Disharmony

by ItchyStomach

Chapter nine: Reunion

Life seems like breeze when the poor pony doesn't have to put up with an aching leg and can carry two saddlebags worth of books with ease. The day was bright and the future was promising: he was going to get a promising job, Silver was expected to turn up soon, and he could wrap up his little investigation without problems. It was a fun ride while it lasted, but it was never supposed to be more than a temporary diversion.

After taking back the books he had checked out from the library Coal choose the wide pedestrian street as his route home to enjoy himself. He barely paid any mind to the white pony trotting in his direction along with many others who were strolling about in the sunlight. Only when Coal stepped aside to avoid collision and the other mirrored the movement did he look at the unicorn closer who had a deep blue mane, wore a light jacked and a wide grin.

“Silver…?"

The unicorn nodded and stopped just before the surprised earth pony.

"'Sup, Coal. How's it going?"

While Coal was busy wrapping his head around the event Silver used the time to look the earth pony over.

"Looking good. I see you're out of your bandages?"

"Yeah... Uhm, you know, I didn't expect... Well, I did, but..."

"You got my message, then? I was hoping you would. I didn't really trust that librarian girl."

"...I did get it, yes." Once over the initial shock, Coal smiled back. "Were you stalking me?"

Silver shrugged. "So to speak. I did a little look around and asked some ponies what were you interested in, and it turns out the exact same thing I told you not to. Next time I'll make you a banner, too."

Silver didn't know about the other warnings, Coal realized, but seeing him was too good to ruin his mood.

"Well, yes, I figured it was harmless just to read some books, since it's not against the law or anything. What are you doing here?”

Silver shook his head and turned halfway around, as if wanting to leave. "Thing I wish I didn’t have to. I didn't know anything while back at the station, but the circumstances have changed in the last few days, and I have a few things to say."

Coal frowned. The unicorn was serious under that cheerful mask. "What do you mean?"

"Your home is not far, right?"

"No, but what are you-"

"Leave the way, please, we’re late as it is.”

Coal took the lead while looking at Silver with a raised eyebrow which the unicorn dismissed with a little shake of the head.

During the few minutes of walking they didn't say a word and Coal felt a bad feeling getting stronger and stronger inside him. He tried not to think about the gloomy scenarios his mind began to brush up, about the necklace, the station, the zoo, and the diamond dog. He closed the door behind Silver and freed himself from his bags, waiting for the unicorn to say something.

"Nice place..."Silver remarked under his breath while looking around, then turned to the still-standing earth pony.

"Listen, Coal. I know we haven't known each other for too long..."

Here we go, Coal thought.

"... but I think I can call you a friend and as such, I feel a degree of responsibility towards you. You have to stop whatever you're doing and leave this place for the near future. I've been talking to ponies and... Well, you are kind of in trouble."

"Huh?"

"When I wrote that you shouldn't pursue this necklace thing I didn't have a proper reason to go back it up, but now I do. I guess I could've been more convincing, but back then I had other things on my mind. Haven't you seen anything suspicious lately? Somebody watching you or something?"

Immediately, a list of events popped into his mind and he looked at Silver with fear he couldn't properly hide. The unicorn picked it up in a second.

"So you have seen something. Has anybody asked what you were looking for in the library?"

Coal cleared his throat. "No, not really... I only spoke with a few ponies since I arrived back, but they weren't... Okay, they were clearly hiding something and I'm not sure if it concerned me since they all were very cryptic."

"What were you talking about with them?"

"What I was doing in Ponyville and such."

Silver frowned and Coal was quick to go on. "Sorry that I didn't take your or the others' advice seriously enough. What do you know about that danger? What did I do wrong?"

"What do you mean by others? Was I not the only one to warn you?"

"No, but you were the first. There were two others since then, ponies I just met."

"But it wasn't enough for you." To Coal's reluctant nod, he facehoofed. "Why do I even bother...?" He shook his head. "Okay, I didn't expect this. It's a miracle you're still free."

"All right, I screwed up, but... A miracle? What do you mean?"

"I mean you are in danger." He looked around and his eyes stopped on a clock. "I think we still have enough time. Pack the necklace and the stuff you found and follow me. We're going on hoof for a while, you're only gonna need the most necessary things."

"Hold on. What am I running from? Why do I need to escape?"

"I'll explain later. Now do as I say, please!"

"But..."

"Do you want to be thrown into jail for violating royal taboos?"

"What?"

"Do it!"

They were silent for a very long second before Silver's expression softened. "Please, Coal, trust me. I have heard things that you obviously don't know about. You need to leave this place before things get out of hoof. Besides..." A smile appeared on his muzzle. "You promised me you'd go on an adventure with me in case this thing turns out to be exciting, as a form of payment."

The memory broke his gloomy mood and Coal smiled too. Inside him the questions still boiled, but his reluctance for really believing Silver’s claims was losing strength.

The two of them left the apartment about five minutes later, Coal wearing his saddlebags with the necklace, his notes and some other stuff and Silver his thin jacket. The unicorn went ahead, eying the completely ordinary street, then took off to the right and Coal followed him. After several minutes of undisturbed fast paced walking behind the unicorn he quickened his steps to catch up to Silver.

"I don't see anything..." He told the unicorn.

"I don't either, but that doesn't mean anything. Just keep on going."

Coal fell back. The whole case didn't seem plausible now, in the afternoon sunshine, amongst random ponies walking around, seemingly trouble-free. He trusted Silver to a degree, but this might be a little over-the-top. He refrained from giving sound to his doubts, though. Even if it turned out to be false alarm, he could still turn around and continue on with his life, with his new job...

He almost missed a turn Silver took unexpectedly as he was thinking about the new assignment which he was supposed to begin the next day, and failing to check in in time would probably ban him from the team. Whatever this thing was about, it had to end by the evening.

After a while Silver made another turn and Coal realized where they were headed. The familiar shape of a chariot station's front emerged from the distance, making Coal uneasy again. If they were to leave now, he will have to commit himself to Silver's plan.

"Uhm, Silver?" he asked and the unicorn looked at him. "Do you want to leave right now?"

"Yes, if possible. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just..."

"Coal, is it important or not?"

"I got an opportunity for a good job which I have to start by tomorrow and I can't do that if I'm not in the city."

Silver furrowed his eyebrows and slowed his pace a bit. "What kind of job?"

"Source evaluation for the royal archives, basically. For Prince Blueblood."

"Just lovely," Silver murmured and sped up again. "It's probably a trap. Even if they do want you to work for them they just want to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't poke around in... tender places. And if you do, they can seize you on sight."

"Do you even have proof for all of your claims?"

Silver shook his head. "Nothing tangible, but they explain everything. Think about the past week and what sort of strange things happened. Now, I'm gonna find us a pair of wheels. Don’t fall far behind.”

The building had a fairly busy traffic which was good news and a small number of royal guards who didn't look at them twice and their presence clearly bothered Silver. The unicorn quickly found the way to the small carts' stands then to the puller ponies themselves. Coal watched Silver talk with several of them until he settled for one who was willing to do custom routes with non-scheduled departs. If he noticed Silver's glances at the guards he didn't mention it, but didn't help Coal's concerns. Was he just being dragged into doing something illegal?

