The Heart's Promise

by MyHobby

Two Fellowships Form

A lone airship prowled its way across the sky, traveling to the uninhabited land between the country of Equestria and the Crystal Empire. It was registered to the Rich family, and currently in the possession of its youngest member, Diamond Tiara. That said, Diamond Tiara was currently in the possession of Silver Spoon.

Its engines chuffed as it was propelled over hill and dale, unhindered by the uneven landscape. Most of the prisoners freed from Solitaire had to trudge across miles and miles of dangerous wilderness, but a select few found themselves spirited away by the Maiden of the Sirens. These few had a particular role to play. Time was of the essence. The Maiden sat on a reclining couch in the airship’s gondola, pawing at her gemstone, glaring over her silver-rimmed glasses at the miscreants she had freed from prison just the night before.

Silver Spoon didn’t much like the company she kept, if she were really honest with herself. She wouldn’t dare be honest with anyone else. Honesty was for equals. And the only one equal to Silver Spoon was… well…

It had taken only a moment with Rhombus to know what he was all about. He was all about the female form, and how he had many, many ways of enjoying said form. She had quickly made sure he knew that the only way he was enjoying her form was from a distance of no less that two meters. He then wandered around the gondola, peering out the windows and occasionally waxing eloquent about Scootaloo, of all ponies. Plain, short, thin Scootaloo. She almost reconsidered his “invitation” just to spite the pegasus mare in some small way. But then she remembered herself; there was plenty of opportunity for spite over the next few weeks, and it would be much sweeter than a moment’s time spent with Rhombus. She was Silver Spoon, Maiden of the Sirens, and he was nothing more than an above-average handsome colt. Night and day. Mountain and molehill.

If Rhombus was a one-track mind, Lacer the Displacer’s train of thought was stuck at the station. He peppered her with questions about payment. When it was coming, what currency it was going to be, who he reported to, and please could she have it mailed to a seedy little tavern called The Bucking Bronco. His vaguely-noble goal of taking care of his sister Catrina and the rest of their kin soured Silver’s mood more than his pestering. He really thought he could hide the greed in his eyes? From her? She, who knew lies inside and out. She, who had been learning the art of cunning since she was a toddler? She, who wore the Siren’s Sigil around her neck? No, his motivation was gold, and his motivation would remain the same whether his clan existed or not. He would have gold, and he would only have gold until the end of his days.

She glowered after those brief conversations. The sheer lack of ambition churned her stomach. Here they were, in the presence of a goddess, and only seeking after things that might please for a moment, or delight the eye in passing, with no thought as to the real power at her disposal. Nor did they spare a thought as to the consequences of their actions, and where their disparate, dreary roads would eventually end for them. A diseased, passionless emptiness for Rhombus. A cold, dreary, lonely miser’s death for Lacer.

On the other half of the gondola lay two people with slightly more personality, but no less focus. Caution Tape, the former guard who had thrown it all away for the sake of love, only to have his hopes dashed to the ground. Perhaps more accurately “splattered across the pavement,” if the coroner’s report for his girlfriend was to be believed.

This intrigued Silver Spoon to no end, a rarity in and of itself. This stallion had been in a relationship with one of the Sirens. A mare by the name of Aria Blaze.

Her history was a complicated one. Adagio the Mother, Aria the Crone, and Sonata the Maiden had been banished to another world near the start of the Third Age by Starswirl the Bearded, to be stuck there for over a thousand years. Aria had found another way back—the mirror pools that Adagio was currently destroying—and kept it hidden from the others. That was a the same year Silver had been born, twenty-one years ago. Aria had tried to start a new life, tossing aside the ways of the Sirens. When she met Caution, they fell in love.

Unfortunately, that was when the story took a turn. She had become pregnant. She had become frightened. In her panic, she decided to leave Equestria permanently. She abandoned her child in Ponyville and vanished into the portal without a single word to Caution. He hadn’t even known about her pregnancy. Without a relationship with a known criminal to generate a scandal, he was able to rise to the position of Captain of Celestia’s personal guard. But still he had sought Aria out.

That was until nearly three years ago, when Sonata had discovered Aria’s deception regarding the mirror pools. She killed Aria in revenge for keeping her locked up in a magicless world for so long. Eventually, the Sirens of Aria’s time were broken utterly, with only Adagio remaining alive.

As Silver Spoon talked with Caution, certain lines connected between events, at least in her mind. How strange that Aria would find the mirror portal only after centuries of searching. How strange that Caution and Aria would both find each other practically the moment she stepped back into Equestria. How strange that their brief, fiery relationship should result in a child when neither were trying for it. How strange that Aria would flee and abandon her lover and their child, rather than putting it up for adoption if she were really against raising one. There was a missing link to the drama, and Silver Spoon decided that it could be none other than the Unseelie Court.

“Why do you suppose Aria left?” she asked, more to see how he answered than what he answered.

Caution looked at his rough hooves. If he were not already as red as a barn, she might have seen a blush appear on his face. “Oi never really understood. Oi read all her letters and that. She sounded like she wanted to be by me, but never so much… never even sent the letters. Let alone told me aught. All oi could see was that she was afraid. Afraid of bein’ a mother, I guess. Afraid of bein’ really serious. Oi like to think oi woulda been a good father.”

Silver Spoon considered her unasked question answered. He had never once considered the Unseelie Court as being the author of his personal life-story, except in the capacity that they had promised to bring the presumed “star-crossed lovers” back together. Aria’s sudden flight reeked of Jeuk and his brethren. Whatever lies or truths they had told her were sufficient to get her to voluntarily continue her banishment. To keep any word of it from Caution.

In turn, the mystery of it all had driven Caution to seek help from the Unseelie, to pledge allegiance to the very ones who had separated him from his love in the first place. First, Aria had been the dangling carrot, and now… Now, his daughter served to keep him marching in step with the Fair Folk.

“Did Aria leave any clues about your daughter? Coat color? Mane?” Silver Spoon softly chewed her lower lip as an ear swiveled. “What tribe of pony was Aria?”

“Earth Pony, like meself.” Caution tapped his chest. “But the Tape Family’s got some pegasus on me mum’s side. She started to write that the little filly had her eyes. Real deep an’ purple-like. She wrote it was like lookin’ in a mirror.”

Thousands of ponies had purple eyes, and dozens of those lived in Ponyville. But only one of those had no known parentage. Silver Spoon’s eyes narrowed and shot towards Rhombus, whose latest poem delighted in a certain pegasus mare’s hindquarters. Coincidence? Or more Unseelie shenanigans?

