> Equestria's Gates
>  by Shin Guyviroth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1 - The Gathering of Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Quiet now, children," a voice commanded from the front of the room. "Class is in session!"

A large mare stood in front of the gathering of students -- thirty in total -- up straight and her head held high. The pony was of Earth origin with a light grey fur coat and even lighter grey hair, showing her advanced age and maturity. She wore a long, blue scholar's coat over herself and a matching wizard's hat.  Her eyes darted forwards, fixating on nopony in particular but still giving off the aura of authority over her class. The children soon quietened down, their attention given to her without fault.

"Right then, class," she began, "we will begin with a recap of yesterday's studies. Now, can anypony tell me the difference between a 'cantrip' and an 'apprentice' spell?" Only two ponies raised their hooves in the air. One of them was a dark indigo filly with a lighter mane, with a dark ebon vest over her chest bearing the symbol of a crescent moon. The other was a pure white colt with a light orange mane. His hoof shot up with haste and enthusiasm. "Yes, Sun Flare?"

The pony responded with an overjoyed and eager smile upon his face, "A 'cantrip' is a minor spell that requires little or no magic to use and so is not strenuous nor powerful, while an 'apprentice' -- or '1st level' -- spell requires more magic and has a chance to backfire."

"Very good. I'm glad to see somepony has done their homework."  The teacher was visibly not impressed with the lack of studying her students undertook outside of the class, or even if they bothered paying attention to her in the first place. "Celestia, I'm astounded that you were not one of the first to raise their hoof. You know the answers too well, I would think."

The little white filly looked up and gave an awkward smile. "I… uh…" She tried to think of a sensible excuse, but being put on the spot like she was now was causing her mind to wander without coherency. Eventually, she found one. "I… just wanted to give everyone else a chance. Heh…"

"… That seems reasonable," the teacher replied as she stared down at Celestia through her thin, oval glasses. To the relief of the pressured pony, her gaze switched to the dark filly beside her. "I enjoy your enthusiasm, Luna. I only hope that everyone else can follow you and your sister's example and keep up with their studies."

"Yes, Miss Oghma," Luna responded with a nod, her face showing indifference.

"Then, without further delay, we shall continue with learning different spell levels." Miss Oghma turned to face the large blackboard on the wall behind her, picking up a long piece of white chalk in her hoof and writing a series of diagrams and lists. "Now, as a Unicorn grow in power their magical abilities start to increase, allowing them to use and control stronger spells, from your basic cantrips to your most powerful 9th level, or 'paragon', spells. However --"

"Psst. Sister," whispered Luna from over her desk. "You didn't do your homework, did you?"

"Well… no," replied Celestia in hushed words. "I've been categorizing my books alphabetically and by genre. I haven't had time to --"

"Celestia," exclaimed Miss Oghma, her head turning only slightly as she gazed at the young Alicorn out of the corner of her eye. "I assume that you have something of importance to tell the whole class? Or can I continue with the lesson?"

"N-no… Sorry, Miss Oghma…"

"Thank you." Turning back to the board, Miss Oghma continued to finalize her writings. "Now, as I was saying, even the lowliest of 'apprentice' spells become more powerful as the caster becomes more attuned with their magical abilities. Also…"

To the mental pain of most of the class, Miss Oghma rambled on for what felt like hours. Her explanation of equations used to calculate a Unicorn's magical power as they progressed through their practical training nearly put some of the students in a coma-like state. However, Luna was wide awake, her attention unfaltering as her eyes scanned whatever she saw on the board and her ears absorbing every last word of information her teacher spoke. Celestia, on the other hand, was far more preoccupied with worrying about if she should file book with "The" at the beginning of their titles under "T" or under the first letter of the next word. Such was the problems of an over-obsessive compulsive Alicorn.

The hour and a half passed slowly for those not already using their text books as makeshift pillows at this point. Eventually, the bell rang aloud through the classrooms and corridors as the clock struck ten-thirty. 

"Now, class," Miss Oghma called upon the overjoyed fillies and colts as they bolted from their desks, "may I remind you that you have two written tests and a practical exam tomorrow morning, so study and practice whenever you can." A collective "Awwwww!" reverberated through the classroom from the students, all except Celestia and Luna who were looking forward to it. As the students made their way out the classroom on their way to their next lesson, Miss Oghma called out, "Luna. Celestia. May I have a word?"

"Uh-oh," muttered Luna to her sister. "We're gonna get in trouble for talking again…"

"You think we'll get detention again?" asked Celestia, worry settling upon her expression and mind. Luna did not answer, though, and the two turned towards Miss Oghma, proceeding to her desk with their heads down. "We're sorry for talking in class again, Miss Oghma," Celestia spoke in apologetic tones.

"Hm? Oh, no," she replied to her student in ignorance, "don't worry about that. Actually, I have something to give the pair of you."

"Do we get extra points for good work?" asked Luna in excitement.

"Or a gold star for good behaviour?" followed Celestia in turn.

"Gracious, no," Miss Oghma replied in opposition to their notions. "If anything, I would strip you both of yesterday's gold stars -- and the day before -- for talking during my classes." Her humour was satirical though it caused the sisters' ears and expressions to droop almost to the ground. "I have this to give to you both," she continued, pulling out a letter from the pocket of her gown and handing it to Celestia. "Her Majesty sent this to me this morning to give to the two of you. Being her student, Celestia, I assumed it was of utmost importance."

The two of them opened the letter, each holding a side of the parchment as they read,

Dear Celestia and Luna,

I have urgent matters that must be attended to. However, due to my position, I am always needed here in Canterlot. I wish to entrust you both and a hoofful of other fellow ponies to embark on a journey in my stead. Please see me at the court at 12pm.

~Princess Gaea

The two Alicorns looked at each other before looking back at their teacher. Celestia spoke, "But what about --"

"I have made the necessary arrangements with the headmaster. The both of you have the rest of the day off as a matter of "urgency" on your part. Now, are you both going to get going, or do you not want yesterday's gold stars anymore?"

"Y-yes, Miss," the two of them cried out. "Thank you, Miss." Quickly, they ran out of the classroom, heading towards the exit of the college.

"Ah. Youth. I remember such days… though I try to forget about the exploding lavatory fiasco…"  





The college study hall was not as packed as one would expect from such an establishment of high regard. The hall spanned several meters in all directions, including its height. Bookshelves lined the edges and intersections of the hall several feet high and wide as though it were a labyrinth of literature of fiction and education. Small round tables sat scattered in blocks of eight within open spaces in corners of the large expanse. Long, oak wood staircases lay on the far sides of the room, leading to a higher level which was used specifically as a seated study area. Only a dozen or so ponies had made this place their designation for studies outside of the classroom, each one of them with their heads constantly buried in their books and parchments. 

One grey Unicorn with curled white hair sat at one of the desks on the next floor. His cloak lay tucked behind him against the back of the chair as the sides flowed over the edges of his seat. His hat sat back slightly while his head leaned forwards, scanning the contents of a text book while turning the pages occasionally with the magic of his horn. Upon the pages were descriptions and notes on various magical items and ingredients used primarily in medicine and potions.

"Hey! Hey, Star Swirl!" a voice of a colt called up the stairway as they noticed the Unicorn's signature wizard hat. The pony made his way up the stairs before confronting the studying Unicorn. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

Star Swirl spoke without giving his visible attention to his pursuer, "Thou knowest that only the sound of silence may ring within this hall, yes?" His voice carried the sound of discontent as the pony's obnoxious yelling not only disrupted his own studies, but also the studies of every other pony in the hall. "It is good to see you again, Black Ice. Thou hast a fair weekend?"

Black Ice merely scoffed at the comment with a smirk on his face. "If by "fair" you mean "painful"," he replied sarcastically, "and by "weekend" you mean "two days of torture", then sure. Practicing frost spells with father is never a fun time, that's for sure. You've no idea how hard he pushes you, you know? Like he's never heard of taking things easy." He stood to the side of the desk, peering down at the pages Star Swirl was reading. "Potions studies? I thought you were doing well in your classes?"

"Thou jest, surely," Star Swirl replied as he turned the page. "Always room for improvement, my friend. My last grade was not to par, nor to my liking."

"You got an A in your last theory and practical tests."

"But an A-plus it is not."

"You think a little plus next to your grade will make all the difference?"

"A pony can walk a foot for silver and live like a farmer, or he can walk a mile for gold and live like a king. The greater the effort, the greater the rewards to come." 

"Hah. Never a dull moment for you, is there, Star Swirl?"

Star Swirl chuckled at the remark but nonetheless maintained vigilance in his reasons and to his research. "This isn't the only reason, mind you," he replied after reading a short notation on a flight potion. "My father wished for me to research a few potions to heart, saying that it will help with a task of mine. By default, I assumed he to be referring to our semester exams not a few weeks from now."

Black Ice was astounded by his friend's remark. "Your father? Chancellor Grey Mane? Court wizard to the Princess?"

"Ah, thy mind is as big as thy mouth," Star Swirl joked over a sly grin. "The one and the same, naturally, unless one could conceive a son betwixt two males to which only then could I possibly be referring to another father. Regardless, he had tasked me with this, and it shall be done. Still, one may think that this extra work may lead a pony through the last stretch to his path to kingship."

"If you say so." Black Ice shook his head a little with a smirk, turning away to head back down the staircase. "Bah, I almost forgot -- the chess club has moved from twelve to three. Apparently, the new chairman has other commitments with the student council at lunchtime."

"Very well, then. I'll have to reschedule the next few days to reflect upon this new information. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, Black Ice. Thou art off to see that Spell Weave girl?"

"Of course. I think after a few more lunchtimes with her and another story or two, we'll be able to hit it off."

"Oh yes. What lady can't hope to be infatuated by talk of how thou madest checkmate with two rooks -- one on H-seven and one on A-eight -- while the king remained in his starting position. A true romance story."

"I'll have you know that she enjoys chess as much as the two of us. In fact, she even mentioned joining the chess club this afternoon."

"Then apologies. I did not know thy future wife was one of such good tastes."

"Accepted with reluctance, Star Swirl. See you next class."

"Farewell, Black Ice."	

The time passed slow for the Unicorn. He turned to read the face of a large grandfather clock that stood against the wall between two large windows -- ten-forty the hands made out. For ten minutes he was talking with his friend, though it felt longer to him. Regardless, he understood that he had plenty of time to study before his next class started. 

The pages of the book turned one after the other. Star Swirl only skimmed the large titles of each potion as his eyes scanned each page from top to bottom, trying to find the few potions that he had been told to research. Aside from the flight potion, he was tasked with learning the potion of speed, potion of invisibility, and the potion of rid ailment. In his mind, however, he was perplexed as to why his father would ask him to research potions which were two years ahead of his current level, though he believed that showing this kind of aptitude would help him achieve greater results in his exams. 

The time to research would not be enough during his small break, though. As the clock struck quarter-to-eleven, Star Swirl packed the book with the rest of his belongings before making his way back down to ground level and leaving the study hall. He had to make haste, however, so not to be late to the class that was several blocks down from where he was. In his haste, he had ended up outside the room a few minutes before class started, bumping into his teacher just outside the door.

"Good morning, Mr. Opus," Star Swirl greeted the elderly pony. The pony, Magnum Opus, stood tall in front of his student, dressed in a long, grey shirt, a beige waistcoat and a wide cravat of the same colour. His coat was a deep maroon colour, contrasted by his dark ebon mane and brown eyes. "I trust we'll be continuing our education on how to differentiate between silkweed and shimmerweed?"

"Not quite, Star Swirl," Opus responded before taking a letter from the pocket of his coat and handing it to the bewildered Unicorn. "This letter arrived in my office some time ago by one of the royal court's carrier pigeons -- addressed to you."

"This letter has been opened, Sir."

"Yes, I thought I'd take a look at it so I can make any necessary arrangements."

"… But thou knowest that it is unlawful for anyone to read personal letters without consent, Sir?"

"My boy, if this was a personal letter then it would have been delivered to you personally and not to my desk. In any case, your father wishes to meet you at the court at twelve sharp. Naturally, this means you have the next lesson -- and the rest of the day -- off. Nonetheless, I entrust that you will take this time to keep up your studies."

"Of course, Mr. Opus. Thank you for delivering this to me."

"Not at all, Star Swirl. Now, be off with you."





The steam poured from the smokestack, the valves turned and the coupling rods on the wheels drove the wheels along the track. The only train in the entirety of this world -- the "Pony Express" -- chugged along a single set of tracks from the Crystal Empire to Canterlot. It was the only quick means of transportation between the two colonies, constructed between the combined resources of Lord Gold Faust of Canterlot and Princess Diamante of the Crystal Empire. 

"What could Canterlot possibly want with me?" a single Unicorn muttered to himself. Garbed in dark steel armor and a red cape with white fur lining, the pony radiated a presence of importance, high stature, and of great royalty. A foreleg rested on the windowsill, supporting the rest of his hunched body as he stared out the window, viewing only the passing of snowfall and white landscape. "Bad enough that I have to go there just to learn magic, and now I have to attend some sort of royal meeting. Preposterous!"

