married to a Princess of Prance a few centuries ago, while in disguise. We had children. What with the Revolution there and everything the title has grown hollow, and so I have taken care of the family for generations. Now I am being reassigned to Zebrica, and can’t take care of my last descendant Blueblood any longer. Could you please take your great-great-great-great-great-great…”

“Stop it!” I interrupted him, “Fine, I will take him in here for some years.”

He smiled, “Thank you so much, sister. And I am glad to hear you remember our language.”

“What do you mean?”

“I switched to Alicornian two minutes ago, and you did not even seem to notice.”

I noted how angry she looked as she planted the sword firmly in the neck of the training dummy, her teeth clenched and her wings outstretched. Her aggressiveness worried me.

I decided to step out from the shadows of the entrance to the Academy’s training hall. I coughed to draw attention to myself.

She did not even bother turning. “What are you doing here?”

I raised an eyebrow. “I could ask the same. Why are you chopping up that dummy at this hour?”

“I am allowed to because I am a student here. How did you even get in here, given how everyone is looking for you? And why?” she asked, punctuating each word with a slash at the doll.

“I still have friends, Xantippe, believe it or not. I came to see you because I am going away, perhaps forever.”

“You mean running and hiding.”

“Whatever you call it. I just wanted to apologize.”

She stopped after I finished the sentence. Her single-bladed curved sword sank to the floor.
“Apologize? Apologize? You are wanted for war crimes, I do not think an apology will help you!”

I sighed. “That is not what I meant. I am not sorry for that. Our family enjoys the prestige and position it does because we are alicorns that can make the hard decisions. We are survivors. Once you graduate you will soon realize you are no better mare than I ever was. No, I wanted to apologize for pushing you too hard when you grew up, Xantippe.”

She chuckled spitefully for her herself.

“Xantippe?” I asked hesitantly.

She turned. Her red eyes shone with anger. “I will let you go this time. Just turn around and walk out of here. Consider that ‘apology accepted’, Mother.”

The Los Pegasus Port Authority Office was bustling with activity.
Shift Leader Diamond Ring was talking on the buildings internal phone system. “What do you mean they aren’t gulls? There is nothing else that far out save albatrosses, and they do not fly in flocks! Well, we don’t have condors in Equestria! Listen, run the radar profile by the Ornithological Institute over at the University. They will know what it is.”

She slammed the phone back in the holder and massaged her forehead. “And somepony get me into contact with that ship!”

I patted her on her shoulder. She turned around with an expression of ecstasy. “Rarity! You got my invitation!”

I smiled, trying to ignore her ghastly crime against hairstyling by way of wearing her red mane in a bun. “Of course I came, cousin! How
was Prance?”

“Merveilleux, ma chérie! But I had to come home one day, you know. I might not run my own shop like you do just yet, but this pays.
Have you been to Los Pegasus before?”

I nodded. “Once, with my friends. But I would love it if you could show me around town. I’ve got some wondrous shopping to do.”

She grinned. “Of course! Maybe we can even find a dashing st- What?! Oh, okay, mhm. Could you excuse me for a moment, Rarity? We are trying to get hold of a ship out in the bay, and they have only now turned on their radio.”

She turned to the stallion that had interrupted her. “Okay. Put the bugger on loudspeaker and give me the mike.”

Her white horn started glowing pink as she grabbed the microphone. “Prancing Pony, please respond, over.”

Only the usual crackling could be heard in the room.

A mare slammed the door from the break room open. “Hey, have you guys listened to the news on the radio? They say it’s been some kind of disaster in the Crystal Empire!”

I immediately became worried. “What kind of dis-mmfph!”

Diamond held a hoof over my mouth. “Sssh, Rarity. Prancing Pony, if there is something wrong with your radio transmitter, please adjust your bearing to three-oh-five and reduce your speed to fifteen knots, over.”

Several seconds went by, then a metallic voice filled the room. “This message is broadcast on all frequencies to the citizens of Los Pegasus. Please remain indoors. Do not attempt resistance in any form or fashion. Message end.”

Everypony present grew quiet for a few seconds.

Diamond broke the spell. “What in tarnation was that? Pot Plant, have the Coast Guard investigate the Prancing Pony ASAP. The rest of you…”

She was interrupted by her phone ringing. She frowned irritated and picked up the hoofpiece. “Yeah?”

A voice droned in her ear for a few seconds. All I could hear was her replies. “Listen, I’m really busy right now… What? Yes? Not birds?”

She turned to the window in the end of the room. “Ain’t nothing out there but that blasted fog, I don’t see wha-“

She dropped the phone and stared slack-jawed at the window. Painfully slow I followed her gaze.

Outside an all-too-familiar creature hovered, yet it filled me with dread. I realized I had to get back to Ponyv-

I sat up fast as a spring, gasping and snapping for air.

“Take note; Penfluridol took effect at 0615 hours. Sedate the patient and bring him to Recovery Room 4.”

I felt a sting on my front leg, and turned to see one of the glass-eyed creatures putting away a sharp needle-thing. I grabbed its elastic skin and pulled the creature close to my face. “Where am I? Who am I?”

“You are safe.” It replied in a friendly female voice, “As for who you are, we had hoped you could explain that.”

I sank down on the chair-like thing I was lying on. “What am I?”

The glass-eyed creature looked at another similar one, who nodded and appeared to use magic to take notes. She turned back to me. “You are a unicorn, twenty to thirty years of age.”

“Male or female?”

“You… possess male sexual organs. We do not know what you self-identify as.”

I closed my eyes with a smile. “Then my name… is Starswirl… Why… So… Tired…”

I woke up under a white, clean ceiling. I looked at it for a few seconds, then realized I had never slept anywhere with a white ceiling.
Although alarmed at the odd surroundings, I closed my eyes again, hoping I could drift back to sleep.

Suddenly I realized there was another somepony breathing in the same room as me. I tensed up, worried that whoever it was had seen me open my eyes.

Minutes passed without anything but silence, only for it to be broken by the sound of a door.

“Ah, Dahlia. How is the pregnancy going?” a female voice said.

“Just fine, thank you very much. The morning sickness has ceased.” A slightly older voice replied.

“Excellent. And you are still sure you do not want ultrasound?”

“I am sure. We want its gender to be a surprise. In fact, I have agreed with my husband that if it is a boy, he can name him Alaron as he wanted to. Sol if it is a girl. But doctor, I have a question, if you do no not mind.”

“Of course not, Dahlia. Is it about the fertility treatment?”

“Actually it is. What do you think are the odds of repeated conception?”

The other voice hesitated for a moment, as if to think. “About 60%, I would say. Do not worry, Dahlia, you will have four or five foals running around your apartment before you know better.”

“Thank you. I needed to hear that.”

“What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I was the one who told you what was wrong with him. My husband told me he had the Elements under his head when they found him. “
“And you were spot on regarding the issue, too. His mind was stuck replaying random memories of everypony who have been or will be in contact with the Elements. Some Penfluridol in the carotid artery stopped it within a matter of hours. I assume you are the one who took care of his papers?”

Silence, then suddenly the warm breathing of nostrils touched my face.
“Oh, what would I not give to be within your mind… Yes, I looked through them, doctor. And I gazed into the mind of a genius. I am not a magic specialist, but I have picked up enough from my husband over the past thousand years to recognize… this. He has been working on a self-perpetuating magic and bodily enhancement spell focused through the Elements. It is in essence a reversal and improvement of the errors of Shipment 3. Decades ahead of our magic, not to mention theirs.”

“Er… Which means…?”

“Doctor, he has the ability to create-“

The door slammed open again. “Dahlia, we need you in the mess hall. There is a Councilor, and she has requested your presence. This is big.”

“If you can excuse me, doctor.”

“Of course, Dahlia.”

The door closed again, and the room fell quiet. I tried to still breathe steadily, but suddenly my left eyelid was yanked open and a bright light shone right on my eyeball.

“Pupil dilation, rapid breathing… You heard that whole conversation, did you not, Starswirl?”

I admitted defeat and sat up. “I did. My apo-“

I realized the pink-coated, lime-maned mare that was smiling at me was an alicorn. I pulled my legs up in horror.

She chuckled and placed some sort of small silvery tube in the front pocket of a white frock she was wearing loosely over her back. “I understand this must have been unexpected for you. Do not worry; all your questions will be answered. But first I have a question for you.”

I looked around the mostly empty, white room. There was a small, round window to my right, showcasing a snowy mountainside. On my left was a gray, round door. Between the end of my bed and the wall was a blue couch, upon which lay my saddlebags. Over the couch was a mirror in which I could see that my beard had been neatly trimmed to half its former length.

“Go ahead. You saved my life earlier; at least I think so, so I guess I owe you that much.”

She kept smiling. “Let us talk about the elephant in the room. Why was your coat covered in liquid sarin gas when we found you?”

The question was not what I had imagined. “Uh… Pardon me?”

“A yellowy liquid. It was a pain to get out of your coat. Where did it come from?”

I groaned and massaged my slightly hurting head. “Some kind of canister I threw out. I found it in the saddlebags o- Uh, I would rather not tell.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Starswirl, I really need you to tell me the truth. Do not fear, no one here desires to hurt you.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. “In the saddlebag of a dead alicorn. I swear I did not kill her! It was her companion!”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You have met other alicorns? Where?”

