Fictionationality - Equestria

by Spirit Guide

You Snooze, You Lose

"Okay Spirit. One more time."

Spirit's face was drenched in sweat. He wasn't used to using so much magic yet, but he pushed on and gave it another burst. His crooked staff, which he was levitating between himself and Twilight, spun around in endless circles, the glowing sphere near the top drawing a ring inside the loop.

Twilight clopped her hooves together. "Good job Spirit!" She turned around to an open book on the table and checked the last box on the page. "That's all the levitation practices aced."

The black unicorn sat down on the floor, massaging his slightly heated horn. He'd only been in Equestria a week but he'd already learned so much from Twilight. He glanced over at the table where Princess Celestia's reply was laid out. Her letter back to them was brief and to-the-point, congratulating Twilight on her friendship report and welcoming Spirit and Fang to Equestria. She'd acknowledged the threat of the manifestations and granted the two newcomers permission to continue searching for them and doing their best to protect as many ponies as possible. Concerning an audience, the Princess explained that Luna was not yet ready to see anypony, let alone meet with them, but she would notify them when her sister was willing. Since then, Spirit had spent the last few days reading up on everything he could, hanging out with his new pony friends and practicing magic with Twilight.

"Keep this up and you'll be using your magic as if it were second-nature to you!" Twilight announced happily.

"It'll certainly help if I'm able to use my unicorn magic like my old powers," Spirit replied. "I'll need every bit of experience I can get if I'm going to start catching manifestations."

Twilight shrugged. "There's nothing we can really do about it," she pointed out. "Like you said, we have no way of tracking manifestations down. So instead of worrying, let's move onto our next lesson." She levitated a number of books of one of the shelves and plopped them down in front of Spirit.

The stallion sized up the stack of tomes and began reading the titles. "Basic Transformation Spells, Elemental Magic for Starters, Mastering Hooves and the Art of Mouth Writing. Wait, what?" Spirit squinted at the title of the book. He lifted his head and stared blankly at Twilight. "Seriously?"

"All ponies start learning to write at a very young age," Twilight replied sincerely. "Even us unicorns learn. It's a useful skill to have when you're multitasking, which I find myself doing a lot. As for hoofwork, you might want to hone your skills a bit further, just in case."

"Sound right. Better safe than sorry." Spirit peered out the window at the slowly-darkening sky. "Is there any reason the pegasi are unusually active today, filling the sky with rainclouds?"

"They were supposed to give us a sprinkle last week," Twilight said, putting the levitation books back on the shelf, "so they're making up for it with a nice shower now."

"He causes the wind to blow and the rain to descend," Spirit recited. "Dew and rain for blessing. That's what we would say during the winter, when we asked the Lord for the blessing of rain. But in Equestria, that blessing comes through the pegasi in His stead."

"You've got quite an interesting way to look at the world," Twilight commented.

Spirit shrugged. "To me, it's the only way to look at the world." His eyes did a quick scan of the library interior. "Where are Spike and Fang?" he asked Twilight.

"Spike told me the two of them were going out for some 'dragon time' or something like that," Twilight replied. "He's never really had another dragon to talk to, especially one close to his own age. The only other dragon we've had anywhere near Ponyville was huge and snored copious amounts of smoke which were causing us some distress."

"I'm glad Spike finds a close companion in Fang," Spirit said.

"Close companion?" Twilight chuckled. "Fang's like a role model to him!"

Spirit grinned and shook his head. "Let's just hope he doesn't get too much from him. Fang has a tendency to go over the top with things." He left the window and poked at his saddlebags, which lay by the stairs. Inside was the Seal containing the manifestation they'd caught a few days ago. "I do wish the Princesses would agree to meet with us. I feel the need to tell them like an itch I can't scratch."

"I know that feeling," Twilight said, sympathizing with her friend, "but we can't rush Princess Luna. When she's ready to meet you, Celestia will tell us and you'll be able to tell them all about the manifestations and your world."

"And in the meantime," Spirit announced brightly, "I'm going to go down to Sweet Apple Acres so I can give their produce a kosher approval." When he saw Twilight's confused face, he explained. "As the Republic's mashgiach, or supervisor, it's my job to make sure all and any food we have follows our standards and customs. I fully trust the Apple family, but laws are laws and I gotta follow them. Also, it means I'll be able to stop worrying about the stuff I put in my mouth."

Twilight nodded. "Alright then. We're done studying for today anyway, but try and be back before the storm blows. I don't want you getting caught out in the rain."

"It shouldn't take long," Spirit promised. "Applejack is out cleaning up the park but her brother Big Mainctosh has agreed to show me around."