A bit of a commotion disturbed the station as a big chariot arrived, along with four royal guard pegasi. The cart was pulled by two ponies just like the one Coal had traveled, but this one had long scratches along its side and one of the wheels was also damaged. The ponies ahead of it looked wary as well. Six occupants left the cart swiftly with the aid of one guard while the other questioned the puller ponies and a third examined the marks. Silver went back to talking but moved so that his face was hidden by a column and signaled Coal to do the same.

"What happened with that thing?" Coal asked after he stepped closer to the two of them, motioning to the cart.

The puller pony shrugged. "Another attack, I guess. Those diamond dogs are getting violent." He turned to Silver. "So, three hundred in two parts?"

Silver frowned and nodded reluctantly. "Do you have your money with you?" He asked Coal.

"Sure, but I don't have much."

"You'll get it back, don't worry."

"If you say so... Where are we going?"

"A bit far, but to a nice place. I know someone there who I want to meet." He didn't notice the guard who slowly circled the column and was looking over the white unicorn. Coal was about to clear his throat when the guard spoke, making Silver jump.

"Excuse me, sir, do you happen to be working at the Ponyville Chariot Station by any chance?"

Silver took control of himself. "Sorry, I don't. Is there something wrong?"

"I have to inform you that you match a description of a suspect who committed crimes in the near past there.

Silver shot Coal a "can you believe this?" sort of look.

"It must be a coincidence, sir," He said with all the confidence of an innocent. "I haven't left this city for over four months now, let alone commit crimes so far away."

A second guard joined the first. "We will have to ask you, sir, to follow us for a quick talk. If what you say is true, you are free to go in two minutes."

Silver hesitated, and it made Coal worried. What was he hiding?

"Fine," he said eventually. He lit his horn, lifted a book from Coal's saddlebags and turned to the puller pony, who raised an eyebrow. What none of them saw was the tightening straps of the bags around Coal's body.

"By the way, this is the book I was talking about. It's yours until I come back, all right?"

The pony reached for the book by instinct but before he could touch it a quick flash of white magic propelled the book towards to the guards' heads, knocking both of them to the column.

"Run!"

Silver's cry wasn't enough to break Coal's confusion so the unicorn magically tugged him along. Silver released him after they cleared the entrance and Coal has found his hoofing. Behind them they heard shouts and wings flapping, then more barked orders and galloping. Coal didn't risk a look back, he concentrated on following the tight turns Silver was making.

They left the main street and entered an alley, littered with trash. Silver slalomed between them with ease, but Coal already felt his injury. He had tons of questions but put them aside for later and made sure he didn't miss a step and fall. They sped down several small and big streets, dodging pedestrians and other obstacles. He had to admit, as much as the whole thing was scary and confusing, it was pretty exciting.

Soon Silver slowed down and they stopped in another alley so Silver could catch his breath. Coal was panting too, but the adrenalin soaring through his system didn't want to him stop and he was ready to go in short order. The unicorn peered around the corner then slumped down on the ground, put his back to the wall and hung his head.

"Damn, running is hard." He cleared sweat from his forehead. "I don't see them coming, I think we're good. The safe place is not far from here."

"Safe place?"

"Yes, one of my buddy's bar. He can hide us until we figure out a plan."

"Lead the way then, boss."

The unicorn looked up at him, with a smile sitting on the corner of his mouth. "Do I hear enjoyment?"

Some more galloping later they entered a place titled "The Ruffled Feather", which made Coal take a double take. The interior was similar to that other bar, except that the smell of alcohol was replaced by the smell of food and quality food at that, judging by the contents of the places in front of the few costumers. Silver exchanged some hushed words with a waiter who opened a door labeled "Staff" for them and they all went inside. The waiter led them through a short corridor to an unlabeled door and said, "Mr. Frosting will be with you in a moment. Please don't break anything."

The two stallions stood in a fairly big living room with bookshelves and tables and even glass bottles on the shelves. Silver hummed in appreciation.

"Better than I imagined. How do you find it?"

"Cozy," Coal said, working on easing the straps.

"Right, sorry." Silver took hold of the straps and loosened their grip. "Sorry about the rough depart and this madness. You're in quite a good shape for a bookworm, though. You're barely panting."

Coal didn't tell him about his heart trying to leap out through his chest and the ocean of sweat under his saddlebags. He flexed his legs to ease the strain. "Years of running and a little martial arts. I don't actually live in the library, in contrary to what most ponies think."

"I can see that. By the way, when did you take the bandages off? Are you safe to run this soon?"

"A couple days ago. It still hurts a little but I will manage."

"Lucky for us, I have to say. You're a little harder to recognize this way."

Coal raised an eyebrow but Silver wasn't looking at him. He was avoiding the questions Coal had in mind, but the earth pony didn't plan to let them remain unanswered.

"Oh, right, almost forgot. Here is your book of distraction." Silver floated the book he'd smacked the guards with in front of himself to take a look at the title. "Wait, what is this?"

It was a study on magical theory, a part of a series of textbooks, primarily used in magic high schools. This volume detailed the basics of the magical properties of certain gemstone and crystal types, sort of an introduction to the inner workings of the storages Coal has been interested for quite some time.

"What are you reading, Coal? Are you hiding a horn under your mane?"

Coal took the book and tried to hide his awkward grin. "No... It's just interesting."

"Yeah, for someone who's been into this stuff for years, not for someone, who started it two weeks ago. Do you even understand what it says?"

"Some things, yes. I'm already familiar with the basic principles of magical currents, charges and their ambient and more direct presence in non-unicorn races, especially earth ponies. This book details how to insert enchantments into conductive objects like gemstones then trigger them without a direct spell, like with a magical storage. I can't effectively do the spells themselves, but I can explain some of the mechanics and in theory, and I can operate a storage with a fair bit of confidence."

Silver was really entertaining to watch as he collected his jaw from the floor.

"I'll be damned. You and practical magic? And that's what you call a necessary item when running away? What other crap did you bring?"

Coal shuddered at the insult. "You told me to hurry and I didn't know what was going on, so I grabbed a book I was in the middle of at the time. For me it was important."

Silver caught himself with visible effort.

"Where are we, anyway?" Coal said after some silence. "Why were the guard all over you?"

"We are in one of my friend's restaurant. We've both made favors for each other and I trust him well enough. We should make plans for the near future while we can, though."

"And the guards?"

"A setup. Certain people in the station decided that I will be the one to blame on the accident in the zoo."

"When the barn disappeared?"

"Yes. I guess I don't have to fill you in with that."

"Did you have a hoof in it at all?" Coal watched Silver closely to see if the unicorn was lying, but the answer surprised him.

"The problem is, I kinda did. I had to make some adjustments on the console, while two other workers rigged it to malfunction on purpose, so it seems like I've done it. For what I know, I might be the one who triggered it, even if with a different purpose."

"I'm... sorry to hear that."

"Thanks... Anyway, if you don't mind there is someone I need the help of but he doesn't live in Canterlot. I also want to take a look in the Ponyville ruins at some point, which I suppose you do too."