“As that mare you were just speaking to no doubt could tell you, having read my notes; in Ponitthaya, where I found the crystals.”

She straightened. “Were they… dark?”

“Thinking about it, yes, that is a pretty fitting adjective to describe them.”

“Come with me.”
Without further ado she trotted through the door. Surprised, I tumbled out of my bed and followed her, using my magic to grab and don my saddlebags while I tried to catch up with her.

“Wait! You promised to answer my questions!”

She smiled as I caught up with her, but did not stop. “Go ahead. I will answer to the best of my ability.”

“Well, to begin with, what is your name?”

“Rhûna. I am the chief medical officer of this research facility.”

The long, tube-shaped white corridor we were in split into several similar corridors, but we pressed forward. In side rooms I could see odd instruments and tools being packed away into boxes by various pastel-colored alicorns of both genders.

“Well, Rhûna, what is the purpose of this research facility?”

“That is classified, I am afraid, but it does not matter. We are moving to our capital Aegis.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You have a capital? Is there that many of you?”

“About five million, four hundred thousand of whom live in the capital. Only three million or so recognize the government, though. The other two are the Hostiles, who you have encountered.”

“Why are they hostile?”

“I think Dahlia could explain that much better than me. She is a historian.” Rhûna said, taking a sharp left into another tube corridor.

“Dahlia was the mare you were talking to earlier, was she not?”

“Yes. Her husband was one of the lead scientists on the project, and part of the group that went to investigate the flare you sent up. He travelled to Aegis this morning. Dahlia herself is an accomplished historian and a decent magic specialist. She is actually the most likely candidate to the position of Keeper of The Secret History, although I doubt she will ever get that job, given that the current incumbent is the same age as her.”

She took a right, and I saw my chance to ask a question I had wondered about. “Was it your kind that made the… Elements of Harmony?”

“Yes, although that was two thousand years ago. They were made to foster positive feelings and enhance magic capability. I will not bother you with the details, we are talking about areas of the brain your kind will not discover in centuries.”

Suddenly I remembered something. “Usual magic uses the lateral orbital gyrus. However, the Elements allowed neuron usage past the sulci so as to facilitate usage of the frontomarginal gyrus, the transverse frontopolar gyri, and even the dorsal and ventral streams by way of the visual cortex. However, the third shipment of Elements contained a crystallization error that caused the physical age of targets to halve itself if object of a ‘positive reinforcement’ spell.”

Rhûna stopped, fished out the silvery object from her pocket, yanked my eye open and filled it with a strong light for a few seconds. “Where did that come from? Did you have another flash, or was it a memory?”

I yanked back my head and blinked repeatedly. “Aaagh! What is that thing? I mean, a memory, I think.”

She smiled and put the silvery object in her pocket. “Excellent. Probably a memory of one of the original testers. Had it been a flash, I would have had to up your Penfluridol dose. I recommend you try to forget what you saw; it will just cause memory problems. Also, that thing was something called a ‘flashlight’. I used it to gauge the reaction of your pupil. As you have no doubt noticed, our long lives have allowed us alicorns to progress ahead of you ordinary ponies about two millennia technology-wise.”

We kept walking towards another round door at the end of the corridor.

“If there are so many of you, how come we never see your kind?” I asked.

She smiled as the door slid up into the ceiling. “We do not wish to be seen. We live in remote communes and otherwise uninhabited parts of the world. Ah, here we are.”

We entered a large, dome-shaped room, apparently the mess hall of the facility. I immediately noticed two strange standing stones with on lying on top, seeming terribly out of place in the shining white facility.

On four long tables a variety of boxes and crates were being sorted and loaded by a number of alicorns, some of whom cast suspect glances at me.

Yet I could not care less about them. My gaze was transfixed on the apparent of visage of a god of old, a shimmering silver mare with glowing eyes. Her translucent robes and shining mane flowed as if uninhibited by gravity, or as if they were underwater. A golden broche holding her robes together at her chest twinkled in blueish hue from a small, glowing crystal embedded in the eye of the alicorn depicted on it.

This alicorn mare was the very definition of serene beauty. And she was… quite angry.

Her voice boomed across the room with the power and appearance of three separate voices. “CREATE … HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!”

She was looking at a redhead white mare with a quill-and-ink cutiemark. This mare did not seem fazed by the tone in which she was addressed. “Tips, this is not the Council. Everypony is looking at us. Lower your voice and change back to normal.”

I tried to place the voice, and realized the redhead was Dahlia, the mare from my room.

The silvery mare looked around and realized her conversational partner was correct. Her horn glowed, and suddenly her coat lost its silvery shine, her eyes stopped glowing and her mane and robes collapsed around her body.

The now white mare shook her head to get the mane on one side and focused her red eyes on Dahlia, before continuing her tirade in a significantly more low-key tone. “Dahlia, you cannot just create an army of alicorns out of sub-equines and expect a positive outcome!”

I realized who she reminded me of. “The albino… is that Xantippe? I saw her many years ago at the Academy.”

My companion placed a hoof on my breast to stop me from approaching them. “You did no such thing. The alicorn whose memories you observed saw her. It was not you. Compartmentalize and suppress those memories, Starswirl. But yes, that is Councilor Xantippe, the Keeper of The Secret History and the third most powerful alicorn alive. We should leave them to theirs for now. Maybe she will give you the honor of speaking to her later.”

“Speaking of speaking, how come you all speak my language? Those other alicorns did not, I could only understand them by way of a translating amulet.”

“We are not. You are still wearing the necklace. We understood what it was and let you keep it.”

I looked down, brushed my beard aside and blushed when I realized I had not even bothered looking earlier. “How did you understand what it was?”

“We read the words on the back. ‘Universal Alicornian Translator Spell’.”

I fished the crystal up with my magic and turned it, to see a Horthinian sentence. “Oh.”

I turned my attention to the discussing mares before us, whose conversation appeared to have calmed. “I had never expected to end up here when I met Lylith all that time ago.”

Rhûna looked at me with a sudden interest, “Lylith?”

I nodded. “The first alicorn I ever met, in a forest in Unicornia. Some of the ones you call Hostiles came and killed her and torched her cabin. It inspired me to… Are you okay?”

Rhûna’s eyes had teared up, and without a word she stamped over to the arguing mares, interrupting the argument.

“My sister is dead, and Aegis did not even bother sending me a letter?!”

The albino mare looked surprised. “And you are?”

Dahlia shoved the distressed Rhûna out of the way before she could get even more upset. “This is Rhûna Tamarind, the Chief Medical Officer of this facility.”

The stately albino mare chewed on her tongue for a few seconds. “Tamarind? Tamarind… Ah, yes, Lylith Tamarind was that mare who used to be the one keeping tabs on Unicornia. I remember her unfortunate death coming up at a Council meeting a couple years ago. Ms. Tamarind, let me assure you of the condolences of the Council in this matter, and allow me to personally apologize for the need to keep this information from you for project integrity reas… Oh no. NO. You did NOT, Dahlia.”

Xantippe had noticed me. She seemed to seriously consider evaporating me where I stood.

Dahlia jumped in between us. “Tips, this was the stallion with the idea for the spell, the one with the Elements.”

Xantippe’s nostrils flared. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! Bringing him here?! A sub-equine? I have tried to keep a wing over you, Dahlia, but you cannot abuse it like this! Heads would roll if the Council found out! They would- Oh.”

Suddenly she seemed to deflate, looking years older and exhausted.

Dahlia took a step towards her. “Tips? Is something else wrong?”

Xantippe sighed. “They are shutting you down. That is what I came to tell you. Your work will not continue in Aegis.”

Dahlia’s eyebrows shot up. “What? But we… With the recent refocusing of the oscillation crystals we have extended the active period to four days, and reduced the recharging time to thirty months! Did not my husband tell you of the new spell he devised? It scans surrounding fashions and creates semi-permanent articles of clothing to match on the one who passes through! It is ridiculously advanced!”

“I know, Dahlia, I know. But the Council has grown impatient and accused me of wasting money, calling this my own pet project. I have to defund you. You should pack up and leave as soon as possible, we noticed some hostiles a few days’ travel south of here. Dahlia?”

The redheaded mare had frozen, staring at me. “Tips, we found the unicorn through a powerful magical flare from the elements. You think they might have…”

The albino stood completely still for a few seconds, then suddenly she once more assumed her silvery form, hollering at the room. “EVACUATION! PREPARE TO DEPART, POST HASTE! Dahlia, I want you to take the Elements to Storehouse #17. That is where we keep the only other surviving Element of Harmony. Use portal combination 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Got it?”

Dahlia nodded. “Four-eight-fifteen-sixteen-twenty-three-forty-two. Got it. With your permission I would like to drop off the unicorn at the fifth junction.”

I coughed. “Excuse me, but would anypony mind explaining to me what is going on? And why do you all seem to take orders from a mare who supposedly lost her mind after The Day The Sky Burned?”

Xantippe’s silvery face grimaced. “The day the what now? Is that some sort of book? How many drugs did you put him on, doctor?”

Rhûna laughed nervously. “Just some painkillers, sedatives and a dose of Perfluridol, Councilor. He is suffering from temporal memory displacement following overexposure to the Elements. He will- Oh no! The patient files!”

Suddenly she bolted off, disappearing behind a non-translucent glass screen on my right, assumedly covering another door.