"You'd best be off then," Twilight said, walking him to the door. "Have a great time!" she called out as he left the library.

"Don't work to hard Twilight!" Spirit called back. Once he'd gone ten feet and Twilight had closed the door behind him, he trotted off towards Sweet Apple Acres, whistling his favorite tune.

*

"Check, check and check. You've got quite a setup here, Big Mac. And Apple Bloom, thanks for helping out"

Big Macintosh smiled. He'd been working on the farm since he was a little colt and knew every inch of the place. Normally Applejack handled visits from other ponies who came to inspect but since she was out preparing Ponyville for the downpour, he'd offered to give Spirit a tour of the place, showing him how they tended and harvested their orchards and gardens. "Eeyup," he said.

"Your welcome," Apple Bloom said happily. When the youngest Apple family member heard that her brother was showing somepony around, she'd thought it to be the perfect opportunity to try and earn her cutie mark, which had she did not yet have. Apple Bloom had joined Big Mac and Spirit around the farm, helping her brother explain some of the workings. She turned her head and looked at her flank expectantly. "Ah man," she sighed when she saw only her smooth yellow flank. "Nothin' from that."

Spirit smiled at the filly. "Don't worry, Apple Bloom. It'll come in time." Turning to Big Macintosh, he said, "Well, I'm content." He pulled a sheet of parchment form his clipboard and stuck it on a wooden board. "Sweet Apple Acres has passed the Republic's Approval Inspection. Now there's no problem for us to buy and eat your products."

"Thanks," Big Macintosh said leisurely.

Spirit smiled. "My pleasure. You might not understand the importance of the approval, but rest assured it will make things easier for others."

"Eeyup."

"Right then," Spirit said, giving the certificate to the red stallion. "I'd best be off now. Twilight wants me back before the storm hits." He started for the gate, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom waving goodbye, and was about to open it when something fuzzy and cyan slammed into him at a ridiculously high speed. Spirit was sent flying until a tree ended his short flight and showered the ground with nuts. The dark-blue unicorn shook his head, lights flashing before his eyes. "Rainbow Dash," he scowled. "What was that all about?"

The cyan pegasus on the ground in front of him grinned and shook her wings free of leaves. "Oops, sorry Spirit. I was just spreading the last few clouds over Sweet Apple Acres for the big storm. My team was a bit put-upon and we still didn't get any cover around here, so I instructed them to keep working and hurried here as fast as I could. Guess I was going too fast."

"You guessed right." Spirit pulled Rainbow up and Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom came galloping over to see what had happened.

"You okay?" Big Mac asked.

"Nothing broken," Spirit replied. "How about you, Rainbow?"

Puffing up her chest, Rainbow Dash said, "It'll take more than bumping into somepony like that to bruise me." And she took off, flying several time around the three ponies and the nut tree before coming in to land in the same spot. "See?"

"Point made. I guess you're made of tougher stuff. Back in the Republic, almost everyone has a resistance of sorts, ranging from—what is it, Apple Bloom?" he asked when the filly nudged him lightly.

"Uh, Ah don't me to interrupt you an' all, Spirit, but—" She pointed at the sky.

All three ponies looked up. The clouds that filled the sky overhead where darkening and the wind began to blow. Within seconds, drops began to fall, growing larger and larger. A minute later, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

"Mother of the Ten Plagues!" Spirit hollered over the roar of the wind. "This is one heck of a storm!"

"We gotta get out of the rain!" Rainbow yelled.

"Inside!" Big Macintosh shouted. He ran for the farmhouse, Spirit, Rainbow Dash and Apple Bloom right behind him. They rushed inside and slammed the door behind them, everypony soaking wet.

Granny Smith, who had been asleep in the rocking chair when Big Mac and Apple Bloom were showing Spirit the farm, was now awake and frowning at the weather. "Them pegasi sure outdid themselves this time, eh?" she chuckled.

"That ain't funny Granny," Apple Bloom whined. "Applejack hasn't come back yet."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't 't come back at all," Spirit said, pulling back the curtains and looking out the window. In one minute, droplets had become buckets and the rain was now so intense it formed huge pools of water on the ground. "She probably took shelter in somepony's home, like we did."

"Ugh!" Rainbow groaned. "Does this mean we're stuck here for the night?"

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said plainly.

Apple Bloom cheered. "Alright! We've got guests!" She started hopping around the group, crying out happily.

"The two of ya can sleep down here tonight," Granny Smith said to Rainbow and Spirit. "We kin pull out a couple of them old mattresses we got lying around. Nopony uses them nowadays."

"Thank you for agreeing to hosting us on such short notice," Spirit said appreciatively while Big Macintosh went to get the mattresses.