"Is everything not to your liking, young Master?" a voice of concern called out from down the passage of the carriage. An elderly pony that shined a bright glow as the daylight passed through the windows and upon his crystalline body made his way down the passage. He wore a black dress suit, a top hat upon his swept, white hair and a monocle that framed one of his glistening, emerald eyes. He approached the disgruntled Unicorn. "I can make cuisine arrangements if it would please you?"

"I've told you before, Facet," the Unicorn snapped, "don't call me "Master" -- just refer to me by my name." He sighed as his head turned to face the gentleman. "And no amount of crystal corn or amethyst apples can soothe my dislike for this trip. It's bad enough that I have to spend most of my time outside of my home just to go to this 'Scholar's College', but now I am called upon by Canterlot's royalty? What manner of business of such importance and subtlety that it would call for the young hair of Crystal royalty and not its Princess?"

"Forgive me, Master Shade, but I was not to discuss the matter until after we had left the Empire -- security reasons and such. I was informed by your mother, Princess Diamante, that Princess Gaea had asked for you specifically because she has requested your talents."

"You mean the Princess of Canterlot has requested my services because of my interested in --  Wait a moment. How does she know about this?"

"… Forgive me, Master Shade, but it was I who told the Princess of your affinity for such magic -- but I assure you that no one else knows of this and that the Princess has sworn to secrecy of such matters!"

"Argh!" Shade cried out in frustration, slamming his hoof on the windowsill. "A curse upon you, Facet! It is because of you that I have to make this trip to Canterlot!"

"Master Shade, I implore you to think things differently. The Princess has requested you on urgent matters that requires your 'skills'. Mayhap, this is a situation in which you can put your powers to the test -- to practice them, as it were. 'Tis what you have wanted for some time, is it not?"

Shade paused for a moment, thinking, contemplating on his butler's words. "Hm. Perhaps you are right, Facet. Perhaps I can get to put these teachings to good use, or at least some practical use. You've done well to bring this to my attention."

"Very good, Master Shade. But, I sense that all is still not fine with you. What troubles you?"

"You mean aside from you keeping such information away from me, yet handing out my own personal traits like they were penny sweets?" huffed Shade, a harsh and irate tone in his voice. "I am annoyed that it would be another state that would call upon me for aid and not my own people. The fact that I spend more time in Canterlot than I do in the Crystal Empire frustrates me to the point where I'd might as well give up my birthright and just stay in Canterlot for all time. How am I supposed to lead an empire when I know next to nothing about it, about its politics or its people, or even such things as its festivities? I could quote you the last fifty years of Canterlot's history and yet I could not even so much as piece together what happened last week at the Crystal Empire."

"I understand your feelings, Master Shade," replied Facet. "I remember once upon my days as a young colt that I wanted to be more than a servant, to be more than what my father had been before me -- he served your mother before me, you know. But, in my stubbornness, I kept trying new things: baseball, swimming, painting. Eventually, when you were born, I wanted to look after you, to help guide you. As my father retired, I took over his position. I have served you and your family ever since."

"What are you trying to say, facet?"

"Master Shade, I am saying that we should follow the advice of our parents because they know what is best for us in the long run. In the same way I had tried to diverse from my path, so too do you. But, in the years to come, you will understand why you have been taught the things you have been taught."

"And do you know why I have been taught these things?"

"Certainly. Your mother wishes for you to have good relations with Canterlot before you are to assume her position as ruler, to learn the importance of diplomacy and alliances. "The closer the bonds, the tighter the hold", as they say." 

"I think I understand. You say that the more I learn about Canterlot, the better the relationship I will have with them?"

"Precisely." Facet turned to look at the clock hanging above the doorway to the next carriage, reading five-to-eleven. "The train should be docking at Canterlot any minute now."

Minutes elapsed before the train began to slow its acceleration, getting ready to dock into Canterlot's train station. The pistons began to slow along with the coupling rods driving the wheels, slowing the train to a stop. The carriage door slid open with a sheet of steam pouring from the edges of the frame, providing an almost dramatic entrance for Shade and Facet as they stepped out onto the platform. Greeting them was a small lance of four guards in golden armor.

"Greetings, Prince Onyx," one of the guards spoke aloud, bowing his head in respect. "We have been tasked by Princess Gaea to escort you to the royal court. If you would follow us…" Turning around, the guard led his men and his escorts from the station.

"You owe me crystal corn and amethyst apples for this, Facet."

"Of course, Master Shade."





A large gathering of ponies clad in pure, bright gold armor sat upon the tables that were lined in rows across the dining hall of the barracks, eating and munching away at their hard-earned fruit and vegetables. The odd conversation of their duty or their next assignment cropped up between small groups of them and between pairs as they enjoyed their early lunch break. Others still awaited impatiently in line near the serving counter, some grumbling in passive complaint while some were more open with their words, demanding that the cooks would hurry up.

Upon one of the far back tables sat a small trio of Pegasi, each one of them donned in their usual gold armor but with an aquamarine, star-shaped gem socketed into the middle of the chest plate. One was a colt with a wild, swept back, white mane and a purple coat. The second was a young mare, probably younger than most of the other royal guards, with a curtain-like mane of two-toned ice blue and snow white with a sky blue coat. The last was another male pony with a white-gold coat and a long, flowing, pale golden mane with three bangs that hung over his face.

"So what have you been up to this week, Cloudbreaker?" one of the three asked the mare guard. "Nothing to strenuous, I hope." He took a bite of an apple as he waited for her response.

"Bah. The usual," responded Cloudbreaker in impatience and disappointment. "Just working with the new recruits day in and day out -- training, drills, regimes, and the rest." Her mouth ravenously chomped down on a cucumber and tomato sandwich on her tray. "And what about you, Hail Storm?" she inquired back with her mouth full. "I bet you didn't have to put up with whiny newbies crying about how their legs hurt after only two hours of jogging."

The Pegasus chuckled. "Hah. "Only". A real slave driver, you are," he joked, shaking his head. "Nah. I had to make preparations for one of the Princess' negotiations with the Griffon Kingdom -- letters of invitations, preparing the Peace Summit, drawing up a draft of the peace treaty, that kind of stuff. A real desk jockey's work." His eyes shifted up at the gold-maned Pegasus, who was casually nibbling away at the edges of a small apple pie. "Speaking of which, Light's Beacon, how did the peace treaty go? You're part of the Envoy brigade, after all."

"Oh, well, you know," he said with strain on his words as he looked up to his two friends before shifting his gaze away abruptly, "it could have gone better."

"How much so?" Hail Storm asked.

"Well, let's not beat about the bush -- a lot better."

"Beacon, that's still beating about the bush," interjected Cloudbreaker. "How bad did it go?"

"Well, you know that time when the Dragon Lands ravaged the mountain pass for forty days during the Great Drought?"

"Yeah?" the two replied in unison.

"That," Beacon spurted bluntly before finishing eating away at the crust of his apple pie.

Hail Storm sighed heavily. "That bad, huh," He replied with a sombre voice. "What happened?"

"Well, besides all of Tartaros breaking loose," said Beacon, eating away at the now loose top of the pie, "it was fine. It was okay at the start. We were able to establish Cloudsdale as a mutual alliance as far as cementing one between Canterlot and the Griffon Kingdom was concerned. However, they demanded that we would relinquish parts of the Dragon Lands to them -- parts that we had recently maintained truce on with the dragons months ago. We maintained that we cannot relinquish those lands without prior agreement with the dragons. An uproar broke out between the parties and, eventually, the griffons took their leave."

"So where does that leave you?"

"It leaves me on the receiving end of a possible verbal flank-kicking. A possibility is that we hold another summit including the dragons so that we may all come to an agreement, but that will only lead to the dragons demanding something in return, then the griffons demanding more, until it becomes an infinite cycle of greed. Another is that we give the griffons the land they want without consulting the dragons, but that will just lead to another war. Finally, we can give up on the truce altogether and hope that we don't end up warring with the griffons -- and if we do, then there's the big possibility that Cloudsdale will align with them and not us. I doubt that I need remind you that the Pegasi have been long friends and longer allies with the Griffon Kingdom than they have been with Canterlot."

"So we've all had a lousy week," Cloudbreaker grumbled before drinking some of her cranberry juice through a straw.

Beacon sighed. "Pretty much. If our brigade can't come up with a solution by tomorrow's evensong then we could very well be going to war. It's been wracking my mind all week, and we haven't even received word of the dragons partaking in the peace treaty yet."

"Come on, Beacon," assured Hail Storm. "You're the son of royalty! You're going to be the next in line to the throne of Canterlot! You know you've got what it takes to see this through. Take a day off or something, clear your head, and you'll come up with the answer."

"You think so, huh?"

"Of course," praised Cloudbreaker. "But, on a side note, you need to get out of the habit of eating pies like that. It's unnatural."

"What? I like to eat out the apple chunks first before the pastry."

"Well it makes me feel… awkward."

"I bet it does," Hail Storm replied, nudging her with his elbow, laughing.

Before the three could converse any longer, another guard approached, donned in gold armor with silver accents around the edges. "Light's Beacon," he called out in a powerful voice, "your father, Lord Faust, wishes to see you. Follow me, please."

"Ah, never a time for rest. So much for taking a day off." Beacon stood to his feet as he finished off the last of the pie, pushing the seat backwards as he stood. "I'm going to have to love you and leave you, Hail Storm, Cloudbreaker. Maybe I'll see the both of you back at the barracks."

The guard led Beacon through the reinforced stone corridors of the complex, leading him from the ground floor through several staircases of both straight and spiraling structure. The two arrived at a large set of red wooden doors with plates of ebon steel stripped across their fascia horizontally with a set of large, round, hanging handles bolted on the plates. The guard knocked upon one of them with his gold-cupped hoof before opening the doors.

"Your Highness," the guard called, bowing steeply with the utmost of respect, "I have brought you Prince Beacon."

"Very good," Lord Faust replied as he stood over a large table with two other guards on either side, looking down at a large map. "You may go about your business now." The lone guard nodded before retiring from the room, closing the door behind him. "Ah, my son," greeted Lord Faust with a smile on his face, "I trust you are still not upset at what happened at the Peace Summit?"

"How can I not, father," replied Beacon adamantly, "when we sit on the very brink of the edge of war, knowing that the Pegasi -- our own kind -- could very well rally to the side of the griffons? It's been on my mind all week."

"Rest easy then, my son. Some hours ago, we received a message from the Dragon Lands that they have accepted our request to include them at tomorrow's peace treaty."

"But do you honestly think that they will agree to giving up their land to the griffons?"

"Of course not. But neither do I expect the griffons to keep up their demanding charade should a dragon be present." Lord Faust placed a single hoof on the map, pointing to a large continent that had a small section separated from the rest of the land by a curved line. "Decades ago, during the founding of Canterlot, I and a brigade of royal guards close to me ventured to these Dragon Lands to secure an alliance with them, unbeknownst to us that they already had their own civil war between the two sides on this map -- the smaller side, led by Furion the Ravage, fought against its larger mainland led by Kossak. Despite their smaller numbers, Furion's forces almost utterly destroyed their enemies before we arrived. We fought alongside Kossak and drove Furion out of the region. In return for our aid, we were given the dragon's allegiance as well as the lands that Furion once dwelled upon."

"But what is so special about those lands that the griffons would want it?" asked Beacon.

Lord Faust sighed heavily, removing his hoof from the map. "Nothing. The lands are good for growing chilli peppers and that's about it. The land was given to us as a symbol of loyalty, trust, and kinship. The Griffon Kingdom only want that land as a way to strain the alliance between us and the dragons. Their bravado at possibly taking our lands is a false one, conducted solely because there was no dragon present -- a test to see if we would give way. Now with Imperator Kossak attending the summit, we'll see the true colours of the griffons."

"Then we should --"

"You won't be attending tomorrow's peace treaty, Light's Beacon," Lord Faust interrupted. "Your mother has other plans for you. She said you are to meet her at the court at noon. Don't keep her waiting, son -- she has a penchant for showing her frustration at lack of punctuality."

Beacon gave a light chuckle. "Or just for you when you come home late, father. Very well. I'll see her immediately." With a strong stance and a salute, Beacon gave his farewell to his father before receding from the room.





"Stop! Thief!" a loud yell came from a pony, bursting through a set of saloon doors to his shop. "Somepony catch that colt!"

The eyes of the town flashed to a young colt who bolted down the path like a lightning strike, kicking up clouds of dust and smoke with grains of dirt to lose any pursuers he had on his tail. The pony showed no sign of fatigue or a slowing of pace -- he only galloped through the streets, turning through winding alleyways and through the back roads as a means to get away from anyone chasing him. After running for a few minutes, the pony stopped next to a set of unused dumpsters, pressing his back against the flat side of it while peering around the corner to see if anyone was following him. To his relief, not a single pony had.

"Haha. Another score to Pockets," he muttered to himself, smirking at his own achievement. Squatting down, he took out from one of the many pockets on his forest-green vest a small gold pendant with a sapphire sat in the oval-shaped socket, the sun glistening off of its perfection. "This should give a pretty bit on the open market." Slipping the pendant back into his vest, Pick Pocket got back up and made his way to the next street, eager to continue his spree of petty thievery.

