The Legend of the God-Hunter

by BobThePlaneswalker

An Uninvited Guest

Twilight climbed up the stairs to the princesses' offices. Each step she conquered seemed to grasp onto her leg, refusing with even more determination than the step before to let her continue. Her throat was sore, her head throbbed and her eyelids were constantly casting her into darkness. Her in depth experience with all-nighters was probably the only thing that kept her from toppling over.

She tried to think of a phrase that would best describe how busy she had been but “Intense never-ending insanity” was best she could come up with and it just didn't seem to do the trick. After she had matched her friends up with tasks that would allow them to best assist Luna, provided her assistance with the statement pertaining to Celestia's exile, and confirmed with the search party that she was still minus one scaly assistant, she had found herself changing course from her bed where some much needed rest awaited her to Luna's office where the princess had apparently locked herself away. It seemed that rest was still a ways off for Twilight.

She reached the top of the stairs. To her right stood a sturdy door with a quarter moon insignia printed on it. On the ground, to the side of the door sat a tray with a glass of orange juice, two pancakes, and one piece of buttered toast. She approached the door and gave it a few knocks. “Princess, it's Twilight.”

There was no response. She inspected the tray. The pancakes were cold and the toast had become dry. She knocked a little louder. “Hello? Luna please, may I come in? I'm worried about you.”

It was only after she had entertained the thought of breaking down the door that she was met with the metallic clack of the locking mechanism. She pressed the door open revealing an alicorn buried in enough crumpled up parchment to fill the courtyard. She walked in and closed the door behind her. “This was waiting outside for you.” She levitated the tray towards Luna.

Luna looked up from her paper revealing what was most likely the only face in Equestria that looked worse than Twilight's right now. Large bags had formed under her eyes, there were small stains running from the corners of her mouth down her neck, and her mane waved in stringy strands instead of it's usual groomed stream. “Oh yes, that's right. I had forgotten about that.” She grasped it in her aura and pulled it over. She looked at her desk for an open spot but little more than an inch of wood could be seen peeking through the sea of paper. She resigned to flattening out a section and resting the tray uneasily upon it.

“Princess... are you okay?” Twilight asked.

Luna gazed upon her with bloodshot eyes. For a moment she sat still, looking in Twilight's direction but her focus adrift somewhere in her mind. Eventually she cleared her throat and returned to her work. “I am fine Miss Sparkle. Just a rough morning is all. What news do you have for me?”

Twilight considered pressing the issue further but she couldn't find the courage. Luna's natural lack of patience combined with her dire mental state made prying a terrifying task. “Well, I've got the girls all assigned to tasks that will best utilize their strengths.”

“Good.”

“The castle seems to be in order, no disaster brewing as far as-”

Snap!

Luna glared at from her broken quill to the splotch of ink on her paper. With a growl she smashed the paper and tossed it into the mountain behind her. She groaned, slumped down onto her desk, and covered her head with her hooves.

Twilight seated herself. “Luna please, talk to me. What's going on?”

“I caphot fo fis fwiwight farkle.”

“What?”

Luna pulled her head out from her legs and resumed her proper seating. “I have not even had the job a full day and already I've made a mess of everything.”

“What happened?”

“Well, right after struggling to bring out my sister's dear sun, I made the foolish decision to appear in Southern Canterlot for pictures with the young ones. I thought maybe it would drive home the whole 'everything is okay' thing. I did not of course realize until I was actually on the stand that the reason my attendants had been pestering me so when I rushed out the door was that the struggle had turned me into disgusting mess.”

Twilight grimaced. “Oh dear. Did anypony say anything about it?”

Luna frowned. “These are children Twilight. CANTERLOT children.”

Twilight shrunk. “I'm so sorry Princess.”

“One even suggested that I was a swamp beast masquerading as Princess Luna.” She propped her head up with her right foreleg. “And that's not even the worst that came out of my visit.”

Twilight shuddered. “I-It's not?”

“Did you know Miss Sparkle that despite our statement, the currently accepted explanation for my sister's disappearance is that I have staged some kind of coup?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Neither did I. A five year old filled me in.”

“Oh princess I'm so sorry, that... that is pretty terrible. But don't let it get to you. I'm sure they'll come around eventually.”

Luna put a hoof up. “Well wait, just listen to this. I rushed back because I wanted to make the banquet for Lord Humphrey's charity. Which I might add, I was attending simply because I want to try to be closer to my subjects than I have been in the past.”

“Oh no, please tell me you got a chance to bathe.”

Luna let out a weak chuckle. “Yes, yes I did. There was no way I was going to forget after being mistaken for a living mass of pond scum. Unfortunately after bathing I was already late for the banquet. This time I was to find out upon arriving that it is taboo to attend such an event in anything less than the most exquisite attire known to ponydom. I was, of course, in my traditional work attire which gravely offended them.”