Coal nodded.

"Okay. We're gonna need to find a chariot or something to get there since it's a bit far."

"What's wrong with the train?"

"It's not the best means of getting away silently, you know. Puller ponies are much more discrete. They're also more expensive, but I suppose we're willing to roll with that. Just hope they keep themselves to their word. After that it's to the ruins. After that, I don't know yet."

"How are we going to get into Ponyville? I don't have my permit anymore."

A grin spread across Silver's face. "That's what I need my friend for."

The door creaked open and the both looked at the incomer, a chubby earth pony stallion with a very cupcake-like manestyle and little spoons for a cutie mark.

"Coal, this is Salty Frosting. Salty, this is Coal Shelter."

"Slitter..."

Silver looked at him. "Really? Huh."

"It's a pleasure," Salty Frosting said then turned to the unicorn. "What have you done now, Silver?"

"Some guards think I'm a criminal, that's all."

"I don't blame them."

"Very funny. Thanks for the hiding spot, though. I promise, we'll be out as soon as we can."

"Where do you want to go?"

Coal listened closely. He was curious now much Silver wanted the pony to know.

"To a little place called Cloud Cover. It's just under Cloudsdale, a nice little town." He glanced at Coal when saying the name, but he wasn't sure what Silver meant this time. Did he want to go that far to talk to that friend of his?

"Why?"

"Do you really want to know?"

The owner grinned. "That's a cheap trick. Do you need any food before you go? I have awesome soups."

"Oh, yes, please," Coal said immediately.

"No, thank you. We don't really have the time for that."

"I didn't see anybody chasing us here." Coal said. "Why do you think they're still hot on our tail?"

"I don't have evidence," Silver was holding back his temper, but some of it crept into his voice. "I just know both you and me are wanted right now. I'm going to explain everything once we're on safe grounds."

"You keep saying that." Coal fought back. "Why can't you say at least one thing now?"

"One thing?" Silver stared at him and Coal wasn't as sure of himself as a second ago. "How about the librarian who told me what books you checked out? Turned out she was an agent. When I went there myself I detected listening spells all around the section you had been working in. Do you know who put those spells there? I'll lend you a clue. My contact told me that a royal order said to follow a specific brown earth pony with a white bandage around, to get a chance to expose him. You were so oblivious you even ignored what that other pony told you? Hazel Crunch? He's in close relations with the royals, he choose that other place because he didn't want any of them listening on what he wanted to say, but guess what, he was wrong. I know he was there with you, and you can bet your precious book they know too."

Coal and the owner stared at Silver as he finished his rant, but with very different feelings.

"How exciting!" Salty Frosting said, clapping his hoof to the floor a few times. "As much as I enjoy a squabble I have to ask you to decide whether you want to stay or leave, preferably before any guard tries to poke his head in here."

"We're leaving," Silver stated and levitated a coin from his pocket. "Give him a sandwich to munch on."

"Very well," the owner said, taking the money. "I'll have someone to bring it up."

Silver let out a deep breath after the door closed behind the chubby unicorn. "Oh, boy.... Sorry about that, Coal, I guess I'm a little nervous."

Coal stared before himself, his head swirling with thoughts. The situation he found himself in the middle of was very confusing, he saw that he had to alter his mindset about the whole thing. And he did need help.

He saw Silver step closer and he lifted his head to meet the unicorn's eyes.

"I guess you're right," he murmured. "The stuff you say does explain things. I was too careless."

The unicorn nodded. "I didn't want to dump it on you all in one piece. I've never had to do this escape thing with someone else before, so we're both on unfamiliar grounds."

"You've done this before?"

"Yup... But now we have to move. We head to the train station, then to Cloud Cover. Okay?"

Silver smiled, but couldn't lift Coal's spirit. "Got it," he said flatly.

***

Starry Wind closed the door behind her then pulled a small bag from under her wing to put it on the kitchen table.

"I think I got everything you asked for. We're still gonna need a few extra things, though, I hope we won't be weighted down too bad. Do you want to come to get the tickets?"

When she saw her friend standing in the doorway to the bedroom she knew there was trouble.

"Oh, dear... What is it? Did something happen?"

The elderly pegasus shook her head. "Nothing. At least... not now."

Starry hurried to her. "Bad memories?"

"No, not that bad. Just confusing."

"All right, tell me, then. Maybe I can help."

The yellow pegasus hesitated, as she usually did. "It's about the library," she admitted.

Starry took a big breath and reminded herself to be patient. This was a topic her friend has been avoiding since Starry found her alone at the library, despite Starry's frequent efforts to bring it up.

"You've been awfully quiet about that. What happened there?"

"I saw..."

"Yes?"

"I saw a pony. I thought he was familiar. He was like... He reminded me of Twilight."

"That Twilight?"

"Yes, her. He was like when I saw it in the castle the first time."

"What? What do you mean?"

She glanced at her with cyan eyes then looked at the floor again. "My element."

"You saw the element on that pony?" Starry asked incredulously.

"No, I didn't see it, but I felt it. Like it was in the room, with that pony. At least I think it was him, he saw me and I flew away quickly. I felt like that first time. It was calling for me. I think..."

"Okay..." Starry had no idea what she was talking about. She knew what the Elements of Harmony meant to her friend, and if a random pony affected her friend in such way she had to go out there and get the bottom of it. Almost nobody knew where the remaining necklaces were hidden and nobody was searching for either them or any of the bearers, or at least not with good intentions. It was a thing of the past and outside of the common people's knowledge, but not long ago there was one ordinary pony who talked about them.

"Listen..." she began, ideas coming to her one after another. "Did you know that pony?"

"I haven't seen him before."

"What did he look like?"

The yellow pegasus thought about it. "He was brown. Brown coat and mane, and I think he didn't have a horn, buy I'm not sure. Other than that... Well, he was very tired..."

So far it was a possible match, but it was still too vague.

"Anything else? Glasses? Cutie mark? Weird clothes?"

The yellow pony's eyes lit up. "Oh, yes. His leg was white. I mean, his leg was maybe injured and he had bandages. I didn't see his cutie mark, though. I'm sorry."

Starry smiled, then frowned. The elderly pony waited patiently while the gray pegasus re-checked her own memories. It fit the pony who was so busy trying to get to her, she clearly remembered the bandages and the limp he walked with. She also recalled how scared she was when he asked about harmony and Twilight Sparkle out of the blue, but she lost track of him when the barn disappeared and she went to see Violet. Since then she thought about him a few times, and in hindsight he didn't seem as threatening as back then. She had to be cautious, of course, but he seemed just like an average guy but with peculiar knowledge, and if he did have something her friend sensed from far away, he was probably worth paying a visit. The problem was, he had clearly not been living in the station. But if her friend saw him in Canterlot recently, he could be still here.

"Did he do something to scare you?" Starry asked.

"No, I just got scared when he looked at me and I ran away. I'm sorry I can't help more. I only told you because you were so interested about it, and I don't know if she was a bad pony. Was he, Starry?"

That was a question still needed to be answered.

