• Published 6th May 2012
  • 7,919 Views, 723 Comments

Static World - Kendandra



Discord haunts Twilight's dreams as she and Luna share romance. Celestia frets over Discord's seal. There is more to the the story of these three ancient beings than meets the eye, and Twilight Sparkle is about to get a crash course.

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39: Labyrinthine Heart: Part I

“Shining Armor!” Applejack bellowed. “Where have you been?” The airship rocked back and forth as Shining Armor and Wind Strider stood in silence. “Twi’s been mighty worried about you and the misses. After you disappeared everything went belly up. Though Ah’m sure you know about most of it, huh? About the sun not moving and the princesses being depowered? And now there’s Discord in charge of everything.” Applejack took her hat off and sighed. “We could really use some good news right now.” The orange pony looked upwards at the stallion and smiled. “And the fact that you’re here is going to do just that. Twilight’s going to be so happy to see you here!”

“Where’s Twilight Sparkle?” Shining Armor repeated. His tone was hard to read, though it was clear he had little patience for pleasantries.

“Now just a minute!” Applejack said. “Calm down and sit a spell! You and Wind Strider have probably been through Tartarus and back getting out here without being pealed apart by Discord.” The farmer pony removed her hat. “Surely you want to sit a spell before you and Twilight….”

“Before I do what, Applejack?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she entered the room. “And what’s with all this noise up here? I’m trying to…” Twilight stopped suddenly as her eyes caught sight of the two stallions in front of her. “Armor…!”

“Twily,” Shining Armor said quietly. He approached his younger sister and brought her into a strong hug. “I’ve missed you. Good to see you’re unharmed.” His hoof ran through the mare’s mane as she sobbed quietly.

“You’re alive…” Twilight sniffled. “I thought… I… shouldn’t have.” Twilight tightened her embrace. “By Celestia, I so glad to see you.” She sobbed loudly. “When you and Cadence went missing. I had search parties out looking… but they never…. Then Discord took over and I thought….”

“Shh. I’m here now.” He patted the back of her head. “It’s alright.”

Twilight pulled away from her brother and wiped the tears from her cheeks with a sniffle. “This is such good news to see you and Cadence are alive and….” Twilight’s eyes darted around. They sped across the faces of her friends and Wind Strider. “Where’s Cadence? She’s… she is with you right? She’s alright, right?”

Shining Armor shook his head. “Twilight Sparkle, we need to….”

Twilight gasped. “You never use my full name…. unless you’ve got bad news…”

Shining sighed. “Twily, I need your help.”


Princess Luna stared at the plate. She gently pressed a hoof on the side of her bowl of salad and rocked it back and forth. The bowl's wobble increased until it eventually tipped over and spilled its contents. Luna stared silently at the overturned bowl. In her mind it began to take on the shape of a silver helmet. “You must eat. We will starve if you do not.” A dark voice spoke from the overturned bowl.

“Then let us starve. What does it matter?” Her face was streaming with tears and she heaved a heavy sob.

“We have not eaten for over a week. Not since our battle with Sister.” Nightmare Moon sighed. “Even our alicorn body cannot continue to take this abuse you are forcing on it with your moping. Starvation is such a terrible way to die.”

Luna turned away from the talking helmet-shaped bowl. “We are not hungry. The pain of the stomach hardly compares to the pain of the heart.”

“Hungry or heartache or not, I would not like to go through the pain of starving again!” Nightmare Moon hissed. “Remember back during the Chaos War? Remember Junebug Bog? The giant who kept us captive never fed us. We would faint from exhaustion first, then wither to nothing. The curse of immortality would revive us every eight days only for us to repeat the whole ordeal only two days later.”

“Pfh. You were not around then. It was only me.”

“We share memories! Your pain is my pain. My pain is your pain.” Nightmare Moon sneered. “And I for one do not want us to experience the horrors of that time ever again.” Nightmare Moon scoffed. “Or perhaps if you doubt my experience level with this matter…. May I remind you of the moon? A belly full of dust and rocks was even worse than an empty one!”

Luna kicked the bowl of salad sending it sliding across the room. “I do not wish to speak of that time!” The bowl skidded to a stop against a wall, wobbling on its edge. “I do… not…” It spun around slowly, vibrating against the floor as it teetered. “That….” As it wobbled the tapping noise it made increased in speed. The alicorn’s heart rate began to quicken. The dark room began to grow and the floor turned gray. She felt the cold metal ground soften into packed dust. The ceiling skittered upwards like a cockroach, melding to shadow as it raced away from her. The walls ballooned outwards and slithered away from her. The distant ceiling and walls darkened to blackness. The dusty ground beneath her was illuminated to a blinding bone-white. The rumble of the airship faded away to deafening silence. Luna stood up suddenly. The world spun around her and she was overcome with dizziness.

The silence screamed at her. She could hear the ringing in her ears cycle up and down in as the world spun. The noise rattled and hissed until she was having trouble seeing. She tried to steady herself by placing a hoof on the ground, but the dust she was standing in caved under her weight. The dust flared up around her in slow motion. It tickled her nose and she coughed. She tried to inhale after the cough but she quickly found she could not draw in air. Her eyes shot open and she clutched at the ground trying to breath but no air would come. The ringing in her ears escalated as she lifted her head upwards, mouth agape, trying to catch whatever air possible. She kicked and flailed, spawning a torrent of gray dust, as she felt her body begin to give out from the lack of air. Black splotches began to cover her vision; unnoticed at first as they blended with the emptiness of the sky. The whole scene pulsated around her as her lungs shriveled to nothingness.

Finding she could not draw breath, she instead screamed. She kicked and screamed and attempted to rip her vocal chords out with whatever should could force from her lungs. The black sky reached out to her with a dark claw and sharp teeth. Just as her eyes closed and she embraced suffocation the ringing stopped suddenly.

Luna’s vision was blurry but she could make out that she was back in airship. She was staring up at a bright overhead lamp mounted on the ceiling of the room. The alicorn was sprawled out on her back; her mane covering much of her face and her heart was racing. She breathed in deeply, relishing in the fact she could draw air. Her chest hurt, as if she had recently had the wind knocked out of her. While she knew what she had just experienced was not real, she could not help but wondering how much her body had reacted to the episode.

“Must you…” She said breathlessly. “Must you torment us so… when we’ve been through so much loss?”

Nightmare Moon whispered sorrowfully. “I am so very sorry. I was not my intent to stir old memories and invoke our… condition.” The dark voice whimpered. “I should have been more careful with my words.”

“You better than anypony should understand….”

“Princess Luna!” A voice shouted as the door burst open. “Are ya alright?” The voice was riddled with southern twang. “I heard screaming somethin’ awful!” Applejack stood looking down at the frazzled mare with a concerned expression.

Luna bolted upright and panted heavily as she spoke. “I’m fine.” She steadied her breath and caught a glimpse of what was happening behind Applejack, outside the room. “What’s with all the commotion?”

Applejack glanced backwards to observe a pink blur walking by talking the ears off of a frazzled Wind Strider. “Shining Armor’s back and we’re making a pit stop.”

“Twilight’s brother is safe? That’s good news.” Luna said quietly as she laid back down. Her expression was hard to read, but Applejack could tell she was upset. “Where are we stopping?”

“Shining’s wife is in trouble. We’re goin’ to rescue her from someplace called the uh… Something… Miniature Mines, apparently.”

Luna sighed. She turned away from the orange pony and let her eyelids droop. “I see. I assume… considering recent events, I will be staying here to…” Luna’s ears flicked upwards as she came to a sudden realization. “Did you say Shining Armor’s wife?”

“Darn toot’n.” Applejack nodded.

“As in Princess Cadence?” Luna said as she stood up. “As in the mare with the remarkably rare talent of raw love magic? The one who specializes in a spell that resolves arguments between lovers in seconds?”

“Uh… yeah I suppose. Yeah, that’s her alright.” Applejack said with another nod.

“As in the pony that’s practically a walking, talking love potion?” Luna leaned forward energetically and shoved her snout up against Applejack’s own. The moon mare’s eyes shone with a psychotic gleam.

“Uh…” Applejack took an uneasy step backwards. “Yeah, I guess. Why?”

“I must help Twilight locate her sister-in-law!” Luna stopped her hoof and shouted.