“Dare I even ask how they responded?”

Luna leaned back in her chair. “Twilight Sparkle, in all my years of life I have never heard any creature talk to another the way those nobles talked to me. Incompetent, embarrassing, moronic.” Her brow furrowed. “What else did I hear? Oh yes, crude, worthless, pathetic.” Her eyes shimmered.

Twilight found it difficult to process what she was hearing. She knew that some of the nobles could be unkind but this was plain cruel. She vowed to find the guest list and lecture each and every one of them. She trotted over and laid a hoof on Luna's shoulder. “They're wrong Princess. They're just too absorbed in themselves to see how hard this is for you.”

Luna stared at the wall. “I got into a fight with them over it Twilight... I yelled at them. Called them a few choice words that I wish not to repeat. Then they told me that they would rather-” she choked on her words, holding her eyes closed for a moment to recollect herself. “They told me they would rather be ruled by a tyrant like Nightmare Moon than a walking disaster such as myself.”

Twilight's jaw practically fell from her head. “THEY WHAT!? Of all the things to say to you on one of the hardest days of your life! Don't worry Princess, I'll make sure each and every one of those ponies comes back here and apologizes to you!”

Luna solemnly shook her head. “No Twilight Sparkle, I deserved it. Besides, they are right. At least as Nightmare Moon I did some things right. As Luna I am just an incapable mess.”

“Luna that's not true at all! You're going to be a great ruler. You're just having a rough day.”

“I appreciate the sentiment but, even if you did believe such a thing, you would be the only one.”

“I DO believe it princess, and I'm not the only one. Your sister believes it too.”

Luna looked at her. She prepared for a retort but no words left her mouth. Instead she looked back to the desk with a sigh and crawled under the sea of parchment. She surfaced with a short drinking glass gripped in her aura.

Twilight felt the hands of suspicion compressing her innards. “Princess, what exactly have you been drinking out of that?”

Luna inspected it. “Some concoction I received as a gift a year or so ago. Scotch I believe it is called. Supposedly it relieves one of their worries upon consumption.”

Twilight face-hoofed. “Oh no...” Luna turned an inquisitive eye to her. “Uhm, that's alcohol Princess, and if you're already upset when you start drinking it, it tends to make things worse.”

“Really?” Luna levitated the offending bottle from the cabinet and inverted it over her glass. They watched the one, tiny, remaining drop crawl its way from the opening. “Well then, we may have a problem on our hooves...”

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Twilight returned to the office at a gallop, carrying with her the Princess' cloak, a wash rag, a bag, and a package of breath mints. She opened the door ever so slightly. The sobs of her sovereign escaped from inside. She slid in and closed the door behind her. “Princess what's wrong?!” Luna popped her head out from behind the most recent issue of Glam-Mare.

“Twilight, I'm more than just a terrible ruler.” She turned the article to face Twilight. At the top stood the words “Rate Your Beauty Sense”. Below was a series of questions, each of which had been answered, then slashed out in red ink. “I am an ugly one too!” she wailed.

Phew... Twilight let her shoulders relax. “Listen, you're a very beautiful mare Princess. Those quizzes are nonsense. They're not based on any respected science.” She handed Luna the breath mints. “Now, if you could please have some of these. We can't risk ponies smelling the alcohol.” Luna ripped open the package and shoved down a mouthful. Her eye's widened and she let out a gag.

Twilight dashed for the garbage can and placed it under Luna's mouth, allowing her to eject enough mints to breath. She wrapped the cloak around Luna and cleaned up her face. “Alright, we'll pretend that you've suddenly grown ill and rush you off to your room. If we can just get you inside without too many ponies asking questions you can sleep this off and nopony will ever know that you were intoxicated.” Twilight squared up with Luna and inspected her. “Looks convincing enough. Let's hear your best cough.”

Luna put a hoof to her mouth. “Aheh, aheh” *hic*.

Twilight's eye twitched. “Heh... heh... Oh my.” She gave Luna a wide smile as one small bead of sweat rolled down her head. “Well you're essentially a goddess, that must net us a little luck right?”

Luna Shrugged.

“Oh well. Let's just pony up and do this.” Twilight opened the door to the hallway and walked straight into a young earth pony.

“AAAGGH!” The pony shrieked, almost toppling over as she reared back. Once she had settled into a normal standing position she looked past Twilight. “Uhm, your highness, you're needed in the front lobby.”

Luna looked to Twilight who shook her head, making a cutting motion across her neck.

“Uhhmmm...” Luna turned from Twilight to the attendant. “I'm sorry Miss Breeze but it will have to wait. I've grown very ill... Aheh aheh.”

“It really can't wait your highness.”

Luna turned back to Twilight who sighed. Of course something urgent would come up. Why should she expect anything less from this wretched day. She nodded.

