To Find Equilibrium

by Slywolf930

Constellations

Constellation

Split gasped as the ear piercing howl reached his ears. It was close, and so was Synth. He looked towards Vera who was now sweating from fear. He should have left her behind, but she refused. He continued though the forest as the howling lessened. If he looked closely, he would have realized that Shade had disappeared and a trail of smoke led towards where Synth was.

Only three things could make that sound, and there were no Timberwolves nearby. So that would mean Synth was in danger. He found the ending of the tree line and peered around the last one to see the river. In front of him was Silver who was looking down a Canis Minor that was about his size. Split ran up to his side as he noticed Synth’s unconscious body at the feet of the Canis Minor.

“Synth!” Vera called out from behind him. The Canis Minor focused his attention to them. His mouth opened and he showed his sharp canine teeth.

Split held Vera back as the Canis Minor took a step towards them. He seemed to be hesitating at first, but Split didn’t notice as his attention was on Silver who was slowly inching around the beast. He made it to Synth and started his healing spell. Split looked back to the beast to find it charging towards them. He grabbed Vera and rolled to the side as the beast barely missed them.

“Keep him busy, this’ll take a while!” Silver yelled as his magic concentrated on Synth’s motionless body.

Split placed Vera behind him as he stood back up. He got himself into a defensive stance and prepared his magic. His specialty wasn’t in fighting, but distraction was something he could do. The Canis Minor locked back onto him, and crouched ready for another charge.

Split sent out his magic as a dark wall between him and the Canis Minor. Split attempted to stop him by getting rid of his sight. As the wall appeared around the beast, Split made a cloud and focused it around the Canis Minor. When he finished, he now had a protected barrier and a shrouded area where the beast was. This all happened in the five seconds it took for his spell to be cast.

The beast gave another howl as he took a step forward. Split waited for the impact of the beast when he hit the wall. It never came, instead the beast walked right through the magic around him. He kept his gaze on Split the whole time. Suddenly he charged forward and caught Split off guard.

He didn’t have time to react as the beast jumped on top of Split. He was growling in his face as his paw came down to cut his throat. The beast would have succeeded in ending his life, if not for the hit he received in the side. The beast skidded into the river where he swam his way back onto shore.

Split looked up to see Slash standing over him. Slash had a few cuts on his wings, but was otherwise alright. Slash helped him up and then they walked over to where Silver was.

“How’s the healing going?” Split asked as Vera came up next to him.

“I don’t get it. His body doesn’t want to accept the healing. I’m trying my best but it’s like he’s already fully healed,” Silver said, a little worry in his voice. “Or he’s dead.” He finished.

Vera gasped as Silver back away from the unmoving body. The Canis Minor was walking towards them now. Then his face looked towards Synth’s body and he stopped. He looked to the rest of them and then slowly backed away. His face was still snarling, but his eyes betrayed another emotion. Fear.

Split didn’t respond, he didn’t know what he could say. He did notice that Synth was still breathing though. He looked down at Synth while his chest heaved up and down. He noticed that it stopped its slow breathing and for a second, it didn’t start back up. When it did continue though, his chest heaved upwards and then he violently twitched.

Synth’s eyes opened, and they were bloodshot. Split stepped back and gasped as the others did the same. He slowly stood up and grinned, looking himself over. He took a step towards the Canis Minor and his horn flared up.

“Synth!” Vera said.

“Synth isn’t here right now…” Shade whispered as his body was covered in a dark green, almost black coating as Shade ran forward in lightning speed and hit the Canis Minor below the chin.

Vera knew what she heard, he might have whispered it but she heard it clearly. The way he was acting was also different. He didn’t look terrified or scared. He looked like he enjoyed the fighting. She watched as he continued to assault the Canis Minor with blow after blow. The beast didn’t have a chance as Shade sent him skidding towards the trees.

Suddenly another Canis Minor came out of the woods next to the first who was now slowly lifting himself off the ground. Shade grinned and his horn lit up again. Behind the new Canis Minor, appeared two more of them. After they came out into the clearing, another four joined them. Suddenly the odds against Synth were eight to one. Shade didn’t falter though, as he charged forward.

Split watched mouth agape as Shade singlehoofedly took out the eight Canis Minors. He lost track of which ones he’d hit more than others. Split cringed at one point when it looked like Synth nearly killed them, then he simply stopped. He stood in the middle of the group of injured Canis Minors with the smile gone from his face. Suddenly, he raised a hoof and the Canis Minors slowly backed away. They joined into one group and sat down watching Shade. He still wasn’t smiling though, as he now held his head.

Suddenly, the magic coatings around Shade disappeared. Shade slumped forward as the Canis Minors stayed seated. Split and Silver recovered themselves from their dropped jaws and ran over to Synth. Slash flew overhead above Synth’s body. Vera also joined them, but kept her eyes on the Canis Minors who howled in unison when the trio reached the body.
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Synth slowly came back into consciousness as his body lifted itself off the ground. He felt cold and numb. He felt tired and he wanted to close his eyes again. His eyelids didn’t close though, as he felt his body take a step forward. Synth instantly awoke from his grogginess. He tried to take in everything that was happening.

He could hear Vera call out his name. Then he heard a very close voice next to him speak.

“Synth isn’t here right now…” Synth heard Shade speak with his mouth. Synth would have gasped if he could, but instead he settled for speaking up.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Synth asked Shade.

‘Look who decided to wake up. You should have stayed down. I got this handled.’ Shade said as his horn lit up.

‘How long was I out?’ Synth asked.

‘Well considering that I was knocked out too, I don’t know. But I do know that you’re in no position to take over. So I’ll make quick work of this guy and then show you how to cause real damage.’ Shade asked.

‘Damage? What do you…’ Synth realized that Shade was grinning.

‘I won’t let you hurt any of them.’ Synth said, feeling Shade’s malicious intent.

‘Really, you don’t trust me? Fair enough, but I meant to those Dawn Guard assholes. They deserve it, well them and this Canis.’ Shade responded.

‘So, it is a Canis Minor? I thought I’d seen one of these guys before.’ Synth answered.