Applejack rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. “Yeah… well, Twilight sort of wanted ya to stay out of trouble for now. Now I know that’s just because of ya’ll’s uh… difference of opinion, and I don’t right agree with it because any hoof that helps is a hoof that helps, but it might be a good idea to make some… er… concessions… to keep Twilight’s sanity intact.”

Luna scowled for a moment as she pondered. Having been raised by her sister and their foster father, she had a knack for putting together schemes. She quickly put on her best pout. “But I must help rescue my fair niece! She is family and in these chaotic times, family must come first!” Luna quavered her lip for added effect. “Surely you of all ponies can understand the importance of family!”

“Well….”

“Obviously my little Twilight isn’t going to listen to me right now. With the fight and all…”

“T’was a bit more than just a fight. Ya’ll just rightly broke up.”

Luna gritted her teeth. “With the little lover’s spat and everything, she’s not in the mood to listen to me, but if you were to put in a good word…. You know she listens to you more than the others. She thinks highly of your opinion and admires your work ethic….”

“Well… I do have a good work ethic….” Applejack shook her head. “But I don’t think it’s my place to….” Applejack rubbed her hoof on the back of her head again. “I mean, poor little thing’s so stressed right now. I think it best to probably just tip-hoof around all those touchy subjects.”

“But Cadence is family! I can’t just sit by! What if it was a cousin of the Apple family that was in danger? Would you be content to sit by and merely leave their rescue to in the hooves of others?”

“Twilight’s very capable…”

“Yes, but would you feel comfortable in not lending a helping hoof yourself?”

“Well… I suppose Cadence was your niece before she was Twilight’s sister-in-law. An’ I suppose you have just as much right to go lookin’ fer her as Twilight does.” Applejack nodded. “Right! I’ll make sure you can come. Ya can count on this here pony to make sure that family sticks together when the goin’ gets tough. You don’t worry about nothing but Princess Cadence and I’ll handle Twilight Sparkle for ya.”

Luna smiled widely. “Thank you. You don’t know how much that will mean to our relat… I mean family!”


“Come on now!” Discord said with a grunt.

“No!”

“You need your fresh air!” Discord choked up on his grip and tugged on the strap.

“This is degrading!”

“That’s half the point, my dear Celestia!” Discord pulled tightly on the leash, yanking Princess Celestia out into the open light of the Canterlot Garden. “You’ll get fat if you spend all your time chained to that throne. Better to spend it out here in that fantastic sunshine! You do know what sunshine is, right Celestia?” The alicorn growled at the creature of chaos. “Seriously though. Take a look at this beautiful day!” Discord gestured around him. “The birds are flying, the bees are buzz-buzz-buzzing, and the flowers are blooming upside-down. And the sun is shining! Just look at that beautiful sky. Boy, is the sun shining brightly today! It’s really improved since it changed hands. It’s almost as though the previous owner of that life-giving orb just didn’t care about beauty.”

Celestia grunted.

“Now, now, don’t pout. Think of what your life has going for it now! Only days ago you were in the high-pressure, stressful job of running a kingdom. Now, you can enjoy all—well most—of the pleasures of the castle lifestyle without any of the worry. I, on the other hand, have to deal with delicate plans failing, such as your sister getting dumped, and the strain of keeping a chaos fun and exciting. Thousands upon thousands are counting on me to deliver a fresh bout of chaos every day. It’s so stressful. I spend every waking moment wondering ‘will they appreciate the buttercup butterflies?’ or ‘will they enjoy the giant flaming tigers that tunnel through the sky?’ You know… the big questions. You should be happy. Carefree. After all, the only thing you’re responsible for is….” Discord picked up a stray twig. “Fetching this stick.” He tossed the twig. “No? Please? Just one fetch? Please, wittle Tia! Plu-ease! Go on! Go get the stick! Go get it!” Discord leaned downward and looked Celestia with pleading, wet eyes. “Bah! You’re positively no fun.” Discord huffed. “Well it’s quite clear you aren’t a very good pet.”

To both the draconequus’s and the alicorn’s surprise, the castle rumbled. Both gods looked up at the sky to see it flicker from midafternoon to night. The world seemed to groan from the abrupt change, shaking the castle again with a deep, mournful roar. Then just as fast as it came, the sky returned to normal. Celestia looked to Discord. She was astonished when the draconequus’s face was adorned with surprise. “Was that…?” She began to ask.

“Nótt.” Discord said as he turned back to Celestia. “Somepony must be in a lot of heartache to be able to, if ever so briefly, summon the moon without magic.” Discord dropped the leash on Celestia and tugged on his beard. “Interesting. Your sister continues to surprise me with her aptitude for emotional turmoil.”

For a moment, Celestia was bewildered. “So… that wasn’t you just now?”

“It couldn’t be. I promised to make the sun and moon behave as they normally should. They’re out of bounds for my chaos.” Discord pursed his lips for a moment in thought.

“But… the Elements of Harmony should have naturalized Luna’s capability to raise the moon. Like it did with my ability to raise the sun.” Celestia shook her head.

Discord sighed. “As much as your student would like to believe, magic isn’t an absolute science.” He chuckled. “Besides! What fun is there in always following the rules? Remember magic is willpower. Perhaps she was just angry enough.” Discord turned to Celestia. “Maybe she can use her power and you can’t because you just don’t want it enough. Have you ever thought of that? Maybe you just don’t care enough?”

Celestia winced. “That’s not…!” She paused for a moment and shook her head. “I’ll not fall for your mind games so easily, Discord.”

“Pity. Mind games are the most fun.” He said with a snort.

“Although,” Celestia began. “That does leave one question.” The alicorn walked up to the draconequus’s side and leaned her neck over. Her face was near his own and her breath was rustling his beard. “If you’re controlling the sun and moon then how did Luna take away control from you?”

“Well it was only for a moment.” Discord said.

Celestia ducked behind Discord and then placed her face on the other side of his own. “Yes, of course. But she overpowered you and escaped from your clutches yesterday. Now she’s taking control of the moon. And supposedly she’s doing this all without her normal magic. Surely you’re worried about her power?”

“What power?” Discord chuckled quietly. “The Elements of Harmony have neutralized her magics and the power of love only goes so far, Celestia.”

Celestia circled around in front of Discord, her body seeming serpentine as she weaved her way around the creature. “Yes. But consider, dear Discord, if her power isn’t getting stronger then how could she possibly be taking control of the moon?”

“Only for a split second.” Discord said with crossed arms. “You’d be surprised what emotional turmoil can do.” Discord nodded. “I doubt she was even in enough of a coherent state to notice.

Celestia chuckled darkly as she quickly slithered around to Discord’s side. “And she’s very upset right now. So is Twilight, for that matter. Those are some of the most powerful sources of pony magic in the world.”

Discord turned his head to face Celestia. “Please. I’m Discord! The master of chaos! The impossible is mine to command. Regardless of how powerful Luna or Twilight become, or manage to pretend to be, they’re no match for my supremacy.”

“But yet she wrestled control of the moon from you? It sounds like you’re not as powerful as you think.” Discord looked away from Celestia for a brief moment. Her wing reached up and tilted his head back to face her. “Now, now. Don’t get upset. I’m sure it’s perfectly natural that your power is waning. You are rather old after all. A gradual decrease in power happens to… many gods your age…. It’s hardly uncommon.”

Discord’s eyebrows twitched. “I’m Discord! I’m omnipotent! If you think…”

“Omnipotent? Please.” Celestia scoffed as she once again circled around the old god. “Magically impotent, more likely. The Elements of Harmony can turn you into stone and the most you can do is teleport them away. Provided they’re not already in the possession of their bearers. You’re hardly invincible.”

“Bah!” Discord said as he lowered himself to the ground. His confident smirk was absent from his face. “That’s old magic. Before even me.”

“Ah, so you admit that there’s more in this world than what you can control?” Discord went to respond but Celestia cut him off by pressing her forehead against his. “Well, yes it’s old magic. But it’s far from the only old magic out there. You could be imprisoned again in an instant if anyone who dislikes you were to find such an artifact.” Celestia smiled. “It’s a good thing you’re so incredibly popular with all your subjects, chaos king. Oh wait….”

“Now listen for just a moment….” Discord said with a small waver in his voice. His head bowed slightly.

Celestia slithered around him and placed a wing on his back. “There, there. It’s not all bad.” She said in a soothing tone. “Those who are in the popular political party happen to be very merciful. I’m sure once you’re little outburst is over we can work something out.”