Buckingham Lane was the perfect spot to do a bit of common dishonest-to-goodness larceny for the young colt. The entire street was packed with expansive shops, expensive clothes, and an incredible choice of high quality tailors, jewelers and delicacies -- a shopping hub designed to attract only the most rich and wealthy of ponies who would frequent here, or in Pick Pocket's case, a treasure trove.

Quickly, Pick Pocket slinked into the crowd from one of the alleyways with such grace and inconspicuousness that even the ponies behind him did not even notice him as he blended seamlessly into the rest of the folk. His gait was as casual as his expression, mimicking the posture and style of those around him. Turning onto the next corner, Pockets made his way onto a row of stalls marketing marvelous, shining jewelry and clothing of soft, shimmering silks. It was a great place to start his heist. His eyes scanned for his first victim and met with her in just over a second of searching -- a bright blue mare in a large, ruby dress.

'Bingo,' Pockets thought to himself. Casually, he made his way towards her and, as he got close enough, feigned bumping into her on accident, causing her to stumble forwards while he stumbled over her. "Oh my word, I'm terribly sorry, Ma'am," apologized Pockets with an awkward smile, helping her upright and brushing off her collar with his hooves. "Oh, what must you think of me?"

"Oh, it's quite alright, dear," the mare replied with a smile. "No harm done"

"Ah, yes. Again, sorry." As Pockets walked away from the mare, he grinned slyly, holding up a small bolo tie of silver and gold accents -- something that she had failed to notice him take while he was brushing her collar, even managing to unfasten one of the strings from the metalwork to slide it from her neck instead of over her head. "Some ponies are just too stupid to deserve these."

Another pony caught Pocket's eyes: a stallion of a tan coat and large, bushy moustache,  dressed in a black tuxedo with a rose pinned to the outside of his lapel. More so than his clothing was an item of his adorned on his right foreleg just under the sleeves of his jacket: a thick silver bracelet with emerald inset around the entire circumference.

With a grin, Pockets began to contemplate his little act. It didn't take too long. "It's you!" he cried out, flinging his hoof towards and pointing at the confused stallion as he turned his attention to him. Quickly, Pockets galloped to the now somewhat scared and shocked gentleman, grasping his right hoof and shaking it violently with both of his. "Oh, it's always been my dream to meet you one day! I'm a huge, HUGE fan of your works!"

"M-m-my word," the smartly-dressed stallion responded, using his left hoof to keep his top hat from falling off his head, "what is the meaning of this? Exactly who are you, lad?" 

"My name's Locksmith, and I'm a huge fan of your paintings, Sir! I love how you're able to match the simple colours of oil to canvas to bring out new life! It's awesome, inspiring, truly magnificent! I've been a big fan of yours for years!"

"W-what nonsense are you gibbering about, boy? I'm not a painter -- I'm a pianist!"

"… Huh? You mean you're not Palette VanClop?"

"No! I'm Ivory Key!"

"O-oh! M-my apologize, Sir," Pockets bowed in apology. "I really thought you were VanClop! Forgive my rudeness."

"Hmph! What nonsense! Be off with you!"

"Y-yes, sir. So sorry…" Pockets backed around the stallion with an expression of shame draped over his face. As he got some distance from him, he proceeded back down the street with a smirk on his face, holding up the bracelet that Ivory Keys was wearing, having taken it when he was shaking his hoof. "Easy pickings."

With all of his easily acquired jewelry tucked into his vest securely, Pockets carried down the pathway in hopes of finding his third and last victim, but his eyes only caught sight of two guards heading towards him. Pockets tried to remain calm and collected, trying to blend himself back into the crowds around him, but it was too late -- the guards had already noticed him, specifically looking for him.

"Halt, citizen," a guard called out as the duo approached Pockets. "We are under orders to bring you to Her Majesty. Come with us immediately."

"Y-you've got the wrong guy, guys," stuttered Pockets, trying to keep his cool. "I'm just here looking for… uh, paintings! Yeah, that's it! Paintings!" He waved a hoof in front of them. "This is not the pony you are looking for."

"This is definitely the pony we're looking for, Sir," the second guard confirmed. "A brown pony with a white mane and in a green vest -- this guy certainly matches the description."

"Sir, we have been tasked by Her Majesty, Princess Gaea, to bring you to the royal court. Don't make this any harder on yourself."

"H-H-Her Majesty!?" exclaimed Pockets, feeling numb as the blood began rushing to his head. "B-but I -- I mean -- Please don't take me there!" He dropped to his knees, wrapping his forelegs around the guard's. "I don't wanna be taken there! I'll stop being criminal scum! I'll pay the court fees! Just don't take me there!" The guards looked at each other with confusion before shrugging, grabbing a foreleg of Pockets each and dragging him down the street as he yelled and kicked. "No! Don't take me! She'll gobble me up for tea! Wait -- does she do that?"

"Uh… no, she doesn’t."

"Oh. Y'know, it'd be awesome if she did."
> Chapter 2 - Knowing Another
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The entire royal court was peaceful, calm and quiet. One would normally hear the bustling sounds of voices coming from the main hall and the royal chamber be it about political matters, warfare matters, or even about what Her Majesty would like for dinner this evening, but today the entire court was devoid of most of its occupants save for several pairs of Unicorn guards that patrolled the corridors and stationed at the doors. 

Celestia and Luna made their way down the long, wide corridor to the royal chamber. Their gentle hooves trotted down the everlasting stretch of thick, red Equestrian silk carpet that spanned the length of the corridor as they looked around, marvelling the lilac plastered walls supported by numerous stylised columns with mounted pots of red roses and white lilies. Between the columns stood large cathedral-style windows, passing copious amounts of sunlight into the court as though summoned for that one purpose. The fragrant aromas of flowers and the bathing of the sun's light and warmth made those who came through these halls feel at home, relaxed and welcomed, regardless of race.

"What do you think the Princess wants to see us for, sister?" asked Luna curiously. "Do you think she wants to help us with our studies?"

"I wouldn't think that the Princess would take time out of her busy schedule to teach us some magic spells," replied Celestia, deep in her own thoughts and speculation as to what Her Majesty required. "Whatever she needs us for must be important to warrant taking us out of class, as well as the whole school day."

"I still fail to understand why she has need of me," Luna retorted, "considering it's you who is her faithful student." Her voice held contempt for her sister's position.

"Hey now, don't be like that. The Princess picked us both to be her faithful students."

"But you get to spend more time with her while I'm left to study and practice on my own."

"That's because you're more adept with magic than I am, Luna. The Princess is only helping me because I'm falling behind on my classes -- if it was the other way around then she'd be teaching you while I'll be all by my lonesome self."

"It would still be nice if once in a while she could teach me a few things…"

The sisters found themselves close to the final set of large magenta doors, its archway flanked by a pair of royal guards stood adamantly with a set of serious expressions between the two. As Celestia and Luna approached, the guards' gaze fixated on them, their eyes piercing through them like rapiers.

"Halt, civilian," one of the guards commanded, raising his hoof in front of him in gesture. "The Princess has asked not to be disturbed at this time."

"But she has expressed her wish to see us at this time," replied Celestia.

The two guards turned to look at each other, hesitant at first to respond. "… Apologies, Lady Celestia," the second guard replied, bowing his head in respect. "Her Majesty ordered us to not let anyone in without an official letter of her summoning -- we did not think that you two would be the bearers of it. If you may present it to us…?"

Celestia paused for a moment, concerned for his words. "Certainly." From her satchel she withdrew the letter, handing it over to the guard. "Why are you surprised by us having this letter? Do you know the reasoning behind the Princess' summons?"

The guard read through the letter as Celestia spoke, paying attention to her questions while he himself was still hit by disbelief. "We do, but perhaps it would be best if Her Majesty told you in person. You may enter." The guards stood aside, opening the heavy doors for the two sisters and allowing them entry to the royal chamber.

The chamber was a marvel to behold, the which of likes could not be replicated anywhere else. The floor was elevated a few inches, carved in the shape of a goblet out of shining, pearlescent white marble while the lower tier was constructed of dull grey and white chessboard-styled tiles. The stretch of carpet continued from the corridor up to a huge, multi-platform throne of solid gold. The throne was hemispherical shaped, decorated with carvings of beautiful vine-like swirls and circles. At the bottom were two gold plant pots with lavenders and lilacs, while the first step had two waterfall-esque fountains on either side that poured into a small pond that circumference the throne. The second, top tier seated the royal throne, a throne with a tall back fastened out of gold and magenta silk padding. The walls around the entire room were arched, forming several pillars while more cathedral-style windows sat between them.

Celestia and Luna were used to seeing such architecture, however, as they frequented this place several times a week to see the Princess. However, whereas she had usually been alone beside having her chancellor and personal guard, there was another pony -- a pegasus guard that the two of them were able to recognize if only for his long, flowing gold mane. They dared not interrupt the two, though, in the middle of their discussion.

"But, mother," challenged Beacon, his voice carrying the tone of opposition, "they're just children -- still attending college, no less! And they're--"

"Already here," the Princess interrupted as her gaze shifted from Beacon to the two Alicorns. Beacon, in shock, followed suit. "I'm glad you two could make it today, though I did not expect you to be early…"

"We're sorry if we've come at a bad time, Princess," apologized Celestia as she tried to keep her eyes on her mentor and to not shift her gaze to the disgruntled Beacon. "Is there something you've need of us?"

"Lady Celestia, Lady Luna." The irate Beacon spoke up, greeting the two sisters although not with such pleasantries as he had hoped. "A shame that we should meet again, after all this time, like this. I had wished we could see each other under more… pleasant circumstances."

"Good to see you too, Beacon," responded Luna jokingly. "You're looking as serious as ever."

"How can I not be serious over matters such as this? More surprisingly, how is it that you two can wander in here as though everything is perfectly fine?"

Celestia looked back at Beacon with a face of curiosity and concern. "You mean everything is not fine? What's going on?"

"I can't believe this," he muttered to himself before bursting out into an angered tone. "You mean you don't have a clue as to what's going on?" His head shook back to the Princess, who was simply calm throughout the whole conflict. "Mother, you mean to tell me that you haven't disclosed the nature of this gathering even to those you have called!?"

"You must understand, Beacon," the Princess spoke calmly, "that the nature of this matter is not to be taken lightly. If anyone else saw the letter then that information could spread -- quickly. This matter needs to be kept secret and exclusive. I will explain everything when everyone arrives."

""Everyone"?" repeated Beacon, visibly discontent with this revelation. "Just how many more are there?"

"Three more."

"This just gets better and better…"

"Do not underestimate the Princess' decision, young Prince," a sagely voice spoke out from the back of the room from an elderly Unicorn stood idly by the side of the Princess. "The decision to keep this as high profile as possible is of my doing, and Her Majesty was wise enough to heed such advise. You should be sure to learn a thing or two from this."

"You are not my chancellor yet, Grey Mane," Beacon snapped back at the Unicorn, frustrated that he would be patronized by him. "And was it you who "advised" mother to send two college students instead of the Light's Brigade?"

"I was not," said Grey Mane. "In fact, I advised her against sending anyone but the royal guards -- Light's Brigade or otherwise. However, your mother insisted that the ponies she had requested to partake in this task had the talents, skills and strengths needed to overcome it, which she believes the royal guards alone do not have."

Beacon could not say much more on the topic of this argument. He would concede that he could not argue for or against the Princess' claims, and that he had not the authority to challenge or take action against her views. But, he knew more than most that she is a great ruler with great wisdom, that she had never failed the kingdom before. It was ultimately these things that he understood that stayed his voice on the subject. "I understand, Chancellor," he spoke as he bowed his head. "My apologies." Despite being adamant that the decision, to him, was wrong, he nonetheless respected it. "Then I guess that we should await the others before we disclose the matter."

The Princess smiled, nodding her head. "I'm glad you understand the necessity of secrecy here, Beacon." She turned to Celestia and Luna, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry for you having to witness this, girls. My son is a good boy at heart -- he's just overprotective and headstrong."

"Awwwww," cooed Luna teasingly at the expense of Beacon's embarrassment, "I'm sure Beacon is a good boy all the time, so long as he cleans his room and brushes his teeth after every meal."

"H-hey!" interjected Beacon, flustered and blushing. "M-mom! See what you have gone and started now?"

She giggled softly, turning her head to him. "I'm glad you three get along so well. But Luna has a point, Beacon -- did you brush your teeth after lunch?"

"N-no, I didn't. I was pulled out of the middle of my lunch and sent to father, and then I came straight here because of the urgency!"

"Well be sure to brush your teeth before you go."

"But, mother, I --" He only met with a raised eyebrow from the Princess. "… Yes, mother…" His cold stare darted to the two sisters as he began to hear their soft stifling and giggles, trying to keep themselves from bursting out hysterically. "Stop that laughing now!" he commanded with force.

"S-sorry," Celestia apologized, standing straight yet her face could not follow suit, still straining to keep her awkward smile from creating an uproar of laughter.

Luna snickered, trying to keep her composure as she spoke. "You ought to smile more, Beacon," she spoke, giggling a little, "so we can see those pearly, un-brushed whites of yours." The joke was too much for the pair of them, a torrent of laughter bursting from the two of them as they nearly doubled over.  

