Beyond the Skies

by FrostTheWolf

Scroll 34- Mind Games Part 1

Author's Note:

Another chapter that's split into multiple parts, but also serves as another crossover with one of my own stories, The Flames of the Phoenix. However, this one happens to tie a few narrative threads together that I've had in the works for several years. I just hope that it pays off and that you guys like it.

Furthermore, this also allows me to explore other characters since this is now more than just Calvin's story now. You'll see what I mean once you dive in.
-Frost

Beyond the Skies- Mind Games Part 1

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In the weeks after their recent trip to the Skylands, a lot of changes were starting to take place for not just Calvin, but for both Trevor and Raquel. For the Skyshifter, it was learning how to expand the powers of his transformations to the point that he wasn’t just copying the same attacks that he had seen time and time again. For his friends, they were coming to terms with the fact that they now had gifts of their own that they still were learning to control. On top of that, they were still trying to get used to daily life in Equestria, which was much different compared to life back home.

The one that was having the most difficult time adjusting though was Raquel. It wasn’t just because her newfound magic was difficult for her to get accustomed to, but because one of its side effects reminded her of a time in her life that she wanted to move past from. Being able to freely hear the thoughts of any creature that was near her or passed by her reminded her of a time when she would spy on others and overhear former classmates say things that they would want to keep private, only for her to spill their secrets. It was a time where she was more naive and didn’t think that her actions would have consequences…

…something that changed on the day that Calvin vanished.

Ever since then, Raquel took it upon herself to change her ways and be a better person. For the longest of times, she thought that she left her old self behind for the better. However, with what’s been going on recently and these new ‘gifts’, she started to wonder if she really had changed at all. Hearing the thoughts of others felt almost the same as listening in on other people back then, the only difference being that, unlike back then, this wasn’t something that she chose to do. It just happened automatically.

While it was clear that she needed someone that could help her, Raquel soon realized that any of the teachers or staff from the Academy was probably not the best bet. She tried asking Hugo, but the Mabu could not find anything specific within the big book he carried with him or in the halls of the library. Then, she tried to ask Brain, thinking that since his kind originally created the band on her arm, they could provide more insight as to why she was hearing others’ thoughts. Yet, their advice came off as more cryptic than helpful.

It was after a while that a thought came to mind. Unlike Calvin, who had some knowledge of what he could do before he started his lessons, she knew nothing about what she could do. Based on the impressions from Calvin’s teacher and a couple other Skylanders that she overheard, they thought that her abilities were magical in nature.

Fortunately, the owner of the castle both she and her brother resided at just so happened to be an expert in that field. “You want to know the basics of magic?”

Raquel nodded as she looked at Twilight, who was still in her morning robe and halfway through her breakfast when Raquel asked her, “Y-yeah. Despite what Calvin and my brother think, I am falling behind in comparison. I mean, I understand what they’re trying to teach… but when I try to put what they’re teaching me into practice, that’s where I’m struggling. That and the… side effects of my powers are a daily reminder.”

For a moment, the Element of Magic looked at her with a look of uncertainty. “Side effects?”

That had Raquel blink, readjusting her position in the seat she was in at the Cutie Map as she looked back at the alicorn. “You already know what my powers are, right?” The question was followed by a nod from Twilight, which prompted Raquel to continue, “Well, unlike Calvin or Trevor, I can’t exactly… turn mine off.”

“I’m not sure if I follow,” Twilight said.

“Okay, maybe it would be better if I did a demonstration,” she told her, “Just think of something in your head. Anything’s fine, but don’t tell me what it is. Just tell me when you’re done thinking.”

The Element of Magic was a bit confused by what she was being asked to do, but just decided to go with it anyways. After a moment or so, Twilight let out a breath and looked back at her. “Okay. I’m done. But, what does this have to-?”

“You were thinking about what you want to do when your niece comes over to visit.”

The reaction from Twilight was almost immediate. “Well, that’s definitely troublesome. Though, how does this relate to you wanting to know about magic?”