As intriguing as his story was—the true part of it—it still resulted in him being fairly straightforward, as far as his direction in life lay. He had a single goal at this point, maybe two. He sought to reunite a family that had never been. He wanted to find this abandoned daughter, and perhaps he wished to bring Aria back to life in some respect. As long as either seemed possible, he didn’t care much for his own safety, or the lives of those around him.

Much like Rhombus and Lacer, a tool. Perhaps more interesting to talk to, but a tool nonetheless. A hammer, seeking a nail.

Three tools down, two to go. Silver Spoon wandered over to a small unicorn mare with a familiar lavender coat and mane. She huddled in her cloak, with large glasses reflecting the light of her horn. She performed spells, warming up after long months locked up in Soltaire. Silver Spoon could tell she had a great mastery of the Wizarding Arts, just from watching the symbols and equations floating around her head. She had pad of paper in front of her, on which she scribbled fiercely. A diagram was taking shape, with the picture of a golden apple taking center stage.

She wasn’t keen to interrupt the mare’s work at first, nor did she really need to. She was versed enough in this mare’s story from her talks with the others. She was an immigrant from another world, one similar to Equestria, but wholly different. One where familiar heroes were the worst of villains. One where the land had been turned to dust and gravel beneath a tyrant’s hooves. One where the good King Sombra had fallen victim to a mind-altering magic entity.

Dr. Midnight had once been that world’s Twilight Sparkle, Silver knew. And the resemblance was uncanny. She looked just like the tiny, thin, bookish unicorn mare that had come to Ponyville some thirteen years ago. Unlike the Twilight she knew, this mare was angry. But not in a loud way. In a dark, silent, patient way. She was focused on one thing. Silver decided to ask what that was.

“Hello there, Doctor.” Silver Spoon pushed her glasses closer to her eyes. She decided to affect a small smile, not showing any teeth. Amicability without mirth. “I would like to ask what you’re working on.”

Dr. Midnight did not acknowledge her at first. She continued to work on her notes, only stopping to respond to Silver when it became obvious she would not go away. “The only thing that matters, of course. Surely your friends at the Court would have told you of my circumstances.”

“They did.” Silver sat beside her. She seemed too close for Midnight’s comfort, judging by the way the doctor shifted about an inch to the right. “But I’d like to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. I’m not the most scientific mind, but I do understand more about being a mortal than the average Fae.” She shook a hoof to wave off the sparkling text hovering around the area. “Not so much the ‘how’—only you know how this works for sure—but the ‘why.’ So long as we’re working together, I’d like to know what it is each of us is fighting for.”

Dr. Midnight pushed her glasses onto her forehead and rubbed her face. When her hooves came away, a spell covered her eyes, causing them to glow a soft lavender. A vision-correcting spell, Silver deduced. Midnight flipped through her notes until she came to the front page, which had a picture of an alicorn with her wings spread. “I seek to ascend to alicornhood in order to eliminate death from this world. And every world. Magic has been long used to relieve pain, balance out deformities, compensate for disabilities. I seek the spell to bring it full circle. To destroy the suffering that characterizes life as we know it.”

Silver Spoon’s smile didn’t so much as twitch. “At any cost? There’s no such thing as free lunch.”

“Right now, the process is rough.” Dr. Midnight switched to a page that held a diagram of three ponies, one of each of the tribes, with arrows pointing from them to a fourth pony. “It requires the fairy strings of three living ponies be transferred to a fourth. It is my hope that eventually, this crude and barbaric method will no longer be the only path towards ascension.”

“Depending on who you ask, it isn’t.” Silver Spoon nonchalantly glanced out the window. “Unless you think Mi Amore Cadenza and Princess Twilight have basements full of bodies.”

“They clearly do not. But there is no credible scientific research around their ascensions. They were freak accidents. As was Sunset’s.” The doctor allowed a little venom in her voice when mentioning that last pony. She stowed away her glasses and allowed her glowing eyes to bore holes in Silver’s skull. “Unless you could derive something from the princess’ drivel that I could not.”

Silver meaningfully pawed at the blue gemstone hanging from her neck. “Nah. My path to immortality lies somewhere else. It’s much less bloody, though no more ethical.”

“Ethics and progress are always at odds. Only by understanding that every step forward uncovers a newer, better morality, can we finally overcome our own weak flesh and blood.” Dr. Midnight lowered her head to her notes and began to sew the pages together, binding them into book form. “If you’ll excuse me, I have much to get done before we arrive.”

The attitude might have shocked Silver Spoon even a few years before. Thankfully, through frequent conversations with the Master, she had become accustomed to such talk. A few hundred lives, or a few thousand, or even ten times that, were nothing but a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of history, the rest of existence. Cosmically, nothing. The goal was plenty admirable and, more importantly, attainable. The ability to end suffering on such a scale was well worth the price of admission. But Silver felt it could be taken another step further…

She left Dr. Midnight to her own devices and proceeded to the rear of the gondola. There was one more member of their little band, one last piece to the puzzle. Perhaps the most important piece of all; the reason they’d assaulted Solitaire in the first place. Any of these tools could be broken and replaced, but one in particular had a higher purpose.

Wights on their own were not hostile creatures. No more-so than any close-knit family community when faced with the strangeness of the outside world. Their principal habitat was the deep swamp, where light only shone directly at high noon and houseboats were more prevalent than dry land. They existed on a diet of fish, amphibians, and fruits native to the damp areas of the world.

Their appearance was strange and otherworldly to people unfamiliar with them: Clammy, hairless skin; dark, black eyes; clawed, webbed feet; sharp, fish-like teeth. But they were indeed as rational as any other Sapient, and perhaps shared some ancestry with the changelings, judging by their ability to transform their bodies to blend in with their environment. Whenever they were forced to interact with people outside their community, they would routinely shift their appearance to that of a pony or griffon, or even a minotaur when intimidation was called for.

But every community has their bad seed. Some Wights shunned their families and lived completely solitary lives in the dark places of the world, preying on unsuspecting travelers and robbing them. The most evil of Wights even became cannibalistic, eating other Sapients as they prowled grave yards and watery caves. These “Barrow Wights” would disguise themselves as corpses and drag the unfortunate victims screaming into their horrific homes, never to be seen again.

One Barrow Wight in particular was named Scuttlebutt.

Silver found him disguised as an unremarkable, if unseemly, little pony. A gaunt, narrow-faced Earth Pony, with a greasy mane and thin tail, whose coat was a shade of brown that hewed a little too close to a certain type of dross. He peered at her from beneath a sweat-strewn brow, a cheese-eating smile appearing on his nearly-pointed muzzle. “As always, I am happy to serve whichever Siren is willing to allow me another day to live. What can I do for you, Maiden?”