Dahlia smiled to Xantippe. “She will be back sho-“

An explosion shook the entire complex.

“What the…?” I mumbled.

“They are here,” Dahlia said, “will you be alright?”

Xantippe nodded. “Do not worry about me. I am a survivor. You go, and take the unicorn.”

A slightly overweight alicorn stallion galloped up to us. “Councillor, ma’am, hostiles in the facility, ma’am. Me and three others are the entire security force. What would you have us do, ma’am?”

Xantippe groaned. “Your sacrifice will be remembered.”

The stallion swallowed and bowed. “Ma’am.” He said, before hurrying over behind the glass screen.

Dahlia grabbed me with her magic, lifting me up like a child. “Tips, one more thing.”

The Councilor turned. “Yes?”

“The Elements were found in Ponitthaya.”

The albino mare stood still for a moment, “You said you saw her die. You said you were there.”

“She was mortally wounded when she locked herself in with some crazed sub-equine zealots. I was afraid that if I told you the truth…”

“…I would go there and kill her myself.” Xantippe finished disdainfully.

Suddenly yells could be heard from the other side of the screen. Xantippe span around, and started hovering as her eyes and horn glowed like tiny suns.

Now, the thing about really powerful spells is that they mess with the sensory input, something a part of my memory that does not belong to me tells me causes the spatial orientation areas of the brain to operate at 175% capacity, triggering what appears to be time dilation.

In other words, the next three seconds moved at a snail pace, allowing me to catch all the little nuances; the little tingling feeling of every hair in my coat rising when the magical energy of the surroundings were concentrated awaiting release, the individual strands of Xantippe’s mane flowing around her head, the contraction of every muscle in my body as I was slowly jerked back by somepony, the shimmer of thousand shards of glass as Rhûna came crashing through the glass screen, the eye contact I made with the third black-coated alicorn from the right in the group down the corridor beyond. One of his ears was almost entirely burned away. I saw the shimmer of recognition in his eyes, him opening his mouth…

And suddenly Xantippe’s spell was fired, and the world moved at a normal speed for about two seconds before it disappeared around
me.

A strong hoof pulled me through the… nothingness, and suddenly I landed face first on wet grass.

I stumbled onto my hooves. I found myself surrounded by a morning-misty field, at the center of which was the stone circle I was within. I recalled the Earth Ponies’ name for these kind of megalithic constructions; henges.

Next to me was Dahlia. The alicorn mare observed the sun and the shadow cast by a small rock in the center of the circle.

“Let me see…” she mumbled, “We are forty-two days past the autumnal equinox, meaning the starting point is at the three-hundred-and-eleventh degree from the winter solstice mark… One, two, three, four!”

Suddenly I was yanked into the air by her magic, and floated after her through a stone portal.

To my surprise, we did not enter the field on the other side, but more black nothingness, followed by a new stone circle, this time on top of a hill overlooking some dark woods.

Dahlia counted portals with her hoof. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!”

Without further ado she pulled me through the portal she numbered as “eight”.

A moment later we found ourselves in a circle atop an icy mountain. Dahlia counted to fifteen and dragged me through another portal.
Next we were in a desert. A couple of alicorns were walking between portals there. Dahlia stopped one of them. “Excuse me, which is the sixteenth portal today?”

“Er… the one I just came from.” the mare answered in a surprised tone, “Care to explain why there is a sub-equine dangling in the air behind you?”

“No.” Dahlia answered, and pulled me through the designated portal.

We found ourselves in a temperate forest. Dahlia dragged me along through another portal.

The next place was not a henge. Rather, it was a single portal, in a small clearing next to a cliff face.
Dahlia dropped me. I stumbled dizzy around.

“Curses!” my alicorn ward yelled, stamping her hoof in the ground. “Wrong portal! Should have been twenty-thr…”

She fell silent and stared at a slight disturbance in the air between the rocks of the portal.

Once again I was yanked into the air by her magic. Moments later, she and I both slammed painfully into the bottom of the cliff face. Before I could ask her why she had done it, her horn glowed and a translucent blue bubble appeared around us.
Suddenly there was another alicorn outside. I gasped and buckled in surprise, but Dahlia’s strong legs folded around me and kept me still.

Three black alicorns bedecked like the ones at the temple in Ponitthaya seemed to materialize out of thin air between the stones of the portal. One of them walked over to stand less than the wingspan of a pegasus away from the bubble, but did to my surprise not seem to notice it.

The eyes of the armor-clad alicorn moved left and right, and the cloth covering its muzzle shifted, as if it wrinkled its nose.

“Check the bushes, I will fly up and check the skies.” she ordered, her voice revealing her gender.

The other two stood still for a few seconds after the first mare had taken off.

One of them, a stallion, rolled his eyes. “Derp the durp, I will derp the dorp.” he mimicked mockingly. “I tell you, she has been positively dying for a chance to sound all professional and bossy ever since she got that promotion.”

His companion, a mare, let out a pearly laughter beneath her muzzle cover. “So true. An order is an order, though. Let us get started.”

The pair disappeared into the bushes, and Dahlia let out a relieved sigh and leaned her head on the cliff.

I scratched my head. “Why did they not see us?”

Dahlia closed her eyes. “The bubble thing is the area version of an invisibility spell. It blocks vision and muffles sound. A little above the level of a common unicorn, I guess.”

“You sure know how to make a stallion feel good about himself.”

“Well, you sound like my husband on our wedding night.”

I rolled my eyes. “I do not believe we were properly introduced before you dragged me through gods-know-where. My name is Starswirl.”

“Dahlia.”

“Mhm.”

“Yes.”

“Er…”

“Uh…”

“How long are we going to sit here, again?”

“’till they leave. What do you want to want to talk about?” she asked.

I thought about it for a few seconds. “Where are we, exactly?”

She sighed. “Somewhere in Central Unicornia. The last portal junction covered your country. I was supposed to let you off there, but forgot. And then I went through the wrong portal.”

“How does those things work anyway?”

“The stones are artificial, containing finely tuned magical focusing crystals. They form a Casimir field in the center of the portal, drawing on the magical energy inherent in the user to convert the physical mass of the user to a low-density particle cloud form and transporting it to another field. A high magic ability requirement and migrating portal destinations following the solar phases makes it virtually impossible for anything other than an alicorn to pass through alone.”

I churned the information through my mind for a few seconds. “So the principle is not far off from the oscillating field of the Mirror.”

Dahlia’s eyebrows shot up. “How did you… Oh, of course, the Elements.”

“Those… Alicorns out there seem to want them.”

“Yes. They were intended as interrogation devices, but long ago, one of our generals, Illyria, started using them as weapons against the Hostiles. This is one of the last surviving sets. They want them as weapons.”

“Why are you fighting, anyway?”

She looked at me. “I guess you deserve to know. We fight over you.”

“What?”

She massaged her face. “As you are no doubt aware, you belong to an inferior race, or at least what is traditionally perceived to be such. We used this to justify ‘civilizatory’ missions; living as gods amongst your kind. A few centuries before I was born, claims of exploitation and ill-treatment combined with discussions about the ethicality of this behavior saw a blanket ban to the practice. A large-scale revolt against this decision eventually became those we call the Hostiles, currently headed by ex-Councilor Thanatos, once worshipped amongst pegasi as a god of the afterlife.”

I chewed on this new tidbit of information. “Why are they all… dark like that?”

“They prefer operating at night, and in daytime the color scheme has been proven to reduce enemy morale.”

“Have you never tried to make peace?”

She sighed once more. “We did, actually. However, we never got further than a treaty to keep the fighting removed from your kind before a coup sabotaged any further peace efforts. The last two thousand years we have as such fought a low-key war of sabotage and raids against each other.”

I grimaced. “You know, you do not look like a soldier, but you do not seem at all frightened at this whole situation, what with hostile alicorns trying to kill us and all.”

“We all have a century of mandatory military service. It has been a few centuries now, but I have seen my share of these… enemies.” she answered with a cold smile.

I stared into space. “There is so much about this world that I did not know…”

“You have caught a glimpse of a world much larger than yourself, my little pony. I recommend you forget all about it once you return home. We will deal with these fellows. We are winning the war, which is why they wanted your set of Elements so badly.”

“You know, we found them with a dead alicorn.”

She looked at the clearing through the bubble wall. “I know. I was on the team that chased her into that temple.”

“Who was she?”

“General Illyria, the mare who first used the Elements as an offensive weapon. Officially, she was killed in battle. Unofficially, she escaped her court martial for war crimes against civilians, and settled in the jungle a few weeks’ travel from here. A couple of centuries ago, it was discovered she had declared herself goddess of the jungle ponies. As I knew her, I was on the team that was sent to deal with her before word spread further. I initially said no, but I changed my mind on behest of my friend Xantippe.”

I looked at her. “You tried to kill that mare as a favor to Councilor Xantippe? Had she been personally offended by her or something?”

“General Illyria was her mother.”

The two alicorns appeared again. The stallion was complaining loudly. “I told you we would not find anything! What a waste of our time!”
The mare tried to calm him down. “That private, Skuggfaxi, he swore the sub-equine that went through the portal had been the same that held the Elements, last.”

“Private Skuggfaxi can kiss my bony rump! He is a nopony, yet our- and his, superior officers send us out on an idiotic mission like this because he has a hunch? You saw the look in everyone’s eyes when we got our order. Except for our beloved Sergeant, of course. Why is she so eager for this mission, anyway?”

