Chapter 1

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Original Title: Matters of Heart
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

Twilight’s hopes that the decision she had to make would be clearer in the morning turned out false. As did the ones concerning the first week and month. Now, almost two months since the wedding, Twilights was starting to doubt she would ever be able to choose her fate. Her mood reflected these glum expectations which couldn’t go unnoticed by her friends.

“Hold still, darling. I can’t work properly when you are squirming like that. I swear if I didn’t see your cutie mark minutes ago, I would say you were Rainbow!” Rarity scolded as she corrected Twilight’s pose for eighth time in last four minutes.

“I’m sorry Rarity. I’m just nervous because there is a big delivery for the library scheduled and I fear that I won’t be there to sign for it,” Twilight said, but despite her best effort cringed a little. Lying to her friend cost her a lot of self-control and couldn’t be counted to the most pleasant experiences of her life. Even worse, it had been slowly becoming a regular occurrence in her life. She really was awaiting an important package, but the true reason for her fidgeting lay elsewhere.

Ever since the wedding she could barely find any time for herself. Her friends, seeing her troubled state, drowned her in attention from sunrise to sundown. Were it Applejack inviting her to the tasting of this year’s young cider, Fluttershy showing her rare inhabitants of the Everfree or Rainbow taking her to the latest Wonderbolts derby, acquiring VIP tickets with backstage access, although Twilight doubted the last event was completely selfless from the pegasus.

For some time she enjoyed this new development, but too much of everything is hurtful and the line signifying ‘too much’ was crossed a long time ago. Twilight’s reluctance toward accepting the gifts grew even stronger as she slowly realized the true reason behind their actions. They weren’t apologizing for treating her badly; they were just doing what they could to improve her mood. I don’t need to feel good. I just want them to feel bad for what they did to me! The unwanted thought, so similar to many others that crossed her mind in the past weeks, shocked her not so much by its malice, but by the realization that she didn’t feel the slightest shame for thinking this. Her shock manifested in a bodily flinch. Only one thing could originate from that.

“For Celestia’s sake, Twilight! Don’t tell me those books are so important to you!” Rarity stepped back and threw her forehooves above her head in frustration. Dealing with Sweetie Belle on daily basis trained her to such an extent that a manticore could land next to her and she wouldn’t even recoil, but even the most stoic ponies have their limits. Her outburst, however, provided an excuse for Twilight to snap as well.

“Why do you even insist on making me a new dress for Grand Galloping Gala now? It isn’t due for another five months and with how badly the city was damaged they might as well cancel it completely!” She shrank into herself upon seeing the slightly hurt expression of Rarity’s face. “Not that I don’t appreciate what you are doing for me, of course.”

“I will let you know that the life of a famous fashion designer degenerates into an utter chaos once the Grand Galloping Gala is nigh,” Rarity said, pointing her muzzle up in disdain. “Also, cancel the Gala? Don’t be ridiculous, darling. The nobility would riot!” A mischievous smile made its way to her lips. “Although that might not be necessarily a bad thing. Imagine those fine stallions in exquisite armor, sun rays reflecting from their spears, as they charge into attack, fighting for a noble cause…” She quickly lost herself in her fantasy and Twilight feared she would stand on the dais until the day Equestria turned to ash.

“Um, Rarity?” No response. “Rarity! I’m still here, posing!”

“Oh, sorry Twilight, I got carried away. Anyway, let me help you take it off. We will continue some other day, we won’t get anywhere with your fidgeting.” Rarity trotted to Twilight’s side and lit her horn to untie the straps of the dress, but her concentration failed as the door slammed open and Spike rocketed inside, contributing to the unofficial competition in imitating Rainbow Dash’s antics.

“Twilight! Letter from Princess Celestia!” the drake said frantically.

“Spike! You should really knock before entering a house,” Rarity reprimanded.

“Sorry, Rarity, it’s just… well, see for yourself Twilight.”

Twilight used her magic to take the letter and started to read it.

A test? A test for what exactly? And she wants me to bring my friends along? What use could they possibly be for a test? Twilight pondered to herself. What does it matter! There is finally something to do! She squealed upon the realization which drew Rarity’s attention from cleaning up the supplies back to her.

“What is the matter, darling?” she asked with intrigue, expecting some juicy news akin to the one about Shining Armor and Cadance’s wedding.

“I…” Twilight started as she mentally slapped herself for her slip. I mustn’t let them know that I’m happy about this. That would definitely convince them that I’m crazy! “I don’t have enough time! This is horrible! How can I pass Princess’s test when I haven’t gone through my notes a single time yet?!” She marched on place, flicking her tail in mock-agitation and her panting would make a marathon runner proud.

“Test?” Rarity shrieked. “What kind of test, Twilight?”

“I don’t know; It doesn’t say! But I have to go prepare. Now! SPIKE!” She gripped her assistant in magical field and ran toward the door. Her poor involuntary passenger cringed as his head cleared the doorframe by an inch.

I really need to learn to control myself. Good thing that I get so many chances to practice. She smirked at her thoughts as she galloped the streets of Ponyville.

“Hey Twi? Why are we in such a hurry?” Spike finally broke from his shock, although he may have prefered to wait with it until he was safely on the ground.

“I need you to help me pack some stuff. Princess Celestia didn’t specify what test she will give me, so we need to pack everything.”

Six different kinds of dainty snoring echoed through the coach. After thoroughly discussing their upcoming task, bringing up mostly wild theories about it since they lacked any closer specifications, the travelers decided to get some rest, preparing for any struggles and passing time effectively at the same time.

In the end, it must be you and you alone who ultimately assists Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in doing what needs to be done. Do you understand? “I wish I did,” Twilight said aloud.

She was lying in her bed trying to think. She learned few hours ago that her mind was racing too much to get any sleep, which she would rather attend to.

‘Help Cadance and Shining Armor to protect Crystal Empire.’ But in which way? If the ancient city needs protection, wouldn’t it make more sense to send Royal Guards? She groaned in frustration and turned to lie on her other side.

‘Luna and I defeated him with Elements of Harmony, but they only locked him in the ice.’ Then how are we to defeat him, without the Elements of Harmony no less? The quiet noises coming from her companions crept to her painfully conscious mind and their rhythmic repetitions drove her slowly crazy.

Just perfect. They are all snoring as if nothing was wrong. And according to Princess’s instruction that’s all they are supposed to do during this task! She plopped on her back and brought her pillow over her head, blocking the offending noises to an extend. Why is it so important that I am the one who ultimately assists them? What’s the difference? This whole task just doesn’t make any sense!

Come to think of it, this isn’t the only time the Princess has done something like this. Before she sent me to Ponyville, I tried to warn her about Nightmare Moon. What did she say? “You really need to stop reading those old pony tales.” She just blew me off! She didn’t tell me anything about Nightmare Moon being her sister either. And what about the tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala? Even though I just made five new friends, she only sends two tickets. I guess she was just assuming only Spike and I to go, but she could have saved me a major headache. Then there was the time she sent us to get rid of the dragon in the mountain. She could have sent specially trained ponies for the job, but no! She sends six ponies with no prior experience and they’re the Elements of Harmony for pete sake!

The mare got up and checked the time. Throwing her blankets aside she left the cozy warmth of her bed, and lying her hooves slowly one in front of another both to not wake her friends and to avoid tripping in the darkness, made her way to the end of the coach. Years of stressing over assignments taught her that sometimes she needed to wake up more before she could fall asleep. And what better way to do so than to get a drink and cool her face?

Then there was the whole Gala ordeal. My friends made a complete mess out of everything and when the Princess catches up with us, she APPLAUDS it. According to her, it livened things up. Oh so now property damage is FUN? Nevermind the fact that it’s her castle that was wrecked.

After a quick wash, she made her way to one of the other empty cars, one with seats as she considered lying down in her frustrated state still nigh impossible. She took a seat and gazed out the window.

And now there’s this “task”. She wants me to defend an empire from a mad pony monarch as part of some “test”. What if I fail? We are basically putting the lives of those ponies in the hooves of seven mares, a stallion, and a baby dragon. We have no backup, no information, and no real plan. And Celestia expects us to succeed?!

“What the hell is she thinking?” she said aloud.

For awhile, she stared at the starry night sky as she tried harder and harder, in vain, to clear her head. She wanted to believe her mentor was wise and knew what she was doing, but too many events have made her doubt. Maybe the Princess meant well, but was she going about it the right way?

What if Scintillant is right? She sighed and hung her head low. These thoughts were too difficult for her tortured mind at the moment and she refused to venture any further. She returned her gaze to the stars. If only I could get some sleep!

Meanwhile, the Princess in question stood quietly on the balcony of her bedchamber, gazing at the same stars as Twilight. She set the sun several hours ago, but didn’t feel like going to bed just yet. The peace of the night wasn’t disturbed by anything physical, but she still sensed the tension. Trusting her student with this task was one thing, being calm about it completely different one.

There were many times like this in the past. Days when she entrusted somepony with an important mission and couldn’t do anything but wait then.

“You should have told her the truth.” Upon hearing the quiet and collected voice Celestia jumped as if a meteor singed the towers of her castle in front of her eyes. Regaining her composure she turned to her left and met the eyes of her sister.

“She needs to find out about the Crystal Heart and how to make it work alone. That is the essence of her test.”

“I meant the whole truth. About how big a threat she is facing. About why she is taking the test in the first place. About what consequences fulfilling the test will have.” Luna slowly stepped closer to Celestia and even though she was shorter, she managed to tower over her.

“How would that be helpful? She would just be more nervous and she wouldn’t act like herself.”

“She would have a choice in the matter. She would be allowed to say no. And you would be sure she is the right one!”

“I was taking apprentices for more than thousand years! I think I have more experience in the matter than you, Luna!” Celestia spread her wings in agitation and glared at her sister with anger. “And I AM sure she is the right one!”

“And just how many times were you sure in the past?! You bet the fate of Equestria on your good feeling!” Luna now matched her sister’s stance, returning the gaze with passion. “And you are lying to yourself. The meaning of the test is to teach her to put others above herself. With how selfishly you rule her life, you aren’t the best role model, Celestia!” With that Luna flapped her wings powerfully and took to the night sky.

Celestia’s wings dropped limply to her sides as the full meaning of Luna’s accusations settled in her mind. A tear rolled down her cheek as she whispered barely louder than a breath. “Once. I was this sure once before.”

“Ugh! It’s gotta be here somewhere! It’s just gotta be!”

Things were not going according to plan. While Twilight and her friends managed to kick off the faire for the crystal ponies, they found out they were missing one crucial piece: the Crystal Heart. Without it, lifting the spirits of the crystal ponies would’ve been a pointless effort. With the rest of the girls stalling for time, Twilight began the search for the relic, reluctantly letting Spike tag along with her; she had told him that since she alone must accomplish this task, he can’t lift a claw to help.

“Not a claw Spike!” she reprimanded the drake as he tried to lift a rug.

Damnnit Shining Armor! Couldn’t you have thought the defenses through a bit more? What made you think it was a good idea to go look for a murderous demigod? Now your magic is sealed and you can’t help your wife keep that thing out.

As she paced through the palace they came across the throne room. She glanced at the throne and saw one of the crystals on top of it. Then an idea dawned on her.

If the empire is filled with hope and love, those things are reflected across all of Equestria. But if hatred and fear take hold…

“Of course!”

“What? Did you find it?”

“No. Because THIS isn’t King Sombra’s castle.”

“Well, isn’t this where he lived when he was in power?”

“It is. But it didn’t look like this.”

Twilight closed her eyes and focused her magic into her horn. She clenched and gritted her teeth as she tried to replicate the spell she saw her mentor do. It took a few seconds to activate, but she eventually shot out an inky blast at the highest most crystal of the throne. Upon doing this, a shadow was casted over the floor before them, revealing a spiral staircase leading a long way down.

“Woaaah. Where did you learn to do that?” Spike inquired in awe.

“That was a little trick Celestia taught me.”

As the dragon gulped, Twilight lit her horn and started her descent. “You stay here,” she said to Spike before continuing.

“Can you see what’s down there yet?” Spike called out.

“Not yet. I can’t even tell how far down this goes.”

She used her magic to break off a piece of stone from the nearby wall and dropped it off the stairs. By listening to the noise it made upon hitting the ground, she could determine how far down the stairs went.

*CLACK*

After a long silence, the stone hit the ground and Twilight couldn’t but fret the amount of time it would take her to make her way down.

“Spike!”

“Yeah?”

“Can you see outside?” As she waited for her assistant to return with the news, she trailed the staircase with her eyes. Near the bottom she suddenly spotted a small point of light. Wasn’t it completely dark down there just seconds ago?

“It’s no good! Cadance’s magic must be fading faster than before!” the dragon shrieked as he saw Sombra’s influence on the city.

Hearing that, Twilight broke into a mad sprint. With how dark the pit was and how badly the stairs weathered over the time, such action could result in only one way, which she learned the hardest way. Tumbling down and bruising her body on more places than she cared to count, Twilight realized that she would meet the same fate as the stone at the bottom, being shattered to pieces. She clenched her eyes shut as she reached the bottom of the stairwell, expecting a violent impact. When she felt herself stop however, opening her eyes, she saw a magic aura around her body.

“How do you do, Twilight Sparkle? It has been some time, hasn’t it?”

“Scintillant? What are you doing down here of all places?” Twilight said as she regained her balance.

“To make a point. Do you see that door there?” One of the angel’s ribbon like wings pointed to a door behind the mare. “Your goal lies just behind that door. The goal Celestia didn’t bother to mention to you.”

“Then I have to hurry!” Twilight started running to the door, but stopped after just a few steps. “Wait. Are you telling me that Princess Celestia knew what I need to do and didn’t tell me?”

“Correct. Your so-called mentor knows more information than she cares to give. You of all ponies should know that all too well.” The contentment in Scintillant’s voice was growing steadily.

“But… she has still taught me so much!” Despite her earlier conclusions regarding Celestia, Twilight was still reluctant to turn her back to her mentor fully.

“Go ahead and open the door then. Use what you have learned from her and see her true nature for yourself.”

Twilight proceeded to open the door using her magic, but as she did, the door moved to another spot on the wall. She tried again, only for the process to repeat itself. This went on a few more times before the lavender mare got frustrated.

“Stop moving!”

Fed up with it, she replicated Sombra’s dark magic again to stop the door in its tracks and finally opened it.

“Spike! I think it’s here!” she said with a hint of glee. She galloped into the light the door emitted, but the room on the other side was not what she was expecting: the throne room of Canterlot. “Huh?” the mare said confused.

“What are you doing here?!” a familiar voice said in a very cold tone. Twilight turned around to see it was Princess Celestia. She wasn’t even looking at her as she wrote parchments.

“I don’t know. I opened the door and-”

“And now you must go!” the Princess sternly interrupted.

“Go where?”

“Doesn’t matter to me. You failed the test, Twilight!”

Scintillant watched as Twilight’s expression turned to one of terror and the color vanished from it. When she heard Twilight’s mumbling about a failed test, she nodded silently to herself.

“Exactly as I expected. The poor filly is still bent on pleasing her mentor. Remarkable indeed.”

Her musings were interrupted by sounds of tiny feet running down the stairs. She quickly hid in the shadows and barely avoided Spike approaching Twilight’s trembling self.

“Twilight! I know you told me to stay up there, but you were down here for such a long time and you weren't answering and I got worried so I came down here and you were just staring at that wall and... I was calling your name, but I couldn't seem to get your attention, and... What were you looking at? I mean... it's just a wall.”

Twilight stepped out of the way as Spike approached the door. She witnessed the effects of the door on her number one assistant as his eyes turned green.

“Do you see now, how feebly your mentor prepared you?” Scintillant said walking out from her hiding spot. “Your reliance on following her every wish has made you blind to the fault of her ways and to obvious truths as well. What need is there for two locks when you can open both with the same key?”

“I see. But when I can’t open the door with my magic and Sombra’s spell doesn’t work either, what am I supposed to do? I have to get the Crystal Heart. Not for Celestia, but for the crystal ponies!” Twilight cried out, tears starting to brim in her eyes.

“Indeed, you have to. And since you now understand the correct motivation, I will be of assistance to you. The darkness is fought with light and there is no brighter light than Elysium. Taste the power of… angels as I channel it through you. The power you can wield if you choose to accept our offer.”

A small spark of hope ignited in Twilight. “What should I do?” she asked eagerly.

A shadow ran across Scintillant’s face upon hearing the enthusiasm in Twilight’s voice. Such recklessness. And blind obedience, another thing we will have to address. She returned to her stoic expression quickly, however, and lit her horn. “Imagine my halo and try sending a stream of magic against the door. But first, you might want to save your dragon friend from madness.”

With a shocked gasp Twilight turned her attention back to Spike, who was still staring at the open door, shrieking from time to time in despair. She quickly slammed the door shut, snapping him from his trance.

“King Sombra’s dark magic. A doorway leading to your worst fear.”

“We were home. You told me you didn’t need me anymore. You were sending me away.”

“A fear that will never come to pass. I’m never gonna send you away. And I’m not gonna fail my test!” Scintillant, once again hidden from the sight, feigned applause at Twilight’s decision not to let Spike know about the change of heart. The gesture, however, remained unseen.

With Spike safe, Twilight positioned herself in front of the door and went through the mental exercise Scintillant described. To her amazement the halo in front of her inner sight began to rotate on its own as she casted her spell against the spiteful entrance, hitting the emblem above it with a blast of bright magic, resembling her own, but different at the same time.

The door opened and she jumped through, quickly taking in her new glittering surroundings. Oh dear Celestia. So many stairs…

Scintillant watched as the duo started the arduous ascend. She took her time before she flew up, leaving them far underneath. However, she had to speed up when they slid past her on the underside of the staircase. As they emerged on the top of the spire, she was already waiting, flying high above.

How reckless again. However, we should be thankful for that this time, she thought as Twilight fell into Sombra’s trap. When Spike ran to the ridge of the plateau, she descended next to Twilight.

“Your rushed actions might have destroyed everything, Twilight Sparkle.” Hearing that, Twilight hung her head low. Scintillant, however continued her speech. “Thankfully, no negative consequences will arise from this. Without this, the Crystal Empire couldn’t even be saved. Even with the Heart, the crystal ponies have been weakened to the state where they cannot fully power it. Sombra has made sure of it by putting fear into them during the years of his reign. But you can help them. Angelic powers serve more purpose than just opening doors. Time it so that your charge is synchronized with theirs. They must not know of this power being channeled.”

“I understand.” Twilight nodded and bent her neck, so her horn was perpendicular to the floor, pointing directly at the intended position of the Crystal Heart. She went through the exercise and brought forth the picture of spinning halo, waiting for the correct moment to release the powers of Elysium.

The rate at which the intervals between the pulses from below shortened suddenly started to decrease. They won’t even be able to power the Heart. I need to act now! With that she sent the stream of magic, this time pure white, down through the floor. When it impacted the Heart, a massive pulse was emitted, throwing Twilight on her back.

Once the pain from the impact lessened, she crawled to the rim to check if everything went as planned. She could barely lift her head, the spell having drained most of her energy, leaving her on the threshold of utter exhaustion. She laid her head on her now sparkling hooves and sighed.

“Good job, Spike.”

A sound of hoofsteps behind her rose her from her near asleep state. “And good job from you too, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight only murmured in reply, so Scintillant continued. “Before I leave and before your friends find you, I must ask: after what happened today, do you accept our offer?”

Twilight lifted her head with great difficulties and looked over her shoulder at the angel, who couldn’t hide the look of expectation on her face anymore.

“Yes. Yes, I do.”

Chapter 2

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Original Title: Saints, Friends, and Sinners
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

“Twilight!”

The ears of the mare in question twitched slightly, but she refused to answer to her name with any action. Lying on her back, head supported by a soft pillow she brought with her, she cherished her peace in the middle of the meadow just outside Ponyville too much to be bother by some shouting.

“Twilight, where are you?”

This time she recognised Spike’s voice. To her disappointment, he was drawing closer. If only this grass would be taller. He would have to get Rainbow to find me first, ensuring me some more rest.

Ever since her friends and she returned from Crystal Empire and beared witness to Spike’s stain-glassening, she was spending most of her time trying to recuperate her strenght. At first, it was easy to convince her friends that she just needed time to recover from stress, but now, a week after the events, she had to come up with a blatant lie about a suppressed sickness she caught from the frosty weather up north.

“There you are, Twilight!” Spike exclaimed happily and broke into gallop to reach her as soon as possible.

They just won’t leave me alone. Can’t Equestria function few days without my help? Twilight mused as she sat up to meet her assistant in a more appropriate position.

“I have been looking for you everywhere. You got a letter from Princess Celestia!” Spike said, panting and bending forward. From his looks Twilight could say he wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest.

I guess that answers my question. “Thank you Spike, You can go and do what you want for the rest of the day.” There was an equal amount of goodheartedness and wish to be alone in her statement and she didn’t bother to hide it from herself.

“Thanks, Twilight!” Spike exclaimed and despite his previous fatigue started galloping away. Twilight smiled after his retreating figure and unrolled the scroll that cost her more sunbathing.

Dearest Twilight.
I would like to apologize for contacting you in this matter on such short notice, not to mention so soon after your return from Crystal Empire. However, the second fact can be seen as the reason for the first one. With all the commotion around Crystal Empire’s return I managed to omit addressing this sooner.
But let us get to the matter at hoof. As you certainly recall, the changeling attack was deflected with magic of love unleashed by Cadance and Shining Armor. For such a powerful asset to Equestrian defense, we know pathetically little about it. That’s why I decided to organize a symposium of premier mages and scientists of Equestria. Its task will be to determine the nature of magic of love as well as document its possible uses and history.
As my most faithful student and the Element of Magic, it goes without saying that the symposium can’t very well take place without you. That’s why I ask you to come to Canterlot and participate in the debates as they unfurl. The opening ceremony is planned for tomorrow at 4 in the afternoon.
Best wishes.
Princess Celestia

The letter dropped from her magic and her eyes went wide. A symposium about a whole new kind of magic and I am crucial for its proceedings?

“SPIIIIIKE!” she shouted, jumping on all four and galloping in the same direction the dragon chose a minute ago. Having longer legs, she soon caught sight of the fleeting purple figure in front of her. He was crouching in his run, trying to hide from her searching gaze, letting her know he heard her call all too well.

She erased the remaining distance between them and snatched him in her magic. “Change of plans, Spike. You will get your day off tomorrow, but today I need your help. We have research to do. I hope you have the checklist materials ready!”

Spike sighed in resignation. He found himself suspended midair and dragged through the town more often recently than he found acceptable. Strangely enough, it happened every time a letter from the Princess arrived. I wonder what would happen if I simply forgot to tell her about one. It is worth a try, I think.

Downstairs on the ground floor in the library, books were scattered unorganized across the floor. No matter how hard she tried, Twilight just could not find anything related to the magic of love. Having spent much of previous day and night searching for the information she needed, it was now early in the morning and she was no closer to her goal. It didn’t help that she was now extremely tired.

Figures Spike fell asleep. I can’t really blame him though. We’ve practically turned this library upside-down and there’s nothing in these books. I can hardly keep my eyes open, but I need to look through this last bo- Before she could even open the book, she passed out.

“Twilight? Twilight Sparkle, open your eyes.”

“Wha?” The young mare mumbled drowsily. “Scintillant?”

“We meet again, Twilight Sparkle. Pray tell, why do you seem so upset?”

“Ugh, I spent the whole previous day and night searching for information on the magic of love and found nothing,” Twilight said rubbing her eyes.

“Perhaps you have not been going through the right books. Any library should have a folktale section.”

“Folktales? How would those help me? They aren’t even real!”

“Oh? Just as Nightmare Moon wasn’t real? Haven’t you been through something like this before? I seem to recall a similar situation with a poison joke remedy.”

“When I didn’t look inside the Supernatural Remedies book I had to find one. Zecora taught me to never judge a book by its cover.”

“And that lesson can apply here as well. There are many out there who do not believe in the existence of Ein So- excuse me, angels and yet here I stand before you. And were the Elysium only a folktale, you would currently find yourself in the void.”

“I guess you have a point there. Wait, Elysium?”

“Why yes Twilight Sparkle. Behold your surroundings!”

It was now that Twilight realized she was standing on a grassy field with a pond and a fountain nearby. The fountain itself was that of a pegasus pony standing on her hind legs and blowing into a flute, from which the water sprung. All this was on a small floating island in an isolated part of the sky, with clouds and sunlight being the only things seen for miles. Not within the mare’s vision was a serpentine creature flying in the distance.

“This is but one morsel of territory within Elysium. We are not even within the boundaries of the third sphere. Rather, we are within the outskirts. A peaceful place, is it not?”

“It looks nice. But why am I here?”

“I wish to expand and elaborate on our offer. You see, we have dedicated our existence to upholding virtue and punishing sin. I wish to take a more proactive approach to this task. Your mentor has taught you many things over your time as her student, correct? Did she teach you anything recently, regarding your involvement in the Crystal Empire?”

“The meaning of self-sacrifice and looking out for the interests of others over my own. But if what you say about her is true, what use is that lesson?”

“Ah, but this is one time where she is right. You did not want to risk the lives of the crystal ponies just because of your ‘test’. You instead chose to allow someone else to get the Crystal Heart where it belongs. You stopped caring for yourself and chose to care about them, you let your friend take credit for the success. In this sense, you have realized the concept of our most important virtue: Humility.”

“Humility?”

“This virtue is not about thinking less of yourself; rather it’s about thinking of yourself less. There is another detail your Celestia is right about. You do need to make friends. They will help you in more ways than one and the ones you will need to look for must learn the qualities of our other virtues.”

Scintillant’s halo sparked and rotated, causing six pillars to rise around them from the ground, each with a different symbol and material.

“Prudence, also known as Wisdom, the ability to judge between actions with regard appropriate at that time…” The sapphire pillar froze solid like ice.

“Justice, the perpetual and constant will of rendering each one their right…” The emerald pillar became encased in vines and rock.

“Temperance, also known as Restraint, the ability of self-control and moderation…”The topaz pillar was surrounded by small gales.

“Diligence, the ability of perseverance and willingness to work for something…” The onyx pillar became shrouded in mist, pitch black as the moonless sky.

“And Fortitude, also known as Courage, the ability of forbearance and durance, to be able to confront fear and uncertainty…” The ruby pillar became engulfed in searing flames.

“These in combination with Humility, are the six virtues we hold dear and operate on. These are our Elements.” The diamond pillar irradiated with light as bright as the sun. “Your next task is to find the holders of these Elements. See to it that they learn their respective virtue and bring them within the same realm of enlightenment as you. Some of them may have already learned their virtue, in which case that saves you time. All you would need to do then is enlighten them further. A good way to do that is to befriend them.”

Twilight had to take a few minutes for everything to sink in. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but she understood what the angel was asking her to do.

“Speaking of friends, this meeting is sadly coming to an end, courtesy of one of yours. You’ve learned exaggerating small problems leads to terrible consequences. Now you will see what happens when the pony wields power to follow their mad scheme through.”

Before Twilight had a chance to respond, she was jolted awake by a loud voice, coming from a certain pink pony storming into the library.

“Hey Twilight!-”

“AH!”

“Are you sleeping? That’s no fun. You miss so much when you’re asleep.”

Twilight’s eyes shot open and the spike of headache blinded her along with the sunlight streaming in the room. Is returning from Elysium always this painful? she thought when she managed to push her way through the fog of pain.

“Pinkie, what are you-”

“Checking what my friends are doing, silly! And you were all sleeping and snoozing and that”s not how you enjoy a sunny day at all!” Pinkie was jumping all around the room, looking at everything and nothing, taking in the amount of books surrounding Twilight’s impromptu sleeping place. “Were you reading all night?”

Twilight groaned, both from the throbbing head and at the redundancy of Pinkie’s question. “Yes Pinkie, I was. And I was trying to get some rest before I-”

“You should sleep at night, not read! You miss on fun during the day! Don’t read, go out! Like I do. See you!” And with that, Pinkie was gone again. Twilight let her head drop back onto the book, not caring that the pages were getting creased. All that mattered was to survive the pain. She managed to drift into a half-sleep when her rest got interrupted once more.

“Hey Twilight!-”

“Celestia damn it, can’t I get a bit of sleep? What do you want?!”

“Uh, sorry Twi. I just wanted to remind you of the symposium. We should pack if we are to make it in time. The opening ceremony is scheduled in- have you been reading after I went to sleep?” Spike shook his head in disbelieve.

“Yes,” Twilight growled, “does anypony else want to ask me that?” She got up and made her way towards the kitchen. “I need to get some coffee and aspirin first, then we can pack.”

Noticing in how troubled state Twilight apparently was, Spike ignored his hurt feelings for the moment and caught up with her. “Nap for a while, I will make you a breakfast and pack alone. I know what you want to take with you anyway.” At the incredulous expression that overtook Twilight’s face he just smiled smugly. “What, I’m your number one assistant after all. I’ll wake you up after I finish and you can take a magical warm-up then.”

“Thank you, Spike. I’ll do that.” Twilight strained herself a bit and teleported into her bedroom. Splaying over her bed she gave a content sigh. He really is a great friend. What would I do without him? I have to make this up to him later.

I hate to be late! It’s almost as bad as cheating on a test. Twilight stomped through the halls of Canterlot castle to her recently assigned living quarters. A pink glow surrounding her luggage and Spike, to his growing annoyance, illuminated the darkened corridors. Especially for such an important event. Why did Pinkie have to choose today to multiply herself? And why didn’t anypony block the pool ages ago?

She spotted the door she sought and reached another strand of her magic towards the doorknob as if such multitasking was the most natural activity in the world. The door slammed open and as soon as she entered she hurled the luggage and Spike on the alicorn-sized bed.

“At least I will make an appearance at the reception.” She rummaged in her suitcases and mumbled to herself the whole time. After a while she looked up. “Spike! We forgot to pack my dre-” Her eyes fell on a dress hanging on the closet door. It was plain in design, but elegant in its simplicity. The pearls around the collar and hems complimented the prevalent light blue color and silver hue of the short cloak.

There was a note attached to the dress. She levitated both items to her and lifted the paper.

My faithful student.
We missed you at the opening ceremony, but I understand the reasons behind your absence. We will talk about the Mirror Pool later. Please try to attend the reception, if you aren’t too tired that is. I took the liberty of preparing a dress for you. I know you too well and realized you would forget to pack one.

You know me well, Princess, but not well enough. Twilight smirked for herself. Still, not even Rarity would be capable of creating such fitting dress. I should thank her. She stood up and used her magic to clad herself in the provided dress, combing her hair absentmindedly.

“Please unpack the luggage, Spike. I will return late, so order some dinner for yourself and go to sleep then,” she called over her shoulder as she was leaving.

Spike was still lying on the bed, fighting the nausea from the journey. “Sure thing, Twilight. It’s not like I wanted to go to that reception too, or something,” he grumbled and went to fulfill his new task.

Once again Twilight was running through the castle, not paying any attention to the reprimanding from the guards. Stopping to answer them would probably result in practicing of orange transformation spell in her current mood. And she would get it right this time, she was sure. Thankfully the celebration hall wasn’t too far from Twilight’s rooms, so she didn’t have to face the temptation of fruitisation for too long.

Upon entering, her senses were assaulted by a cacophony of chatting, clattering of utensils, and tones of music. Countless ponies mingles in the glorious hall lit by several crystal chandeliers. From the amount of attendants Twilight deduced that Celestia invited not only the mages and scientists, but also most of Canterlot nobility to this gathering.

Exactly what I needed on this evening, dealing with snobbish, corrupted egoistic elitists. Maybe I should have stayed in my room. It’s too late for that I guess. She carefully made her way deeper into the hall, avoiding running into somepony with all her concentration. She finally found herself at the catering table and instantly realized how little she ate during the day. Choosing some of her favourite dishes, she served herself a nice full plate and happily trotted to a calmer part of the hall to enjoy her dinner.

Alas, the luck wasn’t siding with Twilight that day. She barely made few steps when her journey was cut short by an impact from the side, breaking her concentration and causing her food to fall to the ground. To make things even worse, she felt something spill over her back and when she looked she noticed a big red wine-stain on her new dress. She clenched her eyes and did her level best to calm her rapidly quickening breathing.

“Oh my, I am so sorry, Trixie. I didn’t see you there. Didn’t you say you would stay in the library to study for the night though?” a voice close to the right from her said. That was the final straw. The anger built up during the day overflew and her eyes snapped open, trying to kill the assailant with the power of their stare.

“What?! First you bump into me and destroy my dinner, then you ruin my dress with your disgusting drink and now you have the guts to even get my name wrong?! I don’t know what you are doing here, but if you are a noble, you should give up your title with such attitude. And if you are a mage, then Celestia help us!” Twilight was crouching low and panting with anger at the clumsy unicorn who stared at her in horror, strangely enough mixed with recognition.

“T-Twilight? Is that you? Oh my, such an awkward situation! It’s me, Midnight Spell!” the unicorn exclaimed and drug his hoof across the tiles from nervousness.

“That doesn’t pardon you!” Twilight yelled before the words settled in her mind. She took a better look at the stallion and light of recognition appeared in her eyes as well, anger leaving her in an instant. “Professor? Oh I’m so sorry I blew up like that! It’s just that this day was less than ideal for me and I bottled it up and then I couldn’t-”

Midnight put a hoof over her mouth, cutting her rant short, and smiled at her. “Twilight, how many times am I to tell you that we are past calling each other ‘Professor’ and ‘Student’? Do you call your friends with their profession? And you were completely in the right, I should have paid more attention. Let me take care of that stain for you.” He lit his horn and the wine separated itself from the fabric, floating back to the glass.

“Sorry, I tend to forget myself. And I should control myself better. Would you mind making me company for the evening? These gatherings still aren’t my forte.”

“Of course,” he said and helped her stand up properly. “Let’s acquire you some more food and we can find a quieter place to talk a bit. Does that sound good?”

“Very. Shall we?” The pair of friends returned to the table and chose their meal for the second time, then protecting their plates with joined powers of their magic they left the main hall for a terrasse.

“Phew, much better,” Twilight said, placing her plate on a small table. “Well, how have you been since the last time we saw each other? I am sorry I didn’t stay in touch, there was just so much going on.” Then she paused and put a hoof under her chin in thought. “Also, why did you call me Trixie back there?”

Midnight mimicked Twilight’s actions and sat down next to her, gazing on the nighttime Canterlot. “Strangely enough, those two questions are closely connected. You see, few months ago I was feeling a bit underloaded, so I sent an advertisement to the newspaper, looking for a personal pupil. And the day after it was printed, a mare showed up. I was ready to turn her down, what with her addressing herself in third person and other mannerism, but I’m glad I didn’t. Trixie is really hard-working, although she refuses to tell me her motivation.”

“Strange, that’s not how I remember her,” Twilight said between morsels, “Well, apart from that speech pattern, that is.” They shared a laugh and continued their meal.

After a while Midnight broke the silence again. “Her working morals are really amazing. I even offered her to join me for the reception, but she refused, saying that she needs to prepare for the symposium more thoroughly.”

“She will be joining you there? Great, I will get a chance to talk to her then. This change of heart is intriguing indeed,”

“Well, enough about myself. Tell me how was life treating you in Ponyville. I heard some amazing stories,” Midnight said and presented a genuine smile to his companion.

In the castle library there was a single candle lit on a table. Since the librarians belonged to the more skilled mages in Canterlot, they also attended the reception. That left single unicorn present in the dark expanse of the library, occasional blow of wind carrying the sound of festivities to their ears. They folded each time, but perked up soon after at the command of their owner.

Trixie would like to attend the reception so much. With so many important ponies in one place, it could have been a bright restart of Trixie’s career. But this is more important, she mused. Twilight Sparkle will be surely present tomorrow and Trixie has to impress her. If she fails, this whole work will be for naught.

Putting her current book on the pile mentally designated as ‘Not useful,’ she reached for another one with her magic. Trixie will be well-prepared and will show Twilight Sparkle that she is a worthy mage. And that she can work hard. If only Trixie could do so and be there today as well.

She sighed and continued her study session. Time was of the essence and she wanted to peruse as many books as possible before she would have to retreat to her chambers for a needed, if short, sleep.

Chapter 3

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Original Title: Dark Magic Between Us
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

“Helloooo! There you are!” Twilight shouted and used her elbows to push her way through the veritable sea of ponies crowding the entrance hall of Canterlot Conference Centre. So that’s why Princess doesn’t host these events in the palace. I wouldn’t want this stampede in my house either. To her immense relieve the ponies she was trying to meet noted her shouting and stopped moving.

After few minutes of traversing the hall, accompanying her progress with apologies at first and passive insults later on, Twilight reached the duo. For some time she just panted from the strain, the two giving her the time she needed. Once she regained her composure, Twilight looked at the duo with a smile.

“I just realized a strangest thing, Midnight. We agreed to meet, but forgot to establish where and when.”

Midnight Spell returned her smile with his own and ran a hoof through his mane. “We did, didn’t we? Well, I am sure you would come up with a way to find us, even if you had to perform a summoning ritual to do so.” He burst in laughter, but it died down soon as he spotted the expression on Twilight’s face.

She was twirling a strand of her mane around her hoof, eyes trying to burn holes into the ground and a small blush creeping on her cheeks. “Actually,” she said barely above whisper, “that kinda was the plan B.” She opened her saddlebags with her magic and revealed six candles, a chalk and a book with silver writing on the front saying ‘Things lost and found’.

“Oh you gotta be kidding me.” Their heads snapped to the third pony present, who they ignored to that point. Although unintentional, this neglect added to Trixie’s irritation caused by Twilight’s use of very advanced spells to solve minuscule problems. “Next time it gets too dark for you to read, will you raise the sun?”

The smiles dropped from their faces and merged on Trixie’s. However, her victory didn’t last for long as Twilight closed her saddlebag again and shook her head in amusement. “And you told me she has changed!” She pointed an accusing hoof at Midnight. “This is exactly the same Trixie I remember.” She followed her statement with a chuckle.

Hearing that, Trixie bit her lower lip and hang her head low with a troubled expression. The sudden change of attitude didn’t go unnoticed by Midnight Spell, who glared at Twilight mildly. “Give her a chance. I thought you didn’t judge ponies from one sentence, Twilight.”

“You are right, that is a wrong thing to do.” Twilight took a step toward Trixie and reached her hoof forward. “Trixie, it was an inappropriate joke to make and I am sorry. Will you accept my apology?”

Trixie scanned Twilight’s face for any traces of mockery, but to her surprise found nothing. She tentatively grabbed the offered hoof and squeezed it lightly. “Yes, the Gre-” she caught herself and began anew. “Yes, Trixie will accept your apology,” she finished with a much calmer and quieter voice.

“Well, if you are reconciled, why don’t we go find a nice restaurant to enjoy our lunch in peace? I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine eating in the canteen here. It is enough such things are served to me daily during the school week.” The words of wisdom preached by Midnight broke the mares from their reverie they got themselves into and they trotted after him.

They walked for a short while, led by Midnight Spell, who knew the city best of them all, despite the fact that Twilight grew up there too and as a nobility member should have had some knowledge of fine establishments. When Trixie pointed it out, Twilight took it in stride. “I had little time to drag myself through entertainment establishments when I lived here. Some ponies actually studied when they were supposed to.” Before Trixie could react, Twilight touched her hoof and tilted her head apologetically. Trixie adopted a mischievous smirk and winked at her.

Once they arrived to their destination and made their order, Midnight took initiative. “So. I came to understand that you two know each other. Will you share with me how you met?” He realized right after that his choice of topic could have been luckier. Both mares became bashful and it seemed they both waited for the other to speak.

After few more seconds of silence Twilight sighed and met Trixie’s gaze. “Let’s just say that Trixie visited Ponyville a little over a year ago, didn’t make the best impression and left on less than amicable terms. We will leave it at that, right Trixie?” The other mare nodded her consent and turned her gaze away.

Midnight coughed uncomfortably. “Um, let’s choose a different topic, shall we? Any ideas?”

“So your friends and you defeated the changeling invasion?” Trixie asked immediately, happy to shift the focus of conversation on somepony else. Alas, this topic didn’t prove much better than the last one.

“No, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor defeated the changelings with magic of love, and my… friends and I only helped them. If it were the other way around, the symposium would be about Elements of Harmony.” The tinge of distaste at the word ‘friends’ didn’t escape Trixie’s attention, but she decided to store it for later.

“What do you think about the symposium so far anyway?” Midnight butted in to prevent another awkward silence. Both mares perked up and once again waited for the other one to speak. And once again, it was Twilight who took the task on herself.

“What we heard so far was… interesting.” She paused and glanced around, checking if anypony was listening. Reassured, she continued. “Scratch that. They don’t have a slightest idea what they are talking about. If their titles depended on their today’s performance, there would be much fewer professors now!”

“Trixie totally agrees. But don’t worry, Twilight Sparkle, the afternoon will be much better. Trixie has prepared a glorious speech about the subject. You will be awed!” Trixie puffed her chest in pride and flashed Twilight a brilliant grin.

“If I am not mistaken, Twilight is supposed to hold a speech right after yours, Trixie. It will be great opportunity to compare your knowledge.” Midnight practically glowed with excitement when he shared that little information.

Trixie felt the exact opposite. Twilight noted how the mare shrank into herself at the realization that they would be compared directly. Using a moment when Midnight busied himself with reading a list of schnapps he could order for them to celebrate, she reached over the table and patted Trixie’s hoof lightly. The other mare looked at her gratefully and straightened a bit.

It seems she really did change. I will have to make more observations before I draw a conclusion though.

Trixie paced restlessly from one end of a hidden alley to the other and back, the sound of her hooves hitting the cobblestones echoing far and wide through the darkening air of Canterlot evening. The streets were mostly abandoned since most ponies already made their way to wherever they wished to spend their evening. One pony, however, hadn’t shown to that destination, to Trixie’s growing irritation.

When she bothered to make such big thing of sending me that note, she could at least come. Why, making it appear in front of me after my speech is completely normal way of communication, right? What a show-off… relatively speaking. Trixie winced slightly at the irony of that thought, but continued her stride nonetheless.

Why would she want to see Trixie anyway? She didn’t look two happy during the lunch. She blushed as she recalled more details of the meeting. She… did hold Trixie’s hoof though. That has to mean something. But Trixie won’t find out if she doesn’t come. She should have been here… Trixie pulled a small piece of paper from her saddlebag and read it again.

I would like to talk to you more, without others listening.
Would you like to meet for some tea today? If yes, come to Breezeleaf Teahouse at 7 pm.
Twilight Sparkle
PS: Your speech was fantastic.

Trixie hid the note again and snorted. Fantastic. Right. And then she blew everypony’s mind with her thesis about folkstales. Trixie looked like a foal compared to her. She just has a knack for this. 7 pm. That means she should have been here- she looked at the clocktower over the rooftops-twenty minutes from now. Great. Trixie came too soon again.

The wind bit into her and she pulled her cape closer. Despite the overall warm weather, the proximity of the mountain made the nights noticeably colder. Trixie will just go inside and come back when it’s time. Twilight certainly doesn’t want to meet an icicle. She hurried to the door of designated teahouse and went straight in without knocking.

The cozy atmosphere of the establishment warmed her almost more than the actual temperature of the room. In the middle of Canterlot she would expect a pompous hall with golden chandeliers, everything glistening and properly maintained. The wood panelling of the walls, slightly worn sofas and chairs and low lighting along with the everpresent scent of tea belonged more to a smaller town like Colton from Trixie’s experience. Not that she would complain about that detail.

An earth pony stallion immediately stepped to her and bowed a little to her gallantly. “Good evening. Miss Trixie, I suppose?” Trixie didn’t think about being expected, so a pony knowing her name, a gentlecolt even, threw her off balance. She only managed to nod. He smiled brightly and motioned for her to follow. “This way, please. I will bring you the tea menu in a moment.” He opened a door for her and she entered still in a stupor in a small room with an ornate lamp hanging from the ceiling, a low table and two embroidered velvet cushion. One of those was occupied by Twilight.

“Trixie!” she exclaimed enthusiastically and hoped to the other mare. “I am so glad that you decided to come. And even more that you came early. I was really nervous and couldn’t calm down in my room, so I arrived really early and it was getting really boring and I went through so many scenarios in my head and-” She noticed the shocked expression on Trixie’s face and turned her eyes to the ground sheepishly. “I will stop rambling now.”

Trixie shook her head to clear it from the barrage of words and regained her composure quickly. “Well, when you asked Trixie so nicely to come, she decided to make some time in her busy schedule.” She threw her head back haughtily and adopted her trademark smirk, but dropped both the poise and the expression at Twilight’s deadpan look. “Ok, sorry. Trixie is very glad you invited her to this little outing. She doesn’t get much chance to unwind lately.”

“You are very welcome. Please take a seat so we can choose what to order,”

Trixie did so and buried her muzzle in the menu, but soon glanced back up at Twilight. “Trixie has no idea what any of these are,” she admitted with a small groan.

“I will order for you too then,” Twilight chirped and clapped her hooves excitedly. Trixie only shook her head, partially in disbelieve and partially to hide how she enjoyed the other mare’s antics. Soon they both had their steaming beverages and small snacks in front of them and they made themselves comfortable.

“So,” Trixie began as she twirled the spoon in her cup, “why exactly did you invite Trixie to this lovely establishment?”

“I wanted to congratulate you on your speech,” Twilight said bashfully, intently staring at the decor of the china.

Trixie cocked her head. “You did so in the note.”

“I did, didn’t I? OK, no need to hide it anyway.” Twilight took a deep breath and looked in Trixie’s eyes. “I heard from Midnight that you became his apprentice and that you changed and I was curious. It seems that you are really different than you were back in Ponyville, so I thought that we could maybe become friends. Because I want and need to make new friends.” Her voice took urgent tone near the end of her speech and she leant a bit forward.

Twilight Sparkle wants to be Trixie’s friend! Were Trixie alone, she would perform a small celebration dance. And the happy grin on her face mimicked the sentiment. But then something caught her attention. “Wait. Need new friends? What for?”

Twilight recoiled slightly, realizing her premature revelation, but her face spoke about resolutive decision. “I was given a very important task, but I can’t complete it alone. I think that you could be of much help as well as to be a great friend, Trixie.” She smiled coyly.

She wants Trixie’s help! But this whole thing is really strange. Trixie needs more information first. “Trixie is very flattered that you think so highly about her and she will gladly be your friend and help you,” and spend as much time with you as possible, “but don’t you have a group of friends who usually go to suicidal tasks with you?”

She soon realized that the question was a mistake. Twilight sank into herself and small sobs could be heard. Trixie panicked, thinking that she somehow offended her new friend and hurriedly made her way to Twilight’s side, wrapping the distressed mare in a hug. “Trixie is sorry, Twilight. She didn’t want to hurt you.” She went quiet as Twilight leaned into her, calming slightly. The sobbing subsided soon enough and Twilight looked up at Trixie with thankfulness in her eyes.

“You… you know about the changeling attack few months ago, right?” The other mare nodded, eagerly expecting the explanation of Twilight’s outburst as well as her bitterness about the conference from the lunch meeting. “I recognised that Cadance was an imposter, but nopony believed me. They scolded me and walked away on me. It wasn’t the first time my… friends disregarded me either. I… I just can’t trust them anymore. Do you understand?”

“Trixie understands very well and will be happy to help you with anything you need. So what task did Celestia give you this time?” Trixie asked with an encouraging smile.

“Not Celestia.”

Trixie became confused by that simple statement. “Then who?”

“During the wedding celebration I went for a short walk to sort out my thoughts. I met her in the garden, she actually saved me from falling down the cliff.” Twilight shuddered at the idea of such death. “She opened my eyes to what my friends really are to me and how Celestia is just playing with me. But she will let me help her right the wrongs of the world. Together we will cleanse it of malice. She is an angel and I will help Elysium to save Equestria from itself!

The devotion in Twilight’s voice and firm gaze would have impressed Trixie, weren’t the thing so laughable. “Are you serious?” she asked and paled when Twilight resolutely nodded. Trixie deflated a little. So this is what she wanted all along. Crash me. And I hoped she could like me.

She jumped up and snarled at Twilight. “Angels and cleansing Equestria? That’s your glorious task and proposition? Who do you have Trixie for? A fool? If you wanted to play a prank on Trixie, you could have chosen a less sick way!” With that she turned and stormed out of the teahouse as fast as possible, hiding the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Twilight stayed where she was with her mouth wide open, slowly processing what just happened. Replaying the whole conversation in her head she couldn’t help but facehoof at how stupidly she presented the situation to Trixie, her own words sounding preposterous to her now. She lay her head on her hooves dejectedly and closed her eyes. Yet deep inside she knew that she couldn’t give up just yet.

Over the next few days, Twilight tried to approach Trixie, but every time she would somehow miss her chance. Growing very frustrated after one long day, she returned back to her bedroom in the castle. She intended to get some rest, but an unexpected visitor was inside.

“I see you are having trouble, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Scintillant? What are you doing here?” Twilight said bewildered.

“Are you really that surprised? I have been watching over you and I see your frustration is getting the better of you. That mare seems to believe you’re playing her.”

“I didn’t really help with how I explained it. I understand the sheer absurdity of my words, but I just wish I could prove to her that I’m serious.”

“Perhaps you can.”

“I don’t think I can fix this on my own. Can you help me?”

“Of course. I can help prove in the most direct way possible both your intentions and our existence. However, it is up to you to convince your friend to join in your efforts. No amount of Elysium magic will allow me to compel her otherwise. You must show her the light as I did with you.”

“What do you want me to do right now?”

“First, you need to go to sleep.”

With that, Scintillant took her leave through the open balcony door. Twilight, obeying her order, prepared for bed. I hope this works. If I just explained it better, we wouldn’t be having this problem. The instant her head hit the pillow, the unicorn was out like a light.

Almost as soon as she went to sleep, she opened her eyes to see the same grassy field from her first visit to Elysium. This time though, the water in the fountain was frozen. Well, I’m back here again. Now I just have to wait for Scintillant. Trixie’s body suddenly materialized near the fountain, albeit disoriented.

“One minute Trixie is studying in bed and the next thing she know, she’s in this weird place,” Trixie said disgruntledly.

“Good evening to you too, Trixie.”

“Twilight? What are you doing in Trixie’s dream? What is Trixie doing in YOUR dream?”

“Why indeed,” said a voice unfamiliar to Trixie. Scintillant materialized from the frozen water of the fountain. Her sudden appearance almost knocked Trixie off her feet out of sheer surprise. “I must admit, you are an interesting mare, Trixie Lulamoon.” the ethereal angel said.

“I… What is… Huh?...”

“I heard from your friend here that you were unwilling to believe her talk about Elysium and Ein So- I’m never going to get used to that- Angels. Well, perhaps this can provide some proof.”

Trixie was unsure what to think. Even though this was supposedly a dream, the grass on her hooves felt real. She could feel the warm wind blowing through the surrounding clouds just like she could when awake. Is this really a dream? Because if it is, it’s the most realistic dream Trixie has ever had. Trixie looked around the landmass, and glancing out in the distance beyond the clouds, she caught a glimpse of two serpentine creatures, both the same color scheme as the angelic pony near her.

“What… Is all this?” the confused unicorn asked.

“Truth is stranger than fiction, Trixie. When I told you all that stuff at the teahouse, I wasn’t lying,” Twilight said trying to convince her.

“How does Trixie know this is real though?”

“Oh but this place is very real,” Scintillant interjected. “Elysium is much bigger than you can comprehend. It is designed to be a paradise for those who earn it. Thus, you create your own ideal sanctuary. But if you are still apprehensive, why don’t we talk in a more familiar place for you. I will recommend a password phrase, one that you yourself will use to confirm.”

“That sounds reasonable to Trixie.”

“If I could make a suggestion, you will ask the question ‘When do the angels fall?’ and we will respond with ‘Every time when it is necessary’. When you wake up, we can converse more on that subject.”

Scintillant’s halo started spinning again and a flash erupted from her horn. Before she knew it, Trixie woke up in her bed. Her eyes were still heavy from the deep trance and it took a moment for her to get her bearings. Upon trying to lift her head, she was struck with an intense headache.

“Do not worry. It will not last long.”

Trixie looked up and saw Scintillant standing across the room. Not long after, Twilight teleported into the room, apparently suffering from the same headache as Trixie.

“Please tell me that leaving Elysium doesn’t always result in a migraine,” Twilight groaned in agony.

“You will get used to it in time. With each visit, the pain lessens until it no longer appears.”

Trixie alternated between rubbing her temples from the pain and rubbing her eyes from the astonishment of seeing the two mares in her room. After a short while of silence, Trixie remembered what the angel told her.

“Wha-when do the angels fall?”

“Every time when it is necessary.”

“Sweet Celestia, this really is happening...”

“Are you willing to listen to my task now?” Twilight asked with a smile.

Trixie stopped for a moment to let everything sink in. “Trixie guesses she can’t deny everything going on now, can she? Sorry for that night, Twilight.”

“It’s okay. Your reaction was understandable. And I didn’t word it very well.”

“Right. Well then, shall we get to business now?” Scintillant said. “Twilight Sparkle believes you to be a potential candidate to take part in our plan. I believe you have potential as well, judging from what I’ve seen. But I have to test that potential.”

“What did you have in mind for her, Scintillant?”

“I want to see how this young mare handles true power. There exists a powerful talisman. When worn, it will endow its holder untold magic prowess. If you can wield this power with efficiency, perhaps I can confirm your dedication.”

Trixie can’t believe this. A chance to work with Twilight AND hold unimaginable power? “Where does Trixie begin?”

Despite her stoic demeanor and lack of facial features, Scintillant had a hint of satisfaction on her face. “It is called the Alicorn Amulet. You may find it within the city. You just have to know where to look. Being an apprentice to a magic tutor, you should know where to find trinkets of high value.”

“Of course! The curio shop downtown.”

“I will leave this to the both of you then. Before you get to work though, I must offer some advice. Twilight Sparkle, I would suggest the two of you act as though neither of you even hint to being associated with each other. Trixie Lulamoon, I suggest you keep quiet to anyone else about how you learned about this amulet, and where you got it.”

“There is a week break between the symposium assemblies for some of the other delegates to arrive. That should leave us a sufficient amount of time to do this.” Twilight said.

“I’ll go look for the Amulet as soon as I get the chance tomorrow,” Trixie added.

“Good. I leave it to you two then. I suggest you both get some rest, tomorrow is going to be fairly stressful for you.”

As Trixie went about going back to sleep and Twilight teleported back to her room, Scintillant flew out of the open window, with a grin. “Let’s see how the two of them handle this…”

Twilight nervously paced back and forth through Zecora’s hut. From the confined space she was provided she was getting a good idea how infuriating the life of a goldfish in an aquarium must be. How could everything go so wrong?

Were she not planning to spend the week in Ponyville, Celestia’s order to act as an entertainer for Saddle Arabian diplomats would insult her much more, although Trixie’s joking about the reversal of their roles still threatened to bring Twilight over the edge.

What was supposed to be a simple pleasant experience for Trixie instead turned into tyranny, Twilight’s exile and breaking of their recently formed friendship. To make things worse, Fluttershy was now lecturing her about the obvious. Yes, life was brilliant.

“I can’t believe I didn’t recognize the Alicorn Amulet,” Twilight exclaimed in mock-shocked voice and secretly glared at Fluttershy. Now she will certainly tell me that it multiplies the bearer’s magical prowess.

“The more she uses it, the more it will corrupt her.”

Wait, what? Corruption? Scintillant didn’t mention anything about that. If that’s the case, then Trixie isn’t in control of most of her actions. Okay, now I feel bad about wanting to strangle her…

“But how am I supposed to beat that amulet? My magic’s not good enough.” She was actually right about the role reversal. I see how humiliating it must have been for her when I defeated that Ursa Minor. I must apologize to her… When this is over.

“Twilight Sparkle, much work have you done. You’ve learned all of my lessons, all but one. If Trixie’s tricks have you in a fix, you must mix your magic and use the six.”

That is one complicated way how to tell me to ask my friends to help me cheat in a duel. But I guess it could work. This is in their interest as well, so maybe they will stick with me for once. “Mix your magic, use the six… Mix your magic use the six! Use the six, Zecora you’re a genius! Now we need to get you back inside Ponyville, Fluttershy.”

Once Fluttershy left, Twilight turned to Zecora. “There will be one more thing I would like to ask from you, Zecora,” she said sheepishly. Though she knew this would be the best solution, she was still reluctant to share so much information.

“Twilight Sparkle, do not fret, asking will not pose a threat.” Zecora placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder to show support and beckoned her to continue.

“Well, once we rid Trixie of the dark influence, I fear that ponies will turn against her. The things she does aren’t her fault, but they won’t see it that way.”

“Justified fear you have in mind, reaction to her won’t be kind. Wises decision would be to hide, until with time they let it slide,” Zecora said with a nod and poured herself some more tea.

“Exactly. But I can’t think of any hiding place other than Everfree forest. That will take time to prepare - we have to build her some kind of home, supply it, put protective spells around…”

Zecora sighed and took initiative since Twilight didn’t seem to get to the point anytime soon. “If she tries and help with the brews, my hut for now she can use.”

Twilight launched herself around Zecora’s neck. “Thank you! I knew you would help us… me.” She turned her gaze away from Zecora’s inquisitive look.

Oh what has Trixie done?! Twilight will never want to be her friend after everything Trixie did and it’s all Trixie’s fault. What should Trixie do?

Trixie had been fretting over her actions in the past day while she was watching Twilight’s performance for the delegates. She wanted to apologize to her, but wasn’t sure how, or if she would be even forgiven.

Who am I kidding. I’m not great and powerful. It’s time to stop lying to myself. Twilight would have no use of me anyway. But I have to do it! Even if Twilight doesn’t forgive me, I need her to know how sorry I am.

She carefully made her way to the performance location and during the climax of Twilight’s routine, she used her magic to add fireworks.

“Trixie?” Twilight said taking notice after putting the animals down.

“It’s the least I could do. I treated you and your friends so horribly when I was wearing that Alicorn Amulet. I just couldn’t control myself. You can forgive me, can’t you?” Trixie said as sincerely as possible.

“Hmmm, sure,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Oh, good.” Trixie sighed in relief. “Don’t you think the Great and Apologetic Trixie is the most magnificent humble pony you’ve ever seen?!”

Twilight just smiled and shook her head as Trixie left in a puff of smoke, tripping once as she galloped away. Twilight debated for a moment before she decided to run after her. With everyone else distracted, they didn’t notice her leave. Trixie was running towards the Everfree forest, but the voice of her pursuer stopped her from entering just yet.

“Trixie! Wait a minute!” Twilight approached the former showpony. “I know you regret your actions, but I want to tell you that you’re not to blame. I don’t want our new friendship end this way.”

“What?” Trixie said with hope.

“Listen, I have set up arrangements with Zecora to let you live there until we have a new home for you in the forest where you can hide. What do you say?”

The blue mare was star struck and almost couldn’t believe her ears. She doesn't hate me after all! I can still be her friend! “What do I say? I would say I’ve never been happier before in my life. But, um…”

“What is it, Trixie?”

“I was wondering if you could… visit often? I would like to talk to you when I have the chance... Err, to teach me some magic of course! I still have a lot to learn, and this whole ordeal made me realize how little I really know.” In more ways than one.

“Well certainly. I can teach you a lot if that’s what you really want. Now how about I show you the way to Zecora’s hut? It’s going to take awhile to build that house.”

Twilight didn’t really know what was making her and Trixie act this way, but to be able to promise repeat visits and talks made her feel strange. It felt right to her.

It felt good.

Chapter 4

View Online

Original Title: Different Strokes
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

Once again, Twilight found herself in Elysium after going to sleep. This time, the scene changed; rather than the grassy field and fountain, she beheld herself on a different landmass in the form of a large open field surrounded by cherry blossoms trees. Within the open field were stone structures resembling more angelic ponies, covered in vines; one in particular was an Earth mare statue holding up a large spear. All around, cherry blossom petals fell from the sky, each glowing with a glimmer as they fell.

“These sculptures pale in comparison to the Grand Creator.”

Twilight looked up at the source of the voice to find Scintillant lounging on a flat structure.

“Elysium has many fascinating sights, but this one in particular isn’t all too appealing for me. The structures are rather sloppy for my tastes. Anyway Twilight Sparkle, I see you have done an acceptable job recruiting that unicorn mare. She has learned another of our virtues and by extension, you have as well: Prudence.”

“How so?” Twilight said somewhat angrily.

“I must apologize. I deliberately withheld information about the Alicorn Amulet. It corrupts the user the more they use it. You see, the holder is seduced by its power, bringing out their inner desire and intention to do evil. They become reckless and arrogant as a result. You had to defeat your friend using creative thinking, no? In that way, you have shown prudence, the ability to govern and discipline oneself by use of reason. You’ve displayed the ability to judge between actions with regard and appropriately to the time. As a result, you have also shown your friend such a lesson as well. Sure, it matters who has the biggest stick, but it matters more it’s swung.”

“Trixie does seem wiser now that she knows power alone doesn’t decide victory.”

“Precisely. She is also less arrogant, is she not?”

“She was like that before though. In Canterlot where I saw her again.”

“But she was unwilling to entertain the thought of Elysium’s existence. When I brought the two of you to the island, the landmass reacted to her rejection of belief. The water in the nearby fountain was frozen, was it not? Wisdom is much like water in a way: both are beneficial to all life, but if it is solid, none can drink from it. I believe there is an old Zebra proverb along the lines of ‘knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand’. Do you understand, Twilight Sparkle?”

“I think so. What does it mean for this land then? Why am I here instead of the other island?”

“This landmass describes the next virtue, which is an important one. Much like these stone structures are held by a foundation that keeps them standing, this virtue lays the foundation for society and cultural norms. But also like these structures, said foundation can erode and crumble under weight and pressure. I wish for you to find a pony who has suffered a miscarriage of law. Not so much a legal norm, but a law of society. You will know when you see them. And one last thing, Twilight Sparkle. Remember that even your friends and allies can hide things from you like I did today. Trusting blindly is the easiest way to be betrayed.”

With a rapid spin and spark of her halo, Scintillant again let a flash erupt. As the light died down, Twilight awoke to the morning sun radiating through her bedroom windows. Great. That headache’s back. At least it’s not as strong this time.

“Hey Twilight! Finally, you’re awake. I was beginning to think you were going to sleep in today.”

“Spike? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Uh, Twilight? It’s Sunday. The library is closed today.”

“Err, still! I still have chores to do.”

“Anyway, you have a letter from Princess Celestia.”

A letter? Does the princess want to task me with menial again? “Thanks Spike. Let me read it,” she said taking the letter with her magic. She unrolled the scroll and began reading.

Dearest Twilight.
First of all I would like to thank you for your exquisite work from last evening. The Saddle Arabian dignitaries were more than impressed and the performance helped to break ice greatly. I also applaud to that use of fireworks as the grand finale. I didn’t even know you were interested in that branch of magic.
However, there is an important matter I wish to discuss with you. During the festivities I was told by the mayor that a mare called Trixie Lulamoon tried to usurp rule over the town with use of a dangerous artifact. I came to understand that the danger passed thanks to your effort and effort of your friends. However, I need a more detailed report. Please visit me before the symposium continues to provide the information I seek.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia.

Oh boy… This is going to be troublesome. Of course you want to know more about the one who could endanger your pretty little crown. I might have to talk to Trixie about this later.

“What’s it say Twi?”

“The Princess wants me to talk to her about Trixie. I will have to go back to the symposium in a few days anyway. I can trust you to look after the library as usual can I?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t be your number one assistant otherwise. Oh! I forgot to tell you that Applejack asked to borrow a few things. We were supposed to prepare for that, but that whole fiasco with Trixie made me forget.”

“Applejack wants to borrow something? For what? And was it really the fuss around Trixie, or were you just busy making another gem cake?” she questioned with a bit of annoyance at her assistant’s lack of reliability.

“Well…” Spike put his claws behind his back and involuntarily licked his lips, betraying the answer. Twi just placed her still aching head in her hooves. Content that his word on the matter wasn’t required anymore, Spike jumped to the other questions. “She and Applebloom are going on a camping trip soon.”

“Ah.” If that’s the case, I should find some maps and a compass. I know I have them around here somewhere. But that will have to wait until she tells me where she wants to go in the first place. “We better gather those things. But first, could you make me some breakfast?”

“Princess Celestia will now talk to you.”

It was something new for Twilight that she had to wait to be allowed in, but it shouldn’t have been that surprising, given the security measures adopted after the changeling attack. She pushed the door open and found herself in a familiar cozy room serving as Celestia’s personal study. When she was younger she used to spend long hours here chiselling her magical abilities. All those memories turned sour from the recent development.

Celestia herself was sitting on a cushion by a coffee table supporting a tea set. “Twilight! I am glad to see you again,” she said standing up and walking toward Twilight to embrace her. Try as she might, Twilight couldn’t find it in herself to dislike the gesture.

“Me too, Princess. It has been a long time since we talked in private.” The two mares made their way back to the cushions and helped themselves to some tea and biscuits. “I hope the talks with the dignitaries went well and they will join the symposium as planned.”

“Yes, they will, and it is all thanks to you.” Celestia took a sip from her cup. “But, just like I wrote you, I need to discuss the events around Alicorn Amulet. For starters, I believe you have known Trixie Lulamoon before the incident.”

What do I say to not share too much? She mustn’t connect us! Twilight scrunched her face in concentration that could have been easily mistaken for distaste. “Yes, she visited Ponyville before and was rather arrogant back then. Then my friend Midnight Spell told me few days ago that she changed for better. But when I met her, she was still the same mare. And then she appeared in Ponyville all of the sudden.”

“I take it she has less than favourable character. I fear she might try something similar again. Would you happen to know where she ran off?”

Not to punish her for her actions, but to eliminate somepony potentially capable of dethroning you. Of course. “No. I was too busy with sorting out the aftermath of her ‘reign’. If I knew where she is hiding, I would be the first to go there,” Twilight answered and smile inwardly since she basically didn’t lie on the last part.

“That’s a pity. Well, I will have to initiate a search then.” Celestia hung her head with a glum expression on her face. From Twilight’s experience Celestia tried to avoid any kind of uproar and harshness around criminal acts, so organising a hunt on a pony couldn’t sit right with her. “I hope the Alicorn Amulet is safe at least?”

“Yes, Princess, we gave it to a reliable keeper who is sure not to use it. Not even I know where the Amulet is hidden now.” It would do no good if Celestia had access to the power of the Amulet. Twilight shared as little information as only possible while still answering the questions.

“Very well then.” Celestia sat up straight, probably satisfied with the information she got. “I have a task for you too. I want you to go to the university library and peruse some ancient texts. They should be useful during the symposium. I have them listed here for you. Would you please give me report on them as soon as possible?” She levitated a scroll toward Twilight and smiled calmly at her student.

Containing her glee about studying Twilight took the scroll and deposited it in her saddlebag. “Of course, Princess. I will get to it right away,” she said with a smile and exited the room. Phew. That could have gone much worse. I’m surprised she didn’t see through my lies. But it probably didn’t even cross her mind that I could be hiding things from her. Scintillant was right about that too.

After making her way out of the castle, she contemplated a route towards the university. She analyzed the distance between the castle and the university and decided the quickest path to take was down a street known as “Limestone Boulevard”, the street known for sculptures and artists, as well as the tourists from around the world coming to look at them. It was common for artists to hang around and try to get customers for whom they would draw portraits. Twilight wasn’t fond of the idea of walking down there because of that, but she wanted to get to the university library as quickly as possible, so she took the chance.

These sculptures. They look familiar. Twilight couldn’t help but think the sculptures resembled the ones from her visit to Elysium, right down to a similar looking Earth mare statue. Walking down the boulevard, she noticed something out of place. While most of the other artists on the street were loud and cheerful, one in particular stood out as withdrawn and with an empty stand. She was a magenta earth mare with peach colored hair. Down by her hooves lay several roses scattered about, one in a vase, another hanging from the stand itself.

She looks kind of down. I wonder if I should go over and see if she’s okay. No, wait. I have to get to the library. I have a job I need to do. Twilight tried to walk by, but stopped herself. Wait a minute. What am I doing? Do I really have to do this job for Celestia?... No, the Princess can wait. That pony might need my help more

“Excuse me? Are you alright?”

The magenta mare looked up with a perplexed look. She seemed to force a smile as she wiped her eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just a little disheartened is all. I can’t seem to make any sales today and I really need the money.”

“Sorry to hear that. If you want, I could buy one.”

“I can’t sell what I don’t have right now. And I’m afraid I used up all my materials with these flowers.”

“Flowers?” Twilight picked up one of the roses up from the ground with her magic. “You mean these?”

“It’s nothing special. Just a habit I do when I get artist block. Unfortunately, that’s been happening a lot recently.”

“What happened?”

“I… I’d rather not talk about it. Besides… you wouldn’t want my crummy artwork anyway.”

I’m not sure I’m getting anywhere with her. But something about these roses… “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you make these flowers? They look so real.”

“I painted them,” the mare said with a shrug.

“Painted? Do you mean you painted on the flowers?”

“No, I painted them on my canvas and they just materialize.”

“Interesting… Could I possibly see you do that?”

The mare glanced away from Twilight to hide her shy face. “It just happens at random, I don’t have any control over it. Besides, I’m out of paint.”

“I could buy you more.”

The mare shot a surprised look. “You would do that for a complete stranger?”

“Of course. I’m not about to walk out on a new friend. Actually, this uh, talent you have interests me. You see, I study magic and your talent sounds like a rare form of pony magic. If I could see it in action, I would be pretty excited.”

The mare stood up, glancing at her equipment for a few seconds, then back to Twilight. “If you insist, I can try to do it again. But I will have to leave my stuff here until we buy more paint. I don’t really feel like lugging it around.”

“Aren’t you worried about it getting stolen?”

“This stuff? Stolen? Who’d want this junk? The other artists here are very specific on what they use and wouldn’t touch it even if they were desperate. Besides, it’s pretty worthless as is. Much like the mare who owns it.”

Wow, she’s got some self-esteem issues. Kind of reminds me of Fluttershy almost.

The two mares walked in the direction of the marketplace and began talking to each other as they strolled.

“My name is Acrylic Canvas by the way. You can just call me Canvas,” the magenta mare timidly said.

“Pleasure to meet you Canvas. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“You’re Twilight Sparkle? I’ve heard about you. You defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord, and the changelings, didn’t you?”

“I only helped with that last one,” Twilight said in distaste of the invasion being mentioned for the Nth time. “It was my brother and Princess Cadance who did that.”

“Oh. Uh, well the invasion scared me a lot when it happened. Thank Celestia the invasion was repelled.”

Yeah, thank Celestia… who did little in the way of helping.

The two mares arrived at the shop Canvas liked to go to. Twilight, being no artist, stood by as Canvas browsed the different paints.

“Let’s see. Oh no, it looks like they’re all out of the usual brand I use. That’s a shame, it’s the cheapest they have.”

“Well, what about those over there?” Twilight gestured to the shelf on the opposing aisle.

“No, those are oil paints. I don’t like using them, I prefer acrylic paints.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Acrylic paint dries faster and is more flexible in that you can use it on anything, and you can use water to dilute it when needed. Also, I don’t like the smell of oil paint.”

“Oh I see.”

“I also need to keep an eye on what grade the paint is.”

“Grade?”

“Most commercial acrylic paints come in three grades: Scholastic, Student, and Artistic. I usually use student grade as it has the balance between price and quality. I don’t like scholastic grades because they use dyes as well as pigments, and are only limited to primary colors. I have a hard time getting clean results with them. When possible, I like to go for artistic grade when I have access to it; they’re the most expensive, but are made with the professional artist in mind, and I find they have the best results for blending colors.”

“You really know your stuff Canvas,” Twilight smiled.

“Well, I’ve always had an interest in art. It’s been my hobby ever since I was a little filly. I got my cutie mark when I painted my first portrait of my father. He was impressed and encouraged me to go further with my talent. As a result, I began taking art classes at Rosewood.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Rosewood? That high end private school?”

“Here it comes…” Canvas said with a sigh.

“How did you get admitted into that school?” both mares said in unison, Canvas more unimpressed than Twilight as if she heard that question many times before.

“My… father is a judge of the crown court. I was adopted by him when I was just a little foal,” the magenta mare said quietly. “If you’re wondering why I’m struggling financially despite that, it’s because I don’t want to seem too reliant on him. I’d want to be able to support myself on my own. Besides, I don’t really want to face him right now.”

This caught Twilight’s attention. “Did something happen between the two of you?” she asked concerned.

“N-no! it’s not like we had a fight or anything. It’s just that… I’m afraid of how disappointed he would be in me right now,” Canvas said lowering her head.

“Do you want to talk about it, dear? You can tell me. I’ve made my share of mistakes, and I can tell you that it helps to talk to somepony.”

Canvas pondered for a moment. “Um… Okay. I would like to get this out of the way. B-but not here! I want to talk about it in private. Anyway, I should probably get those paints.”

“Choose whatever you want. I’ve got plenty of bits on hoof.”

“Are you sure, Ms. Sparkle? I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Well, I’m still interested in checking out that talent of yours, so how about we say this purchase is for ‘evaluation purposes’?”

The earth mare browsed for a good three minutes before making her selection: a set of twelve student grade paints, and a set of brushes. At the checkout line, Canvas was visibly anxious, as if she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Her eyes widened as she saw a group of mares not far from their position; Twilight was quick to notice her nervousness. Thankfully for Canvas, she was able to make her purchase with Twilight’s help and leave before her fear came true, whatever it may have been. Once far away from the market place, she took a deep breath.

“I can’t thank you enough Ms. Sparkle. I’ve never met another pony who was as generous as you.”

“No problem Canvas. I’ve been through this a lot with my… friends.” Twilight hesitated at the “friends” part, saying it with the same distaste as when she talked with Trixie.

“You don’t make it sound like that’s a good thing.”

“Well…” Twilight paused. “Truth be told, I’ve been having trust issues with them lately.” She cast her eyes down for a moment, but lifted them back to Canvas quickly to prevent further questions. “Anyway. You wanted to talk in private, so what about we pick up your things and go to your studio to let you work at the same time?”

“I don’t have a studio,” Canvas stated and after few seconds added in much quieter voice “or a home for that matter.”

Twilight bit her lip at the revelation, but remembering Canvas’ reaction to her direct questioning she decided to not react to it right away. “In that case, let me host you at my place. My suite has a good lighting, so the conditions for painting should be to your liking, and we can have lunch then too.”

“Would that be really alright? I would hate to impose…”

Goodness, if she were to meet Fluttershy, the books about politeness would have to be rewritten afterwards, Twilight thought. “Of course it would, Canvas. I don’t have anything important to do anyway.”

The two mares made their way back to Canvas’ stand and to the castle in relative silence, both weighing their options in upcoming conversation. Once in her rooms, Twilight ordered them a proper lunch, expecting it to arrive in about twenty minutes. Turning back to Canvas, Twilight noticed the mare licking her lips with an obviously hungry expression.

“You don’t get to eat that often either, do you?” Twilight asked with worry on her face.

“Well, no… But I am used to it and I have only myself to blame for my situation. I was stupid.” Canvas looked away and made a point of busying herself with preparing her tools. “Well, all set, what do you want me to paint? And what do you want to hear?”

“Well, what about this. Draw whatever you like in here and if it materializes, you can keep it. And I would like to hear why you are homeless when your father is so rich and influential.”

“Ok then. I think that comb is really nice, so let’s go with that.” Canvas started her creative process and kept silent for some time. At the sound of impatient shifting from Twilight she finally spoke up. “You know what Rosewood is, so you most likely know how competitive the school gets and that hardly anypony plays clean there. Well, I was really good and earned my place there not through wealth, but through actual talent. Or so others told me. It didn’t sit right with my classmates and when an important competition came, I was forced to cheat to even have a chance. But they set me up and destroyed me with it.” She stepped back from her canvas and glanced at Twilight, pointing to the painting.

Twilight approached her and watched with fascination as the comb separated from the canvas, leaving the white fabric untouched, and fell to floor with a clatter. She moved her hoof forward and touched the comb, proving it was very real indeed.

“This is amazing! You can bring things to existence! I have never seen such magic!” she exclaimed and looked at Canvas with admiration. Then she noticed the tear streaks on her face and remembered what was just said to her. In a way, such fate wasn’t entirely unknown to her; being a personal student of the Princess brought many enemies among corrupted and spoiled young unicorn generation, the only difference being she never cheated in her life.

“So your father threw you on the street for cheating in a competition? That’s-”

“No, no. Oh Celestia no,” Canvas interrupted her and waved the newly materialized comb like a sword. “He is the kindest stallion I know and wouldn’t hurt me like that, ever. That’s why I left. I didn’t want to bring shame upon him. I haven’t seen him in two years either.” She sat down and let more tears fall freely.

Twilight sat down by her side and nuzzled her cheek lightly. “There there. Everypony can make a mistake. The only important thing is to learn from it. Besides, no punishment should last forever. I will talk to Princess later and see what I can do.” That earned a raised eyebrow from Canvas, but before she could ask anything, Twilight continued. “For now, I think I hear the servant with our lunch. Let’s get to the table.”

Once seated and with the food laid in front of them, Twilight watched as Canvas consumed as much as possible without trying to hide her hunger. That raised a question in Twilight’s mind. “Canvas, I was wondering, when you can bring things into existence like that, why don’t you paint money to make living?”

Canvas started to cough violently, having breathed in some of the orange juice served. When she regained her composure, she glared at Twilight over the table. “Things are crafted and money is earned, Twilight. Creating money would be just another cheating for me and I refuse to do that ever again. Besides, I wouldn’t taint my art by doing something so nasty!”

“I’m sorry. It was a stupid question.” Twilight smiled to herself, reaching a decision.

Later that day, Twilight collected the books listed on the scroll and brought them back to her suite in the castle. Canvas had spent some more time in Twilight’s suite on Twilight’s insistence.

Twilight lay on the couch in her suite under reserve set of blankets she found in one of the dressers. She woke up several times every night, so finding herself awake before sunrise didn’t come as surprise to her. Contemplating various subjects belonged to usual activities she would perform in such moments. However, the current subject of her thoughts came as a surprise.

When exactly did I become so impulsive as to let a stranger to stay in my room for a night? she questioned. In her defense, it wasn’t entirely her decision that Acrylic Canvas was occupying Twilight’s bed at the moment. Twilight merely invited Canvas to spend some more time with her while she would study the literature requested by Celestia. Soon after the beginning of her reading lesson, Twilight noticed a soft snoring from the bed.

What else should I have done? Woken her up and thrown her back on the street? Besides, there would be the danger that I wouldn’t find her again.

Which would, of course, be a pity, given how much effort Twilight exerted to improve Canvas’ future. Once she finished the studying, she hurried to Celestia to give her report. I taunted her enough with how much time I took, anyway. She didn’t seem to mind, but I can’t be sure anymore. It wouldn’t serve me well if she got suspicious.

Ensuring her duty was fulfilled, Twilight turned the discussion to her discovery of artistic prodigy, and to her surprise it didn’t take much to convince Celestia to act. At least she still values my opinion. If only she did the same in regard to my own life… Well, better get back to sleep before I get too bitter.

Closing her eyes again and pressing her head into her spare pillow she found, Twilight calmed her mind and prepared to slip back into sleep. That, however, wasn’t meant to be, as a panicked gasp echoed through the room.

“Oh my gosh! I never meant- I didn’t want to- Oh Celestia, what will happen to me now?!” A noise of blankets thrown to the side and hooves meeting the carpeted floor reached Twilight’s ears. The sound of painting tools clattering soon joined and the muttering returned. “I hope Twilight won’t be too upset. I make a friend and then I do something so stupid as to impose the whole night! Stupid Canvas, why do you mess up everything!”

Twilight lifted herself from the couch and trotted toward the frantic mare. “Canvas.”

“Maybe if I get away before she returns, she won’t be too mad at me for this…”

“Canvas!”

“Oh who am I kidding. She will send guards to arrest me for trespassing!”

“CANVAS! Calm down!”

Canvas jumped up in surprise and spun around, only now noticing she wasn’t alone in the room. Gasping for air she tried to bolt past Twilight, but the unicorn reached to her and wrapped her in a gentle hug. “Calm down. Nopony is going to hurt you. You are safe, Canvas, I’m your friend and I don’t mind that you stayed the night. Certainly I won’t call the guard. Everything will get better.”

Canvas’ breathing slowly returned to normal, but the quivering didn’t quite stop. A crestfallen look overtook her face as she looked up at the pony holding her. “How can you tell? I’m good for nothing; why would anything get better?”

“Because I took care of it, Canvas, and you shouldn’t think so low about yourself. I talked to Princess Celestia yesterday when you were asleep and she agreed to grant you place at the Royal Academy of Arts. You will be given a stipend and a room in the schools dormitory too. So I’m su-”

She couldn’t finish her speech as the air was pushed from her lungs by Canvas’ powerful hug, the mare burying her head in Twilight’s neck. A muffled “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” could be heard and Twilight noticed her fur getting damp. She decided to hold the sobbing mare until she would calm down, gently caressing the fur on her back.

After a while Canvas’ crying stopped and she pulled away with a sheepish smile. “Um, thank you, Twilight. This is the most beautiful thing anypony has ever done for me.” She looked to the side and her voice got quieter. “Though I must ask, why are you doing it?”

The question caught Twilight off guard. She didn’t expect explaining her motives so soon, so she went with the most convenient answer. “Because we are friends, Canvas.”

“Friends may invite each other to lunch or let each other stay the night, but you went far out of your way to help me. If you were to do that for every friend of yours, you would have no time for anything else. Please Twilight, I just want to know.”

Twilight bit her lip. Should I tell her right away? It didn’t work well with Trixie. But Canvas seems different. I don’t really have a choice here, do I? She took a deep breath and braced for the worst.

“Canvas, this will sound crazy and you may think me insane when I am done, but please at least give it a thought before rejecting it, okay?” Earning a nod, she continued. “I have friends. Or I thought so until recently. You see, I lived in Canterlot for most of my life and I poured myself into my studies. I didn’t care about friendship and ignored those around me.”

“Then two years ago I moved to Ponyville and forced by circumstances I opened to ponies more. It earned me many lovely moments and I thought I could trust those who called themselves my friends. The truth is, they were there for me only when it was convenient for them, always dismissing my worries as silly.”

“During the Changeling invasion they disregarded my concerns about Cadance’s behavior as jealousy and walked away from me. Even my brother, Shining Armour, shouted at me and basically disowned me. Then they came back when I was proven right and tried to apologize, but I just can’t trust them anymore.”

“The Princess is no better. She ruled my life without my consent the whole time and toyed with me, pretending to care. But recently, I met some… pony who opened my eyes. She showed me how corrupted the world and its leaders are and that everything has to be cleansed of that malice. She has been teaching me ever since and I am happy to follow her orders. One of them is to find new friends who I can help and who can help me with my task.”

“Who is this pony you keep talking about?” Canvas asked with intrigue.

“Her name is Scintillant and she is an angel.” The revelation drew a sharp gasp from Canvas and Twilight hurried to rescue the situation. “I know it seems ridiculous and outrageous and strange, but it is true! I even went to Elysium with her and saw other angels!”

Canvas reached over and grabbed Twilight’s hoof. “Okay, Twilight, I trust you. I just wasn’t expecting this.”

“You… trust me? Just like that?” If a sculptor looked for a model for ponyfication of Shock, he couldn’t find a better one in all the history of Equestria.

“Well, of course. You are my friend and you have no reason to lie to me. Besides, stranger things happen every day. By stars, I drew a comb that lies over there just yesterday, why wouldn’t I believe that angels exist?”

“That is actually a huge relieve. Thank you, Canvas, for being open.”

“Anytime. And,” Canvas smiled brightly at Twilight, “if you want me to help you with anything, I am completely willing. I know too well how evil the world is and I would love nothing more than to make it better.”

Once the proper morning came, Twilight and Canvas were escorted to the Royal Academy of Arts. Twilight needed to head back to the symposium soon, but she wanted to at least help Canvas move into her new dorm room. The mare in question was in a brighter mood than she ever was before, impressed by the amazing sight of the school’s lobby, flooded with many works of art by students and professionals alike. Her reaction was not unlike Twilight’s when she first visited the Crystal Empire’s library.

“I hope the classes here are better than Rosewood. I don’t think I can take another competitive environment like that,” Canvas said a bit worried.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry,” said one of the teachers. “We have many faculty members and students dedicated to helping each other improve their talents. You are Miss Acrylic Canvas, right? Your name alone promises much impressive work. I would love to see what you can do with your talents.”

“Oh I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” Twilight said winking at Canvas.

Further escorted to the mares’ dorms, Canvas, with the help of Twilight and some generous students who pitched in to help, became situated in her new room.

“A single?” Canvas said to Twilight.

“I figured you would prefer the privacy and quiet. You can do all kinds of projects in here and have plenty of room to do so.”

“Thank you again by the way. I don’t know what I would’ve ever done without your help.”

“That’s what friends are for. They help out. Just promise me that you’ll show off some of your work the next time I see you, okay?”

“Only if you promise to give me honest feedback. When will I see you again?”

“I don’t know yet, but I do have to get back to the magic symposium today. Maybe I can visit in a few weeks, a few days if I’m lucky.”

The two mares shared one last hug before Twilight decided she needed to go, lest she would be late for the opening. As she exited the building and walked out into the campus grounds, she saw a familiar stone structure, one that resembled another in Elysium. She almost chuckled out loud there.

“That certainly went better than expected.”

Chapter 5

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Original Title: Mandatory Leave
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

“And then she said they could use the practice. Can you believe that?!”

Look disturbed, Twilight, just play along. Soon this will be over and you will return to more important things.

It was beyond Twilight why Wonderbolts decided to promote Rainbow Dash when Lightning Dust was disciplined. She was sure that demotion was only a beginning. Well, another proof how the corruption interspersed in all branches of pony culture. She wouldn’t be surprised if there were special instructions directly from Celestia regarding how Rainbow was to be treated.

Another thing Twilight couldn’t wrap her head around was why Wonderbolts with such a high budget to work with served such a poor excuse for coffee in their canteen. A more comfortable furniture would improve the image of Academy as well. All in all, Twilight was getting rather annoyed with the whole academy areal and she was there for just three hours at that point!

“Oh my, that is horrible, Rainbow. Did you at least apologize to those ponies afterwards? That is, if you don’t mind me asking.” Fluttershy looked very shaken by the story Rainbow Dash was presenting them. It probably had something to do with her own experience from flight camp.

Hear the voice of reason, albeit quiet one. A thought about Fluttershy brought Twilight’s mind to another kind and quiet pony she recently met. From the letters she got from Canvas, the talented earth mare had a time of her life in the new school and improved every day. How it was possible to win more and more affection from a pony when you weren’t even in their proximity, Twilight still couldn’t understand, but Canvas showed her that such occurrence was more than real and it worked both ways for them.

“Well… Not quite. But I will soon!” Rainbow Dash defended her lack of proper behavior. There probably wasn’t a single pony in the group who was surprised by the admission. Nopony would classify Dash as a pony that would say sorry on daily bases.

“Ya better should. The leader has to be an example for the others. Like Twi here Ah tell ya’ll.” The praise from Applejack actually made it through the labyrinth of Twilight’s thoughts and brought a red tint into her cheeks. Not just because it came from a pony she trusted the most of her friends, but also because it wasn’t the first such proclamation she heard in recent time.

She didn’t have much time for herself, what with the symposium ending just recently and the library needing her full attention after Spike’s honest but futile effort to keep it going, so she managed to steal just a small while to visit Trixie in her temporary home in Zecora’s hut, but even that short encounter convinced her that she chose well. Trixie’s attitude lost its prideful flourish and she did everything in her power to help Zecora with whatever task. The kind words she had for Twilight who was secretly worried she would be scolded for not keeping her promise, warmed Twilight’s heart like nothing else.

“Thank you, Applejack, but I’m nothing special. I just do what is necessary, nothing else. Rainbow will make for a great leader though, if she just takes others in consideration next time,” Twilight said and threw a pointed look in direction of Rainbow Dash. Gah! Now I am even lying directly. Great leader? Not in a million years! But if it gets me out of here quicker…

“I will do my best, Twilight. I have to get back to duty, we have dexterity training. They will surely need my awesome moves!”

“We should start our journey home anyway. It will be a much longer one, since we have to walk that rocky path instead of flying in a balloon,” Twilight added. Does my insurance cover artificial tornados? That balloon wasn’t exactly cheap.

“Ok, see you in few days then. Thanks that you visited, by the way!” Rainbow shouted and flew out of the canteen so quickly she overturned few tables.

Yes, be considerate of others. Don’t do reckless things, Rainbow. As if there were a chance for that.

“I hope she doesn’t forget to open her care package! I will have to write her and ask her about how she liked it. And if she doesn’t like it, I will send her another care package and it will be even better one than the previous one! Oh oh and I will bring it by myself again. I will use my propeller-powered bicycle!”

A much longer journey.

The tired turquoise pegasus paced slowly down the hall to her room. She did her best to keep her head up as she tried to avoid the glares of the other recruits. What am I doing with myself? I’m not supposed to be intimidated by them. Those stares aren’t supposed to bother me. But why do they?

It wasn’t so much her fellow recruits staring daggers at her that troubled her. She wasn’t bothered by that alone. If they didn’t like her, that was one thing. But right now, she understood WHY they didn’t like her. She couldn’t blame them.

Not only did I damage my chances of being a Wonderbolt, but I nearly caused serious injury. All because I let my ego get the better of me. What would mom and dad say if they were here right now? Probably something about bringing shame on to the family.

Lightning Dust’s walk to her room only took about five minutes, but to her it seemed like five hours. When she reached her door, she hesitated. She heard a familiar noise on the other side.

Damnnit. Looks like she IS in there. I can hear her snoring. She contemplated for a moment on how best to face her partner after what she nearly did to her friends. After a little while, she decided it was best to just get it over with. She would take whatever choice words, among possible furniture, the rainbow maned pegasus would throw at he. She deserved whatever punishment that was to be given to her. Alright LD. You can do this. You are a soldier, you have to go through with this kind of suicide mission. With a deep breath, she turned the knob on the door, and pushed it open.

Rainbow Dash nearly fell off her bunk in surprise when she heard her roommate come in; they had a race the first day to decide who would get the top bunk and Rainbow won. Lightning averted her eyes in shame as she expected to be assaulted with obscenities.

“Lightning? Where were you all this time?” the cyan pegasus inquired instead.

Lightning didn’t detect any hint of malice in the question which confused her, and thus it took a second to respond to it.

“I was… just doing some reflecting. I… owe you and your friends, and everypony else in this academy for that matter, a proper apology.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to respond, but the other pegasus held her hoof up to stop her.

“Please, Rainbow. I need to do this. No, I want to do this. You were right, I was reckless in my actions. I always prided myself on my speed and agility. My family put a lot of emphasis on military merit and honor. What I did the past few days was anything BUT honorable. I… looked to you as my first friend here at the academy. We shared the same competitiveness after all. I wanted to push my limits because I was always told that’s how strong soldiers are made. But at what point does pushing your limits becomes crossing the line?”

Lightning Dust sat on the floor as she removed her uniform. “Clearly, I didn’t know. And I crossed that line several times. I made you clip your wing and made you go on regardless. I kept persuading you to pull off stunts with me, that caused the other recruits to fly off course and injure themselves. And then I led that tornado that almost killed your friends. You have every right to be mad at me. My actions were motivated to impress family yes, but that’s NO excuse for how I acted. So all I can say is… I’ve been a fool.”

As she was speaking, Lightning got down on the floor as low as she possibly could get, her head down, a way of expressing her shame in her family. She apparently didn’t consider herself worthy enough to even sleep in her own bed as she had pulled her blanket and pillow off of it. Rainbow Dash didn’t really know what to say. She was not expecting such a humble apology from this mare, the same one who for the last week was like a long lost twin. She was still steamed with her for what happened, but despite this she couldn’t bring herself to hate her.

“I forgive you, LD,” she said finally.

Lightning’s ears perked up at that statement. She started to rise back up with a confused expression.

“You… you would still talk to this poor excuse of a pony? After what happened?”

“Well… yeah. I mean, we still have course together. And I wouldn’t condemn a pony for one mistake.”

“But I didn’t make one mistake! I made several.”

“No, WE made several mistakes. You may have started them, but I went along with it. To tell you the truth, I was kinda jealous.”

Lightning grew even more confused. “Je… Jealous? For what?”

“For Spitfire making you the leadpony. I always figured I would be the one in that position so I asked Spitfire about it. She told me she gave it to you because you liked to push yourself harder than I did. And because of that, I tried to do the same. As fast and awesome as I am, I had a hard time keeping up. So you see, we’re BOTH to blame. You let your ego get ahead of you, and I let my jealousy get me.”

“So… does this mean…?”

Rainbow Dash jumped off her top bunk and held her hoof out. “That we’re still friends? Yes. But as my wingpony, I want you to keep me in line okay?”

Lightning bumped her hoof with Rainbow’s, completing the friendly gesture. “Sure thing. As long as you keep me in line in exchange.”

The two mares bumped hooves again and shared an apologetic hug. As they pulled away, Lightning’s face turned sour as she realized something. “I’m glad we can start over, RD. But I still have a long way to make up for all the trouble I caused. And… my family won’t be happy with me.”

“C’mon, it will be alright. Once everypony else here sees your efforts to change, they will warm up to ya again in no time!”

“I don’t think my family will be as kind…”

“Hey, want some help with that maneuver? It can be tricky at first!” Lightning Dust shouted and not waiting for an answer flew toward the flock of other recruits at the closest commulonimbus.

Earlier I would have been surprised, but with how she acts now, nothing new, Rainbow Dash thought with a grin.

Over the past few days, Lightning Dust made a persistent effort to better herself. No longer was she motivated by competitiveness, but a genuine desire to help others improve. The other recruits were apprehensive at first. They were caught in the middle of many “accidents” caused by her after all. One does not simply forget something like a tornado. However, it was clear the new Lightning Dust was not the same ego driven pony from the first week.

Rainbow Dash also made an effort to help her wingpony become more restrained. The pegasus was used to pushing her limits, but she wanted to make sure this would not cause anymore issues. She also took the time to help her partner apologize to their fellow cadets, also adding her own apology in the process. The two stars of the academy became even brighter.

Recently, Lightning Dust even started to take on more difficult and bothersome tasks on herself to help relieve the strain from others. She volunteered to fly for supplies, she did kitchen duty, clean up duty, and so on. Rainbow wasn’t far behind either as she pitched in to help her new friend.

“What kind of leadpony would I be if I didn’t assist my partner?”

It’s still awesome how much she changed so quickly. If only I knew why she tried so hard. Her family can’t be that bad as to make her work so incredibly hard just to impress them, can it?

Pushing her worried thoughts back, Rainbow decided to mimic her friend and try to help other recruits with today’s lesson. For her it was a routine maneuver, but apparently Lightning and she were the only ones who felt it that way.

They could make us Wonderbolts right away anyway.

The sound of hooves pounding on the wooden floor in strict military rhythm echoed through the headquarters of the Wonderbolt Academy in the early morning. Soon the sound was followed by a muscled yet sleek pegasus stallion, most of whose silvery white coat was concealed by his black flight uniform. His electric purple eyes matching his mane slicked back to reduce air resistance seemed to send lightnings in every direction.

He stopped in front of a door marked as the commanding officer’s office and gave the wood three sharp knocks.

“You may enter,” a slightly annoyed voice sounded from inside. He shook his head on that and entered briskly. Captain Spitfire sat behind her desk with her hindhooves on it and forelegs behind her head. When she noticed who her visitor in fact was, she nearly fell on her back, but she caught herself quickly enough, jumped up and performed a salute precisely.

“General Blitzschlag!”