“Perhaps you’re….” Discord suddenly sprung upright. “WAIT A MINUTE!” He turned to face the alicorn and shoved her off to the side. “Did you just try to discord me?” Discord shook his head. “Using my own tricks against me? The nerve! Gardens! Take her away!” He snapped his fingers and the plants of the garden slithered towards her. Vines tied the alicorn’s legs together and she fell face first onto the ground.

As she was slowly dragged off back to the castle’s inside she grumbled under her breath. “Don’t count me out yet….”

Discord turned around and crossed his arms. “Well obviously I need a new pet. That one is rabid and probably needs to be put down.” Discord looked up at the sky briefly. “Discording me….” He broke into a quiet chuckle that gradually was replaced with an uproar. “I knew there was a reason I can’t get her out of my head.”


Rainbow Dash leaned against the window that faced out to the prow of the airship. She tapped her hoof on the glass. “All this waiting is killing me! Argh!” With a swift kick, the pegasus put a dent into one of the walls of the airship. “What are they talking about in there?”

Rarity attempted to place a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s back, but the pegasus would not sit still. “I’m sure Twilight and Shining Armor are just planning out a route of attack, so to speak, dear Dash.”

“I should be down there. I could help.” Rainbow flew around in a tight circle. “I’m no use up here just waiting, watching Fluttershy attempt to fly this bucket of balloons and bolts. Or watching ‘Spaz Pacey’ over there.” Rainbow pointed out the window where Wind Strider was pacing back and forth on the outside deck of the ship.

“Well yes, dear, I’m sure you could be of use.” Rarity said as she lifted a hoof. “However, Applejack made it quite clear that you were to stay away from Twilight for the moment.” Rarity’s eyes narrowed as she pulled Rainbow Dash down from the air, closer to her snout. “And believe me when I tell you that even I, Rarity, the queen fanatic of romantic drama, would prefer it you didn’t bring any more trouble down on our little group of friends.”

“Sheesh.” Rainbow Dash banged her head against the window. “A pony makes one off-hoof comment about a mare’s flank and suddenly she’s not allowed near her. I suppose that’s the way the oat bag tears.” The cyan mare lifted her face up and pressed it against the window. “What do you suppose is that guy’s problem is anyway?”

“I’m not sure. No pony has really had a conversation with him. He’s been keeping to himself since he and Shining have arrived. It’s like he’s hiding some dark secret.” Rarity said as she looked out the window. Wind Strider was rubbing his hooves together in a rather nervous fashion. “He appears to be nervous about something. Commander Wind Strider is member of the royal guard. If something has him nervous, I can only imagine that it is something of great concern.” Rarity sighed. “The poor thing looks terrified, but of what remains to be seen.”

Rainbow Dash pressed her snout against the window. “Yeah. He looks like me after one too many mugs of Applejack’s ciders.”

“I think he looks… um… cute.” A timid yellow pony said from behind the unicorn and the pegasus.

Rainbow chortled. “Ha! Fluttershy actually has an opinion on a stallion. The world really must be coming to an end.”

Rarity chuckled as she placed a hoof around the yellow pony. “Fluttershy, dear, aren’t you supposed to be piloting the ship?”

“Oh, sorry.” Fluttershy’s mane fell across her face.

Rarity placed a hoof on her head. “And Dashie, if you want to help, why not go outside and see what’s bothering poor Wind Strider?” The unicorn gestured to the pacing pegasus. “He might just be of use if we can figure out how to calm him down. Girls, we’re heading into the belly of a fowl beast. We could certainly use a strong, brave stallion like him.”

Rainbow scoffed. “Ya got me. What more do you need?” The unicorn gave the sky-blue pony an irritated stare. Rainbow Dash sighed. “Alright, I’ll go talk to him.” The pegasus walked over to the airship’s cabin door.

“Dash, no offence, dear, but these are delicate matters. They require a certain… shall we say… poise… to handle.” Rarity placed a hoof on her chest as she glanced out the window. “Much the same with Twilight and Princess Luna, there are certain provisions and concerns that must be handled with the utmost care.”

“I’m not really good at these mushy feely talks. But don’t you worry! Dash never fails once she sets her mind to something! It’s not really that difficult. I’ll just let him know that he has no reason to be nervous. This is hardly our first apocalypse.”

“I still have a few reservations about this…”

“Bah. I’ll show you.” Rainbow sighed. “Though… I’m getting really tired of dealing with all these emotionally unstable ponies. I wish I could just kick all their flanks in gear and be done with all this touchy-feely crud.” Rainbow opened the door and took a step outside.

“Yes, well as soon as you figure out how to wield the Elements of Harmony yourself and singlehoofedly defeat Discord you can start not worrying about others.” Rarity called out as Rainbow left the cabin.

“Yeah, yeah.” Rainbow gave a dismissive wave of her hoof to the unicorn as she closed the cabin door. As she took a step out onto the deck of the airship, she was met with a refreshingly cool breeze that tickled her underside. She reflexively spread her wings, letting the wind ruffle her feathers. It was suddenly apparent how long it had been since she had had a proper flight. With the world nearly freezing over and the reign of chaos, she had not had any time practice her tricks or even blow off steam. She bit her lip, and resisted the urge to kick off from the airship and take to the sky on her own power. With how cold it had been in the days before the advent of chaos, she had not been able to fly at all. She would never admit it, but her legs were actually getting a bit sore from standing around all day. She was very athletic, and she was proud of it, but tasks of the hoof were never much her speed. She breathed in deeply, relishing in the swift wind that was sweeping across the airship’s hull.

With a heavy sigh, she cast her gaze on the still pacing Wind Strider, who had seemed to be oblivious to her presence. “Hey, Commander!” She called out, taking care to be as loud as possible to overcome the sound of the wind. The nervous pony jumped at the sound and reared back, poised to strike. Rainbow chuckled. “Calm down there, killer. It’s me. Dash. You’ve probably heard of me? Fastest pony alive, Element of Loyalty.”

“Right, Dame Turquoise Dash.” Wind Strider said with a cautious tone. He sighed heavily. “Forgive me, I keep forgetting we can’t use words related to turquoise. Er… rather I mean words related to tur…. Never mind.” He glanced upwards at the pink clouds that were floating by, as if they suddenly became the most interesting clouds in the world.

“Yeah. When we make our move on Discord, I’m going to give him a good old kick in the turquoise for that prank.” Rainbow Dash pantomimed a fearsome roundhouse.

Wind Strider scratched the back of his head. “Uh, ‘kick in the turquoise’? I was unaware other words had been redefined as well.”

“No, no. I actually said ‘turquoise’ there.” Rainbow chuckled. “Anyways, talking about all the ways we’re going to beat the chaos out of Dipcord isn’t why I’m out here.”

“Miss Dash, if you don’t mind, I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.” He turned his back to the multicolored pony.

“Well thinking is better when spread about multiple noggins.” Rainbow pressed the side of her head against Wind Strider, who uncomfortably backed away.

“Miss Dash, this is not something that can be shared.” He paced for a bit. “Unless it can…. I guess that’s what I’m trying to figure out. Without getting decapitated or turned into frozen pudding or something else equally… unnatural.”

“Listen, in times like this….” Rainbow thought a moment, trying to think of a good way to phrase what she wanted to say. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she was probably the worst pony to try and solve these kinds of delicate issues. “When the world’s ending, ya gotta keep your friends close and communicate with ‘em.” She nodded, impressed with her wisdom. “Now I know you don’t know many of us personally, ‘cept Shining and maybe Twilight since she grew up in Canterlot and all. But the point, is we’re all real friendly here and if you have a problem you have to tell us about it.” Rainbow smiled widely.

“Miss Dash, I don’t really know what you’re trying to say but the issue is actually related to if talking about it will end up getting me turned into a toad or….”

“Hang on; let me finish.” Rainbow smirked. Now that she had him primed, it was time for the kill-shot. “I want you to know that you’ve got friends here, especially me. You can tell me anything.” She was trying to apply as much of her trademarked Rainbow Charm as possible; Rarity could bite her, she was more than well equipped to deal with one nervous wreck.

“Oh…” Wind Strider’s eyes widened. “Um, listen….”

She sat down next to the armor clad pony and placed a hoof around his shoulders. “I’m going to be up front with you…”

Wind Strider pulled her hoof off his shoulders. “I’m flattered, Miss Dash, but now is hardly the time for romance.”