"I don't think he was, actually. I'll try and find him and ask him about... what he was doing in there. You said you sensed him... I mean the element from far away?"

"I did. I'm sorry I can't explain it better, Starry, but... "

"It's all right, you don't have to. I don't think you went crazy, dear." She smiled to lighten the mood. "Thank you for telling me all this. It was very helpful."

The old pegasus smiled back, but her smile was tainted by concern. Starry comforted her with a hug, in her head already making plans on how to track the peculiar pony down, also while preparing the departure of the two of them. They had two and a half days left, after that they planned to join the rescue group sent to bring back the missing ponies from the backfired teleportation spell. Maybe if she spent more time around the library and the train and the chariot station she would get lucky.

She spent the next day planning, rushing about to get everything they could need, and spending time watching the library and the chariot station. Since no train went to Ponyville anymore she didn't think he would be at the railway, given that he even planned to return to the town. Her friend also needed her occasional help during the day which rendered efforts to keep a constant eye at any of those locations impossible. She had to trust her luck, but she couldn't plan anything on it. The few strangers she asked didn't see such pony either.

Seeing the two stallions race down the street happened during the last day of their stay in Canterlot and was during while she was flying through the city. She saw them run in her direction, but didn't pay them any particular mind until she saw the pony following the white unicorn in the front. He was a non-descriptive all-brown earth pony but he seemed familiar, and when they got closer she realized why. She hesitated only a second before turning around.

The white one looked back from time to time as if looking for pursuers but she saw nothing behind them, not even from her aerial viewpoint. They stopped once in an alley and she dropped down so the pedestrians hid her, then continued on hoof.

Her hope took a blow when they disappeared in a restaurant and stayed in there for a very long time. She took up position a little further up the street, mimicking a casual pony waiting for something mundane, but she knew she would have to go home eventually. They could have used a back door or something, even a good disguise that she missed didn't seem too far-fetched.

Her patience paid off, however, and she let them put a good distance between them and her as they made their way away from the city center. She saw the brown pony glance her way once but she saw no sign of recognition. The two ponies' pace eventually slowed from a gallop to a fast walk and they generally seemed more relaxed than before. She still had no idea what they had been fleeing from and why. She didn't want to anything bad happen to her... well, target.

She saw the train station's building further away and when she was certain they were heard there she flapped her wings and flew past them to wait near the entrance. She didn't have a plan on how to catch him, so she stood behind the big door and waited for them to catch up and maybe hear what they were talking about. Her colors hid her somewhat in the shadow, and when the two stallions went past her neither of them looked at her direction. They were out of her sight moment later, and she could hear them talking.

"I thought you said you trusted him."

"If you recall, I said I trusted him enough. That doesn't..."

Their sounds were getting muffled. She carefully stepped onto the street and tried to be as quiet as possible as she crept after them.

"...he could still tell it someone, even unintentionally. I can't have that risk." It was the white unicorn talking, hushed and confident.

"I get it," the brown pony said, "it's just I can't really tell if you are serious in a given situation." He spoke with more certainty than she remembered and she swayed in her faith, but this had to be that pony.

"You'll get used to it," the white one grinned at the other.

"I suppose... But are you sure they lost our track? They really wanted to get you back there."

"I don't know, but running around in a place like this won't help us. Just keep a low profile and let me handle it all. We need a train and fast."

"Okay. You know, I was thinking... On my way here they checked my bag. They didn't react to the necklace too strangely but it got me worried. Won't be we stopped again if we try to leave?"

She was focusing on their words so much she almost missed the earth pony pulling an apple cart across the street. The stranger remarked something under his breath, to what the white pony glanced back but turned forward again. She let more distance build up after them.

"Yes, I suppose that's right. Hmm... I think we could bribe the conductor or someone to hide it while the train is checked."

The brown pony shook his head. "I have some money, but I was planning on this new job so it's not much."

"That's a shame, 'cause I barely have enough for the tickets. We're gonna need to make a change or two to get to Cloud Cover." The unicorn stopped and so did the earth pony and Starry. The latter was still with his back to her, but the white pony could now see her so she improvised and choose to inspect a billboard with departure times.

"Not to mention Ponyville. We'll need a chariot too," the earth pony added.

So they were going into that place, after all.

"Let's not think too much ahead. First we need to get out of here."

There was a short silence and when the white unicorn talked again she had to strain her ears to catch the words.

"That thing is magical, right?"

"Yes..."

"Could you use it to get money or free tickets or something?"

"I don't think so that's how it works."

"How do you know? I know you read about it but have you actually tried doing something with it?"

"I touched it once, but all I saw were a series of random images and it made me lost track of time, and I couldn't make it to do anything practical."

He saw visions? Did he put on the necklace? She wondered if they even knew what they had.

"Crap..." the unicorn remarked. ”We'll figure something out, then. First we should see when the next train leaves. Help me find a timetable."

Before she could react they turned to the same board she was staring at. She took a step back, but the unicorn was looking at her.

"Can we help you?" He asked with clear annoyance.

"Sorry," She flattened her ears and grinned, "I was just... you know... reading..."

The unicorn stepped closer and she backtracked some more, but he merely looked at the timetable. The other pony obviously recognized her, though.

"Starry?"

"Hmm?" the unicorn turned his head and saw how they were looking at each other. He spun around.

"Wait. Who's this, Coal?"

"She's... She's the filly from the zoo, who I wanted to talk with, I think."

"Is she? And why is she following us in Canterlot?"

"I don't think she was. Don't frighten her, please."

She cleared her throat to get their attention. "I have been kinda following you for the past half an hour or so, to be honest... Sorry about that."

"Great. Let me guess, you want to talk to little Coal here as well."

He obviously meant it as a joke and was surprised when she nodded.

"It won't take long, Silver," The brown stallion, Coal, assured his friend.

The pony called Silver eyed her with suspicion.

"She is not part of the royal guards, I'm sure," Coal pressed on. "I've talked with her already in the zoo, although she wasn't this forthcoming back then... But she's not here to arrest us or turn us in."

She hoped she heard that last part wrong. The unicorn was fitting for a criminal, but she didn't want to believe that the pony who showed knowledge about the elements was one.

Silver contemplated Coal's testament. "If you end up in hoof-cuffs I want the right to say I told you so, straight in your face."

Coal smiled. "We'll be quick, I promise."

The white unicorn gestured them to begin, then scanned the streets with a quick spell. She would have preferred him to be away from them, but it was better than nothing.

"So," she began, trying to sum up the important things quickly. "I want to say that I know how I acted in the station, but since then I thought about it and realized you weren't there to cause trouble or something, but I didn't know who you were and why do you know about the necklaces and harmony and all, and I still don't... But I know you were in the library in the past few days, an even though I don't know what you were doing there, I have a good guess, and if that's true, I can probably help you with that." She saw Silver still had his suspicious expression on, but now Coal shared it too.

"You knew I was the library?" Coal asked. "Were you spying on me too?"

"What...? No, I wasn't. Why? Who was spying on you?"

Coal opened his mouth but Silver was faster. "Don't tell her anything, Coal." He turned to her. "How can you prove you're on our side?"