“I overheard Calvin’s teacher talking with a staff member and one of those Skylander people the other day, and one of them said that what I could do was somewhat magical,” she explained further to the alicorn as they finished their oats and teleported the dirty dishes into the kitchen sink, “So, I thought that by having a better understanding of magic in general, then perhaps things could improve? It’s a theory, but if it can help me, then I think it’s worth a try.”

To Twilight, she believed that Raquel’s theory had some merit and seemed somewhat plausible. However, there were a few things that the alicorn wanted to know first, before trying to put that theory to the test. “If that is the case, I think I can lend a hoof. However, in order to help you the best I can, there’s a couple of things that I would like for you to tell me first, if that’s okay?”

“Um, sure,” Raquel scratched the back of her head and turned back towards Twilight, “Anything specific?”

“To start, what exactly have you been learning so far? I know that you told me that you’re struggling to keep up, but I find the notion of not learning anything after the last few days a bit hard to believe.”

“That’s kind of difficult to say,” she admitted, “The first couple of days weren’t great, because Calvin’s instructor assumed wrongly that I already had some kind of idea as to what I can do, even though that was not the case. It took another staff member, that one with the cane and the eyepatch… I forget his name-”

“You mean Buzz?”

“Yeah, him. After he noticed that I was having trouble keeping up, he pulled me aside, and since then, he’s been helping me try to take things a bit more slowly, rather than just learn by being thrown into danger. As for what I do know, it’s more along the lines of small scale things, like lift objects and such.”

When Raquel looked up, that was when she noticed that Twilight was levitating a quill and using her magic to write notes. After she was done, the alicorn looked back to her, but didn’t quite set her quill down just yet. “You mean something like this?”

“K-kind of,” she said, “Though, if I may, what was that other question you wanted to ask me? Does it relate to this?”

It was as she asked that question that Twilight set her quill down and looked back at Raquel, “Well, that depends. You see, while magic is capable of many things, there are also a lot of misconceptions about it. Many unicorns who start learning about spellcraft assume that magic is one of the easiest things they’ll learn, only to realize that it’s not as simple of a subject as they originally thought. So, what I would like to know is that when it comes to magic, what’s the first thought that comes to your mind?”

That was a bit of a difficult question to answer, especially considering everything that she had seen in a short amount of time. Though, when Raquel thought on the question some more, she began to think about how magic was seen elsewhere. Not in Equestria, but back home. It was something that you couldn’t see in the real world. However, after about five minutes, she realized that there was one place where magic would always reside.

“Stories.”

Twilight blinked as she raised an eyebrow. “Could you repeat that?”

“Back where we’re from, magic always seemed to be in stories, but can’t be seen outside of them,” she told her, “It didn’t matter what form the story was in, because magic was something that only existed there, and no two stories were the same.”

It didn’t seem like much, but that single response seemed to catch the Alicorn’s attention, “I see. Could you share a couple of examples?”

“Well, in some stories, anyone that used magic would always have a wand, staff or magical stick and cast spells by saying special phrases. In other stories, the main character would find some kind of magical object that allows them to either see something that’s hidden away with magic or use magic, like a book or something. Originally, when I first arrived and heard that magic existed here, I thought it was the same thing. Though, I can safely assume that’s probably not the case?”

“Well, yes and no,” Twilight shrugged, before going more in depth with her explanation, “Some things do sound similar, but are probably not the same.”

“How so?” Raquel asked, glancing down at the band that was still wrapped around her wrist before she looked back at the Alicorn.

“Well, there’s a common misconception about magical artifacts in Equestria. Like ‘if you find some ancient relic, it would grant the wielder great power’ or something along those lines,” Twilight replied, using her wings to quote what she was saying as she continued, “However, considering that I’ve had encounters with ponies who used magical artifacts, that’s just not true. The nature of magical artifacts takes on the form of whoever is wielding it and is a reflection of themselves. However, whether or not they use such a thing for good or evil depends on their intent.”