‘Well, yeah there’s a very big distinction in the fact he’s blue.’ Shade said sarcastically.

Shade ran forward and almost broke the jaw of the Canis Minor. He ran forward to continue.

‘How can you be smiling at a time like this?’ Synth asked Shade as he started his assault on the beast.

‘Because, I forgot how much fun this can get.’ Shade said as he delivered another blow to the jaw of the blue beast.

He dodged attacks that the Canis Minor through at him, and landed his own hits on the legs and face of the beast.

‘You’re going to regret messing with us…’ A soft male voice said in Synth’s head. He could almost make out a faint growl as it spoke.

‘Did you hear that too?’ Shade asked as he missed a punch to the leg and was met with a blow to the chest that slid him back a few feet.

‘Yeah, what was that?’ Synth asked.

‘I am the leader of my pack. You dare to invade our territory?’ The voice came again, this time now a growl followed.

‘Look buddy, you attacked us first. Maybe we can go our separate ways?’ Shade replied as he ran forward and landed a blow on the beast and sent him sliding towards the tree line. ‘For now, you can go that way.’ Shade finished.
‘Or we can kill you where you stand.’ The voice replied with a sinister laugh.
‘You and what army? Wait… did you say we?’ Shade asked the beast as he watched the forms of more Canis Minors exit the forest. They stood next to their fallen comrade and stared down Shade. Synth noticed Shade smiled again, as Shade lit his horn again. He ran forward, and Synth couldn’t stop him as he jumped into the air and kicked at the Canis Minors in the front.
‘You have a death wish, don’t you?’ Synth asked as he jumped off the fallen Canis Minor to narrowly avoid the teeth of another two who bit where he once was.
‘Just because you can’t do this, doesn’t mean you should be jealous.’ Shade said as he knocked the wind out of an approaching Canis Minor. He ducked to avoid another beast and struck the beast in his underside as he flew over.
‘How can you enjoy this? Violence shouldn’t be liked.’ The voice said in Synth’s head as Shade rose up and knocked the feet of the Canis Minors around him.
‘How can we hear you?’ Synth asked the voice. It seemed to be moving around as Shade fought.
‘We were born of the same entity, therefore we are connected with that bond.’ He responded, but Synth didn’t understand.
‘I don’t get it, could you repeat that?’ Synth asked as Shade jumped over two approaching Canis Minors and then knocked the Canis Minor in the back and into the other one.
‘You are not the one we are connected with; it is the one who is in control right now.’ The voice responded.
‘Shade, it’s for you.’ Synth replied as he watched Shade almost break two of the beast’s legs and then they were sent flying into a tree.
‘So, you’re saying we’re like family?’ Shade asked as he punched the last Canis Minor square in the chest and he landed onto the ground twitching.
‘Y-Yes, that’s… correct.’ The voice responded as though it was injured. Shade looked down to the last one to get beaten. He noticed it was just looking at them from his spot on the ground. The others were also too injured to continue, and they just watched Shade.
‘Well, brothers and sisters. Let’s make sure we know who’s boss around here…’ Shade responded as he lifted his hoof into the air.
‘Get in line, I want to get a good look at you…’ Shade said and they slowly lifted themselves and did what he said.
Shade looked towards them and smiled, his horn started to glow. Synth could imagine what he had in mind. Shade didn’t care about anything, so why would he care about family? Shade was about to release his magic into a blast, but Synth felt something inside him. He thought about what would happen if Shade was set free. All the damage he could cause to his friends and, more so to his family.
Synth felt his magic return to him as he let go the burst of energy. He had a thought of Vera being victim to Shade’s deeds before his magic completely enveloped Shade’s. Shade didn’t have time to properly react as his magic was overpowered and his feelings numbed. He did have enough time to cast a spell though, and he used it on himself.
‘This one’s a draw.’ Shade said as he imploded his own body with the spell. At first, he could feel Synth take over and then he felt nothing as the spell shocked them back into unconsciousness.
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“Is he okay?” Split asked as Silver used his magic on him.

“He’s better than okay!” Slash yelled down, furiously scribbling on a notepad.

“What do you mean?” Vera asked as she saw Synth’s body twitch.

“Did you see him? He used some awesome magic back there. I can’t believe this is the same pony that we’ve been training.” Slash said as he finished his writing.

The Canis Minors were now approaching the group. Split backed away, and Silver kept them at the corners of his eyes as he finished his healing. Vera looked up at them but didn’t move. They walked slowly, and some limped as they encircled Silver and Synth partway. Split watched one of the Canis Minors stop and look at Vera before continuing his walk. Vera didn’t look scared, and Split could only commemorate her courage.

“What do you want?” Silver asked as his horn stopped its glow. He turned to face the most cut up and bigger Canis Minor. He was the leader and the closest to the ponies. He lowered his head and soon after, the others did the same.

A sudden grunt sounded next to Silver. He looked down to see Synth trying to get back on his hooves. He failed, and ended up falling on his face. He cursed under his breath as he tried again. Silver didn’t hear them as two of the Canis Minors showed up next to Synth and helped him onto his hooves. He was too surprised to react, and suddenly he looked to the others to see them… smiling?

“You’re welcome,” Synth said looking at the biggest Canis Minor.

“What?” Split asked and suddenly Synth turned to him tilting his head. He sighed and then shook his head.
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Synth felt something throbbing in his head. He could feel his body as consciousness returned to him. At first, he felt numbness and expected Shade to still be in control. But soon, he felt the ground beneath his body and the wind blowing his cloak around. He opened his eyes and that caused his body to groan with the effort.

He could hear voices too. They were soft and barely audible. He tried to lift himself, but the effort only caused him to groan. Silver appeared in his vision, and he attempted to try again. He didn’t want to look weak in front of his trainer. Suddenly, he felt his legs get a little bit of strength. When he was about half way up, his legs gave out and he fell onto the floor.

‘Smooth.’ Shade said from the back of his mind.

‘It’s your fault. This isn’t what I would call a draw. I’m the one who’s losing here…’ Synth said as he recovered his strength for another attempt.

