Age of the New Sun

by Foreshadow

Chapter 5

As darkness descended and the Sunwalkers headed in past the edges of the Everfree forest, Runestone was absolutely on edge, no matter the sword at his side and the herd around him. He had never wished to have been assigned guard duty more than at this moment.

Beside him, Twirlwind didn’t give him much cause for comfort. Despite the grin and the constant chatter of giving the “Nightspawn the old one-two”, as she put it, he could see the perspiration under her helmet and hear the nervousness in her voice. He found himself holding back sighs as they trod lightly through the underbrush and into the darker forest. He found himself wishing for Comet. Maybe she would be just as scared as he was, but she was powerful, and more clever than he was, he thought. He couldn’t help it: he missed her. As they proceeded through the woods, he kept feeling like he was seeing Nightspawn in the spaces between the trees: just flashes of light in the shadows that made his stomach twist. He cast a glance into the shadows where his fellows marched beside him. No, the numbers still weren’t reassuring.

“Sunwalkers, attention!”

The voice of Stonehoof threw Runestone totally off balance and he nearly ran straight into Twirlwind when she stopped and stood at attention. The stallion cast his gaze around, but couldn’t see the Sun-Commander despite the fact that he had sounded quite close.

“You will split into groups of four and spread out over the forest. There must be at least one pegasus per group. If you encounter Nightspawn, engage and herd them back towards the mountain. If you hear a horn, you are to rejoin the group and engage. Are we all clear?”

“Yes, sir!” was the unanimous reply.

Runestone couldn’t help but cringe, and beside him, Twirlwind spun and grabbed his shoulder.

“We’re a team,” she announced. “Gotta find two more.”

“Oh, uh... okay,” Runestone replied a bit dumbly.

Twirlwind cast a glance around and then grabbed a passing white stallion with a bright golden mane stuck up through his helmet, saying, “Need a group?” quickly. When he nodded, she pulled him in.

“You’re Aspen, right?” she asked.

He nodded again and his green eyes darted between the two of them curiously.

“Runestone and Twirlwind,” Runestone said, pointing to each of them in turn, only to see that the pegasus had pulled another into the group, a marmalade-coloured mare with a royal purple and blue mane introduced as Fanfare.

“Okay, we’re four!” Twirlwind announced, trying to force a smile onto her face. “Going?”

“Guess so,” Aspen replied.

His voice was shaking a little, and he took a deep breath. Fanfare, on the other hand, stuck out her chest and trotted ahead. Runestone grimaced a little and took up the rear as they moved deeper into the woods.

It was getting darker and darker, and harder to see through the gloom. The sound of other clinking hoofbeats was also getting quieter. Runestone glanced around and squinted in the dark.

“I don’t think this was really the best plan,” he murmured.

The other ponies stopped ahead of him and turned. Twirlwind and Aspen both looked a little surprised, but Fanfare stormed back and her red eyes glared deeply into his.

“You’re questioning our orders?” she demanded. “Who do you think you are?!”

Runestone drew back a bit, his ears drooping, but Twirlwind quickly flitted between the two ponies, gently pushing the other mare back.

“Hey, relax, everyone’s on edge here,” she said.

“Hmph, I’m not,” Fanfare replied, turning her nose up at them and spinning to continue straight into the woods. “I don’t want to hear any more talk like that, or I’ll report you to the Sun-Commander.”

Runestone bit his lip and Twirlwind’s face bent into a scowl as she muttered, “Yeesh,” under her breath. Aspen shifted uncomfortably, but hesitantly began to follow Fanfare through the darkness once more. Runestone sighed and began again, Twirlwind keeping pace at his side.

As the night wore on, Runestone was finally starting to let himself hope that they wouldn’t find anything when a scream ripped through the night and the deep blast of a horn’s call boomed afterwards. Runestone felt his heart drop to his hooves and he shared a look of fear with Twirlwind before they raced off. Hoofbeats and his heart were all that the stallion could really focus on as they raced through the underbrush until they broke through to a small clearing that, in turn, lead up to the mountain and the old train passages that cut through the ancient stone. Across, they could see the silhouettes of more ponies converging on dark, twisted shapes with bright white eyes. Runestone felt almost like he wanted to puke, but he pushed himself forward, pulling his sword out just in case. Barreling across the field, he joined the others, herding the monsters towards the mountain. It took him a moment to realize that he wasn’t entirely sure why the Nightspawn were running. He skidded to a halt, taking a few deep breaths to regain himself as he watched the rest of the ponies rush by him.

It doesn’t make any sense...

He took a deep breath and tried to think of what Comet would do. He supposed she’d try to get all the information she could. Though not entirely sure what he was doing, Runestone headed after the main group a bit more slowly, his eyes roaming the area cautiously; his ears up and rotating. The plan to herd the Nightspawn into the caves and away from Canterlot was seeming successful at first glance, but upon a closer look, Runestone felt his throat go dry and his mind reeled: he noticed white pinpricks dotting the ridges above the caves.

Cursing to himself, Runestone broke into a gallop. The Nightspawn weren’t being herded at all. He cringed and then, having a terrible thought, he cast a glance over his shoulder. His suspicions were blood-chillingly confirmed at the sight of more white, gleaming eyes shining from the tree line behind them. With a deep gulp of air and trying not to simply break down, he ran as hard as he could, sheathing his sword to call out, desperately, “IT’S A TRAP!”

At first it didn’t seem like anypony had heard him; his heart sunk, until he noticed Twirlwind stop and turn as if to ask, “What?”, only to be bowled over and knocked into a flailing mess of limbs with Aspen, Fanfare and two other ponies he didn’t know.

“What is your problem!?” Fanfare shouted.

Runestone wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or not; to be honest, he didn’t really care. He kept pushing forward, but his legs were starting to feel numb.

“IT’S A TRAP!” he yelled again, though his voice was getting weak. “DON’T GO IN THE CAVES, THEY’RE LEADING YOU INTO A TRAP!”

It didn’t seem like anyone had heard him, and his voice was too strained to shout again. Panic set in and he had to stop, sucking his tongue and trying to catch his breath.

“Runestone!”

Twirlwind came up on him fast, though he was too tired to be surprised, and when he looked up past her, he could see Fanfare, Aspen, and the two others trotting up after as if nothing was wrong, despite the looming, dark mass behind them.

“For the love of-! RUN!” he shouted back at them hoarsely.

Fanfare looked at him with a scowl, but one of the ponies he didn’t know turned his head to look where Runestone was and let out a shriek and began to run, only to trip in his panic. The others finally looked, but it was too late to flee now. Shrinking with terror, Fanfare, Aspen and the other two were quickly engulfed as Twirlwind screamed out. Runestone froze in place, terror taking him, wishing for some way...

Wait! The crystal!

