Spero

by Piemaster128

Chapter 7: Garden Talk

Twilight moaned in bliss. This pie, THIS PIE, was incredible! She wasn’t sure if it was better than Pinkie’s, but dear CELESTIA it was, at a bare minimum, just as good! Oh, how she LOVED this pie. It took all of her self-control not to simply inhale it. She had to SAVOR it!

Speedy Diamond was right to recommend this pie. It is…oh my Harmony…

I need to come back here every chance I get, even if just for this pie!

“Believe it or not, that is always the first reaction a pony has when trying my signature peach pie, no matter their doubts beforehoof,” Pie Crust said, causing Twilight to open an eye and see her satisfied smile. Twilight nodded, smiling back as she continued to eat her lovely piece of heaven. After asking about the wedding, her and Sparrow’s conversation had lapsed into silence as they ate. All the while, Twilight had tried to digest all that she had learned from him.

His island’s magic. Him spying on her. The fact that the entire island knew about the eventual wedding. All of these topics had swirled around in her head during dinner. In truth, she had wanted to ask more about his island’s magic and why only alicorns could supposedly use it without negative side effects, but the other topics had kept distracting her from forming any specific questions.

Especially her question about the shadow that attacked her.

No mater how hard she tried, her thoughts always found a way to turn back to that creature. Just the mere thought of that creature was enough to send a chill through her body, no matter how calm she was. Why did it attack her? Why did it attack the island, and why did said attack lead to Sparrow hiding the entire island from the outside world for who-knows how long? Was there something she and the girls could do to help fight this thing before it struck again?

Yet the most baffling part was that whenever her worries began to run away from her, a quick glance at Sparrow seemed to immediately calm her down. Was it because he had saved her before? Or was it because he had promised to protect her, both to her face and to Pinkie via a Pinkie Promise™? Or was it something else entirely?

All too quickly, her delicious food had been finished, and Pie Crust had returned with a dessert menu. Immediately, the peach pie had stood out, both because Speedy Diamond had mentioned it after the Tornado of Fashion™, and because Sparrow had ordered it without a second of hesitation.

So Twilight decided to try it as well. After all, she had liked all the peach-flavored items she had eaten so far, so why wouldn’t she like this too?

It turns out, she had greatly underestimated Pie Crust culinary talents.

This pie, this one massive slice pie, was perfect in every way. The warm peaches covered in a delicious filling lit Twilight’s taste buds up brighter than the sun as she scooped a piece of it and a small bit of strawberry ice cream into her mouth.

The sweetness perfectly balanced, the hot pie mixed with the cool ice cream, all of it just…

Nothing could compare.

In truth, Sparrow drooling at the sight of them being carried over should have been a clue as to just how GOOD they were.

“Stellar as always,” Sparrow said as he finished his own piece, his face nearly as blissful as Twilight imagined hers was. “Remind me, why I haven’t hired you to be my personal chef?”

“Because I turn down your offer every time you ask, and because if I did accept I would lace half your food with sun spice and get fired three days in?” Pie Crust said, smiling and raising an eyebrow. Twilight giggled.

Think we can convince her to come cook for us?

No, but maybe we can convince her to sell us a whole pie in a take-out box the next time we eat here. That way we can take it back to the castle and eat it at our leisure!

That works too.

“Good point,” Sparrow said, smiling himself and rolling his eyes. “Still, thank you for everything besides the prank. You never disappoint.”

“Of course, your highnesses,” she said with a wink, giggling at Sparrow’s deadpan stare. Twilight giggled again and dove into the remains of her pie.

So gooooooooooood…she thought as the last of her pie disappeared down the bottomless abyss that was her mouth.

As she licked the last spoonful of ice cream, Sparrow lit his horn and teleported a variety of coins, some gold, some silver, and some bronze, into Pie Crust’s hoof as payment. “Quite the tip. It’s almost double what you normally give me,” she said, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Consider it a thank-you for hosting our, well, our first date, I suppose,” Sparrow said. “Given how long it’s been since I last had a date, I’m glad everything went ok, minus the sun spice of course,” he continued as he stood up and stretched his legs and wings. Twilight was still so happy from the pie she didn’t even care that he used the word ‘date.’ “Ready, Twilight?”

“Almost,” Twilight said as she used her magic to gather up the last crumbs of the pie and eat them in one bite. Yum. She had to come back here and get more pie. Or maybe Pie Crust would deliver a pie to the castle if she asked nicely enough? Oh, she sure hoped that was something the chef wouldn’t mind doing. “Ok, I’m done now.”

Pie Crust chuckled, and Sparrow smiled fondly at her. Getting up herself, Twilight stretched her limbs and let out a yawn. She certainly felt better than she had this morning, but she was still rather tired. “So…now what?”

“I believe it is time we return to the castle, if that is all right with you,” Sparrow said, gesturing towards said building. “It’s getting late, and while I am glad to see you feeling better, it might be best not to push it. Also, I believe your friends will be gathering together so that you can speak with them soon.”

Twilight’s eyes widened.

MY FRIENDS! How did I forget about them!?
Because Sparrow was there when you woke up, then distracted you for a while, then had little foals distract you, then you distracted yourself at the library, then—

Ok, ok, I get it. But I still should have remembered that they haven't heard from me since I arrived!

In all that had happened today, the idea of contacting her friends and family had completely escaped her attention! And if she had been unconscious for days, then they had to be worried sick! Did they think she was hurt, or that Sparrow had lied to them? And how did he know they would be gathering together? Was he spying on them like he had her!? She had to get in contact with them right—if it had been DAYS, then they had to be—

“Twilight, please calm down,” Sparrow said, gently toughing her hoof with his. “Just take a minute to breathe calmly and let me explain. I promise everything is ok.”

Twilight blinked, before realizing that as her mind had begun racing off down various horrible possibilities, her breathing had begun to quicken until she was practically hyperventilating. She quickly brought her hoof to her chest and began her breathing exercise. Slowly but surely, her breathing slowed down over the course of a minute.

Sparrow smiled and nodded, still holding her hoof. It was warm and soft, his touch surprisingly gentle.

“Thank you. Now, Spike and I have spoken with your friends and family every day since you left,” he said. “We have been keeping them up to date on your health, and I told them that you would almost certainly been awake by tonight, and that Spike would speak with them if that was not the case. They understand why they couldn’t speak with you, and will patiently wait until you call them using the glass orbs I gave them all, have no worry about that.”

Oh. Right. She had forgotten about those things too.

It has been a pretty exciting day.

Understatement of the century there, brain.

Twilight took one last deep breath. “Ok. Thank you for telling them.” Even if me being separated from them and unconscious for the last two days is your fault in the first place. “Should we fly back then?”

“Up to you,” Sparrow said. “The orb will come to you if somepony wants to talk with you, and you can also call it with your magic once you recover. For now though, I could easily teleport it to us and create a privacy shield so you can speak with your family undisturbed, so there is no rush. But if it is ok with you, there is…one last place I would like to show you. A place I know you will be able to speak with them without interruption.”

His voice became very quiet and…lonely?

“What kind of place?” Twilight asked.

“It’s a private place on the castle grounds, somewhere…peaceful. And beautiful, especially at night. And should your friends call you while you are there, I will leave you so they may speak to you in peace,” Sparrow said, his gaze turning towards the castle, his expression surprisingly unreadable.

“I…suppose that is ok,” Twilight said, nodding. “How far away from here is it? Is it on the other side of the castle grounds?”

“Not at all. It’s actually very close to where we are now. Shall we walk, or would you rather we fly or teleport?” he asked kindly.

Nope, no more teleporting until I’m better. I do not want to pass out again. And while we could fly, I do want to see a little bit more of the city.
Good plan.

“Let’s walk,” Twilight said quickly, and Sparrow nodded. Together, the two of them set off towards the castle wall. Sparrow extended his hoof to help support Twilight as they went, and she reluctantly accepted it. Her legs were feeling much stronger than they had earlier that day, but they still felt weak and tingly at times. She would still rather not risk falling and hurting herself, even if she was still uncertain about Sparrow.

By now the sun had set, and the many lights lining the buildings had been lit, casting the town in a warm yellow color of lamp light as moths fluttered near the glowing light. The trip was short, but along the way Twilight got to watch the ponies of the town go about their business.

All along the street, many ponies were still out and about. Some were heading for home after a long day, entering the numerous houses that lined the street or carrying saddle bags filled to bursting, some were sitting outdoors and conversing with others, likely friends or family, and still others were merrily walking and talking down the street. A few were even reclining up on the roofs, watching the sky together. A hoofful foals ran about, likely either trying to get home before bedtime, or just trying to spend as much time with their friends as they could, if the foals in Ponyville were any template to go off of.

It was peaceful.

Eventually they arrived at the large stone wall and the still wide-open gate. The two guards in orange and blue armor at the gate saluted them as they entered the inner wall. Despite seeing it from the sky, Twilight was surprised by just how much space lay between the wall and the castle itself. The entire space was basically a large open grassy field with a few scattered trees dotted throughout, though there were several patches of garden covered in numerous tropical flowers of all colors and sizes. Off in the distance there appeared to be a large cleared-off area that looked to be a training ground, similar to the one her brother used to work at in Canterlot, but it was too far away to see the details.

What was really unusual, however, was the mass of trees and flowers located to their left looked almost like a miniature forest. Why would there be a miniature forest next to the castle? Wouldn’t that interfere with ground-bound communication or give enemies a place to hide? It seemed a little bit illogical to keep a small forest inside the castle walls.

The path to the castle was clear with smooth cobblestone leading towards the doors, but Sparrow made a left and took them onto a winding dirt pathway that led through the large garden around the castle, directly into one of the thickest patches of trees. The only light to guide their way was that of the moon above, or the glowing blue flowers that lined the path.

Why is he leading us into this mini-forest outside the castle?

I…don’t know brain. But even with my magic being so weak, something about this place just feels…different. I can’t describe it really, but I can certainly tell that this forest is, unique maybe? Enchanted? I might want to come back here once my magic has recovered.

After what seemed like far too long walking in what Twilight assumed was a small patch of forest, they reached a large stone arch shaped like a horseshoe, hidden in a small clearing among the trees. It stood alone, hidden from above by the tree branches, yet not a single tree grew within fifteen feet of the arch. Pulling away from Sparrow, Twilight cautiously stepped closer for a better look.

She had been wrong – the arch wasn’t made of stone. It was actually all grey crystal. There were spherical notches along the entire shoe, each of which held a large sapphire that glowed faintly in the evening light. And beneath the arch itself, it looked as if the scenery behind it was…rippling?

Yes, rippling, almost like a pond.

“Everything will be all right,” Sparrow whispered, drawing her attention away from the arch and up to his gentle smile. He had stepped up beside her, and began gently guiding her towards the arch once again. “Trust me.”

The fact that he needs to say that at all about walking a few steps forward makes me more cautions than I think it should…

It’s just an arch, Twilight thought as Sparrow’s long horn passed under the arch, the distorted air rippling even more, almost like a pebble had been thrown into the proverbial pond. And he’s going first. What’s the worst that could happen?

Haven’t you learned never to say that by now?

Ignoring her brain’s jab, Twilight followed Sparrow under the arch and…

“Wow.”

Her jaw dropped in shock.

As they passed through the arch, the world around them rippled and changed completely. They were now standing on a large hill surrounded by flowers of all colors and sizes. Some actually looking big enough for her and Sparrow to sit on if they were so inclined. Not only that, but many of the flowers actually glowed brilliantly in the darkness of the night, casting the hill in all the colors of the rainbow. It created a bizarre yet stunning pattern all around them that captivated Twilight to no end.

At the top of the hill sat a single tree, surrounded by ornate bronze lanterns that cast the hill in a golden glow without blocking out the dazzling colors of the nocturnal flowers. A small bench rested below it, and a hammock hung from the highest branches.

This is amazing! How did he do that!? What is this place? Can we come back here whenever we want!? Oh, do you think we could sleep on one of those giant flowers!?

Sheesh, brain, calm down.

“Welcome to the royal garden,” Sparrow said as Twilight took a few steps forward on her own, her eyes taking in every detail of this incredible place. “It is a place only I, or those I approve of, can enter. You are the first pony in years, aside from myself, to enter here.”

“How…what…?” Twilight asked, looking at him, then all around again, then at the arch, then the tree, then back at him.

What the heck is this place? And why did we need to cross under that arch? Was it some sort of portal, like that mirror back in my castle?

