Civil Distinction

by SpitFlame

Chapter 4: The Misty Morning

The paralysis spell didn't last too long, ten minutes at the most, though far more pain returned to Corvo's and Serath's senses than they would have expected. For the sake of precaution, both were lain in separate rooms; Luna instructed Shining Armor to question Corvo on this unexpected visit while she and Twilight would deal with Serath.

"That was painfully unnecessary, both figuratively and literally," breathed Corvo with intense weariness. The spell had dulled, but not entirely. He was pressed against the wall, and they had fetched him a pillow for his back.

"You know why we're here," said Shining rather dryly. "Two years after what we consider your unfortunate after-math, and you've got the nerve to come back. Now this?"

"Shame that we cannot see eye-to-eye in that regard," replied Corvo.

"I really don't mean to make this hard for you," said Shining calmly, in an attempt to ease the conversation. "You know why we're being protective."

Corvo sighed and, with a determined thought, decided that it would be best to make sure these ponies knew everything they needed to, in a way to consolidate the missing pieces of the situation.

"You already know a few of the facts," he said. "I followed some magical trail which rang in my head, like an invisible signal. Yes, this most likely had to do with my Mark, and if not that, Sombra's magic, but to be sure we would need to interrogate him. I went through and, surprisingly, found myself in my house, and that is where I encountered Serath."

"You said that he's your friend?"

"That is correct. We shared a brief conversation, he was going to depart, but lo and behold, the grasp of ill luck was on me: this magic mirror sucked us both through, and you know the rest."

"Hmm," hummed Shining with particular interest, now sitting down on the floor. "What was this conversation you both shared?"

"Why is that relevant?" asked Corvo

"Put yourself in our shoes and ask that again," he retorted.

"Well, we discussed tea," Corvo now spoke sardonically and without consideration to take the inquiry that seriously. "Would you like to know what tea I was going to make? Do not tell him, but I never was—the tea was already finished, the only thing left was to heat the pot. Brilliant, isn't it?"

Shining stared feverishly at Corvo, frowned, and leaned in closer to him. "Are you sure that's it?"

"Fine, if you must know, a local library struck up in flames, burnt to ruin, one that he and I used to meet up at."

"Alright. And?"

Corvo rested his head on his palm and leaned to one side. "How about we reveal the more appropriate questions?" he said. "You would like to know if you can trust us both, Serath in particular, yes?"

"How can we?" asked Shining in an almost mocking tone. It was clear that he felt extremely skeptical about the two, there was no doubt there, but he asked the question as if challenging Corvo to accomplish a near-impossible task.

"Luna and Twilight are questioning him right now," said Corvo, now more at ease. "You trust them, I am aware of that. Serath is about as harmless as a crippled fly; he once felt guilty for being a mere minute late to my voyage party nearly two years back. If they are able to see this, then what's the worry?"

"He sounds a little concerned," said Shining Armor, now with a faint smile.

"Serath is brilliant in many ways, but he assumes too little for his own sake and too much for others. This is why I fear for his life at this point, caught up in a web of danger, here in Equestria, with this King Sombra on the loose."

"So you do take your friendship seriously?"

"Put it whichever way you like, so long as you get the gist of it."

"At least I know that you aren't entirely heartless," remarked Shining Armor, lacking all traces of evident enthusiasm. "We should clear this up before Princess Celestia returns; once she's here, I'll take a minute to explain everything. Do you think Serath can help in any way?"

"We are both trapped here, so..." I could always try and summon the Outsider, but that would not get Serath out of here without an armor-piercing question directed at myself. It can do me no good either as I do not wish to leave, not until I am certain that Sombra is dead. I will kill him with my bare hands if that is what it takes.

"'So' what?" said Shining Armor.

"So... keep him out of it," replied Corvo with a frown.

"Listen, the last thing I want to do is praise you," said Shining with an effort, "but, for all that I've seen, you can be useful in situations like these. I don't know much about your kind, so I'm assuming Serath can stop time as well as—"

"N-no!" reproached Corvo, his face now pale, a nervous laugh creeping into his voice. "No, he does not possess any magical powers whatsoever. Oof, it just came to me that either Luna or Twilight could reveal my powers to him."

"So this is a secret on your part?"

"Uh, yes," he replied with a tightened jaw. This time Corvo kept his gaze fixed on a certain part of the floor, as to focus more on what to say, and every few seconds he would look somewhere else. "I myself am feeling much better now. We should go and see how the others are doing," he spoke as he rose to his feet, and luckily enough, his legs felt to him more lively than ever before.

"If you can manage," said Shining Armor, wandering ahead and opening the door.

"What was it that you implied, by the way? You want Serath to help you ponies in the battle against Sombra?"

"We'll know if he's willing or not," said Shining.

Meanwhile, Corvo had been thinking, in dreadful anticipation: What can I do should Serath realize that I am the Wandering Stranger? What about my mask, destroyed in the heat of battle? Where is that? If what I say comes true, I... might have to...

"Are you okay?" asked Shining with a tilt of his head

"No one is okay," said Corvo in a gloomy voice. Soon after he bumped into and nearly tripped against a unicorn guard who was passing by. He thought it to be odd, considering this guard looked particularly different than the rest, and he had not seen him before. Most noticeable was this guard's deadpan eyes: after a quick apology he resumed his gait down the hallway, always looking forth, like he were a train on dedicated rail tracks.

* * *

Serath was more or less in the exact same position as Corvo, except when he was able to move again, they set him down on a soft chair. There was an incredible amount of reflection on his mind, so many questions were constantly springing up in his head, questions that required an unbelievable suspension of disbelief. On the surface he remained collected and properly sane, now staring at the two ponies who had first attacked him and then given him a chair to sit on.

"Well now," he began, "...who is the awkward third party?"

"We'll, er, get to that," said Twilight with vague hesitation. "As you may have guessed, your arrival in Equestria has been—"

"Rather sudden," said Luna.

"Right," said Twilight with a weak smile. "This isn't meant to be against you, we were told that you're a friend of Corvo's, but we can't be sure, at least not yet."

"In other words," said Luna, "you'll need to answer some very specific questions should you want to stick around any longer."

The contrast between Twilight and Luna were night and day: while the former came off as much more nervous and considering, Luna had first-hoof experience with the likes of Corvo, she refused to take any chances, which made her impression far more aggressive and persistent. Serath quickly picked up on this.

"I understand perfectly," he said. "I will need a moment later to take this all in. Talking ponies, this bit about magic, and—what was it? Equestria? Is that the name of this world, or country?"

"Equestria is our country," said Luna, "and it is currently under threat by a very powerful and ancient unicorn who has risen from his defeat."

"Under threat?" now said Serath with the highest degree of interest. "This certainly does deserve attention, but not from me, at the least, not now. I really do know almost nothing of this world, and I have yet to question Corvo again."

"My brother is doing that right now, as a matter of fact," said Twilight, "but on your behalf, we still need to know exactly what happened when you got here, what you and Corvo talked about—once we can be sure that you're not dangerous, we'll tell you everything there is to know about Equestria. I promise."

"Only what is necessary," put in Luna. "Time is of the essence; we have estimated that there are only a few days left until Sombra's smoke can encompass all of Equestria."

"This seems fair to me," said Serath, and in a large breath he began: "There is this very popular library in the center of town, a library in which Corvo and I normally visited for analyzing books of lengthy interest, sharing our critical thoughts, and, without a doubt, a bit of whiskey as decoration! Then a fire struck, it took the entire building with it, I believe a forgotten cigar was the cause. In a most feverish haste I went to his house, to be the bearer of unfortunate news; now, what was strange was the way he appeared, and how he behaved; I told him that the library was gone, but contrary to what I expected, he took my words very well. We shared a light conversation regarding tea, I was ready and about to leave, but then that... that..." he kept shaking his fists, as if under pressure to remember something long forgotten. His pursed lips now contorted into a weak smile, unable to believe the web he found himself caught in, and continued like he never did interrupt himself: "That magical mirror (does magic really exist?), and we were both swept into this world: Equestria, it is.

"I myself am a fan of levity, to exaggerate my own feelings above that which is considered sane, all in order to behave reasonably. In other words, I took my predicament rather well, which means abnormally, as most would probably faint on the spot. Corvo then went on to explain the events at the present time, why he was here, but because we had not sat down over a drink, it was very difficult to discuss the matters more calmly. So now I remain undoubtedly—I must think of the perfect word—intrepid? Willing? I still must be familiarized on the smaller details and just who everyone is here."

Luna and Twilight exchanged enigmatic stares, as if agreeing on something without any words, and now Twilight wandered over to Serath, a contradiction of hesitation and curiosity washing over her.

"Well now," she began with an internal animation, "you are aware that we're at war, a war against an evil tyrant who's plan is to wipe out all life from Equestria. But"— she seized the moment to stare directly into his face —"if you can, if you're as capable as Corvo, we could use your help."

Luna was still in order to properly observe this conversation; she continuously wanted to tell the others of Corvo's friend, to tell him all that she knew out of a desperation to save Equestria, but every second she chided herself for thinking so carelessly, to put trust onto this stranger so quickly. Or, at least, this is what Twilight observed.

"I do have one question to which I must have answered," said Serath, "and that is to say, I want a brief explanation on this, if it is reasonable to ask: why is there such tension between you ponies and Corvo?"

"So he didn't tell you?" asked Luna.

Serath hunched his shoulders, and in earnest shook his head, but slowly, his gaze froze on the alicorn, now waiting to see just what she had to say.

For all the appropriate reasons there now developed a particular premonition in the air, shared by all three of them, though viewed at varying angles, that something very distressing was going to be revealed very quickly. Serath immediately began in an attempt to discern what Luna meant by "he didn't tell you," a rush of realization filling his thought process. Twilight was even more tensed than before, but now hid this nervousness better than before.

Luna gave a glassy frown, and continued: "You don't know why he came to us in the first place? No? I see now. Corvo wanted to kill both me and my sister—twice."

Serath was suggestively perplexed, though the ponies could not notice this. A cold sensation, almost like a wisp, slid down his back, into his body, and gleamed in his eyes with an earnest need for knowledge. Beyond this there remained a tremendous amount of doubt regarding his opinions on Corvo, whom he respected greatly, but now, at this moment, his logical concerns conflicted with personal feelings.

"Do assure that there is room for further elaboration," he said, almost in an undertone of worriment.

"According to what Corvo told us," said Luna in an attentive state, "he was told that a war would occur in the future, a war between your world and Equestria, that multi-dimensional magic would be invented, which would allow us to cross the borders."

"Cross into our world? But the mirror!"

"Now do you see the problem?" said Twilight all too suddenly.

"And by whom was he informed?" inquired Serath, now looking hard at Luna.

"A spirit of chaos." She impatiently tapped a hoof. "I thought that you would know this."

"I don't believe in 'spirits of chaos,'" reproached Serath quietly, now more in disbelief than before. "But what is there to believe or deny? Here I converse with two talking ponies, both can perform magic, and—" his face turned pale, and his words came out in fits of hysteria. "Deary me, what have I done to be put in this scenario?"

The door swung open, Corvo wandered into the room, and at this there were exclamations everywhere. Corvo appeared surprised for how Serath, Twilight, and Luna stared back at him with such aghast expressions, and they themselves felt nothing short of wonder in a pool of anxiety.

"Did I interrupt something important?" asked Corvo with a suggestive stare.

"Corvo!" Serath suddenly jumped from his chair, both hands clasped on his head. "A future war was coming? You were here before just to kill these ponies? You have personally seen a spirit of chaos?" These questions were shot out without regard for one another: whenever he asked one, Serath immediately forgot that he did so and moved onto the next.

