Warsong: Primordial Conflict

by Jumping Jack

Chapter 24: Canterlot High On High

I got off the auto wagon back in the city. I wasn't sure where I was anymore. This whole city was like a maze. I walked up to a board that looked to be a map. I studied it, trying to figure out where Canterlot High would be. It was good to know that this city is called Canterlot City. Familiar name aside, the map was proving to also not be helpful. This is about the same thing Din is dealing with. Din snorted.

Unlike I, a map cannot physically be manipulated on the charted pathing. Perhaps ask a local to save time. Din said boredly. I sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. Perhaps I should make eye contact and have them realize that my freaky eyes are going to draw more attention!" I stated aloud. Fate must have been cruel today because as soon as I finished my sentence, something blew right into my face, blackening my vision. I flailed my hands at my face, trying to pull off whatever was covering me. Din cackled as I finally pulled whatever it was off of me and looked at it with annoyance. My expression softened as I noticed it was a blank paper. I flipped it over and found it to be a flier. "Huh. Watch the Rainbooms perform at Canterlot High." I skimmed the flier again. There was an address but looking around, I had no idea where I should even start. I looked at the passing persons before walking up to a female person and holding up the flier. "Err... excuse me. Do you know how to get to Canterlot High?" I asked. The person looked to me. They had black greasy combed hair, wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket and jeans. He lowered his glasses to eye me before studying the flier. He then grabbed the flier from my hand and crumpled it before dropping it on the ground.

"Take my advice. Don't bother with that dumb school. It'll only hold you back." He said. I arched a brow. I recognize this kind of posture and attitude. A certain pony back in CSGU always put it on around Thi and I to act tough.

"I was just asking for directions. Oh well." I replied with a non-chalant shrug and walking past him to catch the attention of the next passerby. "Excuse me, do you know how to get to Canterlot High?" I asked a passing old looking female person. The person turned to me and arched a brow.

"Canterlot High? That's quite a way out of the city. You're better off taking a bus that'll take you to it. There is a bus station down that way that often leaves for Canterlot High." She said, pointing down the road. I smiled and waved at her.

"Thanks." I replied. The old person nodded before continuing her walk. I turned and was about to walk down the sidewalk when the guy stood in front of me, blocking my path. I put a hand on my hip and raised a brow at him. "Can I help you?" The guy studied me.

"You look like you've been through a few scuffs. Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked. I crossed my arms and shrugged.

"Maybe. Or you could just be psyching yourself out. But I'm guessing a tough guy like you has done more than just a few scuffs." I replied unamused. That seemed to catch his attention. He rubbed his chin before poking my head. I batted his hand away with a frown. The guy backed away, hands up.

"My bad, girl. I was going to ask if you were Thi's sister. But I guess I was wrong." He said. My expression softened.

"Thi? Thi... Billet?" I replied.

"The one in the same." A voice said from an alley. We looked and my jaw dropped. Leaning coolly against the wall, twirling a balisong between and around her hand and fingers, dawning a denim jacket over a white shirt, skinny jeans and what looked to be some mean looking boots, red hair that draped to one side in a primmed fashion, was the uncanny resemblance of my best friend. She flicked the blade closed and raised a suspicious brow. "Do I know you?" She asked coldly.

I took a moment to register what she asked me, shaking my head.

"O-oh no. S-sorry. Just uhh... heard rumors about... someone named Thi." I replied. Thi pushed herself off from the wall and got up in my face, scowling and studying me.

"Oh yeah? Who told you?" She asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. We locked eyes and she raised a brow. "Whoa. Freaky eyes. How are you doing that?" I balked and covered my eyes.

"Oh! Nothing's going on with my eyes! Nothing at all! You're just imagining things." I replied quickly, looking between my fingers and giving a nervous smile. Thi pulled back and crossed her arms unamused.

"I'm watching you, kid. If you're an agent of Slap Happy, well, we have ways of making you talk." She said, flicking out the balisong and making a slitting motion across her neck with the back of the blade. The guy walked over to her and put an arm around her.

"Let's get out of here, babe. We're supposed to be at the meet up an hour ago." He said. I watched the two walk off, Thi looking less than pleased. I slumped and put a hand to my head.

"This is starting to freak me out a little. Am I going to be running into Cloudchaser next?" I said to myself. Din snorted.

We are on our way to a place where you are more than likely to meet familiar faces. No drawing attention for the hundredth time. Din replied, grunting as I heard her shift. She suddenly smirked and looked pleased with herself. One down! Several... thousand more to go... ugh... She said defeatedly. I rubbed the back of my head, looking back down the road where Thi and her supposed fling disappeared to. As I walked to this bus stop, that whole interaction unlocked a memory for me. Back in CSGU when Thi and I were caught up in a bad prank gone wrong by Butcher and his gang, Thi had dated this one stallion very briefly. She only went on one date though and she told me it was the worst thing she's ever experienced. An expensive restaurant that served less than mediocre food for high society. As if she didn't despise high society more than she does now. It was a shame. The stallion wasn't that bad of a pony. Even Thi acknowledged it, but she just couldn't go through with it. At least it worked out in the end.