“It’s a pocket dimension,” Sparrow said, answering her unspoken question as her turned to gaze up at the stars, his eyes…actually, Twilight didn't know. It was as thought both happiness and sadness were fighting to make themselves known in his expression, but sadness was just barely winning out. “I and…another…set this up as a place we could have some peace from the outside world. Time moves the same, and the sky perfectly matches the sky outside, but you will never be disturbed here. It is a safe haven, the likes of which no evil could ever hope to penetrate.

“When you are ready to leave, simply pass back through the arch and it will take you back to the castle. Should you ever need or wish to enter in the future, merely think of the arch in the garden forest and you will find your way to it. Your ring will let you find it, and your magic shall allow you to enter without issue,” Sparrow said, lighting his horn and teleporting in the glass orb he had given Twilight in a burst of orange magic. “Here you are.”

He was clearly avoiding looking at her.

Something is bothering him.

I know. He’s not even looking at most of the garden. Just the stars.

Twilight cautiously took the orb in her hooves. “Who…helped you make this place?”

“…A friend,” Sparrow said, his voice once again unreadable as he turned his back to her. “One who I am sure would have loved to meet you.”

And then, without a word, he walked back towards the arch.

“Thank you…for showing me this,” Twilight called out just before he crossed under the arch. “It’s…amazing.”

Sparrow did not respond, but Twilight was certain she saw a single tear fall from his face, the droplet glistening in the moonlight before striking the grass.

“You’re welcome,” Sparrow said, his voice sounding as though the weight of the world was resting upon his shoulders, “but it is not nearly as amazing as you, my dear.”

And with that, his body passed through the arch, and he was gone. Twilight found herself staring at the spot he had been, her face reddening as his final compliment registered.

Angry at him or not, the thought of being compared to a place as beautiful as this made her heart flutter, even if only slightly.

That may not have been the best question to ask, her brain interrupted. Given how his reaction, I think it might be safe to assume whoever helped him build this place is…gone.

You’re right…but I didn’t think his reaction would be…that. Or that he would end by complimenting me like that.

He wants to marry you. A compliment like that is probably expected, though the real question is whether or not he only did it to try and curry favor with you. It’s still really sweet the way he said it, but still. And what did you think his reaction would be?

…I’m not sure…Do you think maybe, I reminded him of his friend?

Maybe? I really have no idea.

Twilight took a deep breath and shook her head. More questions, but she would worry about them later. Right now, her friends deserved her attention. Twilight walked up the hill and sat down on the bench, basking in the warm light that surrounded the tree. Reaching into the orb with what little magic she had, she tried to connect it to the others back in Equestria.

“Aaaaamamamaaa,”

GAH!

What the buck!?

“Huh?” Twilight exclaimed, completely confused at what she was seeing.

Rather than show her friends or a room in Canterlot, the orb instead immediately formed the image of the inside of somepony’s mouth! The glass looked to be almost completely covered in saliva, given the swirly look of the image, and was only made worse as a tongue dragged itself across the orb. However, her exclamation seemed to alert the orb holder that somepony else was using it, and the mouth retracted to reveal the curious (if still blurry) face of Flurry Heart.

“Twali,” Flurry babbled excitedly as she looked at her aunt through the orb, her hooves banging the glass rapidly.

Dawwwwwwwww. How is it that one filly somehow manages to always be so cute!?

Twilight giggled at the foal, waving through the orb.

“Hi, Flurry Heart. Yes, it’s Aunt Twily. Is your mommy there?”

Flurry burbled in reply before taking the orb in her hooves and flying around a couch and through a nearby door. Upon reaching the other room, Twilight could see her friends and family sitting around one Canterlot Castle’s sitting rooms.

“Twali,” Flurry babbled again as she moved closer, catching the blurry ponies’ attention.

“Twilight!” Cadence’s voice called out, followed shortly by the rest of her friends and family. “Oh, um, just hold on one second.” A dark cloth, held in Cadence’s pink magic, covered the orb for a moment, but when it was removed, the image was clear and Twilight could see the relieved faces of her friends and family, all of who were huddled around the orb she was speaking though.

Everypony looked tired, or, in Shining’s case, very tired and pretty frazzled, but also very happy to see her. Even Pinkie’s mane had returned to its poofy state. Well, mostly. It hadn’t quite recovered all of its curl yet, but it looked way better than it did the last time Twilight saw it.

Twilight found herself smiling the biggest smile she’d had all day. Just the sight of her best friends was enough to fill her with hope for the future, even if they were so far away.

“Sorry about that, Twilight,” Cadence said. “Flurry must have grabbed one of them while we weren't looking. Though I don't know why your…call, I guess, would go to that single orb rather than the other ones.”

“Maybe because Flurry was touching it while the rest of them are sitting on the table?” Twilight asked. “Or maybe I just need to practice more with this when I’m not so tired.”

Cadence looked like she was going to respond, but she was beaten to the punch by Shining as he practically shoved his face into the orb.

“Twily, are you ok?” Shining asked, his left eye twitching ever so slightly. “What did he do to you? Did he try anything? If he did I swear I’ll make him regret it! Where are you? Do you know of any way that you can escape? Can we come find you? Why…why are you wearing a dress!?”

Why is THAT on his list of questions?

He likely would have continued had Cadence not yanked him back by his ear. “Owowowowowearearearear—”

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at his expression as Cadence pulled him away.

Just as overprotective as always. Never change, BBBFF.

“I’m ok Shining. A little weak, but fine.”

"But you were unconscious for the last TWO DA-OW!”

“Shiny, calm down,” Cadence said firmly, hugging him and giving his ear another tug with her magic. “She said she’s fine, and she’s only been awake for a few hours at most if Sparrow and Spike are to be believed. And I doubt she would look so calm if her had in fact done anything to hurt her. Though I will admit I am curious to why she is wearing a dress.”

“And such a FABULOUS one at that,” Rarity said in excitement, earning an eye-roll from Rainbow and a deadpan stare from Applejack.

Yep, glad to see Rarity’s still Rarity.

Hey, what do you think would happen if we locked Speedy Diamond and Rarity together in a room?

Either they would drive each other crazy trying to see who’s idea for a dress would be better, or have such a frenetic brainstorming session that everyone in Ponyville would have a new dress by the time they were done. Now focus, please.

The other voice just snickered at the imagery.

“Ok, in order,” Twilight said, shaking her head to clear it. “Again, yes, I’m ok. Tired, still a bit weak, but ok. He didn’t do anything, except for bring me here, take me to dinner, and show me that he’s a really reckless flyer. He hasn’t tried anything. I’m on his island, and I’m not going to try and escape,” because I don’t think I can, she thought to herself, “because I don’t want to break my deal with him.” Plus…Sparrow would likely still be able to bring me back, Twilight thought, her mood dampening a bit at that. And I don’t want to risk that…THING coming for me again. “I’m not sure if you will be able to find me either, as the island is protected. And a new friend I made today made me the dress…”

“Your first day, and you already made a friend who made you that stunning masterpiece! Oh my, how did she even find time to sew it!?” Rarity gushed.

“Erm…I have no idea, actually. Speedy Diamond is…ok, it’s like she’s part Pinkie and somehow knew that I needed a dress and was able to make it for me in only a few hours…or maybe seconds. She somehow created this…magic tornado that let her dress me in under a minute, thought I have no idea what happened inside it. She is also made it for me for free.”

“How generous! And if that dress is a common piece of hers, I can just tell that she has an amazing taste for fashion!” Rarity squealed, “You MUST let her speak to me at some point. I just KNOW she can give me so many ideas for new dresses.”

I can’t tell what’s a bigger priority. Keeping Speedy away from Rarity, or away from Pinkie.

Brain, shush.

“Focus, Rarity,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes. “This is about Twilight.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, taking to the air. “Besides, even if the island is protected, if she knows where she is, we can come and pull off a daring rescue!”

“But, um, Spike didn’t know where they were, remember?” Fluttershy chimed in.

“Well yeah, but this is TWILIGHT,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “She probably already found a library and spent all day looking around it to figure out where the island is.”

She’s half-right.

“You’re…partly right,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I found a library, but more than half the books are in a different language, one native to the island. I spent some time just trying to get through the first chapter of a teaching book before I found something I could actually read, and my options were limited. So, unfortunately, I still have no idea as to where I actually am in relation to Equestria. Sorry, Rainbow.”

Rainbow slumped in mid-air. “Really?”

“Really,” Twilight said sadly. “Plus, the whole island is hidden from the outside world anyway, and while the spell hiding it was created using Sparrow’s magic, it’s apparently been operating independently of his input for a very long time. So even if you knew where to find me, you still might not be able to find the island itself, even if I gave you the longitude and latitude.”

“Grrrr…” Shining growled, starting to pace before Cadence put a gentle hoof on his shoulder and drew him back to the couch. Flurry Heart looked between the two of them, before flying up to hug her daddy’s neck. “Thanks, you two,” he replied, kissing the top of Flurry’s head.

“Is there anything else you managed to learn?” Celestia asked, the orb’s image shifting to focus more on her. “Any new information might help to shed some light on this situation.”

“Not much, unfortunately,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “All that I really know is that the island is massive, they grow peaches everywhere, and that Sparrow sealed the island off after some kind of attack related to the thing that tried to kill me.”

Unbidden, a horrible thought entered her head. “Wait, it hasn’t showed up again, has it?” she cried. It was bad enough just thinking about that THING attacking her, but what if it went for somepony else now that she was on Delubrum? Would it go for somepony else? Sparrow had put quite a bit of focus on protecting HER when the talked at dinner, but he never mentioned anyone else.

“Nopey dopey!” Pinkie chirped. “No evil shadow monsters here.”

“Pinkie is correct, Twilight,” Luna said, halting Twilight’s panic, at least for the moment. “The mysterious attacker has yet to make another move. And in a related note, my sister and I have been able to personally replicate the magic found in the bandages used to help the possessed ponies, all of who are awake and recovered.

“What’s more, we have begun to try applying the magic to other spells, some protective, others offensive. It is…difficult, but so far we have been able to enchant small bracelets with the protective spell, and we have been able to weave the magic itself into standard horn beam spells. It’s not much, and progress has been very slow even between the two of us, but it should allow us to help protect our guards once we enchant more bracelets and allow us to fight back should that shadow appear again.

“Unfortunately, no pony else has been able to replicate the magical signature used in those bandages save for us and Cadence, and even she has had trouble using it for prolonged periods. At best, she can enchant three bracelets or fire two attacks before she becomes exhausted, which would unfortunately leave her vulnerable should the creature try to attack again. Furthermore, it means that, for the time being, most of the research will need to be conducted by myself and my sister.”

“I’m sorry I can't be more help. The magic is…hard to comprehend, to say the least,” Cadence agreed. “Though Celestia and Luna have requested all mages, even novice ones, to assist in trying to help discover more about this magic, and possibly how to use it in armor enhancements or combat spells. I believe that even your friend Moon Dancer has accepted a job posting for magical researchers that Luna put out and is currently assisting in the search of the royal archives.”

Yep, that sounds like Moon Dancer all right. Given how much time she spends reading, it’s no surprise that she would jump at any chance to search the royal archives. But if this magic has never been seen before outside the island, why would it be in the Canterlot archives? And why would only Celestia, Luna, and Cadence be able to use it? If this magic is the same as the magic Sparrow mentioned at dinner, then shouldn’t anypony be able to use it with enough practice? Or is a different magic that’s restricted to alicorns?

Given how Sparrow’s soldiers fought that…THING alongside him and what he said at dinner, I doubt that this is a different type of magic that only alicorns can use. Especially because I doubt they would want to rely on only him to make these magic bandages. Old and powerful or not, having only one supply pony for an entire army, especially for something as vital as those bandages must be, is a bad idea.

But then why can't anypony else use it right now?

Maybe because they’re going blind right now? Sparrow said that anypony could train with the island’s unique magic to increase how long they can use it, but that implies that the caster would need to know how to use the magic first. And right now, almost no one in Equestria knows how to use it. He also said that alicorns are closer to the source of this magic, so maybe that is helping Celestia, Luna, and to a lesser extent Cadence use the magic despite having almost no experience in it. It’s like they’re using a limb they never knew that had, and it’s still weak right now from disuse.

“At least you can use it,” Shining said grumpily, pulling Twilight back to the present. “I couldn’t even get a spark when trying to copy it. How am I supposed to keep this thing out if I can’t even be sure that my shields will work against it?”

“If this is the same magic that everypony on the island uses, then, according to Sparrow, alicorns are better at using it. But it shouldn’t be restricted to just alicorns,” Twilight said, her eyebrows furrowing in thought.