The mare smiled. “I think… I think she likes Private Skuggfaxi very much, if you catch my drift.”

The pair stopped about midway between our bubble and the portal.

“Your theory has only one weakness,” the stallion chuckled, “it would necessitate that the Sergeant could emote like a normal, sane mare! Hey, speaking of her, fancy some lunch while we wait for her?”

I noticed Dahlia magically manipulating a small object consisting of two connected metal rings, apparently adjusting the smaller one so as to tighten it further.

“What are you doing?” I asked in a low voice.

She answered me in the same hushed tone, but without taking her eyes off her work. “I think these grunts will not leave ‘till they find us. So, if the worst comes to bear, I will distract them. In which case you will have to deliver the Elements to Warehouse #17 yourself. Can you promise you will do that?”

“I promise. Where is it?”

She seemed happy with her handicraft, and looked up at me. “Does the name ‘Forest of Leota’ tell you anything? No? What about ‘MacIntosh Hills’? ‘Equestria’? The Prancing Plains?”

I lit up. “Wait, that one! I know the Prancing Plains! They are north of Zebrica, connecting our continent with the Wildlands in the West! What were those other places?”

She sighed. “They probably do not exist yet. While you were recovering in our ward, I… glanced into the Elements, hoping to see the memories of future users. One of the memories was that of a sub-equine named Twilight Sparkle, a foal who was writing for school about something called ‘The Capitals of Equestria’. The first capital of the land was apparently a city called Equa, in a forest named Leota. It was burned, and for a few hundred years it existed a place called the ‘Everfree Forest’, before settling in a town called Canterlot. From a map she was using I realized the Everfree Forest is right above our storehouse.”

“And how do I get to this Everfree Forest?”

“Cross the Prancing Plains, then wheel northwards until you hit a large lake. The lake is fed by a waterfall. Get to the top of this, then follow the river through the forest until you get to its source in the mountains to the north. From the peaks of the mountains you will see verdant plains and a vast valley in the north. In this valley there is a forest. In the forest you will find large, mountainlike hills. At the eastern base of the southernmost hill is the door to the storehouse. The journey should take about three months, but considering the journey you must have gone through to end up with us, I trust you will handle this.”

“How do I gain entry once there?”

Without a word she responded by forcing the ring object down over my horn. It fit perfectly. Suddenly I felt a weird tingle in my body. I looked down, and gasped.

“I am an alicorn!” I exclaimed.

She smiled and pulled it off. To my disappointment I changed back. “Do not get too excited, Starswirl. It is not a true transformation, just an illusion. It is an emergency disguise spell we got at the facility in case we were captured. It changes our appearance to that of some random unimportant alicorn for up to three days. I adjusted mine to fit you. Wear this and stand outside the door until they let you in. I will put it in your saddlebag for now.” She tensed up. “Now, get ready, Starswirl. Good luck.”

The alicorn pair finished their lunch, but did not pull their muzzle covers back up.

“You saw what that Councilor back there did?” the mare asked.

The stallion scratched his chin. “I saw the aftermath. But no, not directly.”

“I was in the third row, just behind the officers. The spell she cast killed six instantly and wounded dozens. Then she pulled down the roof in front of us and disappeared.”

The stallion looked shocked. “How can one mare be so powerful? And I thought she was the artist type?”

The mare nodded. “Xantippe. Her special talent is liquid manipulation. She used to be a performance artist when I was a filly in Aegis.”

The stallion licked his lips nervously. “Speaking of performances… You would not like to… I mean… do you want… to maybe do something sometime… just us two?”

The mare gasped. “What are you saying?!”

“I understand if you do not want to.” The stallion said, scraping his hoof on the ground.

She smiled. “I would love to. I just do not think you should ask it here, on a mission.”

He laughed. “What better time? There is just us here. Unless you think there are invisible officers around us, of course.”

His eyes turned white with the glow of a magic scan, which he jokingly performed. “Eeyup, tons of invisible alicorns around here. I would say we are in the danger zone!” he turned in our direction, “We might even… Wait… HOLY SH-“

In one move Dahlia dissolved the bubble, rolled up to her hooves, snapped the stallion’s neck with her magic before he could finish his exclamation, and started bolting for the portal. Both me and the mare were too shocked to move.

Suddenly the third alicorn shot down from the sky like black lightning, tackling Dahlia. She bucked the mare off, and sent me a look saying ‘run, you fool!’, before scurrying through the portal.

I needed no further encouragement, and ran through the forest like I had a pack of timberwolves on my back.

Undergrowth whipped at my eyes, I tripped over stones and logs, and branches scraped me in the face, but I kept pushing on without looking back.

Suddenly the ground disappeared under my hooves. Before I realized I was tumbling down a long tree-free hillside.

I woke up under a blue sky with lovely white cumulus clouds. I smiled as I stared at the formations, diving entertaining animal shapes from them.

Suddenly a horn appeared between the clouds and myself, followed by a worried-looking bearded face.

“You ‘kay, mate?”

The disembodied voice suddenly brought my memory back again. I scurried to my hooves, horn primed against the stallions surrounding me.

“Whoa there, easy now!” one said with a hoof raised.

I looked at them for almost a minute before I realized they were unicorns like myself. I started laughing of relief.

The bearded stallion I had first seen looked at his comrades. “I think ’e ‘it his ‘ead a bit too ‘ard. Reminds me of… Blimey, you are the same stallion, are ya not?”

I scratched my head. “Blue unicorn stumbling out of the woods some three years ago? Eeyup, that would be me. Is this the same logging camp?”

“Aye, we come ‘ere twice a year when our usual places need time for seedin’.”

I bowed. “Well, I bid you farewell, then, gentlecolts. I know my way back to civilization.”

“You do not think ya should ‘ang around ‘till evenin’? We can follow you safely ‘ome if ya tell us what ya be up to out in’e woods. Lots’a brigands, these days.”

I smiled and started walking. I could feel the Elements shake around in my saddlebag.

“Do not worry for me,” I said, “I think everything will be quite alright.”

As I started my long walk home upon a familiar road, I could not help but think of the promise I had made to Dahlia, the alicorn mare I so briefly had met, yet felt some sort of connection to. I intended to keep that promise.

Eventually.

***

I realized recently that I never properly finished this last amulet. In my eagerness to put as much distance as possible between myself and those… things, I never recorded my return trip past how far I got one night at a tavern. To better round of this tale, I will here provide knowledge of the events that have transpired under the last three moons.

1st day, 10th month, 29th year of the reign of King Silvery, Hall of Concord, the Borderlands

Despite the horrid cold, I decided to face the blizzard head on and reach the summit, hopeful that our leaders would have some clue as to how to handle the food supply shortage. Part of me was unsure if anything would be solved, considering how smoothly our races fared with each other thus far. At the very least, I prayed that everypony would leave the summit without killing one another by the end.

As I approached, I put a spring in my step, as the doors were about to close on me. I made it just in time before they locked out the cold, and went to find a seat. A hoof on my breast halted me.

“Starswirl.” the heavily accented beige pegasus said in an imploring tone.

“No,” I answered, and pushed past him.

A wiry unicorn, grey with age, blocked my path. “Starswirl, I implore you to listen to the stallion. We have known each other a long time, for me; two minutes, please.”

I looked up at the clutter on the segregated seating areas and sighed. “Two minutes, Sparrow. For old times’ sake.”

I was spirited into a small side room where a fireplace was roaring. A barley-colored earth pony was poking the fire, while by a table in the corner a group of mares and stallions of various kinds were poring over a document and arguing semantics.

The barley-coloured looked up sneered at me. “This is the one? This grey-bearded geezer is Starswirl the Great and Powerful? Tell me, Ambassador Sparrow, have I personally offended you somehow?”

I stepped up to him. “I would be more than happy to turn you into a toad to prove my worth to such a gentlecolt as yourself.”

Sparrow separated us. “Gentlecolts, gentlecolts, calm yourselves! Starswirl, this is Ambassador Windmill. Ambassador; Starswirl, court magician of the King’s Majesty and mentor of Her Royal Highness Princess Platinum’s magical tutor, Clover. And you have both had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Alytarchos of Pegasopolis.”

The pegasus stepped up to us. “Gentlecolts, let us get to the… what do you say… womb of the matter? As Your Grace is no doubt aware, our races stand on the precipice of war. I think it is time we accepted that this winter will not stop soon. With the aid of Ambassador Windmill, we have outlined the tripartite agreement that will ens-“

I raised a hoof to stop him. “Wait, I thought our glorious leaders were to create such a treaty today.”

Windmill rolled his eyes. “Our so-called leaders cannot stand each other. To minimize risk of discord at the conference table the treaty is outlined beforehoof. The rest is just to reassure the commoners that their leaders personally look out for their interests.”

“There is a problem, though,” the pegasus ambassador continued, “tell him, Windmill.”

Windmill groaned. “Earth ponies everywhere face severe food shortages. By way of enforced rationing we may be able to cover your grain needs, but only at a 350% markup.”

I gasped. “The poor will starve!”

Alytarchos nodded. “And the Pegasopolitan government guarantees grain supply by way of monopolizing the trade, paid for by the commoners by way of taxes or military service. This would ruin us, and the Commander will not accept it. She is of the belief that the unicorns have moved the sun farther away so as to work in conjunction with the earth ponies to bring down Pegasopolis.”