“Very well Miss Breeze,” Luna said, “Take us to this urgentiful matter of urgentness.” She shot her nose into the air in as regal a manor as a drunken alicorn can muster.

The attendant gaped at her princess. However, when she remembered just who's presence she was in she snapped her mouth shut and nodded. “Yes your highness. Follow me.”

Twilight and Luna reluctantly gave chase as the mare galloped down the hall. Twilight kept her eyes on Luna. With each step the Princess' gallop grew sloppier. “Miss Breeze,” Luna called, “must we go so fast? This pace is not easy on my stomach.”

“I'm afraid so your majesty,” Miss Breeze replied. “This is like, the most urgently urgent thing I've ever run into.”

Twilight saw Luna miss her step. Her front legs tied up and she started to fall. Twilight reached out with her magic and grabbed her, halting her momentum. She gently lifted her back onto her feet. Luna gave a sheepish smile and continued after the oblivious earth pony.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The three rounded a corner and stopped next to the entrance to the front lobby. Wails and cries poured out from the doorway. “What's happening?!” Twilight asked.

“See for yourselves!” the attendant sputtered, pointing a hoof towards the entrance. Twilight and Luna slowly approached it and peered in.

Before them stood Reikavra, his wings spread out as he levitated at least twenty of the castle guards in his aura. He flailed them around, organizing them into all sorts of shapes and formations. His face lit up when he saw Luna. “Ah Princess, you're here, fantastic!” He dropped the mass of guards in a heap before her. “These guards have been most unwelcoming.” He turned his head to the side and put a hoof against his chest. “Downright rude to be completely honest.” He waved his hoof across the pile. “I'm sure you have disciplinary actions in mind, so here are the guilty parties.”

Luna merely stared at it dumbfounded. They were sprawled out like corpses, eyes swirling around in their heads. She turned a furious glare on Rei. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here Mister... Mister... Mister Dragon-butt-stupid-face.”

Twilight let out a mute groan.

Rei arched a brow. “You've got quite a way with words don't you?”

“Shut up!” Luna snapped. Her horn lit up and she prepared to charge. Just as she launched off of her back hoof her path was blocked by a flash of purple energy that materialized into Twilight.

“Princess remember what your sister said! You have to be smart!” she protested.

“I don't care! He needs his ass kicked!” Luna barked as she attempted to stumble her way around Twilight.

“Even your sister was apprehensive about facing him Princess! He's too dangerous!”

“I'll show him dangerous!” Luna roared, finally pressing through Twilight's blockade. She lowered her head, aiming her horn directly at Rei as she charged.

“LUNA PLEASE!” Twilight shouted, voice quivering with desperation.

Luna slowed to a stop a foreleg's width away from Rei. She glanced in Twilight's direction for a moment before she returned her focus to Rei. She bared her teeth at him, horn beginning to illuminate. He didn't budge. He simply met her glare with a boyish grin.

Twilight warped to Luna's side and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Please Luna. We've already lost Celestia, we can't lose you too... We need you.”

Luna abandoned her glare to meet Twilight's eyes. She pointed a hoof to Rei, pressing it against his chest, “He...” She turned to him, then back to Twilight. “I...” The unicorn's gaze remained stern and hopeful, never once relenting. Luna bit at her lip. “Fine.” She sat down and the aura around her horn faded. “I suppose I'll be enduring you for the time being.”

Rei smiled and pulled his forelegs together. “Oh how wonderful. It always makes me feel so good when an issue is resolved without violence.”

“How about my sister? You get butterflies when you 'resolved' the situation with her?”

“Was there any violence?” he asked.

Luna scoffed. “Threats are no better.” She pressed a hoof against his chest. “You are a brute and I want you out of my sight.”

“But I reeeaaaally need to talk to you,” he countered.

“I have no interest in ANYTHING you have to say.”

Rei frowned and stared at her, hopeful that she would change her mind. When she showed no signs of reconsidering he rose to his feet and began a slow walk towards the exit. “If that is what you wish, but you should know that my only intention was to provide you with information.”

Luna's glare narrowed as she followed his movement. “What kind of information?”

He stopped and looked back to her. “Well, the actions I must take to fulfill my duties to the mortals will have a significant impact on you and your subjects. I wanted to give you an overview of what those actions were so you could prepare. But alas...” he mused, continuing his walk towards the exit.

Luna watched him for a moment, lightly tapping her hoof on the ground. “Fine, I'll hear it. But be quick about it. My patience is limited.”

He turned back around and bowed to her. “You're too kind Umarak.”

Twilight tapped Luna on the shoulder. Rei's arrival was an interesting development to say the least but her primary objective was still to keep Luna from enduring any more public humiliation. “Um, Princess, maybe we should take this somewhere more private.”