Rainbow reared back. “Wha…?! No! That’s not what I….” She ran a hoof down her face, stretching out her snout for a moment. “Because of a single hoof on your shoulder? I’m just a tactile pony, I wasn’t trying to…! Get over yourself!”

For a pink coated pony, his face had become remarkably white. “Sorry… I uh… sorry. I misinterpreted… uh… sorry.”

“I’m just trying to figure out why you’re all sulky.” She rolled her eyes with a snort. “I’m not trying to bed you. I just was trying to get you to open up and talk. Gosh. Wow. That just figures.” Rainbow Dash laid down on the deck of the airship and crossed her hooves. “Come out here trying to do something to help and the one pony I don’t have a thing for immediately assumes….” Her face contorted to a pained expression.

Wind Strider sat down next to the mare. “Um… Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Rainbow snorted. She got up quickly and stormed back into the cabin. The cyan pony grumbled as she passed Rarity. “Forget him! He can wallow in whatever the buck he’s got going on until Discord sinks this bucket of bolts.”

The unicorn glared. “Well. That was certainly a spectacle. Do you think it possible to go five minutes without attempting to lock lips with….”

“Shut it, Rarity!” The pegasus shouted as she slammed the door to steps to the lower decks.

“Oh my.” Rarity whispered. “Whatever is the matter with that mare?”

Fluttershy whimpered. “Um… I think I know what’s wrong with her.”

Rarity waved a dismissive hoof at the yellow pony. “Not now, dear; you’re supposed to be flying the ship.”


Shining Armor approached his sister and levitated a scroll in front of her face. “This is the map I was telling you about. The mare quickly unrolled the paper against the table. She pressed her hoof down on the corner of the piece of paper, but try as she might, she could not get the paper to cooperate. In her frustration she pounded her hoof against the table repeatedly. Shining Armor placed a hoof on his little sister’s withers. “Calm yourself, Twily.” His horn glowed as the paper went ridged. “Remember what Cadence taught you.” He pantomimed a deep breathing exercise.

“Are you sure she’s in there?” Twilight said as she exhaled deeply.

“I’m positive.” Shining Armor nodded. “Discord has her trapped in there as part of one of his twisted little games. Who knows what sort of torture he could be performing on her even this moment? We have to act fast.”

“This map is going to be useless. The Minotaurs were known for their labyrinths. Even with this we could be lost in there for weeks.” Twilight shook her head. “We don’t have time for this! The world is in eternal chaos! Princess Celestia, in what I can only assume was with her last ounce strength, sent us a message. And that message was to find the Icosaflux inside the pits of Tartarus.” Twilight’s face twisted into a scowl. “I hate to use such cold logic when talking about somepony so close to me, but what point is there in rescuing Cadence if we all die in some bubblegum inferno hail storm?”

“Twilight!”

Twilight turned around and shook her head. She sighed heavily as she continued. “I’m not saying don’t go rescue her. Please. Please, Shining Armor! Make sure she’s safe. Go and get her! But you’ll have to do it without me. I just… I don’t have the time for it. The needs of the m…”

“Twilight, I can’t rescue her alone. Believe me, I know how important your mission is. If Princess Celestia sent you on it, then it must be. But I can’t do this on my own. You know my magic isn’t at full strength, thanks to Storm Dancer’s potion; I need your help.” Shining Armor bowed his head. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think she was in terrible danger. If we don’t get to her soon… I… I can’t explain to you how much she means to me.” He glanced upwards and his gaze met with his sister’s own. “Imagine how you’d feel if you lost Princess Luna.”

Twilight quickly glanced at the ground. “Armor…. Luna and I… we…” She sighed heavily. “I… Alright. I’m sorry. We’ll help you find her.” She nodded vigorously. “Of course we’ll find her.”

“Thank you.” Shining Armor said quietly. He pointed to the scroll on the table. “Now the Minotaur Mines are not far at all from our present position. Just a bit to the east, actually.” He stared out one of the portholes and rubbed his chin. “Getting there won’t be an issues, the Titan should have no problem setting down in the crag where the mines are located.”

Titan?” Twilight asked with confusion.

Shining Armor glanced backwards, equally confused by her question. “The name of this airship. It’s printed in big bold letters on the bow.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize it had a name, I didn’t pay much attention to the thing. We just took it from Canterlot to get to Ponyville because the trains weren’t running in the cold. Now we’re flying it to Tartarus because it’s the fastest way to get there.”

Shining Armor laughed. He wiped a tear from his eye. “That’s so very you. Getting caught up in things so much you get tunnel vision.” He continued to laugh loudly. “Thanks, I needed a laugh right now.”

She punched him lightly in the shoulder and sheepishly smiled as she averted his gaze. “Mom told you not to pick on me.”

“But that’s what big brothers are for?” He said with a chuckle.

“It’s a rather useless trait of society.” She looked up and smiled. “You know, since I’ve moved to Ponyville I hardly see you anymore. I think…”

“Well then maybe I’ll move to Ponyville after this is all over. Of course Wind Strider would have to accept the promotion to Captain.”

“Shining…!”

“I’m sure Cadence would love to be closer to you as well. Just have to figure out a way to make it so Cadence could keep up her princess duties there….”

Twilight looked down. “I’m sorry about having doubts about helping you find Cadence.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m a terrible sister. And a terrible sister-in-law.”

Shining Armor wrapped a hoof around Twilight. “Nah, you’re not. You’re under a lot of pressure. And you are a bit right…. The world needs you, and I’m the one being selfish. But I think Cadence and myself we’ll make up for it when we help you defeat Discord. Together.” He gave her a tight squeeze. “Now then. The mines are going to be difficult to navigate. Our biggest issue will be finding our way out after we find Cadence.”

Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled. “Right. Um….”

Shining Armor’s face scrunched up and he rubbed the underside of his chin. “That’s one of the things I’m stuck on. The map will of course help, but the maze is known for being notoriously confusing, according to legends.”

“Well we’ll just have to figure it out as we go. Not much else to it. I suppose we could….”

“Twi!” Twilight was startled as the door to the room burst open. “Ah got a request!” Applejack said loudly as she pulled her hat off her head. “Now I know we’re going to go to these Miniature Mines…”

“Minotaur Mines,” Twilight corrected.

“Right, the Minotaur Mines where Princess Cadence is being held, and Ah think that it’s only fair, seeing as she’s her aunt and all, that Princess Luna be allowed to come along.”

“What?” Twilight spun around, turning her back to Applejack. “Absolutely not.” She hissed. “She’s going to stay on the airship. The Minotaur Mines are dangerous and I don’t need that kind of emotional distraction right now.”

Shining Armor balked. “Wait, what?”-The stallion cast a confused gaze on his sister. “Why don’t you want the princess to come along?”

“We... broke up, Armor.” Twilight said.

“Oh…” Shining Armor said quietly. “You seemed pretty happy about her when I found out about you two in Ponyville. I mean, I sure hope this had nothing to do with how I acted back then. I tried to tell you when we got to Canterlot that you had my blessing. I uh….”

Twilight shook her head. “We had a fight. It had nothing to do with you. Well it did, you being missing, but it had nothing to do with your approval. We had a fight, or rather I got mad and I told her it was over. And I…. Well it’s over. That’s what happened.”

Shining Armor looked at her skeptically. “You had one fight and you ended it?” He shook his head. “Cadence and I have little spats all the time and yet we’re still very devoted to each other. Couples just do that. It takes time to learn how to be so open with communications.” He narrowed his eyes. “Though you’re awfully nonchalant about this break up though.”

“I’m trying not to think about it. I’ve got more important things to do.”

Shining Armor nodded. “That maybe, but I think you’re overlooking something rather important here.” He jutted a hoof out as he explained. “Princess Luna is an ancient being of unthinkable wisdom about the world’s mysteries.”

“What? No. We don’t need any help from her.”

Shining Armor scowled. “But you just said it was too….”

Twilight lifted her head upwards “I KNOW WHAT I SAID!”

“Twilight be logical.” Her brother urged softly. “Luna could have traveled to these mines once before, made friends with the Minotaurs, or have even been around during their operation. She might be able to give us advanced knowledge of any dangers that are awaiting us. It would be foolish to not make use of something like that. Your emotions could put your friends in danger. The needs of the….”

“MY emotions? We’re rescuing YOUR wife!” Twilight shouted. “I just…!” She gripped her temples. “That’s true I guess… should would know about….” She stopped speaking when she realized she was no longer making sentences. “I mean….”