With a gulp, the stallion hurried back for the others, quickly producing the stone that Comet had sent to him. It began to glow immediately, almost blinding him, but he ran towards the Nightspawn swarming the other Sunwalkers. He heard hissing and shrieking, and without much thought, the stallion tossed the stone into the fray. Warm golden light spread, forming a dome where, Runestone was relieved to see, the four Sunwalkers seemed safe. He rushed into the dome himself, watching the dark mass that had shrunk back and away, seeming stunned. Twirlwind was right behind him, shouting, “Dear Celestia!” as she barreled into the light.

Aspen had somehow lost his helmet and was shaking, looking completely stunned. One of the ponies, a red stallion, was lying, panting on the ground, and the blue one who had screamed was unconscious with a shallow wound do the head. Fanfare was awake, but sitting and clutching one of her back legs close, her ears drooped back and her eyes watery.

“I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry,” she whispered.

“Are you okay?” Runestone asked quickly.

“I think it’s broken,” she said, her voice strained. “...Why didn’t I listen...?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Runestone said hurriedly; he turned to look back past their barrier.

Out of range of the light, he could see the Nightspawn, snarling and moving slowly around, most not staying to linger around the ponies. He cringed and then darted to the other side, peering through the light to look to the mountain. He couldn’t see much, just a bit of movement; he supposed the group had already reached the tunnels and the battle had begun. He gulped quickly and looked around the group, pulling off his helmet and running a hoof through his mane.

“Aspen,” he said, “you have a mace, right?”

When the stallion nodded a bit stiffly, he said, “Break it, somepony get some cloth and make a splint for Fanfare, okay?”

Aspen did as he was asked, and Runestone looked to the red pony and hurried to him, nudging him gently to his hooves.

“You okay? What’s your name?” he asked.

“Um... Starleaf,” he muttered.

“Okay, Starleaf, could you go check on that blue pony? Thanks.”

Starleaf awkwardly headed over to the unconscious pony and Runestone, taking a deep breath, turned to Twirlwind. She had landed behind him and as looking at him with wide, surprised eyes.

“Are you a fast flyer?” he asked.

“Pretty fast,” she replied, “Why?”

“Those ponies that went into the cave are probably fighting right now,” he said, “but I don’t... I don’t think they can do it on their own.”

“The Sun-Commander’s really, really strong, though,” the pegasus said, her ears drooping. “And there’s dozens of ponies, are you sure-?”

“I don’t think the Nightspawn can be killed,” he admitted. “At least not normally. When Comet and I fought them, they wouldn’t stay down until Graham arrived and took some sort of energy from them.”

“The griffon?” Fanfare put in quickly before letting out a quiet yelp as Aspen worked on tying the wooden mace handle against her broken leg, and she bit her lip. “But then why didn’t the Sun-Commander believe him when he said we needed him?”

“Arrogance, maybe?” Twirlwind volunteered. “Or maybe he didn’t understand that Graham was being literal.”

“Doesn’t matter now,” Runestone sighed. “Twirlwind, will you take your sun crystal to them?”

Twirlwind’s violet eyes went wide and her jaw dropped, but she swiftly forced her ears to perk and donned a determined frown, saying, “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do it. What about you?”

Runestone turned his gaze back into the darkness, from the way they had come. He felt sick and suddenly became painfully aware of his heart thumping against his ribs.

“I... I’ll go back,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound too nervous. “I’ll find Graham.”

Twirlwind gawked at him for a moment, but he tried not to think about the danger he was about to put himself in and pulled out his sword. The pegasus cringed and offered him her hoof.

“Good luck, Runestone,” she said.

He bumped his hoof against hers and nodded before turning back to face the darkness. He knew the Nightspawn were just beyond the range of the light, waiting. He gulped, and then broke into a run, rushing through the barrier of sunlight and back towards the trees.

He was met with an immediate snarl and, as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he raised the shield on his forelimb. He felt it smash into something and he struck out with his sword. It connected as well, and without a moment’s hesitation, he took off at an all-out gallop.

The sounds, monstrous and loud, stuck behind him as if they were right on his back, and he raced as fast as he could as he could finally see through the moonlight dappled woods. He tried not to think of how far he had to go; tried not to dwell on his fear. He tried to keep his mind solely on holding his footing. His breath was getting ragged and his lungs were starting to burn in his chest. Just a few minutes felt like forever as he raced through the underbrush he had travelled with the other Sunwalkers just a little while before. He leapt a fallen log, terror striking him as his hoof slipped in the leaves as he landed. Limbs flailing as he forced himself forward, he regained himself quickly, only to hear the muddled thuds of many landing as they jumped as well. Cold terror struck Runestone and he tried to be faster. The pounding on the ground behind him jarred him on, as did the sharp strike of claws against his back leg. He let out a yelp and sped on, his mind reeling with fear.

They have claws? They have claws!!

He couldn’t get it out of his mind. He felt another strike, and another, but didn’t let it slow him, though his muscles were starting to ache. His eyes began to water, and a sudden shadow passing overhead blocked out the moon; Runestone stumbled, blinded, against a tree and toppled to the ground. Before he could even fathom a thought, the moon was back, but the deep sound of huge wings resounded and a wind trailing behind a huge, feathered form bowled the pony over completely. Runestone struggled to right himself and shook his head, only to have to shield his ears from a roar that seemed to shake the very ground. He heard higher shrieks and hisses, and a strange splattering sound, and in an instant, Graham whirled on him, golden eyes shining in the night and a foggy, dark substance flowing into his body.

“Graham!” Runestone cried; his voice was completely hoarse and he struggled to get up, wincing at the pain in his back legs. “Graham, they went into the tunnels, but it was a trap, and-!”

“Calm yourself,” the griffon said gently. “Take a breath.”

“I... I can’t, we don’t have time,” the stallion said hurriedly. “Everypony is in danger!”

Graham looked down at him sympathetically and turned to frown in the direction of the mountain.

“I felt the Nightspawn clearly,” he said, frowning. “No wonder there was so much activity.”

He knelt down, and much to Runestone’s surprise, said, “Get on.”

Runestone pointed at himself a bit awkwardly; the griffon nodded and, hesitantly, the pony heaved himself onto Graham’s back. They were up in the air before Runestone could say another word; the wind rushing in his ears was only matched by the panicked thumping of his heart.

Graham barely even needed to flap his wings to get them to the the mountain; Runestone grasped onto his feathers tightly as he dove, pulling his extremities in close as he hurtled forward and into the tunnels. The pony felt his stomach lurch and he flattened his ears to his head as Graham let out a blood-curdling screech. Cautiously, Runestone tried to lean around his side to look. He saw a golden light and turned back to see the night sky receding quickly. He was shocked to see that the battle had continued so far in, and when he looked forward again, they were all but on top of the fighting. The sun shield was flickering but seemed steady: wounded ponies were inside as the ones still able to fight defended from a massive swarm of Nightspawn penning them in. Runestone gasped to see the dark fog rising up to meet Graham as he got closer; he began to land, the air from his massive wings sending some Sunwalkers and Nightspawn alike tumbling as he flapped and dropped to the rocky floor heavily before a stunned looking Stonehoof. His talons immediately annihilated three Nightspawn and he took their energy into his body as the Sun-Commander watched, eyes wide, and then turned to kick a fourth straight in the face.