“Meanwhile, Princess Platinum, empowered as she is by her father to sign the treaty at her own discretion, believes the earth ponies are exaggerating the crisis to allow the pegasi to destroy Unicornia. Please, Starswirl, you know them both, can you not be a voice of reason?”

I shook my head. “I am sorry, gentlecolts, but I cannot. The Princess is too independent for me to control, and the last time I saw the present Commander of Pegasopolis, she left me to die alone in the jungle because I valued life over petty power struggles. Besides, I have my own plans set in motion already.”

Sparrow frowned. “What are you saying?”

“Ten-HUT, Commander Hurricane approaches!” I heard muffled through the outer wall.

I turned back to the Ambassadors. “I say your two minutes are up.”

There was a quiet roar of chatter between the like kin of the attending patrons. I stumbled over several sets of hooves, trying to find a seat or at least somewhere to stand where I could see.

“Ouch! Hey, watch where you step!”

“Pardon me! Sorry! Sorry!” I exclaimed. My face went red under my grey beard as I gently backed away from the mare I had stumbled
over, who was now glaring harshly at me.

Finally, I found a place against the back wall to stand. It was not the best view, but it was better than getting shoved into the corner as was the rotten luck of several other ponies who arrived as late as I did.

It took a while for the public part of the summit to begin. For most present, it likely seemed like ages. However, I was already rather certain of the outcome of the upcoming “civil discourse”.

The guards by the three doors leading from the side chambers snapped to attention, and the three leaders entered the room and approached the table.

Commander Hurricane looked far more grizzled than the last time I saw her; odd strands of gray hair were visible just below the edge of her helmet. She flew in a few inches off the ground, eyeing the other ponies with suspicion clearly visible in her eyes.

Princess Platinum, the heiress of our current King Silvery, was her usual extravagant self. She wore her usual royal silk robes, lined in the finest fur and encrusted in large cut amethysts and dyed a deep purple. Her crown, shimmering in the many candles illuminating the grand summit, held similar gems. As she cascaded in, there was a glaze of indifference, and even boredom, in her eyes. Despite publicly being impartial to international relations, my inner Unicornian citizen groaned at the arrogant opulence, and unheard of insult towards the poor that would never have been allowed while the Princess’ grandfather Gilded still reigned.

Finally came the Earth Pony leader. Chancellor Puddinghead of the Earth Pony Republic was a somewhat fleshy salmon-colored middle-aged mare, a little too much fond of feasts, it would appear. A bit on the eccentric side as well, entering the summit to the sound of kazoos and appearing in a cloud of confetti, bounding in as though she were skipping through a park. In the doorway behind her I could see Ambassador Windmill roll his eyes. I recalled his negative comments about the leaders and wondered if he had been relegated to ambassador as a punishment for backing the wrong candidate in an election.

Princess Platinum removed her crown, setting it on the table. Commander Hurricane followed suit with her helmet, and Chancellor Puddinghead with her hat. One by one, they set their hooves on the table. Silence overcame the summit as, with bated breath, every pony present waited for the first word to be spoken.

Oh, there was no first word. What a surprise.

What came forth was a fury of yelling and a jumble of accusations and blame. I could barely make out the arguments as the three mares bickered over one another.

“How could you be so selfish?!”
“What is the matter with your kind?”
“You have got to do something!”
“--- the whole thing!"
“Way to go!”
“My fault?!”
“---bother!”

After a minute of straight bickering, Commander Hurricane finally shouted above the crowd. “All I want to know is why the Earth ponies are hogging all the food!” She slammed her hoof into the table, rallying the Pegasi behind her in a fury of yelling threats and slander. I took a deep breath, faintly hoping that this was a sign that the summit could only get better from this point.

The Chancellor glared at the Commander with a look of pure disgust. “Us?! We are not hogging all the food, you are! Oh, wait,” there was a slight pause, as the disgusted look was replaced with that of a nervous smile. “ You are right. It is us.” The smiled was again replaced with another, at least lest hostile glare. “Well, it is only because you ill-tempered, warmongering pegasusususes are making it snow like crazy!”

She brought her hooves in close to her neck and shivered. Even I couldn’t help but mirror the shudder, as not even the magic sealing the door shut could prevent the icy draft that blew through the room. The crowd did not seem to notice, though, especially the pegasi, grievously insulted by the misuse of plural form when referring to them, the name of their race being a point of ethnic pride amongst their kind.

Commander Hurricane’s voice grew louder. “For the hundredth time, it is not us! We are not making it snow!” The Commander’s eye shifted to our Princess, her eyes once again turning murderous. “It must be the unicorns! They are doing it with their unnatural magic!”
Princess Platinum let out a gasp. “How dare you! Unlike you pegasi ruffians, we unicorns would never stoop to such a thing. Hmph!”

The other unicorns in attendance let out their own huffs of discontent. “Quit the posturing already,” a stallion next to me mumbled, “we all know the earth pony swine and pegasi curs are collaborating.” I merely let out a sigh. My already weak hopes that things would somehow get better were quickly running dry.

“Well, if you non-Earths are not going to stop using your sick powers to freeze us all, then I am just plum out of ideas.” Chancellor pudding head plopped down on the table.

“What a shocker,” Commander Hurricane scoffed. “ An Earth pony with no ideas.”

“Commander Hurricane, please cease the petty insults and return to reasonable discourse as per prior agreement!”

“Let me remind her royal snootiness that I am not her subject!”

“I beg your pardon?! I am a princess! I won't be spoken to that way!” The princess levitated her crown to her head, mistakenly putting it on upside down. It would have gotten a chuckle out of me, if I weren’t so upset about her leaving the table.

“I am leaving first!” Commander Hurricane pushed past her on the way to the door.

“No, I am first!” Chancellor Puddinghead ran around the two of them and arrived at the front door. The three of them knocked each other out the door, in a fit of screaming that was only matched by the howling wind.

I stood as the rest of the present watched in amazement, as their once dignified leaders pushed and spat at one another in an unruly display.

As I walked out into the snow packed street (the snow had piled up a half-hoof from when the summit began), my head hung low. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the time had come.

I slammed open the door to the tavern, my cape and hood covered in snow. “Wine!” I barked at the host. He scrambled to meet my request as a dark blue stallion with a bowl-cut about two score winters of age, hurried to my side.

“Would you have me take your cape, Sire?” Starry Sky, a former part-time apprentice of mine now employed as my personal secretary asked.

I threw it to him as I grabbed the cup of sparkling Unicornian White with my magic. “Thanks, Starry. My room, presently! Are the others waiting as per request?”

Starry nodded. “After you, Sire.”

We climbed the stairs to the second floor and ventured down the short corridor to my room.

Starry looked at my gloomy expression. “I take it went as expected, Sire?”

I nodded. “Yet I still maintained the faintest hope of reconciliation. Foolish, I know. And solution would almost be a letdown after a decade of preparation and network building, eh?”

My door swung open. In front of my fireplace stood two stallions, a muscular young grey pegasus lieutenant in full armor and a green-eyed brown earth pony in the puffy clothes of a Republican clerk. Starry lined up next to them.

“Gentlecolts,” I began, “negotiations have failed. I am setting Plan Exodus in motion with immediate effect. Lieutenant Lexicon, situational report from Pegasopolis?”

The pegasus snapped to attention. “We have secured the support of three of the generals at the General Staff. The Surgeon General refuses to lend aid, but promises non-intervention and his silence. If the Commander refuses to act, it is my personal belief that a coup should be possible, or at the very least a motion of no-confidence. However, Pansy assures us that the Commander has taken great interest in the maps ‘accidentally’ left at her desk, so with any luck that will not be necessary.”

I noticed a slight tremble in his voice. “Is there a problem?”

He looked down. “Our scouts have returned from beyond the Prancing Plains. They prove beyond reasonable doubt that the Dragonequus does indeed exist and creates horrible creatures.”

I bit my lip. “An acceptable risk. Starry, does the Royal Society of Natural Philosophers still send my office hatemail for blocking the propagation of their claim that the unnatural winter storms are caused by magically created creatures?”

“They do indeed, Sire.”

“Send a reply. Mention that the Crown has received credible support for their theory and that if they will voluntarily help fund an expedition in the near future their theory will be published and propagated with Royal assent and support. Master Flu, your report?”
The unfortunately named Swine Flu wiped his constantly running nose. “Chancellor Puddinghead reads the letters from the great discoverer Video de Gama without suspicion of forgery and agrees wholeheartedly with… AT-CHOOOO!!! …the theories presented within.”

I fell silent for a second, then fished out a sealed envelope from my saddlebags lying in a chair by the fireplace. “Well, everything is well, then. Starry, take this to my apprentice Clover post haste. It contains instructions for how she will trick the Princess into doing our will while thinking it was but her own idea.”

Starry nodded, and took the envelope.

Raising my cup, I smiled. “Gentlecolts, a toast for a bright and prosperous tomorrow!”

19th day, 12th month, 29th year of the reign, the Everfree Forest

The snow crunched under my hoof as I approached the flat vertical area of the hillside. I had wondered how I would get winter clothes of an unknown design atop the illusionary spell, but it had soon dawned upon me that my planned story would be much better served with a simple heat spell, one that I could maintain with my own magic simultaneously as the illusionary spell was running by way of its own artefact.