“First I want to make sure you’re keeping your claws to yourself.” Silver Spoon pursed her lips, looking him up and down and finding the sight disagreeable. “Keep your mealtime etiquette somewhere around that of the average dog and we shouldn’t have any problems.”

“Well, just so long as someday I’m allowed… a taste.” The cheese-eating grin turned sour. “It’s been several years since Merry allowed me to indulge. It’s becoming unbearable.”

“Just remember that the last time you tried to ‘indulge’ it landed you in prison.” Silver touched the side of her glasses out of habit, as if to focus them on the grimy creature. To be honest, she wasn’t nearly so peeved as she acted. It was little concern of hers whether he ate a bird or a griffon. So long as he didn’t eat anybody she knew. Even so, she needed to keep up appearances and put the minion in his place. He was getting far to comfortable with his current circumstances. “Toe the line, Scuttlebutt. If you don’t, we’ll force you to comply. Unless you think you have the mental fortitude to overcome the sheer willpower of three Sirens?”

“I know better. Maiden.” He bowed at the neck as the last of his smile died a gruesome death. His body shifted paler, colder, damper, until he had reverted to his true form of a particularly-hideous wight. “I stand on the backs of giants, so as to not be crushed underfoot.”

“See that you don’t.”

She left him behind, without really having said anything of importance, and not learning anything of note. Such was the way the Sirens dealt with the slimy creature. Vague threats and vague promises of obedience, with an underlying knowledge that neither was heeded. She smiled to herself once her back was turned; it would not be long before such posturing was unnecessary. Once the Master’s plan was underway, nothing could halt their momentum.

She made her way past the five Sapients to a private cabin near the front of the airship. Diamond Tiara or her father would use it as a sleeping quarters during long cruises, while a hired pony piloted the ship. When the ship was under Silver’s care, it made for a good place to recover from the inanity of lesser minds…

And a good place to commune with a greater one.

She locked the door behind her and smiled at the room’s sole occupant. “Hello, Diamond. How are you?”

Diamond Tiara sat in a chair, looking out a window with a sullen look to her face. Downturned ears, slack mouth, vacant eyes devoid of thought. She was barely breathing; like an engine on idle. She glanced up at Silver’s appearance, but soon returned to her unfocused state.

Silver tapped the side of her glasses to adjust them a little higher on the muzzle. “Tell me I’m beautiful.”

At once, Diamond Tiara came alive, focusing her sparkling eyes on Silver Spoon and smiling as if she’d just come to the most wonderful realization in the world. “Hi Silver Spoon! You’ve got the most wonderful style, as usual. Are those new glasses? Girl, that’s totally you. Not a hair out of place on that fantastic braid.”

Silver Spoon laughed as Diamond’s words flowed like honey into her ears. “Tell me I’m a genius.”

“Nobody could hope to outthink you!” Diamond waved a hoof dismissively. “The other Sirens have no idea who they’re dealing with. It’s hilarious that Merry thinks she’s in charge when you’ve been pulling the strings from the start!”

“Alright, now shut up.” Silver Spoon nodded in satisfaction as Diamond Tiara’s luster faded. Even her coat seemed to dim a few shades from its usual vibrant pink.

While Diamond stared gormlessly out the window, Silver reclined on the bed. She uncovered a small silver mirror and placed it on the bedside table. She waited—for a moment or for hours, she could not tell, and did not care—until a vague shape appeared in the center of the reflective surface. Her visage vanished, replaced with a gray-coated stallion’s face. He adjusted the black hat between his ears and straightened his red tie.

“My Lord Jeuk,” she said with a genuine smile, “I am happy to report that we have collected the soldiers you requested. We’re on our way to the Grove of Golden Apples as we speak.”

“Excellent work, Silver Spoon, Maiden of the Sirens.” Jeuk chuckled in his halting, rhythmic way. His gray eyes flashed with a faint green as he leaned closer to the polished surface of the mirror. “Tonight is the night. All shall be unveiled and all shall be made ready. I presume you have sent the other prisoners—the less important ones—to complete their own tasks?”

“Yes, Master. They’ve begun the march to Canterlot. They’ll wait in the caves below the palace until you give the word.” Silver Spoon lowered her voice even further, to an intimate whisper as if sharing sweet nothings. “Have the other two Sirens done as they were commanded?”

“Bean Sidhe reports that Adagio has completed her good work, if under duress.” Jeuk’s mouth turned downward for a brief, deadly instant. “She has spirited the Sunset Shimmers away to another world. Outside of our influence, if only for the moment. Merry, on the other hand, has already delivered Fluttershy to the Grove unconscious. She refuses to allow the pegasus mare to leave her sight.”

“As expected of that sentimental old dotard.” Silver Spoon lay back, splaying her forelegs and staring at the ceiling. Merry, the head of their order, the one making all the decisions. Always held back by something. Always teetering on the edge of true enlightenment but refusing to take the plunge. “Well, she can do what she likes with Fluttershy once we have the Rainbow of Darkness back. Even if it’d just be safer to have her killed.” She scowled, flaring her nostrils as an uneasy thought floated through her mind. “We can’t even Dominate her, can we? Since she’s a Bearer.”

“Bearers of the Elements of Harmony have been notoriously immune to the Sirens’ Song thus far.” Jeuk tapped the side of his nose. “But I wouldn’t give in just yet. There are other forms of corruption and control that have proven far more effective in the past. Just look at River Cicada, or Nightmare Moon, or any of the other Bearers who have shown their true colors when pressed to the wall.” He laughed at the back of his throat, a guttural approximation of mirth that seemed just a little off when compared to what lesser minds called happiness. “It is always most amusing. Most very amusing.”

Silver Spoon grinned, and her teeth were white enough that their reflection could be seen slightly overlapping Jeuk’s face. She rolled onto her stomach and leaned close to the mirror. “Just what are you planning for Fluttershy, Master?”

“The coup de grâce for their miserable little friendship, where even those six can no longer consider themselves equals amongst sisters.” Silver Spoon marveled at the cold intelligence sparkling in his gray eyes; ageless yet impossibly ancient, calculating yet wild as fire, flighty yet laser-focused. He had been manufacturing their situation for more than three-thousand years, and here she was able to witness the culmination of it all. To take part in it. To take part in him. “I shall deal with them myself, while you lead the Sirens to victory over Equestria.”