Corvo hummed to himself disappointingly; he scanned the room with heavy notice of Princess Luna, like he were trying to decipher the implications of her passive eyes. At last an air of defeat—practical and expected defeat—washed over him. A second flew by, with all exclamations aimed at Corvo's line of action, who now suddenly lit his Mark. "It was only a matter of time before you found out." He vanished, and in that same instance appeared next to Serath, looking fixedly at all of them. "I am in possession of magical abilities as well," he said this directly.

"Okay then!" Twilight broke in with a hard smile. "I'm sure we can all wait for Princess Celestia to come back before anything else."

"My sister should have been here by now," put in Luna, now unaware of her saddened tone. Where is she?

"You have magic!" cried Serath in extreme animation.

"Serath," began Corvo in that voice which suggested only the highest degree of pity, "we are in a world such as this one, and this is what alarms you?"

Serath experienced several emotions all at once: he gazed at Corvo questioningly, was about to answer with as much reason as he could, but resorted to stare at Twilight, who only looked from side to side; and only then did he drop back onto his seat and laugh long but quietly to himself.

"So you are some sort of wizard," said Serath with an ironic smile, more of a statement than anything else. "Folks have studied 'witchcraft' for years in Dunwall, and a few even tried to reach the mystical being known as—"

"The Outsider gave me this Mark," said Corvo.

"The Outsider!" This caused Serath to jump up once again. "So he is real as well?"

"Indeed."

Luna now said something very suggestive, and at this notion she took a step back and stared coolly at Serath, the shadows round her seemingly deepening: "I am more surprised at your specific reaction, or lack thereof, concerning Corvo's history of murder, in this case, when he tried to take the lives of my sister and I. Does that not disturb you?"

"Rather... eh, yes, I suppose," said Serath timidly, now in deep reflection with a dark gleam in his eyes. "Corvo used to be, for all intents and purposes, a Royal Protector, the personal bodyguard of our empress at the time. Putting this into context, it would make sense that he would, not only travel constantly, but he would, now and again, be forced to put blood on his hands." Serath cast a glance at Corvo, who returned the gaze with an expression that silently remarked the obviousness of what he was saying. "While it is nothing new under the sun that Corvo has killed in the past, murder is not the most uncommon thing from where we come from, I still meant to ask him... eh, why. Later on, that is."

"So it's normal for your kind to kill?" she asked with a sharp change of expression, now visibly distressed.

"Serath is in no such position to spill blood," remarked Corvo with the tilt of his head. "I myself had my own reasons, and our little previous tussles were justified."

"That's debatable," said Twilight sharply.

"Yes, well, you lot know now," said Corvo, "and I have no further reason to continue this little game of trust. My only concern now is to put an end to Sombra before he has the chance to change"— for an incredibly short instance he smirked at this thought, but immediately coughed and went on —"our world. Change for the worst, of course."

"Half a minute, if you will," said Serath with weary impatience. "Corvo, take this all back for a bit."

"Fine. The Outsider was able to see into the future, warned me of a fatal struggle between Equestria and where we come from, and after much deliberation, and somewhat on an instinctive nature, I felt the need to preserve my homeland. Is that so unreasonable?"

"Yes, yes it is," said Twilight defensively, stomping a hoof down. "You should hear yourself; it's almost as if you personally wanted to get rid of us."

"I am sorry that it came to all this," said Corvo, "but take the time to look at the bigger picture: we are all driven by similar motivations at this point, we are all very capable to work with one another, and my days of murder are over. Why do you think I retired as a bodyguard? Officially I am a detective—though I also quite like the thought of, eh... other subjects."

"Everypony, Princess Celestia has finally returned!" announced Shining Armor unexpectedly from the corner of the door. "And she's with Twilight's friends."

Huh? thought Corvo. His expression was still relatively calm, nothing to reveal, but he was nothing short of frustrated at being proven wrong. She is back? True that the possibility of her returning was present, this is in light of all she would need to do in order to save all of the ponies in Ponyville and yet have time to come to the Crystal Empire. How did she do it? And again his conscious exploded into a state of analysis, considering to himself what Celestia's opinion would be regarding Serath, and how she would respond when Corvo had made it evident in his observation that she would either return alone or die in a vain attempt.

"They're here, my friends?" Twilight practically said aloud, her voice entwined with a tone which clearly suggested you were on the verge of tears. She was beyond overjoyed, more so than was needed, and galloped past her brother, much to his disappointment (but alas, he could not complain), and she cried from the foyer: "Princess Celestia!"

"My heart finally has a little less weight on it," sighed Luna, smiling a weak smile. "Shining Armor, how long?"

"She just got back five minutes ago," he said. "I met her by the station."

"Did you tell her about—" she gestured to Serath, almost as if he were not supposed to notice.

"Um... yeah, you can say that," he said, rubbing the back of his head, far more unconfidently than she would have liked. "The thing is, princess, is that I only managed to get a sentence or two through on the topic of Serath here. At first she looked a bit worried, but I believe Princess Celestia can understand. If we can get her affirmation on this matter, then I can as well."

"Princess Ce-les-ti-a?" said Serath curiously.

"This is what I assume will happen," said Corvo, now making his way to the door: "Princess Celestia will request a bit of a tête-à-tête with Serath, for obvious reasons no doubt, and now—Twilight and her friends," he ended quietly and in contemplation. "Our situation now has been markedly improved in a number of areas, so for now, I may have to talk to them? If not by her direct consent, I will ask to."

"You would like to speak with the Elements?" asked Luna, taken aback in confusion. "Why?"

"Why else? We need to establish some sort of relationship, however small, if we are to collaborate smoothly. I only have to make sure to avoid Pinkie Pie at all costs." He ceased his gait and re-thought what he had just stated. "How on Earth do I even remember their names?"

* * *

Corvo was partly correct. Princess Celestia had indeed asked to speak with Serath in private, upstairs in Cadence's room. She and Corvo merely exchanged looks of a cooled rivalry, though she was content with bemusing him and being off, with the latter now skeptical and strangely amused.

Much to his surprise Corvo saw Discord floating about next to Celestia—he had remembered the creature from two years ago, witnessing him right before leaving. Discord was smiling, and if anything else, exchanging words with Celestia while the two headed upstairs with Serath uncomfortably by their side. He was in the most awkward of positions.

Corvo now turned round to see Luna coming back from another room: she had been asked to retrieve Spike who had been there all along, sending magical scrolls to each and every city regarding Sombra's threat on her command. He was evidently weary, but nonetheless glad to be with Twilight and her friends. By the fact itself, he ran to her for a hug the moment he turned the corner from the hallway.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were sent—together—to the guard barracks with the generals and decide on what their next course of action might be.

Princess Luna herself dismissed the guard on lookout from the top of the Crystal Castle and decided to watch the night sky from there, deep in determined reflection. She was largely one of the more careful ponies, still hanging on the edge of paranoia in thought of Corvo and Serath, but strangely enough, not of Sombra, or so that is how I perceived it. She intended to use up all the time available to, if not help right away, pour her ideas into a state of contemplation. What that contemplation was in service of—that I cannot decide on at the moment.

Back inside the castle itself stood Corvo with a painfully awkward poker face right in front of the six ponies and Spike. Each of them put forth expressions of confusion, acceptance, anger, and skepticism, with variations between them.

Twilight surveyed her friends carefully as if to gauge their respective reactions; Spike with simply by her side, awaiting for someone to say something; Rarity was by more the most feverishly skeptical, narrowing her eyes and rubbing a hoof under her chin; Rainbow Dash took a moment to register what was going on—though Celestia had briefed all of them on the train ride over about what had occurred within the last twenty-four hours or so—but she was nonetheless irritated; Fluttershy was simply frightened beyond all belief, but upon seeing Corvo she felt oddly at ease, even though this change in attitude wasn't noticeable in the least; Pinkie Pie awkwardly swiveled her head about to observe her friends and the room they were in, but she only slowly waved a hoof to Corvo, bearing a concerning expression; Applejack was, much like Rainbow Dash, irritated to see Corvo, more stubbornly so, even if Celestia had informed them of his visit prior.

"Where are my manners?" said Corvo rather quietly, with genuine thought rather than to mock their stares. He flattened his greatcoat at the waist, straightened his back, and wandered towards them. "It has been two years since we last spoke to one another," he continued with a friendly smile, "and while you last viewed us as acquaintances on good terms, you are now aware of what was really playing behind the curtains."

"Yeah, we know that you tried to kill the princesses!" said Rainbow heatedly, rising from the ground. "You may be on neutral grounds for now, but believe me, buddy, you and I are not friends."

"Oh, I believe you," said Corvo, "but tell that to King Sombra's biomass of black smoke and see if it stands on ceremony."

Rainbow Dash shot a pretentiously poisonous glare, and frowning she lowered to the floor.

Twilight let out a heavy sigh. "Listen," she said, "there's a lot to discuss, a lot that we still don't know or aren't sure of, but—" she now spoke strictly and calmly in juxtaposition to her friends' anxious thoughts "—I'm pretty sure of one thing: Princess Celestia still hasn't put Corvo under any sort of confinement, she's letting him work with us, and if she trusts him, then I think we need to at least put aside any form of bad blood and focus on what we can do to save Equestria."

"And who was that other feller Ah saw wanderin' with the princess and Discord?" said Applejack.

"He's a friend of Corvo's," said Twilight.

"So now there are two of them?" exclaimed Rarity in great alarm.

"No need to feel down in the dumps about it," said Corvo, rather absentmindedly. "Celestia and, er, Discord are questioning him this very moment, I am certain of that, to see if he can stay." But on that front, I hope she asks him to leave, or he chooses to not be in our way. There is no doubt in my mind that Serath is very capable, but the longer he resides, the closer he is to revealing my identity as the Wandering Stranger. Once we get together again I am sure that he will have questions regarding my powers—even I can put two and two together. If he does find out—

"Corvo, are you okay?" asked Twilight. "Your face turned pale."

"Tell me, when did Discord arrive?" said Corvo suddenly, completely ignoring Twilight's concern, much to her irritation.

"Oh, well," began Fluttershy in a quiet tone, but eager to respond, "Discord was with me when Princess Celestia found us in the cottage. She said she was gathering all of us to get to the Crystal Empire as fast as possible."

"Exactly," said Pinkie reassuringly. "With Discord's help King Sombra won't know what'll hit him!"

"It took a while, too," put in Applejack observantly, crossing one fore-hoof over another. "Duty called, Ah 'sposed, and mah family had to head their separate ways further south. Oh, Ah really hope they're alright."

"Don't sweat it, Applejack," said Rainbow. "All of Ponyville has been evacuated at this point."

"And I've been sending letters to all the cities and towns across Equestria," said Spike proudly. "With Princess Luna's warning we'll all be prepared for some silly smoke."

"That's good news, Spike," said Twilight, "but right now, all we can do is wait for Princess Celestia to finish up her conversation with Serath. When that's done, I'll bet that Shining Armor and Princess Cadence will have something planned out." She cleared her throat and put on a forced optimistic look. "So... why don't we all sit down in a living room and catch up on... things."

"Sounds good to me," said Corvo with a strange sense of enthusiasm. He walked by the ponies, led now by Twilight, and they were now in a particularly large crystal room with a several long windows, four sofas on a wide carpet, and another door which connected to a latter hallway. Corvo was seated on one couch while the ponies shared two others.

"So what did Celestia tell you?" asked Corvo.

"All that we needed to know," said Rarity: "you got a letter from that dreadful Sombra, which in turn led you here."

"And Equestria ain't the only place on Sombra's list of places to destroy—he's got it out for you, too," said Rainbow Dash.