‘But you saved us.’ Synth heard that familiar soft voice in his head again.

‘Yeah, you saved those worthless Minors. Good Job.’ Shade said sarcastically.

‘I guess that’s not a bad thing.’ Synth said as he put more force into his legs to pick himself up. When he was about to collapse again, he felt something propping his side up. He turned to see a Canis Minor helping him up. Then he looked to the other side to see the same thing.

‘We are thankful for your help. Your friend on the other hand, isn’t what we expected.’ The soft voice entered his head.

‘Actually, I’ve known him long enough to expect as much…’ Synth said as he was finally to his feet.

‘Yes, we thought he’d be more trustful considering he is much like us.’ The voice said.

‘Well, with Shade I don’t think he could ever be trusted.’ Synth said and he noticed Shade was quiet.

‘Thank you anyways, we aren’t usually saved by our own prey.’ The voice said and Synth saw the Canis Minor smile slowly. His teeth showed, and it still gave Synth goosebumps.

“Your Welcome.” Synth said, the fear making him forget his surroundings.

“What?” Split asked really close to Synth. He tried to play it off, but Split definitely heard. He shook his head and held a hoof out to the Canis Minor.

“Truce?” Synth asked and the Canis Minor thought about this a second, before placing his large paw on Synth’s hoof. The other Canis Minors simply sat down and waited.

‘Truce, but your friends don’t look like they’d easily befriend us.’ The voice said as the Canis Minor turned to look at Split who was raising an eyebrow and Slash who had landed and had his mouth open again.

“Hey Slash, tell those Dawn Guards to take a break. Silver, could you help these guys out? They’re a little injured.” Synth said motioning to the other Canis Minors. Slash flew away without saying a word.

“Are you crazy? They were about to kill you!” Split said still standing close to Synth.

“But they didn’t. If you care so much for our safety, why don’t you watch them then?” Synth asked as he walked over to where Vera was standing.

“You okay?” Synth asked a little more softly as he looked at Vera.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Are you sure you’re okay though? We thought you died.” Vera said and Synth stepped back.

“Why’d you think that?” Synth asked.

“Well you stopped breathing for a second, and Silver couldn’t heal you. That means you died.” Vera said.

“Actually, I could heal him that last time. I wonder why it didn’t work the first time…” Silver said from his position next to a Canis Minor who had a cut lip.

“See, I’m alright. It’ll take a lot more than that to take me down.” Synth said boldly.

‘Like a tree.’ Shade said.

‘Shut up, that was a onetime thing…’ Synth said.

‘But it happened twice.’ Shade responded.

‘I know… just shut up.’ Synth said as he sat down to rest his tired legs.

“Well, what are you going to do now?” Vera asked sitting down next to him.

“I don’t know. I guess I should keep training, but I’m a little tired,” Synth said yawning.

“What about those blue things? They don’t look very nice,” Vera said.

Synth looked over to see them in a line waiting to be healed. Two of the already healed ones were play fighting, and he saw a pair of injured Minors growling to each other and showing off their fangs. The leader was stretching and licking the blood away from the newly healed cuts.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about. They’re just like regular ponies when you think about it…” Synth said. Synth saw the leader walking his way towards them. He sat down in front of them and said nothing.

“What’s your name?” Vera asked the blue beast.

‘Spark, and you are?’ the soft voice said to Synth and he tilted his head.

Synth got a look from Vera and he tapped his head a second before he thought of an idea. He turned to Spark who was waiting patiently.

“Why don’t you write it down?” Synth asked Spark and he handed him a stick off the floor.

At first the Canis Minor looked like he wanted to argue, but then he nodded and grabbed the stick in his mouth. He scratched at the ground at first, and then started to write down letters. When he finished, Vera walked around to see what it said.

“Wow, he’s pretty smart. Didn’t know they could read or write,” Slash said walking up to them.

“His name’s Spark,” Vera said.

“Guess so. Does this mean we’re on good terms?” Slash asked walking up to Spark.

Spark nodded and held out his paw. Slash smiled and they had a quick handshake.