“What do you mean, sweetie?” Night Light asked, looking at his daughter in confusion. Twilight opened her mouth before remembering that she hadn’t told them everything Sparrow had mentioned at dinner that night. She immediately corrected that by telling what Sparrow had told her about the island’s magic, as well as a few of the other topics he had covered. A couple times her friends looked ready to interject, but she asked them all to hold their questions to the end so she could explain everything at once.

“Very interesting,” Celestia said, frowning, “A magic that everypony on their island can use, but one that alicorns appear to have a higher affinity for. But if the bandages use this form of magic, why is it that only myself, Luna, and Cadence can use it? Given what Sparrow told you, it sounds as though Shining should be able to channel this magic, if only for a short period of time. Yet he is unable to, and Cadence still struggles with it despite the fact that she is an alicorn. Perhaps the magic in the bandages has some subtle differences to it?”

“Maybe Twilight can ask about it?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, it couldn’t hurt.”

“If we can trust him to tell the truth,” Rainbow said with a scowl. “Who’s to say he won’t just keep this fancy magic to himself and his ponies?”

“I…don’t think he would,” Twilight said hesitantly. “Especially if I ask.”

“What do you mean, Twilight?” Luna asked.

“It’s just…I don’t think he would withhold something like this if it meant fighting that…THING! And as much as I may dislike him, he’s actually never LIED to us. Yes, his actions have been…overblown and sometimes downright insane, but…”

That’s putting it mildly.

“You don’t think he’s a liar,” Applejack finished.

Twilight nodded. “Not really, no.”

“That’s a lot of trust for somepony who kidnapped you,” Shining said with a frown. “Let alone somepony who’s forcing you to MARRY them.”

“Please don’t remind me of that…" Twilight groaned, causing Shining to wince. “And I’m just saying that if he was willing to protect me from that THING, then they clearly aren't friends, and he might not be opposed to helping you fight it as wall. I don’t know if it’s really TRUST, exactly.” She swallowed. “It’s just…”

“Just?” Pinkie said, tilting her head in confusion.

“He’s…not what I expected,” Twilight said, looking away from the orb to gaze around the garden.

“What do you mean, sweetie?” Velvet asked.

Twilight opened her mouth, before closing it and trying to think of what to say. “He…isn’t acting like I thought he would. I can apparently go as I please so long as I have a guard outside the capital. He made me breakfast by hoof rather than just having a chef do so. He introduced me to a pony or two, but as a friend of his rather than a trophy or as a fiancée. He took me to dinner at a nice restaurant rather than just taking me back to the castle and having the chefs make something for me, and didn’t seem to be angry or aggressive when the chef secretly put something on his food that was so spicy he had to submerge his head in the nearby fountain.”

That got quite a few snickers from Rainbow and Pinkie, and even Twilight couldn’t hold back a smile at the memory.

“I gotta remember that prank,” Pinkie giggled, casting a quick glance at Rainbow. Twilight snickered before continuing.

“Not to mention the fact that he told the entire population of the island what he did to bring me here, the invasion and everything, and yet they still seem to trust him despite the fact that they don’t know his reasoning. There doesn’t seem to be even a hint of a scandal from what I've seen so far…

“And as much as I hate to admit it, despite a bad joke or two, he’s…been rather bearable, even nice,” she continued. “No gloating, no smug attitude, no hovering over me…He let me do what I wanted, and he never forced anything on me. Even with the dinner, he asked me to go with him and apologized when he thought he was making too many assumptions about me. He seems uncertain at times, and apologizes multiple times if he ever thinks he’s overstepped his bounds. He might even be willing to leave me alone so long as I ask, though how much, I can't say. I just can’t seem to figure him out, or why he does what he does.”

Or why he made me make that stupid fake choice in the first place.

“But above all he doesn’t seem…well, evil is maybe a bit far, but he doesn’t seem to be some overbearing, all-powerful ruler like I thought he was. He just…seems like a pony.”

“That is quite different from how he acted here,” Celestia agreed, her brow furrowing in thought. “Thought I will admit he was rather courteous during his invasion.”

“Pinkie, didn’t you say that Sparrow wore a mask?” Rarity asked, looking at the pink mare.

Pinkie nodded. “Yeah. He wears a mask,” she said. “But it broke when he saw Twilight.”

“So, what?” Shining asked. “His whole conquering thing was just an act, and he was just…playing a part to get my sister?”

“No,” Pinkie said, shaking her head. “He can be a conqueror if he wants to, but he doesn’t really like to be one. His mask was to hide his discomfort with conquering.”

“How do you know?” Shining asked with a slight suspicion.

“Pinkie Sense.”

“Riiiight…”

“Don’t question it, Shining,” Twilight warned. “I did, and it ended up with me getting hit with an anvil.”

“You WHAT!?” Celestia, Luna, Shining, Cadence, Velvet, and Night Light all cried.

“Did I…forget to mention that?” Twilight asked sheepishly.

“YES!”

“Was that before or after the Smarty Pants Freakout Incident? Because that might explain a lot,” Rainbow joked, receiving a deadpan glare from Twilight, heated glares from the surprised group of the princesses and family members, eye rolls and head shakes from Twilight’s friends, and some baby burbles from Flurry Heart as she climbed up to sit on Shining’s head.

“Not the time, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said in a highly scolding voice that immediately made Rainbow wince and sink to the floor, chuckling guiltily.

“Sorry, my bad,” she squeaked.

Hey, the doctor did check you out and found that you only had a mild concussion at the time anyway, partly because all of the cargo had been enchanted with a feather fall spell. Just don’t mention the piano or the wagon full of hay.

Good idea.

“The point is,” Rarity piped up, “if Sparrow is wearing this…mask to hide his emotions, then it might be harder for US to determine his true motives. But given how Twilight seems to be able to break said mask just by being around him, she might be able to learn more now that she is on his island. At the very least, she can see if he actually feels any remorse for his brutish actions.”

“He…does certainly seem to be uncertain about everything,” Twilight said, frowning in thought. “And there have been times when he seems downright miserable, but…it’s hard to tell if it’s because of me and what he did, or because of something else. Like, this garden,” she said, holding the orb up and panning it around the garden, hearing oh’s and ah’s of her friends and family. “It’s beautiful, but when Sparrow left me alone here he was crying, but I can’t tell exactly why he was.

“And I couldn’t help but feel that I might have reminded him of that somepony when I came here.”

“Being sad because you remind him of someone isn’t the same as feeling guilt for forcing you to leave your home behind. Or for putting the burden of leaving on YOU through some stupid choice,” Shining snorted. “And he didn’t even let us say goodbye.”

“He also didn’t stop us from talking to her,” Cadence said, giggling slightly as Flurry Heart tried to eat Shining’s ear, much to his discomfort. “It’s not ideal, but it does show that he doesn’t want Twilight completely isolated from us.”

“So?”

“SO, it means that not only will we be able to check up on her in case anything goes wrong, but that he wants her to be comfortable. It may not mean much given all he’s done, but it’s a sign to me at least that he cares about Twilight’s feelings to a degree, and by extension, her.”

Please tell me she’s not analyzing our relationship with Sparrow to see if we would be a good match.

She isn’t.

“And as much as we all may not like it, I do think Twilight should spend more time with Sparrow, if only so she can try to learn more about his motives, including why he invaded Equestria, what or who Twilight’s mysterious attacker was, and if his wanting to marry her is at all related to how he feels about her.”

Oh Harmony, she IS analyzing our relationship with Sparrow to see if we would be a good match! WHY!?!?!

Calm down, brain. She’s not doing that! What she just said was completely reasonable.

But it’s Cadence! She has been trying to set you up with a colt since you turned thirteen! Why else would she want to know how he feels about us!?

Maybe to try and see if his whole wedding idea is just a cover for something else? Seriously, you're overreacting.
“You mean you want Twily to perform reconnaissance for us?” Shining asked.

“Yes, exactly,” Cadence confirmed with a nod.

See? No matchmaking. And she has a good point. The only way to learn more about Sparrow’s motives is to spend more time with him.

That…ok, fair point. But I don’t need to like spending time with him.

Of course not. He DID kidnap me, and it will take more than one apology and a dinner for him to make up for it. Especially given that stupid fake choice he made me fret over for three days.

“How are things in Equestria?” Twilight asked. “Are things back to normal, er, mostly?”

“Mostly, yes,” Celestia said, her voice calm, but heavy. “Almost all damage caused by Sparrow has been fixed, though that was already very minor to begin with, and while the public remains uncertain about losing you, many seem to be hopeful that you will one day return, according to a recent poll conducted by the Canterlot Times. This may have been helped by the fact that somepony leaked the knowledge that we—” She gestured to the whole group “—would still have direct contact with you while you were gone.”

“They’re not afraid Sparrow might come back?”

“Not as far as we can tell,” Luna said, her face neutral. “Given how unusual his actions were and the lack of death or destruction, many do not seem to be afraid of his possible return. Confused about his motives, certainly, but there is a surprising lack of fear. Some are even hoping that he will return should another villain try to take over Equestria.”

“Pfff, we don’t need him to take out some ancient evil! We’ve done that plenty more times than that jerk!” Rainbow boasted proudly as she jumped back into the air, earning a giggle from Fluttershy.

“Though this lack of fear could be helped by the surge in guard recruitment across all our military branches,” Shining said. “All divisions of the military, from the Royal Guard to the Air Force to the Crystal Guard and Navy, have seen massive spikes in ponies joining, and Celestia and Luna have recently doubled the military budget, most of which is going into training new guards and trying to create weapons and armor that might be able to counter that smoke monster.” His face fell into a stern frown.

“I hope you can at least find a way to protect ponies from that…THING,” Twilight said, shivering. The orb bobbed slightly as her hooves shook.

The mere thought of it possessing innocent ponies and turning them against others…

It was like something out of a nightmare.

“It can’t get you, Twilight,” Pinkie said confidently, her voice breaking through the fear that had begun to fill Twilight’s mind. “You’re safe there.”

There was not an ounce of doubt in Pinkie’s voice, and though she wasn’t Applejack, Twilight was certain that Pinkie was telling the truth.

“That just leaves the rest of Equestria,” Applejack grumbled, earning a face full of Pinkie’s tail to mute her.

“But if we know it’s out there, then we can start working on a strategy to counter it,” Shining said with a determined nod. He turned back to Twilight. “Don’t worry about Equestria, LSBFF. I promise to keep everypony safe while you’re gone. Stupid smoke monster or no!”

“Hey, we can take care of ourselves! And we’ve saved Equestria plenty of times!” Rainbow exclaimed, getting right into Shining's face. This quickly devolved into a friendly argument over who was better at protecting Equestria.

But regardless, just hearing Shining say that made Twilight feel a little bit better. Even if they were still unsure of how the creature worked or its motives, the fact that he was so ready to fight it and protect her home filled her with the hope that everything would be ok. If there was anypony that could stare down a creature made of fear, it would be her hard-headed big brother…

An hour later…

Right Word walked thought the lowest halls of the castle, the dark cobblestone glowing thanks to the many magically powered gem-lights lining the ceiling. He knew every inch of these halls, yet it had been quite some time since he had journeyed down this one in particular. In the distance, the faint sound of a blacksmith’s hammer clanged away, guiding him towards his destination.

He had just returned from dinner with an unconscious Spike, who had eaten so much food that he had passed out only three blocks from the restaurant. Not that Right Word blamed him – their food was SO good! After putting Spike to bed and placing the books for Princess Twilight on her room’s desk, he had gone to seek out the King. It hadn’t been hard to guess where he was once Right Word saw the pink smoke billow out from the royal forge’s chimney.

Only one forge had pink smoke.

Reaching the end of the stone hallway, Right Word’s hoof guard glowed bright orange, causing the door in front of him to unlock with a click. He pushed it open, and was immediately blasted by a wave of heat. No matter how many times he came here, he couldn’t help but gaze around in awe at the incredible room accessible to only himself, the royal forge masters, and the King.

Very glad my armor has temperature-regulating runes, otherwise I’d be baking alive in here.

The forge was massive, nearly thirty feet tall and had ten thousand square hooves of open space. Seven massive furnaces lined the walls, six of which were currently frozen in time so that their masters might return and work again without needing to reheat them. Around them lay pieces of armor or weapons, some completed and cooling or hanging on racks, others still being assembled. Right Word made sure not to touch any of them, or risk one of the forge masters lecturing him for half an hour.

Again.

It was just one little dent I needed to fix. How can one pony get so mad over a moved hammer? How did he even know I touched it at all?