"So that's why you're helping us," said Pinkie with an inappropriate smile.

"Then y'all got to the Crystal Empire, though she didn't describe much after that," said Applejack, prodding her chin.

"I see," said Corvo thoughtfully. "You all know that, to put an end to Sombra's reign of terror, we must retrieve the Crystal Heart and bring it here."

They all nodded in unison, and Twilight, now finally coming to the conclusion that she would be unable to solve this, said: "But what I don't understand is how exactly the Crystal Heart was stolen. Not even two days ago it rotated under the castle, but now it's gone, despite the tight watch we keep it under."

"So it just vanished," echoed Corvo, more to himself than the rest.

"And who's this 'friend' Corvo brought along?" said Rainbow with a thoughtful eyebrow raised.

"His presence is nothing but sheer accident," said Corvo, but now he remained guessing as to whether or not this were true; "however... the mirror only took hold of us right when I entered my home, hardly a coincidence."

There now were exclamations on all sides.

"The magic mirror!" exclaimed Rarity in complete disbelief. "You mean the one Twilight used to cross into the human world?"

"Pardon?" said Corvo in a sudden change of tone. "Twilight, you have entered the mirror before?"

"I'm pretty sure we're talking about two completely different things," said Twilight with unease. "The human world I came into contact with was... colourful, to say the least. You don't look like you'd be from there. On top of that, when a human enters Equestria they turn into ponies, but we can tell that this isn't in your case."

Corvo crossed his arms and leaned back, his eyes now glassy, as if he had forgotten that six ponies were right across from him. "This magic mirror took both me and Serath to Equestria," he said in a barely audible undertone. "Like I said, hardly a coincidence, meaning that Sombra must have wanted for this to happen, but Sombra was not there, so I can come to the conclusion that this mirror was premeditated. This only strengthens the theory that he did indeed set foot in my world. No, it is a fact at this point, not a theory."

"Wait just a darn minute," interjected Applejack impatiently, "so if there's another, uh, 'Corvo' here—Serath was it?—Who's to say he ain't in cahoots with King Sombra?"

"So you are worried my friend cannot be trusted, whom you have never met before, but you do not consider the same for me?" said Corvo, giving Applejack a hard look.

"Well, Ah guess not," said Applejack slowly, partially convinced. "But if this whole mirror was 'cause of Sombra's plan, why add yer friend to the mix?"

"That is what confuses me."

"So let me get this straight," said Rainbow Dash, "King Sombra returned because of some crazy imbalance in magic, and now not only does he want to destroy all of Equestria, he wants to take your place as well? Oh brother, I'm not sure whether to feel bad for you or glad that—ow, hey!" She shot a glare at Applejack, who slapped her in the back of the head.

"Corvo, you seemed rather eager to have this conversation," observed Rarity. "But you don't seem to be 'conversing' all that much."

"To tell you the truth, I am not here for the discussion of any daily issues," said Corvo. "As much as I would appreciate that, now is not the time. If none of you mind, would you lot be willing to be put through a small test in order to determine your perception capabilities? In proper context, with Serath at Celestia's hooves, should the two come to the idea that he should aid us on top of staying—as you probably know, the mirror does not work now—I would need to consult him on many subject matters. All I need to know is can I trust you, all of you? This is not due to faith, but if I can count on the ways you control your way of knowing, and how you adapt."

They all glanced at one another, exchanging their mixed reactions and opinions, but ultimately decided to go along with this harmless test.

"This is how it will work," went on Corvo with moderate anticipation, like he knew who would pass and who wouldn't: "I will either propose a single difficult question or, say, five easier questions. Both options may have multiple variables to think about—"

"Variables?" said Rainbow Dash, now unsure. "Aw man, is math gonna be involved?"

"Nothing too complicated," deadpanned Corvo. "To solve these questions, or rather, 'solve' is the wrong word. To be able to answer these questions without stumbling is all that I ask. Now then, which is it: the difficult question or the five easy ones?"

"Well," said Twilight decisively, "easy questions aren't much of a challenge, so I guess we can go with the hard one."

Her friends shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"But before we start, I must know," said Rarity, "how will this determine whether or not you can trust us?"

"If you want my opinion on this," said Spike all too eagerly, "this actually sounds like fun."

"Just bear with me," said Corvo. "You shall all learn in due time. Ahem, what comes first: the night or the day?"

In relative order, from Rainbow Dash to Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and last to Twilight, the answers went:

"Well duh, the day of course... I think."

"Hmm, Ah reckon that Princess Celestia was the first to rule over Equestria, so in that balance-of-harmony sorta way, Ah'd say day!"

"My first party ever was in the day, so I gotta go with that!"

"Well, neither can really occur first, I don't assume, but if I absolutely have to pick, I shall choose the day."

"I'll go with day."

And now all eyes were on Twilight. "Seeing as how there's only two options," she began, annoyed with all the pressure suddenly being pressed round her, "it would be reasonable to say that the day comes first, but night is only the absence of light, and something couldn't have just been here forever. But you said to choose between night and day, not light and darkness, so if we consider Equestrian history, the sun and moon were raised way before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were born. It's actually still up for debates nowadays, but a lot of ponies declare that—"

"Twilight, just pick one," said Corvo dryly.

She still remained unsure, now almost holding her breath. "I guess," she went on, "that I'll go... with... the day!"

"And... Spike, was it?" Corvo looked over to Spike.

"Oh, yeah, that's right," he replied awkwardly.

"What is your choice?"

Spike now clicked his tongue, his palms together as if to detract himself. He didn't know whether to feel included in this group or strange, being asked a question by someone he had never truly met before. And yet his unease wasn't entirely at fault; with a hum of thought he was rather confident in what to say.

"Everypony here said the day," he said, "so I'll go with that: the day came first."

They all settled on the day, thought Corvo. "Concluding all of this, explain to me how?"

"Huh?" said Twilight confusingly.

"You all answered the day," said Corvo, "so allow me to give you this: tell me how."

"How the day comes first?" repeated Pinkie.

"Yes," said Corvo slowly. "Are any of you sure enough to provide an answer?"

The six ponies, once again, agreed to his inquire, save for Spike: he bowed his head, double-guessing himself if he really could answer properly. If Twilight got it wrong, there's no way he would be able to get it correctly.

"You don't look too happy there; are you sure you know what to say?" asked Corvo.

"What! Oh, um, n-no, I mean, of course I'm sure!" he said nervously. "I've studied astronomy with Twilight before."

"Then how does the day come first?"

"Allow me," said Twilight quickly as she edged closer. "The day occurs because Princess Celestia raises the sun, and the night when Princess Luna raises the moon. However, that's kind of irrelevant. The night is when we don't see the sun, that's to say, the sun's light is supposed to be absent on our land. But the sun was always glowing bright even before Equestria came to be. So the day came first."

Without a second of hesitation all of her friends nodded with smiles, making it obvious to Corvo that most of them were unsure in their responses. Even Spike agreed.

"So did we get it right?" said Pinkie in anticipation.

"I don't care," said Corvo. "If the day came first, or the night, does not matter. You all failed."

"Oh, come on!" said Rainbow Dash irritably. "I knew this was gonna turn out to be some complicated trick question, but now you're saying that it overall doesn't matter?"

"I agree," said Rarity with a skeptic eyebrow lowered. "What was the point of asking us what comes first if you don't care?"

"To answer your initial question, Rarity," said Corvo with a half smile, "there are many situations in life, especially our current predicament in regards to Sombra, where you will be forced to make important decisions. You must put your train of thought through a process of elimination should you desire the most beneficial of results. Of course there are no exceptions, so even the most obvious conclusions should be considered. By over-thinking something you might stumble."

"But how in tarnation did we fail!" argued Applejack, waving a hoof in the air.

"Because you all answered my second question without questioning it itself," said Corvo. "I said that I would ask a single question, which I did: does the night or day come first? However, you all let me get away with a second question, and to add to that, most of you hardly felt secure in your responses. In other words, when I asked how the day comes first, you should have responded with: 'But that is a second question, and you intended for only one.' By saying that you all would have gotten away. This is that moment where you put superfluous difficulty ahead of yourselves."

"Alright, you got us," said Twilight. She looked at him rather enigmatically, however, and gestured a hoof towards him. "But how about you get a taste of your own medicine?"

Corvo crossed his legs and chuckled quietly, now in a state of excitement, and pressed an elbow on the sofa's arm. "Now this is a surprise," he exclaimed with a pale gleam in his eyes. "You want to ask me a question? Yes, that does sound like fun, go ahead."

"Ooh, ooh!" said Pinkie Pie bouncing up and down. "Can I ask a question?"

"How about we all lay one on him?" suggested Rainbow Dash. She was rubbing her hooves together, with all the intent in the world to make sure, despite anything, that Corvo would get her question incorrect, if only to provide weight to mock him.

"So you all want to be part of this?" laughed Corvo. "Good, this should be far more interesting now."

"So who goes first?" asked Twilight, looking to her friends for an answer.

"Oh, I'll go first!" said Pinkie Pie, smirking maliciously. "Are you ready?"

"Go ahead," said Corvo.

"I got this one from Sugar Cube Corner," she said with a wink. "What always goes up and never down?"

"Your age," replied Corvo flatly.

"That's right!" she gasped. A silence hung in the air, Pinkie Pie darted her eyes back and forth, then, in an undertone, she whispered to her friends: "He's good."

"Come on, Pinkie, you call that difficult?" huffed Rainbow Dash. "Here's one that'll really drive you up a wall. I can only exist when light is around, but I'll disappear as soon as it shines on me. What am—"

"A shadow."

The delivery of his answer crossed the room so quickly, with a mocking amount of boredom, that the pegasus dropped to the sofa, her mouth agape, now more irritated than before.

"Fine then," said Applejack, "ya may be good at riddles, but let's see ya top this: y'all gotsta transport three thousand apples over one thousand kilometers from Sweet Apple Acres to Canterlot. Yer truck can carry a thousand apples at a time, and every kilometer ya cross costs a single apple, but there ain't no consequence fer travelling in reverse. What is the absolute maximum number of apples ya can deliver? Impressive, huh? Believe it or not, but Big Mac was the one to come up with it!"

The others stared in awe for a moment, then began waiting for Corvo to say something back. A few of the ponies even scratched their heads in reflection.

"So now we move to something a little more objective," remarked Corvo."Very well. The highest number of apples you can import would be... eight hundred thirty-three? Yes, that seems about right."

"What the—!" Applejack shook her head and frowned. "But ya took all of five seconds seconds to come up with an answer. That has to be impossible."

"Applejack is right," affirmed Rarity. "There is no possible way to make all those calculations in only five seconds."

"Well, what Corvo said is true," said Twilight at length. "Eight hundred thirty-three, but how long did it take me? Ten seconds?"

"Are you ponies really that stunned?" said Corvo, looking carefully at all of them. "The math on display is easy. You stop at three hundred thirty-three kilometers, which means you lose an equivalent number of apples. You drop the rest that you have, go back, carry the next thousand—"

"Alright, alright!" declared Rainbow Dash with unusual defense. "No need to become an egg-head and explain the math to us."

Corvo stared at her almost mockingly, gave a slow nod, and moved his attention away from the cyan mare and setting his sights on Fluttershy. "How about you go next?"

"Actually, I think I do," said Fluttershy, a determined look overlapping her unease. While she still did not directly state it, Fluttershy was quickly growing accustomed to Corvo, slowly, and surely not to any significant magnitude, but it was there nonetheless. In this moment his friendly side was far more apparent than any of the behaviour they initially expected. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least.