Luna looked a bit perplexed. “I'm not sure I follow you Miss Sparkle.”

“Uhhh...” Think Twilight! “Well, you see, if we talk out here some poor pony may hear and tell others. Then it will be a rumor and we all know how rumors tend to grow more extravagant and less truthful. Equestria would be better off if you were the one to tell them whatever he tells us. Not a friend of a friend.”

“Hmm.” Luna looked over the twenty or so guards trying to untangle themselves from one another. “You make a good point Twilight Sparkle.” She motioned to Miss Breeze who was attempting to get a guard's wing free from another's headpiece. “Miss Breeze!”

She jumped to attention, abandoning the pegasus. “Yes your highness?”

“Would you please run ahead of us and have the throne room cleared?”

“Yes of course!” she stammered before dashing down the hall.

“Well let us follow her.” Luna said.

Rei nodded. He watched as she avoided the imperative moving of her feet.

Twilight positioned herself at her side. “I've got you princess,” she whispered.

Luna raised herself cautiously, focusing all her energies on maintaining her composure. “This way.”

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Miss Breeze had done well. By the time they arrived the throne room was completely devoid of ponies. Breeze approached Luna and the others. “Here you are your majesty. Is there anything else I can do?”

Luna shook her head. “No I don't think so. Ensure that those poor guards are all alright I suppose.”

She nodded. “As you wish.” She nervously glanced at Rei. He gave a shallow bow, causing her to dart her eyes away and dash down the hall.

“Thank you Miss Breeze!” Luna called after her. She turned to Rei. “Well, here we are. Do not make yourself comfortable; you will not be staying.”

He smirked as he meandered in. “I'm starting to see where your guards get their hospitality from.”

Luna and Twilight entered behind him and shut the doors. Luna passed Rei and took a seat at the throne. “Talk,” she demanded.

He took a seat in front of her. “As you wish Princess. Are you familiar with Caltroth's Calamity?”

Luna stared at him for a moment, obviously churning through years of memories to answer. After the silence had become unbearably awkward she surrendered and shook her head. “No... No I do not think that I am.”

“May I describe it to you? It is important that you know about Caltroth's Calamity if you are to understand my intentions.”

“Fine,” Luna replied. Twilight winced as the tone seared her ears.

“Thank you. I'm sure you recall the role of the immortals in this world.”

“Maintain harmony in the forces of nature.”

Rei nodded. “Correct. And that they did. They changed a great deal about our world, for the better of course. So much in fact that a researcher named Caltroth theorized that, were the immortals ever to stop maintaining the balance they had created, the resultant backlash would be catastrophic.”

“Backlash?”

Rei nodded. “Yes, similar to... hmm.” He tapped a hoof on his chin. “Magnets. Think of two magnets with matching poles facing one another.” He summoned a pair of magnets from his bag. “Think of these two magnets as the forces of nature.” He pressed them together. “The force I'm applying on them is similar to the force the immortals have exerted on nature. Everything is fantastic as long as I'm pressing the two together, but if I stop —” he let them go, allowing them to rocket to opposite sides of the room “— bad stuff happens. The Calamity will of course take much longer to gain momentum than the magnets but you get the idea.”

Luna glared at him. “So why is it an issue? Has something happened to the immortals?”

The tip of Rei's tail twitched. “Well Princess, aside from you, your sister, and I, they're more or less... dead.”

Luna's mouth fell agape. “They're what?”

“Dead your majesty.”

“What happened to them?”

“Greed. They plotted to enslave mortals. So, in the name of preserving the freedom of the un-blessed, the blessed were disposed of. Now, with the immortals no longer able to uphold their duties, the Calamity has become a very real threat.”

“Excuse me,” Twilight peeped. Both Rei and Luna turned to her. “I'm just a little confused here; if these immortals are, well, immortal, how did they manage to die?”

“Immortality is not an immunity to death Twilight,” Rei responded, “It is merely the ability to live forever. In other words, it's an immunity to the degenerative effects of aging. We can still be killed by the same unnatural causes that can steal life from mortals.”

“Oh...” Twilight responded, “Huh...”

Luna returned her attention to Rei. “So, that's what this whole thing is about? Stopping the Calamity?”

“Yes,” Rei replied. He rose to his feet and paced about the room. “There are two options available as I see it. The first is to appoint a new Keeper of Harmony that will gather a new brood of immortals to uptake the duties of their predecessors. The second would be to abandon the concept of immortals all together and instead teach the mortals to maintain nature's balance on their own.”

He stopped. “Unfortunately the last two creatures in existence that even stood a chance of being qualified to assume the role of Keeper of Harmony, —” he motioned towards Luna “— you and your sister, are obviously not qualified.”

Luna's eyes contracted to slits. “I remember your speech about my sister, but how exactly am I unqualified?”