“I like this guy. Can we keep him?” Slash asked which got a glare from Split and a wink from Synth. Spark barked and Slash held his hoof up.
“Just kidding,” Slash said walking away.
Nobody spoke, and they eventually all sat down in their own areas. Some of the Canis Minors were sitting together, but most were bathing in the river. Split kept his watch on them, and Synth didn’t mind Vera when she went to join them.
‘So, what’s your story? Why are you all here?’ Spark asked Synth when no one was looking their direction. Synth sighed.
‘I could ask you the same thing,’ Synth said.
‘Well, my story could take a while. I’ll tell you if we have time,’ Spark said.
‘Fair enough. Okay then, shall I start from the beginning?’ Synth asked watching Vera having fun playing with the Canis Minors. He noticed some of them were younger than others, but about the same size.
‘Go ahead, I’m listening,’ Spark said.
‘Okay, I’ll keep this short. I’m training to get stronger, and this was a training spot they chose. I was in the middle of the training when we met. The training did a number on me, so Shade had a chance to get out. He used himself up enough though, so I forced him back. When I tried to come back out, he took me with him. Now, everyone’s wondering about your group I bet,’ Synth said, trying to keep it condensed but with enough details.
‘I see, well our predicament was actually a little different.’ Spark said.
‘I bet, I don’t think your pack would be training in this forest,’ Shade said from nowhere.
‘You are correct, but not entirely…’ Spark scratched his head with his hind legs. Then he turned back to face Synth.
‘One day, we lost our mother. We were only pups at the time, and she simply disappeared one day. We looked around everywhere, but we couldn’t find any sign of her. We assume the worst happened. So, we decided to band together and spend our lives trying to avenge our mother.’ Spark took a breath to continue speaking, even though he wasn’t technically using up oxygen when he spoke mentally.
‘So, do you want to tell Synth how old you are now?’ Shade said taking the opportunity.
‘Well, we lost our mother a little over a thousand years ago. We gave up a long time ago, and now we were going to claim this place as ours… But I guess this is someone else’s property. That would explain those trespassers a while back.’ Spark said looking into the sky.
‘You’re a thousand years old?’ Synth asked, mouth open.
‘Yeah, that’s about right. Anything else you want to know?’ Spark asked.
‘When’s lunch?’ Shade asked.
‘Good question. I don’t have an answer though.’ Spark said lying onto the ground.
‘So, I guess you’re hungry?’ Synth asked.
‘Only a little, I had a big breakfast.’ Spark said licking his lips.
‘How about you come with us to the castle? I bet Luna would like to meet you all.’ Synth asked, his sympathetic side coming out.
Synth looked away from Spark and looked at the other Canis Minors. They stopped their playing and resting to look at the pair. Synth waved to Vera who was interested in what they were looking at. She waved back and then jumped on the back of a Canis Minor to continue playing.
‘Do you think she’ll really enjoy meeting us?’ Spark asked looking into Synth’s eyes.
‘I’m sure she will. You know, after you tried to kill us.’ Shade said sarcastically.
‘Ignore him, he’s just cranky. But, she’s changed since when she was in rule a long time ago,’ Synth said standing up.
“Hey guys, change of plans. It’s almost lunch and I want to show these guys to Luna. Let’s drop in and give them a surprise.” Synth said speaking to the rest of the group.
“Stop right there. We decide what we do, not you. Comet might not be here, but that doesn’t mean you’re in charge. We’ll continue the training until you can literally disappear.” Streak said from right behind Synth.
Synth turned to see Streak with tons of twigs and leaves stuck in random spots of his wings. Nova was behind him, but other than muddy hooves he was in okay shape. Synth then looked to Split and Silver, and finally Slash. They looked tired, but weren’t complaining. Synth looked to the Canis Minors and then Vera. He had an idea.
“Okay, I’ll show you what I can do. Just give me a second to stretch. And I’ll need a head start too.” Synth said. Streak hesitated but Nova nodded.
“Okay, tell us when you’re ready. Don’t keep us waiting.” Nova said walking away and into the trees.
Synth walked over to Vera as she lowered her head. He walked really close and whispered something into her ear. At first, she raised an eyebrow and then she smiled a devious smile. Synth walked up to Silver and Slash and did the same. They had the same effect, and Split’s reaction was only slightly different. He went from confusion to fear, and then into a smile.
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“Game on!” Synth’s voice rang out from the distance.
“Damn, he got far in that head start. We shouldn’t have given him so much time,” Nova said.
“Doesn’t matter how far he went, I’ll find him eventually,” Streak said rushing forward and dodging around trees as he quickly left Nova’s sight.
“Well, I guess I should take this more seriously too.” Nova said as he cast a spell with his horn. The air around him shimmered for a second, and then he disappeared.
Far above, two figures were scratching their heads and wondering where Nova went. They looked away to follow Streak, and completely lost where Nova went.
“Hey, did you feel that?” Slash asked Split next to him.
“No, I didn’t see or feel anything. He just vanished,” Split answered.
“I know but just before I lost track of where he went, there was this burst of magic. It was only for a second, but I felt it.” Slash said stretching his wings.
“Look, let’s just go catch up with the others. They’re waiting for us.” Split said as he used a cloud to carry them over to where Vera and Silver were sitting with confused looks on their faces.
“Is he ready?” Split asked.
“No, he’s been going in a circle. Are you sure you told him the right way to go?” Silver asked looking to Slash.
“Yeah, I said to go straight after the river takes the bend. Where is he now?” Slash asked looking below for Synth.
“Other side of the forest…” Silver said and, sure enough, Synth was looking at the wall behind the tree, on the complete other side of the forest from the exit.
Silver looked to see Spark pawing at the cloud beneath them. He was wobbling a little and Vera was chuckling.
“Are you scared of heights?” Vera asked. Spark didn’t answer, other than sitting down and putting his head on his paws.
“I didn’t know these guys had fears. I always thought they were invincible.” Silver said looking to the rest of the Canis Minors who were in the same position as Spark.
“Everyone has something they can’t stand. Remember when Star-,“ Split began.
“Shut it.” Silver cut him off.
“Oh come on, we’re all friends here,” Split said looking to the Canis Minors. “It’ll boost their spirits if they hear about your fear…” he finished.
“I don’t care, just forget about that…” Silver said looking away.
“Fine, fine… but that was pretty funny wasn’t it?” Split asked with a grin on his face.
“Shut up…” Silver said his face growing a little red.
Split stayed quiet, but Vera had a question.
“Who’s Star?” Vera asked.
“She’s the Shadow Guards second in command. And she was also the one who asked Silver to-“ Slash was cut off from speaking by the glare he was getting from Silver.
“To what?” Vera asked not seeing Silver’s look.
“To…you know, never mind.” Slash said looking away and back towards Synth who was surprisingly getting closer to the exit. He would look up every few seconds, and then when it looked like Streak was about to find him, he activated the spell and hid.
“That was a close one, but it doesn’t look like he’s getting better at actually holding the spell. He can cast it just fine, but the duration of it is too low,” Slash said writing this down.
“At least he made it to the exit. Let’s get out of here, I’m starving.” Silver said as Split led the cloud closer to the exit.
“Are you sure they’ll be okay with us just leaving?” Split asked as his cloud made it to the edge of the forest.
“Yeah, we could just say that Synth was hiding the whole time. Then when the time was up, we forgot to get them before we left.” Silver said and Split nodded.
“Let’s hope they’re not too mad…” Split said as he lowered his cloud, the rest of the occupants were slowly getting themselves up as the ground came closer.
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‘Oh, look at that!’ Shade said suddenly.

‘What?’ Synth said looking from side to side but not seeing anything.

‘It’s another dead end. Gee, I wonder how many that’s been. Oh wait, I’ve been counting. You’re up to nine now,’ Shade said.

‘You’re not helping…’ Synth said as he turned around to see if he was in the right direction that Slash said to go.

‘But we can…’ Spark said in his head.

‘Really? Then which way do I go now?’ Synth asked looking up towards the Canis Minor.