“I suppose you came to say ‘I told you so’,” the stallion said, raising an eyebrow.

“Not at all.”

The griffon whirled and Runestone quietly slid off his back and tiredly pulled out his sword as the Nightspawn began to right themselves. He could see them more clearly than he had been able to before. Some of them were strange and wraithlike, like a ghost from a nightmare. Others, on the other hand, were muscular and large with patchy fur and strange, scale-like growths on their bodies. Some had talons instead of hooves, despite their pony-like bodies, and those with wings had the twisted, leathery ones of bats. He gulped and looked to Graham, who seemed rather calm despite the frown on his face. Beside him, Stonehoof snorted and raised his shield.

“Well, I’m glad to have you,” he said.

Graham clacked his beak and smiled a little as he braced his back paws on the stone: he launched himself into the fray almost immediately following. Runestone felt obligated to do the same, but before he was about to charge, he was grabbed and yanked back. Blinded for a moment by the gold light, he blinked and dropped his sword, only to be spun around and hugged tightly. Runestone blinked the sunspots out of his eyes only to see Twirlwind, who, though bleeding a little, seemed insistent on hugging the life out of him.

“Glad you’re okay,” he choked.

She nodded and released him.

“What you did back there, that was insane,” she said, and then grinned tiredly. “Thanks. I think with him...”

She gestured to Graham: he was like a juggernaut, throwing Nightspawn around the tunnel with ease as Stonehoof and a few others covered his back.

“I think we’ll be alright. How are your legs?”

Runestone opened his mouth to answer, but then realized he didn’t really know. He looked down at them quickly, only to see that his back legs were torn up with scratches. He felt himself jump a little and he said, “Oh horsefeathers,” very shrilly.

Twirlwind looked as if she was about to say something, but she was interrupted as Graham jumped through the barrier, breathing a little heavily and accompanied by several exhausted, slightly injured Sunwalkers.

“Runestone,” he said quickly, striding up to him, “things are about to get very nasty down here.”

Runestone couldn’t help but wonder how things could get any nastier than they already were. The griffon reached back and pulled a sword from the belt on his back. It was short, but sharp and glimmering, the edges seeming to catch the light and hold it. Runestone couldn’t help but stare, and to his surprise, Graham passed it to him.

“This sword holds some light of the sun,” he said. “It has served me well, and will now serve you. I need you to lead the injured back to Canterlot.”

“Me?” Runestone bleated with surprise, and then shook his head swiftly and rubbed his brow, saying. “Sorry. Of course. I’ll do my best.”

“Good lad,” the griffon said. “Quickly, now.”

The stallion gulped and nodded, and then forced himself to his hooves. As Graham turned on his paws and left swiftly, barreling back into the fray, only then did he notice that over two dozen ponies within the sun barrier were staring at him hopefully. He took a deep breath and Twirlwind nodded at him.

“I’m with you, buddy,” she assured him.

She carried a short-sword under her wing, and pulled it out quickly; Runestone winced as he saw a harsh scratch torn through her armour and flecked with red right beside it.

“Everyone ready?” he asked loudly.

He was met by a tired, “Yes sir!”. He braced himself and cringed. He was no leader. What could he do, really? He was terrified.

I can’t let them down. That’s all I’ve got.

After taking one more gulp of air, about to dive into the ocean of the night before him, he plunged forward through the barrier. His eyes on the distant flecks of stars, he galloped, Graham’s sword held out before him. It really did hold the sun.

---

“Comet? Comet, what are you...? Comet, are you even listening?”

Pinklily waved a hoof in front of the lens of Comet’s telescope. It was hours since the Sunwalkers had set out, and Comet had vanished almost immediately afterwards. Pinklily hadn’t been able to find her at first, though she checked all the usual haunts. Only now, on her second check of the observatory, did she find Comet Strike, perched precariously on a stool with her eye pressed a bit too hard against the eyepiece of her homemade telescope.

The blue unicorn winced and pulled back, her eyes wide as she looked at her friend.

“What? Sorry,” she said awkwardly. “I didn’t... sorry.”

“Are you okay? What are you doing?” Pinklily asked.

“Oh,” Comet muttered and she put a hoof on the telescope almost tenderly, “I was just... looking. Sort of wondering if I could see the Sunwalkers, and... I dunno...”

Her ears drooped low and, with a sigh, Pinklily’s magic shot out to grab a stool and pulled it in close so she could sit by her friend.

“I know, it’s worrying, huh?” she asked gently.

Comet nodded and bit her lip, tossing her gaze out over towards the mountains again. It looked almost like there was a small glint of a fire over that way, but there was no smoke to be seen. She gulped. Her heart was beating too fast. Pinklily gently said her name as if to draw her attention, but the blue unicorn quietly grumbled, “I can’t believe they’d send Runestone out again, after what just happened to us.”

“The attack?” Pinklily asked, and her ears flattened when Comet nodded. “I agree, but you know the Sunwalkers, they’re not exactly big on sympathy. Or empathy.”

“I just don’t get it,” Comet muttered.

She pulled her telescope in close and stuck it up to her eye again, trying to focus it much closer than it was really built for. A glint of light caught her attention and her heart stopped; she tried to follow it as best she could when she realized it was moving. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized it was a pony. She hurried to adjust the view, and she let out a gasp and drew back almost immediately.

“It’s Runestone,” she said.

“What? Where?” Pinklily asked hurriedly.

She peeked into the telescope as Comet jumped to her hooves.

“Dear Celestia, he’s got a group and they’re... Oh no...”

She turned to Comet with wide eyes.

“What do we do?”

Comet bit her lip and looked out the window quickly and then back to her friend.

“Split up,” she decided. “Can you find MintTea and some of the professors? I’ll see if I can get anypony else who can use healing magic.”

Pinklily nodded, and with that, Comet took off down the stairs hurriedly.

In her haste, Comet took a tumble and rolled to the bottom of the stairs, slamming through the wooden door with a loud thud. She grunted and righted herself quickly, rushing into the dormitory and, with a spark of magic, set of a bright flash of blue light as Pinklily raced by behind her. Ponies began to stir almost immediately, and though she heard some complaints, Comet called, “Hey! It’s an emergency, who here can do healing stuff?”

After a moment, Comet saw a few unicorns groggily agree or raise their hooves.

“Great, everyone who can, meet me at the bridge out of Canterlot as soon as possible,” she said loudly.

“Comet, what’s going on?”

Glimmer Pearl peeked up from her bunk with wide, worried eyes.

“The Sunwalkers are coming back from their fight with Nightspawn and a lot of them are in a bad way," Comet said, "They’re going to need some help!”

A panicked chatter started in the group, but the blue unicorn noticed some of the ones who answered her initial question struggling to get out of bed.

“Wait!” somepony called; Comet couldn’t see who it was, but a few heads turned into the crowd nonetheless. “Why should we help the Sunwalkers? They’re the ones keeping us stuck here. Who cares?”