Raquel didn’t exactly know why, but she felt a shiver down her spine and what felt like a pulse from the bracelet that was wrapped around her wrist. “Do you… think that might apply to what I have?”

The Element of Magic tilted her head, before noticing the bracelet and realizing what she was she was trying to say, “It might, but personally, I think it’s more along the lines of being familiar with your abilities first. Have you tried practicing with it?”

Twilight watched as her guest let out a deep sigh, before looking back to her, “Yes, but…”

“Hmm? Raquel, is everything okay?”

At this, Raquel bit her lip as she tried to think things through. Just simply telling Twilight was not going to be enough to show her how problematic this was. There needed to be something else. She had to do more than talk about it, she needed to demonstrate it, too. “Is it… okay if I show you?”

Twilight could only give a compassionate nod as the girl extended her arm forward. From her bracelet, it looked like a series of strands were glowing and wrapping around her fingers as she tried to focus and aim her hand at the bottle of ink that Twilight had on the table. At first, things seemed okay, as she was able to gently lift it up and move it away to the center of the map.

However, shortly afterwards, the side effects started to kick in.

What do you think you’re trying to prove?

Raquel flinched at the voice as she tried her best to not lose focus. Unlike the other voices she heard, this one sounded just like her. The longer she tried to maintain concentration, the more that the voice grew louder and eventually split. Her voice, but at different pitches and tones.

It doesn’t matter how much you think you’ve changed. Everyone knows you’re still the same person as you were before.

People listen to you and put their trust in you, and what do you give them in return? Nothing! You discarded your friends like they were broken toys.

Do you really think Calvin forgives you? After all those years of believing that what happened to him was your fault.

Raquel flinched, causing the bottle to shake as she gripped the side of her head. The hand she was trying to channel her power through was now shaking as she found it harder to concentrate, “Shut… up.”

“Raquel? Raquel, what’s wrong?”

Then, all the voices came together and loudly spoke as one.

You will never change. You will always be who you are, and no matter how much you try to push me away, I will always be here. Watching… waiting… until you finally admit I was right, and then, you will submit.

In a split second, Raquel cried out as she forced herself to stop channeling the spell she tried to cast. In doing so, the force of the spell caused the ink bottle to shatter and its contents to spill everywhere as the girl dropped to the floor. Immediately, Twilight panicked and raced over to her, “Raquel!? Raquel, are you okay?”

Raquel groaned, clenching her head as she tried to look over to Twilight. “That’s… what I wanted to show you. When I try to focus, I hear these voices in my head that try to distract me. Not that of other people, but… a twisted version of my own voice. The longer I maintain the focus, the louder it gets, to the point that I can’t hear anything, and when it gets to the point that I can’t take it anymore…” the girl then glanced over to where the remains of the glass bottle were on the ground, “...that happens.”

The Alicorn couldn’t imagine what was going through the girl’s head right now. She knew that some spells that required channeling were difficult to control, but whatever Raquel was being forced to deal with was something she had never come across in all her years of studying the arcane. Nevertheless, Twilight still wanted to help her however she could. Yet, to do that, she had to understand the source of Raquel’s power.

Even though it was something that didn’t come from Equestria, there must have been something that could help them get a better understanding of what they were dealing with. “Raquel, can you come with me?”

“Huh?” Raquel blinked, a bit surprised by the Alicorn’s words, “Where are we going?”

“To my study,” Twilight replied back, before casting a spell on the mess of ink and the broken bottle as it vanished a few seconds later, “I thought that maybe there might be something in my collection of books that could help with this.”

“That kind of seems like a bit of a longshot though,” she pointed out.

“It is, but we won’t learn anything if we don’t try.”

Despite the reservations Raquel had, the Princess made a rather valid point. Nothing was going to change if they just waited around for something to happen. If there was anything that could be done to silence the voices or make them less of an annoyance, then she would take that chance. “Fair enough. Lead the way then.”