‘Give me a second…’ Spark went silent and Synth couldn’t help but feel something different in Spark’s voice.

‘Okay, go straight until you reach the river.’ Spark said.

Synth followed Spark’s directions, each time he had to take a second before telling him where to go next. He only had a few encounters with Streak, in which he hid before he was found. Streak was moving too fast to notice a moving bush or the prints in the ground.

‘Hide,’ Spark said.

Synth activated the spell and managed to narrowly avoid Streak as he flew right by Synth. This time though, he hovered in front of the tree that Synth was hiding next to. He was about to lean on it to take a rest, until he heard something in the bushes nearby. His body was only inches away from Synth, whose spell was beginning to fade.

Streak jumped after the moving object in the bush. Streak would later realize he nearly scared a rabbit to death when he caught up to it. It would be a good few minutes before that happened though. Synth meanwhile, was grateful for the interruption and left down the homestretch to the exit.

Synth could barely make out the exit as it showed up in front of him. He waited for a few seconds as the door was swung open. He smiled as he saw Silver standing there and motioning for Synth to enter. Synth did as he was told, and the door was closed quietly behind him.

“So, let’s get going.” Synth said walking up the walkway.

“Actually, we still have procedure to follow. Vera would you?” Split asked and Synth saw her close her eyes.

“And now you…” Split winked and Synth felt his vision go dark again.

“Not again…” Synth said as he walked slowly up the walkway. Silver was walking next to him and making sure that he didn’t trip.

‘What’s wrong?’ Spark asked. Synth couldn’t tell how close or how far he was.

‘They blinded me so I don’t see where this place is. All part of the training.’ Synth said and Spark didn’t ask to know more.

‘So, are you excited about lunch?’ Synth asked in his head.

‘I’m sure it’ll be delicious.’ Shade said sarcastically.

‘I’m not talking to you… so are you Spark?’ Synth asked.

‘I’m more nervous about meeting Luna. I don’t think she’ll be as accepting of us as you were. I mean, she’s a princess after all,’ Spark said.

‘Well, I don’t see anything wrong with your pack. They just need a little understanding. Don’t worry, I’ll be there to make sure she knows the whole story,’ Synth said. And after he said that he tripped over something hard and metallic.

‘Wait… what did I trip on?’ Synth asked.

‘Don’t answer that,’ Shade said.

Synth didn’t hear a response so he just decided to ignore it. He kept his focus on making sure his hooves didn’t hit anything too hard. After what felt like hours, he finally heard Silver’s voice.

“Okay, we’re back. You can undo the magic now Split,” Silver said.

Synth felt his eyes go from the darkness back into the blinding light. Synth squinted while his vision changed back to normal. He rubbed his eyes until he could finally see right again. He opened his eyes and looked into the room in front of him.

The table was the same from breakfast and the same guests from breakfast too. He walked in with the rest of his group. He only got a few glances at first, and he felt confident he could make it to Luna before anything happened. His hopes were crushed when he heard a scream behind him.

‘They don’t sound very happy to see us,’ Spark said.

Synth turned around to see Spark and the rest of his pack entering the room, their mouths drooling at the sight of food. The officials and Royal Guards surrounded the pack before they were halfway inside. Synth gulped and turned around to see Luna in a shocked expression at the Canis Minors.

“So Luna, I brought some friends…” Synth said loud enough for her to hear.

She turned to look at Synth and then back to the Canis Minors. She looked back to Synth and sighed. “Let them be. Our visitor has some explaining to do,” Luna said.

“Thank you…” Synth said when they lowered their weapons and turned to face Synth. The attention was almost too much for him. He breathed in and out to gather his words before speaking.

“Any time…” Celestia said.

“Okay, well long story short these guys aren’t as bad as we thought. They just lost their mother so I thought you could help them find her.” Synth said trying to look at Luna, but he only managed to look in her direction.

“What makes thee so sure of their good being?” Luna asked Synth.

“Well they were grateful after a certain rabbit showed up, so I doubt they’d change their minds.” Synth said winking to Luna now. She nodded and waited for him to continue.

“Plus, they seem to really want to talk to you. They’re just a little shy…” Synth said and he saw Spark lower his head. Luna smiled and motioned to the guards.

“Make them feel at home, but do not let them out of thy sights. Not until we can further pursue their reason for being brought here,” Luna said, and then she looked to Celestia quickly.

“Luna, I agreed to let you make your own decisions. Just remember you are responsible for the consequences too.” Celestia said getting up from her seat.

“Thank you Tia, I won’t let you down.” Luna said before turning back to Synth.

“Well, are thou hungry?” Luna asked and Synth realized they got there a little late. Most of the others already finished lunch and were leaving the rooms. They gave the Canis Minors questioning glances before leaving.

“Actually, I could go for something juicy…” Synth said looking over to the Canis Minors.

“And I don’t suppose you could do something for them too?” Synth asked.

Luna looked over to them and then smiled. She levitated a notepad and a pen from somewhere, and then she quickly wrote something down. When she finished, she handed it to a nearby guard who nodded and read it while he walked into the kitchen.

Synth raised an eyebrow as she just sat there. “So, is that a yes?” Synth asked when she didn’t continue.

“Yes, we may have something they might enjoy. It’s also probable that they might not like it, but it’s all that we have.” Luna said and the guard returned with a covered platter that was bigger than him. He set it down in between all of the Canis Minors and slowly backed away. He kept his eyes on Spark as he lifted the lid away.

The plate held tiny gem fragments that were stacked into a mountain of gems. It would have made Rarity faint at the amount of them. There were all kinds of colors as the Canis Minors jumped onto the pile and started munching and breaking the gems apart.

“Gems are edible?” Synth asked as he watched them eat the gems without hesitation.

“No, they aren’t. But the Minors can eat gems and it’ll restore their energy. They are made of pure energy after all. So, we thought it would work,” Luna said.

“Why do they get energy from eating the gems?” Synth asked.

“It’s something to do with their magic absorbing its natural energy.” Luna said thinking hard about it.

‘Do you mind if I try something?’ Shade asked politely.

‘That would depend…’ Synth replied.