"Argh! A curse upon the pair of you!" Beacon cried out in frustration, letting his emotions get the better of him -- he was still young, after all.

"You'll find that that's my domain," a voice from the doorway of the room called out as the doors swung open. Shade Onyx, his butler Facet and Star Swirl entered the royal chamber led by a few royal guards, who allowed them entry before retiring from the room, closing the doors behind them. "I have arrived, Princess. What is it you require of an outsider that cannot be accomplished by your own?"

"As Facet may have told you on your trip here," the Princess replied, "this matter may require the assistance of your "talents" -- talents which no other pony in the Crystal Empire, Cloudsdale, or here, has. I trust that you will be able to benefit the group as much as this task will benefit your home, too."

Shade huffed at her attempt of coercion. "Very well. I trust that these four are also partaking in the same task?"

"That is correct."

Star Swirl looked around, confused. "Father," he called out to the chancellor beside the Princess, "what is all of this? I thought thou were bestowing upon me a task to improve my grades?"

"Don't worry, son," the chancellor replied. "All will be explained in due time. Now, have to come with the book that I had asked for earlier today?"

"Yes, of course." Taking out the book from his satchel, Star Swirl moved to give it to his father, though instead he used his horn's magic to retrieve the book from Star Swirl's grasp. 

Grey Mane flipped the book open to about midway before flicking forwards a few pages, noticing the several potions that he had an interest in. "Very good, my son," he praised, looking up at Star Swirl from the top of the book. "Your Majesty, if I may be excused?"

"Certainly, Chancellor," the Princess replied. With a bow, Grey Mane took his leave from the throne, heading past the bewildered group who followed him with their eyes as he left the chamber. The Princess gave a small sigh before speaking. "So that leaves with only one more pony to wait for."

"Huh?" Beacon was confused as he counted five other ponies before him. "But there's six of us here, mother. Or is Facet not joining us?"

"No," the pony in question replied, twitching his moustache. "I am here only to accompany the young Master and to act as an emissary on behalf of the Crystal Empire for Canterlot. I'm afraid that you will still be waiting on this elusive sixth member."

Luna turned her attention to Shade. "I wouldn't have guessed that you would be one of the six to take part in this, Onyx," she spoke in a half-surprised tone. "I would have thought you'd spend the time to your studies, as is usual for you."

"I could say the same to you, Luna," he responded with a straight face, almost turning his nose up at her. "but I shouldn't be surprised that the Princess' own students would be called upon for this task -- whatever it is."

"The Princess will brief us once the last of us has arrived," Beacon relayed to Shade. "I hope that the last of us is not another kid."

Shade merely laughed at his comment. "How quaint, Prince Beacon, but bear in mind that you are but only a few years older than the rest of us. Hypocrisy does not suit royalty."

"A few years more experience than the rest of you, and then more," retorted Beacon, raising his voice a little. "Our task is not one to be taken lightly, nor is it a task that any of you have done before. This isn't a simple fetch quest."

"Thou knowest of our task, Prince Beacon?" asked Star Swirl.

"I do, but I will only disclose that our task is no simple matter. This is not something we should take light or halfheartedly, and we should -- what in the name of the Light is all that yelling!?"

The entire group turned to the doorway, ears pricked up to try and decipher the incoherent noises coming from outside. Beacon was right -- there were loud voices coming from the corridor though none dared to open the doors in fear of being attacked despite there being several guards just beyond them. The voices were just from one pony, a young voice that clearly belonged to a colt though its pitch could be mistaken for a mare's voice. As the yelling became louder, it became much more coherent -- yelling about letting him go and to not take him to the Princess. It was surprising for everyone to hear such things, but more so that Beacon was able to pick it up all the way from the other side of the huge hall while no one else noticed despite being next to the doors.

"That would be our last guest," the Princess responded to her son's question with a smile.

The doors burst open, causing everyone nearby to quickly jump out of the way to the sides. Two guards marched along the carpet to the steps of the throne, dragging a still kicking and screaming Pick Pocket along the silk by the collar of his jacket. 

"Your Highness," a guard addressed the Princess with formality, "we've brought the Earth Pony as requested. However, he's a bit… temperamental at the moment."

"He thinks you'll eat him," the second guard whispered, moving his head forwards.

"Oh… I see. But I've already had my lunch for today," the Princess mused with a smile. "You may leave him here, gentlemen -- he won't be leaving in a hurry."

The guards did as they commanded, bowing in acknowledgement before dropping the frantic pony to the floor and seeing themselves out of the chamber. 

Pick Pocket, however, was still trying to struggle to break free despite nothing restraining him. Slowly he came to realize it, opening his eyes to see that there was nopony holding him. Instead, he found only a handful of young ponies no older than him, staring at him in perplexity. "H-hey," he finally spoke aside from the cries for help, "where am I? Who are all of you?"

"They will be your companions," the voice of the Princess answered.

A cold chill ran down Pocket's spine as those words were spoken with clarity, power and authority. His heart felt as though it had skipped a beat, pumping all that blood to his head. Slowly turning his head, he realized that he was in the one place he really did not want to be. As his eyes met with hers, he gave a soft whimper. "P…P…Princess…-- " The colt bolted to his feet, screaming all the way down the carpet as he galloped as fast as his legs could go towards the doors, banging on them with his hooves. "Let me go! I don't wanna be part of her main menu!" Suddenly, his forelegs froze in mid movement, held by powerful magics. Quickly, he was whisked away from the doors and back to the throne, facing the Princess as her magic held him in suspension. 

"Why are you so frightened, Pick Pocket?" she asked sweetly. "You're not in any trouble."

"… I'm not…?"

"No, of course not. Why would you be?" A light magenta glow surrounded two of Pocket's pockets, causing them to unfasten and flip open. With her magic, the Princess lifted out of them a few articles of jewelry. "Because of these?

Pockets gulped hard, smiling awkwardly. "…Uh… Heh… Shopping?"

"Now don't tell fibs, Pockets --" her smile turned to a smirk, "-- or I'll have to add you to tonight's dinner menu. Would you prefer to go with boiled broccoli or with carrot stew?"

Pockets let out a high pitched squeal, kicking his legs frantically again. "Okay! Okay! I stole them! I stole them from those rich snobs on Buckingham Lane!"

"Princess," Celestia cried out in objection, "you can't expect all of us to work with this common thief, can you?"

"Yes, I do," replied the Princess with the utmost confidence, "because I know that he will be one of your most valuable companions for the task to come." Her attention switched back to the suspended pony. "Listen, Pockets -- I asked for you personally because I know that deep in your heart you're a good pony, noble but without merit. The task I wish for you and your companions to undertake is one that will determine the fate of our world. This is your chance to prove that you are more than just a petty thief. Will you do this for me? For all of us?"

His expression changed completely, a complete one-eighty of what he was before. His eyes looked up to the Princess not in fear but in determination, in duty. He nodded in acceptance. "Yes, I will. You can count on me, Princess." She returned the smile as he felt himself being lowered to the floor, no longer restrained. "Does that mean I can have those back, too?"

"No."

"D'awwww…" 

Beacon stepped forwards, turning to the Princess. "Mother, I think it's about time you disclosed the nature of this task."

She sighed softly, nodding. "Yes, you are right." The Princess stepped from her throne, making her way down the steps. "Most of you do not know this, but we have become increasingly distant from the Griffon Kingdom to the point of possible… conflict." 

Her horn glowed a bright magenta as it began to create swirls of colour and bright sparkles, forming a huge frame that began to reveal pictures like a slideshow. The first was a silhouette of the Griffon Kingdom -- a range of mountains with archways across its peaks and large flags from its robust towers. 

She continued. "We have been at relative peace with the griffons for many centuries since even before the founding of Canterlot. However, tensions have been rising as they have become more aggressive and, in some cases, liable --" the colours swayed and shifted to form the image of a dragon " -- they have demanded lands from our draconic allies that we own, and that if we do not concede to their proposal, it could very well lead to rebellion. But I have known them long enough to know that this is completely out of character for them."

"So what do you think this means, Princess?" asked Luna.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Something is causing them to act strangely and…" she paused, hesitating to continue. She gave a heavy sigh, cleared her throat, and then continued. "I believe that whatever is causing them to do this is the work of something dark. Something most foul."

"You believe that he has stirred, Princess?" asked Shade, much to everyone's shock beside's the Princess.

"… I believe so…"

"What do you know of this, Prince Onyx?" called Beacon, "This has been little told to me and even less so to anyone else! Has their been a leak of information?"

"I know only of what our library's historical records would tell," he responded, "that since the dawn of time there has been two constants: the Light, and the Void. From the Light there birthed the first Princess who shaped our world and whose line carries on to this day. From the Void… there spawned only madness, darkness and chaos -- a being known only as "Erebos"."

"So you think that this "Erebos" is corrupting the griffons into becoming more aggressive?"

"A possibility it remains, but we won't know until we investigate this ourselves."

"And how will we know if dark magic is present there?"

"I will know."

The group stood silent for a moment, contemplating not only Prince Shade's words but also as to what to make of the situation. It was becoming clear to everyone that this task would be dangerous, but also why the Princess didn't send the royal guards' Envoys or the Light Brigade to deal with the situation despite her saying that they all possessed the strength needed that the guards did not have.

Pockets broke the silence. "Then why are we still waiting around here? Let's get this done with!" Despite sounding as though he was doing this with reluctance, he spoke through devotion and loyalty.

"He's right," agreed Star Swirl. "The longer we idle, the shorter we've the chance to act. By your leave, Your Majesty?"

"Of course," she responded. "Chancellor Grey Mane will be waiting at the Light's Largess -- he will supply you with necessary equipment as well as a Pegasus carriage. From here, you will be taken to Redrock Passage just outside of the Griffon Kingdom, where you will need to proceed on hoof -- it will be too risky if you were to fly straight there, as they may attack you on sight."

"But father told me that the Pegasi tribe and the griffons were long-standing allies," exclaimed Beacon. "Why would they attack a Pegasus carriage?"

"The griffons have declared their kingdom exclusive for the time being -- no outsiders are allowed entry, including Pegasi. Just another reason why I feel that things are not right."

"Understood, Princess," acknowledged Celestia, "we'll meet up with the chancellor immediately.

Beacon hopped down the steps of the throne, heading towards the door. "If you would follow me." The group did as commanded, following the Pegasus from the chamber, closing the doors behind them.

The large Pegasus stallion that once stood beside the Princess turned his emerald gaze towards her. "Your Majesty," he spoke in a voice of concern, "do you think that they will be able to live up to the task at hand?"

"I hope so, Black Feather. May the Light embrace them…" 
> Chapter 3 - The Hand of Sacrifice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bright shines of a mixture of calm blues and deep oranges cascaded over the balconies as the sun began to slowly set in the horizon. A wash of contrasting hues reflected upon the marble floor of the balconies and from the supporting pillars of the doorways. A slight whistle of the winds passed through the curvatures and carvings of the stone railings that circled the platforms, passing by and through the castle, leaving only a cool and gentle breeze. 

Gentle hoofsteps sounded through the air as the group made their way onto the Light's Largess -- a huge balcony of limestone, marble and gold with a huge dome roof supported by a scattering of tall, ornately-carved columns of a helix pattern. The dome above them displayed a very archaic yet detailed mural, depicting a group of Pegasi ponies flying in a circle around a large white Alicorn -- an artistic impression of when the Pegasi had sworn their loyalty to the royal bloodline. 

"Our convoy should be just ahead," called Beacon as they made their steps onto the balcony. He expected some sort of reply from at least one of his compatriots, though none did. The Pegasi turned his head to see what was keeping them from a response but instead saw each of them marveling the appearance of the Largess, especially the mural on the ceiling. "You look surprised to see the Largess, Celestia, Luna. I'd have thought the both of you would have been here before."

"Not at all," admitted Celestia, somewhat embarrassed. "We've not had a need to venture anywhere in the castle besides the Princess' chambers and the castle library." 

"A bit much for a balcony, though," said Luna without feigning even the slightest of ignorance.

"What do you mean "a bit much"?" Beacon didn't even bother trying to feign as much frustration as Luna did her ignorance. "This is where the royal guards of Canterlot, the government officials, and selected representatives of all the nearby tribes -- and even the Princess herself -- exit and enter when they are required to meet here. You can't expect important ponies -- and otherwise -- to just use the front door, surely."

"Then, if that was the case," intervened Onyx, "why did we not enter through here and instead through the front door? Are we not important enough despite being sent on a potentially dangerous quest?" The Prince's tone was more condescending than it was of actual frustration.

"Did the conversation about secrecy and discretion escape your mind that quick?" retorted Pockets.

Beacon gave a little chuckle under his breath. "Thank you, thief."

"Hey, the term is "noble scoundrel"," the pony corrected. "There's a big difference."

Despite the claim, Star Swirl didn't seem to understand. His face scrunched to a confused expression. "Thou knowest that what you have termed is an oxymoron in of itself, correct? The term "scoundrel" is anything but noble."

"What can I say? I'm just that awesome."