My appearance was that of a bright yellow alicorn stallion. The mane was cut short and out of my sight. I was impressed with the spell. Magically compressed air gave illusion of mass where needed and increased height, yet I could only hope my old body could mimic the movements of a much younger stallion. At least I was able to carry saddlebags for the Elements.

I moved back and forth along the rock wall with no luck in finding the entrance I was seeking. Exasperated I plumped down on an icy rock.

About a minute later a loud CLANK made me slip of the rock in surprise. I stumbled to my hooves and saw with no small degree of amazement that a section of the cliff side fifty paces away had slid aside and revealed a dimly lit corridor beyond.

A crème alicorn stallion in shining bronze-colored armor stood smiling in the doorway. “No winter clothes? I must admit I am impressed! I do not think I could have flown all the way down from Aegis simultaneously sustaining a heat spell!”

“I had to be limber, because I carry a most precious cargo!” I called back.

He signaled me in. “Come inside, the magic flaring out of here is like a beacon when the gate is open!”

As I stepped inside, I realized what he meant. The magic energy filled the air enough to cause it to visibly move like on a hot day, and it was actually possible to faintly smell it faintly, as a metallic scent. I dared not actively attempt to feel the magic through my horn, fearing it would knock me out if allowed access to my nervous system.

The stallion smiled at me as the door slid shut behind me. “Greetings. I am Corporal Persevs, and I will be filing your paperwork today. My mate Argon up in the security room tells me you have been hanging about the entrance. You new?”

I nodded, and tried to hide my amazement over the light-emitting rods lining the roof of the gently down-sloping corridor, providing light with no flame nor visible magic. “Never been here before.”

The alicorn grinned. “Marvelous! I will give you the breakdown. But if you would follow me, we will get the routine questions dealt with as we walk.”

I nodded and followed him down the corridor, a square room about twice my alicorn height, stretching seemingly forever into oblivion without any doors or side rooms.

After a few minutes of silence as my companion was reading something on a writing board he was levitating, a small tube he was also carrying clicked and sprouted a tip, thenceforth proceeding to write upon the board as he would carrying a quill.

He noticed my interest. “You like my pen? I got a pack of ten for three vingilots fifty at Cratheon.”

“What an amazing invention!”

He looked confused. “Er… Yes, where would we be without pens? Would you like one from the pack later?”

I shook my head in disbelief. “You honor me with such a gift.”

“Hey, no reason to be snide! I was just trying to be nice!”

I backpedaled panickily. “Of course not! Forgive me! You may keep your gracious gift of a writing implement, I do not deserve such attentions.”

He rolled his eyes. “Name?”

“Pardon me?”

“For the paperwork. What is your name and rank?”

I smiled nervously. Time to put my story to the test. “Oh. Alaron Tamarind, no military rank, dispatched on private mission from Aegis due to the sensitivity of what I carry.”

I prayed silently that the one male alicorn name I previously knew was common, but the stallion did not seem to notice. “Tamarind? You related to Rhûna Tamarind?”

I tried to hide my panic. Was she here? “Distantly.”

“My elder brother used to be close with her during his Academy days,” my companion sighed, “and the poor bastard was on the medical team that went to pick up the pieces of the alicorns in that accursed mountain outpost. Called upon in the middle of the night, instructed never to divulge any information about the outpost’s purpose, and then finding her among the bodies, all twisted and broken and sliced open by glass, her frozen guts spilt across the rubble… He never got over that sight. A horrible thing, this civil war of ours, eh?”
Although my mind stung with painful memories, confirmation that the hostilities were still ongoing was relieving, as I could deliver my story with more details now.

I opened my mouth to answer, but suddenly slammed into an invisible surface. The stallion laughed. “Oh, and watch out for the glass doors, by the way.”

I massaged my muzzle with a hoof as the glass pane slid aside. I now noticed that the corridor had been illuminated the last twenty paces or so by a soft blue light, emanating from the room in front of us.

My companion stepped inside, and looked up at the source of the light with a grin. “Welcome to Storehouse #17, Tamarind!”

I followed suit, and gasped. A cavernous room stretched above me, a dozen floors or more, illuminated by a flaming blue halo surrounding a dark circle at the top of the room. A spiral walkway lined the round walls, and my guide motioned me towards it.

“We have more than two hundred and fifty vaults here. Would you mind showing me your letter of contents carried so I know what level to take you to.”

I remained calm in the face of this first hurdle. “I carry no such letter. My cargo was considered so dangerous that any proof of its nature was considered too dangerous.”

He started walking up the steps and prompted me to follow him. “You mean your boss thinks himself above paperwork. We have over twenty thousand items stored here, yet only two of those items are considered powerful enough to warrant circumvention of the demand for a letter of contents. What could you possibly carry to deserve equal treatment?”

I opened my right saddlebag and showed him.

As we passed the fourth floor of vaults, at least that is what I assumed was beyond the semitranslucent glass doors lining the spiraling ramp, my guide was still arguing with his friend in the security room over some sort of small black device allowing remote communication.

“Yes, I have checked, Argon. YES, veracity confirmed! Are you deaf?! Five of them, Argon, FIVE! Where do you think I am taking him? Yes. No. Yes, yes… I will ask. Excuse me, Sir?”

I gave him a hearty smile. “Yes?”

“If I may, on whose behalf are you transporting these?”

“The Keeper of the Secret History.”

He rolled his eyes and talked into his device again. “You were right, Argon, this was Councilor Xantippe’s doing. Yes, I will come by later with the papers. Persevs out.”

He returned his focus to his writing board. “Let us see… Class A Classified Objects; five, sender… Er… Sir, who sent this here?”

I was surprised. “I just told you. Councilor Xantippe.”

My companion frowned. “Councilor Xantippe herself dispatched you from Aegis?”

“That is correct. She and I have had a few run-ins together with hostiles previously, so she called me to her office and entrusted me with this delicate mission. I immediately left for here, of course, to prove her trust in me warranted.”

“Follow me, would you?”

“Whereto?”

He looked up. “To the very top.”

I tried to make out the alicorn shapes moving about inside the glass vaults. “I thought you were looking to place them inside one of these.”

He shook his head. “This is just enchanted glass protecting trinkets. The powerful stuff is behind titanium further up. Yet we are going further still.”

“Where, exactly?”

We passed a grey stallion and brown mare coming down, stone expressions not shifting to look upon me.

“As you can see,” my guide informed me, “despite this entire facility currently being staffed by just me and Argon, we rarely have less than a dozen scholars from Aegis present, eagerly studying our multitude of artefacts. However, the place we are going rarely sees visitors. Usually you need Scarlet Clearance just to enter the chamber, but we will make an exemption for the Keeper of the Secret History’s entrusted.”

We reached the top of the walkway, and I suddenly had a flash of déjà vu. The portal with a door to the right, and the short corridor in front of us… It seemed familiar, as if from a dream.

“Phoenix.” said my companion, and the door to our right silently opened before us. Beyond was a round metal platform, supporting a singular object; a rather unassuming mirror. I realized now that the platform was what caused the halo effect of the light down below.

The stallion pointed up at the light source with his hoof, an unshapely form of blue magical plasma, glowing like a sun. “A long-lasting lightning spell powered by excess magic from the Storehouse. If you have any active magical objects on you that can be overloaded, I would recommend taking them off. They will be supercharged when we pass through.”

“Pass thr-? WHOA!” I exclaimed as the floor piece we stood on moved upwards. Suddenly the blue flame was all around me. The object on my horn and the translator necklace both became dangerously hot, but did not break. I closed my eyes.

When I opened them again, I was beneath the snow. About a hundred hoofwidths to be exact.

“Damn glass roof!” my companion exclaimed, “We have requested funds for additional bracing for years. I tell you this; the whole thing will collapse one day!”

We were standing in a natural… formation. Some kind of ravine. The ground was flat as the floor below in the storehouse, with the elevator piece of flooring forming an odd piece of round metal beneath our hooves. Yet the walls of the ravine were almost straight as a weighted string, creating an odd impression of standing in a naturally formed room.

My companion pointed to a cave on my right. “This is where they found it. The very first Elements of Harmony were grown on this very tree.”

I stepped inside, and gasped. The Tree of Harmony was beautiful, a crystalline structure. A white mare scuttled back and forth around its roots, examining it.

My guide pointed out a star shape at its center. “The Tree had the problem of producing one star-shaped Element for every five normal ones. Hence production was soon moved to a laboratory in Aegis. Yet one still remains, as you can see. The Tree is the reason not more magic leaks from the storehouse. Its roots absorb it.”

I noticed a simple wooden table standing in front of the Tree, filled with papers. I walked over and examined the odd writing. “What is this?”

Suddenly there was the sound of a sword being drawn, and a sharp blade came to rest on my jugular. “Do you think me the fool, Tamarind?”

I raised a hoof, angry with myself for not noticing the scabbard along my companion’s side. “Easy now, Corporal. What do you mean?”
The stallion who had been so polite minutes prior snarled at me. “I got suspicious when you said you had spoken to Councilor Xantippe in Aegis personally, given that that is two days’ flight away and she has not been there for the better part of a month. And now you do not know of her work with the Tree of Harmony? I smell spy.”

“I am no such thing!”

“Who do you work for, ‘Alaron Tamarind’? The Hostiles?”