‘I just want to see if the same thing works with me,’ Shade answered.

‘Go ahead, but you’ll need to be a bunny when you do it. Anything else and I’ll stop you.’ Synth said as he looked into a dark corner of the room,’ Synth said letting Shade take over his magic.

‘You know, sometimes I think you spoil me…’ Shade said as a thin light of magic hit the corner of the room and then a little later a white bunny hopped out.

Nobody noticed it except for Synth and Luna who’d been watching him closely. She sighed as Shade hopped out and towards the gem pile.

“We do not believe that the same idea will apply to a summoned creature…” Luna said just enough for him to hear.

“He just wanted to make sure.” Synth said defending Shade.

“Sometimes, we think thou are too forgiving. Remember the consequences.” Luna said as Shade approached the pile. He grabbed one of the emeralds and held it close to his mouth, as if hesitating.

“Look! It’s Shadow, I forgot all about him.” Vera said coming up behind Shade. Synth had to think about that, he never told her the name he gave Shade when he was in rabbit form. So, she must’ve overheard when they were at their parent’s house.
Shade stopped and looked to see who she was talking about. When he remembered the name, he noticed she was getting close to him. Before she could stop him, he shoved the gem in his mouth.

Synth could hear the crack as Shade’s teeth bit into the gem. At first, nothing happened. Then, Shade opened his mouth to show his broken teeth and the still intact gem. Vera was inspecting his teeth like a dentist. She prodded the cracked ones, and inspected some pieces of the ones that fell off. She lowered Shade, and he hopped into the corner of the room.

‘That didn’t go as expected,’ Shade said as the smoke entered Synth’s horn while no one was looking. No one, that is except for Luna. Synth didn’t know if he should laugh, or feel sorry for Shade. Losing a tooth hurt, so breaking almost all of them at once would be painful. He decided to not do either and hold back his laughter and say nothing.

“Eating gems is not recommended. First of all, you’d need tough teeth to eat them, and second if you don’t have enough magic it could take your magic instead of giving it to you.” Luna said looking at Synth seriously.

‘I get it, don’t eat anything magical,’ Shade said.

‘But magic is most delicious,’ Spark said.

Synth looked over to see Spark at the top of the pile, shoving his face full of the gems. Synth noticed that the Shadow Guards were just watching and not saying anything. Synth’s stomach rumbled and he remembered why he came.

“Luna, if you wouldn’t mind. Could we eat something too?” Synth asked.

“Yes, we will have the chefs bring something for thee and thy sister.” Luna said turning to a guard.

“Um Luna, could you include my trainers in that too?” Synth asked pointing to the trio of Shadow Guards who saluted.

“Very well, they deserved it. We will need the report on Synth’s progress and a debriefing from Nova before their job is done though.” Luna said looking around.

“Where is Nova? Would not he be with thee?” Luna asked Synth.

“About that…” Synth started to say and turned to the Shadow Guards who were rubbing their necks or whistling.

“Just a little late, I had to check on something before coming back.” Nova said from next to Synth.

Synth jumped back, his eyes widened and his heart was beating a little faster. Nova was right next to him, and he sounded… happy? Synth waited to see what he’d say next. Nova levitated over Slash’s notepad and took out his own scroll from a bag at his side. He levitated both to Luna before bowing and walking towards the Shadow Guards.

“Thank you, we will read this for now. Until we finish, feel free to ‘dig in’,” Luna said. Chefs came out of the kitchen with smaller platters and placed them on the table. Synth saw Nova take a seat, and soon the rest of the Shadow Guards did the same.

Vera sat down in between Nova and Slash. Synth walked over and took a seat on the opposite side of the table next to Silver and Split. Luna took the reading material and left towards where Synth and Luna had their meetings. Synth relaxed as the platters were opened and the food filled his nostrils.

“Shall we dig in?” Nova asked a little nervous.

“We Shall.” Slash said rubbing his hooves together.

Synth was about to start, until a question bugged his mind. It wasn’t really a bug, unless you called Shade a pest. ‘So Nova’s all nice with you guys now, after you left them at the forest?’ Shade asked.

“Yeah, why is that?” Synth asked softly.

“Why is what?” Slash asked raising an eyebrow.

“Oh nothing, I was just wondering why Nova’s here and Streak isn’t.” Synth said a little louder, cursing Shade for his own mistake.

“He’s still looking for you. Honestly, that was a pretty good plan. I never would have guessed you’d leave in the middle of training,” Nova said, his mouth full of lettuce.

“So, how did you know we left?” Split asked tomato juice all over his lips.

“I followed you. Ever since you restarted the game, I followed to see where you’d go. You had that attitude like you had something up your sleeve, so I wanted to make sure you were playing fair.” Nova said and then resumed his lunch.

“But, we didn’t see you at all. So, why didn’t you just find Synth and give yourselves another point? That’s what Streak would have wanted you to do.” Silver said. He didn’t start eating yet and was intrigued by Nova’s actions.

Nova swallowed before replying. “Like I said, I had a hunch. So, I was there when you were almost found by Streak. That’s when I realized that you didn’t need to train like that. I mean, you’ll only get better at that spell the more you use it, so why would we have you use it only when you’re in danger?” Nova said and then continued eating, this time a little slower.

“So, you just followed us? Why didn’t you tell Streak?” Split asked.

“I went back, but only to tell him that I saw you for a second and then you disappeared. Then I left and came here.” Nova said as licked his lips to remove the ranch from his mouth.

“Why would you cover for us?” Silver asked, his hunger completely forgotten.

“Well, we kind of had a falling out before we went to the camp…” Nova said, having stopped his eating.

“What kind of falling out?” Synth asked.

“It’s just that I told him I wanted to quit. I just wanted to settle down somewhere and live a carefree life. He thought I was crazy and hated the idea. Then, Slash came and told us about the abandoned camp. So, I told myself I’d stay a guard until we finished your training in two days.” Nova said. He was now completely serious and looking at Synth.

“So, what are you going to do after that?” Synth asked Nova.