“Inexperience,” he curtly replied. “I wanted to see if maybe you would make up for your inexperience with some of your other traits but from what I've seen today, inexperience will be a burden too great for you to overcome. With time I actually see you becoming a great candidate for the Keeper of Harmony. But the Calamity is upon us, we don't have time. Your sister's decision to banish you has inflicted very perceivable damage to your growth Umarak, I canno-”

“How dare you bring that up!” Luna seethed.

Rei stared at her in disbelief. “How dare I bring that up? Umarak you cannot dance around difficult issues.”

Luna drew back. “Dance around?!” She slammed her hoof down. “I am not dancing around anything! My sister and I settled that a long time ago.” She descended from her throne and brought herself face to face with him. “I love my sister, and I will not stand by as you try and drive a wedge between us you manipulative creature!”

“There is a difference, Umarak, between loving another and allowing yourself to be blind to her errors.”

“ENOUGH!” Luna motioned for Twilight. “Come Miss Sparkle. Let us escort our guest off the premises.”

Rei sat still, keeping his eyes on Luna as she moved around his side. “Your sister's mistakes have cost our world dearly Umarak.”

Twilight was just passing Rei when Luna turned to him. Her eyes alone looked as though they would tear him to pieces if given the chance to jump out of her skull. “You will be leaving Reikavra, and I do not want to ever see you in Equestria again.”

Twilight cautiously passed Luna and opened the door. She peaked outside to ensure the halls were clear.

“It's interesting how much love you have for the creature that turned you into Nightmare Moon, Umarak,” Rei said. Twilight froze. She didn't need to look; she could feel Luna's rage. A loud crash reverberated from behind her.

When she turned she saw Luna's eyes flaring with light and her horn operating at full power. She had Rei pinned against the wall, her aura furiously throttling his neck. She scraped him up the wall, giving a small smile as he coughed and gagged for air. The glow from his eyes began to burn, turning them into crimson flames. He shook his head and closed them.

“Luna stop it!” Twilight shouted. She dashed to her side.

Luna didn't hear her. She reared her head back, pulling Rei off the wall, then slammed both forward as hard as she could. His eyes opened again. They were now radiating furiously. He turned a hungry glare down to Luna.

“LUNA!” Twilight begged. Luna slammed him again, and again, and again. His horn illuminated. Twilight jumped in between the princess and her prey. “Luna this isn't you! Sto-”

Luna's hoof struck her across the face and sent her sailing off to the side. “You insolent foal!” Luna cried out with a voice masked in a shrillness that was not her own.

Twilight laid on the floor, unable to move. She had suffered much more forceful blows in her life but somehow this one hurt much, much more. Once she had willed herself to move she slowly raised to her feet and looked back towards Luna.

The princess was in the middle of comprehending her action. She looked at her hoof in terror. Her eyes lost their glow and Rei slid back to the ground.

He closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. His horn's illumination faded and his eyes returned to their normal luminance. “That's what I was afraid of. You're still haunted by Moon.”

Luna turned to him, her face flashed between expressions of rage and fear. She looked back to Twilight. Twilight couldn't help but shrink. Tears welled up in Luna's eyes. Twilight gathered her courage and approached her. “Princess, it's okay.”

Luna squeezed her eyes shut and let out a pained wail. She stumbled to the side. When they opened they radiated white light and her wail flared up with the shrillness once again. She dropped to the ground and covered her head with her hooves. Twilight set her hoof on her. “Luna I'm here.”

Luna pulled her hooves from her face revealing her normal, comforting eyes. When she looked up to Twilight however they became filled with terror. She jumped to her feet and put distance between them. “Twilig-” She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a wail that twisted into a growl as fangs formed in her mouth. She put a hoof to her head and sat in meditation. Slowly the fangs disappeared.

Twilight moved towards her.

“STOP!” Luna ordered, “Get back Twilight.”

“But princess, I want to help!” Twilight said. She continued her approach.

“No, stop, get back!” Luna backpedaled and her horn glowed. Twilight tried to catch her but she was too slow. With a hum and a snap Luna was gone. Twilight stared at the spot where she had been, struggling to believe just how horribly wrong things has just gone.

“Well,” Rei exclaimed, “That was entertaining.”

Twilight turned to him. “ENTERTAINING!?”

Rei looked at her, his expression heavy with a nonchalance that only fueled her rage.

“DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCEPT OF WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE?!”

Rei nodded. “I have ascertained that Luna's mental stability is not where it needs to be to lead her subjects as they prepare for the Calamity.”

Twilight's breaths grew heavy. She began to look more like a bull considering a charge than a unicorn. “Do you have any idea how hard Luna has worked to get the very little separation from that monster that she has in the eyes of her subjects?” She threw a hoof in the air. “In just a few minutes you have almost certainly destroyed all of that! Not to mention the fact that you may have just resurrected one of the most powerful villains in Equestrian HISTORY!”