"Here's what I can think of," she went on. "It kinda has to do with what you said about your question, actually."

Corvo nodded to show that he understood, but overall remained indifferent and waiting.

"A bear is tied to a five-meter-long rope, and right in front of him, ten meters away, there's a barrel filled with blue berries. But the bear can still manage to eat the berries. How is this possible?"

"You are right about what you said," said Corvo with unmoving eyes. "Like my first question, you must not over-think these variables. Anyway, you never did say the rope was tied to anything in particular, so moving with it the bear can wander over to the berries and eat away. Rarity, what do you have?"

"Well, darling, up until this point you haven't been challenged with a truly difficult logical problem," said Rarity, raising her chin. "You are in a prison cell with the intent to escape, but unfortunately there are only two doors available. One leads to freedom while the other is certain demise—you are not informed on which is which. There are two guards, one will always tell the truth, and the other can only tell a lie, but once again, you do not know which one tells the truth and which one doesn't. You may only ask a single question, to either of the guards, but not both, and based on that question you must figure out which door will save you. Oh, and do keep in mind that these two guards are familiar with each other."

"That has to be, like, the hardest problem ever!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

"I gotta say, Rarity, that's a tricky one," said Twilight, rubbing a hoof under her chin, deep in thought.

"Not only do I appreciate a good challenge, but giving them makes the whole experience far more rewarding," said Rarity with a smirk.

"I agree," said Corvo. "Hmm, that last detail you mentioned is obviously relevant, so I suppose I would ask a guard what he knows about his friend." He was silent for a long time. "Ah, yes, I've got it. Pose this question: if I wanted to escape and take the true door, what would the other guard suggest? In relation to each other, whichever door they answer is the one not to pick."

"Whoa!" exclaimed Spike in amazement. "Corvo's awesome! Seriously, how'd you do that?"

"A lot of practice," said Corvo, his head tilted. "Any of you can be just as well-informed and be able to quickly respond to these logical obstacles with enough practice and reading."

"Yeah, but you're even smarter than Twilight!" Spike said this with the utmost excitement, but immediately froze and smiled sheepishly, frantically waving his arms to Twilight in denial. "Oh, what I meant to say is that you're the smartest pony in Equestria, Twilight. And no pony's ever gonna take that title away! Heh, right?"

"It's alright," said Twilight absentmindedly, her ears slightly lowered. I've been doubting Corvo this entire time, but something in this little get-together of ours leads me to believe that he might take this seriously after all. No, Princess Celestia announced that his world is under threat, of course he would be serious. Just one questions comes to serve: are all humans like this—this quick-thinking?

"Twilight," said Corvo, "do you have one for me?"

He's surprisingly calm, she thought, smiling weakly. Equestria's on the brink of destruction, and here we are telling each other riddles. I really hope Princess Celestia won't take too long. "No, I think I'll pass."

Corvo nodded slowly. "Okay then," he said, casting a glance behind his shoulder. "As a matter of fact, good call, for you, that is." This was when his shoulder hunched as if in a broad winter, now looking at all of the ponies with equal interest. "Apologies for the distraction, but I got what I wanted."

"What d'ya mean by that?" said Applejack, sticking a dubious eye out to him.

"In regards with what I implied earlier," began Corvo with a hand held out, "I merely wished to test your ability to recognize a subtle inconsistency in a basic logical solution. Please do not feel heavy at heart about it, many have missed the goal before."

"Yeah, we get it," scoffed Rainbow Dash. "What's your point?"

"The point is that I refuse to waste precious time. Up until the moment we all met in this living room, I have crafted several theories as to how Sombra initially obtained the Crystal Heart." Corvo straightened his back, now leaning forward, like he were ready to be dismissed. "May I have your opinions on them?"

The six ponies exchanged whispers and suggestive glances among one another, though this only lasted for several seconds; all of the energy spent on a skeptical discussion translated over to Twilight.

"Wait, why would we discuss this?" she asked, now setting her sights on Corvo. "What do we have to lose?"

"Very well," said Rarity with a high, somewhat anticipating voice, "tell us of these theories you have come up with."

Before anyone could say anything remotely related to the matter at hand, a ray of yellow light caught their attention, piercing the gleaming window at first, but soon broadening and encompassing the entire room: the sun had been risen.

"Yay, the sun's up!" clamored Pinkie Pie with a large bounce, landing between Corvo and her friends. "You know what this means!"

"Princess Celestia raised the sun!" exclaimed Twilight, finally allowing herself to smile a genuine smile. "This is our cue to head to the foyer."

"Is it?" said Corvo. He slowly rose from the couch and put on a face of wonder. "What are we to do now?"

"The princess told us that she would have somethin' figured out before mornin'," explained Applejack. They all began to wander over to the front door.

How confident, thought Corvo, and soon the living room was empty.

* * *

At the same time, that is, when Corvo and the ponies were exchanging trivial little riddles, Celestia had taken Serath for a "talk." She knew very well that there was not enough time to squeeze out every detail from Serath, leading her to ask only the most necessary questions. Things were happening all too quickly; Celestia needed to manage her time effectively. I will now recount their conversation from beginning to end, to the degree that I am capable of.

"Comfy?" asked Celestia, letting herself sink into a flat pillow she had arranged for herself, yet remaining tall in stature.

Opposite to her, though securely close, sat Serath in a wooden high chair. He had spent the last minute observing as much as he could, to the point where he began to take caution as to not push the limits of his unscheduled visit.

"Yes," he spoke rather quickly, almost without breath. He let himself put on a friendly face, always correcting his posture whenever his body began to fidget. What he had taken from Celestia, up to now, was her reluctance to give off any sort of welcoming air, which was put in relation to the lack of time they all really shared. This detail led him to believe that the princess was, by her nature, incredibly kindhearted.

Next to Serath, levitating in small circles, Discord continuously switched his gaze from Celestia to the waning moon from beyond the window. His interest wasn't particularly focused on Serath himself—he had already put quite a bit of his effort to understand Corvo—but most inappropriate was his sardonic smirk. All he had to do was wait and insert his opinion whenever convenient.

"What do you take from all of this?" she inquired at length.

"Oh! From this specifically?" said Serath with a strange startle. He surveyed Discord to his reluctance, and he now pressed his back into the chair harder than before. "Corvo informed me that this world is under threat, and his intervention is due to a relationship he and you share."

"Relationship," repeated Celestia with a mocking smile. "Yes, that's one way to put it." She shifted on the pillow and exhaled slowly. "My subjects—rather, my friends and I are on the edge of a knife. First a psychotic villain wishes death upon us all, and with every last shred of paranoia built into our current scenario, you show up from out of nowhere. That is what Shining Armor told me. I have no idea who you may be, only that you and Corvo are friends."

"I understand," Serath assured clearly.

"Do you?" Celestia raised her chin. "What do you know regarding this relationship Corvo and I share?"

"I am partly familiar with it," began Serath in a low voice, but suddenly waved his hand and cleared his throat. "No, no, that is not it! Corvo only informed me just a few minutes ago, so perhaps 'familiar' is not the best word."

"Interesting of how content you seem," said Discord abruptly, narrowing his gaze. He put on a childish tone and walked over to Serath. "Deary, did you know that your friend nearly killed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?"

Serath subconsciously swallowed loudly and averted his eyes to the floor, seeking a point in the room to set his concentration, but settled to look back at Celestia, and once he did this, a much unexpected ease washed over him. "Yes," he replied sadly. "I have no idea why, unfortunately, but his profession warrants such violent acts."

"Well, this ought to be good," said Discord, crossing his arms, his interest now in that state of unrest.

"Care to elaborate?" said Celestia.

With that Serath became more confident and sat up straighter. "Of course, of course," he declared. "Corvo and I became friends roughly two years ago, and only two months prior to the false accusation: you see, he was accused of murdering our empress at the time, the one representing our country. A whole case was built round this accusation, but after six or so more months, and from the help of a couple of outsiders and business associates, they were able to prove his innocence. Corvo held the title of Royal Protector."

"Sounds like an over-bloated bodyguard," put in Discord, chuckling to himself.

"It is a bodyguard, yes," continued Serath with a quick nod. "The title of Royal Protector is the most prestigious position one may earn in the line of royalty, right under the kings and queens, no doubt. Corvo was also the youngest lad to obtain said title: he is the most renowned swordsman in the world."

"The world!" exclaimed Celestia, unsure of whether to be impressed or threatened.

"Quite so!" went on Serath enthusiastically, but this soon faltered when he observed the ominous expression she gave him. "B-but that was two years ago, perhaps his skill has dulled with no practice."

"Moving on..." said Discord, swiveling his wrist.

"I will! Where was—oh yes, the Royal Protector! Corvo began to serve under the government and military at the age of sixteen, when he impressed the officials with him winning first place in an annual sword duel competition. Two or three years afterwards—I cannot recall correctly—he was granted the title of Royal Protector through pure skill, and what a record it was!"*

"How is any of this relevant?" said Celestia, making her impatience far more noticeable.

"You wanted to know why killing is warranted with his profession, no? The crime rate was extraordinarily high at the time, so his hands got dirty more than once. This is what a bodyguard of his position does; this is also why I am not entirely awe-struck by his attempt of ending your life. But you lot seem so nice, I truly wonder what reason he had."

"He does have a reason," said Celestia in a low voice, lowering her head. "He wanted to prevent a war between your world and ours. As you've experienced, we can already cross paths." But her jaws tightened and she quickly looked up, as if startled but with the desire to hide it. "But do not be mistaken, none of this is any reason to justify what he did."

"I agree," said Serath. "I can also see as to why you may be so paranoid of his presence; but I know Corvo, and if he truly wants to help you, he will. He is the most honest gentleman you can encounter."

And then a flash of anger shot through Celestia, one that even surprised her when it happened. The notion of Corvo being honest to aid them in their struggles, when considering the deception he had brought in his previous encounter, was practically insulting. Realizing this, Celestia sighed slowly and blinked hard.

"Just be careful what you say," she said. "You regarded his position of this royal bodyguard to two years ago; what does he do now, presently?"

"Corvo is a detective, an extremely well-paid detective, now that you think about it," said Serath with a laugh. "Once he was a free man, Corvo went on to serve the government once again. He is, in my opinion, the best detective in our country, with one of the best track records of solved cases, and many compare him to other highly respected detectives from round the world. The number of letters of recommendation he received were absurd—in the good way, of course.

"However, recently he's been a little distracted, with obvious intention. In the past year he has tackled four different scientific fields; he now studies theoretical physics."

"Is he any good at it?" asked Celestia.

"It would be much harsher to confirm that," replied Serath, sighing. "Other than a few abandoned projects and hit-or-miss theories, Corvo is really not the best scientist. Strange, I realize, considering that he is a far more capable logician. I think he may be trying to distract himself with a variety of work; the rate at which he concludes his cases is also declining. But then again, he only tackles the most difficult ones, with only seven he has never been able to complete. I doubt his interest in physics will last much longer."

"I see," said Celestia with a bit of detachment in her tone; the entire time she was thinking her own thoughts, but careful enough as to not give away any indication of concentration on her face. This is not to imply that she didn't pay attention, but with wariness surrounding everypony, she decided now would be the time for mental multi-tasking.

"Why not tell us about yourself, Serath?" suggested Discord. He pulled at his white beard, his smile not once fading away.

"I suppose I owe you that much," replied Serath, lifting his shoulders. "For starters, I am a doctor."

"It takes years of study to become a doctor," remarked Celestia. "Where are you placed in the work?"

"Master's Degree, and I am only half a year away from my PhD," said Serath with a surprising lack of pride, seemingly content with declaring this like it were common for anyone to have an expertise in medicine.