At the very end of the room stood a forge ten times as large as the others. It was covered in gold plating and decorated with a giant diamond in the shape of a heart at the very top of the forge. Within it, bright pink flames billowed and danced, casting a beautiful light across the mostly abandoned room.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

And in front of the Master Forge stood the King, the only one strong enough to tame its fires. His shoes, crown, and torc were all gone, replaced with a protective metal mask and a blacksmith’s apron. All of them were resting in an open locker well to the left left of the forge, safe from harm. There was also a new sharp looking suit, one that was clearly designed by Speedy Dimond.

I certainly hope Sparrow didn’t throw up in the Tornado of Fashion™ again.
Looking back at the king, Right Word could see that in Sparrow right hoof was a large hammer that continually smashed into the reinforced anvil with a loud clang, creating a shower of golden sparks that danced and weaved through the air and burst in a small shower of rainbow sparkles.

Magical Smithing? Right Word thought in surprise. That’s rare. Normally, we enchant the armor after its been created. But to weave magic into the armor as you make it… It’s been three years since I last saw him make some armor with such a delicate technique.

His hoof moved to his chest, gently tracing the golden torc he wore as a detachable piece of his armor. It too had been created through Magical Smithing, making it tougher and lighter than any other armor they had available, as well as giving him a boost in raw magic power when he wore it. Its creation had been the first time Right Word had ever seen Magical Smithing in pony, and was what allowed him to join the guard despite his medical ailment.
I’m surprised he's not still with Twilight now that she’s awake. Then again, with Akumu roaming about, perhaps it’s not that surprising that Sparrow would make time to start forging more armor. But what kind is he making, and for who?

Right Word said nothing as he approached, stopping just outside the red boundary on the ground as Sparrow continued to work. He dared not disrupt the King’s concentration, lest the armor he was working on be ruined or explode from magical imbalance. Plus, if it DID explode and somehow manage to damage the Master Forge, then they would have no way to perform Magic Smithing at all until it was fixed.

And that could take weeks.

After a few minutes, the clanging stopped, and the red-hot chest plate the king was working on was quickly dumped into a nearby caldron of water.

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

A cloud of golden steam exploded out of the caldron, quickly turning white as it rose towards the ceiling, indicating that armor was now stable and ready for more normal forging. As the now cool chest plate rose up, Right Word could see that a cutie mark had already been engraved in the gold-tinted metal.

Even without the colors to match it, Right Word could easily recognize the cloud and tri-colored lightning bolt that belonged to a certain brash pegasus.

“I find it a bit ironic that you decided to make armor for the pegasus that is most determined to punch you in the face,” Right Word called out, stepping over the line now that the crafting was complete.

Sparrow jolted at his voice, before chuckling as he flipped his mask up and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Perhaps, but she is also the one most likely to charge head-first at Akumu, regardless of how unwise that course of action may be. So I thought it best to begin making her armor first,” he said, reaching for a water bottle nearby.

“So I am assuming that means you will be creating armor for all of the Bearers?”

“Indeed. I can’t imagine any of them sitting on the sidelines should Akumu finally reveal himself, even if it is only to help heal those who get injured. So I thought it best to make sure they are prepared. Or at least protected from Akumu’s wrath, should they not fight directly.”

“Blitzkrieg Armor isn’t really made for defense,” Right Word said with a raised eyebrow, glancing at the chest plate. He could tell this chest plate was made from Blitzkrieg Armor by the thinner and more flexible plating, as well as the fact that a few plates were missing altogether. When completed, it would allow the wearer to call upon lightning to give the wearer a burst of speed and to blast nearby targets as they flew past. It could also create a cone of lightning in front of the wearer so that they could plow through obstacles with devastating effectiveness.

However, the reduced protection and boosted speed meant one good hit could cause the wearer to lose control mid-flight and that any crashes were far more dangerous to the wearer. It should never be worn by anypony save for the most skilled of flyers.

At least the training the Wonderbolts undergo would likely be enough for Rainbow Dash to use the armor effectively. Combined with Rainbow’s natural speed, I doubt Akumu would even be able to hit her in the first place.

“I plan to make up for that deficiency once the full armor is complete with various enchantments. The Magical Smithing will enhance them to offer better protection. I don’t think that Akumu will be able to hit Rainbow Dash given her speed and training, but I plan to make her, as well as Twilight’s other friends, Magic Smithing chainmail as well to offer them extra protection, just in case. It’s better to be safe than sorry, after all.” Sparrow slid the facemask back into place. “Now then, time for the helmet. Please step back, my friend.”

“Sir, why aren’t you with Twilight?” Right Word said, not moving an inch. He knew Sparrow better than almost any pony on the island, Hidden Treasure and a few others aside, so he knew that something was off given how late the King was working and the large bags below his eyes, highlighted perfectly by the pink flames of the forge.

“She is talking with her family in the royal garden. I thought it best to leave her be for the time being,” Sparrow said, his voice carefully neutral. “And I left a small alarm on the garden portal so that I would know when to send a guard to escort Twilight back to her room.”

“Rather than doing so yourself?”

“I’m busy,” Sparrow said softly.

“Doing something you could easily do later. And I do not doubt for a second that you would make time to escort Twilight back to her room personally compared to this,” Right Word said firmly. “If Twilight said she doesn’t want to see you again tonight, that would be one thing, but given your weak excuse, I am assuming that she said nothing of the sort.”

Sparrow merely slumped, his horn lighting and reactivating the protective spell on the forge behind them, the pink flames now protected behind a strong orange shield.

At least he recognized he wasn’t winning this argument.

“Sir, when was the last time you slept?” Right Word asked, his magic pulling off Sparrow’s mask. Just like he thought, Sparrow had large bags under his eyes, and they were also bloodshot.

There’s no way he could have gotten that bad over the course of a few hours. I would have noticed this before I left him—of course! He’s been using illusion magic to mask his exhaustion! Harmony damn it, I thought we talked about this!

“I can go for days, Right Word. Benefits of being an alicorn,” Sparrow said, closing his eyes.

“Yet you have barely slept since we first moved to take Equestria. So allow me to rephrase my question: How much sleep have you gotten since Princess Twilight was moved to the island?” Right Word knew that he wouldn’t like the answer.

“…Six hours.”

“Every night, or over the last three days?”

“The latter.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t,” Sparrow said, letting out a long sigh.

“Sir, she is safe—”

“It’s not that,” Sparrow said, standing up suddenly and turning away. His horn glowed and the apron and tools he had been wearing were returned to their rightful places. “She is safe, and I know that. But I still can’t sleep. Every time I try, my mind just runs in circles. The attack, the invasion, my proposal, all of it just running around in a whirlpool in my head. All of it centering around that stupid choice I passed on to her.”

Passed on—of course.

Suddenly, it all made sense to Right Word.

“You’re kept awake by your own guilt over the proposal,” he said.

Sparrow nodded. “It was my choice to make,” he said as he slowly began to draw some of the pink flames out of the forge, the magic fire flowing into one of many empty glass orbs sitting nearby. “Either leave her in danger, or spirit her away to safety. Yet I still passed this burden onto her, creating a fake choice to try and lower the toll on myself.

“I created the choice to convince myself that I was not merely kidnapping her for her own protection. That I was letting her have some input or at the VERY least giving her a chance to say goodbye to those she loved. That way…I wouldn’t feel so bad about what was going to happen either way. But now I can’t stop thinking about the pain I caused her. About how I left her in danger for three full days while making her struggle with a choice that was never hers to make in the first place. How she will likely have nightmares for weeks to come all because I couldn’t get her to safety fast enough…”

“And the guilt from doing so is keeping you awake each night, completely destroying the original purpose of her choice,” Right Word said.

Sparrow’s posture slumped as the fire finished flowing into the orb, telling Right Word that he hit the nail on the head. “Sir, you need too apologize for that, and explain why you were forced to make the choice at all.”

“She’s still recovering. And adapting to such a big change—”

“That’s a flimsy excuse and you know it,” Right Word said, darting in front of Sparrow and glaring at him just as a small chime sounded.

“Yellow,” Sparrow said suddenly, his eyes widening slightly. Right Word blinked, before shaking it off.

“Don’t change the subject,” Right Word said.

“But-”

“Whatever it is, it can wait,” Right Word said, cutting Sparrow off as he opened his mouth to speak again. Sparrow just closed his mouth and nodded.

“Good. Now then, I know you’re struggling right now, but you NEED to tell Twilight about why you brought her here, as much as you possibly can without risking her safety, because I guarantee if you don’t that this stress will get to both of you until something explodes. And that will only make things even worse than they already are.”

“I-I know. But I don’t know how…”

“Only you can figure that out,” Right Word said. “But if you don’t confront this issue in one month, I’ll tell her everything I can and explain this to the best of my ability. It won’t be ideal, but it will at least give her some of the answers she is searching for.” He put a hoof on Sparrow’s shoulder. “But it should be you who explains everything to her. Please don’t push me to do that.”

“I will try,” Sparrow said softly, nodding as he stared at the floor. “I don’t know how, but I’ll try.”

“Good. Now I think you know what you need to do.”

Sparrow grimaced. “Right Word—“

“Sir, as your advisor, I insist. You need sleep, and if the medication Herbal Remedy made for you is the only way to get it, you need to take it. I will come with you if need be to make sure you take it, don’t doubt that.”

“I—” Sparrow sighed. “Ok, I’ll take the medicine when I get back. After a bath, at least. I’d rather no go to sleep smelling like a bonfire.”

“Fair enough.”

"And before I go, we need to address that,” Sparrow said, pointing a hoof directly at Right Word’s chest. Right Word blinked before looking down. The green gem on his torc had turned yellow, which meant he needed his medication soon.

“The tone-“

“Was your torc’s warning tone,” Sparrow said, nodding. “I tried to warn you, but you really wanted to say your piece.”

“That I did. Do you happen to have my next batch of medication?” Right Word asked, blushing slightly in embarrassment. He was just glad the stress of scolding Sparrow didn't aggravate his condition and turn it red. Still, he really should have noticed that change to yellow.

“I just finished it before I began work on the armor, ” Sparrow said, his horn lighting and grabbing a small bottle from next to the Master Forge.

Right Word relaxed as he took the bottle and unscrewed the cap. Inside were a number of perfectly spherical emeralds, glowing faintly with magic. He levitated one into his mouth and swallowed it whole. The magic in the emerald tingled pleasantly on the way down, and his torc’s gem changed from yellow to green once again.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Anytime, my friend,” Sparrow said with a soft smile. “Will you be heading to bed as well?”

Right Word opened his mouth to say ‘yes,’ but stopped.

“Actually sir, you said that you left an alarm on the Royal Garden, correct?”

Sparrow blinked before facehoofing. “I did, didn’t I. And I just mentioned it less than five minutes ago. How did I forget that?”

“You were distracted by our conversation, your guilt over making Twilight choose to come to the island, me aggravating my condition, and you’re also sleep-deprived.” The unicorn smiled. “Don't worry. I will go wait by the portal so you don't need to send another guard. I will ensure Twilight safely makes it back to her room.”

“I can—”

“Go get some sleep,” Right Word said, his tone brokering no argument. “You can see her again tomorrow. But tonight, you need sleep.”

Sparrow sighed. “Very well. Thank you, my friend.”

“Anytime, my friend. Now please go get some rest. You will need it.”

Sparrow nodded, and without a sound, he vanished from the forge.

If he’s still awake when I’m done, we are going to have words, Right Word thought before he called on his own magic. The world fell away as he displaced himself out of the castle, appearing right next to the garden portal a few seconds later.

A few minutes later…

Twilight stood up and stretched as the glass orb in her magic finally went dark. Once everypony back home had pulled Rainbow and Shining apart, the conversation had migrated towards other, lighter topics.

Rarity had spent the week working at her Canterlot Boutique rather than traveling back to Ponyville, and had insisted that Twilight put the orb down so she could get a good look at the dress Speedy had made for her. Twilight hadn’t minded, though she did need to call Rarity off after ten minutes, otherwise they would have been there all night.

Fluttershy and Applejack had been returning to Ponyville each day via teleportation to take care of their animals and farm, respectively, and had been able to give Twilight a quick update on what was happening back home. So far, everypony in Ponyville was sad given her rapid departure, but had asked Applejack and Fluttershy to thank her when they got the chance. They all understood what she had done, and were grateful that she was willing to leave her home behind for them.

It made Twilight’s chest fill with joy to hear that so many ponies wanted to thank her, even if it had been beyond her control.

In related news, her castle would now be guarded by a squad of Royal Guards to ensure that everything remained in order while she was gone, and the old librarian Fine Print had agreed to watch over her library and ensure that the citizens of Ponyville could still check out the books at their leisure.