“Well, I’m going to find a spot that suits me. I’ll find a mare and live the rest of my life away from this guard job.” Nova said a little sad.

“I wish you luck.” Slash said saluting to Nova.

“As do I.” Split said adding to the salute.

“Me too.” Vera said trying to copy the other’s salutes.

“Thanks, I don’t know what I’ll do or where I’ll go yet, but I’m glad to know I have your support.” Nova said saluting back.

“All I can say is good luck, and I wish I got to know you better,” Silver said.

“Yeah, I treated the Shadow Guards like crap. I’m sorry about that, but we have to. It’s supposed to make you new recruits stronger. The only ones who take it too far are Comet, Streak, and the Captain. Everyone else does it as part of their job… can you forgive us?” Nova asked looking at Silver.

“Yeah, it’s all in the past. Look towards the future.” Silver said smiling now.

‘The past repeats itself,’ Shade said.

‘He is right; history repeats. There will always be something after a storm.’ Spark said from atop the licked clean platter.

‘Why are you both acting so down? Everything’s alright right now. Enjoy it while it lasts.’ Synth said as he looked down at his untouched plate.

Everyone finished their lunches as Synth and Silver finally started. Even after the delay, Synth finished his lunch before they all left. Silver was the last to leave, after he excused himself when he finished. He closed the doors behind him and Synth was left relatively alone.

‘So, what do we do now?’ Synth asked the Canis Minors who were play fighting and rolling around.

‘We could sleep,’ Asked a lower pitched voice. Synth realized it was the Minor that was laying against the wall almost knocked out.

‘We could play tag,’ Asked a cheerful and energetic voice. It reminded him of Pinkie, but it also sounded young. He looked around and found the owner of the voice jumping over a sleeping Canis Minor repetitively.

‘We could eat some more,’ a slow voice said who was nibbling on someone’s tail. He was bigger than some of the others, but not in the height category.

‘We could shut up,’ Synth looked around and for a second he couldn’t tell who said that. Then, he remembered and sighed.

‘Shade, you don’t get a vote,’ Synth said, and sure enough Shade sighed.

‘Well then can I say we should go with the first suggestion?’ Shade asked.

“Synth, we have finished our reading. We may see you now and your guests as well.” Luna called out from the room next door.

Synth led the Canis Minors towards the door and opened it. He made sure they were all inside before entering himself and closing the door behind him. He turned to look back at the others, and found them all lying down in the grass. Even the one that was energetic before was sniffing the flowers from inches away.

“Synth, we must discuss thy progress so far.” Luna said sitting down next to Spark who was looking at himself in the water.

“Okay, how am I doing?” Synth asked seating himself on the other side of Spark.

“Thy progress is much more than we expected, and thou have been controlling Shade much better than we thought.” Luna said rubbing her hoof through Spark’s fur.

“Really? How can you tell?” Synth asked. He was watching Luna act normal, even with the eight Canis Minors in the room. Most of them were rolling in the grass, while some slept and one was peering over the edge of the balcony.

“Slash has written about thy conflict with Spark here, and Nova wrote how thou have practiced with thy spells perfectly. He has also seen the improvement in thee.” Luna said.

“Really? I didn’t realize I was improving. It doesn’t feel like I’m getting any better. And Shade still acts like an asshole most of the time,” Synth said.

“Well, we need to see thy improvement for ourselves. Tomorrow, we want to see you perform the Environmental Takeover spell. But around this time tomorrow, instead of during the morning. Until then, enjoy thy free time,” Luna said.

“Okay, thanks Luna. But… I have to ask.” Synth said thinking how to say it.

“What is it?” Luna asked.

“Why are you so comfortable with these Canis Minors around?” Synth asked.

“Synth, they are our creations. We love everything we create,” Luna coughed awkwardly. “Almost everything, that is,” Luna said.

“Ouch, my own mother doesn’t love me. I guess I should say I’m not surprised.” Shade said. Synth reached up to feel his mouth, it was completely numb. He didn’t even feel Shade as he took over his vocal actions.

“What?” Luna asked, confused about what he said.

“It’s me, mom. Don’t you recognize your own creation?” Shade asked pouting as he did. Synth was surprised. He didn’t know his face could pout.

“Oh, Shade. Now we understand. Well, what mother could love something that betrayed her?” Luna said. Synth remembered how Shade used Luna as a shield in the end.

“Could you blame me? That’s how I was raised,” Shade said.

“Fair enough, but we don’t feel like chatting with you tonight. Our favorite creations want to talk about more pleasant things.” Luna said grinning.

“Ouch, that hurt more than you think. I guess I’ll leave you be. That is, until Synth learns to give in to what he feels,” Shade said and Luna’s face changed.

“We are still not certain that he is the one in that prophecy.” Luna said, but there was no emotion in her voice as she said it.

“I think you should look it over again, because certainty is written all over it,” Shade said.

Synth saw Luna nod, and he decided enough was enough. He used his energy to force Shade out of his vocal area. He succeeded fairly easy, like Shade was letting him take back control.

“Okay, I’m back. I hope he didn’t say anything too bad,” Synth said.

“No, it’s quite alright. We just need some time to think. If thou have nothing left to ask, then we’ll see thee tomorrow.” Luna said looking at the Canis Minors, and not at Synth.

Synth nodded as he walked towards the door. He was stopped as Luna said something suddenly.

“Don’t get any nightmares…” Luna said and Synth nodded again before opening the doors and walking out.

‘No promises,’ Shade said.

‘I’m sleepy, what time is it?’ Synth asked.

‘Time to take a nap, may I suggest at the bottom of a lake?’ Shade replied.

‘Ha-ha, now let’s see… this way I think.’ Synth said as he took a turn, he found himself facing the stairway.

‘Look at that, I was right,’ Synth said.

‘For once,’ Shade said.

Synth ignored him as he climbed his way up the stairs. He made it to the top, after his legs were beginning to tire. He made sure to watch his step. The top step still had the hole he made the night before. He walked up to his room and walked in, closing the door behind him. He locked it and slumped to the ground.

“So, what do you want to play?” Vera asked sitting on his bed.