Before the banter could continue, a lance of Pegasi approached the group. Two of the guards were clad in gold armor similar to Beacon's. "Hail, Prince," one of them called out as a welcome. "Chancellor Grey Mane is waiting for you by the north-east platform. So, I've heard you're going on an important quest for Her Majesty?"

Beacon raised an eyebrow. "What is the meaning of this?" he blurted out with force. "How do you know about this? This was meant to be completely secret!"

"We know. But, the Chancellor has briefed us on what has happened. While you are to take leave from Canterlot, the rest of the royal guards are to prepare any and all defences we can should it come to the worst."

Celestia let out a sigh. "Let us hope that it does not come to that."

"Aye, we all do, my Lady." The guard turned to the rest of his platoon, nudging his head in gesture to follow him. The group made their way towards the castle's interior. "We shouldn't tarry any longer. I wish you all the best of luck."

In the distance stood upon a circular platform stood Chancellor Grey Mane accompanied by two guards and a large golden chariot. Voices could be heard between the trio although it was not discernible due to the combination of them being out of earshot as well as the ambiance from their surroundings. Whatever was said sounded quite serious.

With Beacon leading his group, the six of them made their way to the platform. Their footsteps drew the attention of the Chancellor and the guards as they turned their heads to their direction. "Chancellor," called out Beacon, "we're all present and ready to depart. And, why the sudden leave from the court?"

"To prepare you, young Prince," the elderly Unicorn responded. He lifted his cloak to reveal a small satchel as he spoke. "The book that my son, Star Swirl, retrieved for me is an  apothecary guide that has various recipes for potions. I took the liberty of making some potions for you all for your journey."

"In such a short amount of time?" spoke Luna, wholly impressed with the Chancellor's speed of work. "But, potions take a long time and a delicate process to prepare."

A deep chuckle erupted from Grey Mane's throat. "My dear Luna, I did not succeed my predecessor in becoming the court wizard by being tardy with such simple matters. You learn to hasten the process the more you continue to do something." A silver, starry glow bathed his horn before doing the same to the satchel. The container unbuckled itself from the waist of the Chancellor and floated towards Celestia, hovering in front of her face. "Celestia, if you would be so kind as to hold onto it?"

"Y-yes, of course," she stuttered, shocked for a moment as she was chosen to be responsible. Her own magic, colours of the rising sun, took hold of the satchel as Grey Mane's own slowly faded. Quickly, she fastened the satchel around her own body.

"There are five different potions in there, and six of each one -- one for each of you.

"The potion of flight will allow you to gain the powers of flight without wings. The potion will create a pair of corporeal wings to assist you, but will only last an hour. I've made a few extras in case should some of you need them for longer or you find that you cannot fly with your own wings for various reasons.

"The potion of darkvision will allow you to see in dark caves or any other areas where there are very little or no light sources. The potion will last for around twelve hours. Take note that only a simple swig of this potion is enough for imbue you with its effects, so it should last you for some time.

"The potion of cure will cure you of any and all diseases and poisons that you may become afflicted with. Even I have little knowledge of dangers outside of Canterlot, so I can only give you these as a token of warning. 

"The potion of invisibility will cause you to become, well, invisible for up to an hour. However, the potion's effects are unstable and will end should your body suffer from heavy trauma, such as from being hit or from falling from height. 

"Lastly, the potion of speed will make your body feel much lighter, increasing your movement speed by almost triple your normal speed. The effect should last for an hour or so."

Star Swirl was intrigued by the different potions that had been prepared for them all. He was also more impressed with his father than Luna was -- he knew that all of these potions are complex and take a while to create, and wondered how his father prepared them all in only half an hour or so. However, he was more baffled by their container. "Father, how did thou place so many bottles in such a small satchel?" Just as soon as he finished, he realized how. "This isn't your bag, is it?"

"Of course. How else would you carry around all of those potions in convenience?"

Onyx looked to Star Swirl, puzzled by his tone and words. "What matters the type of bag, Star Swirl?" he asked. "A bag is a bag is a bag."

"Not entirely true," he responded. "This bag is an old artifact called a 'Bag of Holding'. The container has the uncanny ability to manipulate space within itself, allowing it to carry a multitude of items -- even items that would not fit inside it normally. Should the opening of the container be able to fit the item, then the item can be placed inside it."

"So it's like a bottomless pocket?" asked Pockets.

"Essentially, yes."

"And it somehow contains this really big void-like thing inside it?"

"Correct."

"So… what would happen if you turn it inside out?"

"I…" Star Swirl paused, hesitating to answer without some though. "I don't know. Father, what does happen when one would turn a Bag of Holding inside out?"

"How should I know?" he retorted.

"Oh, I don't know," intervened Beacon with a sarcastic tone, "because you're the court wizard, maybe? Do none of your books have anything that says about this sort of anomaly, or even any hints as to what would happen?"

"beacon, the Bag of Holding is an extremely rare artifact that has only been seen twice: the one Celestia now holds, and a second that was guarded by the first Dragon King, Hermaeus Tempus. Even the magics of today would find it difficult to even so much as touch upon the essence of its functionality. Perhaps no one has ever had the thought of turning it inside out?"

A huge smile spread across the face of Pockets. "Let's give it a try!" As he reached out to try and grab the satchel from Celestia's belt, a collective yell of "no!" from the rest of them erupted through the Largess as they all lunged to hold him back, wrapping their forelegs around his and pinning him to the ground.

As they all struggled to keep Pockets -- and his morbid curiosity -- under control, a charcoal grey Pegasi in light violet and blue armor made his way onto the Largess. His straight face turned to one of confusion as he looked down at the group and Grey Mane as they scuffled on top of Pockets. "I see you're all busy at the moment," he spoke. "I'll come back when you're done."

Grey Mane looked up towards the voice. "Black Feather?" Quickly, the Chancellor stood up and brushed off his robe. "We were just having a small issue with one of our adventurers. Now, what is it that needs to be discussed?"

"If the rest would arise, first?" His voice sounded powerful yet stern as though he had the voice of the king himself. The group quickly got up while dragging the heavily winded Pockets to his feet. With the group stood in attention, Black Feather spoke. "Good. Now, the Princess and Commander Hurricane have asked me to supply you with two of my most trusted fliers." Two Pegasi approached from behind Black Feather, both of them snow white in colour with the same armor as him. "Sky Captains Stratus and Cirrus will be handling your chariot."

"I have already picked two guards for the job, Black Feather. You needn't worry about sending your own men."

"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that, Grey Mane. The Princess has already declared it so on the basis that my trained guards are much faster than any other Pegasi, and that any guards caught wearing the Canterlot Raiment by the Griffons may strain the already terrible relationship between the two kingdoms."

"So you are to use your own guards as scapegoats?"

"You make it sound like I'm throwing their lives away nonchalantly, Chancellor. I'm doing what I can in the best interest of Canterlot -- for all of us. Besides, should any conflict take place during the travel to the mountains, my guards will be the best to be able to combat hostility. And, like I said before, this is what the Princess and the Commander commands."

Grey Mane stared upon the face of the captain, eyes narrowed. "Very well then, Black Feather. By your leave…"

"Excellent. Now, Sky Captains, please escort our "adventurers" to their chariot. Feel free to take off when you are ready. Chancellor, I believe we should be returning to the Princess?" Turning with elegance, the Pegasi's hair swayed in the winds as he made his way back into the castle, with Grey Mane following close to his side.

Both of the Sky Captains stood in absolute fixture as though carved out of stone. Their faces portrayed an expression of total discipline, not even so much as a shake of their eyes ruined their perfected stance. The group looked upon them with confusion, waiting for one of them to do something, anything. Stratus finally spoke. "Is the captain gone?" he asked.

"Uh… yeah, they're both gone," replied Pockets. Suddenly, the pair jumped in the air with a massive, loud cheer, spreading their wings to a great span as they did so, causing the others to jump back in surprise. Stratus and Cirrus both cried out in joy, hoof-pumping the air and high-fiving one another. "You, uh… you both must be pretty stoked that Black Feather's gone."

"Heck yeah!" Cirrus spouted out, though he quickly clamped a hoof to his lips as soon as he heard his own reply. He regained his composure shortly after. "I mean, we like the captain and all that, but he can be a real slave-driver when we're on duty. But, we get to pull the chariot of a Prince!"

"Hey, that's two Princes, little brother," Stratus corrected, equally as excited at the prospect. "We've never pulled the chariot of anyone important before, let alone two Princes!" Taking one of Beacon's hooves, he began to shake it up and down with great pace. "I'm so excited to be able to work for you, Prince Beacon!"

"And you, too, Prince Onyx!" continued Cirrus as he did the same to the crystal Prince.

Onyx, however, quickly pulled his hoof back to himself after only a few brief moments with the shaking hooves of the overzealous Pegasi. "Yes… quite… don't the two of you have a chariot to pull?"

The two brothers looked back to one another. "Oh… right," responded Cirrus with an awkward smile on his face, matching his brothers in every way. Letting go of the Princes, the two of them galloped to the platform. "Race you there, brother!"

"Hey! Not fair, Cirrus! You got a head start!"

Celestia giggled as she watched the brothers run off, watching as they tried to knock each other to the sides to hinder the other's progress. "Sibling love, huh? Pretty cute."

"Reminds me of you two when you were younger," responded Beacon, directing his comparison towards Celestia and Luna.  The three of them smiled together before the group made way to their convoy.





The sky turned to a soft, pale orange as the sun began to dawn in the distance. A cascade of light shone just over the lands, bathing the fields and trees in a cone of light as the sun sat half-set in the horizon. Below the group passed the fertile fields and grasslands of the neighboring landmass. After an hour-long flight from Canterlot and over the north sea, the chariot was getting ever closer to Redrock Passage, just bordering the Griffon Kingdom's capital. 

"We nearly there yet, big brother?" asked Cirrus with signs of fatigue on his breath.

"Nearly there, buddy," Stratus replied. "Just another few minutes and we should be at the Passage."

"So, how long have the both of you been with the guards?" asked Celestia, interested in making small talk with the two brothers to pass the time. "I've not seen the two of you before."

"We've not been with the guards for too long," replied Stratus with a smile. "Me and Cirrus have been working for the guards for a year now. But, when the both of us aced our flight training, Captain Black Feather recruited both of us into his own personal regiment, the Sky Captains. The two of us were even decorated by him personally! It was the most awesome thing ever!"

"Hey," intruded Cirrus, "it wasn't as awesome as being hoof-picked by Commander Hurricane himself to come on this mission, right? This is the most awesome thing ever, now!"

"Haha! I'd drink to that, little buddy! You know, if I had a drink…" 

The more Celestia heard the two of them talk, the more it made her happy. She thought they were both everything that a pony should be -- kind, loyal, generous, honest, laughing with each other. "I bet your parents must be really proud of you both," she praised.

"Ah, we wouldn't know," replied Cirrus with a more straight tone than before. "Our parents… they died when they defended Cloudsdale from the dragons."

"You mean during the Skylands invasion?" asked Luna, trying to attain grounds of context.

"Yeah," spoke Stratus, "that was when it happened. After that, we were both taken in by the barracks, raised to be guards. But, we're both happy with how everything turned out. Ain't that right, little buddy?"

"You said it, brother," he exclaimed. "As long as we're together, nothing can stop us!"

"I'd drink to that, too!" 

Pockets let out a long sigh. "Must be great to have family, right?" he spoke softly, somberly.

"You mean you don't have any family, Pockets?" asked Beacon.

"Nope. Never even knew who my parents were. I don't even know if I have any other family like brothers or sisters or grandparents."

"So… what happened?"

A sigh escaped his lips. "I found myself at the Canterlot orphanage when I was still a little colt. I wasn't really good at fitting in or making friends, so I just… y'know, stayed to myself. Mother always said I had a really good talent with hiding things, though."

""Mother"?" asked Luna in confusion. "I thought you said you didn't know your parents?"

"Oh, right. Well, I always called the matron at the orphanage my mother. She was the only one who talked to me, told me how I was gonna be something special when I was older. She said I should be a magician because I was really good at sleight-of-hand stuff. But…" Pockets hesitated and turned away from the rest of them, laying his head on the quilted sides of the carriage. 

"But what, Pockets?" asked Luna, placing her hoof on his shoulder, sitting next to him. "You can tell us. We're all friends here."

His throat began to tighten as he tried to speak, making a small whimpering noise. "Then mother passed away. Then we got a new matron. She would boss everyone around and make all the children do chores, and if everything wasn't to her ultra high standards, we'd be sent to bed with no food. I… hated her… 

"I ran away from the orphanage and started living on the streets. At first I tried performing, but no one liked it. I tried getting a good job, but I wasn't good at anything. How do you fail at selling apples? In the end, I resorted to stealing just to live. I stole from all the rich ponies who would turn their nose up at the poorer ponies who struggled every day, while they sat in their comfy armchairs and ate the finest foods and drank the finest ale with no problems besides if they should have carrots with their cheese and broccoli casserole or sweet corn."

"But how can you still resort to stealing when you steal expensive things? All of that jewelry the Princess took from you back at the castle could get you enough bits to last a whole year or two! What do you do with the money?"

"I've been saving it."

"For what?"

"For all the orphans." 