"Very fascinating!" exclaimed Discord, floating uncomfortably close to Serath. "We don't have many doctors in Equestria, but perhaps it's because things are so"— he quickly cast a rapid glance to Celestia and sighed disdainfully, shaking his hands in the air —"peaceful and friendly."

"I've noticed so," said Serath, resting his hands over his lap. He was less tense than before, now more willing to show off proper mannerisms. "But with what I know, you might need an extra doctor or two."

Celestia's ears perked curiously. "Are you implying that you wish to help us?" she asked, slowly turning her cheek.

"N-no, no, not that!" said Serath suddenly, his face flushing. "I mean, I mean, I would be willing to help, not that I ask of you to let me, I was simply suggesting that you may need more hospitals, but I would be alright should you require my assistance, not that I demand it, I mean, but—"

"Relax," said Celestia calmly, finally letting herself smile out of slight amusement. "No need to get yourself so worked up over it; I'm well aware of what you meant."

"And no need to stammer so often," opined Discord, rolling his eyes.

Celestia shook her head at Discord's rude remark, and then went on with an inquiry: "Just out of curiosity, do you have any family?"

"So glad that you mentioned it!" said Serath, laughing to himself rather excitedly. He reached into the inner-pocket of his coat, and from within pulled out a small photograph. It was shaded in colour and thickly blurred. He held it out, and Celestia took it with her magic for closer inspection. She viewed Serath, a joyful smile on his face, like he were trying to contain laughter, holding a small child in his arms; next to him and clutching his arms, stood a woman with a small smile, and in between them a boy, roughly half his height.

"Photographs are particularly expensive," he went on, "therefore, we only take them on special occasions."

She was frozen for an instance, staring at the picture with an odd sensation, one she had been seeking for the past couple of days, one of which she appreciated greatly. Celestia found herself clenching her teeth, now unsure of what to do. She gave a weak smile and handed the photo back to him, who stuffed it into his pocket.

"You seem very happy about them," she said with soft eyes.

"Extraordinarily happy, and proud, dare I say!" laughed Serath, leaning back onto his chair and, for the first time, gazing into the dark window. "I was hoping to shoot a new one next year."

Celestia looked over to Discord while Serath was busy observing the moon, but his response was a simple shrug.

"I have a proposition," she declared, immediately catching Serath's attention. "It's honestly hard to imagine someone such as yourself making friends with Corvo, but I've seen all that needs to be seen, and my mind is made up: you aren't as dangerous as I was afraid of you being. Now that that's been put aside, if you're willing, and only if, you may help us stop Sombra."

Much to her surprise, Serath said without hesitation or faltering: "Of course. This Sombra is a threat to my own world as well, including my friends and family; what do I have to lose?"

"I'll..." began Celestia, but with a bit more effort than she would have liked. "I'll... try to guarantee your safety, you have my word on it."

"And I solemnly swear to... er, what are we to do again?" asked Serath with furrowed brows.

"Ah, that's right," said Celestia, "we're looking for the Crystal Heart: it's exactly what it sounds like, but very massive, about seventy centimeters in diameter, only two-to-three kilograms, something along those lines."

"And once we can find the drastic thing," said Discord slowly, as if he were bored, "just plug it in directly under the Crystal Castle, big magical shock-wave, and that's all there is to write home."

"And there's one more thing to be done," Celestia said as she rose from her pillow, lit her horn, and wandered over to the window. The transition of concentration on her face was impressively seamless, showcasing the hundreds of years' worth of experience she has garnered by repeating this exact same process every single day.

The moon accelerated downwards, quickly sinking below the horizon of mountains, and soon a yellow sphere lifted itself midmost to the sky, casting its brilliant ethereal light about the land.

"Let's head downstairs," she said, the golden aurora vanishing from her horn. "There's quite a few decisions to be made."

* * *

Corvo and the ponies stood in the crystal foyer, discussing whatever topics would pass the time, or anything that felt relevant. All round them, guards, stone-still and watching, waited with caution, either by the doors or near the pillars. Soon after Princess Cadence and Shining Armor made their entrance, the two closest guards bowing to announce this.

"Corvo, you never told us those theories you came up with," said Twilight, nudging him by the side. She was quite eager to see Princess Celestia, to know her plan, but she had to admit that she was more interested in what Corvo would decide. And all the while her friends were chatting several meters away.

"Hmm?" Corvo turned his head. He had been staring at the adjacent door where Celestia took Serath, much to his worriment.

"Your theories," repeated Twilight, raising an eyebrow, looking at where his line of sight had been directed.

"When Sombra could have possibly gotten his hooves on the Crystal Heart, yes," replied Corvo with careless attention. "Apologies for the change in thought, but not now. You said Princess Celestia will be here soon, and my first goal is to know what she told Serath."

"No need to worry about it," she said with a confident smile. "Princess Celestia only chooses what's best for her subjects; you just need to trust her judgement."

"I suppose so," said Corvo slowly and quietly, more to assure himself than a direct response to Twilight.

"Good to hear. Just stay here, I'm going to go speak with Princess Cadence and my brother."

When Cadence saw her approaching, the two smiled to each other, a way to lighten an overly grim situation. Her arm was on Shining's side, who prodded a hoof to his chin, more out of comfort than anything else.

"Is everything good with you?" asked Cadence, looking to her husband.

"I'm fine," said Twilight. She looked at her brother anxiously. "Are you okay?"

"I'd be lying if I said yes," he responded, heaving a heavy sigh. "King Sombra's smoke is spreading fast, and we're concerned that the ponies of Equestria are unable to evacuate fast enough, if at all. I've been talking to the generals of the Crystal Empire, and soon I'll need to discuss our next plan of action with Princess Celestia, but as it stands, we're in the deep end." However, he observed the two mares in front of him, frowning, both now with their arms round his neck, like they were helping him walk.

"Sorry," he spoke now with less contempt, embracing the two ponies he cared for the most in a quick hug. "I'm lucky to have you two by my side. That's what matters right now."

"No need to feel sorry, dear," said Cadence with a weak smile, planting a kiss on his cheek. "You're trying your best, and we'll always be here to support you."

"Cadence is right," added Twilight. "Sombra may be on the loose for now, but we have each other, and my friends. We'll get through this—all of this—together."

Corvo witnessed the trio smile, speaking with one another with these soft words of encouragement. He pursed his lips and went back to observing the double door. To his satisfaction, in a second a bright light grasped hold of its frames, and in the next second they swung open. In haste Celestia and Serath wandered over to where everyone else stood. Soon afterwards Discord revealed himself, still not letting go of his strange smile.

Immediately everypony gasped in excitement and trotted over to Celestia. Twilight quickly nodded to Cadence and Shining Armor and made her way to the white alicorn. Serath caught Corvo in his sights, giving the latter a suggestive smile and a shrug. Corvo himself lowered an eyebrow and waited patiently for what Celestia had to say.

"Serath, Corvo's friend, will be helping us," announced Celestia, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "It will take a bit of getting used to, but I'm led to believe that his intentions are good at heart."

"No," proclaimed Corvo sharply, his tone strict and precise in what he wished to imply. "We are all trapped within a ring of fire, and adding one more person shall only be a liability to our current position."

"With all due respect," began Serath calmly, "this is my decision. Not only that, but Princess Celestia wants my help."

"But why?" questioned Corvo with persistence, closing the gap between him and his friend. "There are many people back at home who need you. This is far too dangerous."

"I am well aware that Sombra threatens our world as well," reproached Serath, almost sympathetically. "This is not only about you and me; if I leave and you are defeated, my home shall in all probability perish, and yours, too. I mean to protect them, and if that ends with me staying here, so be it. What do I have to lose?"

"Look at the bigger picture," said Corvo, gazing round him to see the ponies and Celestia all awkwardly listening. "If you die, what then?"

"But Princess Celestia will try to guarantee—"

"Whatever Celestia has to say is unnecessary, so why would I care?" said Corvo again in a large breath. "I say this to you in the best of interest: leave while you can."

"I can provide plenty of reasons as to why you should care," said Celestia, giving Corvo a hard look. "Fire and foremost, with the added input of Shining Armor and Princess Luna, I'll decide where we are to go. Second, I strongly encouraged Serath here to trust in his own judgement. Whatever that may be, it'll have my support."

Corvo pinched the bridge of his nose in clear frustration, and said through clenched teeth: "Were it more simple you may have had my consent, but very well then."

"I hope we are all well with one another by now," said Luna clearly, stepping into the foyer from the castle's front doors. Earlier she had been occupied within her own mind, aimlessly analyzing the frozen fields beyond the kingdom and, while she would not admit, eavesdropping on Celestia and Serath's conversation. Luna also made sure to read and count every single letter she had received from other parts of Equestria in response to Spike's warning.

Celestia exhaled, more exhausted than she would have liked, and confronted her sister.

"More or less," she said. "Serath will be providing his assistance." She turned her head to see Serath waving quickly at Luna. "He'll be in good company."

"While this is all fortunate," said Luna, her tone darkening, "I bring grave news. Spike sent a letter forewarning every single official of Equestria, detailing everything we know of Sombra at the present, with my mention. I expected, if not anything else, a note confirming my words."

Celestia tensed, waiting anxiously for Luna to announce what could be so unfortunate: every single word the latter spoke became more grim than the last.

"We've received affirmation from every single city and village in Equestria but one," Luna went on, lowering her eyebrows in pity; she viewed the six ponies, Corvo, and Serath, all leaning forth in wonder.

"Which one?" pressed Celestia hurriedly.

"The town of Tall Tale."

The room instantly broke into whispers of speculation. Corvo gazed upwards, in a vain attempt to recall which town Luna referred to. He had read up on Equestrian geography before, but this terminology was blurry in his mind at best. Serath simply turned to Corvo for any sort of explanation.

Celestia herself was in a working state of confusion, but despite this, she recapped her preparations and looked over every other pony in the room. "Everypony," she called out, "I was wondering if something like this should occur. If Tall Tale has not responded by now, then more likely than not we'll need to send an investigation."

"Do you think King Sombra has taken shelter there?" said Twilight, her face growing as pale as death.

Celestia opened her mouth to respond, but a difficulty to deduce this inquiry left her taken aback. Most importantly, did Sombra know this? Was it in his interest to lure them to Tall Tale, only to eliminate whomever she'd send?

Would they insist on sending me? thought Corvo, curious and skeptical, but he did not show this. Truly I am the expendable one present, alongside Serath. Is Celestia willing?

"Spike," said Luna suddenly, making the dragon jump in alarm, "are you absolutely sure you sent a letter to Tall Tale?"

"Of course, princess!" he replied, aghast. "I sent a letter to every single city in Equestria, just like you ordered. Not only that, I... I—" but he was unable to finish. He tensed, lifted his shoulders as his cheeks bloated, and in a single burp spewed out a small blast of green fire: it swirled in the air for a moment, condensed into a hot orb, and with a flash a scroll replaced the flame. Spike hastily grabbed at the parchment, at first incredibly surprised, then looked to Luna for confirmation. Relief momentarily highlighted their faces, temporarily expecting the best.

"Maybe they were just late with the reply," said Spike with a nervous chuckle. He unwrapped the scroll and read it over; and as each second went by his eyes grew wider and more hopeful. "Everypony, look!" he said, waving the paper in the air. "It's from Vanhoover. They're saying they have King Sombra in their apprehension. He's been caught!"

"Really?" gasped Celestia, quickly taking the scroll for herself to read. By the end of it she too could not believe it. However, her rational judgement caught up to her, and now a constraint of timely tension twisted in her stomach. "But how do we know this is real?" she said with a shadow over her face.