Rainbow, meanwhile, had been taking part in a new training regimen created by Spitfire meant to get the Wonderbolts back into fighting shape rather than just being a stunt team. It was hard work, and involved extra practice using some old pegesi weapons like wing blades and hoof claws, but so far Rainbow seemed to be having a blast given her excitement. Especially when it came to the wing blades.

And finally, Pinkie Pie had been taking these last few days to relax around Canterlot Castle after jumping back to Ponyville to make sure the Cakes were ok. It was surprising to hear that she hadn't thrown a party in all that time, but once Twilight heard that she had baked enough pies for everypony in the castle, including all the guards in Canterlot, Twilight realized that she was doing just fine.

Meanwhile, Celestia and Luna had been helping things around Equestria return to normal. They were planning a trip to visit each city and town captured by Sparrow and his forces to reassure the population that things would be ok. Cadence and Shining would be helping look after things in Canterlot while they were gone for the next few weeks, while Flurry Heart would be the emotional support. Though Twilight was certain that the last bit was a little bit of a joke given how much of a hoof-full her niece could be.

Then again, she might just be the perfect distraction to get everypony’s minds off of the more serious issues for a while.

As for Starlight and Sunburst, both of them were currently running the administrative side of the Crystal Empire, which is why they weren’t currently in Canterlot. Twilight was a bit sad that she was unable to see her student, but Pinkie promised to go visit them with an orb once she caught up on all her missed parties in Ponyville.

It was nice to catch up with everypony and hear about what they had been doing, offering a nice distraction from the craziness that was her own life. But it was getting late, and she was still exhausted. So she reluctantly said her goodbyes and was given many in return before she finally ended the call.

That was fun.

Yes, it was. I just wish I could see them for real rather than over a small crystal ball.

Maybe Sparrow would be open to you visiting them?

After all the work he put into bringing me here? I doubt it.

You never know unless you ask.

Her brain had a point there. But that was something for another day. Right now, she just wanted to go back to that room she had woken up in and fall asleep. As she slowly walked back down the hill towards the arch, she cast another look across the beautiful garden. Nothing had changed, yet there was just something about it that intrigued her no matter how long she stared at the multitude of glowing flowers swaying in the breeze.

I definitely need to come back here when I feel better.

With that final thought, she stepped back through the arch and the world once again shifted until she was standing back in the castle’s yard.

“Good evening, Princess.”

“GAH!” Twilight shrieked, jumping sideways and nearly falling over. Looking to her left, she saw an equally startled Right Word standing there. “Right Word? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Spike!”

“I’m sorry, I thought you saw me,” Right Word apologized with a small bow. “Spike and I finished dinner, so after returning him to his room, I sought out King Sparrow. Unfortunately, he seemed intent on working himself until he passed out, so I sent him to bed after offering to escort you back to your room.”

How exactly does a single unicorn send a full-grown alicorn off to bed? That sounds more like something your Dad would do every time you stayed up too late studying, not something you need to do for the freaking alicorn-king of an island.

I have no idea.

“Why didn’t he want to sleep? Is there some sort of emergency?” Twilight asked. “Or is this normal for him? And why are you telling me?”

“He normally sleeps a fairly regular schedule, but he does occasionally stay up for days at a time to work on a problem that is stumping him,” Right Word said. “As for why, I thought it best to inform you, just in case you were curious as to why he wasn’t here to escort you personally.”

He makes a good point. Given Sparrow’s interest in you, chances are you would have asked why he wasn’t here before long. He’s just saving some time.

Maybe, but I think that telling me that he was running himself ragged was a little bit much. I mean, he didn’t look that bad when he left the garden.
“Now if you would follow me, Twilight, I can take you back to your room,” Right Word continued. “I am assuming you would like to take the shorter path? Or would you prefer to teleport?”

“Shorter path, please,” Twilight said, walking closer. “I’m not ready to teleport again just yet.”

Right Word nodded, and once she was beside him, he led her back through the winding forest that was the garden. He matched her slower speed, something Twilight was grateful for as her legs were beginning to feel weak again.

As they walked, Twilight took a minute the time to enjoy the peacefully atmosphere of the small forest. Despite being so close to the city, all she could hear were the sounds of various nocturnal creatures going about their business. Crickets chirped, an owl hooted nearby, and a small bat darted after an insect off to their left. It wasn’t as peaceful as the royal garden, but it was still very nice.

But soon Twilight’s mind wandered back to one thing Right Word had said.

Why would Sparrow not want to sleep?

Maybe he likes feeling half-asleep all the time?

…I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.

I'm half joking, especially given how often you used to be half-asleep while studying for one of Celestia's test. But jokes aside, maybe he always thinks there are just more productive ways to spend his time? You used to skip out on sleep if you found a particularly good book. Heck, you still do that.

Maybe. Or maybe he has nightmares? He knows about that smoke…THING, so maybe he has nightmares about it? I remember I could barely sleep for a week after that incident with the quesadillas. I kept having nightmares about cheese!

Heheheheh. It’s kinda funny looking back on that now.

It is not!

Is too.

But we’re getting off topic. If you’re so curious about this, you could just ask Right Word. If he sent Sparrow to bed, then maybe he knows why he’s staying up so late.

But then why didn’t he just tell me?

No clue. Privacy, maybe? If you don’t think he’ll answer anything about that, then maybe just ask about Sparrow in general? Right Word IS his most trusted advisor. Bets are he knows more about Sparrow than anyone else, both professionally and personally.

That’s true…It couldn’t hurt to ask. And maybe hearing more about him from a pony that really knows him can help me get a better understanding of his behavior and why it seems to so heavily contradict his actions in Equestria.
Or it could just confuse you more. Still, it’s probably worth the effort to ask.

Agreed.

“Right Word?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Can you…tell me more about Sparrow? Either why he’s staying up so late or just, well, anything about him, I guess? I still don’t know a whole lot about him, and you seem like you would be able to fill in quite a few of the gaps, given your role as his advisor.”

“Certainly. However, and I do apologize in advance, but you would need to ask him yourself if you want to know why he’s staying up so late,” Right Word said calmly. “It’s related to a very personal issue, and I am afraid that I don’t feel comfortable disclosing it without his knowledge. But I can certainly tell you about Sparrow, if you can be more specific.”

“What is he REALLY like?” Twilight asked without a moment’s hesitation. “The way he’s been acting since I woke up… It’s almost exactly the opposite of what I expected, given his first impression of conquering Equestria. I can notice some similarities, such as his calm and courteous attitude, but there’s just so much conflict with his actions during the occupation. So is his current behavior an act, or was his behavior at first in Equestria an act?”

Right Word was quiet for a moment.

“What you saw in him today is far more in line with his normal behavior. Kind, thoughtful, a bit playful, willing to be the butt of the joke if it makes others laugh. That is who he is, and while he is very capable of wearing a mask and sinking into another role almost completely, that will never change who he will be once the mask comes off.

“Do keep in mind, however, that I am likely very biased, especially given the work he put into making sure I could join the guard, and my relationship to him.”

What the heck does that mean?

“Why wouldn’t you be able to join the guard normally? You don't seem to be the kind of pony that would ever commit a crime, so that's likely out, and you look perfectly healthy as far as I can see,” Twilight said. “Was it based on where you lived? No, wait, the guard would probably provide housing. Hmm…”

“It's understandable that you think that. No pony could tell that I was abnormal just by looks,” Right Word said with a small forced smile.

“Abnormal?” Twilight said, frowning. Between that and his forced smile, Twilight was almost certain that Right Word was insulting himself, even if only slightly. “Just because you can’t see something doesn’t make you abnormal for having it. And it doesn’t make you any less of a good pony. And from everything I’ve seen so far today, you seem to be a very decent pony at least.”

Right Word blinked in surprise at her rebuttal, before chuckling slightly. A more genuine smile played at his lips. “That’s very nice of you to say, Twilight. I do try to be the best I can be, regardless of my own self-doubts. You see, the truth of the matter is that I actually suffer from epileptic seizures.”

“WHAT!?” Twilight cried, her eyes going wide as she gaped at him, coming to a stop just at the edge of the tree line. "How the heck were you even CONSIDERED to be allowed to join!? That could be deadly if your put under enough stress! And why would you put yourself at risk by joining?!”

“The first rule of the island is that anyone can join the guard, even if only as a supporting role,” Right Word said, stopping next to Twilight and putting a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s been that way since even before Sparrow was born, and despite the title of King, he lacks the power to overturn that rule. The only way it could be overturned is if every village on the island votes on a legal amendment to change it. And that, to my knowledge, has never even been considered.”

“But why would you put yourself at such a risk?” Twilight insisted, her worry leaking into her voice. “What if something horrible happens?”

Right Word just smiled. “I appreciate your concern Twilight, but the truth is that I am in far less danger than you might think. And it’s all because of this…”

He tapped his armor. With a small click, the chest plate separated to reveal a golden torc around his neck with a green gemstone set in the very front. Strangely, despite the color, the gem didn’t look like an emerald. It was perfectly round and smooth, and the inside actually seemed to pulse slightly with magic. The outer edges looked to be almost clear, with the color becoming more solid towards the center of the gem. Yet as she stared at, she swore that the color’s shade and pigment was constantly shifting. She could see other colors flash by as well.

Red, purple, orange, yellow, black, white…Each change was brief, and lasted only for a moment, yet Twilight knew she wasn’t just imagining it.

In the end, Twilight didn’t know WHAT it looked like, especially as the magic inside actually seemed to be making the color swirl. Normally if a gem was enchanted, you could see the rune or feel the magic without actually seeing any changes. But in this case, the magic inside actually appeared to…flow somehow, as if each pulse of magic from the enchantment was physically changing the coloration and structure of the gem.

It was like a ripple in a pond, where each wave moved a patter on algae into a new shape. That was the only way Twilight could think to describe it.

“When I was diagnosed, it was the first day of basic training. I was only eighteen at the time,” Right Word said, tapping the armor again, causing it to remold perfectly around the torc. “I had my first seizure right there on the training field, in front of Sparrow and my grandfather, no less. I thought my dream of becoming a guard, or anything really, was over. It was the worst day of my life, by far. But Sparrow had other ideas.

“I was put on bed leave, and three days later I was visited by the island’s best mental expert, Doctor Clear Mind. I don’t know how his magic works, even after all these years, but he worked with Sparrow to address my problem. I was pulled from the main physical training, but given all of the educational training while I waited for some hopefully good news. After a month, I was granted access to the castle’s Royal Forge to watch Sparrow create this torc through a specialized process know as Magical Smithing. It’s…well, I CAN’T explain it, but suffice to say it’s something only he can do.

“I can still remember that day,” he continued, his eyes closing as he smiled. “The way the magic in the air reverberated with each strike, the way the forge lit up with rainbow sparks with each clash of metal, the feeling of power as the pink flames of the Master Forge looked to respond and grow as he worked. And then, at the end, he had me place a small spark of my magic into the still red-hot torc, ensuring that it would always respond to me alone. It was an incredible experience.”

Pink flames?

“When he was done, I was given the torc as a gift,” Right Word said, opening his eyes again. “The enchantments in it actually block the seizures from happening so long as I wear it, which, of course, is now basically all the time since I rarely take it off. If the gem is green, it means it’s not holding anything back. If it’s yellow, it means that I will have a seizure if I take it off, but that the seizure is still weak enough that taking a special kind of medication will prevent it altogether. If it's red, then the medication won’t be enough, so I either need activate the ‘bleed off’ effect, which will give me a few smaller, weaker seizures to prevent a more powerful and dangerous one, or I need to find Sparrow or Clear Mind to cast a spell and get me back down into the yellow range.

“It was, and still is, a harmonysend for me,” Right Word said, smiling happily up towards the castle just outside the tree line. He took a deep breath before he began walking again, Twilight not far behind. “I would have never been able to pursue my dreams if it weren't for this torc, and I would have never have been so determined to become Sparrow’s next right-hoof stallion. I owe him so much, and even with the Equestrian Invasion, I still believe in him as a King.”

But you also know more about him than we do, including his motivations. So if his actions were actually justifiable, you would know but we still wouldn’t because no one tells us anything! And helping you with a medical condition doesn’t mean his invasion IS justified! The two actions are not mutually inclusive!

I agree. Good ponies can do bad things, and bad ponies can do good things. Thought I will admit, Sparrow helping Right Word may be a point in his favor, at least in showing that his compassion could be genuine. Thought he’s still a long way from earning my forgiveness.