Synth sighed, it was only about five and he was tired beyond belief. He stood back up and walked over to her. He sat down on the bed before speaking.

“What do you feel like playing?” Synth asked the still energetic filly.

“I don’t know… something competitive,” Vera said.

“Well, how about a board game?” Synth asked.

“I’ve only know how to play a few board games, what is there to play?” Vera asked.

“Let’s check in door number one,” Synth said as he pulled open the drawer of the dresser. He found it to be full of boxes.

“Jackpot,” Synth said as he lifted three different boxes from inside. He laid them down on the bed and waited for Vera to speak.

“What are these?” Vera asked looking at the three boxes.

“Well, this one is Monopony, and this one is Risk. Oh, and this one’s my favorite, Chess.” Synth said pointing to the smallest box.

“I haven’t heard of them…” Vera said as Synth opened the Chess box.

“Well, then let me show you how to play.” Synth said as he set up the game board.

-------------

“No, that’s a bishop. He can’t go straight.” Synth said as Vera tried to make another illegal move.

“Well, the movements are confusing. I can’t remember every little thing they do.” Vera said as she put her piece back where it was.

“Look, do you want to go back over the rules?” Synth asked.

“No, you’ve already explained them enough. I just don’t know if I can get used to it.” Vera said as she thought of her next move.

“Why don’t you think of it like something else?” Synth asked trying to help her get used to playing. He loved to play chess, but never had anyone to play against that was actually a challenge.

“Like what?” Vera asked, getting a little frustrated.

“Well, think of the pieces like other ponies. There are the ones that rule others, like Celestia. She’ll be the King piece. Then, there’s the one that protects the ponies, like Luna. She can be the Queen. The ones that go straight into battle without thinking are the Guards. They are the Rooks. The ones who have the weird moving patterns can be you. Those are the Knights. Because life has a way of doing weird things,” Synth said trying to get his example across.

“Oh I get it, like the Bishop can be you because you never go straight. You always go the wrong way and end up there eventually.” Vera said looking at the Bishop piece again.

“Yeah… sure,” Synth said sighing.

“So, what are these?” Vera asked holding up a pawn the last and most important piece of the game.

“Well, those are the ponies who risk their lives to defend what they care for. They’re special and shouldn’t be ignored. The pawns can be your pawn, and then become a useful ally if you use them right.” Synth said studying the piece a little more.

“Oh, okay. I get it now. Then can we play now?” Vera asked setting up the board.

Synth looked out the window to see the sky was dark and the moon was already out. He would guess it was almost midnight now. It took longer than he thought to teach her about the game. He turned back to the ready game board.

“Just one more game…” Synth said as he sat down to play a little more seriously.
------------

“Check,” Vera said grinning at the board.

“Nice, I didn’t see that coming…” Synth said as he studied for his next move.
It’s their fourth game, and Synth won them all so far. Vera kept insisting that they continue, and Synth couldn’t say no. Every time they played, Vera checked him more and more times, and now it was actually a close game. If he wasn’t careful, they could stalemate. Synth saw an opening in which he could reverse the situation.
“Guard,” Synth said as his rook took the bishop and led the way to her open queen.
“Nice try, but Check.” Vera said as she moved her knight into a position to take his king.
“You’re defending yourself by not defending at all… that’s a risky strategy.” Synth said as he looked for possible moves.
Synth moved his king down a space, and into a position away from the rest of her pieces. If he could get her queen, the game would be his. The queen was the OP piece in the game. She’d already taken his piece when he sacrificed it to take her two rooks, so he was trying to even the odds.
She moved a pawn to take his rook that he’d overlooked earlier. He smiled as he took her queen. She didn’t react though, as she moved her bishop to check his king.
“Check,” Vera said, and now she was smiling.
“Don’t get confident about a Check, you’re running out of good troops.” Synth said as he moved his rook away from its defensive position to capture her bishop.
“You told me yourself not to ignore a pawn. They can be your greatest ally.” Vera said as she moved her pawn to take Synth’s knight that he never moved from the last square on his side. When this happens, she’s allowed to replace the pawn with a different piece of her choosing.
“Checkmate,” Vera said as a queen took the place of her pawn.
Synth stared at the board and at his defenseless king. The pawn ended his journey next to the king. One of her knights was guarding the queen so Synth couldn’t capture it with his king. She had his king in the corner, and he saw no way out of it.
“Good Game…” Synth whispered as he took one last look at the board.
“Yeah, thanks for playing with me, I had fun.” Vera said smiling. She picked up the game and Synth was still staring at where the board used to be.
“Are you okay?” Vera asked when she put the game back in the drawer.
“Y-Yeah, I just… I’ve never lost a game of chess before. It feels… different.” Synth said as he composed himself from the shock.
‘And your first lost was to a mare. Not just any mare, a filly.’ Shade said amused at the thought.
‘Shut it, I taught her all she knows.’ Synth said trying not to make it look that bad.
‘There’s that pride showing up.’ Shade said and Synth didn’t understand for a while.
‘Just shut up, I’m too tired for this.’ Synth said as he took off his cloak and necklace before lying down in the bed.
“It’s pretty late, I’m going to bed,” Synth said as his eyes slowly started closing.
“I guess so, but why do you wear these things?” Vera asked pointing to the necklace and cloak his parents gave him.
Synth sighed; this was the second half of the story. It was already late, but he felt he should tell her some of it before they went to sleep.

“I’ll tell you the story later, but for now just know that it’s important to me. When I left my parent’s house, this is what they said good bye with. It was the only time when I didn’t think that badly of them. So, I keep these as a reminder…” Synth said and then had to think of what he’d say next.

“They’re reminders of what?” Vera asked.

“That everyone has a good side inside. And that no one is perfect.” Synth said before he was silent.

Vera didn’t respond, and instead Synth felt his eyelids weigh down on him. He closed them and was almost asleep when he felt Vera also get in bed and fall asleep. Synth could feel something in the corner of his mind, and he decided to let it in this time. It could be Luna, or a nightmare. But he felt that he could deal with a nightmare.

He was wrong.

Author's Note:

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