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Cycle's End1,048 words
Shadowed Summons2,118 words
Choices in the Glen1,684 words
The Long Walk1,045 words

Shadowed Summons

The sun rose on the small hamlet of Ponyville, waking the inhabitants from their slumber. Some clung to their partners, still quivering in terror at the memories of the wedding. Many were nervous as they peered out their doors, stepping onto the road with trepidation. But, all in all, Ponyville endured; what had happened in the capital was far away and, by some standards, not the worst that the citizens had survived.

Twilight Sparkle blearily shook her head, cricking her neck and rolling her shoulders. The fog in her mind slowly began to fade, giving way to what she liked to think of as a checklist but could more accurately be described as a series of actions and requirements floating randomly through her thoughts. She didn't have to do them in any particular order, and occasionally she'd skip a few, but she liked to maximize her efficiency even when waking up. As the unicorn walked over to her wardrobe, she idly made the bed behind her with her magic.

"Two daaaaaayz." She giggled. "Today is two days. Hee hee. And it's a Tuesday! Tuesday two day today!"

Her comb floated through her mane as she flicked her ears back and forth. Two days ago had been both the worst... and the best day of her life. Two day ago she'd been almost torn from her friends... and then saw her brother get married. Her dreams couldn't decide whether to be fantasies or nightmares.

Maybe she should look into therapy.

Once the pony in the mirror looked presentable, Twilight giggled and meandered down the stairs, still drifting through the half-awake thoughts of checklists and plans. Some part of her managed to nod gratefully to Spike as he handed her a mug of coffee, utterly deadpan. The warm liquid quickly drained down her throat, clearing the fog from her head as she blinked once or twice.

"You awake yet?"

The unicorn shot her assistant a look. "Very funny. Yes, I'm awake."

"Good. Breakfast is on the table." The dragon blushed as Twilight nuzzled him briefly. "Hey come on, I do this every day!"

"And I appreciate it every day." The librarian giggled as she walked into the kitchen. "It really helps start my mind up... wow, what did you make? It smells delicious!"

"Just pancakes," Spike replied humbly. "You want me to go get the mail?"

"That would be very helpful, yes."

Twilight sat down at the table, working away at the meal; as always, she tore through it in an efficient manner. In fact, by the time Spike had returned, Twilight was already dabbing her lips and washing her dishes. The dragon rolled his eyes, mentally comparing the unicorn to a certain pink friend of theirs; while she would never admit it, Twilight could seriously compete with Pinkie in an eating contest. He tossed the newspaper onto the table casually, going through the letters in his hand and organizing them.

"Bill, bill, bill, government notice, library stuff, library stuff, another 'thanks for saving the world' letter, government notice, bill, three more 'thank you' letters, an invite to a Pinkie party... huh, this one's unmarked." The dragon set that envelop aside. "...bill, bill, library stuff, aaaaand... that's it."

"File the bills and the notices and put the library stuff on my desk." Twilight's horn glowed, levitating the other envelopes to her. "I'll take the letters for now."

Spike shrugged, heading to the office with the paperwork in claw. The unicorn smiled as she opened the letters one by one. The first was a fairly generic thank you, which she holepunched and put into the fifth folder that she'd purchased after the Ursa Major incident. The second had a heart-wrenching account of Discord's Day, one that almost brought Twilight to tears; this, she set aside to be framed and hung in what she called "The Gratitude Room," formerly a filing room which was now home to the most genuine of praise she received. The third was... well, she was obligated to read the thing all the way through, but burned it thereafter and threw the ashes into the trash. And the fourth was less a thank you and more an attempted licensing deal; that got burned as well.

"When did I become a celebrity?"

Rolling her eyes, Twilight Sparkle opened the party invitation. In four days, apparently, Pinkie was hosting a surprise party for Applejack of all ponies, apparently because it was her birthday. The unicorn giggled, quickly writing a reply and teleporting it to the mailbox for the afternoon route to pick up.

And the final envelope was unmarked. She checked it carefully for dangerous spells before opening it, raising an eyebrow as a small stone slid onto the table. Her curiosity only increased once she unfolded the letter.

We need your help, lest we all perish. This stone will lead you to a glen; gather your friends and meet us there.
A Scholar

Twilight raised an eyebrow, examining the stone carefully. An enchantment had been tied to it, a simple pinpointing component that could be attached to any other spell in her codex; clearly, the caster had some trust that she wouldn't simply teleport there.

But the way it was worded....

"...Spike, I'm going out. Could you watch the library for me?"

"Sure thing Twilight!"

Gathering up the letter and the stone, Twilight headed into Ponyville.

***

"Wait, you got a letter too?"

Pinkie bounced up and down. "Yepper deppers! It said that someponies needed my help otherwise they'd spoil and they wanted us to follow a rock to a glen! I checked the rock and it was definitely enchanted, trust me, when you work on a rock farm you can SEE these things."

Twilight shook her head, comparing the two notes. While the message was identical, Pinkie's letter had been signed A Mourner. Why would the mysterious letter sender change their identity? She compared the two stones, finding the exact same enchantment on each one of them. "I... guess that means you're coming with me."