Rei simply waved her fury off with a hoof. “Oh come now Twilight, you're making mountains out of molehills. If Nightmare Moon becomes a problem you can simply blast her back into the recesses of Luna's mind with the Elements.” His eyes widened. “Oh, speaking of the Elements Twilight, being a bearer, you wouldn't happen to know where they are would you?”

Twilight stared at him. “No.” She brought her face as close to his as she could given her size disadvantage. “Even if I did I would die before I ever told somepony like you.”

Rei sighed. “I see. Well then, I suggest you evacuate the castle.”

Twilight turned her head slightly to one side, narrowing her eyes as she did. “Why?”

Rei stood up and stretched his legs. “Well if I am to find the Elements in a timely manner I will need to dismantle the castle. And time IS of the essence.” He walked past her and headed for the door. “I wish you great speed Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight snapped in front of him. “You wouldn't... You can't... There's no way you're capable of that.”

Rei looked down at her, lids still draped lazily over the tops of his eyes. “Okay.” He navigated his way around her.

Twilight considered the weight of his threat. The castle was a precious relic of Equestrian history. If he was truly capable of doing as he suggested, Equestria would lose both its elements, and their beautifully crafted symbol of order. There has to be another way, something I can do to trick him or bargain with him. I need more time to think!

She chased after him as he opened the doors and entered the hall. “Why do you even need the Elements?”

“Because Miss Sparkle I can't have Equestria cheating their way out of their early training sessions. That would defeat the whole purpose of progressively increasing the difficulty.” He stopped and approached a large window. He spread his leathery wings to their full length, which, Twilight had to admit, was a bit daunting. “Now, if you'll excuse me Miss Sparkle, systematic dis-assembly of the castle will be much easier if I can see the structure from a higher perspective. He lowered himself to the ground, loading his legs up for launch.

“Wait,” Twilight murmured. He held his position and granted her his attention. “If I show you where they are, will you spare the castle?”

Rei chuckled. “Well if I was to be shown to the Elements, it's only logical that I wouldn't have to tear the place apart looking for them now isn't it?”

Twilight considered her options. She could of course call out his threat as a bluff and simply ignore him. But Celestia, the mighty alicorn who had charged in and challenged the devious Discord, the horrible King Sombre, and even the mighty love enhanced Chrysalis had surrendered to his threats without so much as a spell of defiance. If Celestia took his threats seriously, it would probably be a good idea for her to do the same.

Unfortunately, ever since that rogue group of changelings had stolen the Elements and attempted to sell them on the Buzz Market, Celestia had been enchanting their chamber to ensure that only she had access. Thus, snagging the Elements before Rei found them was out of the question and without Spike she had no means of quickly contacting Celestia.

If she did refuse to help, and Rei tore apart the castle, he had a good chance of locating them. The castle was a senseless sacrifice. Not to mention their remaining unstable princess may try to challenge him outright. Celestia's reaction considered, that may not turn out well for Luna. At least if she led him to the Elements, she could stall and give herself more time to find a way out of this. It wasn't a good plan but it was all she had. “Follow me,” she groaned.

“Yes ma’am!” Rei chirped. He folded his wings up and dropped into step behind her, offsetting her defeated gait with his own buoyant trot.

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Twilight and Rei rounded a corner, ending what had been a good ten minutes of walking straight down the longest hallway in the entire castle. Twilight had considered taking the halls in a serpentine pattern the entire way to the Elements, but that would be an obvious tactic and she wasn't dealing with the stupidest creature she'd ever met. In fact she was almost positive that he was well aware of her intentions, her only saving grace being his upbeat mood.

She needed to strike a balance, buying herself as much time as possible while keeping Rei's aggravation low enough that he would continue to put up with it. She decided to chance a comment, hoping to gauge just how annoyed he currently was. “It's going to be a bit of a walk. They're doing maintenance on a few of the more important routes so we've been forced to use some pretty hefty detours the past few days.”

Rei gave a short laugh. “Yes, —” he peered at her through his peripheral “— and yet, today they are so strikingly convenient.”

“Hah! Yeah I guess they are!” Twilight cooed.

“It does, however, give me a chance to enjoy all the wonderful art they've decorated this place with,” Rei reasoned. He approached a larger than life painting of the one and only Prince Blueblood. “Like this. Who is this fellow?”

Twilight turned back, scoffing when she saw the painting Rei was referring to. “Oh, that's Prince Blueblood. He's a reeeeaaalll AAA” — Twilight considered just who she was talking to before finishing her word — “AWWwweeesssome stallion! You should meet him some time. Take him out for lunch.”

Down the hallway, past Rei, Twilight caught a light blue dot skidding out from the corner. She squinted to make it out, silently gasping when she realized that it was a familiar rainbow maned pegasus.