Thi left on a boat to become who she is now and not only leaving me behind but caused the stallion to be down in the dumps for several weeks. Eventually he moved on with his life. Last I recall, he had hooked up with a fashionista and started his own business. I bumped into a metal post, cutting off my train of thought and startling two persons sitting on a bench. I rubbed my head and gave them a sheepish smile. I threw my hood back up over my head and sighed quietly to myself. It must have been an hour that passed before the bus showed up, which I can now familiarize with the auto wagon. I stepped into the bus and took a seat next to a guy jamming out to his headphones. The bus began to move and it took it five minutes to reach the next stop. It then took another seven to reach the next, causing me to stand up and let the guy out as he seemed ignorant to the world around him with his music blaring loudly in his ears. Sitting back down, I looked out the window and watched the city buildings rush by. This was so surreal. It wasn't that long ago I was fending for my life in a Zetecan temple and now here I am in a strange new world.

I wonder what my friends are up to. Did they manage to handle finding info on the heir? Did they make it out okay? The whole place felt like it was going to collapse any minute. I then thought to Sunburst, Trixie and Starlight along with that other earth pony Maud. Maud seemed to know the ponies well enough. I hope they are doing well and are safe. I can rely on my friends to take care of themselves. But the realm couldn't. I clenched my fists at this thought.

'Hang on guys. I'll find a way back home soon.' I thought to myself. I spent the next seven minutes watching the sights go by before we ended up passing suburban houses. Strangely designed auto wagons began to roll by the bus as we reached what appeared to be a building with a glass dome at the top. It nearly looked exactly like Crystal Prep. Yet the design was red bricks and a casual type feel about it. The bus came to a stop and I was about to get off when I stopped and saw students begin to pile in. I moved aside for them to take their seats, the students chatting and laughing with each other, even doing some interesting finesses with their accessories. I squeezed myself out of the bus and nearly tripped over myself. There was a bell that rang from the building and a voice began to echo out.

"Remember students! Sign ups for the gardening club are still available. If you are interested, please talk to the president of the gardening club, Wallflower Blush. That'll be all and we'll see you tomorrow." The voice said followed by a click. I looked up at the cloudy sky. Is school ending for the day? What interesting timing. I weaved in and out of crowds of student with relative ease. It wasn't as crowded as Crystal Prep. I then made my way to an alabaster pedestal in the middle of the walkway. I could see my reflection off of it.

Vessel... do you sense it? I heard Din say. I placed my hand on the pedestal and closed my eyes. It was faint, but I could sense something. Din clicked her tongue. It's there. But I cannot be sure. I need to untangle more. Just continue finding info. She stated. I sighed.

"I know, Din. I don't need a reminder every hour." I said aloud. I looked up and my eyes widened. I could have sworn I saw something shimmer up from the pedestal and vanish. It had a strange hue of colors about it too. I looked around, seeing that the coast was clear as the students appeared to be already on the buses and mingling with each other. I scooched around the other side of the pedestal and with a hop, I grabbed onto the edge of the pedestal and pulled myself up. Kneeling down, I brushed my hand over a crack in the pedestal. Closing my eyes, the faint sense was much more visible. I opened my eyes and smirked. 'We're close, Din. This is going by rather easier than I thought it would be.' I said, looking over my shoulder. I narrowed my eyes, studying the area. 'Hold on... this area is...' I remember back to the moving images Flitter had shown me. I lowered my head and adjusted my hood when I came to the realization. 'Yeah, this is the place alright. Now then... where can I find a creature that opens up portals?' I turned around and hopped down from the pedestal, looking up at the building.

Canterlot High. What could this place have in store for us?

---

Upon entering the school, I was impressed that this was also a clean school. Yet, the floor wasn't as crystal clear like Crystal Prep. But I could still see my reflection off of it. There is a different display case of achievements followed by a massive bulletin board that was dotted completely with fliers and papers. A tall frame of black and white photos of what I'm assuming was the building back when it was founded hanging high up on the wall for all to see if they bothered to look up. There was even a portrait of a kind looking old woman smiling in the picture. I looked around, spying other students still roaming about. My eyes fell onto a group that I recognized. Derpy Hooves, Bulk Biceps and Lily Rose were walking together and chatting. I noticed another pony I'm familiar with. Photo Finish. Equestria's infamous shutter bug with a canny eye for all things fashionable. Another pony I recognized who was dressed extravagantly in a magician attire was Trixie. She had proclaimed herself the great and powerful and also the most fashionable magician in Canterlot High before striking a pose that Photo Finish dismissed and told Trixie to do something more to capture "da magicks". Trixie was confused by this but did a redo of her introduction. I looked away and saw a group of guys chilling by the lockers. One was strumming his guitar while the other two were playing with a hackie sack with their feet. An interesting game, but I'm not here for that.

I started to wander the halls, taking in the sights of everything. This place was definitely much livelier. And every person here looked jovial to be in each other's company. I walked by a room that had some sort of rock music playing. As nice as it sounded, I continued on until I reached a two-way hall. One led to a set of double doors that I'm assuming led out of the school or to another room and the other way continued on with classrooms and even a janitorial closet. I continued on until my eyes fell onto a sign reading:

Principal's Office

I came to a stop in front of the door and hummed in thought. 'At Crystal Prep, Principal Cadence sounds like she owns the school. If the title of Principal here is ruler... then perhaps the ruler of Canterlot High is also a principal?' I held out a hand to the door handle and froze. Should I be doing this? I'm about to enter into the big wig's place of domain. I don't know why I was expecting to open the door to find myself in a big, long throne room with whoever was sitting on the throne. I took a deep breath and opened the door. I peeked in and my eyes fell upon the back of a familiar computer.