She wasn't sure what he meant by their side, but she guessed she knew the circumstances well enough to hazard a guess. "If I was, would I be here instead of calling them?"

"You could be here simply to stall us until they arrive," Silver countered.

"But... Okay. Coal, you believe me, right? But even if you don't..." She had an idea. "Listen. You do have a necklace with a big pink balloon, right?"

"Actually, it's a butterfl..." He stopped, too late.

She fluttered her wings. "I knew it! You had it with you in the library, hadn't you?"

"Well... Yes, but not all the time."

"What are you getting at?" Silver asked, taking a step closer.

"For you to believe me I'm with you! I can tell you about the elements, even Twilight Sparkle, if you want. I understand you don't have enough time and neither do I, but I need help and so do you. Hear me out, and decide if I'm worth your time."

The two stallions exchanged a look.

"I believe you," Coal said, his voice still somewhat unsure, "but I'm afraid we'll have to postpone it. We have to get out of Canterlot right now."

"Definitely," Silver said and he lit his horn to scan the street again. "If you can write it down, all right. If you can't, come with us for a while. You can fly back once you're done."

She felt the opportunity slipping away. She couldn't leave now. "It's not that simple, this stuff is too sensitive to just write it down. We need a place and enough time." She watched with growing fear as Silver nudged Coal towards the building. "You said you saw visions? I can explain them!"

The unicorn groaned as Coal stopped to look back at her. "You know about that?"

"I heard you say it. I didn't want to eavesdrop, but the point is, I know... I think I know what you might've seen."

"Coal, we've gotta go."

Coal looked at the unicorn then back at her. "I want to hear it, but we can't stay much longer." He frowned and in her eyes she saw sincere apology. "I've made enough mistakes not focusing on the right things.”

"No, wait!" She flapped her wings and cut in front of them. "I need your help, Coal!"

Silver's horn flared and she was knocked to the side by the unicorn's magic, her side hitting the wall painfully. Looking up from the ground she saw Coal's eyes widen then had to close her eyes and focus on getting air back into her lungs. She heard Coal's protests but she couldn't make out the words, and the sound of their voices faded away. When she looked around there were unfamiliar ponies standing around her in a loose circle with uncertain and worrying expressions, none of them offering her a hoof. The scene attracted the attention of two guards who came in from the other direction where Coal and Silver left and loosened the crowd, with little effort. Minor big city commotions never lived long.

Starry saw them coming and made her best effort to blend in and not showing her pain on her face. She was able to slip out the door unnoticed and took into the air to return home, but her aching side forced her back on the ground. She stood in a doorway, frowning in concern. Coal was too good an opportunity just to let him disappear. If he managed to uncover something which in turn brought the royals' anger upon him, he probably was on the right side, so to speak. If only she knew exactly what they were running from, and why the unicorn reacted to her with such animosity.

A smile formed on her lips. She couldn't write and mail to them what she had to say, but she didn't necessarily have to write everything down. She trotted back into the building and headed to the nearest kiosk.

"Excuse me, could you give me a pen and a piece of paper?"

***

Silver pushed Coal behind the large trashcan near a kiosk, where the two stallions took up a hiding spot. Coal saw a pair of guards hurry the other direction, otherwise the station’s interior was mostly empty. The couple of ponies walking by gave them weird looks, but no one bothered them.

“I think we’re okay for the moment,” Silver said. “Stick to me, I know where to go next.”

Coal growled. “Your plan was to hurt that filly so we can slip out?”

The unicorn gave Coal a look. “Of course not. She was merely a possible threat.”

“No, she wasn’t!” Coal flicked Silver’s hoof away. “She was just trying to help us, and you pushed her aside like a rug.” He tried to step out from behind the trashcan but Silver pulled him back.

“Coal, don’t. I’m not hiding here because I’m bored.”

“I don’t care. I want to help her. She might be hurt.”

“She’s fine. She’s just standing there… now she flew off. See? That’s strange, though... I thought the guards would question her or something.”

“She’s gone? " Coal managed to peer above the trashcan." Are you sure?”

“Yes, and there are no guards either. Now we have to wait until the area is clear, and we can make a rush to the exit."

Coal slumped down. "And where is that?”

Silver pointed a hoof to their left. “Out the side door then through the street to the perimeter. There we catch a cart and shot for Cloud Cover.”

“Wait.” Coal looked at him. “Cloud Cover? You really want to go there?”

“Of course,” Silver said matter-of-factly. “It’s a nice place this time of year, not to mention a pony there who will lend us a helping hoof. I think you’ll like him.” He grinned at the earth pony and whispered, “He has a library.”

Coal was too upset to make a comment. “I thought you wanted to throw that restaurant pony off of our trail.”

“I do. That’s why we aren’t going there on a straight line.”

“So you do have a plan.”

Silver feigned surprise. “Why do you sound surprised?”

Coal shook his head. “I just don’t like being dragged along wherever you want to go. I can make plans as well.”

“But I make better ones.” Silver didn't wait for a response. “We take the scenic route. Let's hope the guards' coordination isn't better than I think it is." He frowned and his horn glowed for a second. “Wait a minute… I think they’re heading this way now…”

Coal strained his ears. Four hooves hit the ground just not far from them as a pegasus landed and asked something, but it wasn't the voice of a buck.

“Excuse me, could you give me a pen and a piece of paper?”

It was definitely her. Coal broke out of Silver’s hold and stood up. Starry was busy writing something with a pen held in her mouth and didn’t notice him right away. Coal felt Silver grab his hind legs to pull him back, but he stood firm. The noise of the struggle made Starry glance their way, and her eyes widened.

“Coal? I thought…” She looked around. “Is that unicorn still here…?”

“Yes,” Coal said. “Are you okay? I saw him push you aside just like that...”

“I’m fine, thank you. It's not the first time I've been handled roughly, to be honest."

Coal wanted to say something but Silver began dragging him away with more force than seemed necessary. Coal looked behind the unicorn to see four guard ponies trotting their way fast. Coal looked at Silver, then Starry, and set his own plan into motion. He leaned close to the gray pegasus’s ear. “We'll be at the perimeter chariot station. We're leaving today to the east. Can you make it?" Not having time to wait for a reply from the stunned filly he galloped after Silver, who was already halfway across the hall.

The guards spread out to cover the hall behind them. Silver looked back at Coal and there was something in his eyes Coal couldn't interpret. White magic flashed across the interior coupled with a loud crack and when Coal opened his eyes he had closed instinctively, the unicorn was nowhere to be seen.

The rhythm of his running broke and he staggered for a second as he looked around for the unicorn. The guards ordered him to halt but he kept on going, the primary objective of getting into safety overriding the fear of the possibility that Silver had deserted him. A second later another flash of light cast jagged shadows across the floor and he looked back again, but only saw Starry's stunned form in the distance and the guards much closer. One of them spread his wings to cut him off in the wide space on the hall. Coal frantically scanned the space ahead of him and choose a slightly ajar door a few yards away as his destination.