Silver Spoon barked a single laugh, Merry’s irritating voice once again echoing in her ears. “As far as Merry Mare is concerned, she’s the one in charge. The Mother knows best, after all.”

“All Mothers become Crones, given enough time. You will surpass her, as she surpassed Adagio.” Jeuk tilted his black hat back. He glanced around his surroundings in the Abyss, ears swiveling to catch words Silver couldn’t hear. “Continue as you were, Maiden of the Sirens. Your devotion to the Unseelie Court shall reach fruition in due course. Tonight is the end of the beginning.”

He vanished from the face of the silver mirror. Silver Spoon took it to her chest, embracing it as her mind raced with the possibilities of ruling. Of banishing sickness and weakness from her species—alongside the weak and the sick. And then, when all was said and done, to be the mind which all other minds thought through. To be the source of wisdom and knowledge for the entire kingdom, with the power of the Sirens’ Song. All of Equestria guided by a single perfect will.

Under her spell.

---

Button Mash ended up being the one to carry the bag containing Kindness. Not so much because he had any great desire to, but because none of the other guys seemed willing to even touch it. It was too grand to them. Too much of a pipe dream to see an Element of Harmony in real life, let alone hold one in the pad of their hoof. Lickety Split looked nauseous whenever he glanced at it. Pipsqueak and Snips kept their distance like middle-schoolers at a dance party. Rumble hadn’t said anything specific about how he felt, but he generally insisted Button take it whenever the subject presented itself.

That’s not to say they’d abandoned Button. They all marched in tandem up Mane Street, the glistening, glittering crystalline castle looming overhead. Lickety seemed to be at war with himself, both trying to hide in Rumble’s shadow while trying to stay as far away from him as possible. He did his best to not draw any eyes, which was easy enough in the early morning when few ponies were up and about.

Button Mash climbed the stairs one at a time, smiling unevenly at the two imposing soldiers standing at the gate. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, but all that happened was a faint squeak.

Rumble took initiative and patted Button on the back. “Hay Snowcap, Coldstone. My buddies and have something to show the princess. It’s real urgent. Like, world-saving urgent.”

Coldstone, an imposing Crystal Pony stallion from the Empire, peered down at Button, his eyes immediately picking out the bag. “How urgent we talking? Like, ‘the sun will fall in three days’ urgent, or ‘Nightmare Moon is literally eating my tail’ urgent?”

“Honestly, I don’t think I’d be allowed to know about it if it hadn’t fallen right into my lap.” Rumble looked upward for a moment, then nodded his head. “Probably closer to the ‘sun falls in three days’ one. Urgent, but like, not quite perilous yet.”

“Cool beans.” Coldstone exchanged a glance with Snowcap, who nodded. “Princess Twilight just got back from the Everfree expedition. She and Spike are probably in the lab, going over their findings.”

Snowcap eyed the other assembled stallions with a look partially inspired by a hawk hunting rabbits. “You boys are lucky Spike put you on the shortlist for admittance.” She pointed to Lickety Split with a metal-shod hoof. “You guys vouch for him?”

Button nodded. “I can vouch.”

“Good. Otherwise he’d need to make an appointment. The wait list is about three years out, if you listened to the princess speak.

Snips twisted his muzzle. “An appointment to save the world?”

“Some heroes fight red tape,” Snowcap said with a shrug.

Rumble spread his wings and gently shoved his friends through the opening gates. “With that said, later!”

Rumble led the way through the main hall of Ponyville Castle, with its high-vaulted ceiling and its stained-glass windows grown from a seed around a decade ago. Planters led the way as arboreal sentinels, lending a touch of the natural to the otherwise crystalline architecture. The main hall had one road to take, to the very center of the trunk of the castle. In there was a large crystalline table with a three-dimensional map of Equestria rendered with illusion spells. Around this table, in an open circle, sat the seven thrones. Each one held the image of an Element of Harmony upon its back, save for the seventh, smaller throne. Button knew that Spike had most certainly earned that throne during the many adventures and trials he had encountered alongside the modern Bearers.

He tried not to be jealous, but it was hard. To have such a place in history, to have seen the Elements at work up close… He wanted it. He wanted it more than anything. Especially after learning of the original Bearers, the ones who had first used their power to banish the Lord of the Unseelie Court. The ones who had subsequently fallen and become even worse tyrants than the Fae. In his heart of hearts, Button wanted to make sure that the Elements were never misused again.

Overhead, he could see the root network of the old Ponyville Library. It had been hung from the ceiling as a mobile, a decoration to welcome Twilight and Spike to their new home. Enchanted crystals hung from the roots, each one holding a precious memory. If Button focused, he could see the faintest reflection of several of those memories, playing out like a living photo album.

“If I recall correctly,” Pip said into the sudden awed silence, “the laboratory is to the left. West wing.”

“Word.” Snips marched off at double-time, his face inscrutable. Rumble and Button followed suit, with the latter casting one last glance towards the throne where the Bearer of Kindness sat. He wondered if the gemstone he now held was pulled from the Tree of Harmony, or if it was from a new sprout of the same line. Hopefully Twilight would know.

Another hall, less decorated than the last, led to a wide-open room full of strange machinery and technology Button couldn’t hope to describe. Buttons and levers, blinking lights and chittering readouts, endless lines of bookshelves and bubbling vats of chemicals. Despite all the wonders available to her, Princess Twilight Sparkle was seated in a rocking chair, her nose buried in one book in particular. Spike was seated at a nearby table, turning a purple gemstone over in his hand.

The dragon raised his head at their approach. “Rumble? Button? Pip, Snips! What are you guys—” Button could note the exact moment he noticed Lickety Split among their company. His face grew more serious, his eyebrows downturned. “—What are you guys doing here?”

Button Mash sucked in a breath through his teeth. “It’s hard to put into words.”

Rumble gently took the bag from Button’s back and placed it on the table. “Lickety Split found the Element of Kindness.”

“Or you could just say that,” Button muttered.

Spike and Twilight exchanged a sharp glance, each a narrow-mouthed mirror of the other. The princess literally flew from her rocking chair and came to a rest beside the table, opening the bag with her magic. Kindness shone from the shadows, illuminating them in a glow both otherworldly and right at home in the palace. Warm pink tinted their faces as their expressions changed to something a little softer, a little more at peace.

Button leaned closer to the precious gemstone to better drink in the feeling of it all. “It’s like a song. Soft and inviting.”