He returned her gesture. “Captain Spitfire, at ease!” Both pegasi took a seat on their respective sides of the desk. Spitfire looked a bit unnerved, knowing full well that her behavior was far from commandable, but Blitzschlag decided to let such petty matter slide for once.

“I was informed that there was an incident concerning my daughter. Would you mind to explain the details further?” He kept his voice cold and uninterested. In his position it wasn’t acceptable to show emotions. They signaled partiality, clouded judgement and unstable mind.

“Yes sir! A week ago there was an accident. A hot air balloon with five ponies aboard was caught in an artificial tornado and destroyed. The passengers were saved and refunded accordingly. Since the tornado was caused by cadet Lightning Dust, she was demoted to a wingpony and is waiting for disciplinary punishment, sir!”

Blitzschlag's heart fell upon hearing that. So it is true. She really stepped so low. My sweet filly, why do you cause me such grief? You know well what I have to do now. He wouldn’t let Spitfire know of his troubled state though, steeling his resolve to carry through what he came to do.

“Would you please call cadet Lightning Dust into your office, captain?” he asked, straightening his posture. Despite his best efforts, Spitfire still caught up on his sadness and signaled her compassion by giving a slower than required nod. Doing anything more would be seen as an insult by her superior.

“Sergeant!” Spitfire called and a pegasus stallion entered the office from a door to the side. “Bring forth cadet Lightning Dust. She has a visitor.” The stallion saluted sharply and left the office to fulfill the order. Uncomfortable silence befell the office, only the ticking of the clock disturbing the tomb-like atmosphere.

“Would you like something to drink, general?” Spitfire asked after a while, desperately trying not to fidget in her seat. Visits always caused her goosebumps, the ones under such unfortunate circumstances even more so.

“No, thank you, captain. I wouldn’t feel appropriate savouring a drink with what I am about to do.” In all honesty, Blitzschlag wasn’t even sure he would be capable of swallowing anything at that moment. The wait felt eternal to him, although he would rejoice if it were. Sadly, the door opened soon afterwards and Lightning Dust entered.

She visibly paled at seeing who requested her presence. Blitzschlag couldn’t really blame her for that, she probably knew what was coming right away and hoped it would take longer. He took small pride at the fact that she reacted much quicker than Spitfire and hid her feeling under the mask of indifference, while she saluted.

“General Blitzschlag, cadet Lightning Dust reporting in. You asked to see me?”

“Cadet Lightning Dust. At ease.” They both let their hooves drop, but remained standing, both tense and worried. “Cadet, I asked to talk to you in order to verify certain information I was given. Is it true that your actions endangered lives of five civilians and brought harm to other cadets and property of the academy?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is it true that you were demoted as a direct result of such actions and that a disciplinary commission will decide your further punishment in next few days?”

“Yes, sir.” She didn’t defend herself, didn’t provide more details about what happen. All she did was answer the questions. He couldn’t help but admire her self-control, even though he easily saw under the stoic expression on her face. It would be a shame if a father couldn’t pick up on his child’s feelings.

“Thank you for your honesty, cadet.” Now the hard part would come and he braced himself for it. “Surely you understand that I have to draw consequences from such deeds. They are unbecoming of a heir of an officer family and throw a bad light on all of us.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, fearing the look on his daughter’s face. “Therefore, you are disowned from the family, effective immediately. The documents as well as the finances to support you for the first few months are in this envelope.”

“I understand, sir.” He reached into his uniform and retrieved a thick white envelope with Lightning Dust’s cutie mark on it. Then he opened his eyes again and glanced at Lightning Dust. Not a single muscle moved in her face, not a single emotion made its way into her voice. She was raised as a soldier and soldier she would remain at all times. She reached for the envelope and returned to her position immediately, not attempting any physical contact.

“Once you clear your name of shame and prove that you are worthy of being member of our lineage, you will be admitted back. You are dismissed.” She saluted, made about face and marched out of the office, not once glancing over her shoulder.

He sat down and hang his head low for a moment. Then he returned his attention to clearly shaken Spitfire. “Captain, I want you to prepare a report on how such dangerous tendencies in cadet’s behavior could have slipped the attention of the instructors and how to remedy those failures.”

“Of course, sir. I am very sorry that we didn’t stop it in beginnings.” From the tone of her voice he could tell she meant every word.

“As am I, captain, as am I. If you wouldn’t mind, I would take your offer of the drink now. Whiskey, if you can.”

Shame. Unparalleled shame and sorrow is what filled the mind of Lightning Dust when she got back to her room and buried her head in the pillow. For awhile, she just layed there and cried her eyes out.

Dad. I’m sorry for failing you…

After a good hour, her eyes could produce no more tears. She just lay there in the dark room with the curtains close, blocking out Celestia’s morning sunlight. Then she glanced over at the desk where she had placed her father’s envelope. With nothing else to really do, she lethargically stood up and went over to open it. Inside, along with the documents and finances her father promised, was a letter with his signature.

To Lightning Dust, my beloved little filly.
If I know you, you are ashamed of yourself. I know you are having a hard time dealing with what I told you, that you are crying.
Please, do not hate me or yourself for anything. I could care less about the stunt that you pulled. Personally, I’m pleasantly surprised that you were able to create such a powerful tornado with only yourself and your partner to power it. I can overlook your mistake because in the end, nopony was injured or killed. However, you must understand that because of my position, I had to do what I did. I know this is going to sound shallow or harsh of me, but our family has a position we need to uphold. I am a general, I have to set an example for everypony. I cannot cut any slack just because the misbehaving ones happen to be my relatives. Our family comes from a long line of soldiers and as such, we are brought up to reflect that.
Regardless, please understand that this is hard for both of us. I love you with all my heart. I’m proud of you, I want you to know that. My reason for disowning you the way I did was not hatred or disappointment, but sheer necessity. I still would love nothing more than to be able to talk to you again, not as a superior, but as a father. We both need to learn discipline. Once you will have proven yourself, I hope I can let you back in the family again. Please, make us proud. Your mother wants to see you again. As does your uncle.
I know you are well on your way. Again, please understand why I did it. And I am sorry for telling you in this format. If not for my position not allowing me the luxury of emotion, I would have told you in person how painful this is for me, and how much I care for you. I’ve watched you grow from a little foal into a grand young mare. Despite everything that happened during your first few weeks as a recruit, I am proud to be your father. And I’m confident you will continue to make all of us proud as the years go by.
Godspeed
General Blitzstreik

Lightning Dust held her father’s letter as close to her chest as she could; if her father was there is person, she knew she would be holding him instead. I love you daddy…

Suddenly, the door opened to show her roommate and training partner.

“Lightning Dust, what happened? You skipped breakfast and then you were absent from the roll call,” the cyan pegasus said concerned.

“Rainbow…” Lightning said with a sniffle. “This isn’t a good time...”

“Hold on, let me guess. It’s about your family, right?”

“How did you-”

“Spitfire clued me in though she didn’t actually tell me. See, I was worried when you didn’t show up so I asked her if she knew anything. She told me that your father came to see you this morning and well…” Rainbow Dash paused. “You mentioned something about your family not that long ago so I just assumed…”

“They disowned me!” Lightning Dust cried out and threw herself back on her bed. “Listen… I really don’t feel like running morning courses today.”

“I’m not going to either.”

Lightning Dust looked up with a shocked expression. “But-”

“No buts!” Rainbow interrupted. “My friend is torn up about something awful. I’m not gonna leave her behind to do exercises.”

“But the Wonderbolts-”

“Can go buck themselves right now for all I care! My friends are more important. So tell me, do you need anything?” Rainbow smiled warmly.

“Well…” Lightning began, “could I… possibly get a hug? I kind of need one right now.”

Rainbow Dash happily complied. Lightning thought at first she had cried herself dry, but apparently she was wrong. With her best friend there to comfort her, she let it all out. Once she calmed down, she explained what exactly happened.

“Hey don’t worry buddy! We can work harder, and before you know it, you get back with your family in no time!”

“I really hope so. But I don’t think I can ever undo something like this…”

Dear Twilight.
You know I’m not one for writing letters, but this is important. You sure remember Lightning Dust. Damn how could you forget that tornado! And you know what I said about her afterwards. Back then I would have cheered for any punishment going her way. But now, I can’t help but feel sorry for her.
See, what happened was the evening you guys left, she came into our room and apologized. This by itself wouldn’t really do it for me after what happened, but I dunno. She just seemed so sincere about it. I don’t know how to describe it, but I believed every word of it. I decided to give her another chance and she’s been really turning herself around this past week. She’s still got that competitiveness, but she’s balancing it out this time. I also took the time to mend things with the other cadets too, just so you know.
But recently, I found out something about her that made me feel uneasy. Thing is, her actions during the first week were done out of an attempt to impress her family, who are apparently all soldiers. But the whole tornado thing really did a number on her reputation here and just this morning, she was… disowned by them. She mentioned awhile back that her family was kinda strict, but damn. I talked to her later and she told me about the letter she got from her dad. It looks like neither her dad, nor her whole family, wanted to, but I guess I understand why it was done. I have to give Lightning credit, she handled it like a true professional from what I was told. Still, she hurts inside and wants to be able to see her folks again.
Which brings me to the reason I’m writing this in the first place: I was wondering if I could get some help. If it’s possible, do you think you can get Celestia to vouch for her or find some way to support her yourself? If not, I totally understand, but I really want to help her out. I mean sure, she did some things in the past that weren’t right, but she’s kind of wrecked over what happened and I don’t want to see anypony down in the dumps. Besides, she’s becoming a better pony and I think she deserves a second chance to prove herself. The rest of the academy sure thinks so. If you can’t, don’t sweat it. I’m gonna help her out still.
Sincerely
Rainbow Dash

Twilight put the letter down and pondered it for a while. Well, she certainly has the spirit of a warrior. And if she sincerely changed, she could be a great help. Rainbow certainly would. Why, Rainbow, why couldn’t you be loyal to me instead…

She got up and hid the letter, so Spike wouldn’t accidentally come across it. Explaining why she did nothing would be more than difficult.

Nothing bad can happen if I try. She wants a chance to prove her abilities and character, she should be up for this. But that can wait. Sometimes I need to do something for myself as well.

“Spike! Where are my bigger saddlebags? I will need them for my trip to Everfree tomorrow!”

Chapter 6

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Original Title: Just Between Friends
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

For the first time in many weeks, Twilight Sparkle woke up in the morning without the aid of an alarm clock. The night before, she had prepared for a trip to the Everfree forest and went to bed early. It wouldn’t be much of an issue if not for the fact she was planning on visiting a friend who was less than welcome among the community of Ponyville.

Making sure to not wake Spike from his sleep, why couldn’t he sleep in once in a while, especially when Twilight didn’t need him for any particular task, she made her way to the kitchen to fetch something light to eat. The lack of need for coffee only confirmed to her how excited she was about the day. She opted just for an apple and stuffed some food of choice into the picnic basket. Trixie would certainly appreciate it, she was sure.

Properly prepared, she set for her trip. The streets of Ponyville where almost empty, just as expected on early Saturday morning. Not that she feared being confronted about her destination, visiting Zecora was a common occurrence for Twilight, but the fewer ponies she met the fewer could take away time dedicated to today’s task.

It didn’t take her long to reach the edge of Everfree forest. She didn’t hesitate in the slightest and dove right into the eternal dusk among the trees. She knew the path well and trusted herself to if not defeat then at least scare away any potential attacker, but she still paid utmost attention to her surroundings. Who knew, maybe Zecora was out on a stroll and Twilight would meet her there like many times before.

This time, however, it wasn’t the case, and after an hour of walking Twilight found herself in front of Zecora’s hut. She knocked and used magic to open the door. Zecora still hadn't replaced the doorknob used to deceive Trixie. How she got into her own house like this, Twilight didn't know.

The sound of boiling echoed through the spacious home and a deep melodic voice soon followed. “Trixie sweetheart, you’re back quick, it seems your training does the trick.”

“Actually, it’s just me, Zecora. I thought I would drop by and check how things are going,” Twilight said with mirthfully. She trotted to the main room of the hut and found Zecora tending to a small cauldron to the side. “What are you brewing?”

Zecora straightened up and smiled at Twilight, motioning for her to take a seat by a low table. “Just a tea, my dearest friend, but it will be a special blend.” She poured the tea into two cups and placed the cauldron near the fire to keep the rest warm. Then she joined Twilight by the table. “To me your presence is always treat. But it’s Trixie you want to meet,” she said flatly.

Twilight cringed from dirty conscience, but tried to hold her ground. “It’s not like that. I came mainly because of her, but I wanted to see you too. You know that I enjoy your company.”

“My dear Twilight, you can rest. My statement was just a jest. And I understand your feelings well, Trixie sure has her own spell. She’s been helpful all the time. Bad mouthing her is a crime.”

“I’m glad you two get along well. I was worried her presence would burden you too much. Where is she, by the way?” Twilight asked and glanced around the room. There were now two beds, one with a cape and a hat lying on it along with some books Twilight brought Trixie last time she visited. Otherwise the place looked just like she remembered from her first visit two years ago.

“She is out searching for flower, she should return in an-” Twilight never learned the end of the rhyme, albeit obvious one, because a knock was heard from the door of the hut. A creaking of the hinges sounded and then the newcomer spoke up. “Zecora? I found it! It was just where you thought it would be. I can’t understand how you remember location of every… Twilight!”

It was a blur. One moment Twilight was watching Trixie walking into the room, levitating a herb pouch, the next she was tackled by blue and silver and held very tight. Not that she minded. It had been a long time and she was happy to see her friend too.

“From all the reactions I imagined… Okay, this was pretty high on the list. How have you been, Trixie?” Twilight said, sporting a slightest blush.

“Oh I’m so happy to see you again. You promised to visit. Why haven’t you showed up more? I have been feeling a bit lonely lately. No offence, Zecora.” The zebra just shrugged and chuckled as Trixie didn’t show any signs of letting go.

“You know how it goes, Trixie. There was much I had to do, I will tell you all about it while we eat our brunch.” Twilight levitated a basket to where Trixie could see it, which meant behind Twilight’s back. “I’m also glad that you dropped that third person speech pattern,” she said and smirked as the hooves dug into her back in response.

“It was a stupid habit and I see it now,” Trixie mumbled and finally let Twilight go. “Will you need me today, Zecora?” she asked as she turned to face her host.

“I think I will be alright, go and spend day with Twilight.” She busied herself with sorting the herb pouch Trixie brought, and didn’t even lift her eyes.

“Ok, thanks! Come on Twilight, I know a perfect place where we can have our picnic. I found it quite recently and think you will love it!” Trixie grabbed Twilight’s hoof and all but dragged her out of the hut. Twilight threw a bewildered gaze at Zecora, who chuckled in response and left the two unicorns to their devices.

The two mares walked deeper into the forest with Trixie on point leading to the place she had in mind. While trailblazing, Twilight couldn’t help but notice an anxious expression the former showmare was sporting.

“Is something wrong, Trixie? You seem a little worried,” Twilight asked in concern.

“It’s nothing, just that whenever I go out into the forest like this, I start to worry about the monsters. Manticores aren’t too much of a problem, but I’m always afraid that a bunch of Timberwolves are going to pop out and try to attack me. It’s hard to take them down you know, since they regenerate themselves.”

Even though her fear of the creatures within the forest was justified, she still tried to hide her uncertainty. Twilight on the other hand nonchalantly lit her horn and used her magic to uproot a whole tree. Then she snapped it in half, which resulted in a look from Trixie that was a mix between astonished and terrified.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about anything today. You can pick your jaw up now,” Twilight said with a grin.

“Okay, if you’re trying to make me jealous…. It worked.”

With a giggle from both unicorns, they continued onward until they reached a clearing. Trixie gestured her friend toward the middle.

“Here it is. I found this place and thought it would be nice for our brunch,” she said with a smile.

“It is very nice.”

“What do you have packed?”

“Nothing too fancy, but I have a few sandwiches, some juice, a couple of fruits and I even brought a few slices of cake saved from Pinkie Pie’s recent party.”

“Ooh, sounds good! I’ll help set things up.” Trixie grabbed the basket in her own magic and galloped to the middle of the clearing. The run took just few seconds, since it wasn’t the biggest of spaces. Confined from the underdark of the forest by raspberry and rose bushes with the exception of the small path they took to arrive, and small spring on the farther end, it brought a sense of sanctuary to anypony who happened upon it.

She quickly pulled a blanket from the basket and spread it on the ground, putting the assorted food out right afterwards. She made a point of levitating all contents of the basket at the same time, showing her magic truly improved. The expectant look she was giving Twilight was evidence of that enough.

“Impressive, Trixie. When I remember that just over a year ago you had difficulties with tying a rope around that Ursa’s fingers, I admit you really improved.”

“Haha. Do you have to constantly tease me, Twilight? Especially with that? I thought I was the snarky one here,” Trixie huffed and plopped down on the blanked, leaving enough space for Twilight. The other unicorns bit her lip in shame at her behavior. She finally realised how sensitive the matter of magic was for Trixie.

“I’m sorry. I crossed the line there,” she said and trotted to the blanket. Before she laid down, she gently nuzzled Trixie as an apology.

Trixie blushed slightly and sighed in resignation. “Do you know how hard it was for me after I left Ponyville? Everything turned against me…”

Trixie ran fast and far into the night before stopping. She took some time to regain her breath and decided to take a rest wherever she currently was. Neither was she used to so much physical strain, nor had she gotten her sleep yet and the stress of meeting Ursa didn’t help her state. She leaned back against a tree and wrapped her forelegs around herself to fend of the cold of the night. That reminded her of her current predicament.

“Let’s see. Trixie is out, with nothing, her trailer is ruined and she can’t even return to pick whatever is left. Thank you kindly, Twilight Sparkle. Your spells are amazing, but your timing sucks big time!”

She laid on the cold ground and placed her head on her hooves. If there were a manticore three feet in front of her, she wouldn’t notice it in the thick darkness, therefore she opted to spend the night there. It wouldn’t help to fall into some gorge. Among her shivering her mind wandered back to the night’s events.

“How can she be so powerful!” Trixie shouted into the night. “She could think up and pull off such sequence of spells on the spot while Trixie has to plan everything! And to top it off she looks cute while doing it.” The jealousy and other emotions she didn’t quite recognise veiled her mind and brought tear into her eyes. But since she couldn’t interpret them otherwise, she saw everything as masked anger.

She pounded her hoof into the ground and mumbled through gritted teeth, “Trixie will show her that she IS great and powerful! Twilight Sparkle will pale next to Trixie’s fame! She will beg to witness Trixie’s show.” She lay there for some time, her crying subsiding to occasional sobs. She wiped the remaining tears and returned to a position suitable for sleeping.

“Trixie must just try harder. She lost everything here, but she still has savings in… Canterlot. Celestia damn it! Trixie will have to walk the whole way there. Just you wait, Twilight Sparkle, just you wait!”

“I’m sorry Miss Lulamoon, I’m afraid I cannot give you the permit to perform here in Trottingham.”

“You have GOT to be kidding me! This is the fourth time in a row Trixie’s been denied the permit to perform. Every city, every town she goes to, she can’t get work! Trixie is running out of money and she can’t find work!”

“Well you see, your show has been said to be potentially dangerous and from what I’ve heard, you aren’t the best role model either. As Mayor of Trottingham, I have to make sure my city and its citizens are safe.”

“You can’t do this to Trixie! What is she going to do to make a living? She doesn’t have too many other options! Doesn’t that mean anything?!”

“I’m sorry, Miss Lulamoon, but I will have to ask you to leave now.”

“But-”

“Now! Don’t make me call security.”

“...Fine! have it your way, but the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie will make a great and powerful comeback!”

“I highly doubt that.”

Trixie dragged herself back to the inn she was staying at. Ever since her visit to Ponyville, she had a hard time finding work. Every place she went to would reject her from performing. They caught wind of her incident in Ponyville and turned her away out of fear of bringing more Ursas or any other menace to their home.

Once she got into her room and closed the door, she hung up her cape and hat before plopping face first into her bed.

Maybe I’m just not meant to be a showmare. I have this magic, but I can’t use it for much of anything. Even when I could find work, I didn’t do much else than simple tricks.

Trixie rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. It was dark outside due to the overcast of clouds starting to rain, and she didn’t bother with turning on her bedside lamp. The sound of the pouring showers outside was the only audible noise to the unicorn.

The clouds are weeping for me too it seems… Maybe I should try a change of pace. If I can get a real job, maybe I can save up for a tutor. Yeah. That way, I can learn real legitimate magic, not some stage tricks. Maybe… Maybe I can impress her with what I learn instead.

“Wow. I didn’t know you had it so rough after that first visit to Ponyville.”

“It’s not a problem. Really, I needed a wake up call to show me just how little I knew about magic. Now, I see you finished with the meal. Shall we head back to Zecora’s?”

“I don’t think we will get there before the evening, Trixie,” Twilight said with a smirk. “Although, you finding this clearing saved us a lot of searching. It’s exactly what we need.”

“Need for what exactly? I thought you came just for a brunch,” Trixie said with uncertainty.

“This.” Twilight opened her saddlebag and levitated a big hardcover book to Trixie. “I told you we would build you a temporary home. And the time has come,” she said and clapped her hooves happily.

Trixie took the book in her hooves. “Build Your Own Log Cabin.” She threw a questioning glance at Twilight. “Wouldn’t we need some material to build a log cabin?”

Twilight sighed and lighted her horn. “I thought that my demonstration back there would be clue enough. Well, here it goes again.” She pointed her horn at a random tree in the second row around the clearing and with a flick of her head uprooted it. It landed with a tud in the middle of the clearing, the leaves shaking for few more second. Twilight pointed her horn at her other saddlebag and two axes flew out. The leaves went through another shaking exercise as the tools hit the trunk.

“Just one more question, Twilight. Why didn’t you bring the first tree with us? It would come in handy,” Trixie smirked, determined not to show more amazement at Twilight’s magic than absolutely necessary.

Twilight trotted to the tree and removed one of the axes with her magic, levitating it above her head. “You can go back there and bring it if you want. Beware the timberwolfs though,” she said as she was cutting off one branch after another.

Trixie shuddered at the idea of the beasts and the hard work bringing the log would be and instead grabbed the second axe. “Can I have a twee to pway with too, pwease?” she cooed at Twilight. Were Trixie not waving a potentially lethal tool in her magic, Twilight would find her extremely cute.

“When you ask so nicely, I can’t say no. Just get further from me with that axe.” It wasn’t long and the sound of two lumberjacks working filled the clearing and the close surroundings. Then one of them went silent. Twilight turned around to find out what was going on. “Are you taking a pause already, Tri-” Her mouth stayed open in utter disbelief. Not only wasn’t Trixie resting, her tree was already prepared to be used for building.

“Another tree, please,” Trixie said happily and twirled her axe in the air.

“I… How come you can work with tools so well?”

“It’s not so different from a pickaxe and I have lots of experience with that,” Trixie stated smugly.

“Where from, if you don’t mind me asking?”

After a day of work, the unicorn mare was called back into the house. It was a hot day, but she did her best to work through the sun and it payed off having done the work of two ponies.

“You must be parched, dear. Would you like something to drink?”

“Oh, yes please, Mrs. Quartz.”

“Set yourself down at the table and I’ll have dinner ready in about 10 minutes. Here is some water until then.”

“Thank you.”

Trixie sipped the ice cold water from the glass, savoring the refreshing liquid as the other members of the family came in. A stallion sat down across the table from her with a grin on his face.

“Was a very good day today. I gotta say, I’m happy to have your help round here. A good worker gets a good pay too.”

“I try Mr. Igneous Rock. I have the money I need saved up.”

“You did say today was your last day right? We’re going ta miss ya when you do leave. Might I ask why you’re savin’ up that money?”

“A while ago, before I came here, I used to be a showmare. I would travel and perform, using my magic to entertain. My special talent is magic and for awhile I thought I was a prodigy. But recently, I met an… acquaintance who taught me I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. It’s hard to explain without knowing magic yourself, but I just didn’t feel whole anymore. For most of my life, I was self taught and I think that’s why. So I want to seek a tutor in Canterlot and learn more.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I want to show my acquaintance how much I’ve learned since I saw her last.”

“I see. Are the two of you close?”

“I’m afraid not. At least not as much as I would like. See, we didn’t meet under favorable circumstances and… I was kind of arrogant at the time. I want to see her again and thank her for setting me straight again.”

“Well, I hope it works out for ya.”

“As do I. I should be leaving for Canterlot not long from now.”

“Until then,” Cloudy Quartz came back. ‘Let’s enjoy a nice dinner.”

“Ya don’t have to tell me twice. Girls! Dinner’s ready!”

The family all settled together and ate. After dinner was done, bellies full after a hard day’s work, the girls washed up and prepared for bed. It didn’t take long for Trixie’s eyes, heavy from exhaustion, to close and for her to fall into a restful sleep. The next morning, she woke up to her alarm clock which she set the night before to get up at the crack of dawn. Still a little drowsy, she did her morning routines, brushing her teeth, showering, and carefully walked downstairs.

“Mornin’ miss Lulamoon,” Igneous Rock said.

“Good morning sir,” Trixie said stretching.

“Sit down and have some breakfast, I have something to show you.”

She did as he asked and sat down. His wife laid a plate of pancakes in front of her as Mr. Rock rustled through the newspaper.

“Uh, let’s see here. No. No. Ah, here it is. Take a look.”

He handed the paper to the unicorn and her eyes widened as she read an ad placed by a magic tutor. “Midnight Spell… Canterlot…. Wow, this I have to check out.”

“I thought you’d like that. Should be your first stop when you get to Canterlot.”

“This helps quite a bit. Thank you.”

“You’ve been a great help around here, miss Lulamoon, and a good worker deserves a good pay, just as I said. We’ve been a bit short handed since our youngest daughter left the farm. We miss having her around here, but I wanted her to pursue something she likes and I feel she wouldn’t find it here in this boring old rock farm. Shoulda seen the look on her face the day she got her cutie mark.”

“Was it three balloons?”

“Yes. How’d you know?”

“Uh, lucky guess. Anyway, thank you for everything.”

“My pleasure. If you ever need another job, feel free to come back.”

Their work continued with great success and before the sun began setting, the rough building stood where nothing used to be before. There was still much to do, but they decided to leave it for the next day and head back to Zecora’s hut for the night.

“I’m glad to see that you are back, and in Everfree didn’t lose the track,” Zecora welcomed them as they entered. The day of hard work took a lot out of them and they were barely dragging their hooves at this point. “I made some meal for when you come, your tummies sound like witch drum.”

“Thank you, Zecora,” Twilight said and followed it with a massive yawn. “We will probably just eat and go to bed if you don’t mind.” She walked slowly to the table, but stopped in the middle of her journey. “Wait. Where am I going to sleep? Uh and will you allow me to stay the night?”

“Trixie has got the guest’s bed, for two it has been tonight set,” Zecora answered calmly and served Twilight a nice helping of mushroom soup. They both concentrated solely on the food they were dealing with so they missed the blush on Trixie’s face completely.

“Works for me. We can fit there comfortably. Right, Trixie?”

“Mmmmhmmm,” came the muffled reply from Trixie who was rummaging through the beddings to put them into order and to hide her true thoughts about the subject.

As they finished their meal, they could really do nothing else than to venture to the bed just like Twilight said. After a while of shuffling around Trixie decided that taking some risks was in order and wrapped her hooves around Twilight. That of course didn’t go unnoticed.

“Trixie? What are you doing?”

“Umm. The nights in Everfree get a bit cold and since you aren’t used to it I thought we could hold each other. For warmth,” Trixie whispered because she didn’t trust her voice to stay steady at normal volume.

“Oh I didn’t realise that. Thank you, Trixie,” Twilight beamed and returned the embrace without hesitation. She didn’t mind really.

The morning came too early for Trixie’s tastes and Zecora’s early riser habits broke the blissful state Trixie was in. She didn’t dare to complain lest Twilight would wonder about the night too much. There was work to be done anyway.

“I asked Zecora to buy various items you could use in your new home. Having a house is one thing, making it inhabitable is another. If I just knew where she put them. She left before I could ask her… A-ha! Here they are!” Twilight levitated several bags from the top shelf of the storage closet. She opened them and searched the contents. “Cookware, bedsheets, blankets, components of furniture - I hope you like puzzles, Trixie!”

“Can’t get enough of them,” Trixie muttered, not happy to be robbed of the source of warmth.

“Grab some breakfast and we will be on our way. We need to finish it today, ponies would wonder where I went if I didn’t return by the evening,” Twilight said with a bit of annoyance at the prospect of returning to Ponyville.

As they set to the journey back to the clearing, Trixie was forced to carry all the bags along with the basket with their lunch. To her surprise, balancing several objects of uneven weight caused her much less problems than she expected it to. Twilight noticed it too.

“Looks like your tutelage helped you a lot. Sorry it had to end. I will do my best to be a sufficient replacement.”

You’ll be more than sufficient, I’m sure of that, Trixie though.

“How did you even become Midnight’s student? Was it hard to convince him?”

“Not really. He was quite desperate to get something else to do than just his research,” Trixie said with a small smile. “He was actually eager to get started just as I was.”

“Did you have to learn a lot? He can be really thorough when he wants,”

“You have no idea. I showed him some of my spells and he forbid me from using magic until I learnt to do so properly.” Trixie cringed at the memory of gruesome two weeks without being allowed to use telekinesis. “I started from the scratch, just like a little filly. Now I am thankful for that, but back then it was driving me insane.”

“I can’t imagine everyday life without magic. Midnight has some strange teaching methods for sure,” Twilight said and shook her head. “I won’t force you to anything like that. Anyway, we are here. Let’s get to work.”

As the sun shone its last golden rays and the moon was beginning its glow, Twilight made it back to Ponyville to keep up appearances there; if she was gone for too long, others would start to get suspicious, or at least she thought they would. Before she got to her library home though, she ran into Applejack.

“Oh, there ya are Twi. Where ya been?”

“You know, out of town, helping Zecora.” Twilight strained her voice trying to keep the grumpiness to a minimum.

“Ya shoulda seen how hectic our family reunion was. Ya wouldn’t believe how quickly we built that barn.”

You wouldn’t believe how quickly two unicorns could build a log cabin, Twilight sarcastically thought. “Look, as much as I’d like to stay and chat, I’m exhausted!”

AJ shrugged and went about her business as Twilight walked inside her home. Dragging herself upstairs to her bed, she saw that Spike was asleep. Well, it looks like Spike took care of things like he was supposed to. Having a hard time keeping her eyes open, she decided to skip her evening shower and just plopped onto her bed, only for her muzzle to hit something hard as it connected the pillow.

“Ow! What the…”

She felt underneath the pillow and found a small amulet in the shape of Scintillant’s halo, along with a note. She opened the note and read the words to herself.

“In five days…”

Chapter 7

View Online

Original Title: Vision of Paradise
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

As the days remaining to the announced meeting passed, Twilight drew a nigh infallible plan how to make sure she wouldn’t be disturbed from the session by the outside world. The painful experience of her first visit of Elysium and being roughly woken up by Pinkie Pie was still fresh in her memory. Equestria can burn to ground, but I refuse to go through that pain again, she repeated to herself.

The only unsolved question remained: how to ensure Spike wouldn’t interfere with her plans. During the day she could easily send him on various errands or even permit him to slave for Rarity in his foolish hope she would reciprocate his feelings. Nights, however, where a completely different matter. What reason would anypony have to let him stay overnight? The least of all Rarity.

For once, the solution came from the least expected side. Shortly after the Friday noon, a note came from Princess Celestia, assigning Twilight to do some extensive studying in span of the weekend. How generous from the Princess to swamp me with twelve books and rob me of the weekend. As if it wasn’t enough that she dragged me to that symposium, now I have to read about the subject some more, Twilight thought at first.

To make things worse for her Spike kept on reminding her how much work she was supposed to manage in such a short time, so in a moment of annoyance she sent him away for the day. She regretted it rather soon as there was no one to perform the support tasks for her studying. Spike also had much better idea of what was where in the library and the reference books would come in handy to Twilight.

When Spike returned not two hours later, Twilight couldn’t believe her eyes and luck. She refused to show her true emotions to him and break the word she gave him about his day off though, pretending she was deep in the reading process. As was the too common case with her, pretending reading turned against her will into actual reading in matter of seconds.

“Twilight, Applejack just saved my life from horrible, dragon-eating timberwolves!”

“Mm-hmm...”

“And, as you are aware, I adhere to my dragon code, and this means I must serve her for the rest of my natural born days! I'm sure you understand.”

“Mm-hmm…”

“It's... been an honor... being your faithful assistant.”

“Sounds good.”

Spike sighed as he walked off. Few seconds after the door of the library slammed shut, Twilight shot up to full attention. “Serve Applejack for the rest of his natural born days? No way! I won’t let my dear Spike do such thing in a million years!”

She briskly trotted to the door to solve the problem outright, but stopped with a hoof on the doorknob. “Wait a second. That means he will be out for the night and nothing can probably stop him without great deal of trouble.” She eased her hoof back to the ground and returned to her reading spot. “I won’t let him ruin his life like this, but my actions can wait till tomorrow. There is something good in everything bad.”

The evening soon came and Twilight struggled to prepare some sort of dinner for herself. She eventually settled on a bowl of cereal and milk since she didn’t dare to get close to cooking, not after the scolding Spike gave her the last time she tried. “AJ couldn’t have saved his life after the dinner just as well,” she grumbled. “I should also take care of those Timberwolves. Trixie probably wasn’t exaggerating with her worries. They are getting out of hoof.”

With her hunger feebly sated she went on with the main part of her plan. The long experience of living in the town taught her just where every access place of the library was; Rainbow Dash’s and Pinkie’s unexpected visits proved useful in that manner. She cautiously locked the door and closed all windows as well as the blinds on the upper floor. Such petite thing as glass wouldn’t stop Rainbow from bursting through.

She warmed some milk for herself just to aid her sleep and cast a powerful soundproofing spell on her room, locking the door right afterwards too. Feeling well protected from any possible intrusion she snuggled deep into her blankets and patiently waited for sleep to claim her. It didn’t take long at all.

Twilight opened her eyes to the view of a dark island with a beach side. The sky was dark and starry and the island itself had a small hill with sand surrounding it and a tree at the summit. The tree had a remarkable resemblance to the tree Zecora’s hut was built in.

“Twilight!”

She turned towards the source of the voice to see Trixie who was approaching her.

“Hey Trixie! How are you today? Or tonight? I don’t know how day works here.”

“Well, before you came, it was too dark to see. Those stars didn’t spark up until you showed up.”

Another familiar voice spoke up. “And before you showed up, this island wasn’t an island. There was no water.”

Both mares turned to see Canvas, now clad with glasses. “Hi girls,” she said in her timid manner.

“Canvas? You’re here too? I like the glasses by the way,” Twilight said and smiled.

The earth mare blushed as Trixie did a double take, not being familiar with this new face. “Uh Twilight? Who is this?”

“Acrylic Canvas. Remember when I said I was looking for other ponies to help our cause? She’s one of them. I met her in Canterlot during the second symposium and everything just kinda fell into place.”

Trixie approached Canvas cautiously and after a moment of hesitance, held her hoof out. “I’m Trixie Lulamoon, former showmare now turned magic apprentice. What about you? What do you do?”

Canvas slowly returned the gesture and the two shook their hooves. “Um, well, I’m an art student. Twilight helped me get into the school I’m currently studying at. It’s a lot better than my old school. Less competitive and has a much better environment.”

The two mares bantered a bit before a flash of light flared behind the tree for a split second. All eyes were on the source of the light as Scintillant walked out. While Twilight and Trixie have met her before, Canvas was mesmerized with the sight of such an ethereal being.

“Good evening girls. I see you are all well and good.” the angelic pony said.

“Good evening, Scintillant. It has been some time. Why did you call us all here tonight?” Twilight responded.

“This is Scintillant? She looks… amazing.”

“Oh yeah, you’ve never actually met her, have you Canvas? Well she is the angel that came to me in the first place. I reacted the same way at first and rightly so.”

“Now then,” the angel interrupted. “I have called you forth for a number of reasons. First off Twilight, I noticed your search made a progress, though the results were unclear. Did you reach your decision in the matter of that mare?”

“How did you- I guess that isn’t important. I think I have found a potential bearer for Temperance. She’s a pegasus, a cadet of the Wonderbolt academy to be specific. Her name is Lightning Dust, but you obviously already know that,” Twilight said with a bit of distaste on being watched all the time.

“Have you talked to her about this?” Scintillant either didn’t notice Twilight’s feelings, which was highly improbable, or didn’t care too much.

“Not yet. At first, choosing her didn’t even cross my mind, but she spent some time trying to better herself and I came to the decision after I got a letter from Rainbow Dash, her partner and my, uh, friend. Is it possible to bring her here tonight?”

Scintillant stood triumphantly as her halos started to rotate and burst with light. The light that radiated collected in front of them and formed the shape of a pony and once the light dispersed, Lightning Dust was present. She painstakingly opened her eyes and stretched before realizing she wasn’t in her room.

“Wha? Who… What the? Okay what’s going on? Is this a dream?” the pegasus darted her eyes around trying to comprehend what she was seeing.

“In a matter of speaking, Lightning Dust.” Twilight stepped forward.

“How… do you know my name?” Dust asked defensively.

“I heard about you from Rainbow Dash. She sent me a letter detailing your improvement and I want to help you get your family back.”

Her eyes widened in realization. “Then… You must be Twilight Sparkle. Now that I think about it, I remember seeing you back at the academy, when that tornado went out of control. Um, sorry about that by the way.”

“It’s okay, it’s in the past now.”

“So where am I exactly? And why does my head hurt?” the pegasus said rubbing her temples, the migraine just now taking effect.

“You are in Elysium,” Scintillant declared, causing the young cadet to jump in surprise. “Whether you know this or not, you have potential to help us change Equestria. I have brought you here on Twilight Sparkle’s request so as to discuss your dilemma. As for the migraine, that’s a common side effect of entering and leaving Elysium. It will lessen with repeated visits.”

Lightning Dust didn’t miss a beat with her reply. “If it will help me win my family back, I am yours.”

At this time, rotations in six points of the surrounding waters started to form six thin waterspouts that reached up into the sky and seemed to stretch forever into the starry abyss. The waterspouts continued to circle the island in a counterclockwise fashion as the mortal ponies looked on.

“W-what’s going on?” Canvas asked nervously.

“Do not be alarmed, young ones. Our world reacts to various emotion and power. Now while you all are here, I feel it is necessary to further explain the situation. As some of you know, Twilight Sparkle has been helping me find various ponies, bearers of our Elements. I have gathered you all here tonight to explain your purpose, as well as to discuss our plan. We currently have four bearers present: Twilight Sparkle, Trixie Lulamoon, Acrylic Canvas, and Lightning Dust.”

As she pronounced each name, the pillars from Twilight’s first visit to Elysium began to rise up from the ground in front of their respective bearers. The two remaining pillars were petrified and stone cold as there was not a bearer for their Element yet.

“Each of you has been sought out and chosen to take possession of these Elements, physical embodiments of the virtues that our society holds dear. Each of you also represents those said virtues as each of you has gone through struggles to learn them. Trixie Lulamoon, you have learned to use your talent not strongly, but wisely. You had possession of the Alicorn Amulet, but you still were defeated not by strength, but strategy. And from then on, you dedicated yourself to such wisdom. For this you have learned Prudence, a virtue that in many ways is akin to water.”

Trixie’s sapphire pillar became frozen in ice as she touched it.

“Acrylic Canvas, you’ve committed a vice to combat vice. In this you learnt that what is seen as right or wrong largely depends on perception. And sometimes, that perception is corrupted. Your act may not have been right, but neither was the act that forced you to commit it. For this you have learned Justice, a virtue that, much like this tree, depends on its roots to support it.”

Canvas’ emerald pillar sprouted vines that slightly covered her hoof when she touched it.

“Lightning Dust, you let yourself become lost in your goal to become the best that you can. You blinded yourself to the consequences of your actions and in the end, you suffered for it. And yet, this is what you needed for you forced yourself to become more patient. You helped others over yourself in genuine remorse. In this you learned that in order to give it your all, you sometimes need to hold back. That you need to fall several times before you rise. For this you have learned Temperance, a virtue that flows as the wind does.”

Lightning’s topaz pillar was encased in small vortex winds as she touched it.

“And Twilight Sparkle, your sense of dedication to your mentor caused you to blindly follow her. Before, you were more worried about a selfish desire than anything else, even if you didn’t realize it. During the wedding of your brother, you had to be hurt before you opened your eyes. While you do not like the events it brought, this is exactly what you needed: a wake up call to the harsh reality of your friends and mentor. Not long after, your mentor gave you a test and though you still questioned her, you treated it as such. You later learned how deceptive she really was and chose to act on behalf of the citizens of the Empire, rather than yourself. For this, you have learned Humility, a virtue that shows others the light.”

Twilight’s diamond pillar shined with a white light as she touched it.

“Now as for the remaining two Elements, Diligence and Fortitude, I have two bearers in mind. For Diligence, I have a-” Scintillant began to speak, but was rudely interrupted by Twilight who spotted a pony shape flying in her direction, one that she recognized all too well.

“Oh my goodness! Is that-? It can’t be! Everypony watch out!” she exclaimed and curled up on the ground with her forehooves over her head.

The other mares watched the spectacle in disbelief as the pony gracefully landed outside the range of the light. Twilight waited for an inevitable impact and jerked a little as Scintillant placed her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

“Such prejudice, Twilight Sparkle. I would have expected better from you, especially with your recent experience.”

“Sorry.” Twilight smiled sheepishly before clearing her throat in embarrassment.

Scintillant glanced over to the pony and gestured her to walk over. “Now our new guest deserves better treatment, not just as a pony, but as a future bearer of Diligence as well. Come on out dear. Everypony, please welcome Ditzy Doo.” Ditzy walked out of the shadow so the others could clearly see her face and happily waved.

“Personally, I’m a bit shocked, Ditzy,” Twilight began, “but now that I think about it, it makes sense for you to be the bearer of Diligence. I always see you work hard and well, even during the harshest weather conditions.”

“Well, I haven’t always been a hard worker. It’s just that I learned a long time ago that a little diligence goes a long way.”

Scintillant displayed her wings proudly to get everypony’s attention. “Now as for Fortitude, I regret to say that this bearer will not be showing up for a few more months. However, once you see her, you will know. But before I let you all go…”

Around the tree a ring of fire started to make its way up to the branches and the waterspouts met the same fate. The six vortexes exploded and sent chunks of molten debris across the island like fireworks. The tree began to fall apart as its branches became rotten and weak before the whole tree gave way. Soon, the surrounding beach side began to burn, even the sand which wasn’t supposed to be flammable at all.

“Remember that Fortitude can turn into wrath and back just like that.”

Trixie didn’t dream for much longer after leaving Elysium. The long weeks of living with Zecora taught her to get up early and a meeting in other realm could change nothing on that. As she stretched and prepared for the day, paying little mind to the light headache from the trip, she pondered about what transpired.

Twilight looked even better than a week ago. Maybe she finally got some rest during those days. She sure needs it after what she went through.

Having planned another lesson with Zecora for today, she didn’t waste time and made her way to the zebra’s hut, expecting her to be up already. However, Zecora apparently chose that day to sleep in. Trixie giggled at the sight of her snuggled in the cot, tongue lolling from the corner of her mouth slightly, but didn’t take any action to wake her. She set two bowls on the table and went to cook porridge for breakfast, not having eaten yet either. The smell soon rose Zecora from her sleep.

“Birds in forest still don’t scream, you are up, did you have bad dream?” she asked as she took the place at the table. Having somepony to prepare meal especially after the last week of doing that alone again was a welcomed change for the hermit zebra.

“I wouldn’t say bad, just really strange,” Trixie answered as she served the porridge and started eating. At least those in the dream were strange. Twilight has some weird taste in choosing friends. On the other hand, I shouldn’t exactly complain about that. It is to be expected anyway, with how Scintillant acts. Her parting fireshow kinda scared me.

“Once we eat there’s lots to do, I know plants useful for you,” Zecora said suddenly, waking Trixie from her musing.

Well, time to learn something new. Everything can come in handy some day, Trixie happily thought and went to clean up the dishes before they set into the forest.

As much as she loved her new school, some rules just didn’t make sense to Canvas. Getting up at the break of dawn sure counted to them. As the wake up ring resounded through the dorms she desperately tried to overhear it and drift back to sleep, a task that proved to be impossible because of a raging migraine that assaulted her.

Any other pony would opt to call in sick, but such laziness wouldn’t even cross Canvas’ mind as she was taking her new chance very seriously. Forcing herself to eat her breakfast turned out to be the right choice as the pain slightly subsided, to the level that she could concentrate on her work even.

“Since we managed to finish the last assignment in shorter time than expected, today you are allowed to create at your own discretion. No rules, no limitations, no grades. Just let your fantasy fly,” the teacher announced at the beginning of the lesson.

Ever since she could think clearly thanks to the headache weakening, Canvas’ thought revolved around her recent experience. I would expect Elysium to be a brighter place. There was just one angel and she looked so sad… But who am I to judge? Maybe there was some purpose behind it looking like it did. And any place where my friends are is beautiful. My friends…

A single tear rolled down her face as she repeated it in her head and a fond smile spread on her face. I want to remember that meeting forever. I want more than a memory of it too! With her mind set she grabbed the paints and palette and prepared to fulfill her wish.

Jeez did I drink so much that I forgot about it completely? Lightning Dust pondered as she powered through the morning part of the academy training. The splitting headache that took place of hopeful and sweet dreams of that night was making it difficult for her, but a soldier had to be ready to serve at any circumstances as her father used to tell her.

Why did I dream something so strange anyway? Am I that fixated on that mare’s help that I create fantasies about it? Anger, no matter its cause, could be a very good drive for the endurance training, yet as Lightning knew it was disastrous if accuracy was required. The world reminded her of that as she took a turn at a slightly wrong angle and clipped her wing against one of the obstacles. She plummeted down unable to control her descend, but the unplanned rendezvous with hard ground never happened.

“What the hay, Lightning? I almost didn’t catch you! If I were a bit further, you would be little more than a pile of broken bones!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she cradled her obviously shaken friend in her hooves and carried her toward the seat of their trainer.

“T-thank you, Rainbow. I guess I can’t really fly today. I feel rather sick… and distracted… and this is the result,” Lightning said and held Rainbow tightly, partly to prevent herself from falling, partly for the support in her shock.

“I can see that. Sir? Lightning Dust needs to get to the infirmary. I will take her there and be right back,” Rainbow said to the trainer and without waiting for an answer continued toward the building with a red cross on the door.

Soon Lightning Dust was alone in the infirmary room, her wing properly bandaged. Thankfully it was just slightly bruised, so she would be able to continue training tomorrow, but the nurse decided to keep her there for the day just to be sure.

Great. Now I fail the routine because of dreams. I would just-

Her thoughts were interrupted as the air in front of her shimmered and a scroll fell onto the blanket. What the hay? Who would send me a letter? In such a manner at that? She picked it up and broke the seal without even looking at it.

Dear Lightning Dust.
I assumed you would think the events of last night were just a dream, so I decided to provide you a bit of proof. We really met on a platform with a big tree atop and spoke about a chance how to win your family back. You also agreed to help us. I hope you won’t question your decision and our collaboration will be fruitful.
Best wishes, your new friend Twilight Sparkle.
PS: That migraine will pass soon. Just be patient.

All that Lightning Dust could do was stare dumbfounded at the wall in front of her, too shocked to celebrate. That’s how Rainbow found her when she visited during the lunch break.

“Hi Lightning. How are you-” she wasn’t allowed to finish her sentence as she was pounced by Lightning Dust and caught in a powerful hug. “Heh I know you are thankful for me saving your life, but aren’t you a bit melodramatic?” Rainbow chucked.

“You did much more than that!” Lightning said as she sat up. “Remember when you send that letter to Twilight Sparkle about my situation? She answered! And she is going to help me for sure!”

All the safety precautions Twilight took to prevent others from waking her too early worked much better than she hoped. So well, in fact, that she overslept by a long shot. When she finally returned to the waking world it was almost ten in the morning.

The first ten minutes of her day were spent with necessary rescheduling of her program. Once the letter to Lightning Dust was sent, which took more effort without Spike, she ate another bowl of cereals - also something she wouldn’t do if Spike was around - and sorted the books she still needed to read for her assignment, another job Spike would be adept for. Actually, whatever she looked at reminded her of Spike; the strange silence of having no one to talk to the most of everything.

Why haven’t I ever realised how much I like him around. I have to get him to return. He wouldn’t be happy serving Applejack. Neither would I be happy without him. We need each other I guess.

She started out of the door, but spotted Applejack marching toward the library with concerned look on her face. Hmm let’s find out what she is up to here. Best way would be to play oblivious, Twilight thought and hastily returned inside and to her books.

Ditzy’s day didn’t differ from the other days in the slightest. She woke up early, prepared the lunches for her daughters, sent them to school and went around her daily route, delivering post to every home in Ponyville. No time for distractions, no time to waste.

Only when the lunch time came she could take a bit of a rest. Sitting under the tree in the town park she munched on her sandwich and muffin happily, mulling about the meeting she attended.

When Twilight took cover before I landed, it really hurt. I’m not THAT bad flyer. And that one accident with delivery company wasn’t entirely my fault either. I should have expected that though. Everypony reacts that way.

She finished her meal, but still had some time to just relax before she was to continue her work. Watching the sky she was guessing the shapes of clouds. One in particular caught her attention; it looked like a pegasus with one wing.

Scintillant said they are good ponies. She has never lied to me when giving me tasks. Maybe I can befriend them. Nopony is completely bad, no matter how they treat others. They can learn. They will see I’m more than just a clumsy silly mare. Together we will do great things. A better world for Dinky and Sparkler.

Chapter 8

View Online

Original Title: Chaos to Shelter
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

Seeing Twilight rummage through the library wasn’t anything rare in Ponyville or any place where both Twilight and a library existed at the same time. However, the subject of her today’s research occurred for the first time in her life. She was never one for religious believes or any other supernatural phenomenons, yet personal experience can easily change believes into knowing and turn supernatural into natural.

While the Ponyville library didn’t dispose of too extensive collection of knowledge, Twilight was mildly surprised she could find so few mentions of Elysium and none about angels at all. Even what she found was limited to basic notes about origins of Equestria.

This whole search would go so much quicker if Spike could help me. But he would freak out if he found out about me researching afterlife. She sighed, returning yet another book to the original bookshelf. There was one last bookshelf left to search, so she turned to walk to it, her eyes heavy from the long work.

She didn’t make even four steps and hit her head against something where nothing was supposed to be. Taking a step back and shaking her head to clear it she took a better look and spotted a book levitating in the air. Looking around, she quickly found its owner, Scintillant sitting to the side and smirking at the spectacle.

“You mock dear Ditzy’s sight and overlook what’s directly in front of you.”

“When you place a book just in front of me, it is natural I wouldn’t react in time,” Twilight shot back and rubbed her still aching forehead. “I also already apologized to Ditzy for being rude.”

“Indeed you did and she was very happy about that turn of events. But in this particular case you miss to see something deeper as well. Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, why don’t you ever use what you have learnt?”

Twilight reached for the still levitating book and read its title. “Elements of Harmony, The Reference Guide.” She glanced at Scintillant with confusion. “But I have read this book many times already and there isn’t a single word about angels.”

“There wasn’t a single trace of a stairwell in the Crystal Castle either, yet the stairs were right there. When dark lord’s magic unlocks his secrets, how can you probably uncover those of Elysium?” Scintillant stayed calm and composed, patiently guiding her asset to the truth. She wouldn’t take the same risks Celestia willingly underwent when she let her pupils learn everything on their own.

A realisation sparked in Twilight’s eyes as she lit her horn in white. “Elysian magic, of course!” she exclaimed and the white aura encased the book in front of her. As it died down, the words on the cover changed. “Hymn of Creator, Chronicles of Elysium. It was here all this time! But why were the Elements of Harmony described in that book?

Scintillant hang her head low with a sigh. “Sometime, ponies are blind to the reason and see only the means. This book is protected by mighty magic to keep its contents safe. It is so powerful even those ignorant of Elysium could feel it and so used it to store what they held dearest.”

“So the author used the standing protective spells to defend a new information and didn’t even notice what was already written?” Twilight asked and browsed through the pages of altered book.

“Yes, just like you, Celestia didn’t spot a single word in the book. She tends to be ignorant to important things and focus on petty ones instead a lot. Back then, she did it unwittingly, but as the time went, she got better in it and now it seems she turned it into a hobby.”

“She really is prone to doing that recently. More so in last two years,” Twilight mused, ignorant to the changes in Scintillant mood. From an entertained state of mind the angel managed to get into one of distaste and barely concealed hostility when she mentioned the princess of the sun.

“You will make sure about that very soon. That is actually the true reason why I visit you today, as much as your studies are important to me. Soon you will be notified by Celestia that she will bring a special guest. What she probably won’t tell is that the guest is Discord.”

“WHAT?!” Twilight’s magic grip on the book faltered. It stayed in the air anyway, the protective spells doing their magic.

“As I said, she cares about petty matters. She sees the power of his magic and wants it for herself to command and ignores why the power exists in the first place. What rises from chaos can only result in chaos again.”

“But… but he is in stone! He can’t do anything!” Twilight was clearly grasping at straws, not wanting to accept the horrible news.

“Every spell can be reversed and sometimes it is easier than casting itself. The Elements of Harmony can reverse the petrification in any hooves and then Discord will be loose. You realise what happens when he crosses the line, right?”

“He will have to be stopped and my friends and I will use the Elements… My friends…” Twilight heavily sat down and hid her face in her hooves. “They won’t work, will they?”

Scintillant walked over to Twilight and placed a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “No. They won’t work anymore. But you already have enough power of Elysium with you to end the threat on your own.” Twilight looked up at the encouragement and met with Scintillant’s concerned gaze. “However, that would expose you too soon and cause major inconvenience. I and certainly you as well would prefer if matters didn’t go so far.”

“So you ask me to keep Discord in line by any means imaginable and if it fails, to kill him,” Twilight whispered, yet her face showed determination.

“Precisely so, dear Twilight Sparkle. And I am sure you can manage this task. In the meantime, have fun with your new source of information about Elysium. I am certain that your new friends will be curious too, maybe you can give them a lecture about what you find out.”

“That’s a fantastic idea! I will start preparing it right away,” Twilight squealed, the glum news forgotten for a moment. Calming her to this extend, Scintillant took her leave with peace in her mind once again.

In her library home, a frustrated unicorn sat with her new favorite book. She was sipping herbal tea, trying to calm her nerves. UGH! Why does the princess have to choose this way of all ways to enrage me? Why does she have to be such an insolent FOAL to burden us with Discord? Doesn’t she know the consequences if we can’t do this? Well, at least Fluttershy is trying her best. She has real courage to attempt this with Discord.

As if on cue, Fluttershy barged into the library in the most quiet and non-destructive fashion ever recorded. “Twilight, I’m sorry, but I just can’t do it. He’s insufferable even for me!” shouted the normally timid pegasus.

Of course! This is what I get for being optimistic. Well, at least she held up longer than I thought she would. “Fluttershy? What happened?”

“Oh, I know what he’s trying to do. He wants to play me for a fool, but I wanted to try and reform him by being his friend. I’m trying, I really am. But… Ooh, I’m just so frustrated with him!”

Wow, I haven’t seen her this aggravated since her modeling job. But I can’t let her quit. I have to do everything in my power to keep her going. I have to! “What happened Fluttershy? I know he’s bad, but I can’t imagine him being so bad that even you would condemn him.”

“I got him to put the cottage down, but everything else started spinning. He’s just playing with me, almosted taunting me to try harder. When I asked him about the dinner party and what we should cook, he grabbed Angel and suggested rabbit stew. I just don’t think I can redeem him! I just…” Fluttershy started sobbing. “Maybe the other girls were right. Maybe we should have left him in stone. Am… am I a bad pony?”

Twilight saw that the situation was getting grave and she couldn’t let a pony so kind to hurt to this extend in front of her eyes no matter what. She scooted closer to Fluttershy and pulled her into a comforting hug. The pegasus returned it with fervor and her tears soon damped Twilight’s fur.

“Of course you’re not a bad pony, Fluttershy. Anypony would feel that way if they had to face such monster. But you can’t just give up. You would have regrets for the rest of your life.”

“I don’t know what to do, Twilight. He is so mean and I feel so small and he can do anything. I’m scared I will fail,” Fluttershy whispered into Twilight’s shoulder.

“Remember when I came to Ponyville?” Twilight asked, a sudden idea returning her hope. “I had big doubts back then too. I thought I wouldn’t be able to defeat Nightmare Moon. Rainbow had doubts about her sonic rainboom and Rarity about her career too. If we gave up, everything would be different and we can agree that it would be worse. But we pressed on and managed to succeed.”

By that time Fluttershy sat up straight and listened to every Twilight’s word like to a prophecy, so Twilight pushed on more. “Just hours ago you were certain you would turn Discord to good, that determination couldn’t have vanished completely. Few bumps on the road have never stopped us. You can do this, Fluttershy. I know you can.”

“But… but what if he does something evil to me or my animals?” Fluttershy tried to protest for one last time, though it was clear Twilight’s speech convinced her.

“When you return to the cottage, tell him that if he tries something like that, I won’t wait for other elements to turn him back to stone. I will come and outright kill him,” Twilight answered with a predatory smile. Fluttershy backed away from her in fear and walked toward the door, keeping her eyes on Twilight the whole time.

“Ok, Twilight. I-I will tell him that. I just hope you are joking. That would be mean. I will do my best with him. Thank you. Bye.” She was speaking quicker and quicker and her steps mirrored that trend. When she got to the door she was almost galloping.

Oh I most certainly am NOT joking. Try to hurt her and you will burn, Discord!

“Hahah! You see? She wants to have fun with me because we're friends. She can't use the elements against me because we're friends. I'm free forever!” Discord gleefully declared.

“Not. Your. Friend,” Fluttershy growled through her teeth.

Discord just shrugged it off. “Who cares? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. I'm Discord, the master of chaos! You think you can boss Discord around? You think I'm just going to turn all this back because you say so? Because if I don't, I'll lose the one friend I ever had?”

Twilight, who was witnessing all this, started to grit her teeth. Okay, that’s my cue to disintegrate this prick. He’s gone too far now! She was charging up her horn when she noticed a pause in Discord’s speech, not a pause of satisfaction, but one of epiphany. She couldn’t believe her eyes at what she saw next.

“Well played Fluttershy… Well played.”

Discord used his magic to revert Sweet Apple Acres back to its original state as everypony cheered.

“I liked it better my way, but... I guess when you're friends, you can't always have things exactly your way all the time, eh?”

“You know what this calls for?” Pinkie said out of the blue. “A party! Come on, to the Sugarcube corner!”

Everypony started towards Ponyville, excited and satisfied with their success. But as they all did, Discord was stopped dead in his tracks, held in place by a magic aura. He turned his gaze over to Twilight who had a death glare fixed onto him.

“You know Twilight, I have to admit I was a bit frightened by your threat earlier. But you wouldn’t dare go that far, now would you?” he said mocking her.

“I wasn’t joking Discord. If you step out of line, I WILL destroy every ounce of your being,” Twilight said in the most serious tone she could muster. As she did, her magic changed to the Elysian essence, which slightly burned Discord just by its closeness. He didn’t feel anything like that in ages and the memory wasn’t of the happiest ones. Or least painful ones for that matter. Trying to keep his face and to mask the shudder that ran through his entire body he put on a haughty expression.

“Oh posh! I’m reformed now and I meant every word of what I said.” Twilight cautiously let him go. “Besides, as much as I love creating chaos, I’m not an idiot. I wouldn’t dare go against Elysium.”

Twilight grimaced at his comment, knowing he was well aware of what she was doing. As he trotted off to join the others, the unicorn glared as her head was flooded with a mixture of uncertainty and anger. He knows, huh? That just adds to the workload we have to do. I’ve got to keep an eye on him.

Later that night, everypony settled down after a talk with Celestia and the subsequent party that followed. Spike was sleeping soundly in his small bed, but Twilight was downstairs going through her books, too distraught by the day’s events to get any sleep yet. Dammit, it’s going to take some time to replace these pages. I still don’t trust Discord, but for now, it doesn’t look like he will be much of an issue.

She went through the books that needed to be replaced and wrote the titles down so she could order new copies the next day. Once she got that done, she started to examine the Elysian amulet in her hoof, the one found under her pillow a few weeks back. He won’t be an issue now, but his knowledge could be harmful. Scintillant should know about this. The amulet started to glow with a faint light and emitted a warm radiance whenever she used her magic.

“Be careful with that amulet,” Scintillant’s voice abruptly broke Twilight’s concentration and she almost yelped. “My apologies,” the angelic pony said. “I did not mean to spook you. You seem on edge this evening.”

“I actually wanted to talk to you. Scintillant, Discord knows of Elysium.”

“I expected that much. He is a very old being and it doesn’t surprise me he met some of our ranks back when we moved throughout the land. Fear not however, he will not pose a threat to our cause. So long as you hold the threat of destruction over his head, and so long as he has a friend to keep him in line, there is nothing he can do. Still, you should be more cautious of your actions.”

“Yeah. If he rats me out, our efforts will take a harder turn. But he will fall one of these days. I never liked him much.”

“And you’ve good reason not to like him. He is a malicious entity who cannot hope to be fully redeemed. Rest assured, he will fall along with the rest of the other creatures of malice.”

Late in the evening at the Royal Academy of Arts, Acrylic Canvas, the young prodigy of her class, was held up in her cluttered dorm room, filled with used paper and canvas fabrics that were scattered across the floor. The student that owned them did not care at the moment about the mess, more so she was concentrated on practicing her technique. Her painting strokes were just fine though, what she was concerned about was her most unusual talent.

“Why can’t I get this right!? What am I doing wrong?” Canvas shouted after her latest attempt failed. During her classes, her assignments kept materializing when she didn’t want them to. After so many frustrating creation sessions going to waste, she was determined to figure out how her unique ability worked. Unfortunately, she wasn’t having a very successful night.

“Dang it. I used up all my red paint on those stupid apple paintings. Well, I have plenty of violet and blue left.”

During the following hours she drew enough apples to fill a produce market. Yet not a single one of them came to life and now she was out of canvas fabric to paint on. At her wit’s end, she had to vent her frustration.

“This is ridiculous! Stupid artwork!” she exclaimed as she punched the canvas with her hoof, knocking it onto the floor. After standing for such a long time, she plopped onto her bed and tried to calm herself down. Once she succeeded, she sat up and eyed the pieces of art she created that did not do what she wanted. With a heavy sigh, she decided to at least use up the rest of her remaining paints to give herself an excuse to purchase more over the weekend.

After dipping her brush in the last of her blue, she added onto the apple she had started on her canvas. Once she touched her brush to it though, she noticed the apple started to fall out of her workstand. It was materializing to life.

“There we go! What did I do differently?”

She stood and pondered for a moment before getting an idea. She removed the canvas from her stand and replaced it with one of the others she used from the night, using her mouth to do it as she didn’t bother to place down her palette and brush. “Maybe if I add something now, everything will materialize. It’s about mental state!” She added some paint onto it and nothing happened. Slightly confused, she placed her hoof to it, scrutinizing her work, then added more paint. This time, the dozen or so apples that were on the painting fell out.

She took a long look at her hoof, deciding to prove her suspicion about its properties. She brushed another of used canvases with it and added a single stroke with paint. All apples came to existence, making even more mess on her floor.

“Aha! That’s how it works. I’m glad I have hardwood floors,” she exclaimed and grasped one of the new apples. “I wonder how violet apples taste.” She took a huge bite and started coughing, spitting it all out. “Bleh! Acrylic paint doesn’t taste very good! Guess it’s a good thing I bought those non-toxic sets. What am I going to do with these though?”

Three beings older than any other living thing in Equestria sat in one of the many chambers of Canterlot Castle - this one decorated both in golden and in blue to symbolize the reunion of royal sisters - having a midnight tea party. The servants long since left to get their sleep, but they stocked the trio with enough pastries and drinks to suffice them the whole night if needed.

“I’m glad to see that at least your tastes in tea didn’t degenerate over the centuries,” Discord complimented and took another sip of his beverage. “Pity that those regarding your living conditions did. I vastly preferred Everfree.”

“That’s not very surprising seeing as you are partially responsible for its state. Alas, you will have to get used to brighter location,” Celestia replied.

“Brighter than that spot in your garden? Hardly. You would have to send me directly to the Sun.”

“You would make for a strange silhouette there. What would ponies even call you? Patchwork in the Sun?” Luna butted in, clearly not pleased with the presence of their once biggest adversary. She made her opinion on the matter clear to Celestia before, during and also after Discord’s reformation several times, to no avail.

“I don’t think so. It would go more along the lines of ‘My, what a handsome shade we have on the Sun.’ My picture wouldn’t be formed of craters either. Say, did your royal backside make them when you landed on the Moon?”

“Why, you dirty-” Luna started, standing up and charging her horn, but Celestia wouldn’t have any of that and stopped her with an outstretched wing.

“That’s enough, both of you!” She glared at her two companions as if they were mere bickering foals. “I didn’t go to such lengths to erase all the evil of the past just to have you two throw petty insults on each other.”

“Spoilsport,” Discord muttered under his breath, but leaned back into his chair and took another cookie to show friendly intents. “As you wish, oh esteemed ruler of the Sun, the light of our days. But dare say, why did you bring me back then?”

Celestia returned to her place and shook her wings slightly to ensure every feather sat comfortably in its place. “Because I believe in second chances, of course,” she stated as if it was the clearest thing in the world. Luna, however, didn’t share that opinion and wasn’t about to keep that to herself.

“Nonsense! We both know that Discord is alive only because he can’t be really killed. Don’t be such hypocrite, Tia!”

“I could have left him in his stone form, so I speak the truth,” she said with indignation. “If he can do good, I am willing to let him live in Equestria as rightful citizen.”

Discord extended his arms to twice their natural length and wrapped them around the shoulders of the alicorn sisters. “Dear ‘Tia’, as much as I hate to admit it, I agree with our space mare. Dear Fluttershy told me you need me for something, so drop the pretense of goodwill and spill it. I am fairly intrigued as to what you wish from me. You did just fine without my powers so far.”

Seeing as she would have to share more, Celestia placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hooves before answering in resigned tone. “I simply find it a terrible waste to leave such mighty asset just standing around being useless. Besides, I mean it when I say I want to give you a second chance. But if you really want to get to business your first evening of freedom, so be it.” She charged her horn and teleported all three to her private library.

“I keep these spells away from my little ponies as they pose too much threat in wrong hooves, but can serve a good purpose when used wisely.” She pointed to one of the shelves, marked with a brass plaquette saying ‘Starswirl the Bearded’. There was one empty slot in the shelf. “As you can see, final works of dear Starswirl belong to this category. However-”

“So there are more of those? I thought that book I brought you was the only one surviving to these days. You could have told me, Tia, I would have looked further,” Luna interrupted.

“You can peruse them if you want, there is nothing you don’t already know though. As I was trying to say, I am still missing one of the books. Do you know why, Discord?”

“Hmm.” The draconequus scratched his chin with his tail in mock contemplation. “Aha! I borrowed it back when I was free one thousand years ago. Wow, how am I going to pay that library fine I sincerely don’t know!”

“Discord, I want it back. Now.” Celestia tapped her hoof impatiently and stared at Discord who didn’t show any signs of taking action other than motioning Celestia to continue. “Be it your way. I promise to not turn you back into stone when you give it to me.”

“You were always quick to understand what’s required from you, Celestia, I have to give that to you.” He snapped his fingers and a book in the same binding as the ones on the shelf appeared in his claw. When Celestia reached for it with her magic, however, he batted the golden light away with his paw. “Ah ah ah. First I want to hear why you need it. I know you have ways to create alicorns without it, why such bother?”

“If you must know, I want to be sure she is the right pony for this. That spell Starswirl failed to finish will be her final test, determining if she understands her lessons well. She is very powerful, I can’t afford another misstep and I would hate for her to head astray because of my wrong judgment.”

Discord released his hold of the book at that and watched as it got caught by Celestia and placed into its rightful slot on the shelf. Then he chuckled. “Commandable effort indeed, Celestia. But maybe you aim your energy in the incorrect direction.”

“What do you mean by that?” Celestia asked irritated.

“Oh nothing,” Discord called over his shoulder, already leaving the room. “Just that it takes two right ponies for relations to work. Are you sure you alone are such pony, ‘Tia’? After all, even your sister left your side in bad blood.” With that he vanished with a fit of giggles echoing in the hallway.

Chapter 9

View Online

Original Title: Promotion or Problem
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

The commotion in Crystal Palace caused by the arrival of Equestrian Games inspector and all the complicated preparations had died down hours ago. The inspector and Twilight’s friends where being shown around the almost finished sports areal that would now officially host the event and who better than the prince of the land could work as their guide.

Twilight with her inborn animosity toward sports of competitive kind opted to stay inside and enjoy the beauty of glittering halls and luxurious suites some more, since the last time she got to see them she was sprinting around with Spike in toe in desperate pursuit of Crystal Heart. She was currently admiring one of the ancient statues, a pegasus rearing on his hindlegs and holding a massive spear, his wings spread out behind him in a gesture of majety. What really caught Twilight’s eye was the texture of the wings; the sculptor depicted them as if they were formed of several ribbons close next to each other.

In the recent time she learned that there was no such thing as coincidence and decided to ask Scintillant about the detail. For now there was much more to explore and she resumed her tour with new enthusiasm about spotting similar pieces of art. However, her exploring didn’t last for long as a voice sounded from behind her.

“There you are, Twilight. I have been looking for you, but this place is like a labyrinth even after the months I have lived here.” Twilight turned around and smiled at Cadance who was gracefully walking to her.

She recovered from all that suffering really well, the place and all the love around obviously do her well. I could learn to live here too. Maybe one day. Although she looks better with her normal manestyle, Twilight thought, but didn’t voice any of those notions. Instead she went to meet Cadance half way and nuzzled her neck lightly. “It truly is a maze. You can never know what you find behind the corner. Or who you run into.”

“It makes for an exciting housing, don’t you think?” Cadance beamed. “You know what? Let’s go to my chambers and have a tea party like all the years back.”

Twilight giggled and fell in step with her former foalsitter. “Is imaginary Starswirl joining us today?”

“He has been a bit grumpy recently, but we can invite him, I guess. There is enough room. Just look.” Cadance opened a high ebony door and with a grandiose gesture motioned Twilight to entre. Twilight followed the invitation and her mouth turned into a wide smile. Where Celestia’s chambers were filled with luxury, gold and gems, ivory and exotic wood everywhere, Cadance chose much humbler approach to furnishing her home. That however didn’t take anything from the comfiness of the place. Their hooves were caressed by high carpet in bordeaux and silver tones, the loveseats and couches were set around an ebony table in front of a fireplace, thick curtains and bookshelves lining the walls. The only reminder that they were still in Crystal Palace was the chandelier, as the walls were covered in gently yellow silken wallpaper.

“I expected you to embrace the wealth all around, Cadance. This looks more like your home back in Canterlot,” Twilight pointed out in awe.

“You would be surprised how quickly those crystals start bother you. And the luxury? I had to order the maids not to bring any more embroidered pillows in. There was hardly any space in bed for me and Shiny with how many there were.” Cadance cringed at the memory of the dreadful talk with her servants. “They are used to serving Sombra and can’t wrap their minds around that I don’t want to milk the Empire of all its treasures.”

“I can relate. Having everypony fretting around you, not to mention for completely wrong reason, makes one pretty annoyed.” Twilight made herself comfortable on one of the couches and gestured Cadance to join her. The princess levitated a tea service for them and offered Twilight a choice from the assortment of flavours. “You know I will choose blueberry mint,” Twilight snickered and put the stack to her cup. Then she lit her horn and made the water in the kettle instantly boil.

“It is polite to give everypony a choice,” Cadance replied and smiled at Twilight kindly. “I wanted to thank you for what you and your friends did for Crystal Empire today. It means so much to them.”

Twilight’s mood visibly dropped at the mention of that day’s events. “I didn’t do it for Crystal Empire.” Cadance threw her a surprised looked and motioned for her to continue. “I did that for you. You are the only one I would be willing to cheat so much for. You have to admit this was nothing else than cheating,” she added as Cadance bowed her head. Twilight proceeded to shuffle closer to her. “If Celestia wanted the Empire to host the games so badly, she should’ve ordered it.”

“Maybe,” Cadance admitted. “But the Empire really needs this. They’ve gone through so much and I feel they deserve some happiness.”

“Yes, I can’t deny that, but I would prefer if she just ordered the committee to choose the Empire instead of having us go through this mess. Elements of Harmony are not some trained monkeys she can wave around like her banner, even though she time and time again does just that,” Twilight angrily slammed her hoof into the soft cushion. The humiliation and Trixie’s subsequent jokes related to Saddle Arabian visit were still an open wound on Twilight’s pride.

She was having a hard time hiding her negative feelings towards her mentor and Cadance was starting to take notice. “Did something happen between the two of you? You aren’t your usual self today.”

“I’m just a bit tired. I simply feel she’s been withholding too much from me. It seems like this is a game to her or something.”

“Well, she never plays an open game. That’s just how she teaches.”

“But what’s wrong with being open once in awhile?”

“Well…” Cadance hesitated for a moment. “Imagine if she took an open action for once. She would have to explain everypony why she did that, find reasoning and deal with criticism. That would hinder her ruling.”

“But that’s exactly what a ruler is supposed to do!” Twilight exclaimed angrily. “If nopony has a chance to comment about her actions because they don’t know about them, how can the rule be good? She’s just cowardly hiding in shadows, fearing that something would stain her immaculate image.” If she didn’t place her cup back on table shortly before her outburst, the couch would be now splashed with tea from the shattered china. She was hyperventilating and was shaking from head to hoof.

Cadance recoiled in shock from the outburst, but quickly fell back into her old role. “Twilight, you need to calm down or you will hurt yourself,” she stated firmly and pulled the trembling unicorn close with her wing. “She has her flaws, but you won’t make them go away by bringing yourself a stroke. Now, remember that technique I taught you back when you were nervous from exams? Do it with me.”

In her state of agitation Twilight didn’t even think about putting out resistance as Cadance grabbed her foreleg and outstretched it. “Take a deep breath,” Cadance ordered and once Twilight obeyed, she continued. “And breath out.” As she said that, she bent Twilight’s hoof to her chest, pressing it against where Twilight’s heart was beating.

Twilight repeated the moves two more times before she got her emotions fully under control. “I’m sorry, Cadance. It just unnerves me. She wants me to learn about friendship and then acts completely against everything I learnt.”

“Don’t worry about it. Sometimes I get angry at her too. Do you think she asked me if I want to rule the Crystal Empire? Of course not.” Cadance glanced around her and took in all the beauty of the place. “Not that I have much to complain about though. But recently she has been acting even more secretive, even around me. I think she has something planned and doesn’t want to reveal it too early.” Upon seeing Twilight’s disgusted expression, she quickly continued. “Just promise me that whatever it is you will try to take it calmly. For me.”

Twilight sighed and turned her face away from her former foalsitter. “Sorry Cadance, but after everything that happened in last three years I can’t promise you anything, no matter how much I wish to.”

When Ditzy woke up this morning, everything was just fine. She made breakfast for herself and her daughters and sent them off to school as usual. Then she put on her mailmare hat and clocked into work.

Now she didn’t have the slightest clue what was happening. The weather was in erratic patterns- quite literally with the clouds themselves- and the whole town seemed to be disgruntled and grouchy. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but if she didn’t know any better, she would’ve blamed Discord for this. But she knew this wasn’t quite on his level of chaos and besides, he was reformed, or at least she thought so. That’s what she heard from Fluttershy and Twilight when she delivered their mail.

She wasn’t sure whether she should try and go on with her mail route or try to find out what was happening. Everypony she delivered to was either too angry or too confused to give her any answers. What confused her even more was when she delivered to each of the Elements of Harmony. Fluttershy was where Pinkie Pie lived, Pinkie Pie was where Applejack was suppose to be, Applejack was making dresses in Rarity’s boutique, Rarity was doing Rainbow Dash’s weather job- which would explain the strange weather- and Rainbow Dash was trying to take care of Fluttershy’s animals, keyword being “trying”.

That left only Twilight Sparkle, her newest friend. From Fluttershy’s cottage, she left towards the Golden Oaks Library to talk to her. However, she didn’t get to fly too far before she saw Twilight walking without Spike. That doesn’t surprise me. I think I saw Spike with Rarity, Ditzy thought taking note of his absence.

But as she descended, she noticed something odd when she caught a glimpse of her friend’s face. There was no concern or sorrow on her face, not even so much as a hint of it. Instead she seemed to be giggling a little bit, not the kind of thing you would expect from a mare whose friends where miserable. Then again, they weren’t exactly her friends anymore, at least not to her from what Scintillant told her.

“Twilight!” Ditzy finally decided to call out.

The purple unicorn looked back to see her recent ally approaching her. “Hey Ditzy, what’s going on?”

“Have you looked around? I know Ponyville isn’t exactly the most normal of places in Equestria, but this is strange even for Ponyville standards.”

“Yeah I’ve noticed. I just got back from visiting my friends and they’re all doing either’s jobs. They even have each other’s cutie marks.”

“You don’t sound all that concerned.”

Twilight glanced to the side. Ditzy was almost certain she was trying to hide a smirk. “Well, at first I was a bit worried about this, but there is no reason for me to care, right? They weren’t concerned about me the past years, why should I?”

Ditzy realized now what this was about. The younger pony was still resentful of her “friends” and she figured this was deserved. She could understand not wanting to help somepony who wronged her. There have been many who made fun of her eyes and her clumsiness, but this was a bit too much and not concerning just the small group. It didn’t seem like Twilight.

“So what are you going to do now?” Ditzy inquired cautiously.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure how, or even if I should fix this. I’m almost tempted to leave them like this. If they want to change their lives to accommodate some stupid picture on their flank, let them. I just want to go home and eat something.”

The words carried a not-so-subtle frustration in them. She was clearly stressed, but the words themselves didn’t sound like the mature adult that Twilight usually was. And that struck a cord in Ditzy.

“Are you really going to act like this now?” she began in a more serious tone than usual. “Because to me, you sound a lot like a little filly throwing a tantrum. I can understand your anger towards your friends. Trust me, look at this face. Look at my clumsiness. What pony wouldn’t look at me and think I’m just an incompetent buffoon? But I don’t let that stop me from doing what I do. I’ve had times where I just wanted to stomp my hooves and give up. Then I look at my two little fillies and I realize that if I did just give up, what would I be teaching them? If I just gave up and not do anything, where would that leave them? They shouldn’t have to suffer because I didn’t want to do anything. They’re just innocents that would feel the consequences of my inaction.”

Ditzy pointed to various ponies that were having problems because of the disorder that was happening.

“Just like them. They didn’t do anything to deserve this. How many of them will have their lives ruined as a result of this? How many of them will live in constant fear, never knowing why this is happening or why it changed so abruptly? All just because you don’t want to lift a hoof to help your friends. They may have not been very good friends, but you’re not acting any better. And aren’t you supposed to be the bearer of Humility? What happened to putting others before yourself?”

Twilight was speechless to say the least. She stood there with her jaw open as Ditzy exhaled to let her words sink in, and sink in they did. Twilight dropped her coldness and it was replaced with shame. Shame of being so selfish.

“I… I didn’t… I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

Ditzy smiled warming and wrapped a wing over her friend. “It’s okay. We all have our low points. Now, I think you know what needs to be done.”

Twilight nodded. “Thanks a lot Ditzy. Now I need to find out how to fix this.”

The early morning air brushed against Trixie’s coat. She took special care of her appearance today, complementing the thorough bath she endured in freezing waters of one of the Everfree lakes. Of course she heard about what was to happen that day, Zecora got much more visitors these days than when she first moved close to Ponyville and so never lacked the news and always shared them with her new neighbour. Till the last moment Trixie hoped Twilight would suddenly teleport in front of her and take her to witness the coronation, but as the sun climbed higher still on the sky, she admitted it was a foalish hope.

She lay on one of the bare hills deep in the Everfree, face turned toward Canterlot. Normally she would bring a blanket, but today she didn’t care about the comfort of her spot. At least that’s what she thought back in her log cabin. Now as the stones digging into her belly and rough stems of grass entangling with her fur became reality, she bitterly regretted her decision. Better yet, it was only fueling her frustration further.

“Just perfect! Not only don’t I get to see it, I can’t even lay in the grass comfortably!” She jumped up, stomping the plants of the hilltop. “Do you have something against me, you blasted forest?!” she yelled and kicked the dirt with all her might. Unfortunately, a stone was hidden just under the surface and she recoiled from the pain in her now bruised hoof. She laid back down and cradled her aching appendage, few tears finding their way on her cheeks. “I take that as a yes.”

Her gaze drifted back to the castle in the distance, few multicolored bursts of light around the tiny towers. My fireworks would be prettier. They don’t even know how to properly honor her, she thought bitterly and rested her chin on her uninjured hoof.

She rose from her lethargy few minutes later when all the birds in the hundred yard radius flew up at the same time. She shot to alerted position, expecting some vile beast preparing attack, but instead came face to face with gray pegasus mare with yellow mane and two enormous brown saddlebags at her sides.

“There you are. Locating you here was a toughie,” the mare exclaimed cheerfully.

“That was the point,” muttered Trixie. After few seconds of remembering she finally recognised who her unexpected visitor was. “What are you doing here, Ditzy? Why aren’t you at the coronation like everypony else? she asked with flare, spreading her forelegs wide as if she wanted to embrace the whole world.

“Oh I will go there later, I still have time.” Ditzy’s light tone communicated clearly that she either didn’t notice Trixie’s bitterness or didn’t pay it any mind. “But now I am still on mailmare duty and Twilight sent me to you with a delivery. I will just have to talk to her about properly filling the address. Everfree Forest 2 is kinda vague localization.”

Trixie kept her annoyed expression, her dark mood not receding single bit, maybe even growing from the happy presence next to her. “So our precious princess remembered this low peasant pony and sent her a letter? Tell me, did she write it alone, or was one of her lockeys tasked with wording it? I wouldn’t be surprised, she must be SO busy with her new role!”

Tilting her head to the side Ditzy took a good look on Trixie’s face. Too many times Dinky and Sparkler tried to hide that something bad happened, so such an obvious sign like tear traces couldn’t escape Ditzy’s attention. From that discovery it was just a small step to understanding the reason of Trixie’s angry words.

“If it was even slightly possible, she would have gotten you there. You should have seen how dejected she looked when she was handing me this for you. It would help her too if you could be there today. Not all that glitters is gold.” She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a brown box tied by a simple twine and a white envelope with purple wax seal.

Grabbing the items in her magic Trixie sighed and laid back down. “Thank you. It-it just isn’t fair. I’m not saying I would like to be a princess, but attending her coronation would feel so right. I will miss her moment of glory…”

Ditzy put down her saddlebags and laid close to where Trixie was curling up. “There will be many more times when Twilight will shine. She just has it in her.” She leant forward and in a conspiratorial manner whispered. “Besides, a title acquired today will soon be pretty much meaningless, and so is this celebration. Would you like me to stay here with you instead of going there?”

“Even meaningless things can be pleasant, Ditzy. Concentrating only on work and duty will get much done, but also turns a pony into machine. We need fun just as much as self-motivation,” Trixie said as she started fiddling with the knot on the package. That left Ditzy a bit confused, as such way of thinking was foreign to her for a very long time now. Spotting the indecisive look of Ditzy, Trixie chuckled and continued. “Hurry up or you will be late. And say hello to others if you see them.”

Ditzy glanced at the position of the sun and jumped directly into the air. “Oh my gosh, you are right! I have to hurry! See you later, Trixie. And please, don’t be sad, ok?” With that she shot in direction of Canterlot with speed nopony would believe in the usually clumsy pegasus.

I will try, Trixie thought and finally unwrapped the package. Inside she found a light blue cake with her cutie mark on top in white frosting. There was also a silver knife and a small china plate. Twilight sent me my personal coronation banquet! Then she took the letter, carefully removing it from the envelope.

Title unasked for brings little pleasure, the crown weighs me down. Without new friends I wouldn’t go on. I hope to see you soon.

Trixie folded it back into the envelope and held close to her chest. Realization of how selfishly she thought about the event struck her like a speeding chariot and opened a whole new view on Twilight. “I hope to see you soon too, Twilight. I really do.”

Acrylic Canvas had never seen Limestone Boulevard so decorated and full of life before, even when she worked on the street. The coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle was a huge event, one that Canvas never thought she would be a part of. Not since the royal wedding had such an event gotten so much excitement. The young artist saw everything as new and beautiful, embracing her second chance on life and taking everything in. Best of all, Canvas knew the new princess as a dear friend, all the more reason to show up.

Running from one stand to another, checking on various cheesy memorabilia of the event sold by traveling vendors, and admiring the craftsmanship of few actual artisans, she made her way down the Boulevard and further to the centre of the city. Deciding to be less strict on her expenses she was soon munching on a cotton candy, colored purple to honor the new princess. She was so entranced by the festive surroundings that she lost her classmates she originally went with somewhere in the crowd.

“Oh great. Where is everypony?” Canvas said thinking out loud. It was a habit she’d picked up during her painting sessions. “Well, might as well look at everything else.”

She trotted further down the street, humming along with the music that played, up until she saw a Wonderbolt demonstration. “Ooh! The Wonderbolts. I have to see this.” The excited young mare watched gleefully as the elite pegasi performed air formations, loops and turns, and at one point they flew so low that the spectators could feel the wind speed as they dashed by. Everypony cheered, including Canvas herself. As the demonstration died down and the spectators went to see other festivities, Canvas noticed a lone pony wearing a formal dress uniform on the sidelines and approached to get a closer look. Then she recognized it was Lightning Dust. While each of the other cadets and spectators had a look of excitement and glee, she looked just the opposite; serious, even slightly annoyed that she was here.

“Um, excuse me?”

The pegasus turned towards the young mare and saluted, feeling slightly silly doing so to a grown-up mare with cotton candy all over her muzzle. “Good morning young lady. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Your name is Lightning Dust, right?”

She blinked. “Yes… How did you know?”

“Don’t you remember me? Acrylic Canvas? We met in Elysium?” Canvas said whispering that last part.

It took a moment for Lightning Dust to realize who she was speaking to. “Oh! Yeah sorry, so much has been going on today.”

“It’s okay. With this kind of thing, it’s easy to get lost in the excitement.”

“Yeah, right. Excitement.”

Canvas noticed the sarcasm in her friend’s voice. “Is something wrong? I would have thought this would be exciting for everypony.”

“To be honest, I didn’t really want to be here today. The only reason I’m here right now is because I was more or less ordered to come. It’s a military duty.”

Canvas tilted her head, signaling Lightning that she didn’t understand her words very well.

“Look kid, when you’re in the military, you have certain duties you have to-”

“I know what you mean about the military duties, I’m just confused as to why you don’t want to be here.”

“...Oh. Well, I would rather be training in all honesty. I want to try and be a better pony than I was and, hopefully, gain a position in the Wonderbolts.”

“But today is a day of celebration. Our friend is becoming a princess, isn’t that a great achievement?”

“Yes. And I’m happy for her, really I am. My friend and partner Rainbow Dash is an even closer friend to Twilight. I actually met Twilight through her… I just wish it could’ve been on more favorable conditions.”

As Lightning Dust talked, Canvas noticed her looking through the crowds as if she was looking for somepony.

“What do you mean ‘more favorable conditions’?”

“Well… Awhile back, she and her other friends came to visit Rainbow Dash and they came during practice. Rainbow and I were trying to clear away clouds and in a reckless tactic, I convinced her to create a tornado to clear them. We lost control and it sucked up her friends, destroying their balloon. If not for the other cadets being so fast, they probably would have died. This later resulted in me being disowned by my family.”

“Oh… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” Canvas started feeling bad having brought up this touchy subject.

“Nah, it’s cool. If we’re going to be friends, you’d have to hear it anyway.” Lightning smiled. “Anyway, I wanted to join my family again so I threw myself into my training, under the guidance of Rainbow Dash keeping me in line should I relapse into my recklessness again, as her wingpony. I wasn’t quite pleased at first having to come here because I wanted to get back to that, but being here now, I wanted to see if I could at least catch a glimpse of my father. Unfortunately, I can’t find him.”

The comment about Lightning Dust’s father made Canvas’ ears droop, being reminded of her own father. “I can understand the feeling of letting down your father. I’m not sure if I can face mine anymore.”

“Well, looks like we have something in common then. I’m willing to bet you miss your family as much as I do?”

Canvas nodded, earning a pat on the back from her companion.

“Everything’s gonna be just fine bud. Look, I should probably go join the other cadets. The captains gonna wonder where I’ve gone.”

“Yeah, my classmates are going to wonder the same. It’s been nice talking to you.”

“Same to you, uh… I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

“Acrylic Canvas.”

“Right. Seeya round.”

The mares parted ways and at noon later that day, they showed up at the ceremony of the new princess, along with Ditzy who joined them at the last minute. After Celestia gave her proud speech, Canvas beamed as the double doors opened to reveal the glorious sight of the pony who helped turn her life around. It was hard for her to believe that this already pretty mare was even more gorgeous. To her, this was like a happy fairy tale and it made her ecstatic as Twilight was crowned and gave her speech to the citizens of Equestria that showed to the event. Everypony clapped and cheered, Canvas especially whose eyes were welling up with emotion as Twilight embraced her brother and sister-in-law; Shining Armor wasn’t the only one with liquid pride. Twilight and her friends were being escorted to a parade outside when she saw Canvas in the crowd. Out of habit she smiled at the young artist, happy to see her. But in that moment after she broke eye contact, Canvas noticed something that troubled her.

Twilight had little joy in her expression. Sure, she was smiling for the crowd, but it was noticeably strained, or at least it appeared to be. It would seem that nopony else noticed it but Canvas.

“Is she… upset?

Later that night, Twilight was escorted to her new royal chambers by Celestia. While she didn’t plan on living here, she admittedly found the chamber to be fairly cozy. Celestia had all the necessities set up for her prized student, including a small collection of books. The two were talking while they were having some tea, Celestia answering Twilight’s questions on her new position.

“Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“Yes actually. I was wondering what I had in store for me now that I have this title.”

“We will start slow at first. But a lot has happened today so I will brief you about it tomorrow. Until then, try to get some rest.”

“I’m still unsure about this, Princess.”

“You will do more than well. I have the utmost confidence and faith in you. Good night Twilight.”

“Good night Princess Celestia.”

Twilight waited until Celestia was long gone and Spike was asleep before she crawled underneath the covers of her new bed. Having faith in somepony means you take their opinion and wishes into consideration, not force your own will upon them! If I knew what that spell was, I would have just burned that book! Twilight angrily thought. But maybe we can benefit from this. I will learn as much about your government as possible and master my new powers along with it. Then we’ll see who decides whose fate…

As Twilight drifted off to sleep, a certain angelic pony stood outside on the balcony. She had watched as everything unfolded during the day. And she too was bitter about it.

“Oh Celestia. You did it yet again, burdening a young soul with what they didn’t desire. Yet this time, I won’t allow you to ruin them. Twilight Sparkle will never be alone…”

Chapter 10

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Original Title: A Stranger I Remain
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

Things were definitely not going Twilight’s way. The past few weeks since the coronation could be called a living hell or a life of a nightingale in a golden cage. That is, if the nightingale was forced to slave from the sundawn to the sunset and beyond. Celestia’s promise that they would start Twilight slow turned up to be a ruse, or at least Twilight hoped it did, because if the workload would increase even slightly, she would fall from exhaustion.

It wasn’t just the amount of paperwork she had to fill daily or arguing with the council about every single rule and law; with her experience from living in Ponyville and from studying she would manage both rather easily. What really drove her crazy was holding the court as all the nobles of Canterlot saw fit to take their complaints to the newest member of royalty, expecting her to break down and fulfill their wishes. They were, however, sadly mistaken as she had enough of ponies telling her what to do already.

When she finally managed to save few days to go see her new friends and continue her own research on Elysium, Celestia somehow found out and planned an all-princess-meeting in Crystal Empire. It is very logical to hold it here, where only one princess lives, instead of Canterlot, where only the other three reside! She was very surprised when she met the other elements bearers at the train station, although she should have expected that. After all, she was still keeping the appearance that everything was right in her life.

She would get over all that, mainly thanks to the calming technique Cadance taught her (and to the amount of ice cream she consumed every day), but Sunset Shimmer, as Celestia called that insufferable pony, stealing her crown really drove Twilight over the edge. She didn’t need nor particularly want it, the crown symbolized everything she didn’t ask for and was completely useless as the Elements of Harmony wouldn’t work anyway, but it was a matter of principle. Nopony would take what was hers and laugh in her face!

Twilight was determined to get her crown back and would gladly fight for the right to pursue Sunset Shimmer to whatever world she ran to, but having to go all alone took her by surprise. Wouldn’t it make sense to send a battalion of guards with me, especially with how dangerous Luna said Sunset Shimmer could be? Our world was off balance many times and it returned back on its own accord every time. Why wouldn’t the other world do the same?

The situation had a bright side to it as well for Twilight. The rest of the elements bearers couldn’t go with her, so she would get at least some time to rest from all the pretending, even if it was just two days. Any chance to be herself was a welcomed gift these days and if it was given to her by Sunset Shimmer’s actions, she was willing to thank the other unicorn wholeheartedly.

It still amazes me what she dared to do. Not just leaving for another world, but returning and stealing valuable defense asset under the noses of four princesses. Maybe she didn’t know we all would be present, though, but even one princess is an intimidating adversary, Twilight contemplated as she was nearing the mirror. I could even admire such bold action if I weren’t so furious at her.

There was something very wrong with Crystal Empire security too. As she recalled her mad dash after the thief, she realized there wasn’t a single guard along the entire route. For a quarter where some of the most important ponies in Equestria were spending the night and for the vault of the Empire it was fairly concerning. I will have to have a word with Cadance. Or better yet, Shining Armor. If he organized the defense of Canterlot as badly as this, it’s a wonder there was just one invasion. Some walls are firm only because nopony tried them, I suppose.

She checked her saddlebags quickly. Nothing was added or removed, the contents just as she packed them in Canterlot. She reached under few books, a notebook, bottle of ink and a quill and lightly touched the Elysian amulet which she always carried with her since the coronation. Once you see her, you will know. That’s what Scintillant said. Could it be? I hope not, she didn’t look like somepony I would like to work with. But who knows? I had my opinion about Ditzy and now look. She reached forward and touched the portal, watching the ripples form on its surface. She smirked a little as she made the final step. Well, Sunset Shimmer, let’s see how far your fortitude goes!

The bed of books that Twilight slept on was a bit uncomfortable compared to one she was used to, but in the situation she was in now, beggars couldn’t be choosers. It was late in the night that Twilight was sleeping on this makeshift bed when she heard a noise, not a loud noise, but one that was disrupting enough to catch her ear. As the school was supposed to be empty aside from her, she knew this didn’t bode well. Is that who I think it is? Twilight pondered. I can’t risk it. I need to check.

Twilight carefully inched her way out from under the covers so as not to wake Spike, walked towards the door and quietly cracked it open. After making sure the coast was clear, she tiptoed out into the corridor and made her way towards the principal's office where she thought the sound originated. She was right as the door was open and she heard some rustling from within. Twilight peeked in to see her adversary looking through the place.

“Sunset Shimmer!”

The girl in question swiveled to face Twilight, clearly not expecting to be confronted this late at night. “Oh, princess. I suppose I should have expected you to try and steal your crown back.”

“I wasn’t trying to steal my crown… Though that did come to mind at some point.” Twilight admitted.

Sunset shot her a fierce glare. “Well, I didn’t spend so much time and planning to give it up to the likes of you! If you want your crown back so bad, why don’t you fight me for it?”