"Come in." A voice said from behind the desk and computer. I hesitated but entered into the room. I somehow felt disappointed. The office space was rather small, but it was roomy enough. Plenty of shelves with books, strange knickknacks accompanying the shelves, a couple of picture frames on the walls that showed a group of persons all lined up and grinning at the camera. There was even a blue triangular flag that had a cartoonish letter design on it reading WC hanging over the desk. The person behind the computer shifted over on the chair and my jaw dropped. There was no mistaking that rainbow hair.

"Princess Celestia...?" I mouthed to myself. The female person before me looked stern yet had an air of friendliness about her. She wore a tan suite and pink slacks with gold looking high heels. She raised a brow slightly.

"Can I help you?" Celestia asked. I once again took a moment to register words.

"Err... uhh... yes... I was wondering..." I tapped my fingers together bashfully. Oh Celestia, this threw me off entirely that I forgot what I wanted to ask! Celestia smiled and leaned forward on her desk.

"Are you new here? I didn't realize we were getting a new student." She said kindly. I was starting to freak out again. This is the parallel ruler of Canterlot City!? And she also runs a school too!? The resemblance was just too much that I had to take a seat on the chair across from her desk. Celestia gave a worried look. "Are you alright?" She asked. I sighed.

"Just... a little exhausted." I stated. She pursed her lip in thought before beaming.

"I know what'll perk you up. Luna, can you bring me some tea?" Celestia called out to a doorway just a bit of ways from her desk. My eyes widened again as I saw the uncanny resemblance of Princess Luna walk out of the room with a tray with teacups. She wore a pink blouse with blue slacks and a darker shade of blue looking high heels. She smiled warmly at me.

"Already prepared, sister. Who do we have here?" She asked as she placed the tray down and began pouring tea into the cups. Celestia laced her fingers together as she leaned coolly back into her chair.

"I'm going to find that out as soon as she has her fill of tea." She smiled. Luna nodded and picked up a teacup, walking over to me and handing me the cup. I took it and gave a tired but small smile in return. The princesses being as hospitable as ever. I took a small sip of the tea, the bittersweet taste flowing through me perked me right up indeed. I savored the feeling of warmth relax me.

"Wow. This actually worked. What's in it?" I asked curiously. Celestia took a sip of her own while Luna leaned coolly against Celestia's desk, dipping a bag into her tea before responding.

"Just an herbal tea. Nothing special. It does help me relax after a long day of schoolwork." Celestia snickered. Luna smiled.

"I find it helps me to sleep better at night. Sweet dreams are always prepared best with a nice cup of tea." She replied, taking a sip of her own. Celestia placed her cup down and nodded to me.

"Now then. What can we do for you?" She asked. I took a bashful sip of my tea and thought about it.

'Keep it on the downlow, Fie.' I took a deep breath before speaking. "I was just wondering if this place has seen anything strange as of late." I began. The two exchanged casual glances.

"Not that we are aware of. Aside from the strange occurrences that happened last year, nothing stood out." Celestia said matter-of-factly. Luna tapped her teacup with a finger in thought.

"Although, there was that earthquake we had two weeks ago and the mysterious decomposition of a student's garden." She stated. Celestia nodded sadly with a sigh.

"A tragic loss of hard work. Wallflower did an amazing job with the school garden." She replied. I tilted my hooded head a bit.

"What happened to the garden?" I asked, recalling the passage I read on the computer. Perhaps there is more insight here than whatever the article had wrote.

"It was rather strange." Luna began. "It all happened the day after the earthquake happened." Celestia gestured with a hand.

"There is an ongoing investigation that someone might have poisoned the garden in an act of sabotage or revenge. But for what reason is still unknown." Celestia said. She then smiled. "The officers are on the case however, so we need not worry too much. Are you here to apply for the gardening club as well? They could really use the help to bring life back into it again." I hummed in thought.

‘Maybe something we can find in this garden…’ I thought to myself. I then smiled and nodded.

“Why yes, actually. I wouldn’t mind trying my hoo- hand at botany.” I replied with a small smile. Celestia and Luna smiled.

“Excellent! Allow me to get someone to show you around.” Celestia said before bringing a microphone to her. “Muffins? Can you please come to the principal’s office? Muffins, to the principal’s office.” She said. I lowered my head and stared into the tea. My mind was still trying to comprehend all of this. All this time this world is connected to ours. It’s fascinating if it weren’t so confusing. I thought back to the images of the portals.

Ponyville was seen along with other sights of Equestria. I don’t remember ever seeing portals pop up out of nowhere in Ponyville. But then again, I could have been anywhere and not realize something. Ponyville had a strange way of having stuff happen at certain times that you can miss something like a Bugbear attack because you refused to go to a wedding. Or completely be unaware of a Changeling invasion on Canterlot because you were drowning your sorrows and fell asleep.

I could sense that Celestia and Luna were quietly studying me as I sighed a little tiredly. I took another sip of my tea before Luna spoke.

“I am afraid we didn’t catch your name.” She said. I peeked out from under my hood to them.

“My name’s Quiet Fire. I’m not from around here. My folks are in Estonia for a vacation and I’m just passing the time by wandering around town.” I said.