“And dangerous,” Twilight said, her voice uncharacteristically harsh. Maybe it was because she wasn’t wearing her voice-changing gemstone, and thus had to make due with scarred vocal chords. Maybe it was just the stress getting to her. Maybe Button wasn’t as aware of the situation as he thought he was. She continued to speak as though she was leading a march of soldiers, line by line, step by mighty step. “I need to know exactly how you came by this gemstone, Lickety Split. No detail unremembered. No stone unturned.”

Lickety Split took a step back from the princess’ onslaught. He stuttered at first, but soon found his footing. “I—I was just minding my own business, about a week ago, in Fillidelphia. I was walking home from work at the local Rich Mart. This lady wearing a dark cloak approached me, her face hidden by a big hood. She bumped into me, pressed the gem against my chest, and said ‘You’ll know what to do with it.’ Then she vanished. Like, into thin air.” Split stared at the gemstone, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. “I swear, I had no idea what to do with it. I knew it was powerful, and the only person who I could go to with this kinda thing was my little brother. I heard he’d started dating Sweetie Belle, so I went straight to her house to look for him.”

“Oh Creator bless him.” Rumble turned his eyes to the high ceiling. “You got there last night, didn’t you?”

Lickety Split could do no more than nod.

“You ran into Scootaloo, then.” Rumble furrowed his brow and set his glare directly upon the relatively-shorter stallion. “Didn’t you?”

“I didn’t mean to see her.” Split looked at his hooves to avoid the heat. “Please, make her happy. Just make her forget about me.”

Rumble clicked his tongue. “Hard to forget about you when you show up unannounced.”

“This is not the time!” Twilight snapped. “Take your domestic affairs home with you.”

The assembled stallions leaped exactly one meter away from her at her outburst. She glanced around with an air of confusion, then rolled her eyes at them. She touched a hoof to Kindness and held her breath. The expression that came over her face was a step beyond serene, into real, unbothered relief.

“It seems real. It feels just like Fluttershy’s gem, before we put it back into the tree.” She looked up at Spike and beckoned him forward with a waved wing. “Come here, you’ll need to know how the Elements feel. More keenly than ever. They all have their assorted eccentricities, but the feeling of power is unmatched.”

Spike offered her a halfhearted smirk. “I’ve handled the Elements more than a few times.” Even so, he reached out and cupped Kindness in his hands. He swallowed hard. “It feels like… I’m unworthy to even look at it. It’s beauty beyond compare. Beauty that can’t be captured or owned, or even approached.”

Lickety Split peered over Spike’s shoulder, his face a queasy green. “It’s terrifying, is what it is.”

Pipsqueak attempted to suppress a laugh and ended up sputtering in Snips’ face. “Terrifying? Really, Split, it’s Kindness. Literal goodwill! What could be terrifying about it?”

Snips deliberately wiped his cheek while glaring at his diminutive friend. “Aside from it literally being able to turn people to stone?”

“There’s that… But there’s more danger than even petrification.” Twilight Sparkle took the book she was reading and tucked it beneath her wing. She eased herself over to a whiteboard she had on rollers in the middle of the room. She took a marker in her magic and rapidly drew six hexagons in a circle. Outside the circle, with arrows connecting them, she drew crude outlines of several monstrous shapes. “Each of the Elements represent one aspect of Harmony. A concept which ranges from simply getting along to grand feats of international cooperation. It requires each and every aspect to work in tandem, and if even one of these Elements are missing…”

She had drawn the image of a demonic, bat-winged female, of a species Button didn’t recognize. She had the coloration of a mare he knew to be Sunset Shimmer, and wore a crown that looked a little too similar to Twilight’s own Element of Magic to be coincidence.

“If even one of those Elements are missing,” Twilight said quietly, “it turns Harmony into something ugly.”

Spike nodded, tucking Kindness back into the bag. “When Sunset Shimmer stole the Element of Magic, she used its power to hold an army’s worth of young people in her thrall. Literal mind-control. Magic is the Spark that makes friendship possible. It draws people together, turns acquaintances into lifelong companions. If that kind of raw charisma lacks loyalty, or kindness, or honesty, it becomes manipulation. Or worse.”

Pipsqueak placed a hoof over his muscular chest, frowning in thought. “I suppose I can understand that. I even suspect I know what might come of blind loyalty or brutal honesty. But Kindness? How could that be in any way terrible on its own?”

“At best, without any accompanying Elements…” Twilight bit her lower lip and chewed. “It’s wishing a stranger to ‘have a nice day,’ even if you never intend to do anything to actually improve their day. Soulless and meaningless, but mostly harmless. At worst, it’s the tyrant’s perspective of kindness; forcing others to do things for their own good without allowing them autonomy. Love cannot exist without free will and its choice to act, and kindness is heavily intertwined with love.”

“All of the Elements are.” Button Mash lowered his ears to his scalp. “But love turned away from its true purpose is power run amuck.” He turned to Spike, raising an eyebrow at his friend. “Why do you need to know the Elements, like Princess Twilight said?”

Spike crossed his arms over his chest, looking not at Button but into a future he couldn’t see clearly. He heaved a breathy sigh and spared Twilight a glance. He didn’t wait for her to answer his unspoken question, but spoke his mind at once. “The Tree of Harmony was destroyed last night. It’s time to begin the search for the Elements of Harmony all over again, like Princess Celestia and Luna did a thousand years ago. Twilight and her friends can’t do it, so I’ve volunteered.”

Silence descended over the room like a smothering blanket. The only movement was Twilight Sparkle softly nodding. Those present either looked at Spike or the bag now newly in his care.

Rumble stirred first, spreading his wings as he approached the dragon. “You’re not going alone, are you?”

“Well, I hope not.” Spike chuffed a nervous laugh. “I’d like, you know, a navigator and maybe a few bodyguards or something.”

“I’m coming with you,” Button said.

Lickety Split grabbed his little brother’s shoulder. “Button, what are you talking about?”

“I’m going with Spike.” Button Mash shrugged Split’s hoof aside. He looked around at the stallions in attendance, looking them right in the eye in a slow half-circle. “You all know me, I’m the Stories guy. I’ve been telling people about the Element Bearers since I was old enough to know the stories. From River, to Celestia, to Twilight… They mean so much to me. I’ve seen how they’ve helped everybody. I’ve seen how many they’ve hurt when misused.” He turned around to face Twilight Sparkle and Spike. He bowed his head. “With your permission, I want to be part of the expedition. I want to do everything I can to make sure the Elements don’t end up in the wrong hands. I want the story of the Elements of Harmony to have another good ending.”

Spike covered his mouth, shaking his head. “Man… how can I say no to that?”