“Does he really sparkle?” Rei asked. He turned to Twilight when no response came. “Twilight?”

Twilight felt a sharp sting in her chest when she realized that he was now looking at her. “Uhh... what?”

He prodded the painting of Blueblood with his hoof. “This creature, does he really sparkle?”

“Oh... umm... no. No I don't think he does. That's a creative liberty that he probably requested.”

“I see.” He looked further down the hall to the next painting. Twilight meanwhile was doing everything in her power to signal Rainbow Dash to take cover, awkward ear movements, twitchy head tips, and even a long range telekinetic tug on her tail. Rainbow got the message and turned back towards the corner only to find herself crushed under the rest of Twilight's Ponyville posse.

“Oh now look at this! Good ol' Starswirl!” Rei exclaimed. “You ever read his stuff Twilight?”

Twilight made sure not to repeat her mistake from before, this time doing her best to keep up the conversation while simultaneously directing traffic. “Have I read Star —” she made a wide sweeping motion with both fore-hooves towards the corner “— swirl the Bearded, are you kidding?”

Rei looked back to the painting of Blueblood, barely missing the elegant purple tail that disappeared behind the far corner. “So why does Count Sparkle-Nuts over there get a bigger painting than Starswirl?”

Twilight glared at Blueblood and his pretentious smile. “You know Rei, I find myself asking that same question every time I come down this way.”

Rei let out an appreciative huff. The bells from the old church chimed. He spun around and inspected the window. “Uh-oh! As much fun as this is, that bell is the reminder that this is a business endeavor.” He looked back to Twilight. “I'll be upfront with you Twilight. I've got about five more minutes that I can endure of your shenanigans before I'll need to resort to my own devices.”

Twilight grumbled. “And by that you mean 'Get me there in five minutes or I'll destroy the castle.'?”

“Well not exactly, —” he raised a hoof and bowed his head as if to offer her a consolation platter “— I may find the Elements very quickly and thus not have to inflict much damage on the castle.” He plopped his hoof back to the ground. “But essentially yes, if you don't get me there in less than five minutes the castle is at risk.”

Twilight remained silent as she analyzed her situation. Rei still seemed to be in good spirits, good enough that she could risk drawing out the trip just a little longer. She stretched out a long frown and dipped her outer brows with mock concern. “We're still really far out, even if we rush the best we can make it in is ten...”

Rei grimaced, pulling his breath through his teeth with a hiss. He materialized a small chronometer and flipped it. He watched as the small sand-particles began to fill the bottom half of the glass. “We should probably start booking it then.” He turned to her. “Like NOW.”

Twilight threw her head into the air. “UUUUGGGGHHHH! You're a real swell pony... thing... you know that?”

He nodded. “Yeah I get that a lot actually.”

“This way,” she growled. With Rei close behind she dashed down the hall towards the Elements, still burning her brain for a possible way out of her dilemma.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Twilight watched as two of the castle guards sank down, their unconscious bodies propped against each other. “You ponies sure do hire some lazy guards,” Rei joked as his horn's aura faded.

Twilight nervously stepped past them. Before them were the enchanted doors that stood as the Elements' last defense. Fortunately she had been able to devise a plan to escape her dire situation. If Rei actually managed to open the doors she could warp in and snag the Elements before he had a chance to get them. Then she could arm the other spirits and put this draconic nightmare of a creature into custody. It didn't exactly have her bursting with confidence, but it was something.

“Now these look like the kind of doors that would guard the Elements,” Rei remarked. He tapped the top of his chronometer. The last few particles of sand fell into the lower half. “And just about spot on five minutes too. Well done Twilight!”

“Thanks,” She responded flatly. “As you can see Celestia put a lot of spells on these doors to protect them from thieves like you.” She turned around to head towards the exit. “So you'll probably want me to take you to the library for a few books to help you break through.”

Rei didn't follow. Instead he approached the doors. “Actually I think I'll just give them a look. See if I can't find a way to bypass them.”

Twilight cursed under her breath. “You're wasting your time.”

“Just humor me Miss Sparkle.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

His horn lit up as he inspected the doors. He closed his eyes and made small hums and “Uh-huhs” as he probed the magical auras in place. Finally he opened them and rolled them to the upper right corner of his vision as he pieced together his findings. After a moment of thinking he sighed and smacked a hoof against his face. He shook both head and hoof back and forth. “Really Kilia? I... What... You...” He smiled and dropped his hoof to the floor. “Oh who am I kidding. That's so you.”

Twilight considered asking what exactly he was talking about. However, she remembered what was at stake and instead moved into position. She stopped off to his side just enough that she could get a clear view of the Elements when the doors opened. She could only hope that the anti-teleportation spells Celestia would have most certainly put on the room would dis-engage.