“Estonia? An odd place to be vacationing this time of year, but who am I to judge?” Celestia said. Luna smirked.

“Not as odd as snowboarding down Rockheft Mountain in the summer.” She said. Celestia returned her smirk as the door opened behind me.

“Ahh, Muffins! Excellent timing! Would you be a dear and show Quiet Fire here around? She’s wanting to be a new member to the gardening club.” She said. I looked over and studied the familiar mare. She had this strange posture about her, but that bubbly smile and walled eyes were iconic to the core. Just looking at Derpy here made me feel home sick. I wonder how her and the family are doing? She was wearing a warm colored striped long sleeve shirt with a grey tee with a muffin decal on the shirt, white shorts and some warm colored striped leggings and sneakers.

She held up her thumb happily.

“Of course, Principal Celestia!” She happily replied. I smiled and stood up, taking one last sip of my tea and placing it down on Celestia’s desk.

“Don’t be a stranger, Quiet Fire. My door is always open.” Celestia said.

“I know, princess.” I said without thinking. I balked and covered my mouth, catching Celestia and Luna raising a questioning brow at me. I gave a nervous smile and laugh. “S-sorry, I meant to say Principal. Had the two err… mixed up…” I said, hoping to play off the slip up. I then hurried out the room, Derpy scratching her head in confusion before shrugging and jogged after me. When I reached the main lobby, I adjusted my hood and let out a soft sigh of relief. Derpy caught up to me and put her arms behind her back.

“Hi, I’m Muffins! It’s nice to meet you!” She said with a smile. I couldn’t help but return the smile.

“Quiet Fire. Muffins, huh? You sure you don’t go by any other name?” I asked curiously. Derpy hummed and skipped in her steps.

“Well, close friends call me Ditzy because I’m a… well… a bit clumsy.” She said with a small chuckle. I gave a playful smile.

“Bet you had a few tumbles here and there.” I said. Her cheeks flushed redly.

“I… tend to drop things now and then. Like the time I nearly dropped Flash Sentry’s guitar in the middle of a show. Thankfully only the stage lights fell. The guitar was safe.” She replied. I giggled.

“Somethings remain the same.” I commented. “So, where is this garden?” Derpy beamed.

“It’s this way!” She exclaimed, jogging out the doors. I wasn’t expecting her to jog off but I quickly caught up to her as we turned off the path into the wooded area. It wasn’t that far away from the school than I had originally thought. Yet, arriving at the gardens, I couldn’t help but feel like the atmosphere had become overbearingly sick. Derpy came to a stop and she bent down at a pocket of dead flowers. She sighed sadly as she gently caressed the wilted petals. “Thankfully, within the next couple of days it’ll warm up enough for us to start planting again.” She said.

My eyes narrowed suspiciously as I looked around. I spied three rock formations surrounding the center where a fountain was. I walked over to the fountain and brushed my hand over the smooth stone. Din stirred and hissed.

This aura… How can it be?! Din spoke. I could sense her anger rising.

‘Let’s not jump the gun too much here. Remember, magic does exist in this world. It could be any number of things.’ I reminded, sensing her next thought. Din snorted and scraped the ground.

Dammit, this world’s magic is so weak to sense because of this damned tangle! I want my power!! Din yelled in frustration. I gave a worried look.

‘Just take it easy, Din. Getting worked up this early isn’t going to help. I’ll help you out in a bit, just let me finish up here.’ I thought to her. Din sighed, remaining quiet after. Derpy walked over to me.

“It’s a nice fountain, isn’t it?” She asked with a smile. I blinked and looked at her.

“Huh? Oh! Uhh… yeah, it’s surprisingly smooth. Has this recently been built?” I asked.

“I installed it myself.” A voice said behind us. I looked to see a light green skinned girl with emerald messy hair that went down past her shoulders and a yellow and brown knit sweater, jeans and sneakers walk forward, her hands covered by mittens as she carried two potted plants in them. Derpy beamed and rushed to hug the girl, who did her best to prevent the plants from falling from her hand. When one did, it was then caught by another person that had showed up.

A handsome male person with blue spiked hair and a slightly mango colored skin and blue eyes gave him a kind look. He wore what looked to be a sports jacket over a white tee with a lightning decal, jeans and some sneakers. He smiled and held up the plant as Derpy blushed embarrassingly and pulled away from the girl.

“S-sorry, Wallflower. I’m just a little excited. We have a new member for the gardening club!” She said happily. The girl’s, Wallflower Blush, eyes lit up.

“Really? A new member? That’s amazing!” She said with a smile. The male person grinned.

“Told ya’ those fliers would work.” He said. Wallflower smiled softly.

“I think Principal Celestia made that clear.” She said. The male chuckled and walked over to put down the potted plant.

“I’ll get the bags of fertilizer.” He said before jogging off back towards the school. Wallflower walked over and placed the potted plant down next to the other one before turning to me.

“I… I didn’t think anyone would be interested.” She said meekly. I scratched my hooded head.

“Well, I’m not that good with botany. But I can always learn, can’t I?” I said with a grin. Wallflower nodded shyly before kneeling down, picking up a trowel and began to dig into the ground.

“I could always use the help. This… garden meant a lot to me. It was going to be my graduation gift to the school.” She then shifted her expression in frustration. “But then someone had to go and ruin it all. Why would they do such a thing?! What did I do to deserve this??” She stated before what looked to be a knowing look befell her expression. Derpy smiled kindly and pat her back.