Comet heard some agreement despite Glimmer’s response of, “You can’t be serious.”

“Hey, anypony who knows me knows that I’m no friend to the Sunwalkers and their rules,” Comet retorted, “but they’re still ponies, and if we can help them, we should!”

“But Comet-!”

She knew the pony this time. It was Arrowburst, worriedly looking over at her from his bunk in the area for foals on the far left.

“Comet, aren’t they mean? I don’t understand.”

Comet bit her lip. She felt so hypocritical: just a week ago, she probably would have been asking the same questions as these ponies, but now her friends were in trouble. She gulped and tried her best to articulate.

“Listen, everypony, I have an issue with their dogma, not with them, for the most part,” Comet assured them. “Wouldn’t most of you say the same?”

She heard a reluctant mumble of agreement and her ears perked; she saw Glimmer smile at her proudly.

“I’m not a healer, but I’m helping!” she said brightly.

“Me too,” Comet heard Jinx add.

Glimmer jumped out of bed and began whipping the covers off ponies with her magic, chanting, “Up, up, up!” almost jubilantly. To Comet’s surprise, the others seemed to be agreeing with her.

“Okay, fine, fine.”

Comet recognized the original challenging voice and the mauve mare with a periwinkle mane that it belonged to stepped up front. She was a little younger than Comet, in a different year of classes so she didn’t know her name, though she had a green, six-pointed star encircled by a snake as a Soul Mark.

“You have a point,” she admitted reluctantly. “I’m a healer. I’ll help.”

“Thank you so much,” Comet said, unable to help a grin.

The mare couldn’t seem to stop a small smile as well and she nodded before heading back to start getting others up and out of bed.

Comet let out a phew to herself and then turned on her hoof and bolted for the way downstairs. As she expected, the main doors were blocked by two night guards that eyed her suspiciously as she rushed up to them.

“Hey, shouldn’t you be in bed? It’s past curfew,” one of them said.

Comet didn’t care, nor did she have time to argue with them.

“Your friends need help outside,” Comet said, and though her nerves almost caught her, she continued, “either open that door or get out of my way.”

One of them stammered out a “What?” while the other donned a frown and took a step closer to her. Comet didn’t bother with trying to reason any further. She summoned a jolt of magic to her and shot it, a blunt force impact of energy, at the double doors, which burst open almost immediately with a wood-busting boom. Comet was outside, racing past another set of guards before any of them knew what had happened.

---

Comet felt like she made it to the bridge in record time, coming to the start through the gate just as Runestone pushed through the barrier on the other side, followed by dozens of other Sunwalkers, many wounded; all exhausted. Some were being carried by others, suffering from bites or broken bones. Comet felt sick, but rushed forward as she saw Runestone plop down, exhausted, onto his flank and drop the glowing sword he carried before him.

“Hey!” she called.

Her friend looked up and seemed utterly baffled; she skidded to a halt in front of him, eyed him up and down, and couldn’t help but hug him tightly before using her magic to help him out of his armour.

“Comet, how...? What are...? Oh.... Never mind,” he said tiredly, and then grabbed her to hug her again.

She patted his back gently and she felt him slump and sigh deeply; he was shaking.

“I saw you guys from the observatory,” she told him. “I asked some other unicorns to come out and help. What happened?”

“We got ambushed,” he said quietly; he finally pulled back, ran a hoof through his mane and blew out a deep sigh. “Stonehoof wanted us to herd the Nightspawn back towards the tunnels. At first, it looked like there weren’t that many, but I noticed a trap and tried to get help and... it was just a mess.”

“What happened? Is everypony else okay? Or... okay-ish?” Comet asked quickly. “Did Graham find you?”

Runestone nodded and Comet breathed a sigh of relief, along with the words, “Oh good.” She patted his shoulder lightly and he finally smiled a little. His gaze turned upwards and Comet looked as four bright balls of light flitted overhead, illuminating the end of the bridge thoroughly. Glimmer marched in with a first-aid kit, leading about a dozen other unicorns, who quickly spread out through the group and began casting healing magic. Glimmer knelt down beside Runestone and Comet, and after eyeing the stallion, said, “Let me patch up your legs, okay?”

He nodded a bit shyly, and with startling efficiency, the ivory unicorn opened her kit, cleaned, and bandaged his wounds quickly.

“There you go!” she stated proudly.

She moved on to the next patient. Striding past her, Comet spotted Twirlwind, who shot her a smile as she trotted up and lay down on the stone with them

“Those sun crystals were amazing, thanks Comet Strike,” the pegasus said brightly.

“Oh, those... I was... It wasn’t actually my idea,” the unicorn replied a bit shyly. “I asked my friend Pinklily for help and she made them.”

“That’s awesome, and either way, thanks. And also, you shouldda seen this guy, here--” She jabbed her hoof at Runestone. “He was awesome.”

Runestone smiled a bit weakly and blushed, and as Comet tiredly lay down, he joined her, yawning widely.

It wasn’t long before Pinklily arrived with MintTea and a few of the professors and some stretchers. MintTea called for the students to start carrying the weaker ponies back to the infirmary as she and the professors took their places, using magic to soothe and help close some of the larger wounds. Comet couldn’t help but feel very relieved; she leaned on Runestone tiredly, hoping that he wasn’t hurt too badly. He sighed and laid his head down on his outstretched hooves.

“Hey, guys, you all okay?”

Comet looked up to see Pinklily smiling at her, looking very relieved as she lay down beside her.

“Relatively,” Runestone said. “Thanks.”

The pink unicorn nodded at him and looked across to Twirlwind a bit curiously.

“Hello, I don’t think we’ve met,” she said. “I’m Pinklily.”

The pegasus had donned a sort of shocked expression, looking at Pinklily with wide eyes, only to force a grin quickly.

“Hi! Hi, Pinklily, I’m, uh... Whirltw- Twirlwind, sorry!”

Her face flushed and she extended a hoof to the pink unicorn, who shook it with a quiet laugh.

“Good to meet you,” she said. “I wish it were under better circumstances.”

“Sure is a mess,” Comet agreed.

She couldn’t quite convey to the two Sunwalkers how good it was to see them again without becoming a babbling, sappy mess, so instead she elected to keep quiet, preferring instead to pat Runestone’s forelimb. He smiled tiredly and ruffled her mane as a reply.

Around them, Comet noticed that almost everyone else was gone, under the watchful eye of MintTea. Comet inclined her head curiously.

“Where’s the Archmage?” she wondered.

Pinklily and got to her hooves slowly, stretching one of her back legs.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I couldn’t find her.”

Almost immediately, Twirlwind hopped up, flittering on quick wings.

“She should know about this, right? Maybe we should go look for her?” she asked.

Pinklily’s eyebrows raised, but she nodded.

“You’re right.” She turned to Comet and Runetsone, smirking gently. “Don’t do anything crazy while we’re gone.”