“I promised her she could come. For her niece.” Applejack pleaded. “Family is family.”

“No means no, AJ….” Twilight winced as she saw Applejack give her the sternest scowl she had ever seen. “No means…” She glanced at her brother and then back to her friend.

“Twilight, this is me asking. Not her. Ah’ll make sure she stays a good deal of distance from you, if that’s what the problem is.” She pointed to the stallion in the room. “And yer brother is right, she could be useful!”

“Fine…” Twilight threw her hooves up with a grunt. “I guess ‘no’ means ‘I’ll think about it’.”

“Twilight,” again Applejack scowled.

“Argh! Fine! Go get her! I make no promises that she can come along, but we can at least see what she knows about the mines. Go fetch her and tell her to come here.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “That is of course if she can stand to not be a blubbering pile of sobs that feels sorry for herself despite most of her misfortune being her own doing!”

“Thank you.” Applejack tapped the brim of her hat as she left the room. She bowed to the white stallion. “Shining,” she said politely as she squeezed out of the doorway.

“Twilight, I’m proud of you.” Shining said. “I’m glad you can put aside personal problems for the greater good.”

“Pfft.” Twilight sat down next to the table where the map was situated. “I believe when this is over I will humbly recommend to Princess Celestia that these airships be fitted with a cider still. Or two. I predict they will be very popular.”

Shining Armor placed a hoof on her back and the two sat in silence for moment. He tried to give her a hug but she pushed him away. Twilight was not sure how long they waited for the door to open; in reality it was probably only a minute, but it felt like several days. The door opened quietly, but loud enough to make Twilight’s ears flick.

Princess Luna entered the room with a bit of hesitation. “Twilight, you… called for me?”

“No.” Twilight said coldly. “He did.” She jutted a hoof in Shining Armor’s direction. “He has some questions about the Minotaur Mines.”

Shining Armor cleared his throat. “Right… ahem. Are we going to be able to get through those questions civilly? Or does Twilight have to leave the room for a bit. I heard about your… uh….”

“Quarrel.” Luna said.

“Fight.” Twilight corrected. “It’s going to be rough, but I can behave. We did break up.”

Luna turned to Shining Armor. “We’re on hiatus.” Luna corrected. Twilight went to rebuttal, but Shining Armor held up a hoof.

“Yes… well… ahem… whatever term you plan to use for it is irrelevant.”

“Indeed,” Luna said quietly. She lifted her head up high and walked over to the table where the map sat. “Minotaur Mines, you say?” She glanced quickly at the map and then nodded. “Oh, I see. The mines of Asterion. I am very much familiar with them. Their history. Their purpose. Their creators.”

“Then you can help us rescue Cadence!” Shining Armor shouted enthusiastically.

“Indeed. I can be most useful.” She looked over at Twilight with a frown. “Provided my help is wanted?”

Twilight scowled, causing Luna’s heart to break. “It is needed. Make of that what you will.”

“Hm.” Luna stared at the map. “I will need to accompy you. The mines are far too dangerous to go without a guide. I won’t claim to be able to lead you through without incident, but I’m the closest pony you have that could help you past the traps.”

“What kind of traps?” Shining Armor asked. “There aren’t marked on the map.”

Luna brushed a hoof against the paper. “Do you mind if I ask where you obtained this map?”

Shining sighed. “It’s a long story. A very long story. Let’s just say when Canterlot was falling to bits; when you and your sister were fighting….” He noticed Luna had suddenly become immensely interested in the floor. “Anyway… there was a lot of stuff going on. Discord, that wretched harpy, the city falling apart…. It’s not really important now.”

“I see.” She traced the paths on the map. “The biggest problem with the mines is that it’s an ever changing maze. Minotaurs have a natural magic that prevents them from getting lost in labyrinths, so it doesn’t affect them that the walls keep shifting.” She tapped a room on the map. “There’s a control room, where a set of magic crystals sit, I’ve seen it before.”

“You’ve been there before?” Twilight asked.

“Long ago, before Nightmare Night but after the defeat of Discord. Before the dragon Grorak the Terrible forced the Minotaurs into slavery. The mines would no doubt have changed since then, but some things must be similar. Keep in mind though that it was only a day visit.”

“Getting to the control room will be our best bet to finding Cadence.”

Shining Armor rubbed his chin. “I suppose the control room will let us reconfigure the maze to lead to where ever she is? Possibly even tell us where she’s being held?”

Luna nodded. “There are three main paths marked on this map that could lead to the control room. It would be impossible to know which one is open.”

“So we split up and whichever group gets there first changes the maze so it lets the others meet up?”

“Yes. But it is a maze. So care should be taken not to get lost. If there was a way to mark the paths that would be beneficial.”

Twilight bolted upright. “Paint! Pie brought a bunch of paint cans aboard the airship when we left Ponyville. She said something about her mane twitching and that meant ‘bring copious amounts of paint along any journey.’”

“That would certainly work.”


Cuddled closely to the helm of the airship, Fluttershy was concentrating. Her tongue was sticking out of her mouth, out to the side as her eyes narrowed. She glanced down at the airship’s wheel and then careened her neck to stare at the set of levers behind her. She removed her hooves from the wheel of the ship and turned around to the complex series of controls. She reached for one of the smaller levers, marked for controlling altitude. As her hoof touched lever, the wheel, no longer held by her hoofs, started to spin. The airship groaned and began to tilt to the side. Applejack, who was watching curiously from the side let out a rather rude curse as she slid across the floor, pulled by the tilt of the ship.

Fluttershy squeaked as she scrambled to grasp the wheel with her teeth to stop it from spinning. She quickly kicked her hooves against the contraption, sending it in spinning rapidly in the other direction. Applejack let out another slew of curse words as she slid across the floor in the opposite direction. Suddenly the ship was righted and Fluttershy let out a nervous laugh. Applejack’s expression was lacking any amusement.

The yellow pony placed a hoof on the wheel to hold it in place as she tried to reach for the lever again. She shook her head to flip her mane out of her eyes as she attempted to locate the lever with her wing. Her feathers brushed against the lever and flicked it backwards. The airship jolted harshly as it began to climb into the sky. Applejack was pressed against the floor and her hat left her head. Fluttershy cried out as she let go of the wheel again to flick the lever back. The ship began to plummet to the surface. Remembering at the last minute that she had not yet done so, she kicked the landing gear lever with her hind leg.

The airship rumbled as it landed. The metal cables that connected the balloon to the hull twanged loudly as the ponies inside the ship were jostled about. Several curse words and shouts of pain filled the air, followed by a completely inaudible, “Sorry.”

The door to the cabin of the airship opened slowly. Twilight Sparkle peeked out of the entryway and with a sigh she stared at how far away the ground was from the top deck of the grounded airship. The unicorn jumped down from top of the deck, blinking out of existence at the last minute to save herself the harsh landing. Applejack used a rope to repel down the side of the ship, planting her hooves once again on the earth. Shining Armor hit the ground with a loud thud, his body protected by a bubble of magic. Wind Strider, Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all simply glided down to the ground. The group’s attention was pulled to Rarity as she rather loudly cleared her throat. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she flew back to the deck of the ship and helped the prissy unicorn down to the ground. No pony saw how Pinkie Pie made it down, but then again, no pony really wanted to ask.

“There,” Twilight said. “That’s the entrance to the Minotaur Mines.” She pointed a hoof at a large ornate door that was carved out of stone. The door was ajar and scorched.

Rarity ran a hoof along the burn marks. “Somepony… or something was here recently. Someone with all the subtly of a grown dragon.”

“Discord or his minions,” Shining Armor spat. “No doubt when he imprisoned my beloved inside.” He peeked his head into the darkness of the entryway. The room was poorly lit, coming only from “They might still be here. Evil ‘round every corner, careful not to step in any.”

Twilight followed her brother with a slight skip to keep up with his longer legs. “This needs to be as quick as possible.” She placed a tiara on her head and levitated the other Elements of Harmony to her friends. “Keep these on at all times. We may not be able to use them against Discord himself, but they should still offer protection against the dangers of this place.” As the necklaces clipped around the ponies’ necks the gems began to glow softly. “At the very least,” Twilight said, “They’ll provide some light for us in the darkness of the caverns.”