“It’s alright, Wallflower. Rose said she’ll be coming in with an order from her parent’s flower shop tomorrow. This garden will shine like the spring sun in no time!” She said with a determined gesture of her fist. Wallflower smiled up at her. I froze. Now that Derpy mentioned spring, I couldn’t help but remember the self set deadline I had. I sighed and kicked the ground a little. Still down two power elements and still not closer to stopping the war. Celestia, what have we’ve been doing? We shouldn’t have gone on this wild goose chase.

That’s the most sense I’ve heard since being here. Din commented with a struggling grunt. She then cackled triumphantly. Bested by my prowess! Vessel, I have untangled a small amount of my magic. You should be able to feel it flow through you. I blinked and looked down at myself. I did feel a small tingle. But nothing notable. I flexed my fingers.

‘Better than nothing!’ I smiled softly in thought. Din scoffed before going quiet. I looked over to Wallflower and darted my eyes in thought. I then walked over and knelt down next to her. She looked at me and smiled, picking up an extra trowel and handing it to me.

“Wanna help uproot the dead flowers?” She asked. I took the trowel and nodded. Wallflower directed me on how to properly uproot the flowers without making too much of a mess. I had to hand it to her, she knew her plants. We spent a good while discussing plants (well, Wallflower explaining the type of plants but I found it interesting to learn more stuff) while the male person came back with a wheelbarrow stacked with bags of fertilizer. Derpy helped him, who then introduced himself to me as Flash Sentry.

“You must be new here. I’ve never seen your face.” He said with a smile as he placed a fertilizer bag down. I jabbed into the root of a flower as I replied.

“I’m not from around here. Honestly, I just kinda' wandered into the school.” The three exchanged glances.

“Must be exciting to see a new place and new faces.” Derpy said as she began to uproot some dead plants on the opposite end of the fountain. I nodded.

“A little confusing. But I… can safely say I have nothing too bad to worry about.” I replied with a small smile.

“I bet your old school was quite something.” Flash said as he began to unwind a hose. I shook my head.

“It was grand. But nothing stuck out too much. Though I ended up err… failing in some classes and had to think of other opportunities.” I replied, being careful not to spill too much. Wallflower smirked softly.

“Well, at least you get to start over fresh. Not many people get that chance on the first go.” She said. The way she said it sounded like it was a personal experience. But I didn’t jump on it and shrugged.

“Meh. I was stuck in a rut for a long while. But somethings happened and now I’m… well… just trying to figure out what I want to do properly this time around.” I replied. Wallflower clicked her tongue as she stabbed into a dead plant.

“Stubborn… mmffh! Flash, can you get me the sheers?” Wallflower asked as she stuck her tongue out and worked at the plant. Flash nodded.

“On it.” he said before walking over to a gardening box. My eyes fell onto the plant and I noticed something off. There was a bulbous black shape connected to the roots. “Whoa! What the!” I heard Flash exclaim. I looked over and my eyes widened. I noticed a wilted leaf flailing about and grabbing ahold of Flash’s hand that held the sheers. He struggled to pull away, successfully doing so before scrambling away as roots began to pop out of the ground and try to wrap around Flash’s legs.

Wallflower yelped as the bulbous shape popped out of the ground and yellow beady eyes blinked up at her. We stepped back in surprise as three more bulbous shapes popped out of the ground. Derpy gasped as another pair of bulbous heads had grew sharp teeth and began to snap at her. Derpy ran around and hugged Wallflower close as we backed away from the growing vines that were now entangling the fountain. Flash cut some roots with the sheers to break free of some that had got ahold of his ankle before backing up into us.

“Wh-what’s going ?!” Wallflower panicked. Din hissed.

I thought so. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, vessel. This has Tenebres all over! That damned brat got here before us! Din spat. A dawning realization fell on both of us. By the Creation Mother, Tenebres is here… Din repeated as if the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The bulbous heads popped out of the ground revealing a tangle mess of roots creating a body. A couple of them hopped onto the fountain and began to do a small jig while the roots around the garden snaked out of the ground.

“What do we do? Something tells me this is Equestrian magic in play!” Flash stated. I arched a brow.

“Equestrian magic?” I asked.

“It’s a strange kind of magic that came in from another world!” Wallflower stated, backing away with Derpy from the roots. “We still don’t know how it works! It just pops up out of nowhere lately!” Flash batted away some roots.

“C’mon! We need to get Sunset and the others!” He said seriously. We began to run when Wallflower tripped and fell. I came to a stop and saw her pulling her leg away from roots that entangled her. The bulbous shadowy figures bounding towards her in an eerie jig. I grit my teeth and rushed forward.

‘I have to do something! C’mon! Come to me!’ I thought to myself as I tried to help Wallflower pull against the roots.

“H-help me!” She called out, her eyes pleading up at me. I wrestled with the roots with Wallflower, the girl trying her best to pull against them. Din shifted and hearing an angry cry of frustration, I felt a tingling sensation one after another.

Of all the rotten luck!! No magic!! Powerless!! I will not let this stand!! Tenebres, you brat, you are going to get what’s coming to you personally!! She roared. I felt a strong tingle that suddenly created a bright light to blind us. Wallflower and I were yanked backwards as the roots let go of her. I winced and helped her up. I then felt something in my hold. I looked down and my eyes widened.