“Are you going to harass poor Tamarind for long, or will I finally be able to break word with my courier, Persevs?”

We both looked over at the mare by the tree, the source of the last comment. The Corporal immediately sheathed his sword. “He works for you, Ma’am? But when…? I mean… My apologies, Ma’am, I did not-“

“Oh, shut it, Persevs. Move along, I am sure you have some paperwork to file.”

“Yes, Ma’am! At once, Ma’am!” The Corporal bowed and hurried back from whence he had come.

I raised an eyebrow. “Councilor Xantippe.”

The white mare paused from her examination of the tree to nod at me. “Sub-equine.”

“I have a name, you know.”

“Maybe so, but I cannot for the love of me remember it.”

I moved closer. “How did you recognize me like this?”

Her red eyes rolled. “Come on, ‘Alaron Tamarind’? Tamarind was the name of that doctor back when we first met, was it not? And do you not think I would recognize the rather unusual name of my close friend Dahlia’s firstborn? I am not an idiot, sub-equine, even if I am amazed at your ability to bluff your way in here.”

“How is Dahlia these days?”

Xantippe hurried over to the table and scribbled down some quick notes. “A happy mother of four, far removed from this dreary conflict.”

“And your ‘dreary conflict’? How fares it?”

“Excellent. We have the Hostiles on the defensive. I say we will have them within the decade.” she said and hurried back to the tree.

“And then?”

She smiled knowingly without looking at me. “That… is none of your concern. Let us just say… The Perfection of Nature will return home.”

“Pardon me?”

“Nothing.”

I sighed. “I assume you know why I am here?”

She nodded. “Place them on the table, I will see them into the Tree once I have examined them. They will be safe here.”

I did as asked, and studied her unintelligible notes. “What are you so preoccupied with?”

“I am attempting to replicate the crystalline structure of the Tree in pure magic energy. A spell.”

I scratched my head. “A spell to what purpose?

“Do you recall the effect of the Elements that allowed you to see the memories of those not yet born? That.”

“But… why?”

She turned and locked eyes with me, glaring at me with the intensity of a roaring fire. “Have you ever had the feeling that something is wrong in your life, but just cannot place a hoof on it? I have had the feeling for years now. In the realm of alicorns, all things seem well, yet something is amiss somewhere. I keep being haunted by something a sub-equine told me decades ago. ‘A mare who supposedly lost her mind after the Day the Sky Burned’. What is the Day the Sky Burned?”

I shook my head. “I do not know, I am afraid.”

Xantippe grimaced. “I figured as much. Which is why I have to see the future. And that is as much as I will ever tell you, sub-equine. Now, leave this place and never return. It is time to return to your kind. Speaking of the ponies, I have received word you are moving them south of here.”

I swallowed. “I intend so, if it is not against the wish of the alicorns.”

“It is not, yet I fear what will greet you in the territory of the Dragonequus.”

“We will find a solution to that.”

She returned to her work. “If you say so. You know, if you hurry west you might find a few survivors of the expeditions that came here soon after you.”

I had turned to leave, but spun around. “What?!”

“You did not know? The pegasi naval expedition was sunk by a storm. Only half a dozen survivors. They trekked westward and are now not far from the forest brow. Meanwhile, the unicorn expedition by hoof entered this very forest last night, and was scattered for the four winds by a chimera attack. Finally, a third expedition led by something called a ‘Puddinghead’ is bogged down by snow in the mountains to the south, with the impatient Puddinghead leaving the expedition a week ago and pushing ahead with only one companion.”

I was shocked and bewildered, but not willing to express it in front of the equanimous alicorn mare. “Uh… I have to go. Farewell, Xantippe, and good fortunes in regards to your work.”

She nodded disinterestedly. “Farewell. I may greet you in another life, Starswirl.”

24th day, 12th month, 29th year of the reign, Unnamed Valley

I stared down the gentle slope of the hill at the banner wafting in the slight breeze. It was a simple religious banner depicting the goddesses Celestia and Luna, Day and Night, circling the world, yet it seemed oddly out of place here.

The queerest thing was the collection of mares chatting cordially by it, though. Mares I recognized. Lo! There was my apprentice, Clover, and my acquaintance Pansy, a poor mare forever stuck in her rank due to the mare beside her, Commander Hurricane. Princess Platinum and Chancellor Puddinghead were there as well. The only one I did not recognize was an orange earth pony with a straw-colored mane, but from her garments I figured her a secretary, likely a background character of little importance.

I took a deep breath of the warm spring air, still slightly worried by its sudden arrival two months early, made sure my saddlebags sat straight, and ventured down the hill. Soon I could hear Puddinghead’s voice.
“…But our expedition is alive! It is a shame timberwolves got the rest of your crew, Hurricane, but the earth ponies will soon be here, with all we could desire for a feast! I love feasts! Then we just have to find Platinum’s ponies, and… Oh, look yonder, there is one right now!”

They all turned and looked at me.

“Er…” Princess Platinum started, “that is not one of mine. But… it is… How?”

Clover bowed deeply. “Mentor.”

I bowed to the Princess, my beard almost touching the ground. “Princess.”

Platinum looked seriously off-balance. “How can this… You… Can I never get away from you, greybeard?”

“I was attending some business in the area and caught wind you might need some assistance.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What ‘business’? We are in the middle of the wilderness. Wha-”

“It is an honor to have you here, Master.” Clover cut her off.

Commander Hurricane nodded to me. “Long time no see, Starswirl. I must admit I was surprised when I heard what had become of you. I apologize for not writing, but as you may remember we did not part on the sweetest of notes last time.”

“Wait a teeny tiny minute now,” Chancellor Puddinghead said and shoved her face up in mine, “who are you again? What did she say, ‘Swirlyface’? You do not look like a Swirlyface.”

I pushed her gently away. “Starswirl, known as ‘the Bearded’. However, you know me as the explorer Video da Gama. I faked those letters to you to make you come here.””

She blinked, then jumped with joy with joy. “Really? We should have a feast then! A finally-meeting feast! I- Waaaait a second…” she stopped jumping, “You tricked me!”

I nodded. “Yes, I had to make you come here. Just as I made Princess Platinum lead an expedition here and… Commander Hurricane, you do not seem surprised.”

The Commander shrugged. “I am not. Did you think I was appointed Commander Kouagka’s replacement merely because I led an expedition home decades ago? I was always an expert at keeping the peace, Starswirl. I have known about your little plot for almost half a year now. Did you really think Pansy could plant maps in my office without me realizing who had done it and set somepony to follow her?”

“Eeep!” Pansy added.

“You see, Starswirl,“ Commander Hurricane continued, “if I did not agree with your plan, I would have had your head on a pike by now.”

I was slightly offput by this, but remained collected. “And what was my plan?”

She raised a hoof and indicated our surroundings. “This. You wanted us to see this, and know it was a good place to relocate willing ponies to reduce the food crisis. Well, old hornhead, it has succeeded beyond recognition.”

“We are friends now!” Puddinghead stated ecstatically.

I smiled. “You are?”

Princess Platinum nodded. “We have decided cooperation, friendship and harmony between the races is the way forward. Here, we will found a new country, a Universal Republic for all races and creeds.”

My beard parted in a grin. “And what will you call this new country?”

Clover looked me in the eyes. “Equestria.”

***

Epilogue

Clover held the medallion in the air with her magic, careful to set it squarely back on the bust. She laid the ribbon smoothly on the statue, the medal balanced evenly on the end.

Just then, she heard the quiet being pierced with the rustling of paper. In the corner of her eye she saw an unfamiliar unicorn. Without a second thought, her habits kicked in. “I’m sorry, you really can’t be here. Ala? Could you… please… um…”

Her voice was suddenly lost to her. Before her stood a tall pony, reading a scroll levitated by a blue magic. The midnight colored unicorn wore a long robe of pure, white silk. Her dark mane shined brilliantly, the light catching it like stars. Most likely the result of a translucency spell tested on a blue mane, if Clover’s years of magical experience were anything to go by. Under the folds of her toga,
Clover thought she spotted something. Some odd shapes protruding out. She was not sure.

The unicorn happily ignored Clover.

"Who are you?" Clover asked, taking a step back, alarmed by the distinct feeling that her subconscious tried desperately to point something out about the mare.

Finally the mare looked up from the scroll with interest, her turquoise eyes transfixing on Clover, seemingly piercing her very soul with a gaze that did more resemble that of a decades older pony. She stared silently at the elderly mare for a few seconds, then she spoke. "Say, do you happen to know anything about alicorns?"

***

Sergeant Argon smashed his forehead into the security desk. “Eight weeks, Persevs, EIGHT WEEKS! Not a single transmission, not a life-sign from anypony!”

Corporal Persevs bit his lip. A little more than two months prior their weekly check-up radio call from Aegis had not come. Shortly thereafter, a whispering rumor that the Hostiles had attacked Aegis proper had spread among the visiting scholars. One by one they had left, without returning.

“They are all dead!” Argon sobbed, “Calla; my wife! My poor, poor wife! And Caelia, my daughter! Her birthday was supposed to be next week. Her sixtieth, Persevs! She would be one-fourth of the way through the Academy this spring… And where have I been all her life? Here! I have only seen her six times. I have only seen my own daughter six times, Persevs!”