“Right, absolutely,” Comet laughed tiredly.

The pink unicorn’s smile widened a bit and she tilted her head back towards the tower before starting on her way, with Twirlwind trailing close behind.

Comet watched them leave curiously and then she, too, got up, stretching back and asking, “What’s with her?”, looking at Runestone with her eyebrows raised.

“Twirlwind or Pinklily?” the stallion asked; he got up as well, wincing when he put weight on his back legs.

“Twirlwind.”

“Maybe she likes Pinklily, I don’t know,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t really know her that well.”

“Fair enough,” she said with a nod, and then turned to face her friend.

He looked so tired. He moved almost in slow motion as he reached down to the pile of armour he had left behind and fished out a belt and sword’s sheath. He put it back on and, almost tenderly, picked up the sword he had dropped. Comet could have sworn that it was glowing, but under the magical lights it was hard to tell. She didn’t get much of a chance to look at it, though: Runestone sheathed it without noticing her stare. She tilted her head back and forth, debating on wether to ask or not, but he seemed distracted. His silver eyes stared off past the barrier and into the forest once more. It was like he had left something back there. Comet bit her lip. She wanted to hug him again, but wondered if it would be a little too much. She wasn’t much good at comforting with words, but wanted to give it a shot nonetheless. A bit awkwardly, she pawed at the air with one hoof and then gently bumped his shoulder with it. He looked at her quickly, surprised. He looked as if he had forgotten where he was.

“Hey... I’m glad you’re okay,” she said. “I was actually pretty worried about you.”

Runestone hesitated, opening his mouth as if to speak, changing his mind, and then trying again a bit shyly.

“Thanks,” he replied, “I... I’m glad you came out here to meet me tonight.”

“Of course,” Comet replied matter-of-factly, and then rushed to add, “And... you know, I know it doesn’t make that much sense, but I feel sort of responsible for this whole Nightspawn thing. I wanted to be involved out here.”

“What?” Runestone looked back at her with wide-eyed confusion, and then shook his head. “There’s no way! It’s not your fault at all, why would you feel responsible?”

“Well... Yeah, I know that,” Comet tried to explain, “but I saw them first. I’ve kind of been involved since then, so... I feel like I have to do something.”

“Right,” Runestone said, and he looked like he was about to say more when, from the distance, both ponies were distracted by a deep, rumbling roar.

They shifted together unconsciously, frightened, and Comet stared through the barrier and into the night.

“Maybe we should go inside too?” the unicorn suggested nervously.

Runestone nodded quickly and eagerly.

---

Though the main hall was quiet and empty, light and sounds from the infirmary flooded down the hall and echoed around the otherwise quiet tower. Comet checked the door quickly as she and Runestone entered, and couldn’t help a tinge of pride as she noticed she had left a little bit of a dent near the top. Runestone looked exhausted, and Comet noticed him shifting back and forth on his hind legs a little.

“Want to go to the infirmary?” she asked.

“Oh, no, that’s alright,” he assured her. “I just got scratched, and-”

“Dear Celestia, they have claws?” the unicorn couldn’t help but blurt.

“That’s what I thought,” Runestone said with a laugh. “Only some of them, but yeah. But what I’d really like is a drink or something.”

Comet nodded and cast a hesitant glance around, peeked down the hall, and then beckoned for him to follow.

Comet set her horn aglow and then sent a ball of blue light ahead of them as she brought Runestone to the dining hall the unicorns usually used and sat him at a table. After asking him to wait, Comet broke the lock into the pantry and crept inside, kicking the door open wide behind her to get a bit more light. It was cavernous in there, storing the food that could be kept in bulk. Hesitating for a moment to look around, she made a beeline for a barrel of crisp, green apples and fished out two. Levitating them with her, she also found a sliced loaf of bread that was a little stale, but still spongey. She left with all three, along with rolling out a barrel of chilled water from the back.

When she emerged, snatching some glasses as well in her levitation spell, Runestone looked at her with surprise, saying, “Oh! You should have asked for help!”

“Nah,” she replied.

As she rolled the barrel up to where her friend sat, her magic diced the apples as easily as if they were professionally precut before gently placing them on the table alongside the loaf of bread. Then, she uncorked the water barrel, using her magic to carefully pour some into each glass. The stallion drank his quickly, so she poured him seconds. The unicorn sat down across from him and gnawed on one of the apple slices.

“Do you mind me asking? What happened out there?” she said.

“I don’t mind,” he said, but he sounded very tired.

Comet was about to interrupt to say he didn't have to explain if he didn’t feel like it, but he continued before she could.

“Like I said, the Nightspawn sort of set a trap for us. We were split into groups of four in the woods, but I guess the Sun-Commander’s group got into a battle and we all had to join. I noticed, though, that there were Nightspawn above them in the caves and behind us as well.”

“Wait,” Comet said quickly, “You went underground?”

“Well, the main group did, yes.”

“I knew it!” Comet exclaimed, slamming a hoof down onto the table and making her friend jump.

She smiled apologetically, but then couldn’t help her face from falling into a puzzled frown. She rubbed her chin and her ears twitched.

“But... the Nightspawn lead you there... They set a trap. That’s strange, most of my readings said they weren’t really intelligent, with a few exceptions,” she mused.

“So someone’s leading them?” Runestone wondered.

Comet shrugged and nodded, agreeing, “Maybe that makes sense,” while at the same time considering that the mastermind might be that strange, pegasus-like creature that had spoken to her. Across from her, Runestone shuddered and gulped down his second glass of water.

“Creepy.”

He put his head down on the table. Comet nodded and blew out a sigh, folding her forelimbs before her and resting her face on them.

They sat together in the quiet room without a word, exhausted, but both finally starting to relax, if only just a little. Runestone’s eyelids were getting heavy, slumping closed for moments at a time before they snapped back open and he blinked at his surroundings before the cycle repeated all over again. Comet stole a glance at the stallion. She felt herself smiling a little, a sort of gleeful tingle dancing down the back of her neck. She was so glad he was okay.

---

Comet risked closing her eyes and her thoughts drifted away. She could still hear the sounds from the infirmary, but she found herself not paying attention in the least. It felt nice to just relax.

Her comfort was short lived, much to her chagrin, as she was startled into an upright, hoof-flailing mess as the booming sound of the main doors being flung back echoed through the tower, closely followed by a stampede of armoured hooves and loud voices. Comet tried to regain herself as she flopped off the bench beneath her and awkwardly struggled back onto her hooves to rush to the threshold and peek out. She saw, amongst a rush of tired looking and battered Sunwalkers, Graham standing with Stonehoof, his feathers a little torn and dark energy still surging through the skin of his talons, but victorious nonetheless. The two were chatting quietly, and though Comet strained her ears forward, she couldn’t hear them above the rest of the commotion and the ensuing echoes. She scraped one hoof on the floor, grimacing, debating on whether to go over or not. She heard hooves behind her, felt Runestone brush up beside her. She turned to look up at him, noting a grin of relief blooming on his face. Without a moment’s hesitation, he trotted out of the hall and called out to Graham. The griffon’s attention was drawn instantly, as was the Sun-Commander’s. Comet shrunk back, pressing against the wall; she didn’t want to get in Stonehoof’s way again.