“I don’t really want it back,.” Twilight said flatly. “You stealing from me enraged me fairly, but the stolen item being a crown makes no difference.”

Sunset went from enraged to dumbfounded. “Say what now?”

“Actually, I was hoping you and I could work together. See, you’re not the only one with a grudge against Princess Celestia. Do you think I asked for this title?”

“...Go on.” Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“I get it. You want power, that much is obvious. I can give that power to you, more than some stupid, useless Element of Harmony ever could.”

“Useless?”

“Those friends of mine that chased after you alongside me don’t realize this yet, but the Elements of Harmony won’t work and it’s because of them. That also means that even if you did have the crown- which doesn’t seem to be in this building at the moment- you wouldn’t be able to do much with it.”

“What?! Y-you’re lying.”

“I really wish I was. It would mean I could still trust my so-called friends and mentor. But the reality is your sole asset won’t be any help. But the power that I can offer you is legitimately stronger. All I ask is for your cooperation.” Twilight extended her hand. “What do you say? Will you give my offer a chance?”

Sunset stood there silent, not really sure how to feel about what she heard. The plan she had worked so hard towards was falling apart by something she never expected to happen. If what she says is true, then all those years were wasted. But is she telling the truth? Or is she luring me into a trap? She IS Celestia’s apprentice, what if she is just manipulating me? Well, two can play at that game. I am a former student too, princess.

“I still don’t know if I can trust you. But I have an idea that might change that.”

“I’m listening.”

“Let’s make a contest of sorts out of this. I will drop my pursuit of the crown for tonight seeing as how it doesn’t seem to be here. We will compete for the crown at the Fall Formal. If you win, I will be at your command. But if I win, I have this world to myself. Don’t expect me to go easy though. I’m not about to throw away all my plans.” Sunset smirked at her terms. If we do it this way, I can see if she is telling the truth. If she accepts, she seals her fate and if she declines, I can finish her here.

“Very well. We will do it your way.”

...Okay, I was kind of expecting her to decline, but let’s see where this goes.

The two girls shook hands and went their separate ways. True to her word, Sunset Shimmer dropped her effort to steal the crown during that night and left the school to her own accord. Twilight on the other hand snuck back to her makeshift bed in the library. I know what she’s doing. Even if she does win, I will have the last laugh. How can you take over a world with a useless artifact? Let alone kill me with it. When I win, I will show her that my offer holds water. Well, fire actually but that’s besides the point.

Twilight was towering above the crater the reawakened Elements of Harmony created as a side effect of cleansing Sunset Shimmer. She supposed that from Sunset’s position on its bottom she must have looked truly intimidating, otherwise she couldn’t explain to herself, why there were tears in Sunset’s eyes. From what she learned, regrets simply weren’t her thing.

“The magic of friendship isn’t just in Equestria. It’s everywhere. You can seek it out, or be forever alone. The choice is yours.” She felt how much truth was in her own words and realised that she took her own advice when she accepted Scintillant’s offer. Without her new friends, she would be all alone and would probably choose to stay in this world. The world where the avatars of her friends never hurt her, where they were true to their elements, where she could be loved for who she was, not what she was.

At the same time, she was communicating the message that the offer still stood. If we all must fall first to gain and understand our position, she makes a perfect candidate. She should pray Scintillant will confirm this, or else she will face a grave punishment. I’ll make sure of that.

“But… but all I’ve ever done since being here is drive everyone apart. I don’t know the first thing about friendship,” Sunset said in a trembling voice as she climbed to the edge of the crater. Twilight grabbed her hand and pulled her out completely.

“I bet they can teach you,” Twilight said to keep the appearance that everything would stay the same. Once the attention of everyone shifted to Spike though, she leaned closer to Sunset and whispered. “Will you obey now, traitor?”

Sunset glanced around at all the faces barely hiding hostility. Without the fear and without the Element of Magic, I am dead here. Do I really have a choice? She quickly, but firmly nodded her assent.

“Then be ready and don’t struggle. Now go and pretend you are staying here.” Sunset obediently left Twilight’s side and went to the school’s entrance, just in time to make place for principal Celestia.

“I believe this belongs to you. A true princess in any world leads not by forcing others to bow before her, but by inspiring others to stand with her. We have all seen that you are capable of just that. I hope you see it too, princess Twilight.”

Maybe I will take something important from all this after all. Wish Princess Celestia understood this lesson as well. I certainly will, whatever my future holds. She looked principal in the eyes and eagerly nodded. “I do.”

After the lengthy goodbyes with her new friends she would most likely never see again she walked to the pedestal of the statue hiding the portal back to Equestria. She remembered the place where Sunset Shimmer stood just seconds away and hoped she would still be there. If not, I will bring few bricks to Equestria. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about them betraying the given word at first chance.

She concentrated on the Elysian amulet hidden in her hair and on Sunset. A quick surge of magic later she felt something squirming at the back of her neck, close to where the amulet was. Either I succeeded or I just stole one of Fluttershy’s animals. Wonder if I could befriend that creature, whatever it is.

She passed the portal and returned to her quadrupedal form. What a relief. At the same time she registered a new sensation. The creature in her mane definitely had hooves. Well it seems I aimed precisely. Hold there and don’t look out, Sunset, or there will be much explaining. Or hoofstomping.

Enduring all the questions her friends and the princesses had for her exhausted her further. Why couldn’t they see that she got almost no sleep and fought a demon not two hours ago? Not to mention the discomfort of Sunset permanently looking for a better position behind her neck.

At long last she got to her room. Spike fell asleep almost immediately, this time making comfortable in her bed. It was big enough for them both and they actually grew even closer during the trip into another world. She shook her head violently causing Sunset to fly out of her mane, but she caught her just in time in her magic and levitated her in front of her eyes. Upside down.

“Oops, sorry, forgot you were there,” she chirped and cast the spell reversing the shrinking. Then she lowered Sunset to the ground.

“How could you forget such thing?!” Sunset hissed and crouched a little in an offensive stance. Twilight straightened up into her full height and spread her wings, effectively proving who the most fearsome pony in the room was.

“Consider it a payback for that fireball. You are lucky I retaliated so leniently,” Twilight replied sharply but quietly to not wake Spike. He certainly deserved his rest. “Do you always keep your word so well? Learn to take a loss or lose for good!”

Sunset recoiled at the wrath of the alicorn in front of her and sat back on her haunches. “I want to apologize for that. Seeing as you undid in two days what I was building so long was too much for me to stand. I had to win. The world was mine,” she said with her head hung low.

Twilight looked down on her sternly, but folded her wings anyway. “Obviously it wasn’t. But enough about that. I am tired, beaten and dirty, all of that mainly thanks to you. Dealing with you at this moment doesn’t seem like a good idea, so I will make it quick. Listen carefully.”

She made her way to the locker by the wall and removed a pouch full of bits and a long cape, the one Sunset lost during her escape. “You will catch the morning train out of Crystal Empire and go to Ponyville. Once you are out of the Empire, nopony will recognise you, I am sure. Once in Ponyville, you will ask where Zecora lives and go there. Tell her that Twilight sent you. Follow her instructions to the dot. If you try to escape, remember I don’t care capital punishment was outlawed in Equestria.”

Sunset nodded and took the items in her magic. “You can rely on me this time. I really am sorry for what I did there, please believe me that. Seeing you managed to get me here without your horn proves that you hold a great power as well and I want to be helpful. Could I get another chance from you?”

Twilight watched as Sunset’s expression slowly turned into a pleading one. She sighed and remembered that Trixie and Lightning Dust didn’t treat her the best way at first either. We are supposed to work together not just as colleagues, but as friends. Plus she seems genuine this time around. She turned the corners of her lips upwards in a half smile half smirk and placed a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. “You can have your chance, just try to work on your puppy dog eyes harder. One would think that after seeing Spike gawking on Rarity there you would know how to pull them better.”

Sunset turned red in embarrassment just like her namesake and averted her eyes elsewhere. “I’m just teasing you, don’t take that remark so seriously,” Twilight said with a giggle and motioned toward the door. “Come, I will lead you out of the palace. The guards could be a nuisance otherwise. Although after how they performed two days ago…”

“Come on, Sunset, you faced great perils and even greater challenges, such petty thing like an old thick forest can’t scare you,” Sunset spoke aloud to herself at the sight in front of her. The journey from the Crystal Empire took her most of the day, so when she finally learnt the directions how to get to Zecora’s hut, the sun was already setting.

Thanks to the animosity of princess Twilight she was forced to scrape by a fairly limited funds and therefore choose between comfort of the first class carriage and her full stomach. Needless to say the food won as she hadn’t eaten anything for almost a day. When she was levitating her lunch and the money required as payment, she noticed how strangely taxing the task was. She managed, of course, but the magic didn’t flow as naturally as she remembered.

Her slight magical rustiness combined with exhaustion from lack of sleep - third class carriage full of chatting tourists was less than ideal for slumbering - was causing her serious worry about her upcoming journey under the canopy. If it weren’t for Twilight’s urging to hurry and the assurance of one of the inhabitants that the beasts stayed in the deeper parts, she would probably wait for the morning.

To her great relief and actual surprise, since the forest looked even more foreboding from inside than from her previous viewpoint on its rim, she made it to the hut with just a single incident including an overgrown bat and a well aimed fireball. She knocked quickly to get inside as soon as possible. After a while a hoofsteps echoed from inside and the door opened to reveal a zebra maybe in her forties. This race so far from savannas wasn’t exactly what Sunset expected.

“Sunset Shimmer, so you have come,” the zebra said and waved her hoof into the hut, inviting Sunset to come in. Then she tilted her head a little. “Why does your heart beat like a drum?”

Sunset pondered if her host would have found a sufficient rhyme if she had arrived absolutely calm, but dismissed it in favor of more important matters. “The forest doesn’t look exactly inviting and I encountered some trouble along the way. You must be Zecora, right? How did you know I would show up?”

“So it was you I heard to scream. At first I thought it was a dream.” At the withering stare Sunset gave her she shook her head and went on with answering the question. “Letter for Trixie said so much. She and Twilight keep in touch.” Zecora rummaged through her herb pouches. Then she mixed some of the leaves and handed Sunset a steaming cup. “Drink this down and do not fret, calming herbs are not a threat.”

Sunset eyed the liquid and despite Zecora’s words didn’t touch it. “Who is Trixie?” she asked instead, a bit annoyed by the number of ponies knowing about her presence.

“I’ll take you to her, you will see, but only once you finish tea.” Zecora sat down and crossed her forehoof on her chest a clear sign that debating the matter was not an option. Sunset seeing no other way out lifted the cup to her lips and took a long sip. Immediately after, she cringed from the horrible bitter taste, to Zecora’s clear amusement.

“Since I know Trixie’s thoughts about you, I may have mixed in some sagebrush too.” Sunset glared at her, but drank the rest of her beverage with a straight face to not give her host more reasons for happiness.

Once she placed the cup back to its rightful place, even though she would much rather throw it into the flames, Sunset was led by Zecora outside and down a winding path away from the direction she knew Ponyville lay. The night may have been cloudless, but the thick branches of ancient trees prevented the light of the moon or the stars from illuminating the path. The most natural solution that came to Sunset’s mind was to light her horn, but that was met with a harsh reaction.

“Extinguish light and right away! Don’t lure the timberwolves to their prey!” Zecora hissed and smacked Sunset’s horn lightly with her hoof. The light went out instantly and Sunset started rubbing her aching appendage with her own hoof.

“What would be the difference? Either timberwolves eat me, or I fall into some ravine along the way!” She yell-whispered behind the retreating zebra, but then she realised something much more disconcerting - if she didn’t keep close to Zecora, she would be absolutely lost, and that scenario was slowly becoming reality. “Hey, wait for me!” she said as loudly as she dared and blindly galloped behind Zecora, staying never more than two hoof lengths behind her.

After some time, Sunset couldn’t really tell how long, a brighter patch appeared in front of them and they both instinctively sped up, soon emerging into a small clearing. There was a big object just in the middle of it, but only when they came closer did Sunset identify it as a log cabin. Simply marvelous. Instead of a palace I planned to have for myself by now, I will be living in the middle of woods in little more than a shack. On the other hoof, after what I have done, I should be glad I will be living in the first place.

Zecora rounded the building and approached the door. A quiet snoring could be heard from inside, so she knocked with more force than she would normally use. The effect came swiftly; there was a loud thud to be heard from inside as a body hit the floor and the door flew open in a blue aura. A blue unicorn mare stood in the middle of the room with her horn charged, most likely ready to kill whatever dared to attack her house. She visibly relaxed when she recognised Zecora and then lit a lantern by the ceiling with her magic.

“Zecora, you scared me! I thought you would know how it feels when something ramms into your home at night after living in Everfree for so long,” she scolded, but then her face brightened. “Anyway, come in. What brings you here at-” She glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. “-half past eleven?”

“Pardon my manners, my dear friend. I didn’t intend to offend. The matter at hoof just couldn’t wait and thus I come to you so late.” Zecora took the place at the table and helped herself to some nuts Trixie brought forth. Sunset grew tired of waiting outside by this point and marched in without invitation, Zecora raised an eyebrow at the uncouth act and turned back to Trixie. “And here’s the matter in flesh and bone, despite we wanted to talk alone.”

“Could you stop talking about me like I am not present? Sunset exclaimed and huffed like a bull. Nopony seemed to pay mind to her outburst, but an annoyed expression returned to Trixie’s face.

“This is the matter that wouldn’t wait? You could have allowed her to spend a night at your hut and come in the morning when it is safe. Such a risk for so little…”

“You abhor her like a pest and my hut should be her nest?” Zecora said in agitation. “You said to bring her and here she is. For neither of us this is a bliss.”

“I know I know, sorry. Thank you for doing this for me.” Zecora nodded and got up, heading to the door. “If you want to stay the night, it is fine, you can take my bed.”

“Home is the sweetest, you know that well. That’s why I won’t choose today to dwell,” Zecora replied with a smile, ready to close the door behind her.

“I will have the herbs for you in two days and will drop by then, ok? See you soon!” Trixie called before the door shut. Then she turned her attention to Sunset, who was apparently ready to explode. “Twilight wrote me what happened and that she believes you will take Fortitude. Well, she is the one with Scintillant’s instructions; I am just supposed to shelter you for the time being. That being said, you can bet your horn that I am not happy about this. But Twilight asked me to, so here we are. She asked me to make a bed for you too. There it is.” She pointed into the corner at a precarious wooden frame with hay and blankets on top.

The mentions of ‘Scintillant’ and ‘Fortitude’ made no sense to Sunset. Who or what were they? What did she even agree to do? But when she was pointed to the bed, all the questions went silent. “This is supposed to be a bed?!” she yelled, storming to it and smacking its side with her forehoof.

“Does my cutie mark look like a hammer?” Trixie retorted, pointing at her flank. “Besides, I had just one day to prepare it. Be glad you aren’t sleeping on the ground. And if I were you I wouldn’t hit it too hard, it may fall apart.” She trotted to her own bed and tucked herself in. “Speaking of sleep, it is time. Now. Goodnight.” With that she doused the fire in the lantern, bathing the room in darkness once more.

The shock overtook Sunset’s senses. Such brutish behavior! Such disrespectful manners! How dared they treat her, Sunset Shimmer, one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria, like an unwanted pet?! She was about to yell at Trixie and teach her some manners, when a howl from the distance arrived to her ears. She may throw me outside. That… wouldn’t be healthy. I will correct her ways tomorrow.

With that she laid in her ‘bed’, actually enjoying the softness underneath. After the last three days it felt heavenly to just lay down and rest. Yet the sleep wasn’t coming to her, the exhaustion being too great and her mind too angried. She remembered she saw a small bookshelf near the door and decided to calm herself with a bit of reading, no matter what junk literature she would find there.

She reached out with her magic and grabbed a random book, bringing it to herself. When she lit her horn, she was awed by the title she held in her hooves. ‘Master transformation magic and its core principles’? Maybe she won’t be such an ignorant as I thought...’

However, her reading was disturbed before it could even properly begin as Trixie sat up on her bed. “I said, it is time to sleep. Snuff out the light.” Sunset didn’t react in the slightest, determined to enforce her will this time. For a minute she thought she won, but then Trixie spoke again. “You forced my hoof, Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset continued reading, but suddenly felt a wet sensation on her head and soon on her back too. She rolled and looked up, spotting a legitimate raincloud above her bed. Inside the room.

"When it is light, it is day. And from what Zecora told me, it is supposed to rain during the day. Now do as I said.”

Utterly defeated, Sunset followed the order and then placed the book next to her bed. Why does everypony hate my light spell today? she thought sorrowfully before her eyes finally closed.

Chapter 11

View Online

Original Title: Opening Doors
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

Canvas woke up with Scintillant standing above her and deduced that she was in Elysium from the unfamiliar stars and structures all around. The young mare rubbed her eyes as she stood up, still weak from sleep. A distinct aroma filled her nose, a sweet smell of vanilla from what Canvas gathered.

“Good evening, Acrylic Canvas, I hope your time has been pleasant,” Scintillant said to the wide-eyed mare who a blissful smile on her face. She was looking all around, sniffing from time to time.

“Scintillant? Do you smell it? Where does that vanilla aroma come from?” Her voice spoke of inner peace spreading through her, her expression turning to a dreamy one as she took the aroma in with deep breaths.

“Elysium pleases those allowed to enter, dear. At first it serves to the senses, bringing forth what the soul enjoyed the most in the world. Only later when the worldly pleasures lose their luster does Elysium bring the purest bliss and happiness to the mind. All in due time.” She drapped one of her wings across Canvas’ back and led her across the marble paved space. “I understand that vanilla scent holds special significance to you?”

Canvas eagerly nodded. “My nanny used to bake a lot when I was small. She always allowed me to help and sample first. Nothing could beat her vanilla puffs! Wish I could taste them again,” she said with a sigh.

“Little joys of life,” Scintillant chucked. Her halo spinned a little and a tray of desired confectionary treats appeared before Canvas. “Eat up, dear child. Elysium pleases its faithful ones. You will need a lot of energy anyway.”

Canvas snatched the tray quickly, a habit she earned while living on the street, and stuffed her mouth with the puff. After a moment she looked up and still with full mouth asked, “What for?”

“Your talent could prove to be a valuable asset, Acrylic Canvas. Let us see if you are up for a challenging task. Look around, young one.”

The magenta earth mare took a better look at her surroundings and was awed by the sights she saw. Even though it was night in Elysium, there was a light that illuminated a large plaza with marble structures and the largest fountain she had ever seen in the center of it all. Even though the area was well lit, she didn’t see a single torch or lantern from which said light originated. As she looked around, a large circular structure against one of the walls caught her eye. It was a huge gate with a mix of red and gold spreading out from the center, which was a platinum pegasus with 3 golden orbs formulated in a triangular pattern and anchored by a purple orb at the center. On the on the left side of the marble frame was a slim, yet tall unicorn made of ivory drawing back a recurve bow, and to the right side was another unicorn made of ebony planting a sword into its base. Perched at the top of the circular frame was a marble pegasus with red and gold clawed gauntlet and its wings spread out, with a wingspan roughly equivalent to Celestia’s at scale. At the bottom of the frame was an Earth pony, also marble, holding a spear in its mouth. The whole gate itself was easily large enough for the entire plaza to fit inside it.

“This is our Grand Plaza, so named because our Grand Creator looks over it, providing the light that illuminates all of Elysium.”

“Grand… Creator?” Trying to comprehend all she saw, with little to base her understanding on, Canvas was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the greatness.

How little they know about the true origins, Scintillant thought and used her wings to point opposite to the gate. Canvas looked up and saw an enormous statue at the top of the dome of an even more enormous cathedral. While the size of the building was impressive by itself, the statue that stood atop it trumped the Crystal Empire’s palace in height. It depicted an alicorn clad in red and gold armor standing on its hindlegs holding up a mesh metal sphere with what looked like a miniature white sun inside it. The statue’s wings were the same design as Scintillant’s, but instead of three "ribbons" on one side, this one had a total of twelve, six per side, which were wrapped around its body and the sphere it was holding up. The alicorn’s horn was protruding into the sphere, which had stone angelic foals circled around the horizontal circumference, as if they were helping the statue hold it up.

“Few living souls have the honor of gazing upon this, our realm’s most cherished structure. She crafted us and our world. Alas, this statue does not do the real thing justice.”

“Are we going to meet with Grand Creator? If this doesn’t compare to her, she must be truly majestic. Even more than Twilight was during her coronation!” Canvas exclaimed with excitement comparable to the foal before Hearth’s Warming Eve.

Scintillant sighed and Canvas was certain she saw a glistening in her eyes. Just as she was about to ask Scintillant what was wrong and offer consolation, the angel snapped out of her reverie and focused back on her. “There is no such thing as true immortality, Acrylic Canvas. Even the divine fall eventually,” she said, her tone betraying deep sorrow. “But I digress. There is a reason I have brought you here tonight to gaze upon this gate. We have found the sixth bearer and because of this, you are all to travel here to condition yourself to wield our Elements. But it is not so simple as to come here within your dream. The physical work you will have to endure does not transfer as well through this method. We need to bring your physical bodies here.”

Scintillant spread her wings to bring Canvas’ attention to the gate.

“This is the Porta del Paradiso, our primary gate between the living realm, and ours. I need you to create a scaled replica with your talent.”

Canvas gazed upon the structure, marvelling on its intricate design as well as fretting about such huge task. With uncertainty in her voice she asked the most basic question. “Why do you need another?”

“Dear child, it is not us who needs the second gate. It is your friends and you. That’s how you are going to enter Elysium, first living souls to do so with glory in many generations. Your artistic eye can accurately replicate the proper engravings and the distance between them. These glyphs must be precise; the wrong placement would disrupt the portal and it would not work properly as a result. I trust you will do this.”

“I can try, but I will need to sketch the glyphs before I start the project, so that I can draw them. I may also need details on how far apart they should be.” Canvas’ resolve was steeled by this point. She wouldn’t fail. Not Scintillant and certainly not her friends.

“I can provide whatever you need. Just take your time.”

Canvas spent several hours sketching and calculating how much she would need to compensate between the glyphs and how small they should be compared to the original. There was really no telling how much sketching paper she went through but she jotted down every single detail, right down the texture and material the gate was made of.

She couldn’t help but doze off as the night drew closer to morning however and once she awoke, she found herself back in her dormroom. The last time she went to Elysium, she woke up with a splitting migraine, but this time she only had a minor one. She rubbed her temples a bit before getting up the energy to rise out of bed and get breakfast. While eating her food, she came to a realization. Where am I going to work to make such a device? My dorm is nowhere near large enough to paint a project of that size. Then she had an idea. I seem to remember a warehouse in that unused part of the areal. I wonder if I can ask to use it.

The warehouse would do nicely for her new project, but she would have to talk to the school’s principal. So after finishing her breakfast and cleaning up, she made a trip to his office to discuss the matter and knocked on his door.

“Come in.”

She opened the door and greeted the principal, who smiled back happy to see one of his favorite students.

“Ah, miss Canvas. What do I owe the honor?”

“Hello sir. I wanted to ask you something. You see, I wanted to make something for the new princess to repay her for helping me get into this school. She’s a good friend of mine and I want to make her a nice gift to honor her coronation.” She trotted to the table as she talked and sat down just in front of it, sheepish smile playing on her lips.

“Okay?” The principal folded the papers he was perusing and laid his eyes on Canvas. Students creating works to praise the princesses were nothing new, he didn’t see any reason why Canvas would notify him about it.

“I have a project in mind, but I need a large enough workspace to make it. So I was wondering if, for the next couple of weeks or so, I could use that unused warehouse towards the back of the campus?”

The principal pondered for a moment before giving his response. “I suppose I don’t have a problem with it. But it was a bit cluttered the last time I checked so you might want to clean it up a bit before bringing your work there. It’s not very warm either.”

“That’s okay with me. Also, could I be the only one with access for the time being? I want it to be a surprise.”

“Very well then. Feel free to use it, but only during post school hours.”

“I understand sir. Thank you very much.” She left the office with glee noticeable in her step, her plan working without a hitch so far.

She went through her normal class routines and learned her other classmates were painting and sculpting for the new princess as well. It’s good to know they’re putting the time and effort into creating for Twilight, Canvas smiled as she performed her classwork. After her classes were done, she went back to her dorm to gather some supplies she would take with her during her trip to the warehouse.

Once inside her dorm, she noticed a pile of papers on her desk, the sketches she made in Elysium. She knew for a fact those weren’t there earlier.

“Must have been Scintillant. I’ll have to thank her later.”

“...taking all that data in consideration, you see that seven storey structure with penthouse and two separate swimming pools provides the best balance of space required, comfort and manageability,” the peach orange unicorn stallion with light gray mane and tail said, throwing Twilight a winning toothy smile. For the last half an hour he was lost in his lecture, pointing out various details in his multipaged presentation.

Twilight exited her daydreaming, mostly depicting throwing the stallion out of her office, preferably with the presentation board around his neck, and straightened in her chair. She took few seconds to get her voice under control, then few more to relax the clenched muscles in her face and only then did she address the stallion.

“While your reasoning concerning the choice of this particular solution for the project proves to be flawless, you seem to not understand the question of the moment. Why exactly should the crown be interested in funding building of five stars hotel?”

The stallion threw her a dirty look as if she asked why the sun had to rise every morning. “To accommodate the foreign dignitaries on diplomatic missions in Equestria, of course!” he exclaimed in disbelief.

“Why in Fillydelphia though? Wouldn’t Canterlot be a better choice for such establishment?” Twilight pried further.

“Does everything have to be in Canterlot if it wants to gain attention of the crown?! Fillydelphia provides much better sites and entertainment for the delegates than Canterlot. This clearly shows how protectionist the crown in fact is!” At this point he was openly glaring at Twilight. His volume also rose above the acceptable level for dealing with princesses.

Big mistake. Twilight’s temper balanced on the edge of the knife the whole time this particular petitioner spent in her office, maybe even longer, since the previous ones didn’t differ from him that much. His current act of hostility pushed Twilight past the line though.

“And Canterlot has all the governmental agencies and the seat of the crown itself!” she shouted. “If you have a problem with that, address the organisation department, not me. But with your behavior I would think twice about that. Princess Luna usually handles such demands and if you tried shouting at her, you would end up in the Moon. Now get out before I check who owns the companies supposed to build this nonsense and find all the corruption behind it!”

The utterly flustered stallion snatched the presentation board as well as the documentation he provided to Twilight in his magic grasp and departed from the office, galloping down the hall, not even stopping to close the door behind him. Twilight took care of that with her magic and leaned back into her chair.

Not quite the Canterlot voice level yet, but we will get there eventually. With this training sooner rather than later.

Her rest didn’t last long as there was an unexpected knock on her door. There weren’t supposed to be any other petitioners that day though. Twilight remained without a move, but nevertheless she called, “Come in.”

The door opened, the doorknob glowing in golden aura, and Celestia walked in, smiling as always, a stack of papers floating behind her. “I heard some shouting from here few minutes ago, so I figured the audiences reached the end,” she said with a chuckle and placed the papers on Twilight’s table. “It was the one from Fillydelphia demanding funds to build a hotel, right?”

Twilight groaned in annoyance. She almost managed to push the experience out of her head, now having to deal with the memory of it once more. “Yes. Insufferable, full of himself, nonsense-blabbering fool who thinks he knows best what this land needs. That actually applies to most of them.”

Since she became princess, Twilight had to deal with enormous amount of ponies bringing drafts of various laws and projects, most of them extremely drastic, stupid, discriminating, costly or all of the above. The nobility sensed young inexperienced mind and decided to press on the seemingly weakest spot of the government. They soon learnt how foolish their assumption was, but the word travelled slowly, so there were still those from far away cities who tried their luck.

“How did you know about him, by the way? I thought my schedule wasn’t prepared for today, the petitioners coming as they wanted,” Twilight inquired, one eyebrow rising a bit. “Do you want some tea, by the way?”

“No, thank you, Twilight. I will be going shortly. But to answer your question, that pony originally wasn’t one of your petitioners. He wanted to bring it to me, but I had no power left to deal with such nuisance. Thanks for handling him.” A mischievous smile appeared on Celestia’s lips. Twilight’s frown deepened though.

“You are welcome. Feel free to send me all the work you don’t want to deal with,” she muttered, glancing at the papers. “Oh, you did. Well done indeed.”

“Don’t be like that, Twilight. We all have duties we don’t like, but have to perform. Next time it may be you who will delegate something to me. As for these, could you look at these drafts? They require signature of only one princess to come in force, so they are completely up to you.”

That doesn’t mean much. She surely removed anything she didn’t agree with before she brought them. Typical.

“I will look at them in a minute, as soon as I calm down from that damn stallion.”

“Very well then. I will leave you to it. Can I expect you at the dinner?” Gaining a nod from Twilight, Celestia left the office, shutting the door quietly. Twilight reached for the papers and started reading them, wishing to be done with it and retreat to her chambers for the rest of the day. Most of them fit into the usual categories of outrageous laws no responsible ruler would allow to pass; Twilight suspected Celestia included those to test her, but that might have been her growing paranoia. Golden armors for town guards, required stem length of grass on public places, special tax for pegasi designated as ‘feather cleaning charge’, she was throwing them into the bin one after another. One of the drafts caught her attention though.

“Ten percent pay raise for royal post employees? That doesn’t sound that bad. They even included a plan where to spare the money for that. I should speak with the sponsor, they look like a decent mind, something rare around here.” She was about to add her signature, but then reread the part about gaining the funds. “That allows more than ten percent though. Well, the last word on laws belongs to the princess.” She changed the number to fifteen and added her signature to the document. “We all have duties. We might not like some of them, but we still need to perform them. Thank you, Ditzy. Hopefully this will help you like you helped me.”

Calm down, Lightning. It is like any other part of the training. Meaning you will give it your all. Breathing? In check. Windspeed? Western, ten miles per hour, need to compensate...

“Atteeeeention!” Spitfire marched in front of the cadets and strolled from one side of the line to the other. “Welcome to the ranking race. It will determine your training plan for the second year in the Academy.”

...Sun? Fifty degrees up the horizon, south by southeast, possibly blinding. So it’s a very important race; still giving it all. Humidity? Irelevant. It will probably vary in different sections…

“The race consists of five parts: warm-up, strength, dexterity, precision and endurance. Nothing new for you, we trained all of them, just on a different track. New stage, same tricks, just like Wonderbolts shows”

I need to pace myself. This is no regular fly-through. They cancelled the training for the afternoon even. Stay concentrated and it will be ok. Just don’t fall out of rhythm or…

“But be warned. There is one difference from the training. If you miss an obstacle, choose incorrect speed or crash into something, you have to start the section from the beginning and you gain a strike. Pony with three strikes is disqualified… and will join the newbies group for two weeks. Same goes for everypony who doesn’t finish and for the last three.”

...or that will happen. But it won’t happen to me! No more failures. Now just to…

“You have ten minutes to do your stretches and hydrate yourself. Then the start countdown begins. Dismissed!”

...yes, that. Well let’s get started. Forelegs, hindlegs, back and tail. Squats and crouches, unfold wings to full extend, flap and level, fold again. Are the feathers in right position? This one goes and this one needs correction. Good, now again from the sta-

“Hey, Lightning!

Lightning jumped into the air. “Gah! Rainbow! Why did you sneak on me like that?”

“You should see your face now!” Rainbow managed to say between fits of laughter. When she regained her composure again, she continued, “but me sneaking on you? Hardly. You were just so caught up in your little break dance that you ignored your surroundings!”

“So I stretch a bit more lively than others. Big deal. And you can tell me something about ignoring things after how you hit that cloud yesterday,” Lightning countered. “Geez it was big like Celestia’s plot, where were you looking? At Soarin’s work out?” By how red Rainbow’s cheeks turned and how indignant she looked Lightning realized she guessed it. “Hey, just teasing. Are you looking forward to the race?”

“Definitely!” Rainbow beamed at the mention of the competition and completely forgot about her embarrassment. “It will be a blast! Here, I brought you some water. With how diligently you like to warm up you wouldn’t make it in time. You have to teach me that set soon though.”

“Sure will, and thanks, Rainbow.” Lightning took the bottle of water from Rainbow and downed it at once. “Best of luck today, though you won’t even need it.”

“As if you will.” Rainbow jabbed Lightning playfully in the ribs as they walked to the startline, taking position in opposite halves, though not at the ends of the line.

Spitfire soon returned and gave each competitor a number. “Alright everypony. Who’s absent is disqualified. On your marks!” The ponies stepped to the line. “Get set!” They crouched down to get a better start. “Go!”

No rush. Perfect start. No need to strain myself now. That group at the front began too fast, they will hardly make it to the finish. Heh they even got in front of the assigned tempo giver. I should talk to them later… Is Whirlwind forming V-formation? Great!

Lightning fell into place in the formation as if she was born there, not losing a single beat. Glancing to the left she spotted Rainbow at the same position in the opposite wing. Sheltered by her fellow fliers diverting the wind from her, Lightning made the best of it by warming herself to her favourite flight temperature.

One more lap to go, then the strength part. Goodness, are those cloud canons? This will be fun! But the others are just as much threat here. I have to get free.

The V-formation broke as soon as the tenth lap was finished and their speeds differentiated according to their chosen tactic. Lightning and Rainbow both sped forward, entering the second section about fifteen seconds after the overeager group. They could manage to get ahead of them already, but why pass up on an offer of free test subjects?

Seems the cloud canons were just the beginning. Wow! I wouldn't spot that side wind! Poor colt. I will give him some cider for that info… After I pull him out of that cloud… After the race. Gah! Hailstones in headwind?! Oh come on!

When they cleared the strength section, Rainbow was about two lengths in front of Lightning. She made her approval of that known with a loud catcall and increasing her speed further. Lightning just shrugged, knowing her friend too well to be surprised. The day Rainbow wouldn’t celebrate this would be the day Rainbow would die.

I wonder how the others are doing. No, no time to glance back, the dexterity part is too close. They sure know how to cramp tons of cloud rings in limited space. Did they put mirrors over there? Tricky! The sun is bad enough without them! Where is Rainbow anyway?

“Hey, Lightning! Do a barrel roll!” The call was followed by a blast of wind as Rainbow circled Lightning, her belly always facing the other pegasus. She flew a bit ahead and continued flying backwards facing Lightning. “I love this!”

Lighting, keeping a close eye on the obstacle course prepared for them, suddenly gasped. “Ten degrees to your right, twenty degrees up!” Without thinking, Rainbow followed the shouted command and passed through the next ring. She adopted a slightly shocked expression, but shook it off quickly and turned to fly facing the right way again.

“Thanks, Lightning!”

“You’re welcome, you goof!” Lightning shouted in response. She won’t stop that nonsense. Well, who am I to tell her how much energy she has? I just hope she won’t regret this. Though her tricks look awesome! Last ring… that means precision test is here. And if I remember correctly, that one is based on… TURBULENCES!

Lightning dropped about hundred feet before the pressure evened up and then she shot up again using the rotor placed on the ground to gain an extra push. Once up, she noticed several red and blue flags in various altitudes sticking from clouds in all possible angles.

Three-dimensional slalom! My favourite! Rainbow was right, this is a blast. Though I should take it easy. The endurance part won’t fly itself and Spitfire probably made it really long.

Emerging from the labyrinth of clouds, Lightning saw two lines of clouds marking the intended race track. Rainbow kept her lead, but wasn’t too far away, apparently waiting for her friend. Flying long distances got easier the more ponies partook. More fun as well. Without a single word needed they aligned and regularly switched positions to allow the other one some rest. After a while they arrived to a sign sticking from a cloud.

Twenty-five miles to go? I knew Spitfire was bonkers, but this is ridiculous! Better speed up a bit, I don’t want to miss lunch!

When the signs placed along the track showed that they had ten miles to go, Lightning realized Rainbow began to falter when she was supposed to lead. Concerned, Lightning fell in place next to her friend. “What’s up, Rainbow? Are you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be fine. Just… I guess I overestimated my reserves back in the dexterity section. Now it came to bite me in the flank.” Rainbow looked genuinely ashamed of her current situation, averting her eyes as she could. “Look, just fly ahead, I will get this alright. You won this fair and square.”

Lightning’s lips curled in half smirk and half smile. “Oh I sure did win this, but I want you to see me cross the finish line. So it looks like I will have to lead you to the finish. Just keep behind me and shout if you want me to slow down.”

“I would rather fall from the sky than slow down!” Rainbow shouted, but followed the instructions and kept close behind Lightning.

“That can easily happen if you don’t shout.”

They flew with slightly lessened speed as all the hard work lay on Lightning now, but despite that they soon saw the checkered flags of the finish. Lightning then turned to Rainbow and raised an eyebrow.

“Do you want to race me to the finish? It would be fun.” Rainbow only smirked and with mock-bow gestured to the finish line. “Alright. See you there. We should grab some lunch then.” Lightning shot forward to make her arrival at least spectacular.

Once each cadet crossed the finish line and no longer had to push themselves, several breathed heavily and drank as much water as they could trying to cool their burning bodies. Out of all of them, Lightning Dust seemed to be the least tired as she held back enough during the events to lead both herself and Rainbow to the finish. After a congratulations from her fellow cadets and some of the Wonderbolts, she showered up and waited for Rainbow to do the same before they headed to the cafeteria as planned. Once they returned to the room though, well fed and content, they made a silent agreement on the following program: napping.

The next day, Lightning Dust was invited into the Officer’s club of the academy, a lounging area where cadets and staff could relax in their spare time. Spitfire wanted to see her in the private room which was normally reserved for Wonderbolts. She knocked on the door which prompted a response from the captain inside.

“Come in.”

Lightning obeyed and opened the door to see Spitfire at the bar, more relaxed than what was typical for her.

“Come, have a seat.”

“So what is this all about, captain?” Lighting said helping herself to a drink.

“First off, we’re off duty. You can just call me Spitfire. Now, I wanted to meet with you to discuss something.”

Lightning’s ears perked up, curious to know what Spitfire wanted to talk about.

“Well, I’ve been talking with the other Wonderbolts and we’ve been evaluating your results on the exam. You displayed some very nice skill during the course run.”

“Thank you.”

“And you’ve come quite a long way from when you first started. I’ve noticed you are more restrained in your flying. Do you know why you placed first? Because you paced yourself. You didn’t just give it your all, you used it when it was most important.”

“Um, what exactly do you mean?”

“Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? First, I noticed you didn’t go straight for the lead in the first event. You and Rainbow Dash both kind of kicked back and let everypony else fight it out. Then in the strength event, you kept calm instead of flying ahead. I could go on about the exam forever, but the point of the matter is, you showed discipline and it allowed you to come out on top.”

“Maybe if I’d done that when I arrived at the academy, I would be able to celebrate with my family.”

Spitfire stopped in the middle of her drink before slowly putting her glass down. “Look Lightning Dust, I’m just as much at fault as you. You pushing your limits might have caused… you know what, but it was I who didn’t do anything about it. Maybe if I had exerted more of that authority I have, we could have prevented that. I’m… sorry about your father.”

Lightning Dust exhaled a pseudo cough to prevent any awkward silence before moving on. “So um, did you need anything else?”

“Oh yes. Well, my point is that the other Wonderbolts and I were talking with each other and well, we have come to a decision.” Spitfire cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “Lightning Dust, I am offering you a position in the Wonderbolts.”

Lightning’s eyes widened. “Me? A place in the Wonderbolts? But… why?”

“We normally don’t do this, but I can clearly see you have what it takes to be a Wonderbolt. You’re not just fast and skilled, but as I said earlier, you are disciplined and I think you’ve earned a place with us. So what do you say?”

“What do I say? Well… that's actually a very good question.”

As much as Lightning Dust wanted to take the offer, there was a nagging doubt in the back of her mind. She’d strived for a long time to get up to this point. All the sweat and blood went into the hard work and now it was paying off. Yet as she was pondering, she had realized she was less… excited than she expected.

This may be my big chance to get back with my family. And not only that, I’ll be a Wonderbolt! I’ll get to live my dream AND celebrate with dad. But then what about my new friends? Canvas seemed really friendly and Twilight said she would help me if I helped her. And now that she’s a princess, she doesn’t seem to be enjoying it. So, would I enjoy being a Wonderbolt? So far, all that happened since I enrolled into the academy was I got disowned by my family. I mean sure, I have a friend in Rainbow Dash, but it’s always been her dream to be a Wonderbolt. What will she think of me when I graduate a year early from everypony else? Then there is the possibility that I still wouldn’t secure my family, and I would definitely lose my new friends for sure.

Lighting Dust pondered on for a long time, almost forgetting about her captain who was sitting with her. Why was that one simple question making her feel so conflicted? Spitfire was getting a little nervous when Lighting Dust took longer to respond than she had expected, especially when the mare in question took quick shots of her drink while looking down. Her body language clearly stated this mare wasn’t as happy as she should have been. Spitfire was wondering if she’d only added to the fire.

“Look Lighting Dust, if you don’t feel like you’re up to it-”

“No, no!” Lighting interrupted. “It’s just a lot to take in. Something like this so suddenly, I will have to think about it.”

“Of course. Take as long as you need.”

Lighting Dust spent the rest of the day pondering about the choice she was offered. She wanted so desperately to talk to her best friend Rainbow Dash, but Spitfire told her it had to be quiet from the other cadets; she figured because they didn’t want to seem like they were playing favorites. During the night, she tried to rest, but she just couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t because of her roommate snoring; she’d gotten used to it during the training season. Everything that she worked for was paying off and she knew Rainbow Dash would be happy for her.

I don’t get it. this is the chance of a lifetime… So why can’t I feel happy for myself?

Chapter 12

View Online

Original Title: Pathfinders
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

Twilight and Canvas were sitting in a little diner in the proximity of the campus. Despite her resolve to get up early every day Twilight was anything but a morning pony and she was trying to beat this disadvantage with copious amount of coffee; counting those she drank in the castle, she was currently downing her fourth cup and didn’t plan to stop anytime soon. One advantage of her new alicorn metabolism was huge immunity towards poisoning.

Canvas, however, seemed to be her exact opposite. Seeing all the bubbly energy springing from the younger mare Twilight opted to secretly order decaf for her. One Pinkie to deal with is enough, thank you very much.

When Canvas sent her a letter stating she had something to show her, Twilight planned to simply show up at school sometime, dealing with the matter quickly as she didn’t have much free time at hoof. When she handled some annoying meetings with nobles that day however, she reconsidered. Her friends should receive all the attention, not just because she needed them, but because they were her friends in the first place. She was horrified by the rate at which she started acting like Celestia. Thankfully, she snapped out of it quickly enough.

As a result, she invited Canvas to a small breakfast the next Saturday after which they would go to the school for whatever reason Canvas had. When her advisors caught on her plans, they tried to deter her from doing so, claiming it could be seen as favouritism by some and that a princess shouldn’t spend time with commoners in that way. As a response they received discharge notices for inappropriate opinions on ruling and Twilight started researching how to take a protege in other courses of study than magic.

“It must be perfect being princess! Everypony showing you respect, deciding about laws, maids taking care of your dresses and mane… Not to mention what I heard about the castle confectioners!” In Twilight’s opinion not even Rarity was so ecstatic about Twilight’s new status. What’s more, Canvas was genuinely happy for Twilight, not for herself. That made it harder for Twilight to cool that excitement down.

“Everything isn’t just fun and roses, Canvas. Too much attention can get bothersome just as easily as its lack there of and most of the laws I get to decide are silly nonsenses.” Upon seeing the downcast look Canvas was giving her, she tried to find something positive about her situation. “There are some nice ponies in the castle though and I do get to help to normal ponies at least a bit. Nothing compared to what we plan, but still. Plus, you are right about the confectioners, the sweets are exquisite. These though,” she said and took a bite of her cherry cake, “are pretty close to them.” She said the last bit loud enough for the surrounding ponies to hear and threw a smile and a wink to the mare owning the establishment.

Canvas followed Twilight’s example and returned to her own assortment of sweets. After a while she looked back up at Twilight. “I would still like to be a princess. Then one day a prince would come and rescue me from a great peril and we would live happily ever after.” She sighed, a dreamy look in her eyes.

Twilight couldn’t but giggle at the state her companion found herself in. “As far as I know the only prince around is Blueblood and you certainly wouldn’t want- Canvas? Is everything okay?” The younger mare suddenly paled and started to tremble, Twilight reaching her hoof across the table and grabbing one of Canvas’. That did the trick and Canvas calmed a bit, still looking to the side as to not meet Twilight’s eyes.

“Yeah, I would rather jump into a gorge than marry Prince Blueblood,” she said quietly, but stopped trembling completely upon that.

Twilight didn’t retract her hoof though, squeezing a little. “Did you react to his name like this?” Upon a nod, Twilight’s temper started to raise. “Did he hurt you somehow, Canvas?” Another, yet more reluctant nod. “Tell me what he did and I will see to him being banished if not more!” she said with more force than she intended, causing Canvas to start trembling again.

“It… it doesn’t matter now. You can’t do anything about it anymore and it would hurt more ponies. I-I will tell you what happened, just not today, okay? Please?” Twilight could see tears and realised she was more likely than not the cause. Biting her lip, she decided to back down.

“Sorry. I won’t push you to anything. Just know that you have friends and we will defend you no matter what, okay?” Earning yet another nod, this time accompanied with a small smile she pulled her hoof back. “Good. Would you like something else from here? A milkshake maybe?”

Once they finished their food and drinks they started on their way to the campus, Twilight insisting on paying the bill despite Canvas’ protests. She also left a generous tip. Getting closer to their destination, Canvas noticed Twilight’s troubled expression. “What’s the matter, Twilight? I thought you liked schools?” she said with a giggle.

“I do, but I don’t like places with too many ponies. They tend to… overreact to my presence as of late.”

“Ahh don’t worry, ponies here are really pleasant, I am sure they won’t make too big deal of-”

“Princess Sparkle!” a pony jumping up from a bench exclaimed and ran inside the building as quickly as he could.

“Or maybe they will hehe.” Canvas rubbed the back of her head sheepishly at Twilight’s deadpan look upon the remark. Few seconds later a literal stampede of ponies ran towards the duo; the news was obviously spreading fast. At the head of the horde ran an elderly brown earth pony who just got out of his bed, judging by the state of his mane.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle! What an honor for our school that you are visiting us! I am so sorry that we didn’t give you a proper welcome, the thing is we didn’t have a slightest clue that you were to come!” he rattled as he bowed in front of Twilight. The others around joined in, causing a cacophony in which not a single word could be understood.

Twilight frowned at the spectacle, having feared just that course of events. After the noise died down a little, she gave them a sign to rise and the first speaker continued. “Of course we will have treats ready for you in a minute, just follow me into my office. Then we will give you a tour of the campus.” He started trotting back to the building, assuming Twilight would follow. She, however, didn’t.

“Principal Brusher!” she called behind the retreating stallion, who stopped on the spot. She beckoned him back and in a quieter voice continued. “This isn’t an official royal visit. I’m here on invitation of my friend Acrylic Canvas. She wanted to show me her work and that has priority in my program. However, I am sure your school is in the best condition and if you so please we can turn this into an official visit later on. I definitely won’t mind a tour once my business is complete.”

Hearing that, the stallion grinned widely and galloped into the building, probably to prepare everything to the best of his ability. Canvas stared at Twilight openmouthed, trying to comprehend what happened. “Wow. I thought I lost you to them for a moment. How did you manage to turn him down without hurting anypony’s feelings?”

“You know such things when you are a princess,” Twilight replied with a grin. “Now then, where is that surprise you wanted to show me?”

Canvas led Twilight through the campus, not bothering to describe the place as Twilight would hear the same thing in a short time. They went straight to an old warehouse almost at the end of the areal. “This was the perfect place for it. I’m lucky the principal allowed me to use it. Come in, just be careful - there is a lot of rubbish lying around.”

They navigated among the old boxes and cans and soon found themselves in an open and relatively orderly space. Twilight immediately spotted number of painting tools as well as sheets of sketches, but the most important item was covered with a big sheet of white linen.

“Behold, I think it is my masterpiece, although it is far from finished.” The younger mare pulled the linen down and revealed a big canvas with huge amount of strange symbols upon it. Stepping a bit back Twilight realised they were organised in a circle and an outline of a gate of sorts could be made out. The symbols were elaborated with utmost care and precision and spoke of huge talent of their creator.

“When I saw your works for the first time, I thought they were great. But this? This is breathtaking! You improved so much, I can only imagine how hard you have been working,” Twilight said turning to Canvas, admiration apparent in her voice. “Just one question: what is it?”

Canvas blushed at the praise addressed to her and puffed her chest out proudly. “This is a task Scintillant gave me. It’s the gate of Elysium, Twilight. Once it is done, it will allow us to go to Elysium in flesh, not just in dreams!” She rubbed her left foreleg with her right one and turned her eyes to the ground sheepishly. “I’ve been working on it during all of my spare time, but if we need to hurry it, I think I could manage with a bit less sleep too.”

Twilight took a closer look at some of the symbols and the similarity to signs she saw during her visits in Elysium was suddenly clear. She stepped to Canvas with a bright grin and lightly embraced her. “You are a great artist and help, and a very selfless friend, Canvas. You are doing just fine as it is, don’t suffer on our account. I’m very glad we met at the Boulevard all the months back.”

“So am I, Twilight, you can believe me that. But we should get back to the principal or he will start searching for us. They rather shouldn’t find this.” Canvas didn’t move for a few more seconds, but then flinged the sheet back over her creation and trotted to the exit, followed closely by Twilight.

“Hey, you want to see how a regal princess of Equestria gifts her subjects with her grace?” Twilight called to Canvas and grinned mischievously at her.

Canvas bowed in mocking reverence, holding the door open and gesturing for Twilight to pass. “After you, Your Highness!”

No matter how much she tried, Lightning Dust could not concentrate on anything since Spitfire presented an offer into the Wonderbolts. Should she decline or accept? What would happen to her new friends? These questions and more plagued her as she flew to Ponyville to seek guidance from Twilight Sparkle. Surely, she would know what to do.

Once she arrived however, she realized she’d made a rather egregious blunder.

“Dammit, I don’t even know where she lives. I can’t ask Rainbow Dash or she would suspect something. Hell, I don’t even know where she lives.”

Lightning Dust walked through the town, growing somewhat bored with the simple, quiet atmosphere as she thought Ponyville seemed more tame than when Rainbow Dash talked about it. Of course, when she got to Sugarcube Corner she realized why as there was a party being hosted inside. As much as she didn’t want to have anything to do with it right now, she was pulled in by a pink pony that seemed oddly familiar to her. Lightning tried to sneak away but kept inadvertently getting sucked back in by partygoers who didn’t know what they were doing. She finally succeeded when everypony’s attention was on the music.

“Well, that happened. What was I doing again? Oh right.”

After an hour of getting lost in a town that wasn’t that large to begin with, she was ready to give up and wondered if she shouldn’t just fly back to the academy. As she took to the sky however, she saw a familiar pony at the train station: A fellow pegasus with two younger unicorns. She weighed her options and decided that since the pegasus was one of her new friends, she would know where Twilight lived, and thus, flew down to talk to her.

“Uh, excuse me um…” Lightning began, but realized she didn’t remember her friend’s name.

“Ditzy Doo dear. And you’re Lightning Dust if memory serves.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I just saw you and I figured you could help me.”

Ditzy nodded and gestured to her daughters to wait for her at the ticket booth. “What do you need?”

“Well, see I’m looking for Twilight Sparkle. I have a complicated problem and I need her advice.”

“Oh. I’m afraid she hasn’t been here for a couple of weeks.”

“Where is she then?” Lightning asked nervously.

“Canterlot. She is there for her princess duties.”

“Figures…”

“My girls and I are going there to see the theatre play if you want to come with us. I have enough money for four tickets. That raise in salary helped us tremendously.”

“No, that’s okay. I don’t really want to go to Canterlot. Besides, I couldn’t let you spend money on me.”

“Okay then. As for your problem, whatever you do, keep in mind that you will live with your actions. Are you comfortable with doing something? Then do it. If you are doubting if your choice is right, refrain from it.”

“I don’t know if that really helps me,” Lightning mumbled to herself.

Ditzy smiled and trotted to where her daughters were, Lightning Dust sitting down for a bit, pondering. When Ditzy purchased the tickets for her family, her curious younger filly asked her mother about the stranger.

“Who was that?”

Ditzy nuzzled her daughter as they got on the train. “One of mommy’s good friends who will be helping her soon.”

Lightning overheard this and it struck something in her heart. She realized what she wanted to do now and she wasn’t going to go back on that decision. The determined pegasus spread her wings and took flight back to the academy with a newfound confidence.

“Sorry Spitfire. I appreciate the offer, but I have something more important I need to do.”

Stomping on the last obstructing branch and placing it down to finish her makeshift nest, Sunset made herself comfortable, gazing into the cloudless sky. The only sounds she could hear were chirping of birds and the wind in the leaves of surrounding bushes. She hid herself well, making sure nothing could give her location away to prying eyes. Not that there were many prying eyes in Everfree, just one pair. That was enough though.

If she hoped that the cold welcome she received the first night she was staying in the cabin with Trixie was simply a result of grumpiness from being woken up, she was sadly mistaken. She tried to talk to her host the first thing in the morning, but was met with hateful stare and so backed down. Later that afternoon Trixie approached her alone and explained Sunset her status.

Maybe I should have opted for royal dungeon instead. They would at least treat me with some respect! I hope she will never want to tell me something complicated; just saying ‘you are alive only because Twilight forbid me to hurt you and I will make you my slave’ took her long enough.

The list of chores she was given wasn’t that long, but spending her entire life as a princess’ protege or an unofficial ruler of a high school didn’t prepare her for everyday life of common ponies. In her eyes she was working to exhaustion from sunrise to sundown. In her defense, Trixie wasn’t exactly a lenient overlord, demanding perfection even in the most insignificant tasks.

What does it matter if the books aren’t in the alphabetical order all the time? She has three shelves of them, how hard can it be to find a stray one? After the incident on the first evening Sunset was allowed to read in Trixie’s collection freely, but she was surprised when she found out Trixie applied the rules of Royal library when manipulating with the books. Once she found Twilight Sparkle’s ex libris, she stopped wondering though.

Such pettiness was just a beginning. Whatever Sunset did was considered subpar. Be it cleaning, preparing firewood or collecting herbs, Trixie was never satisfied. The only fields in which Sunset agreed with that judgment were magic and cooking. She tried very hard to get back in form, but her spells still lacked their former luster. With the cooking she didn’t try anymore. In fact, she cooked them one dinner and they both agreed to never repeat that experience again.

To escape the cabin, which Sunset dubbed ‘Wooden Tartarus’, she often ventured into the forest, much to Trixie’s chagrin. The blue unicorn explained that the forest was full of deadly dangerous beasts and so Sunset shouldn’t go alone, but Sunset was sure Trixie simply wanted to keep control over her permanently and that a possibility of meeting a bunch of bloodthirsty beasts was worth fleeing from one such beast. Thus she continued her trips and Trixie continued finding her soon whenever she left.

“Sunset!” an exclamation tore through the peace of Sunset’s hideout and snapped her out of her semi-slumber. Fifteen minutes. She must have been very busy when she didn’t notice for so long. Let her shout, she can’t find me here.

Another exclamation echoed through the forest, but Sunset didn’t make any move to answer. She was confident that she located a perfect spot this time and that she would remain undisturbed for a sufficient time. Then all of a sudden a droplet of water fell into her mane, soon followed by few more. One perfectly aimed on her nose made her eye shoot open and she gazed into the now changed sky.

Half gray, half light blue and bloody nuisance at that. Just like her. Sunset reluctantly got up and pushed through the bushes surrounding her hideout. She’s getting too good at that spell for my tastes too.

Soon after Sunset’s arrival Trixie realized that Sunset wouldn’t ever answer to her calls, so she chose to chase her out of hiding through different means and train at the same time. As the days went she grew adept in creating rainclouds out of thin air and every time she tried she would cover a bigger portion of the surrounding forest. Sunset would then return soon. The plan worked without a hitch so far.

“There you are,” Trixie called the moment Sunset stepped into the clearing. “I asked you not to go into the forest like that!”

“You are not my mother, so stop acting that way!” Sunset stomped to the cabin and sneaked around Trixie to get inside. “Why are you calling me again? Can’t i have a moment for myself?”

“You had several years for yourself in that other world as far as I know. You can help out a bit now.” Trixie motioned to the fireplace where a kettle with soup was warming up. “Keep an eye on that while I go find something more for dinner. If Twilight doesn’t send more supplies soon, I’ll have to ask Zecora to do some shopping for us. Again.”

Sunset sniffed the soup and recoiled a bit, having gained a strong aversion to wild vegetable during her stay. What disgusted her even more was the notion of sitting there, watching the water boil. “Why don’t you watch your soup yourself? I can get us food just as well.”

“I don’t like looking at or smelling singed undergrowth and after what you performed last time, I don’t believe you would keep from burning your path through. Besides, you wanted some time for yourself. Enjoy.” With that Trixie left the cabin, not paying any mind to grumbling Sunset.

The mare now accompanied only by a less than desirable parody of soup sighed and levitated one of the books she hadn’t read yet to her and opened it to kill some time. Occasionally she would stir the soup a little, but otherwise she did nothing to interfere with cooking.

Time went by and soon she noticed she read halfway through the book and there was still no sign of Trixie returning. That’s strange. I thought she would be back in a minute. Oh well, maybe she just ran into that zebra and got caught up in chat. She continued reading, but couldn’t help but glance at the clock every few minutes. After about half an hour, she shut her book and placed it back into the library, intentionally in a wrong place. “That’s it. I’m going to find her. That haughty dunce simply can’t exist on her own. What gives her the right to scold me,” she stated for nopony in particular since there wasn’t anypony but her. She removed the kettle from the fireplace and extinguished the fire, not wishing to burn the cabin down.

Once outside she realized she didn’t have a slightest clue in which direction Trixie left. A moment later she noticed a wet sensation under her hooves; the ground turned into mud by Trixie’s magical rain. “Well well, at least something good from that damn spell.” She scanned the ground and soon recognized a trail of hoofprints leading away from the cabin. “There we go.”

The trail soon vanished as the rain didn’t reach too far, but Sunset could now follow a path usually tread by wildlife. If Trixie turned away, the undergrowth would be disturbed. After some time of walking, slowly losing herself in thought, she spotted such place just few feet in front of her. It didn’t match the proportions of pony body, hinting instead toward a massive and wide beast.

“Should I go that path? It looks like it is fresh, the plants are still green. Oh well, if I don’t find her there, I can look further. Also, it’s much more comfortable way too.” Sunset stepped on the new path, enough space for another pony on both her sides, and trotted deeper into the forest.

Unhindered by pesky plants she could move much quicker and quieter, soon catching a strange clicking noise coming from in front of her. She crouched instinctively and sneaked forward, the noise growing louder and more menacing with each step. After a while another sound accompanied the clicking, this time sounding like a sobbing. Looks like I chose the right path. Dammit!

She peeked through the leaves of a bush hiding her from sight and recoiled. On a small clearing with a single tree in the centre she could clearly see a gigantic scolopendra, red and yellow stripes on its chitinous segments, brown scrawny legs sprouting from each. It was leaning against the tree, huge claws waving in the air and mandibles causing the clicking that drew Sunset near.

Among the leaves of the tree Sunset could make out a blue pony holding the trunk with all her might, probably having teleported up in an attempt to escape the monster. Now I understand why she didn’t return. But what should I do? I can’t just charge at- Her pondering was cut short as the monster gathered its strength and started moving up the trunk foot by foot. Trixie noticed the development as well and shrieked out in terror, knowing well that her end was nigh.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Sunset shouted as she sprinted from her hiding spot and kicked one of the back segments of the monster with all her power, jumping away as soon as she hit. The scolopendra, not expecting the pain, leaned away from the tree and turned to take a better look at the new assailant. Sunset didn’t wait for it to regain its composure, jumped over its body and kicked it from the other side.

Clicking of the mandibles intensified, the monster getting agitated by the turn of events. Its antennae swayed in a hypnotizing pattern, gathering as much information from the air as only possible, before the monster lunged forward with unexpected speed, aiming to seize Sunset with its claws.

Sunset however expected the move, having read enough books about various crimes of nature to never underestimate such opponents, and with a quick flash of a light she teleported to the other side of the clearing, forcing the monster to turn around once more. She kicked again, this time aiming on the knees of two of the monster’s legs and managed to smash them. The wheezing scream the scolopendra produced confirmed how badly that hit hurt, but Sunset soon regretted it as it served only to angry the monster more.

Dodging and jumping around, occasionally returning the attacks with her kicks she soon started losing her energy. This is a losing battle. No way can I keep up like this for too long. Sooner or later it will strike me. At that moment the scolopendra attacked again and Sunset knew she wouldn’t dodge in time. She closed her eyes and prepared for pain, but remembering the tales of heroes of old, she decided to at least utter her last words. “Stupid arthopod, burn in Tartarus!”

Her horn glowed bright teal and wheezing and screeching filled the air of the clearing. Not feeling any pain, she tentatively opened her eyes. In front of her the scolopendra was thrashing on the ground, waving its legs and claws around, its whole body ablaze. She watched in awe as the movements slowed down, chitin detaching from the flesh and legs breaking in the heat. Soon there was nothing but a smoldering and smoking corpse.

Sunset took a few seconds to calm her breathing, few chuckles escaping her lips, and slowly walked to the tree. Knocking on the trunk she called up: “Hello? Anypony home?” Not getting any response, she turned around, aiming carefully and giving the tree a powerful kick, similar to the ones reserved for the scolopendra. The tree shook and Trixie lost her grip, falling down back first. Just over the ground Sunset caught her in her magic and gently set her down.

“It’s over now, Trixie. You can stop shaking,” she said with a smirk on her face, but stopped that as she saw Trixie still sobbing softly. “Come now, there is no danger anymore. Crying doesn’t suit your color well.”

“You saved me. Thank you,” Trixie whispered.

“Yeah, I kinda did. And if you haven’t found anything to eat yet, I heard that ponies in Neighpan eat roasted crickets. So I secured us dinner as well. Beat that, Trixie!”

Catching at the attempt to lighten up the situation, Trixie decided to play along and jabbed her hoof into Sunset’s chest. “You also singed the forest again. I told you how I hate that smell!”

Making their way home, they chose to settle with just the soup for the dinner. Soon after, they went to bed, being quite exhausted from the events of the day. Sleep, however, wasn’t coming for Sunset again, a typical occurrence for her after stressful day.

“Trixie? Would you mind if I read for a while? I can’t sleep and I was in the middle of a book when I came to look for you.”

Trixie reached with her magic toward the bookshelf, pulling out the one misplaced book and levitating it to Sunset. “Yeah, I don’t mind. Have fun.” She then turned to the wall and fell asleep in less than a minute.

Rainbow Dash had not been back from her leave for half an hour yet before she was called in to Spitfire’s office for an “important announcement”. She didn't get the chance to see if Lightning Dust was back as Spitfire wanted to see her immediately. As she walked down the corridor to the captain’s office, she felt like the air was unusually tense. Upon coming to the door to the office, she attempted to knock, but was stopped by a voice on the other side.

“Come in.”

She obeyed and opened the door to find Spitfire and Soarin’ present on the other side.

“Sit down Rainbow Dash. Would you like a drink?” Soarin’ offered.

“Uh, no thanks. I’m good. What’s this all about?”

Spitfire’s expressionless face softened into a smile. “Rainbow Dash, I’m going to be quite frank with you, we have already went through this before with somepony else. We would like to offer you a position into the Wonderbolts.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened and gained the largest expression of joy the captain had ever seen. “Me? A Wonderbolt? Really?”

“Yes. You placed second in the exam and you’ve already proven many times to us you have what it takes to be a Wonderbolt,” Spitfire confirmed.

“And well, you’ve set an example for many of us as well,” Soarin’ added.

Rainbow was the happiest mare in the world as she was listening. This had been her life’s dream and now it was coming true. All her hard work was coming to fruition, her hopes realized, it was difficult for her to control her excitement.

“OhmygoshohmygoshOHMYGOSH! This is amazing! I get to be part of the Wonderbolts!” Rainbow Dash let out a squee that made even the seasoned captain giggle in amusement.

“I have to admit though, it took awhile to get this information to you. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you weren’t our first choice.”

Rainbow stopped in confusion. “What?”

“We had another in mind, but they decided to decline. However, they brought up some good points in recommending you.”

“Oh. Okay, I’m cool with that. But if I could ask, who was your first choice?”

Spitfire’s smile suddenly slid off her face and it was replaced with a forlorn expression. She hesitated before she answered her new teammate’s question. “Lightning Dust.”

The tension that was present at that moment was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Rainbow Dash now shared her captain’s expression as she realized why Lightning Dust had been so quiet in the recent days before her leave. “She… passed up a position in the Wonderbolts?”

“That is correct,” Spitfire responded.

“But… Her family…”

“I’m just as confused as you are, Rainbow Dash. I never expected her to turn such an opportunity down like that, especially considering her situation. Come to think of it though, when I gave her the offer, she was really hesitant about it.”

“I see.”

The room was quiet for several long seconds. It was Soarin’ who broke the awkward silence. “Uh listen, when Lightning Dust recommended you in her place, she had so many great things to say about you. The both of you are our top cadets and I believe every word of hers.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash responded devoid of energy.

Soarin’ glanced at Spitfire with a pleading look, and Spitfire nodded slowly. “Hey, why don’t I walk with you? I can talk with you about whatever you need. Okay?”

Rainbow Dash looked up into the stallion’s eyes and his face somewhat lightened her mood. “Yeah. A walk might help me clear my mind.”

Soarin’ escorted Rainbow Dash out of the office. As the door closed, Spitfire grinned and shook her head. “Soarin’, you were always better with words than I.”

Rainbow Dash and Soarin’ started to walk around the academy, the former deciding to take the scenic route since it was a longer path. Along the walk, Soarin’ listened as Rainbow Dash talked about what was bothering her. While he was concerned at first why Lightning would reject the offer into the Wonderbolts, he would be lying if he said the turn of events completely saddened him. Sure, he worried about Lightning Dust’s situation, but he carried an interest in the mare he was currently talking to and somewhat preferred her company.

“...And I just don’t understand why she would turn down something like that. She’s a good flyer and an even better friend.”

“Well, maybe she doesn’t feel like she’s ready yet. She might be wanting to improve herself more to make sure it sticks. I mean the whole reason she was disowned in the first place was because of her behavior, right?”

“Sort of. It was more because of her reckless actions at the time. But she told me how much she loves her family and she misses them. And it just boggles the mind that… Well, I’ll have to talk to her about it. I want to hear it from her. And… I want to thank her for recommending me.”

“Whatever her reason, she still thought of you when she did it. I think in a situation like this, a good friend can help you through your darkest times.”

“Yeah, I know that feeling.” Rainbow Dash grew silent for a moment before speaking up again. “I uh, have a good friend who lives in Ponyville who really helped me out a lot. I just wish I was a better friend to her.”

“Was this the same friend you talked about at the wedding reception?”

“Oh that’s right, you were there. I forgot about that. But yes, I let her down that day and I’ve been trying my hardest to make it up to her. Some Element of Loyalty I am…”

Soarin’ stopped and placed his hoof on her shoulder, causing Rainbow Dash to stop. “We all have low points in our lives. Lightning Dust pushed too far with that tornado, Spitfire still laments letting it get that far and she herself isn’t without her faults. Trust me, I have to work with her.” Both pegasi chuckled a bit. “Even myself. To tell you the truth, I never wanted to be a Wonderbolt in the first place.”

Rainbow gained an incredulous look upon hearing this. “What?”

“I’m probably not the best example for this kind of subject, but when I was younger, I had kind of an overbearing mother who expected great things from me. I love her a lot and I know she wanted the best for me, but she would often sign me up for things without my input, such as high school debate team, community service, etcetera. I wanted to be a good son and please my mother so I would go along with them. One day, she came to me and said ‘hey, why don’t you try out for the Wonderbolts? I got this enrollment form from my friend.’ I’ve gone with her on many things, but this was kind of pushing it. I said ‘mom, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think I really want to do this,’ and she said ‘well, I already signed you up,” and I was like WHY do we even have these conversations?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled more as she listened to his story.

“We talked a bit more and she asked for me to try for at least one week and if I didn’t like it by the end of the first week, I could leave. So I gave it a shot.”

“And?”

“Well, let me put it like this: I wasn’t exactly an athletic colt in my youth. I wasn’t the lean stallion you see me now. I hated physical activity and I hated my mother for making me do it. A lot of our letters to each other consisted of arguments. I was ready to quit by the end of the week until…” Soarin’ paused and took a long drawn out breath. “Until she died in an accident.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. But after she died, I felt terrible that our last conversation consisted of ‘I hate you’ and ‘old hag’ and stuff that I didn’t really mean and had no business saying. After her funeral, I made a decision to continue her Wonderbolt wish, in her honor. It was kind of tough for me but after awhile, I grew to genuinely enjoy it. Nowadays, the Wonderbolts are like family to me. Spitfire is one of my best friends now. Anyway, my point is sometimes you have to fall before you can truly rise. There are times where you need to fail in order to see your true potential. Know what I’m saying?”

“Kind of, yeah. I appreciate the concern, but I think I should go talk to Lightning Dust now. I’ll see you later.”

Rainbow Dash began to walk back to her room, Soarin’ standing and smiling. The cyan mare made it a few steps before her new teammate called out to her.

“Wait a second Rainbow Dash.”

She stopped and glanced at him, curious what made him call. Soarin’ took a second to collect his thoughts and figure out what he was going to say and how to say it.

“Uh, sometime when you have some free time, I was wondering if you wanted to maybe grab some lunch or maybe dinner,” Soarin’ began with an anxious smile. “You know, just the two of us.”

It took a moment to sink in what this stallion was asking, but when it did, her cheeks turned a rosy red. She talked with this stallion a few times before, at the Best Young Flyer Competition, the Grand Galloping Gala, and recently at the royal wedding’s reception, and whenever she did he would always compliment her generously. This wasn’t anything new to her as she got praise all the time; things like ‘you’re awesome’, usually from a certain orange filly she was fond of. But she’d never heard it phrased this way before. This was traveling into unfamiliar territory. And yet, it was territory she didn’t particularly mind traveling towards.

“Sure, why not? B-but not tonight! I’m going to be a bit busy.”

Rainbow Dash suddenly panicked and retreated in a haste. Geez, I’m acting like Fluttershy now. Still, I wouldn’t mind talking to him again. Something about him is kind of pleasant. She shook her head to clear it of these distracting thoughts. I can think about that later, first things first. As she came to her room and approached her door, she knew for a fact that Lightning Dust was in the room and she steeled herself for what she was about to ask her friend. Turning the knob and opening the door slowly, she earned a glance from her roommate. After stepping inside and closing the door behind her so they would have some privacy, Rainbow Dash finally asked her the question that had been on everypony’s mind the entire day.

“Why?”

Lightning Dust had apparently expected this and responded without missing a beat. "Because it is your dream."

"But this was your big chance! Why are you just throwing it away?!"

Rainbow Dash would’ve gone further, but she was stopped when Lightning gently raised her hoof.

"Rainbow, you did much good for me and taught me some very important lessons. One of them is that there are many ways to the goal, but not all of them are right for us." What she said was simple and straightforward. The level of calmness she presented astounded even Rainbow Dash.

“What about your family? Didn’t you always say you wanted a chance to see them again?”

“And in time, I will. I just feel as though the timing is not optimal right now. I let you have the position not just because I knew how much it meant to you, but because I don’t feel as though I earned my place yet.”

“This whole thing just feels bizarre to me. I mean, I’m not complaining. I appreciate you doing this for me, but it just feels, I dunno, incomplete somehow.”

Lightning suddenly hugged Rainbow Dash, which caught her off guard. “One of these days, I hope you’ll understand. I can’t explain it right now, it’s a private matter. Just think of it as my way of saying thank you for everything. Okay?”

Rainbow Dash gradually returned the hug, with a smile and a tear in her eye. “Thanks buddy.”

“Now what do you say we celebrate your achievement at the officers club?”

“Okay, but I’m buying the drinks!”

Chapter 13

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Original Title: Point of No Return
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

“Good moooorning, is anypony home?”

The exclamation echoed through the clearing for a few moments before dying off without any answer whatsoever. Not a slightest movement betrayed that the place was in fact inhabited, though the log cabin in the middle assured Ditzy that she found the correct address. Of course, she had no way of knowing that the unicorns agreed some time ago that there was no such thing as mornings and anypony arguing otherwise to be a heretic, which they also wrote down in a form of legally binding treaty.

Ditzy didn’t waste her breath on another shout and opted to enter the cabin instead, determined to deliver the letter by any means necessary, even against the will of the addressees. She could make only the rough shapes of the furniture when she entered, the blinds and thick curtains blocking almost all the light. Rhythmic breathing sounded from two different places.

“Typical. Sleeping the day away instead of doing something useful,” she muttered to herself and trotted to one of the windows. “They could also do with some fresh air. Like really bad!” She scrunched her muzzle, pulled the curtains aside and threw the window open as much as it could go.

“Wakey wakey, sleepy heads! The sun has been shining for five hours already!” she hollered, trying to act as cheerfully as possible, mainly to irritate the unicorn duo. It worked.

“That’s because Celestia raises it so damn early. If I were in charge…” Sunset growled, rolling from the bed since there was no way she would fall back asleep with the sun shining directly in her face. She groggily dragged herself to the fireplace and set the prepared logs ablaze, starting the sacred ancient ritual of brewing coffee.

“Exactly. Have you ever heard of the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, Ditzy? What are you even punishing us for at this hour? We didn’t have time to cause any mischief yet.” Trixie seconded Sunset’s movements except she ended up by the storage cupboard, preparing breakfast. “Will you join us for something to eat, Ditzy? Or maybe a coffee?”

“A bite of something would be nice, but no coffee please. Last time I drank coffee while delivering mail, I ended up in Trottingham. It wasn’t pleasant, I tell you.”

“Ending up in Trottingham? Tell me about it.” Trixie shuddered and retrieved a bottle of orange juice for Ditzy. “So what brings you here at such terrible hour?”

Ditzy ruffled her feathers in agitation. “Oh come on! It’s ten in the morning. Normal ponies have been working for several hours by now!”

“Objection! If they have, they definitely aren’t normal,” Sunset said and poured Trixie and herself big mugs of coffee. Ditzy couldn’t help but wonder just how strong the beverage was. The smell alone was making her jittery.

“Ponies prefer the sun, you know… Anyway, I have mail for you. It’s from Twilight and if I am to judge from the one she sent to me, it’s important.” She rummaged in her saddlebags for a few seconds and pulled out a neat envelope with Twilight’s clean and practical hoofwriting.

“Sunset and Lulamoon. What part of day do you think we prefer with names like that?” Trixie grinned and reached for the letter with her magic and opened it.

“Read it out loud please,” Sunset said. “It’s too early for my eyes to see words. It could traumatize them for life and they are too beautiful for that.” Ditzy only rolled her eyes at their antics and leaned forward to hear better. Trixie cleared her throat and started reading.

Dear friends.
First of all, I would like to point out how long it took me to come up with salutation that wouldn’t offend either of you. Don’t pretend you wouldn’t be offended, Ditzy told me how you reacted the last time I sent a letter to you.

Trixie lifted her eyes to Ditzy and frowned. “Snitch.”

There is something important you have to know and I wish I could tell you in person, but my princess ‘chores’ keep me from doing so. Let me elaborate. I was just getting ready to head to Ponyville when Celestia came in my chamber (without knocking, mind you) and told me that I was to leave for a diplomatic mission. In the Griffon Empire no less. Because I obviously have so much experience with griffons.
I suspect that I was sent here exactly because Celestia has enough experience with griffons. They are insufferable! Yes, I said it, insufferable. If you are reading this, griffon spies, I dare you to bring it up. I will have your fluffy hides for breaching the secrecy of correspondence and diplomatic immunity!”

“Is she losing it?” Sunset interrupted Trixie’s reading with a quizzical look on her face.

“I met griffons before. She isn’t exaggerating. Let me continue. Just where did I stop.. aha, here -and diplomatic immunity!"

Sorry about that, girls. This place is just getting on my nerves horribly. They meticulously hold every formal rule they managed to create in last thousand or so years of their recorded history and if you slip on just one word of some formulation, they are ready to cancel the negotiation. They wouldn’t dare really, they need this trade treaty as desperately as Equestria, but they make my life here a living hell.
Not just that. They tried to force me to eat meat! They said it was an insult to refuse offered food. So I told them I would eat it if they managed to teleport it to my room and that it is considered an insult to send servants with food to the room instead of teleporting it. That closed their beaks.
It feels to invigorating to be able to speak without watching every word. This is a place for a trained diplomat, not me. I’m a scholar, sworn to the truth, not this madness of pretense. They could also show some respect. I’m still a princess and they have no right to treat me like some second rate schoolfilly. I guess I will just word a diplomatic complaint, although turning them into oranges for a day would be much more satisfying. That goes for Celestia too. Thankfully I won’t have to take this for too much longer.
That’s actually what I am writing to you about in the first place. I need you to be ready to leave at moment’s notice. Thanks to our dear Canvas, we will have a great way of travelling very soon and I suspect we will be gone for quite some time. It’s not like you two have to put too many matters in order, but if you want to take something specific with you, you should obtain it as soon as possible. I sent a letter to Zecora asking her to assist you in that. Don’t risk getting caught now!
I don’t dare to say more in the letter, there are many eyes around. If you want further details, please wait for my return (it shouldn’t take long now, they are realizing that they have to pretty much accept our terms) or ask Ditzy to talk with Canvas in person. LD could do that too, but I guess you have no real way of contacting her.
Once I return, my first steps will lead to you. I miss you here with so many hostile faces around. I hope you are safe and comfortable over there.
Yours sincerely
Twilight Sparkle

“I guess we are, aren’t we, Trixie? That scolopendra’s chitin is making for perfect blinds.” Sunset and Trixie shared a laugh while Ditzy scratched her chin in contemplation. “Poor girl. I guess she’s not used to workings of a royal court yet. Those griffons must be giving her a hard time.”

“Definitely. It is basically the same thing she sent to me, but she was much more agitated while writing this one,” Ditzy said. “So do you want me to go to Canvas? It’s not much of a problem, I plan to go to Canterlot this weekend anyway. We got another tickets to the opera!” She practically beamed at the last statement, imagining how happy her fillies would be.

“Well if you wouldn’t mind, I'd like to know the details. Especially how can Canvas get us transportation,” Sunset said. “Not that I doubt her or anything, she was very nice during that dream meeting we had, but this looks costly and she is just a student.”

“Will do, Sunset. I have to go though, it’s a long journey back to Ponyville and I still have to deliver many letters. Thanks for the brunch!” With that she flew out of the door.

“Breakfast, not brunch!” Trixie shouted after the retreating pegasus. “It’s a normal breakfast!”

All the noise in the throne room was making Twilight’s head hurt terribly once again. The longer she held her title, the more duties she had to perform, more and more frequent court sessions among them. They were just as she remembered them from her time as Celestia’s student. Back then, she watched in wonder all the nobles and other ponies presenting their problems to Celestia, who ruled over every case with benevolent smile, though Twilight could sense her frustration. Back then, she didn’t understand why Celestia felt that way. Now she did.

Undisciplined, talkative, bickering foals! That’s what these are. Not even half of these cases should be presented to the crown. Why are they even allowed to present them? An appeal to crown is reserved for severe breaches of rights, not this!

As of late she wasn’t feeling well. Returning from Griffon Empire didn’t bring the desired change of pace and her exhaustion grew by day. The paperwork never ends, the castle staff permanently messes up and were there always that many pesky ambassadors, or did they come only to spite me?

Just the day before, she attended a seven hours long session of Legislative Committee. After prolonged debate on finer points of school regulation, she was leaving the room completely numb. Just why was the court hearing scheduled to the day right after that? At least this case is easy enough and there aren’t that many left.

“Thank you, I think I have enough information to deliver a decision. Based on the evidence provided by the sides I rule that Mr. Dew Drop is obliged to allow passage of Mr. Honey Crop’s cart through his field as there is no direct way for Mr. Honey Crop to reach the public route. Mr. Honey Crop is obliged to use his right of way with utmost consideration and disturb Mr. Dew Drop’s property right as little as possible. Case closed.”

Commotion rose again in the throne room as the attendants discussed the decision and the sides started making their way to the exit, but all stopped as a regal voice spoke up from above. “That is not a wise decision, Twilight.” Everypony looked up and beheld princess Celestia standing on one of the balconies, spreading her wings. She jumped down and glided gracefully to the floor, landing in front of the throne.

“Good morning, princess. May I ask you why you are disturbing my court?” Twilight asked in an even tone, thorn of distaste barely noticeable in it.

“As I said, Twilight, it is not a wise decision and such thing must be corrected.”

“It’s a correct decision according to the laws. All evidence points to the existence of right of way, therefore I see no reason to change my decision.”

“What you failed to consider, Twilight, is that there is a piece of land belonging to the crown next to Mr. Honey Crop’s land that isn’t being used for anything at the moment. Why couldn’t he use that to get to his property instead?” Celestia smiled at the two stallions in question who were now intently listening to the dispute. “That way nopony gets hurt and all can happily coexist.”

“There is one reason why I didn’t consider it, Celestia. The crown isn’t side of the lawsuit at all! If Mr. Honey Crop chose to pursue this possibility from the start, I would have nothing against it. But the court is not here to offer alternatives or to get rid of the property the crown possesses. Why don’t we offer the rest of the castle to poor families so they have a nice place to live when they aren’t paid their rightful salaries, hm?”

Celestia shook her head and gave Twilight a disappointed look. “I thought you would be more compassionate, Twilight.” She turned to the two stallions and smiled kindly. “Attend my tomorrow’s court. We will work out the details of the solution.” The stallions bowed and hastily retreated to the door.

Twilight jumped up from her throne and down from the dais. “That decision will get vetoed, I assure you of that!” she shouted behind the duo. Then she turned to the rest of the ponies in the throne room. “Court dismissed. Everypony please leave.” Nopony made a move though, enthralled by the heated situation in front of their eyes. “NOW!” Twilight screamed in the royal Canterlot voice. That brought the desired effect, everypony stampeding to the door to get away from the enraged princess as quickly as possible, the only exception being the two royal guards behind the throne, the best of the best who wouldn’t back from a rampaging dragon. Still, an angry alicorn princess could prove more dangerous.

“That was highly unprofessional, Twilight, losing your temper like that,” Celestia reprimanded.

“Interfering with my court and destroying whatever authority I have with overruling my decision in front of my eyes wasn’t?” Twilight shouted. “What is this about, Celestia? Why don’t you leave me alone when you already sort out the cases that are to be brought in front of me?”

That took Celestia by surprise, so much so that she didn’t even try to deny it. “How did you find out about that, Twilight?”

“I simply checked the archive of appeals. Are you holding me for a foal or what? When you want to cheat the system you alone created, you could at least give it some effort.”

“It’s not cheating, Twilight. Some things are simply too complicated and delicate for a young mind with little experience to handle. I’m just trying to protect you from too much workload. I know how stressing the position can get.” She walked to Twilight and tried to wrap a wing around her back, but Twilight stepped back, avoiding the warming gesture.

“Too complicated and delicate? Like a trade negotiations with griffons? Or is that the beginner’s level in your book? Maybe it is. Nothing too important, just a treaty changing lives of thousands of your subjects, right?”

“Twilight, listen. Back then I was just feeling strongly under the weather and there were equally important tasks here. Besides, I believe in your abilities, so it isn’t like I hazarded fate of my little ponies.” Celestia tried to put as much calmness and motherly tone in her voice as she could, sensing a potentially very dangerous situation. Alas, her attempts had the exact opposite effect, Twilight taking the kindness as mockery.

“So an important, but bothersome task is right for me? Ok, I can live with that. I can perform at my best in any situation, if you haven’t noticed yet. Feel free to redirect the tasks that annoy you to me, but when you do, keep your dirty puppeteer hooves out of them, not like today!” Twilight was positively fuming at this point, crouching slightly in an aggressive stance, her wings flared.

“At least keep the insults, Twilight. I may not be perfect, but I’m certainly not a puppe-”

“Yes, you are! Nothing but a dirty puppeteer! You pull the strings so others dance to your will. Or have you forgotten about how you sent me to Ponyville? You didn’t tell me anything about why I had to go there. Then the Gala. You caused me so much trouble just to have some fun at the event you alone hosted! Crystal Empire could have fallen along with whole of Equestria just so you could have your damn little test. And don’t get me started on that spellbook. The town went almost to ruin!”

“It was all for your good, Twilight. All those trials made you stronger and eventually built who you are now. You must see that even in your current blinded state.” Celestia was almost pleading at Twilight now. This was completely new situation for her. Nopony dared to confront her like this since she lost one of her apprentices all those centuries ago. Before that, only Luna dared to act like this.

“I’m not blinded!” Twilight yelled. “On the contrary, now I am opening my eyes! Good for me, you say? What’s good on having no control over my own fate? On having no choice but to comply with your toying? Do you have a deeper plan, or am I here just to entertain you while you wait for something else?”

That was the final straw for Celestia. She could take much, but she always prided herself for being fair to her subjects. The mere thought of others considering her toying with lives scared her and most of all angered her. “So according to you, I only play with you here? Silly self-absorbed youngster, I have better things to do than to play! Besides, would I give that crown to my toy? Wake up, Twilight!”

“I wish I could, Celestia. I wish I could wake up and find that I never became a princess. Or maybe that I never went to Ponyville in the first place! You didn’t give me this crown.” She reached up with her hoof and lifted the Element of Magic of her head. “My friendships did. But you can have it, as it’s just about as worthless and empty as the title you gave me.” She flicked her hoof and the crown landed in front of Celestia’s hooves.

“That’s not something you throw around like a piece of trash, Twilight! And stop twisting my every word! No matter how you earned the band on your head, you did so only thanks to me! If I didn’t take you under my wing, you would end up as-”

“Librarian? Bureaucrat? Something else you made of me anyway?”

“Recluse with no friends and place in world! I could have ten like you any moment, there is nothing so special about you!”

“Then go ahead. I have no illusions about you, Celestia. You sent your own sister to the Moon for a thousand years. You will have no problem getting used to my absence. But it won’t be me who ends like a recluse with no friends.” She turned away from Celestia, no longer able to withstand looking at the face that brought her so much strife. “I used to trust you, admire you. I lost all social contact because I hoped to reach you. But you didn’t give anything in return, rather you just took more and more from me. And when I was at my weakest, you abandoned me. I'm sorry, more than you think actually, but I have to make this clear, princess. I can't work with somepony who orders me to learn, but never learns herself.”

“What are you implying, Twilight? Stop this madness when you still can!”

“I am not implying anything, Celestia. It’s more in your nature to imply things. I openly state that I quit. Just like that. I won’t be princess any longer, not when that title is tainted by you. Goodbye, Princess Celestia, oh great solar monarch, defender of Equestria defeated by a mere parasite." She didn’t bother to look back on Celestia and started walking to the door. Despite what she wished and despite her determination, she could feel the hot tears forming in her eyes.

Celestia stood there dumbfounded, not expecting Twilight to go that far. Her star pupil, the biggest hope in centuries, turned her back on her and was trotting out of the throne room and possibly her life. A white rage filled Celestia’s mind, feeling of betrayal clouding her senses and reason.

“I saw you as my own daughter. Fine! Go away and never return, you adder! I want to never see your face again. I should have stomped you to the ground at that excess during entrance exams, like the law advised me!” she shouted after Twilight and stomped her hooves into the stone ground, creating dents where her hooves landed. Twilight stopped dead in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder, and Celestia could see the tears now freely streaming. “Oh no! No, no, no, no! I didn’t mean that, Twilight! I didn’t…” But the damage was already done. Twilight gave a small whimper and galloped out of the throne room at full speed, slamming the door behind her with her magic. A second later the telltale ‘pop’ of teleportation spell was heard from the corridor.

Celestia sat down heavily on the dais, head hanging low. After few minutes her ears caught a faint sound of shuffling behind one of the pillars. “You can come out, Raven, I know you are there.”

“I’m sorry, princess. I was in the court and didn’t want to leave in case you needed my assistance.” The little white unicorn trotted to Celestia’s side and pressed herself against the mourning princess. “I guess, I was right to do so.”

“What for all good in the world have I just done, Raven?” Celestia said with an exhausted sigh. “What have I done…”

“I am afraid that you told princess Twilight that you wish you killed her when she was a filly.”

“That was a rhetorical question, Raven. But an actual one is what I should do now. I… haven’t been in such situation yet. I have to apologize somehow. I should go after her right now!” She made moves to get up, but a hoof pulled her back down.

“That wouldn’t be wise, princess.” Celestia glanced at her faithful adviser with curiosity. “You need to apologize to her, yes, but not now. Give her time. What you just said is a valid reason for her to hate you forever. Believe me that seeing you is the last thing she wants right now.”

Celestia weakly nodded and slumped down even more. “Just what have I done, Raven…”

Ever since Twilight gained the title of new Equestrian princess, Spike had to take care of their home in Ponyville mostly on his own. She liked to return there at any free moment she managed to salvage, so he did his best to keep the library in pristine condition, preventing Twilight from going on cleaning and reshelving spree when she was supposed to rest.

He gained much skill in managing all the administrative the library required and his social skills improved as well since he had to talk with strange ponies daily. The regular patrons got used to the new management quickly too, so the literary life of Ponyville didn’t suffer any harm with Twilight living in Canterlot.

The day didn’t differ from the rest of the workdays. Spike sat at the table with the registers of borrowed books, marking what the ponies brought back or took away and occasionally providing advice. When a calmer moment presented itself and nopony new seemed to head toward the library, Spike chose to take a break and eat his snack. The gems Twilight brought him from Griffon Empire called to him from the stash in the bedroom and he was all too happy to answer their call.

Making himself comfortable on the bed with the package in his claws, salivating just from the proximity of such a treat, he pulled the paper from it, but a sudden flash and pop surprised him and he dropped the package on the mattress. Where nothing was before, Twilight now stood next to the bed. Instinctively he backed a bit, presuming his messed up somehow, probably by being gluttonous again.

“Twilight? I-I swear I wouldn’t eat them all at once! I just wanted to sample them and keep them for a special occasion. Honest!” he said and hastily rewrapped the package. “There. See? Like new. I will put it back to- Twilight? Is something wrong?”

Taking a better look at the alicorn in front of him he noticed how disheveled she looked. Her mane was plastered to her forehead with sweat, her wings pressed to her sides too tightly and the fur on her face was matted with tears. Not paying him any mind she plopped on the bed where he used to lay and buried her face in the pillow. Her whole body was trembling as she finally allowed herself to cry in earnest.

At first, Spike was at the loss of what to do, but he quickly snapped from the horror and started acting. “I’ll be right here, Twilight. Just a second!” he said and rushed to the ground floor. “Alright, everypony, we are closing early today. This is an emergency, so you will get your books tomorrow. Leave now, please.”

Once the last disgruntled reader left, Spike put the ‘Closed’ sign on the door and locked. From the moment he left Twilight in the bedroom passed only a minute and she was still where he saw her last, probably not even noticing his departure and return. “It’s ok, Twilight. Tell me what happened,” he said and sat down next to her shuddering form on the bed. She didn’t react at all, crying her eyes out into the now fairly damp pillow.

Not seeing any way to get her attention, he decided she didn’t need words at all and so he positioned himself by her side and wrapped his arms around her neck firmly. “Just cry it all out, Twilight. I’m here.”

After a few minutes she reciprocated the embrace, but it took almost an hour before she got any words out. “She said she should have killed me, Spike!” she wailed and descended back to sobbing.

“Who? Tell me and I will show them!” Spike reacted sharply, strengthening his hold.

“Celestia. We had a nasty argument and I told her I quit as a princess. She called me an adder and that she should have executed me at the entrance exam. I… I told her I despise her and that she was toying with me the whole time…” She shuddered more violently and panted for a few seconds. “Why did I do such thing? I don’t hate her, why did I say that!”

“Ponies say ugly things when angry, Twilight. You know you have bad temper and Celestia knows that too. You two will certainly solve this somehow,” he said and then added under his breath, “though Celestia totally went too far with that.”

At that Twilight lifted her head abruptly and gazed at him intensely. “No. We won’t solve anything. No matter how angry I was I still want to quit and I don’t want to be near her after this anymore.” She returned to the comfortable embrace and sighed, last of her tears falling on Spike’s back. “I just wish I wasn’t so mean about it.”

Chapter 14

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Original Title: Down Once More
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

The day after the incident with her sore apprentice, Princess Celestia had decided, after an restless sleep, to send summons to the Elements of Harmony, sans Twilight; from her informants in Ponyville, Celestia had learned that the former princess reverted back to her reclusive tendencies, not communicating with anypony outside the library and even then, didn’t say much. Thus, her friends were not aware of the heated quarrel that resulted in the summons.

Outside of the castle gates, the five mares could already feel the heavy air as they approached the guards.

“Halt! Who goes there?” barked one of the guards.

“We’re here because Princess Celestia summoned us. See?” Rainbow Dash said holding out the official letter.

The guard examined the letter and nodded. “This looks in order. Go on in, though I must warn you, the princess has seen better days.”

The mares nodded as they were escorted to the throne room. Celestia specifically ordered the surrounding areas cleared of any servants or assistants aside from her advisor Raven. What she was going to say was not something she wanted to leak. Once inside, the girls saw Celestia sitting on her throne with Raven standing next to her.

“Good afternoon girls,” the princess greeted with as warm an expression as she could muster at the moment.

“Good afternoon your highness,” Rarity returned with a more genuine smile. “Lovely day today. Though if you don’t mind me asking, where is Twilight? I expected to see her around here.”

Celestia slowly dropped her smile, now replacing it with a forlorn expression.

“Oh my, did something happen to her?” Fluttershy asked.

“Girls… I don’t know how to say this, but I made a serious blunder.” The girls were now worried, yet curious to hear what she had to say. “You see, yesterday morning Twilight and I… had a nasty fight. While I wouldn’t normally bring this kind of thing up to anypony else, this case is different. Things were said that shouldn’t have been said. I fear it has permanently damaged everything and I only have myself to blame.”

“Princess?” Applejack said concerned. “What exactly happened?”

Celestia sighed and paused before responding. “Yesterday morning, Twilight was handling a court case involving two farmers and some land. I disagreed with her ruling and from there, we got into a fierce argument which resulted in Twilight… quitting. She threw her crown and Element of Harmony on the ground, calling me a puppeteer. I got enraged by this and said she was ungrateful and bratty.”

The girls glanced at each other in horror, not really knowing how to take this information.

“I know this is a bit much to ask, but I would like to properly apologize to her. However, I do not think I alone can approach her. That’s why I am asking you to convince her to come back.” Celestia gave them Twilight’s crown and Element of Magic. “I have faith in you. This is important for all of us.”

“Yer highness? Just what do you mean by ‘important for all of us’?” Applejack inquired.

“I fear for the integrity of the Elements of Harmony. Frankly, I feel as though I deserve whatever backlash I get, but if something happens that prevents the Elements from working, Equestria would have its best defense destroyed.”

“Um, Princess Celestia, did you try to convince her to stay?” Fluttershy asked. “I don’t mean to imply anything, but if you did, I don’t think we’d fare much better.”

“Alas, I did not. We were both too angry to coherently agree on anything. That is why I’m asking you five. You are her closest friends in addition to being the other Elements of Harmony. I would have liked to start over myself, but I feel that Twilight would not want to see me right now. Can you do that for me? For your friend?”

“Ah don’t know, princess. We’ll do what we can, but if she’s mad at you, the pony she looked up to the most, Ah can’t promise anything,” Applejack said discouraged.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash added. “I mean, I’ve seen her mad a couple of times, but never to this point like you said. And at you no less.”