Once the girl was back on her feet, Twilight began to lead her down the hall and passed other numerous rooms that were throughout the castle. Even though Raquel had only been here for nearly two weeks, she was still surprised at just how large the castle really was. From the outside, the Castle of Friendship just looked like a shiny, sparkly tree with a balcony. But if you took the time to look around, you could easily find yourself getting lost in any of the chambers throughout the castle.

After a few moments though, Twilight stopped at one particular door. While it looked almost like any other door in the castle, the wood looked a bit like a dried red in color, and there was what looked to be a symbol of a burning candle etched at the top. At first, Raquel just assumed that this was where the Alicorn was taking her. But when the girl reached for the handle to open it, she was stopped before she could even touch it.

“Wait,” she said, her eyes narrowing at the door, “Something’s not right.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” the girl asked, “It just looks like any other door in the castle.”

“It does,” the Alicorn then motioned to the symbol at the top of the door, “But I don’t remember having something like that on the door last time I was here.”

That didn’t help Raquel understand anything she said. If anything, it just confused her more. “It’s just a door though. There doesn’t seem to be anything strange about that.”

The Alicorn shook her head and turned to face her, “The last time I had a door appear out of nowhere was when Calvin and I found out that there was a portal to the Skylands in the basement of my home. If this is similar to before, then-”

“Is there a way for you to know that this is the same as before?”

The simple question had Twilight ponder it for a bit as she tried to look at the door they stood in front of. For a moment, it looked like the Alicorn was intently staring off into space. But after a couple of moments, she shook her head. “Well, it doesn’t have any sort of similarities in appearance to the one in the basement. But there’s no real way to tell for sure-”

“Unless we open it?” the only response that Raquel got was a nervous nod from Twilight as the girl folded her arms, “Well, let’s give it a shot. We go in, see how everything looks and we go from there. Who knows? Maybe you’ll just find your study on the other side.”

Before the Alicorn even had the chance to object or say anything, Raquel grabbed the handle of the door and opened it wide as she stepped inside. As Twilight followed her, both of them soon realized that what they walked into definitely didn’t seem like it was part of the castle. However, there were some elements that looked a bit familiar to the Princess.

As the door closed behind them and the sound of a small bell began to jingle, the interior of this room looked like that of an ancient library. There were some columns in the room that held some different oddities together, as well as numerous shelves that were stuffed with books on various subjects. Along the far wall, there looked to be a gallery of different trinkets and other strange items that looked to be on display, as well as red colored banners that had the same symbol as it was on the door. Lastly, near the back of the room, there looked to be something like a store counter, where someone would go to purchase something if they found an item they wanted.

For the Alicorn, this was definitely not her study. Yet, with all the books and knowledge that were here, it couldn’t help but remind her a bit of the library she once stayed at in Canterlot before moving to Ponyville. However, whatever they were thinking was soon interrupted by the sound of a different voice. “Well, just when I thought things were starting to get quiet, a couple of kittens just stepped through the door.”

Both Raquel and Twilight looked towards the counter in the back as they found themselves looking at what looked to be a young teenage girl with pink hair, cat-like eyes and a gleaming pair of curved knives that she had holstered around her waist. Her forearms were wrapped in bandages, and her clothes looked a little worse for wear. “Welcome to the-” before she could even say where exactly they were, the figure found herself looking at Twilight, “Aw, cripes. Another one to add to the board?”

Twilight blinked for a moment, puzzled by what she said as she tilted her head, “Another one? I’m not sure if I follow.”

“What, you think you’re the only Twilight that has ever visited this place, kitten?” the stranger asked, before pulling out a clipboard and a piece of chalk as they started to write on it, “This place is known for attracting those seeking knowledge, but every once in a while, we run into another variation of you, princess. Heck, see for yourself.”

As the chalkboard was flipped around, they could see that it was labeled as ‘The Twily Counter’, and the absurd amount of tally marks that were on the board that looked to be in the hundreds gave both of them a clear idea of what they were talking about. However, both of them still had some questions, with Raquel being the first one to say anything, “I’m sorry, but… who are you?”