“Runestone,” the griffon said, his gaze turning gentle, “you made it back. I am very glad.”

“Same to you!” the stallion said brightly. “Here.”

He reached back to unsheathe the sword to hand it back to Graham, but the huge griffon shook his head.

“No, son, you keep it,” he said.

Runestone paused and then looked back at him, his eyes wide and all but glimmering, his jaw dropping open as he fumbled for some phrase of gratitude. In a rare moment, a small smile passed over Stonehoof’s face.

“Your bravery tonight was unexpected, but well appreciated,” he said, taking his helmet off and dipping his head respectfully; Runestone looked absolutely flabbergasted. “I would be seriously considering an increase in rank for you, but I think Graham has something a bit more pertinent.”

The stallion looked to the griffon, who confirmed with a nod. Runestone looked like he was about to faint. Comet felt a similar bought of shock and stomach butterflies. She felt even more jittery when Graham’s gaze turned to her.

“Comet Strike, I would like to speak with you as well, if you don’t mind.”

Stonehoof shot him a questioning glance; despite that, Comet edged over, a little trepidatious.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” the griffon assured her. “I think even Stonehoof would agree.”

The huge stallion nodded and, to Comet’s surprise, smiled at her almost apologetically.

“I’ll confess, I believed you were acting rather suspiciously earlier in the week,” he said, “but several of my Sunwalkers have told me you have been nothing but help in this whole Nightspawn mess.”

“Oh, I... um... thank you,” Comet managed to stammer out.

Stonehoof nodded and quickly excused himself as Peachbloom entered the tower, her mane ragged and looking as if she were ready tear into the next pony that looked at her funny. Comet hoped desperately that mare wouldn’t come over to yell at her again and, to her surprise, Runestone nudged her shoulder with his, saying. “She scares me,” at a whisper. Comet nodded readily.

Graham seemed amused; he leaned in closer to them, holding his huge wings out like a shield around them.

“We must speak in private,” he said, “where no one can see, or interrupt.”

Comet was about to suggest the observatory again, but quickly changed her mind; the room was almost entirely windows. Runestone inclined his head, tapped his chin with his hoof.

“Oh! I know! Comet’s reading room!” he said.

Comet felt her breath catch in her throat as Runestone grinned obliviously.

“In the library,” he added, and then turned to Comet; his smile fell almost immediately at the look on her face. “Oh! I’m sorry, was I not supposed to tell Graham?”

His ears drooped low.

“I’m sorry...”

“It’s okay,” Comet said, trying not to seem too rattled. “It’s just that I could get in a lot of trouble if-”

“No one else will know, I promise you,” Graham assured her.

Comet nodded. Despite his words, she felt a wobble in her knees. She took a deep breath and lead them towards the library.

There was nopony, not even guards on the way up and into the library; the door hadn’t even been locked properly. Comet showed Graham and Runestone to the back of the room and, hidden amongst the veritable forest of bookshelves, she shoved the one blocking their path out of the way, much to the surprise of the others. Though Graham had to press his wings tightly against his sides, he squeezed through after the ponies as they descended into the dark. As they went down the stairs, Comet brought light to her horn and the surprise was almost palpable. Once they had reached the ground floor, Comet sent her light floating around to better reveal the strange architecture. Runestone seemed to be utterly in awe, and even Graham wore a sort of stunned expression.

“This is where you found your book?” he asked quietly; his voice echoed nonetheless.

“Yeah.” After considering it for a moment, she pointed up to the ceiling. “Princess Celestia spoke to me here, also.”

Runestone inclined his head, seeming mildly surprised, and said, “Oh! I didn’t know you were religious.”

“What? Oh, no, I meant literally.” She tossed her light magic up to the crystal patterns in the ceiling, drawing the others’ eyes straight to it. “Well, maybe not super-literally. It was a magical recording in these crystals. I think they ran out of power, though.”

Runestone stared at the crystals with wide eyes, his mouth forming an “o” shape and Graham frowned at them, trying somehow to discover their secrets.

“What did she tell you?” he asked.

Comet shrugged and drew a circle on the ground with her hoof.

“Mostly cryptic stuff,” she admitted. “I wish I could say I understood all of it, but it was about my magic. Sort of.”

The griffon stared at her inquisitively for a moment as Runestone said, “Lucky,” a little enviously. Comet smiled shyly and shrugged before turning her attention back to Graham.

“So what did you want to tell us about?”

Graham ruffled his wings a little and the stallion turned his attention completely to him.

“It is a complicated situation,” he admitted. “I would like both of you to join the Wardens of Harmony.”

Comet had suspected that for Runestone, but couldn’t mask the surprise she felt. But something wasn’t quite right. The tower would never let her go, would it?

The stallion, on the other hand, seemed totally blown away, his face donning a stunned expression.

“What? What? I understand Comet, but why me?” he asked, his words swift and a little stumbling. “I thought the Wardens were the best of the best! I... I’m not-”

“I think you ponies may have misunderstood,” the griffon said with a gentle smile. “I am not choosing based on the results of the games you set up. I have selected you on the grounds of your reliability and... loyalty.”

Runestone couldn’t seem to think of another thing to say, other than a stunned, “Oh!” as he plopped back on his rump. Graham smiled and turned to Comet, though his crest flattened.

“You seem like there is something wrong.” he said.

“I won’t be allowed to go,” she said. “I... I want to, but I-”

“You’re correct, Comet Strike, I was forbidden from asking you by-”

“Stonehoof? Yeah, I know,” she sighed.

Graham’s eyes widened a little in response as her ears drooped and Runestone bit his lip, his brow suddenly bent with sympathy.

“No, by the Archmage,” the griffon responded, sounding a little surprised himself. “Stonehoof informed me that you would be an excellent candidate.”

“Wh... What?” Comet stammered. “But why would Springbreeze...?”

She was lost in her musings almost immediately, her mind scrambling to find out why the Archmage would have trapped her so. Perhaps one of her “predictions”; her strange, baseless talks of destiny? Comet was starting to feel a little sick, and was only snapped from her thoughts when Runestone put a hoof on her shoulder as if trying to reassure her.

“I believe I have figured out a workaround,” Graham said. “I will bring Runestone to the battle at Harmonia. Afterwards, the King and Queen are scheduled to meet with many leader-figures all around Equestria, myself, your Archmage, and the Sun-Commander all included. I will send a Warden here to get you, and after that you’ll be free.”

Comet’s eyes widened and she felt a spark of hope in her heart. Graham smiled at her.

“It may take a few months, but I believe that you are worth it, especially after seeing that spell you used on the Nightspawn in the encounter in the meadow.”

“Th-Thank you,” Comet stuttered, and beside her, Runestone beamed at her.