Rumble rested his wingtip across both Button’s shoulders. He bumped his hoof against hi own chest. “And you know what? We come as a matched set. Screw the fairies and whatever they wanna do to Equestria. Screw the Sirens and their master plan. We’re gonna show them what it means to mess with Harmony.” After a heartbeat, he coughed into his hoof and nodded at Twilight. “Assuming I can get some sort of reassignment to Spike’s crew.”

Twilight Sparkle snorted. “I don’t think I could stop you if I ordered you to be chained up in the dungeon.”

Spike put his hands on his hips, the faintest hint of a smile appearing on his lips. “I remember the last time you guys asked to join me on an adventure. It didn’t end up how we wanted it to.”

“No,” Button said, “but we all made it out the other side.”

“And we made it out because we were all together.” Rumble sucked his lips in. “Briefly. Before we all got horrifically injured.”

“It’s also not a walk in the park.” Spike took the book Twilight was holding and patted the cover. “This is an arduous, world-spanning expedition. It could take months, or years!”

“I’ll be there the whole way,” Button said.

“Say no more, bud,” Rumble said.

“I’m comin’, too!”

All heads turned to the entrance of the laboratory to see a talk, plain mare with a red mane trotting her way into the castle. A young filly with a curly mane followed on her heels.

“Apple Bloom!” Spike ran up to her at once and hugged her. He looked up at her face, and his smile became a frown. “What’s wrong?”

Apple Bloom wiped dampness from the corner of her eyes and laughed haplessly. “I had that scheduled argument with Applejack. I decided I wanted to be around you for a while.”

“Sure. As long as you want.” He touched her cheek, and even from several paces away, Button could see the relief radiating in waves of heat off of the drake. “But… how much did you hear? Do you know what you just volunteered for?”

“I heard everythin’ since Button’s speech. I know what I’m getting’ into. I welcome it.” She turned a serious eye to Button and Rumble. “An’ I suspect you’ll be wantin’ my help to explain to Sweetie and Scoots just why their boyfriends are all vanishin’ on them?”

Button felt his face heat up to a temperature slightly below volcanic. Oh yeah. That little matter of being in a relationship. He’d volunteered without thinking… mostly because the Elements were all he’d been thinking about for a long time. What would Sweetie think? Especially since the last adventure he’d been on had taken such a toll on both of them. Would she be mortified? Encouraging? Would she dump him then and there for fear of experiencing the pain of seeing him come back in a casket?

Rumble, on the other hoof, seemed to be mostly unconcerned. He put on a brave face and smiled with his eyes closed. “Aw, she’ll understand. Heck, she might even want to join the party once she hears you’ll be coming.”

Pipsqueak pulled a face. “As someone who’s played the dating game for a few years longer than you… You have the air of somebody gleefully looking down the barrel of a loaded volleygun. Might want to tread more gingerly into such untrodden territory, my friend.”

“And guys…” Snips took a step back from Button and Rumble to get the entire scene in his view. He shook his head, scoffing at something in his mind’s eye. “Oh, never mind. I’ve seen this before. I’ve seen you guys charge after Sweetie Belle’s and Scootaloo’s kidnappers without even a mote of hesitation. And then I didn’t understand it. I was too horrified by Button almost dying. But I think I get it. You all wanted this, didn’t you? You’ve all wanted this for a long time.”

Button bobbed his head, frowning faintly at the unicorn stallion. “I’m pretty sure it’s been brewing within me for a long time. A… a promise I made to myself. As sure as my Cutie Mark is my heart’s promise. This is just my opportunity to do something about it.”

“I get it.” Snips nodded, taking a seat on the cold crystal floor. “Because I’ve felt the same way, but about something else. I always knew you were going to run off on another crazy adventure eventually… and I promised myself that I’d stay home, even if I wanted to come.”

Spike crawled over to him, smiling unevenly as he approached. “I don’t want you to feel obligated, Snips. You don’t have to come if—”

Snips raised a hoof. “Yeah, stop right there. It ain’t because I’m a coward. It ain’t because I’m afraid. This time.” He rested the hoof on his chest and leaned forward. “I wanna come, I really do, but I know I have to stay behind. There’s something keeping me here that’s just as important as what you’re doing. I’m not sure what it is just yet, but…” He glanced at Pipsqueak. “You feel the same way, don’t you?”

Pipsqueak blew a breath through his nostrils. He turned to Spike with a stiff upper lip and a thrust-out chest. “Indeed I do. We shall guard the home front, Spike, even as you brave the unknown.”

Lickety Split looked between Snips and his brother. “I don’t know what you guys are talking about. You’re acting like you’re crazy.”

“It’s alright, Split.” Button Mash walked back to the table and rested a hoof on the bag containing Kindness. “Just know that we wanna do this.”

Princess Twilight Sparkle raised her head high. She was nearly as tall as Princess Luna, and thus met Apple Bloom eye to eye. She perhaps not-too-subtly grabbed the bag from beneath Button’s hoof and looped the strap over her own shoulder. “Then I guess I’ll hold onto this until you’re all ready to begin the journey. Any thought about when that might be, Spike?”

“Some time after the Cloudsdale’s reopening party, I guess.” Spike stood hoof-in-claw with Apple Bloom, shoulder-to-significantly-lower-shoulder. “It’ll take more than a week to get everything ready. We still need to figure out what the journal says about the Elements. And we’ll need transportation and supplies.”

Twilight slapped the metal table with a sharp hoof, causing all present to jump at the violent sound. “I want to emphasize that none of what we’ve spoken about today leaves this room. If it does, we’ll all be in danger. Do I make myself clear?”

The chorus of “Yeah” and “Yes, ma’am” was nearly unanimous, save for the filly who had followed Apple Bloom in. She finally took her moment to step forward, and Button saw that she was not a stranger, but Pumpkin Cake. She cleared her throat and looked up at Twilight Sparkle with an expression more often seen on a fierce warrior than a baker’s daughter. “Can I speak now, or are you adults gonna keep droning on for a few hours?”

Twilight Sparkle pulled a face while her back was turned, but managed to appear magnanimous when she addressed Pumpkin. “Miss Pumpkin Cake, I would appreciate it if you were a little more respectful—”

“I’ve got nothing but respect,” Pumpkin said with a growl, “what I don’t have is time. Fluttershy is missing.”

---

Button Mash paced back and forth in the laboratory, having been forbidden to leave by the princess. He was in much the same position as the others, all awaiting Twilight Sparkle’s return with news of Fluttershy’s absence. He was confused. The last time Fluttershy had gone missing, it was met with a city-wide scramble to find her, Discord, and the Cake twins. But now, in an evidently darker hour, Twilight had forbidden them to speak of it, or to help with the search.