“Ah, right. Knew I was forgetting something,” she chuckled, “Name’s Maeve. And who would you happen to be, little kitten? Because I already know quite well who your friend is.”

“Little?” Raquel asked, “But, you look younger than me.”

“Oh, trust me. Most of the time when meeting others like yourself, seeing can be deceiving,” Maeve said, almost sounding like a cat that was purring with how delighted she was, “Now, your name?”

Part of her was quite a bit irritated and confused by what was going on. However, Raquel had a feeling that if she tried to dodge this girl’s question, then she would try to dodge any questions that either of them happened to have for her. “Raquel.”

“Huh, that’s… a bit familiar,” the figure paused, scratching her chin for a bit before she looked back at her, “Anyways, now that introductions and names are out of the way, what can I get for you-?”

Before she had the chance to continue, some of the candles lit up around the room as the sound of footsteps echoed down a stairwell in the far back corner. “Mom, how many times do I have to remind you not to overwhelm any guests that come here?”

As Raquel and Twilight turned to look and see where the voice came from, they saw what looked like a human woman descend down the stairs. Despite referring to Maeve as ‘mother’, it appeared that this figure was actually older. She had long brown hair that was tied into a high up ponytail, wore jeans with a gray shirt and what looked like a sleeveless navy vest and a pair of sandals. However, the most notable detail was that they wore a long red scarf that looked like it was on fire.

“O-oh, hello, Emmy!” Maeve nervously chuckled, as if she was caught in the act. “I-I was just… holding down the fort?”

The new figure glanced over at both Twilight and Raquel for a brief second, before she looked back towards Maeve, “While I do appreciate you wanting to help, you have a tendency to come off as intimidating to newcomers. You probably haven’t even told them where they are now, have you?”

“She was going to,” Twilight added, “But then, she saw me.”

The figure now glanced over at Maeve again, before noticing the chalkboard on the counter as she let out a sigh. “Seriously? You’re still doing that?”

“What? I have to do something to keep myself entertained if the alternative is going mad from sheer boredom,” she shrugged, “That, and I think anytime we play cards, Luna cheats.”

“THOU ART NOT A CHEATER!!”

The single exclamation rocked the entire chamber as Maeve let out a small breath, “Yeah, I’m going to go take care of that real quick. Call me if you need anything.” As she waved her hands, it looked like her entire form disappeared from sight. Yet, they could still hear the squeaks of shoes moving across the floor as the person that was called ‘Emmy’ just let out a sigh.

“I hate it when she does that,” she grumbled, before looking towards Raquel and Twilight, “But where are my manners? Welcome to the Candlelight Archive, my little corner of the multiverse. My name’s Ember Valkyr, and I’m pretty sure both of you have questions for me.”

“Only one,” Raquel was quick to respond, “How is this even possible? I thought that only-”

The girl was interrupted at the sight of Ember holding up a finger, “Stop me if this sounds familiar. On Earth, you’re just minding your own business and doing something like going to a comic convention, touring a museum or just going to the store. While you’re there, something catches your attention. Perhaps you’re dressed up in costume, and you find something that would go along perfectly with it. Other times, a vendor is trying to persuade you to buy something in particular that they have. Are you with me so far?”

Both Twilight and Raquel looked at each other for a moment, before the Alicorn slowly nodded. “No matter how exactly the story is told, that particular person gets something from someone selling it to them. But once they get ahold of the item, something happens that causes them to black out or pass out. When you wake up again, you find that not only are you in someplace very different from where you were, but you find yourself changed somehow.”

Raquel’s pupils shrank at that once she pieced everything together. To some extent, this almost described what happened to her and Trevor on that fateful night, when they went to investigate the abandoned store. While it did not entirely go the way that Ember described it, there were some similarities. Someone ‘gave’ something to her and her brother, both of them passed out, arrived in Equestria, and learned that they weren’t the same as they were before. “H-how-?”