Rainbow glanced out the window glumly. "You know, I can probably fly home in this, it's just a little rain," she said confidently. Over-confidently. And Spirit picked up on that immediately. Also her inching towards the door made it all too obvious.

"Oh, no you don't," the black unicorn said, clutching her many-hued tail in his magical blue grasp and reeling her in beside him. "I'm not gonna have one of my friends go out in this downpour. The wind's too strong and you can't see far enough to get your bearings. You're staying here and that's final, even if I have to shackle you to the couch."

"Hey, chill Spirit," Rainbow said defensively, flicking her freed tail at him. "I was just kidding."

"Flying out in the rain isn't something to kid about." Spirit was silent as he listened to the sound of the storm raging outside. "I just hope Spike and Fang are alright."

"They probably ducked into somepony's home, just like we did," Rainbow quoted him. "Don't worry too much about it, Spirit. They're fine."

Apple Bloom flung herself between the two ponies. "Does this mean we get to stay up late and have fun?" she asked hopefully.

"Nnope," came Big Macintosh's answer from the stairway. Dragging on the stairs behind him were two large mattresses, clearly underused but in prime condition. "Already past your bedtime. Off you go."

"Aww." Apple Bloom pouted and looked at her brother with large doe-eyes. The red stallion didn't even twitch. "Fine," she said. Admitting defeat, the Apple filly said goodnight to the other ponies and went upstairs.

Big Macintosh laid the mattresses on the floor, throwing blankets and pillows on top of them. "That oughta keep you nice an' cozy tonight," Granny said, moving to pull the curtains over the window. "We should all turn in, get some nice shuteye, then in the morni—" She stopped and looked out the window, frozen in place.

"Hey, Ganny Smith," Rainbow yelled, wondering if the old mare was a bit deaf.

Big Macintosh joined Granny at the window and looked out as well. His eyes flew open. "Uh oh," he said, staring out at the rain.

"What's going on?" Spirit asked, stepping towards the window with Rainbow. The two ponies peered outside and gasped. Running around the edge of the farm, right behind the fence, was a shadowy black form. The rain distorted what they saw but the shape was roughly that of a pony. However, speculation on which pony it was ended the moment the figure glanced at the weather-vane atop the farmhouse, revealing its glowing red eyes and bright fangs.

"A manifestation!" Rainbow Dash whispered.

"A whut now?" Granny whispered back. "An' why you being so quiet?" Big Macintosh leaned in and told her what Spirit had explained about the manifestations to him while showing the unicorn around the farm. Granny Smith looked a bit alarmed as the facts were laid out. "Ya don't say? Maybe we should stay inside an' hope whoever that is'll just be on his way."

"That would probably be for the best," Spirit agreed. He'd noticed something off about the creature in the distance. He'd only seen two manifestations in pony form, but he saw something in this one's eyes he did not expect to see in a manifestation: shame. And its eyes stopped glowing for a second as they suddenly changed from red to grey. A sparkling, silvery grey.

Before Spirit could further address this strange sight, Rainbow said, "Look! It's leaving!"

The ponies looked out at the dark equine figure beside the gate, which suddenly took off and galloped towards the Everfree Forest. Within seconds, it was swallowed up by the deluge and the darkness pervading the woods.

Big Macintosh and Granny Smith sighed with relief. "Well, that's that!" Rainbow Dash said cheerily. "Let's get some shuteye." She turned towards the beds laid out for her and Spirit and was about to plonk herself down on one of them when she saw the black unicorn trot past her in the direction of the door. "Oy Spirit!" she yelled. "Where're you off to?"

Spirit turned. Rainbow had gotten the attention of Granny Smith and Big Mac and all three ponies were now staring at him. He sighed. "I'm going after the manifestation," he said simply.

"What?!" Rainbow demanded, flying right up to his face. "You told me off for trying to leave in the rain and now you're going out yourself? And into the Everfree Forest on top of that?!"

"Listen! That manifestation is up to something and I need to know what. I've already told Princess Celestia about them and I can't let them run around causing trouble if I can stop them, even if there's a storm outside." Ignoring the rest of Rainbow Dash's ranting, Spirit unlocked the door and peered out at the edge of the woods through the rain. He could barely make out where the forest started. "Don't come after me!" he added, and he leapt through the doorway and into the storm.

The rain was coming down so fast and hard, it was difficult for Spirit to move. He looked around for some cover and saw a couple of old boards, which were splintered and no good for being part of the barn wall but perfect for his needs, so he picked them up with his magic and held them over his head to keep the rain off, allowing him to see farther ahead. Lightning flashed again, closely followed by the rumbling thunder. It's a good thing I got in some practice with Twilight, he thought, silently thanking her. Otherwise I may not have been able to even hold these boards over my head.