The rest of them turned to Pockets and then to one-another. They couldn't believe that he was… well, a noble scoundrel.

"It's true that everything I steal is really valuable, but I only keep whatever money I need to last me a few days from whatever I can make fencing the stuff. The rest of the money I give to Lil' Raggy, one of the new fillies who used to hang around me at the orphanage. I tell her to store it all in a small hole behind my old bunk bed."

"What's it all for?" asked Celestia.

"To make a new home for all the orphans. As long as Matron Crabby is still running that place, I can't do anything about it. So I'm gonna make a new orphanage, a better orphanage. One that mother would be proud of… one that will continue her legacy…" Talking about it was getting to be too much for the young pony. A well of tears began to form in his eyes, dripping down his cheek and flowing off into the skies as the winds brushed his hot cheek.

"Hey, it's okay, Pockets," cooed Luna, trying to comfort him as she petted his shoulder softly. "I've got an idea. When we get this all over and done with, why don't we all go to the Princess and ask her to build you that new orphanage? I'm sure she'll be kind enough to put forward the rest of the money towards building it, right, sister?"

"Sure she will," she assured. "The Princess will totally do that! She's a sucker for children, you know."

Pockets sniffed a little, trying not to let his nose run. Slowly, his head lifted and his eyes shifted to the two Alicorns. "She… she does?" he whimpered. "She will?"

"Of course," joined Beacon. "In fact, we won't even need to build a new orphanage. if I had known about this sooner, I would have evicted this "matron" from the orphanage personally. I'll even put some of my weekly pay into refurbishing the orphanage, too."

"Well, I'm not one with much finance," spoke Star Swirl, "but I can help build it with my magic. I think with me, Celestia, Luna, and some of my friends from the college, we could get it build in a matter of hours!"

"And why would you leave me out of this, Star Swirl?" chided Onyx, somewhat offended that he was not mentioned.

"Oh? I didn't think thou would want to help out considering it's not in the interest of your studies, nor for the good of the Crystal Empire."

"Au contraire. With my ties to the empire, I could help finance this orphanage big enough to house even the orphans back home. Not only will the children have a place to stay, but relationships between Canterlot and the empire would be at an all new high."

"Now that's a first," said Luna. "Even mister grumpy-pants himself is being generous."

"Shush, you!"

Pockets sat up, looking around to see all the smiling faces that looked back at him -- and the angered expression of Onyx, too. "You… you would all do this… for me…?" His eyes began to bawl with tears. Leaping forwards, he scooped up everyone with his forelegs and gave them all a huge hug. "This is the bestest thing ever! I love you guys so much!" Despite the great intention of the embrace, it was the collective consensus that it was breaking their ribs.

The mood shattered when a huge choir of ear-piercing screeches filled the skies, screeches like an eagle's. Silhouettes of numerous lion-like creatures flooded the skies over the mountains in front of them before revealing themselves -- a whole warband of Griffons. With swift agility, the lot of them dove from the peak of the mountaintops towards the chariot below them, displaying their clawed gauntlets and breastplates as the light glistened off their steel.

"Griffons?" mumbled Cirrus. His voice became panicky. "Brother, how did they know they were coming!?"

"No time for questions, Cirrus," he responded with urgency. "We've got to fight! Cascade formation!"

"With a chariot!?"

"Just do it, Cirrus!"

The guards charged straight ahead towards the warband, but a lance of griffons split from the sides to try and flank the chariot. As the middle lance headed towards the group in a direct collision course, the guards swung sharply around and downwards, letting the chariot swing around and collide with the entire lot of them. A collective cry came from the passengers as the chariot rocked violently to one side and smashed the griffons out of the sky. 

"Hey! What gives!?" yelled Luna as she tumbled to the other side of the carriage, bashing into Pockets and Celestia as the others tried to hold on to the railings.

The guards kept spiralling downwards, threatening to hit any of the other griffons that would dare approach with the chariot, making their attempt of flanking them useless. However, the griffons understood the formation's weakness: lack of defence from the top. Quickly the two other groups dive bombed from the skies towards the chariot, talons at the ready.

"Ah! From above!" cried Celestia. As the griffons drew closer and bearing their razor sharp gauntlets, a loud, thunderous crackle burst towards the sky with a flash of silver light. A bolt of lightning as black as the night sky shot from the chariot and struck one of the groups, causing them to plummet towards past it while the other lance held off its attack, retreating back into the skies. Celestia was shocked to see, as she looked down, the dark horn of Prince Onyx emanating this dark lightning. "Onyx, you're --"

"Now is not the time, Celestia!" he snapped back at her. "Focus on the fight at hand or we're all doomed!"

"Don't worry," spoke Beacon. "I've got this one. Guards, maintain the course to Redrock!" With the last of the griffon lances pulling back, the guards were able to have enough leeway to pull back up and head towards the mountains. Beacon, on the other hand, spread his wings, ready for flight.

A massive flap of his pale gold wings pushed him from the chariot and into the skies where he could see the last lot of griffons over several meters from him. With speed, he blitzed towards them as fast as he could, wary of their talons ready to strike him. As he got closer, his eyes focused more and more on their stance. Upon reaching them, he dove slightly under them as their ready talons tried to strike him. 

However, two of them ended striking each other across the chest, shearing through each other's armor and clawing their bodies, causing them to lose their equilibrium from the pain and plummet towards the ground. Without even a hint of pause or care, the last two gave chase to the Pegasi. With each turn he made, they followed. With each dive he made, they matched. But, as Beacon came to a sudden halt, the Griffons did not. Quickly, he bucked in midair, using his powerful hind legs to smash the Griffon's square in the face, knocking them away as they had no chance to react. With a satisfied smirk, he returned back to the chariot as it got closer to the Passage entrance.

"That was so awesome!" exclaimed Cirrus.

"I'll drink to that!" responded Stratus in kind.

Star Swirl wasn't one for celebrating, though. "I think not. Look up." As the group did, they saw a huge legion of griffons lining the top of the mountains. But, none of them appeared ready for battle. It was as though they were waiting -- and waiting they were. From behind them rolled out huge contraptions of lumber and steel. On boxed platforms with fixed iron wheels sat long carved slabs of wood and iron with curved heads. On top lay huge arrows bigger than a stallion.

"B-brother…" spoke Cirrus with a nervous voice. "They have ballistae! It's --"

"-- the Red Talons are here!" exclaimed Stratus. "We have to get to the entrance quickly!"

It was too late for them. Before the chariot could head downwards, a volley of huge, iron-clad bolts the size of small trees launched towards them. The guards tried the best they could to avoid such sheer numbers of arrows, but with the chariot holding them back it hindered their speed and maneuverability. As the arrows headed straight at them, with many of them passing overhead or to the sides, a number of them collided and smashed the chariot. One of the projectiles smashed down the left side, taking away most of its plating and the wheel while another split right down the middle between the guards, catching both of them by their wings and almost cleaving the entire chariot in half. The guards began to spin out of control downwards, not able to use their damaged wings to regain their balance. The chariot crashed to the ground just in front of the mountainside, battered and broken. The Griffons retreated from the mountain, convinced that the entire lot were done for after glaring down at the wreckage before them.





"Ugh… I'm… okay…?"

Celestia slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred but she was able to make out the face of the mountain in front of her. She began to realize what had happened and, groggily, tried to get up. Pain shot through her legs as she put pressure on them, but nonetheless continued to rise to her feet. She looked from left to right, trying to find everyone. "Luna… Luna…! Where are you?"

"I'm here, sister…" Slowly, she hobbled from behind the underside of the toppled chariot having landed on its side. "I'm okay… just a few bruises. What about everyone else?"

"We're all here," the calm voice of Star Swirl spoke out. Him, Beacon and Onyx climbed over the side of the chariot from the seats. "The shield spell protected us from most of the impact, but we still bore much of the concussive force. How long have we been out for?"

"I've no idea," replied Beacon. "The sun's nearly gone down… Probably an hour." He looked around in front of him, noticing a struggling Stratus. "There's Stratus." Quickly, he jumped onto the ground, standing over the semi-conscious Pegasi. "Stratus, are you okay?"

The guard's squinting eyes fixated on Beacon as he put on a small smirk. "Hah… I've been in worse situations…" The guard shook his head, trying to shrug off the dizziness. His eyes bolted open as his head twisted from one side to the other. "Where's Cirrus? have any of you seen him?"

"I --" spoke Celestia, but a heavy gasp stopped her. "H-he's there! Underneath!"

The group turned to where Celestia pointed her shaking leg, but none of them were ready to see the sight they saw before them. From the underside of the carriage stuck out half of the young Pegasi's body and front legs, buried in the dirt as the chariot lay on top of him with great weight only diminished from crushing his whole body due to the soft soil. Frantically, Stratus clambered to his legs, tripping and slipping in the dirt as he raced over to the laying body of his brother. "Cirrus!" His front legs pushed against the chariot, trying to topple it back upright and off of him. "Give me a hand, would ya!?"

The rest of them desperately tried to help move the chariot, but its solid gold frame made it almost impossible to budge. The sisters, along with Onyx and Star Swirl, tried everything in their magical power to move it, but it would not so much as move along the ground, let alone toppling it. Beacon and Pockets tried to use the strength in their wings and legs respectively to force it away, but it would not so much as shake. Every passing second began to make Stratus' breathing heavier and heavier, until, with one last cry as his voice pierced the clouds above, his strength caused the chariot to topple lightly. With newfound strength the rest of the group managed to bring the chariot toppling back on its one remaining wheel as it bounced off the ground with a huge crash.

"Cirrus!" called out Stratus, kneeling beside his prone sibling, lifting his body with his hooves. "Cirrus, can you --" The Pegasi paused. He saw a huge scar down the side of his brother's body -- a scar caused by the bolt that went between the two of them. The guard panicked, looking around for something, anything that would help close the wound. But, there was nothing to help him with. His gaze turned back to Cirrus' closed eyes. "Cirrus… talk to me…"

His brother wouldn't respond. He couldn't respond.

"Come on, Cirrus… don't kid me like this…" Stratus let out a forced chuckle. "Hey… this wasn't funny the first time…. Come on, brother…!"

The situation hit him hard. This wasn't a joke.

"Cirrus… please…" It was too painful for him. He held his brother's head closer to him, petting his mane with his hoof. "Please… wake up… Wake up, Cirrus…!"

It was too much for all them -- especially Celestia. Her lips quivered and her eyes narrowed. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she saw that distraught guard, a man of action and discipline, nearly come to tears as he desperately tried to cling on to that one last shred of hope… before it faded completely.

"Stratus…" Beacon approached from behind, his voice spoke softly. He didn't want to say what needed to be said, but he had to. "I'm sorry… he's --"

"No!" Stratus cried out in defiance against the Prince, clenching his eyes closed tight as tears rolled down his cheeks, pressing his muzzle into the chest of his brother. "He isn't! He'll wake up! I know he will!" His eyes opened, looking up and staring into the closed eyes of Cirrus. "Wake up! Wake up, Cirrus! Wake up…! Wake… up…" He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe that his little brother was gone. The guard began to sob uncontrollably, cradling his brother's lifeless body in his grasp as his tears ran off his cheeks and onto the dirtied armor. He didn't want to let go. He couldn't let go. 

Beacon looked down at Stratus. He didn't want to see him like this. "Stratus… go home…" The sobbing Pegasi sniffed and looked back to the Prince, tears still falling down his face. "As your current superior… I order you to return back to Canterlot -- with Cirrus. Give him a proper sending off deserving of a hero that he truly was. You both deserve this much… I'm sorry that I can't do anything more…"

Stratus let out a small hic as he tried to regain himself. he wiped the tears away with a hoof and sniffed heavily. he looked back at the face of his sibling and tried to speak. His lips moved but nothing came out. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "I… Thank you, Prince Beacon…"

"Oh, and, Sky Captain… remember him as the hero who gave his life so that others could live. Your brother is a great inspiration to all of us…"

With a weak smile Stratus stared upon his brother's face with knowledge of his selfless sacrifice. Slowly he stood to his feet before carefully placing Cirrus' body over his back. "I'll… I'll drink to that… Thank you, everyone… and good luck…" With a flap of his wings, Stratus took off slowly, his right wing still injured from the bolt but well enough to help him fly. His resolve would not falter as he began to pick up speed, heading back into the skies and returning back towards Canterlot.

Beacon turned back to Celestia, who was still sobbing as before despite being held close by her sister. "Celestia," he called out. The young Alicorn turned her head to face the Prince as her eyes shimmered in the orange lights from her tears. "We can't mourn for him yet. We still need to press forward. We can mourn for him when we get back to Canterlot…" 

She knew he was right, but she couldn't help but feel so impacted by the event. She began to think to herself: What if it was Luna who died? What would she do? How would she live without her younger sister? Now she had to impose all of those questions onto poor Stratus. "Y… yes…" she agreed, wiping the tears from her eyes before following Beacon and the rest of the group towards the mountainside. 

> Chapter 4 - Jaws of Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dark clouds began to forecast in the skies, spreading the cover of rainfall over the mountains and the wastelands beyond and behind. The downpour got heavier as the small moments went by, crashing into the face of the mountains, the thick mud, and soil below. The ground became softer and slippery the more and more it got drenched, becoming looser as the splashes from the raindrops spluttered small amounts of it upwards and against the rocks.