“Because you’re not the only one that this has happened to. It happened to me. It happened to my mother, who you just met earlier. It’s also happened to almost everyone else that has come through the doors of the Archive. Collectively, we are known as ‘the Displaced’,” as Ember explained this, she tried her best to reassure her guests about everything she was saying, “I know it sounds like a lot to process, but just don’t try to think about it too much.”

“If I may,” Twilight said, “What happened to you? I mean, if you don’t mind sharing-”

At this, the caretaker couldn’t help but chuckle at that, “Well, that’s different. Out of all the Twilight’s that come here, none of them ask about my particular story. I hate to disappoint a client, but my story isn’t quite so ‘adventurous’.”

“Well, we don’t need to hear the full story, if you’re not comfortable with sharing it,” the alicorn pointed out.

“So, a simplified version?” the only answer that Ember got was a nod of the head from Twilight as Raquel just watched them converse with one another, “Very well. For my story, I was displaced when I acquired the scarf that’s around my neck. However, my powers came from that of a friend, who I only met briefly, but they granted me a gift as they passed on.”

As she was speaking, both Twilight and Raquel watched as another creature made an appearance. This time, it was a majestic bird that looked to be made of fire that was perched on her shoulder. Although it was new to Raquel, the bird was actually a familiar sight to Twilight, “Wait, Philomena? What-?”

“Before you assume anything, this is the Philomena from my world. The friend that granted me my powers was her late father, and in my world, I was her caretaker before she was found by Princess Celestia,” the caretaker explained, as the bird took off from her shoulder and flew onto a perch on the other side of the front desk, “Because of that, I am pretty much a living phoenix in human form. For the longest of times, I used the gifts I had to protect those I cared about from harm. However, long after the defeat of the only threat that was an immediate danger to all I cared for, I chose to shift my attention to something else. My story was over, sure, but there were many others like me who didn't get a proper ending. So, with the help of both family and friends, we created the archive as both a place of knowledge and stories. For I believe that by reading and seeing the experiences of others, we can learn and grow from them.”

“So, wait,” the Princess blinked, “You left the girls and I to… fend for ourselves-?”

“No. That’s not why I did that,” Ember immediately said, “Picture this. Imagine if all the friendship problems in the world were solved by Princess Celestia, and you and your friends didn’t have to do anything. Sure, the issues would be resolved, but would you learn anything from watching others do it?”

Raquel watched as Twilight looked like she was immediately going to say something, only for her to fall back and try to think it over. Any time it looked like she had a proper response, the Alicorn would immediately backtrack and appear as if she was having to mentally go back to the drawing board. However, after a few moments, Ember answered for her.

“Of course you wouldn’t. Since Displaced have a tendency to not always be around when others need them most, I didn’t want to have my Twilight and her friends get too comfortable and think that I was going to solve all of their problems for them, because some lessons can only be learned through personal experience,” the caretaker summarized, before she clapped her hands together, “But enough about my story. It would be completely rude of me to be talking about myself for so long and not help either of you. So, what exactly brings you to the Archive? Are you looking for knowledge? Perhaps some advice?”

Around now was the time that Raquel chose to speak as she looked at Ember, “Well, before we came here, Twilight was wanting to see if there was something in her study that could help me with my magic. Compared to my brother and our… friend, I’ve been falling behind, and I just wanted to see if there was anything that could help me catch up.”

At this, Ember couldn’t help but ponder on those words, “I see. Though, magic in itself is a rather broad subject,” With a twist of the wrist and a snap of a finger, some sections of the room began to move and change as the caretaker stepped out from behind the desk and had the two of them follow her, “I think I can help, but is there anything specific about your magic that makes it different from others? No two casters are ever the same, and I wanted to be sure that I found the right one for you.”

“Well, there’s not much I can really do, to be honest,” she nervously told her, before having her hand grasp the wrist that had her bracelet, “The only real thing I know is that because of this, there are times that I can hear… people’s thoughts-?”