It was an hour later when Princess Twilight came back, accompanied by the Captain of the Ponyville Guard, Commander Skyhook. They were chatting in low tones, so Button couldn’t hear a word of it.

Thankfully for Button, what Snips lacked in decorum he made up for with brashness. “So? What’s the story?”

Twilight nearly looked like she would dismiss the stallion outright. Instead, when she saw that all present were waiting with bated breath, she relented and drew them all closer. “She is missing, and we have a suspect, but if any of you breathe a word of this, I cannot guarantee your safety. We’ve seen a lot of strange things happen surrounding Mayor Merry Mare. We think she might be in league with the Sirens.”

Apple Bloom jerked her head back. “Then why hasn’t anypony arrested her?”

Skyhook, crowned with a furrowed brow and an iron helmet, glanced around the room before replying. “We’re trying to uncover the entire conspiracy, not just one part of it. Any time we’ve made a move on one of their allies, they’ve vanished like smoke.”

“We’re too late again!” Twilight Sparkle threw a foreleg to the sky and slumped into her rocking chair. “There’s no trace of either Fluttershy or Merry.” She snapped her eyes to Lickety Split and dragged him closer to her with a glimmering spell. “When did you say the mare gave you Kindness?”

“J-just a week ago!” Lickety Split dug his hooves into the smooth crystal floor to no avail. “First of the week!”

“I’ve been taking care of the golden apple tree every day,” Pumpkin said, “so him getting Kindness doesn’t have anything to do with Fluttershy disappearing. She was home yesterday.”

Twilight eyed Split with a keen-edged stare. She dropped him with a roll of her eyes. “Alright. I just thought there might be something there. I haven’t spoken with Fluttershy since…” She left the thought unfinished. “There’s no way this is a coincidence, though. Fluttershy vanishing and the Element of Kindness being brought here, all on the same night that the Tree of Harmony dies… Things are speeding up. If we want to keep Fluttershy alive, we’re going to have to work carefully.” She stood up in a rush and laid her hoof on Spike’s scarred arm. “But that’s my job. You guys have to focus on the journey ahead of you. It’s going to take all of us working together, all at the same time.”

Spike touched a clawtip to her foreleg. “We’ll find the Elements, and you’ll find Fluttershy, and we’ll bring the gems back here so you girls can use them to blast the fairies back to the moon. Count on it.”

Snips began to rise to his hooves, but paused halfway. “Soooo, are we free to go?”

“Do what you want.” Twilight picked up the journal and began to read near the back of the book. “I have a lot of studying to do.”

Spike dropped to all fours and made way for the exit. “Time to start planning. Apple Bloom? Rumble? Button Mash?”

Skyhook stopped Rumble with a hoof. “I heard you just requested to be reassigned. A week after you were reassigned to Ponyville by request. A week after requesting leave, at that.”

Rumble’s eyes widened as he shifted his glance from the uninterested Twilight to his imposing C.O. “Uuuuhm. Yes, sir.”

“Alright.” Skyhook smiled and patted Rumble’s shoulder as he passed. “So long as you realize you’ve got it pretty cushy for a pony-at-arms.”

Pumpkin Cake shook her head and followed Apple Bloom and the stallions out. The group of them stood at the front gate of the castle, just outside of Coldstone and Snow Cap’s hearing. Pumpkin swiveled to the front of the group and pouted out her lower lip. “So that’s it? That’s all we’re going to do for Fluttershy?”

Spike knelt down in front of her, to put his head more in line with hers. “We’re doing all we can. Who knows? You might have already saved her just by letting Twilight know.”

“Well, I’m not done with it yet.” Pumpkin Cake turned away from him and sped for the exit. “Discord needs Fluttershy.”

When the filly had vanished from sight, Pipsqueak and Snips half-seriously, half-snickering bowed to Button and Rumble. “We’ll help with the search as well,” Pip said. “There’ll be no stone left unturned. No villain unbothered.”

“Yeah, and we’ll be rooting for you.” Snips bopped Split on the shoulder. “If you’re gonna be sticking around, you oughta help the search, too.”

“I guess.” Lickety Split swallowed hard and backed away from his brother. “See yah around.”

The three of them left in a different direction than Pumpkin, walking downtown muttering to each other.

Spike flicked his tail towards the town. “Why don’t we go to the library? I’ve already had it closed for today because of Twilight’s mission, so we won’t be bothered there. We can talk.”

Apple Bloom nodded, speaking for all of them. “Sounds good. I’ll get Scoots and Sweetie and bring them in.” Before Button could voice a question, she turned to him with a swish of her tail. “Not just for your guys’ benefit, either. Trust me on this.”

With Bloom parted, two stallions and one dragon walked though the middle of Ponyville on their way to the library. The market was fairly empty this time of year, with harvest still some months away and the planting season for most fruits and vegetables well in the past. This close to noontime was also light on hoof traffic, since people would most likely be indoors for lunch or doing light cleanup at their shops. Even Lyra, who could frequently be found playing her chosen instrument at Town Square’s fountain, was sitting quietly, caring for her lyre’s strings.

This otherwise-lazy day brought them uneventfully to the Seeds of Friendship Public Library. It was a wide-trunked tree, with its inner rooms grown by earth pony artisans rather than carved. It was a bit bigger than its predecessor, which had been destroyed by Tirek a decade prior. Judging by the roots Button had seen earlier that day, the new library was about twice as tall and twice as girthy.

Within lay the expected shelves upon shelves of books. Ancient tomes, monthly periodicals, scientific textbooks, and fantastical fiction shared equal space among the branches of the library. A seating area sat against one wall, with two chairs and a couch seated before a dark fireplace. A hoot greeted them as they entered, and Owloysius flew from his perch to sit atop Spike’s head.

“Hiyah, you old feather-duster.” Spike gently moved the owl from his forehead to the nearest bookshelf. “Keeping the place cozy?”

“Hoot. Whoo whoo?”

“Yeah, more company’s on their way.”

“Whoo hoot hoo.”

“Yes, you’re right, it’s the girls.”

“Hoot!”

After the fireplace was lit, Button Mash and Rumble rested in front of it, while Spike and Owloysius prepared tea for six ponies. It was only a few minutes later that Apple Bloom arrived with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in tow, and only a few minutes later that the shouting started.