‘The staff! Din, you did it!’ I cheered in my head.

Shut up! I am in no mood for jovial celebrations! Put my sister in her place! This means war! She barked. I held out a hand to the others.

“Get out of here! I can hold them off!” I said, taking a stance that surprisingly felt natural. I flourished the staff and readied myself.

“Don’t be crazy! We need to get help!” I heard Wallflower call out.

“Listen to me! This isn’t the normal kind of magic. Do what you have to, but let me handle this one!” I called back.

“But-!”

“C’mon, we gotta’ get the Rainbooms!” Flash said, pulling Wallflower along. I smirked as I faced the creatures and flailing roots.

“Alright, Tenebres. I think you had enough fun. Time for the same old song and dance.” I challenged. The roots lashed out and I managed to break the dried roots with ease with one good swipe. I blinked quizzically. Odd. It’s like everything is flowing naturally this time. Perhaps it’s because I’m on two constantly now. And it’s a bit easier to hold the staff. I twirled it around my hand and caught it with a grin. I guess zebra arts is an advantage here.

I then held my staff at my side and rushed the roots and creatures. Everything felt smooth. Easier. Like I was so much better at doing what I usually do. I even did some flashy flourishes and dodges, smacking and jabbing at the shadowy creatures, even giving one a kick that sent the creature into the tree and splattering against the bark. Good, they can still be dispelled with actual attacks. I dodged and weaved in and out of the roots lashing out at me.

I eventually backflipped onto the fountain head and crouched at the ready. My eyes darted around. No matter how many roots I’ve bested, they keep showing up. Something dawned on me.

‘Wait a minute… they all came from underground. And the source of this is around here somewhere…’ I looked down at the fountain. I gave an apologetic look before standing upright. ‘Sorry, Wallflower.’ I raised my staff over my head and spun it between my fingers before stabbing it into the fountain. The ground began to shake and tremble as the ground then shifted. The fountain rose high as a massive shadowy bulb creature rose from the ground.

I pulled out my staff and kicked off the fountain, landing on my feet and facing the creature. It was big, but it seemed to not want to come out of the ground. Yellow beady eyes and a massive, jagged maw loomed over me. It let out a groan as the roots retreated into the ground, popping back out on both sides of the creature and entangling in themselves to create a thicker stump. The two remaining shadowy creatures bounded up to the fountain on the head of the creature and made taunting motions at me.

I shook my head in disgust. No doubt the work and design of the vessel. I twirled my staff around my body before catching and aiming it at the creature. The thick roots reached over and entangled around the wheelbarrow, flailing it before bringing it down on me. I jumped to the side and proceeded to dance around the violent smashing of the creature trying to squash me with the wheelbarrow. I nearly slipped, giving the creature an opportunity to bring the wheelbarrow down on me.

I brought my staff up and with a grunt, deflected the roots and wheelbarrow over me, sending it back around and smacking into the creature’s face. It roared in pain, flailing its’ roots about. I yelped as I dodged and cartwheel flipped away from the lashing. I deflected several more blows from the creature before ending up being disarmed, the roots lashing back around and wrapping around my waist. I struggled to break free, but the roots didn’t budge and only tightened.

‘Shit, not good!’ I thought. I looked over and reached for my staff, trying to call for it. But it didn’t poof back into my hand.

Where the hell is it?! I heard Din spat, shifting through my head.

‘Din! Now would be a good time to do something here!’ I panicked, my legs kicking as the creature moved the roots above it. The creatures jigging on the fountain were shuddering, as if laughing at me. I growled and managed to punt one as the creature brought me closer, hovering me over its’ maw. I felt the roots let go and I yelped, quickly grabbing onto the very edge of the roots. The creature groaned and began to shake its’ roots, trying to get me to let go.

I felt my finger begin to slip.

‘No, no! I can’t end here!’ I panicked. I don’t know what’ll happen, but I felt that if I died here, Equestria is still doomed. I then noticed something glowing pink sail by me and my eyes widened. In a blast of pink confetti, the roots were severed, dropping me. I then felt someone catch me at high speeds and brought me back down to earth. I blinked in confusion. I felt the wind of someone dashing away before seeing a heavy rock sail over my head and crashing into the back of the creature.

It roared in anger before turning to face me. Suddenly, a conjoining of projected diamonds soared around with a girl riding on one. She waved her hands and sent a flat diamond at the other root, severing it. I stared in awe as I then saw a flock of birds chirp angrily and began to distract the creature, followed by a floating rock with a purple aura around it smacking the creature. The roots popped out of the ground and regrew the creature’s limbs, flailing wildly.

“Are you okay??” I heard a voice ask. I looked up and my eyes fell upon a rather pretty girl with fiery red hair in a different shade to mine. She was wearing a strange sparkling dress that looked a bit sharp at the points and black leggings with fiery boots. I also couldn’t help but notice the ears on the girl’s head. They resembled that of a pony’s. Not only that, her hair seemed to trace down her back into an actual ponytail. I wasn’t able to find words as I looked back to the creature. My jaw dropped.

Surrounding the creature, each one using their special talents to combat the creature, was none other than the heroes of Equestria. Twilight Sparkle, looking completely different than her yearbook, waved her hands that were glowing purple and hovering around the creature, using the roots against the creature. Rarity soared around the creature on a flat diamond, chucking them to sever most of the roots. Fluttershy stood at the sides, but she was clearly ordering the birds to help her friends.