The six gradually made their way up the steep, sloped pathway that lead to the cavern entrance. Even the smooth, rocky path caused a hindrance for the group as the rainfall made it slippery and hard to get a good foothold on. Shadows began to cast over the path as the sun died down coupled with the clouds blocking out much of the light. Thunder crackled in the distance, its low rumblings echoing through the canyon.

"Here we are," said Beacon, trying to catch his breath. In front of them was the large, cavernous maw of the cave shaped like the fanged mouth of a dragon. Much of the cave was pitch-black due to their being little natural light outside, with only the floor a few feet in front of them and the jutting stalactites reflecting what little sunlight pierced the clouds. "It'll take us hours to get through this cave, so I suggest we venture half-way before setting up camp for the night." 

"Sleep in here?" objected Pockets. "You must be out of your mind! What if there's… creatures in here?"

"Provided we stay on this trail, then there won't be any problems." Beacon turned back to the group, his eyes on Celestia. "Celestia, can you give us some light?"

She seemed shocked for a moment when he had called her name, pulling her out of her train of thought. "O-oh," she replied, "I'm sorry… I don't know that spell…"

Beacon raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't know the light spell? It's a basic cantrip that all college students learn."

"Do not take it to heart, Beacon," intervened Luna, stepping between them. Her brow narrowed at him slightly. "She was not present when we were taught the spell and so she is catching up with help of the Princess. I, however…" A silver glow emanated from the tip of her horn, growing in size before suddenly bursting into a distorted orb of light. The entire cave entrance lit up in a silver hue, reaching deep into the cave, several meters of the interior becoming visible. "I will take point," she asserted, stepping in front of Beacon to lead.

Onyx gave a small chuckle under his breath, watching Beacon with a keen eye. "Oh, by the way, Prince," he spoke, "you shouldn't push Luna too far, especially where her sister is concerned."

"And what possible reason could you come up with, Onyx?"

"Good question. I can't." He kept his eyes on Beacon as he watched his face turn from one of curiosity to one of complete confusion, taking his place behind Luna as he followed her lead with everyone else. "Or, rather, I don't remember much after she knocked me out for four hours. She has a very mean headbutt."

"… Understood."

Despite the support from her sister, Celestia wasn't any more comforted now than she was before. Quickly, she kept up to the pace of Luna, staying by her side closely with dependency. "Thank you for sticking up for me, Luna," she whispered into her ear softly so no one else could hear.

"It's okay, sister," replied Luna in kind. "I know how you can't concentrate when you're anxious."

Celestia turned her gaze away from Luna entirely, embarrassed if not frustrated that she was telling the truth -- anxiety had set in her heart when she had witnessed someone die in front of her own eyes. The memory, the pain, and the cries that flooded that scene wouldn't wash from her mind no matter how much she tried to wipe them away. She gave an awkward smile, hoping  to take her mind off of them through conversation. "Why, with all this light, who needs potions, right?" she jested, trying to find some grounds of small talk. But, not one of them replied. The entire group were more focused on facing ahead and keeping cautious. 

"Something troubles you, young Celestia," spoke Star Swirl, keeping close behind her. "Thy gait is not of your usual demeanour. There is something wrong, I am certain."

"Huh? N-no, thou art -- I mean, you are wrong, Star Swirl! I am not troubled at all! For what reason could you possibly have to question my nerves?"

"I never said your nerves were the matter." Celestia tightened up, knowing full well that she had given it away. "Is it not best if thou were to speak your mind? We are all in this together, you understand? We are all here to support one-another."

"I…" Celestia hesitated for a moment before giving a heavy sigh. "Yes. I guess you are correct. I've been thinking about things ever since… what happened earlier. Horrible things. Things that will surely plague me for time to come."

"It is natural that you would find it troubling, young Celestia. After all, thou art the only one of us with kin, if I am not mistaken." Star Swirl's words dealt a heavy blow to Celestia despite the lack of malign intentions. She was afraid that her own problem would affect the rest of the group, or even slow them down. "I've not much understanding to what you're going through, but you cannot let the ifs and buts worry you in the long run. We will protect one another."

"Well spoken," bolstered Beacon. "You cannot let those thoughts drag you through Tartaros, Celestia. Only years of pain will await you should you choose to cling to those thoughts every day until it happens. Then, only more pain will follow. Think of happy thoughts, like --"

"-- Cake," interrupted Pockets from the rear. "Or bunny rabbits? Or helping old mares pick up their dropped groceries?"

"… Uh, yes. Exactly. Things like that… Or not."

A light giggle escaped Celestia's lips. "Yes… You're right. Thank you." It was soothing for her to know that she had friends close by to help her through her troubles. Never before had she been so distraught, but never before had she known people to look to, either. However, with one problem out of the way, another arose to her mind. "Beacon, you said that Cirrus gave his life to save us. What did you mean by that?"

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who was thinking that," acknowledged Onyx, raising his voice, irate to have had information withheld from him. "I take it you know something about Cirrus that the rest of us don't?" 

"I do," responded Beacon. "I was once in the Sky Captains myself though I graduated before this "Black Feather" pony showed up. I'd never heard of him before, so I was shocked to see him assume the top position so quick. But, I digress. All Sky Captains are taught all thirty formations that include tactical, offensive and defensive stratagems."

"Are you implying that Cirrus tried to perform one of these formations and failed?"

"No. He executed it with great expertise." Everyone turned with looks of confusion and, in some respect, disgust as they tried to figure out exactly what Beacon was suggesting. Luna, however, had a fair amount of imagination to deduce the truth, even if it was a bitter pill to swallow. "Formation Thirty, also known as "The Last", is a formation that requires the driver of the carriage, or one of them if there are more, to quickly snap the carriage backwards in case of a crash landing."

"Snap backwards? For what reason?"

"The back of the carriage is curved with padding so that, when passengers hit it with force, they are uninjured. Snapping the carriage backwards allows the passengers to hit the back without risk of being flung out of the carriage through forward momentum when it crashes. However, because of the whiplash, the driver is pulled backwards, colliding the underside of the carriage. The trauma is well known to break the backs of those performing it, evidently ending their career or even their livelihoods, crippling them."

"But… the cart didn't get tilted backwards. It was thrown to the side."

"I know. I assume that Cirrus tried to perform a modified formation to tilt the cart backwards and to one side, effectively achieving its goal while also protecting Stratus."

Celestia turned progressively pale as she kept listening to Beacon's explanation. "You mean… he tried to alter the cart to protect his brother from the whiplash?"

"Exactly. Instead of getting whipped backwards, Stratus was thrown upwards when the cart swung to the side. That would explain why he suffered minimum injuries. However, that would also explain how Cirrus ended up under the carriage. The whiplash must have pulled him backwards and to the side before the cart toppled over."

The revelation made Celestia feel more anxious and upset than before. A part of her wanted to say something, anything, to let it be known that she found admiration in the guard's sacrifice to his brother and to his passengers. But, she knew that as soon as she would open her mouth,  she'd only wail in sorrow. Her body trembled and her legs shook, encumbering her walking . 

Beacon nudged her cheek with his own. "I know that you're upset and worried, Celestia," he spoke softly to her. He tried to give a smile, even if it was fake, to try and lighten the situation. "It's hard to know that someone has lost a life, but he made his choice without regret. He wouldn't want us to mourn so much for him, not while we have a mission to undertake. You can't let his sacrifice be in vain."

The distressed Alicorn looked back to him. His smile, his expression as a whole, was comforting to her. His own radiance of cheer bathed her in what could only be described as a gentle blanket of warmth and assurance. She gave a smile back to him, one of sincerity. "Thank you, Beacon," she replied. "You're right. I need to keep going, to focus ahead. I can't let him pass away without honouring his name." Her pace began to steady and quicken with revitalization, her mind at peace.

The group barely proceeded much further in relation to how deep the caverns were, having arrived at a rocky fork in their path. The two tunnels split widely from one-another a few meters apart. One of the paths seemed disjointed from their own, branching some way apart from it yet still noticeable that it was part of the main path, while the other trailed off to one side yet looked as though it was freshly made by hand. 

"Beacon," called Luna, stopping in front of the diverse pathways, "what do we do now? How do we know which way to go?"

"How odd," muttered Beacon as he made his way to the front. His eyes glanced from one tunnel, then to the other. Looking down at the floor of the main tunnel, he noticed that the path seemed to jut to one side as though it wasn't sitting properly, having shifted to one side. As he turned to the side tunnel, he noticed that the tunnel was circular and smooth on all sides as though recently dug. "There was only one tunnel here before."

"Perhaps the griffons dug this as a shortcut to their kingdom?" suggested Onyx.

"Certainly seems like it. I wouldn't put it past them to be able to do something like this. But, there's something else that bothers me. This main path has been shifted to one side as though the entire tunnel was just pushed.."

"You said it yourself, Prince, that you wouldn't put it past the griffons to be able to do something like this."

"Could they possibly have created tools to make such geographical shifts…?" The information troubled Beacon, his mind turning, trying to work out such a discrepancy. "We'll split up and scout the tunnels."

"Split up?" repeated Pockets. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"Of course. If this tunnel leads to a shortcut to the kingdom then it'll cut our travel time exceptionally. If it's just a red herring then we can just return back to this tunnel, but we need to be sure each one is safe and secure. Because of that, splitting the party will reduce the time spent deciding which tunnel is better. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"Good. Now then…" Beacon's eyes glanced upon the group, shifting between them. "Celestia, Luna, you two go with Pockets to scout the side tunnel. Me, Star Swirl and Onyx will make sure this tunnel is safe."

"Wait, why do I have to go with the girls?"

"Three reasons: first, I refuse to split them apart. Second, two magic-users per party is the safest way to go about this. Lastly, only me and Luna know about these caves, so there's no point in having both in one party. Clear?"

Pockets grumbled, looking away. "Yeah, okay, fine," he sputtered. "Let's just get this over with."

"Good. We'll meet back here in five minutes." Beacon turned to his party as Star Swirl cast his own light spell, illuminating the main tunnel. "Good luck, you three." Beacon, Star Swirl and Onyx made their way through, leaving the others behind.

Celestia sighed. "I guess we'd better get going." she spoke with slight reluctance, feeling uncomfortable knowing that she, Luna and Pockets had no means of defence should it come to the worse. Regardless of her deterrence in enthusiasm, she followed Luna down the side tunnel. "And, what do you mean by having to "go with the girls", Pockets? Don't you like us?"

"N-no! that's not it at all," he responded, keeping close to the sisters. "It's just… well… ah, it's embarrassing! Just forget I said anything."

"Rather hard to forget something like that," responded Luna. "You're going to be stuck with us for a while, so you'd might as well tell us."

Pockets gave a small sigh. "I'm just… not comfortable around girls. Wasn't much good at being social, let alone around girls. I get nervous. Shy."

"Well, you're talking to us normally," spoke Celestia encouragingly, "and we're girls. You don't seem to have troubles talking to us two."

"Huh… I guess you're right." Pockets gave a smile. "You two are pretty cool, y'know? I don't think I've had someone to talk to. Well… not since mother passed away."

"Hey, it's okay, Pockets," comforted Luna, stopping and giving her undivided attention to him. "Like Star Swirl said: we're all in this together. We can support each other, help each other, regardless of the trouble be they small or large."

"Pfft. To think that I'd get schooled by a girl younger than me."

"Hey, I'm thirteen, thank you very much." Luna quickly turned away, her nose turned up at him, slapping him in the face with her tail. "And you're not much older than me, either."

"H-hey, I was only kidding! Don't take it seriously!" Luna didn't give him further attention, only proceeding forwards. "You… you're ignoring me, right? Come on, Luna! Don't be like that!"

Celestia giggled. "Don't worry," she assured, "it's just her way at getting back at you. She'll stop soon. Probably."

"What do you mean "probably"? Tell her to stop ignoring me!" Celestia only kept up her smirk as she followed her sister through the tunnels. Pockets, however, was getting more anxious the more the silence continued. "This ain't funny anymore, Luna! Say something! Anything! Say "cucumber", at least!"

The mood shifted to one of distress as sudden tremors shook the ground beneath their hooves. Creaking, crumbling and shearing could be heard from all around them as the tremors grew larger. Pieces of rock dislodged themselves from the cavern walls around them and the ceiling above them. The floor began to shift slightly as cracks formed from subsidence. The three of them rocked, wobbled and shifted, nearly being thrown off their legs. As sudden as the tremors came, they disappeared once more. "W-what was that?" questioned Celestia worryingly. "An earthquake?"

"Impossible," challenged Luna as she looked around, her head scanning from side to side. "The area hasn't had any earthquakes or any other natural disasters before! Why would it suddenly start now?"

Pockets kept close to Celestia, pressing his body against her own without him even realizing it, although she did not react to his gentle touch. "How about we just go back, huh?" he suggested, his voice shaky. "Don't you think we should go and report this to everyone else?"