They all went silent, some looking round for clues while others went into a state of contemplation.

"But princess, there's even the mayor's signature at the bottom," said Spike. "You can't get more official than that, right?"

"King Sombra is just a single pony, correct?" said Serath unexpectedly. "Would it be possible for him to force this mayor's signature? Would he not have protection?"

"The writing itself is markedly natural," said Celestia with a bit more determination. "We can't be absolutely certain, but it would be foolish to avoid the chance we have."

"And what about the town of Tall Tale?" asked Shining Armor.

"I say we wing it," said Rainbow Dash, flying over her friends and landing in front of the princesses. "Both places need our help, so we give it to them!"

"We can all agree on that much, Rainbow Dash," said Cadence.

"But at the same time we cannot leave the Crystal Empire unsupervised," said Luna, surveying the guards round her. "Contrary, our reinforcements can keep a watch."

"Hold on just a minute!" said Discord, making himself known. "Are you all suggesting that we split into teams of two? If that's so"— he wrapped an arm round Serath and smirked, like he was ready to take a picture —"I'll partner with the doctor!"

Serath looked back and forth between Discord and Celestia with eyebrows raised. "Uh," he said with no clear direction, "what now?"

"It's just for convenience," Discord went on. He snapped his fingers, and in a white flash medial cloth draped over his paw, which now held a crutch. "If I get hurt, who'll be there to patch me up?"

"I have very few supplies on me at the moment," said Serath confusingly, "but I will try my best."

"How about we all gather at the round table and view our map," suggested Shining Armor, beckoning with a hoof. "We can conclude our first move there."

"Good call," said Luna, following behind him and Cadence. "We need to work as a team—cohesion and understanding are key factors that need to be played."

With this everyone else followed, eventually meeting up in a circular room, held up by arching crystal pillars; in the center gleamed a crystal table, hosting several seats. Waiting on the edge was a duffel bag containing maps, books, lanterns, even crystal shards which acted as stun inducers.

When everyone took a seat and a map was lain out, Celestia began: "Now then, we're here, in the Crystal Empire, Vanhoover is two hundred kilometers south-west. If you go even further south you'll find Tall Tale along the Unicorn Range mountains—the mystery at the moment revolves around this town. Any suggestions before we begin?"

"How about I take the initiative?" said Corvo, carefully observing the map. "I recommend that we split up into teams of two: one to investigate the peculiar silence from Tall Tale town while the other heads over to Vanhoover. Should the latter encounter Sombra—assuming the guards are competent enough to keep him secure—we shall take custody for the purpose of interrogation."

"And what are you planning on asking him?" asked Luna dubiously.

"Where the Crystal Heart is located, or if not, how to neutralize the black smoke," said Corvo, his eyes still fixated on the map. "What we do know is that Sombra stole the Crystal Heart before we all arrived here."

"But how is that possible?" said Twilight anxiously. "With Princess Celestia's initial warning the guards have been guarding the Crystal Heart. How could he have taken it?"

"He certainly could not have with Shining Armor and Cadence present," said Corvo thoughtfully. "From what I read she possesses mastery over the magic of love, which fuels the Crystal Heart. She is the Crystal Princess, after all. Therefore, Sombra must have stolen the Heart when she was absent."

"But I live here," reproached Cadence, doing what she could to rebound this possibility. "On the rare occasions that I do leave the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor stays here, and vice versa."

"Was there ever a time when both of you were gone?" asked Serath.

"How about when Corvo revealed himself the second time, back in Canterlot?" said Shining Armor, only as a suggestion so they could have something to latch on to, but upon saying this he too became intrigued.

Corvo's eyes widened in an intense realization, and with a quiet hum he proclaimed: "I understand what happened."

"Well, don't just keep us waiting," said Rarity. "Go on, tell us."

"Indeed, Corvo," said Luna, adjusting her seating so her line of action was directly with Corvo's, "what do you know, and how?"

"Chances are Sombra was following me up until I left, two years ago. In this case, he would need to understand where I come from, who I am, what I tried to do, of which he displayed knowledge. So, at some point or other, he was present during my second visit, and the only instance when Cadence and Shining Armor were away from the Crystal Empire was during that meeting of ours." He sighed in bitter memory. "The one where Luna shot me with her magic."

"Yes, I remember," said Luna slowly.

"It was in that moment when all eyes were on you," said Celestia, numerous memories resurfacing. "In that moment we summoned Princess Cadence and Shining Armor to cover all angle of our judgement—of the fear we had from you."

"Indeed," said Corvo. "But if this were all true, Sombra was aware of what I meant to you, Celestia, which means he was here even before."

"But we destroyed him!" said Twilight in a desperate attempt to prove this to be untrue. "Back when the Crystal Empire returned, how did he come back?" Somewhere along these lines a feeling of failure washed over her, now noticing the indication that they never did vanquish him for good.

"But surely these ponies kept guard of this Crystal Heart, no?" objected Serath, looking all round him.

"It is all about preparation," said Corvo, beginning to gnaw at the edge of his nail. "Sombra made it so all possibilities led to his return. And because he stole it so early on, I suspect a perfect decoy was placed. Now I understand. Because this were his magic, he eliminated this fake Heart, leading us to believe that he somehow performed a heist rather recently."

"Changing or moving something you've created from afar, like a remote control switch," echoed Celestia in agitation. "It's entirely plausible."

"And that's how he was able to trap me and Spike when we reached the Crystal Heart," said Twilight sadly, but upon noticing this Spike leaned in closer for comfort. She appreciated this more than ever now.

"Hold on jus' a minute," said Applejack, "ya mean to say the Crystal Heart was a fake for the past how many years?"

"Enough for it to count," said Celestia, narrowing her eyes over the map. "In any case, we must act. Every second lost is land being covered by his dark magic."

"Permission to enter, captain!" called a voice from the edge of the room. Shining Armor looked back to see one of his elite guards saluting. He nodded and saluted back.

"Everypony," said Shining with a smile, "I expected that we'd need to depart from the Crystal Empire. This here is Alloy Spark, one of Canterlot's best guards. He's new to the Crystal Empire, but with a discussion I shared with Princess Celestia earlier, he'll be keeping watch while we're gone."

It is that guard from earlier, Corvo noticed, making mental note of his arrival.

"It's an honour to bear a responsibility of such magnitude," said Alloy Spark with a trained monotonous voice, bowing before the princesses. "I will give my life to defend the Crystal Empire. This has all been planned out in advance."

"Good to hear," said Luna. "But how about we decide the split?"

"I shall go to Vanhoover," said Corvo before anyone else could volunteer. The edge of his memory became clear for a moment, recalling what Sombra had shown him in the illusion back at Canterlot. "I intend to get as close to Sombra as possible."

"That means I'll also being going to Vanhoover," said Celestia, and yet to her surprise Corvo didn't object, seeming entirely indifferent to this decision. "And... I encourage you to come as well, Discord."

"Oh, goody!" he sang, spinning on a single leg before landing on the table. "That means I'll have these two humans to keep me company." He waved, almost maliciously, to Corvo and Serath.

"No," said Celestia strictly. She grabbed hold of Discord with her magic and teleported him to her side. "You'll be coming with us on the more dangerous task; after all, we can make good use of your chaos magic. Serath shall go with the girls to Tall Tale."

"But..." Discord held up a finger in protest, but nearly froze in place when observing Celestia's cold stare. He cleared his throat and sighed with disappointment. "Oh, fine. You can have your way."

"I suppose you will have everything under control, sister," said Luna, sliding back on her chair. "It is a smart choice to be accompanied with Corvo and Discord to where Sombra is being held, as to not take any risks. As for myself, I shall help Twilight and her friends."

"I'm going with Princess Celestia," said Shining Armor adamantly. "She'll need my help."

"Are you sure, dear?" said Cadence by his side, wearing a nervous smile.

"Absolutely," Shining responded with a smile. "Go with Twilight, trust me."

It took some hesitation, but Cadence nodded in agreement, although her ears remained lowered in worriment.

Another minute of discussion proceeded, but most importantly to Corvo was the guard named Alloy Spark, who presumably waited for Shining Armor's dismissal. Almost without meaning to Corvo recalled what he remembered of this guard, and a dreadful instinct told him to remain caution, evidently agitated by new feelings, and the best way to see that through, as Corvo would say, is to understand the problem. And most suspicious—and this silently alarmed Corvo—was the sweat beginning to form round the guard's temple.

"Corvo?" said Celestia at length. "What are you staring at?"

He ignored her question, much to Celestia's annoyance, and rose from his seat, making his way to the unique guard. All eyes were now on him and this sudden action.

"What are you doing?" asked Celestia once again, lowering an eyebrow.

He held a hand up to her, indicating that he knew what he was doing, and said: "You there, Alloy Spark it was? You are new here?"

"That is correct," the guard responded without fault. "If memory serves, you and I accidentally bumped into each other. It was my first time wandering the crystal halls."

"And you are from Canterlot?"

"Yes."

"What were you doing the day before arriving in the Crystal Empire?"

"Hold on," interrupted Shining Armor. "Corvo, if you're curious you ask me these questions, but I'm not sure why any of this matters in the first place."

"Actually, let's see where he goes with this," said Celestia to no one in particular, and this only served to make half of the ponies in the room tilt their heads.

"I was packing my belongings," the guard went on, carrying that same flat tone as before. "It took most of my day, but it was in preparation to move to the Crystal Empire: a promotion to work alongside Captain Shining Armor."

"It's true," said Shining Armor matter-of-factly, wishing to get this whole ordeal over with.

Corvo groaned to himself and pressed on. He simply had to trust his gut. "What did you do upon receiving Celestia's announcement to evacuate the city?"

"Because I was needed here regardless, with Princess Celestia's permission, I gave out several final orders to those under my command before taking a train ride here. It was all in terrible haste, sir. I immediately ran out to notice the miasma of black smoke from the peak of Canterlot Castle, gradually sliding down to where we stood." His posture broke for half a second, and he sighed with a degree of pity. "A shame that those brave souls were unable to make it out in time."

Corvo sighed with extreme agitation, rubbing a palm over his face and wandering back to his seat. "Fine," he said at last. "Nevermind you."

The others simply shrugged at this odd behaviour, but Celestia found herself equally as disappointed as Corvo. For some reason she had wished to see him succeed in his train of thought.

"Will that be all, captain?" the guard said to Shining Armor.

"That is all," replied Shining Armor with a nod. "Dismissed."

Wait!" said Corvo loudly, doubtless to say so. "You saw the black smoke?"

"Yes," the guard responded, but not right away. There was a split second stutter in his voice, where he wished to first consider the question, but soon noticed the eyes watching him.

Corvo, now with an air of judgement, wandered over to Alloy Spark, the fall of his boots pressing heavily onto the floor below. "Like you said: immediately went outside and noticed the smoke."

On the most psychological level the air grew colder, more still, for the both of them. It took a bit of thinking, but Celestia vaguely caught on. Twilight and her friends anxiously kept looking back and forth between Corvo and the princess. Luna began to tap a hoof on the table, practically amused by what she was witnessing.

"Yes, sir," the guard said again, with long pronunciation.

The silent tension focused and condensed between the two, like a rubber band about to snap at any given moment. Corvo, with extreme slow and undetectable movement, reached a hand to the side of his blue greatcoat, while in haste, but forced to search sluggishly, for his crossbow. He had a sudden urge to look down and better maneuver his hand round the fabric, but the guard's enigmatically dilated pupils caught his attention.