“You really thought I wouldn’t mind, huh?” Scootaloo fluttered around the library in a flurry of feathers, glaring at Rumble the whole while. “You really thought you were gonna pop off to who-knows-where without talking to me about it!”

Rumble sat on the floor, his eyes as wide as dinner plates, looking for all the world like a stallion slowly being cooked in a pot of hot water.

Sweetie Belle gave Button Mash the side-eye, her turn to speak having not quite come. Even so, Button Mash felt as though she was speaking volumes.

“I don’t think that’s quite fair, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said. “He’s just doin’ what he thinks is right, after all.”

“I know that.” Scootaloo broke off her attack pattern just long enough to roll her eyes at Apple Bloom. She crossed her forelegs over her chest. “It’s just that we’ve been separated for years at this point! We finally thought we were going to be able to date again. Get closer again! Get to know each other finally! And now I hear he’s decided to go on a world-spanning trek without speaking to me about it at all!”

“Scoot…” Rumble’s wings shook against his sides as he let his voice rise above her tirade. “This is our chance to talk.”

“We were supposed to talk before you made your decision, you big muscle brain!”

Rumble frowned at her, his eyebrows raised to their peaks. “Do you wanna change my mind?”

Scootaloo stopped. She hovered in midair, the magic in her wings holding her perfectly still. She slumped to the floor in a heap of feathers and hair. “No… No, I don’t.”

He reached out to touch her hoof. She didn’t pull away. “It’s not like I made this choice at random. This is important to everybody. It’s like when you were kidnapped… There was only one option in my head, not two. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t jump on this chance.”

When she raised her head, Button could see what was hidden in her frenzied movement: She had been crying since she arrived at the library. Her face was flush with sorrow and anger intermingled, and it seemed that raising her voice was the only outlet that came to mind.

Button’s ears perked up when Sweetie’s voice filled the air. Her green gemstone sparkled with every word that left her delicate mouth. “I feel the same as Rumble. I think you do, too, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo turned to her oldest friend. She rushed to hug Sweetie with the large, purple wings that contrasted with her orange coat.

Button’s mouth fell open at Sweetie’s declaration. He stood up and practically hovered over the two embracing friends, his mouth working wordlessly until he could parse rational thought. “You mean it, Sweetie? Are you sure? This is… this is a long journey, with no real promise that we’ll make it back, and—and your shop—”

“I mean it, Button.” Sweetie Belle rubbed Scootaloo’s back softly, humming whenever she wasn’t speaking. “If we don’t find the Elements of Harmony, there won’t be a shop. Or an Equestria. Or you. Any of you.”

With a quiet moment finally achieved, Spike walked around with a tray, passing teacups out to each person attending. Scootaloo’s crying turned to hiccups as she sipped, sitting close beside Sweetie.

Scootaloo snorted after a particularly loud slurp. “I thought things were gonna return to normal around here, but I guess it’s more than we deserve.”

“It isn’t really about what we deserve.” Spike eased himself into the couch beside Apple Bloom. “We’re all dealt a bad hand from time to time. Some moreso than others.”

When a knock clattered against the front door, Apple Bloom glanced out the window. “Oop. Figured this would happen. It’s just Big Mac; be right back.”

Despite himself, Button Mash couldn’t help but eavesdrop. There was just something about the Apple Family’s drawl that drew the ear and made one stand up and take notice. Big Mac and his grandfather, Grand Pear, had both arrived to ask Apple Bloom to head back home. When she politely declined, they shuffled off back to the farmhouse, and she shuffled back to the couch.

“As much as I agree with your decision,” Sweetie said to Button after a spell, “I feel the same as Scootaloo. I think you might have timed it better, Mr. Button Mash.”

“I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle. I almost couldn’t help myself.” Button Mash lowered his head, shutting his eyes. “It means that much to me.”

“I know it does.” She reached out and touched his hoof. “It means that much to me, too. You mean that much to me.” She looked to everybody present and said in a sure voice, “I’m joining the expedition. I’ll help in any way I can, whenever I can.”

Scootaloo stood, balancing the last few drops of tea on the edge of her hoof. She juggled the tea in a ring of steam. “Yeah. I’m coming, too. I gotta look out for my big sis while she’s busy with Cloudsdale.” She shrugged. “And, you know, probably help you guys out. Maybe save the world again. Weekend stuff.”

Rumble grinned wide, despite the sour glance she gave him. “This ‘weekend stuff’ could take a lot of weekends.”

“If I’m with you guys, it’ll seem like no time at all.” She gulped down three floating blobs of tea and wiped her mouth with a wing.

Spike slumped his shoulders as he leaned back in the couch. “You know, earlier today, I was going it alone. Now I’ve got more allies than I know what to do with. Thank you guys so much.”

“This is just the kinda people who you made friends with.” Apple Bloom leaned against him, shutting her eyes and letting the warmth of the fireplace seep into her skin. “We’re not exactly a crack team of royal guards—”

“Speak for yourself,” Rumble said.

“—but we got it where it counts.” Apple Bloom stuck her tongue out at the pegasus stallion.

Sweetie Belle touched a hoof to her mouth. “Six seekers, six Elements. I don’t think you could have planned it better.”

Button Mash shuffled to her side, leaning back against the side of one of the chairs. “Unless it was planned well in advance.”

Sweetie smiled at her beau with a gleam in her eye. “Wasn’t there a song you were working on for the new show? The one about River Cicada finding the Elements of Harmony for the first time? I think this might be an excellent time to debut it.”

Button laughed as all eyes turned to him expectantly. “Well, that’s the thing, like you said, it’s unfinished. I’ve only got, like, four lines finalized.”

Sweetie Belle gave him a peck on his blushing cheek. “What better time to sing them than when you yourself are about to set out on the same journey River took?”

Rumble stirred the pot with a smirk. “She’s got a point, Mr. Mash.”

With a chorus of encouragement coming his way, Button could do nothing but relent. He took a sip of the warm tea, took a deep breath, and took the new song for a whirl.

“The softest voice, the sweetest song
The kindest touch that rights all wrong
The cleansing fire, the pure desire
The peaceful home where you belong”

Author's Note:

Button's song is to the same tune as "Misty Mountains" from The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

Comments

[Spade_McTrowel]

And the casts come together.

Now things get interesting.

[Starlight Nova]

How many chapters long will this chapter be?

[MyHobby]

11441145
Right? Now we can actually start seeing the stuff the story description talks about. It's only been 80,000 words and a whole year, no biggie.

11441168
Not sure about the amount of chapters, but the whole story's going to be about 250,000 words long. Maybe a bit more, once it's all said and done.