Applejack chuckled. “Most expensive, frilliest, and rar’st lanterns Ah ever did see…”

“Yes.” Twilight said with a sigh. She pointed to the branching hallways. “Any one of these could lead to where Cadence is. We’ll split up into groups of three. Use the paint to mark the way you came, follow the maps. The maze will shift and try to confuse you, but if you remember those two things you should be fine.”

“H-how are we splitting up?” Wind Strider asked nervously. He shot a glance to Shining Armor.

“There are three paths, so will split up into three groups of three.” Twilight nodded. “Applejack, Dash, and Pie will be one group. You three take the left most path.”

Rainbow Dash glared at the orange earth pony. “Sounds good.”

“Rarity, you go with Fluttershy and… Princess Luna. You take the right most path.” Rarity nodded. “And I’ll go off with the two stallions.”

Princess Luna scowled. “Actually I would prefer if I was part of your group, Twilight…”

Twilight scowled back. “No, three by three. It’s the most even.”

Wind Strider raised his hoof. “She could swap out for Shining Armor, then there’d still be groups of three.”

Shining Armor chuckled. “Eager to get rid of me, eh, Strider?”

“N-no! I mean… uh….” The dark pink pegasus spun around in place nervously.

“No.” Twilight said with a firm stop of her hood. “Armor and I are sticking together. After Canterlot, I’d really rather we stay together.”

Princess Luna bit her lip. “Then…! Then I could swap for Commander Wind Strider!”

Wind Strider glanced around. “I’d really rather stay with Miss Sparkle...” There was a terrifying glance from the moon princess. “Or I could not. Whichever works out best.”

“It almost seems like you don’t want to be around me….” Shining Armor eyed Wind Strider carefully. Wind Strider shrunk under his gaze. As the unicorn leaned in, his shadow engulfed the pegasus.

“Uh… uh… No… no… not at all….”

“Enough!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “The groups are fixed, Twilight decided. End of story.” She swooped down and pushed each group of ponies down their respective hallway. “Geeze!”


“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” Applejack prodded Rainbow Dash with her elbow as the two of them, plus Pinkie Pie, trudged their way down a steep slope, deep within the labyrinth. Rainbow Dash gave her an irritated look, the map to the maze held securely in her mouth was clearly preventing her from speaking. Still, despite her excuse for keeping her mouth shut, Applejack could tell that Rainbow was in a foul mood. She watched as her pegasus friend’s hooves slid against the rock floor, tripping and stuttering against the steepness of the slope. The curious part was that her wings were locked against her sides. It was very unlike her to not be flying, especially when it would have made the trip down the slope easier. Applejack turned sideways and slid the rest of the way down. With a small cloud of dust she reached the bottom of the slope. “Or are you just going to mope in silence the rest of the time?”

Rainbow spit the map out. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Pinkie Pie picked up the parchment off the ground and examined it. “Would you rather sing about it?”

“No.” Rainbow Dash took a quick peek at the map over Pinkie’s shoulder. She glanced upwards and counted the six branching pathways a head of them. She pointed down the fourth hallway and gave a sharp nod of the head; walking off in that direction.

“Would you rather I sing about it?” Pinkie said in singsong.

“Ugh! No!” She grunted. For the next couple of minutes they trudged on in silence. Their path was lit by the conflicting colors given off by their necklaces. While the red and orange from Applejack’s and Rainbow’s Elements were possible to see by, Pinkie’s light blue light made things much easier to see. This only added to Rainbow’s irritation as the pink pony bounced up and down, shaking the light source. They reached another juncture in the hallways and pulled the map out once more. Rainbow Dash laid the parchment out on the ground and squinted to try and find where they were supposed to be in the maze. Applejack placed her hoof on top of map. “Hey! I can’t read it when you stand on top of it.”

“We’re talking about this. Right now.” The famer pony said. “Ya been really crazy lately and Ah’m beginning to wonder if you haven’t been affected by Discord’s magic or somethin’.”

“Look I’m not brainwashed by Discord. Okay? So just leave me be.” Rainbow Dash turned away and sat down with her back to the other two ponies.

Pinkie Pie rubbed her hooves together. “Exactly what a brainwashed pony would say….” Her eyes darted back and forth.

Applejack sighed, “What I don’t get is, Ah thought ya had a crush on me. And then now ya got a thing for Twi. And Rarity told me about the thing with Wind Strider this morning.”

“That’s got nothing to do with anything.” Rainbow said as she trotted a head, trying to put distance between her and her friends.

“Ah think it does. Ya wanna know what I think?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “No. Not really. I’m pretty sure that’s the exact opposite of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’.”

“I think Wind Strider thinking ya were hit’n on him put ya in a dour mood. You do pretty good at hiding the things that bother ya, but that was the last straw, huh?”

“So I’m a little pissed the Commander wasn’t taking me seriously. Stuff like that happens, I’m a pretty mare. I’m the fastest pony alive. I’ve got an amazing mane and tail and a sweet pair of eyes. I’m awesome. Sometimes ponies get wishful thinking.” Rainbow said. Applejack gave her a stern look. “And maybe having somepony turn you down who you weren’t even trying to get to like you stings just a little.” Rainbow blew a puff of air upwards at her mane. “So sue me.”

“And Ah think all these crushes are really just that, crushes. Ya just want a fillyfriend; ya don’t care who.”

“That’s not true!” Rainbow sneered. “I actually like y… and Twi is…” Rainbow’s face flushed, but it was impossible to see in the darkness of the mines. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

Applejack scoffed. “Consarnit! Then explain how come you jumped ship from me to Twi in a matter of a week? Because it seems to me yer just going down the list of all yer friends that like mares. Ah wouldn’t be surprised if ya asked out Princess Luna next!”

“I SAID I DON’T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT!” Rainbow shouted. The words echoed endlessly in the empty stone halls. The three ponies sat wide-eyed as the sound repeated through the maze. Eventually the echo faded and Rainbow Dash gave a slight chuckle. “Heh. Woops.”

Applejack threw her hat on the ground. “Land sakes, Dash! Ya probably gone and woke up every ne’er-do-well in the entire mines!” Rustling noises rattled their ears. A few red lights lit up around them in the darkness.

Rainbow Dash pressed a hoof into Applejack’s chest. “Well I told you I didn’t want to talk about it.” She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Besides, you heard the princess. These mines have been abandoned for centuries. There’s probably nothing here but bats and spiders.”

Pinkie Pie pointed with a large smile on her face. “Yeah. Really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really big spiders!” The other two ponies followed the direction of her hoof to see several read dots glowing in the darkness.

Rainbow asked with a slight shake to her voice. “What are those?”

“Eyes?” Applejack said.

“Too many for eyes….” Rainbow Dash backed up slightly as she pointed at the eight glowing dots.

“Okay calm down, there may be four of them to three of us, but we can take ‘em!” Several more dots appeared. “Make that sixteen to three.” The room began to light up with more. “Uh… Twenty four to three…”

“Spiders!” Pinkie repeated loudly. The creatures moved out of the darkness revealing their revolting forms. “Good news, AJ!” Pinkie shouted. “There’s only three of them, one for each of us.”

The spiders hissed as their maws opened, dripping with some sort of glowing liquid. Rainbow Dash quivered as her wings flapped in place rapidly. “More like one for each of them to eat!”

As the three ponies backed away from the advancing creatures, Applejack nudge Pinkie. “Ah don’t suppose ya somehow have that cannon of yer’s inexplicitly stashed on ya?”

Pinkie Pie gulped loudly. “That’s silly, where would I keep it? Under your hat?” One of the spiders reared back with a sickening hiss.

Applejack shook her head. “Hoo boy.”


“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” Rarity asked the larger pony as they walked through the darkened hallway. Princess Luna gave the mare a scowl and trotted past her. “I know talking about what happened between you and Twilight might help.” Luna looked back and glared at the unicorn.

“Focus on your hoofsteps. These mines were well known for containing pressure plate triggered traps. Thankfully the construction of these caverns dates to around the Darrowgora Age, so the plates will be triggered not on being depressed but being released.” Luna nodded. “Actually, the inventor of such traps was a good friend of Celestia’s, one Minotaur by the name of Marble. Fascinating fellow, very gifted in stonework.”

Rarity sighed. “I believe what you’re doing now is known as evading the question, dear.”

Luna waved her hoof dismissively. “I’m fine really. Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

“A plan…? For what, exactly?” Rarity said with some hesitation. Fluttershy gave the unicorn a worried glance.

“To fix everything. Oh, did I ever tell you about how these mines came to be?”