With the boards protecting him, Spirit quickly made his way to the Everfree Forest. He stood at the entrance to the dark woods, throwing the thoroughly-soaked boards aside, no longer needing them because the trees were so big they blocked out almost all the rain. Now, where did it go? Spirit wondered. The Everfree was huge from what he'd seen on the maps in the library and there wasn't any real path marked on them either. Guess I'll just go straight and hope to run into something.

Spirit began to walk through the forest. At first he felt like a trespasser, a stranger in a land he was unfamiliar with. But after a while, he got used to the bizarre plants that made up the woods. Once or twice, he could've sworn he heard something rustling in the distance or saw twinkling eyes through the bushes, but nothing harassed him.

"Come on, come on, where are you?" Spirit mumbled to himself. If he stayed out here any longer, he'd be sure to catch a cold. "Man, I wish I knew how to create fire with magic." He continued through the Everfree Forest, admiring a patch of of blue flowers, when he heard a low chuckle.

"Let's see," he said comically. "Who in their right mind would produce such an evil sound?" Smirking in spite of himself, Spirit plowed through the foliage in the direction of the noise. After pushing past numerous shrubs, he found himself on the edge of a clearing. On one side of the glade was a dark unicorn manifestation. His mane and tail, like the other one, were long, inky black and flowing. His red eyes glinted with a malice the pegasus manifestation couldn't have hoped to display. His cutie mark was a crack between two cliffs. This was clearly a force to be reckoned with but it wasn't the manifestation from the farm.

On the other side of the clearing was a...... well, Spirit couldn't tell what it was because of the cloak it was wearing, much like his own except it was brown instead of black. But he could tell it was a pony, or something like a pony. It had four hooves tucked away beneath the folds of its cloak and wore a number of gold bangles on its front right leg. What little he could see of its coat was light gray.

"So," the manifestation said to the cloaked pony. Its voice sounded adult, even if the manifestation itself was anywhere between five days to five centuries old. "You probably know the workings of this land far better than those ponies do."

The pony didn't react. The manifestation didn't seem bothered by that. "Oh, I get it. You resent them. They shun you merely because you are different. I completely understand."

"If that is what you believe, than you are a fool. That I would give in to you like an inanimate tool." The pony, who was undoubtedly a mare, spoke with a foreign accent Spirit couldn't quite recognize, but its rhyme was flawless which was something he admired.

"Don't get fancy with me, stripes," the manifestation growled. "I don't have time for your shenanigans. Now you're going to tell me what I want to know or I'll have no choice but to teach you who's the boss."

"Your plans are clearly to cause others trouble. I will not assist and make it double," the pony rhymed.

"Quit horsing around!" the unicorn snarled. The storm seemed the strengthen as he spoke "I'm getting sick and tired of your couplets. Now out with it!"

Instead of replying, the mare turned away from the manifestation and prepared to leave the glade. Roaring like an angry beast, the manifestation leapt after her. Spirit summoned his staff and was about to jump into the fray when a second manifestation, this one he recognized instantly as the one they saw at the farm, leapt past him and tackled the unicorn, sending the both of them tumbling around the clearing.

Spirit gasped and the mare turned. Her eyes glowed yellow in the darkness and a confused frown decorated her muzzle. Spirit stared silently back at her while the manifestations fought a few feet away. Then, without another word, the mare turned-tail and fled into the forest. Spirit had half a mind to chase after her, but his mission was to catch the manifestations. "Soon," he said to himself, watching the mare's grey-and-white tail vanish between the trees. "Very soon." Then he turned towards the fight.

His first reaction was stunned silence. Spirit had never seen anything like it before. The two manifestations were bounding back and forth, biting and kicking each other. The unicorn kept lobbing crackling balls of dark energy while the other manifestation, a pegasus, used his wings to dodge his attacks in the air.

"Traitor!" the unicorn manifestation snarled. "You aren't fit to serve your purpose!"

"Our mission is to thwart the prophet!" the pegasus yelled back. "Leave the rest alone."

"Why should we? There's nothing to gain from being merciful to anything that gets in our way. You should know that by now, youngling."

The pegasus looked disappointed. "If battering down any being that blocks a straight line to our goal is our way," he said sadly, eyeing the pitch-black unicorn below with sorrow, "then I don't want any part of it anymore." He landed in the middle of the clearing, not five feet away from where Spirit was hiding.

The unicorn manifestation contemplated what the pegasus had just said. "So," he said with a smirk. "You think you can throw away your very existence and hope to live out a normal life? Just do away with all that makes you up? All that evil and villainy that gives you life?"