Applejack ran by, carrying a massive boulder that she chucked easily at the creature. The flailing roots shattered the rock, only for Pinkie Pie to shake something her hands happily before chucking them, the contents glowing and causing a confetti of explosions. And of course, Rainbow Dash zipped around the creature, taunting the creature.

“Can’t hit me!” She laughed before zipping away. The creature groaned and swiped around itself, causing the girls to scatter and retaliate. I felt a comforting hand rest on my shoulder and I looked up to see the girl smile.

“It’s okay now. Leave this to us!” She said determinedly before jogging over to the others. “Ready?” She called out. The rest of the girls broke away to stand in formation behind her. Something on their necks glowed and the girls began to shimmer and glow, floating up into the air. The fiery headed girl held out a hand at the creature while the others held out theirs to her. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The Elements of Harmony are here too?! The girl’s eyes glowed brightly and with their powers combined, a rainbow shot out of them, twisting and twirling before striking the creature and enshrouding it in the colors.

The creature gave one final pained roar before a pillar of rainbow shot high into the sky, parting the grey clouds and bringing in the sunset color of the sky shimmering down around us. When the dust settled, the girls touched ground and grinned triumphantly as the creature laid motionless before them.

“Aww yeah! Another day, another bit of dark Equestrian magic getting its’ butt handed too!” Rainbow Dash cheered.

“I’m excited too!!” Pinkie Pie chimed in excitedly, confetti popping out of nowhere. The fiery headed girl turned to us.

“Everyone okay?” She asked. Rarity gave a sad look as she examined her sparkling costume dress.

“Aww, I just had this cleaned!” She whined. I stood up, dusting myself off as Wallflower Blush, Derpy and Flash ran over to us.

“Way to go, Equestria Girls!” Flash cheered. Wallflower pushed past everyone and looked around the area. She fell to her knees and bowed her head sadly.

“My garden…” she sniffled. Everyone looked at each other before the fiery headed girl gave a reassuring smile and held out a hand to her. Wallflower looked up, wiping her face.

“The important thing is no one got hurt.” She said. Wallflower sighed and stood up by herself.

“I’m gonna’ head home…” she said, turning and pushing past everyone, her shoes dragging against the partially snow-covered dirt. We watched her slink away past the trees before Fluttershy broke the silence.

“Poor Wallflower… I just feel awful that her garden is ruined.” She said sadly, hugging a bunny.

“Jus’ what in the hay is this creature supposed ta’ be?” Applejack asked as she scratched her head and studying the creature. I kept quiet, not wanting to draw attention just yet. I walked over and picked up my staff, examining it while the girls discussed the concept of the creature.

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen a creature like this. Or read about them. But whatever it is, it’s clearly dark Equestrian magic.” The fiery headed girl replied.

“Could it have something to do with the earthquake?” Fluttershy suggested. I observed Twilight reach behind her and messed with something. It made a loud screech before the glass shattered and the device fell apart. She adjusted her glasses in shock.

“It must be pretty strong Equestrian magic. I was beginning to think I turned a knob wrong on it. Thankfully, I made a spare!” She smiled before pulling out a similar device. Her friends smirked as she turned on the device. It didn’t shatter the glass or break apart this time. Yet whatever readings it was getting, it was solid. Twilight studied the device a bit longer before I noticed the fiery headed girl look at me. She then walked over to me as Flash Sentry and Derpy walked over at the same time towards me.

“Glad they showed up when they did, huh?” Flash grinned. I stabbed the staff into the ground and nodded. I had to admit, it was a close save. I smiled and peeked out from under my hood.

“That was quite a show.” I commented. The girl rubbed the back of her neck with a smile.

“Just another Wednesday.” She said. She then held out a hand. “Names Sunset Shimmer. You must be new.” I nodded and was about to shake her hand when Rarity’s shriek caused us to look over. Pinkie Pie and Rarity were ensnared by a thick root, being tossed around while Twilight wrestled with the other root from attacking. The creature stirred and groaned awake, its’ massive maw snapping. Rainbow Dash zipped around the root, trying to save Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Applejack jumped onto the root and began to wrestle with it with the grace of a ragdoll.

Sunset gasped and rushed over, only for the other root to break free of Twilight’s hold and smacked Sunset in the chest, colliding with Twilight and Fluttershy. It was then followed up by the root swatting Rainbow Dash out of the air and crashing into a dead flower bed in a daze. Rarity and Pinkie Pie screamed as the creature hovered them over its’ massive maw. Thankfully, Rarity managed to calm down enough to summon a sharp gem that prevented them from falling into the maw of the creature.

However, the snapping motion caused them to be punted by the fountain head on the creature’s top, crashing them into the other girls.

“Oh no! Hang on!” Flash called out as he rushed over to the hose and began to use it as a makeshift whip to draw the creature’s attention. It was unfortunately yanked out of his hold when the creature bit down and ripped the hose out along with the water pipe. My eyes darted around the creature. I noticed something hazy coming from the fountain head. Using my own eyes, I then spied a crack on the fountain head. Exactly where it was struck by Rarity’s gem. I balked when I saw the creature turn to Flash and loom over him. Flash braced himself as Sunset shook away her daze and reached out to him.