In a burst of energy Alloy Spark, so suddenly and with such desperate speed that even Corvo was caught off guard, sprinted to Princess Celestia, his horn igniting with rapid crackles of magic: a wavering blade of magic and light formed in front of him. Exclamations of panic arose on all sides.

Corvo quickly lit his Mark, and in that very same second he attempted to stop time. But before he was able to process the command, before it could be completed, Shining Armor wildly pushed Celestia to the floor, right in front of the corrupt guard, and slammed back with his own magic. There was an instance of equilibrium, but the balance tipped in favor of Alloy Spark, who was too frantic to do anything else. The two unicorns crashed into the edge of the table, and fell down. The exclamations of horror redoubled.

Corvo and Luna rushed to both stallions. Alloy Spark weakly rose to his hooves, only to see, standing in front of him, Corvo, his Mark aglow.

With a swish of his arm Corvo blew the guard back with extraordinary force; the blast of wind carried so much energy that the only thing which stopped the airborne guard was the crystal wall opposite to them.

Celestia herself was far too occupied with processing what had just occurred; Luna angrily cried to all of the other guards in the room: "Arrest him! Take Alloy Spark to the dungeon and question him on everything if you must!"

Unfortunately, Shining Armor did not move, and twitched with incredible pain, judging by his feverish gasps of breath. Celestia worked this shock to the back of her mind, shook her head, and quickly went over to Shining Armor's side. She slowly turned him over; his mouth was open in what looked to be complete terror, but no words came through, and his neck was not its natural shape.

"Shining Armor!" Cadence cried with tears in her eyes, going as far as to teleport herself to his aid.

While the other guards apprehended Alloy Spark and bound him with magic, the others gathered round Shining, all with extreme confusion on what to do. Serath, without much hesitation, held a hand over his throat. Shining ceased to move.

"He will not die!" said Serath with incredible vigor, utterly ignoring the shocked expressions he received. "His trachea caved in due to the bash of the table. I need to force it open and apply a starting point of oxygen."

"No, wait!" said Cadence, about to use her magic.

"Nobody stop him!" Corvo interjected with a tone of demand. "He knows what to do."

Serath, despite his focused eyes and incredibly dire frown, was glad to have someone like Corvo by his side.

Reaching into his coat he pulled out a long, thin tube, its pointed tip hard metal and bent, while the rest a gleaming beige glass; the top was rounded and stuck out in diameter, disconnected from the rest of the glass.

What he did next looked so horrible that some covered their eyes, Cadence herself nearly jumped in shock, and Twilight put a hoof to her mouth in vehement disbelief. Here is what he did:

The doctor proceeded to stab this tube directly into Shining's jugular notch. He pressed on until a gradual resistance built up; then, he began to twist the top of the tube, and soon after a sound of rushing air shot within the opening, essentially creating an artificial airway. Shining's throat lifted itself, and he gasped sharply for breath. Serath used his other hand to lower a fluffy white piece of fabric, a very strange one the ponies had never seen before. In a singular motion Serath twisted the tube and, with a soft click, withdrew it—its metal tip remaining inside Shining's neck—and applied pressure on the opening with the white fabric. In seconds it stuck to his skin and flattened, successfully concealing it as to contain any blood. His hope was now placed on the off-chance that the ponies of the Crystal Empire were capable of continuing an emergency tracheotomy.

While most of them were shaking, Serath rose to his feet perfectly still and in control. He wrapped the reddened end of the tube with a small blanket and hung it onto the inner part of his coat.

"It will all be good now," he declared, rubbing the cold sweat from his forehead, with a weak laugh of levity. "Luckily this older model was still functional."

* * *

Twenty minutes had gone by, almost wastefully. Two secondary guards were obliged to carry their captain to the castle's infirmary, with Cadence stubbornly by his side in a panicked state. Twilight was traumatized at this point, unable to imagine that her brother nearly met his end right in front of her, and she did nothing to prevent it. Her friends were now always round her with sad eyes, always in a rush to do what they could to console her, and Spike practically felt the same way, being forced to watch the pony he most cared for mentally breaking down. It was funny in a cynical sense: she had seen Corvo nearly kill several guards, but when it involved her brother, she became more devastated than ever. Even back when Queen Chrysalis took over she knew that Shining Armor was physically okay, but now, his death was plain as day.

Corvo and Serath were seated next to each other on the second step of the wide stairway. The two men observed these things from the back, like they were shut in their own worlds.

"Oh, what I wouldn't do for a bottle of whiskey," sighed Corvo with weary feeling.

"Likewise," muttered Serath. "It has been a very unexpected morning." There was a moment of pause. "You have a little influence over here, no? Why did that guard attack Princess Celestia?"

"Possible assassin." Corvo was not the least bit disconcerted to assume this possibility, considering that he used to be one himself, and most of all, he knew how to deal with them. "Celestia described Sombra as a 'master manipulator.' Taking this into account, who do we even trust?"

Before their chatter could ensue, Princess Cadence herself, her face with evidence of considerable sadness, approached both men quietly. She put on a grateful smile and said: "Serath, was it?"

"Yes, yes it was," he replied heartily.

"Thank you," she spoke rather sadly. "Thank you so much for what you did. I can't ever repay you, not with words alone."

"Well, I get paid to do what I just did," said Serath, returning the smile. "But you are welcome. I sincerely hope the best for you and your husband."

Cadence's eyes glimmered with appreciation; she bowed before him, said "thank you" once again, and was off.

"That was some terrific initiative," said Corvo, his tone on the edge of whispering. "Most folk would be too stunned to even take a step forth."

"Corvo," said Serath, turning to his friend with these words, "I almost forgot to ask: what of these powers you possess?"

"Ah, of course, you must be ardent with curiosity!" Corvo lifted his left hand to show the black mark drawn onto his skin. "This here is the Outsider's Mark. He is real, as you may be wondering."

"I see." Serath rested his chin over his palm and hummed in thought. "He is real."

"Quite so. Now, before you post the inquiry, allow me to answer: I can teleport up to fifteen meters—I counted; I can stop time for for a total of twenty seconds should I hold my breath; I can blast gusts of wind; I can see in the dark and through walls; I can enter the minds of and control people for a short duration—"

"That sounds extremely suggestive."

"Depends on how you view it. Last but not least, I can... well, this is a bit complicated, and it's best understood with knowledge on chemistry, but I can essentially manipulate the thermal energy of atoms and their bonds, which in turn allows me to create tunnels of fire."

Serath was far too caught up in this strange revelation to comment back. He sat there silently, with his back hunched, alarmed at first, but then followed this with a friendly sort of chuckle.

"Quite useful, if I say so myself," he said suddenly. "With what you've been through, Corvo, and the plethora of criminals you track down on a weekly basis, no wonder fate has not reached you yet."

They both shared a brief laugh, long but quietly.

At this point Celestia was the one to approach them. She carried a white saddlebag adorning her cutie mark, but most irregular was her lack of a crown, or even the rest of her jewelry.

"We are about to get going," she said; "are you two ready?"

Corvo and Serath got up without words, simply giving slight nods and following the alicorn down the foyer. They now found themselves on the outskirts of the city, with crystal houses shining palely in the distance. Up ahead awaited a great locomotive, with a great deal of carts and long windows. The train shook with life, smoke spewed from its pipe, and its center door slid open.

"Princess Cadence and Shining Armor shall stay behind," said Celestia. "He is still in a bit of a critical condition, and it'd be quite cruel to have Cadence come along. She will stay by Shining Armor's side."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Serath. "Some say a soft bed is the second best medicine."

"What is the first?" asked Corvo.

"Actual medicine."

Princess Celestia, despite the light banter, began to despair. She could not imagine how foolish it was to not account for what had occurred. The single most essential thing in her mind was to defeat Sombra and keep the ponies round her safe, and this led to many inconveniences. But now, more than ever, the ones meant to be trusted posed an anticipating threat. At first she insisted that these troubles were a product of bad conduct, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Corvo, Serath," she said at length, "as you two must be in the need to know, Alloy Spark was interrogated. From what we've gathered, he was a spy working for King Sombra. I have no idea how or when this began, but he seemed rather open about it, even eager to—how do they say?—spill the beans. In any case, Princess Cadence shall now hold administration over the Crystal Empire for the time being."

"At least we know this much," remarked Corvo. "Hopefully he will be able to explain what Sombra's plans are, or where he may have hid the Crystal Heart."

"We can't do that," said Celestia disappointingly.

Both Corvo and Serath exchanged questioning stares, unsure of how to respond, and merely settled to wait for an explanation.

At last, and with an air of defeat, Celestia said: "Alloy Spark is dead—unexpected neck snap. We found traces of dark magic, so this was implanted within him beforehand."

Why am I not surprised? thought Corvo.

Meanwhile Serath shuttered with unease and without much attempt to hide it. "Perhaps Equestria is not as nice as I had initially presumed it to be," he said in an undertone.

Besides this there was an overall lack of reaction. If they were to out-smart King Sombra, rational thinking would be the only realistic route to take, so emotionally-charged comments were, for the most part, ignored for these three, as well as Luna.

"Say, how did you know that guard was an assassin under Sombra's influence?" said Serath. Celestia's ears perked, equally interested in what he had to say.

"A few things to notice," said Corvo. "He mentioned that this was his first time wandering the crystal halls; however, when I first met Alloy Spark his eyes were practically frozen, fixated on what was before him; he not once looked about his surroundings, as far as I noticed. If it truly were his first time, would he not, at the very least, look round a bit? This means he has been here before. Moreover, he claimed to have seen the black smoke on immediately departing from the castle, yet this contradicts with the time-span between when Celestia told the guards to evacuate the city and when he surely encountered Sombra on the roof. Everything else points to psychological imbalances, a desperation, or an abusive sense of trust."

And once again there was very little reaction.

At last they reached the locomotive. The thaw round it increased steadily, its metal wheels ringing and trembling with the kick-start of burning coal. Now everyone was on board: Celestia, Luna, and Discord were seated in the front, Corvo and Serath in the middle, and the rest, along with Spike, near the back. There was an audible blast of smoke, and the friction of the sprockets began to move, slowly, but in a few seconds they were off at a necessary speed.

And in less than a minute, they were beyond the Crystal Empire itself.

* * *

Some number of hours had passed, and by now Twilight had relaxed a bit, much to her appreciation of her friends' willingness to be by her side. The six ponies were gathered in a pair of two large seats, each opposite to the other. At a time such as this one, all the girls could do was wait.

"I would totally beat you in a cider-drinking contest!" said Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes.

"Is that so?" said Applejack with mocking disbelief, crossing her arms. "If Ah recall, Rainbow, ya couldn't even hold yer liquor fer more than two bottles last time."

"That's not true!" she scoffed in protest. "Girls, what do you think?"

"I guess Applejack could drink more," said Fluttershy, but almost as a question. "I mean, she is the one who produces it."

"Pinkie, what do you think?" asked Rainbow Dash, waving Fluttershy off, much to her annoyance.

"I dunno, Rainbow," said Pinkie, shrugging. "But whatever the argument may be, none of you can beat me in a pie-eating contest!"

Rarity cleared her throat loudly, catching all of their attention. "Perhaps now is not the time for such outlandish guessing games. We need to discuss the importance of preserving Equestria, and"— she gave Twilight a soft stare —"to support one another."

"Heh, right!" said Rainbow, rubbing the back of her head.

"It's okay, I'm a lot better now," Twilight assured with a small smile. "I can't let these things get to me."

"Hey, Twilight," said Spike, "I'm not getting this entirely. I know Princess Luna will be coming with us to Tall Tale, but what are we gonna do there exactly?"