The pegasus was silent. He let his wings fall to his sides and sighed. Spirit couldn't believe what he was seeing. How can it possibly even think of abandoning evil? he wondered. It's entire being is composed of sin. Nevertheless, here it was, happening before his eyes. He carefully began to consider his options.

"Yes," the pegasus said, raising its head confidently. "I'm done spending my days chasing down what we deem a threat. The prophet isn't a problem, he's a part of the solution. But it's monsters like you who make this world and other worlds bad places. Creatures like us," he added sadly, looking down at his dark hooves.

"Well then," the unicorn said, his voice dripping with venom. "If you're not going to fulfill your purpose of spreading darkness, then I guess there's no need for your existence." He reared, his head raised high and his horn flashing, whinnied angrily and sent a funnel of crackling dark energy towards the pegasus.

Spirit had seen and heard enough. Jumping into the glade, he positioned himself in front of the pegasus, swung his staff at the funnel like a baseball bat and deflected it at a tree, which dissolved into black dust.

The unicorn's eyes went wide. "Who—" he stammered. But Spirit didn't give him time to talk. Mustering as much of his magic as he could, he fired a bolt of blue energy from his horn, up along the side of his staff, and into the manifestation's chest. The inky unicorn went flying into a tree at the edge of the glade, where he broke up into black wisps.

The disaster averted, Spirit turned to face the pegasus. It had been curiously watching the affair unfold from the moment Spirit leapt forward to take the attack. Now it regarded him with awe. "Are you...." he tried to ask but couldn't force himself to say. "Are you...... "

Leaning his staff against the back of his head, Spirit nodded. "Yes I am."

The pegasus seemed to relax. "Thank you for saving me." His expression suddenly changed to one of shame, the same expression he wore as he stood on the boundaries of Sweet Apple Acres. "I don't thing I deserved it though. I'm a creature of the dark, a demon who's sole purpose is to cause others grief. You may as well take me prisoner like you did that other one." The manifestation closed his eyes and raised his fore-hooves, only to fall over from the loss of balance.

Spirit gave the clumsy, hesitant manifestation a good long look. This was a new experience for him. Never before had a manifestation rebelled against its destructive nature, fought against its brethren or surrendered willingly. What could possibly have happened to this one that would make it different? "If you think I'd Seal away a compiled soul such as yourself," he said calmly, "then you're sadly mistaken." Spirit bent down and offered the pegasus a hoof up.

At first, the manifestation was stunned. He had expected a harsh imprisonment, but instead he was being offered something else. Warily, he accepted Spirit's hoof and was pulled upright. "What do you mean?" he asked Spirit, confused. "Compiled soul? I'm just a collection of dark deeds."

"If you were like all other manifestations, an accumulation of past evil doings, there would have been no way you'd be able to do what you just did." Spirit levitated his staff and gently tapped the pegasus on his head. "Standing up for the innocent is out of character for a manifestation. You must have something inside you that allowed you to choose between good and evil."

"What do you think it was?" the pegasus asked.

Spirit thought for a minute. "It may have been an act of virtue. It mixed with your normal build of sins and gave you the ability to decide for yourself and no longer be led blindly with the crowd." He looked the manifestation in the eye, his blue ones staring into the pegasus's red eyes. "You have great potential, but you need to guard it, lest it be taken from you."

"Too right!"

A fat bolt of dark magic blasted the ground behind the two ponies and they sprang back. The unicorn manifestation had pulled itself back together and was now steamed, its horn crackling menacingly. "You're both gonna get it now!" He swung his head around, causing a blade of black energy to curve out of his horn towards Spirit and the pegasus.

Crossing his staff in front of him, Spirit blocked the spiraling blade. "When will you learn?" he sighed impatiently. "Again and again you follow me, trying to hinder my mission progress, yet you never succeed."

"You're like a wall," the manifestation sneered. "All we have to do is batter away until you crumble."

"That's it, we're done here." Spirit raised his staff and channeled his magic through it in an attempt to create another Seal. Both manifestations watched curiously as blue streams of magic coiled out of Spirit's horn and along the length of his staff, collecting at its crook. However, as much as Spirit allowed his magic to flow, nothing happened. Even worse, he couldn't end the flow.

The unicorn manifestation grinned evilly. "Looks like you're stuck. Shame." Cackling, the black pony shot another funnel of black magic out of his horn, aimed at Spirit's exposed chest. Just before it struck, the pegasus dashed in front of Spirit and raised his wings like a shield. The funnel crashed and disintegrated against his black feathers, which had begun to glow silver along with the rest of his body, his eyes shining like twin beacons.