“The poor dear needs some support, girls,” Rarity reassured. “Even if we don’t succeed, we simply must be there for her.”

“Maybe we can throw her a super duper party later to help cheer her up!” Pinkie bounced.

“Pinkie, um, maybe it’s too early to celebrate. And in her current state, she might not be too keen on a party right now,” Fluttershy reprimanded.

“I have faith in you my little ponies.”

With that, the five mares were ushered out of the throne room. While Rarity would have liked to purchase a few fabrics from the Canterlot stores that were not sold in Ponyville, she and the other girls decided that their friend needed them first. Just as quickly as they arrived in Canterlot, they soon were back on the train to Ponyville. During the ride, it was painfully quiet from all the passengers, with even Pinkie not wanting to speak up.

“Do you think we can pull this off?” Applejack finally said, earning a look of confusion from the others.

“Well of course! Why do you ask?” Rarity said speaking on the others’ behalf.

“Well, it’s just that Ah feel we’ve been missing something in this whole thing. Like the Princess didn’t give the whole story.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Ah don’t know. Ah know Twilight is a bit compulsive sometimes and Ah would imagine being a princess is stressful, but for her to lash out against Princess Celestia? Something just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“I know what you mean,” Rainbow Dash responded. “Besides her brother and Spike, Princess Celestia is the pony closest to her. She taught her everything she knows. If Twilight is this upset with her, she must’ve done something to really piss her off. I’m more worried about how we’ll do.”

“What nonsense are you talkin ‘bout Rainbow?”

“Well, even Lightning Dust had to apologize in person before she could make up for what she’d done. Having us apologize for Celestia? I don’t see that working, at least not very well.”

“Well Ah…” Applejack stopped herself. She looked at the other three mares and saw their looks of contemplation. Rainbow Dash bringing up the incident from Wonderbolt academy reminded them of many cases they acted for their own gains instead of being considerate to others. With a sigh, Applejack stood up. “Look, even when she doesn’t say it openly, she can show how sorry she is with her action, right?”

“We tried to do that awhile ago remember? No matter what we do to try and make it up to her, I still don’t think it counts as a proper apology if you don’t actually come out and say it.”

“Well Ah thought ya’ll apologized to her too. Shoot, why didn’t ya’ll?”

“I know, alright? That’s what I’m saying. If the Princess only says she’s sorry through actions, will it really get the point across?”

“Well… Let’s just see where this goes, okay sugarcube?”

Back in Golden Oaks Library, Twilight was trying to go about her old library life like nothing had changed. She’d slept in until noon as she no longer had the burden of the crown to worry about. It had been many weeks since she was able to get a restful sleep and after what happened the previous day, Spike decided it was best to let her get her rest and open up later than usual, doing some grocery shopping to make something special for her dinner.

I don’t remember this being so taxing, She thought as she tried to read one of her new books. I guess I’m still drained from what happened yesterday. Maybe I should just go back to sleep, I can’t concentrate on anything.

Before she could stand up and close down the library after a whooping one hour of opening, she heard a knock at the door.

A visitor? Ah, I guess I should at least help them before closing. She found herself taking more effort than usual to stand up and walk downstairs, subconsciously using her magic to put the book she was reading back on the shelf. As she walked down the steps, taking care to watch her hooves due to how shaky they were, she noticed her visitors had already walked in.

“Good afternoon, welcome to Golden Oaks-” She stopped when she realized it was her five friends. Recollecting herself and trying to hide her shaky state, she forced a smile. “Oh, hi girls.”

“Hello Twilight,” Rarity responded an untypical sadness in her face, as if she gained a decade spent in shortage.

“W-what brings you here today, girls?” Twilight said, still trying to wear her smile.

The other girls looked at each other, slightly worried about what they had to do next. Twilight noticed this and started to get a cold feeling in her stomach. Judging from their own strained smiles, she just knew things weren’t going to end well.

“Actually Twi,” Applejack began, “we uh, wanted to return this to ya.”

Applejack reached into her saddlebag and pulled out Twilight’s crown, which had a dents and scratches, telling the story of it meeting the hard stone ground of the Canterlot throne room. Twilight instantly lost her smile and replaced it with an angry, unamused glare. This is really happening, isn’t it? Twilight thought as she gritted her teeth. Now she is using even my friends. A heavy silence loomed for several seconds as the girls realized how difficult this was going to be.

"That's not mine, you can send it back to Celestia," Twilight said, breaking the silence with an irritated tone before turning tail and walking back upstairs.

"Darling, throwing a crown on the ground doesn't mean you stop being princess,” Rarity said as she followed her friend to the upper level, with the rest of the girls following suit.

Twilight glanced back with a frown and levitated a scroll from her desk "I know that well, Rarity. This does though." She opened the scroll and started to read out loud. “I, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of the Equestrian Kingdom and member of the Royal Family, hereby renounce my title and relinquish all assets associated with such.” With that, Twilight tossed the scroll back on the desk as her friends were starting to look more and more worried by the second.

"But Twilight! You can't just quit! Ponies are counting on you!” Rarity pleaded.

“Who do you think counts on me? Until few months ago there was no Princess Twilight Sparkle and ponies lived just fine anyway. Then there was Princess Twilight Sparkle and she didn’t get a chance to do anything of importance because somepony with flowing mane thought to be better than her.”

“She probably just tried to protect you.” Rarity sternly said, starting to feel as though she was dealing with an unruly filly.

“She said that too, but I know she protects her position like the power hungry schemer she is.”

“That’s not nice of you at all, Twilight. Um, and you should probably go apologize to the princess too,” Fluttershy added. “What you told her wasn’t very nice, um if you don’t mind me saying.”

Twilight, to everypony’s surprise, actually snorted in disgust. "She told you only one side, didn’t she? Typical. Well, know that according to her words she would rather see me dead long ago. Why should I apologize to somepony like that?” Twilight said louder than intended.

“Ya both were mighty angry. She sure didn’t mean that! But what about everything she did for you, Twilight?” Applejack retorted. “Not ta mention how much she does for Equestria. Ah’d like to remind you that if it weren’t for her, we wouldn’ta met and become friends!”

“And I’d like to remind you how many times she would be dead without me. Was she protecting me or Equestria when she disregarded my warning about Nightmare Moon? Sure, maybe everything turned out okay in the end, but that still doesn’t change the fact that she endangered everypony, even herself. Or what about keeping the Elements of Harmony in her own special chamber, huh? If they are the most valuable defense of Equestria, shouldn’t they be easily accessible to us in the time of a crisis?” Twilight was starting to breathe heavy in frustration. “Not that it matters anymore,” she mumbled to herself. “I would say that she could’ve fended off any threat herself, but after seeing her take on that changeling queen, she clearly can’t even do that!”

“Woah woah woah, hang on a minute there Twilight! Maybe the Princess hasn’t always been the best kind of pony, but did it ever occur to you that she might have been holding back during that fight!?” Rainbow Dash stepped in, trying to defuse the situation. Unintentionally though, she only fed the fire.

“Yes. Yes I did consider that. And you know what? That actually makes it worse!”

Applejack blinked. “Pardon?”

“The leader of the massive enemy force was right in front of her, all but begging to be struck down. If she did use her full power, maybe there would’ve been casualties in the room, but it’s a small price compared to the entire city, don’t you think? Of course, none of that would ever have happened if SOMEPONY would’ve just heeded my warnings before it happened. Though, I can’t say I’m that surprised. I should’ve learned a long time ago just how much my opinion matters to that old nag. Or anypony else for that matter.”

“Now Ah take offense to that!” Applejack barked. “Ah apologized to ya-”

Twilight stomped her hoof. “You were the only one who did! None of you ever learn, that’s the problem!”

“What are you implyin’, Twi?” Applejack said narrowing her eyes in a glare.

“I’ve said this to Celestia and I’ll say it to you. I don’t imply anything, I’m flat out SAYING you. Never. Learn! All of you! I’m sorry I have to say this, but I’ve held this in for far too long!”

While the other girls stepped back in disbelief, Applejack stomped her own hooves. Before she could retort however, Twilight spoke up again.

“What was the point of those friendship letters anyway?”

“To teach you to take others in consideration and to care bout ‘em! You fail at that darn badly right now Twi!”

“Yes, just me. But you could have learnt something from them too!”

“Ah did!”

“So much for that! I seem to recall you ‘didn’t learn anything’ that time at cider season. Pretty much sums this all up.”

“Oh, YOU!... You know what? Forget it!” Applejack roared as she stormed to the exit of the library.

“Applejack!” Pinkie Pie yelled running after her. “Where are you going? Twilight’s back there.”

“Ah’m goin home. If she wants ta be a stubborn filly, I say let her.”

“But-”

“But nothin! Ah refuse to take these kind of insults. Tell her if she’s ready to start acting maturely, I’ll be waiting.”

And with that, Applejack stomped out of the library, slamming the door as loud as she could. The girls back inside the library were speechless, having witnessed their best friends escalate things as far as they could. Even the normally bouncy Pinkie Pie was too astonished to do anything more than blink. Rainbow Dash was the first to step forward and confront Twilight, not caring anymore about convincing her to go back to Celestia.

“Twilight, I… I-”

“What Rainbow Dash? Is it your turn now?” Twilight angrily snapped.

“Twilight, you went WAY overboard with that. I can understand you’re angry with us, but that’s not how to deal with it.”

“She’s right darling,” Rarity added, “I must agree that was just too much.”

Twilight sighed and gently shook her head. “I know. I could’ve handled that better, but my point still stands. Look, I know what you all are trying to do and I think you should just go.”

“I’m not leaving until we talk this out, Twilight!” Rainbow retorted.

“Ugh! Not you too! There’s nothing to talk about. If you agree with her so much, you can just go with her.”

“Twilight-”

“That wasn’t a request.” Twilight said through her teeth.

“I’m not-”

“LEAVE!!” Twilight roared in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

She lit up her horn teleported her guests outside the library, each of them landing hard on the ground. The girls picked their aching selves up and tried to comprehend what just happened. This was a side of Twilight they weren’t familiar with and for her to literally throw them out of her home like this just baffled them. Before they could rush back inside, a spark of magic shot from the library and a barrier formed around their friend’s residence.

“Girls?” Pinkie said wearily.

“Yes Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow replied.

“I don’t think Twilight is happy with us.”

“You don’t say?”

“Please don’t do this Dash,” Fluttershy responded.

“Right, right. Sorry. So now what?”

“I guess we try again later,” Rarity reasoned.

With nothing else they could do, the four mares all went their separate ways, passing Spike as he returned from his shopping. The young dragon was confused to see how down they looked, and even more confused when he walked to his home and saw a familiar pink barrier around it. It reminded him of the time the Cutie Mark Crusaders had their newspaper persona exposed and everypony in town, including Twilight and himself, wouldn’t talk to them; in that case, he remembered Twilight put up the barrier to keep them from even approaching the door.

“Oh boy...” he whispered to himself as he put two and two together. He just knew something happened with Twilight. Finding her up in the second level bed with a blanket draped over herself, he called to her.

“Twilight?”

Twilight peeked out from underneath the blanket and smiled to see a face she knew she could trust. “Hi Spike. How did the shopping go?”

“Went okay. Um, Twilight? What happened? I saw the girls out there and they looked like the sun shouldn’t rise again.”

Twilight’s smile slid right off her face as she breathed a heavy sigh and turned over.

“I don’t think they are my friends, Spike. Not anymore.”

“Now just the glasses over here and the vase there and it will be ready. The situation is grim enough even without wrongly arranged meeting place. We can solve anything, just in the right time.”

After Rarity’s two hours long preparations, Sugarcube corner, devoid of any visitors as she booked the place for the whole afternoon, not regretting the tremendous price she had to pay, finally reached her expectations. All the windows were shrouded with curtains, allowing only little light in and definitely barring view from the outside. The cheerful decorations, so typical for the bakery, were all taken down and replaced with strings of dark flowers and the tablecloth would make any funeral proud with its black velvet beauty.

Just as Rarity was finishing pouring the drinks for the guests she expected, Pinkie Pie sneaked into the room carrying a big tray covered with cloth. “I made us some refreshments for our secret meeting, Rarity,” she said in a hushed conspiratorial voice, her eyes darting left and right, searching for potential spies. She placed the tray on the table and went to tiptoed away.

“How lovely from you, Pinkie, I knew I could count on your help,” Rarity beamed and reached for the cloth. “What did you-”

“NO! You can’t see yet! They must stay undercover until the time is right,” Pinkie whisper-yelled as she jumped back and beat Rarity’s hoof away. “You probably wouldn’t recognize them, they are masked too, but one can never be too safe.”

Rarity backed slowly from Pinkie who was now leaning in mere inches from her face, adamant look in her eyes not allowing any discussion. “Very well, Darling, just calm down. The identity of our refreshments will stay hidden until you decide otherwise.” Angering another of her friends was the last thing Rarity needed, no matter how petty the reason seemed to her.

Thankfully, she was saved from the awkward moment by the door being opened and the rest of her friends walking in, Spike trailing as the last one, reluctance and distaste apparent on him.

“Hi Pinkie, hi Rarity! What’s up, your letter sounded like somepony died,” Rainbow called out the moment she spotted her friends. She took a better look around and tilted her head to the side and her energetic smile dropped. “Did… did somepony die?”

“Oh girls, I’m so happy you are here. Well, I would be happier if you didn’t have to be here, but now that you are, we can-”

“We can reveal my super secret masked treats I made for us! They look like an average cupcake, but in fact they are blueberry muffins with colorful sprinkles inside and-”

At that moment Rarity stepped directly in front of Pinkie and looked her sternly in the eyes. The confectioner immediately deflated a bit and adopted a sheepish smile. “Pinkie, dear, there is a time for presenting new sweets. It is called ‘not now’.” Pinkie nodded few times and went to place the cupcakes slash muffins on the plates for each of the guests.

“Um, what is the time for now then, Rarity? Nopony died, right?”

“Oh no, of course not, Fluttershy. But!” Rarity made a dramatic pause and didn’t continue until everyone took their place at the table and she had their full attention again. “But the situation is just as grave. I called you here because we desperately need to find a way out of the current horrible situation with Twilight.” Immediately after the sentence left her lips, Applejack jumped up again.

“Ya called me from mah work just ta talk about that ungrateful vermin? Well, thank ya kindly Rarity. There’s ton of work on the farm and Ah wasted time walkin’ here. Thanks for the muffin, Pinkie. See ya later.” She grabbed the treat and started for the door, but a newspaper levitating right in front of her face stopped her retreat.

“You can go as you wish, Applejack, but first please read this. It may be of interest to you.” Rarity produced an issue of the newspaper for every one of her guests as she was speaking, all present quite confused.

“Just what could interest me in a week old Canterlot Daily? As if Ah cared ‘bout that… royal… gossip…” On the front page of the newspaper there was a big photo of Twilight and princess Celestia, probably taken several weeks ago, and a big title at the top.

Benefactor with a Rotten Heart?

“Oh horseapples…”

“Horseapples indeed, Applejack. Some guards witnessed their argument and sold it to the newspaper. All of Equestria probably knows by now and those two are more than likely unemployed,” Rarity said with a bitter smile, but refrained from further comments until everyone got chance to read the article thoroughly. As the first one to receive the newspaper, Applejack was also the first to finish reading. She folded it and walked back to the table, slowly sitting down and taking her hat off.

“Darn it! Ah did it again! Ah jumped ta conclusions like a foal! Ah told her she’s a stubborn filly and walked out on her while she had every right ta be angry.”

“Yes, you did. And then she threw us from the library with a spell,” Rarity added, earning a surprised gasp from Applejack, who didn’t hear about the results of the argument before. However, the comment was too much for Spike, whose annoyance was growing with every second.

“That’s what’s bothering you? That she expelled you from the library with a teleport? What about her, huh? What about her feelings? What about her crying for hours, that’s not a problem?” he shouted jumping up and pounding his fist into the table.

“Hey Spike, that’s not exactly helping. You don’t have to remind us we screwed up.” Rainbow unfolded and folded her wings in agitation. Taking critique never sat well with her, even when she knew she was in the wrong. Spike couldn’t be silenced though.

“No, I think I have to because you have no bucking idea how much you messed up! Do you even know how distraught she was after that argument with Celestia? Her world fell apart, she was on the brink of collapse and what do you do? Instead of consoling her like friends should, you march in and yell at her some more! If I were there, I would beat you! Now she refuses to even go out. She hasn’t smiled since then either.” The anger he felt slowly seeped out and sorrow filled its place. In the end his hands were shaking and he was barely holding back tears.

Rarity got up from her place and slowly walked to him, caressing his arm with a forehoof. He didn’t have energy to push her away, the struggle with his fear for Twilight tying all of it. “I know, Spike. I know. And that’s why we need you more than ever now.” He lifted his eyes to her and saw a genuine sorrow mirroring his own. “To make things right again. We can’t do it alone, we need your help.”

He kept their eyes locked for a few more seconds, examining how true her feelings were, and then sat down with a sigh. “I… I will help you. But not for you. For Twilight.”

“That’s all I ask, Spike, and our motivation as well.”

Twilight, Ah’m sorry about what Ah said. I assumed too quickly and now Ah know I was in the wrong.
-AJ

Twilight darling, we know now just how seriously the Princess hurt you and we want to make it up to you. Please forgive us.
-Rarity

Twilight, I’m sorry we were such silly fillies and made you so grumpy. Spike said you don’t smile anymore. That’s not right. You need to smile. Let me make you smile again.
-Pinkie Pie

Please don’t hold what happened against us, Twilight. We love you and we didn’t mean to hurt you like we did.
-Fluttershy

Twilight, know that whatever happens, we’re going to be there for you from now on. We owe you big time.
-RD

“These letters are nice Spike, but I just don’t know,” Twilight said lethargically as she read the letters in her bed.

“Twilight I’m not going to lie, I’m not really happy with them after what happened to you. But I think they know just how badly they did and truly want to patch things up.”

“Spike…”

“I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to, but please consider what they’re offering. I want to see you happy again. Look, I need to get something done. I’ll be back in few hours, okay?” Spike started for the door, but Twilight caught up to him and hugged him firmly.

“Okay. Stay safe, Spike. I love you.” She let him go and he left the library shaking his head, confused from Twilight’s sudden emotionality.

As the doors shut, Twilight released a deep sigh and placed the latest letters to the rest. Over the past few days, Twilight had been getting gifts and cards from her “friends” and other residents of Ponyville, expressing their sympathy for her situation. While she thought they were nice, she was reluctant to accept them since she knew she wasn’t going to be staying for very long. Even more so after she received a different sort of letter three days ago.

This time I have to push through. We don’t have time to waste.

Ever since Canvas told her via her letter that the work on the gate was finished, Twilight became even more anxious. There was nothing objectively stopping her from leaving, but she continued to search for excuses to delay her departure. At first, she tried to convince herself she was just waiting for the right moment when Spike wouldn’t be around, but when she allowed such chance to slip two days ago, she could no longer lie to herself.

Despite what happened during the last year, the thought of leaving everything she knew and going into uncertainty scared her immensely. No matter how much they hurt her, her friends also made her life worthwhile after they dragged her from her bookworm shell. While the decision to follow Scintillant held strong in her mind, her heart accepted the dictate only reluctantly.

No matter. I can’t let them wait any longer. I am supposed to think about others more and they need me decisive, not trembling. With her resolve steeled for the moment she stepped to the writing desk and formulated four letters. Once they were sent, there was no way for her to back down, as the rest of her group would wait for her in the Canterlot in few hours.

Still, the sun isn’t setting yet. I have some time to spare.

There wouldn’t be much packing for her. None at all in fact. From what she was told, everything she could need would be provided to her. She roamed the library aimlessly, checking the shelves of books for anything of interest. That’s when she notice in what disarray they in fact were. With a determined look, she levitated most of them out and made them circle around her.

Ugh! This looks like when Rainbow bursts in. How many times did I have to sort these books out after her mishaps? Well it never was as bad as when I did this for the very first time. The last librarian had absolutely no system in here. It’s a wonder that book about Elements of Harmony was really under E.

Her memories drifted to her first evening in Ponyville and to how easy if dangerous the life seemed back in the day. Then she remembered all the times her friends would visit her here either to solve a crisis or even to just chat for a while. When she got to the sleepover with Rarity and Applejack, she couldn’t but smile fondly at what small things could derail her then. Yet as the books were returned to their rightful places, her memories retreated to the recesses of her mind and gave way to the present.

Last rays of setting sun shined through the windows and made the room look ablaze with their orange brightness. Her moment would soon come, but there was one last thing to do. Although she declared leaving unseen as the main reason for waiting for Spike’s absence, there was a different motive as well. She knew well she wouldn’t be able to leave if she saw his face, not after how close they grew over the past months. If he was like a son to her before, now she also saw him as a brother; not a substitute for the one too far away to help her, but a one she was there for just as much as he was for her.

She picked up the quill once more and started one last letter.

Dearest Spike.
Please don’t be angry at me. There is so much that happened over the past year. My life feels like a pendulum, swinging from bad to good and back again. I can’t take the rhythm anymore. I need to stop it.
All this time you were by my side. I want you to know that I don’t hold what happened at the wedding against you. I forgave you right away. You have no idea how much you mean to me and I wish I told you more often how much I love you.
However, this is something I have to do alone. I have to leave and you can’t follow me this time. Don’t be sad, we will see each other again. Just be patient.
Thank you for everything.
Love
Twilight

She marked the envelope with Spike’s name, placed it on the table so he wouldn’t miss it and put a glistening star shaped amethyst on it as a weight. Then she organized the writing utensils and other knickknacks on the table as symmetrically as possible and blew the candle out.

Refusing to look back again she walked out of the front door and lowered the barrier behind her. Crime never posed a problem in Ponyville so she didn’t lock the door. Spike expected her to be at home and therefore would have difficulties getting there if she locked. She decided to walk in the outskirts and avoid as many ponies as possible that way. Thankfully for her, the streets were deserted, no hoofsteps echoing anywhere.

Soon she found herself in front of Ditzy’s home and knocked without hesitation. A teenage magenta unicorn filly with violet and lavender mane opened the door after a few seconds. “Good evening, can I help you?”

“Oh, hi Sparkler, is your mom home?”

“Yes, I will get her for you.” She walked back inside and after a moment Twilight heard her speak again. “Mom? Twilight is here and wants to see you. She looks shaken.”

“Already? Darn,” Twilight could hear the slightly annoyed reply from Ditzy. “Girls I have to leave for the night, but I will be back in the morning, okay? Could you watch over Dinky, Amethyst?”

“Yeah, no problem. Why do you have to leave? Is Twilight alright?”

“She just needs me to help her with something in Canterlot. The dinner is ready, just warm it up. And make sure she goes to bed early.”

“But moooom! It’s Friday, I don’t have to go to school. I wanna stay up longer…”

“What am I to do with you? You can stay up till ten, but not a minute longer.”

“Thanks! Yay!”

“Love you, Muffin. Love you, Sparkler.”

“Love you too, mom.”

Hoofsteps sounded from the hallway and soon Ditzy emerged from the house and closed the door behind her. Instead of a greeting she frowned on Twilight. “Do you have any idea how much worry you caused me? Letting me know three hours early. Where do you think I would get a foalsitter at such a short notice?!”

Twilight stood there with ears folded back, the onslaught striking her hard. “Please not you too. Please don’t yell at me, I got enough of that recently,” she managed to say when Ditzy stopped her scolding for breath. Her tired and sad tone caught Ditzy’s attention and she took better look on Twilight’s face showing exhaustion and pain. “I’m sorry, I just had to do this all quickly or I wouldn’t find the strenght to do it at all. I didn’t want to cause inconvenience.” She was staring at her hoof intently when a small nuzzle to her cheek came.

“No, I’m sorry. I’m leaving just for the night, but you will be staying away. But it will be okay, you will see.”

“If you say so, I will hope you are right,” Twilight said with doubt. “Well, we should go now. Have you ever teleported before?” Ditzy shook her head no. “Well, enjoy then, we need several teleports to get to Canterlot. I can’t get there in one jump. Hold your breath, it helps prevent nausea.” With that Twilight flared her horn and the two ponies vanished.

Six spells later, slightly panting Twilight, sweat on her forehead, and fairly disoriented and nauseated Ditzy appeared in front of Royal Academy of Arts.

“Welcome to Canterlot. Thank you for choosing Alicorn Express for your journey today. We are looking forward to teleporting with you again s- Ditzy, are you going to throw up?” A splatting sound was the only answer Twilight needed. She summoned a package of tissues and handed them to Ditzy. “Sorry. The first time is always pretty bad.”

“First time flying doesn’t cause such trouble,” Ditzy grumbled as they entered the campus and started toward the warehouse housing Canvas’ creation.

“True, but after the first day of flying, my backside hurt for a week.”

“Really? You were THAT clumsy? Good thing they made you a princess, not honorary Wonderbolt,” a voice came from the right. Twilight lit her horn to spot the mocker and saw Lightning Dust, Sunset and Trixie walking to them from a nearby bench.

“You should see her working with an axe. It’s like she expects the wood to carve itself for a good word,” Trixie mocked.

Twilight adopted a shocked expression, pointed a hoof behind the trio and exclaimed, “watch out, Trixie! Timberwolf!” The former showmare reacted exactly as expected, jumping to the side and curling to a ball. Hearing the giggles of the other mares she peaked out from her protective curl and seeing the warning was a fake she indignantly stood up.

“Very funny, Sparkle.”

“I think so. Well now that we are all here, we should pay Canvas a visit. Shall we?” Twilight led the others through the dark campus and knocked on the door of the warehouse. Soon, a crack appeared and an auburn eye peaked through it.

“Oh it’s you! Come in girls, I couldn’t wait!” Canvas opened the door fully and beckoned them in, glee radiating from her.

“Nice to finally meet you in person, Canvas,” Sunset said as she passed her. “So where is this big creation of yours? I must say I am excited to see your talent.”

“You will see it in action actually! I waited with the last stroke for when you all get here. Take a seat… somewhere. I didn’t exactly focus on cleaning here, heh.” The gleeful earth pony skipped to a big canvas covered with old cloth. “Behold, The Gate of Elysium!” She pulled the cloth down and a fairly intricate painting was revealed to the audience for the first time ever. It earned well deserved gasps from them and Canvas beamed with pride and happiness. “And now for the grand finale!” She took a brush she prepared for that exact moment, caressing the canvas with her other hoof, and made a smallest of strokes on one of the symbols.

To the amazement of the group, the painting started shifting and waving, contours and segments entering the reality as if the canvas was a mere corridor for things to arrive. “No matter how many times I will see this, it will never cease to amaze me. You are fantastic, Canvas!” Twilight exclaimed and rushed to the mare in question to congratulate her. Instead of a hoofshake, a hug awaited her, happy tears streaming from Canvas’ eyes.

“Thank you, Twilight. It is all thanks to you. You gave me this chance.”

After a few moments Lightning Dust cleared her throat. “Um, sorry to break the moment, but we should probably go through. Somepony could come and catch us.”

“Uh right. Just a moment.” Twilight walked to the cans of paints and bottles of bleach stored around the walls, lifted them with her magic and started pouring their contents around.

“What are you doing, Twilight?!” Canvas exclaimed and rushed to stop Twilight from wreaking havoc to her workplace. “Why are you making such mess?!”

“This mustn’t be ever found, Canvas. Can you imagine if somepony happened upon your creation? They could enter and leave Elysium at will! That’s why this place must burn after we enter Elysium.” The crestfallen look on Canvas’ face was breaking Twilight’s heart, but there was more she needed to say. “Also, we,” she gestured to the other mares, “are all either missing, or explained our absence somehow. You are the only one remaining. That’s why the moment you enter Elysium is also the moment you die for the world.”

Canvas seemed deep in thought and not particularly happy with the development. “You will get a chance to create even better paintings, promise. And we will build a new life for all of us when this is over, ok?” Canvas merely nodded, Ditzy leading her back to the others and draping a wing across her back for comfort.

Once Twilight finished the preparation of the arson, she assumed her position next to the others and looked them over. “So are we ready?” Earning a series of nods, everypony too nervous to speak up, she gestured to the cans with her hoof. “Who will do it?”

“Allow me,” Sunset said and lit her horn. A small butterfly formed of fire flew through the dark space, circled for a few seconds and then landed on one of the pools of bleach. It instantly combusted and the fire started to spread.

“No way back now,” Twilight stated. “Well, we are in it together, so I am not afraid. Onward.” On the command they all stepped forward at the same time, blaze illuminating them from behind, and with a various degree of smiles they passed through the gate. Where The Gate of Elysium once stood, there was soon nothing but a smoldering hell.

Spike and the rest of Twilight’s former friends approached the library, noticing that it now was no longer surrounded by the pink barrier with which Twilight barricaded herself the past days.

“Wait right here, I’ma go get Twilight. Or try to at least,” Spike said unsure of himself.

The mares nodded as their young dragon companion carefully opened the door and walked inside. As anxious as they all were, they were determined to get their friend back and were prepared to move mountains if they had to.

“Ah hope this works, girls. Ah just don’t know if Ah can forgive myself for what we did,’ Applejack said grimly.

“We have to try,” Rarity responded with a sad, but hopeful expression.

The mares waited for several minutes and they were starting to get more worried. Not because of how long it was taking for Spike to get back, they expected resistance, but because of how quiet it was other than the sound of the wind gently blowing through the leaves of the tree. It was too quiet and they didn’t even see any second floor lights from the windows outside, indicating that nopony was up there. It wasn’t until fifteen whole minutes passed that Spike sluggishly walked out of the library with the most forlorn look on his face and a parchment in his right claw. His eyes looked red, as though he had been crying recently even though his actual face was dry.

“S-Spike…?” Rarity said concerned as she gently approached him. “Are… Are you alright?”

Spike looked up at his crush’s face, who saw more tears starting to form as he breathed heavily. He said nothing and only held out the parchment as he hung his head low to avoid eye contact; it was clear from the small wet spots on the ground under him that he was crying.

Rarity took the parchment with her magic and started reading it. Once she was finished, her heart sunk.

“She’s….” Spike mumbled.

“Dear… I-”

“SHE’S GONE! I left her all alone and now she is gone! It’s all because of you! If I hadn’t helped with your stupid party, I could’ve been there for her!”

The girls were taken aback by this, especially Rarity who was standing nearest to him when he shouted.

“Spike-”

“No! I don’t wanna talk to you anymore! You’ve cause enough damage! Just go away!” Spike angrily shouted as he swiped the letter back and stormed back to the library, slamming the door and locking it behind him.

He clutched the gemstone he found on the letter and pressed it to his chest. Not bothering to move upstairs he rolled to a ball on the floor by the table and continued his crying.

“Twilight… Why did you do this to me… Why wasn’t I here… Please Twilight…”

Yet nopony answered to his pleas and he slowly drifted to sleep.

Chapter 15

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Original Title: Settling Dust
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

“Rares?” Applejack asked. “What just happened?”

Rarity, still stunned from Spike’s outburst, took a moment before speaking up. “Girls, I… I am afraid... that our friend is no more. That was a goodbye note addressed to Spike. Twilight…”

“Rarity? Just stop,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “I don’t want to hear anymore.”

“Twilight’s gone?” Pinkie said confused. “But… We were going to make it up to her. We had a party and everything-”

“Pinkie!” Fluttershy snapped, surprising everypony. “I know you mean the best, we all do. But the party is the least of our concerns.”

“Fluttershy?”

“Um, sorry.”

Applejack grunted as she shook her head. “Do we even know if she’s really dead? What if she just ran away?”

“Well…” Rarity responded. “I do suppose that’s a possibility. The letter didn’t exactly state it.”

“Then there’s a chance! We have ta find her and let her know just how much we care about her. We owe her and… Ah refuse ta believe she’s dead. Ah don’t wanna believe another pony Ah love so dearly died because I acted so foalishly.”

“Applejack’s right!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Maybe she’s just hiding from everypony. If so, the Everfree Forest would probably be the best hiding spot.”

“Zecora! Of course!” Rarity said with new found hope. “Twilight visits quite often. Perhaps she may be able to tell us something.”

“Yeah, let’s go see her!”

“Um, hold on a second girls,” Fluttershy said halting them. “Shouldn’t we maybe tell the other ponies in town to start searching? If we do that then they can cover more ground while we search the forest.”

“Hm. That’s actually not a bad idea sugarcube. Tell ya what, why don’t you, Pinkie, and me tell the town while the rest go see Zecora. Hopefully, we can find Twi before anything else happens.”

“Sounds good, Applejack.” Rainbow Dash grabbed Rarity’s hoof and bolted towards the Everfree Forest. “C’mon Rarity! No time to waste!”

“Ow! Careful with that hoof, dear.”

As the unicorn and pegasus infiltrated the forest, the remaining three ponies went to work going around town, going to houses, establishments, anywhere where there was somepony to ask.

Pinkie Pie’s first visit was to her own home in Sugarcube Corner, where the party for Twilight was supposed to be held. It was also the workplace of a family she trusted well: the Cakes, her employers and landlords. When she rushed inside, she saw her surrogate family beginning to retire for the night so as not to get in the way of the party that was planned.

“Mr and Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie said panting from her sprint.

“Pinkie? What’s wrong? You seem more anxious than normal,” Cup Cake said concerned.

“Have you seen Twilight? She wasn’t in the library at all.”

“Uh, no we haven’t seen much of her since her coronation. Why, did something happen to-” Carrot Cake didn’t get a chance to finish his question before Pinkie sprinted upstairs. On the second floor, there were many party patrons waiting for the return of their hosts. Pinkie practically mowed a few down trying to get into the room where the festivities were being held.

“Everypony! Sorry, but I need to cancel the party. We have a more important problem right now. Twilight’s missing and I need you all to help look for her!”

Rarity and Rainbow Dash trekked through the Everfree Forest, noticing more mud than usual as well as a path of charred trees that seemed to have been burned several weeks or even months prior.

“Geez, whoever came down here last sure did a number on these things,” Rainbow commented.

“What’s with all the mud? I thought the last rainfall was a week ago. This mud is filthy!”

“Rarity, the forest is always filthy. Besides, a little mud is the least of our problems right now. I just hope Zecora can provide us with anything useful. I hate to wonder what happened to Twilight.”

“Rainbow, do you think she could really be…?”

“Unless I find her, I want to say no. Spike said she was there when he left so she’s only been gone for three hours at most. If we act fast enough, we will find her.”

“Don’t forget, dear. This is Twilight, the genius of magic we’re talking about. For all we know, she could be on the other side of the world by now.”

“Then we’ll just have to hope for the best. She’s been going to Zecora’s an awful lot in the past year so maybe she knows something that could help us, or at least steer us in the right direction. Besides, would you go through so much trouble as to teleport far away when you would plan to...” Rainbow trailed off when she realized she wasn’t helping the mood.

“I do hope you are right about that.”

“So do I.”

Due to the muddy pathways, Rarity found it harder to walk through the forest than all the other times she had been in it. Not only did the mud make it hard to find solid ground, but the water also attracted a lot of mosquitos which annoyed both of them to no end. Rainbow Dash also had wings to get around the hazardous areas. Rarity wasn’t as fortunate. Before long, Rarity found herself stranded in the middle of a miniature lake of mud and water, unable to continue further.

“You know, you could be HELPING me, Rainbow Dash. It’s not like I still have those wings.”

“Fine. Hold on.” Rainbow flew over to Rarity and lifted her into the air, carrying her over to the dry land. Or rather drier land as the case may be. “There. Happy?”

“Quite so, yes.”

Not too long afterwards did they finally arrive at Zecora’s tree home. After unsuccessfully trying not to trip on the underbrush and into the mud, Rarity knocked on the door. Not a moment later, the shaman answered.

“My precious friends, what brings you here across the land? Your coats disheveled, manes covered in mud and sand. Come in my home, we’ll get you all clean. Meanwhile though, what does your visit here mean?”

As Rarity walked inside, coat and mane covered in mud, Rainbow tried the best she could to hold back a few snickers; if not for the circumstances of their visit she would have just let it out.

“Hey Zecora. Sorry to drop in unannounced, but we have a serious problem. Twilight, well, she’s gone missing and we were wondering if you could tell us anything. You’ve been seeing her a lot over the past year or so.”

“Indeed, she has come now and then. If I’m to help you, I must know how and when. Explain to me your moral plight, yet remember the truth may have another side.”

Rainbow Dash started to explain to Zecora the problems they had been having with Twilight since the day prior to the argument between her and Celestia became public. Everything from the meeting they had with the princess, up to the eve of Twilight’s disappearance. Zecora listened attentively, as did Rarity while washing up, correcting and filling in any details that Rainbow Dash got wrong or missed. Just as Rarity finished washing up, Rainbow Dash concluded her retelling of the events.

“So that’s why we need to find her. The way she phrased things in that note makes it sounds like… You know. We need to find her before she does something serious,” Rarity concluded. “As Rainbow and I speak to you now, the other girls are getting help from town. And Spikey Wikey… He isn’t taking this well at all.”

Zecora took a sip of her tea, finishing off the cup. “You have been through quite a lot. So I will give you what I’ve got. I must apologize for giving so little information, but I think you will find this useful in your situation. I will help you the best I can, but for that we need a plan. I will help with the search, the forest at least. I shall cover what I can, west to east.”

“Okay. If you say so.” Rainbow Dash said disappointed, having expected more.

“Come on Rainbow Dash. I know we didn’t find much, but I think we should leave this to Zecora. She knows her way around here more than we do. Let’s go meet up with the others.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The two ponies made their way out the door and as they closed it, Zecora could hear a scream of surprise followed by a splash.

“Oh for crying out loud! I just washed up!” Zecora heard Rarity yell. She couldn’t help but smirk at this as she watched the two fade into the darkness of the forest through her window. Once they were far enough away, Zecora prepared for an expedition of her own into the forest, in the opposite direction. While she didn’t know where Twilight was exactly, she had an idea where to look first. If Twilight wasn’t there, she could at least talk to her former housemate.

However, as she approached the area, she could tell right away this wouldn’t be possible. In the clearing she was familiar with she saw a patch of scorched earth and wood scattered about. The area still had a lingering stench of burning wood and vegetation, indicating the area as affected just recently, no more than a couple hours ago at most. On examining the scattered wood, Zecora noticed the grooves common in building. The grooves also were not torn out, indicating the cabin was taken apart rather than violently destroyed.

“So she is alive,” Zecora thought out loud. “And it looks like her two friends went with her.”

There was a flash of golden light in one of the alleys and a gray pegasus mare appeared on the pavement out of nowhere, immediately plopping down on her rump. She shook her head to stop the world from spinning and took several deep breaths.

Phew, being pegasus has its advantages. Imagine if I were born as a unicorn, teleporting would be my main means of travel. Bleh! Twice in less than a day. Next time I’ll choose to walk no matter how far it will be.

Ditzy finally composed herself and glanced around, making sure there were no onlookers around. Explaining why she just got teleported wouldn’t be the best way to start a day, especially after an almost restless night. I’ll get some rest during the day. Today’s not my duty anyway. But I shouldn’t waste a free day with sleeping either. We’ll do something fun with Dinky and Sparkler and I will just go to bed a bit earlier.

With that decided, she picked herself up from the pavement and left the alley, making her way home. It was but a brief walk; the angels chose a spot close by for her to reappear. Despite the early hour, the sun having just risen minutes ago, there was much more activity on the streets than Ditzy expected. Ponies were walking seemingly aimlessly from one dark corner to another, occasionally stopping to share something in hushed whispers. While Ditzy was intrigued by this mystery, her fatigue won over her curiosity and soon she was opening the front door of her house.

Once inside, she listened carefully to any noises, but the house remained quiet, peaceful sleepiness filling the air. Huh, of course they are asleep. It’s Saturday, why wouldn’t they be? Especially since I allowed Dinky to stay up longer. At least they won’t be worried.

She entered the kitchen and immediately put a kettle on the stove to prepare some coffee. The first cup vanished in two big gulps and she poured herself another quickly. Setting it on the table, she decided to prepare some tastier breakfast than cereals for her daughters. Baking supplies were never sparse in the household, this time they would just serve for pancakes.

She just finished setting two full plates on the table and planned to go upstairs to wake her girls, when she heard a surprised and gleeful gasp from the door. “MOM! You’re home! I’m so happy. Sparkler forced me to brush my teeth for whole four minutes. She says it was two, but I counted!” Dinky launched herself forward and Ditzy caught her in the air, wrapping her in her wings.

“Some more brushing surely didn’t hurt, right? You stayed up longer than usual so you also brushed for longer. That’s fair, isn’t it?” Seeing the frown Dinky was giving her, most likely feeling betrayed, Ditzy changed tactics to distraction. “The breakfast is already ready, I’m sure it will help you forget that injustice.” She nodded to the table and Dinky obediently looked in the indicated direction.

“Pancakes!” she exclaimed, extricated herself from her mother’s embrace and hopped to the table.

Wow, I’ll have to make more. She has an appetite like a timberwolf. Heh, I’ll have to pull that one on Trixie sometime.

“Good morning, mom. Don’t believe her a word, it really was just two minutes. It’s not my fault she counts quicker than a hummingbird.” Sparkler walked into the kitchen and quickly pecked her mother on a cheek, taking her place at the table. “Hey! Those are mine, stop stealing my breakfast, you glutton!”

“When you come late, you don’t get pancakes. And I’m no glutton! …what’s a glutton?” Dinky looked sincerely confused, which proved to be very adorable with the crumbs of pancakes and smudges of jam on her muzzle.

“A pony who eats too much, Dinky. But you are not one, you should just leave other ponies’ food alone,” Ditzy explained. “Don’t worry, I can make more in a jiffy. I’ll just make more batter.” As she reached for the pack of flour however, a quiet knock echoed from the front door. Sparkler started getting up to answer the door, but Ditzy stopped her. “Keep eating, I’ll take care of it.”

She trotted to the hallway and without asking opened the door. Ponyville was safe enough place to not be afraid. On the other side she found decidedly exhausted looking Fluttershy, her mane matted and bags under her reddened eyes.

“Goodness, Fluttershy! You look horrible! Come in, we are just having breakfast, you look like you could use some snack.” She beckoned Fluttershy inside, but the yellow pegasus made no move to take the invitation.

“Um, thank you Ditzy, you know that I always like to spend some time with you, but I don’t have time today.” She even sounded fairly exhausted, her voice even quieter than usually.

“Oh? What’s up then? Did something happen? Can I help you somehow?”

“If you don’t mind, I need to ask you something.” She pawed the ground in hesitation, but then looked Ditzy straight in the eye. “Yesterday we went to throw Twilight a party, but she wasn’t in the library. All we found was a note saying she is leaving. It sounded… We are scared. Nopony has seen her since yesterday afternoon. We are looking everywhere. Please, did you see her?”

Ditzy took in the hopeful and pleading look that overtook Fluttershy’s face and shuddered. She is a friend, but… But I can’t tell her. She would continue asking and everything would go awry. This… this hurts… She adopted a saddened expression, something easily done in her state of mind. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I haven’t seen her. I haven’t left the house since my shift ended.”

“Oh.” Ditzy couldn’t believe how crestfallen Fluttershy became after the answer. “Well, thank you anyway. I’ll go look further. I just hope we will find her soon.”

“You should take a moment to nap too, Fluttershy. You need it bad. And don’t worry, I am sure Twilight will show up eventually,” Ditzy called after her retreating friend. She closed the door and turned to head back to the kitchen, but found herself face to face with her daughters.

“Why did you lie to Fluttershy? You said that you didn’t leave the house or see Twilight. But you went with her to Canterlot,” Sparkler immediately asked, confusion overweighting accusation in her voice. Ditzy belonged to the ponies who rarely told lies, and when she did, it was always for a good reason.

She looked a bit taken aback by the direct question, but decided to stick with truth. “Twilight asked me to keep our trip secret. Could you do the same for me? Don’t tell anypony that she was here yesterday, ok?”

“Why? Did she do something bad? Is she alright?” Sparkler continued the interrogation, Dinky showing her support by nodding fervently.

“She did nothing bad. Other ponies did, and so she wants to take some time to relax. Don’t worry, she is alright, she just wants to stay away from others,” Ditzy assured them and followed it with a warm smile.

“Okay, we won’t tell anypony. It just feels bad to lie to our friends. Will you make us more pancakes?” Dinky said, concerns forgotten for the moment. They trotted back to the kitchen and Ditzy returned to cooking.

You have no idea how bad it feels to lie to your friends, sweetheart. But I will make sure nopony will have to lie anymore. I promise.

“Do you think she will be surprised?”

“Oh definitely! I’m actually a bit worried about how surprised she will be. She could start hyperventilation and go into panic mode because one of her books is out of place while we visit. And then because she didn’t study about being an aunt at all.”

“Honey, from her friends and Celestia I know that she hasn’t done that for more than three months now. Give her some credit. Besides, alicorns are immune to shock, otherwise we couldn’t hold court at all.”

“I know Twily, Cadance. She is capable of many things and if she decides that going into shock is the right answer, she will do so, an alicorn or not.”

“Let’s keep the decision to her then. Spike will sure know how to snap her out of it. He must be trained for that by now.”

The two ponies shared a laugh and pressed closer to one another’s side, Shining’s hoof resting on Cadance’s stomach, as the train carried them closer to Ponyville. “It was a great idea to end the journey with visiting Twilight, honey. Much better than going straight back to the Crystal Empire.”

“Thanks, I just thought it would be pleasant to see a friendly face after three weeks of meeting minotaurs. Don’t you think they look permanently angry?” He scrunched his face, bared his teeth and bent a bit forward so that his head was between his shoulders. “Arrr I am a mighty minotaur chieftain and if you don’t accept my conditions, I will chase you around on my tiny legs!”

Cadance giggled and pretended to be on the threshold of fainting. “Mercy, oh mighty chieftain! No matter that your legs are smaller than your horns and that I have wings, you would surely catch me and do unspeakable things with me!”

“I most certainly will do some unspeakable things with you. But not here, somepony may come. Can you imagine the scandal? ‘Princess Mi Amore Cadenza caught in flagrante on board of a train.’ Journalists would have a field day.”

“I would just use my title of the princess of love. They would have to understand. But I think Twilight has a spare bedroom in her library. Maybe if we ask her nicely, she will lend it to us.” She fluttered her eyelashes at Shining and with a mischievous smirk dodged his attempt for a kiss. “Beware, my prince, there might be a journalist under our seats!”

They returned to their comfortable embrace and watched the land pass by. After a while, Cadance broke the silence. “She will love the news, I can’t wait to see her reaction. And she will be the best aunt ever. She will surely insist on spending more time in Crystal Empire foalsitting our foal than in Canterlot.”

“Not sure how Celestia would react to that. She seemed quite happy to have another princess around.” Shining chuckled. “But you are right, she will be great. We’ll just have to forbid her teaching our foal too many spells. I want to be the one deciding when it is time to sleep.”

As the train pulled into the Ponyville railway station, morning sun reflecting from the shiny roofs of the carriages, they were already standing by the door, eagerly awaiting the upcoming meeting. Shining couldn’t be sure, but he suspected Cadance was hopping in place a little, though she tried to hide it with shifting her weight from one leg to other. Small flutters of her wings however spoke clearly.

With the door opening, they jumped out and immediately started out of the train station and into the town. They didn’t make it far though when they realized a slight problem in their plan.

“Shining?”

“Mhm?”

“Where does Twilight live?”

“In a library?”

“Yes, very helpful. Where is the library then?” Cadance asked, letting her irritation to be known.

“Uh. I have no idea. I have never been here before,” Shining said apologetically, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“You don’t know where your sister lives? And don’t you dare to say ‘in the library’.” She threw him a glare, but a smile tugging on the corners of her lips didn’t go unnoticed. “We will just ask locals.” Not wasting any time she trotted to a mare choosing wares from a market stall. “Excuse me? Could you point me to where Twilight Sparkle lives?” she asked with a pleasant smile.

The mare turned to her and frowned as if she bit into a lemon. “Yeah, very funny. Now go and think up some other sick jokes. And wipe that smirk of your face!” She stormed off, muttering about ponies not keeping any piety.

Cadance stood there dumbfounded, not comprehending what just happened. Shining trotted to her and waved a hoof in front of her eyes. “Cadance? Are you alright?”

“What? Yes, yes I’m ok, just a bit taken aback. Maybe you were right about alicorns and shock after all.” She nuzzled his neck, trying to rein her confused thoughts. “She probably doesn’t know where Twilight lives. And had an extraordinary bad day. Maybe if we ask about the library, we will be more lucky.”

This new approach proved fruitful and soon they were on their way to the library. When it came in sight, they silently agreed that such a dominant building would be easily found on their own. The surroundings of the library seemed abandoned compared to other parts of the town, as if the ponies kept away from it on purpose. They didn’t pay it any mind though and happily trotted to the door, ringing the bell and waiting to be allowed in by their surprised family members. In the end, it was them who was surprised though.

“Go away! How many darn times do I have to tell you that I don’t want any company?! Just leave me alone!” Although muffled by the thick door, Spike’s voice betrayed no small amount of anger and something else they couldn’t quite place. They exchanged a confused look and then Cadance went to playful counter offensive.

“If that’s how you welcome all visitors, I am surprise anypony in Ponyville still reads.” A series of quick footsteps echoed from inside, and the door swung open violently, revealing panting Spike who looked like he had seen better days. His scales could use a polishing and from how sunken his tummy was, he hadn’t been eating much. “Spike? Wha-”

“Cadance! Shining! Oh I’m so glad to see you! This is all so horrible and I am going mad here!” He wrapped his arms around Cadance’s neck, holding for his dear life. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t write to you. I didn’t know where you were. But you found out still. It’s so horrible.”

His barely coherent babbling had the same effect as a cold shower on the two ponies. Cadance could do nothing else but to return the hug as he didn’t seem to let go anytime soon. Shining tried to puzzle whatever information from Spike’s words and what he got wasn’t pleasant. “Spike, what’s horrible? What were we supposed to find out? We just dropped by to surprise you and Twilight. Where is she anyway?”

Spike pulled away from the hug and wiped his nose. “You… you don’t know? Like about the argument? Or what happened?”

“What don’t we know, Spike? What’s going on? You’re scaring us!” Cadance said sternly, losing patience from concern.

“Come in,” Spike said with a sigh. “This will take a bit longer.” They followed him inside and sat down on a couch in the main library area. “Do you want something to drink?”

“No, Spike. Tell us what’s going on already,” Shining demanded.

“Alright, alright. I’ll just get something from upstairs. It will help the explanation.” He retreated to the living quarters and the ponies turned to each other.

“This doesn’t look good. I’ve never seen him in such a bad state. And look around. There is dust on the table and all the curtains are closed. I don’t like this a single bit,” Cadance said with worry.

“It will be alright. Probably just some minor crisis or something. Right, Spike?” Shining turned to the dragon walking down the stairs, two pieces of paper in his hand. One looked like a letter, the other a newspaper clipping.

“No,” the dragon said tiredly, “nothing like that. You asked where Twilight is. Gone.”

“Like she was sent to some journey or went on a trip?” Shining asked with hope that the problem would turn out to be so trivial.

“I don’t know, ok? How many times… Sorry. Everypony has been asking the same thing for last four days.” He handed them the letter. “Here, make of it what you want. That’s all I know.” They unfurled the letter and read it, reacting exactly as Spike expected. Cadance buried her face in Shining’s shoulder and started sobbing, Shining dropping the letter to the ground, mouth slightly open. Spike bent down and picked the letter, pressing it to his chest for a second before rolling it again.

“Does mom and dad know?" he asked in constricted voice.

“Of course they do. I sent them a letter the day after we found this. I haven’t heard from them since. They must be devastated. I sure am…”

“But… but why? Why would she…?” Cadance asked in between sobs.

“Why? Ask her darn friends why they acted like pricks to her again. Or Celestia why she has to hurt everypony close to her!” Spike said through gritted teeth and handed them the second paper. This time, however, he didn’t see the reaction coming.

“I will destroy her!” Cadance seethed. “I will take her crown and feed it to her!” Shining wrapped his hooves around her to keep her steady as she descended to tears.

“Shh. It will be alright. I will help you do that, but there are more important things to right now.” He turned to Spike. “Did you request help of the Royal Guard?”

“Yeah, they arrived quickly and have been searching ever since. Apart from some traces of fire in Everfree they didn’t find a single thing though.”

“At least there is no direct evidence that she is dead,” Shining muttered to himself. “We should visit mom and dad. They probably need some support. And we as well.”

“Well then-” Spike began, but was interrupted by a doorbell and a voice from outside.

“Spikey? Please open the door. I made you some lunch and want to talk to you. Please don’t stay cooped there all alone. We are sorry, just let us in!”

Spike clenched his fist, and shut his eyes firmly. “No, I won’t stay cooped in here, Rarity. You are right,” he whispered. Then he turned to Shining again. “Could you wait few minutes? This won’t take long.” Shining nodded his consent expecting Spike to open the door, but the dragon ran back upstairs instead, taking both papers with him. Shining continued to console Cadance with gently caressing her back and mane. Few thuds were heard from upstair and in less than five minutes Spike returned, this time with two suitcases.

“Four days. Four days of constant visits, begging to be allowed in, apologizing for what can’t be forgiven. I have had enough,” he stated with exhaustion. “I can’t stand this place either. Everything reminds me of her. Could I… could I stay with you in Crystal Empire for a while? You are the closest to family I have now.”

Minutes later, three figures - two ponies and a dragon - left the library through the backdoor as to avoid meeting any lingering visitors at the front, and made their way back to the train station.

“I just don’t understand Raven. Why did I have to push things this far? Was I really that cruel with her?”

“Princess, I can’t deny you went too far with that argument. But grieving isn’t going to accomplish anything and it certainly won’t help her family any.”

“Family… Yeah, I will have to sit down with them. I should do that soon.”

“Would you like me to accompany you, Princess?”

“No. I need to take responsibility and do this alone. They’re not going to like it, but…”

“I understand, Princess. If you need anything, let me know.”

Raven did a quick respectful bow before heading out of the throne room. Ever since her argument with her former student, Celestia had had a hard time performing even the most trivial tasks and her appearance reflected that as her coat and mane didn’t flow or shine as much as they used to. While she didn’t look too bad, she definitely looked a lot gloomier, one could even say as dull as the regalia she wore which had not been polished since the incident happened. Indeed, she was looking less of a monarch now than she’d ever been.

Celestia had been debating for several days now whether or not to visit Twilight’s family to talk and apologize over their daughter’s abdication. However, when she saw the article in the newspaper, not only was she flooded with questions day by day from the press, but she also didn’t feel it was appropriate to talk to them with what the article said. She’d preferred the commotion to die down a bit before doing so, but with the news of Twilight’s supposed death, she knew she would have to face her mistakes now or never.

After hesitantly preparing for the day, taking more effort than usual to look better than she had the past few days with little success, she slowly walked through the corridors of the castle making her way towards the city. Without even leaving the castle yet, she noticed several of her servants and other staff glancing away when she was passing by, and several others even glared. Not a large number, but enough to notice she wasn’t well liked at the moment.

I can’t really blame them. I didn’t treat Twilight very well, Celestia nervously thought. I guess I screwed up more than I imagined. It used to be that wherever I went, they would all show respect and praise and I would have to tell them not to. Now most ponies these days don’t want to even look in my direction.

This continued as she walked out of the castle. Even though she wanted to go by herself, a group of guards insisted on tailing her and intervene if anything bad were to happen to their princess. At least there are some still loyal to me and willing to help me.

Walking through the city, she tried to go for the route with the least amount of possible distractions, whether they be press, paparazzi, or just ponies who wanted to tell her off. Despite this, there wasn’t a single area of the city that didn’t have subjects talking about her, good or bad. It seemed not even the foals were immune as she passed by a park with some fillies playing ball. One of them kicked the ball hard and it landed near Celestia’s hooves, one of the fillies running after it. When she saw the princess though, she froze, not to stare in awe at her majestic image, but out of uncertainty and a hint of fear.

“Is this yours, little one?” Celestia asked with a smile. The filly nodded slowly, though she didn’t return the smile. Celestia used her magic to return the ball to her, but the filly looked away when she had it in her possession again. “There you go.” The filly just stood for a bit, still glancing away to her friends who Celestia could see were also somewhat scared. “Is something wrong, little one?” Celestia said taking notice of the fearful expressions.

“Um, thank you Princess, but my mama says I’m not allowed to talk to you. I’m sorry.”

The filly quickly turned and ran away, as if to escape an incoming onslaught, and the fillies ran from the park as if doing the same. The princess just stood there with her jaw hanging open. Oh dear me, what kind of influence have I taught? she once again thought with remorse.

As much as she would’ve liked to go back to her chambers in the castle and just hide, she was determined to finish what she set out to do in the first place. It didn’t take long to come to the Sparkle family residence after that, being just a few blocks from the park. She approached the door and was about to knock when she realized just how unprepared she was to do this. She had no idea what Twilight’s parents would say or how they would even think. What was she going to say to them? ‘Hey, I was responsible for driving your daughter to suicide. Hope you can forgive me’ was nowhere near the best thing to say to them. But she was already there and she had an obligation to talk to the family about what just happened, if not to give them closure than to at least let them vent their disgust.

Finally, she stopped stalling and lightly knocked on the door, just enough to make the knocks audible without sounding impatient. Many long seconds passed by before the door finally opened to reveal a blue unicorn stallion with a crescent cutie mark. The instant he saw his guest, he scowled at her.

“Oh, Princess Celestia. I wasn’t expecting you,” Night Light said with a not so subtle distaste in his voice.

“I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced, but may I talk to you and Mrs. Velvet for a moment?” Celestia said trying not to show her own uncertainty and banishing any thought of demanding royal respect, if such notion even crossed her mind.

“Yeah, sure. Come on in, your majesty,” Night Light responded saying the last two words through his teeth.

As much as Night Light would have loved to just slam the door on Celestia’s face for what she did to his daughter, he knew it would be impolite and potentially dangerous to do so and let her inside. Thankfully, someone else took the time to express his feelings for him.

“How dare you even show up here!” Spike shouted when he entered the hallway from the kitchen, carrying a bowl of soup to the dining area. “Don’t you think you have done enough harm already, oh Princess?”

“Spike! Spike, please calm down!” Velvet ran to the enraged dragon. “Spike, I know a lot has happened, but it’s impolite to not accept a guest.” Velvet glanced at Celestia, surprisingly void of the hatred that her husband and surrogate son were feeling, or at least she didn’t show it like they did. “Please, come this way, Princess. We’re just having lunch.”

“T-thank you Mrs. Velvet,” Celestia replied nervously. “I appreciate your courtesy in these times, though I question if I really deserve it.”

“As do I,” Night Light mumbled to himself as they escorted her to the dining room, Shining Armor sitting at the table and glaring when he saw Celestia.

The room itself was fairly large yet cozy, perfect for the family gatherings and dinner parties that were common with the Sparkles as Celestia was well familiar with, having been over a few times since taking Twilight Sparkle as her student. Velvet, having a position in the Equestrian government, was more familiar with the princess’s customs than her husband or children. As a result, she’d gone through this song and dance a number of times and knew what she liked whenever she was over for dinner. Despite this however, the stress of having the ruler of the nation in her own home never got any easier, even less now since the same princess caused her beloved daughter to go missing. Yet for some reason, she was surprisingly calm, though that was fairly threatened by angst when her daughter-in-law came out of the kitchen.

“Is everything okay? I could’ve sworn I heard-” Cadance stopped when she spotted her aunt. Her somewhat smiling face turned to sour look immediately. “And I heard correctly. May I ask you, what you are doing here, auntie?”

“Hello Cadance, I wasn’t expecting to find you here. Did the mission go well?” Celestia asked with a strained smile, trying to buy some time. That, however, went poorly.

“It was as alright as dealing with minotaurs can be, thank you very much. But that’s not answering my question. Why are you here?”

Celestia saw that she would have to come clean with this. “I came to talk with Night Light and Twilight Velvet about what happened. I’m so sorry for all this,” she said bowing her head, not meeting anyone’s eyes. Night Light moved past her and into the dining room to take his place and Cadance glanced quizzically on Velvet.

“Is she staying for lunch?” Earning a nod, Cadance turned back to the kitchen. “I will retrieve another plate and more silverware. Could you take this to the table?” When Velvet took the bowls and plates into her own magic, Cadance left and Velvet motioned for Celestia to follow.

“This way, Princess.”

Following her, Celestia decided to start right away. “I know this is very hard on you and you have full right to blame me, but please let me explain it all.”

“I will gladly hear your explanation, Your Highness,” Shining called from the table and true to the example of his father he didn’t bother hiding his disgust. Celestia took a seat strategically by Velvet’s side, sensing probably the only soul still at least a little friendly to her. Spike now sitting by her other side pointedly shuffled a bit away which didn’t escape Celestia’s attention. She didn’t comment on it though, just sighing deeply.

“Let’s serve the soup before it gets cold,” Cadance said as she returned to the dining room with the utensils and plates for Celestia. She sat down between Spike and Shining and took the scoop in her magic to serve to the others. They ate in silence for a while, the tension rising in the room, before Night Light lost his patience.

“If I am not mistaken, you came to explain something to us, Princess,” he reminded in a slightly spiteful tone, letting Celestia know in advance that whatever she had to say wouldn’t change his opinion.

“Yes, well…” she started, but couldn’t find the right words. Why am I so lost now? I held many speeches before, this is just another one. Even though more grave one. Pony up, Celestia, you are the ruler and the bringer of Sun. They will understand. She took a deep breath and tried again. “You all probably read that article in the newspaper-”

“Darn sure we did,” Spike butted in.

“Please, Princess, tell us they were exaggerating. You didn’t say those things, did you?” Velvet almost pleaded, her soup forgotten for the moment.

“They weren’t,” Spike answered instead. “I asked Twilight about it and she confirmed it. Nice going, Princess.” Taken a bit aback by his hostility, although she should have expected it after his heated greetings, Celestia still recovered quickly.

“Yes, it is true. I said those things to Twilight. But you must understand the situation it was said in. We were both angry and weren’t controlling our words.”

“With your amount of diplomatic experience you weren’t controlling your words?” Cadance asked incredulously. Though she may have been just mocking.

“Yes. I… should have noticed how stressed Twilight was getting during the past few weeks. Or I should have interpreted the rest of the signs correctly. I was just writing it all off as tiredness and not being used to the title.” Celestia’s own tiredness seeped into her voice. She wasn’t sure who she was trying to apologize to, to Twilight’s family, or to herself.

“Well maybe, you should have noticed how she felt about the whole title in general,” Spike countered, pointing his spoon on Celestia like a sword. “Maybe you would have seen that she didn’t want it at all. That she was happy with her life as it was!”

“I couldn’t have known, Spike. How would I tell? She looked content at first!” Celestia defended her good intentions, getting desperate from the attack from all sides.

“You could have asked her,” Cadance said, trying to stay calm. “Or maybe just listen more attentively than during my wedding.” The mention of the changeling incident cut Celestia deep. She never fully forgave herself for that either, since the fate of all her little ponies could have crashed down that day. “Maybe she would have told you alone if you listened to her that one time,” Cadance finished her accusation, taking another spoonful of her soup, now almost unedible from standing there for too long.

Celestia lost her nerves a little at this point, being fed up with all the malice directed on her. “It’s not like she made it easy for me to spot it. She was constantly pushing me away, practically avoiding me. It got so far that after our argument I couldn’t even go apologize on my own because she probably wouldn’t open the door at all!” she said in a raised voice, immediately regretting her words. It was way too late though.

Cadance jumped up from her seat and flared her wings up, soon followed in the aggressive stance by her husband. “So it is all her fault, isn’t it? That she became a princess. That she got sent to annoying negotiations. That she had to deal with trivial mundane and exhausting tasks for you!”

“Or that you never took time to understand her or to just talk to her! And her death, that’s also only her fault because she was too weak to have her heart broken by you, right?” Shining added, freezing then as he realized the full meaning of his words, this being the first time anypony explicitly said Twilight wasn’t among the living anymore. For few seconds no one dared to even breath, they all being too deep in shock to reacted. Cadance was the first one to snap out of the state.

“I’m not hungry anymore. Not when she is around,” she said to Velvet. “We will return to Crystal Empire, feel free to visit anytime.” Then she turned to Celestia. “You didn’t ask her if she wanted her title. You didn’t ask me either. The difference is, I wanted it and now I even have my own empire. Yes, I am keeping Crystal Empire as MY domain, independent on you, Celestia. Don’t you dare to take actions against it, we are stronger than you think.”

She trotted to the door of the room, followed by Shining and Spike, who tried to pick up his bags, but Shining took them in his magic instead to make the walk easier for the dragon. Just before Cadance would leave the room, she turned to Celestia one last time. “And you can forget about seeing our child. It will grow without your influence, I will make sure of that.” Then they were gone.

The three remaining ponies in the room set in silence, staring at the table intently. If Celestia felt horrible before, the amount of anger and pain in the room was torturing her now. She couldn’t take it any longer, having an urge to beat the silence away. “I-”

“I think you should leave now,” Night Light interrupted her immediately, looking at her sternly with open hostility now. Celestia flinched and pushed her back into the seat to get away from that gaze. Not even alicorns could stand to righteous anger of parents mourning their kin. She turned her eyes pleadingly to Velvet, but was met with a shake of head and tears in Velvet’s eyes.

“You took away one of my children and caused the other one to storm away. Please leave, Princess. You are no longer welcome in our house.” Velvet then turned to her husband and was wrapped in his forelegs, hiding her face in his fur.

Celestia got up shakily bowed a little and without a word walked to the door. She was quickening her pace constantly and as she left the house she immediately took flight, heading to the castle. She had enough contact with her subjects for the day.

After about a week of being gone due to her emergency, Rainbow Dash finally returned in the mid evening to the Wonderbolt Academy for the entrance ceremony which was scheduled the following day. Despite it being a rather important moment for her and her dreams coming true, it was severely soured by the disappearance of her best friend and the depression everypony was feeling as a result. She still felt dirty for even being at the academy after everything. Still, it was nice to be back in a place she could consider a second home, even better considering she could perform tasks which could hopefully take her mind off the stress; in the midst of the crisis, she still had many friends she could talk to, one in particular she was looking forward to seeing more than any other.

The academy was mildly empty with her being the first to return; with her ceremony coming up, she needed to return from her leave a day earlier than most others. Aside from cleaning staff, the halls were void of any other ponies. This was good for Rainbow as she really wasn’t in the mood for any congradulations or praise aimed her way from being accepted into the Wonderbolts.

She finally got to her room that she shared with Lightning Dust and with a turn of the knob, realized the door was unlocked.

Oh, is she here already? Either that or she forgot to lock up before the leave. I know I locked up before I did, so she HAS to be here. Right?

Rainbow hurriedly opened the door only to be disappointed to see nopony on the other side. The room was half empty and clean with the beds made very neatly, surprising considering the mares who lived there. But the furniture, namely the desks, had gathered a layer of dust indicating nopony had been in there since her or her roommate, or at least not for very long. However, with her attention drawn to the desks, she noticed a note with the surrounding dust slightly disturbed, telling Rainbow that whoever left it there also wrote it right there at least around the time she left.

“I don’t remember this being here last time. Maybe I missed it before leaving. I was in a hurry,” the pegasus thought out loud.

She apprehensively lifted the note and blew away the dust from it, coughing for a second as a result. The note was in an envelope and had the words ‘For Rainbow Dash’s eyes only’ written on the flap. Its intended recipient curiously tore the envelope and unfolded the note. Her jaw dropped as she read it.

Dear Rainbow Dash.
Sorry I couldn’t tell you this in person, but I’ve been thinking for a long time since the final exam. As you know, I was recommended for a position of the Wonderbolts which I declined and passed on to you. You asked me why I did this and I said that I thought the situation wasn’t optimal at the time. While I wasn’t lying, I didn’t say why I thought it wasn’t optimal.
The truth is, I’ve been having some problems that I really don’t want to talk about. I just didn’t feel like I was getting a full, proper training from the academy. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it here and made so many friends. I proudly declare that you are one of the best friends I’ve ever had, if not THE best. I’ve learned many things about myself here as well that will definitely help me through my life.
But the thing is, I’m just not ready to be a Wonderbolt yet or maybe It’s just not what I want to be at all. I love my family to death, but I don’t know if becoming a Wonderbolt is the way to get back to them.
So I’ve decided after several weeks of thinking to go on a journey of sorts. I want to discover what I really want. Maybe I can find something over in the griffon kingdom, I’ve always wanted to go there and compete. Maybe not. I don’t know yet but that’s what I’m trying to find out.
As I write this down, I know you’ve been having a hard time with some problems of your own. Even if I stayed, I’m not sure how much I would be able to help you. I would try but if there’s anything I’ve learned from you, sometimes you need to come face to face with your mistakes before you can learn from them and accept them. I’m deeply sorry for doing this, but I know you and you won’t let this weight you down. Maybe once I come back we can talk again. You know, I expect you to show me just how far you’ve come since we first met. We will meet again though, I can promise you that.
Thank you for opening my eyes
L.D.

Rainbow Dash’s hopes of talking to her friend about everything were shot down just like that. Now, not one, but two of her best friends were gone. The pain of losing a friend is hard enough, especially when it’s your fault. What does one do when you lose many friends?

“No…. No, no, no. Not you too,” Rainbow Dash said as her eyes started to well with tears. “Why now? This can’t be happening”

With this, she plopped face first onto her bed and buried her face in the pillow, sobs becoming more audible. She didn’t even realize or care that she forgot to close the door and furthermore didn’t notice as a stallion approached the source of the distress.

“Rainbow Dash?” the stallion called out.

Rainbow quickly looked up and wiped her eyes when she saw who it was, trying to hide her tears. “Oh! Soarin’, it’s just you. W-what’s up?” she said trying to hide her grief with a forced smile.

“I heard you crying. What’s wrong?”

“Wrong? N-nothing’s wrong! Why would anything be wrong?” The mare rubbed her eyes and shook her head before adopting a sheepish smile. “See? Just peachy.”

Soarin’ didn’t buy it though. “Rainbow Dash!” he sternly said putting his hooves on her shoulders. “I’m concerned with your well being. We’re teammates now so if there’s anything you want to tell me, I’m here for you.” Soarin’ took a moment to shut the door to give them some privacy, even though nopony else would likely walk by. “Now please… what’s wrong?”

Rainbow stared into his eyes, on the verge of crying again. She wasn’t sure what it was about him that made him so captivating to her, be it his beautiful green eyes, his sleek coat, his caring demeanor, or a combination of those things. Something about him just made her feel… safe. If not for her current mental state, she would’ve been questioning her feelings. Unfortunately, the circumstances didn’t allow her to consider that luxury.

She closed her eyes and gently buried her face into his chest as she involuntarily embraced him, not really thinking about what she was doing. All she knew right now was there was somepony willing to comfort her. Soarin’, initially caught off guard from this embrace, soon returned it and held her tightly as the Rainbow gently sobbed.

“Two of my best friends are gone… Twilight’s possibly dead… nopony else knows what to do and… now Dust just left…I just… I feel so lost.” Rainbow said in between sobs, unable to control her emotions any longer.

Soarin’ gently stroked the back of Rainbow’s head, not really knowing what else to do. “Shh. Just let it all out. I’ll be here for however long you need me.”

Dash spent nearly half an hour crying her eyes out until she could no longer produce any tears. For much of the night, she tried to recount the events of the past week as best as she could to Soarin’, who listened attentively. After several long hours, Rainbow had calmed down enough for them to get some dinner (Soarin’ insisting on buying) and she started to feel much better than when she returned to the academy. When it was time to rest, she decided to spend the night in Soarin’s quarters as she didn’t feel like sleeping in an empty dorm room nor did she have her own Wonderbolt quarters set up yet; even if she did, she just didn’t feel like sleeping alone that night.

“You can have the bed if you want. I’ll just set up a place for me on the sofa. I suffer from insomnia so I spend more time there anyway. These bags under my eyes are there for a reason after all.” Soarin’ chuckled.

“Actually, I… wouldn’t mind sharing a bed right now,” Rainbow said timidly before blushing after she realized what she just said. “B-but don’t think that’s an invitation for any funny stuff. Err, not that I mind funny stuff that is. Just so much has happened and well-”

“Relax. I understood what you meant. Sometimes, you just need somepony close by in your darkest hours, right?” Soarin’ smiled. “I know this must be hard for you, to lose two friends like that. But I think you’ll like it in the Wonderbolts. We may not always be the best ponies at times, but the thing I like about the job is that it’s a learning experience. We strive to work as a team and we rely on each other to grow.”

“It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure.”

“Heh. That’s the Navy, but I know what you’re saying. Well, I’m actually quite beat from today so I’m gonna hit the hay. Good night.” Soarin’ crawled into bed and laid his head on his pillow, closing his eyes as it made contact.

“Good night,” Rainbow said as she did the same. At first she stayed towards one side of the bed. She’d never shared a bed with anypony else before, much less a stallion who she admittedly kind of liked, so this was new to her. For awhile after she crawled into bed, she just couldn’t sleep and it wasn’t just because of Soarin’ either. No matter how hard she tried to push the thoughts out of her head, the pain of what happened with Twilight replayed over and over to the point where it was impossible to drown out the last face to face conversation she had with her.

“There’s nothing to talk about. Leave!”

Rainbow rubbed her temples trying to block out those words. If she could go back in time with her knowledge of the events, she would’ve changed them completely.

Buck Celestia! What were you thinking?... What was I thinking? She glanced over at Soarin’ who was softly snoring. Well, at least one of us can sleep. So much for insomnia, hehe. The more she stared at his face, lit up by the moonlight coming in through the window, she found herself more and more fascinated by him. Thanks Soarin’. I can’t explain why I can talk to you so easily, but should I really complain?

She blushed for a second before scooting an inch in his direction, then again, and again before she was close enough to rest her head on his shoulder, which she did. Her face was even redder as she made contact, but this time she smiled. Maybe things won’t be too bad. If anything, I still have you, she thought as she closed her eyes and finally drifted to sleep.

She may not have talked to the pony she intended to that night, but she got what she needed and then some.

Chapter 16

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Original Title: Six Bygones
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

Note: There is Greek text in this chapter as the language of the angels. Translations are in the Author's notes in the bottom.

“Twilight?”

“Yeah Sunset?”

“Remember when you told me those migraines would stop after the first time?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You lied to me.”

As the amber unicorn rubbed her temples to make the pain go away, the rest of the girls one by one slowly slid through the gel like portal located within the frame of the gates. Going through said portal was comparable to walking through a wall of warm water, a strange yet soothing experience. Of course it didn’t help Sunset very much as this was only her second time in Elysium and she wasn’t used to the migraines gotten from traveling to and from.

On the other side of the gate, the grand plaza of Elysium oddly didn’t look too different from the mortal realm other than a warm glow emitting from the surrounding light sources. Canvas had seen the plaza once before, but not with the golden rays of the many torches that burned their last embers for the evening. Said rays lit the place up like a plethora of fireflies.

“Oh wow. I really need to draw this image later. It would look really pretty.” Canvas beamed.

“Indeed it would,” a voice said from above. The voice belonged to Scintillant who softly floated down and landed in front of the girls. “But now is not the time for that. You must follow me quickly for we have much to explain.” Scintillant firmly gestured the girls to follow her and made it clear she did not want to waste any time. “Do not diverge from my lead.”

The six mares obeyed and followed after her in a single file line with Twilight being at the lead just behind Scintillant. As they walked Twilight noticed she was leading them to an enormous building, larger than anything she’d ever seen before. Said building was large enough to be a castle and in many ways it was. The group passed many creatures who shared the angelic design, many of whom looked like they weren’t entirely pleased to see them and a ways into the citadel, two bipedal angels started to follow them with weapons drawn.

“Uh, Scintillant? What’s going-”

“Hush Twilight!” Scintillant said in whispered yell. “You must stay silent during this escort, lest you say something you will regret later. I will explain the rules later, but you must speak only when spoken to. Understand?”

Twilight noticed Scintillant was actually quite nervous as she talked, not unlike how Twilight used to act whenever she was to meet Princess Celestia at times. She gave a quick nod and not four minutes passed before they arrived at a large double door with two large minotaur angels holding axes guarding it.

“Αλτ! Γιατί είσαι εδώ?” one of guards asked in a language foreign to the mares.

“Μακάρι για να δείτε τη μητέρα.” Scintillant responded in the same language.

“Η μητέρα δεν θα είναι στην ευχάριστη θέση να σας δούμε και πάλι.” the second guard stated.

“Έχω επίγνωση του ότι.” Scintillant replied.

The guards glanced at the mares behind her, then at each other. “Μπορείτε να πάτε. Αλλά πρέπει να προειδοποιούνται, η μητέρα είναι πιο δυσάρεστη αυτή τη φορά της ώρας.” the first guard cautioned as both minotaurs opened the doors.

Scintillant nodded and slowly walked inside with the others doing the same. The inside of the room was a large rotunda with the only light source being a small white sun in a mesh cage at the very center of the ceiling which surprisingly lit most of the room. The floor of the room was what seemed like a large circular pool of water, far too deep to comprehend.

“Geez. This room needs its own zip code,” Trixie whispered to Twilight who shushed her quickly.

From the double doors, there was a large circular bank that formed a pathway around the body of water located several meters below. There appeared to be many other doors along the pathway that varied in size yet nowhere near as large as the central doors that led the group into this room. Scintillant approached the edge of the bank and jumped on a glass surface which lit up with a green light as she stepped on it. More platforms of the same design appeared and formed a small set of stairs that led to a larger glass platform, about halfway to the center. Scintillant stood up straight and held her head high.

“Σεβασμιώτατε!” Scintillant shouted. “Μακάρι να μιλήσω ενώπιόν σας!”

As she said those words, a flare of light shined from the deepest parts of the body of water. It started to ripple, softly at first then more violently as a large angelic dragon with a body made up of marble scales and clad with red and gold gauntlets on its claws emerged head first from the surface and spread its large wingspan, which did not share the angelic wing design the girls have seen thus far. The dragon opened its eyes as a metallic vertical halo formed at the back of its head. With a swift jerking motion of its head from side to side, the sound of popping vertebrae resonated throughout the chamber, somewhat grossing out Canvas in the process.

“Σπινθηριστικό. Πώς τολμάς να μας χάρη με την παρουσία σας και πάλι!” the dragon roared in obvious irritation. It spoke with a loud, authoritative voice and in a volume that would put the Royal Canterlot Voice to shame.

Scintillant bowed, prompting the others to do the same. “Συγχωρήστε μένα Η μητέρα. Ξέρω ότι είναι τέλη του, αλλά έχω κάτι σημαντικό που πρέπει να συζητήσουμε μαζί σου. Αλλά αν δεν σας πειράζει, θα προτιμούσα να το πράξουν σε μια πιο πρόσφατη διάλεκτο.”

The dragon glared at Scintillant and then at the girls behind her, causing Twilight to swallow heavily. After rolling its eyes, the dragon placed them level to Scintillant.

“Very well, you may rise for us. Now tell us what this is about, Scintillant.”

Scintillant picked her head up, but still made sure her body language was submissive to the majestic beast in front of her. “Your Eminence, these mares have shown to possess great potential that would become a great asset. I implore you to consider what I have to offer.”

The dragon raised its head again in a motion which told Scintillant to resume her standing position. “Those mares over there? They are mortal beings! What gave you the right to bring them into this sacred realm?”

“It is as I said. They have potential. They have proven to be able to wield the Elements, Mother.”

“The Elements? You wake us up this late in the evening for that?”

“Please Mother, I would never have done it if I didn’t think it was important. I promise you won’t be disappointed if you, just give them and me a chance.”

The dragon narrowed her eyes to a glare as she examined the unannounced visitors for a few moments. Then she sighed as she glanced back at Scintillant again. “You have some explaining to do, Scintillant. Very well, we shall hear you once again, but not in their presence. While we discuss, they are to be escorted outside the citadel and watched over for the night.”

“I understand, Mother Dogma.”

As they were being escorted away from the citadel, the path being lined by glowing golden orbs equal distance from one another, Twilight busied herself with studying their little procession since the surroundings were too dark to spot anything from the Elysian landscape. Two angelic warriors carrying a lantern and a spear each led them swiftly in the opposite direction of the Gate, stoic, almost statuesque expression on their faces. Two similar looking figures followed behind the girls.

As for her friends, Twilight noted that their reactions to the situation varied. If their behavior was of any indication, only Ditzy shared Twilight’s worries about what would come, face scrunched in a solemn frown. Lighting and Sunset weren’t letting any signs of their internal life on, marching in strict military way, while Canvas got obviously bored with little to observe and was amusing herself with not stepping on cobblestones of any other color than white, which led to her prancing from time to time as the pattern lacked any plan.

Trixie probably shared Canvas’ boredom, but not her talent to find entertainment, since she showed an indomitable urge to talk. She sneaked next to Twilight and stretched to her ear. “Psst, Twilight, where do you think they are taking us?”

Twilight turned to her friend incredulously. “Why do you think I have any more information than you?” she asked in a whisper as well as to not give their guards any reason to act aggressively. They surely wouldn’t have any scruples doing so. “Probably to some kind of housing, hopefully not a dungeon. Till the morning we should be safe. That dragon basically promised that.”

“About that dragon,” Trixie immediately jumped at the topic, “was it just her, or are all dragons that morose? I mean, you never said anything about Spike acting like a-”

“Shush!” Twilight reacted almost in panic. “Didn’t you see how nervous Scintillant was from meeting her? Making remarks about her in that manner probably isn’t wise.”

Trixie bit her lip when she realized her potential blunder. “True. I hope they didn’t hear us.” She gestured to their guards. “Do you think they are like royal guards with that unmoving look?”

“Maybe with that, but that’s all resemblance I would expect. These look like they actually can fight and follow orders. But I wouldn’t test either theory really or we may not see the morning after all.”

Sensing Twilight’s grave mood Trixie moved further back in the group and watched Canvas’ antics. That managed to entertain her enough to not get infected with Twilight’s pessimism, although that could have been caused by how short their walk from this point was. In less than five minutes the guards stopped on a small square with an alabaster fountain in the centre. They turned to the group and gestured with their spears to a building on the opposite side of the square.

“This is where you will spend the night,” they said as one pony and the glowing orbs from their lanterns floated toward the building, illuminating it. Four marble columns supported a pediment decorated with floral pattern. Brass double doors swung open between the central columns Five steps led to the building itself, putting it slightly above the surrounding terrain. “You will be retrieved in the morning to meet Mother Dogma’s decision. Don’t try to leave the house, it will be guarded and we will show no mercy to disobeying the order. All you need is prepared inside. Go.” They spoke with a strange accent as if they weren’t accustomed to using Equestrian or maybe speaking per se.

The group didn’t lose a second, not wanting to aggravate their guards more than necessary, and walked into the house in an orderly double file. The door slammed shut behind them and a metallic cling echoed as something was placed on it from the outside.

“Don’t leave the house. To be sure you obey, we will bar the door,” Trixie remarked, returning to her quippy mood from before, feeling safe with the angels out of sight.

“I would do the same,” Sunset answered matter of factly. “Well, no. I would throw us into some dungeon underground. They are being pretty nice considering we’re not welcomed. You should learn from them.”

“I had that bed prepared for you as instructed. Blame Twilight for not specifying the expected quality,” Trixie answered with a smirk.

“Okay, okay, you can blame me for not stating bedding standards. But please keep it for a better moment, not when we are held prison with uncertain fate,” Twilight interrupted their starting debate while scrutinizing the hall. There were doors on all four walls, yet the one opposite the entrance was actually open, showing a small patio with a pool taking half of it and a big blazier in the other. Marble columns lined it on all sides. The room they were in was sparsely furnished with just a table in the centre and pillows around it.

“What better moment do you have in mind, Twilight? It’s not like we can do anything until Mother Dogma calls for us,” Ditzy said, studying the frescos on the walls, depicting a feast of many different angelic beings, obviously belonging to different races, some of which unknown to any of the group.

“It looks like they prepared us some dinner too,” Lightning Dust pointed out, surveying the fruits and baked goods on the table. “I’m kinda famished from flying all the way to Canterlot, so if you don’t mind…” Not waiting for an answer she dug in. Trixie and Sunset, not having had time for a proper dinner that evening, joined her, while the rest of the group went to explore the rest of the house.

“There are rooms set up for one pony each,” Twilight called from the right wing of the building. “Just find one for yourself once you are done. I’m going to turn in, ok? Goodnight all.”

“Goodnight,” the others called in response, in case of Lighting and Trixie in a slightly muffled manner as they didn’t bother to swallow first. Soon they too walked off the atrium and into the rooms, finding a bed with pleasantly soft pillows and warm quilts, but no other furniture yet again. Thanks to the late hour, however, they didn’t mind too much.

Twilight was lying in her new bed, snuggled comfortably in the quilt, eyes closed. To an onlooker she would seem very calm and peaceful. Internally though, she was anything but. It had been two hours since she went to bed, yet the sleep was avoiding her. All the excitement of the day, the uncertainty of future and unfamiliar place all combined to form an unbeatable sleep blocker for her.

She abruptly sat up and threw the quilt to the side. “That’s it. No reason to try further.” She got up and walked to the door of her room, looking out into the hallway. “First pony to go to bed and first pony to get up again. That’s not like me at all,” she mused as she walked to the right, away from the atrium. She passed two more doors to her left before the hallway ended with another. Behind them, Twilight found a library. “Familiar surroundings at last,” she rejoiced and immediately started for one of the bookshelves. Not being too picky at the moment, she grabbed the first book she saw and plopped down on one of the sofas.

Her joy soon faded as she found out she couldn’t concentrate on reading at all. “This is not at all like me either!” she growled in agitation, but put the book back on the shelf regardless. “Maybe if I eat something, I’ll get calmer.” Determined to test the hypothesis, she made her way back to the atrium where the small feast waited. She was about to sit down, when a voice startled her.

“Hi, Twilight. You can’t sleep either, can you?”

Twilight took a sharp breath, but soon recognised the voice and looked up from the table to the portal toward the patio. There, in front of the brazier, lay Canvas, pillows placed on the ground forming a comfortable bedding for her and a quilt wrapped over her back. She was looking over her shoulder at Twilight, small smile on her lips.

“Canvas? What are you doing here at this hour? Whatever the hour is, it’s not like I have seen a clock around. Getting a snack too?” Twilight asked as she trotted toward her friend with a plate full of fruits, though apples were distinctly lacking.

“No, I had a decent dinner back at school.” Canvas got up for a moment to retrieve one of her pillow for Twilight to lay down on. “I just couldn’t get to sleep. This place is strange for me and I don’t feel comfortable. From what Scintillant was telling us, I expected the angels to be welcoming us. And I thought they would all be kind and beautiful. They are actually quite scary. So when I saw this, I knew this would be my anchor. When I was small and felt afraid or worried, I would always go down to the living room and lay in front of the fireplace. This is similar.” She glanced back at the brazier. “The fire is the same everywhere and brings the feeling of home to me.”

Twilight placed the pillow right next to Canvas and laid on it, staying inches shy from pressing against the younger mare’s side. She put the plate in front of them so both of them could take from it as they pleased. “Do you miss Equestria already? This must be a painful change, but we will return there soon. It wasn’t the final goodbye.”

“I know. And there isn’t much for me to return to anyway. All of my real friends are in this house, after all,” Canvas said with a fond, if slightly sad, smile. “The world doesn’t have much to remember me by either, now that the gate is destroyed.”

“I’m sorry. But you understand that we couldn’t have left it there, right?” Earning a nod, Twilight sighed and picked a strawberry from the plate. “It was really an exquisite work. When this is over you will surely become a famous painter.”

“Thanks Twilight. That’s really kind of you.” Canvas followed Twilight’s example and took a strawberry too. “I’ll get over it eventually. The vernissage of my first exhibition was simply the only day the exhibition was there for public.” They lay there for some time in silence, listening to the crickets outside the house. Then Canvas decided to break the silence again. “You have lost more than just a painting in the recent time though. I read about the argument in the newspaper. How are you holding up?”

Twilight wasn’t too happy about the topic, but she knew it would come up sooner or later. This time was as good as any other to talk about it. “It’s not that bad. I was losing them all for some time slowly. The argument and then the visit of my former friends finished the job. It hurts, but I will manage. I have you and the girls here, so everything will be fine.” She put on a brave smile, but the effort proved unsuccessful as Canvas lost hers.

“Was she always like that?” she asked and seeing Twilight’s questioning look she continued, “I mean being mean to you and keeping things to herself.”

“No,” Twilight said quietly after a moment hesitation. “We used to be very close and I think she didn’t even notice it changing. She was almost like a mother to me.”

Twilight walked through the corridors of Canterlot Castle to the new lodging she was given as Celestia’s official protegé. After few years of studying under the princess and staying in the castle till late night hours, the princess and Twilight’s parents decided it to be best for Twilight to go live in the castle. Nopony would have to fret about where she was or if something bad happened to her on her way home and she would have unhindered access to the royal library whenever she needed it. She could still visit her home during weekends after all.

Despite her initial elation from the news, Twilight was starting to question whether this was a blessing or a curse, this day at school tipping the scales in favor of curse. She didn’t let her mood show as she walked though. It was nopony’s business and she would deal with it on her own. She was brave, strong and intelligent young mare who could handle her problems easily. Or so she wanted to present herself.

Once the door closed behind her, she dropped the pretense. She put her saddlebags next to her writing desk and not bothering to unpack them she went to her bed, bringing Smartypants close to her with her magic as she curled on it.

“Why are they so mean to me, Smarty? I didn’t do anything to them, so why can’t they just leave me alone?” She stayed in that position, pondering how cruel the world was and how unjustly her classmates behaved to her, until a knock came from the door.

“Come in,” she called automatically, not moving otherwise. The door opened and hoofsteps sounded on the carpeted floor of her room. She didn’t turn to see the visitor.

“Good afternoon, Twilight. I see you are already in bed. Are you feeling unwell?” Princess Celestia asked in her kind and warm way that always soothed Twilight. The young mare sat up abruptly, panicking about offending her mentor with improper greeting. When she saw Celestia’s smile though, she calmed down.

“Hello there, princess. No, I’m ok, just a little tired. We had a lot of assignments in the last few days.”

At the mention of school Celestia’s smile dropped a bit. “Well, that’s one of the reasons I came to visit you.” She lit her horn and a small note appeared from the thin air. “One of your teachers sent me a note that you didn’t turn in your magical clockwork homework.” Twilight looked at her hooves dejectedly, being reprimanded, even in a kind way, felt really bad, especially with the injustice behind it. Celestia wasn’t finished though. “I asked him for few more days for you to finish it and he agreed. Was it too difficult for you or did you have too little time with other assignments? Do you want some help with it?” she offered, her smile returning full force.

Twilight looked up, her pride rising in her like a tidal wave. Nothing was too difficult for her! “No!” she exclaimed and recoiled a moment later from the hidden meaning she didn’t intend for. “I mean, yes, I would love to work on it with your help. But I got it in time. I just… lost it… somewhere.”

“Oh?” Celestia inquired, lighting her horn again. “Well, then there is an easy help. This is a spell you can use to locate lost things. It works better if you use candles and draw a diagram with a special chalk, but you can perform it without quite efficiently too.” She closed her eyes in concentration, missing Twilight’s look of horror. She opened them a second later though, the spell finished, and waited for the results. They came quickly.

Twilight’s school saddlebags lit gold and opened, the fairly crippled clockwork floating out. Celestia expected much, but not this. Not a direct lie from Twilight. “Hmm. So it wasn’t lost after all. But why is it in such poor state, Twilight?”

“I… dropped it when I was walking to school,” Twilight said quietly, not meeting Celestia’s gaze. The princess sighed and sat down on the bed next to Twilight.

“Twilight. Look at me please. You managed to lie the first time, but for the second time it won’t work. Please tell me what really happened.”

Twilight couldn’t stay composed any longer and slumped down on the bed breaking into sobbing. “I-I went to school and I met some of my classmates and they wanted to see my homework so I showed it to them, but then Cherry Blitz grabbed it and started hitting it with a stone and I tried to stop him, but Green Oak and Glassy Bloom held me in place and laughed. They called me teacher’s pet and said that the homework wasn’t done by me anyway so it was fair that I wouldn’t get to turn it in. Then they ran away laughing and calling back at me that I better stayed behind the castle walls. I was scared and didn’t know what to do, so I lied. I’m sorry, Princess…” Twilight trailed off and descended into more sobbing.

“There there, Twilight. It will be alright,” Celestia assured as she pulled Twilight into a gentle hug. “We will get this sorted in no time and we can repair your homework too, ok?”

“Thank you, Princess,” Twilight said, basking in the pleasant hug, feeling safer than in a very long time. “But why did they do it? I didn’t wrong them in any way.”

“Some ponies simply find pleasure in hurting others. Some can’t stand it when others are more talented or skilled than them. And yet another group hates anything different. These three probably belonged to all three groups at the same time,” Celestia explained in a sad voice. “But you don’t have to worry about it anymore. They won’t do it again. Now, why don’t we get some snack and get that clockwork done? Then we can practice that seeking spell. How does it sound?”

“They really never did it again. They didn’t show up at school the next day and from what I know they were transferred to a different school entirely. Not one of the prestigious schools either. I didn’t mind that really, it made my life much easier. Now that I think about it though, the class was never told why they were transferred. Or what happened to them to begin with. Celestia just made them vanish without too much fuss.” Twilight frowned as another realization came to her. “That was also around the same time other students started avoiding me. They were probably too scared. Again, I didn’t mind at that time, but I turned into a recluse loving only books as a result. Well, there is a dark side to everything.”

“The good side overweights the bad one here, I think. At least she fought to protect you. I’m a bit jealous of you having basically two mothers. Wish I had at least one proper family member.”

Both Canvas and Twilight turned to where Trixie’s voice came from and spotted the rest of the girls standing under the arcade around the patio. Sunset was holding a pile of pillows and blankets in her magic.

“Hi there,” Twilight called to them. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Oh for a while. Nice story by the way. Celestia obviously cared about you a lot, not like about me. Can we join you? It’s lonely in those rooms,” Sunset said and not waiting for an answer she made her way to the duo, setting the pillows around.

“Yeah, sure. The more the merrier,” Canvas answered anyway. “Could you bring some more fruit and some drinks though? I’m actually getting a bit hungry here.”

“Here you go.” Trixie levitated the requested items in an amount sufficient for all of them and then plopped down on the pillow right next to Twilight. “By the way, Twilight, remind me to never play hide and seek with you.”

“Ok- Wait, are you implying that I would cheat? Beware, Trixie Lulamoon, or I will hide you and never seek,” Twilight warned and earned few chuckles from the others and a nudge from Trixie. “But what did you mean by that wanting to have at least one proper family member?”

“I have never talked about this before and that was a slip really. But since we are all friends here, oh well.” She made herself more comfortable on the pillow, which meant pressing against Twilight’s side. The other mare didn’t make any move to cease the contact, so a small smile appeared on Trixie’s face despite the saddening topic she was to cover.

“I too come from Canterlot. You probably know how the ponies there are, Twilight. They seek only wealth and don’t care about others much. Fame and good name are everything to them and they would sacrifice or use anything to climb higher. Or anypony for that matter.”

Trixie woke up in the morning and as usual prepared her school saddlebag. She went to the kitchen to grab something small to eat before she would leave. The house was quiet as her parents were probably still asleep after some garden party or other event they attended the previous evening. Trixie long since stopped keeping track about their activities. They wouldn’t take her with them anyway, though she heard from her classmates they often bragged with the education she was getting.

She put her saddlebag on her back and went to the door. As she was about to step over the threshold, she was stopped by a magical aura around her hooves.

“And where do you think you are going, missy?”

Trixie turned her head and through the open door she saw a silver coated unicorn mare with purple mane sitting on a loveseat in the living room. “To school, mom. I need to hurry, I got up a bit later than usual. Could you set me free again?” she said in a calm and sweet voice as to not aggravate her mother. A vain effort.