Do you think Sparrow was genuine when he said that he had tried to find other methods of getting you to come to the island?
I don’t think I can rule that out yet, but I’m not at the point where I can just believe him based on words alone yet either. At the very least though, once things stabilize a bit, we should see if he’s willing to share his find with Equestria. Finding a way to stop or at least mitigate seizures is incredible! Just imagine how much good that could do if the technology was spread through Equestria!

It does raise the question of what else he can do…but doesn’t it also seem a bit, I don’t know, odd? Speedy Diamond has that odd bipolar disorder, and now Right Word has seizures. That means that roughly one-third of the ponies we’ve gotten to know on the island have some sort of unusual ailment. And four of them we didn’t even ask if they had such a condition.
It could be coincidence, especially given how six ponies isn’t a big sample size, but given how the island’s magic made you pass out…

It could be that the island’s magic could possibly be related to these negative effects! It is known that exposure to high quantities of unstable magic over long periods can result in negative health effects. Could that apply to this island’s magic as well? Though, actually, we can probably rule out my fainting after the teleportation. Given the massive distance, the level of shielding surrounding the island, and the unique nature of the magic, chances are that was more of a one-time incident rather than a negative long term heath effect.
Ugh, now I really wish I could read some of those books in the library. I doubt this kind of magic was ever tested in the studies I read on negative health effects related to magic, so I would love to see if similar studies have been conducted here. Though maybe Sturdy Sprout and Soft Wind could translate some related studies for me? Hmmm.

“Copper coin for your thoughts?” Right Word asked, pulling Twilight out of her mind.

I can ask about the island’s magic and its effects later. Right now I should probably focus on learning more about Sparrow.

And because if you get started on learning about their magic now, you’ll be at it all night, or at least until you pass out from exhaustion.

That was one time!

It was WAY more that one time! Remember when you woke up with your face covered in ink because you fell asleep on an unfinished scroll? Now that was silly.

“Just thinking,” Twilight said sheepishly, trying to ignore her brain’s teasing before taking a deep breath. “I am glad to hear that Sparrow was able to help you join the guard. Is that what you were referring to when you mentioned your relationship to him?”

“No, actually,” Right Word said, smiling again. “The truth is that I knew him personally ever since I was a foal, mostly because of my grandfather, Hidden Treasure.”

As they spoke, the two of them finally arrived at the large wooden doors of the castle. Twilight’s eyes traced the intricate carvings that covered the door as the passed through. The swirling design along the outer rim of the doors looked like some kind of writing, while the patterns along the doors themselves looked like leafy vines growing on a thick tree. It was beautifully designed, and…familiar? Had she seen a picture in the encyclopedia?

She couldn’t remember.

“See, my grandfather was actually Sparrow’s top advisor for years before I even considered joining the guard,” Right Word continued as they entered the castle. The inside was gently lit with glowing yellow gems, casting a calming aura across the lavish entrance way.

There was a large red rug running down a grand cobblestone staircase at the other side of the room, perfectly clean despite the amount of hoof-traffic Twilight had seen earlier. The hall was decorated in banners, orange ones with Sparrow’s cutie mark, and blue ones with a different cutie mark Twilight didn’t recognize. It showed an image of a constellation, golden lines connecting the stars until they created an image of two foals staring up at what Twilight could only assume was the North Star given it’s size and brightness compared to the stars that made up the foals.

It looked strangely captivating, and the longer Twilight stared at it, the more her worries for the future seemed to lessen.

“Beautiful, aren't they?” Right Word said. “Those blue banners are probably my favorite part of the entrance way.”

“They are pretty amazing," Twilight said, her eyes still tracing the banners as they walked. “What is that mark in the middle of them? What does it mean?”

“The mark itself is called the Puer Stella. As for it’s meaning, it is widely thought that the mark is meant to symbolize hope; that no mater how dark the night, no matter how bleak the circumstances, there will always be a light nearby, waiting to guide you. I’ve always found that looking at it does wonders for calming a troubled mind. Perhaps that’s why Sparrow put a small banner with that symbol in my hospital room after my first seizure. ”

“I can see what you mean,” Twilight said. “Just looking at them is…calming. I can see why you leave them up in such a prominent place.”

“Indeed,” Right Word said, smiling. “They have been hanging here for as long as I can remember.” Twilight smiled back without taking her eyes off the banners.

You do realize you interrupted him right? Her brain snarked, causing Twilight’s eyes to widen.

"Oh, I interrupted you, didn’t I?” Twilight said, finally looking away from the banners and chuckling in embarrassment. “You were talking about your grandfather?” Right word just chuckled.

“No need to worry. I still find myself distracted by the banners from time to time as well. As I was saying, my grandfather used to be Sparrow’s right-hoof pony before I took over for him. Every winter on Hearth’s Warming Eve, my family would come from across the island to come visit him and my grandmother. My first memories of this tradition were when I was four, and I clearly remember Hidden Treasure being a little late coming home.”

“And then, to my surprise, he arrives dragging King Sparrow into the house by his ear! Sparrow hadn’t had enough time to remove his crown and torc or even shrink himself down to a normal size, and he could barely even fit through the front door!”

Twilight couldn’t help but join in Right Word’s snickering at the idea of Sparrow nearly stuck in a doorframe. There was just something so ridiculous about such a tall and imposing figure in such a helpless situation.

But then Twilight realized something.

“Why was he there at all?” she asked, tilting her head in slight confusion. As she spoke, they made a right turn out of the main hallway and began to descend downwards on a gentle slope. “And, wait, sorry to interrupt again, but isn’t my room towards the top of the castle?”

“It is, but this way will allow us to skip most of the stairs. You’ll see what I mean when we get there,” Right Word said, maintaining his smile, though it became rather muted.

“As for why Sparrow was at our house…He is an alicorn, Twilight. Despite all his time and how much the ponies of the island love him, he is still alone in a sense. He will outlive everyone he meets, and he has no family to speak of outside of mine.”

“Outside of yours?”

“Through genealogy records, my family was able to confirm that we are distantly related to Sparrow through blood. His father had a sister, and she had one son. Fast forward two thousand years, you get me, the youngest in the sister’s bloodline and the latest in a long tradition of right-hoof stallions and mares for the King.”

They’re actually related? I…actually wouldn’t have guessed that.

“Every time Sparrow’s last advisor retires, he invites everyone on the island to participate in a competition to see who will become his next advisor. They can be from any profession, and there are only two requirements, really. An advisor cannot have a violent criminal record, though nonviolent crimes do not disqualify somepony so long as they have not committed another crime in the last two years, and that they must be willing to come live in Oasis to serve him. While there have been some advisors not from my family, at least eighty-percent over the last thousand years have actually been from my family line.

“Regardless of who the advisor is, however, they have an unspoken extra task come Hearth’s Warming. The attack on our people actually happened only two days before Hearth’s Warming, and as such the date is forever tainted for Sparrow. If not forced to attend a gathering of family or friends, he will simply sit in the castle library, losing himself in the world of fiction novels so that he no longer needs to face reality. It only gets worse if he manages to acquire Arbor Moonshine, at which point he is likely to drink himself into unconsciousness with only a few safety spells to ensure he doesn’t cause himself any permanent damage.”

Ok, that’s actually kind of depressing. Not even you were THAT bad before you met the girls.

Gee, thanks.

Twilight rolled her eyes at her brain. As she did, the ground leveled out again, taking them into what looked like a large underground tunnel. Right Word immediately made a left at the junction and Twilight followed.

“Even when my family was not directly advising him, we would get in contact with the pony who was and ensure that he is with family on Hearth’s Warming, no matter how distantly related. In the case I mentioned earlier, Sparrow was being difficult and refusing to come, so my grandfather had to improvise…with hilarious results. I can just imaging the confused looks everypony gave Hidden Treasure as he dragged Sparrow down the street by his ear.”

“If you’re related to him, how do you view him? In terms of family, I mean. And is that why you mentioned your relationship with him?”

“Yes. See, to me, Sparrow was always more of a silly uncle than a king. Somepony there to tell jokes, dramatically retell stories from long ago, someone to pelt with snowballs. Somepony to fall asleep on, to go to when I was afraid. Ever since that night, to me he was just a part of the family. Not some ruler sitting in a castle all day, not some perfect figure or deity above the rest of us. Just a normal pony. I actually still view him that way often, especially during the holidays, though not as much as when I was a foal.

“It was…actually quite jarring to be selected as his next advisor. At first I thought I needed to put aside our relationship and simply be his advisor, something made even more difficult by the fact that I didn’t even have my cutie mark when I began. Yet almost immediately, I found that this wasn’t the case.

“Being his top advisor isn’t just about obeying him or providing guidance. It’s about being his closest friend. Somepony for him to talk to, somepony to be there when he needs you, somepony for him to confide in with his many worries and fears. Despite his appearance, Sparrow IS still a pony, and there have been plenty of times I have been there to just enjoy the day with him…or to comfort him when the stress of the world just becomes too much to bear.”

“That makes quite a bit of sense actually. Celestia’s assistant Raven Inkwell always seemed to treat Celestia more as a friend whenever she was off duty, and Celestia always referred to her as a friend as well,” Twilight said, smiling at the memory of the three of them sharing tea after a long day of magic lessons.

“Exactly. Actually, that was how I earned my cutie mark. Shortly after my appointment, we received word that a rouge griffon mercenary band was planning to attack the students of Celestia’s Gifted School of Unicorns on their camping trip.”

“Wait, you don’t mean the trip ten years ago, do you?!” Twilight said, her eyes going wide. She remembered that trip, how excited she was to go and learn about all the interesting plant species at the base of Canterlot’s mountain. But she didn’t remember anything even resembling an attack!

If Sparrow was involved, that might be why.

But that means he was watching me for at least TEN YEARS! I know he said he was watching me for quite a while, but I didn’t think he meant for that long! Does that mean I’ve been in danger from this shadow creature for almost ten years and I never even realized it!?

“Yes indeed. We learned afterwards that they were planning this attack for a good three months, but that they had stepped up their preparation efforts when they learned that Celestia’s private student would be there. It was a ransom target they couldn’t resist, and seeing how they were operating in Equestria illegally anyway, they didn’t seem to be all to concerned with what the consequences of their actions might have been.

“Regardless, we stopped them, and your trip continued without interruption.”

“But does that mean he's been watching me for more than ten years?! How long has he been watching me?!” Twilight asked.

“As far as I know, he has been watching you since before I joined,” Right Word said. “But the exact length of time is something you would need to ask him about. I would say at least twelve years as of now, but it could be more. Do you have any other questions before I continue?”

“Does that mean that I was in danger for at least twelve years? That my friends in family were in danger too?” Twilight asked anxiously, only to blink in surprise when Right Word shook his head.

"No, you were not in any significant danger. My understanding is that the creature that attacked you was unaware of your existence until only a few weeks ago. I personally don’t know how it found you, but I do know that had you remained undiscovered, we would have never needed to bring you to the island in the first place.”

But then why didn't Sparrow just say that in the first place? And that still doesn't explain why he wants to marry you.

I don’t know. And given Sparrow reluctance to talk about it, I doubt Right Word can tell me.

It never hurts to ask.

“But then why did he bring me here to marry me?” Twilight asked, agreeing with her brain.

“Sparrow has asked me not to tell you that, unfortunately,” Right Word said with a sigh. “But I can tell you that I think you deserve to know, and that I will try to convince Sparrow to explain things soon.”

“But why doesn't he want to tell me?”

“Actually, he wants to explain things, very much so, but he is afraid to as well, almost to the point of inaction. All I can ask is that you give him some time. Did you have any other questions before I continue my story?” Right Word asked.

Twilight shook her head. She could let this issue lie, at least for now.

“Ok then. After we stopped the griffin attack, we then discretely turned them and the evidence of their plans over to the Canterlot royal guards. However, regardless of how well prepared we were and how successful we were at stopping this attack, the entire situation still shook Sparrow.

“He has always been concerned for your safety, but this small attack would have been the first time you were even in any real danger had we not prevented it. Because of this, he began having nightmares about what might happen if you were ever hurt. He has spent many years hunting that creature that attacked you, but now he began to worry if something far less dangerous might slip through the cracks. It was driving him to exhaustion, especially given the increased workload he had to deal with here on the island due to a drought and a mass infestation of parasprites.”

“So what happened?” Twilight asked.

“I got this feeling in my chest. I couldn’t explain it, but I somehow just knew I needed to say something to him. So I threw a bucket of water on him in the middle of one of his panic attacks,” Right Word said. “When he finally recovered from the shock, he asked me one question. ‘Why?’