Persevs patted his dark brown friends’ shoulder. “You are overreacting, Argon. It is probably just a comms problem over at Relay 34 again. The radio will crackle to life an-”

“Storehouse #17, Storehouse #17, come in.”

Persevs looked at the radio and grinned. “What did I tell you?” He grabbed the microphone with his magic. “This is Storehouse #17, what is the purpose of your call, over?”

A panicked stallion’s voice crackled back through the transceiver. “Storehouse #17, we are carrying precious cargo from grid 224, map 3E. We were engaged by hostiles in grid 314, and are… pretty banged up, over.”

Persevs rolled his eyes at the no doubt inexperienced newbie in the other end. “Transmitter, I do not believe that is correct protocol, over.”

“Storehouse, as to the best of my knowledge you do not have a forty-year-old colt who thinks he is a soldier and has no business pulling a wagon bleeding out on your rump, so, with all due respect, you can take your protocol and sh-“

Persevs gritted his teeth and interrupted the stallion. “Transmitter, please identify yourself, over.”

Silence.

“Transmitter?”

“We are requesting immediate landing permission at LZ 4-9-3-1-4, over.”

“Transmitter, you will be granted landing clearance as soon as you identify yourself, over.”

“We do not have a callsign, over.”

The corporal moaned. As he had thought. Some stupid privates flying with a supply cart had managed to injure themselves and did not want to fess up to it, instead diverting to the nearest outpost. “If you are on official business, you have to contact Aegis for a callsign, over.” he explained helpfully.

The silence lasted for several seconds. Then; “Aegis?”

“Yes, Transmitter, Aegis.”

“Have you been living under a rock for the last two months?”

Persevs and Argon looked at each other, alerted.

“Say that I have, Transmitter, what would you tell me?” the Corporal asked warily.

“The Day the Sky Burned, Storehouse. It is gone. It is all gone, even Aegis. Matter-of-factly, Aegis was the first place to- NO!”

Argon mumbled something to himself, but Persevs was worried about the sudden interruption. “Transmitter? Transmitter, please respond, over.”

The voice came back, yelling over howling wind. “Two of the four of us have lost conscience, and the remaining pair of us cannot pull the wagon by ourselves. Losing altitude rapidly! We are descending towards a large clearing north-northwest of your position. It is the LZ, right?”

Perseves panicked. “NO! That is NOT the LZ! The LZ is south of our position! Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT attempt to land there! It i-“
He was interrupted by a massive crash and the sound of broken glass.

The pair sat in shocked silence for five seconds, before Persevs turned to Argon. “They went through the roof of the ravine! We have to get up there to help them.”

Argon shook his head and rocked back and forth. “They are all dead,” he mumbled, “all dead. Six times…”

Persevs groaned. “Not now… Could you not have waited five more minutes before losing grip? You know, forget it, I will go on my own!”

The elevator climbed towards the blue flame by the top of the storehouse. Suddenly Persevs had to shield himself with magic as the hatch over him opened. Glass shards and pieces of metal rained down around him. He cursed silently.

The ravine was pure pandemonium. The entire roof had collapsed, showering the ground with glass, the metal supports and the wines that had partially covered the glass.

In the middle lay a battered personnel transfer wagon on its side, the four alicorns that had pulled it spread in front of it in various degrees of being broken beyond recognition and skewered on one of the metal supports from the roof.

“Ah, it is safe. Safe. Must keep them safe.”

Persevs spun around and saw a familiar figure sitting on a rock behind him, staring into the cave with the Tree of Harmony.

He reached out and touched her shoulder with a hoof. “Councilor?”

Councilor Xantippe turned slowly and laid her eerie red ey- Wait, actually they were now, to his confusion, light blue, to rest upon his face. “Yes?”

Persevs looked at her. She was almost completely brown from mud smeared across her body, her usually luscious mane was cut short, roughly, as with a knife or sword, and where her right wing had been there was just malformed stump.

“Uh…What happened, Councilor? Were you in that wagon?”

She sprung to her hooves, ecstatic. “It worked, Persevs, it worked! My spell worked! The Hostiles interrupted us, burned Aegis, yes they did, but my spell; my spell worked for the briefest of moments! And now I know! I know!”

She then promptly marched over to the elevator.

“You mean the future spell thing you worked on while he- Hey, wait up!” Persevs hurried over to catch the elevator down with her.
Xantippe mumbled incoherently for herself the whole way down. “Yes… Dahlia’s daughters are the key! Why did I not see? It was there! There! The Princesses… I am the Keymaster, I must help the Gatekeeper open the gate at the right time! Yes! The violet unicorn… The Plan! Will it fail? No, no… The Elements…. I must glean more of the future and the past from the Elements… The Mirror must be kept safe… He will save the Perfection of Nature, he must save them! I must stay… keep them safe…. Yes, safe…”

As they hit the platform, Persevs looked worry at her. “Ma’am, are you feeling alright?”

She turned to him and grinned like a madmare. “Never felt better!”

Without further ado she strode towards the security room, Persevs struggling to keep up. He cast a nervous glance at her eyes.

She looked at him. “What are you staring at?”

“Er… Your eyes, Ma’am.”

Her horn glowed for a second, then her eyes turned their usual red. “Sorry about that. Had to conceal my most notable feature from the Hostiles. I had to run. So I could get here! Keep them safe!”

They arrived at the security room. The door was still open like Persevs had left it. “Argon?” he asked.

His friend did not reply. Persevs shook his shoulder. “Argon? There was one survivor of the crash. Arg- NO!”

Sergeant Argon hung back in his chair, his eyes looking towards a letter in his writing lying at the desk. The soft grey glow of the four security monitors caused the standard service knife lodged in his jugular to gleam.

Persevs was on the verge of crying, but suddenly Xantippe, displaying an almost unnatural strength, snuck a hoof under the breastplate of his armor and lifted him up so she could headbutt him in his face.

“Compose yourself!” she yelled right into his face, “How is your supply situation?!”

“W-what?” he sniffled.

“Just answer the damn question.”

“Eh… We… Th-there was a supply train here yesteryear. We have enough to feed two alicorns half a century, or one a whole.”

“And the nerve gas release system, how do you turn it on?”

He pointed to a switchboard next to the radio. “Flip those two switches simultaneously and press that button. We have some gas masks and suits over in that closet there.”

She smiled content, and released him. “Very well. I will stay here. You, on the other hoof, will get a mission and is not to return to Storehouse #17, ever. Got that?”

“Wh-“

“THE CORRECT RESPONSE IS YES, MA’AM!”

“Y-yes, Ma’am!”

“Good.” She cast a disdainful look in Argon’s direction, “I want you to seek out Alaron Senoli, son of Dahlia Senoli, and his siblings. Tell the group of survivors they are in to remain in the vicinity of Equestria and rendezvous with the sub-equine Starswirl the Bearded every full moon for food and medical supplies. That is the final order of the Council. Furthermore, I wish you to disguise yourself as a sub-equine and travel to their capital Equa, where you will find the same Starswirl and inform him of this arrangement. Then you have my permission to curl up into a ball and cry like a little filly.”

The Corporal was befuddled. “A sub-equine? How could a sub-equine possibly-“

She raised a hoof. “No questions.”

Persevs was upset. “Do I not deserve even a single answer?”

Xantippe thought about this for a few seconds. “Very well, then. You get to ask one question. Choose wisely.”

Persevs considered different questions for a full minute, before settling on a general one.
“Why?”

She turned to him. “Huh?”

“Why all this? What for? What do you hope to gain? What is it you are so eager to protect you withdraw from your kind, who no doubt desperately need you after whatever happened out there? What moves you to ask them to degrade themselves by seeking aid from a sub-equine? Why?”

Xantippe looked into space, her eyes appearing as serene as if she was watching the slow birth of galaxies.

Finally her lips moved and formed two words in a strange, foreign language.

“Twilight Sparkle.”

Author's Note:

Well, I hoped you enjoyed this. If you wondered why all those alicorns were introduced towards the end, they will return in my next fic, which will come out either at the end of the season or the beginning of the next.

PS: Just ask in the comments if something confounds you about the plot.

Comments

[Claystead]

Guys, I would appreciate if those of you would like this would share it with others by way of recommendation. I have a personal goal of beating Hard Reset II: Reset Harder (because it has the toolbaggiest title on this side of Jersey Shore, not because I didn't like it) in view count on a story, which is currently a couple hundred. Other than, like, dislike or complain as of your heart's desire.

Oh, and as I think I said in the commentary, just write a comment if the plot confuses you. I'll check in every now and then.

PS: Hi, Icewhip!

[Claystead]

3804031

Eeyup! I'll write a short followup story explaining how the Pri-
Wait... Why is your comment blue?

Anyway, glad you liked it. This first story in the series deals with the Elements, the second will be Celestia's POW on her rise to power, the third Luna's POW on her fall, the third a short story about a couple of ponies supporting Nightmare Moon in flashbacks and young Granny Smith, the fourth about Twilight's parents and finally the series will conclude with a huge three-parter set in the present day and human world. I plan to release two or three per season. #2 I will try to finish within a couple months.

And, as you might have guessed, both Xantippe and Dahlia will return at a later point in the series, hence their inclusion into this story. This was not intended as part of the series at all, actually, but I got the inspiration for it listening to some music. As soon as I started writing, I realized I could incorporate it as a prequel of sorts.