“To school you say? And to what school, if I may ask?” The mare got up and slowly trotted to her daughter. “To the one we pay so much money for? To the one we got you to thanks to a lot of diplomatic acrobacy from our side? To the one we got this note from yesterday, saying that you dropped out a week ago?” She shouted the last sentence and slapped Trixie with her hoof.

“Mother, I-” Trixie began, but was interrupted by her mother’s rage.

“Just when were you planning to tell us, huh? Do you know how bad we would look if somepony pointed it out to us and we didn’t even have a clue? The shame, The faux pas! And what were you even thinking? Do you know how hard it was to get you there?”

“I know, but-” Another slap silenced her.

“No buts! I will go to your school now and fix this mishap. You go to your room and stay there until I return. Then we will discuss your punishment.”

The magic hold vanished and Trixie used her regained freedom of movement to stomp her hooves forcefully. “But I don’t want to go there! It’s a stupid school and I don’t want to become a bureaucrat! I want to do magic! Why are you forcing me into this?” That only served to fuel her mother’s temper.

“You will do what we say because you are our daughter! That school has prestige and bureaucrats are well liked in our circles. We won’t debate this. Now march to your room, missy!” With that she left the house, locking the door behind her. Trixie trudged back up the stairs. She knew her ruse of going to school every morning despite her dropping out would fail one day, she just hoped it would take longer. And that the outcome would be more favorable.

“What did I expect? That they will consider my wishes? As if they ever did. It’s always ‘our friends this’ or ‘on the banquet they said that’! They never ask how the school is going or how I am feeling or if I need something. No. Everything’s about them!”

She took in her spartan room. One desk, one closet, one bed. There were no toys or pictures, no books apart from the textbooks for the school. “This is not a home. It’s a prison with forced labor,” she muttered to herself. “Now she will enroll me there again and even punish me more, as if that alone wasn’t a punishment.”

She stared out of the window, gazing to the castle longingly. “There. They learn magic and fun stuff, not like me. Who wants to sit in an office all day? Definitely not me. And definitely not to make my parents look better. They are the worst.” She slammed her hoof into the desk and threw her head back. “It’s just not fair! Can’t anypony see that I hate this? Can’t anypony help me?” she exclaimed. No answer came though.

She jumped up and pulled a suitcase from under her bed. “That’s it! When nopony helps me, I will help myself! I will show them how I want to live my life. They will be sorry to ever stay in the way of Trixie!” She threw most of her belongings to the suitcase, which alone showed how little she possessed, and made her way downstairs. Soon she recognized a problem.

“Oh darn, she locked. Well I will have to use a window then. But the ground floor ones have bars on them… Second floor it is then!” She was about to return to her room to perform a complicated escape, when she noticed one particular cabinet. “I will need some funds to begin with. Well mom and dad, consider this a delayed pocketmoney!” She picked a hefty purse from the cabinet and went back upstairs.

“I just hope I can levitate myself down. If I want to live from magic, I should.” She grabbed the handle of her suitcase with her mouth and concentrated, lifting herself off the ground. She floated through the window and started descending, but when she was about six feet from the ground her magic slipped and she fell. She recovered swiftly though, striking a victorious pose. “Tada! Nothing can stop the Great and Powerful Trixie! She defeated this prison. Now the world!”

“And that’s about it. That’s how the Great and Powerful Trixie came to be. With the money I took from them I bought my trailer and the performance costume and started traveling. All went fairly well until I came to Ponyville, but you know about what happened next.” She chuckled a little at herself and continued. “Funny thing, I really thought I was good at magic at that time. My, I was silly considering what you can do, Twilight.”

“It wasn’t silly at all, from the stories you told during the performance. And you are improving greatly too. I’m awed that you are so good with so little formal training,” Twilight countered the self-deprecation of her friend. The others too expressed their appreciation of the former showmare. She, however, started laughing.

“You-you believed those stories? Wow, I must be a better liar than I imagined! They are all fake, Twilight. I came up with them to get ponies’ attention. They wouldn’t watch my performance if they didn’t think I was something special beforehand.”

“You still do great, despite those storytelling abilities,” Twilight said a bit disgruntled from being laughed at. Then her attention returned to what she just heard though. “I can’t imagine having such tough foalhood. My parents have always been very supportive of me and allowed me to do whatever I saw as important for my future. And leaving home like that…”

“As I said, Twilight, there is a dark side and a bright side to everything. Sure, it was rough, but I made a choice and I haven’t regretted it once. I gained freedom and I finally ruled my own life, you know? But it would have still been nice if they cared about me more. I know that there was probably more to them than I though back then, but would it kill them to show me some love and appreciation from time to time? Only stupid high expectations for Trixie. Nothing comes from those.”

“I beg to differ, Trixie,” Lightning Dust interjected. “Working all the time can be exhausting sure, but high expectations help form a pony. I don’t agree with your parents though. They definitely didn’t care for anypony but themselves.”

“What about you, Dusty?” Canvas inquired as she took a bite into a slice of watermelon, making a small mess on her face. “I’ve heard you talk about your family a lot. You speak highly of them.”

“Dusty huh?” the pegasus said with a chuckle, both from the cuteness of the nickname and the mess on the younger mare’s face. “Well, I’ve always looked up to everypony in my family, specifically my father. I do agree with Trixie to some degree on the high expectations part. If it were always for selfish or stupid reasons like her parents, I wouldn’t argue. But my parents held high standards because of our family history. See, I come from a long line of military pegasi, my father is a general and my uncle is a lieutenant, and our high standards are for more genuine reasons. I didn’t always like every single rule they set, but they always showed support. I cherished their discipline because I knew they cared.”

Lightning Dust took a pear from the fruit bowl and took a bite from it. “And then there was my mother. I don’t know what it is about her, but even as a stay at home mom, she was like a drill sergeant in her own right whenever it came to disciplining me or my cousins. Still love her though. Very pretty and I can see why my father loves her. I really miss them.”

“So, where does the disowning fall into place here?” Twilight inquired. “I mean, I know why it happened, but what was it all about?”

“It was for my own good and the good of my father. Like I said before, my father Blitzschlag is a general so he has to be strict in what he does to uphold a good example for his men and his nation. He can’t cut me any slack just because I’m his daughter. I mean the Wonderbolts are part of the military. And besides, I needed to realize how serious my blunder was. Though I’m not proud of it,” she smirked as she paused, “some good came out of it. I have some best friends, five of which are sitting in this room. I’ve really grown quite fond of you guys, especially since coming here to Elysium.”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy your company,” Twilight smirked back.

“Heh, I could think of worse ponies to be friends with,” Trixie snarked. “Could you imagine being friends with somepony like Prince Blueblood? Boy would THAT be something.”

“Ugh, yeah him,” Lightning said disgusted. “I’ve heard many things about him, not one of which is good. I’ve heard a couple stories from my uncle that makes me not want to meet him in person. It’s a good thing we don’t have to see him again, eh Canvas?”

“Uh, yeah…” Canvas said as all energy suddenly drained from her voice. The others took notice as the usually cheerful pony took a small bite of her watermelon while glancing down to avoid eye contact.

“Is something wrong, Canvas?” Trixie said concerned.

“It wasn’t something I said, was it?” Lightning said equally concerned.

“O-oh it’s nothing to worry about.”

Twilight recalled back to a breakfast she had with Canvas. All was well until a certain name was brought up and then the young earth pony suddenly became fearful. Now it was happening again and Twilight felt she couldn’t avoid the question any longer.

“Canvas? Look at me,” Twilight softly said as she put her hoof under Canvas’ chin, lifting her eyes to meet hers. “What did Blueblood do to you? I ask because I, and everypony else here, care about you. If something is wrong, you can tell us.”

Canvas slowly glanced at the other girls who had a mixture of concern and curiosity written on their faces as they awaited a response. With a sigh, she finished the last of her watermelon and prepared her tale.

“I’ve talked about this a bit with Twilight, but I kind of sympathize with Dusty and her situation. I grew up with a loving father myself. I couldn’t ask for a better father either. He adopted me when I was just a small foal, not even old enough to talk. I never really had a mom though. The closest I really had was my nanny who took care of me whenever my father was working in his court job. When I was older, I discovered my talent in art and I got my cutie mark when I painted a portrait of daddy for the first time. He was so proud of me and got me enrolled in Rosewood.”

“That high end private school? The one that only the richest families can afford?” Trixie said surprised. “Your dad must’ve been loaded to get you there.”

“Uh, sort of. From what I was told, it was my own talent that made me go as far as I did. He only paid tuition. I was excited at first because I thought it meant an opportunity to meet new friends and get recognized for my talent. But… I ended up feeling like an outsider because of my other talent. You know, the one that allowed us to come here. I learned about it around the same time I got my cutie mark. Rosewood is a very competitive and, for lack of a better word, cutthroat kind of school. Most of the ponies there played dirty.”

Canvas had just finished her latest class assignment and passed it to her teacher for grading. The moment she saw what her student drew, she was amazed.

“I can’t tell you how many times you’ve impressed me since you enrolled, Acrylic Canvas.”

“O-oh, thank you.”

“I’ve been thinking you should enter the upcoming art contest. You would certainly turn quite a few heads with your work. I’d imagine everypony would want to see your talent.”

“Uh, really?”

The teacher opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a flyer which she handed to Canvas. “If you’re interested, all the information you need is in here. I look forward to seeing you there.”

When class ended, Canvas trotted through the school with an extra bounce in her step. To say she was happy would be an understatement. She’d been recommended to enter a major competition in her school, recognized because of her artwork. Ooh, daddy is going to be so happy! I can hardly wait to see his face! the young mare thought as she picked up her pace with excitement. The art prodigy was on cloud nine with such thoughts that she didn’t notice a few of her classmates glaring at her as they passed by. Her excitement faltered when she passed by one group of mares who were talking among themselves. She didn’t hear everything because she knew it was none of her business to eavesdrop, but what she did hear somewhat punched her mentally.

“She always gets the attention,” the red unicorn mare whispered. “She thinks she can waltz right in here and take away my spotlight. Who does she think she is?”

“Her dad is really high on the social ladder though, higher than any of us,” the orange pegasus responded.

“He’s nothing and so is she! I’ve been the queen of the competition for a long time and to think I could be upstaged by some freshman! What makes her so special anyway?”

“Well,” a gray unicorn began, “have you seen her artwork? I wouldn’t be surprised if she took first place. An earth pony no less!”

“I don’t care how good she is, she’s stealing my thunder!”

“You’re not exactly helping with your attitude. Trust me, your voice still has plenty of thunder.”

She couldn’t be certain who they were talking about, but judging from what she gathered, they must have been referring to her. Ever since Canvas enrolled, the red unicorn, who was commonly called Ruby though Canvas didn’t know her full name, held an animosity towards her magenta classmate. Many of the students were highly privileged and self-important, none more so than Ruby as her family had connections that stretched across Canterlot. Canvas’ father, Star Chamber, was one exception as he was a chief of justice in the Canterlot Court and firmly resented the high and mighty attitude that plagued his beloved city and worked to uproot those who abused the system.

Canvas’ ears drooped as she snuck past the group of girls that she assumed were talking about her. Once she got home however, her spirits perked up again as she saw her nanny in the kitchen.

“Good afternoon Canvas. How was your day?”

“It went pretty well, Nana Nursery Rhyme. Is daddy home? I want to tell him something.”

“I’m afraid he’s working late tonight and won’t be home until the evening. But you can tell me. I’m making some vanilla puffs, your favorite.”

“Ooh, can I help?”

“Of course dear.” Nursery Rhyme warmly smiled back.

Canvas quickly dropped by her room to put away her bags and went to help her nanny. As they baked the time away, Canvas talked about the opportunity that was presented to her. As Nursery Rhyme was the closest thing to a mother she knew and she took the time to hug and nuzzle her in congratulation. Their confections were finished and Canvas munched away at them with Nursery Rhyme, but the younger mare saved a few for her father for when he got home.

“Daddy’s home!” Canvas exclaimed as she pounced on Star Chamber as he walked through the door. “Daddy! I have something amazing to tell you!”

“Woah there, daddy’s a bit fragile today,” Star said with a chuckle as he returned his daughter’s hug. “Now what did you want to tell me?”

“Daddy, I was recommended for a contest. They want me to display my art at the show!”

“How bout that! I knew you’d go far with your talent. Good work, Canvas.”

“Oh, and Nana and I made some vanilla puffs. Most of them are gone, but I saved some for you, because I knew you’d be hungry after working so late.”

“Aw, how generous of my favorite little girl. Thank you.”

The following days, Canvas made time to work on her submission for the art show. Her teachers suggested submitting something she’d already made, but she decided to make something special; if she was going to display something that would be recognized, she wanted it to be a masterpiece. When the day of the show came, she arrived early at the rec center where it was being held to set up her station so she wouldn’t have to fight for a space later.

“My, my. That is quite an impressive piece you have there,” a sophisticated male voice called out from behind her. Canvas quizzically turned around to see who it was and the source of the voice turned out to be the last pony she expected.

“P-prince Blueblood! W-what are y-you doing here?” Canvas stuttered as she didn’t expect to see royalty in this place of all places, least of all Blueblood.

“Well, I’m one of the judges of this competition. I attend this event each year. I must say though, you’ve got some talent for somepony as young as you.”

“O-oh, t-thank you very much, your highness!” Canvas bowed.

“However,” Blueblood began which worried Canvas, “I’ve seen some of the other contestants and well, some of them are more professional in their efforts. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you are good in your own merits, but I’m hard pressed to find one I’m willing to invest my time in. I’m sure with me here, other patrons will pay attention to which ever contestant I choose and I can’t promise it to be you.”

“Oh….” Canvas said disheartened with her ears drooping.

“But, I could be persuaded to promote you if you prove to me how much you want that.”

“P-prove? What do you mean?”

“Follow me. I would rather not talk about it here.”

“So what exactly happened? He didn’t… force himself on you or anything, did he?” Lightning Dust said trying to suppress her rage against the prince.

“Not exactly. He basically gave me a choice. Either I do a ‘favor’ for him, and he would invest in my station. Or I decline and nopony would even give me a second glance.”

“So did you…?”

“I was naive and believed the prince’s words. I was backed into a corner and didn’t know what to do…” Canvas buried her face into her hooves so that the other girls wouldn’t see her crying. “He was blackmailing me! It just wasn’t fair!”

“Was he at least gentle?” Sunset uncomfortably asked .

“What do you mean?” Canvas asked confused by Sunset’s question

“Well… that kind of thing is... painful, the first time around.” Sunset’s shaky statement earned her a strange look from Ditzy, the kind of look that just screamed ‘how would you know?’, causing Sunset to blush and she glanced away with an uncomfortable clearing of her throat. “I uh…. Well, I knew a guy in that other world and he and I grew close and, well….” Sunset swiftly stuffed some grapes in her mouth which muffed the rest of her sentence.

“Oh, no no no! I didn’t go THAT far,” Canvas suddenly spoke up when she caught on to what Sunset was implying, saving her from the awkward situation. “I wasn’t about to do that just for some silly art contest. But…”

Twilight wrapped her wing around the young mare and nuzzled her. “It’s okay Canvas, It’s not your fault the Canterlot nobility is so corrupt. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Yeah. I mean, I can’t say I’m surprised with the prince,” Trixie stated. “From what I hear, this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this. But it seems it was his word against yours and he’s a prince and niece to Celestia.”

“Don’t you mean nephew?” Ditzy flatly said.

“Nope,” Trixie said just as flatly. “He doesn’t act like much of a stallion, therefore he doesn’t deserve to be called one.”

“With how little he was, he could be her niece.” Canvas softly laughed, causing the others to do the same. “You… don’t hate me, do you?” Canvas nervously asked peeking from under Twilight’s wing.

“Sweetie, we can’t hate you for being blackmailed like that,” Ditzy responded.

“Yeah, I mean what Blueblood did was far worse.” Lightning added. “Solicitation of a minor? That’s preeetty low.”

“We all make mistakes, Canvas,” Twilight continued to nuzzle her. “Like I said when we first met, the important thing is that you learned from it.”

“Thanks girls. You’re the best. I wish I would’ve had you as my classmates instead of that stupid Ruby. She’s even worse than Blueblood.”

Canvas lost track of how long she spent in the bathroom. It was the only place in the building where she had the privacy to just wallow in shame of what she just did. She’d also brushed her teeth as many times as she possibly could, but no matter what, she just couldn’t find any comfort in it. Nothing seemed to wash away how violated she felt.

By the time she worked up the courage to come out of the mares’ restroom, it was almost time for the competition to start up and many of the contestants, as well as the other judges, had arrived. She was about to go to her station when she was stopped by a familiar voice.

“Well, well, well. Look who it is.”

Canvas glanced to the side to see Ruby and her clique of mares, all grinning slyly. Canvas smiled sheepishly as she tried to back away. “Uh, hello. Nice seeing you here. I’d like to talk, but I’ve got to get to my station before they count roll call.”

“I’d reconsider if I were you. We wouldn’t want it to get out that you cheated, would we?”

Canvas’ eyes widened in horror as Ruby presented a picture to her of the deed she did. From the angle of the photo, Ruby had apparently been hiding in the room and took the picture.

“Performing favors on one of the judges to win? For shame Acrylic Canvas, for shame!” Ruby said in mock disappointment. “What would your father say if he saw this? To think his own daughter bribed somepony to get ahead. Honestly, I don’t know what that would do to his reputation, let alone yours if this got out.”

A soft gasp came from the young magenta mare as she’d just begun to realize the consequences of her own actions. She didn’t even think about what could become of her father because of her.

“Please don’t release that! I don’t want my father to suffer! I’ll do anything, just please don’t do it!”

“Anything?” Ruby’s smirk grew even more devilish. “Okay then how about this: I want you to forfeit the contest and give me that painting you made so that I can use it. That sounds like a fair trade, right? Nopony else has seen it yet, so they won’t know the difference. In exchange, I’ll give you this here photo. Be a nice little filly and go bring it here to me.”

Tears started to fall from Canvas’ eyes as she glared at the mare who was threatening her and wanted to take credit for her own hard work. Yet there was little she could do. She was outnumbered and the odds were stacked against her with the incriminating evidence she possesed. She surrendered from trying to fight back and trudged back to her station to retrieve her covered painting. Once she had it, she snuck back to the group of mares and relinquished possession of her pride and joy.

Ruby gave an impressed whistled as she uncovered the painting. “Impressive. This’ll get me first place for sure. Here,” she tore the photo up and threw the pieces at Canvas’ hooves. “A deal’s a deal. I got what I wanted. Now maybe you should go home or something. Wouldn’t want anypony complicating things more than necessary.”

As Ruby and her yes girls laughed and carried the painting away, Canvas gathered up the pieces of the photo and hid them in her bag as she ran from the building without bothering to check with the staff. She didn’t care about any of that at that point.

“Then after that, I ran home and burned the pieces of the photo in the fireplace when nopony was around. That night, I just didn’t have the courage to face my father. I was too ashamed. So I ran away and I haven’t been back for over two years now. Then I met Twilight.”

“Don’t worry, Canvas. Everypony can do something stupid. The important thing is to try and redeem ourselves. You will get your chance, you will see,” Lightning offered with a reassuring smile.

“But you shouldn’t have run away like that. He would have understood and helped you. He surely misses you dearly. Losing a foal is the greatest pain I know of,” Ditzy added with a solemn expression. Rest of the happiness from the group vanished. They all sheepishly watched their hooves, not knowing how to react. Then Twilight who knew the mailmare the best broke the silence.

“I’m sorry Ditzy. I didn’t know you lost a foal. I thought Sparkler and Dinky were the only foals you have.”

Ditzy looked at her quizzically, not comprehending what Twilight meant, before she perked up with a realization. “Oh! Not like that! I didn’t mean that my foal ran away or heavens forbid died. But they took Dinky from me and I had to fight to get her back.”

“Why would anypony do that? From what I have seen you are a great mom,” Lightning asked, recalling her meeting with Ditzy in Ponyville. Ditzy’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as a result of the praise and she scuffed the ground with her hoof.

“Why, thank you, Lightning. I do what I can. But I wasn’t always like this. When I remember how badly I led my life, I would slap myself.” She took a deep breath and shifted a bit on her pillows to get more comfortable for an unpleasant talk. “You can see that I am different. It used to be worse, I could barely coordinate my wings and I had difficulties perceiving my surroundings even at lowest speeds. It was so bad I got an invalidity pension. My family always took care of everything I needed and I took it for granted, living like the world was here just for my amusement.”

Ditzy squirmed a little under her blanket as the sun rays tickled her nose. She scratched it and stretched with a wide yawn. “How many times have I told them to close those curtains in the evening. How can I sleep with sun shining in my face?!” she muttered angrily and glanced at the clock on the wall. “Only two? Dang, I wanted to sleep more. Well, it can’t be helped now. I won’t fall asleep again.”

She got up and made her way out of her room to grab herself some breakfast although most ponies were already finished with their lunch. “Hm,” she mused as she walked down the stairs, “no headache today. That’s worth celebrating. But food first.” She retrieved a slice of cake from the fridge and poured herself some orange juice. Only when she sat down at the table did she notice she wasn’t alone in the room.

“Hi mom, didn’t see you there,” she greeted with full mouth. She washed the mouthful down with her juice and grinned at the decidedly not happy mare sitting across the table. “What a beautiful morning we have today, right?”

“It’s afternoon, Ditzy. Morning was when you returned home. Another party I suppose?” Soap Circle inquired. This time Ditzy took the time to swallow first as she was planning a longer statement.

“Yeah, details. The party was great by the way. You should have seen Misty Dive dancing. She’s like totally crazy! Oh and about that afternoon, I asked you to close those curtains, didn’t I?”

Soap sighed in exasperation. She was used to her daughter’s bratty behavior, but more and more often pondered about where her husband, Breeze Flow, and she went wrong with their daughter. Even more often than that she tried to figure out how to fix what they obviously broke. “So you could sleep until the evening and then go party right away?” she asked in deadpan voice.

Ditzy, ignorant to her mother’s raising annoyance, beamed her a brilliant smile. “Yes! That’s exactly the idea!”

“That was a rhetorical question, Ditzy. You weren’t supposed to answer it and it would have been better if you hadn’t.” Soap facehooved, but then steeled herself again. “It’s not healthy, Ditzy. Not just your sleep regime, but the whole partying business. You will hurt yourself this way.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Besides, what could go wrong? Dancing is kind of exercising anyway. I’ll keep myself in better form this way.”

“Did the doctor say that? Did you even go to that check-up you had scheduled? Is there any change for the better?”

Ditzy thought hard as to remember what her mother was even talking about, but then recalled meeting a doctor few days ago. “Uh I went there. The coordination got a bit worse, but the eyes are stable, so there is nothing to worry about.”

“There goes your exercising idea, Ditzy,” Soap dejectedly pointed out. “If this goes on, you won’t even be able to go to your parties anymore. Do you want that?”

The option that she would no longer be able to party never even crossed Ditzy’s mind before. She got a bit more serious, but it lasted only a second. “Well until then I’ll still have a great time. I deserve it when I was born with this.” She pointed at her wings that were slightly twitching and her squinting eyes. “When it happens, I will fix it. Until then, I want to live my life. So if you’ll excuse me, I want to get some new dress for today’s party.”

Not waiting for an answer she started for the door. “I will let them send the bill as usual. See you.” She was about to leave when she remembered one more thing. “Oh and the doctor said I was pregnant. Well what’s done is done I suppose. Bye!” She made three steps outside when her mother landed in front of her. The look on her face got through Ditzy’s careless attitude and the young mare froze.

“Get back inside. Now!”

Ditzy obediently returned to the house and sat back on her chair, supporting her chin with her hooves. “What’s the big deal?”

“Big deal? Big deal?!” exclaimed the older mare not believing her ears. “The big deal is that you got pregnant! And that you tell me about it just by the way who knows how long after you found out! Who is the father anyway?”

“No idea. It just happened on one of the parties.”

“You want to tell me you have been sleeping around?!”

“So what? It’s my body anyway. So it is only my problem,” Ditzy countered defiantly.

“It would be only your problem if you lived in only your home and from only your finances, Ditzy! Neither is truth.”

“How so?” inquired Ditzy. “Don’t I get that invalidity rent? If I remember, it is enough to live from.”

“Live yes, party every day and throw money away no. Not to mention that it wouldn’t support two ponies in a million years even if they spent the money carefully.”

“Then you will simply help me with it. Problem solved.” Ditzy flashed her mother another brilliant smile, but dropped it when her mother didn’t reciprocate. “What?”

The elder mare looked more and more dejected, annoyed and tired. “We barely come by with your expenses, Ditzy. Oh well Having a foal means you will have to cut the parties and not just for the financial reasons. It is a great responsibility to have a foal.”

“It can’t be that hard.”

“No? Well you have to feed it, change its diapers, get up in the middle of the night if it so pleases, take it to the doctor and so on. I don’t know if you are ready for something so difficult and taxing.”

This made Ditzy jump up from her chair. Such insult couldn’t go unanswered. “Are you implying I’m not capable of taking care of a foal?”

“I’m not implying anything, Ditzy. I have no reason to believe that you will take care of it or that you could. All you do is sleep and party and… sleep with others it seems. Do you for example know how much milk costs? Or where the pediatre works in Cloudsdale? No. It will all fall on me as always. You aren’t taking care of yourself either, so that’s quite clear!” Soap matched Ditzy’s angry stance and glared at her daughter with all the cumulated anger from previous years.

“So that’s how you see me? As a hindrance that can’t even feed herself? You think this about your own daughter?” Ditzy shouted, kicking into the chair and making it fall to the ground in her rage. “You know what? I will show you! I don’t need you or father or this stupid place. I will live on my own and raise my foal on my own.”

She stormed up to her room, hearing her mother calling for her to return downstairs, but paying it no mind. Her pride was bruised and she would not back down. With her suitcase full she went down the stairs and directly for the entrance door. “You will see how capable I am!” she shouted and slammed the door behind herself.

Soap flew out after her daughter, trying to catch up, but Ditzy was too angry and her anger fueled her speed. “Ditzy, please! Come back and we can talk about it! I’m sorry, come back!” But Ditzy made her decision and didn’t even turn her head.

“I was stupid and spoiled back then. I’m fairly ashamed of how I acted to my mother.”

“Sorry, but rightfully so, Ditzy. It doesn’t look like you at all, so what changed?” Twilight asked.

“Everything,” Ditzy said with a smile. “But I would be getting ahead of myself. Could you get me something to drink? We seem to have run out of juice.”

“Right away, princess Ditzy,” Sunset said with a smirk and reached to the atrium with her magic, grabbing a whole pitcher so serve them all.

“Harr harr, Sunset,” Ditzy giggled. “Anyway. When I ran from home, my first journey was to the town hall to tell them to start giving my pension directly to me. Then I rented a small flat as far from my parents’ house as possible. I did nothing else, no preparations, no change of lifestyle. You can imagine what a mess my flat was. I didn’t clean at all and ate only fast food. It’s a wonder Dinky was born healthy.”

“So you just partied on? Even when you became mother?” Sunset asked incredulously.

“No, of course not. When I gave birth I took it as a signal to start showing my parents how good a mother I can be. Needless to say I did poorly. Dinky required constant attention and as my mother predicted, we ran short on money. I was getting exhausted and annoyed and Dinky felt that. My parents probably knew how I was faring, because a social worker showed up when Dinky was six weeks old.”

Sunset whistled in disbelieve. “They sent inspection on their own daughter? My, you had to be really something.”

“I was, they did and I am thankful to them for it,” Ditzy confirmed. “The social worker found what was expected and initiated a court hearing about Dinky’s custody. I lost and was declared incapable of taking care of a foal. Dinky was given to my parents. At that time I hated them. I told them so right after the hearing. That’s what I regret the most.”

“But Dinky is living with you now. Did the court change their mind by the second instance?” Canvas asked. “Cases of custody can be fairly subjective and each judge can see them differently.” She earned a collective surprised stare and chuckled lightly. “What? I’m the daughter of a judge. I loved listening to him talking about his job.”

“Back then I didn’t even know there was an option to invoke. But I would lose anyway. The way was more difficult. I took it as my goal to prove my parents wrong at first. Only later did I start missing Dinky for the right reasons. I was determined to do anything.”

Ditzy sat in her now meticulously clean flat. If a social worker came with microscope they wouldn’t find a single piece of dust anywhere. The place was decorated and babyproofed accordingly to housing a unicorn toddler. Only the toddler was missing.

“It is no use,” Ditzy sighed and brought a cup of tea to her lips using her wing to do so. The appendage was no longer trembling and Ditzy’s aim was immaculate as well. “They simply won’t hire me! No matter how much I try to impress them, no matter how often I do exercises, they simply refuse to give me a job.”

It was true. Despite her massive medical state improvements and her best efforts to improve her lifestyle, whenever a job offer appeared in the newspaper, somepony else would be chosen. At first she wrote it off as a result of her condition and used it to fuel her determination, but as the months passed, she slowly figured out this had no longer any connection to her health.

Cloudsdale may have seemed like quite a big town, but despite the large area it covered the population was small enough for ponies to have a good idea about who was who and Ditzy had gained a lot of negative reputation in her life, even more so with losing custody of her own daughter.

She folded the Cloudsdale job offers page she was reading and set it aside. “There is no reason trying here. I need to move somewhere where they didn’t hear about all this otherwise I won’t have a chance to get Dinky back.” She looked at the wall where quite a few photos of the small foal hang, courtesy of Ditzy’s parents. “It mustn’t be too far though otherwise I won’t be able to visit her. Hm.” She grabbed the job offers page covering notices from all of Equestria and started perusing it. “But where should it be…”

Suddenly a slight glimpse of light from one corner of the page seized her attention. “That’s strange. I would swear something threw a golden piggy on the paper. But it’s cloudy today, so how… No matter. Ponyville looks for a mailmare or mail stallion? If I remember, that’s close by. It’s worth a shot!”

She quickly got up and flew out of her flat and right in the direction of Ponyville. Few months ago such journey would scare her, but thanks to her exercises she became an acceptable flyer who could manage the trip with little trouble. It still took her almost two hours to get to her destination though so the post office was getting ready to close.

“Excuse me, sir?” Ditzy called to one of the clerks. “I would like to apply for the position of mailmare advertised in the newspaper. Could you tell me where to go?”

The stallion took a curious look at her, though Ditzy felt it had nothing to do with her appearance. “Really? You are the first, this backwater town has nothing to offer really. Oh well, who am I to tell you how to live. Go down that hall, third door to the left. But beware, boss is kinda grumpy today.”

She bowed a little in thanks and with newly gained hope skipped down the indicated path. She knocked on the door and waited to be called in. She didn’t wait long.

“Who the hay is bothering this late? Don’t you know we are closing in like ten minutes? Come in and make it quick,” a very cross mare voice called. Ditzy followed the order and entered the office. The mare behind the desk looked as cross as her voice sounded. “So? What is it?”

“Good afternoon, my name is Ditzy Doo and I would like to apply for the mailmare position,” Ditzy explained politely. Her heart was sinking with every second.

“Post Haste. So you want to be a mailmare? Let’s look at you. Hm. Mailmare with strabismus? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“I assure you it won’t hinder my performance in any way, Ms. Post Haste,” Ditzy said with as much determination as she could muster.

“It’s Mrs.” Ditzy got a bit paler, fearing she buried her chances with that mishap. “Oh well, can’t decline you just for a disability. You would sue me to no end. Any experience with delivering anything?”

“No, Mrs. Post Haste.”

“Education?”

“Secondary school.” With every answer Ditzy was crouching more and more to the ground, understanding she didn’t stand the smallest chance.

“Well in that case, it is clear that we-” Post Haste suddenly went prone, eyes wide open for a second before she clenched them firmly shut. When they opened again, they lost their original sky blue color. It was replaced with silver. “can help you accommodate to your new tasks as a mailmare without problems. Welcome in the team, Ditzy Doo. I will prepare your employment contract now.”

“You can imagine how confused I was. One second it looked like she would throw me through the door and the other she did one-hundred-eighty and gave me the job. But I was too happy to dwell on how it happened. The next day I found a small place in Ponyville that I could rent and moved all my things. With a proper job, a clean place to live and with how I changed, it was easy to get Dinky back in my custody. We were together again before she even said her first words.” Ditzy was glowing with happiness recalling the probably happiest day of her life. “And do you know what was best? My parents! They congratulated me to what I achieved and offered all the support they could. We have been on the best terms ever since.”

“You worked on yourself pretty hard, Ditzy. Probably hardest of us all,” Lighting said and patted Ditzy appreciatively on her back. “But did you ever figure what happened there with Post Haste?”

“I did and it was soon after I got Dinky back. Turns out Scintillant was watching me for some time and decided to reward my efforts. That's what she told me and I am very grateful for what she did for me. Even more so because she wasn’t allowed to and had to accept a punishment for directly intervening with our world.”

“She said she couldn’t act in our world. Obviously that meant only not being allowed to. And that punishment would explain a few things too,” Twilight muttered to herself.

“So you were the first to know Scintillant of all of us? I always thought it was Twilight who met her first,” Trixie asked.

“Well yes, she came to me and told me what happened. Then she asked if I would like to help others in need as well. Of course I agreed. That’s when I started taking various small tasks for angels. I know this place quite well from my dream visits. And then few years later I manage to save up enough money to buy my current house and since we had enough money and space, I adopted little Amethyst Star, or Sparkler as we’ve come to call her. Poor girl had it hard when she was small and I couldn’t leave her in that orphanage.”

“Adoption huh? Hm… There seems to be a lot of adoption among us,” Sunset pondered at Ditzy’s last statement as she munched on more grapes.

“What about your parents, Sunset? Do you have anything to say on the subject?” Twilight asked.

All eyes were on the amber unicorn as she snapped out of her daze and swallowed the grapes in her mouth. “Hm? What now?”

“You’ve been somewhat quiet all night, Sunny,” Canvas said as she drank the last of her juice.

“Yeah, you got anything for us?” Lightning inquired.

Sunset stretched as she sat up from her lounging position. “Ain’t much to say really. I don’t have any parents. I’ve been an orphan for as long as I can remember.”

“Oh um, sorry Sunny.”

“Ah, don’t fret over it Canvas. I wasn’t alone. As you girls probably already know, I used to be a personal student to Princess Celestia just like Twilight. Well, she took me in when I was young, I guess I grew sort of a bond to her, just like you, Twilight.” Twilight smiled as Sunset did the same. “The castle was my home for a long time and when the time was right, I took an entrance exam for the Princess’ school for gifted unicorns. Probably not the same one you took though, Twilight,” Sunset said making note of the dragon she saw when she first met Twilight. “Mine involved a taxing set of spells. I was a magic prodigy as well as you, and Trixie can probably attest to it.”

“Oh yes!” Trixie said with a shudder. “You should’ve seen the way she fried that scolopendra back in Everfree. Burned it with a blast of fire magic and almost got me in the process.”

“Well excuse me for saving your hide!”

“I’m not complaining, mind you. I just didn’t want to end up with a roasted flank.”

“Oh cry me a river,” Sunset said dejectedly before she remembered who she was talking to. “Actually, please don’t. I’ve had enough water from you in the past few weeks.” Sunset’s comment earned a sly chuckle from Trixie. “Anyway, back to the main subject. I passed the exam and I studied under Celestia. Thing is… I remember Celestia putting a lot of pressure on me sometimes, though I can certainly understand why. I was her unofficial daughter and then I was her star protegee at the school. With a situation like that, you can imagine there might’ve been some claims of… What’s the word I’m looking for?”

“Nepotism?” Twilight suggested.

“Yeah that. Well under my circumstances I had to work hard to prove that it wasn’t the case of neapolitan-”

“Nepotism.”

“Whatever! I worked as hard as I could, but as I got older, it just seemed like Celestia was offering very little in exchange for said work. At first I just shrugged it off, but it was starting to piss me off that I was getting ignored for my accomplishments. Well, maybe ignored is a little too much, but you know what I mean, I wasn’t getting anything out of it. So I dove deeper into my studies and started practicing some higher level spells to impress her and everypony else. When I entered the next level of schooling, I performed an exam that really wowed them all.”

“Really?” Twilight asked. “Just out of curiosity, what did you do?”

“Nothing too big, admittedly. Just a growth spell on a beanstalk.”

“A growth spell?” Trixie said incredulously. “That’s a bit mundane.”

“It broke through the roof of the building.”

“So?”

“It was a seven story building and we were on the first floor.”

“Like I was saying, that sounds impressive,” Trixie said doing a one-eighty from her last comment.

“It wasn’t that impressive,” Sunset responded with mock modesty, obviously joking. “But after I passed, I guess I got pretty arrogant. I mean, not to brag or anything, but how many other unicorns besides Twilight do you know off that can pull off something like that at the age I was? I didn’t let up on my studies and when these mares came up and asked if I wanted to join them for lunch, I believe I said something along the lines of ‘I have better things to do than socialize’ or something like that.”

“Yeah because making friends does a genius no good.”

“Shut up Trixie.”

“What? I know what you were going through. I’ve been down that road myself, in one case literally.”

“Well… Whatever, let me finish.”

“As you wish, your highness,” Trixie said with a sarcastic bow.

“Funny you should say that, actually. One day Celestia brought me to a room that she kept the Crystal Mirror in. Yes that mirror, Twilight. Anyway, I looked into the mirror and saw something interesting. And NO it wasn’t my beautiful reflection,” Sunset glared at Trixie before she could say any more mockery. “Well, it was, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make. I saw myself as an alicorn with a crown on my head. When Celestia heard what I told her about my reflection, she pulled me away from the mirror and told me not to look at it again.”

Sunset took a moment to stretch out again before she took a drink of her juice. “Anypony else need any refills?”

“I do,” Canvas said holding out her cup. Sunset used her magic to lift the pitcher and pour some of its contents for the magenta mare. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Anypony else?” Her question was met with shaking of heads indicating the answer to be a ‘no’. “So after that day, I would always ask about that mirror every chance I saw her. Each time I did, she said no. That I wasn’t ready for it yet. I pressed on because I felt she was hiding something from me. At the time, I couldn’t stand that she was withholding power and knowledge from me. After one cloudy picnic, I got fed up and I began to distrust her more and more. It eventually got to the point where I started to study on my own, disregarding and neglecting my work in the process. So I snuck further into the castle and into the library of dark magic.”

“Dark magic!? How did you get in there? I thought that place is off limits to most ponies, especially students. Not even I’ve seen the inside.”

“Funny thing about that, Twilight. You’d think that place would be heavily guarded, I even said that to myself when I entered. But no, the only other pony there was a librarian who was sleeping. Job security my flank. Then again, considering the job the royal guards did back at the Crystal Empire… Well anyway, I learned about some spells that I kept for later, but the book that I was interested in was the Canterlot History which told me about the mirror. All I learned from it was that the mirror opened every thirty moons to another world before the princess came in with a few guards. We had an argument of our very own which resulted in her removing me as her student and had me escorted back to my room in the castle to await further disciplinary action.”

“She didn’t just throw you out?” Lightning ask confused.

“She was still my caretaker, remember?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”

“But as you can tell, it takes more than two royal guards to manage me. I mean hell, an overgrown centipede couldn’t even take me, let alone two pegasi. No offense.”

“None taken,” Lightning and Ditzy said in unison.

“So I stunned them and ran for the mirror. Again, the ever so competent Canterlot Royal Guard, everypony,” she said sarcastically. “I don’t know if it was some crazy coincidence or dumb luck, but the portal in the mirror was actually open. By the time the princess caught up with me, I had already slipped through. After that, I was on the other side in the other world. You know the rest. Twilight encountered me many years later and here we are.”

“That’s quite the story, Sunny,” Canvas tiredly said with a yawn.

“You know,” Twilight began, “I don’t ever recall Celestia talking about you when I was studying under her.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. From what I’ve gathered while under her myself, she doesn’t like talking about her past. Though I guess when you live for over a thousand years, you tend to have some memories you want to repress. I gotta say though, talking about this all with you girls is kind of liberating.”

“Yeah, same here,” Trixie added.

“It was kind of fun,” Lightning nodded.

“But now I’m even more tired. I don’t know how late it is, but I’m just going to guess it’s almost midnight,” Ditzy said rubbing her eyes. “Dangit Canvas, I shouldn’t have watched you yawn like that. I’m going to get some sleep if that’s fine with you all.”

“Yeah, I feel like turning in myself,” Sunset said getting up and starting to walk towards her room, dragging her pillow with her. “It was nice talking with you guys. We should do it again sometime.”

“Good night everypony!” Twilight said to the girls as they walked away. She was about to go back to her own room, but when she attempted to stand up, she noticed Canvas had fallen asleep while tucked in her wing. “She sure was tired. Rest easy, Canvas.”

Twilight carefully inched her wing from Canvas and flung a blanket over the sleeping mare. But as she tried to stand again, all feeling in her legs just vanished.

“I guess she’s not the only one who’s tired,” Trixie smirked as she closed her eyes. “Why not just sleep here tonight, keep us company.”

Twilight, without giving a second though, snuggled back in between the two mares with a yawn. “Yeah, my legs won’t get me far anyway.” The warmth from the fire, the warmth of her two friends, and the hour of night all created an unprecedented feeling of contentment that allowed her to fall asleep with almost no complications whatsoever. Trixie cracked one of her eyes to check her sleeping friend. After a moment of hesitation, she blushed slightly before resting her head against Twilight’s.

I’m glad to finally do this again. It’s been too long.

Her heart skipped a beat as she stole a peck from Twilight’s cheek.

It was barely light outside as a single angelic figure approached the sleepy building. She unbarred the door and walked inside, the only light coming from her halo as she quietly stepped through the corridors and the only sound being a metallic echo of her hoof shoes resonating.

It is surprisingly quiet in here. I would have thought at least Ditzy would be up at this hour.

Scintillant began to check each of the rooms given to her guests, but was surprised to see only half of them occupied with sleeping mares. Her worries quickly subsided when she found the remaining three snuggled in front of the brazier. She couldn’t help but bask in the cute sight that lay before her and almost didn’t want to wake them, but alas she had to bring them back to the citadel.

“Rise and shine, little ones,” Scintillant said as she pulled the blankets away and nudged them. Her efforts seemed to be in vain however as Trixie seemed to snuggle closer to Twilight.

“Wake up! We must go.”

Again she was met with no response. She was slightly frustrated with the task before her, as it appeared that Twilight subconsciously casted a soundproofing spell. However, an idea came to her as she spotted the metallic bowl that lay next to Canvas. With one of her wings, she reached over and picked it up high off the ground and with some force, threw it to the hard ground resulting in a loud enough sound to get through to the mares, who jumped as the ruckus startled them.

“Scintillant! What gives?” Trixie shouted aggravated.

“Is it morning already?” Canvas mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.

“Technically, it was morning when we went to sleep,” Twilight responded groggily as she stood up. “Any good news Scintillant?”

“Indeed. I must ask you to follow me back to Mother Dogma’s chamber. She must speak to you in person.”

“This early in the morning?” Sunset said as she walked into the room with Lightning and Ditzy, all apparently woken up from the noise as well.

“Mother wants this to be done as early as possible. She was quite generous last night so we best not keep her waiting.”

A few stretches later and the group of mares was being escorted back to the building they first came to the previous evening, with only Scintillant with them this time.

“So how did it go last night? You didn’t get into trouble or anything, did you?” Canvas asked still groggy from the sudden wake up call.

“You needn't to concern yourself with me, dear. I was well prepared to take responsibility for you all, but I wasn’t really worried. Though I will have to take on the burden of a few more tasks in exchange for all this. It’s not a problem however.”

“Can I ask you something, Scintillant?” Trixie stepped between Scintillant and Twilight. “No disrespect to that dragon or anything, but I noticed she seemed kind of irritated with you. I mean I could understand being woken up abruptly, but the way she talked to you seemed like you two have some history, even though I didn’t understand half of what anyone was saying.”

“That’s quite normal for Mother Dogma actually. With our last Grand Creator, or Grandmother[1] if you will, long gone, she’s taken a high position of authority over Elysium, effectively making her the de facto leader and administrator. She is one of the Sanctorum, mortal beings such as yourselves who have been allowed to enter Elysium without dying. Ascended if you will. She is a different case from you six however. While you all entered through the gate, she accomplished a great feat in the mortal realm that caught the attention of the Grandmother.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question.”

“As you know, dragons are prone to greed. Dragons tend to grow larger as they collect and hoard many belongings, such as gems or treasure. As a youth, Dogma resisted this temptation and gave many of her gems to other dragons during hard times. As a result of her generosity, she gained a longer lifespan as she did not grow as quickly. Eventually, she was accepted into the highest honored ranks among the Creator’s council as her closest angel.”

“This sounds interesting, but can I please get an answer to the question I asked?” Trixie said noticing Scintillant seemed to be dodging her question.

“The point is, she is a relic among the rest of us. You know you are old when even mountains call you ancient. With age and authority, she isn’t always the most pleasant. But her tenure here gives way for honor and respect. However, even though I always respect her authority, I don’t always follow her orders. I disagree with her occasionally and as a result, I’m not high on her list of respected Ein Sof, err angels.”

As she finished her last sentence, Scintillant and the other mares arrived at the citadel and went through the familiar halls with the familiar angelic faces, this time greeting instead of glaring. The same minotaurs that guarded the large double doors bowed as they opened said doors. The chamber inside was much more lively this time as it was packed with many other angelic beings, some being small ponies and others being larger creatures the girls had never seen before. None were as large and imposing however as the central commanding angel that stood within the large pool, giving off an aura of kindness instead of coldness. Scintillant gestured for the mares to follow her onto the glass platforms that extended center bound, bowing as they stepped onto the last platform.

“Your Eminence, I have done as requested and brought the visitors.”

“Good. Now then,” Dogma leaned down to eye level with the group, “rise and introduce yourselves to us. Full names only.”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

“Trixie Lulamoon.”

“Acrylic C-Canvas.”

“Lightning Dust.”

“Sunset Shimmer.”

“Ditzy Doo.”

Dogma raised an eyebrow as she heard the last name. “Ditzy Doo? That name is familiar to us. You… are the courier, correct?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“I see. We thought we’ve seen you before. Yes, we were told there was a mailmare among us, but to see it be you….” Dogma raised her head. “That aside, we have come to the decision that you will be allowed a chance for the Elements. We shall provide accommodation for five of you. However, you will be observed for the first few fortnights. We are still somewhat wary by your presence and must maintain caution. You will be allowed to move about the grounds as you please, but you must stay out of the way of those that work and you may only enter the inner sanctuaries with permission from us. Do you understand?”

The girls all gave a firm nod and Dogma dropped her serious attitude and replaced it with a more pleasant one.

“Now then, it will take much time to inform the other Sanctorum and have them prepare your training. Use this time to familiarize yourself with the lands and customs of Elysium. But try to be careful as there are restricted areas that are not open to most. Do not trespass into these areas. Any questions you have can be addressed to Scintillant as I am putting you under her jurisdiction for the time being until the preparations are complete.” Dogma glared at Scintillant, who gulped and did her best not to gaze away. “You will be responsible for our guests, are we right?”

“Yes, your Eminence!”

“Good. You are all dismissed aside from you, Scintillant. I must speak with you in private for a moment.”

A few pony sized angels flew down beside the girls and prepared to escort them out of the citadel. Twilight glanced at Scintillant with a concerned expression painted on her face.

“Go on, girls. I will meet with you later,” Scintillant assured as she tried to hide her own worry.

Twilight nodded reluctantly and followed her friends and the double doors closed. Scintillant and Dogma stood in their places as the enormous chamber was slowly vacated, leaving only them inside. As the final angel exited the near empty sanctum, Dogma dropped her warm exterior and again placed her eyes at eye level to her only guest.

“We are warning you, Scintillant. You have disobeyed many of our decrees and now not only did you intervene in mortal affairs, but you bring them into our home. Be grateful that we don’t banish you to the bowels of Tartarus for this.”

“I apologize, your Eminence.”

“Tread carefully, Scintillant. Our patience with you is running thin. Another infraction will seal your fate. I will entrust you with the Elements for now, BUT you had better step up and compensate for my kindness. You are not giving us many reasons to like you as of late.”

“Yes, Mother Dogma. I will not take this for granted.”

“You best not.”

“Geez that was intense!” Trixie shouted as she was finally outside and free from their escorts.

“Even when Dogma is being nice, she’s still intimidating,” Ditzy said with a nervous laugh.

“Speaking of which, you said you did tasks for Elysium when you got custody of Dinky back, right? Is that why Dogma addressed you like that?”

“More or less. I’ve never properly met her, but I assume she’s familiar with me because of my tasks,” Ditzy said as she unsuccessfully fought back a yawn. “It’s almost time for me to get back though. My girls are going to wonder where I am.”

“You’re leaving already?” Lightning inquired. “I thought you’d be here to train or whatever.”

“Oh I still will, just during the nights. I will come here during my dreams, but I can’t physically come here often. I guess Dogma knew this which is why she said only five of us are being accommodated, not six.”

“Makes sense,” Twilight replied. “You have a family and a job to get back to in Ponyville so you can’t just stay here. When can we expect to see you again?”

“Uh, maybe around nine or ten in the evening, give or take an hour. I don’t really know. I do know that I have to get back to my girls, but I promise you we will see each other later.

“Have a good day Ditzy,” the others said as Ditzy stepped through the open portal of the large gate. It was silent for a while as none of the other ponies knew what to do next, but that silence was soon broken by Sunset.

“Welp. I’m bored. Wanna go explore this place?”

“Yeah, why not,” Lightning said taking to the air and started to fly around the plaza.

“Anypony else?” Sunset asked.

“Maybe later,” Canvas replied while rubbing her stomach. “I’m getting kind of hungry and I’d like to paint a picture of this place. It’s too pretty not to draw.”

“Yeah, I’m with her,” Twilight added. “Trixie and I will get something to eat with Canvas. We’ll meet with you two later.”

“Ah fine. Have fun.”

Just when did she start making decisions for me? Trixie wondered, but followed Twilight’s lead nonetheless.

Author's Notes:

This chapter was fairly long, hope you don't mind. Now I have to bring up something with the next four chapters: they take place over the span of four years, one year for each chapter. However they ended up being very long so I am asking you to read this blog to decide what course of action we should take.

Now for the translations for the Greek dialogue in this chapters, I was using Google Translate but these are rough translations of what was intended. So please forgive me if these are not entirely correct, I don't really know Greek nor do I have any friends who know Greek.

Guard 1: "Stop. Why are you here?"

Scintillant: "I wish to see Mother."

Guard 2: "Mother will be most unpleased to see you again."

Scintillant: "I am aware of that."

Guard 1: "You can go. But be warned, the Mother is most unpleasant this time of hour."

Scintillant: "Your Eminence! I wish to speak to you!"

Dogma: "Scintillant. How dare you grace us with your presence yet again."

Scintillant: "Forgive me Mother. I know it's late, but I have something important I must discuss with you. But if you do not mind, I would rather do so in a more recent dialect."

Chapter 17

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Original Title: Reconquista Of Powers
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

The entire town of Ponyville pitched in to search for Twilight Sparkle after she disappeared, some even going so far as to expand their boundaries outside the town in a desperate effort. After many long weeks though, the authorities made the painful choice of calling off the search.

“You gotta be kidding me!” Rainbow Dash shouted at the royal guard sergeant who made the announcement. “You and I both know she could still be alive! She’s out there somewhere, I know it!”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. But we’ve had a majority of the royal guard force searching nationwide with the help of good samaritans aiding in the search and we just can’t find any trace that the former princess is even still in Equestria, let alone still alive. We’ve had so many other issues to attend to as well.”

“I don’t care what you say, Twilight IS alive! She has to be…”

“I understand your concern, miss Dash. But it’s been nearly ninety days since she disappeared. For now, we have to consider her legally dead.”

“But-”

“Rainbow, just let it go,” Applejack said placing a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “This is hard for all of us. But no matter how hard we’ve tried, Ah don’t think we’d get anywhere. It pains me to say this, but Ah think we hafta just…. carry on.”

Rainbow Dash stared at Applejack, vision slightly blurry from a mixture of angry tears and lack of sleep. She glared back at the sergeant before finally relenting.

“Fine. Do what you want,” Rainbow sobbed, “but I refuse to believe she’s really dead. I just…”

“Ah know, sugarcube. Ah know.”

Over the course of the following week, the citizens of Ponyville decided, with permission from the mayor, to raise a statue of Twilight in the town square as a memorial; ponies would look back on it and remember her for days to come.

IN MEMORY OF
A GREAT FRIEND
TWILIGHT SPARKLE

“I just can’t believe it had to come to this,” Rarity said wearing her mourning attire, as if it were a funeral which in a way it was. “How could we have been so foalish?”

“Ah can’t believe I said those things back at the library. But Ah think Pinkie’s taking it the hardest out of all of us.”

“Really?” Rarity asked as she glanced at the pink pony bouncing away. Pinkie Pie didn’t seem to have changed much from her usual self: while everypony else was forlorn and unwilling to speak, Pinkie carried on with a smile as she left to gather party supplies. “She doesn’t look like she’s grieving.”

“From what Ah can gather from the Cakes, she’s probably in denial about the whole thing. Can’t really say Ah blame her. Rainbow Dash and mahself are having a hard time believing that Twilight….” Applejack shook her head violently to chase away the grim thoughts in her head. “Well anyway, Ah best be getting back to the farm. Applebuck season is comin’ up soon and Ah can’t let this get in the way of business.”

Without waiting for a response, Applejack galloped towards her home in Sweet Apple Acres. While she really did need to harvest her apples for the season, she had another reason to want to get back to the farm. Ever since the day Spike left to live in the Crystal Empire with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, Applejack had been throwing herself into her work more and more, even taking on daunting tasks by herself. While this wasn’t unusual for the kind of workaholic pony Applejack was known for being, her friends and family could see clear as day this was something more serious.

The following afternoon, Applejack had taken to her duty during the first day of applebuck season. Even though she had plenty of chances to ask others, especially her brother for help, she insisted on doing this alone. She was going to harvest as many apples as she could. That’s exactly what she was trying to do when Big Macintosh dropped by to check on her. Despite being at it for several hours straight, Applejack refused to stop to rest, whether it be for lunch or anything else.

“Applejack!” Big Mac called out.

“Whataya want?” Applejack responded without stopping. “Can’t ya see Ah’m busy here?”

“Applejack, Granny an’ Ah have been watchin’ ya work like mad since Twilight went n’ gone missing. Yer workin’ yerself to death, sis. Ya need to stop.”

“This ain’t nothin’ Ah can’t handle!” Applejack said as she bucked a tree particularly hard, causing the base to crack a bit. “Just because Ah lost a friend don’t mean Ah can start slackin’ off. Ah have a lot of work ahead of me.”

“But yer workin’ TOO hard, sis. Ah worry bout ya whenever you get like this.”

Applejack didn’t let up on her work as they talked, rather she persisted and went from tree to tree with her wagons. “Are you suggesting Ah can’t do this by mahself, Big Macintosh?”

“Eeyup. We’ve been through this before, remember? After Twilight moved here ta Ponyville? Ya tried to go through another applebuck season by yerself and it didn’t turn out so well.”

“Ah didn’t have much of a choice! Ya hurt yer back and couldn’t help me.”

“You had yer friends to help. As Ah recall, ya almosted killed yerself from working to exhaustion.”

“Yeah. So?”

“What would Twilight say if she saw you right now?”

Applejack had a powerful kick winded up for the tree, but stopped mid kick at the mention of her friend’s name. “Twilight….” She recalled how Twilight tried many times to get her to accept help and how she was just too stubborn to do so. Looking back on it now, she realized how many times she dove head first into work whenever something bad happened to her.

“An’ what would ma and pa say if they were here today, huh sis? Do you think they would want ya to work yerself to death?”

“Ah…. Look, Ah don’t talk anymore today. Ah just want to get these apples harvested.”

“Yer not doin’ that without mah help. Ah know this is hard for you, losin’ a friend ain’t never easy. But this ain’t the way to cope with it. Not by killin’ yerself.”

“Ah wasn’t tryin’-”

“Ah know you weren’t tryin’ to, but mah point still stands. If you continue, what kind of example would that set for yer little sister? You know how close ya’ll are. She was too young ta remember ma and pa before they died, Ah don’t want her ta go through that experience with you.”

Applejack recalled the many good times she had with her sister. Apple Bloom never really had the chance to know her parents and never had a proper mother or father figure. As a result, her older siblings had to fill the roles themselves. She worried whenever Apple Bloom got into trouble or whenever she was bullied by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. She always tried her best to help her in whatever way she could and in doing so, grew to really care for Apple Bloom more than anything else in the world.

It was only now that the exhaustion and lack of energy was finally getting to her as she collapsed onto the grass and laid her head down on her hooves. “Ah just don’t know how else to cope. Ah mean, first ma and pa and now Twilight. Workin’ just helps me ignore the pain.” No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t hold back the hot tears as they flooded her eyes and her voice became shaky. “Ah left Twilight in her time of need too many times. How can Ah ever forgive mahself for that?!”

“There there, sis,” Big Macintosh said as he laid down beside her, pulling her into a caring hug. “Don’t forget, Ah’ll be here if ya need me. Granny n’ Apple Bloom too. We’ve all gotcha.”

“You don’t know how much that means to me. Will ya finish the rest of this later? Ah suddenly don’t feel like workin’ today.”

“Eeyup. Like Ah said, Ah’m here fer ya.”

A hushed whispers were filling the circular meeting room of Royal Advisory Council. Eleven ponies sat around a round table in the middle, squirming in their seats as they felt like the statues and the figures in the paintings were watching them with disdain. Some suspected that to be the case, knowing how tangled the net of plots and schemes became over the centuries. Others were certain that the eyes were seeing, for the very same reason. Yet another group knew such spying precautions served no purpose since they alone were spies.

Folder of hoofwritten documents marked as ‘Confidential’ lay in front of each pony, but nopony made a move to open it. They knew what was written inside, having discussed the matters beforehand as to provide the princess with their insight. Possession of information needed wouldn’t justify their behavior though. They all seemed to shy away from the folder, keeping their hooves off the table as if the paper were to turn into a viper and attack them at any moment. No, not needing to read the text motivated them only slightly. Knowing just what the text implied did.

The quiet discussions were gaining strength and volume as the time ticked by. The princess would arrive soon and they were none the wiser as to how to communicate the development to her. Some were concerned for her well being, knowing all too well how stressed and distraught she had been since the tragic events over three months ago. Some feared for themselves, outlining plans for future employment or possible emigration if things turned for the worse.

“To Tartarus with this!” an orange unicorn stallion exclaimed all of the sudden, smashing his hooves into the table.

“That’s where we are, Covenant, so please choose some other place,” a violet pegasus mare in red flowing summer dress calmly countered. Out of all present ponies she looked most composed. It may have had something to do with the fact she wasn’t supposed to report anything that day. “And don’t ruin the table. I would hate to place my coffee on the ground.”

“So where would you like me to send it? Crystal Empire? Back to those clawed beast? Or those disfigured cows?”

“Anywhere, just stop shouting. I can hardly hear my thoughts. Have you tried to shout them down to submission? It might have worked.”

“Nova is right, Covenant. You are awfully loud,” a grey earth pony stallion wearing a simple silver headband joined in on their little argument. “But in my opinion, you shouldn’t send it to our lovely neighbours. Why waste energy on another attempt at diplomacy when you failed so many times?”

“As if you could do any better, Wintershades. Besides, your voice doesn’t count. You are sucking up to Nova like a foal sucks breast milk. You don’t stand a chance anyway,” Covenant countered indignantly.

“I never said I would do better, just that you failed, which is the only relevant point in the matter. And we will see who stands a chance and who doesn’t”

“Stop talking about me as if I wasn’t present. As amusing as it is to watch you verbally fence pointlessly, it is a bit insulting,” Nova pointed out in her composed voice, checking her hooficure.

“Stop it, all three of you. We have more important matters to concentrate on.” All eyes in the room turned to an elderly looking pegasus stallion. His mane already started greying, but his coat kept a vibrant golden color. Having their undivided attention, he nodded contently. “Good. Now, is there any chance to salvage those negotiations, Covenant?”

“No, Brisk, it’s over. With Twilight and Cadance gone they refuse to even consider keeping the treaties.”

“What about drawing new ones?”

“That’s a no go either. Luna is no partner for them and Celestia’s image got mangled in their eyes. Once again because Twilight and Cadance are gone and Celestia partially caused that.”

“Well, then we have to inform her properly. Too bad our usual grave news courier can no longer help us.” He looked at the empty place by his right hoof.

“Can you blame her? Equestria lost a princess, but she lost a daughter,” Nova said, sharing the saddened expression of Brisk.

“Equestria lost a princess and we lose Equestria because of that. Priorities, Nova,” Covenant said, frowning at his folder with renewed hatred.

“It’s obvious you don’t have any offsprings, Covenant,” Brisk said with a sigh, checking his pocket watch. “You will just have to report it on your own.”

“The treaties aren’t the worst. I got a peti-”

“Princess Celestia of Equestria, the Raiser of Sun, Diarch of the Day!” the guard suddenly announced.

“Here comes trouble,” Wintershades singsonged quietly. The door swung open and Celestia walked calmly in. A peaceful and kind smile played on her lips in stark contrast to how the assembled council was feeling.

“Good morning, my friends. I hope you are all faring well on this fine day.” Her gaze ran across all of them, stopping briefly at the empty seat. I am sorry, Velvet. I just wish you believed me. Then she noticed how downtrodden her advisors looked. “Is something the matter that your glum mood could freeze a vulcano?”

They fidgeted in their places as she assumed hers and turned their eyes to Covenant. The stallion in question paled a little, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. There was no way out for him. He cleared his throat and prepared for the worst.

“It is, your highness. I… I am sorry to inform you that the last round of negotiations with griffon and minotaur delegates turned out fruitless.”

“That is disheartening, but not unexpected. Have they stated when the next round is to be held or any conditions?”

“No, your highness. T-they declared the negotiations are over and that the treaties are null and void. Without the princesses as guarantors, they refuse to keep the trade rules established.”

Celestia’s heart sank. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. They were all friendship and support, but apparently their loyalty stood only as long as we prospered. She took a sip of the cup prepared for her on the table. The coffee tasted very bitter. “That’s worrisome. Though we managed before without those treaties and the last three months showed we still can.”

“Your highness, I am afraid the situation is more grim than you realize, if I may be so bold,” small forest green earth pony mare called out. “They have been increasing import duties and taking measures to hinder export to Equestria during that time and the development is to continue, if the news from Griffon Kingdom are to be trusted. My friends in Merchants’ Guild warned that if their export tax, however damaging it is for them as well, rises for five more percent, most of the trade will have to stop due it becoming too costly.”

“How much of the imported goods can be substituted with home production?” Celestia asked, feeling her migraine being born.

“About seventy percent. The rest can be imported through more difficult ways from more distant lands. Hopefully those won’t abuse our weakened position.”

“Very well. Please, Crop Lush notify the Merchants’ Guild and the main producers that the tax on goods sold to the home market instead of being exported will decrease by five percent.”

“Yes, your highness,” the green mare answered and took few notes.

Covenant saw a convenient opening for the second and even less pleasant duty he had that day. “I would like to point out that the merchants among high houses still manage to maintain trade contact with both Griffon Empire and Minotaur Confederation-”

“As if they could form a state,” Nova mumbled under her breath, but Convenant still caught it.

“-and Minotaur Confederation,” he stressed out the name, glaring at Nova who was confidently snickering, “and are ready to increase the amount of their import if the crown so pleases.”

Celestia’s face brightened. Was it possible the matters were solving themselves after all? “That would be much appreciated, dear Covenant Binds. Please tell them I am most grateful for their generosity!”

Covenant squirmed once again. “I am afraid the gratitude of the crown won’t be sufficient for them, your highness.”

“What do you mean?”

“This morning a letter was delivered to me. It contained a petition signed by the high houses of Canterlot. As the biggest tax payers and now important economy supporters they demand you to allow them to partake in rule.” He did his best to look as small as possible. The rest of the present ponies froze, even the smirk on Nova’s face dropped in shock. Celestia shared the sentiment - such outrageous demand didn’t appear in over seven hundred years. Brisk was first to recover.

“Sorry, Covenant, could you repeat what you just said? It sounded like the nobles want to-”

“Influence the governance of Equestria in exchange for their economical support,” Covenant finished the sentence in strained voice. “Please, I am only forwarding their demand. I have nothing to do with it!”

Why is he so scared? Does he think I will hurt him or banish him? I haven’t done such thing in centuries and he has been a member of the council for years. He must know he is safe. But this… demand, what a nerve they have! In the hour of need they don’t hesitate to exploit it…

She put on a mask of calmness again and returned her attention on trembling Covenant. “Did they provide any reasoning for their demand?” She asked as kindly as she could.

“Y-yes, your highness. They wrote that with how fragile the standing of the crown became, it needs the support of its nobles who present the best of what Equestria gave birth to and thus they should help with deciding the course in which Equestria goes now. They also want to partake in admission into the royal family as the recent choices proved less than optimal.”

That hit Celestia hard. Not only did they basically blackmail her, holding her subjects as hostages, they even dared to put salt in her still open wounds. She pretended to be strong and in perfect mental harmony, but inside the loss burned her like an acid. She got up and started walking toward the door.

“The meeting is dismissed for today. Tell the high houses that we are ready to support our subjects with means at our disposal and can decide alone who the best of Equestria’s children is. Crop Lush, follow with the instructions you were given please.”

The door closed behind her and the advisors were left alone. Wintershades emptied his cup and stood up as well. “That went better than I would expect. I admit, Covenant, presenting this to her required a lot of courage. Finally some character. Goodbye everypony.”

Yeah, courage, Covenant thought as the other ponies slowly left the room, the question is just who you fear more - Celestia, or the nobles.

Spike was sitting in his chair next to the throne of Crystal Empire. With no small trouble he managed to convince the keeper of traditions that a special livery for princess’s high secretary wasn’t necessary nowadays. Him being a dragon and the authentic livery being adorned with gemstones improved his position in the argument greatly.

“The next visitor on the list is Mr. Line Glance, leader of the Crystal Heart Supervision Agency. That one shouldn’t take long,” he said and smiled at Cadance comfortably lying on the throne. “Do you want me to bring you something? Water? Snack? Maybe another pillow?”

“No thanks, Spike. I have everything. You don’t have to ask every five minutes, you know,” Cadance answered with a giggle, Spike’s cheeks turning a bit red. “I appreciate your concern though, you are a great help. But have you even ate a breakfast today? You can’t just ignore yourself.”

The grumble of Spike’s stomach answered for him, but he still tried to protest. “I needed a diet anyway, nothing I can’t handle. But you need all the care we can give you. You should pace yourself more.” He eyed Cadance’s belly with a gentle smile. The pregnancy became apparent on first glance soon after Twilight… That memory was still too fresh for him. Cadance didn’t lose anything from her grace and energy though.

“That will not do. Diets are for mares who want to awe young colts. If you so yearn to hold one, wait for me after I give birth. Stars know that will be a toughie!” They shared a brief laugh and Cadance levitated a small bowl of gems from behind her throne. “Snack up, Spike. I may need you at your best when that announced delegation arrives.”

Spike’s eyes lit up. Day by day he gained certainty that he couldn’t have done anything better than to move to Crystal Empire in his situation. The heartbreak of losing Twilight didn’t lessen much, but his new life did its best to bring him to different thoughts. For one, he was a dragon in a land composed mostly of gemstones. Cadance and Shining were very supportive of him too, sharing his loss as well as feelings of animosity toward Celestia.

Soon after their arrival he became quite bored. He rarely got to relax from work for more than a day while living with Twilight; she simply undertook so much that there was barely an empty day. Now that there was nopony he would help, he felt useless and lost. Cadance soon noticed and to make him feel better assigned him to the position of her high secretary. She didn’t regret her decision for a single second.

Long years of organising Twilight’s daily affairs as well as perfect bureaucratic training he acquired during Twilight’s time as a princess turned Spike into a glorious assistant to any ruler and true heart of the court’s apparatus. If Crystal Empire ran smoothly before, now the word crisis got removed from the dictionary.

Cadance watched as he munched on his snack while happily humming and couldn’t stop from smiling. No wonder Twilight loved him so much. He is a real sweetheart. Poor boy, I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for him. Anyway, time for work.

“Let Mr. Line Glance in please,” she called to the guard by the door. He stepped out of the throne room and soon returned accompanied by a light blue crystal unicorn, both wearing a pleasant smile. Cadance returned it and beckoned Line Glance forward. “Welcome sir, I hope your day has been as pleasant as mine.”

Line Glance walked to the base of the dais and bowed respectfully before looking Cadance directly in the eyes, his smile growing wider. “Indeed it has, my princess. And it has become even better since I got to see you.”

“Please, the pleasure is mine. Everypony looks so upbeat that I just love to hold court here.”

“I am happy to hear that, my princess. Rest assured that crystal ponies are just as much happy to have you as their leader. That’s actually connected to what I came to tell you today.”

“Oh? Then please, do tell! I can’t wait!” By how she shuffled forward on her throne she was telling nothing but truth. Line Glance shook his head in amusement. “You may sit down if you please too.”

He took the invitation and made himself comfortable before starting. “As you know, the Crystal Heart is the core of live for Crystal Empire. The stronger it is, the more powerful the protection of the Empire becomes as well as its fertility.” Earning an eager nod from Cadance, he tilted a bit forward. “The thing is, with how much positive energy the Heart was fueled by in the recent months, its reserves surpass what is needed for maintaining the shield against the northern chill.”

“Do you mean to say that the shield is overcharged now?” Cadance asked with a bit of confusion.

“Basically yes. It is stronger than it needs to be. Which means it could cover larger area while still staying sufficient!” Line Glance beamed triumphantly at his statement. Cadance soon followed his example and the corners of her mouth curled up more.

“So we could turn larger area into the fresh and beautiful part of the Empire instead of it lying under the snow?”

“Exactly! It would actually double the current size of the Empire. We need to perform more measurements, but it looks fairly promising. I just wanted you to know as soon as possible. It won’t take long and the Empire will return to its former glory, just you wait.”

“That’s a wonderful news! Thank you Mr. Line Glance, you made my day,” Cadance said with a smile and got up to shake hooves with the stallion, though she cringed in pain as she took the step down the dais. Spike was immediately by her side, his snack forgotten.

“Are you ok? Should I call a doctor? Just lean on me.”

“It’s nothing, Spike, don’t worry. Just the back pain. It’s starting to drive me crazy and it will probably become only worse. Well, it is well worth it.” She reached forward to the waiting stallion who calmed down as well at her explanation. “Remember the doors of the palace are always open. We will gladly see you around, especially with such happy news.”

“I will make sure to visit as soon as we prove the theory. Until then, I hope your pains will lessen and that your days will be bright, my princess.”

As Line Glance left, Spike led Cadance back to her throne and fluffed her pillows properly. “What are you going to do with me when the time gets near to the birth, Spike? Carry me around in your arms? Shiny would be so jealous!” Cadance giggled at all the attention she was being given, while Spike continued the pampering.

“Maybe. I just want you to feel comfortable. Your attention has to be on bigger things, so I cover the smaller ones. Now I think you need a short break. The delegation can surely wait ten more minutes.”

Properly refreshed with some grapes and a glass of orange juice Cadance assumed her original position on the throne and gave Spike a nod. He walked to the door and opened both wings, standing to the side.

“Joint delegation of the citizens of Crystal Empire.”

About two dozens of crystal ponies of all races entered the throne room. They walked in unorganized formation, but as they approached the dais, they fell into lines. An elderly crystal pegasus of pleasantly crimson color stepped forward and bowed deeply, followed by her friends.

“There is no need for such gestures, my dears. Every citizen of Crystal Empire is always welcome here. What brings you here on this beautiful day?”

The leading mare coughed nervously. The same trepidation was seen on all present, though Cadance sensed bad news wouldn’t cloud that particular day. They looked more excited than worried, maybe stage fright was taking effect.

“Dearest Princess Cadance, my name is Brim Leaf and my friends and I were chosen by the citizens to address you in a matter of huge importance to all of us.” Her voice didn’t tremble a single bit, despite how jittery she behaved. The formal formulation however piqued Cadance’s interest.

“Whatever the matter is, I am sure we can resolve it to our mutual satisfaction. What’s on Crystal nation’s heart?” Spike closed the door and returned to Cadance’s side so he would be ready to fulfill any command, such as seeking out a document in the archives or fetching a pony needed for a dispute.

“It has been almost two years since Crystal Empire returned to the world of living and those years worked like a balm on the bruises we acquired during Sombra’s rule of terror,” Brim Leaf began, her eyes getting a bit misty at the gruesome memories. She pushed them deep into her subconscious though, concentrating on the brighter things. “Before he rose to power though, the Empire used to be ruled by benevolent, kind and wise rulers. We feared the old prosperity would never return, yet here you are, embodiment of all Crystal Empire used to stand for: peace, love and joy.”

Cadance started blushing from all the praise, sincerely meant at that, but still didn’t have a clue where Brim Leaf was going with this. She didn’t require flattery, such delegation wouldn’t mean much.

“In the past, we used to be an independent land though. We carried it with heavy heart when Equestrian help against a tyrant turned into occupation.” Cadance winced; not even once did she realize that her subjects saw Equestria as an intruder, not a home. “When you announced that Crystal Empire declared independence on Equestria once again, we expected it to be a ruse at first. By this point it is safe to say we were wrong. And you deserve our unending gratitude.”

Two other ponies stepped forward, one being an earth pony, the other a unicorn. All three reached into their saddlebags and retrieved a mahogany box each. They held the boxes in outstretched hooves and opened them at the same time. Each contained a slender silver key with a glowing crystal instead of a handle.

“These are the keys of the Empire treasury. Inside the crown of Crystal Kings lay, untouched by Sombra’s corruption. In our gratitude, respect and love to you, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, we ask you to accept the title of Crystal Queen. Your nation is calling to you.”

Cadance sat there dumbfounded. The ponies came to the dais and placed the boxes to Cadance’s hooves, wearing brilliant smiles. Apparently, they expected Cadance’s shock and didn’t get phased a single bit. When they returned to their places in the formation, Brim Leaf took another bow.

“The choice is yours and you have all the time in the world. Just know that ponies of Crystal Empire stand by your side regardless.” With those words the delegation moved toward the exit.

Cadance spent the rest of the day like in a trance. Spike recognised the state reminding him strongly of Twilight and canceled all the meetings for the afternoon. There weren’t too many anyway. When the evening came and Cadance met with Shining in their living quarters, she barely recognized what he was saying.

“...so even without the funds from Equestria, we will be able to finish the stadiums in time with no problem at all. The Games will take place just as planned.”

“That’s great, Shining. You did a lot for them,” she reacted with little thought. It didn’t slip his attention.

“Is everything alright, Cadance? You seem distracted.”

“Oh? Yeah, I am a bit out of it. Listen, what would you say if you were to become a king?”

“Hmm,” Shining put a hoof under his chin and grinned at Cadance mischievously. “Would I get that cool crown Sombra wore?”

“No, there is another set of crown jewels he never held,” Cadance said as if he was serious.

“Wait… what are you talking about?”

Cadance pulled the three boxes from her bag and presented them to Shining. “Do you remember that a delegation was to show up today? They asked me to become the Crystal Queen.” She barely finished the sentence before she was wrapped in powerful hug.

“That’s fantastic, sweetheart! You are already my queen, now you will just have more subjects!”

Cadance extricated herself from his hold and looked at him with worry. “Do you think it is a good idea? It will be like saying ‘We won’t have anything to do with you ever again, Celestia.’ I’m not sure I can do that.”

“What will be the difference? We already told her that and we meant it. If they want you to be a queen, you just as well might.”

“Well when you put it that way…” Cadance flung herself on a couch and stretched her limbs to Shining. “Your queen would like a hoof massage.”

Shining grinned as he approached and sat down in front of her. “As your majesty wishes. But don’t blame me if I go above what is demanded.”

Twilight stepped off from the small airship that brought her to a decently sized landmass where she was to visit the keeper of her Element. While the voyage itself was uneventful and calm thanks to the gentle breeze caused by the movement of the vessel, the young alicorn could not help but feel a little lonely as she was by herself with her friends away to other landmasses for their respective training. I wonder when I will see them again now that Dogma is starting us on this schedule. I hope it won’t be too long from now.

No one else was around in the island’s dock, save for an Angel wearing a white scarf who was escorting Twilight to the island’s citadel. Surfing around the landmass was an airborne serpentine angel clad in white and gold armor with a “helmet” covering its head and face, teeth-like metal plates aligned around its mouthpiece. This wasn’t the first time Twilight had seen such a creature. There was another such creature seen during her journey from the Grand Plaza to her current location.

“How many Thrones are there in Elysium, Sister Bliss?” Twilight asked as she addressed her escort.

“More than I know about, but I would guess they’re somewhere in the hundreds judging by the size of Elysium itself. Of course, the Thrones are just one type of Ophanium in Elysium. They patrol the outer layers of the realm while the key areas are left to the Cherubim. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, just curious is all. I’ve been seeing a lot of them since I arrived here.”

“The citadels each hold the Sanctorum, so the levels of security are to be expected. You shouldn’t have to worry though. So long as Mother Dogma sees you as an ally, the Thrones and the Cherubim won’t see you as a threat, especially if you stay on her good side.”

“I hope you’re right about that.”

Twilight and her escort came up to the large domed building located at the center of the island. The large double doors were guarded by two very large angels, each with three faces: one of an ox on the left shoulder, an eagle on the right shoulder, and a lion as the main face. The body was that of a minotaur build covered in red and gold armor and large rings on its wrists. The wings of the guards resembled actual eagle wings rather than the normal ribbon-like design, which instead made up a tassel on the guard’s weapon of choice, a large golden poleaxe.

The guards initially crossed their weapons to block the door, but quickly relented when they recognized the scarf on Sister Bliss’ neck as that of Mother Dogma’s messengers. They then opened the doors and stepped aside, allowing Twilight and Bliss in. The interior of the building was lined with a beautiful quartz-like material that was so polished, Twilight could see her reflection in the floor and walls. The corridor was also very well lit compared to the citadel in the Grand Plaza, thanks to the lanterns hung evenly from the ceiling.

Twilight was led into a bedroom of sorts from the halls and Bliss gestured for her to enter. “I will have to ask you to stay here for now. Father Admiration is not ready to see you yet, but when he is, I will come get you. Okay?”

“Uh, sure.”

Bliss smiled and closed the door, leaving Twilight to her own thoughts. She placed her saddlebags on the bed before sitting down on it herself. She surveyed the room and noticed something on the opposite wall that made her smile: a bookshelf.

“Well at least I won’t be bored for awhile,” Twilight said as she used her magic to grab the first book on the shelf and levitated it to herself. She laid down on the bed and positioned the pillow so she could prop the book on it and took a look at her reading material. Ein Sof History? Hm, this outta be interesting. Twilight flipped through the pages of the book and began to read, but her mind quickly drifted as she read sections relating to “Jobs and duties”. The subject reminded her of what Scintillant told her just before the girls embarked to their destinations.

“I wish you luck. You will be in the justification of the Sanctorum now. As for me, I have some work I need to take. You will not be seeing me for awhile, but I assure you, there is nothing you need to worry about.” Even though she said that, I can’t help but wonder what kind of work she is taking.

Twilight placed a hoof to her chin and pondered, not even paying attention to her book anymore. She contemplated what kind of punishment she was receiving at this very moment, but with so many possible answers, it was impossible for her to determine. Finally after several minutes, she gave up trying to guess and decided to take Scintillant’s word and not worry about it.

“Still…. I wonder how she is doing right now.”

The moans of pain and agony were all that filled the air as Scintillant stepped through the gates of Tartarus. Immediately, an angel stepped forward, one all too familiar to her. The angel was a white changeling about Scintillant’s size with a gold breastplate and torso armor, with gold rings looped in the holes on her legs. She had three sets of wings sharing Scintillant design, but hers were straight and arranged in a way that resembled dragonfly wings. Her mane and tail were both braided and laced with royal blue ribbon and bells. Her halo shared a similar design with Scintillant, but with only one ring instead of two.

“Well, well, well, Sister Scintillant. Sure took your time,” the angel said with an accent and a hint of distaste. “What happened? You get your hoof stuck to a rock or something?”

“Nice to see you too, Sister Adamant. You know Mother Dogma put me in charge of the group of mares.”

“The group of mares that you let in,” Adamant retorted in a condescending tone. “You’ve caused a lot of trouble in the past, you know. But I never thought you would be so impulsive as to let mortals into Elysium without permission. Well done!”

“Shouldn’t you be tending to the damned?” Scintillant said becoming increasingly annoyed.

“Lord Belief is switching my duties to Elysium for now. He’s still quite paranoid from the breach. Can’t say I blame him. You were quite frivolous with your actions.”

“Yes well, things turned out okay in the end.”

“This time. Well, you’ve much work ahead of you so I shan't keep you waiting. Ta ta!”

Adamant walked past Scintillant as the latter glared at her. Once Adamant stepped through the gates and was out of earshot, Scintillant started walking deeper into the realm of the condemned. “You’ve much work ahead of you, ta ta!” Scintillant mimicked out loud in a mocking manner before snorting in anger. “I swear, that mare gets on my nerves all too often.”

Scintillant began her excursion into the deeper levels where she was assigned her disciplinary work, stomping her hooves to wake up a sleeping Cerberus. “Sleep on your own time, mutt!” The hellhound growled in annoyance, but a subsequent stomp from the more disgruntled angel caused the it to whimper. “It’s ironic how a giant three headed dog can act like such a little puppy,” Scintillant mused as she walked further.

Even though it was a primary job of Ein Sof among her rank, Scintillant always hated to be in Tartarus to manage the wicked beasts and miserable collections of condemned sinners that seemed to always be increasing in population, especially as of late, and her confrontation with Adamant did little to improve her mood. If anything, it was just made worse. This wasn’t just limited to Adamant either as due to her past actions, Scintillant was not popular among her brothers and sisters, least of all her fellow Powers.

“Well look who decided to drop by,” a large armored zebra practically spat as he saw Scintillant walking close. “I take it you’re here for work?”

“Indeed I am, Lord Belief.”

The zebra simply pointed in a fixed direction that led to a group of their brothers and sisters. Scintillant sighed as such a situation was one she would rather avoid, but proceeded to her station anyway. As she approached the area, one young pony messenger, evident by her lack of armor or regal robes, noticed her and stepped away from her own work momentarily to walk closer to Scintillant.

“Sister Scintillant? I did not expect to see you back here so soon. What is it that draws you back?” Scintillant noticed the tone of her voice was not one of anger or distaste, but rather genuine curiosity. This didn’t surprise her as she knew this fellow Sister was a recent addition to the force and likely did not know about her own history.

“Hello Sister Cherish. I’m just here for some disciplinary work. That is all.” Scintillant knew that directly lying would not help her reputation much so she decided to travel down the honest route and hope for the best.

“Disciplinary? Did you do something wrong?”

“Not wrong per se, at least not in mine own eyes, but rather frowned upon. For the past year and a half, I was in the mortal realm, Equestria to be specific, and I was looking for a few that I believe would be able to help our situation.”

A minotaur angel turned around with an unpleased expression on his face, a halberd in one hand and a scolopendra’s neck in the other. “Ugh! Again with this? You really should just give it up. You talk about those blasted Elements all the time, yet you’ve nothing to show for it.”

“Oh but this time I do. I’ve found six mares that just may be able to use them. In fact, they are in Elysium as we speak.”

Just as she expected, the other Powers stopped what they were doing and glanced over at her, each with expressions that ranged from concern and disgust to most commonly anger. She knew there was going to be fallout among her brothers and sisters, but she stood her ground regardless.

“You foolish mare! Don’t you realize that’s forbidden? What were you thinking!?”

“Relax. Mother Dogma herself is overseeing them. I will not lie though, I am surprised with how much patience she is showing.”

“You should count your blessings, Sister Scintillant,” Cherish said with concern.

“I assure you that I do,” Scintillant said as she stepped towards the center of the group, meeting the eyes of reluctant Powers. “Look, I know that my actions seem…. questionable at times, but they are always done with the best intentions in mind. I assure you of that.”

The minotaur jerked his head from side to side, popping his vertebrae. “Your assurance loses some value when you continually fail to live up to it and make our rank look worse than it already does. Your intentions may be in the right place, but your actions leave much to be desired. How can I even be sure you’re truthful in your statements?”

The challenging words of her fellow brother struck a chord in her mind as she assumed an authoritative stance and got right up into the minotaur’s face, making him shrink a little from unease.

"Do you see them?” Scintillant firmly asked as she pointed towards the unfriendly atmosphere of Tartarus. “All the damned souls, in eternal pain for what they committed? See the suffering, see what's behind it, all the malice of the world. I couldn't take it any longer and sought help of the ones with power to stop it. Elements were meant to rule the world and shelter it from evil. I wish to help them in any way possible. Do you want to see more ponies come to Tartarus and be lost forever, or would you rather prevent them from falling?"

The sudden display of authority caught the group of angels off guard, a few of them even dropped their tools in shock. The minotaur who Scintillant was yelling at stepped back and backed right into an obsidian pillar.

“All I ask of you is to not jump to conclusions. Many of you complain about your positions, yet do nothing about it. However, I’ve always prefered actions over words and sometimes they can say more than the tongue ever could. So before you judge me, keep in mind that I don’t stand idly like the rest of you.”

With a huff, Scintillant stomped away to a more isolated area to carry out her work, leaving the remaining angels dumbfounded. Cherish was the first to snap out of it and started after Scintillant.

“Sister Cherish, where are you going?” the minotaur asked.

“I’m going to join Scintillant and help her. I’ve always looked up to her and I feel she knows more than any of us.”

“But she-”

“Knows what she’s doing, and so do I.”

The young messenger rank ran to catch up with her senior and as she did, was delighted to see Scintillant’s expression soften a bit. “Sister Scintillant, would you like some help?”

“Sister Cherish? I don’t think that is necessary.”

“Nonsense! You and I are friends. Even if you are just doing disciplinary work, I wouldn’t want to stand by idly.”

Scintillant paused for a moment, taken aback by the younger mare’s statement. It took a second for her to register that her words had more of an impact than she expect. Then she did something she never thought she would do whenever in the horrid atmosphere of Tatarus.

She smiled.

The morning sun illuminated the shelves, worktables and bolts of cloth inside Rarity’s little kingdom. Not even the most meticulous of ponies could find a single spec of dust around and the strict organization of the space and tools would make a drill sergeant drool. Nothing moved in the oasis of order, the only sounds coming from the birds chirping outside and from the kitchen. Though with how much grace Rarity possessed whatever she was doing, the birdsongs were easily drowning her cooking enterprises.

Soon the clattering stopped entirely and Rarity emerged from the kitchen levitating a steaming kettle, single cup and a plate full of pancakes. The decadency of prime lady succumbing to such delicious and diet-ruining pastry added to her already happy mood.

Just a few months ago she would have been in full work at this time of Saturday and instead of pancakes she would pay her undivided attention to local customers, who were too busy with their jobs to come during the week. The experience of recent times taught her though that getting up early and stay ready for customers would only lead to disappointment.

She wouldn’t get to sleep in so comfortably on too many occasions. Sweetie Belle had an unfortunate habit of waking with the sun and even worse one of waking Rarity right afterwards, either intentionally or with her clumsiness. That’s why Rarity cherished every morning Sweetie was to wake up elsewhere, for example at Sweet Apple Acres like today, with the same reverence as her mother’s birthday or the release date of Canterlot Chic.

“Now to get this breakfast started. Oh! I forgot to bring whipped cream! Where is Pinkie with her infinite supply of sweets when one needs her the most?” She reached with her magic toward the kitchen and retrieved the required item from the fridge without leaving her food from sight. Who knows, maybe Pinkie would show up and eat her pancakes if she relented for a single second. For some the feat of manipulating several items without them in line of sight could seem impossible, yet long years of creative work trained Rarity’s coordination and visual memory to perfection.

She added a large blob of whipped cream on her breakfast and scrutinized it thoroughly. “Hmm. Will that suffice? Probably not.” She glanced at the mannequins around the room and giggled lightly. “You won’t tell anypony, will you?” The mannequins didn’t move a single muscle as they didn’t have any to begin with. Rarity took it as a confirmation and added another serving of whipped cream on her plate. Not losing any more time she dug in, still maintaining decorum and keeping her manners. The eagerness was obvious in her moves though.

The mannequins watched Rarity’s feast with their featureless faces. In contrast to the past, most of them were naked, just like the citizens of Ponyville. Sadly for the business, it didn’t signify successful day of sales. In fact, they had been bare of clothes for some time now. Rarity tried her hardest to create despite or maybe because of the saddening events half a year ago, yet it seemed her inspiration vanished along with Twilight.

Combined with the lack of customers who rather opted to patch their old clothes at home instead of spending their meager saving on new once meant Rarity’s income decreased significantly. She had a lot of money saved for similar situations, but she still chose to step back from her lavish lifestyle at least a bit. She would pretend everything was alright in front of others, but the coffee steaming in her kettle was brewed from much less exclusive brand than she would like. Every time she would take a sip, she would curse the griffons and their outrageous trade limitations.

Rarity relished the last remaining morsel of her breakfast and leaned back in the sofa with a content sigh. “Well, when life closes some door for you, at least it has the courtesy of opening a window. Still, I should probably get ready; it’s not healthy to lazy around the whole day and inspiration comes only when it finds us woking.”

She reluctantly got up and levitated the used dishes back to kitchen, immediately washing them. If the leftovers dried on the plate, cleaning it would take much more effort. She was just putting the utensils away when she heard the bell above the door chime. Despite the worsened situation across the land, Ponyville remained fairly safe town, so most ponies didn’t bother to lock the door. Especially when their home was their workplace at the same time.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique and magnific!” she called still in the kitchen. “I will be with you in a second.”

“I certainly hope your claim is true, Grand Galloping Gala would accept nothing less,” a deep melodic and apparently amused voice with Canterlotian accent answered from the atelier.

“Fancy Pants?” Rarity’s ears perked up and she galloped from the kitchen at decidedly unladylike speed. “Oh my goodness, it IS you! And Fleur, darling I haven’t seen you in ages! How have you been?”

“As always, darling. So little changes in good old Canterlot. One would almost wish for some excitement, whatever it would be,” Fleur said as they embraced with Rarity briefly. “I must say, once we got to Ponyville, it was quite easy to recognize your home. The most beautiful building in town.”

“Why thank you, a lady must live with style and hold her manners, wherever she resides after all. Charmingly rustic may make for a pleasant company, but living that? Never.” Rarity waved her hoof as if farmlife was trying to assault her and she was beating it away. “Speaking of manners though, would you care for some refreshments? Tea comes without saying, but maybe some biscuits or fruits?”

Fleur sniffed the air lightly and eyed Rarity before giggling. “Oh thank you darling, no fruits for me today. But would you happen to have some pancakes left?”

Rarity blushed, being caught with her hooves in the cookie jar, so to speak, but with grace and nonchalance of true aristocrat went to save the situation. “Sadly no, but I will make you some in a jiffy. If I may ask though, what betrayed my sin?”

“The whole place smells of sweets from a mile away for one. And besides that…” Fleur stepped forward Rarity and lifted a hoof to Rarity’s nose. She wiped a small blob of whipped cream off it and licked her hoof, grinning like a schoolfilly sharing secrets about her crush.

“Why, I am shocked, Fancy Pants. You allowed me to walk around in such disorderly state while I was badmouthing farmer manners? I would expect you to at least offer me a handkerchief. Chm! I will be back with your pancakes and tea in a minute, darling. Make yourself comfortable in the meantime.”

Rarity trotted back toward the kitchen, leaving giggling Fleur and fairly dumbfounded Fancy Pants to their own devices. When they sat down on the sofa, Fancy Pants looked at his wife quizzically. “Fleur, love, did I just get scolded for your actions?”

“Are you surprised, dear? As a married gentlecolt it is your duty to act gallantly toward single mares and help them in any way imaginable. To think you would trespass against that at some official event…”

“I yield, I yield. Such thing will never happen again, I promise.” Fancy Pants exclaimed in mock horror. “To make up for it though, I will inform our cook to supply you with pancakes for breakfast on regular basis.”

“You wouldn’t! You know well I can’t fight temptation like that. What will happen with my figure?”

“Don’t worry, love, I am sure some married gentlecolt will discreetly inform you about it.” Fancy Pants shot her a winning smile which he kept even after she jabbed him with her hoof.

“This isn’t over and you know it. I will have the last laugh!” Fleur warned, but joined in Fancy Pants’ laughter. “Do you have more distinct idea of what you will request to have made?”

“Not really, I will leave the decision to Rarity. I just hope she isn’t too busy with orders.”

“Oh I have all the time in the world,” Rarity announced as she just crossed the threshold of her atelier, required pastry and drinks in her magic hold. “So I take it you came to get new attire for this year’s Gala?”

“That, and to check on a good friend,” Fancy said since Fleur was too busy with her pancakes to speak. “I take it you will accept our order?”

“But of course! I am flattered you would travel so far just to get the dresses made by me. I’m also very happy, the business has been slow… Anyway, let’s get started right away. Fancy Pants, please stand over there, I need to take your measurements first.”

Fancy Pants followed the instructions and stood on the small modeling dais Rarity had installed in the atelier. Soon afterwards, well fed Fleur joined them and watched Rarity’s professional work. She made sure to wipe her muzzle properly, not giving Rarity any opportunity to retaliate. Soon the spectacle became kind of boring though and her eyes roamed around the room.

“That’s an impressive collection of mannequins you have here, Rarity. Say, why aren’t they displaying more of your creations?

“That’s simple, darling,” Rarity said, jotting down Fancy Pants’ measurements on the side of her sketchpad. “There isn’t more of my work. It’s like I got some sort of artistic block. Don’t worry though, your outfits will be top notch.”

Fancy Pants stepped down and Fleur assumed his previous place. “Do you know of any particular reason for such condition, dear?”

“Yes actually. You will certainly recall the events with princess Twilight Sparkle. She was my close friend and I took her disappearance rather badly, particularly so since it was partially my fault.” Rarity noted the second set of numbers, though she placed the paper under another, so Fancy Pants wouldn’t see it. “Ever since that day, creating lost some of its luster, and the creations even more so.” She moved to her drawing board and started sketching possible designs for the new outfits.

“I am sorry for your loss, Rarity, I really am,” Fancy Pants said as he stepped to Rarity’s side, studying the lineart with trained eye, “but it has been more than half a year. You shouldn’t dwell in mourning for so long. Maybe you just need a vacation.”

“Or a change of scenery in general. I can’t imagine too many ideas stemming from surroundings like Ponyville,” Fleur called out from the other side of the room where she was looking through the bolts of luxurious cloths.

“Please, don’t speak about my hometown in such manner. The ponies around here are wonderful and I am happy I got the chance to live among them.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult them or you. But didn’t you say the business has been slow recently anyway?”

“Yes, hardly anypony comes by these days. Ponies earn just enough to pay for food and home. They can’t afford stylish attires of my provenience. Or even the simplest of dresses for that matter,” Rarity explained sadly. “This crisis takes its toll on all of us.”

“You would be surprised how little the nobles were touched. It’s almost disgusting. The land is being drained and their vaults are filling more each day. They make it known too, spending like mad as if conspicuous consumption was a competitive sport. This year’s Gala is expected to be one of the most garish events ever recorded. You would make for a good living there and I certainly wouldn’t mind having somepony decent to talk to on daily basis besides Fancy.”

“Hmm,” Rarity mused as she added some frills to the sketch of Fleur’s dress, almost done with the design, “I am not sure I could leave like that. I have family and friends here.”

“Who says you couldn’t visit them? Or invite them for a small vacation to Canterlot?”