Immediately, more shelves began to move, including ones directly behind her, as the caretaker of the archive motioned her fingers. “I think I know exactly what you have then. Have either of you ever heard of something called Psionic Sorcery?”

Raquel was quick to shake her head in response. While for Twilight, she tried to think about it some more and see if she happened to recall anything, only for her to have the same response. “I don’t think so.”

As the Alicorn said that, the girl watched Ember as she looked to be moving her hands across the wall, before pulling books off the shelf to see if the contents matched what the caretaker was talking about. On pulling out the third book in a particular row and taking some time to look over its pages, she finally responded to Twilight’s comment, “Well, before I start, there is a common misconception between this kind of magic and the spells that most unicorns and alicorns alike use commonly.”

“What do you mean?” Raquel asked.

“When some think of Psionic Sorcery, they commonly just think of three of the most common spells that mages in Equestria use. For simplicity’s sake, I call them ‘The Three T’s’,” Ember explained as she counted off three fingers, “Telepathy, Telekinesis and Teleportation. However, while some of those things are present, Psionic Sorcery is much more potent than that.”

Despite her best attempts to keep things simple, it did not look like either of them were understanding her. So, Ember thought of a different way to explain to try and keep things simple. “Think of your mind like a blank canvas. The magic you have is like paint, and you are the brush. If you can picture something in your head, you can create it on that canvas and have it take the form of anything you wish. However, I must warn you, there is a catch to this.”

Both Raquel and Twilight looked a bit confused at that, but the Alicorn also looked a bit concerned as she looked to Ember, “What kind of catch?”

“Much like how being a strong fighter requires a lot of physical training, Psionic Sorcery requires a lot of both mental and emotional training. The mind, despite being rather strong, can also be rather fragile without a proper defense, and some people always find a way to try and take advantage of that. In addition, from my own experience, emotions can make some powers a lot more lethal at the cost of not being able to properly control them. So, even if you are able to stop some villain from hurting somebody, you might end up causing more harm if you can’t properly control your magic.”

At this, Ember closed the book she had out and firmly looked back at Raquel, “Now, I must ask. With everything I just said and the risks, do you still wish for me to help-?”

“Yes,” Raquel interrupted her and answered without hesitation, something that even surprised Twilight. A little while ago, the girl that was in her castle was nervous and worried about not being able to properly control what she could do. Now, the tone from before was reversed, and she didn’t hesitate to accept help, even if it was from someone that they only just met a few moments ago.

“Very well,” Ember couldn’t help but smirk, before she motioned for the two of them to follow her back towards where they were previously. As they walked, the caretaker moved her hands again, as parts of the room began to shift and move back into place. When Ember got behind the desk, she brought out what looked like a thermos and a ceramic mug as she looked back at the others, “Before we start with anything though, there’s something I would like from you in exchange.”

A small shiver ran down Raquel’s spine for a brief moment as she looked back at Twilight briefly. The Alicorn didn’t exactly know what Ember was talking about either and just gave the girl a nervous glance as Raquel looked back at her. “Um, do you mean money? Because I don’t-”

“No, no, I don’t mean that kind of exchange,” Ember corrected herself as she shook her head, “I don’t make my customers pay with money unless they absolutely insist. Instead, I ask for something else from them. For you, you already told me your reasons for coming to seek help from me. However, outside of what you shared, I know very little about your situation or your world for that matter.”

“To be fair, Raquel and her brother have not been here that long,” Twilight now spoke up as Ember started to drink some of her coffee, “If you wanted to know more about our Equestria, then we would need Calvin to help you make sense of-”

Before the Alicorn could even finish, the ceramic cup that Ember was holding slipped out of her hands and shattered on the floor. Yet, despite the mess, the caretaker was more focused on Twilight’s words, “Could you repeat that?”

“I-I’m sorry?”

“The name you mentioned,” Ember said, not even breaking eye contact as she moved her right hand and had the broken mug that she dropped reassemble itself and placed on the other end of the counter. “Could you say it again?”