"Tall Tale is in the dark for all we know," said Twilight in reply, not only to Spike but the rest of her friends as well. "Like Princess Celestia said, we need to find out what's going on. At the same time, we'll need to be extra careful. And we might be able to stop by for some doughnuts," she added, noticing Spike's unsteady expression.

"Hold on a minute," said Rarity, addressing her in terms of dubious thought, "we are all on the same locomotive, and yet we plan on arriving at two locations at the same time."

"We'll be stopping a few kilometers north of the town first," said Twilight, "which means there's going to be a bit of walking involved. Once we're off, the train will continue on to Vanhoover. The plan is to regroup where we stop to get off, in between the opening of the Unicorn Range, by at least midday." She gazed out the window and hummed in thought. "Judging by the sun's position, it's probably about eight o'clock. There'll be plenty of time if we work efficiently."

"You could say that again," said Pinkie, confidently nodding.

"But for the time being, allow me to propose an interesting topic of discussion," said Rarity, smirking: "what are your opinions on this friend of Corvo's?"

"Can't really judge," replied Rainbow Dash flatly. She peered forth at the two men, unable to discern what they were discussing, but judging by how often their lips moved, what they were discussing seemed worthy of many opinions. "But as for Corvo himself"— she frowned and shook her head —"he's... cool. Maybe."

"Well, I think his friend sounds awfully nice," said Fluttershy happily. "If Princess Celestia and even Princess Luna are okay with him, why shouldn't we think the same?"

"Yeah, good point," agreed Applejack. "But as fer Corvo himself—aw, shucks, as much as Ah hate to admit it, he could really help us. Ah'm willing to accept that he's changed fer the better."

"Speaking of which," began Rarity, any sort of tone for the purpose of gossip falling flat, "I truly am grateful that Serath was there to save Shining Armor's life." But at this mention her ears flattened. "Dear, who knows what could have happened if we had decided to keep him out of our meeting."

"I didn't even thank him yet," said Twilight with bitter realization. She sighed and looked over her shoulder, then back to her friends. "I'm gonna have to do a little more than thank him, actually. I really owe him one."

But this did not have to wait. The stomp of foot-falls sounded from behind, and soon after both Corvo and Serath were there, seating themselves in the adjacent couch.

"We hope we're not interrupting anything important," said Serath with a polite wave. "Corvo and I thought it would be a good idea if I came by and we all got to know one another for the first time. Do you mind?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" said Twilight quickly with excessive welcome.

"We were actually just talking about you guys," put in Pinkie.

"Ah, good, good," replied Serath. He cast a quick glance to Corvo and said: "Pawn, D-five."

"All I can do is wish you all the best on your journey," said Corvo, in a state of what appeared to be mental examination of the room, darting his eyes back and forth between the floor and the ponies. "Queen takes D-five."

"Knight, C-three," said Serath. However, he noticed the confused stares they were receiving and said: "Ah, apologies. We are here to talk, no less."

"What're you guys saying anyway?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"It is just a bit of mental chess," replied Corvo. He placed his chin under his right hand, and smiled, like he were confirming something to himself. "Intangibility at its finest. Queen, H-five."

"Really?" said Twilight with evident intrigue. "When did you come up with it?"

"It was Serath's idea," said Corvo.

"I remember it now," he said in contemplation. "We were forced to take shelter in a library for a severe snow-storm blew with relentless cold outdoors. Normally we would bring our own chess boards and pieces, but not then. So, as improvisation ever goes, I came up with the idea of mental chess: it is a little difficult on the brain at first, but you must, at all times, be aware of where each piece is located, as well as visualize a board in your head."

"That's so cool!" said Spike, sitting on the edge of the couch. "You can actually memorize the exact positions of thirty-two pieces?"

"Yes," replied Serath rather bluntly, but nonetheless happy at the dragon's amazement. "I reverse my King and Rook."

"Not your best move," said Corvo with a mocking smile. "Bishop, G-four."

"But please tell me about yourselves," said Serath, slightly agitated that he was losing, attempting his best effort to figure out how to save his Knights. "I believe you lot can accomplish feats of magic?"

"Only unicorns can do feats of normal magic," said Rarity. She then spread her hooves in indication of her friends. "But when we are all together, darling, we have the most powerful magic of all."

And in unison they said: "The magic of friendship!" followed by confident smiles.

"Magic of friendship?" Serath looked up in wonder. "Pawn, H-three."

"As far as I know friendship in Equestria is still concrete magic," said Corvo, shrugging. "Knight, E-five."

"Yeah, but you gotta see these girls in action," proclaimed Spike with sudden enthusiasm. "It's like, before you know it, blam! rainbow magic thingy away!" But he chuckled nervously at the deadpan expressions the girls gave him.

"Hmm, fascinating indeed," remarked Serath, resting a palm over his cheek, giving a look of unsteady concentration. "I suppose Pawn takes G-four."

"Knight-F takes G-four," said Corvo with a pressuring lack of hesitation.

"Hey Serath, you said you're a doctor, right?" asked Rainbow Dash, who had at the moment flown closer to observe them closer.

"Master's Degree, a little over five months from my PhD, yes," he said rather quickly. "Knight takes E-five."

"What's a PhD?" inquired Pinkie Pie, tilting her head.

"A Doctoral Degree, or a Doctor of Philosophy if you care about the origin of language," replied Serath, but when she still gave him a confused face, he said with decision: "It is the highest position you can achieve in a professional work, at least for the time being."

"So does that mean I can get a PhD in"— she gasped and leaped up with great animation —"party planning!"

"Uh... no?" said Serath with a dumbfounded expression, unsure of what to say exactly.

"Party planning is a hobby, and even if it is a profession in Equestria, I doubt it's one taught at universities," said Corvo with dry conviction. "You cannot obtain a PhD in something so socially-pandering. Oh, and Serath..." He looked to his friend with a smirk, his voice growing more convincing as he spoke. "Queen at H-two. Checkmate."

"Oh, the shame!" said Serath with drama, but with such comical proportion to the point where it was obviously intentional. "I guess that means you have one more win than I do."

"And what do you do for a living, Corvo?" asked Twilight curiously.

"I am a detective," he replied. "A very well-traveled one, to imply. As for personal hobbies, I do many things: reading, writing, dabbling in engineering (well, I used to make my own equipment), completing puzzles, discussing philosophical subjects, mathematics, physics, playing chess—there are far too many of them to name."

"Wow, that's actually really impressive," commented Fluttershy. "I never thought you could have so much time on your hooves."

"Listen here," said Rainbow Dash, looking at Corvo attentively and rubbing a hoof under her chin, "I know I called you an egg-head earlier, but that could be a compliment too, right?"

Practically everypony round her gave obvious, deadpan looks.

"Okay, the point is," she said again, holding up her arms, "I have this science question that's been stuck in my head, like, almost forever. Here's the deal: I can fly and do a Sonic Rainboom," she now spoke with some transparent pride, "and according to what Twilight told me, it's like a sonic boom, and that's faster than the speed of sound—which is awesome, by the way. And the fastest speed possible is light."

"Let me guess," began Twilight with some amusement, "you're about to ask if it's possible to do a 'light boom.'"

With this inquiry a certain conviction flashed into Rainbow's brain and blazed out, impatiently, in her eyes; she was not even aware of her sudden animation and wide smile.

"Yeah, that's it!" she said, looking hard at Corvo. "Is that possible or what? Because if it is, I'm so gonna try it!"

"That is an unbelievably bold statement," chuckled Corvo. "Short answer: no. The sonic boom is caused by pushing the fluid—in all cases, the air we breathe—in front of the moving object faster than the local speed of sound. Such a condition creates a shock wave in a non-linear medium due to feedback between the pressure, density, and the speed of sound itself."

"A bit over-simplified, but go on," remarked Twilight, very much excited that Corvo was now discussing science.

"Perhaps I can go into more detail some other day," said Corvo again, rolling his eyes to himself. He now went back to Rainbow Dash and continued: "The equations of electrodynamics are linear, the wave speed does not depend on the local strength of the field, and no such shock wave can ever be produced in the electromagnetic field alone."

An awkward pause hung in the air.

"Er... I think I'll just stick to doing Sonic Rainbooms," said Rainbow Dash slowly, arriving at the limits of her understanding, settling back down onto her spot.

"Well, I for one think that sonic booms are entirely extraordinary in their own right," said Serath, once again smiling.

"It does me some good to see you all getting along," said Celestia, who had wandered down the aisle to meet them, and shortly after Luna revealed herself as well.

"Yeah, ya can say that," said Applejack in a teasing indication towards Rainbow Dash, one she did not attempt to conceal.

"Just whatever," Rainbow scoffed and crossed her hooves.

"Anyway, princess, we're getting along just fine," said Twilight with heightened eyes. "Did something come up?"

"Nothing to note," assured Luna. "As a matter of fact, I shall sit with you now—we will be travelling together, after all."

"But other than that," said Celestia, "Corvo, could you come with me to the front?"

Corvo raised an eyebrow, but did not ask why, and suddenly her authoritative thought struck him, and the certainty that he absolutely must hear what she would have to say. So he courteously rose to his feet and followed Celestia back down the aisle.

"Here, take this," said Celestia, now levitating an object from her saddlebag and placing it into his open hands. At this point they had stopped in the middle of the cart.

His eyes widened in great surprise, switching his gaze back and forth between her and what he had received. In his hands was his metal mask, perfectly put together as if it had never been blasted with magic in the first place. The event nearly melted his face off.

"I had a specialist fix it up for you," went on Celestia, continuing with this idea which had recently sprung up. "It does belong to you, right?"

"It does, yes," he responded with an odd undertone, sliding it under his greatcoat and, with a small click, it was stuck in place. However, he viewed the strange face Celestia gave him at first, but then sighed with an unwanted realization.

"That mask isn't just nothing," said Celestia again. "Believe me, I did have it repaired out of some kindness, but I also wanted to know what it represented. The idea came to me when I spoke with Serath back in the Crystal Empire. He told me that you used to kill in the name of the law, and that you no longer do so, but"— she smiled a cynical smile —"we all know that's not true. So I gave you that mask to see what you'd do. Everyone in this cart has seen you wear that mask, everyone save for Serath, and you put it away in your coat with a lot of suspicion, very secretively, which means you don't want him seeing it. Going off of that, I deduce this much: you're holding off a secret from him, one that may involve you still killing in the name of justice," she ended sarcastically.

Almost without notice they continued their gait.

"Why do you wish to know?" he asked with a tone of reproach. "Why is this relevant?"

"Why?" Celestia repeated, and what she told him next came out in a whisper: "Maybe curiosity is getting ahead of me. Just be careful with what you do, Corvo. Your last efforts aren't on very good grounds with me yet, neither is forgiveness"

"Are you blackmailing me?" said Corvo in disbelief, and with a facetious degree of annoyance.

"Well, when you put it like that..."

"Ah, there you two are!" said Discord, stretching his back and sliding all over the couch. "Corvo, you simply must cure my boredom. I've been here for the past thirty minutes with nothing to do but listen to Princess Celestia talk all about the political correctness of capturing King Sombra." He stuck out his tongue with distaste.

"And what's your idea of capturing him?" asked Celestia dubiously.

"Pfft! Obviously I'd go, sense the magical imbalances, all of that pizzazz, and capture him myself."

"And do you remember what happened last time you tried to 'capture' Tirek?" she said dryly.

Discord chuckled nervously and shook his hand. "But it wouldn't be like that this time and—oh, huff, alright! I suppose we'll have to do it your way."

Corvo meant to question Celestia on what she intended to do exactly, but in that very moment the locomotive came to a screeching halt. They had arrived at their first stop.

Author's Note:

*I'm not making this up. It's mostly from the game's lore.