“And so I told him: ‘Twilight is Princess Celestia’s student, likely the most powerful unicorn of her generation, and a prodigy. Everything we know says she can defend herself if need be. She may not be ready to fight your greatest enemy at this point, but she CAN handle anything else Canterlot can throw at her. You know she can, otherwise you would be by her side right at this moment rather than wearing a groove in the floor.”

Quite the compliment for your skills.

“I don’t know where the words came from, but they did the trick. That little speech was just what Sparrow needed. He admitted to me that he may have been getting a bit paranoid, to which I just raised an eyebrow. He laughed, then thanked me in earnest, saying I really did have a way with words.

“And that’s when my cutie mark appeared. A comment bubble with three periods, signifying my talent for knowing just what to say to somepony in need of a little hope.”

“Did it help you make Fluttershy feel better?” Twilight asked, remembering her conversation with the shy mare over the orb a few days ago.

Any painful feelings over missing her friends were halted when Right Word nearly tripped over nothing.

“No, er, well yes, um, maybe, I-I mean I just needed her help with the fox and the tent and she looked so nervous and much more beau—relaxed when she saw the fox so I tried to help because it was my—our fault that she was so upset and—” Right Word hastily tried to explain with a bright red blush.

Twilight struggled to hold back her snickers.

Looks like Fluttershy’s crush might not be one-sided.

We should tell Cadence about this. She would have a field day!

Agreed. Though maybe we should wait until things settle down. Or at least until Equestria and Delubrum are more open to one another. I’d hate for a possible relationship to suffer due to stress between the two countries. Equestria especially will likely need time for everypony to calm down after the invasion.

And Right Word likely can’t go see her because he has a job to do here on the island and because the rest of your friend would likely recognize him given how much they playfully teased Fluttershy. Good point.

“A-Anyway, yes, my talent involves the ability to know what ponies need to hear to help them overcome what is bothering them. It certainly helps with my role as Sparrow’s advisor.” Right Word said, his blush beginning to recede as he took a few calming breaths.

It sounds like it would, Twilight thought, her mind drifting back to all Right Word had told her. If Sparrow’s job really was so stressful, then it would be good to have someone nearby to help keep him in the right mind.

“Does that happen often? The panic attacks, I mean?” she asked quietly as they continued to traverse the castle halls. She had barely even noticed where they were going.

“In the last few years, yes, though in most cases it is just bouts of worry that don’t quite classify as a panic attack, at least according to the royal doctor,” Right Word said, briefly glancing at her before looking forward again. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, Changelings, Tirek… Many things have happened these last few years. There have even been events beyond Equestria’s boarders, such as the rise of the Storm King and the attack on the Hippogriff home, or the near civil war of the Minotaur tribes. All were resolved and disaster averted, but events like these have been rather rare up until now.

“In truth, I don't think it could be a coincidence that all of this was happening now, and all over the course of a few years. It’s just too unlikely, and Sparrow thinks so as well. Such is the reason why all of these events currently weigh on Sparrow’s mind, even if they have already been resolved.”

“Are you saying all those events could be related to the shadow…THING?” Twilight asked, shivering slightly.

“It is certainly possibly. Especially when it comes to the Storm King. We are nearly certain that the creature that attacked you played a role in his rise to power.

Who the heck is the Storm King?

I-I don’t know, but I’m actually a bit afraid to even ask! I mean, we saw how that THING possessed the royal guards and made them attack me, but how much worse was it for this Storm King guy? And if he was capable of raising a force strong enough that Sparrow saw fit to intervene, how evil was he? Oh Celestia, what would have happened if Sparrow hadn’t stopped him? What if he had attacked Equestria!?

Whoa whoa whoa, calm down, girl! It’s ok! Regardless of who he was or what the THING did to him, it’s over now. Sparrow stopped him, and nothing good will come from freaking yourself out over what the Storm King MIGHT have done. Just take a deep breath and relax. Ok?

I, ok, your right, Twilight thought, taking a few deep breaths to stem her panic. It is over. I don’t need to worry about it, and if I am curious about what exactly happened later, I can ask and see if they will tell me what happened. Thank’s brain.

No problem. Thought, now that I think about it, I still wonder why Sparrow came for you now. If he brought you here to keep you safe, then why did he wait until AFTER you fought two demigods, a mad king, a mad queen, a unicorn who nearly broke time, and a centaur who stole all of Equestria’s magic? Wouldn’t one of those things make him panicky enough to intervene before now? And if he was willing to stop a mad king from attacking the Hippogriffs, whatever those are, why wasn’t he willing to stop the Changelings or King Sombra?

That’s a good questions, especially if he’s been watching me for years beforehoof. He had to have know about everything crazy that’s happened to me in that time. So why didn’t he help me in any of those fights? Or rescue me when me and the girls got kidnapped!

“Ah, here we are,” Right Word said, pulling Twilight back to the real world. While she had been distracted by her brain, they had emerged into a large room roughly five hundred hooves across. It was cast in a bright blue light and had three more hallways connecting to it, like a hub of sorts, or a junction.

The room was perfectly circular, and along the perimeter of the room were a number of glowing, perfectly circular floor plates. What was strange was that each floor plate was located directly next to a long, smooth tunnel that stretched out further that Twilight could see, each of which was covered with a see-through orange shield. Some floor plates were not located next to a tunnel, but were instead located directly below one of the many large holes in the roof of the room that were also covered in orange shields.

Some of the tunnels didn’t appear to have a floor plate next to it or below it, but there still appeared to be a gap in the floor that could easily fit a floor plate. In comparison to the normal tunnels, these tunnels with gaps next to them had shields that extended out from the wall to cover the blank section of stone, sealing off the area where a floor plate looked to normally go. Looking more closely at the tunnels, Twilight also realized that each one went at a different angle. Some went perfectly horizontal, some went nearly straight up, and a few even went down further into the ground.

How exactly are we supposed to get you our room from here?

I…don’t know. Twilight thought, looking around.

Aside from the tunnels and the glowing floor plates, the room didn’t appear to be very different from the hallway they had just exited, save for how busy it was. Ponies walked to and fro, carrying everything from fresh linens to armor and weapons.

As Twilight watched, an earth pony in a rather fancy-looking uniform stepped out onto one of the plates. Immediately, the center of the plate rose up, projecting a magical screen just a few inches above the plate. The pony reached out with their hoof and tapped the screen a few times, and it flashed green three times. Suddenly, an orange barrier appeared, surrounding the floor plate and the stallion to form a perfect cylinder before the entire plate began rising into the air. It rose towards the ceiling, and the shield blocking the circular hole directly above the floor plate vanished a few seconds before the floor plate slid perfectly into it, disappearing from sight.

“Magic elevators!” Twilight cried, her mouth splitting into a wide smile. All elevators in Equestria were still mechanical in some form or another, but these one were fully magical!

Oh, this was AMAZING!

What kind of spells do they use? Where is the power source? Internal, or somewhere in the walls? How are they able to go at so many different angles? Do they only go around the castle, or do some of them go to other places like the town too? OH, could some actually lead to to the outer wall surrounding the city? If so, could they have been made to help provide the wall with quick reinforcements? Oh! That pony just disappeared in a flash! ARE THEY TELEPORTERS TOO!?!?!?

So. Many. QUESTIONS!!!

Down, girl. You are literally drooling over these elevators now.

Twilight was going to tell her brain she wasn’t, only to realize that she very much was.

Ok, if I’m drooling over elevators, I think that’s my cue to go to sleep as soon as I get back to my room.

Agreed.

“They are rather impressive, I agree,” Right Word said, passing her a tissue before walking out toward the center of a room where a plate twice the size of the others sat. Twilight quickly wiped the drool off her chin and followed, her eyes still darting around excitedly. “These elevators were created generations ago as a means of quick transportation anywhere within the castle. They are reserved for castle staff and guards only, but allow us to move quickly throughout the castle when displacement isn’t an option, such as when we need to transport weapons or armor or need to go to a high-security area. They also can teleport us to the outer wall if need be.”

Good guess about them being connected to the outer wall.

Thank you, brain.

“Can you explain how their enchantments work?” Twilight asked eagerly as they stepped onto the large plate. The entire thing glowed orange as Right Word stepped onto it, then blue as Twilight stepped onto it. Right Word raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t say anything about it.

“I’m afraid these are beyond my comprehension,” Right Word said, placing his hoof on the center of the plate. His hoof flashed orange twice, before a loud click sounded from below and the plate immediately began to lift straight up towards the celling as an orange shield formed around them. “Sparrow might know, and I know the schematics are still located in the royal library, but I’m afraid I have never had a chance to look at them.”

“I’ll have to look at them later then. These things are incredible,” Twilight said, nodding confidently as they rose up through the castle. The lift was almost perfectly smooth, to the point that if the walls hadn’t been passing them by, she might not have even realized they were moving at all.

After about a minute, the plate came to a gentle stop and the shield disappeared. They now stood in a very fancy hallway. The red rug covering the length of the hallway looked of a much higher quality than the one in the entranceway, and was covered in orange and blue swirling designs that looked almost like an aurora borealis. At the ends of the hall were two staircases, each going down. The side where the plate was located had ten suits of armor in each direction, each far fancier than anything the guards wore. Even Right Word’s armor couldn’t compare.

And then there were the doors. In front of them stood a large set of double doors even Sparrow at full size could have walked through with ease. They were perfectly white with an elaborate golden crown decoration in the center of each. The left door had a handle made of an orange topaz while the right door’s handle was made of a large sapphire, and both were sculpted in an intricate curved design.

Overall, it was a work of art.

How much do you think a door like this cost?

Not now, brain.

“Is this Sparrow’s room?” Twilight asked, stepping off the elevator as she stared up at the magnificent door.

“…No,” Right Word said, with obvious hesitation. “His room is down the hall to the left, and yours is down the hall to the right.”

He started to walk down the right hall, away from the large double doors.

Twilight blinked, before looking down the left hall. Sure enough, there was an orange door down to the left of the elevator about two-thirds of the way to the staircase leading down, though Twilight couldn’t make out the specific details. She could, however, tell that the door was smaller than the grand ones before her.

For a reason Twilight couldn’t explain, it felt…odd that the doors in front of her were not for Sparrow’s room. That he was still down to the left of the fancy doors while she was down to the right of the fancy doors. After all, why wouldn’t the King of the island sleep in the best bedroom in the castle?

Another mystery for another day…

Twilight turned to the right and walked after Right Word, who had stopped partway to her room, waiting for her to catch up.

“Here we are,” he said, nodding towards the door at the end of the hall. It was a deep sapphire blue with golden trimming around the outer edge and a golden door handle.

That was all Twilight saw as her eyes were drawn up above the door. At the top of the frame, surrounded by more gold, was an image. An image that perfectly matched the ones on the blue banners downstairs!

That’s the Puer Stella!

You’re right! What the hay? Why is the image on the banners engraved about our room’s door!?

How would I know? Maybe Sparrow put it there to try and make me feel better? Right Word did say that Sparrow put a small banner in his room after his first seizure, and that the symbol is meant to inspire hope.

But then why would he engrave it outside your door rather than just hang a banner in your room?

Twilight would have tried to answer, or even ask Right Word, but her response was cut off by a large, loud yawn. And like a switch being flipped, she realized just how tired she truly was.

Her legs were aching again, her eyes were drooping, and her thoughts were already beginning to slow.

No clue, but I am really in no shape to worry about it right now.

Maybe you burned a little bit too much energy squealing over the elevators. As much as I want to learn about this door and why the Puer Stella is above it, I agree. It can wait for tomorrow. We’ve had a loooooong day.

Agreed. Tomorrow. I can worry about it all tomorrow, she thought as she turned her attention back to the door itself. Right Word’s lifted his hoof-guard to the door, which glowed a gentle blue, clicked, and swung open gently.

“Per standard protocol, these doors require magic to open,” Right Word explained. “Your natural magic is keyed to the unlocking spell, so you need simply touch the door to open it. You can also push the ruby on the inside door handle to temporarily disable the spell should you want your door to remain unlocked. Also, Spike’s room is one floor below us. Simply follow the stairs to your right down one floor and it will be the first door on your right. We marked it with his name for your convenience.” He opened the door and led her inside.

Twilight could see that it was indeed the same room she had woken up in, nothing having changed since that morning save for the door to the balcony being closed, the blinds pulled shut, and the books from the library neatly stacked on the desk next to the open book. What was amazing, though, was that the room wasn’t completely dark. The ceiling must have been enchanted as well, as the room was currently cast in gentle twinkling light of the consolations painted above her. Each star twinkled just like it did in the real night sky, every constellation matching its real-sky counterpart perfectly.