“C-Calvin,” Twilight said again, only to watch as the once calm and collected caretaker now had a look of shock on her face, “I-is something wrong?”

At first, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she bent down behind her desk as the sound of a drawer being opened and its contents being moved around had Raquel and Twilight wonder what exactly was going on. After about a minute, Ember came back up with something in her hand as she set it down for them to look at.

“Does he look like this?”

When both Raquel and Trevor looked down at what they were seeing, both of them were shocked beyond belief. What Ember was showing them looked to be an old photograph that had aged significantly. However, the one thing that both of them immediately recognized was who was in the picture, for the person they saw in that picture was none other than Calvin, who looked almost exactly like him, aside from wearing different clothes.

“Y-yeah, that’s him,” Raquel said, noticing that Ember had turned away from them as she looked up from the picture, “But why-”

“Mom, get down here!! You’re going to want to hear this!”

Almost like a cat being told that their food was ready, Maeve was quick to come out of the recreation room in the back and rejoin everyone at the front desk. “Well, that did not take long. It was only like a short while ago that you wanted me to-”

“We found him.”

Those three words, along with the sight of the photograph that was on the counter was enough for Maeve to stop what she was saying. “Y-You’re serious?”

A nod of the head was all that Ember could give as Raquel noticed that now Maeve was… trying to hold back the urge to cry. She didn’t want to interrupt, but clearly, there was something going on that she did not fully understand. However, Twilight was the one that spoke up to get their attention, “Um, Miss Ember? How do you know about Calvin?”

That question was met by a rather unexpected response, “I’m not sure if he knows about it or not, but he’s family to us in more ways than one. We’ve been trying to find him for a long time, and this is the closest we’ve ever gotten, kitten,” Maeve explained, “To make things simple though, both my daughter and Calvin have the same father.”

Immediately, Twilight pupils shrank to the size of a small coin as she tried to process these revelations. “B-But, if that’s true, w-wouldn’t t-that mean-?”

“Like my mom implied, the full story is complicated,” Ember said, “But yes. That would mean that Calvin’s my little brother, one that I never knew that I had and tried to find for the longest of times.”

As Raquel watched this unfold, she couldn’t even fully process everything that was happening. However, if they did happen to be family, the chance to reunite with them was very important to them. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more that something else Ember said earlier resurfaced in her head, something that could probably allow both of them to get what they want.

“Ember, you said that you wanted something in exchange in order to help those who come here, right?”

The caretaker took a moment to turn around and face her first, before she gave an answer, “That’s my policy, yes. Why-?”

“I don’t have that much of a story to tell, if I have to be honest,” Raquel admitted, “But Calvin does. And since both of you have been looking for him for so long, how about this? You help me, and we’ll make sure that both of you can see him, so he can tell you his story.”

At first, the room went a bit silent, as both of them did not know what to say. Even Philomena, who was calm on her perch, noticed that Ember was oddly quiet. After a moment, Ember and Maeve turned away from Raquel as they appeared to be discussing something among themselves. Though, after a minute or so, they had a response for their guests.

“That will work with us, but on one condition,” Maeve replied, before folding her arms, “You don’t seem to be someone who would try to deceive us, but I believe we can’t be too careful. So, our condition is that we meet Calvin first, before I lend any aid to you.”

“That seems… reasonable enough,” Twilight now said, “But, if I may, how exactly are you going to find your way back here?”

The caretaker just gave a small grin as she walked out from behind the desk and manifested what appeared to be the feather of a phoenix in her hands, “A reasonable question. Would it be safe to assume that you know about tokens already?” As Twilight nodded, Ember walked over to the same door they walked in, before pointing to the top of the frame at something they did not notice while coming in.

It was a symbol. Not just one, but many… and each one of the symbols matched each of the trinkets in the gallery on the other side of the archives. “In this place, Tokens serve more than just a means to summon Displaced. It also is a way to open doors to new places as well,” As Ember said this, she inserted the feather into the lock on the door and turned it like an actual key as the door opened, “Now, lead the way.”

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