***

"...Desperate? Your letter is signed Desperate?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't get how this rock is supposed to lead me to these ponies. That's why I was coming to see you, egghead."

"It's probably got a component enchantment..." Twilight examined the stone. "Yep. Just like mine and Pinkie's. Here, read my letter."

The pegasus raised an eyebrow, but flicked her eyes over the proffered paper. "...hey wait a minute. This is exactly like--"

"Pinkie got one too. Hers was signed A Mourner." Twilight glanced over to where the party pony was chatting brightly with a blue mare. "As soon as she breaks away from that, we're headed to Rarity's. Then we'll swing by Sweet Apple Acres and pick up AJ on the way to Fluttershy's."

"Actually, how bout I grab AJ and Shy and bring them over to the Boutique?" Dash peered at Pinkie, who was now wearing a flowerpot. "Something tells me you're going to be here a while."

***

"Bye AJ! Ah'm off ta help somepony!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow as her sister began packing her saddlebags. "Now hold on thar! Who is it that yer helpen'?"

"Ah don't know. Tha letter said they were a... pay tree arc?" Apple Bloom Waved a vague hoof. "But they said they'd perish if Ah didn't take mah friends somewhere."

Just as she was going to head out the door, an orange hoof blocked her path. "Listen, Bloom. Thar are... bad ponies in tha world, that want ta get ya alone and do bad thangs. Fact is, tha way that this patriarch contacted ya is ringing major alarm bells in mah head. Ah don't think ya should be doing what he says."

"But--!"

"Let me see that letter."

The filly sighed, producing the letter and, after a moment, a stone. "This came with it... It's supposed ta lead me to tha place. Ah don't exactly know how."

Applejack read the letter over, contemplating its contents. "...Ah think that Ah would be more comfortable if Ah knew where this was coming from."

Suddenly, there was a knocking on the door. "AJ! Hey, you in there?"

"Rainbow Dash?" The farmer opened the door and gave the weathermare a curious look. "What are ya--?"

"Oh good, you got your letter. Come on, we need to get Fluttershy and--"

"Wait, mah letter? Did ya send this?"

In answer, the pegasus pulled out her own letter. "Somepony wants us to help them out. Twilight and Pinkie got letters too."

"Aw, so that wasn't for me?" Apple Bloom sat down, dejected. "Ah never get ta go on cool adventures..."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Thar's a very good reason fer that. Would ya kindly tell Big Mac I'll be back in tha afternoon?"

"Yeah, sure..."

***

"...signed, A Wounded one." Fluttershy shivered. "Oh no... that can't be good. Angel, what if the pony who wrote this is alone and scared and has nopony who cares about them? What if they're bleeding to death? What if--?!"

THWONK.

"...did you seriously just throw a carrot at me?"

The bunny nodded, crossing his forelegs and tapping his foot. He pointed at the mailbox, then at the letter on the table, tilting his head.

"I guess you're right. Whoever this pony is was able to deliver this letter, so... but, it said they would die if we didn't come help! Something awful must have happened! Oh, maybe they were hurt in the Changeling invasion... no, that doesn't make sense." The pegasus paced around her living room, trying to think of a good reason for the letter. "It could be... I guess it could be some sort of cruel prank, but... no. Nopony would fake that sort of message."

Suddenly there was a knock at her door. "Oh, um... coming!" The pegasus cautiously approached, opening the door slowly. "Oh! Rainbow! Applejack! Um, what are you--?"

"How'd they sign your letter?"

Fluttershy blinked. "...how did you--?"

In answer, the two ponies simultaneously revealed their own transcripts.

"...oh."

***

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique... Twilight! How good to see you!" Rarity gave her a tired smile, waving as she stitched away. "Please excuse my appearance, but I had to stay up all night working on this commission. Oh! But your timing is fortuitous, darling. I know a few minor transmutation spells, and they help so much when I'm swamped with commissions; do you think you could possibly tutor me in some more advanced forms of that branch of magic?"

The librarian blinked. "You... you were up all night?"

"Oh, yes darling. I know, terribly unhealthy of me, but I can accomplish such feats if I try."

"Ah. So... you haven't gotten your mail yet."

"Well, no." Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Why, did you send something to me?"

"Actually, somepony's been sending unmarked letters to all of us. I mean, Rainbow and Pinkie and me... Rainbow's gone to check on Fluttershy and Applejack, she'll be bringing them here shortly."

"Oh my... That sounds..." Rarity yawned. "I'm terribly sorry, dear. To be honest I'm exhausted and, well, I don't know if I'll be able to help out this mysterious letter sender."

"It's a good thing I got coffee while I was getting your mail!" Pinkie bounded down the stairs, a platter precariously balanced on her back. "Here you go, breakfast and letters!"

"...what were you doing upstairs?"

"What wouldn't I be doing upstairs?"

"I... what?"

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Eat up, Rares, we're going on an adventure!"

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