“No, but I have a feeling you’re about to.” Rarity sighed again.


“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” Twilight glanced back at the pink pegasus. They had come to a rather large room, lit by glowing crystals. Shining Armor was off in the distance examining a lever that looked to be tied to a large door they were trying to get through. Twilight had taken a seat on a small rock where she was studying her copy of the map. Wind Strider was pacing in a circle not far away from where she was sitting. “You haven’t said a word since the group split up. And you’re dragging your hooves, Commander. You’ve been almost four lengths behind us the whole time.”

“I’m sorry, Lady Twilight.” Wind Strider said as he approached the unicorn. One of the crystals that was providing light to the room flickered and the stallion twitched nervously with the sudden change in lighting. When the light came back his muscles loosened and he gave the unicorn an apologetic smile. “A lot has been on my mind.”

“You don’t need to call me Lady, Commander.” Twilight shook a hoof in front of the pony.

Wind Strider “Technically, you are still the regent, milady. You have not claimed either princess fit to rule yet.”

“Well, Discord would have to not be sitting on the throne first.” Twilight glanced over to where her brother was struggling to flip the rather stubborn lever. “Speaking of which. I was worried about you and the ponies in the castle, how did you escape Discord? From what he’s told me, assuming it’s true that is, he’s made Canterlot his capitol of chaos this time.” Twilight nodded. “So just how did you evade Discord’s grasp?”

“I… didn’t.” Wind Strider said almost inaudibly. Twilight gave him a look of confusion. “Not at first anyway.”

“I don’t understand? What did he do to you?”

“He brainwashed me. It was terrible.” Wind Strider shivered. “He turns you into what you’re not. You can feel the strings around your wrists, tugging you in directions you don’t want to go. It’s all a bit hazy, though. It feels like a bad dream.”

Twilight shook her head and blinked her eyes in disbelief. “Brainwashed? But….”

“Princess Celestia freed me. Discord had taken control of everypony in the castle, except the princess. She did something to free me.” He whispered. “Maybe it was magic, or maybe it was something else, but it woke me up from that terrible nightmare.”

“Commander!” Twilight shook her head. “I’ve seen his brainwashing before, he turned my friends against me. It seems to be breakable by rousing old memories. It’s easier with magic, but I suppose the correct words could do it as well.”

“The only good thing about all this is that the princess is working on some sort of plan. Of course I had to still pretend to be under Discord’s control, lest he brainwash me again.”

“Clever of you to….” Twilight said slowly. “Wait a minute. Then how were you able to get here without Discord knowing? Or does he know? Or….”

“He sent me here.” Wind Strider looked up and began to shake. “That’s actually what I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you, without getting caught.”

“Sent you here, but that doesn’t make….” Twilight stood up and pressed her face against the other pony. “Tell me what?”

Shining Armor overshadowed the mare casting a menacing leer at the pegasus. “Yes, Commander, tell her what exactly?” His speech was slow and drawn-out. The color drained from his mane.

“Milady! Watch out! Shining Armor is still under Discord’s control!”

“What?! No!” Twilight’s gasped in horror as she spun around. Shining Armor lunged at his sister, ending up with his face on the ground. Twilight blinked into existence on the other side of the room. “Shining! Snap out of it! It’s me, Twily!”

Shining stood up and growled, with a tilt of his head and a small glow on his horn, Wind Strider was sent tumbling across the room. “Miserable idiot. I knew something was wrong with him. So, the princess has been busy ‘freeing minds’, eh? I’m sure Discord will love to hear about that.” He turned to face his sister. “Only after I’ve brought you, little sis, to him personally.” Shining Armor charged forward and again lunged at Twilight.

“Wind Strider get up!” Twilight said as she teleported away. Shining Armor growled as he turned around. Twilight galloped away from her brother as he fired a series of magic bolts from his horn. She grunted as she leapt in the air to avoid another one of his lunges. “Please, Commander, I need help!”

“You’ll need more than the likes of him to deal with me, Twily.” Shining Armor herded her into a corner of the room. With a terrifying gleam in his now colorless eyes, he tackled her.

Twilight tried to pry his hooves off of her throat, but he was far too strong. “Why…? Why are you doing this? It’s me, Armor. Your L.S.B.F.F.! You have to fight it!”

Shining shook his head. “You don’t understand, Twily. I have to save Cadence. I’ll save Cadence and then we’ll all be happy.” He knelt down on top of the unicorn, forcing the air out of her.

Twilight struggled, and with whatever air she could muster, she tried to reason with him. “You think Discord is going to let you be happy with Cadence? As soon as he’s done with you….”

He landed forward, his snout inches from hers. “I have to save Cadence, Twilight. She’s… hurk!” Shining Armor lurched backwards, his hooves clutching at his neck.

Wind Strider tightened his grip on the stallion’s throat and shouted. “Milady, run! I’ll do what I can to hold him back!” The pegasus’s wings flapped furiously as he tried to hold the stallion in place.

Twilight stood up and shook her head. “Forget running. Do what you can to hold him still!”

“Will do!” He said as she struggled with the stallion.

“No! I have to save Cadence! She’s in trouble!” Shining Armor bellowed.

“Remember….” Twilight placed her horn against Shining Armor’s forehead and with a purple flash he suddenly stopped struggling. Color flowed back into his coat and mane in waves. He seemed to fall asleep and slumped down to the ground.

“Ugh….”

Wind Strider let go of the pony and clapped his hooves together. “Well done! Very impressive! You make it look so easy!”

“A bit too easy.” Twilight said, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Wait! If Shining was brainwashed by Discord… and if it was his idea to come here to rescue Cadence… then that means this whole side trip….”

With a flash of brilliant light and a burst of confetti, a draconequus burst out of thin air shouting in Twilight’s face. “SURPRISE!”

“Is a trap.”


Rising Star shook her head violently as the color returned to her coat. Her vision was blurred and her body ached for reasons she could not explain. Her head spun as blurry memories flooded back to her mind. “Where am I?” She murmured and groaned. “Oh, what happened last night?”

“Arise, Rising Star,” a commanding voice spoke. The voice had a soft sound to it, but there was an underlying weight in the words spoken that sent a chill down her spine. “You are in Canterlot Castle, in the grand throne room. What is left of it, anyway. I have freed you from Discord’s brainwashing by reminding you who you really are.” Princess Celestia looked terrible. Her multicolored mane was nothing more than a dingy pink, her royal vestments were missing, and she looked as though she had been without sleep for several days. As the alicorn caught the small orange unicorn staring, she cleared her throat. “I wish I could say that my present state did not reflect the state of the kingdom, but it is sadly the case.”

Rising Star’s eyes shifted from one part of the throne room to the next. “Discord took control, I remember now. How could this have happened?”

“He played us all for fools; my sister, my student, and myself the most. He orchestrated a situation that violated ancient law and manipulated my sister and student to move against me. He created enough chaos in Canterlot to free himself from his prison and then backed my student into a corner. Now he roams free from the fear of the Elements of Harmony. And I let this all befall the world.” Celestia sighed. “But now is not the time to dwell on the intricacies of the situation. Discord has left Canterlot, no doubt to cause chaos in the lower provinces.” Celestia nodded to herself. “We must take advantage of this brief moment to turn the tables.”

“How?” Rising Star leaned in closely, as a child would do to an elder telling a story they eagerly wanted to hear.

“You are not the only pony I was able to free from Discord’s grasp. Wind Strider was able to fetch me a few magical artifacts from around the castle, before Discord sent him on an errand.”

“Errand? I thought you said you freed him?” Rising Star paused for a moment. “What kind of artifacts?”

“Although freed, Wind Strider must continue to bluff Discord, lest the draconequus simply reapply the brainwashing.” Celestia nodded. “As for your second question, take a look.” The alicorn held up a small metal device that looked like it was held together by twigs and twine. She chuckled. “Discord is certainly a theatric creature. It has always been his undoing. Even after all these millennia, he never ceases to impress me with his creations.” Celestia jutted a hoof over to the other side of the room. “See his magic mirror he created? He uses it to watch over his kingdom of chaos. Of course he could have simply summoned a magical image with his powers, but it wouldn’t be as showy. As dramatic.” Celestia turned the small device over in her hoof. “So now the castle is littered with all these potent magical devices and oddities.”

“You intend to use his own creations against him?”