“Runestone, we will have to set out tomorrow,” the griffon said; Runestone’s face immediately fell, but before he could protest, Graham said, “we have much distance to cover and much to speak about beforehand.”

“What about the Nightspawn threat here?” Comet asked hurriedly.

Graham smiled reassuringly, saying, “I need to you to trust me, Comet Strike. Can you do that?”

Comet’s ears drooped, and though she yearned to learn more of his plan, the unicorn reluctantly nodded.

“Yeah, okay.”

“It’ll be fine!” Runestone hurried to assure her, and then turned to the griffon. “It will be fine, right?”

Graham merely smiled as a reply, his crest raising high. Comet didn’t feel like it would be, though. Her hopes were high, but at the same time she felt as if she were the only one not invited to a party. She grimaced a little and took a deep breath. She was happy for Runestone, though, and so she forced a smile on his behalf. She bowed her head to Graham.

“Thank you so much for this opportunity. I know Runestone won’t let you down, and when my turn comes, I’ll do my best. I’ll let you two discuss your plans.”

Graham nodded gratefully, and Comet began to head out and up the stairs.

Reaching the dark library once more, Comet let out a sigh, unable to shake a feeling of dejection, though she was quickly shaken by the sound of hooves behind her. She turned to see Runestone clambering up the stairs, his eyes wide as he said, “C-Comet, wait a second!”

Comet almost laughed as he emerged back into the library.

“I left to give you two privacy!” she said, nudging him with her hoof.

“I know, but... are you upset?” he asked. “You seemed... I dunno...”

He suddenly seemed rather preoccupied with a scuff mark on the floor, his ears drooping. Comet inclined her head and she gave him a bit of a smile despite herself.

“Runestone, it’s okay,” she said, “this is great for you. You won’t have to be a Sunwalker anymore.”

“That’s true...” he mumbled. “But you seemed-”

“I’m just gonna miss you, is all,” she confessed, shrugging.

The stallions eyes shot up to meet hers and he gawked for a moment; a very determined look shot over his face.

“We’ll be back for you,” he said. “As soon as we can. I promise.”

He held out his hoof to her and repeated, “Promise,” determinedly. Comet felt herself start to smile and she bumped her hoof against his.

“I’ll hold you to it. And you better say goodbye to me before you leave.”

He nodded and grinned at her, and then quickly booped her forehead with his snout before hurrying back down the stairs.

---

The tower felt different in the morning. In all seventeen years of her living there, Comet had never felt truly at ease in the tower until today. The normal tension seemed to have melted. In the dining hall, she saw Sunwalkers and unicorns dining together, chatting; looking, for all intents and purposes, to be friends. Some of the recent graduates, she noticed were in the infirmary, helping the more seriously injured of the Sunwalkers. Even MintTea could be caught smiling once or twice. Comet didn’t know how long the change would last, but she hoped it would be a while. What was even better was that there were no casualties from the night, allowing everyone to celebrate the victory.

Comet, however, was still a little down. She couldn’t find Runestone anywhere; wondered if he and Graham had left Canterlot under cover of darkness. She sat in the library, trying to read, but she found her eyes constantly skimming the same couple of sentences as her mind wandered away. She thought she would feel excited at the prospect of freedom, even if it would actually happen for a few months, but all she could think about was how dangerous it was beyond the barrier and how much she would miss her new friend.

She sighed ruefully at her book and flipped the page, only to realize she hadn’t actually read the page before it. She cursed inside her head and turned back and was about to try again when she heard somepony call her name. Her ears perked and she looked up quickly. In the doorway stood Pinklily and Twirlwind. Comet let out an “Oh!” of surprise, but smiled at them and gave them a wave. Twirlwind grinned widely at her and flew over, pulling out a chair at Comet’s table and plopping down in it. Pinklily followed, ruffling Comet’s mane when she got there and also took a seat.

“How’d you sleep after all that?” the unicorn asked.

“Didn’t,” Comet replied with a shrug.

“What?! I passed out like a rock!” the pegasus cried. “Well... I guess you weren’t running around all night.”

“I don’t know, Comet does a lot of late night running around,” Pinklily joked.

“I had to talk with Runestone and Graham,” Comet explained. “Runestone’s leaving. He’s going to be a Warden of Harmony.”

Twirlwind shrieked out a “WHAT?!” and Pinklily leaned towards Comet, her eyes wide.

“Not you? I thought for sure he’d take you,” she said.

Comet shrugged, but couldn’t help a frustrated frown from passing over her face.

“No, the Archmage ordered Graham not to.”

She couldn’t tell them the entire truth of what the griffon had told her... No, not yet. Just in case somepony else where to overhear.

“What is her issue?” Twirlwind asked, scowling and folding her forelimbs against her chest.

Comet inclined her head and the pegasus pointed between Pinklily and herself.

“We were looking for her last night, and when we finally found her, she just made comments about how strange it was for the Sunwalkers and the unicorns to be hanging out,” Twirlwind explained. “She kept sort of walking in a way to separate us. That mare has some serious control issues.”

The blue unicorn looked between the two and then scratched her chin.

“Weird,” she muttered.

As Twirlwind muttered, “You’re telling me,”, Pinklily leaned towards Comet and grabbed one of her hooves in between hers.

“Are you going to be alright?” she asked gently.

“Yeah, thanks,” Comet assured her, nodding.

She hoped she wasn’t lying. Pinklily smiled at her almost as if she knew. Across the table, something drew Twirlwind’s attention outside and she got up from her seat.

“Almost time for my guard shift,” she said. “See you girls later?”

Comet waved to her as Pinklily nodded. As she left, Pinklily donned a contemplative frown and looked at Comet, tapping the table.

“Why would Springbreeze forbid him from taking you?” she wondered, and then looked a little embarrassed. “Not that I want you to go, but I know it’s what you’d really want.”

“I have no idea,” she said, “but... when I asked her to get a posting outside Canterlot in a few months, she told me no because she said my ‘destiny’ is here. I don’t know what that means, but I’m not going to believe it.”

“Ooh, going against the words of a soothsayer, huh?” Pinklily asked, sticking her tongue out at her.

Comet shrugged.

“As far as I can see, there’s no thing out there predetermining your fate. You always have a choice,” she explained, “and I’m not just going to wait around here just because an old unicorn says it’s my destiny.”

“Fair enough,” the pink unicorn said with a laugh. “Waiting around this tower sounds like a pretty crumby destiny anyhow.”

Comet nodded readily. She didn’t have much to say, and she was glad of the company. Pinklily seemed to be in the same frame of mind.

Before long, rushing hooves drew their attention to the hallway, and within seconds, Runestone was in the threshold. He looked tired, but excited, and was wearing a set of light scale and leather armour, Graham’s old sword hung about his waist and a sun-emblazoned shield bound to his left forelimb. Comet’s eyes went wide and a silly grin spread across her face. He beamed back and hurried over, giving her a quick hug and then offering one to Pinklily, who gently hugged him in return.