Both unicorns stumbled backwards in surprise, Spirit still channeling his magic and the manifestation shocked. "How did you block my attack?" he fumed, his rage making him forget about striking again.

Parting his wings, the shimmering pegasus smiled. "Because I chose to."

As the pegasus spoke, Spirit felt something inside of him. With a grunt, he pushed a bright ball of magic out of his horn, shoving it along his staff where it joined the rest of his accumulated power. The large wad of Equestrian energy glowed brightly then dimmed, revealing a large locket of sorts hanging at the end of Spirit's staff. In the center of the locket was an ornate letter 'H', while the rest of the pendant was taken up by animals: a lion, a serpent, a raven and a badger.

The unicorn manifestation cringed at the sight. "Dang it."

Spirit floated the locket off the end of his staff, admiring the details. "Makes sense," he muttered, more to himself than to the manifestations. "It was our second project."

The pegasus shifted aside, creating some distance between himself and the locket. "Nice Seal," he said admirably.

"Thanks, but it's really not up to me." Spirit glared at the cloudy unicorn with distaste. "Let's hope it's effective as it is detailed." Raising the locket before him, he threw his head back and the most incredible sound emerged from his mouth: a mixture of roar, hiss, caw and bark. The sound echoed throughout the Everfree Forest and spooked a manticore, which was resting near the clearing. The frightened beast quickly got up and went to find a quieter place to snooze for the night.

But it had done the trick. Responding to the call, the locket opened up. Inside was a picture of a castle, in front of which stood hundreds of boys, girls, men, women and children, almost all dressed the same. "Almighty darkness, no!" the unicorn manifestation shrieked.

"Blessed Light, yes," Spirit replied with a grin. He recoiled slightly as the Seal began to power up, humming in his magical grip and glowing brightly. A long red-and-gold chain sprung from within the locket and wrapped itself around the manifestation's front legs. A silver-and-green chain followed it and grabbed the unicorn's back legs.

"Argh!" it growled, trying to pull free. It started to summon a ball of dark matter, but a black-and-blue chain shot out of the pendant and cloaked itself around the manifestation's horn, blocking off its magic. The unicorn began to buck and struggle violently in an attempt to escape, but to no avail. Spirit held the Seal firmly in his magic field and the three transparent chains kept it from leaving the glade.

"Wow," the pegasus exclaimed in wonder. Then he frowned in confusion. "Shouldn't there be four chains?"

As if it heard him, the locket released one last chain, this one gold-and-black. It coiled itself around the unicorn manifestation's body and together, the four chains began to reel him in towards the locket. The shadowy creature screamed and cursed as he neared the dark-blue unicorn prophet and his Seal. With a great heave from Spirit, the unicorn was flung into the pendant and sucked in with a woosh. The doors of the locket clicked shut.

The pegasus gave a deep sigh of relief. "That's him taken care of."

Spirit regarded the Seal carefully, then slipped it around his neck, confident that unlike its counterpart, the manifestation wouldn't be able to affect him through the Seal. "He'll be joining the other one in my saddlebag until we figure out a way to send them back to the Republic." Spirit made his way to the edge of the glade, stopping when he heard only his own hoofsteps. He turned around to find the pegasus manifestation sitting in the center of the clearing, looking distracted. "Why're you just sitting there?" Spirit asked him, as if it were obvious what he should have been doing.

"I've got nowhere else to go," the pegasus reminded him. "Not to mention my attack on another manifestation has pretty much warranted my immediate removal should I show my face around them again. My life is over before it began."

"Wait, how long have you existed?" Spirit asked, turning around to better communicate.

The pegasus pouted. "Three weeks. Three depressing, lonely weeks."

"I guess when you're part of a group made up of angry plotting wraiths, it doesn't feel like company," Spirit suggested, sitting down in front of the black pegasus.

"That's pretty much how I felt."

"Than why don't you come with me?"

The pegasus's silvery eyes glinted. "Thanks for the offer, but what good would it do? I wouldn't be accepted, not among the ponies, not among the Republicans. Evil isn't something that everyone is okay with." He lowered his dark head, shaking his flowing mane sadly.

Spirit hooked his hoof under the manifestation's chin and tilted his head so he could look him in the eye. "If you keep telling yourself that, then that's how it will be. Only you can change how others look at you. No other manifestation has ever been given such an option. Please," Spirit begged. "Come."