“I do more than intend.” Celestia said with a smirk. “Not to be boastful, but I have been alive for some time and working with magical devices is something I have had far too much time to master.” She held up the makeshift device in front of Rising Star. “I have repurposed his magic mirror. Instead of simply viewing a location, it can now be used as a portal to that place.”

Rising Star’s hoof nudged the chain that bound the alicorn to the side of the throne. “I take it this is where I come in? Since you’re shackled to this throne you need me to go through the portal?” Celestia nodded. “Then the question is, where does the portal lead?”

Celestia depressed a small button on the device she was holding. The reflection in the magic mirror flickered and swirled away. Soon it was replaced by a rippling image of the interior of a dusty shop. “It leads to Trottingham.” Celestia said. “Directly inside a little known antiques shop, to be precise.”

Rising Star blinked. “I don’t understand. What good will an antiques shop be?”

The alabaster mare narrowed her eyes. “Power.” Celestia sighed. “Currently my magic is neutralized. Thanks to the Elements of Harmony, which Discord tricked my student and her friends into using on me, I don’t have access to my powers. Neither the ability to raise the sun and moon, nor something as simple as basic telekinesis. In addition, this low power state is giving me trouble when I try to communicate with my Affixed.”

“Affixed?” Rising Star said with a perplexed look on her face.

Celestia sighed. “Ah, right. Much too long a story, I assure you.” She waved a dismissive hoof. “The bottom line is there are many magical wonders is this world, and while none rival the Elements of Harmony, there are several that might give us a fighting chance against the mad god. That shop has one that might be of use. In short, that shop contains power.”

Rising Star reached out to the rippling image in the mirror. “There’s a mystical artifact in there that will help us topple Discord?”

Celestia nodded. “Correct, and all you need do is fetch it for me.” She gestured with her hoof. “It’s a small necklace made of obsidian-silver, carved the silhouette of a winged unicorn, and seeded with a blood diamond. You simply must reach in through the portal and pull it from behind the counter of the shop. The shopkeeper has long since abandoned the place, no doubt due to all the chaos affecting Equestria right now.”

“Steal it, you mean?” Rising Star glanced back at the princess.

“A royal acquisition.” Celestia said flatly. “Done in the interest of continued freedom for all shopkeepers.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Now go! Bring me the trinket!”

Rising Star nodded and braced herself for the strangest sensation as she passed through the mirror. The shop was dark and dusty. The only light that filled it was coming from a small dirty window embedded in the front door. Rising Star paused for a brief moment to glance outside. Her vision was blinded by a swirling mass of multicolored light. The rest of Trottingham appeared to be in a state of irreparable disarray. Large beach ball sized explosions of candy corn appeared to be lighting up the sky accompanied by the sound of wolves growling.

She pulled her stare away from the outside and brought her attention back to the dusty interior. “One thing is for sure,” she whispered to herself. “The portal worked.” She glanced back at the small glowing bubble of light she had emerged from when she had entered the shop. She crept behind the counter and began to rummage through the various piles of trinkets and baubles. At last she found small wooden box that was just large enough to hold a piece of jewelry. She used her magic to unlatch the container and peered inside. Without a doubt she knew this was the necklace the princess was seeking. However, she suddenly felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. “This is…! But the princess couldn’t possibly want to use this.”

With a nervous tremble she closed the box and turned to face the floating bubble of light. Her skin crawled as she passed through the rippling glass once more and found herself suddenly back in Canterlot Castle. She clutched the box tightly in her front hooves, wobbling slightly from the difficulty of standing on just two legs. When she finished emerging from the portal, she collapsed on to the ground, the box spilling open and sending the obsidian necklace skirting across the room. The magical trinket came to a stop just short of where Celestia was siting. The princess reached out with a hoof to try and grab the necklace, but with the shackle around her neck was unable to do so. “Well done. That’s is what I was seeking indeed. Now quickly, bring it within my reach.”

Rising Star looked upwards at the princess and nervously spoke. “Your majesty, I have dabbled in the study of magic, I even was a student at your School for Gifted Unicorns.” Celestia raised an eyebrow. Rising Star’s gaze fell to the floor. “Is that not the fabled Alicorn Amulet?”

“How astute of you, Rising Star.” Celestia said with a slow nod. “It is in fact the Alicorn Amulet.” Celestia chuckled. “It’s such a wonder all the best magics end up in the form of a necklace.” Celestia reached out for the trinket with a hoof again, but it remained slightly out of her grasp. “You said you’ve heard of it? Tell me, what do you know?”

“I know it was forged by an evil unicorn king who sought to use black magics to rule over his kingdom. It’s supposed to elevate the wearer to the level of an alicorn. At a cost, of course; it can cause terrible madness.”

“Though he called himself a king, what he wanted was more of an empire really. Sadly a battle that my sister and I did not win without great cost.” Celestia nodded. “And it’s true the Alicorn Amulet can elevate a common unicorn to the power of an alicorn, though it does not grant immortality.” Celestia stared down at the trinket, admiring her reflection its polished ruby. “Around the neck of a true alicorn, it could grant enough power to challenge Discord, at least for a time.”

Rising Star placed a hoof on the amulet and slid it back towards herself. “But what about the madness it induces?

“A strong mind can certainly overcome it.” Celestia said as her eyes narrowed harshly on the unicorn.

Rising Star shook her head. “As it did with the Dome of Vision?”

Celestia reared back aghast. “How do you know about…? Never mind. I’ll not shy away from my mistakes. I have made several, but I have always tried to act in the interest of this kingdom. It is true that it does not always work out, but it is also true that the majority of my decisions have had such a positive effect on the world it be a shame to let a few pinpoint mistakes prevent me from providing what aid I can.”

Rising Star looked at the amulet and shuddered. “This will stop Discord?”

Celestia shook her head. “No.”

“Then why…?!”

“It will however give me enough power to demand his attention. Perhaps I can stall him long enough for Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna to complete their mission. We have been fortunate that even though Discord is all seeing, he has been focusing his attention on the chaos he has been causing. Other than a few minor check-ins, he has not bothered with Twilight Sparkle. I believe he thinks her out of the game. He knows she is out wandering about, but I do not think he knows her true mission yet.” Celestia sighed. “And for that, I am thankful. Though with recent revelations, namely Princess Luna’s escape and her fleeing to Twilight, he seems to have gained more interest in their activities. I must give him a reason to stay in Canterlot. The Alicorn Amulet will give me the power to fight back against some of Discord’s chaos. Stopping his pranks will most certainly get his attention.”

“But it is a dark artifact! Crafted by an evil king no less!” Rising Star held the amulet behind her back, out of the princess’s reach. “Is that worth risking the madness?”

“Madness or not, Discord must be stopped. Besides,” Celestia leered at Rising Star. “You are no stranger to going to extremes for the better of the kingdom. Isn’t that correct, Miss Star?”

Rising Star looked confused. She craned her neck to try and meet the eyes of the rather tall royal pony. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Discord told me of your plan to poison Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia said flatly.

Rising Star nearly fell backwards. Her muscles tensed up and she felt a cold shiver run down her spine. “Wha?!” Sweat rolled down her forehead. “Surely you don’t believe Discord?”

“I believe that Discord certainly informed me of your… darker nature… in an attempt to manipulate me and scare me out of my faith for my kingdom. But I also believe that Discord was not lying. He does not fabricate evil truths. They would lose their potency.” Celestia turned away from Rising Star before the unicorn had a chance for rebuttal. “That said, this is something we will deal with at a later date. For now, you should consider if your actions here will redeem you or condemn you further.”

“I… understand…” Rising Star slowly extended her hoof, offering the Alicorn Amulet to the princess. The alabaster mare swiped the trinket from the unicorn and quickly placed it around her neck.

“Yes….” She hummed as her eyes lit with a pale red tinge. With a soft glow of her horn the shackle around her neck broke and she took a few steps away from the throne. She chortled as her magic spread around the room, morphing and molding the castle. The walls rearranged and the floor moved like liquid, reshaping itself around her. The castle rumbled as its rooms shifted. “Discord was right about one thing. It is certainly nice to get out of the throne room once in a while.”

Author's Note:

Hey guys! Guess what? I discovered time travel. Turns out it had a lot to do with badgers. So that's a thing. Unfortunately, my first flight accidentally took me six months into the future. Discount time circuits from craigslist; it wasn't a good idea. That's why the chapter is "late". Well only from your perspective. I actually got it done much sooner. But... time travel. Yeah. I'm sticking to that.