"Report what? They would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to have notice that tremor." The headstrong Luna was not one to let something as simple as an earthquake get the better of her nerves. "Besides, we've only been in here for a couple of minutes, if that. We've still got a job to do." Unresponsive of Pocket's plea, she lead the others further in.

The cavern grew taller and wider the further the trio ventured. The walls were perfectly smooth and circular as though a huge drill had made its way through the rock and soil. The walls around them shined in the silver light of Luna's horn, polished to a near-pristine sheen like marble or granite. Even the dirt on the floor before them looked as though it was levelled and smoothed over as though it was designed to be a path.

"Would you just look at this place," spoke Celestia softly, marvelling the sculpture of the tunnel. "This must have definitely been made by the Griffons. All you need is a few torches and it would be a working passage."

"You think that they would have the power to create such a thing?" asked Pockets.

"It wouldn't surprise me. I've read that across the seas in Saddle Arabia that they have huge structures called "pyramids" that were built by slaves in only a few years -- by hoof, too."

"Not only that," intervened Luna, "but the griffons are a lot stronger and tougher than your average pony. Excavating something like this in such short time was probably a simplistic task."

The vibrations in the earth below them began to pick up again, though gentler than before. Celestia tried to concentrate, hoping to make out where they were originating from. "Luna, are you sure that there isn't any dormant volcanoes here?" she asked.

"Certain," replied Luna aloud. "There's no records of any volcanic activity here. If there was, then the Griffons would not --" she ceased talking as her eyes widened to what lay before her. "Hold up," she commanded as she raised a foreleg to one side, preventing the others from getting any further. She proceeded slowly, cautiously towards a formation of segmented rocks that glistened in the light of her horn not like the surfaces around them. The rocks appeared wet, drenched in fluid. "I don't recall any water sources nearby…"

"Hey! Luna! What's the hold up?" called out Pockets. "Did ya find anything interesting? Gold? Jewels? A fruit salad?"

Luna did not reply. Carefully, she placed a hoof on the rocks, trailing it down the surface as it glided through the moist compound. Its consistency was thick like honey and almost as adhesive, though more so like cheap glue or saliva. The coloration was of a pale blue colour, only noticeable through the light that she was emitting from her horn. As Luna lifted her hoof from the rock, the substance stretched and draped in a low, drooling arc. "This… this is…" she muttered to herself. Hurriedly, she wiped the substance on the floor and ran back to the other two. "Quickly! We must get out of here immediately!"

"Luna, what's wrong?" asked Celestia with urgency. "What is it you've found?"

"We've not the time to discuss this! We must head back to the cavern and find Beacon!" 

The caverns shook violently, much more than the first time. The ground beneath them began to crack and dislodge from the walls as though the entire mountain was moving and shifting. 

"Are you waiting for winter or something?" cried Luna. "I said, move!"

But it was too late for the three of them. The ground below them shifted up and down like a sine wave, rocking them about as they tried desperately to stay standing. The motions overwhelmed them as they toppled and tripped over one-another, falling to the ground before the earth began to open up into a huge crevice. Luna could no longer keep a steady mind on her spell, causing it to fade away to leave them in the shadows. One by one they screamed as the earth opened wider and wider, swallowing them, causing them to tumble down into the dark void devoid of any light or vision. 

With a soft thud, the three of them landed softly on what felt like loose mud or very fine sand. Despite the lack of visibility in most of the cave without an outside source,  there was a dim beam of light that spanned from the back of what could only be described as a large, open chamber or pit. Their eyes adjusted to the small amount of light, slowly beginning to see the area around them.

"What a fall," grumbled Pockets, rubbing his flank with a hoof. "Where are we?"

Luna quickly rose to her feet, shaking off the dirt and sand from her wings and coat. Her eyes panned across the chamber but saw only dense, stone walls and small, concaved holes in the ground surrounded by a rim of raised dirt. Her face grimaced. "What an awful place," she spoke. "I have an idea as to where we are… and I hope I'm wrong."

Celestia paced around, looking up through the hole above them only to see it slowly close as the rocks once again began to shift around it, quickly reforming. "Luna… are mountains supposed to be able to shift on their own?" she asked.

"No -- that's what worries me." Slowly,  she crept towards one of the small holes nearby. As she got closer, she could see the tops of small, dull blue-coloured objects oval in their shape. She turned her head to look around to one side of the stone, noticing that the small amount of light was causing the exterior of them to glisten -- the same thick, saliva-like fluid that Luna had found moments earlier coated these rock-like objects. "Oh no…"

"W-what is it?" stammered Pockets, quickly scrambling to his feet and making his way over. Celestia did so in turn, both of them gazing down at the scattering of stones before them.

"These…" Luna hesitated for a moment. "These are eggs of the Amynthas Geoclastica -- the Geoworm."

"Uh… what's a "Geoworm"?"

"A large worm about the same size as an adult dragon or a mature hydra -- and just as vicious, too. They're omnivorous creatures that dwell deep within the earth where it is hotter."

"O-omnivorous? So then we're its --" he gulped hard " -- next meal?"

"Not if we can get out of this place quickly, but... I don't see any way out of here apart from that small hole over there --" her head turned to the small hole on the far side of the cavern "-- where the light's coming from." 

"Deep in the earth?" recalled Celestia. "So, what is it doing in the mountain?"

Luna didn't think of replying when she began to feel the gentle rumble of the earth beneath her hooves. Tremors rushed up their legs with more haste and violence with each passing second they stood idle. The cavern rocked and shook with force, parts of the walls and the ceiling above them crumbling and cracking. Pieces of stone and rock fell from the fascias and plummeted to the ground below, some of them nearly colliding with the ponies.

The ground beneath them splintered and ruptured, bursting up into the air like a volcanic eruption, scattering mud, dirt and fragments of rock over and away from the hole. A hulking, geodesic creature born only of earth and gem snaked from and coiled around the hole. A monstrous being, its body could not be any less than a large house, moving and contorting where its pale blue, sedimentary-like segments were divided. The creature had no eyes or ears to show, but nonetheless had no trouble locating its prey. Its large, bulbous head faced the frightened trio as though in thought, judging them, thinking of them as either threat or food. The result would be the same, regardless.

"U-uh… Luna," stammered Pockets, his teeth chattering, "w-what are we supposed to do now?"

"Just back away slowly," she replied. "It senses movement through vibrations in the ground and the air. As long as you don't talk too loud or make any sudden movements, we'll be okay."

The eyeless gaze of the worm began to waver and break as its head began to shift from left to right as though it was trying to find them. Its body reared back as its head swung side to side, up and down, and even behind itself. With each step the ponies took away from it, the more confused the monster became.

Dust and dirt fell from the ceiling from the tremors of the worm's shifting body. Thin streams and clouds fell and formed from the falling dust. Some of it fell upon the snout of Pockets, causing him to twitch his nose from the irritation. His eyes winced as he sniffed in reaction. "Oh… oh no," he murmured. "Something went up my nose…!"

Luna turned her head to him, glaring at him. "Pockets," she said, "whatever you do, do not sneeze."

"I… I can't help it -- Ah..!"

"Don't do it!"

"Ah-choo!"

The beast violently swung its head towards the group -- specifically Pockets, its eyeless gaze never faltering from him. Four thick, segmented folds of flesh-like rock began to open slowly, dripping with pale cobalt, clear fluid to reveal a dark, toothless maw. A low hiss rumbled from its mouth, echoing through the cave.

Pockets froze in fear. All he could do was stare into the darkness. "I think I made him mad…" 

Luna grasped at the collar of his jacket. "Shut up and run!" she yelled as she sprung from her hooves, sprinting from the enormous and voracious worm with Celestia and the now-active Pockets following close. 

Lunging towards the group, the beast missed only by a hair's breadth -- literally, as a few strands were pulled from Celestia's tail. Chasing them in circles, the worm pursued them around the walls of the cavern. It was the only place the trio could run, with nowhere to escape from and nowhere to hide. 

Or so Luna thought. 

"Hey! I think we lost him!" joked Pockets despite the monster only meters behind him.

"This isn't the time for jokes!" yelled Luna. Her eye caught the small ditch that lay some distance in front of them. "Quickly," she called out, dashing from the side of the wall with a sharp turn on her hooves. As Celestia and Pockets turned with her, a large crashing noise erupted as the worm crashed head first into the rock, trying to lunge at them with its maw agape with no success. 

The trio jumped down into the small crater-like nest with the slime-covered eggs, crouching behind them and grouping in the middle of them. 

"We should be fine here," said Luna as she peered over the top of one of the eggs.

"Fine?" exclaimed Pockets. "How can we be fine? We're sitting ducks!"

"If what I've read is correct," spoke Celestia, "then the Geoworm should not attack us here. It wouldn't risk damaging these eggs to try and get to us."

"Huh? A minute ago you knew nothing about Geoworms!"

"Not so. I just let Luna talk about them. She knows more about these creatures, after all."

A low rumbling began to shake the cavern once more. Luna quickly peered above the eggs once again, but saw nothing. Not even the huge rocky beast could be seen. The only thing that Luna saw was a large hole in the wall. 

"It's gone," she said. "It must have burrowed through the wall!"

"But we're safe here, right?" asked Pockets.

"We are," replied Celestia as she joined Luna, scanning the hole. "But we can't sit here forever."

They needn't to. The earth below them rumbled violently and -- before anyone could so much as look down -- the floor below them burst open. The Geoworm erupted from the ground with its flapping, segmented jaws wide open, but Celestia and Luna were knocked away from the gaping maw as the earth pushed them aside. 

Pockets, however, was not so fortunate. Grasping a hold of one of the worm's jaw pieces, he hung on for dear life as the creature's head swung down, closing its mouth and throwing Pockets forwards. The worm thrashed its head violently from side to side, hissing, trying to throw Pockets off of itself. 

"Whoa-ho-ho-ho!" cried pockets. His expression was one of terror, knowing that as soon as he let go, it would be over for him. But then a smile crept upon his face, into a grin, then into an open smile of excitement. "Hey, look! I'm a cowboy! Giddy-up, worm!"

"P-Pockets!" yelled Luna. Without hesitation, Luna's horn began to glow a light silvery-blue. From the tip, a gust of what looked like sparkling gust and glitter poured from her horn towards the Geoworm. The veil swirled around its large body, flowing into the crevices of its segmented length, pouring into its holes and cracks. 

The worm's flailing began to decrease slowly. Within a matter of moments, its body began to become limp and calm before falling to the floor with no motion. 

Pockets took a sigh of relief, panting heavily, trying to get his breath back. Quickly he hopped off the worm's head, running towards Luna and giving her a huge hug, almost squeezing all the air out of her. He could had sworn he heard her squeak. "Luna! You saved me!" He tightened his grip around her, causing her to let out a heavy gasp. His cheeks turned a hue of red before letting go of her with haste. "I mean, y'know… Thanks. But what did you do to him?"

"I --" she drew a large breath of air "I used my Sleep spell on it. It shouldn't wake up for another few hours, so we had better get out of here with haste."

"I guess we'd better start digging through that hole at the back of the cave, then," suggested Celestia, turning to it. "But who knows how long --"

Celestia stopped as she began to hear a rhythmatic series of thuds echoing, like the sound of footsteps. The light faded as something began to block it on the other side. The steps stopped. 

"Here! Break through here!" a voice commanded, muffled from the wall of rock in the way. 

A flash of purple light pierced through the hole, almost dazzling and blinding the on-looking trio. Suddenly, thin lines of light began to pour through parts of the wall, forming cracks in the surface. After a moment, the wall began to crumble, breaking apart from the top down to the bottom. As the last of the wall broke down and scattered across the floor, three equine silhouettes stood in the light.

"You three okay?" one called out. The flash of purple disappeared, revealing Beacon, Onyx and Star Swirl stood by the hole.

"Beacon!" Celestia cried out with a smile. The three quickly rejoined the others. "But, how did you know we were here?"

"When we were heading down the path, Star Swirl realized that the architecture of the other tunnel was created by a burrowing Geoworm. When we began backtracking to get you three, that's when the tremors happened. When we went to check it out, we found that the worm made a longer path that lead to here. Then we heard Pockets screaming."

"Hey, I wasn't screaming!" reprimanded Pockets with a scowl. "I was actually having some fun."

"Fun? You must be kidding."

"So, come on then," intervened Onyx with a smirk. "Where's this supposed Geoworm?"

Celestia gave a sly look to the Prince as she waved her hoof behind her. "Over there, taking a nap."

Onyx and Beacon looked over. Their eyes widened and jaws dropped as they saw the huge creature prone on the ground. "B-but, how!?" exclaimed Beacon. "How did you manage to defeat such a creature with --"

"Magic, Prince Beacon," concluded Star Swirl, smiling. "Magic is a powerful tool -- especially when handled by the talented."

"I see. Anyway, this tunnel leads to the other side of the mountain. If we following it, we'll be out of here soon."

"Is that what this light is?" asked Luna.

"Exactly. It looks like it was used some time ago by the Griffons -- the torches are still lit on the walls."

"Awesome!" cried Pockets, bouncing past the group and down the path. "Race you guys there!"

"H-he-hey! Pockets!" yelled Beacon after him. "Don't be so reckless!"

Luna sighed with a little smile. "Boys, huh?"