“And I would have to get used to unfamiliar society and city.”

“You know Canterlot like your mane and you wouldn’t be alone there, we would always be in reach for support. Aside from that, you already embody everything that a proper Canterlotian aristocrat should be.”

“Watch your steps, Rarity. Fleur decided that you should move to Canterlot, and no living force will stop her from turning it into reality,” Fancy Pants said with a chuckle. “I must say though that you would make for great addition to Canterlot social life.”

“I’m glad you think so highly of me and I must admit your arguments are convincing, but I’m afraid I am in no position for such endeavour.” Rarity beckoned them both to her drawing board and presented them the result of her work. “Do you have any idea how much it would cost to establish an entirely new boutique and to rent sufficient living quarters? I do have some savings, but definitely not enough.”

“I could easily help you with that. There is certainly some property in my ownership that would strike your… fancy. As for rent, you wouldn’t need to worry about that. Who am I to ask that from a friend?”

“You two simply made your mind and nothing I say or do can change that, correct?” They nodded like one pony and Rarity couldn’t help but chuckle. “That was rhetorical question, you know. Oh well. I promise I will think about it. Are the designs to your liking?”

“Definitely,” Fleur answered for them both, Rarity’s work once again surpassing her expectations. “But you should think quickly. The Gala is in three months and we could get you quite a huge clientele. What better start for business could you wish for?”

Rarity led them to the door; Fancy kissed her hoof and Fleur embraced her once again. “True, that’s nothing to sneeze at. Tell you what, come in three days for the fitting. Either you will find me with my things packed, or with my determination to stay steeled.” With this promise they left and Rarity sat down on her sofa again. “Probably the first though,” she added for nopony in particular.

“Who’s the most beautiful unicorn in the world? Well, who is it?” Twilight Velvet cooed on the newborn foal lying on the changing table in the bathroom. She blew a raspberry on his belly and wrapped him in a fresh diaper. “Who is it, hm?”

“Grandpa Night Light, of course,” an amused voice came from the door and Velvet was soon joined by her husband. He was giving her a cheeky smile and nuzzled the foal’s cheek lightly.

“I believe a mare can judge that better, mister,” she countered with a frown, but her eyes were smiling. “You and the most beautiful unicorn? Hm. Most charming? Certainly. But most beautiful is definitely our little Regal Luster. Is that right, sweetie?” She promptly blew another raspberry on Luster’s belly, causing him to giggle and flail his legs.

Night Light covered his eyes with one of his forelegs and threw his head back in mock despair. “My standing in the world is ruined! Take my crown, you little stealer of mares’ hearts!” While he didn’t understand what has happening at all, Luster sensed the situation was set for his amusement; and amused he was.

Velvet stepped to her husband and exploiting his self-imposed blindness went for a nip on his neck. Earning a small yelp she kissed the spot better and stretched her neck to get close to Night Light’s ear. “Don’t take this defeat too harshly, love,” she whispered. “You still hold other titles. Maybe you should make sure to renew them though, for example the one of the sexies stallion around.” She rubbed her neck against his and nipped his ear when he was distracted enough.

“N-not around the little one. What would he think of us?” he protested weakly, but didn’t pull away from his wife.

“He’s the son of the princess of love. He would surely find understanding for us.” Despite her words, Velvet ended the contact and returned her attention to Luster, who was intently watching their every move, obviously enraptured. “Once he learns to walk, Shiny and Cadance will have a hard time to find some time for each other.”

She lifted Luster with her magic and set him on her back, not relenting in her hold in case he would shift too abruptly. Following her husband out of the bathroom and into the living room of their assigned guest apartment in the Crystal Palace, she sat down on the couch and picked Luster with her hooves.

“I think it is feeding time, am I right, cutie?” She turned to her husband who shared the thought and was already making his way to the door to call a servant. “Would you bring me that bottle, love?”

“Right away.”

“Mommy is busy right now, but she left us some milk in the bottles. Will it be ok, sweetie?” she cooed at the foal again and took the bottle from her husband. “It is too cold. But don’t worry, granny knows just the spell.” Concentrating on the bottle for a second and sending a short pulse of magic she warmed the contents to body temperature. Then she licked the nipple and put it in Luster’s mouth. He murmured contently and started sucking.

“He is definitely taking after Cadance. Do you remember what a ruckus Shiny used to do when we were feeding him? So many glass shards…” Night Light said and shared a chuckle with Velvet as he sat down next to her

“And what about the time when he learnt to talk? it was taking no end! Mommy! I wan mowe candy, no wan veggies. Daddy, I don’t wike bwoccowi! You said it back then, the army would set him straight.”

“It sure did. He went far. I just can’t believe it was all so long ago.” Night Light sighed and wrapped a hoof around Velvet’s midsection. “Now we are grandparents, of a prince no less.”

A knock sounded on the door and after few second Shining Armor entered his parents’ temporary apartment. “Hi mom, hi dad! Do you like the apartment? And has Luster behaved nicely?”

“Of course he was, Shiny. He’s a sweetheart. Is that right, sweetie?” Velvet said and nuzzled Luster for the unteenth time that afternoon.

Luster let the nipple slip out of his mouth and grinned widely. “Bwowowi!” he babbled and started giggling happily. The three remaining unicorns in the room exchanged looks, two of them amused, one deadpan.

“You were telling him about my eating habits, weren’t you? Couldn’t you two find some other story to tell everypony at any occasion?”

“We haven’t told Cadance, son. Watch your tone or we will revoke the promise we gave you about that,” Night Light warned and waved his free foreleg. Shining gave an exasperated sigh and took a seat in the armchair opposite to his parents.

“Speaking of Cadance, how is she doing with all the preparations?” Velvet asked, holding Luster against her shoulder to let him burp.

“She is really stressed. All the rules and phrases she has to follow… It’s really obvious the coronation ritual was created more than a thousand years ago.” He pressed his back further into the armchair and closed his eyes. “I will be returning to her soon, I just wanted to check in case you needed anything. It is a great help that you are looking after Luster for us, really.”

“Oh don’t mention it, Shiny. We love him to bits. Besides, we would be horrible grandparents if we weren’t ready to foalsit at any moment, day or night,” Velvet assured and pressed Luster closer to her chest. In the meantime the foal decided to take a nap, suckling on a strand of Velvet’s mane. “Everything is under control and we will return him to you after the coronation.”

“Thanks. I can’t imagine how hard this would be for Cadance if she were to get up to him during the night in addition to all this mess. Well, I hope you will enjoy tomorrow, it will be a great show. See you then.” He got up, shook hooves with Night Light and gave a light kiss on Velvet’s and then on Luster’s cheek.

“Take care, son. And say hello to Cadance from us. We know she will shine tomorrow,” Night Light said walking his son to the door and then returned to his wife’s side. “You know, I wonder what they will be serving at the banquet. Definitely not bwoccowi.”

“Is my mane orderly? Aren’t there any folds on the dress? Does everypony know what to do? Oh my gosh what if I forget the words?” Cadance was running frantically about the preparation room, her mind drawing all the worst scenarios of the minutes to come for her. Shining Armor and Spike, adorned in a dress uniform and a complicated silken suit with vertical violet and orange stripes respectively, watched her actions with a mix of concern and amusement.

“Please, Cadance, calm down. If you forget what to say, either they will hint you or just say something pompous and silly. You have a good chance of guessing the right phrase. And don’t worry, you look immaculate.” It was true, the lavender dress embroidered with gold with a miniature version of the Crystal Heart on the front accentuated the color of her coat and mane brilliantly and added even more elegance to her stance. Her mane combed upwards shone with in the sunlight with all the little crystals places strategically in it.

“He’s right, Cadance,” Spike added. “You really look perfect. Besides, this event takes place to honor you, not to examine your worth. They did that before they offered you the keys.” He walked to her and polished the Crystal mini-Heart with a handkerchief. “As for the tasks, I will leave you now. Thanks for choosing me as the majordomo, by the way.” With that he ran out of the room, his ebony staff with huge rose quartz sphere on the upper end and silver hoof on the lower one under his arm.

“We should get ready too, the ceremony will start in ten minutes. Everypony is probably already in the ceremonial hall,” Shining said and offered his wife a hoof. Seeing her trepidation, he chose to postpone their departure with a brief but loving hug. “It will be ok, you will see. You managed more complicated affairs in your life virtuously, this will be just another in the line. Besides, we have Spike to look after us.”

“True, Spike will protect us.” Cadance returned Shining’s smile and took the once more offered hoof. “You have the honor of escorting me, my prince.” They left the preparation room and were immediately greeted with twelve salutes. Cadance returned the greeting of the guards standing in a double line with a nod and continued walking. The guards fell in step behind the married pair.

The small procession stopped in front of a pair of high door of polished obsidian. it was left slightly ajar so they would know when to enter. They could hear a lot of commotion and ponies talking among themselves. Then three loud knocks of metal on stone echoed and all the noise died down.

“It looks like we made it just in time,” Shining whispered to Cadance. She nodded and tried to hide her rising nervosity, failing miserably. A kiss on the cheek helped where words couldn’t.

“For too long ruled the regents over our peaceful land. For too long lay the crown abandoned. For too long stood the throne vacant,” an authoritative voice boomed in the hall and the echo moved through the corridors of the castle, now empty as most of the ponies attended the ceremony or were waiting by the Crystal Heart.

“Yet the grace of Crystal Heart is infinite and we were given a new protector. One worthy of our respect. One worthy of our love. One worthy of our obedience. Rejoice now, brothers and sisters, as today we will no longer stand orphaned!”

“May our ruler live forever. We respect. We love. We obey.” The chorus of ponies present reverberated through the crystals and they hummed quietly even after the voices fell silent.

“May our ruler step forth,” the first voice said and another three knocks were heard.

“Princess of Love, Defeater of horrid Sombra, Beloved Liberator of Crystal Empire, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!” They recognized Spike’s voice and soon saw the young dragon standing to the right of the door as it swung open to allow them in. All the ponies in the hall stood up to honor the soon to be queen. The procession walked at a majestic slow pace through the aisle in the middle of the hall and stopped in front of an elderly stallion in high hat and a cloak covered with gemstones, the master of ceremonies of the Crystal Empire himself. They greeted each other with a small bow and Spike stroke the ground with his staff again.

“Beloved ruler, the nation decided. In all wisdom and clarity of crystal ponies you are worthy of our crown. Yet before the crown is passed to you, your worth must be assured.” He waved with his right forehoof and another knock followed. “May the ancients come forth!”

Four ponies stepped forward from the opposite direction Cadance and her entourage came, each carrying a crystal dose. “The honors to our ancients must be paid in order to bestow you with the crown. Our beloved ruler, pay your respect to the first crystal we ever found.”

Cadance stepped to the pony holding a jar with a small ruby inside. She bowed to the ground and upon rising still gazed downward. “I honor you and by the Crystal Heart I swear all crystal ponies will be cherished like you.”

“Our beloved ruler, pay your honors to the water of the first spring we drank from in the Crystal Empire.”

Cadance repeated the moves. “I honor you and by the Crystal Heart I swear I will nourish crystal ponies like you did and that my rule will flow calmly like a kind spring.”

“Our beloved ruler, pay your honors to the fire that lit our path on our way to the Crystal Empire.

Cadance stepped to the pony holding a jar full of magically kept fire. “I honor you and by the Crystal Heart I swear I will lead crystal ponies to better days like you led them all those years ago.”

“Our beloved ruler, pay your honor to the scent of flowers from our long lost paradise.”

With the last bow Cadance smiled to herself, managing to follow the required phrases to the dot. “I honor you and by the Crystal Heart I swear I will hold the traditions of crystal ponies in reverence just like you are kept to always remind them of our lost paradise.”

“Our beloved ruler, may you never bow again till the day our paradise returns. Yet your oaths must be accepted. The Crystal Heart is waiting.” He walked past Cadance and through the aisle, Spike by his side. Cadance and her entourage followed closely and the ponies from the hall fell in step behind the guards and all made their way through the corridors of the palace outside and to the Crystal Heart.

By the size of the crowd around, Cadance realized just how important the event was in the history of the Empire. It parted for the master of ceremonies and the Crystal Heart came in view. It was pulsing with warm light and spinning slowly, wide circle of empty space around it left out of respect.

“May the Crystal Heart accept your oaths,” the master of ceremonies said and gestured Cadance to come closer. She obliged with slow but firm steps and didn’t stop until she was inches away from the Crystal Heart. The whole crowd held breath in anticipation, as did Cadance. She tilted her head forward slowly and touched her horn to the surprisingly warm surface of the Heart.

A pale blue light started shining from the spot she was touching and it was gaining in force and brightness every second until it obscured both the Heart and Cadance from sight and all the ponies had to squint their eyes. Then four pink waves flew in all directions from the Heart. As they washed over the crowd, everypony felt warmth and calmness spread through them and as the light subsided they started cheering with all they got. They were so enraptured with their ruler that they didn’t even notice few stones moving to the side and forming a circular hole in the ground from which a silver lockbox rose.

Cadance was still panting from the unusual experience, trying to wrap her head around suddenly feeling the pulse of the whole Empire alongside hers, when three strikes of the staff resounded again.

“The Crystal Heart has accepted you,” the master of ceremonies stated and levitated a cushion with three silver keys to Cadance. “Please accept our crown and rule over Crystal Empire with wisdom and kindness as you swore to.” He crouched low to the ground in sign of subordinacy and the crowd followed his example.

Cadance took the keys in her magic and opened the lockbox levitating in a magical field. Her magical field, as she suddenly realized, although she didn’t remember casting a spell. Then she noticed the Heart emanating the same aura.

Inside the box lay a golden headband with a single sapphire in the shape of heart. She cherished the look on it before she walked over to the box and to show her honest intentions used her hooves to lift the crown from the box. She held it above her head and looked over the gathered ponies, expectation and joy apparent on their faces.

“I, Mi Amore Cadenza, hereby accept the crown offered by crystal ponies to me,” she recited and lowered the headband on her forehead, “as well as the title of Crystal Queen. Please rise, my friends. We will welcome the brighter days together.”

Celestia set the quill down next to the neat stack of papers and screwed the inkwell shut. In the shadows of her room the papers almost shone with the moonlight falling on them through the single open window. Even if the moon got hidden by the clouds, it wouldn’t hinder Celestia from working. Her eyes were capable to adjust to any level of lighting. She was tired though, having worked long past her usual bedtime to prepare everything for tomorrow’s court, her eyes now burning and squinting. She stretched and rubbed them.

“This should be all. Hopefully it will sate them for a while. Disgusting vultures.” She got up and walked to the door of her balcony, so far concealed with thic curtains. She stepped out and took a deep breath of the cool night air. “I must have lost track of time. It’s colder than I remember. And the wind is blowing from the north.”

She walked to the railing and leant on it, gazing against the wind. “You could have at least invited me to the coronation. It would lessen the humiliation, if only a little. Like this? I have to yield to them.” Her eyes drifted over the roofs of Canterlot estates and houses, quietly wishing they would collapse. “After all I did for you, I get nothing but hatred. Oh and demands, of course.”

She turned away from the city, the door of her room like a rectangle of pure black gaping at her. “I have only myself to blame. I should have reigned them when there was still time. And I should have definitely seen the signs with Twilight.” She returned to her room, but left the door open to allow some light in until she would find some candles. “Poor filly, she deserved a better life.”

She was about to light the first cadle when the room grew even darker. She turned and saw a silhouette framed in dark blue. It made few steps inside the room and Celestia finally recognised her visitor by sight, although she guessed the identity from the start.

“Good evening, Tia. Why are you still up? It’s past midnight.”

Celestia finally lit the candle and levitated it toward the others in the candle holder. Once they all were ablaze she set it on the table and sat down on her original place. “Hi, Lulu. I just had to finish some paperwork.”

“You sound tired and stressed, why didn’t you assign me to do it for you? I have nothing to do today.” Luna levitated a chair to the table, but instead of the opposite side of the table she chose to sit right next to Celestia.

“This had to be done by me, Lulu. Though I wish it didn’t have to be done at all.” She moved the papers to Luna who picked them up eagerly. Her face went from curious to surprised after the first line.

“Dominion reestablishing act? Tia, didn’t you say that getting rid of this exhausted you more than Discord’s rule? Why would you allow them to pass laws again?”

“Because I have no other choice. Look at Equestria. As if it wasn’t enough that other lands are on our throat, the nobles do their best to sabotage our efforts for recovery.” She pulled a bottle of wine and two glasses from one of the lower drawer. At Luna’s quizzical gaze she giggled and uncorked the bottle. “Sometimes even a princess needs a little help with too grave world. Especially now that our neighbour is Queen Cadance.”

“You should watch for the quality of that help, Tia. This is hardly a preferable vintage.”

“And since when have you become a connoisseur?” Celestia teased and took a sip from her glass, contorting her face in disgust.

Luna giggled at her sister’s misfortune. “Since I was fourteen, if you have to know. But I wouldn’t have to be to recognise the lowest of Equestria’s production. Do you have any more bottles hidden around? Maybe you had luckier hoof with them.” Being gestured to one of the cabinets, Luna wasted no time and read the vintages carefully. “Well this will do. Pour that soapwater away.”

Once their glasses were full again, they moved to much more comfortable sitting location in the armchairs, Luna levitating the stack of bills with her. “So, care to tell me why you decided to budge?”

“As I said, I had to. Besides,” Celestia smiled mischievously, if tiredly, “I am not giving them much. The Dominion can pass bills like it used to, but… Celestial ordinance number 1123, Princess Celestia has absolute veto on any legislation passed. Celestial ordinance number 1648 The matters of taxes, criminal law and property law are reserved to Princess Celestia to regulate. Celestial ordinance number 1530, houses represented in Dominion are to pay additional tax of five thousand bits annually.”

Luna was left slackjawed. “They… they can’t do anything. You are tricking them to accepting worthless position and even making them pay you! I applaud… you.” Celestia watched as Luna’s glee vanished. She looked through the rest of the documents and handed them back to Celestia.

“Supervisor of the daycourt will be established in every town with the population of one thousand and above, holding direct power on behalf of Celestia? Criminal cases with potential penalty of seven plus years in prison and civil cases with demanded damages surpassing ten thousand bits are to be presented to the daycourt? Tia, what are you doing?”

“We need to keep order in Equestria. Ponies are restless and if we aren’t attentive, this situation can turn for even worse real quick. Especially now that nobles sense opportunity, Lulu,” Celestia said with pleading undertone, leaning a bit forward in her armchair.

“But-but why isn’t there a single word about me? We were meant to rule together, you alone said it when I returned. Why is everything written to your name?”

Celestia flinched at the accusing and saddened look Luna was giving her. It would have been so easy to add to those documents, to include Luna in the bill. They both knew it. They both sensed it wouldn’t happen. Celestia was the first to break the eye contact.

“Luna, you know that I don’t make a single decision without you. You must understand what beasts they are. They would jump on your throat the first moment they would see you as a threat. We do rule together, I just sign the papers.” She finished her glass of wine and went for her final argument. “I promise you will get all your competences back officially when the situation settles a bit.”

Luna too reached the bottom of her glass too and placed it on the table. “Yes. Yes, I know that you don’t make any decision without me, yet I feel like I stand even lower than your council. Because all you do is ask the opinion without hearing it out.”

“You know that not tr-”

“Then when was the last time you did as I said when we didn’t agree on a solution?” Luna spat out, standing up. Not waiting for an answer that had no reason to come as they both knew it, Luna strode to the door.

“Please Luna, it’s not like that. Please understand that I’m just trying to protect you,” Celestia cried after her and was a bit surprised when Luna actually stopped in her tracks. Though she wished Luna didn’t stop right after as she turned her head back to Celestia with tears in her eyes.

“You were just trying to protect Twilight. And you didn’t take my advice into consideration back then either.”

When the door closed behind Luna, Celestia blew all the candles out. No need for the light to see her cry. Darkness was more merciful in general.

The Ponyville library was once again in pristine order. Well, not that the books were organized, far from it, but at least they weren’t lying around hasparasingly. Though maybe there still remained some sort of organization since not too many ponies were coming there these days, to borrow books or otherwise.

It was really strange, Pinkie mused, that they stopped reading so soon after Twilight disappeared. The townponies never paid much mind to books, but they still used to show up from time to time even before Twilight came to live in the town. Otherwise there wouldn’t have been a library in the first place, duh. But now? Not a single one would come for days.

She laid a fresh tablecloth on the last uncovered surface and straightened it. Perfect, she could start decorating. In fact, ponies started avoiding the library entirely. Some were even saying it was haunted. Those sillies! Pinkie bent down and looked under the couch. No, there was no ghostie hiding there. As usual.

She would know if there were ghosts. She spent every evening in the library, well, almost every evening since sometimes the Cakes would ask her to foalsit the twins. When everypony gave up on looking for Twilight, Pinkie figured it would be up to Twilight to find herself and bring herself back to Ponyville. And then she would of course love to have a ‘Welcome Home Party’. So Pinkie took it on herself to have that party prepared.

Two hundred and fifteen parties went past and Twilight didn’t show up for any of them. Actually, most of them were attended only by Pinkie, overseeing the decorations and snacks ready for Twilight’s return to the library. She didn’t mind. The world was big and Twilight simply had some difficulties learning where exactly to look for herself. Pinkie could wait. Either she would go back home around midnight, or on few occasions she would fall asleep on a couch in the lobby. Then early in the morning she would clean the decorations, pack the snacks and move everything back to Sugarcube Corner to have it ready for the evening again.

But today would be different. She could feel it. Her Pinkie Sense told her this was the last party she would have to prepare waiting for Twilight. It couldn’t come in better time either. Pinkie took a critical look around the walls now covered in pink, violet and lavender streamers and at the balloons of the same color scheme floating around. Yes, that was good. She could add the finishing touch.

During her last two hundred and fifteen party preparations she discovered where the best spots for anchoring banners were and she promptly threw the ropes there. Pulling on one of them, she lifted the banner up. Perfect. Right when she would cross the threshold, Twilight would be able to read ‘Happy Birthday, Twilight, and Welcome Home’ in bold lavender and pink letters. Pinkie took the effort to draw Twilight’s cutie mark to either side of the inscription. There could be no mistaking as to for whom the party was being held.

Now for the refreshments. Pinkie trotted to the pile of boxes placed next to the door and started opening them. Bowl of punch, another one, cupcakes with blueberry frosting, three smaller cakes and one two storey cake - still packed in the same sized box as the rest - chips and crackers and wide assortment of other treats quickly made their way on the tables. Soon the utensils, glasses and plates lay ready next to the food as well and Pinkie wiped the sweat from her forehead happily.

“Phew, I packed more than usually.” She looked up at the banner and grinned. “Well duh, it’s a double party! Too bad Gummy can’t come too, but this one will be too long for him. He needs his rest.” She trotted to the couch and jumped up, splaying on it comfortably. “Now to just wait for the guests to come, so we can plan a surprise for Twilight.”

While Pinkie stopped sending out invitations to the everyday ‘Welcome Home Parties’ long time ago, since nopony usually showed up and they all knew the party was held anyway, she made an exception of today. Sending invitations simple couldn’t be omitted when it came to birthday parties.

A hushed rhythmic sound intruded in the happy tune Pinkie was humming. “Oh! Isn’t it too early for the guests to arrive? I thought we weren’t to start for another two hours.” She got up and walked to the door. There was nopony out there, no movement in the dark of the evening. Pinkie walked out a few steps to look behind the corner to check if somepony wasn’t trying to prank her, and as she did, few heavy droplets fell on her nose.

“It was just the rain. Hm, it is already dark and it will be hard to spot the library if the downpour starts for real.” She walked inside and returned with a lit lantern. She hung it above the door where it was still sheltered from the rain and returned to the warmth of the library. Soon she could hear the rain picking up force and drowning all the other sounds.

Pinkie waited patiently, humming to herself as the minutes ticked by. Occasionally, she would munch on a cupcake, but it was much rarer occurrence than during her previous parties as she wanted to leave as much as possible for Twilight. She surely didn’t have a single party thrown for her in the time she was lost somewhere.

When the time for the party to start neared, Pinkie got nervous. Nopony had showed up so far. She would expect them to arrive to the party where Twilight returned.

“Maybe the lantern got extinguished.” She got up and checked outside. It was still raining heavily, but the flame burned brightly. “Strange… Wait, something’s moving out there!” The sound of hooves splashing in pools joined the one of the rain falling and soon enough Applejack sprinted to the space illuminated by the open door.

“Applejack! You made it!” Pinkie exclaimed and threw herself around Applejack’s neck.

“Of course, sugarcube, Ah just had some trouble getting here. The town’s mighty dark tonight. But… could we go inside? Ah’m kinda cold.”

Not letting go of her friend, Pinkie walked backwards on her hindlegs back into the library, Applejack stoically following. “I was getting worried nopony would show up! That would be horrible. Imagine if you came to your party and nopony was there! You would be sad and angry and disappointed and maybe wouldn’t want to stay and you would go away to be lost again!” They finally made it to the couch and Pinkie pulled a towel out of nowhere. “And then the whole party would be for nothing.”

“Ya know we wouldn’ta missed this-” Applejack glanced at the banner while she was drying herself, “-’Happy Birthday, Twilight, and Welcome Home party’ for anything. Ah talked ta’ the girls and they’ll all come, too.” Applejack’s expression saddened as she read the designation. So Pinkie is still on the tangent. Poor girl.

Pinkie went on and on about what she prepared for the evening, not minding that Applejack tuned her out. Instead of listening, she was scrutinizing the library. Nothing changed except for the added decorations. She remembered the first party held in the library. She chuckled as she realized Twilight didn’t partake in that one either, but it was a sad sound. Only the events that followed later when the new day was supposed to come brought the six of them closer. And then three years later they drifted apart on the same spot forever. Applejack couldn’t shake the feeling she caused it and the guilt of what she last told Twilight.

Suddenly a creaking sound echoed from the second floor and they both shot to attention. There wasn’t supposed to be anypony up there. Pinkie gestured for Applejack to stay quiet and crept toward the stairs and up. She sneaked masterfully, not making a single noise. The creaking sound returned and this time they located it to originate in the bedroom. Pinkie moved to the door silently and counting to three threw them open.

At the same moment something big and white jumped forward and tackled Pinkie to the ground. “Wooooo! I am the ghost of the library and I came to devour you! Wooooo!” Applejack jumped back in surprise, but soon got ahold of herself and galloped to the stairs.

Pinkie’s eyes widened in shock and she drew a sharp breath, looking like she was about to scream, but as Applejack neared on the stairs she started giggling, quietly at first, but gaining in intensity with every second until she was guffawing like a madpony. Applejack froze in her step and watched incredulously as the ‘ghost’ joined in. Soon it was lying on the floor next to Pinkie, both trying to contain the fits of laughter and failing.

Applejack stepped closer and suddenly recognised the voice of the phantom. “Rainbow Dash! What in tarnation are ya thinkin’ yer doin’?” She shouted as she pulled the white sheet off of the still laughing pegasus.

“What-what does it look like, AJ? P-pranking Pinkie!” Rainbow managed to say between gasping for air. “And drying myself. Phew what a storm!”

“Ah see that, but don’t ya have some decency? Joking ‘bout things like… that!” Applejack let the sheet fall to the ground and walked back to the lobby. Rainbow helped Pinkie get up and joined Applejack on the couch. She handed Rainbow the towel, although it was still a bit damp. It would serve nonetheless.

“Sorry… But what’s the big deal? Can’t I joke about anything? A bit of black humor never killed anypony,” she defended as she kept drying her coat and especially her wings.

“It’s not proper so soon, Rainbow. At yer age ya should know that,” Applejack countered, but softened her gaze. It wouldn’t help anything to argue now.

“Um, I told you, Rainbow, that you shouldn’t have done that. You could have come up with something less offensive.”

“Hi Fluttershy! When did you come in? And black humor? What was black on that joke? I think it was white since the sheet was white!” Pinkie turned to the yellow pegasus who opted to sit in one of the armchairs, nibbling on a cupcake.

“Um, the door was open and you were busy laughing with Rainbow so I let myself in. I hope you aren’t angry…”

“Of course not! And tell me if that cupcake is good. I made several batches and tried different spices for every batch and I need to determine which to stick to.” Pinkie beamed and pulled another box of cupcakes from behind the couch. “We have enough, you can all sample as you want.” She passed the box around and counted the ponies present. “So now we are waiting only for Rarity and of course for Twilight. This party will be awesome!”

“Yeah, awesome,” murmured Rainbow and bit into her cupcake to mask her frown. “What’s taking Rares so long anyway?”

“Um, she wrote to me that they had changed the timetable and the train arrives a bit later than it used to, but that she will definitely sho-”

“I’m heeere!” the pony in question called from the door, shaking droplets of water from her stylish silvery umbrella. “Thank you darling for vouching for me.” She walked to Fluttershy and pecked her lightly on the cheek. “I knew you would pass the message alright. Hopefully I am not too late?” She flashed them all a charming smile and took a seat in the other armchair.

“Not at all. We just settled down. Here, have a cupcake.” Pinkie offered her the box and Rarity politely took one of the remaining treats. “I think I will call them Twilight cupcakes because they are the same color as her coat. Or maybe Cupcake Sparkle hmm… Well, I will ask Twilight which she prefers later.” She jumped from the couch and ran to the table with punch. “Something to drink while we wait for her?”

“She hasn’t dropped that yet?” Rarity whispered toward her friends.

“Not a single bit. She still thinks that Twilight will miraculously show up today,” Rainbow whispered back and waved her hooves in exaggeration. “Just look at that banner!”

Rarity looked up and just like Applejack before, she lost some of her remaining mood. “By stars…”

“Here are the drinks, girls!” Pinkie chimed in. “Now we can wait comfortably.”

Long uncomfortable silence followed as everypony except Pinkie was trying to drown their looks in the cups of punch, until Applejack couldn’t take it anymore.

“So, Rarity, how’s the life treatin’ ya in Canterlot?”

“Oh it is simply splendid! I have never had so many orders. And the city is wonderful as well. I found a sweet little café I will have to take you all to one day,” Rarity said with a fond smile.

“That’s great ta’ hear, sugarcube,” Applejack said and the awkward silence returned full force.

“How about we play pin a tail on a pony while we wait?” Pinkie suggested and immediately went to prepare the game. Not seeing any use in declining, the others joined her.

The hours went by in the same manner then. From time to time somepony would try to strike a conversation only for it to fail after few sentences. Pinkie would come up with an activity and the others would humor her, but there was no joy for them in the game. Slowly, even Pinkie Pie was losing her enthusiasm and her smile seemed more forced every minute.

Eventually they just sat there and occasionally chose a treat from what Pinkie prepared. Fluttershy was leaning against Rainbow and by her even breathing they could tell she fell asleep. Rainbow soon followed suit, leaving Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie alone. Rarity felt no need to sleep, she had to work long into the night many times in her life. Applejack, however, would pay in gold for an option to sleep, yet her dark thoughts and feeling of duty toward her friend were keeping her up. Pinkie didn’t move, not even her gaze left a streamer that fell to the ground from the opposite wall.

The silence of the room was broken by the old clock hanging on the wall striking midnight. While Applejack and Rarity were slightly startled by the sudden noise, Pinkie didn’t move a muscle. She remained statuesque until the last of the chimes died down, then she lifted her eyes to her two friends.

“She isn’t showing up, is she?” she asked quietly, her voice trembling slightly.

“No sugarcube, Ah’m sorry, but she isn’t showing up.” Applejack bowed her head tiredly. She couldn’t stand the pleading look Pinkie was giving her.

“She is…. She is gone, isn’t she? Nopony would miss their birthday party,” Pinkie asked again and tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

“She is in a place where every single day is like a birthday, darling,” Rarity said and moved next to Pinkie, mimicked by Applejack from the other side. They wrapped now sniffling Pinkie in their hooves and held her close. “She is happy now, darling. Far from pain and worries.” She joined Pinkie’s quiet crying for now that the last pony accepted the truth, Twilight’s death became much more real for her as well.

“But… but what about us? What about the party? Who will unwrap the presents I prepared for her?” Pinkie weeped, returning the hug she was being given. “What are we supposed to do without Twilight?”

“We’re supposed ta go on, sugercube. We still got each other. Twilight would want us ta go on.”

Chapter 18

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Original Title: Three Races to Wage War
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

A ray of sun crept through the curtains of Rainbow Dash’s bedroom as she cracked her eyes open, which was a chore considering how little sleep she’d been getting in recent weeks.

“Ugh, what time is it?”

Rainbow’s bloodshot eyes had a hard time recognizing her soundings as she rolled over to glance at her alarm clock, which was not set for any particular time. Her blurry vision didn’t allow her to read the time at the distance she was at so she reached over to grab the clock and pulled it up to her face.

“Seven…. twenty.”

Rainbow exhaled a long tired sigh before placing the clock back on her nightstand. It was earlier than she would like for it to be, but her body was trained to wake up at a specific time, even when it was her day to relax. As much she would like to just sleep in until noon today, it was her day off after all, she had a special reason to get up early that day and it surprisingly didn’t involve the Wonderbolts. Well, at least not entirely. It took several minutes of tossing and turning before Rainbow found the energy to actually sit up. She threw her covers aside, immediately regretting that decision as the chill of winter robbed the house of some of its heat, and trudged her way towards her bathroom. Before starting her morning bath, she took out a small heat lamp she kept for Tank and placed next to him.

“It’s a bit cold, isn’t it buddy?”

The sleepy reptile merely nodded before retreating into his shell, content with the extra heat source. Rainbow drew her warm bath and crawled into the tub, savoring the soothing hot water that would be unbearable any other time of the year. Ever since becoming a Wonderbolt, her days always seemed to end with sore muscles and aching bones. The warmth of the water helped to relax the tenderness of those pains, information courtesy of Spitfire. Not only did it ease the tension, but it also felt invigorating with the winter in full swing.

She could’ve stayed in the bath forever if she wanted to, but with a date set for that day she drained the tub and stepped out and dried herself off with a towel before proceeding to brush her teeth. Once her mouth was clean of any morning breath, she walked down to her kitchen to prepare herself some breakfast, or at least what passed as a breakfast these days in her household. She decided to settle for a few apples as she really didn’t feel like filling up on a sandwich or anything similar. Heck, with how tired she was that morning she was doubtful she had the energy to make anything more. She did however decide to brew some tea which didn’t require a lot of kinetic energy.

As she poured a cup to drink, blowing the steam away to make sure she didn’t burn her tongue, she heard a knock at the door.

“Huh? Who could that be? Fluttershy maybe? Nah, what reason would she have to come here this early? Maybe Ditzy’s delivering mail early today or something.”

Rainbow stepped away from her cup of tea to go answer the door and to her surprise, the visitor was none other than Soarin’.

“Hey Rainbow Dash.”

“Soarin’? What are you doing here? It’s nowhere near lunchtime yet.”

“I know. There’s a large storm coming in later so I thought I’d drop by before it gets nasty. Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

“Only three apples, why?”

“Well, perhaps we can get something together. I’ll buy.”

Rainbow let Soarin’ into her home and shut the door; the house was cold enough already. “Sure I guess. I kinda just made a pot of tea, but I guess I can warm it later.” Soarin’ sat down at the table, helping himself to a cup of tea, as Rainbow Dash made her way to her bedroom closet to grab a scarf. As she was digging through her closet, Tank poked his head out from his shell, curious as to what was going on.

“I’m going out for awhile, Tank. You’ll watch over the place while I’m gone, right?”

Tank nodded and again retreated into his shell. When she picked out a scarf, she wrapped it around her neck and walked back downstairs to see Soarin’ observing the Wonderbolt paraphernalia on the wall, namely posters and autographs. On one shelf, the stallion eyed the gold crown from the Best Young Flyer competition and smiled from the memory of that event.

“What?” Rainbow asked.

“Hm? Oh nothing, it’s just that seeing this crown reminds me how I first met you. I remember when you performed that sonic rainboom and won the Best Young Flyer competition. You got to spend a day with the Wonderbolts and that’s I first got to talk to you.”

Rainbow couldn’t help but blush at the affectionate way Soarin’ said that to her. “Well, it was a pretty good day. This trophy is a reminder of some good times I’ve had with my friends too. Without them cheering me on, I don’t think I could’ve ever done what I did.”

“You have some pretty good friends.”

“Yeah…. I just wish could’ve been better to Twilight. Maybe then she wouldn’t be….”

Soarin’s smile faulted as Rainbow trailed off on her thought. “I’m sorry it had to-”

“Don’t worry about it. That happened over a year ago. I don’t like that it happened, but I need to get over it. No use dwelling on it.” Even though Rainbow Dash was putting up a tough front, Soarin’ knew well that she was still hurting pretty badly, although he did admire her strength for at least trying to move on.

“Look, why don’t we go get something to eat. I’ll even let you pick a place,” Soarin’ said trying to change the subject. “Besides, I don’t think I’ve ever had a chance to casually explore Ponyville.”

“Uh, yeah sure.”

The two ponies left the house of clouds and flew towards the town, Rainbow being thankful the cold weather was not added with strong wind yet. As they made their way into town, landing just outside the town square, Rainbow Dash thought of a good place to eat. She eventually settled on a diner that she frequented. Due to the bitter chill, the couple decided to eat inside rather than get a table outside; it would appear that the few ponies that were eating at the diner already had the same idea. After choosing a booth, they ordered some food from the menus.

“So how long have you lived here in Ponyville?” Soarin’ asked.

“Let’s see. I moved here maybe about a year or two before I met Twilight, so I wanna say five or six years now. It’s kind of funny, I moved here from Cloudsdale on the same day as my birthday so my birthday also marks the anniversaries I lived here.”

“A birth-iversary.”

“Haha, yeah something like that. What do you think of Ponyville though?”

“I think it’s a nice place to live. A lot more quiet than Cloudsdale or Canterlot. Ugh, I’m not going to lie, I can’t stand Canterlot right now. I can’t even stand visiting there recently with how unbearable the population has gotten as of late.”

“I haven’t really been there much aside from the Wonderbolt visits, but from what I’ve gathered from Rarity, I can see where you’re coming from.”

“Forgive my language, but the nobility are a bunch of dicks. I mean, no offense to your friend. I know there are some decent citizens like Rarity and Fancy Pants, but my point still stands. The nobility there is comparable to parasites. It’s just getting ridiculous.”

“Yeah, ever since what happened between Twilight and Princess Celestia, they’ve been trying to bulldoze over the princess. I don’t really like what Princess Celestia did to Twilight, but I don’t envy her predicament right now.”

“Maybe one of these days…. Anyway, speaking of Twilight Sparkle, I’ve noticed you tend to bring her up a lot. She must’ve been a really good friend for how much you talk about her.”

Rainbow stopped sipping from her water glass and hesitated before responding. “Yeah. She really was. Her…. passing has made me realize just how great she was. She’s done so much for all of us. That said, there have been times where she’s gotten on my nerves. Still, she did get me hooked on Daring Do. Heh, I remember that one time she obsessed over a late friendship report. If only you would’ve seen how disheveled she was….” Rainbow’s smile suddenly faltered and gained a look of regret. “Come to think of it, that was another time we overlooked her problems. We didn’t take it very seriously, but she almost made the whole town go crazy over a little doll.”

Recognizing the forlorn expression on his date’s face, Soarin’ cursed himself for bringing the topic up. He was about to try and reach for her, to comfort her, when Rainbow spoke up again. “Twilight is what brought us all together in the first place and now that she’s gone, everypony else seems to be drifting apart. Applejack is working more than ever, Rarity is living in Canterlot, Pinkie Pie is too quiet now, and Fluttershy…. I barely see her in town anymore. And now that I’m in the Wonderbolts, I’m barely in Ponyville myself and with everypony else either too busy or gone themselves, I almost think it’s not worth dropping by anymore. I probably wouldn’t either if not for one particular filly.”

The two talked a little more before the waitress came by with the food they ordered and for the most part, Rainbow tried her best to be content for Soarin’, who himself tried his best to restrain from bringing up any more saddening topics. Eventually, the two finished eating and with not much else to do, Rainbow decided to give Soarin’ a tour of Ponyville. Half of it was thanks for the meal, but the other half of her didn’t want to leave his side yet. She knew eventually they would both have to return to the Wonderbolt Headquarters, but neither of them wanted to go yet.

A good many of ponies recognized Soarin’ as he walked through Ponyville with Rainbow Dash and a few mares that Rainbow knew giggled as they passed by. After a year of being in the Wonderbolts and being close to Soarin’, Rainbow’s relationship with him wasn’t much of a secret anymore and though she was embarrassed when they started dating, they were at a point now where Rainbow was willing to openly show him affection in public, though she didn’t do it often. Eventually, the couple came to the town square, the statue still standing as tall as the day it was erected albeit covered in a bit of snow.

“This is the monument Ponyville made in Twilight’s honor. She had many friends in Ponyville and there were many times she helped the town itself. The earliest I can think of was when Nightmare Moon showed up. Then she participated in her first Winter Wrap Up not long after she moved here. Of course, it didn’t turn out so well at first, but she helped us in the end.”

“She’s done it all, hasn’t she?” Soarin’ said with a chuckle.

“Like I said, she was an amazing mare. Bit of an egghead, but that’s what we loved about her. Heck, she even lived in a library. A library that’s now empty…” Rainbow mumbled that last part so that Soarin’ wouldn’t hear her.

“This is a nice place. Though I can’t help but feel a little uneasy when the townsfolk keep gazing at me.”

“You’re a pretty famous Wonderbolt, Soarin’. You’re pretty easy to recognize.”

“That’s not what I meant. In a small town like this, everypony knows each other and they’re all tightly knit. In the big cities like Canterlot, Cloudsdale, or Manehattan, most ponies don’t pay attention to you unless you’re a celebrity.”

“Well, YOU’RE a celebrity, aren’t you?”

“Err, what I mean is just casually walking like we’re doing is- nevermind, I don’t know where I was going with that.”

Rainbow chuckled as she gave him a playful shove. Good, she seems to be cheering up a little bit, Soarin’ thought, happy to see a smile on Rainbow’s face. It was nearly noon when they decided to start heading for Rainbow’s home since the overcast indicated the winter storm drawing near. As they traveled their route, a certain orange filly noticed her idol walking by outside her house.

“Hey Rainbow Dash!”

The couple’s heads turned to see Scootaloo running towards them, Rainbow’s face with a smile on it. Upon seeing said smile, Soarin’s initial confusion melted into a similar expression.

“Hey squirt. What’s up?” Rainbow said as she gave Scootaloo a noogie.

“I’m glad to see you again. With you in the Wonderbolts, I was wondering when you would come back.”

“Aw, I always make time for my little sister.”

Scootaloo giggled and hopped around a bit before she noticed her surrogate big sister wasn’t alone. She saw Soarin’ and instantly recognized him. “Oh my gosh! You’re one of the Wonderbolt captains!”

“Well, kind of. I’m Captain Spitfire’s wingpony,” Soarin’ said as he chuckled at the filly’s antics.

“I’m actually talking to a Wonderbolt!” Scootaloo squealed. Rainbow joined Soarin’ in chuckling, Scootaloo reminding her of herself whenever she had the chance to talk to the Wonderbolts.

“Say squirt. How has your flying been going?” Rainbow brought up.

“Huh? Oh! Uh, it’s okay. I’m having some trouble though, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

From Scootaloo’s house, a mare looked out. “Scootaloo! Lunch is ready!”

“Okay mom! I’ll be right there! Rainbow Dash, I have to go. Maybe we can talk another time,” Scootaloo said as she galloped inside her house. The couple then continued onto their way back to Rainbow’s house.

“She was interesting.”

“Yeah, that was Scootaloo. Sort of a little sister. Not my real sister, but pretty close.”

“Well, she seems like a nice sister to have. I kind of like her. Real lively, kind of like somepony else I know,” Soarin’ said as he snuck a peck on Rainbow’s cheek.

“Y-yeah, she is a lot of fun. Kind of has a hard time flying though. I want to help her learn, but I’m not sure how often I can now that I’m in the Wonderbolts.”

“Well, if you ever need an assistant coach, I’d be happy to oblige.” Soarin’ felt a cold speck on his nose, soon followed by several more all around him. He looked up and saw it was starting to snow. “Maybe we should hightail it back to your house, I would rather not get caught out here with this weather.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. I have a warm couch calling our names.”

Being careful not to get caught in the sudden winds, the pegasi eventually made it back to the cloud house that was Rainbow Dash’s residence. Once inside, Rainbow tossed her scarf on the table and laid down on the sofa. As she did though, a sudden realization struck her.

“By the way, Soarin’. How did you find my house in the first place? I don’t recall ever giving you directions and you said you’ve never casually visited Ponyville before today.”

“Well, your house is the only one floating in the sky. Kind of hard to miss, especially with the Wonderbolt doormat.”

“Oh.” Rainbow blushed out of embarrassment, only now realizing the silliness of her question. “Yeah, I guess that was kind of obvious.”

“Don’t worry about it. Though a house of clouds is neat, they suck at keeping heat in when you need it,” Soarin’ said shivering from the cold.

“Well, I can think of a way to keep both of us warm,” Rainbow grinned slyly. Soarin’ quickly caught on to her and grinned as well.

“Oh? Do tell.”

“Well, it’s not like you’re going anywhere with that storm outside.”

Where only a plain lawn used to be in the garden of Dazzle Citrine’s manson there now stood a wooden pavilion. Under the snow nopony could spot it, but the whole roof was silver-plated, partially out of boredom and partially to serve its owner’s grander plans. The walls of carved mahogany were pierced with many rectangular windows reaching from the ground almost to the lower rim of the roof and warm golden light illuminated the freshly fallen snow outside. Occasional snowflakes were still drifting through the air, but the weather pegasi who got paid more generously than they ever remembered in the past assured their benefactor the sky would be spotless by midnight.

Rarity’s eyes sparkled as she mingled among the hordes of guests chatting with each other, drinking and laughing. Not even the Grand Galloping Gala could challenge the beauty and poise of the gowns they were wearing and insurmountable glee spread through Rarity as she remembered just how many of them originated in her boutique. Moving from the dusty old Ponyville for the greater life opportunities of the capital was scaring her at first, but the longer she took the fruits of her decision, the more sure she was about its correctness.

Better yet, this time she felt for certain she wouldn’t look out of place. Her own gown glistened with expensive violet and golden silk and she used real golden thread for the embroideries and trimming. The whole dress was designed to look like it radiated from an enormous rhombus shaped sapphire on her chest. The gem itself shined with reflected light of hundreds of magical candles spread around the walls and on crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

While the guests, colorful and talkative like tropical parrots, would manage to enrapture any lesser pony, the interior of the pavilion tried its very best to contest them in opulence. Nothing around signaled the building consisted of wood, as silken burgundy wallpaper covered the walls, complemented with heavy black curtains by each window. Only one section of the floor remained uncarpeted, signaling the nobility where to show their dancing skills, a huge clock hanging on the wall above.

Rarity, however, chose the opposite direction, feeling a bit thirsty from the dry air. While the firecrystals, extremely effective and luxurious form of heating, did an excellent job of shielding the space against the winter cold, adding their soft orange glow as a bonus value, Rarity assumed they could take a small break every now and then since the ponies generated enough of their own heat. As if on cue, the crystals dimmed and a small gust of wind flew through the pavilion, coming from a small ventilation window up high that Rarity hadn’t noticed before. That didn’t rid her of her predicament though at all.

After being interrupted in her journey several times with jovial greetings accompanied with flashy smile and exchanging few phrases with ponies she encountered on other occasions, Rarity finally reached the buffet section. The tables along the shorter wall of the pavilion were overflowing with delicateses, from truffle to exotic fruit, from candied cherries to soya sushi. Yet as tasty as everything looked, Rarity omitted the treats and strode directly to the centerpiece of the section - a marble fountain with champagne instead of water.

“Just what I needed!” she cheered to herself and levitated a flute glass into the stream. The sparkling fluid bend the light coming from nearby candle and created a golden light spot on the dress of nearby mare. She jumped back terrified something stained her gown, but Rarity moved the glass so the spot would follow. After few more seconds of her little game Rarity grew bored and opted for a sip from her glass instead. She cringed and moved it away from her lips.

“The visual side of the affair certainly overshadows the taste.”

“Is the champagne not to your liking, mademoiselle?” a calm and cultivated voice asked behind her. She turned her head and spotted a waiter, tall white unicorn in tuxido of the highest quality.

“Well, it seems to be too tart for me. I certainly didn’t mean it wasn’t meeting the standards of such fine event,” Rarity said in a heartbeat, not losing anything from her aura of sophistication.

“I wouldn’t trying to suggest you did, mademoiselle. I merely wished to offer you a different drink, perhaps some Trotkay. The vintage monsieur Dazzle Citrine stocked for today belongs to the sweeter ones and the light fruity aftertaste could certainly provide you with better enjoyment.”

“In that case, if you would be so kind…” Rarity levitated her half-full glass to the tray the waiter was carrying and he left with a bow to retrieve her beverage of choice. Rarity leaned against the table and waited patiently, scanning the room for familiar faces. While she spotted several, she didn’t feel any urge to go talk to them.

“Enjoying the little delights our host offered, I see.” Rarity straightened in her startled state and turned around to come face to face with Fancy Pants, his everlasting thin amused smile adorning his face. “My, does somepony around here have dirty conscience that they are so jumpy?”

“I would like to see you react calmly to somepony sneaking on you like that!” Rarity said indignantly, but went for a quick hug of her closest friend in the city anyway.

“That can easily happen, my dear. Living with Fleur trained me into incredible levels of stoicism. I would have ended up with a heart attack ages ago.” They separated and he helped himself to a sandwich. “So, are you enjoying the evening?”

“Very. And if by small delights you mean this hall of wonder, then yes, I try to take everything in and still can’t manage. How generous from Dazzle Citrin to provide this all to please his friends!” Rarity took the glass the waiter brought her and sipped from it daintily. “Much better. Thank you.” The waiter raised an eyebrow on Fancy Pants, silently asking if he needed anything, and Fancy Pants only shook his head.

“It truly is a sight to behold.” He waved his hoof around, encompassing the whole room in his gesture. “But don’t be mistaken. He didn’t do any of this to please anypony but himself.”

“How can you say something so mean?” Rarity threw him a stink eye and took another sip. “Why would he expend so much money then? He could have had just a quiet celebration with his family. Instead, he chose to invite all of us to this grandiose party. I say, that’s admirable.”

Fancy Pants placed the rest of his sandwich on the rim of the tray and his smile vanished. “You said it yourself. He could have spent the holiday with his family. But have you seen any of them around?” Rarity drew blank and stayed quiet and so he continued. “Of course not! Do you know why? He can’t stand his wife and she chooses to attend different events than him so she can gossip about him freely. And by some glitch of fate, all three of his offsprings are earth ponies.” He looked longingly on the fountain and sighed. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t abstain, Canterlot would become much more bearable.”

“What’s that for a reason? Why would it matter what race they are! And even if he didn’t want to spend the holiday with family, he could still omit the party.” Rarity was getting fairly agitated from Fancy Pants’ words. Why would the usually kind and welcoming gentlecolt badmouth somepony obviously so generous like Dazzle Citrin?

“I thought you noticed it mattered in Canterlot now. As for the party, all you see, all he paid for, is here only to show us just how much he can afford. This is his way of saying that he has to be counted with. In that regard he succeeded.”

Rarity didn’t know what to say. She trusted Fancy Pants, he had always had only the best intentions with her, why would he suddenly lie. Yet changing her understanding of the event so abruptly? That proved too hard for her at the moment. She reached for a glass carried by another waiter, again a unicorn, and downed it quickly.

Seeing his friend’s distress, Fancy Pants sighed again, plastered his usual smile on his face and offered Rarity his hoof. “But let’s not ruin this evening for ourselves with everyday worries. Would you care for a dance?”

“Wouldn’t Fleur object to you asking another mare to dance?” Rarity asked coquettishly, trying to overcome her disturbed emotions.

“Oh she is probably currently flirting with a group of dandys somewhere in the room. I am sure she wouldn’t mind me having some fun as well.” He leaned closer to her ear and in a conspiratorial whisper continued, “Besides, what is the chance an old stallion like me would seduce a beauty of Rarity’s format?”

Rarity giggled and blushed a little, taking the offered hoof and walking by Fancy’s side toward the opposite end of the room. Along the way, she was paying close attention to all attendants and slowly realized they were in fact all unicorns. It may have been just a coincidence though, she had better things to care about. The event itself for example.

They arrived at the dance floor and the surrounding pair immediately made space for them. They both belonged to the more recognised part of the community, even though Rarity moved to Canterlot so recently. Good friends simply always meant good name. Among the pirouettes and step sequences Rarity glanced to the musician stage quickly and to her surprise found that all the musicians also belonged to unicorn race.

She soon regretted looking in that direction. Her growing confusion, slight inebriety and lapse in attention caused her to trip and hiss in pain.

“Are you alright, dear?” Fancy Pants immediately came to her help and supported her while standing up.

“Yes, it’s nothing. In a minute I will be like new,” Rarity said, but the look of pain spoke otherwise.

“Let’s move to the side for a while. You need to rest.” Not waiting for approval Fancy Pants led her to the nearest sofa and helped her up. “Do you want me to bring you something to drink? Or maybe to get some medical pony to check your ankle?”

“No, thanks, it is no big deal. I will just lay for a moment.”

“My, I hope you aren’t injured, monami!” an affected voice came from behind them. Surely enough, the host of the party himself graced them with his presence. In a glittery red tuxedo and a white tophat he counted to the more eccentric attendants, yet there were still many surpassing him.

“Monsieur Dazzle Citrin! You don’t have to worry, I merely slipped and will be alright in a few minutes,” Rarity assured with a wide smile.

“I am glad to hear that. Nothing would make me sadder than seeing my dear unicorn friends hurt.”

“You could drop that unicorn part, Citrin. It is redundant as everypony around is a unicorn,” Fancy Pants entered the conversation. To Rarity his irritation was clear from his voice, yet Dazzle Citrin seemed oblivious to it as he flashed them a victorious smile.

“You noticed? Splendid! you have no idea how difficult it was to contract so much unicorn staff. I had to ask permission from the crown to borrow some of their servants!

“And why exactly would you go into such lengths? Fancy Pants asked, looking at Rarity inquisitively, judging her reaction.

“I just don’t believe the other races would perform as excellently as unicorns. Anything for my guests, the best must be delivered!”

“How considerate of you,” Rarity chimed in and earned a withering glare from Fancy Pants.

“So,” he turned to Dazzle Citrin and didn’t even try to hide his frown, “are you implying that other races are inferior? What about your foal then? They are earth ponies, after all.”

Dazzle Citrin’s smile vanished in a blink of an eye. “If you came just to be annoying and pick fights, Fancy Pants, you can just as well leave. Your attitude and venomous words are not welcomed.”

“I came only because I received invitation and it is impolite to decline. But I will gladly leave your company, no doubt about that.” He turned back to Rarity. “Fleur and I will continue with a private celebration at home. Will you join us, Rarity?”

She was taken aback by the sudden exchange and twist in the mood. Fancy Pants acted like an uncouth youth all of the sudden, at least in her opinion. What led him to verbally assault their host? There was only one proper way to do.

“I’m sorry, I think I will stay around for a little while longer. Enjoy your evening though.” She flashed him a quick smile, but it faltered at the disappointed look she received back.

“You too, Rarity.” He turned around and walked into the crowd to find Fleur and leave.

“Good choice, darling. You would miss on a great finale of the evening and waste your time in improper company as well. Don’t forget to come out in about two hours. But it will be announced anyway, so don’t worry. Until then!”

No matter how much she tried to change it, Rarity’s evening was ruined. Her ankle stopped hurting quickly, but the argument she witnessed and the disapproval from Fancy Pants weighted her heavily. She continued to move around the pavilion, chatting occasionally and making new contacts and future customers, but it all lacked luster for her.

Eventually, the clock above the dancefloor started striking. When she looked up, she noticed it was only five minutes to midnight. Then the waiters instructed them all to gather outside and all the guests obeyed in a fairly civilized manner. If such request was made in Ponyville, the pavilion wouldn’t remain standing.

The crowd of guests gathered around a small podium in the garden. None of them suffered from cold as even this area was sheltered with firecrystals. Only the podium was lit though and soon they found out why as Dazzle Citrin walked up and greeted them with a wide wave, wobbling slightly from side to side. Somepony obviously drank more than he should have and in the gathering he wasn’t the only one in such predicament.

“My lovely unicorn friends! You can’t even start to understand how pleased I am that you all decided to attend this humble celebration.” He paused to let the polite chuckles die down. “Surely you wonder why I chose to start with organizing such events on this particular year as I have never been one to host, not of lack of hospitality, mind you, just fear of such great reśponsibility as to please all of you with only the best.”

A short applause followed his words and he bowed in all directions, entirely too much for how brief the praise was. “Thank you for your kindness, my dear unicorn friends. I had a very good reason to overcome my fears though as this isn’t just celebration of the New Year, but a whole new era! In few short minutes the laws passed by our beloved princess will come in force and unicorn race will finally take its leading place it always deserved!”

Much bigger applause overtook the gathering. The laws concerning the Dominion had been the main topic of conversation around the city for several months. On the New Year the unicorn participation on rule would become reality. Of course, officially the law spoke about nobles, but since unicorns formed about eighty percent of that class, they didn’t bother with such particularities.

Rarity was starting to feel uneasy. Could it be that Fancy Pants spoke the absolute truth about Dazzle Citrin? Could this whole beautiful event be a rotten racist celebration inside?

“And so, allow me to raise the glass in a toast to the bright future, brand new rule and unicorn race!” Crystal glasses filled with champagne, most likely ten times more costly than the kind in the fountain appear in the air in front of every guest. They didn’t fall down as the waiters kept their grip on them until the guest took over. “Count with me, my dear unicorn friends! Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! To the Year of the Unicorn!”

The whole gathering broke in cheers and repeated the toast as the first fireworks were shot up into the now clear sky. Rarity was getting dizzy. Not only from the commotion around, not just from the alcohol she consumed, but from the realization of just what she chose to be part of. She avoided an embrace from a random guest and sneaked between the others, running toward the gate of the garden as quickly as she could in her complicated gown.

So foolish! So naive! So blind! Suddenly all the hints of the evening and the previous weeks connected and she saw clearly where her path would lead if this didn’t happen. In few short months she adapted in Canterlot so well that nopony could distinguish her from the natives. She changed on the inside as well. Shallow, petty, gossiping excuse of herself. Celestia damn it, she was even forgetting her roots!

She galloped through the streets, her mind set on only one possible destination. Soon she arrived and was about to knock, when sudden hesitation overtook her. Was she still welcomed? What would she say? Did she lose another friend?

She steeled herself eventually and tentatively knocked, the lightest of touches on the door as not to disturb the residents. It felt like hours went by before hoofsteps sounded from the other side and the door opened revealing smiling Fancy Pants.

“Good evening, Rarity,” he said simply yet warmly.

She drew a deep breath and blurted, “I’m so so so sorry!”

“It’s ok. No harm was done,” he answered and his smile widened. “Would you like to come in? We have cookies.”

She flung herself around his neck, a feat admirable in her constricting gown and buried her face in his neck. Soon his coat and robe were damp with her tears. He patted her head with a foreleg and allowed her cry for a while.

“Everypony can make a mistake, Rarity. You realized yours quickly enough and that’s what matters. Now really, come in or you will catch a cold. That would be a horrible way to start new year.”

“Hello? Father Admiration?” Twilight called out as she entered the citadel sanctum. The chamber was identical to Mother Dogma’s chamber, but it was much smaller in scale. Instead of a pool in the middle of the chamber, there was a mirrored floor that reflected the light of the white sun anchored to the ceiling. The walls and floor had subtle motif engravings of the night sky, primarily crescents and constellations. Many of the balconies that surrounded the large rotunda were decorated with small bells and the balconies themselves were made of glass prisms that refracted the light from the white sun and spread the rays in all directions, leaving little to no shadows in the entire chamber.

“Twilight Sparkle, my dear,” a voice called out from above. “I did not expect you this early in the morn.”

The voice belonged to a rather gangly angel that descended from one of the balconies. He didn’t look too different from many of the other angelic ponies that Twilight had seen, but his uniqueness was definitely noticeable. For one, he had a large vertical halo which was a thick golden ring decorated with large jingle bells that resounded as he moved. His robes were decorated with the same bells. This pony was definitely old, not just physically, but he spoke in an old archaic Equestrian dialect, similar to what Luna spoke when she first arrived back in Equestria. Perhaps most distinct about him was his facial features, namely his large beard and wrinkly skin.

“Good morning, Father Admiration,” Twilight said with a respectful bow.

“Please rise Twilight Sparkle, we’ve not the need for such formalities this day,” Father Admiration said in a jolly expression. “I’ve callest thou so that we might learn of one’s knowledge.”

Twilight wasn’t quite sure she understood his words. Not just from the confusing wording, but the cryptic words themselves as well. This didn’t surprise her though as during her early days of training with Father Admiration, she learned quickly that he often spoke in riddles, never directly answering her questions, but instead giving her the wherewithal to answer them herself.

“Tell me, my dear. For what purpose does a spell serve if it is in an unusable state? The ability to perform feats of greatness can be taken with a simple slip of the tongue,” Father Admiration closed his eyes for a brief second and cleared his throat. “A sense of duty overtakes the minds of many, yet a sense of pride poisons the actions…”

Wait a minute, this sounds familiar. Didn’t I hear this in…. Twilight cleared her own throat before speaking herself. “So too is the intent….”

“An intellect is a salt of the Earth, yet lethal is the concentration….”

“So too is the lack of wisdom that backs it….”

“Hearing the cries of agony, yet one’s own pain is the eye of the storm….”

“So too is one’s own grief….”

“The words that use to create….”

“Shall also be used to negate.”

Upon finishing the recital, the light from the white sun at the center of the ceiling faded and the room was now dark and when Twilight looked around, she saw several stars and galaxies, as if she were floating in outer space. The same white sun that once lit the room now looked like a distant star light-years away. The engravings in the walls and floor were now more obvious as they reflected the light from the distant star clusters.

“You can recite the spell, so I assume thou knowest the origin,” Father Admiration said with a satisfied smile.

Twilight turned around from her observing of the new surroundings and looked at the tall angel’s face. Upon closer inspection, she noticed his face did look quite familiar. It was a face that bared resemblance to another face she’d seen before in her studies, but she just couldn’t figure out what the resemblance was exactly.

“It’s a famous spell created and used by Star Swirl the Bearded during the Great Wars. From what I heard and read, it was a spell that could cancel even the strongest magic, even those not used by unicorns. It’s legendary among magic scholars because nopony was able to replicate it. Many reproduction spells were created to try and emulate it, but nothing even came close to the effectiveness the original creation had.”

“One certainly knows their subject well. Tell me, my dear. What wouldst thou say if ye were able to perform this spell on a whim?”

“You mean like Star Swirl did? But how can I ever do that? He was one of the most powerful unicorns that ever lived and probably had decades of experience. I’m just a student…. former student of magic. I’m not even midway through my twenties yet! Besides, even though I have a lot of magic ability, if those other unicorn scholars couldn’t perform it, I’m doubtful my attempts would be any more successful.”

“Ah, but thou has one quality they did not: You are an alicorn. Not even Star Swirl could boast that.”

“But I never had the chance to study any magic SINCE I became one. Well, aside from your teachings I mean.”

Father Admiration lightly chuckled and lit his horn, expelling a wave of light that shattered the outer space and returned the room to its original appearance. “Lift thine eyes, my dear. Thou can learn much in this place and I would happily lend my knowledge. I’ve much to offer and you’ve much to learn. From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled.”

Twilight’s eyes widened when she heard that last sentence. Something struck her mind as she was starting to come to a realization. “From all of us together, together we are friends....” Father Admiration held his hoof out, which Twilight reached out to touch with her own. “With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end.” It was now that all the details about her new teacher came together. The beard, the bells, the spells, there was little doubt in her mind that she was talking to one of the most famous figures in history. It just couldn’t be anypony else!

“Thou have the look of excitement across your features. Tell me, my dear. To what thought do you withhold your enthusiasm?”

“Oh! Uh well, I was just wondering. Did you by any chance know any other important spells?” Twilight said with an eager smile, trying her best to contain herself.

“Hoho, of course my dear! I know many spells from my day. In fact, it was I who pioneered the spells to control celestial bodies with more ease than the old ages. And yet….” Father Admiration’s jolly expression faltered to a more frustrated one. “I was not properly credited for it. The spell is more known among the Equestrian monarchy nowadays. I would not fuss over it were it not for the attention it brings. Moving the sun by oneself is not a mundane event.”

“You mean…. Celestia stole your spell? Well, I wouldn’t put it past her.”

“Not stole per se, more so recreated. Whether or not she thinks about this escapes me. Still, I’ve learned to swallow my discontent. Nothing good comes from jealousy. Although….” Father Admiration placed his hoof on Twilight’s horn as if examining it. “If I were to teach you the spell, perhaps you could pass it on to another or two. I will assume you plan on cleaning up Equestria, am I wrong? I know you will use the many spells I teach you in good will.”

In the crowded halls of government quarter of Canterlot Castle nopony paid any mind to just another passing unicorn. The once calm and collected section was overflowing with life ever since the Dominion was reestablished, since when you hire a bureaucrat, they will certainly bring a dozen more to aid them.

Fancy Pants wieved his path through the various secretaries, messengers and other support staff, paying close attention to every move as to avoid any collisions. He wouldn’t see it as too big of a problem if some of the ponies didn’t balance steaming mugs of coffee on their backs rather precariously.

Not caring about the offices of various Dominion members, he turned to a much quieter corridor decorated with white banners with symbol of the sun. Hardly anypony moved this way, at least at this point of day.

“How far did it go,” Fancy Pants mused as he reached high oaken double door with the same symbol as the banners. He knocked and entered without waiting, knowing the layout well.

“Hello and welcome to the seat of her highness Princess Celestia. She is busy at the moment, but I can easily schedule your request to the nearest court session,” Raven recited from behind a table by the window, not lifting her eyes from the paperwork.

Fancy Pants chuckled at how trained Celestia’s trusted assistant had become in her years of service, remembering her as a trembling bundle of nerves scared of messing up some random task all those years ago.

“I believe that won’t be necessary, Raven. I have a private audience scheduled and princess should be expecting me.”

Raven lifted her face from her work abruptly and gazed across the room in surprise. “Sir Fancy Pants! Oh of course! How could I forget that.” She rummaged through her papers and pulled out a notebook with the timetable of the day. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize it was you right away. As if that many ponies came by these days…”

“Is it that forlorn nowadays? The whole government section seems bustling with life,” Fancy Pants said as he walked to the table.

“You have no idea, sir Fancy Pants. The Dominion and their lockeys are content on their own and rarely come by unless they need a raise of funds or propose a law. The first option much more often than the second one.”

“At least you don’t have to deal with them too often. I am forced to meet them on daily basis.” They shared a chuckle and the mood of the room brightened a bit. “By the way, I told you many times to drop that sir.”

“I know, It is just that you cared about me almost like a father when I was beginning here. Old habits die hard.” She put the notebook away and placed her work in a orderly stack. Then she looked at Fancy Pants apologetically. “I’m afraid I wasn’t joking about princess being busy. Princess Luna dropped by unannounced and has been in for an hour now.”

“Don’t worry about it, Raven. I can easily wait. I don’t really have anything more important to attend to at the moment.”

“In that case, would you care for some tea or coffee? I was just about to boil some water anyway.” Raven jumped up from her seat and trotted toward another table by the wall where a kettle rested along with few cups.

“A tea, be so kind. One sugar and some milk please.”

Raven served him the requested beverage and sat down to her original place. “I am sorry, but I have a lot to deal with here. Would you find it too rude if I worked in your presence?”

“Not at all. I would hate to keep you from your duties. Would you like some assistance though?”

“You are kind, but no thanks. It’s just routine and I have my system.”

They settled down in a comfortable silence, occasionally sipping on their tea, waiting patiently for the royal sisters finishing their debated. They were notified of that by a stomping on the other side of the door right before it flew open, seething Luna walking out. Both Fancy Pants and Raven gave a slight nod to her as the door slammed shut again.

“Good morning, Princess Luna. How are you this fine morning?” Fancy Pants asked with a genuine smile upon seeing her.

“As good as it can get when dealing with my sister. Did she stop using her head before I returned, or is it a new quirk?”

“Our beloved sun is not very receptive today I take it?”

Luna scoffed and flapped her wings in agitation. “If only. Our beloved sun seems eclipsed and not by moon this time. Not just today either, dear Fancy Pants. If you are about to see her, prepare to have your mood ruined.”

“I am well prepared, thank you for the warning.” They exchanged another bow and headed to their respective doors, Luna out and Fancy Pants in. “As if I didn’t notice her eclipse,” he muttered before he knocked, this time waiting for being allowed in.

The handle glowed in golden aura and the door flew open again. “What?! I thought you were done yelling at me for today!”

Fancy Pants shrugged, not allowing the volume or the sharpness of the remark to break his mental balance, and stepped inside, closing the door gently with his own magic. “I certainly didn’t come to yell at you, your highness.”

Celestia dropped her ire in an instant, plastering a fake welcoming smile on her face instead. “Fancy Pants! What a pleasant change. Come in, take a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you. Raven already provided me with some excellent tea.” He took the indicated place at the other side of table from Celestia and made himself comfortable. Celestia bit her lip, realizing she drifted off schedule.

“Please excuse the delay. Luna gets these fits from time to time. Wish she understood the situation better. This way I only exchanged one hound for another.”

“She looked very upset when she was leaving,” Fancy Pants pointed out, reading Celestia’s expression carefully.

“She was. It is not the first time, we have been repeating this about once a week as of late. No need to get concerned, I assure you. She will come by tomorrow.” Celestia summoned a cup of coffee for herself and put tremendous amount of sugar inside. “Now then, what can I do for you, dear Fancy Pants?”

“You may not like the topic, but I came to discuss the Dominion with you.” As expected, Celestia dropped her smile.

“Et tu? I thought you didn’t care for the organization. Besides, it seems to fulfill my expectations completely. The nobles are playing with their new positions and allowing me to rule in peace.”

“I don’t care for the Dominion at all. You know well that I have never been powerhungry. But the rest of the citizens doesn’t share my opinion. They feel threatened.”

Celestia leaned forward with intrigue. “Pray tell, what are they feeling threatened by? The Dominion holds very little political power and with how they are bickering among themselves and what machinery of bureaucrats they built, they can’t use even that snippet.”

“Does the public know that?” Fancy pants put his elbows on the table and placed his chin on his forehooves. “Apart from the growing apparatus, that is. It is another problem actually, since it is fully funded by the crown.”

“I would expect the ponies rejoicing about new workplaces in these trying times. Those positions pay well as far as I am aware.”

“They would be, if they could get employed in those positions!” Fancy Pants raised his voice a little, his agitation growing every second. “Your highness, have you seen the composition of the Dominion employees? They are all unicorns! Such blatant discrimination only angers the public further.”

“Watch your temper, Fancy Pants. You are close friend, but even you should respect etiquette! Besides, the interviews are handled by employees of the crown, not by Dominion. Rest assured no discrimination takes place in this castle.”

“Because etiquette is the greatest problem at the moment,” he muttered, not daring to insult the princess so directly. Instead, he straightened and regained his composure fully. “Have you checked the lower levels? The required qualification? Schools? Other conditions?” That made Celestia pause, but Fancy Pants was not done yet. “Even if everything was done exactly by the book, it wouldn’t change how other races view the situation. Unicorns-”

“Nobles,” Celestia stepped into his speech, but he raised a hoof to stop her protest.

“Let’s be frank to each other, shall we? Unicorns received a privileged position while others didn’t. They are also making it known in every corner of the land, acting like they own the place. How long do you think the other races will tolerate such insolent behavior?”

“So what do you want me to do, Fancy Pants? Fire all the employees? Disband the Dominion? I can’t change my decision at the slightest hint of somepony being discontented. The laws aren’t theater posters to change every month.” Celestia was losing her patience. First Luna criticized her way of governing, now Fancy Pants tried the same. But did they rule the country for a thousand years on their own? No. So what gave them the right to judge her actions?

“It’s too late for that, your highness. If you want to keep peace and restore balance among your subjects, you have to grant them the same power unicorns received.” Fancy Pants decided to ignore the anger showing on Celestia’s face. He didn’t need the royal favor. All he needed was a just royal above him. “Form another similar councils for other races, or if you insist, then other classes!”

“But that’s where you are wrong, Fancy Pants!” Celestia exclaimed triumphantly, seizing one victory she could. “I didn’t form any councils. The Dominion existed before, I just assembled it again. If I created new ones, unicorns would only demand more power and soon the crown would lose its position whatsoever.”

“So you are just going to sit and watch them roaming around with their noses up in the clouds?” Fancy Pants countered, not hiding his emotions anymore.

“It would seem so. And once again I ask you to watch your temper or leave. I will not tolerate this.”

To her surprise Fancy Pants got up from the seat and bowed curtly. “Very well, your highness.” He spit the last word with such contempt that Celestia recoiled. She had known Fancy Pants for a long time and seeing him in such aggravated state didn’t match her experience at all. “Do as you wish, but mark my words that this decision will come to haunt you.”

“Maybe,” Celestia called after the retreating stallion, “maybe not. If it happens, I will deal with it. It won’t be the first time I put the nobles to their place.”

“What about putting the whole nation to their place, princess?” Fancy Pants called back, not afraid to express himself now that his demand was rejected anyway. “Don’t expect to see me at the Gala again. Maybe if Twilight Velvet were still your advisor, your eyes wouldn’t be blind.”

Once he was gone, Celestia alone rose from her seat and walked to the door. Raven looked slightly shaken, probably having overheard the conversation, or at least the shouted part.

“Cancel all remaining meetings, Raven. I have had enough of demanding smart-talking ponies for one day already.”

“There you are, Rarity!” Fluttershy exclaimed, although her gentle voice was still barely audible over the commotion of the train station. She took off and glided over the heads of the crowd, rather than trying to sneak among them. She landed gracefully few yards from Rarity and galloped the rest of the way, throwing her hooves around her friend’s neck immediately. “I was afraid I wouldn’t find you.”

“That’s exactly why I chose, or rather, created this hut, darling,” Rarity said returning the hug with one hoof and pointing to her extravagant headgear with the other. The pink and yellow contraption with multicolored butterflies and flowers certainly couldn’t be missed by anypony.

“I saw it right away when I disembarked. It’s really pretty, Rarity. It kind of reminds me of… oh my!” Fluttershy blushed as she realized the similarity.

“Didn’t I tell you that I find your colors wonderful? I meant it, darling” They stepped apart and Rarity scrutinized her friend carefully. “Hm, let’s take a look at you. As beautiful as ever. How are you doing it?”

“Uhm… I don’t know… It just comes naturally, I guess,” Fluttershy crouched a little, getting a bit anxious from the attention and praise, although she was happy about it at the same time. Rarity spotted her friend’s beginning distress and decided to drop the topic. It would certainly come up later.

“Now, where is your luggage, darling?” she asked, looking around.

“Um, still in the cart, I wanted to find you first.” Fluttershy breathed out deeply in relief that the attention shifted from her for a moment and pointed to the back of the train.

“Let’s retrieve them then and find some gentlecolt to deliver them to my apartment!” Rarity said happily and started making her way through the crowd with such ease as if the platform was empty. Fluttershy quickly began losing on her and opted to fly once again to catch up. She landed next to Rarity just as she was gathering the last of Fluttershy’s suitcases marked with pink butterflies.

“We could carry them alone, Rarity. They aren’t heavy at all,” she pointed out and picked one up with her mouth to demonstrate. Rarity simply shook her head and took the suitcase from her with her magic.

“True, but carrying them around the city and into spa would get annoying quickly.” She waved at nearby standing bellhop and gave him a card with her address along with a generous amount of bits. Seeing the payment, the stallion saluted, gathered all the luggage in haste and started away promptly.

“Um, Rarity? Didn’t you say you would show me your apartment?” Fluttershy asked in confusion. The situation left her control sooner than she could get any and she was only slowly coming to terms with it.

“Of course I will, darling. But after such long journey you must be sore. Those trains are horribly uncomfortable, nothing like the carriages!” Rarity waved toward the train with disgust, as if pushing it away from herself. “So I reserved us an appointment in my favourite spa. I am sure you will love it. Come, it’s not too far.”

They set off to their journey and Fluttershy was taking in everything surrounding them with wide eyes. Even though she had visited Canterlot several times already, the sights took her breath again every time. Not to mention that the grandiosity and stylishness of both the city and its inhabitants seemed to have grown immensely since her last visit.

Though as her eyes drifted across the ponies, she couldn’t but notice something strange. They barely smiled, even less so when their looks met with Fluttershy’s. At such occasion they almost scowled and quickly turned away. Baffled a unnerved by such behavior Fluttershy caught up to Rarity and tapped her lightly with her wing.

“Um, Rarity? I am sorry, but why is everypony frowning at me like this? Did I do something wrong?” she asked meekly, looking down as to not draw more attention to herself.

Rarity’s mood dropped a few notches at the question and she made sure she walked directly next to her friend as she explained. “So you noticed that detail? I hoped you wouldn’t, but with somepony so keen on tiny things…” She pressed herself against Fluttershy for a second reassuringly and gave her a sad smile. “There is nothing wrong with you, darling. Rather with them. Canterlot is no longer very welcoming to tourists. Just keep closer, so they know you are with me, and everything will be alright.”

Indeed, the dirty glances stopped and the rest of the journey transpired without a hitch. When the spa came to sight, Rarity stopped and turned to Fluttershy. “Darling, just one thing. I don’t expect any trouble, but if a problem occurs, let me solve it, alright?”

The quarry didn’t make Fluttershy any less tensed, but she nodded and followed Rarity, even more closely than before. She stepped over the threshold of the opulent building of white marble with high columns in front of the entrance with a lot of trepidation, but to her surprise nopony showed any signs of hostility as they walked toward the counter.

“Welcome to Aurelia Spa! How can we serve you today?” a cheerful unicorn mare behind the counter chirped, flipping a big book open.

“Hello there, darling. There should be a treatment booked on the name Rarity.”

The receptionist perused the data in her book and soon returned to them with unfaltering smile. Rarity wondered if it didn’t become a convulsion rather than an expression by this point. “Of course. Miss Rarity, full spa and massage treatment for two. Do you want to start immediately, or will you wait for your guest? Oh and your maid can wait in the lounge if you so please.”

Both Rarity and Fluttershy froze, the pegasus trembling slightly. Rarity cleared her throat and turned fully to the receptionist, still keeping her face in check. “I believe you are mistaken. Dear Fluttershy is by no means my maid. Au contraire, she is my guest to the treatment. Therefore, we wish to start immediately.”

The receptionist dropped her pretense of pleasantness and closed the book sharply. “In that case, we might have a problem here. Our rules don’t allow servicing those like her.”

“What a nonsense are you saying!” Rarity mirrored the shift and allowed some venom to her voice. “I booked a treatment for two and it is only on me who I wish to bring!”

At this point, all ponies turned their attention to the exchange at the counter. The receptionist backed a little, intimidated by the ire of a noble unicorn in front of her, but she wouldn’t give up. “I am afraid that’s not how our establishment works, Miss! We specialize in servicing unicorn clientele. Either follow our rules, or I will have to ask you to leave!”

Rarity inhaled sharply and glared at the receptionist with fervor, making her shrink further. “Are you throwing me out?! Do you have any idea who you are talking to?” she said raising her voice above speaking volume.

“Rarity!” an exclamation came from the right and a golden furred unicorn mare trotted into the entrance hall from her office. “I haven’t seen you in ages, darling! Tell me how have you been? And what made you so upset? It’s not good for complexion.”

Rarity immediately perked up, entirely ignoring the receptionist who sensed what a blunder she may have caused and did her best to hide behind the counter, and trotted past the completely frightened and not comprehending Fluttershy to greet the incoming mare.

“Aurelia, it’s really been so long!” she exclaimed enthusiastically as they embraced and kissed the air around their ears. “It is just horrible how the work keeps us from socializing, wouldn’t you say?” Confident in her position now that she had a pony of equal standing to deal with, Rarity adopted a distraught expression. “But the personnel you hire! What an uncouth behavior! Would you believe that…thing dared to call my dear friend a maid and suggested that your establishment wouldn’t service her!” She sneaked a little smirk on her face and went for her final trump. “Just imagine how damaging that could be for the reputation!”

Aurelia paled a little, understanding fully how influential mare she was talking to, and trotted briskly to the counter. “Is it true? Did you try to bar Miss Rarity’s friend from our establishment?” she scolded and leaned over the counter.

The now entirely scared receptionist trembled uncontrollably, fearing loss of employment, but her honor wouldn’t let her run from a fight when she was in the right. “But the rules-” she attempted, but was loudly interrupted.

“-don’t apply to our premium guests! If you can’t recognize who is standing in front of you, you are completely worthless as a receptionist! Why, I should fire you on the spot!”

Fluttershy snapped from her shock at hearing such threat. Even though that unicorn treated her poorly and insulted her, she wouldn’t want misfortune to fall on somepony because of her. She simply had to fight for her. “Um, excuse me, l-lady Aurelia. I don’t think that will be necessary. She just tried to do her job. No harm was done after all…” She threw a pleading look at Rarity, who took the hint immediately.

“Really, Aurelia. Everypony can make a mistake. A warning should be enough, don’t you think? There is no need to be cruel.”

Aurelia glanced at her doubtfully, but seeing her reputation was saved anyway, opted for lenience. “Very well. You are lucky that Miss Rarity and Miss…”

“Um, Fluttershy.”

“...and Miss Fluttershy are so forgiving. Let this slip never happen again and usher our guest to their treatment pronto!” She smiled widely at Rarity and Fluttershy and gestured them to the other door of the room. “I believe everything will be to your liking from this point. We really should meet soon, Rarity. Until then, ta ta!”

The receptionist led them to the changing room where they received bathing robes of the softest cashmere and then to the area with herbal baths. “I am really sorry, Miss Rarity. I don’t have anything against other races. It’s just that the rules really state that policy and if I allowed you to enter right away, I would get fired!” she explained with a pleading look in her eyes. “Please don’t think of me as some monster. I hate this!”

“I expected so much, darling. Don’t worry about it, we do what we have to. And seeing that Fluttershy stood up for you, I would say she forgave you already. Is that right, darling?” Fluttershy nodded happily and the receptionist paid her back with relieved smile.

“Thank you. I should get back to the counter, so lady Aurelia isn’t too angry at me.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN’T IN?! A BUCKING PEGASUS JUST ENTERED!” a sudden shout came from the entrance hall.

“Or maybe I will wait a little bit longer.” She sat down by the door and waited for the situation to calm down.

“Is this a common occurrence, darling?” Rarity asked, slowly submerging in the herbal bath until only her head remained above the surface.

“SO BECAUSE SHE WAS WITH A UNICORN, RULES DON’T APPLY? BUCK THAT!”

“More than you would think,” the receptionist said with a sigh. “It is getting worse every day too. Both from the unicorns and from the other races.”

“Um, I don’t think racism has appeared in Ponyville. Ponies are still kind to each other,” Fluttershy offered, enjoying the soothing warmth of the water and the scent of herbs.

“YOU KNOW WHAT? IF YOU ARE SO MUCH BETTER, YOU CAN EAT YOUR BUCKING MAGIC! NO UNICORN WILL GET ANY PRODUCE SOLD BY MY COMPANY!”

“Then I certainly envy you, Fluttershy. Canterlot has been nothing but racism recently.”

Stepping out from Zecora’s house in the mid afternoon, Apple Bloom started her trek through a predetermined route across the Everfree Forest. Several weeks earlier after many visits to Zecora, Apple Bloom surprised herself when her zebra friend requested help with making a few potions. In the midst of it all Apple Bloom realized she had a knack for alchemy and upon aiding Zecora with a particular potion, she had earned her cutie mark: a silver apple with the symbol for Mercury. Since then, Zecora started mentoring her on different ways to use her newfound talent, as well as ways to safely traverse the Everfree Forest for materials.

Armed with the knowledge, Apple Bloom had no trouble going back and forth between the town and the forest, as she was doing now. Her saddlebags carried a new type of potion she was experimenting with, but didn’t feel safe testing in the dense forest, so she instead opted for a more open area just outside Ponyville. However, when she found a decently sized field in which to work, she discovered she had overlooked something on her checklist.

“Whoops, Ah forgot the seeds,” the yellow earth pony said with a facehoof. “Guess Ah gotta put mah project on hold for a bit.”

Apple Bloom continued into Ponyville market, making a mental note of where the field was as she entered, and thought of the kind of seeds she would need. She could’ve gone back to her home in Sweet Apple Acres and simply borrowed some seeds there, but she didn’t know how potent the potion would be and how many seeds she would burn through, so she didn’t really want to risk a shortage in her family’s business. Plus the market was much closer and therefore it was much quicker than running to home and back.

“Let’s see. I guess it really doesn’t matter what kind of seeds I use, but Zecora says it doesn’t hurt to experiment so maybe I can try some different kinds.” She eventually settled on three packets of seeds consisting of carrot, corn, and tomato. She handed the clerk the bits needed for each packet and placed them in her saddlebag right next to the bottle so she could find them easier. As she stepped away from the vendor, she bumped right into Sweetie Belle, who herself wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking, knocking both of them off their hooves.

“Ah! Sorry Sweetie Belle, didn’t mean to do that,” Apple Bloom said as she stood up and helped Sweetie to her feet.

“Don’t worry, I should’ve watched out myself. I was just looking for Scootaloo, she was supposed to meet me here earlier, but I can’t find her anywhere.”

“What are ya’ll doin’ here anyway?”

“Scootaloo wanted to get some new wheels for her scooter and I’m picking up some stuff for a cake I'm making.”

A cake? Ah pity the poor pony who has to eat that… Apple Bloom thought with a small wince before quickly transforming it into a smile. “Well, Ah just pick up somethin’ for mah latest potion.”

“Oooh, what it is?” Sweetie Belle said eagerly.

“Just a growth potion. Ah’m tryin’ ta’ see if Ah can make somethin’ that could help out with the family business. If Ah can make somethin’ that accelerates the growth of the apples, think of how much time and money we could save. I haven’t tested it though, so I’m gonna use these seeds first.”

“There you are!” a voice called out from a few feet away as Scootaloo trotted towards them. “I’ve been looking all over for you Sweetie Belle.”

“Well, I was looking for you.”

Scootaloo grunted in frustration and facehoofed. “I SAID to wait for me down by the cherry stand.”

“...Oh.” Sweetie blushed in embarrassment with a sheepish smile.

“Ugh, don’t worry about it. We’re here now, it’s not a big deal. By the way, hi Apple Bloom.”

“Hi. Did you find those those scooter wheels yet?”

“Wha? Oh, no I was looking for Sweetie Belle.”

“Well, Ah got a lot of time. How bout’ we walk round and catch up a bit? I haven’t seen you guys in awhile.”

The three fillies giggled and spent over an hour catching up and talking about their days. Scootaloo had earned her cutie mark a month earlier relating to athletic ability. The mark itself was a wheel with wings on it’s axel. She had also been taking flight lesson from Rainbow Dash and Soarin’ on the weekends and was improving as she could at least keep herself off the ground at low altitude. Sweetie Belle was the only one among them that did not have a cutie mark yet but that didn’t keep her from being involved with her close friends. With her older sister in Canterlot, she was living with her parents permanently and spent her free time pursuing a myriad of interests and hobbies. While she still liked to sing and often did whenever she worked, Sweetie Belle had taken up debate team discussing the issues that were surfacing in Equestria and her peers, Cheerilee especially, found her to be quite persuasive and would often bring up things that nopony else even thought about. Not only that, but she found herself enjoying this hobby quite a bit.

Alas, the cheerful stroll through town didn’t last. As they took a detour through the middle of town, they passed by a small outdoor restaurant where two certain fillies were conversing and drinking milkshakes.

“Well, well, well. Look who it is,” Diamond Tiara called out stopping the three friends in their tracks, each sporting an annoyed expression.

“Oh, great. Them again,” Apple Bloom mumbled to herself before letting out a sigh. “What do you want?”

“Oh nothing, I just wanted to ask little Sweetie Belle something.” From the way Diamond Tiara said that sentence, a cold feeling grew in Sweetie’s stomach. “Tell me, what’s it like being a blank flank AND a unicorn?” Diamond Tiara said using the word ‘unicorn’ as an insult.

“Wha-what?” Sweetie Belle ask with a quiver in her voice.

“Didn’t you hear? Unicorns aren’t very popular these days with the new law passed.”

Silver Spoon threw her friend a look of suspicious, though she didn’t notice. Where is she going with this?

“It must be a shame belonging to such a hated race. I mean, I can’t imagine your sister is doing anything to help that.”

Silver Spoon’s look of suspicion was now a look of disgust. She was about to call Diamond out on her behavior when Apple Bloom did it herself.

“You know what Diamond Tiara? Ah think ya outta rethink yer strategy. Ah ain’t gonna lie, Ah know Equestria’s got some issues brewin’ in it, but in case ya haven’t noticed, Sweetie Belle’s got friends of all races. One of these days, Ah hope you’ll learn how immature yer bein’ cuz ya really don’t have any skills sides’ bein’ a grade A rat.”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo stepped forward. “Trust me when I say this: No matter what you say, Sweetie Belle is better than you by a long shot. She has skills that are useful. She may not have her cutie mark yet, but she can do something. What does your mark mean anyway?”

Sweetie Belle smiled that her friends were sticking up for her which gave her the courage to stand her own ground. “Race has nothing to do with it, Diamond Tiara. You just sit around all day, showing off the mark on your big fat flank like it’s some kind of trophy. We actually get out and do things, pursuing hobbies, interests, and things that might be useful for the future. You ask me what it’s like to be a hated race? Let me ask you something: what have you done recently that others didn’t hate you for?”

Without waiting for an answer, Sweetie Belle trotted off triumphantly knowing Diamond Tiara would not be able to give a valid answer. A split second later, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo followed suit, leaving the two earth fillies behind, one dumbfounded and the other disappointed.

“She’s right, you know,” Silver Spoon flatly said, getting Diamond’s attention. “What exactly have you done recently besides trying to find ways to make them look bad?”

Diamond Tiara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was her best friend seriously siding with those girls? Wasn’t she supposed to stick up for her? She was unable to think of an appropriate response, so she answered the only way her pride knew how.

“Pfft! What does it matter? They only left because she didn’t want to be embarrassed by me. It doesn’t change the fact that she’s a unicorn without a cutie mark.”

Suddenly, Silver Spoon stomped her hooves on the table, knocking down the milkshakes and making a noise that caught the attention of the other patrons who were dining at the other tables nearby. “You know what, Diamond Tiara? Maybe you SHOULD rethink your strategy, your attitude also. It’s one thing to mock others for not having a cutie mark, but adding racism to the mix is going TOO far! Or did you forget that my MOTHER is a unicorn who is struggling recently because of the BUCKING stigma towards them? If you want my honest opinion, those girls are FAR more mature than you are right now. Do you know why? Because THEY didn’t let your insults get to them and even stood taller.”

Silver Spoon stormed away from the collection of tables from which the duo were dining. Diamond Tiara stood there for a second before running after her. “Wait! Where are you going?”

“Home! I’ve had it up to here with you today. First you push a UNICORN filly, in the mud and THEN you harass Sweetie Belle like this. I just!....” Silver sighed before throwing a dirty look towards her friend. “Look, I like you and all, but you have to adjust your attitude or you’ll end up being alone and hateful. What would your dad, an honorable businesspony, say if he saw you turning into this… this racist pig? You love him, right?”

Diamond Tiara gazed down at the ground, too conflicted to look into Silver’s eyes.

“I need some time to cool off and you need some time to think. If you’re ready to talk, come find me later, okay?”

Silver Spoon turned around and left for home and after a couple seconds, Diamond Tiara did the same thing. All through her trip home, Diamond Tiara’s brain replayed everything that had just happened against her will. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t piece together why her best, and so far only, friend would act this way. Since the Dominion laws passed, she’d noticed gradual changes in Silver Spoon’s behavior. Whereas Silver Spoon almost always agreed with her and went along with her shenanigans, she was becoming increasingly agitated whenever Diamond Tiara dissed the Cutie Mark Crusaders or talked about anything that had to do with nobility or money.

Surely it was something wrong with Silver Spoon, right? Silver’s family was just as rich as hers. Why would she ever want to concern herself with the “lower class”?

“Or did you forget that my MOTHER is a unicorn who is struggling recently because of the BUCKING stigma towards them?” That phrase just bugged her more than she ever thought it would. But why?

“General Blitzschlag has arrived, sir!” a young colt in the armor of Royal Guard announced from the door of fairly plain office inside the barracks. Apart from a table and few file cabinets by the walls the only furniture consisted of a weapon rack with several spears and a Royal Guard armor placed on the ground.

“Thank you, private. Allow him in,” a light green unicorn with golden mane called from behind his table. The guard nodded and left the room to fulfill the order. The unicorn shuffled restlessly, waiting for the other officer to enter. His arrival was signaled by the sharp sound of hooves hitting the stone ground in military rhythm.

“Captain Dart Chaser,” Blitzschlag said respectfully and saluted, promptly mirrored by Dart Chaser himself.

“If somepony told me few years ago that you would salute me one day, I would call them crazy. I’ll never get used to it, Blitz.”

“I share that sentiment, Chaser. Who would have guessed you would make it to captain of the Royal Guard,” Blitzschlag answered with a chuckle and shook hooves with the unicorn. “Though the name of that rank makes no sense at all.”

“Tell me about it. That’s what happens when civilians decide about military affairs!” They shared a short laugh, but both could feel how forced their merriment was. Dart Chaser gestured to the cushion by the table. “I didn’t call you to discuss names though. Take a seat, this shouldn’t be taken while standing.”

Blitzschlag took a seat, knowing from experience that his friend never joked about such matters. “So why did you send for me?”

“It’s happening, Blitzschlag. As we feared.”

“You mean…”

“Yes. They gathered on the Harmony Square and are now marching to the Castle,” Dart Chaser confirmed Blitzschlag’s fears. For quite some time the tension in Canterlot had been growing with each passing day. Unicorns were letting everypony know about their wealth and position and the others watched with growing disgust as the city turned hostile toward them. Everypony with a bit of common sense expected a clash sooner or later.

“Are they armed?” Blitzschlag asked with worry.

“Oh goodness no. They don’t even look like they want to cause any trouble at all, unless you count chanting bonmots. But that doesn’t really matter. The Dominion ordered the demonstration to be dispersed.”

“Damn those idiots! Don’t they see that it will make things only worse?” Blitzschlag stomped his hoof into the ground. “Little can be done though. Order is order, you have to do it. But that doesn’t explain why you wanted to talk to me.”

Dart Chaser sighed heavily and retrieved an envelope from the table. “Because it is you who will disperse them. The Dominion doesn’t want to just keep order. They want to turn this into a warning.”

“Wait wait wait! Demonstrations are under jurisdiction of Royal Guard, not the army. It is entirely your problem!”

“When a unit is stationed in Canterlot, it is under direct command of the captain of the Royal Guard, Blitzschlag. You know that,” Dart Chaser said with emphasis. “As an agency with seat in the Castle, the Dominion commands Royal Guard and they ordered all of us to protect the gate. You are the only other unit in the city at the moment.”

“You can’t be serious, Chaser!” Blitzschlag exclaimed as he jumped from his cushion. “Do you realize what you are doing? You are sending army against unarmed peaceful civilians! Are you completely crazy?!”

“Do you think I like doing this? Those bastards simply come and force their will on us. I can’t say no on my own and I can’t contact Celestia as she barely holds court anymore and doesn’t allow private audiences. If I refuse, I’m fired!”

“Then you should take that as a stallion and refuse!