Wait, Rainbow! She could call for Rainbow, then she would have a back-up plan. Two chances to steal the Elements out from under Rei's nose. She formed a small ball with her magic and sent it out the door. Hopefully her friends had managed to follow them. She formed the words “He's going to get the Elements. We have to try and get them first when he opens the door.”

There was a loud crack that brought Twilight's attention back into the room. There standing before her was the hallowed form of Celestia, cutie mark and all.

“Princess?!” Twilight gasped.

Celestia turned towards her, one brow raised in disbelief. “Umm... yes. Yes it's me Twilight.” A frown formed on her face. “I've come to tell you that you're the most disappointing student I've ever had, absolutely atrocious. In fact I think I'll banish you and throw you in a dungeon in the place that I've banished you to.”

“Wha-” Twilight's stomach churned. The Princess must have been furious about her decision to surrender the Elements. Just as her lungs seized up she noticed that Rei was nowhere to be found. In fact he had been standing exactly where Celestia stood now. She blushed. “That's you, isn't it Rei?”

The alicorn before her turned back to the door. “You catch on quick.”

“You're a jerk.”

Rei rolled his... her... eyes. “Hey, you would have known it was me if you hadn't been so busy plotting back there.”

Twilight puffed as she observed him. Disguised as Celestia, he engaged his horn. He formed a cylindrical listing of ethereal runes around his head and rotated them. “Cel-Es-Ti-Ah-Ro-Ox” The cylinder stopped at, and imprinted, each named rune in a line along the front of his horn. Once the runes had been imprinted, he stuck his horn into the center of the sun emblem. The hole illuminated and soon the grooves in the door shone with a blinding blue aura.

He pulled his horn from the keyhole and smiled as his disguise evaporated. “Well look at that. Probably beginner's luck huh?”

Twilight made no attempt to respond. The instant she could see the chest she teleported. To her excitement her warp was not impeded by spells. To her dismay, when she reached it, the stand was empty. After landing she looked behind her. As she feared, the chest was in Rei's possession. She prepared another warp but a small bolt snapped from his horn and struck her own. It left her dazed and unable to perform her spell.

The chest floated helplessly in front of him. Nopony to save it, not even a lightning fast pegasus. “You should really work on your subtlety Twilight,” he suggested.

The chest snapped open. She shook off her confusion and reluctantly opened her eyes, terrified to find him holding the only defense they had left. However he wasn't holding the Elements in triumph. Instead he was glaring into the chest. He revealed its empty interior to her. “You, Miss Sparkle, are either very clever, or very fortunate.” He gave it a few heavy shakes as though the Elements had been stuck to the bottom. “Actually, it's probably a combination of the two.”

Twilight stood up and dusted herself off. “Tough break,” she said with a grin.

“Yes it seems that it is.” He stared at the empty box for a moment before he set it down and returned to his perky demeanor. “Well I do have other things I need to attend to. You and your friends may celebrate a temporary victory today. You have bested me. Congratulations.” His horn lit up. “Until next time my little pony.” He gave a short bow and warped away leaving Twilight alone in the holding chamber.

For a few moments she just stood as she processed the outcome. Then she started to let out a few short laughs and before long she had rolled to the floor in joyous tears. By some stroke of luck she had avoided giving the Elements to what currently seemed to be the greatest threat to Equestria's well-being there was. She felt a nudge on her shoulder. When she looked she found six concerned sets of eyes staring down at her. “GIRLS!” she screamed.

“Hey sugarcube, we got somethin you should take a loo-”

“SPIKE!” Twilight screeched. She jumped to her feet and wrapped the lanky dragon up in her fore-hooves. “I was so worried about you! I had Rainbow and the guards searching all over for you! I thought I'd never see you again!”

“Twilight,” Rainbow tried to interject.

Twilight pressed Spike back far enough that she could look into his eyes. “Which brings me to ask. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?” An unsettling flare in her eyes accentuated her words.

This time it was Spike that tried to get her attention. “I know Twilight; I'm sorry, but you should really see this.”

Twilight refused to listen. She paced in front of him and continued her scolding. “I gave you my trust Spike, and the first thing you did was betray it!”

Her berating was halted as she found herself caught in a whitish blue aura and unwillingly turned to face Rarity. “Twilight, dear, the letter.”

Twilight glared down to Spike who was carrying a letter in his claws, then back at Rarity. “Yeah, what about it?”

“Spike. Has. A. Letter.”

Twilight's eyes tripled in size. “A LETTER!”

Rarity dropped her. “Yes darling. You REALLY should read it.”

Twilight ripped the parchment from her assistant's claw.

My Faithful Student,

I need your help. Please gather your friends and meet me at the place where you defeated Nightmare Moon.

Your Mentor,
Princess Celestia

P.S. I've got the Elements.