The door hit the wall behind with a loud bang as he stormed through it with the pegasus at his tail. The narrow corridor offered little area to dodge the guards but at least it took their flight away. He ran through the sharp turns with little of slowing down, using the walls to redirect him momentum into new directions. The pain in his shoulders grew but he was too busy concentrating on not to fall to really mind it. He passed several doors but couldn’t read the small signs, dodged some buckets and boxes scattered on the floor, looking back at a turn once. The space behind him was empty as far as he could see, and the only things he heard were the thudding of his heart, the wheezing of his lungs and his own hooves hitting the linoleum floor. In the back of his head he had found it strange that none of the doors opened at the sound of someone running past them at high speeds but he was mostly glad he didn’t have to deal with suddenly opening doors in his way.

He slowed his pace to a trot and struggled not to hyperventilate while looking back and forth the corridor for any sign of possible means of escape. He realized he had no idea where he was or how long the corridor stretched or when Silver was going to show up if ever, or what would happen if he got caught. He assumed the unicorn had his own plan which he didn’t share with Coal, and that plan could have included teleporting away and leaving the other to his fate… No, that certainly wasn't it. Silver had to be more loyal than that.

Behind him the sound of galloping was audible again and he urged his limbs to carry him faster and soon he was galloping through corners almost as fast as before. He felt the strain in his body, all the lazy years of his work after his rather movement-filled youth.

"Quite in shape for a bookworm, my rump," he whispered to himself.

Ahead, after a sharp turn a metal door closed down the way with a bar across and a sign above which instructed any escapees to push the handle. He ran for it, in the last moment extending his front hooves to push the bar and open the door.

Even though his legs took up the majority of his momentum, probably saving him from unconsciousness, his head still collided with the solid metal surface. The hit was enough to disorient him as he slumped to the floor at the base of the unopened door, clutching his head. He opened his eyes he had shut from the pain and punched the handle. It depressed and the door moved ever so slightly but something was in its way, blocking it from swinging open. Cursing at the unknown obstruction Coal looked back from where he came and heard the clopping of hooves gaining on him, barely audible over his heart's thudding. He stood up and had to steady himself by leaning against the door as the world swayed for a second.

A white unicorn guard turned the corner and slowed his steps to a walk as he saw Coal. The stallion was taking deep breaths and eyed the cornered pony with his head held high. His light body armor was tight as usual but his helmet was missing, he had probably tossed it aside somewhere in the labyrinth-like building. He stepped closer to the earth pony who widened his stance, even though he knew he had no chance when it came to combat against a trained pony. The guard stretched his wings, blocking the whole width of the corridor. It certainly was intimidating.

"You're cornered," the pegasus told him, the aftermath of the chase still evident in his voice. "The exit doors are closed down. Stop and let me escort you out for further legal steps. Your cooperation will be noted.”

Coal loosened his stance. The guard stepped closer, but didn't lower his wings. Coal was already making up a cover story as why he was running, but every reason he could think of lacked proper motives. Lying was more of Silver's skill.

"I will have to ask you a few questions, first." The guard stopped at a few steps from Coal. "You don't have to answer them now but doing so will make your life easier later on."

Reading in the library was certainly not illegal. He could always say that he was driven by mere curiosity, and that wasn't exactly far from the truth, either. He gave the guard a nod.

"First off," the guard said, "why were you running?"

"I, uhm... A group of guards started running at me, and I panicked."

“Why was that? Have you done something illegal?”

“I don’t think so…”

“Then why did you run?”

Coal wished he could answer that, but the guards didn't push it.

"Are you acquainted with the Ponyville Chariot Station?"

"No, not really... I've been there, but only passing by."

“Do you know what has been going on there lately?”

Coal watched a small drip of sweat rolling down on the short mane of the guard. This wasn’t going in the direction he had thought it would. “I heard there was a magical mishap or something. The newspapers didn’t say much.”

“Are you aware of the increased diamond dog activity across Equestria?”

“I heard about it, yes.”

“Were you in contact with a diamond dog lately?”

“No, I wasn’t.” The lie was out before he thought about it. The guards didn’t ask too many questions when Coal arrived a week or so ago, and they hopefully couldn’t tide him to the aggressive diamond dog, anyway.

“Does the name Arching Dash ring a bell?”

“No, not really.”

“What about Amber Light?”

Coal shook his head.

“Silver Beam?”

Coal had no idea who the two first names belonged to, but hoped they weren’t criminals. Silver knew a lot of ponies, apparently, having one or two shady figure amongst them wouldn't be a surprise. He didn’t know if he had the right answer, but went with it. “Uh… no.”

“I see.” The guard stood there, eyes still on the earth pony, saying nothing else. The silence grew unbearable in a matter of seconds.

“So… Are we going somewhere?”

The guard nodded and motioned for Coal to move, as if waiting just for that. “After you.” He lowered his wings and stood aside to let Coal pass. They made the way back through the corridor in silence, the only sounds were of their hooves. Coal risked a look back and when his eyes met with the other’s cold stare, he snapped his head forward and tried not to think about the future.

In the distance, something rumbled and Coal felt vibrations in the ground. He thought about Silver and how he disappeared with only a flash of light. He couldn’t leave Coal just like that. He wasn’t like that, it wasn’t logical to assume such thing. He always had a plan, he knew people and hiding spots, and he promised Coal to stick with him until the mystery was wrapped up. He must have had something for this situation as well.

The corridor stretched much longer than it felt when he was storming through it, and he noticed things he hadn’t before. The floor was dusty and littered with dirty pieces of paper, and the little signs on the doors were often missing, leaving only holes for the nails to hold them there. The paint on the wall wasn’t in too bad shape, but it showed signs of age.

He looked up at the ceiling as light dust fell from it and he thought he heard something hit the ground above them. The noise was followed by steps which died off quickly. The first thing to pop into his head was Silver on a rescue mission to free Coal. He dismissed the wishful thought, he couldn’t always rely on others to do something for him. He was a capable, grown stallion, wasn’t he? He had his own life, his own plans… sort of, but he was able to act independently.

Rattling noises hit his ears again, this time coming from their right. He heard the guard mutter something to himself, and that gave him an idea. He could use the distracting noises for his benefit to elude the pegasus. Even if he didn’t know the layout of the building, he could outrun him and meet up with Silver later on, given he doesn't bump into another dead end and can actually find the unicorn. He scanned the corridor for open doors and found one maybe two jumps ahead. Behind it was dark but with a trail of light, indicating a window.

“What the hell is going on?” the guard asked the ceiling as a bunch of stuff cluttered to the floor above them. The pegasus motioned Coal to stay then stepped to the nearest door. He opened it then stop nest to the opening with his back turned to Coal. The earth pony glanced at the opening he was before, and braced himself for a sprint.

As soon as he took the first slow and silent step the pegasus peered into the opening, but after a few seconds he looked back at Coal. Seeing the earth pony turned halfway away, he narrowed his eyes. “What are you up to? Don’t try to run again, for your sake.” He snapped his head forward as somebody said something in the doorless room. Coal couldn’t make out the words and assumed it was as good an opportunity as it got. He just crouched slightly for a quick take–off when the wall the guard was leaning against exploded. Coal froze as the pegasus’s body was threw against the opposite wall in a burst of dust with a painful thud and slumped to the ground, leaving a mark on the wall. Wincing, he stood up, spread his wings preparing for an attack, which came in an unexpected form.