It was beautiful.

At least until Right Word flicked a switch, casting the room in a gentle yellow light from the golden gems lining the walls. Twilight blinked as her eyes adjusted again, and Right Word stepped up and gestured towards the wall next to the door.

Looking where he was pointing, Twilight saw a purple amethyst and a green emerald embedded in the wall, each surrounded by a golden frame similar to the ones in the bathtub.

“These gems are communication devices. The amethyst can be used to call room service or a maid should you need them. If the pony who responds can’t help, they will be able to find somepony who can. The emerald is to call for the guards. Pushing it once will allow you to talk with a guard should you need an escort into town or somewhere outside the city.

“Should you be in danger and can’t talk or have a medical emergency, simply push it twice in rapid succession to initiate an SOS. You can also yell ‘SOS’ or send a magic blast at it to trigger it. There is also a similar emerald in your bathroom and on the side of your night stand, just in case you cannot reach this one. I doubt you will need it, but it is better to be safe then sorry.”

Quite impressive security. We should have them try and upgrade Canterlot Castle at one point. Celestia knows how much safer they could make that castle.

Later…Twilight thought at her brain as she let out another titanic yawn. The bed looked oh so inviting.

“Thank you, Right Word,” Twilight said, finishing her yawn. “I look forward to seeing you in the future.”

“As do I, Princess,” Right Word said with a smile. Twilight rolled her eyes as Right Word turned to leave. However, he stopped just before closing the door. “Twilight…”

“Yes?”

“I know you still have mixed feelings about Sparrow—”

No kidding.

“But despite how biased I may be, I want you to know that I think he did what was right, and that I would have done the same thing had I been in his position. I’m sorry I can’t tell you why I know that, but trust me, he isn’t nearly as bad as you think. Just give him a chance. He’s far more nervous than he lets on, and if you can show that you trust him, even just a little bit, it will make him all the more willing to share his secrets with you.

“You will get your answers. Of that, I can guarantee.”

And with that, he closed the door.

Well, that’s dramatic. And I’m pretty sure you deserve answers even if you don’t trust him.

Ok, seriously brain. You’re right, but please stop and just let me sleep! I don’t need to be thinking about this all night!

I will stop once you’re in bed—

Twilight flipped off the light switch, then took a flying leap using whatever strength she had left and crashed into the bed and mountain of pillows with a ‘poomf.’

There, now shush, Twilight grumbled as she tried to get under the covers. This bed was so soft, and the blankets were so fluffy Twilight nearly fell asleep right there. But though some great effort, she managed to climb under the covers and prop her head up on a single pillow depicting an ocean town before the world truly began to fade.

At the same time…

Sparrow stared down at the burlap sack in his hoof as he lay in bed.

He had bathed, gotten dry, and then stalled for nearly forty-five minutes.

He was a King, a ruler, and one of the strongest creatures in this world. Yet he couldn’t face the sleeping world without fear of what may lie within.

Oh, Star. This was always so much easier with you beside me.

Acting before he lost his nerve, he pulled out a small bundle of medicine wrapped in a large leaf and tied with a bow of grass and immediately swallowed it. It was bland, but far better than the horribly bitter medicine contained within.

He downed a glass of water, put the bag back on his nightstand, and laid back. He could feel the medicine already escaping its unusual container and spreading throughout his stomach, numbing everything as the world itself ceased to exist.

Author's Note:

And so ends Twilight's first day on the island. And oh my gosh this took a while to write.

Sorry about that, but I really wanted to make sure I could give everyone the character development they needed before closing the day out. I think it turned out rather well, no doubt thanks to the wonderful editing of my glorious fiancee/editor. Thank you again my angel

And as always, there are some things you should keep an eye on in this chapter. I won't say what for fear of spoilers, but I'm guessing everyone will be able to identify at least one interesting detail when it comes to the Royal Forge.

I hope you enjoy it and I will see you all next time

Comments

[Moon Glow]

It lives! And there's a mention of Fluttershy's attraction to Right Word! Yay!

Seriously, though, Great chapter.

[Piemaster128]

10088577
Glad you enjoyed it

[Lordrantz]

The girlish squeal that came out of my incredibly manly body does not even begin to show how excited I was to see this chapter in my notifications box

[Asolem2]

…I’m not sure…Do you think maybe, I reminded him of his friend?

More than you know

Please tell me she’s not analyzing our relationship with Sparrow to see if we would be a good match.

She isn’t.

She totally is

“I can see what you mean,” Twilight said. “Just looking at them is…calming. I can see why you leave them up in such a prominent place.”

You might want to take note of the fact that they are hanging together with similar banners that has Sparrow's cutie mark on them... that is to say, the mark on the blue banners are probably the cutie mark of another pony

“Can you explain how their enchantments work?” Twilight asked eagerly as they stepped onto the large plate. The entire thing glowed orange as Right Word stepped onto it, then blue as Twilight stepped onto it. Right Word raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t say anything about it.

Oh ho ho, the spells on it reacts differently to Twilight

“I’m afraid these are behind my comprehension,” Right Word said, placing his hoof on the center of the plate.

I think you might want to use "beyond" here

And then there were the doors. In front of them stood a large set of double doors even Sparrow at full size could have walked through with ease. They were perfectly white with an elaborate golden crown decoration in the center of each. The left door had a handle made of an orange topaz while the right door’s handle was made of a large sapphire, and both were sculpted in an intricate curved design.

Twilight, you need to start noticing that a lot of things in this castle is either orange (symbolizing Sparrow) or blue (symbolizing the previous queen, and your probable past self)

After all, why wouldn’t the King of the island sleep in the best bedroom in the castle?

Cause he can't bring himself to even enter that room

“Here we are,” he said, nodding towards the door at the end of the hall. It was a deep sapphire blue with golden trimming around the outer edge and a golden door handle.

Seriously Twilight, you need to notice that many things around the castle is either orange or blue

You’re right! What the hay? Why is the image on the banners engraved about our room’s door!?

Because the room once belonged to a mare who's CM was the Puer Stella

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

I still think Twilight is too passive in regards to the invasion and what she is forced to do.

Sorry his move is NOT justified and I wish more would say that. Too much is going on his favor. I would like some conflict between him and Twilight.

[Piemaster128]

10088835
I know the feeling

[Piemaster128]

10089043
Give her time. She’s exhausted and has spent most of the day learning new things about the island. The realizations and theories will start soon.

[Piemaster128]

10089054
Conflict between them will come, and it will be important in the story. Give it time

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

10089142
Alright. Otherwise been a good story

[Piemaster128]

10089281
Good to hear

[manacar]

Great chapter and can't wait for more just a thing but is fluttershy looking after twilights owl

[Piemaster128]

10089460
Glad you liked it. And yes, Fluttershy is likely looking after Twilight's owl for the time being.

[Silentwoodfire]

I still think that the temporary invasion/conquering of Equestria is going to spawn a larger problem from elsewhere.

[BarrenBaron]

God this story is awful for setting my mind a' percolating like this. And the wait times between these chapters are torture.

good thing I like pain

[Greg3260]

Man i love this story! Its a shame it takes so long for a new chapter to come out.

[Piemaster128]

10096090
Sorry about that. Editing and writing just takes a while for me

[Midnight_Sempai]

What a wonderful chapter. Was savouring every part. Can't wait for what comes next

[Piemaster128]

10097303
Glad you enjoyed it

[Gboyd]

Sparrow..... Great, and now I feel bad. Curse you and your epicness, Piemaster!!

Usually I have words to desceibe a chapter. This time, I don't. So all I can say is.... Well done my friend. Well done indeed.

Oh, what was that? You want to know how I truly feel? Oh. Ok. Well, you asked for it...

Jcuensofh?!!$?ebcoabcifbaofue cjrjwlfhfiw. Hsjsn dp bwjcorb kw. Or xufbskv to!!!!? Mmhcbsjfujke zjabc!!-

[Piemaster128]

10139056
Glad you enjoyed it

[Gboyd]

1013
I think we all do!

[Sunny_and_Auri_23]

I don't know if everyone already knows and I'm just late. But I searched up the title of this fic 'Spero', and it means, in Italian, 'I Hope'. 'Credence' means 'Trust'. 'Akumu' means 'Nightmare'. 'Concordia' means 'Harmony'. Nice clues. Very clever. Also, I've come up with so many theories and I've analyzed this so hard that I think my brain's gonna burst! Not that I'm complaining! I absolutely love this!

[Piemaster128]

10164388
Glad you like it. And good eye looking up what some words mean. I won’t say more for risk of spoilers

[Sunny_and_Auri_23]

10164569
Very well...oh no, that means I'm gonna keep theorizing for the next few months, at least.

[Piemaster128]

10165658
Unfortunately. Sorry, but I already have three chapters in editing, so this might be a little before I update it. Sorry.

This is the problem with having so many good ideas. Too many active stories

[Sunny_and_Auri_23]

10166042
It's fine, I understand that handling so many stories at once is difficult. Take your time with it.

[SilverNightWolf]

I noticed you somehow mix up thought, through, and though a number of times. A few times you get them right, but mostly they're wrong.

Also, can someone remind me if/when and where Fluttershy mentioned or indicated that she had a crush? Please?

[Piemaster128]

10209305
If you see inconsistencies, please let me know and I can do my best to fix it. And I believe it was back in either chapter 2 or 3 the other girls were playfully teasing fluttershy about Right Word and how she had a crush on him

[SilverNightWolf]

10209671
I will once I find time to comb through the text.
Gotcha, thank you!

[Greg3260]

So is the story dead ?

[Piemaster128]

10332378
No. I just have other stories in need of updating. The next chapter is being written while the other chapters of other stories are being edited. The pandemic is also slowing things down a bit

[Kokos]

Hello. Can I translate your story and if something is unclear ask?

[Piemaster128]

10360726
Sure. Please just be sure to provide a link to the original and give me credit

[Kokos]

Hi. Will your fan fiction describe in detail someone's death or some erotic scene? I need this to indicate the rating for translating your fan fiction.

[Piemaster128]

10361066
There will be a part later when a death is described in detail, but no erotic content will be explicitly described.

[_-Sky-_]

Need.. more.. please...

But jokes aside I loved your story. It definitely falls into my "Favourite stories of all time" category. Just silently hoping chapters could be a little faster coming cause I think am gonna die waiting just to know what happens next.

[Kokos]

10369226
Yes

[Mindful_Dreamscape]

I really really like the story so far. Hope you keep going! It's awesome

[Piemaster128]

10541358
The next chapter is currently being edited

[midnight arrow]

this is really good so far

[Piemaster128]

10851890
Thank you

[midnight arrow]

10852460
i didn't think i would like this but I love it

[Greg3260]

Is this story dead?

[Piemaster128]

10881560
No. I hope to update it by the end of the week actually

[Greg3260]

10881560
Cool thanks

[Asolem2]

“No, er, well yes, um, maybe, I-I mean I just needed her help with the fox and the tent and she looked so nervous and much more beau—relaxed when she saw the fox so I tried to help because it was my—our fault that she was so upset and—” Right Word hastily tried to explain with a bright red blush.

Twilight struggled to hold back her snickers.

Looks like Fluttershy’s crush might not be one-sided.

We should tell Cadence about this. She would have a field day!

Yes, yes you should

[midnight arrow]

Either they would drive each other crazy trying to see who’s idea for a dress would be better, or have such a frenetic brainstorming session that everyone in Ponyville would have a new dress by the time they were done. Now focus, please.

i would love to see this

[Piemaster128]

11226811
Maybe I'll include it in the epilogue when I eventually get there

[MooseWhisker]

And finally, Pinkie Pie had been taking these last few days to relax around Canterlot Castle after jumping back to Ponyville to make sure the Cakes were ok. It was surprising to hear that the hadn't thrown a party in all that time, but once Twilight heard that she had baked enough pies for everypony in the castle, including all the guards in Canterlot, Twilight realized that she was doing just fine.

Is that supposed to be ‘she’?

As Tthey walked, Twilight took a minute the time to enjoy the peacefully atmosphere of the small forest. Despite being so close to the city, all she could hear were the sounds of various nocturnal creatures going about their business. Crickets chirped, an owl hooted nearby, and a small bat darted after an insect off to their left. It wasn’t as peaceful as the royal garden, but it was still very nice.

Extra letter

Acting before her lost the nerve, he pulled out a small bundle of medicine wrapped in a large leaf and tied with a bow of grass and immediately swallowed it. It was bland, but far better than the horribly bitter medicine contained within.

I’m guessing that should probably be ‘he’