The winged pony was silent once more, this time deep in thought. Finally, he got up with a sigh. "Alright, I'll join you. But don't be surprised if the others start pointing and screaming."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Spirit and the pegasus left the clearing and began to search for a way out of the Everfree Forest. Above them, the rain still beat against the close-growing trees, thunder and lightning crashing and flashing through the leaves. They stepped out of the dark woods and swiftly made their way back to the Apple family farmhouse. Spirit rapped on the door. "Is anypony there?" he yelled over the shrill sound of the wind.

The door burst open and light flooded out, revealing a shocked but relieved Rainbow Dash. "You took your sweet time, Spirit!" She sounded angry, but she looked content. "Get in here."

She stepped aside, allowing Spirit to enter but he shuffled beside her and held the door open further, giving time for the pegasus manifestation to walk inside. The black pony looked around in amazement at the farmhouse interior. "Whoa," he exclaimed, his silver eyes trying to take in as much as he could.

Rainbow Dash took one look at the manifestation and her eyes went wide. She turned to Spirit, trying to keep a calm composure. "What's that thing doing here?" she whispered. Unfortunately, the manifestation here her. He turned his head and gave Spirit a sad look that said I told you so.

Undeterred, Spirit replied calmly, "It might be better to explain to as many ponies at once. Who else is awake?"

"Who do you think? We all stayed up after you ran off on your own." Rainbow didn't sound very upset about it. "Even Apple Bloom is up."

"I thought she was sent to bed," the manifestation said knowingly. When Rainbow Dash and Spirit looked at him he quickly added, "I saw the light on in her room and assumed she was going to sleep, alright? I wasn't doing anything else."

"I believe you." Ignoring Rainbow Dash's disbelieving expression, Spirit said, "Come on Rainbow. We need to tell the Apples that we've got an extra guest for them."

*

Spirit, Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith and the manifestation sat around the fire as Spirit recounted what had happened in the Everfree Forest. While he spoke, everypony else was silent, only interrupting with relevant questions. The manifestation didn't speak at all until Apple Bloom asked him, "An' how are you feelin' now?"

The black pegasus looked at the filly's bright, curious face. He couldn't help but smile. "Much better, thank you." He glanced at Spirit, who nodded in agreement. "I wasn't sure you'd accept me so quickly," he continued. "Heck, I was positive you wouldn't accept me at all. Up until now, my short life has been nothing but darkness and fear, my own fear. I couldn't make out right from wrong. When we were sending our forces into Equestria after Spirit and Fang, I was chosen among the many hundreds of manifestations who were gathered for the sinful cause. After we arrived, we were split up by a temporal gust. I got stuck with a particularly temperamental manifestation—" He gestured to the locket, recently dubbed the Hogwarts Seal, which was lying beside Spirit "—who's strength granted him the power of the unicorns. By the way, I was the one who you met in the dreamscape, Spirit."

Spirit nodded again. "I thought so. Your cutie mark matches, although your eyes have changed since then. Probably on account of your change of heart."

"Which, I am glad to say, now exists," the pegasus said proudly. "After I saw the way my comrade-in-form was treating that mare back in the forest, I realized that it was wrong what he was doing and what we planned to do."

"Sounds like you've had a hard life," Rainbow acknowledged, taking a sip from her mug of hot cocoa.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said in agreement.

Spirit put a hoof around the manifestation. "But the important thing is that you're with us now and we'll help you learn how things should be and how you can help them."

"Thanks Spirit," the pegasus said.

"Jus' one more thing," Apple Bloom announced. Everypony stopped talking, waiting for her request.

"What is it, Apple Bloom?" Granny Smith asked. "Please make it snappy, Ah gots to git some sleep."

The yellow filly turned towards the manifestation. "What's your name?" she asked, as if it were a simple yes-or-no question.

The black pegasus gave Spirit a humored look, but the dark-blue unicorn shrugged. Raising his hoof for patience, the manifestation took a moment to come up with his answer. "We don't usually go by names, but..." He twisted his head and looked at his cutie mark. "If I'll be known as anything other than a manifestation, it should be... Silver Shade."

Apple Bloom and Rainbow Dash oohed and Big Mac nodded. "You've chosen a good name for yourself," Spirit said, impressed. "We'll call you Silver for short."

"Sure."

Granny Smith got up from the rocking chair with several loud creaks. "That's enough excitement fer one night. Off to bed with y'all, you 'specially Apple Bloom."

"Ah ain't tired," Apple Bloom yawned. "Ah just—" She didn't get any farther, owing to the fact that she'd fallen asleep.

Big Macintosh shook his head and scooped her up onto his back. He and Granny Smith left the room and went upstairs." You best get some sleep too," he called to the three ponies below.

"We will," Spirit replied.

After the Apples had disappeared upstairs, Rainbow said, "The night's been fun and all, but I'm tired from trying to follow you into the Everfree, Spirit."