The first beam of white magic hit his armored chest and the second the wall behind him, just missing his head. The armor took up the blast which left a black spot on the material, saving the pony. He clenched his teeth and leaped forward, using his wings to propel him. The dust made it hard to make out what happened next, but the sound of a metallic object hitting a pony’s head was unmistakable. Coal stood as a statue, his plan all but forgotten. The sound was followed by hoofsteps and Silver emerged from the dust. His blue mane was ragged and covered in fine dust and he looked tired but he had his usual, confident smile on. His expression changed into a questioning one as he saw Coal in his ready-to-sprint stance.

“What's wrong, Coal? Was I that scary?”

Coal stood up. "Thank goodness... Where were you? What have you done with the guards?”

“I was working on getting you out of here. I, uhm…” He looked back at the hole in the wall. “I might've gone a little over the top, I admit, but here I am, here you are, and our escape is there, behind just one door. Ready for more running?”

“If we have to… I hope you didn’t hurt this pegasus too bad, though. I wouldn’t want him to be…”

Silver poked the pegasus with a hind hoof. “He’s gonna be fine, don’t worry, but I had to put him out to get to you. Not my most elaborate work, but effective. Now come on, we don’t have all day.”

Coal would have protested, but the sound of running above made him put his complaints away for later. He merely nodded and the two of them ran through the corridor Coal and the guard just walked. Nearing the emergency door Coal tried to tell Silver that it wouldn’t open, but he didn’t count with the unicorn’s brute magical force. The blast snapped the metal door open and sent the garbage can behind it flying across the alley it opened to, scattering old garbage to the ground. Coal followed Silver as he took a sharp right and they galloped away from the train station. If they weren’t before, they were surely marked as criminals by now.

***

Could there be healing enchantments in the gems, from which she has been absorbing power in the last two days or so? Their glow seemed to get softer with every hour and she felt increasingly better. The dogs hadn't given her fresh and most of all enough food to gain enough strength from. Of course, she couldn't judge her magical strength from the ring on her horn which was installed while she was asleep, and has been on since then. What she could tell was that her legs were willing to support her without much problem and her head was almost completely clear of the heavy fog that had made her thoughts so sluggish. The scars still stung, especially when dust or a piece of hay got into them and her coat was still a mere sketch of what it had been in the past, but she felt better in it altogether.

Twilight reached out and touched a hoof to one of the gemstones, feeling a faint rush of magic once again before the sensation faded away. She felt homesick, she yearned after the open skies of her village and the comforting closeness of familiar magical currents in the air a simple thought away, the warmth of the sun and the cold of the rain, the comfort of having ponies around to depend on and gather strength from. A frown crossed her dry lips as she thought of those, whom were her friends and companions until an alien force corrupted them to turn against their very essences, their elements and their mutual bond.

She turned to look at a flat portion of the floor which she had cleared from hay and rocks and had hinted with dust, creating an impromptu drawing board. She sat down and resumed drawing shapes, her hoof moving on her own accord, casting its own images while her mind drifted away from her dry reality in the small cell, deep in the earth, surrounded by unyielding rock and revolting creatures.

The flicker of the candlelight made her look up and about to see a pair of black eyes staring at her across the iron bars which separated her from the narrow corridor running outside of her cage. The eyes traveled up and down at her body, the face showing compassion.

"You look better," the diamond dog, who usually brought her food, said in the voice of a person who cared once. "Those things help, don't they?"

Twilight glanced at the gemstones and turned to face the dog who she came to think of as a nurse, even though in reality, she was no more than another dog who kept her from her freedom. "Yes, they do, but they're getting weaker, I think. The glow's fading."

"They are. I can't bring you new ones just yet. We're out at the moment." The dog never told her where they got the magical stones and she never dared to ask. "I can get you another candle, though."

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm just a little hungry."

The diamond dog scowled. "You ponies always are, but with that I can't help. It's not me who sets the amount."

The pony nodded. There were no real intentions behind her requests towards the dog, but it was nice having a relatively friendly conversation.

The dog held her torch closer and checked the lock on the cell door. She flashed a vaguely apologetic smile at the pony inside then walked away on lazy steps, leaving the cell to the lone candle's light.

She turned away from the small flame and her eyes began tracing the wobbling shapes beside her, the shadows of her form cast on the wall by the light source. She flapped her tail to flicker the flame, making the shadows dancing on the ground and walls before returning to stillness. She knew she had to be cautious not to blow out the candle since she had no way of relighting it, and the dog nurse only came twice a day. Or sleep-wake cycle, to be a little more precise.

She sat down again and watched as the shadow of her horn fell on a particularly round rock, almost perfectly. She moved her head, so the tip covered the center of it, then flicked her tail and the shadow oscillated around the rock, always returning to its initial spot. Her tail moved back and forth, making the dance erratic, it's strangely hypnotic effect grabbed her mind and but also let it soar from thought to thought in a trance. Until the light was gone.

The darkness claimed her in a blink of an eye. It took her a second or two to realize what happened, then the warmth drained from his head to form an icy block in her stomach. She looked around but only saw the three gemstones' faint glow, her nostrils filled with the scent of burned cotton of the remains of the candle.

"Don't worry, I got it!"

Her ears shot up and she let out a quiet yelp at the hushed voice, coming from behind her. Hoofsteps rushed away and she spun around, but there was nothing there. Her eyes adjusted somewhat and she could see the contours of the bars in the green light of the gems, a sickly green shade instead of the usual warm orange. She wondered if the voice had been created merely by her own mind, overworking in the sudden dark. She got up and sat close to the glowing stones, rebuking herself for being so careless when she knew the possible consequences.

The hoofsteps came back, reassuring her of their existence and their sound was accompanied by the light of a small flame. She looked at the candle, similar to her own, floating in a field of emerald levitation magic, its light reflecting from two large pony eyes fixed on her.

Her ears flattened to her skull, her wing muscles tightened and she took up a low standing stance instinctively at the sight of the fellow equine, emotions rushing past her. Joy and excitement echoed as a quiet squeal in her mouth as a failed attempt at vocalizing themselves as words, then fear numbed every other attempts to speak.

The candle floated across the bars and touched her own, dead one.

"There," the unknown pony said. "It's lit."

The two flames illuminated the chamber again, providing her with a better view of the stranger. She looked like a female unicorn with wavy pink mane that hung oily just like hers. The rest of her was in shadows, but she suspected her physical condition was similar to her own.

The pony furrowed her bows as she eyed the nervous pony in the cellar. "Hey, don't worry, it's okay." She quickly retracted the candle. "Try take care better next time. Sturly doesn't always leave my door open."

The lavender mare closed what remained of her wings and took a step closer to the bars. It was an actual, living pony, down here with her! The implications swirled and new possibilities formed regarding the future in light of the new development.

The pink maned pony cocked her head and twitched her ears. "You don't look so good. Do you bite? Can you speak?" She must have noticed the ring, because her eyes widened a little. "Ohh... You can do magic the dogs are afraid of... That's cool! But... there's something on your back. Is that normal?"