“I have family, Blitzschlag. I can’t afford to lose the income. Besides, if you are so clever, why don’t you rebel yourself, huh?”

“I definitely will, Chaser,” Blitzschlag stated quietly, sitting down after his outburst. “I am not leading soldiers against innocent ponies. No matter the cost.”

Dart Chaser nodded forlornly and lifted the envelope. “I was afraid you would say that. Do you realize what it means though? They will discharge you immediately.”

“They won’t. I will go quit on my own right now.”

“Don’t do it, Blitz. You won’t achieve anything,” Dart Chaser warned with concern. “I will have to order one of your subordinates and they will follow through with it.”

Blitzschlag got up and straightened the cushion on which he sat. “It is not about achieving change. I couldn’t live with myself, Chaser. When nothing is left, we have to keep our honor.” He reached across the table and offered Dart Chaser a hoof to shook, which the unicorn quickly accepted. “All the best, Chaser. Try to stay true to yourself.”

“I will, Blitz,” he said as he saluted Blitzschlag sharply. “I hope to see you around though to keep me in line.”

“Don’t count on that, Chaser. I am pretty fed up with this city. Cloudsdale feels more like home.” He turned and began walking to the door. “Funny thing,” he said with a chuckle as he reached for the handle, “I disowned my own daughter to keep appearances in front of those jerks. With all her recklessness she is still a thousand times better than them. Do you know why? Because she at least did her dirty job on her own.”

“...and with strengthening the northern section we managed to push the demonstrants away from the gate and disperse the gathering altogether soon after.”

“Thank you, general Honor Eclipse, the Dominion is gracious for your actions while defending our safety and the safety of the Castle,” Dazzle Citrine clad in luxurious coat of purple satin and gold said, stressing out the rank of the soldier standing in front of the gathered Dominion members. “Did the demonstrants try to resist the acts meant to maintain public order?”

“Yes, sir. A portion of them used impromptu weapons to try and harm the soldiers.” He outstretched one of his rosy wings, now dressed in bandages. “I alone bear marks of their violent action. Five of the soldiers were moved to the infirmary with mostly light wounds.”

An agitated murmur filled the room, signaling the distaste shared by those present. Dazzle Citrine allowed them a while to relieve their emotions, before he stomped a few times to gain their attention again.

“Their pain will be properly compensated and their actions awarded a bravery medal. Thank you for your time, general, you may now return to your unit.” An applause sounded through the room as the wounded pegasus was leaving. Once he was gone, Citrine turned his attention to the most important pony in the room.

“As you can see, your highness, a dangerous mob formed today in the heart of your kingdom and if it weren’t for the brave actions of our soldiers,” he waved his hoof, encompassing the unicorns around, “and the vigilance of the Dominion, they might have broken into the Castle proper. They also proved that violence was not far from their heart.”

“By no means do I want to lessen the accomplishments of the Dominion or the army, but what proof do you have that the demonstrants actually meant any harm?” Celestia asked doubtfully, though a certain shock was apparent on her. “Their actions are fairly troubling and I am glad that you managed to prevent further damage, but couldn’t it be that the actions provoked them in the first place?”

“Even if they did, your highness, what does it say about them? They were given chance to leave peacefully and didn’t use it. We may have been lucky once, but where is any guarantee that such mob won’t form again, malicious from the start? Wide freedom toward your subject is certainly commendable and useful during the times of peace and contentment, but unbridled emotions may lead to a catastrophe.”

“A nationwide limitation of freedoms surely can’t be an answer to a random incident, Dazzle Citrine!”

“We are afraid that a random accident will turn into a nationwide threat, your highness!” Dazzle exclaimed theatrically and gestured over the full room. “If such mobs are allowed to roam free, we won’t be able to continue our trade. We have to keep in mind the safety of our employees.”

Celestia bowed her head in defeat. She couldn’t afford the nobles stopping supplying Equestria or the mobs would form everywhere for real. She took a deep breath and prepared to declare one of the most painful constitutions she ever passed.

“In that case, I have to agree, dear Dazzle Citrine. For too long have we been lenient. Since our subjects can’t tell good reasons from bad ones, the crown will from now on decide if a gathering is benign. This will apply to any group of ponies bigger than ten. The applications are to be passed to the daycourt supervisors.” The scribes immediately created several copies of the constitution. Sensing an advantage, Citrine decided to press on.

“It is also unlikely they gathered without an organizer. Various newspapers have been posting critique of the Dominion and spreading hatred among the ponies. In my humble opinion, such act equals the violence against the crown itself!” A roar of applause followed, his peers catching on what he intended already.

Celestia inhaled sharply, but noting Dazzle’s warning glare she chose against protesting. Few years ago she would hold a speech about the importance of freedoms. Few years ago, nopony would dare to even propose such outrageous idea. Equestria had changed. So instead preaching she nodded. “When hatred overtakes the hearts of ponies, our whole land it condemned to doom. From now on the newspaper articles are to be presented to the representatives of the crown for approval.” Door slammed loudly on the gallery, but the noise was drowned in another wave of thunderous applause.

“Now as the matter is settled, I thank you all for attending and bid you a pleasant day,” Celestia said as they calmed down. “We still have many royal affairs to attend to. We hope you will maintain your excellent work. We consider the Dominion very helpful in these trying times.” As she was leaving the room, Citrine was taking deep theatrical bows to all sides to the great amusement of the other Dominion members. They signalled clapping their hooves or waved them above their heads victoriously, but didn’t make a single sound until Celestia safely left the room.

She strolled the corridors of the government quarters, moving slowly and regaly to spread the image of royal greatness. Surprisingly, only a few ponies noticed her. They were too busy running around with the Dominion agenda to care about bystanders. She didn’t pay it much mind, being used to such situation for months at that point. Soon she arrived to the door of her office and went in, passing Raven without a word. As she sat down to her armchair and relaxed a bit, she closed her eyes and rubbed them with her hooves.

Suddenly a flash of blue light pierced through her eyelids and as she blinked furiously to regain sight a familiar voice came from her right.

“A commendable effort, although vain.”

“Luna,” Celestia sighed with relief that she wasn’t bothered by less sufferable pony. “How many times have I told you not to teleport in here?” she scolded in an amused manner, but Luna refused to share her merriment.

“Great many times, Tia. Do you have a minute?”

“That depends. What do you want to talk about?”

“The laws passed during today’s meeting of the Dominion, of course.” Luna didn’t wait for invitation and sat down by Celestia’s table.

“Couldn’t it wait?” Celestia sighed tiredly. “And how do you know about them? You weren’t present.”

“It is of utmost importance for Equestria. As for my presence, I was denied entry to the room, so I teleported to the gallery.” Luna crossed her forehooves and glared at her sister from her position in the other armchair in the room.

“I’m sure the capacity was simply filled when you arrived, Lulu. There is no reason to be upset.”

“I am your sister and co-ruler of this land, Tia! How can they bar me from attending such important meeting? Besides, I saw very well just how much space was left.”

“The guard by the door probably misjudged the situation. I will look into it that they are properly punished, ok?” Celestia offered, hoping to brush the unpleasant moment away quickly.

“I bet they had direct orders. But this is the least of the problems here, Tia. You passed some very important laws without consulting me.”

“Look, Luna. We talked about this already and I thought you understood that the laws are passed in the name of both of us.”

Luna smiled bitterly and leaned forward as if telling Celestia a great secret. “Oh no, sister. I am not angry about that this time and you won’t pin that crime of laws to my name!”

Celestia recoiled at the venom in Luna’s words. She had to defend her honor in that situation if she already lost so much before. “I am only trying to protect Equestria from more strife and suffering, Luna!”

“Do you really think that imposing censorship will maintain order in the land? Or that when ponies won’t be able to meet others, they won’t be discontent anymore?”

“If they can’t express themselves as civilized beings and attack Royal Guards, they have to be sheltered from themselves, Luna!” Celestia stated resolutely, slamming her hooves into the table. “We can’t allow them to bring harm to themselves or to others.”

“It wasn’t them who attacked!” Luna shouted and jumped up from her seat. “Not the Royal Guard, regular army marched into the streets and drew weapons against innocent ponies! Are you blind, or did the Dominion wash your brain?” She took several deep breaths to calm herself, Celestia too befuddled by the outburst to react. “I tried to stop them. They wouldn’t listen to me at all. Then they attacked…”

“I… was afraid it was so,” Celestia whispered, looking down on her hooves. “They are blackmailing me, Luna. If I don’t comply to their demands, they will starve the land and the violence will start for real.”

“They aren’t the only ones with funds, Tia. The crown can support ponies too. Just dissolve that damned Dominion and we can fix this mess without them.”

Luna’s urging bordering with pleading only caused Celestia more grief. “I can’t. That would mean abrogating a law without an apparent reason and the citizens would go into uproar. We have to find some other way.”

Luna got up from her place and walked to the window, gazing over Canterlot and further into the distance. Then she looked back at her sister. “You have to, Tia. I already did.” At the unspoken question she waved toward the cabinet filled with rolled parchments. “I should thank you for not mentioning me in the legislation. This way I am not bound by any official documents. Neither will be my subjects.”

“What your subjects are you talking about, Luna?” Celestia asked bewildered.

“Those who will choose my rule over yours once you publish today’s laws,” Luna said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I have been toying with that thought for some time now and today helped me decide. I will rule my own domain since I have no part in the rule here.”

“But Luna! What nonsense are you talking about? We were meant to rule Equestria together!” She couldn’t believe her ears. Why would Luna turn her back on her? She was so befuddled that she couldn’t even form a coherent protest apart from her usual mantra.

“Yes, you told me that many times too. Though it never really applied, did it? So I got thinking. If we can’t rule one country together, we can maybe rule two countries on our own and still rule over Equestria together.” She chuckled, but her glare didn’t vanish. “In a sense.”

“But you don’t have enough experience to rule alone!”

“Maybe not, Tia, but you can’t say whether I am capable of ruling or not, right? There is no empirical evidence.” Luna looked dreamily to the ceiling. “I think they will like my rule. This time I will be kind to them, ruling for them. Not like thousand years ago…”

“Please stop being so snarky. We can talk about this idea of yours, ok? We will find some solution,” Celestia offered placatingly.

“There is little to talk about, Tia. I just wanted to inform you that plebiscites will be organized in the following weeks. This whole visit was more or less declaratory. I wish you luck with the Dominion and a good day too.” Luna charged her horn and teleported away. Celestia remained alone in the room again.

“Why does everypony think the worst of me?” she whispered and laid her head on her hooves. “Can’t they at least try to help me with all this? When did everypony become so… selfish?” She closed her eyes and tried to suppress tears. “I probably know how you felt Twilight. I am sorry.”

“Last time I checked, the clubhouse was down this way,” Silver Spoon said to nopony in particular as she pulled a small wagon with a single box. “I just hope they will give me a chance.”

It wasn’t too long ago that Silver Spoon discovered the clubhouse of the Cutie Mark Crusaders with Diamond Tiara when Babs Seed visited Ponyville. While she had some fun with her at the time, Silver Spoon now cringed at how she acted, especially in front of Apple Bloom’s cousin. First impressions are hard to break and she knew that neither she nor Diamond Tiara set a good example. I’m going to have to apologize to her too when I meet her again.

She approached the homestead of Sweet Apple Acres, Silver noticed a rather uneasy Applejack who seemed to be operating on autopilot as she loaded her own wagon filled with apple products, all baked and ready to sell. Applejack was so concentrated on her task that she nearly jumped when Silver Spoon spoke up from from behind her.

“Excuse me? Applejack?”

“Oh, uh… Howdy Silver Spoon. What brings you here?” Applejack said with a wary expression.

“Is Apple Bloom around? I need to talk to her if that’s okay.”

Applejack’s unease grew slightly. She was well aware that this was one of the fillies that tormented Apple Bloom about being a blank flank, along with Diamond Tiara, and she really didn’t feel like simply letting it happen. Although when she looked behind Silver Spoon, she raised an eyebrow at the cargo she was carrying. Nothing much, but enough to make her curious.

“Uh, about what exactly?”

“I uh… I want to make amends.”

“Pardon?”

“I know I haven’t treated your sister or her friends very well. I won’t deny that I’ve been well, a bully. But recently, I’ve started feeling the effects of everything that’s going on with Equestria, from the racism to the social stigma. My parents get enough of that already and when I think about what I’ve been doing, I just…. Well, I’m not proud of myself. All I’m asking is a chance to start over with Apple Bloom. Maybe if I can make amends with her and her friends, I can get Diamond Tiara to do the same thing.”

“Well…”

“And I’m well prepared if that doesn’t happen. Even if they don’t forgive me, I’ve already promised myself that I would stop picking on them. I’m also pretty sure Diamond Tiara will at least back down with nopony to stand with her.”

“Ah see. Well, Ah suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” Applejack’s unease somewhat transformed into a small smile as she pointed into the orchard. “Apple Bloom and her crusader friends are in the clubhouse in the orchard. Ah hope you can find it, it’s not too hard to miss.”

“Thank you Miss Applejack,” Silver Spoon said with a respectful bow. “Oh, and sorry for your loss.”

Applejack watched as Silver Spoon cantered into the orchard with her small wagon. She was hopeful the outcome would be favorable for both Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon. “She seems genuine with her intentions. Ah’ll just have ta hope for the best. Well, time to get back to work.”

It took Silver Spoon approximately seven minutes of weaving through trees and slipping on rotten apples that fell from said trees before she found the clubhouse. As she approached, she could already hear laughter and talking from the occupants of the clubhouse. Removing the wagon’s harness from her back, she took the box from her wagon with her teeth, carrying it by a ribbon attached. With the present clenched between her teeth, she carefully made her way up the wooden stairs. Once in front of the door, Silver Spoon took a deep breath and delivered three swift knocks.

The noise from the inside stopped and Silver Spoon heard the sound of hooves walking toward the door which soon opened to reveal Sweetie Belle.

“Hello there- Oh… Um, hi Silver Spoon,” Sweetie Belle said wearing an unsure expression. At the sound of Silver’s name, the other two fillies adopted similar expressions, Apple Bloom gaining a glare and Scootaloo looking like she was ready to go to war.

“Hi girls. May I talk to you for a little while? I brought you guys some treats.”

Sweetie Belle glanced back at her friends, unsure what to do. She figured it would be rude to deny a guest and let her in. With a small air of hostility still present in the air, Silver Spoon dragged herself and her present inside. Once in the center of the room, she unraveled the ribbon on the box and opened it to reveal a basket with an assortment of candy and pastries.

“I know it’s not much, but I thought you guys would like it.”

“Well, I guess we were getting a little hungry,” Sweetie Belle said attempting to pick one of the chocolate snacks. Before she touched them though, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom pulled her aside, practically yanking her into a corner.

“What’s the big idea Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle said in an angry whisper.

“Whaddaya mean ‘what’s the big idea’? That’s Silver Spoon over there!” Apple Bloom said in an equally angry whisper.

“Yeah, I don’t really think we can trust her,” Scootaloo added. “What if she poisoned those chocolates or put laxatives in them or something?”

Sweetie Belle and even Apple Bloom simply stare at Scootaloo with a deadpan expression.

“What? It could happen,” Scootaloo said defensively.

“Let’s just see where this goes,” Sweetie Belle said breaking off from the huddle.

The Crusaders stepped back to their guest and Sweetie Belle popped on of the chocolates into her mouth, her tastebuds savoring the milk chocolate goodness. The other two reluctantly followed her lead while still eyeing Silver Spoon suspiciously.

“Do you like them? I tried my best to give you a good selection,” Silver Spoon asked nervously.

“These are pretty good!” Sweetie responded.

“So what exactly did you want to talk about anyway?” Apple Bloom inquired as she bit into a cinnamon roll.

“About that. Well, I wanted to say sorry for everything. Those times Diamond Tiara and I bullied you. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I truly want to make amends for those times.”

The girls looked at each other with varying degrees of suspicion. Knowing the history between them and their nemeses, they weren’t sure they would be so willing to forgive.

“I would also like to apologize to Babs the next time I see her. Given what happened, she deserves that much at the very least.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yeah, what brought this up?” Scootaloo added.

“Technically, it wasn’t sudden. I’ve been trying to stop insulting or pick on you for awhile now. I dunno, with the stuff my mom and dad are going through, I’ve kind of started to distance myself from that side of me. I just wish Diamond Tiara did the same thing. Speaking of which, I hope she didn’t get to you too much with what she said last week.”

“Naw, it wasn’t that bad,” Sweetie said with her expression softening a little. “She was just trying to get on my nerves like usual. I could’ve ripped her a new one if I really wanted to, but we’re bigger than that. Right girls?”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo slowly nodded while munching on the treats their guest presented. Silver Spoon’s unease started to grow as she could sense little change in their mood.

“I also want to apologize for Diamond Tiara’s behavior, though she definitely needs to say it herself. She went too far with that comment.”

“What’s she doing now anyway?” Sweetie Belle said with curiosity.

“Knowing her, she’s is likely spending time with her dad like she’s been doing the whole week. We haven’t hung out since that outburst last week. We had a little fight about what she said because I took offense to it, since my mother is a unicorn. As long as I’ve known her, I never thought she would resort to racism.”

As she talked to them, she noticed that Sweetie Belle seemed to be opening up and she was grateful for the possibility of making at least one friend. The remaining ponies didn’t seem as open as they constantly wore glares which were each pointed at her. She honestly couldn’t say she blamed them, but such expressions were discouraging. In an uncomfortable setting such as this, she knew it was best to remove herself from the situation and let them think it out amongst themselves.

“Look, I’m going to go now. Maybe we can talk again some other time.”

“We’ll…. consider it,” Apple Bloom said as Silver Spoon got up and left the clubhouse.

The three fillies discreetly watched their visitor walk away with her wagon and as soon as they lost sight of her, Scootaloo spoke up first. “Geez, can you believe her? Trying to buy our friendship like that!”

“I don’t know, she seemed pretty serious about wanting to be friends,” Sweetie Belle countered.

“How can you be so sure, Sweetie Belle? Don’t you remember how much she tormented us with Diamond Tiara? How they called each of us blank flanks?”

“An’ don’t forget that time when mah cousin. Babs is still kickin’ herself over that.”

“And then there was the time they picked on me when tried out for carrying the Ponyville flag for the Equestria Games. Remember what they said to me about that? Ms. Harshwhinny will never pick a Pegasus pony who can't fly to represent Ponyville in front of all of Equestria,” Scootaloo mimicked in Silver Spoon’s voice.

“And yet, your flying is improving,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.

“That’s not the point! She kept picking on us along with Diamond Tiara and now Silver Spoon wants to be our friend. What if this is just some stupid setup for some stupid prank or something that will humiliate us again or possibly get us hurt?”

“You know what Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked firmly. “I’m willing to give her the benefit of a doubt. I don’t really know too much about her, but I noticed a week ago when Diamond Tiara said what she said that Silver Spoon hardly budged. She didn’t join in on her and I even saw her glare at Diamond. Maybe she hasn’t been the best pony in the past, but I can tell she didn’t take the racism thing lightly.”

“Then what about what she said to Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom said skeptically.

“That’s not really so much racism as much as it was picking on her hinderance. Also, that was way before that law or whatever passed and this started popping up. And from what I hear from Rarity whenever she visits, it’s gotten pretty bad. From what Silver Spoon said about her mother, that makes me wonder if she experienced some prejudice that really hurt. I think we all know how that feels from time to time in school or other things, right?”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom nodded reluctantly in response, and Sweetie Belle continued. “Maybe she’s just growing out of it. Some bullies do that and if she’s really ashamed of herself for it, maybe we can start over with her. Apple Bloom, do you remember when Granny Smith came by the school for Family Appreciation Day and Silver Spoon was the first to applaud, despite mocking you just before that? To me, that shows she is at least willing to give credit where it’s due and I believe that’s worth of some respect at the very least.”

“Well yeah, Ah guess when you say it like that…” Apple Bloom responded as she rubbed the back of her head with her hoof.

“And think about this for a second: If we get Silver Spoon as our friend, maybe Diamond Tiara will come around too and follow her example, or at least stop teasing us. I’ve constantly seen her trying to bully other fillies and colts. Heck, last week she even resorted to picking on Dinky and I don’t think her mom can do much about it, even if she talked to Diamond Tiara’s dad. The point I’m trying to make is since Diamond Tiara is the biggest bully in our school, we’d be doing the other foals and their parent’s a favor if we can get her to back down and even make up to all of them. It would be a challenge, but it’s something to think about.”

Sweetie Belle sat down and observe her friends ponder, confident that her words were sinking in whether they liked it or not. Her skills in debate gave her an edge in these kind of situations and she had gotten quite persuasive. This situation was no different as no matter how hard they tried, neither Apple Bloom nor Scootaloo could think of a legitimate rebuttal to her appeal.

“Alright, alright, you win,” Scootaloo said with a sigh.

“Ah guess you make a valid argument, so Ah guess Ah’m willing to give it a try.”

The girls exchanged a group hug, Sweetie Belle being happy that she was able to successfully get her friends to accept a former enemy. It was a feeling of joy she rarely felt and that joy was added too when a small light emanated from behind her. Upon pulling away, she turned around to see what the flash was and the other fillies went wide eyed.

“Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom shouted with glee. “Look!”

Sweetie Belle glanced back to see Apple Bloom pointing at her flank and a quick peek at it told her why: on her flank was a red wax seal stamp, the kind used for sealing diplomatic envelopes. “My cutie mark! I finally got my cutie mark! Yeeees!” The young unicorn jumped with joy and hugged her friends tightly, both of who returned it without much resistance. “Oh just wait until Rarity finds out about this!”

An orange skyline spanned in the distance as an airship docked at the Grand Central landmass. Once the airship came to a complete stop, five mares disembarked and made their way towards the Grand Square.

“I’m glad we finally get to see each other again,” Canvas said with a smile. “How long has it been since we last got together?”

“About a month or so I think,” Trixie responded. “I don’t really know, time seems to flow differently here. Or maybe that’s just because I’ve been isolated in that water citadel for so long. Mother Acumen seems to not like sunlight too much.”

“Oh like you’re any different,” Lightning Dust mused as she landed on the ground after flying for an extended length of time, rubbing her wings a little.

“You alright there? You seem like you’re in pain.”

“Yeah, my body is just a little tender. Fathers Patience and Tolerance wanted me to train inside a tornado yesterday and the strong winds are hard to keep up with.”

“At least you don’t have to worry about keeping your body cool,” Sunset grumbled. “As for me, I have to train with fire and magma. Father Tenacity is insane I tell you!”

“How is the training itself?”

“Okay I guess. Not much to say other than it’s heating up with each passing week… No pun intended. What about you Canvas? How is your training with Mother Integrity?”

“Oh, not too bad really. I don’t have anything else to say from last time. Though I will say that it’s strange working with a changeling.”

“Heh, try working with twin griffons,” Lightning Dust said popping her neck.

“What about a centaur?” Sunset retorted. “Two hands to hold two swords made of molten rock. Guy must have a fierce fire tolerance or something.”

“How about mermare?” Trixie stepped in. “Half pony, half fish.”

“I thought they were extinct,” Sunset questioned.

“Apparently they aren’t from what Mother Acumen told me, though I suppose if they live in the ocean, we wouldn’t know.”

As she listened to her friends banter about their times with their mentors, Twilight remained silent and strolled on towards the Grand Gate where she expected Ditzy to come forth. To say Twilight was entirely happy today would be a lie as it wasn’t that long ago that another one of her birthdays had passed her by. It had been nearly two years since she left Equestria behind to become enlightened within this holy land and even though she did enjoy her time in Elysium with her new friends, there was a part of her that wondered how the outside world was holding up. How was Spike doing without her? What is Cadance and Shining Armor doing? Were her parents coping with her departure? Many of this type of questions clouded the young alicorn’s thoughts and would likely continue to for a long time.

“Uh, Twilight? Are you feeling okay? You’ve been pretty quiet all day,” Trixie asked with concern, letting the other three go on ahead.

Twilight’s glance went from the ground to Trixie’s face and she smiled weakly. “I won’t lie, I’m feeling a little homesick. Don’t get me wrong, I love being with you and the others. But…”

Trixie nuzzled Twilight’s neck slightly as she closed the gap between their bodies. “I know what you mean. I’ve been feeling that way myself too. For a long time actually. Though, you have more ponies worrying about you than I do. Just know that I’ll be here for you should you need somepony to talk to or a shoulder to cry on.”

“That helps a little bit. Thanks Trixie. You’re a good friend.”

“Don’t mention, Twily.” Though I would prefer to be closer than just friends… Trixie thought slightly disappointed.

Having caught up with the other three mares, the group stood in front of the gate to await Ditzy’s arrival, which didn’t take long as the portal opened up with the pony in question stepping through a little forlorn. Once she saw her friends though, Ditzy’s expression softened a little.

“Hey girls. It’s been awhile.”

“I’ll say! It’s nice to get away from training for once,” Sunset said exasperated.

“Training is one thing. Raising two fillies in the political crisis is another.”

“Political crisis?” Twilight asked with a mix of curiosity and alarm. “What kind of political crisis are we talking about?”

Ditzy’s forlorn expression returned with a vengeance. She was very hesitant to talk about it as she knew Twilight wouldn’t like what she would tell her. But she also knew this would come up sooner or later so now was a good a time as any. “Well, uh… You see, after we left, things went a little icy in Canterlot. A new Dominion law was passed or revived, I don’t know which is which, that caused a lot of distrust among the races. This new law pretty much gave the nobles in Canterlot a lot of power and it’s going to their heads. As a result of most of them being unicorns, there’s a lot of racism running rampant and when I visited to go to the Opera with my girls, they didn’t want to let me in because I was a pegasus with unicorn foals.”

“That’s just… WRONG!” Canvas exclaimed.

“And that’s not all. All during our visit, everypony looked at us with the harshest looks ever. It was scaring little Dinky and angering Sparkler. I think the breaking point came when I had a mare come up to me and say my foals shouldn’t be with me, that I’m a bad influence on them or something. I just…. Normally I try to be civil as much as I can, but that comment just got to me.”

“What happened?” Canvas quivered.

“I…. I slapped her. Looking back on it, I’m not really proud of it, but I just lost control. I went on to tell her off that I worked hard to be the best mother I could be to my babies and they stood up for me. The mare didn’t say anything else, she just walked away disgruntled. But after that, the girls and I went back to Ponyville. We couldn’t stand being there any longer. Little Dinky even begged for me not to take them to Canterlot anymore. At least Ponyville is free of that for the most part.”

“Unbelievable… I mean, un-bucking-believable,” Lightning Dust said disgusted. “I knew Canterlot had problems, but this just brings it to an all time low.”

“And just recently, a new law was passed that pretty much limited free speech, thanks to a demonstration turned violent or at least that’s what the press said. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but DAMN you Celestia!”

“I’ve been saying that for a long time now, Ditzy. No need to hold back,” Twilight added. Maybe I should be glad I’m here instead of Equestria.

“You know? Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to clean things up sometime down the road. I mean, isn’t that what we are striving towards in the first place? To rid the Equestria of this kind of negativity?” Sunset pointed out. “In a way, Celestia is helping us by giving her subjects a reason not to follow her. Maybe we can get those same subjects on our side.”

“I suppose we could,” Ditzy admitted. “I’m sure it would help out a lot of ponies. But we will need more of a reason than that to get them to help us. Besides, I don’t think we are even remotely ready yet. Maybe once we can wield the Elements that Scintillant gathered us for.”

“We’ll think of something, but we will definitely fix this mess,” Twilight said with determination. “Whatever it takes, I know we will be ready.”

“Thank you all for choosing to side with what makes Equestria the home we know. The horrors of recent times threatened to ruin us, but now we stand strong and united. With the trust you are giving me and the hospitality you are showing me, I will do my best to turn our struggle into peaceful era of friendship and benevolence.”

Cheers of support and calls of her name sounded from the crowd gathered under the balcony Luna stood on. She waved at them and basked in their admiration. In her time restricted from ruling, she missed the contact with her subjects most of all matters. She was genuinely smiling for the first time in years.

“We can’t build brighter future without dealing with sad past first though. Therefore I declare all decisions passed by the Dominion as well as by my sister in last two years void. Trying to re-establish the Dominion in my domain will be met with harsh punishment as an act of treason against the ponies of Equestria. The same goes for royal supervisors.”

Another wave of applause roared all around, mixed with shouts of ‘Viva’ and ‘Long live the Princess.’ When they calmed down, Luna decided to wrap her speech up. “If a need for a law from that period will be proved, we will issue a substitutional law with utmost consideration for the needs of ponies. The first session of new court will be held tomorrow in the morning and all petitioners are welcome to attend. Allow me to thank you all once again for your faith in me. I will not disappoint your hopes.”

She bowed to the gathered crowd and waved them goodbye, retreating from the balcony. Even through the closed door she could still hear the chanting of her name. She sighed happily, the broad smile never leaving her muzzle when she trotted across the room to the waiting earth pony stallion.

She took in the kind features of the elderly pony in, memorizing them as she would probably be in almost daily contact with him. She realized that from his silver coat and midnight blue mane, a coloration highly atypical for an earth pony, she was gaining positive opinion on him. Anything resembling her nights always struck her fancy.

“The ponies already love you, your highness,” he said with a deep bow. “In all my years as mayor of Fillydelphia I haven’t seen them so ecstatic.”

“I must say that I share their happiness, Mr. Sharp Note. It has been too long since I last got a chance to meet my subjects, let alone partake in governing.”

“We will be more than happy if you do both on daily basis, your highness. Everything should be ready in the mansion, though we are ready to change anything at moments notice if you so please.” He stepped to the door and opened it for Luna. “Would you mind a small tour of your new home?”

“That would be lovely, thank you.”

As they walked through the numerous corridors and chambers, Luna noticed the decoration shared a common motive. “The last inhabitant obviously admired the night. That will make my stay even more enjoyable,” she commented and stroke a satin wallpaper depicting many constellations lovingly. “I would love to meet them too.”

“I am afraid that won’t be possible,” Sharp Note said, shuffling his hooves nervously. “The unicorn noble that used to live here left for Celestia’s territory when the results of the plebiscite were published.”

“A pity. It wasn’t my intention to chase ponies from their homes, no matter who they are.”

“You don’t need to be concerned, your highness. No loss befell him with his decision, the mansion wasn’t expropriated, but rightfully bought for a fair price,” Sharp Note assured when he noticed Luna’s unease. “The decoration wasn’t created by him either. We changed it when we bought the mansion.”

“I am glad to hear that. We won’t tolerate any discrimination in our domain, that must be made clear to our subjects. How many are there by this point anyway?”

“The exact number hasn’t been counted yet, but it is increasing daily. The towns didn’t perform the plebiscites on the same day, so the results are still streaming in. The last one to join us was Cloudsdale this morning. They are currently moving the city to hover over your domain.” He opened another set of doors and gestured Luna in. “We refurnished one of the halls to serve as your throne room. The throne is being finished as we speak and the artisan will deliver it in time for tomorrow’s court.”

“Hopefully you didn’t opt for the same design like those in Canterlot,” Luna joked while taking in the vast expanse of the hall.

“Of course not, your highness! Those monstrosities even look uncomfortable, I can’t imagine how you managed to sit on them for hours. No, the throne will communicate your majestate, but remain pleasant to sit on.”

“Splendid!” Luna exclaimed and clapped her hooves giddily. “It looks like you thought of everything. Though I am getting a bit tired, the journey took longer than it had to. Would you show me my personal chambers?”

“This way, your highness.” He led Luna to the part of the mansion facing the gardens and opened ebony door with a golden key which he then passed to Luna. “While the basic furniture is in place, we wanted to wait for you to decide the details. The artisans can be ready immediately.” Luna stepped in and started overlooking her new living conditions. “You may have noticed the lack of guards in the mansion. The shortage will be solved shortly and- Is something wrong, your highness?” he asked as he noticed the frown on Luna’s face. She was lying on the bed and growling quietly.

“Oh, not much, Mr. Sharp Note. But this bed must be replaced before the sun sets, or this night will truly last forever.” They shared a small chuckle at that, the phrase having become a common saying since Luna returned. “Seriously though, I would like to ask you to become my chancellor, Mr. Sharp Note. You are proving to be very capable when it comes to administrative.”

With a loud intake of air, Sharp Note bulged his eyes and opened his mouth in silent shock. “Your highness, do you mean this offer?” Earning a small nod from Luna, along with a gentle smile, he bowed deeply. “Then I accept wholeheartedly and happily, your highness, and swear to serve you to the best of my ability.”

“You may rise, sir Sharp Note. I will expect you tomorrow before the court session starts so we can discuss the matters properly. For now, you are dismissed.”

“Thank you, your highness.” He rose and trotted to the door, intending to let his princess rest. “The artisans will be sent in immediately to take care of that bedding problem too.”

In the tactical room of the Royal Palace of Griffus, the full attendance of General Staff gathered for a briefing. Detailed maps of Equestria covered every wall, the room lacking any windows to prevent possible breaches of security.

“As the final results were counted for, the borderline between Luna’s and Celestia’s territory was delimitated as such,” said a black griffon by the board turned to the rest of the officers. He took a red marker in his claw and drew a line dividing Equestria into two uneven parts. “As you can see, Celestia kept bigger portion of land, but Luna gained about equal population.”

“How are the territories interacting so far?” the biggest griffon in the room asked. He wore a black armor covering most of his body and an iron crown with a single red jewel in the middle.

“They are keeping brief trade contact, but as far as we know it is dying off. Equestria didn’t officially split into two countries, but they surely act so, my liege.”

“That is most displeasing. If a conflict between them arises, it may spread to the surrounding countries as well. The social unrest would endanger the kingdom,” another of the generals pointed out.

“We can’t risk such frivolous events. if a hostile situation in Equestria arises, it is a duty of Griffon Kingdom to come and re-instal order by any means necessary,” the king declared. “Strengthen the contingents by Equestria’s borders. If the wider spread violence breaks loose, they are to be ready for an intervention.”

“Honor to the king!” the griffons shouted as one in response to the command, all too happy to prepare for potential war.

Chapter 19

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Original Title: Who Feeds The Starving
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

Another early morning befell Sweet Apple Acres as Applejack climbed out of bed and stretched. Today wasn’t anything special for her, just another jump start on harvesting before dawn. Yet another harvest season came and unfortunately, only two ponies were harvesting since Applebloom was away and Granny Smith was feeling ill lately.

Applejack washed up and ate her breakfast before meeting with Big Macintosh outside by the orchard. The stallion had a crestfallen look about him and upon looking around, Applejack realized why.

“All the crops are lookin’ mighty bad.”

“Eeyup.”

“Corn looks undergrown, carrots just look unhealthy, an’ the apples?”

“Ain’t too many good ones from the look of it. A lot of trees are dry, an’ a few are infested.”

Applejack shook her head in disappointment. “Ah had a feelin’ this would happen. Lack of trade means lack of fertilizers. The dry weather ain’t helpin’ matters neither.”

“Eeyup.”

“Ah fear we ain’t gonna get much outta this. Ah ain’t never seen crops more bad lookin’. Well, we’re gonna need ta’ get rid of those pest as fast as we can, or else future harvests won’t fare any better.”

“Apple Bloom is learnin’ under that Zecora. Maybe she can find some remedies.”

“Ah ain’t that worried bout’ the pest to be honest with ya. They’re natural an’ ain’t too difficult to get rid of. Ah’m more worried bout’ the weather.”

The morning went on as Applejack and Big Macintosh worked to harvest whatever they could while also managing the infestation. It was a dry season and many ponies could feel it. Not only Sweet Apple Acres, but many gardens, flower shops, and other plant related endeavours were struggling to stay afloat. Much of the dry weather, in Ponyville at least, was caused by the moving of Cloudsdale to the East. This resulted in a drop in clouds around Ponyville, making it much harder to get rain in the area. Few of the resident pegasi also left for Cloudsdale, further limiting the weather controlling capabilities of the weather patrol.

If that weren’t enough, the one pegasus who used to carry the weather on her shoulders now rarely visited Ponyville with her job in the Wonderbolts. The few times she did, Rainbow Dash hardly stayed for longer than two days at the most. While Applejack couldn’t exactly blame her for not wanting to stay and understood her job involved traveling a lot, it still frustrated her at times like these when Ponyville struggled. Thinking about Rainbow Dash however cause Applejack to look into the sky as she took a breather from her own work, which seemed to take more effort than she remembered.

“Ah wonder what Rainbow is doing right now anyway…”

“C’mon squirt! You’ve got this in the bag!”

In the mountains near Cloudsdale’s new location, Rainbow Dash and Soarin’ were giving flight training to Scootaloo, who was now more grown and was closer to conquring her hinderance. Such an activity became routine for the three pegasi over the past several months and it wasn’t hard for Scootaloo to convince her parents to let her take flight lessons from two Wonderbolts, especially since they knew one of them quite well.

“You’re doing great, kid. Keep it up,” Soarin’ shouted as Scootaloo pulled off tricks alongside Rainbow Dash. While Rainbow was doing most of the coaching, Soarin’ was also there on the off chance that something happened to Scootaloo, like getting injured and falling.

Scootaloo had already gotten the hang of flying and could do so no problem. It was performing advanced feats that she wanted to learn. Rainbow led the way as she gestured for Scootaloo to follow her through the clouds, clearing the clouds in stylish ways. For the most part, Scootaloo performed fairly well, but her wings were not quite as strong as her trainer’s so she was using a little too much energy trying to keep up. Soarn’ noticed this and because of an incident earlier that month, he decided it was time to take a rest.

“Alright, let’s wrap it up for now! It’s almost lunch anyway.”

The other two ponies sat down on a cloud to catch their breath for a moment before joining Soarin’ in a trip back to Cloudsdale. The city wasn’t too far off from where they were, only about a ten minute flight.

“That was quite a workout, eh Scoots?” Rainbow Dash said panting slightly.

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun,” Scootaloo responded also panting.

“You are getting better. I dare say you’ll even be as good as me someday.”

Soarin’ chucked at her antics and once the trio stepped on a solid cloud in Cloudsdale, he began to glance around for a good place for lunch. “So, where would you girls like to eat?”

“You choose. I chose breakfast,” Rainbow Dash said nonchalantly.

“What about you Scootaloo? Anywhere you want to go in particular?”

“Not really. I’m game for wherever you want.”

Soarin’ decided to settle on a restaurant he liked since his early days in the Wonderbolts. It wasn’t the cheapest place in Cloudsdale, but it certainly had some good food, including a great pumpkin pie recipe. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be surprised if he chose this restaurant solely for said pumpkin pie. Surprisingly, there weren’t many other patrons inside the place. A look at the menus said why.

“Woah…. The prices sure went up since the last time I was here,” Soarin’ said nonplussed.

“Sorry about that, Soarin’,” a waitress said walking up to the table. “We’re suffering from a shortage of ingredients lately so we needed to compensate.”

“Ah, that explains it. Well, I’ve got plenty of bits to spare right now.”

“So I’m assuming the usual for our best customer then?”

“Please. You girls have your orders?”

“I’ll take a hayburger with no onions please,” Scootaloo said putting down her menu.

“Uh… I guess I’ll take a hayburger as well,” Rainbow said doing the same, not wanting to drain Soarin’ wallet too badly.

“Okay, we should have your orders in just a minute,” the waitress said walking away. Not too much later, she came back with a tray and three plates on it. “Thank you for waiting. Enjoy!”

The group enjoyed their lunch and talked about different topics, some of them relating to personal life and others relating to the political issues. At the latter, Scootaloo didn’t contribute much to the conversation as she wasn’t really interested, nor did she really know what to say. Her mind wandered to Silver Spoon who, just like Sweetie Belle thought, was showing genuine interest in making friends with her friends and her. Scootaloo was a little resistant at first, but she warmed up pretty fast.

Once lunch was finished, the three pegasi walked out of the restaurant and decided to walk a bit before getting back to the flight lessons. It wasn’t often that Scootaloo was able to go outside of Ponyville so she wanted to see if she could pick up a souvenir to take home with her.

In their stroll, they couldn’t help but overhear a few ponies talking here and there, ranging from political issues to food shortage. From what they could gather, many cities in Equestria were forced to go with smaller portions of food due to a combination of trade issues and crop failure, Cloudsdale only being a minor case of this. This only increased the irritation most ponies nowadays felt and with the nobles hoarding a lot of food, the distrust against them was growing ever so stronger.

Some of those higher on the social ladder such as the Wonderbolts weren’t as affected, but could still feel the effects of the shortage. Soarin’ was thankful his position paid so well, but at the same time he was careful how he spent it. This day wasn’t much of a problem and he was happy to treat his two favorite girls to lunch.

That said, both he and Rainbow Dash still wondered about whether or not the crisis was only going to get more serious. More than likely, the answer was yes.

Another evening get together between the six mares was held on the Grand landmass in Elysium, another weekend to themselves to relax and catch up with each other. Five of the six waited in the Plaza in front of the gates to await the arrival of their friend who, right on time, emerged from the portal. Ditzy had made a promise to deliver a monthly report on the status of Equestria whenever one of these get togethers happened. Sadly, she never had a lot of good things to say and today it applied doubly so.

“Hi girls,” Ditzy said putting up a cheerful front. “How’ve you all been?”

“Sore, as usual,” Lightning Dust said bluntly. “Just assume that’s going to be my response to everything for awhile.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Sunset responded. “As for me, I think I’ve built up some sort of heat tolerance or something.”

“Nothings really changed that much since you were here last, Ditzy,” Canvas said with a giggle.

“That’s good… Where is Twilight though?”

The other three mares in front of her just now noticed the absence of Twilight and Trixie. They were right behind them when they came to the Plaza, but the panic was short lived as they caught a glimpse of Trixie hailing them from the other side of the area from where the villa was and they rushed towards her.

“Geez, warn us before you go off like that!” Sunset said in an annoyed tone.

“Sorry, Twilight just needed to lie down for a bit. I don’t think she is feeling too well right now and I didn’t want to leave her alone, just in case she needed something.”

“Yep, same old Trixie.”

The blue unicorn escorted the group inside the building to the brazier from their first visit. Twilight was laying down in front of it with a pillow under her and a quilt covering her body. She shivered with the kind of quivering one would expect from being sick. Putting two and two together, it wasn’t hard to see Twilight had a cold of some kind.

“Hi girls,” Twilight said tiredly.

“Twilight? Are you alright?” Ditzy said with concern.

“I’m fine, just a little under the weather. I think one of the other angels brought a virus from their trip to Equestria or something and I caught it.”

“Huh. I didn’t even know that could happen.”

“Neither did I, but here we are.”

“So why did you persist on coming here anyway if you’re sick?” Canvas asked.

“We only get one weekend out of the month to see each other and one little cold isn’t enough to stop me from doing just that.”

“Well don’t strain yourself too much, hon. It’s hard enough seeing one bedridden filly in my house,” Ditzy said.

“Bedridden? Is one of your foals sick too?”

“Dinky. She’s having some nutrition problems because of the shortage of food recently and as a result, she’s been getting sick a lot.”

At the mention of a food shortage, the amusement among the mares turned into glumness and Twilight got that cold feeling in her stomach again as she attempted to respond. “Food shortage?” she asked warily.

Ditzy hesitated for a moment as she was about to go into a topic she knew Twilight wasn’t going to want to hear. “Remember that bit about the Griffon Kingdom nulling the trade negotiation you worked so hard to establish? Well partially due to lack of trade with them and other nations, Equestria is short on both food and the supplies to grow them. Another part of it is also the weather patrol being so limited that they can’t supply the proper rain for crops. Applejack’s harvest was severely below average earlier this year and it’s been going downhill from there.”

“Oh dear…” Twilight said grimly.

“Personally, I don’t care about myself in this crisis. I don’t mind forgoing food. But I don’t want my babies to go hungry. They’re just too precious to me and it hurts to see them suffer. No child should ever have to go through the kind of thing Dinky and Sparkler are. It’s getting harder to provide for them, even with the increased salary I have. Thankfully, their schools give them enough for the most part, but the same cannot be said for the arrogant weasels in Canterlot. Not only are they hoarding food, but they’re consuming it in front of us! It’s just…”

Ditzy sobbed a bit as Lightning Dust patted her back in a comforting manner. While the situation was indeed disheartening, Twilight was mentally kicking herself in the gut. “This is all my fault…”

“What are you talking about, Twilight?” Trixie asked.

“I… All these issues are coming up because I left so abruptly, because I just couldn’t take it anymore. Now I’ve caused a domino effect that’s slowly shattering the harmony in Equestria.”

“Dear, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Ditzy said trying to revitalize the situation.

“I’m not going to lie, I can’t entirely disagree with you, Twilight,” Sunset admitted earning a sharp glare from Trixie. “BUT Celestia ultimately caused this by intervening in your decisions and by doing everything else she did. I used to be a student under her as you all know, so I know just as well how fickle she is.”

“And she really isn’t helping things with the new policies she is trying to enforce,” Canvas added.

“Yeah. With that recent ruling, she pretty much cut the nuts off of free speech.”

“As, uh, colorful as Lightning Dust worded that just now, they have a point,” Trixie said pulling Twilight in for a small hug. “Don’t be blaming yourself for something somepony else ultimately caused. Besides, even if you didn’t do anything, I think these things would’ve happened eventually, only dragged out even longer.”

As warm as her friends’ encouraging words sounded, the guilt that Twilight felt didn’t go away in the slightest. Maybe they were right, but she still felt responsible as some of her actions indirectly hurt one of her friends, or rather her friend’s child. Try as she might, she couldn’t suppress a strong shiver, both resulting from the thought and the cold acting up.

“Even so, I want to fix this mess like I said long ago.”

“And when that time comes, we’ll be ready and willing,” Trixie said as she leaned to nuzzle her but pulled back abruptly. “By the way, I’m not going to catch your cold, am I?”

Rarity left her apartment in haste as she completely forgot about time concentrating on her newest creation and the estimated arrival of the train Applejack was supposed to take to Canterlot was in fifteen minutes. That’s not saying she didn’t pay attention to her appearance before she left, far from it, but she opted to forego fretting about which dress she would wear, simply picking the nearest one. To her luck, the yellow summer dress with floral pattern matched her chosen hat perfectly.

She walked through the streets of Canterlot with apparent urgency in her step, but not even arriving late would force her to run. Such behavior was simply unbecoming from a respected member of higher society. However, she couldn’t but worry about what could happen if she left Applejack waiting for too long. She wouldn’t just get scolded, the danger would arrive from the other citizens and aim mainly against her friend.

She spotted with bitterness that yet another of the shops she used to frequent had closed down since she last passed this part of the city. She wasn’t too surprised. All businesses run by non-unicorns tended to close down sooner or later. Some chose to take a unicorn partner and present them as the executive partner to avoid losing their racist customers, but only few such partners proved reliable, mostly just leading the money out of the business and vanishing.

As she was walking, she started calming down again. Why would there be a problem after all? Ponies still come to Canterlot as tourists, though I really wonder why. They will just ignore her like they always do and then I will be around to prevent problem. She slowed down, sure that her delay wouldn’t cause any difficulties for her friend. Soon enough the building of Canterlot’s train station came to sight, along with a small gathering of ponies in front of it. Rarity’s worries returned full force and rightfully so.

“How dare ya to put those filthy hooves on mah things?! If ya don’t stop right now Ah’m gonna buck you in the face!” Rarity sped up immediately, forgetting her rule about running. Surely enough, in the middle of the group stood furious looking Applejack carrying a big parcel on her back, a unicorn city guard facing her with no less fury.

“This is standard control to locate any and all contraband, ma’am. If you are going to resist, we will have to arrest you,” he said barely containing himself, hatred underlying his words.

“So anypony who has some food must be immediately a smuggler? Tell ya what, some of us can grow things! Do ya want t’ arrest me? Come and try!” Applejack reared on her hindlegs and slammed her forelegs into the cobblestones, positioning herself for a fight. The guard assumed a fighting stance too, but they didn’t get a chance to deliver a single hit, as Rarity stepped between them, facing the guard angrily.

“What is going on here, guard?” she said as haughtily as she could. The guard immediately eased the stance and stood up straight, saluting her.

“This filthy mare is resisting a standard control, ma’am. I am about to arrest her.”

“Really now? Is the control really standard? Are you controlling anypony who passes by?” Rarity inquired in a sweet tone as if she was genuinely interested in the anti-smuggling procedures.

“Where t’ hay have ya-” Applejack started, but Rarity waved her off to stay silent.The guard shuffled a little, scratching his foreleg with the other one.

“Well… not everypony, just those who look… suspicious.”

“And what does look so suspicious on this… filthy mare as you say?” Applejack threw her a dirty look, but Rarity kept her calm facade. Not waiting for the guards answer she continued, still in her sweet tone. “Isn’t it for example the fact that she is an earth pony? I should remind you that racism is still not officially tolerated and one word from me would be enough to get you fired!”

“I-”

“Do you have any idea who you are bothering here? This mare happens to be one of the Elements of Harmony, close friend to the crown and national hero.” A few gasps echoed in the crowd, but Rarity promptly ignored them, along with Applejack’s blush. “You have exactly five seconds to vanish and never to come back to my sight again.” The guard hightailed immediately, most likely to find another victim for his power abuse. Then Rarity turned her attention to the oglers around. “What exactly are you doing here? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

As the small crowd dispersed, Applejack stepped to Rarity and patted her on the shoulder. “Ah say, ya really know how t’ rule them around! That vermin deserved a good buck though.”

“Indeed he did, Applejack, but one shouldn’t resort to violence if another way remains.”

“Mighty stylish one too. The way he galloped away on your mere word… Racist scum!”

“Welcome to Canterlot, darling,” Rarity deadpaned and gestured Applejack to follow her. “You will get used to both the racism and the cowards.”

“Ah couldn’t live here. Ya should return to Ponyville too. This place stinks.”

“I would love to, darling, but then I wouldn’t sell a single dress anymore. I have to make living somehow.”

“Speaking of making living, Ah brought ya something. A care package of sorts, heh. Ah’ll show ya when we arrive t’ your place.” They walked in silence then, taking turns in glaring on the passersby. The apartment wasn’t that far from the train station, allowing them to arrive there before their facial muscles got too tired.

“Welcome to my home, Applejack. It’s not my old boutique, but I don’t really complain.” Rarity gestured Applejack in and the earth mare’s jaw dropped to the ground. It wasn’t Rarity’s old boutique, no doubt. It used to be stylish but simple. The apartment however screamed luxury. Silk wallpaper covered the wall, thick velvet curtains framed the windows and the sofa set looked fabulously inviting with its soft cushions. Everything from the china in the cabinets to the furniture shared the tones of blue and beige.

“Darn it, Rarity! Ah thought you couldn’t go beyond your boutique. Ah’m afraid to touch anything so Ah don’t ruin it.”

“Oh don’t worry, Applejack. Sweetie visits me regularly and so far the place fares quite well, so it must be really endurant,” Rarity said with a chuckle and walked toward the kitchen. “I’ll start preparing the lunch. You must be famished “

“Ya could use mah present then.” Applejack followed Rarity into the kitchen and set her parcel on the table. “Behold, t’ work of t’ countryside!” She pulled the string and the paper slid down, revealing an assortment of foodstuffs ranging from fruit and vegetable to flour and honey. “We collected what we could spare so ya wouldn’t go too hungry with the famine,” Applejack said proudly, a warm smile spreading across her face. Rarity looked at the assorted gifts in awe.

“Oh my! This must have cost you fortune, Applejack!”

“Not really.” Applejack took a glass of water and sat down by the table. “See, ponies in Ponyville stopped caring ‘bout bits a little. Most of us grow something, so we just trade it among us, not selling to big merchants.”

“So you traded all this for your apples?”

“Yep.”

“Just for me?”

“Darn right, Rarity.”

“Oh Applejack, that’s so sweet from you!” Rarity exclaimed and pulled Applejack in a massive hug. “You are a glorious friend!”

“Shucks, Rarity, it’s no biggie. We hav’ta help each other.”

“It is… a biggie, Applejack. You sacrificed your own food to provide for me and took a real effort in it. Now I feel really bad…” She pulled away with a pout and walked to one of the big cabinets. “I am far from starving, darling. Unicorns in Canterlot are living better than ever now.” She opened the cabinet and revealed it was stuffed with food from bottom to top. “I have been giving food to Sweetie and Fluttershy whenever they visit to help them a little too.”

“Darn. How’s that possible? Ah thought that Canterlot was starving for sure. Ya’ll can’t grow anything here.” Applejack walked up and reached out incredulously to touch the food as to confirm it was there.

“We… can afford to buy the imported stuff. The nobility is getting richer by day and I profit on it as well. Are you angry?” Rarity asked as she saw Applejack’s confused expression. The earth mare turned to her and smiled kindly instead.

“Of course not, sugarcube. If anything, Ah¨m glad you are doing fine. Ah just don’t know what to do with this.” She pointed at the unwrapped parcel. “Hay there isn’t even enough space to fit it in.”

“Well…” Rarity mused as she looked at the food collected, “maybe we could find some use for it. Not all of Canterlot lives in affluence - just the visible part.”

“Are you suggesting we hand it to some starving ponies?”

Rarity nodded sadly. “Pegasi and earth ponies. You won’t see them, but they are still here.”

“Well, Ah’m certainly not carrying it back t’ Ponyville. That thing is heavy. So what are we cooking today?”

Once they were finished with their lunch and with cleaning up the kitchen as Rarity insisted, they rewrapped the package and went into the streets. Applejack insisted on carrying the package instead of Rarity levitating it, despite it being much more effective in the long run, saying that Rarity wouldn’t be able to maintain her pose. After few minutes though Applejack realized a serious problem.

“Um, Rarity? How exactly are we gonna find the ponies in need?”

“I have no real idea, darling. It is not every day I look for them. I thought we could give it to whatever beggar we meet, but so far it seems the city guard hunted them away from the centre.”

“Well then let’s go to wherever the city looks rundown,” Applejack suggested and looked around choosing the way.

“That will take a while actually. And…. that part is not exactly safe either.” Rarity shuddered at the thought of those quarters. Not every part of the city sucked up to the unicorns and Rarity didn’t exactly wish to know what emotions the small portion held toward them.

Seeing her friend’s unease, Applejack took a lead and flexed her muscles ostensibly.
“Ahh don’t worry, sugarcube, nopony will hurt while Ah’m around.” With the reassurance Rarity resumed walking too, secretly wondering just how Applejack managed to get such a perfect figure without ever going to spa. In few minutes the houses lost something of their luster, but still spoke of good enough standing of their inhabitants. The composition of ponies walking by changed too, the stuck up nobles being replaced by middle class clerks and small merchants. From time to time they even spotted some non-unicorns.

“Pardon me for interrupting your stroll, ladies,” a cultivated voice came from a side, “but would you be so kind as to spare few bits? I am trying to get home and luck is no longer on my side.”

They turned and to their surprise spotted a bordeaux crystal pegasus whose sand yellow mane glittered in the sun despite his disheveled state. He was gazing at them intently, tired resignation apparent in his eyes, his hoof reaching toward them. They exchanged a quick look and with a nod walked to him.

“But of course,” Rarity said with a smile, retrieving a purse from her saddle bag, “though how much would you need for your journey?”

The pegasus seemed taken aback by them actually stopping, having sat there since morning with little luck, but got ahold of himself quickly. “Because of the recent unfortunate development, the price of the ticket to Crystal Empire rose to eighty bits. Though I will gladly accept any coin you are willing to give me.” He bowed his head in submission, not wanting to look greedy.

Rarity cringed, not having realized just how bad the relations grew, but she wouldn’t back away. “Well, eighty bits is a hefty sum, but I guess I can spare that.” Applejack gasped for breath and stepped away from Rarity looking her over as if she just grew second head. The pegasus shared Applejack’s feelings to the dot, waiting just for a catch in the too-good-to-be-truth situation. “Under one condition.” There it was. He slumped down further, expecting some kind of mockery from the unicorn in front of him. “You will join us for a small snack and tell us what brought you so far in the first place.”

He certainly didn’t expect that. Instead of humiliation in order to get home without further ado he was to be treated to food in a pleasant company. By one of Canterlot nobles no less. “If you so please, I will gladly share my tale,” he blurted out, “but won’t it stain your reputation to be seen in my company?”

“An’ just why would it? Rarity’s been walkin’ around with me with no problem. She’s not like those racist stuck-ups, right Rarity?”

Rarity flashed Applejack a grateful smile, finally being assured that her friend thought no less of her for the luxury she lived in. “But of course. There is no difference among ponies. Besides, you look positively famished, darling.”

Not seeing any reason to try to convince his benefactors that his presence is not desired, he quickly got up and fell in step on Applejack’s right side. Seeing her carrying a massive parcel, his inner gentlecolt stirred up again. “Would you like some help with that package, madam?”

“That would be mighty nice of ya. But beware it’s quite heavy”

“Don’t worry, we crystal ponies don’t break easily. Also, I will most certainly not run away, with your belongings. That would be simply uncouth.”

“Ah’m not worried about that, sugarcube. We have been planning to give that to ponies in need anyway, so you would simply do us a favor. What’s yer name though? Ah’m Applejack, pleased to meet ya.”

“Rallying Net, at your service.” He bowed his head curtly. “And my benefactor’s name is miss Rarity, I take it?”

“Indeed, darling. Though you can drop that miss. I think this café will suffice. Take a seat, I will go order for us.” She vanished inside and her companions assumed placed by one of the outside tables. It was a pleasant sunny day and many tourists were streaming around, the quarter offering cheaper ways of sating hunger than the downtown. Before the silence between them could grow uncomfortable, Rarity reemerged and sat down too. “So, tell us about yourself, darling. You don’t look like a regular beggar, if you forgive me that expression, nor do you speak like one.”

“Neither the poverty nor the injustice can force me to abandon my ways, Rarity. I wasn’t raised to be a ruffian,” Rallying Net began his explanation, pausing to allow the waiter to set their plates on the table. He noted that his ration could swallow those of the mares’ easily. “You are too generous to me.”

“Nonsense. I wasn’t raised to be greedy,” Rarity answered with a cheeky smile, earning a chuckle from the others. “But what were you meant to be then?”

“As a foal I was lucky. I was chosen by the Dark lord to help with the bureaucracy needed to run the regime.” He pointed at his cutie mark of a massive open tome. “The position required high level of manners and I did what I could to not fail our ruler.”

“I can’t imagine how horrible it must have been to live under Sombra’s dark rule!”

“That is a common misconception, Rarity.” He paused to take another bite of his sweet treats, being actually famished. “In a tyranny, same as in any other regime, it only matters what class you belong to. Besides, would you call Equestria free nowadays?”

They couldn’t say anything to that. With the events of last few years, Equestria resembled the peaceful harmonious land they were born to less and less. “I didn’t think so. For many, the change of the ruler for the benevolent princess Cadance posed an existential problem. We were simply not needed anymore.”

“So ya set for a journey hoping to find a greener grass? Ah know that feeling. And how disappointing it can get,” Applejack interrupted, reminiscing about her search for herself.

“Something along those lines. Would you terribly mind ordering me a cup of coffee? I haven’t had any in days.”

“I was meaning to get one too. Two latés please,” Rarity called to a passing waiter. “So you went to Canterlot and found out the life being even worse here?”

“Not from the beginning. Finding a job in one of the royal agencies didn’t take much work, especially with my formal training and special talent. But after princess Twilight disappeared, things started going downhill. By the way,” he took a sip from the cup placed in front of him seconds earlier, “did you hear those rumors of her being spotted? Do you know if there is any truth on them?”

The mares slumped a little, gazing to the ground at the sensitive subject being mentioned. Every now and then a news of Twilight returning ran through the nation like a hurricane, spreaded by the supporters of princess Twilight, only to be proved fake in a week.

“No, sugarcube, false alarm again.”

“I thought so. Pity. Well, after she disappeared, the work conditions started to get worse. They cut our salaries, forced us to work overtime and so on. Few months ago they came and announced that due to the reorganisation caused by shortage of funds we are all fired.”

“Didn’t ya say unicorns have more money than they can use, Rarity?” Applejack asked in confusion.

“Only for themselves, darling. Only for themselves. Have you been on the streets since?”

“No, actually, I am not completely homeless even now. I came with few friends and we found shelter in an abandoned house. Nopony has cared so far.” He finished the drink and set it on the table. “Strange too. I thought those pesky unicorns would come immediately and chase us out. No offense, Rarity, there are always bright exceptions.”

“None taken, I see them the same way. So now you are going to return to Crystal Empire?”

“That’s my intention, yes. I may be unemployed there as well, but at least I will be treated with dignity. I can’t thank you enough for what you are doing for me. You are epitome of everything good in ponykind!”

“Just remember to give others as you are given, darling, and we will be even,” Rarity said with a smile and handed him the purse, intentionally leaving in more than the required sum.

“Indeed I will, Rarity. I just wish I could pay those nobles as I was given too.”

Pinkie Pie tried her hardest to maintain the same level of partying as she used to. For her, nothing compared in importance to ponies staying happy and smiling and she took it on herself to keep them that way. No matter the circumstances, she would hold her crusade for joyful Equestria.

That being said, how does one keep going the same when the only unchanged circumstance is their enthusiasm? Pinkie would have to find a way since she found herself exactly in that situation. When she finally accepted that Twilight wasn’t returning, she had a long road in front of her to trot.

Her friends stayed by her side the whole time and even prompted her to keep partying. She refused at first, but when they went out of their way and organized a string of celebrations all for her, she realized just how selfish she acted. No matter her personal feelings, the ponies around her counted on her. She would stay strong for them, hiding her true thoughts from them at any cost. After such a long time without her providing regular events for entertainment, since nopony would come to her creepy ‘Welcome home, Twilight’ parties, they stormed Sugarcube Corner with roars of joy.

They all needed their spirits lifted, even more so when the peaceful coexistence started faltering. Ponyville remained mostly out of the scope of the most fierce conflicts and hardly anypony expressed any racist thoughts; if they did, they were reprimanded quickly by their own. Ponyville wasn’t chosen as the seat of Elements of Harmony for nothing after all. But the grim atmosphere affected the citizens too and they felt the effects as fewer still travelers visited the town and the outside trady slowly went to screeching halt.

That posed another problem for Pinkie. She couldn’t resupply on her party decorations too often and the pyrotechnics ran out completely. She would have to reuse not only the banners, but confetti and occasionally balloons too. She scrutinized the current state of Sugarcube Corner critically as she walked among the foals roaming the place. She still managed to deliver well, even though there were definitely fewer balloons and they didn’t match quite so well and the banner saying “Happy Birthday, Misty Sky” bore signs of older writings. She masked most with ornaments, but some stains can’t be helped.

Of course, lower quality meant smaller payments from whoever wanted a party thrown and limited flow of funds meant ponies less willing to spend money on frivolous activities. Birthday parties for foals, Pinkie’s favourite kind, remained unaffected though, so she didn’t fret she would have to close the business.

Then the famine came and the one thing she took pride in the most was taken away from her. When ponies struggle to get bread, they hardly ever spare flour for cake. While the almost purely agricultural Ponyville managed to feed its citizens rather properly, the bakery still refrained from producing its typical decadents sweets for the most part. Not to mention that more exotic ingredients became completely unobtainable.

Pinkie heard how ponies in other parts of Equestria were starving to death. She knew she should be happy about what Ponyville had, but looking at the meager assortment of treats on the table still hurt her. She found ways to prepare food for her parties, mostly with help of Applejack and Fluttershy, who were regularly giving her apples and wild berries, but the quantity couldn’t compare to her brighter years.

Still, a party was a party and as long as the foal had fun, it would be called a success. Most of them didn’t care for mountains of food or for how many times the same streamer hung on the wall. They just wanted to meet their friends and enjoy a playful afternoon with them. Some of them had different priorities and tastes though, todays guest among them.

Pinkie scanned the room and quickly located the disgruntled pegasus filly. She had no trouble doing so. While the guests mingled and laughed, playing party games and running around under attentive scrutiny of few adults present, Misty Sky sat by a table on her own, glaring at anypony who dared to come closer.

At the beginning of the party she tried to draw all attention to herself, as any birthday foal would. She was flexing her admittedly beautiful and obviously expensive dress to the others and earned gasps of adoration just as expected. Though their attention quickly wavered and they started having fun with each other. Nopony can make 9-year-olds admire a dress and haughty demeanor for longer than five minutes and Misty Sky learnt that the hard way.

Normal foal would ignore that small loss in favor of joining in on the festivities, but Misty Sky was used to be the centre of attention all the time and she refused to accept such blow to her pride. If she couldn’t have fun to her liking, she wouldn’t have fun at all. Pinkie felt her smile falter as she saw her all alone by the table, sipping on her strawberry juice. No foal should sulk on their birthday party. Thankfully, Pinkie knew just the thing. She trotted quickly to the filly and sat down right next to her.

“Hi there! How’s the party going? Why the long face?” she asked giddily, not betraying her worries in the slightest. The filly turned to her, not dropping her glare and slammed her hoof into the table.

“All wrong!” she cried out. “This should be my celebration and nopony pays any attention to me. It’s like I don’t even exist to them.”

“That’s because you are here and all the games are over there, silly filly!” Pinkie gestured to the flock of ponies playing Pin a Tail On a Pony by the opposite wall. Earning only a deadpan look from Misty Sky, Pinkie knew she would have to pull the big guns. “Well, not everypony likes the games. But do you know what everypony likes? Cake!”

The filly perked up significantly. When cake would be served, all the foals would gather again. And since it would be her birthday cake, they would all be grateful for her and finally show her the appreciation she deserved.

“Awesome! Where is it? Bring it right now!”

Pinkie saluted and ran to the kitchen immediately, happy to see the filly’s cheered, if bratty, behavior. She pulled the cake from the cooled storage she kept it in - this wasn’t one of her own creations, she wouldn’t be allowed by the Cakes to bake something so big now. But Rarity sent some food from Canterlot from time to time. Mostly it would be more mundane things, but a pearl like this cake would show up occasionally. This one arrived just in time.

Pinkie couldn’t but salivate at the smell of the vanilla and hazelnuts goodness. She felt dizzy just from being in its proximity, admiring the tender frosting decoration of three storey cake, but a shout from the main room snapped her from the reverie.

“Everypony come here! There will be cake. Where are you Pinkie Pie? I want my cake!”

“Here it comes!” Pinkie called back in singasong way, sure the mood of the filly would improve soon. She picked the cake with her forehooves and walked out into the main room balancing on her hindlegs. “Tadaaa! Happy birthday, Misty Sky!”

She placed the cake on the table in front of the filly who eyed it hungrily. Misty Sky immediately grabbed a knife and cut into the cake, not caring about its intricate design. She was the birthday filly so she would get to cut the cake and also sample it first. The piece she cut for herself would be enough for three foals, but she didn’t care. She placed the knife so she would have control over it, not allowing anypony to have any cake until she decided so.

All the foal watched her with held breath as she raised the fork and prepared a morsel for herself. She slowly brought it to her mouth, teasing everypony with her theatrical moves, and chewed slowly. Then to everypony’s horror she spit the cake out.

“Bleh! Hazelnuts? I hate hazelnuts!” She shouted and glared fiercely at the perplexed Pinkie Pie. “You stupid earth pony, why do you keep ruining my birthday?!” She grabbed the cake and threw it to the ground. It splashed there and she even went so far to stomp on it, staining her dress. “Gah! Now you caused even my dress to get ruined. I hate you! I hate you all! Just go away, this is the worst birthday ever!”

She ran to the exit and left it wide open, the other guests too shocked to react. Pinkie bore a horrified and dejected expression, her eyes darting from the door to the destroyed cake and back. Suddenly a pegasus mare woke up from her stupor and started for the door too.

“Sweetheart, wait! We will make the birthday alright again! I will take you to some better patisserie and we will buy some more presents, what do you say?”

The other guests took it as a signal to react too. Some foals started sniffling, their parents calming them down and making way outside. The party apparently ended on the most sour note and everypony sensed it would be better to leave as quickly as possible. Soon only Pinkie Pie and a fairly angry pegasus stallion remained in the room.

“I hope you are happy, Miss Pie. You ruined my daughter’s special day.”

“This… this was horrible. Why did she do this? Why would she storm out like that?” Pinkie Pie asked more to herself, too shell-shocked to realize she was being reprimanded again.

“She is a delicate filly and your party obviously hurt her. I hope you realize this will have consequences.”

“What consequences? I didn’t do anything bad,” Pinkie finally noticed the situation and wanted to at least defend herself.

“You planned this completely inappropriately! I demand full refund plus cleaning cost for that dress and immediately!” The stallion knew he had an upper hoof. She had no way to compete with his influence and if he wanted, he would make sure she didn’t get to organize a party ever again. Staying in good grace with some of the nobles in Canterlot despite being a pegasus paid off really well.

“B-but I planned it just as you requested!” Pinkie stammered desperately. “And all the money went directly into the party. I didn’t have any profit of it!” She was now almost curled to a ball, too scared by the meanie who was towering above her.

“I don’t care where you take the money!” he shouted and stomped angrily, “The party wasn’t to our liking so you will give the money back! Be glad I won’t make you pay for the mental trauma of my d-”

“That would be enough,” a composed nonchalant voice came from behind him. He turned quickly, not expecting any witnesses and his stare went blank. The moment he faced to the newcomer, he felt a finger on his forehead and everything was shrouded by a thick fog.

When he turned back to Pinkie, his anger was all gone. Then he noticed the cake splashed on the floor and Pinkie’s crestfallen and shaking form. His heart sunk at the pitiful sight and he walked to her, stroking her mane reassuringly. “I am so sorry about the behavior of my daughter. She had no right treating you like trash. Please accept my deepest apology and this meager sum for the trouble caused.”

Pinkie lifted her eyes to meet the stallion’s, incredulously taking the hefty bag of bits from him. He then bowed a little and started for the door. “Rest assured she will be grounded for a month. Until next time, Miss Pinkie Pie.”

The door slammed shut and all that Pinkie could do was blink in confusion. “What just happened?”

“The world has become a better place, my dear Pinkie Pie,” Discord said and sat down next to Pinkie on the floor. “Or maybe not. Is the world good when ponies aren’t allowed to be themselves? Forced to comply with norms of proper behavior and the expectations other have for them?”

Pinkie finally took notice of who her savior was. Most ponies would freak out, having the era of Chaos Capital in live memory, but Pinkie knew that a race didn’t matter as long as they were friends, be it pegasus, unicorn or draconequus.

“Hi Discord! You have no idea how great it is to see you. The place has been boring lately.” She returned to her happy self immediately, pulling the chaos got into a bear hug to his amusement.

“You don’t have to pretend in front of me, Pinkie,” he said kindly, stroking her mane. “When you don’t feel happy, don’t force yourself to look so.”

“If I am don’t stay happy, then who will?” She pulled away, but despite her words dropped the smile plastered on her face. “I am still happy to see you. That guy would make me slave for him in the end. I would offer you cake, but that mean filly ruined it. Oh well.” She trotted to the backroom and retrieved an assortment of cleaning supplies. “Time to clean… up?”

Discord was sitting there by the table, a plate in his paw and a knife in his talon. “Cake?” He gestured to the restored confectionary goodness on the table. “It looks delicious to be honest.”

She dropped the rags and bounced to the table, the smile appearing. “Sure! Now I am double glad you showed up.” They each took a piece, though smaller than what Misty Sky reserved for herself previously and allowed themselves drift on the sugar high. “Mmmm. That’s even better than I expected. I have to thank Rarity for it. And thank you, this would be such waste if it remained on the floor!”

“Does this happen to you often, Pinkie Pie?” Discord asked and patted his mouth with a handkerchief summoned out of thin air. Then he threw it over his shoulder and it immediately turned into a small white bird. “Go tell Fluttershy that I am around, buddy.”

Pinkie watched the bird fly out the open window and sighed. “Not really, but they aren’t as cheerful as they used to be. I’m trying my best, but I have nothing to work with.” She glanced at the cake and then at Discord. “Couldn’t you give me some more sweets? Restoring the cake was a piece of cake for you,” she asked with a giggle.

It was Discord’s turn to sigh wistfully. “I wish I could, Pinkie Pie. But nothing good would stem from that. To my knowledge, the only creation spell of mine not causing chaos in the end brings chocolate milk.” A pink cloud appeared above the glass and Discord squeezed it a little, making the brown liquid rain. “Want some?”

“Sure!” Pinkie grabbed the glass and downed it in one gulp. “Can I keep that cloud?”

“Sure, just don’t eat it. The cotton candy went stale.”

“Thanks! But why don’t you want to cause chaos? I thought that’s what you do. Heck I would expect you to revel now, even though you are not evil anymore!” Pinkie hugged the cloud lovingly and then cradled it like a little foal, making cooing sounds in the process.

Discord leaned in the backrest, although he was sitting on the ground, and folded his hands behind his head. “It’s not that easy Pinkie Pie. While I admit the world turned closer to my domain, I can’t feel happy about it. I am not evil, but this chaos definitely is. I don’t want to harm others anymore.”

“I don’t want that either,” Pinkie agreed and got up, placing the cloud next to the cake. “That’s why I pretend and continue partying. I don’t want to anymore, not without others loving it.” She pulled a string and the banner folded itself neatly. She then went around the room and gathered all the decorations. “These can’t be used anymore, they are too damaged.”

“By not being yourself you won’t help anypony, Pinkie Pie. If you don’t feel what you want for them, you can’t bring them to it. And even then, they have to be willing. I learnt that the hard way with chaos.” He snapped his fingers and the pile of ruined streamers repaired itself. “Thankfully this spell doesn’t harm ponies,” he muttered to himself, inspecting his fingers.

“Maybe you are right. Maybe I should let them pull through somehow and then help them smile again,” Pinkie mused, packing the streamers into an entirely too small bag. “They will worry though.”

“There is no helping that. Just don’t let anypony decide how you are supposed to feel and act. Not even me. Do you understand, Pinkie Pie?”

“I think so, but it will be hard. I will try to be happy again. Thanks Discord.”

“You are very welcome,” he said and got up. “Now that the party is wrapped up, would you like to go with me to visit Fluttershy? I hope she won’t mind me staying for some time.”

“Don’t you live in Canterlot?” Pinkie asked quizzically, but fell in step nonetheless.

“I grew tired of that scenery,” Discord stated with a wave of his paw. “That and Celestia may have terminated the lease of my room.”

“You didn’t pay any rent, then what lease? And why would she even do something so mean?” They were now walking the main street of Ponyville, ponies turning head as the two most chaotic entities in Equestria passed them in amicable conversation.

“I am not sure. But how else am I to interpret her saying ‘Get lost, you pointless god, if you won’t serve, you won’t live here’?”

“That’s easy, silly. You got fired!”

“Ah! Well, that still better than getting petrified, I guess.” Discord chuckled and ruffled Pinkie’s mane. If only she knew how bad he felt, mostly because he couldn’t serve. “Do you think it will be hard to find a job as a retired chaos spirit?”

Flip Coin was strolling down one of the Canterlot main streets toward the seat of his company. He was humming happily, skipping from time to time in giddiness, a behavior absolutely unbecoming of a stallion of his age and wealth. At that day though, he couldn’t mind less about his image. Money would soon repair any potential damage.

Every few minutes he would pause on his journey, checking if that day’s issue of Business Ponies Daily was still sticking out of his saddlebag. He would pet the paper lightly and resume his walking. To most ponies his actions seemed fairly eccentric or downright crazy, but the few other merchants he met understood his happiness fully. They too shared it.

Soon enough he found himself in front of the three storey building at the edge of Canterlot downtown. As most of the buildings of the city, even this one had a facade of ivory white and roofs with golden trimming reflecting the sunlight into the streets. The whole city was projected as a praise to Celestia in Flip Coin’s opinion. How it took Luna so long to get fed up with it, he still couldn’t fathom.

His entry to the building wasn’t met with any special shift in attention of his employees. For a long time now he was coming to the headquarters only to keep the appearance. After all, his business partner, Sterling Silver, managed to take care of the endeavours fairly well on his own. With the foreign trade department being reduced to a stump of its former glory because of the duty increase and the rigid relations to Equestria’s neighbours, Flip Coin had fairly little to deal with.

All would change for him soon though. No more hours of sipping coffee with nothing productive to do. No more taking money for simply participating on founding the company all those years ago. No, he would get in control again. And the money flow would increase too. Drastically so.

“Ladies and Gentlecolts,” he called out theatrically and all heads in the hall turned to him. “Mark today well, because our prosperity will soon return. Personalist and head supply manager to my office. The rest of you start checking the old trade roads to Griffon Kingdom.” He walked past the baffled ponies who were used to many things, but certainly not to happy Flip Coin, and toward the stairwell. “Oh and somepony get Sterling, I need to talk to him,” he called already from the stairs, the two ponies he required making their way to him already.

“That won’t be necessary, I heard you well enough.” A middle aged gray earth pony stallion said from the top of the stairs and corrected a strand of his light gray mane falling to his glasses. “Why are you shouting like that, Flip? And why are you taking our staff from their tasks? It’s not like we will need those routes anytime soon and the shipment details need to be ready before noon.”

“That’s exactly where you are wrong, Sterling,” Flip Coin countered with a winning smile. “You will see soon enough that any shipment you are having in progress will pale compared to this.”

“If you say so…” He leaned past the railing and called down to the hall, “Half of the staff is to finish the designated tasks. The rest please follow Flip Coin’s instructions.” He returned his attention to his business partner and beckoned him to follow. “It must be rather important if you warranted you to show up so early today, Flip. My office is more spacious, let’s talk there.”

“Did you switch rooms again? You could never sit in one place for too long.”

“The sun was bothering me. It’s hard to do business with it sticking its rays everywhere.” The two stallions shared a laugh to further confusion of their employees.

“Still nice you came to greet me. That didn’t happen in ages.”

“Neither did it today. I was just getting some coffee.” Sterling pointed at the cup balanced on his back. “Anyway, take a seat. What’s so important you rescheduled all our work?”

“Well, maybe the fact that all our trade in Equestria pale in comparison to this.” He reached into the saddlebag and pulled out his cherished newspaper, handing it to Sterling. “For some reason they put it only on page three. Enjoy.”

Sterling took it and opened at indicated page. “Another trade directive? You are right, we can close the business completely.”

“No, just read it and keep the quips when the crown is doing something for us once in a blue moon.”

“Alright then, if you insist.” Sterling returned his gaze to the article skeptically and started reading. Flip Coin watched with satisfaction as his friend’s expression gradually shifted from pessimistic to incredulous and finally pleased. “What the hay? What got into her so suddenly?”

“See? I told you this was worth it. But it’s not so sudden if my sources are to be trusted. She was trying to convince griffons to change the trade politic for quite some time. So when they don’t remove the duty, she will do that for us.”

“That will sure be costly for her and the griffons will be jumping in happiness when they hear,” Sterling remarked. “But you shouldn’t jump to conclusions; this means rather little for our trade.”

Flip Coin raised his eyebrows in confusion. “Pray tell, what else would you want? You have an open way to trade with griffons again, you have an entire market of starved ponies demanding food of any quality-”

“-who don’t have any money left with what our unicorn friends showed us in last few years,” Sterling added, breaking Flip’s monologue. “We can get the goods now, but selling them poses entire different problem. Pardon me, but I am not willing to sell cheaper than I buy and that would be the only way to.”

“You are wrong once again, my friend, though I can’t you blame this time.” Flip Coin looked at the two other ponies in the room and lifted his hoof warningly. “If this information leaks, you will be fired immediately. Is that clear?” Earning a confirmative nod from both, although he didn’t fear betrayal from their side, since they have been always perfectly loyal, he continued, “From my sources I learnt about another ordinance in works. The crown will be buying half of the imported goods for the prices standard in Equestria. Celestia wants to distribute the food to her starving subjects for free!”

Sterling folded the newspaper and stood up, retrieving a bottle of whiskey and four glasses from a cabinet behind his table. “It looks like Celestia’s tolerance to suffering finally ended. To future gains, gentlecolts.” They emptied their glasses and set them back on the table, ready for a refill. “How many ponies know of this other ordinance?”

“Just us, as far as I know. I wonder what drove her to such desperate solution, though.”

“I have family in Ponyville, Flip. You have no idea how bad it is outside Canterlot. Ponies eat grass and bark.”

“Well, now the grass and bark will be imported from Griffon Kingdom,” Flip Coin remarked without a care. “Do I have green light for setting this to motion?”

“You could show some heart,” Sterling said with mild disdain, “but yes, you can. That’s why you requested the presence of our dear colleagues, isn’t it?”

“We will have first caravans ready before the day’s end. May the profit begin.”

The citadel was warm and cozy as it had always been for Canvas. As content as she was to just lay down and draw that night before bed, the most recent of Ditzy’s monthly report clouded her concentration. From what she gathered from Ditzy, Equestria’s crime rate was steadily increasing, whether it be from desperation, hate, or simple greed. The nation was becoming more split as each week passed.

It doesn’t sound good out there. I wonder how daddy is doing in this situation. Hopefully he’s okay. After several frustrating minutes of not being able to draw anything, Canvas decided to blow out her lantern and just tossed her things aside to go to bed. Try as she might, no matter how comfortable her quilt was and how tired her body was, too many thoughts raced through her brain and a good hour passed before she got fed up and sat up.

“Dang it. I can’t sleep,” she said thinking out loud. “Hmm, my body is sore. I guess I can understand why Dusty keeps complaining about achy muscles.”

Canvas glanced out her window to a view of the citadel’s courtyard. It was one of the first sights she set her eyes on when she first relocated to the landmass, with a large garden with many abstract hedge sculptures, many of which were too bizarre for even other angels to make sense of. The first time she saw them, Canvas couldn’t even tell what half of them were. The courtyard as a whole was interesting but with repeated visits to the gardens and the inside conversary, Canvas quickly grew bored of the area within the first month, a boredom that she was feeling this moment.

After getting up the motivation, Canvas decided to get out of her bed and go relax in the citadel’s hot springs. She made her way towards the east side of the building where there was an open air bath. It was becoming something of a habit for Canvas to come to this hot spring after training as it had many benefits. Aside from the soothing hot water relaxing her body, it also helped whenever she had to clear her mind whenever she couldn’t focus, as was the case this night.

“Γεια σου? ποιος είναι εκεί?”

The sudden voice startled Canvas and made her yelp as she dropped the towel she was carrying in her mouth. The voice belonged to a changeling angel who was already submerged in the hot spring. She had the characteristic vertical halo of the Sanctorum, her’s resembling an olive wreath with a scale attaching the branches. Her wings were moth wings that were folded and resting on the edge of the bath. Unlike other angels, she had no horn and her eyes were completely white and featureless which stated she was blind, evident in the fact that she normally wore a blindfold. Perhaps the most obvious feature was a tetralogy of sentient tails, each with a marble foal head representing the four principles of justice.

“M-mother Integ-grity?” Canvas stuttered with her heart still racing.

“Oh Acrylic Canvas, it’s just you. Sorry for scaring you. I just expected you to be long asleep by now, as everyone else should be by this hour.”

“I w-was trying to, b-but I had a few things on my m-mind and couldn’t fall asleep.”

“I see. Well, since you are present, might I invite you into the spring then?”

Canvas exhaled slowly to calm down and picked up her towel, placing it down by the edge of the bath for when she got out. She took a small folded towel and placed it on her head after tying her mane back before inching herself into the steaming water, starting with her legs then gradually the rest of her body. Once all but her head and front hooves were submerged, she used her hooves to remove her glasses and placed them on top of her other towel, reclining back and enjoying the bathing experience.

“Might I ask what is troubling you so much that you join me here?” Mother Integrity requested.

“Oh, it’s nothing much.”

“No need to be coy, my child. I only wish provide guidance.”

“Well… It’s just that I’ve been talking with the others a lot whenever we have time together and Ditzy told us about some of the things going on in Equestria. The rise of crime is something I’m worried about.”

“Do elaborate.”

“M-my father is a judge in Canterlot, but he’s also a unicorn. Even though he always fights against injustice like that, I fear me would become a target in this crisis.”

“Do you love your father?”

“Of course! I couldn’t ask for a better daddy than him.”

“Then you should have faith in him. He will not have the easiest time nowadays, but his moral courage is indeed a grand virtue. Trust me, I am familiar with his line of work.” One of Mother Integrity’s tails stretched out behind Canvas, making her jump a bit when it made contact with her shoulder. “If he is as compassionate about his work as you imply, he will be fine.”

“I hope so,” Canvas said feeling little assurance.

“Tell me, Acrylic Canvas. What do you think the difference between Justice and Revenge is?”

Canvas glanced at her mentor with a confused expression, thinking her question came out of the blue. “What do you mean?”

“Please answer the question to the best of your abilities.”

“Well…” Canvas put a hoof to her chin as she pondered. “I guess I would say that revenge is usually fulfilled for personal reasons whereas justice is giving what is deserved by the whole. Sort of like displaced anger versus righting an imbalance.”

“One is motivated by virtue and the other by vice. Is that what you are saying?”

“More or less,” Canvas shrugged.

“I can understand where you are coming from and for the most part, you are correct. However, what if I were to tell you that justice can be seen as revenge by the society? After all, society is composed of many individuals who might wish to see punishment brought upon a criminal. Would that still be called Justice?”

“I supposed it would depend on the crime.”

“Precisely. It is all about context. Does the punishment fit the crime? Many times, those who seek revenge wish the punishment to exceed the crime. Displaced anger as said before. Many claim justice to be about equality but by that logic, that would mean treating a rapist the same as treating a litterer. If that were the case, than the justice system would not deliver proper justice.”

“I… guess.” Canvas wasn’t entirely sure where Mother Integrity intended this conversation to go but she still listened attentively.

“Here is another question. You remember the difference between a Sin and a Vice, correct?”

“A Vice is a minor offence that can be overlooked where as a Sin is a more serious offence that can stain the soul, rendering them unable to achieve a Paradise.”

“Correct. Now one could compare these terms to those used in law: a Vice is to a Sin what a Misdemeanor is to a Felony. The minor offences don’t usually stain one’s reputation whereas the more serious ones do. Now let me ask yet another question. Would you consider all killers a lost cause, condemned to spend the rest of their lives in a prison?”

“By default, yes.”

“I see. By that logic then those who perform executions on criminals would surely become criminals themselves in that regard. Or how about the soldiers who must kill one to save the lives of tens or hundreds. There is a difference between a killer and a murderer. As I said before, it is in the context.”

“I… never thought of that before.”

“I find that hard to believe, Acrylic Canvas. Your father is a judge after all and if I am understanding correctly, he would sometimes talk with you about his cases. But I digress. Allow me to present a quiz. What is greed?”

“Greed is the desire for wealth, goods, or objects of abstract value with the intention of keeping it for one’s self.”

“What separates ‘greed’ from ‘avarice’?”

“Greed is a common vice, if not the most common, among society while avarice is the excessive presence of greed, far beyond what dictates survival or comfort.”

“An exemplary answer! Very well then, how would you dictate the difference between the two in person? How would you determine between which type of greed you see?”

Canvas pondered for another moment before responding. “I guess I would look for intention. Desire for money might make one seem shallow but if that desire overshadows other goals, then that’s when I think greed would turn to avarice. And I think if excess is blatant, such as conspicuous consumption, that would definitely be avarice also.”

“What separates excess from gluttony?”

“Excess is over-indulgence or over-consumption of food or wealth, but if that leads to extravagance or waste, then it becomes gluttony.”

“How would you determine between which type of excess?”

“I would look for attitude. I haven’t been to many parties but I’ve heard a lot of those in Canterlot really go all out, with big feasts or unnecessary spending on decorations. Something like the Grand Galloping Gala. But that didn’t discriminate as it was only open to those with invitations, not to a certain social group or race. This would contrast to a few New Years parties I’ve heard about, a lot of them too proud to let others in.”

“What separates pride from vanity?”

“Pride is a normal emotion and is often a good one. You need to have some pride in order to accomplish things. Vanity is when that pride exceeds the acceptable amount, not giving credit where it’s due.”

“How would you distinguish between them?”

“By nature, I would also look for attitude on this. I’m guilty of it from time to time, I admit it. I’ve been told my art is amazing and I know it. But if somepony else’s pride makes them do unspeakable things…” Canvas looked down into the water with a feeling of shame. “Pride motivated by anger and jealousy.”

Mother Integrity recognized her pupil's demeanor and grew troubled. “You shouldn’t blame yourself for the actions of others. I apologize for reigniting distasteful memories,” she said extending a hoof to pat Canvas’ head. “Let us move on. What separates anger from wrath?”

Canvas pushed aside the shame and glanced back at her mentor. “Well, anger is also a normal emotion. I don’t think there is a single living being that hasn’t felt anger at some point. Anger turns to wrath when you let it dictate your actions.”

“What separates jealousy from envy?”

“Jealousy and envy are very similar. I guess if I had to choose, jealousy is wishing misfortune on others whereas envy is actually bringing it on them.”

“Both jealousy and anger can lead to or result from the last two sins: Lust and Sloth. How would you differentiate between desire and lust?”

“Desire can be for many things, but if you are referring to… you know what, right?”

“If you feel uncomfortable about it, I will not make you talk about it further.”

“N-no, I’m okay. Desire is a normal part of the mind, but if that desire can’t be quenched, then it turns into lust.” Despite saying the contrary, Canvas was growing increasingly uncomfortable about the subject due to her own experiences with it.

“Let’s move on shall we?” Mother Integrity said brushing aside the awkward topic. “Now why do you think I would ask you all of these questions?”

Canvas opened her mouth to try and answer, but she really didn’t have one. With the split delay, Mother Integrity spoke again.

“Do you see a theme in the system? There is one thing that connects the comparisons, one thing that determines the difference between a minor offence from a major one.”

The magenta apprentice pondered for awhile before finally understanding. “Oh, context! I see. Each of them depends on the context of the action.”

“Very good! It’s all about perception and context. The severity of a sin is not the action itself, but the context in which it is committed. One’s perception can may say one thing but the context can say something entirely different. Nevertheless, not all vices can be excused, but some more than others.” Mother Integrity slowly stood up and got out of the spring, stretching as her tails picked up the clothes she had sitting to the side. “I would like for you to think more on our talk from tonight, but do remember that while many crimes are subjective, many others are as clear as day.”

Mother Integrity dried her body off and dressed it in her robes before putting her blindfold back on. She left the hot spring area, leaving Canvas to sit back and relax for the remainder of her visit. The mare in question sat in the water for awhile more before getting out herself, feeling drowsy and wanting to sleep. She dried herself off and headed back to her room. Once she was tucked into the covers, her heavy eyes closed with the last sight being the clear sky with a full moon as she drifted off into her slumber.

Big midnight blue chariot was circling high above the parched fields just outside Manehattan, the pegasi pulling it making sure it would remain out of the sight of the gathered ponies below. Betraying their presence before having been given the order was out of a question. A silver head poked out of its window and took in the plain underneath.

“It looks like the whole city gathered here. Surprisingly, there are only few scuffles; the ponies are waiting with great discipline,” Sharp Note stated and leaned back into the chariot. “I wonder how many guards are hidden among them. Not that I would criticize anypony for having them there.”

“Neither would I,” Luna said, anxiously tapping her hoof against the soft cushions. “Is she there?”

“Yes, I saw Princess Celestia personally overseeing the expenditure of food. She is close to the wagons. The guards around aren’t masked at all. Not surprising really.”

“Did you see how much they have left?”

“Only briefly, but even if the wagons were still full, it wouldn’t be enough for the crowd. At least not for more than one meal.”

“Then we are coming just in time.” Luna opened the small window facing forward and called to the chariot pullers, “Find a place to land and give a signal the others to be ready for our sign.”

“The crowd is too thick, your majesty. We have to land quite far away,” one of the pullers called back.

“Then we will at least enjoy a walk.”

Soon enough the chariot was on the ground. The pullers unhitched themselves and retrieved their spears from the holders before opening the door for Luna and her chancellor. Excited whispers were running in every direction through the crowd. Not one, but two princesses were suddenly present. Even though she was no longer their ruler, the ponies still held Luna in high regard and as she started walking in the direction of Celestia, they parted in front of her and bowed.

She regarded them with a sad look, noting how scrawny and tired they looked. “Fillydelphia truly suffers in these dark times,” she said to her entourage. “Worse than is appropriate.”

As they neared the wagons and the bowing of ponies became visible from the wagons, the work stopped, everypony anticipating whatever would was to happen. Celestia went rigid at seeing her sister, their last conversation still fresh in her mind. She felt a pang of fear at what she would be told. Still, this time she was sure her actions were right and she wouldn’t back down. That’s why when Luna got close enough, Celestia stood up and assumed an authoritative position.

“If you came to cause unrest, you better leave now. These ponies need the food and I won’t allow anypony to interfere.”

Luna didn’t slow down at all and stopped only when she stood directly in front of Celestia. She glanced at the half-empty wagons and then at the crowd around, patiently waiting for their saving grace. “Do you have enough for all of them?” she asked quietly with concern, shocking Celestia more than if she hit her.

Celestia checked if the ponies were far enough to not hear her and then she let her head bow a little. “No, Luna. I couldn’t get food for them all. We are failing here, but I want to help as many as I can.”

“As do I, sister.” Luna smiled and flared her horn, sending a burst of fireworks into the sky. On the signal, wagons of varying size and shape started landing behind the ones already unloading. The pullers immediately opened them and revealed a supply of food sufficient for an army. “I am sorry about some things I told you, Tia. We need each other and we can’t let our differences cost our subjects’ lives.”

Celestia stood there mouth agape, watching her servants and guards quickly approaching the newcomers and retrieving the supplies after greeting the ponies wholeheartedly. “What does this mean, Luna? What is this?”

“A mere gift from Lunar Domain citizens to their brethren in Equestria, along with my own.” The word of arrival of new wagons spread as quickly as about Luna’s showing up and soon the crowd was cheering. They too understood that what Celestia brought wouldn’t be enough for them all. Now the mood of the gathering improved greatly. “We are far from peachy ourselves, but we still manage to produce slightly more than we need. So if the border is open, our merchants are eager to cross it. And more help is on its way too.”

“Why the turn, Luna? I thought you wouldn’t forgive me barring you from power.”

“I haven’t, Tia. That’s why we remain independent. But our ponies need food and I refuse to sit by, sulking about our differences and they feel the same. Just look.”

Indeed, the pullers joined the effort of giving out the food to the waiting ponies, working side by side with Celestia’s employees. No disagreement stemmed among them, all understanding the grim circumstances.

Luna watched the scene with a warm smile and when the time was right, she shot another firework to the sky. Seconds later, the clouds formed in the air and swirled into a big circle around the space where the wagons rested. Pegasi were crisscrossing the sky, preparing every detail and then as one pony they bucked the clouds, starting the rain.

“No matter how bad you treat other races, Celestia. No matter how many times you wronged me and how unfair your regime is, we don’t want to see ponies hurt. So whether you like it or not, the citizens of Lunar Domain will help by any means necessary.”

Since the weather situation after the moving of Cloudsdale to Lunar Domain significantly worsened in all of Equestria, the perfectly tempered downpour brought almost as much rejoicing among the ponies as the food provided. It meant they would be able to grow their own vegetable again and that the worst would soon pass.

“Maybe an exchange of diplomats is in order, too,”Luna mused. She waved to the ponies and then flashed a sincere smile to Celestia. “Until next time, Tia. Hopefully in a happier moment.”

“Thank you, Lulu. If you wanted to show me you are a mature ruler, you just succeeded. I hope we will see each other in the eye again, sister.” Celestia returned Luna’s smile and reached a hoof to her which Luna took in her own gladly.

“I am sure of it, Tia. Just give it time.”

Chapter 20

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Original Title: Death Doesn't Choose
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

“Um, are you sure this is a good idea?” Fluttershy asked as she followed her small friends deeper in the Everfree Forest. As of late, her trips there became more frequent; not all food could be grown by ponies and not all ponies were willing to share their precious nourishment with Fluttershy’s critters. She would gather various assortment of berries and roots, most of them inedible for ponies, allowing her to keep all her little friends relatively well fed and happy. They even grew used to Discord’s continuous presence at her cottage as of late, so good her care was.