"You what now?" the unicorn inquired, a disapproving expression stealing over his face.

"When you left, I tried to go after you, but a bolt of lightning struck some ten feet in front of me, right in the middle of the air, no conductors whatsoever," Rainbow explained with a huff as she settled on her bed.

"Must've been fate," Spirit said with a grin.

"Or just bad luck," Silver put in.

"Whatever it was, it convinced me to stay here," the mare complained. "You had me worried, Spirit. Don't do that again."

"It's okay, Rainbow Dash. Just try to get some sleep."

Rainbow lay down and threw the blanket over her. "Alright. 'Night, Spirit. 'Night, Silver."

"'Night, Rainbow," the two stallions replied.

Within minutes, Rainbow Dash was snuffling in her sleep. Silver climbed onto the couch as Spirit curled on his own mattress. "Do you really think I have a chance, Spirit?" Silver asked him. "Fitting in and all?"

"There's always a chance, Silver," he answered. "When the Princess agrees to see us, we'll see what we can do for you. Until then, you'll stick with me."

Silver folded in his wings. "I never had somepony looking out for me," he admitted sadly. "It feels good."

"That's what friendship is: looking out for one another."

"Hmm." Silver turned over to look Spirit as the fire behind the grate gradually burned down. "How do you think everypony else is doing?" he wondered.

Spirit shrugged beneath the covers. "I honestly have no idea. "I imagine they all took shelter somewhere in Ponyville."

"Hmm." Silver curled up on the couch and closed his grey, sparkling eyes. "Goodnight, Spirit."

"Goodnight, Silver."

With both pegasi asleep, Spirit began to ponder his thoughts in peace. But he couldn't focus with his thoughts always going bringing up concern for his friends around town. They're fine, he reassured himself, reciting one last prayer before drifting off. Just think of the nice, quiet things they did this evening.

*

Rarity frowned as Applejack prepared to buck the log in Twilight's window. Applejack looked over apologetically, lifted the log in her mouth, then dropped it out the window. Content, Rarity looked down at herself and trembled. "I look awful," she muttered frightfully. Her struggle to help remove the tree from Twilight's bedroom had left her coat thoroughly muddied.

Applejack stroked her chin thoughtfully. Then an idea came to her. She collected a pair of sliced cucumbers from the table and slipped them onto Rarity's eyes. "Better?" she asked.

The white unicorn was slightly taken-aback by the farmpony's actions, but smiled. "Thanks." The two mares embraced, each one happy to have been able to assist in fixing the mess they'd inadvertently caused together.

Twilight looked up from her book-search for a way to get rid of the tree that was no longer there. "Oh, pretty!" she exclaimed as she beheld the topiary Rarity had made from the tree. "Where did these come from?" Then she gasped. "They're not in the book either."

*

"Come on, Mr. Bear. It's time to go to sleep."

"Angel, come back here!"

"Now you just get nice and warm in you beds, little birds. The storm won't hurt you."

Fluttershy was bursting with joy. At first, the storm had frightened her more than her animal friends, but then when she found Spike, Fang and Pinkie wandering around outside in the rain, she'd quickly welcomed them in. They'd spent the evening comforting one another, telling stories and basically having a great time. Now they were helping her put all the animals to sleep, as it was way passed their bedtime.

Mr. Bear complained, but Pinkie was persistent. "No arguing, it's late and you need your rest," the earth pony said sternly. Mr. Bear gave in and curled up by the fire.

Spike tried in vain to catch Angel, who was hopping wildly back and forth around the cottage, finally causing the dragon to slam into the table. Angel thought he'd escaped, but was instantly caught by Fang, who had finished putting the birds to sleep. "Come now, Angel," he said soothingly to the bunny. "You need your shuteye if you want to be ready for tomorrow. I head Fluttershy was taking you all on a picnic." He glanced over at the shy pegasus, who nodded in confirmation. "You don't want to be tired for a picnic, now do you?"

Angel didn't need anymore encouragement. He hopped into his indoor bed and was soon snoring. Spike rose to his feet and frowned at the bunny. "That little furball has it in for me," Spike grumbled.

Fang squeezed the younger dragon's shoulder. "Moping about it won't change the facts. C'mon Spike. Fluttershy and Pinkie are going to bed and you need your rest as much as anyone here."

"Okay." The two dragons climbed the stairs to the next floor of the cottage, where the ponies were already preparing beds for the guests. But Fang couldn't help but wonder what Spirit and Twilight must have been doing that evening. I bet they both had a blast.

Author's Note:

Oops
This came out a bit longer than I expected

Comments

[Ink Sword]

Not bad.