Twilight found her voice. "Who're you?"

The mare outside the bars rolled her eyes. "Always with the formalities. All right... I'm Crimson Flares, pleased to meet you. But now..." She squeezed her muzzle between the bars. "You're the interesting one. When did you get here?"

Twilight looked at her confused. "I'm Twilight Sparkle... And I don't really know. A day, maybe."

The filly raised an eyebrow then shook her head. To do so, she pulled herself back, much to Twilight's relief. The smell of the pony's mouth was appalling. "No, I know how long you've been here. I meant the cave system of the clawers. I hear things now and then, and there was something about a new resident. Is that you?"

"I guess so... Though not sure about the time, but I think months, or longer. I couldn't keep track of the time." She wanted to ask what a clawer was, but she was afraid it was some scary creature which she had yet to meet.

Crimson Flares snorted. "That's nothing. I've been here my whole life." She sat down and eyed Twilight some more. "What brought you here?"

The lavender unicorn retraced the last days. "I had to perform a special spell to the diamond dogs. It was more exhausting than back home so I overstrained myself and blacked out. Next time I woke up, I was in this place."

"Was it the gem spell?"

"The what...? Oh, yes. I guess...."

The stranger nodded and looked behind Twilight in remembrance. "That is a hard one. What's strange, are those glowing ones you have there."

"These? Why?"

"'Cause they only give them to the valuable ponies." Her eyes lit up. "So that's why you have a ring! You did the spell, right?"

Twilight nodded. "Several times. I lost count after the first thirty or so." She frowned. "And I managed to drain myself. These gems might have given back some of my magic, but I can't righty tell."

"No way."

"I'm sorry?"

"No way," Crimson repeated. "You can't be that strong. Even I couldn't do more than fifteen."

Twilight looked at her. She had the feeling she was supposed to know a lot more to follow the conversation properly. "Listen, uh, Crimson, I think I missed something. What are you doing here? How can you walk around at all? Aren't you supposed to be locked up as well?"

The pink unicorn nodded. "I am, but Sturly lets me out sometimes. She knows I won't make trouble. But you didn't tell me how you could do so many."

"I'm just good with magic, I guess. It's my special talent." She wanted to show her cutie mark to the filly but remembered how bad in a shape it was, barely recognizable.

Crimson Flares eyed Twilight's body again, with unmasked curiosity. Twilight found herself trying to be smaller in the stare of the weird stranger. "There must be something else. I was always the best in that stuff."

"What do you mean by that? Why was the spell so difficult? I remember doing much harder thing in my life, why was it so... Alien?"

The pony looked at her, her head cocked to the side. "What do you mean? It was always like that."

"But... it was dark magic! I've been living in Equestria my whole life and dark magic was never present excluding certain places and ponies! I know, because I helped clear them away!"

"Equestria?" She said that word with a taste of a long forgotten memory, the topic of magic seemingly forgotten. "As in... Where Princess Celestia lives?"

"Yes, of course..." Twilight trailed off as she saw her expression. "Why?"

The pony grimaced as if trying to remember an old thing from the past. "My mom used to tell me about Equestria." Her voice took on a nostalgic tone. "She said it was our real home, where Dad was waiting for us."

Twilight didn't interrupt the filly's moment.

"She said it had flying ponies, I remember her telling me they were called pegasi. I still think that was just her being sick from the bad food, though, because it was just too silly. And ponies without horns, too, and ponies with both horns and wings!" She looked at Twilight again. "You said it like... A matter of fact."

A short silence passed while Twilight was thinking of something to say. "Because it is a fact. What your mom told you, it's true." The pony's earlier sentence came to her mind. "Did you say, you were born down here?"

“Yes,” Crimson said, uncertain.

“Then you didn't even see the real world.” The meaning of that hit Twilight as she said it, and she went pale. “Oh my gosh...”

The pony blinked at her distress. “What do you mean, real world? Above the surface?”

“Exactly! This isn't nearly the real deal. This is only a prison. Equestria, the whole world is much more than this. You have truly never...” She felt awful for the filly. She herself was miserable, but this poor thing didn't even know what she was losing with each passing day. “I'm so sorry.”

Crimson Flares shrugged. “I don't know about you, but from what I heard from mom, it can't be that good. I mean, if there was a so-powerful ruler up there, why doesn't she come and free us? It's not like the clawers are that strong.”

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but thought better of it. What had happened between her and Celestia could explain why the Goddess ignored her, but this pony didn't need to hear about her failure. “She's probably busy.” Even she cringed at that. “I mean… I doubt she even knows where we are. But she really exists, I can assure you, and she's done many great things."

The pony waved a hoof. “Whatever, I've heard enough stories from the dogs to know they can't be all true. But you still didn't tell me why you are better than me.”

“Right.” Twilight resumed to the previous topic. “I sensed an awful lot of dark magic in the air, and since the average pony doesn't encounter dark magic her whole life I have the advantage of experience and I'm being able to work with it. That's probably why I did better than you.”

“Dark magic?" Crimson Flares tasted the words. “What do you mean?”

The question reminded Twilight what the pony said earlier again. It looked like she wasn't quite up to speed as she had thought after all. The filly spent her whole life in this place, of course she got used to the strange magic that lingered there. She tried to think of a way to explain it to her. “Magic, at least where I came from, differs from what I experienced here. Back home it's much more stable and easier to work with, thanks to princess Celestia's magical protection over the land. She helps...” Her voice cracked at the thought of her own doubts. “Ahem… She helps the ponies to use magic with ease. Even foals of very young ages can cast levitation and illumination spells on their own, while I doubt that the same can be said about this place.” She realized her voice was taking on the usual lecturing tone and she smiled sheepishly. The pony, however, wasn't moved by it at all.

“Aha. That sounds fucked up.”

The word hit Twilight as a physical blow. “Excuse me?!”

Crimson shrugged. “What I meant. It's messed up. Nobody can control the world that much. Do you really believe that?”

“Of… Of course! It's all in the books! It's all over the place! If you were to see it, you'd believe it too.”

“Sure. Except I never get out. Trust me, I tried. Couldn't even get to the big gates.”

Their ears perked at the sound of a door creaking open and Crimson Flares almost killed her candle's flame as she spun around. "Sturly is coming.” She grinned at the purple unicorn, who stared back at her, still in shock. “Gotta talk to you later, though. You're interesting.” She swiftly left, as never having been there. Twilight tried to follow her with her eyes but the dancing light in the corridor was barely visible as the tunnel curved slightly. It disappeared and the silent darkness outside of her candle's range made her question the reality of the events during the last few minutes. Her reverie broke when the diamond dog, Sturly stomped through the corridor to take a long look into her cell. A torch held in his paw let her take a look on her claws. They were ugly and long and dirty, in resemblance of their owner. Just like... Oh. So that's what clawers meant.

The dog left without a single word, taking her torch and claws with her. Twilight put a hoof to the glowing gems again and the touch felt a bit cold but it still sent a faint sense of warm through her foreleg. A whole life in this pit must be terrible.