“Just saying some goodbyes!” he said brightly, and then drew back from the pink unicorn, announcing, “I’m leaving to be a Warden.”

“Comet mentioned,” Pinklily replied with a smile. “I’m sure you’ll do great. Keep safe, alright?”

“Thanks, I will,” he said, and the unicorn got up and headed towards the door.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” she said.

Comet was about to tell her she didn’t have to, but she was gone quickly. As soon as her hoofbeats were out of hearing range, Runestone’s demeanor changed quickly. His ears drooped and his smile fell, and he whirled on Comet and hugged her once more, pulling her from her seat.

“Whoa! What’s the deal?” she asked quickly, patting his back.

He huffed and let her down onto the floor, looking away with an embarrassed, “Sorry,”, biting his lip for a moment.

“What?” Comet asked again.

“I can’t tell you,” he grumbled, frowning at the floor. “Graham made me promise.”

“Okay,” the unicorn replied, confused. “Um... Is it really bad?”

“Dangerous,” he said, “but it needs to happen.”

“You gonna just keep dropping hints, or will you tell me?” Comet joked.

Runestone’s gaze jumped up to match hers and he fumbled for words for a moment. She couldn’t help but laugh and she patted him on the shoulder.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” she assured him. “Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah,” he said. “But... Comet, don’t worry, we’ll meet again really soon.”

“Of course, in a couple of months,” she agreed.

“No, sooner, I promise,” he assured her.

Comet inclined her head and looked at him probingly, though he didn’t seem to have anything else he was willing to tell her. She sighed and couldn’t help a chuckle.

“That’s fine,” she said. “Be careful out there. And tell Graham he can keep the book I lent him until I see him next. He probably didn’t get a chance to read it yet.”

“Will do,” the stallion assured her.

He looked awkward for a moment, looked at the floor, and then hugged onto her one last time.

“Thanks for being my friend, Comet Strike,” he said. “You’re... Okay, this is sort of pathetic, but you’re the first pony I’ve ever been around that hasn’t made me self-conscious of my... you know, my blank flank.”

Though the unicorn was surprised, she smiled to herself and patted his back.

“It’s not pathetic,” Comet assured him as he released her. “But don’t even worry about it. You get one tomorrow or in a hundred years, it doesn’t make a difference to me.”

The stallion’s eyes became as round as saucers, but he nodded and made a strange grimace before he leaned down and pressed his forehead tiredly against hers. She reciprocated, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks. He was a little quivery and Comet felt a sort of warmth tingling in her chest.

You’ll be okay out there, won’t you?

When he pulled back, his face was a little red and his eyes looked a bit glossy.

“I better go.” He grinned despite himself and turned, trotting backwards towards the door. “Don’t forget, we’re coming back for you!”

“I know, Runestone, have a good trip!”

“Yeah, of course! See you soon?”

“Yeah! Good luck!”

Comet grinned and waved. His ears perked and he spun to face forwards and hurried away, trotting with confidence down the stairs. Comet couldn’t bring herself to move from that spot until she couldn’t hear any trace of him.

---

Even though it was just a single pony missing, Comet felt the tower was much too quiet now. She tried to make up for it by lurking around the the storeroom with Jinx and Glimmer Pearl. At night, the usual worry began to set in; she felt so nervous that she couldn’t bring herself to join her other friends for dinner. Instead, she went back to the library and kept to herself and her books.

In the dark, illuminated only by her magic, Comet tried to lose herself in adventure story books she hadn’t read since she was a filly. Stories of the no-doubt exaggerated adventures of Twilight Sparkle rushed and battled across the pages, but still Comet couldn’t feel at ease; couldn’t quite get her mind of the fact that one of her friends was out in the middle of nowhere with Nightspawn roaming about. Then again, Graham had said not to worry about them around Canterlot anymore. Perhaps things really were better. Comet couldn’t say for sure; she realized she had been rereading the same paragraph over again for the second time that day. She sighed to herself and tried to put her brain away.

It didn’t last long, however: she was interrupted again, this time, to her surprise, by the Archmage herself. Comet slammed her book closed and tried to straighten herself as the old mare walked in, smiling at her gently.

“Not eating dinner tonight, Comet Strike?” she asked, and when Comet shook her head, the Archmage’s expression turned sympathetic. “You looked perturbed. Is this about that Sunwalker going with the Warden? You knew him, didn’t you?”

“Uh... yeah,” Comet said a little hesitantly. “We’re friends. Um... I don’t know, it’s just-”

“You wish you could have gone as well?” Springbreeze asked, cutting through her words rather cleanly.

That was only part of it, but nonetheless, Comet nodded.

“Maybe it is best this way,” the old unicorn suggested. “Who knows what the Sunwalkers were thinking, trying to get close to you. First with Nimbus, and now this.”

Comet was taken aback, and visibly so, but the Archmage seemed not to notice... No, perhaps it was more accurate to say that she ignored it.

“Sunwalkers and unicorns, we have such completely different ideologies,” she explained a bit ruefully. “They’d like to be able to use our powers for their own ends, you know.”

“I... uh...”

Comet couldn’t think of a thing to put in. The Archmage’s voice was honey, and yet her words were making the unicorn feel sick.

“You must be careful,” she said gently. “Comet, you are one of our brightest minds. That makes you dangerous, I hope you understand. I suppose that’s why Stonehoof wanted to keep you close.”

“Stonehoof?” the blue unicorn managed to repeat, baffled.

Springbreeze nodded and sighed tiredly.

“Of course. Graham wanted to take you with him, but the Sun-Commander forbid it.”

Comet felt her stomach knot almost immediately, but she managed to ask, “Did he? I... Well, I wish he hadn’t. I would have loved to help against the Nightspawn.”

“Of course you would have, dear,” the Archmage said sympathetically, “but, it is very dangerous out there. Maybe it’s for the best.”

Comet nodded almost unconsciously, her mind racing and her heart thudding painfully in her chest. Cautiously, she voiced, “There wasn’t anything you could say to change his mind?”

“The Sun-Walkers have the final word, as always,” Springbreeze replied ruefully. “I’m sorry, Comet, but it seems like you will not be leaving. Maybe it’s best to forget about the Wardens and your friend.”

“I...”

“Please consider my words, honey. Nimbus hasn’t contacted you after all this time. Your new friend left on an adventure without you... and it’s not just them. All Sunwalkers are unreliable to us. We unicorns must take care of ourselves.”

Comet tried not to show it, but she felt sick. The way the Archmage looked at her, she seemed to know that she had struck a nerve. Drawing in a shaky breath, Comet forced a tired smile and nodded.

“I... Yeah, maybe you’re right. Studying here is safe. It’s not that bad,” she forced out.

Springbreeze nodded and walked up to Comet, gently ruffling her mane. Comet tried not to grimace. She wanted to push the old mare away, preferably with a blunt force spell. She gulped and the Archmage pulled back and turned for the door, flicking her long tail as she went, saying, “Sweet dreams, dear.”

“Thanks, good night,” the unicorn made herself reply.