“Flash, no!” She called. I sprinted towards the creature, flourishing my staff before sliding to a halt in front of Flash Sentry. I faced the creature and jabbed the bottom of the maw hard with the tip of the staff, causing it to back away. I started to jab at the creature, acting like a lion tamer before it decided enough is enough and bore down on me. I flipped away from the creature and in a flowing motion, spun the staff around me and went into a criss cross motion from a standing spin and stabbed the staff into the crack, shattering it and feeling the dark and cold wind of Tenebres’s magic spew out like blood. I held on as the creature reared up and roared in pain.

I planted my shoes onto the fountain, stabbing the staff further into the crack before pulling out and with a backflip, shattered the fountain head from the crack and releasing the dark haze that spewed wildly around the area. I had an ungraceful landing as I tumbled backwards and smacked myself in the back against a tree. The creature roared and flailed about, beginning to deflate like a balloon. The roots withered and crumbled as the creature gave one final groan before becoming motionless. It then poofed into a shadowy liquid that hissed in smoke before vanishing entirely.

I stood up and flicked the shadowy blood from my staff and debated how I should put it away. I felt a tingle and it puffed away in a faint light. I stepped carefully around the broken fountain head and walked over to Flash, helping him up.

“You good, Flash?” I asked. Flash was a little dumbfounded.

“Yeah… uhh… I’m fine.” He said. “How did you…” He was interrupted as the others approached me.

“That. Was. Awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with an excited smile.

“That was mighty impressive.” Applejack grinned.

“Simply elegant, darling!” Rarity commented. Sunset Shimmer crossed her arms with a smile.

“Nice moves. But… how did you know where to hit it?” She asked. I rubbed the back of my hooded head.

“Lucky guess?” I replied with a small nervous smile. Derpy walked up next to us and sighed.

“What are we going to do about the garden? Wallflower spent all her time last year working on this place!” Derpy said sadly. Applejack smiled and tipped her hat up, stamping on the trowel and flicking it up towards her as she skillfully caught it.

“Leave that ta’ us. We’ll get this place fixed in a jiffy.” She said with a wink. I looked to Sunset who smiled and shrugged.

“Wanna’ help? We could always use the extra hands.” She said.

Vessel, remember. Din said sternly. I sighed.

“Sorry err… Sunset. I uhh… promised my folks I wouldn’t be out past curfew so I’ll just… head on home.” I said giving a farewell salute before spinning on my heels and jogging away. I followed the direction Wallflower went in and came out onto the path. I looked up to the sky, seeing that the parted clouds were beginning to form again. However, the sky was beginning to darken. I bit my thumb nail in thought. ‘Shit. We don’t have a place to stay for the night.’ I thought.

I looked over to Canterlot High and hummed. Ensuring I wasn’t being followed, I adjusted my hood and jogged towards Canterlot High. There has to be a place to shelter for the night. I took cover behind the pedestal as I spied Principal Celestia and Luna locking the front entrance. They were chatting to each other before walking off towards an empty lot. Ensuring that they got into their auto wagon and drove off was when I made my move. I jogged over to the front entrance and jiggled the door.

Locked as expected. I looked around and studied the design of the school. I noticed several rain pipes against the walls and dotting the school. I beamed as I looked up to the roof.

‘Maybe they forgot to lock the roof doors?’ I thought to myself. I grasped the rain pipes and tugged it a bit. It creaked somewhat but it felt secure. I put one foot on the wall and hoisted myself up, planting my other foot down and holding on tightly to the pipe. I scaled the pipe carefully before reaching the very top of the school. Hoisting myself up again, I landed on the roof of the school.

It was quite open and a little chilly up here. I walked over to the massive glass dome and peeked in through the dirtied glass. I noticed that this was overlooking the library. I beamed and walked around the dome, finding a door that, to my jubilation, was unlocked. I quietly entered the stairway, closing the door behind me and descending the steps. At the bottom of the steps was a door that I opened and closed behind me, stepping into the expansive library. It wasn’t as fancy as Crystal Prep’s, but the amount of shelves might as well outshine the place.

As the clouds covered the sky, the entire library got dark to the point where I couldn’t see without feeling against the shelves. I ended up tripping over something and let out an “ow” as I shook away my daze. I squinted my eyes and could make out the shape of a bed. I found it a little odd there was a bed in the middle of the aisle, but I wasn’t complaining. Is what I would say if it didn’t feel like sleeping on a pile of stiff boards. I eventually realized after fumbling a bit that it was books taking the shape of a bed.

‘Somepony is creative.’ I frowned in thought. I sighed and laid down on my side staring blankly into the darkness. I blinked once and found myself standing in a field of fiery grass. I saw Din looking disgruntled as she massaged a string in front of her. The sky was still an eye sore. I quietly walked over to her and sat down on my haunches. She didn’t acknowledge me, or at least didn’t look my way. She did however levitate a tangle mess of string quietly over to me. I smiled and took it in my hands. Or should I say, hooves.

I quickly realized that here in Din’s domain, my true self was still a pony. Something that made me smile more as I began to massage the string and working to untangle the mess before us. My alien body is asleep, yet here I am forever awake to a beauty that would befit a queen. While it’s not something I want Equestria to turn into, I can however appreciate how everything was pleasant on the eyes. I noticed Din smiling a little. I shrugged with a grin. She must have read my thoughts.