As a side product and sort of reward for her unrelenting effort, she was given even more love and affection from them than before and they would often share their biggest secrets with her too. Little critters rarely concern themselves with complicated matters, so Fluttershy was mostly told about various spots in the forest where sufficient resource of fruits and nuts could be found. The critters alone couldn’t claim them on their own, but small predators didn’t pose danger for a pony, therefore Fluttershy could.

Fluttershy didn’t mind helping them at all, partially because she profited from it too. She would always get more food than the critters could eat, so not only did her own diet get richer, but she could also give some to her friends, mostly Pinkie Pie who always searched for more ingredients.

On this bright sunny day a group of squirrels knocked on her door early in the morning and offered her in their helter-skelter manner of chirping to take her to a small walnut grove deeper in the forest. They alone couldn’t make use of it all, so Fluttershy would be welcomed to take what she needed. Of course, she rejoiced and after feeding her other animals she retrieved two big baskets from the cottage and with Angel throning on her back she went to follow the squirrel family.

The squirrel father jumped off the tree and with another small hop landed in front of Angel on Fluttershy’s back. He ran up her mane and looked into her eyes from above, chirping happily all the time.

“Oh I know that the walnuts will really help my friends by the cottage,” Fluttershy answered him, squinting up as best as she could to meet his gaze. “Yes, the big animals stay in other parts and come mostly at night. But I still don’t feel too comfortable this deep in the forest. It is so… scary…” She took in her surroundings and immediately regretted that. The trees grew close to each other, their branches tangled and shielding most of the sun. While the undergrowth wasn’t too thick yet, the shadow and the strange stillness typical for Everfree were chilling Fluttershy to bone.
The squirrel father sighed and patted her mane gently, pointing to a brighter spot in the distance. “Well, if you say that it’s safe here, I will believe you, Mr. Squirrel. More so that it’s not that far now.” Fluttershy giggled at the relieved expression of her passenger - just one of them since Angel remained grumpy and silent, tapping his paw occasionally - and sped a bit up, eager to get into more sunnier area.

A small group of walnuts heavy with their fruits stood in a much more pleasant distance from each other, so the light, although filtered through their leaves. Fluttershy gave a happy sigh, placed the baskets by one of the trees and was about to fly up to the branches when a walnut fell next to her, followed by another. She looked up and noticed a flock of sing birds hitting the stems with their beaks.

“Oh you are such lovely friends! You came to help me gather? Thank you!” Fluttershy squeed and went to collect the nuts from the ground. With so many helpers the baskets were filling quickly and Fluttershy happily expected to get home soon. To her great surprise even Angel joined in on picking the nuts, though probably to ensure exclusive treatment later that day. Even he had to submit to a diet change and did everything to get in Fluttershy’s good graces to steal more food for himself.

“Just a little while longer and we will be done here,” Fluttershy called up to her mostly winged helpers as the squirrels joined in on helping her too. The birds called to her in response and continued their work with renewed fervor. But all of a sudden, the nuts stopped falling from the trees and seconds later the whole flock took flight with alarmed cries about danger.

Fluttershy stopped moving and watched them flee in haste. “Um, did I do something wrong?” she asked to the squirrels. “What got them so-” She was shushed be the squirrel father who put one of his paws to the ear and listened attentively. Then his face contorted in utter terror and he rattled in his gibberish at cadence of Rarity’s sewing machine.

“Monsters are heading in our directions?” Fluttershy cried out with worry. “Where are they-” She didn’t get to finish her question as a manticore soon followed by two others barged into the area of walnut grove, their sharp teeth bared and venomous tails swishing from side to side. Fluttershy’s eyes widened in horror and she instinctively skipped in the opposite direction, preparing to escape.

“Run!” she yelled and was about to follow her own advice, baskets filled with walnuts all but forgotten, but in the last second she realized not only her life was in danger. With one jump she was by Angel’s side. She grabbed his ears with her mouth and flung him on her back. “Hold firm, Angel!”

She started into the forest like an arrow shot from a mighty bow, her pink mane and tail fluttering behind her in the wind created by her mad dash. She knew there was no use in flying; the manticores were used to hunt both on the ground and in the air and she was anything but a good flier. In the thick forest she would at least have an advantage of smaller size. She jumped over a fallen trunk of once mighty tree and barely cleared a bush at her landing, few of her hair staying on its thorny branches.

From the corner of an eye she spotted the squirrels running in the same direction, though opting to travel hidden with the leaves up high. She wished she could join them there, but her body wouldn’t allow that. All she could do was run and the beasts behind her were gaining ground.

She took a sharp turn right in front of a big rock, hoping to maybe lead on of her pursuiters into it, though apart from gaining few steps she accomplished little. She sneaked through narrow holes in the bushes, under enormous roots of Everfree trees and fallen trunks, changing directions as quickly as she could without losing sense of orientation. All the time she felt the weight of her passenger on her back. Angel was grasping her mane with his paws and maw, holding for his dear life. She could even feel something warm trickle down her back from under him.

The manticores were mere yards behind her, bulldozing their way through the plants, and she could almost feel their warm breath on her coat. Sweat was drenching her from head to toe and her muscles burned from the exertion, but the growls and howls spurred her to even greater strain. She sprinted so fast that even Rainbow would be proud of her, that is, if she wouldn’t be more scared for her friend at that moment. The unnatural sprint soon took its toll though as Fluttershy couldn’t pay enough attention to her footing.

One hidden stone was enough to send her flying at her speed and she ended in two somersaults before jumping back to her hooves. Thankfully, her tripping came on the edge of a small clearing, so she didn’t hit anything in her fall.

She suppressed the pain of her fall in favor of surviving and returned to sprinting. Somehow, it posed much lesser strain now, even her head could move more freely…

“ANGEL!”

She stopped at once from her run and turned in place. There, at the place of her fall, she spotted the small white puff. Angel was just groggily getting up; he probably took a big hit. Maybe she even landed on him. “Angel, I am coming!” Fluttershy cried out and started back over the clearing. A menacing growl echoed from under the trees and the leader of manticore pack emerged from the shadow, heading straight for the bunny.

“Please, Mr. Manticore, leave Angel alone!” Fluttershy said, her voice trembling as she continued approaching the bunny, now curled in a small ball. He could sense his death coming in form of crimson and golden lethal elegance. The beast stopped over him, saliva dripping from its maw. It growled quietly, eyeing its prey hungrily.

“He is just a little bunny, Mr. Manticore. He didn’t hurt anything! Please let him go,” Fluttershy pleaded, but didn’t dare to go any closer. Angel locked his eyes with hers, silently begging to be saved. They both were trembling with despair, silently understanding there was no hope..

The manticore gave one last growl and grabbed the trembling white puff with its paw. Its jaws slowly opened, revealing the rows of razor sharp teeth to both Angel and Fluttershy. Then it roared with all capacity of its mighty lungs, spit spraying on the grass and both scared victims. Angel scrunched his eyes shut, not keen on watching his last seconds. Fluttershy couldn’t but follow his example.

“I am sorry, Angel, I am so sorry. Please don’t kill him, please don’t pleeeease…” she muttered, tears freely streaming down her face. Her hushed mantra was drowned in a sickening squishing and crunching noise as the manticore finished the deed.

“ANGEEEEEEEL!” Fluttershy flung herself forward against the manticore in a futile attempt at an attack driven by her grief. She blindly beat around herself trying to hit the murderer, all the time screaming.

“You monster! Why did you kill him? Why did you kill Angel? I hate you, you mean ugly beast! I-” She was stopped when a hard paw hit her side and flung her across the clearing. She lay there sobbing and still muttering, “I hate you. Why did you kill him!”

The manticore purred contently as it licked the blood from its lips and paws. Red droplets were falling from the long hair on its chin. It left the carcass of the bunny behind, anything but white at this point, and drew closer to Fluttershy, the main course for that day.

“I hate you. Why did you kill him. I hate you so much, you mean beast….” Fluttershy continued her muttering, but rose to face the manticore. She wouldn’t go down without a fight, not after what she had to witness.

“Killing critters is your nature, you beast, but you had no reason to kill Angel!” she shouted at the approaching monster. It growled in response to her statement, but to her surprise Fluttershy realized she couldn’t understand a single word from it. As if the manticore went mute or… mad.

Their eyes met for the first time and Fluttershy froze. She knew the attacker. She recognized that look even though strangely devoid of any sentience and reason. She remembered and she hated. “After I helped you there in the forest, you go and kill my friend. You would have died of starvation if I didn’t pull that thorn out. You ungrateful monster. You know what? I regret ever helping you! You are nothing but a stupid killer!”

The manticore roared again, obviously understanding at least the resentment behind the words if the meaning stayed hidden from it. It moved closer again, arching its back and flexing its batlike wings. Fluttershy snapped out of her rage and sorrow induced trance and realized a simple truth. This situation wasn’t fight or flight, oh no. This was flight or death.

She scrambled to her hooves again and turned to take the more favorable option, but to her horror she found herself face to face with another manticore. Then a growl came from her right and she noticed the third of the pack. They must have sneaked through the forest while their leader enjoyed some bloody fun.

The three majestic and terrible beasts started circling around her slowly, wings half folded to allow them immediately take flight. They were crouching low, snears on their ugly mauls, quiet hissing never ending. Fluttershy trembled in the centre. She was paralyzed by the sight of their fangs, in one case bloody, and by the stench of their breath speaking of murder.

They won. She wouldn’t be able to run much further anyway and she had little will to now that the anger subsided. She would wait for her end obediently, letting the predators have their sick entertainment with watching her tremble. Despite not understanding their communication, she could tell they were fairly giddy. They were in fact so absorbed in their little game that they missed a sound of crushed branches far in the forest at first. That is, until a voice followed it.

“Fluttershy? Fluttershy, where are you? Are you alright?”

The ears of all present shot to attention and the manticores turned in the direction from which the voice came. Fluttershy recognized it immediately and her determination returned. Angel was dead, but she still had others that cared. “Disord, help!” she shouted and used the moment of slacking attention of her torturers to escape their circle. “Please come quick!”

The manticores noticed their prey slipping away and took action. They were not in hurry. Nothing in forest could harm them. One of them took flight and landed in front of the fleeting Fluttershy. She dodged to the side and ran to the other edge, but another landed in front of her, flaring its wings. She accepted the rhythm and followed into a furious dance with death. If she stopped for a single second, they would finish her off.

“Discord, hurry!” she exclaimed as she barely avoided a strike of the venomous tail. “I can’t go on much longer!” She continued escaping, but knew it was only thanks to the manticores intentionally prolonging her suffering. Still, as long as they would play, she would live and Discord would have time to get there.

“That would be enough!” he shouted as he cleared the last layer of bushes and barged into the clearing. “Leave her alone and run, kitties!”

The manticores indeed abandoned their game, but they didn’t run. A massive prey just presented itself and they would take it. They were lazily closing the distance between them and Discord, growling like before, never letting their gaze slip from him. He watched them, their slightly lidded glare with dilated pupils and missing white. In his long life he faced many a beast be it hostile or just in the way. He encountered spawns of Tartarus and horrors of past. Yet until then he never encountered one of his kin - a being devoid of harmony.

They lunged at him all at the same time and he simply curled his body like a spring to avoid them. Once they cleared above him, he used the accumulated energy and shot up in the air, slapping the tails of the manticores in the process. “Very well, kitties, let’s play!” he exclaimed with glee. Chaotic or not, they were still just beasts.

Fluttershy was lying on her side heaving from the strain of last few minutes. She was barely recepting the shenanigans of Discord whose body was floating in erratic patterns among the manticores desperately trying to hit him. In retaliation for their attempt he would jab them from time to time or scratch their chin with his tail, enraging them further.

Once she recovered enough to think clearly, Fluttershy noted how close the fight was taking place and that she should probably scoot further away. She got up on her shaking hooves and slowly backed away, but her hoof struck something in the grass and she fell backwards from the sudden loss of balance. She looked at the obstacle and broke into tears anew as she recognized the small mangled pile of fur and flesh. She pulled it to her chest and curled on the ground, not caring if the combatants trampled her.

“Oh Angel, this is all my fault. I am so sorry. I should have run faster, please forgive me, Angel…”

On the other side of the clearing Discord was having time of his life. “What a wonderful work out, how marvelous moves,” he was complimenting himself as he continued to playing a string for the cat. “Why maybe I should keep you as my pets, ponies would pay for such show. What do you think, Fluttershy? Would ‘Discord and His Kitties’ draw big enough crowd?”

He turned to where he expected the pegasus, throwing the manticores to the side with a swing of his tail. “Fluttershy?” She lay there trembling on the grass stained with blood, clutching the little corpse like a foal would hold a teddy bear. Or a mother her foal….

Discord turned back to the manticores, his face devoid of all expression. “You made Fluttershy cry,” he stated calmly, but menace and pure hatred were radiating from his whole being. The reality of just what they enraged struck the manticores like a lightning and they tried to back away, ears splayed back, but it was too late for them. “You are going to pay for it.”
He lunged forward pretty much like they did before, a deafening roar filling the clearing and shaking the trees around. The first manticore didn’t have time to so much as flinch as the mass of enraged chaos attacked it. Discord’s paw and talon flew forward, striking its face again and again, beating its teeth one by one out and eventually burying fingers in its eyes. The horrified cry of crippled beast took place of Discord’s warcry, but not for long, as he jumped in the air, his muscles rippling under his skin, and landed on its back with telltale crack.

The whole fight took less than five seconds the rest of the pack too shocked to move until he set his eyes on them. He was towering over them, his true strength now revealed. He was taking deep breaths, nostrils flaring with each, the scent of fresh blood clouding his reason. He could have turned them into chickens at any given point, made the ground swallow them or even forced a tree to come to life and crash them, but sometimes, magic was simply not enough.

They attacked in tandem, striking in such way that no mortal would be able to dodge both. Discord didn’t care, letting them drive their claws over his coat, not leaving a single mark there. The talons, however, broke after hitting the stone hard surface of Discords body. He grinned at the screeching sound and cries of the beasts as he followed the movement of one of them and grabbed it by its wings. He planted his alligator foot firmly in the small of its back and pulled with all his might, lifting the beast in the air. It soared through the air for ten yards when the equilibrium was broken with its wings torn from its back.

The last remaining predator decided it was the high time to leave. It spread its wings and took flight, but found itself beating the air with no effect, a painful strain on its tail. “You are not going anywhere,” Discord growled and swang the manticore over his head. It hit the ground hard, making a dent in the grass. Discord grabbed its tail with both hands and brought it over his head again, slamming the beast in the ground again. Ten swings and less than ten seconds later the pained howls started subsiding and Discord flung the manticore against the wall of trees where it slid down into one bloodied heap.

The wingless one attempted to escape during the last encounter, but with the pain and blood loss it couldn’t get far. With twelve mighty strides Discord caught up to it at the edge of the clearing and stepped on its tail. The beast turned its head to him, pleading with its bloodshot eyes for mercy. Discord would maybe consider it, were it not for a one small detail. Its chin was smeared with blood that wasn’t its own.

“You are the one that made Fluttershy cry,” he whispered and snapped a nearby young tree in the half. He raised it high over his head and pinned the manticore to the ground through its stomach. “Have some time to think about what you have done.”

Discord turned on his heel, ignoring the whimpering of the dying manticore and walked back to where Fluttershy was lying, still in the same position as when he last looked, blind and deaf to all but her grief. He scooped her in his arms and cradled her carefully. She never let go of the small corpse and still muttered hushed apologies to Angel for her supposed failure.

“Let’s just go home, Fluttershy,” Discord said and started for the hole in the bushes through which he arrived, leaving the scene of carnage behind him. The forest did well to get out of his way as he would spare nothing in his current state. Soon enough they got to the edge of the forest and in sight of the welcoming cottage.

“‘bout time ya’ll showed up!” Applejack emerged from behind the cottage, Winona skipping around her legs happily. “Ah’ve been waiting for half an hour here:”

“I don’t think it is the best time for a visit, Applejack,” Discord said, cradling Fluttershy closer to his chest.

“Ah don’t see why not. Winona here needs a check-up so Ah’m bringing her to t’ best animal caretaker around. Ya won’t leave me hangin’, will ya, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy glanced from behind her mane and saw Applejack petting Winona who was lying on her back, tail wagging happily. She pulled herself closer to Discord and descended back to sobbing. Discord sighed and reciprocated the hug.

“Look, Applejack. The best caretaker around needs some care herself right now, so please go away. And definitely don’t come back with pets anytime soon,” he ordered. Applejack would retort something about not taking orders from the likes of him, but the solemn look he was giving her shut her mouth.

“What happened, Discord?” she only asked quietly.

“Something really bad. Can I ask you a favor, Applejack? Tell ponies to stay away from the forest as much as they can. The beasts have gone mad.”

“That’s nothing new.” She waved her hoof dismissively. “Everypony knows them monsters are ready ta kill.”

“Three manticores dared to attack me, Applejack. You know well how animals react to me,” Discord explained urgently. Applejack gulped at the idea and nodded fervently.

“Ah will tell them right away. Take care of Fluttershy, Ah’ll be back!” She galloped in the direction of Ponyville and soon left Discord’s field of vision. He sighed again and walked the rest of the distance to the cottage. Inside, he took Fluttershy up to her bedroom and laid her down on her bed. He made no attempt to take Angel’s corpse away from her; she wouldn’t allow it anyway.

“I will be right back, Fluttershy,” he said and headed for the door. If she noticed his departure, she didn’t show it, remaining unmoving on the bed, save for the small shaking from her cry. He quickly retrieved a glass of water for her and a damp towel to wipe off the blood from her chest and returned to her side. She didn’t change a position at all.

“My poor little Fluttershy,” he whispered and wrapped his snakelike body around her like a cat would protects its offsprings. She pressed her back into his warm fur and he embraced her gently to assure her she was not alone.

They lay so for hours, grieving the loss of a dear friend and the sadness of one respectively. Over time, Fluttershy calmed down a bit and she even let her death grip slip. It was dark outside when the silence was finally broken.

“Why did they do this, Discord?”

“I don’t know, Fluttershy. Chaos has no reason. They won’t hurt again though.”

“That won’t bring my Angel back,” she sighed and pressed deeper into his coat.

“No. No, it won’t.” There was nothing to say. All words achieve little when one is grieving. No talk about better place, no promise of reunion. The loss hurts too much and Discord knew that too well and too freshly.

“Don’t leave me please.”

“I never will, Fluttershy. You are my only friend. Where you are, I now have the only home.”

That got Fluttershy’s attention even in her shaken state. “What about Canterlot? Not that I want you to go anywhere. Please don’t…”

He shook his head solemnly. “Not anymore.”

Discord was nestled comfortably in his hammock hanging between the statue of Starswirl the Bearded and Celestia. The knots were holding the ropes fixed to the horns of the two magicians which were still attached to their foreheads only by sheer miracle. He was swinging leisurely and blowing soap bubbles, most of which bursted against the stone Celestia’s muzzle.

He was enjoying his afternoon siesta, basking in the warmth of the sun on cloudless sky. Although he was far away in the gardens, he could still hear the commotion from in front of the gate where a huge demonstration gathered once again.

“Poor ponies, marching to get beaten by our loyal Royal Guard,” he mused and blew another bubble.

“Not really,” came an unexpected answer from his right. He glanced in that direction, stirring his bowl of soapwater with a straw, and nodded to the two guards standing there in attention.

“Pray tell, what are you doing here, oh revered protectors of the crown?” he asked with a bow as he got up from his hammock, splashing them with the soapwater. They didn’t even flinch, being used to his annoying antics. One of them stepped forward though, gesturing to the castle.

“As I said, they didn’t come for beating today. She didn’t order us to strike.”

“Did our little princess get ill, or is she just tired of hurting her subjects?” Discord sneared, involuntarily following the direction indicated with his eyes.

“I don’t know and honestly I don’t care as long as I don’t have to go attack them,” the guard confessed tiredly. “You can ask her yourself, she wants to talk to you.”

“Then I shouldn’t let the princess wait. Thank you, oh mighty soldiers, for delivering the message to me, meager civilian.”

“Sure, whatever,” the guard said through gritted teeth and walked off with his companion to attend to their more important duties. Discord waved goodbye after them, wiping his eyes with a lace handkerchief.

“Such brave stallions, marching to possible danger to protect us all,” he weeped. Then he realized he was all alone in the garden. “Being theatrical is no fun when nopony is watching. Well, Celestia is waiting. Onward, valiant Discord!”

He didn’t waste time with walking to Celestia’s office, opting to teleport there instead. Meeting the plenty of clerks in the government quarters wasn’t his idea of fun. They were simply too organized.

“There you are,” Celestia said instead of greeting, clearly unfazed by him suddenly materializing in front of her. she wouldn’t expect anything less. “Lovely day we are having.”

“It’s really a brilliant day.” Discord snapped his fingers and the chair by Celestia’s writing desk transformed into a comfortable looking sofa. “I heard some ponies trying to visit and it seems they didn’t even get beaten. What got you into such a good mood, Celestia?”

“I don’t enjoy sending guards against them, you know that,” Celestia countered indignantly. “In fact, this whole situation looks much more like something you would bask in.”

“You are hurting my feelings. I aim to create mischief, maybe some fun.” He summoned another bowl of soapwater and blew a huge bubble. “What we are having here is painful to watch. No art in it at all. It ruins the whole concept of my chaos.” The bubble flew over the table and broke on Celestia’s forehead. “Just like that.”

Celestia wiped the droplets from her face, but didn’t comment on the event. She had more important matters to deal with. “So we both agree that this havoc should not continue? Good. You will surely like to hear that I came up with a swift solution.”

Discord jumped up and started clapping, Equestrian flag with Celestia’s cutie mark on it waving behind him in an nonexistent breeze. “Bravo! Long live the Princess! Bravo!” he kept exclaiming as he threw handfuls of rose petals in the air. Then they froze as he looked at Celestia quizzically. “What exactly is this super solution of yours?”

“It’s really simple,” Celestia started, ignoring Discord’s antics entirely, “ The time for you to serve has come. Ponies need food. You can create things out of nothing. Create food for them, Discord.”

The petals shook a little and vaporized, the flag furled and jumped on its pole to the corner. Discord sat back down, supporting his forehead with his lion paw. “I am afraid that I won’t be able to follow through with your idea, Princess. It would make problems only worse.”

“How could feeding the ponies make anything worse?” Celestia asked in confusion.

“It’s not the feeding. Nor is the food bad in itself. But whatever I create to stay only leads to chaos. The one exception being the chocolate milk, for no particular reason. I don’t know how are when ponies would start to suffer, but they would.”

“You can bend reality. Surely you can turn that perk of your creations off. That’s what you do, break the rules.”

“And you are rising the sun. But can you change its color at will? No, because it’s older than you,” Discord deadpanned.

“Aren’t you casting your spells all the time? How come there are no negative effects?” Celestia inquired, forgetting the real issue for a moment in favor of her curiosity.

“Who says there aren’t? They don’t necessarily show up in form of rampaging dragons. Or in Canterlot. Besides, I am cancelling the effects of my creative work soon enough.”

“Then you would cancel the effect in this case too.”

“That would cause the ponies to starve again. One effect doesn’t vanish without the others negated too. Sorry, Celestia, but I can’t help you here.” Discord folded his arms on his chest and leaned back in the sofa. “I refuse to cause more pain.”

“Is that your final word? That’s unfortunate.” Celestia sighed and got up from her seat, walking to the window. “I thought we could be friends. I thought you would help me in need. But it seems you are absolutely useless god, Discord.”

Discord wasn’t sure she meant her words. Her true believes mattered little though as that statement cut deep. “I am not useless, Celestia. I used to be, when I was malicious, but now I mean something to ponies. I even befriended them, so please at least keep your insults.” He kept his voice quiet, not wanting to make a scene as one thrown by him would look comical anyway.

“Do you think they would refuse help to ponies in need?” Celestia tried for the last time to change his mind.

“Fluttershy wouldn’t harm ponies just to get a makeshift solution to a bigger problem.”

“Then you can go to her right away, Discord. If you don’t want to help, I don’t think we have anything to talk about. Ever.” Celestia didn’t even bother to turn to him as she condemned him to exile from Canterlot and her life. Discord didn’t protest. With a single snap of his fingers he returned the room to the state before he ‘entered’, leaving only the flag furled in the corner. Celestia’s cutie mark vanished from it though.

“Then I went into Ponyville. You know the rest,” Discord finished his recalling of the events

“I am proud of you, Discord. You did the right thing there, if you don’t mind me judging.” Fluttershy nuzzled him affectionately. “It must have been really hard for you too.”

“It was harder than I expected, especially once I had time to think about it. You see, we were never really friends, but she has been around for much longer than anypony else. She remembers how world was back then. I had some form of bond with her. I feel a bit alone, to be honest.”

“You don’t have to. I will be here for you and you have a home here as long as you wish. Besides,” Fluttershy dejectedly looked at Angel’s body still lying on the bed, “sometimes memories help too.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” Discord whispered into her ear. “Even when in pain yourself, you care about how I feel. I promise I will repay you in kind though and protect you however I can. I hate to see you sad.” He picked up Angel and brought him close to his chest. “I think we should honor our friend one last time and bury him properly.”

Fluttershy nodded solemnly and followed Discord outside and to a small hill with a tree on top. A small procession of animals trailed behind them, some jumping on Fluttershy’s back and petting her mane. They stopped and Discord prepared his fingers to snap a grave to existence, but Fluttershy held his talon.

“I want to do this alone,” she said and went to dig with her hooves. The freshly disturbed soil was getting watered with her tears. Once the hole was deep enough to keep Angel properly, Discord held the corpse for Fluttershy to take. She pressed it to her chest for the last time. “I am sorry, Angel. I should have been quicker. I already miss you.” She placed the corpse into the grave and took a last glance at it. “I hope you are in a better place now. Rest easy.” Then she pushed the soil back to its place, creating a small hill.

Discord couldn’t hold himself now and snapped his fingers, turning one of the nearby stones into a small gravestone with a single word - Angel.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy whispered and suddenly felt herself embraced from more sides at once. Along with Discord, several bunnies and mice, as well as a fawn were pressing themselves to her affectionately. A pair of squirrels was wiping away her tears, chirping mournfully. She nuzzled them lightly. “Don’t blame yourself for this. You meant well and I am definitely not angry at you, Mr. Squirrel,” she said, pulling the pair in a hug of her own. They remained on the hill for an hour after that, keeping company to Angel for the last time.

The moon shone down on the silent forest near the borders of Griffon Kingdom. It was a full moon providing enough light to see even under the trees since the leaves were slowly leaving their the branches in the chilling wind, and the star were lending their share too. Even though residing in a different country, Luna was performing exquisitely, obviously getting back in form after her exile.

Sterling was surveying the road in front of him. He appreciated dearly the opportunity to not stop due to the darkness and get at least a bit closer to home before the mules would be too tired to go on. That’s not to say he alone wasn’t tired, but for him it was more along the lines of overall exhaustion and getting fed up with his lifestyle.

At first, he saw the new laws regarding trade with griffons and coverage of export taxes by the crown as a great opportunity to increase his wealth and maybe set his family for life, but lately he started having second thoughts. Sure, this paid generously, but since the trading always required the presence of at least one of the company owners, he had to travel to Griffon Kingdom on regular basis and wouldn’t get to spend much time with his family.

Thankfully, the profit had been dropping slightly with every journey he would take, mostly because of the increasing number of merchants trying to usurp the market. The sole fact he perceived this as positive assured him he needed a change.

“After this journey ends, I am taking a break. Maybe an indefinite one,” he said to the mule pulling the cart he was walking next to. “If Flip wants, he can continue marching there every three weeks. My hooves hurt.”

“You can talk about hurting hooves, Sterling. You are not the one in yoke,” his companion answered with a chuckle. “but I know what you mean. I swear this journey is getting longer every time we make it. “

“I’ll get you some paid vacation, Jumpy. You deserve it after making all these trips with me. Well, we should start looking for a place to set up a camp for the night.” He turned back, taking in the long string of carts making his caravan and called to the pony by the one behind his, “Hey, we will be stopping soon, pass the word.” Then he walked further to the front of the caravan to get a better look on the road.

A caravan this size always had difficulties to find a place to rest. They couldn’t just pull to the side and stop there, because they would be blocking the traffic too heavily. Sterling remembered exactly how much space the carts would take and kept an eye for any clearing big enough and accessible from the road.

He soon spotted one, but wanted a second opinion, so he turned to the mule pulling the first cart. “Do you think this will do?”

The mule looked over the indicated space and nodded. “Yeah, that’s a pretty good place to sto- ack!” He gurgled and fell to the ground, an arrow sticking from his chest.

“What in the Tartarus is happening?” Sterling exclaimed and rushed to his fellow, now writhing and moaning on the ground. “Bring the first aid kit, hurry!”

“That won’t be necessary.” A hooded figure stepped on the road, a bow levitating by its side in a lime green aura. “This really is a pretty good place to stop.” The news about the attack spreaded further back through the caravan and panic started to rein. Everypony heard the tales of great robberies and dangerous bandits as a foal.

Sterling stood up and faced the hooded attacker. “What is the meaning of this? Why did you shoot one of my friends? Who the hay do you think you are?” He glanced back down to the wounded mule. “Where are you with that first aid kit?” A mare rushed from the back and ran to the wounded, small suitcase held in her mouth. She knelt down and retrieved a bandage from the suitcase, but suddenly felt something cold on her neck. She looked up and her eyes met with another hooded pony, this one levitating a long spear.

“I said, that won’t be necessary,” the first attacker said. He sounded almost amused with the development. The mare backed away until she was side by side with Sterling.

“What is the purpose of this? Why are you attacking us?” Sterling demanded firmly.

“It’s really simple,” the bandit said and shot another arrow, this time aimed on the cart. It landed with a thud and more figures started emerging from the forest on both sides. “You are bringing goods that aren’t welcomed in Equestria.”

“How so? Ponies need to eat and you know that.”

“Ponies also didn’t pay for these goods. And since they can get them for free, they refuse to buy from our employers. We are only keeping the market healthy.”

“So what do you want? Are we supposed to turn tail and return the cargo to Griffon Kingdom?” Sterling asked angrily. The attackers were stepping closer to the carts and the ponies, all holding the weapons drawn. The members of the caravan were desperately scared, not having been trained for combat. They didn’t even have any weapons with them.

The chief bandit laughed an unhappy laugh. “Oh no, they were already paid for. The last thing we need are griffons selling the same stuff twice. No. You are going to hand the cargo over to us. All of it.” Sterling glanced behind at all the armed figures intimidating his caravan. They wouldn’t stand a chance against them. Better to lose the cargo than all those lives. “The time is ticking, you know. Your companion over there is bleeding to death.”

“The cargo is yours.”

“Wise decision. Pull it to that clearing you wanted to camp on.” The caravan started moving again, now guarded by the group of bandits. Sterling helped to lift the injured mule on the cart and the mare returned to tending to him. Soon all the carts were gathered in the clearing. “Good. Now position them so they are touching,” the chief bandit ordered.

The pullers, mostly mules unhinged from the carts and gathered by opposite end of the clearing. Jumpy found Sterling in the crowd and tapped him on the foreleg. “Well, you couldn’t do anything else. They would massacre us like nothing.”

“Yeah, but it still hurts seeing them taking our property. And look what they did to Roadracer.” Sterling pointed to the mule in care of the medical mare few yards away from the main group.

“Damn right. One can only hope they will get what they deserve one day,”

“Burn the carts!” the chief bandit commanded and four hooded ponies levitating torches stepped to the assorted wagons. The let the torches fall on the cargo which immediately set ablaze.

“They wouldn’t be able to sell it. The marks would get recognized,” Sterling explained in response to Jumpy’s quizzical expression. “They are not idiots. Just bloody bastards.” He spat to the side and shook his head dejectedly. The blaze slowly consumed all the cargo and reached the wooden planks of the carts. The heat easily reached the gathered ponies and the light of fire was making their tears glisten.

“Time to finish the job,” said the chief bandit to his thugs quietly. They nodded and before anypony could react, the second bandit Sterling saw that evening stepped to Roadracer and drove the spear through his heart. The mare screamed in horror and tried to get away, but was met with the same fate, the spear pinning her to the ground.

The ponies started panicking as the bandits walked closer, weapons bared once more. “What the hay?! You got what you wanted! Leave us be!” Sterling shouted over the commotion and cries of fear. He made his way through the backing ponies and faced the chief bandit with anger in his eyes.

“Did I promise something like that?” the chief bandit mocked. “I can’t afford you getting away. You would warn the others. Nothing personal really.” He drew his bow swiftly and shot, but Sterling wasn’t there anymore. He expected the attack and started moving just in time to avoid death. He jumped toward his opponent and bucked him strongly in the chest, making him fly few feet through the air.

Everypony in the clearing froze in that moment, watching the unexpected victor of that skirmish. The chief bandit got up quickly though, growling like a timberwolf, and locked his gaze with Sterling. Then they shouted at the exact same time:

“Get them all!”

“Save yourself, everypony!”

A chaos broke free. The ponies were running around, searching for opening for escape or for their next victim. Some of the caravan members were trying to fight back, their earth pony strength and stamina giving them a slight edge, although they had to face armed attackers.

Sterling alone wasn’t trying to get away. He knew they had no chance on winning so the best he could do was buy some time for his companions to get to safety. He jumped to the side, avoiding another arrow and earning an angry scream from the chief bandit. He knocked over another bandit, who was just getting ready to slice one of the mules in half. Then he spotted something that gave him at least some peace of heart. Jumpy was currently honoring his name, shattering the ribcage of that killer spearwielder with repeated strings on top of him. He finished the job by stomping his forelegs on the bandit’s head, cracking the facial part inward.

“That’s for Roadracer, you son of a whorse!” he shouted and grabbed the spear. “Take this, Sterling. Show them how to do business!” He threw the weapon to Sterling and rammed his head against the side of another bandit.

“Thanks, just get away!”

“No way! We have been in this together from the beginning, so let’s end it that way.”

Few others managed to seize some weapons as well. The clearing was now slightly less noisy as the number of ponies screaming lowered. Either they lay on the ground dead or ran into the forest. Sterling noted that the dead weren’t exclusively his companions either. He intended to improve the ratio further.

The survivors who decided to stay gathered around few wounded yet still alive friends and went to deflect the attacks the bandits were launching. They fought valiantly, taking several more down, but their efforts were condemned to fail eventually. Sterling saw the chief bandit standing nearby, the bow lying by his side. He could have taken them down with no problem.

“Good fight. Have it till the end,” he called to Sterling and walked off toward the forest to hunt for the escapees. “Finish them already, the merchants are fighting better than you, you lot.”

It was a matter of minutes. One by one, Sterling’s companions were falling and soon even he was hit by a sheer swing of a sword. He fell to the ground, grabbing the wound with his hooves to limit the bleeding, but it would be fatal anyway.

So this is how I die? Heh, never thought it would be in a battle. Damn this hurts. He clenched his eyes shut from the pain, heaving heavily. The noises of fighting were subsiding around him, though it could have been that his hearing was simply leaving him. I wish I could see Silver Spoon one more time. Poor filly, how I miss her. I’m sorry, Pearl String, you will have to raise her alone. I love you with all my heart…

“Hey, this one is still breathing!”

“So what? Just finish him. I will go see how the hunt goes.”

The pain of the final blow was almost unperceivable for Sterling in his close death state. In fact, he welcomed it. After that, there was only warm darkness and silence.

“Wha?... Where am I?”

A unicorn stallion woke up in a blank white void area with the only features being a large gate door with what looked like two ponies wearing red and gold armor flanking it. They had what seemed to be two long ribbon like wings with simple markings running from their back and a clear ring above their heads. As the unicorn looked around tried to get up and look around, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He could not stand up for long before the pain became too unbearable. Upon sitting down again, he examined his chest by gently rubbing his hoof across it. His ribs were broken.

It was at this point he remembered the feeling of his lungs expelling his last breath as the mule crushed him. He placed a hoof to a tender part of his face and then remembered the last thing he saw before he died. When he took the job he was offered, he never ever thought he would be killed by transit merchants, let alone a mule among them.

As he sat there trying to quell his pain, he saw a few other ponies with equally confused expressions. He couldn’t help but think some of them looked familiar and as he got closer, he did in fact recognize the leader of the caravan he encountered, one lens in his glasses cracked and the other lens missing entirely.

“Sterling Silver,” a soothing, yet firm voice called from the gate.

A tall unicorn mare materialized from fragments of the void and she bared the same wing and halo designs as the guards. However, she wore regal robes with a crown and gold horseshoes, similar to the princesses. Her mane was in a large braid with two jingle bells on the ribbon tying her braid together.

“Come forward,” the mare said as a podium of sorts materialized in front of her. Sterling followed her order and cautiously stepped. “Fear not. I’ve no intention in harming you further. You have lost many things, including your life. You fear for your loved ones but you needn’t fear further. While your greed brought about your demise, your other deeds outweigh it. I assure you of that.”

Sterling felt a warmth radiating from above him as the mare’s halo glowed and his worries seemed to melt away.

“You love your wife, your daughter, and your friends and did your best to protect them. You were willing to give your life to do so and for that, you shall be rewarded. The afterlife you live will be a peaceful one. Go on inside. You have earned your rest.”

The guards opened the gates and bowed slightly as Sterling walked through them. Once he was on the other side, the guards closed the gates again.

“Now then, Magellanic Cloud?” she simply said while gesturing at the unicorn stallion. Like the earth stallion before him, he walked forward to meet the gaze of the angel. Unlike the pony before, she did not greet him with a warm smile, but a chilling glare. The glare alone was enough to make the stallion shrink.

“Your avarice has led down a path of callousness and violence. For money, you were willing and happy to harm others. From the carelessness of your sins, it is doubtful you even care for others.”

The angel’s white wings were starting to fill with black, the black markings on them inverting their color, and her halo’s aura turned red and hot as the ring burned. The stallion felt a boiling wetness around his hooves and when he looked down, he was standing in a pond of tar surrounded by a ring of fire. Any attempts to get out of the scalding tar were fruitless as it was just too sticky to move.

“Since you prefer wealth to life, you shall be granted its company. May you be graced upon in your self made prison.”

Out of the tar, an ominous metal snake arose and hissed in the stallions face before it lowered itself and sunk its fangs into the stallion’s neck, blood from the carotid arteries squirted from the wounds. He tried to scream, but he couldn’t even breathe as the fangs crushed his windpipe and pierced his esophagus, fusing at the tips. The body of the snake melted and resolidified into a thorny chain and started to lower back into the tar pit, slowly dragging him along with it. He struggled as hard as he could, choking a bit as he fought against the chain, but he soon passed out as his head and body were submerged in the toxic substance.

The stallion woke up again, this time on a small chunk of rock surrounded by a lake of molten gold, the only light in the area coming from said precious metal. Looking out in the distance, the only scenery he could make out were obsidian pillars with various skulls imbedded in them. He tried to stand up, but he found that his legs were shackled. He felt his throat and saw that the snake chain was still there, its head now completely fused with the stallion’s neck, making him eternally bound to the hell he was in.

Ripples in the liquid gold started to form as a massive figure surfaced. This was a creature unlike anything the stallion had ever seen. It appeared to have a minotaur body but its legs resembled that of a deer more than anything. Its right arm seemed like it would belong on a Timberwolf and had large claws that could probably slice boulders. Its left arm was completely bare of any fur or flesh with muscle showing under it as if the skin was peeled off. The arm was also holding a large hatchet with a dragon skull holding the stone blade together. The creature wore fur clothing decorated with many skulls and feathers, particularly a kilt made of pony skins complete with cutie marks as well as wings or horns here and there, and had bone like protrusions from its spine and elbows. Its most distinguishing feature was its head which looked to be the skull of an elk, antlers soaked in blood and tar, and rows of teeth on its jaw which clearly did not belong on an elk. The hollow eyes of the skull had simple yellow pupils which starred into the stallion’s very soul.

“Well, it would appear I have some fresh meat. My name is Armaros... ” the creature said in a raspy baritone. “Remember it well...”

Armaros slowly raised his left arm and the hatchet it grasped above his head, at which point the thorny chains attached to his wrist and neck became obvious. The stallion could only watch, horrified by the monstrosity of a weapon that threatened to crush him. His shriek of terror was heard across the realm as Armaros brought down his weapon.

“Fill your master’s ears with your defeat. Now embrace your eternal hell…”

The morning light barely shined through Trixie’s window as she found herself wake far earlier than usual. It was odd to her considering she was up fairly late the previous night trying to learn a particularly complicated set of spells, not even getting five hours of sleep. Yet she was not the least bit tired as she got out of bed, aside from the initial grogginess of her sleep.

Trixie yawned and stretched her stiff, sore body before going to wash up in the bathhouse she had grown to enjoy. Despite her habits trying to tell her otherwise, she did not feel up to eating breakfast besides a few pieces of bread. Her stomach just didn’t feel well then and she was already running a bit late for Mother Acumen’s strict training sessions, due to spending some extra time in the baths. Having memorized the layout of the citadel with walls and ceilings made of lapis lazuli, it took no time at all before she walked into Mother Acumen’s chamber.

The chamber was essentially an enormous walk-in aquarium stylized to give the impression of being under the ocean surface. The walls and balconies that decorated them were completely made of sturdy glass with water and fish behind them, staying true to the oceanic aquarium theme. The white sun that was anchored at the top of the rotunda had a layer of water just underneath it which was kept between two sheets of glass, all held up with six large glass columns filled with water and aquatic creatures. With this setup, the water refracted the light from the sun and such rippling lighting truly gave the feeling of being underwater. At the ground was a large floor also made of glass with darker lighting and stranger fish within.

Standing in the center of the floor, Trixie observed the aquatic life with the glass. Every kind of fish imaginable filled these tanks ranging from goldfish, clown fish, lionfish, manta rays, octopus, jellyfish, and even the weird deep sea fish under the floor. Nearly every time Trixie entered this room, she could have sworn there were different kinds of fish in the tanks.

“Good morning, Lady Lulamoon,” a high pitched, sagely voice spoke.

An aquatic angel phased through the glass floor which seemed to ripple as if she were passing through a water surface, which in a matter of speaking she was. The angel was a mermare, a pony with a long, sleek fish-like tail. Her hind legs were more like fins, swaying elegantly as she floated through the air as if she were swimming in a body of water. Her wings were arranged to be more like fin-like tentacles and gently moved with her movement; the wings themselves were more translucent compared to other angels, reminiscent of the oral arms of a jellyfish, with their markings giving off a fluorescent glow. Her halo was a crescent moon with a mirror with an ocean wave frame out in the center. The crescent rotated vertically counterclockwise while the mirror spun in the opposite direction.

“Good morning, Mother Acumen,” Trixie said with a bow, which her mentor returned. “I apologize if I’m late.”

“On the contrary, my dear child. I’m afraid I have to cancel today’s lessons,” Mother Acumen said solemnly. “We are short handed due to an influx of departed arriving at our purgatories.”

“If it’s enough to make you cancel then that must not be good. But the departed come in all the time, how bad is it?”

“Perhaps it would be better to see for yourself. Do you remember that spell I’ve been teaching you?”

“The special teleport?”

“Precisely. We shall transport to the Northern Gate through this spell. You need more practice with it anyway.”

Trixie, unsure of herself, closed her eyes and concentrated all magic into her horn. She strained herself in doing so but she was able to successfully turn her aura into a watery magic. From there, Mother Acumen grabbed Trixie’s hoof and dragged her into the floor tank, phasing both of them through it. When Trixie opened her eyes, she saw she was no longer in the aquatic chamber but was instead on the edge of Elysium, standing in a puddle located near a gate similar to the one she used to enter Elysium in the first place. The area surrounding them was a simple landmass with a large garden.

“This is the Northern Gate of Elysium, one of the entry points for the departed. Those that end their mortal journeys ultimately end up on the other side of this gate, inside a purgatory. Come, come. You must see this.”

Mother Acumen floated into the portal of the gate while gesturing Trixie to do the same, which she did albeit apprehensively. On the other side, Trixie was shocked to see the sheer amount of departed ponies

“Wow…. That must be a couple hundred. At least.”

“Indeed, they are arriving faster than we can process. And there are many, many more yet to come.”

They walked around the white void filled with confused and unsure ponies, many of which either could not see them or didn’t want to speak.

“What happened to all of them?” Trixie asked with her heart sinking.

“Greed and anger happened to them,” Acumen said with a sigh. “Many of these ponies are victims of corruption they wished not to take part of. Innocent lives destroyed so that the lives of the privileged could prosper further. They have met their end too early and so abruptly in such a senseless manner.”

“Wow….”

“But not all is morbid here. These souls…” Acumen gestured to a majority of the ponies. “They are innocent and many of them can prosper as well. They will be able to live peacefully and without the fear of violence.” The angel then gestured to a small select group of ponies towards another side. “And them… They partook in such acts of violence for the promise of coin or leverage. They traded an honest living for such luxuries that would never be theirs. They considered these luxuries to be for more important and in doing so, disregarded the lives of others. These will be condemned to an eternity of atonement.”

It was at that moment that Trixie witnessed one of the ponies being bitten in the neck by a metal snake and dragged under in tar. The sight sent shivers down Trixie’s spin as she could only imagine the horrible pain he was going through. It was also at this point that she was glad for not eating much for breakfast as her upset stomach wasn’t anymore settled by what she witnessed.

“Tell me, my dear child,” Acumen began. “When you entered the gate, did you not feel a soothing sensation? One akin to the relaxing feeling one gets from a warm bath?”

Trixie took a moment to think back before answering. “Yeah, now that you mention it.”

“Entering Elysium is a blissful experience. It cleanses the mind and body of any doubt they feel. It helps them move on and live a peaceful afterlife. By contrast, being condemned to Tartarus is punishment no single being wants to feel. A place of punishment, being condemned to Tartarus is meant to be a torturous, excruciating experience to make one regret their crimes. And the damnation is just the tip of the iceberg.”

A unicorn was called by the Principality at the gate. Said unicorn looked to be a sharply dressed Canterlot noble. He was subjected to the banishment as well and Trixie found that she couldn’t look away from the painful process, no matter how hard she tried.

“Do not feel sorry for him. He is even worse than the murderers. In fact, he is one of those that hired them. He helped plan the process and initiate it. While others may have committed the actual murders, their blood is ultimately on his hooves.”

“I guess so. It’s still a little hard to watch.”

“I suppose after you’ve seen it so many times, it doesn’t bother you anymore. But with that said, I would like for you to reflect on what you have seen and heard. Of the many virtues we abide by, we take into account your Elements: Prudence is a vital component for deciding who is allowed paradise they’ve earned, or the hell they deserve. Justice is about context, but if you cannot determine the difference between one context and another, there might as well be no justice.”

Sterling Silver wasn’t seen that frequently within Ponyville due to his business, but he was still fairly well liked as proved by residents of Ponyville attending his funeral. The circumstances of which he died genuinely shocked the normally friendly town, especially his friends and family. Citizens of the town paid their respects as a hearse was pulled by two stallions in black to the cemetery. As six pall-bearers laid the casket in the ground, it would appear that even the sky was mourning as it covered the land, and the grave, with a blanket of early snow all throughout the night.

Sterling’s unicorn wife Pearl String took the loss particularly hard. Ever since she got news that her husband was murdered, she stopped eating and was sobbing whenever Silver Spoon saw her. Silver Spoon herself did little to hide her agony of losing her beloved father. At the funeral, the normally reserved Pearl String who always carried herself with poise and respect did not even try to suppress her grief as she wailed while Filthy Rich and his wife did their best to console her.

As for Silver Spoon, she remained surprisingly quiet during the funeral, opting to silently lament and was barely speaking as she stood next to Diamond Tiara who was comforting her in an unusually warm fashion. The Cutie Mark Crusaders showed up out of respect for their friend and to be there for her. Some tension grew between them as they saw Diamond Tiara there. They glared at each other before Diamond Tiara sighed.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble today,” Diamond Tiara said under a hushed whisper.

“Neither do we,” Sweetie Belle said in the same way.

“I still don’t like you guys… but I know Silver Spoon does. I swear if not for her...”

“I know you’re not happy with this but please just be quiet. I don’t want to make her more upset than she already is.”

Diamond’s glare softened and she glanced at her friend who either couldn’t hear the exchange, or wasn’t listening. From her moist eyes and fur around them, Diamond determined it was the latter. Just seeing her closest friend like this made her feel an ache in her heart. It made her think about what she would be like in Silver Spoon’s situation. What if nopony comes around when my dad dies? I’m already alone except for you, Silver Spoon. That thought about her being alone in such a time of need scared her immensely and that fear was present in her eyes as she glanced back at the crusaders.

“Agreed….”

Both Diamond Tiara and the Cutie Mark Crusaders knew their friend came first before any bad blood between them. Silver Spoon had four wonderful friends that were willing to help her.

In the morning after the funeral, Silver Spoon laid in bed and clenched her plush kangaroo in her hooves. Though it was only mid October, the doll was an early gift from her father for Hearth’s Warming Eve that he decided to give to her for being so good in the year, having heard about her efforts to reform herself and make up to the other fillies. Tragically, that was the last time she ever saw him before he set out on the job.

It took nearly an hour of crying before she found the motivation to get out of bed and prepare for school. After a long bath, she walked out into the kitchen where she saw Pearl at the table with her face buried in her front hooves as was expected. She was sobbing gently as Silver Spoon approached.

“Mom?”

Pearl lifted her head to look in her daughter’s direction. Her eyes were red and bloodshot with the fur around her eyes stained with tears. The sleeves of her bathroom that she was so fond off were somewhat crusty from the mucus resulting from the excessive crying. Her mane was messy and her overall appearance made it apparent that she had been neglecting her looks. Any other time, Silver Spoon probably would have teased her mother about how ungraceful a lady like her looked.

“Morning sweetie,” Pearl said weakly.

Silver Spoon sat down at the table beside her mother and hugged her tightly. She noticed that Pearl had lost some weight from the lack of eating and from the energy spent grieving.

“Sweetie… I’ve already informed your teachers that you won’t be attending class today.”

Her mind took a split second to register what that meant before accepting it. Ms. Cheerilee and the other teachers would understand these kind of situations. While she wasn’t as haughty as she was several years ago, she still would not want the other fillies and colts to see her lament and she certainly wasn’t in the mood to learn.

“Silver Spoon, I… Losing your father has made me realize how little time I spend with you.”

“It’s okay, mom.”

“It’s not okay. You’re my little filly and I hardly gave you any love or discipline. I’m sorry I haven’t been better with raising you. I think you would have had a better foalhood without bullying others. If I were a better mother, I would have noticed.”

“I’m trying to distance myself from that.”

“And I’m proud of you for trying. Your father was proud too… I wish I had the chance to say goodbye. I wish I would’ve told him more often how much I loved him…. Silver Spoon, promise me you will be careful from now on. I don’t want you to go traveling for awhile. Not with those dangerous outlaws out and about.”

“I know mom. I don’t plan on leaving Ponyville anytime soon.”

“Sweetie… Maybe later we can spend some time together, just the two of us.”

“I’d love that, mom.”

Silver Spoon and her mother sat there, clutching each other in the dark kitchen with the only light being the small rays of the early morning sun shining in through the windows. This time with her mother was bittersweet as while moments like this were rare, it came at a hefty price. Neither pony had the motivation or interest in eating or doing anything and as they spent the day mourning a husband and father, Silver Spoon found herself growing increasingly enraged with the entire situation.

Why did daddy have to die?! Why does this famine have to cause so many problems?! Why does the princess have to be such a dullard?! If it wasn’t for her, none of this would have to happen!... Daddy? I swear, somepony will avenge you. Somepony is going to pay!

“Jeez it’s cold out here!” one pegasus said as he traveled with his group through a calm road.

“Shut up, will ya? We’re getting near Canterlot. We’ll get some rest there.”

“Yo boss!” one earth pony stallion said. “There’s a carriage coming. From Canterlot by the looks of it.”

The pegasus chief stopped and grabbed his scythe to prepare for any conflict. As the carriage approached them though, the vigilantes relaxed a bit since the single pony stallion pulling it did not look even remotely dangerous. In fact, he looked like an honest business pony of some kind and walked with a jolly expression despite the wind chill. He wore a scarf along with a wool top hat.

“Well top o’ the mornin to you fine fellows,” the stallion said as he slowed to a stop. “What might you be doing around here in the snow?”

“Howdy sir. We’ve had bandits all around Equestria ambushing caravans so a whole lot of us got together to keep an eye out for them and put a stop to these acts of violence.”

“I see. Well, that certainly sounds like a good cause. I wouldn’t want my wife and kids to be victim to such a thing during our move to Fillydelphia.”

“Oh? I have a wife of my own back in Fillydelphia. No kids yet, but we have thought about it for some time. Might I ask why you are headed there?”

“Ehh, life in Canterlot has been getting a little hard for us. I had to shut down my business that’s how bad it got. My brother-in-law offered some space for us so that’s why we are going.”

“Ah. I had a friend in Canterlot that suffered the same thing. From what I heard, it’s too difficult to own a shop in the lower districts nowadays.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much true. Though I can’t imagine what it’s like for all of you to sit in this weather, I applaud your efforts to keep us safe.”

“Aw shoot, it’ll take more than a little wind and snow to keep us away.”

“Well put, old chap. Keep up the good work. We need to be going now, we’d like to get settled just in time for Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

As the stallion started walking again, a particularly strong gust of wind blew through the area and took his hat off from his head and carried it away until it was out of sight. It was here that the gang got a startling surprise: the stallion had a horn.

“Oh dang it! That hat was given to me from my father. Oh, I suppose it’s nothing important. Better losing a hat than a friend, right?”

The chief’s friendly demeanor vanished fairly quickly and to the stallion’s confusion, his weapon was pointed at him. This gesture was copied by the other ponies at the camp.

“What…. is all this now?”

“You thought you could sneak past us, didn’t you unicorn scum?”

“Wha-”

“Well, your kind caused all this mess and destroyed so many lives. Maybe we should return the favor.”

The unicorn stallion’s eyes widened in a mixture of fear and anger. He thought he would be escaping the racist clutches of Canterlot. Now he feared for his family inside the carriage who were now threatened by these hypocrites. He feared for his fragile wife and his two foals, one of whom was a newborn.

“W-what are you going to do?” the unicorn stallion asked trying to hide his fear.

“Your kin will get the punishment you deserve.”

“But I have a newborn daughter! Are you seriously going to rob her of a father?” he exclaimed, but sensing the truth he positioned himself to at least put up a fight and keep them away from the carriage.

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that,” the chief said as he prepared to lunge. “She’ll be going with you.”

Lightning Dust had learned to perform many feats during her stay in Elysium that she would never have been able to do if not for her mentors. She flew through the vast skies of Elysium as she dodged strikes from the pursuing griffon while waiting for openings to counter strike. The griffon’s large clawed gauntlets defended against each strike that she returned. Lightning didn’t mind. Since this was training, she didn’t intend to land a crippling blow anyway.

Her opponents were the twin griffon brothers Father Patience and Father Tolerance. Father Patience was a bulky griffon with citrine and gold gauntlets with three razor sharp talons on each of them. He had torso armor, greaves, and a face mask of the same design, with the mask resembling a Bascinet style visor that exposed the griffon’s angelic horn. His wings did not carry the normal ribbon designs that was common with other angels, but rather were ornate griffon wings. His halo was a ring made up of triangular citrine fragments with large onyx prayer beads holding each piece together. Father Tolerance as a slender androgynous griffon that shared his brother’s design except with emerald instead of citrine.

Down below them was Sunset Shimmer and her mentor Father Tenacity, both taking a break from their own sparring and watching the flyers speeding and weaving through obstacles while trading attacks consisting of physical strikes and bolts of Elysian magic. Neither of these type of attacks would cause any real damage to the participants but were strong enough to feel as Lightning Dust learned the hard way as a magic bolt grazed her wing. It stung, but not enough to where she couldn’t keep her wing from giving out on her. Midway through the sparing, she took note of the brothers using their gauntlets to block her bolts and started to do the same with her own gauntlets, which shared the brothers’ in design. Fighting two strong opponents with such tools proved to be difficult as the gauntlets were much heavier than they looked, and they already looked fairly heavy to begin with.

Once it came to stop, the flyers landed on the landmass beside their spectators. Sunset and Lightning exchanged a hoofbump, both regretting that gesture as Lightning’s leg muscles were cramped from the weight of the gauntlets, and Sunset’s hooves were burned and tender.

“Maybe we should’ve thought that through a little bit more,” Sunset said holding her pained appendage.

Father Tenacity chuckled slightly as he crossed his arms. He was a tall, lean centaur with his upper body covered in red and gold armor. His face was not visible behind the great helm he wore, leaving only his ornate ivory horns exposed. His armor had lion motif engraved on them, as did the large swords he kept sheathed at his sides. His actual body was a darker marble than most angels, burned and black from constant exposure to copious amounts of fire and soot. He had four pairs of wings among his back, each with a different colored ember at the tips of the wings. His halo was a golden twelve pointed sun with a mirror at its center. A ring consisting six small chunks of molten rock orbited horizontally counterclockwise around the halo as the six curved points of the halo itself rotated in the opposite direction.

“Glorious display, lads! If a bit erratic,” Father Tenacity said, his voice having a metallic echo from his helmet. “Nevertheless, twas a sight most ecstatic.”

“One needs to learn patience in such events…” Father Patience spoke with a deeper voice.

“As well as tolerance to such violence,” Father Tolerance finished his brother’s sentence, speaking in a higher voice.

“Dear brother, I declare our pupil is improving.”

“I will agree, dear brother. She is improving quite so.”

“My pupil is one of the best I’ve had in years,” Father Tenacity proudly stated. “But I must confess, those years ago, such praise would not hit one’s ears. Mother Dogma’s words that day confused me quite great. But enough of such rambling, tis getting late.”

“I must agree. But we have one thing we want to show our pupil...” Father Tolerance began.

“Miss Dust, dear brother and I must show you an image most troubling.” Father Patience finished his brother’s sentence.

“We simply must.”

Lightning Dust grew a bit confused from the words of her mentors, oddly this time not from the way such words were said. “What exactly do you want to show?”

Father Patience pointed towards the near by Eastern Gate. “We brought you all to this region for a reason…”

“Dear brother and I have got word of many departed, victims a deed most foul.”

“What is your point?” Father Tenacity asked. “There be many departed victims of crimes. Such a sight has been common all throughout the times.”

“Perhaps, but this is a noteworthy case,” Father Tolerance continued. “Such a sight most foul must be pointed out because dear brother and I feel our pupil might learn from it.”

“Is that so? Well then, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for mine to see it too. Lead the way, both of you.”

The three flyers took to the skies and flew to the Eastern Gate while the remaining two used their magic to teleport to the same location. Walking through the gate revealed a family of unicorn ponies, one infant among them held in the mother’s hooves.

“Listen and watch the goings on, you two ladies,” Father Tolerance said to the mares.

A principality arrived soon after the group did and he eyed the unicorn family with a hint of sorrow present in his eyes. “You there,” he said calling out to the father of the family and got his attention. “I see you have met with a terrible fate, all of you. I can tell from your scars you struggled greatly. I dare say you’ve put up quite a fight before succumbing. You’ve downed two ponies in your efforts if the blood on your hooves is any indication.”

The stallion glanced at his hooves, then back at his wife and children. He died before they did and never knew how they died exactly, but from the looks of it, it would appear that their attackers had trapped them in the carriage and set it on fire.

“There is blood on your hooves resulting from this, blood that belonged to misguided ponies with a plan to achieve justice. However, they did not follow their goal and in the end, they became their own monsters. You who destroyed two of said monsters certainly have the courage to do so, despite your inevitable demise. You had your priorities in the right place and your actions can be justified while your murderers cannot be. So do not be alarmed. Your valiant efforts will be rewarded. And I can think of no better reward than to spend your afterlife in peace with your loved ones here. Go on. Paradise is waiting.”

The angel’s halo emitted a warm glow, a glow that cleansed the pony’s confusion and sorrow away, leaving nothing but bliss and contentment in place. The family walked through the gates and into their new home.

“Murder?” Lightning Dust said, breaking the silence between the group. “But… there was a baby…”

“Unfortunate, I know,” Father Patience said with a grim expression.

“But we are not done with this spectacle. Watch further and take it all in,” Father Tolerance added.

Almost immediately after he said that, two pegasi arrived, both bloody and bruised. Upon laying her eyes on them, Lightning Dust’s jaw dropped as she made the connection.

“Those two… They must be the ones that other stallion killed to defend his family. But… That mane, that coat….” Lightning trailed off as Sunset glanced her way, noticing a more angry expression on her friend’s face.

“Is something wrong, Dust?”

“....I recognize those two ponies… They are cadets I trained with back at the Wonderbolt Academy.”

Sunset exhaled audibly as her widened eyes glanced back at the battered pegasi. Both ponies were called forth by the same principality, this time with a fierce glare as his eyes met theirs. “You two, motivated by anger and hubris, decided to derail yourselves by committing such scornful acts in the name of justice. At what point does justice become genocide? It is one thing to destroy the lives in innocents, but you both went beyond being despicable and into a new low by murdering a child, an infant no less! That is not justice. No form of justice should ever call for that.”

The angel’s wings filled with black and his halo was engulfed in red flames as he opened a pit of boiling tar from underneath the hooves of the ponies. Trying to fly above the tar pit did not work as they were pulled back down to the ground by metal snakes attaching themselves to the base of their wings.

“Are you proud of yourselves? Because now, the powers-that-be will condemn you like you did that infant and her family. May you be graced upon in your rotten prisons.”

Two metal snakes emerged from the tar and bit the stallions on their necks, becoming one with them before dragging them to their doom. Before long, they were no longer present and the tar pit faded into oblivion as the principality closed his eyes and went back into Elysium. The mares who were watching were speechless by the sight that unfolded.

“Do you see now, Miss Dust and Miss Shimmer?” Father Tolerance spoke.

“We brought you here to let you bear witness to this process,” Father Patience began. “Were it not the distinguishing factor between these two parties who committed similar actions, there would be no difference between them…”

“Very big is the difference between a killer and a murderer. The former often acts out of necessity…”

“And the latter often out of hatred, hubris, or avarice. Learning to determine between a killing and a murder is not always easy…”

“Nor is deciding how to properly respond to them. To determine the difference and the consequence, one needs the tolerance to suppress the urge of revenge…”

“And the patience to seek proper justice.”

While the griffons were talking to their pupil, Sunset was pulled aside by her own mentor who decided he had something to teach her as well. “That father. He defended his family in the face of danger. It would seem to him that courage and self-sacrifice is no stranger. He was brave, as you should be too. By his example, that courage must be passed from I to you. Plenty are there folk who cower away, but such pragmatic thoughts let them survive another day. Do not get me wrong, to stand in the face of uncertainty is an admirable trait indeed. But how do you act when there is no one in need?”

“Um…”

“Allow me to rephrase my words, young mare. Such courage is needed for important affairs. With no fear, there are possible negative results. Courage can be a double edged sword, no matter who is at fault.”

“I’m having a hard time understanding you when you talk like that.”

“My point is this: Fortitude is a virtue, yes? Such virtue is to be admired and blessed. But being brave can also be dangerous. Many unnecessary consequences can arrive from being courageous. But enough of this talk of repercussion, tomorrow we shall finish this discussion.”

“Wake up, honey,” a soft voice slipped into Star Chamber’s dreams and disrupted them. He refused to react though. The morning had no right to come so early.

“It’s Monday. You have to work.”

“Tell Monday to go away. It was here last week and wasn’t welcomed either,” he muttered in response turned away, tucking himself further into the blanket. His evasive move was anticipated though and he was met with a soft kiss on the forehead the moment he stopped thrashing around. That woke him up a bit and he stretched for another, but found only empty space.

“You shouldn’t be so rude to weekdays, honey. Besides, kisses and coffee are waiting downstairs.”

“Alright, alright. You win, Rhymey. I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Atta colt. Now don’t make me come for you again.” He heard the door shut and sighed tiredly.

She can be really quiet when she wants. He opened his eyes and took in the interior of the bedroom. He ran his hoof over the blankets and pillows on the second half of the double bed. She even made the sheets without me noticing. Dark brown wainscoting of the walls was interrupted only by one door and one window which was showing the grim gray sky over Canterlot. Great. That will make trip to work soooo much more enjoyable…

“If you don’t come quick, I will hide the coffee!” came a shout from downstairs.

He cringed at that idea, but decided to not surrender so easily. “You know well I would find it!” He was almost sure Nursery Rhyme was only joking, but that small possibility that she meant her threat made him actually get up.

After a quick trip to the bathroom to make himself sufficiently presentable, he returned to the bedroom to put his judge gown on. He hated returning to the bedroom after breakfast. It always reminded him of all the sleep he couldn’t get. Of course, he made a lot of noise to notify Nursery Rhyme he was in fact getting ready, so she wouldn’t even think about taking his beloved beverage away.

Not three minutes after the warning shout he was down in the kitchen eyeing the waffles with jam hungrily. Nursery Rhyme was already sat by the table, hoof placed on the kettle signaling he made it just in time.

“Thanks Celestia,” he said in exasperation as he poured himself a cup and dug in.

“She didn’t cook the breakfast, you know,” Nursery Rhyme quipped. “So, your honor, what is the court decision?”

He swallowed the morsel and grinned. “Guilty of making an excellent breakfast, as always. You are hereby sentenced to a kiss, executable immediately.” Nursery Rhyme was happy to accept her sentence and met him on the halfway.

“Are you having a long day today?” she asked as she returned to her own breakfast.

“No, I should be back rather soon. There are no hearings scheduled for today, just paperwork.”

“Why are you wearing a gown then?”

“Partially force of habit. And then, ponies need to know there is still functioning judicial system and justice in Equestria.”

“My, aren’t you a vigilant citizen today,” Nursery Rhyme giggled.

“Ok, it is also really warm, so I won’t freeze in that gray mess outside. I have to hurry though.” He got up and pecked her again. “I hope Mr. Monday will leave soon. Have a good day, sweetheart.”

“You too.”

He walked to the hall and took a peek through the door window. It started snowing a little. “Damn this day,” he sweared out loud and returned few steps toward the coat hooks. As he took his heavy winter coat off of it, his eyes fell upon a picture hanging next to it. A smiling magenta earth mare was smiling back at him, happiness radiating from her. A small black ribbon was wrapped across the corner of the picture.

“Even better.” He looked away dejectedly and opened the door.

As soon as he left the sanctuary of his house equipped with powerful heating, he was assaulted with harsh winter breeze. He hated the winter in the city. It might have been romantic and scenic, but only for the first day after the new snow fell. Immediately after that, the thousands of hooves and wheels would turn it into a disgusting gray and brown mash that would stick to one’s hooves and stain the clothes.

“And they didn’t clean the road again. Of course,” Star Chamber muttered to himself. “Better take the shortest route.” On the normal days he would choose to avoid the Crown Square since it was always crowded with tourists and locals alike, but bad weather called for drastic measures. Besides, who would go out stalling on the Square on such ugly day?

Unfortunately, he miscalculated. The closer he got to the Crown Square, the more ponies were crowding around, surprisingly all heading in the same direction as he did. Some where even running past him, chatting excitedly among themselves. He only shook his head at their strange nervousness and continued in his own tempo.

Suddenly one of the passersby turned back to him and shouted, “Come on, hurry, I heard they already started!” That got Star Chamber’s attention as he wasn’t aware of any events to take place at the Crown Square that day. He sped up and soon noticed an increasing noise filling the air. Somewhere in front of him a huge crowd was shouting, but why, he couldn’t tell. A deep booming was also reverberating around, making the ground tremble a little. It had a articulated rhythm to it similar to a speech.

When he reached the rim of the Square he realized just what he was hearing. The whole space was crowded with ponies so densely he couldn’t get even a yard into the Square itself. Cheers and shouts of anger were mixing over the heads of assembled ponies of all races.

“Taking advantage of the needs of ponies, they grew richer still and leached on the misery plaguing our land!”

He looked up to where the thunderous voice originated and noticed the only place where ponies weren’t tightly pressed one to another. In the centre of the square stood an elevated wooden platform with a stump that would reach to pony’s neck. A row of royal guards was standing by one end along with seven hooded figures, six black and one deep red.

“What’s going on?” he asked a pegasus stallion standing closest to him.

“The Princess is explaining how the nobles betrayed her trust,” the pony answered, never glancing away from the spectacle.

“Yet they wouldn’t stop there. They would step on our necks, destroying supplies meant for the starving!

On the other end of the platform stood Princess Celestia in all her regal beauty. She had been showing up on public much more recently, but her usual benevolent smile was missing. Instead, a look of cold fury on adorned her face. This is what she most likely looked all those years back during the epic battles with Equestria’s greatest threats. Majestic, stunning, yet frightening. A roar of hatred arose from the assembly and Star Chamber would swears few of the hooded figures shuddered. He was getting a horrible suspicion of what the platform was, but he refused to believe it yet.

“They gave birth to their own monsters though. Heroes who forget their difference from what they are fighting often become even worse beasts. Murder! Arson! Infanticide!”

Another roar, though he noticed a smaller portion of ponies joined in it. He was standing on the tips of his hooves, trying to get a better look at the platform. The red hooded pony stood a bit to the side from the rest and Star Chamber caught a glimmer of reflected light from the ground next to him.

Celestia now turned to the hooded figures. “Since you refuse to hold dear what we ponies stand for, instead turning into bloodthirsty monsters, you deserve nothing our society provides!”

Fair trial. Counsel of defense. Right of appeal. Right to live… flashed through Star Chamber’s head. He was sure what he was witnessing now, but he still hoped something avert the inevitable.

The black hooded ponies were urged forward by the guards’ spears and their capes were removed from their heads. Star Chamber took a sharp breath as he recognized three to be members of the Canterlot elite, Dazzle Citrine among them. The rest, a unicorn, a pegasus and an earth pony obviously belonged to a lower class, judging by their appearance. They all bore signs of suffering, some were even bandaged. They obviously didn’t surrender without a fight, but most of their injuries didn’t look like caused by weapons.

Ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Ban on torture…

“The likes of you have no place among us. The ponies of Equestria will not tolerate your transgressions any longer and neither will the crown. I, Princess Celestia, ruler of the peaceful land of Equestria hereby sentence you to death!”

“You can’t do that! Death sentence was abolished more than a thousand years ago!” Star Chamber shouted, but his effort was lost in the general roar of approval and applause of the ponies on the square. Even though the probability of his shout reaching her was meager, Celestia’s face contorted in grieve and resignation for a second, though she hid it quickly enough. He watched in horror comparable to the one on faces of the condemned six as Celestia gestured for the red hooded pony who lifted his gigantic axe with one hoof.

“Do your duty, executioner.”

He couldn’t watch any longer. He galloped away the path he came, never glancing back. He could hear the thuds of the axe ending life after life.

“The rest of scoundrels will be hunted down and put to the same justice. For who takes lives of others with glee will be put to the fate he wishes on others. For greater and safer Equestria!”

He tried not to hear Celestia’s last statement. He tried to ignore the cheers and calls of glory following it. He couldn’t. They echoes in his head until he again reached his home, slamming the door behind him strongly.

“Honey? Did you forget something?” Nursery Rhyme entered the hall from the living room and found Star Chamber slumped against the door. He opened his eyes to look at her and smiled weakly.

“It seems so, but nothing I could take from here.” He stood up, hanged his coat back on the hook and walked into the living room. There he unbuttoned his gown.

“Then why are you back so early? Did they cancel the work today? Not that I complain,” she asked and nuzzled his neck lightly. He returned the gesture and folded his gown neatly, depositing it on the couch for the time being. He opened a cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. That caused a knot form in Nursery Rhyme’s neck. The last time he drank was when they learned about their daughter’s death. Before that, when she ran away.

Star Chamber downed his glass and set it on the table. “Sort of, I guess.” He sat down next to his gown and patted the couch by his other side with a hoof. When Nursery Rhyme joined him, he embraced her lovingly. “What would you say if we got to spend much more time together now?”

“I would love to, but wouldn’t that interfere with your job? And your status?” she cooed into his fur.

He chuckled unhappily and lifted his gown in his magic. “Not really.” He levitated the folded cloth to the hearth and deposited it atop the blazing logs. Nursery Rhyme gasped as it caught on fire, but he only pulled her closer to his chest. “It’s ok. Equestria doesn’t need judges anymore. Not when it has executioners and gallows.”

“Thanks guys. I appreciate you helping me through this,” Silver Spoon said as she took a sip from her milkshake.

“It’s no problem. After all, that’s what friends are for,” Sweetie Belle said placing a hoof on Silver’s shoulder, causing her to smile.

“It’s been pretty hard for my mother since dad died. Honestly, I think she’s taking it harder than I am. But let’s not dwell on that subject. I’m actually wondering how you guys have been doing.”

Apple Bloom was about to speak when Mrs. Cake came by with some cookies. “Here you go dearies,” she said placing the bowl of cookies in the middle of the table. “Baked nice and fresh for you.”

“Thank you Mrs. Cake,” all four fillies said in unison.

A crash was heard from the kitchen, the sound of a metallic bowl dropping to the floor was a sound all too familiar to Mrs. Cake. “Moooom! Pound Cake spilled the batter again!” Pumpkin Cake yelled.

“Did not! You pushed me!”

“Nuh uh!”

“Yeah huh!”

“Nuh UH!”

“Yeah HUH!”

“Oh dear, not again. Where’s Pinkie Pie when you need her? Let me know if you need anything, dearies. I need to go tend to the kids,” Mrs. Cake said rushing back to the kitchen.

“Where IS Pinkie Pie anyway?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Heck, I don’t know,” Scootaloo shrugged.

“Ah, whatever.”

“So, what have you all been up to?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Not much really,” Sweetie Belle said. “Ever since all that stuff started happening, Rarity hasn’t come to Ponyville, though I suppose I can’t blame her on that one. It would be so boring without you guys here.”

“I haven’t seen much of Rainbow Dash either,” Scootaloo chimed in. “Aside from that, It’s been alright. I can actually fly now, thanks to all those lessons. Pretty soon, I’ll be going to flight school in Cloudsdale.”

“Ah’ve been learnin’ more from Zecora. She’s talkin’ about making me a full-time assistant.”

“Oh wow. Does that mean you’ll be living with her if you take the job?” Silver Spoon asked.

“She said it’s up ta’ me if I wanna do that, considering the violent creatures. Ah don’t know how she escapes em’ but if she can, maybe Ah can learn too.”

“What ever happened to Fluttershy after that incident with the Manticores?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Ah haven’t seen her in town but from what Ah hear from mah sis, she doesn’t seem very social anymore. If not for Discord of all folks keepin’ them monsters away, Ah shudder to think what Ponyville life would be like.”

“It’s crazy to think how serious Discord is acting in this situation. You’d think he’d be laughing with all this chaos going on,” Sweetie Belle pondered.

“Fluttershy seems to have changed him quite a bit,” Apple Bloom said with slight fascination. ”Ah remember when he first got free and changed Ponyville all messy like. Then Ah heard from mah sister that Fluttershy was tryin’ ta’ reform him.”

“Rarity didn’t think it would be possible, but here we are,” Sweetie Belle stated.

There was more talk between the group before a certain mare walked into Sugarcube Corner, distressed and out of breath.

“Apple Bloom!”

At the mention of her name, Apple Bloom turned to see her sister. Her disheveled look worried her greatly.

“What is it Applejack?”

“You need… come… Granny Smith,” Applejack wheezed.

“What about Granny Smith?”

“She’s… she ain’t doin’ well.”

“Whaddaya mean?”

“Just follow me!”

Apple Bloom left Sugarcube Corner right behind her sister. From her sister’s demeanor, this had to be urgent. As the sisters galloped back to the homestead, Apple Bloom was told about what was going on.

“You know how Granny Smith has been havin’ a hard time gettin’ around and had been gettin’ sick a lot?”

“Yeah?”

“This mornin’, she was too weak to get outta bed and now… The doctor is with her now, but Ah’m not gonna lie, I really don’t think she has much time left.”

That statement hit Apple Bloom like a train. Granny Smith… dyin’? No… no that can’t be.

Even though the sprint to the homestead only took five minutes, to Apple Bloom it seemed like five hours with the thoughts of her grandmother probably leaving bogging down her mind, slowing her perception of time. Apple Bloom practically busted down the door getting into the house, leaving Applejack wheezing and gasping for air. She saw the doctor talking with Big Macintosh and she knew from the expression of both of their faces that the prognosis was grim.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t do anything, even if we had the resources. I will come by tomorrow to check on her but…”

“Ah understand. Thank ya doc,” Big Mac said as the doctor walked out the door.

“Big Macintosh! W-where is-”

“Upstairs Apple Bloom,” the stallion said with a crestfallen look painted on his face.

“Is… Is she goin’ ta’ be alright?”

The big brother hesitated. He saw the look in his sister’s eyes. He wanted so badly to say everything was going to be just fine and that life would continue like normal. He wanted to reassure that Granny Smith was going to be better than ever. But he knew that would be a lie. And the Apples are known for their honesty.

“....Nnope…”

With that said, Apple Bloom rushed upstairs to see her granny one last time. She knew how Silver Spoon was feeling now, losing a close member of the family. Unlike her though, she had a chance to say a proper goodbye and she was going to take it.

Granny Smith’s room had a very cold feel to it as Apple Bloom saw her grandmother in bed, barely breathing. Granny Smith was quite pale and upon stepping closer, Apple Bloom saw she had bags under her eyes.

“G...Granny?”

The ancient mare opened her eyes and slowly turned her head to face her granddaughter. “Well howdy, Apple Bloom,” she said with a weak smile.

“Granny Smith… What’s wrong? Why are you…?”

“Ah knew this day was coming for a long time. Ah won’t be with ya’ll much longer. Mah health ain’t been very good in the past few years.”

“Don’t be so grim!” Apple Bloom almost shouted as she could feel tears in her eyes. “Maybe… Maybe Ah can whip up a potion of some kind ta’ cure whatever’s makin’ ya sick. It wouldn’t take much effort, Ah swear! I can-”

Granny Smith weakly and gently placed her hoof over Apple Blooms mouth, stopping her. “Now, now. Ah’ve lived a long, fulfilling life and it’s time fer me to go. Don’t you worry about me. Ah’ll be at peace on the other side. Ah’ll be just dandy.”

“But… But I…” Apple Bloom rested her head on the bed as Granny caressed it softly.

“One of these days, we’ll meet again. Though, Ah hope not too soon. You and yer siblings have so much ta’ live for. Now listen,” Granny Smith lifted Apple Blooms chin so that they made eye contact. “Ah need ya ta’ remember that not everypony can be helped, but don’t let that stop ya’ from helpin’ those that can. Ah know you’ll make somethin’ great of yerself.”

“Granny…”

Apple Bloom stayed by her granny’s side until the next morning when she finally passed away. Her face was peaceful and it was clear she had no regrets with her life. Applejack came in with the doctor and upon seeing the sight, removed her stetson and held it too her chest in a mourning matter. Apple Bloom walked away and let the doctor do his job, confirming what the family already knew.

“Goodbye Granny… Ah will miss you,” Apple Bloom said quietly. “Ain’t nothin’ gonna be the same…”

Chapter 21

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Original Title: Journey of the Three Magi
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

The large bell of the Grand Citadel’s tower rang, sending a call to the rest of Elysium. A ceremony was to take place in Mother Dogma’s chamber and she considered it important enough to require most of the governing Ein Sof to be present. Occasions like these were always carried out in the evenings and this was no exception since the rays of daylight were dissipating as the delegates arrived.

Inside the citadel chamber, many of Dogma’s Seraphim hovered and surveyed from above while the guests from the other landmasses crowded the balconies. Standing on glass platforms above Dogma’s pool were Twilight and her friends, each accompanied by their Sanctorum mentors, with Scintillant and Cherish standing off to the side among other Angels. Aside from Sunset and Lightning Dust, this was the first time any of the girls met each other’s mentoring Ein Sof, especially Ditzy’s who had eluded them due to her being active at night.

Mother Legacy hovered beside Ditzy on the left most area of the glass platform, the two apparently very well acquainted as they chatted casually with each other. She was a Thestral pony and was the smallest of the Sanctorum, only slightly taller than Ditzy. She had two pairs of albino bat wings with small platinum bells attached to the ends of the digits that jingled with each flap of a wing. Her body was very simple in comparison to the other angels. Instead of ornate markings or decorations, it was actually quite plain with only the marble texture of her angelic shell. The only ornate details she had were her smooth platinum horn, two tail ribbons, and a halo consisting of a simple star shaped platinum ring with steel strings meshed on the inside with a single platinum bell in the middle, making the halo resemble a dream catcher and was vertical just like the rest of the Sanctorum. All of the platinum parts of this angel were polished to a mirror sheen.

Once all guests were accounted for and the daylight sun completely gone, ripples in the center pool formed and emerged the large dragon, once again spreading her wings and jerking her neck from side to side, audibly popping her vertebrae. Unlike the time the girls first came to the Grand Citadel when they first arrived, Mother Dogma brought with her six transparent crystal spheres, each with a different colored metal ring around it. These spheres orbited around her body, refracting light across the chamber.

“Denizens of Elysium. We’ve called you here to the sacred Grand Chamber today for a most interesting occasion. For many generations, we have maintained a creed to uphold our purpose and carry out the actions of our long late Grandmother. Alas, she has since fallen, but in her fallen state she has left with us six Elements that embody the very meaning of our kind and our land.”

The spheres that orbited around the dragon stopped moving and Dogma lowered her head to meet the girls at eye level, as if bowing to the Sanctorum who bowed back along with the girls. Dogma raised her head back up again and continued her speech.

“These Elements for a long time have only existed as a physical idea more than anything else, mere ornaments that could only be followed in mind. Now I feel as though we can put them to better use. Recently, an individual came and brought with her six young ponies which could potentially bring these ideas to life, to give those ideas face value.”

While all eyes were on Dogma during her speech, Scintillant’s face contorted into a smug smile that only her younger friend Cherish seemed to notice, if partially with her attention divided.

“These are the Elements of which we once used as a guidance tool. These six simple ideas that build the very foundation of our existence.” Dogma eyed the girls with a soft expression. “Now… These very same ideas shall rebuild the foundation for Gaea as well. We believe you have since proven yourselves worthy of them. The wise, the brave, the patient, the righteous, the hard working, and the selfless. These qualities and more shape better minds while the lack of which destroys and corrupts.”

The crystal sphere with the deep blue ring hovered in front of Trixie.

“Miss Lulamoon. Apprentice of Prudence. Please, tell us what you have learned and observed throughout your life.”

Trixie hesitated for a moment before Mother Acumen stroked her with one of her wings in a reassuring manner, smiling and nodding to her. “I have learned that the lack of knowledge does not make one stupid, but it does make their actions unwise in some situation. Just because you can do something does not always mean you should. Likewise, knowing when to take action is crucial to success and knowing how much action to take can affect one’s life in mild or extreme ways. However, some ways of learning something are more effective than others. Information learned is more valuable than information given.”

“Your knowledge throughout the years has increased, sometimes without you realizing it. It is just as you say, Miss Lulamoon. For this, I shall tell you what I have learned in my years. It is said that wisdom sometimes outranks intellect. In this, I both agree and disagree. I agree because wisdom is required to make decisions. I disagree because intellect is required to make smart decisions. To this we call Prudence; to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions, wise or smart. This, we bestow unto you.”

The crystal sphere that hovered in front of Trixie melted and became liquid water which formed a second icy ring on the inside of the blue metal ring. Both rings floated over Trixie’s head, resembling a halo.

“I, Trixie Lulamoon, hereby accept this gift from you to me.”

Trixie bowed and after she got back up, the crystal sphere with a golden yellow ring floated towards Lightning Dust.

“Miss Dust. Apprentice of Temperance. Please, tell us what you have learned and observed throughout your life.”

The pegasus cleared her throat and assumed a stiff military stance, her face mirroring the stoic expressions of her mentors. “Yes ma’am. I have learned that rushing into something headstrong and proud will only end up hurting yourself or worse. One’s sense of duty can be clouded by their pride or aspirations. More often than not, many will dive into a dream without surveying possibilities open to them, leading to disappointment or disaster. If one takes the time to observe and foresee, they have a better chance to avoid these situations.”

“It would seem you have grown more patient and restrained during your stay. To reward this, I shall tell you what I have learned over my many years. It is said that a good leader always requires experience. In this, I both agree and disagree. I agree because a leader with experience will make more effective decisions. I disagree because those lacking experience will learn what is to be expected and improve from their mistakes. We all have to start somewhere. In this we call Temperance; to show restraint when under pressure when learning or enforcing. This, we bestow unto you.”

The crystal sphere holding Lightning’s attention shattered and the shards spun around the inside of the yellow ring, creating another ring made up of the small debris resembling wind currents. Both rings floated over Lightning’s head as Trixie’s did.

“I, Lightning Dust, hereby accept this gift from you to me.”

Lightning Dust saluted and her stance relaxed as the crystal sphere with a bright red ring appeared to Sunset’s front.

“Miss Shimmer. Apprentice of Fortitude. Please, tell us what you have learned throughout your life.”

Sunset stood proudly with a confident grin, as did Father Tenacity. “I have learned while being brave and audacious often allows us to accomplish many things, it can also hurt our chances at success as well. Cowardice is often a sign of weakness, but as can be boldness. Though it is admirable to stand up for others and one’s self, being too bold can have just as many consequences as being too cowardly. If you have the physical or moral courage to do something, you must be sure you are willing to accept the consequences.”

“Your words are somewhat blunt but nonetheless hold merit. I shall share what I have learned throughout my years. It is said that as a ruler, it is better to be feared than loved. In this I agree and disagree. I agree because a ruler feared can keep her subjects in line. I disagree because a ruler loved can empower them instead. In this we call Fortitude; the courage to stand by one’s people, or against them, knowing the consequences of both. This, we bestow unto you.”

The crystal sphere smoldered and burned into a ring of smoke along the inside of the red ring, both hovering over Sunset’s head.

“I, Sunset Shimmer, hereby accept this gift from you to me.”

Sunset bowed and chuckled a bit as she glanced at the next crystal sphere with a jade green ring make its way towards Canvas, who stepped back a bit at the abrupt speed in which it floated.

“Miss Canvas. Apprentice of Justice. Please, tell us what you have learned throughout your life.”

The magenta earth mare gulped a bit before taking a deep breath. “I have learned that as it stands, the justice system is often abused. Whether it be from anger, greed, or simple ignorance, the concept of fairness is very subjective and Justice is not as simple as one might think. Being disillusioned from its original purpose and one’s original goals can be discouraging, if not outright scarring.”

“Yes, we know from experience that a fair trial is not always fair. Very well then, I shall share what I have learned throughout my years. It is said that neutrality is best when in court. In this I agree and disagree. I agree because as the judge, you must hear both sides of the argument. I disagree because as the jury, you must convict on clear criminal intention. In this, we call Justice; giving everyone their due based on equality as the witness and conviction. This, we bestow unto you.”

The crystal sphere unraveled into a glassy vine that wrapped around green ring as it made its place over Canvas’ head.

“I, Acrylic Canvas, hereby accept this gift from you to me.”

She too bowed but giggled from the excitement going on around her as she lifted herself back up. The next crystal sphere drifted to Ditzy, this one with a glossy black ring.

“Miss Ditzy Doo. Apprentice of Diligence. We know well your efforts already but would you do us the honor of sharing with us what you have learned throughout your experiences?”

Ditzy respectfully nodded. “I have learned that one’s inaction can be dangerous to those around you. My job is to aid and provide for others, especially my two children. When I chose not to, I nearly lost my youngest one forever before she even said her first words. My job requires me to deliver for others. If I slack on that job, they can lose information and supplies necessary to live. I put much effort into making sure they have the chance to live and work so that they may aid and provide for others, as I chose to do.”

Dogma smiled visibly. “Your efforts are well noted and shall be rewarded. I shall tell what I have learned of mine own efforts. It is said that persistence pays off in the long run. In this I agree and disagree. I agree because if one gives up too easily, they achieve nothing. I disagree because if one gives up too late, they stand to lose everything. In this we call Diligence; careful nature in one’s action and work. We have seen your efforts so we can think of no one better than you to represent this Element. This, we bestow unto you.”

The crystal sphere evaporated and transformed into a mist that shrouded the black ring as it took its place atop Ditzy’s head.

“I, Ditzy Doo, hereby humbly accept this gift from you to me.”

Ditzy bowed and smiled as she raised her head back up in time to see the final crystal sphere drift slowly towards Twilight, this last one adorned with a pure white ring.

“Miss Twilight Sparkle. Apprentice of Humility. You are the last to be inducted. Now please, tell us of your experiences.”

Twilight assumed a regal stance, one she had learned during her time as a princess. “I have learned that being narrow minded often creates problems you are not always aware of. I know several ponies who have had this problem, myself included. Being concerned with one’s self and only one’s self will not only damage one’s reputation, but can also damage one’s chances of getting help when it is needed.”

“Indeed, Miss Sparkle. To have a feeling of entitlement of any kind can be a double edged sword. The hubris associated with this dangerous feeling damages not only yourself, but also those around you. Now, allow me to divulge my experiences. It is said that no good deed goes unpunished. In this I agree and disagree. I agree because misguided altruism promotes passive abuse. I disagree because genuine altruism promotes respect. In this we call Humility; putting others before yourself out of genuine concern or interest, often at one’s own sacrifice. This, we bestow unto you.”

The crystal sphere shined brightly before it collapsed in on itself to form a small ring of stardust along the inside of the white ring, which was now settled above Twilight’s head.

“I, Twilight Sparkle, hereby humbly accept this gift from you to me.” Twilight bowed and lifted her head to meet the other girls, who all smiled at her.

Mother Dogma raised her head. “These are the virtues that we hold in our doctrine. This is the creed we adhere to day by day. It provides guidance to those who seek it. It also provides discipline to those who deserve it.” Dogma closed her eyes as she paused for a brief moment. “But with this said, we are not yet finished with this occasion. Though our Elements now have ties to the mortal world of Gaea, we must assign a tie between that world and this one. I cannot leave this realm, nor do I dare to. However, even though you six have indeed proved worthy, I must send one of our own to ensure both your safety and cooperation. And I have chosen an Ein Sof long ago.”

The dragon glanced in Scintillant’s general direction. Other Ein Sof watched as Scintillant started to step forward, her smug smile still painted on her face. But the words that their leader spoke next did not at all meet their expectations.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to send Brother Empathy in my stead.”

Scintillant stopped mid step, her smug expression now replaced with confusion as she looked up at her dragon commander. The very same dragon was looking directly into her eyes as she spoke.

“Brother Empathy is who I have chosen because he has proven himself to be a capable messenger who listens. He is the one I’ve deemed appropriate for this task.”

Empathy stepped forward as he was addressed. He was a lanky pony with two pairs of wings with simplistic designs. His robes were modest, as was his demeanor.

“I humbly accept this task given to me, your eminence,” he said with a bow.

He walked towards the girls, right past Scintillant who stood there slack jawed and unable to comprehend Dogma selecting another in place of her. The nerve of it all! It was her, not him, that brought these mares to attention. If not for her, no one would be here right now. What could Mother Dogma possibly be thinking? She soon realized why though as her eyes shifted back to the dragon.

Mother Dogma was glaring. Right. At. Her.

It was clear Dogma did not like her, let alone trust her. This was further hammered in by the fact that Dogma’s look clearly told her that she was to stay and talk to her alone once the ceremony ended. Scintillant’s confused expression swiftly yet silently turned to intense rage over the decision as Dogma broke eye contact.

The girls were introduced to their new overseer during the short starring war between Dogma and Scintillant, as the latter noticed when she glanced back at them. Just watching them speak casually made something stir in Scintillant’s chest. No one was aware of it, but she was gritting her teeth and grinding them as Dogma concluded the ceremony.

“We have many expectations for you that we expect you to uphold. You shall decide by yourselves how best to perform these duties, but they must follow the regulations we have set. For now however, you are all dismissed.”

With the ceremony finished, the girls had the rest of the night to catch up as they spent that time mostly in the villa they stayed during their monthly visits. Now that they had completed training, for the most part, they weren’t as restricted on when to see each other aside from Ditzy still traveling between the worlds.

While they did talk and reflected on the time spent in Elysium and the ceremony, half of them seemed to be multitasking. Sunset was polishing one of two newly made katana blades, neither of which did not yet have a proper Tsuka or Saya installed onto it yet. The blades themselves had a particular orange glow to them, similar to the glow given off by hot metal work even though the blades were actually quite cool to the touch. One blade was also shorter than the other.

Lightning was a few feet away putting some refining touches on her gauntlets. These were made of a much lighter material that wouldn’t impede her movement through the air and the talons could now retract. Trixie seemed to be stringing a bow which was made of a glossy flexible material resembling the lapis lazuli that her home in the citadel was made of. The remaining mares simply chatted while having tea and scones. The conversation wasn’t about much, just normal everyday things with occasional talk relating to Elysium thrown in here and there.

It wasn’t until the moon was high in the sky that everypony started getting tired and wanting to sleep for the night, aside from Sunset who was determined to finish work on her swords before the morning. Even though she wanted to sleep, Twilight tossed and turned in the same restless state of mind that plagued her on the very first day she arrived. And just like that first day, she decided it was useless to sleep when she simply wasn’t feeling tired. In this state of restlessness, she decided to take a walk around the gardens of the Grand Citadel.

During this midnight stroll through the scenery, she noticed she wasn’t the only one out and about. A lime green mare was sitting and looking up at the moon with the wind blowing through her blond braided mane. She was wearing a gown of some kind which covered her cutie mark. Still, there was a nagging thought in the back of Twilight’s mind that she just couldn’t shake. This mare looked familiar somehow. Very familiar.

“Excuse me?” Twilight said trying to get the mare’s attention. It worked as she turned her head around, revealing a set of light orange eyes and a small smile.

“Why hello there.”

She spoke in an accent. Twilight felt this too was familiar somehow. A member of the Apple clan perhaps? Maybe she is… or was, from Appleoosa. “Um, what might you be doing here?” she asked as innocently as possible.

“Well, Ah just got here and am waiting for the pony who brought me to this here island. She said somethin’ bout need to set things up, Ah don’t really know, and she would help me tomorrow. Ah wasn’t really tired so Ah went for a walk.”

“Same here. The not being able to sleep I mean.”

“Well, looks like you n’ I have somethin’ in common. But Ah can’t really help but think you look familiar. Ah don’t know what it is.” The mare placed a hoof to her chin as she analyzed her new friend. The wings, the horn, the purple coat, the streak of pink in her mane, it all looked very familiar. Glancing at the pink cutie mark finally clicked into her mind. “Your name wouldn’t be Twilight Sparkle, would it?”

Twilight was taken aback. “Uh, yeah.”

“Huh. Ah guess the rumors weren’t exaggerating, though Ah didn’t listen to them much. Equestria really went messy since you left.”

“Yeah… I heard,” Twilight said with a crestfallen look. The mare placed a hoof around her and squeezed her in a happy little hug.

“Ah, don’t worry bout’ it. Weren’t in your control n’ you couldn’t do anythin’ bout’ it.”

If you only knew… Twilight internally lamented. The mare released her from the embrace and looked back up at the moon with an almost solemn expression.

“Ah wonder how the rest of the family is doin’ now that Ah’m gone. Ah sure hope they ain’t too hurt.”

“Losing a loved one is never easy, miss.”

“Ah know that feelin’. My son and daughter-in-law died a long time ago an’ Ah don’t think their children ever quite recovered from it.”

“You were a grandmother?” Twilight said in surprise. “But you look so young.”

The mare cocked an eyebrow at Twilight as if she said something stupid. When she looked down at her own body, she laughed at her own forgetfulness. “Oh that. Well, Ah’m actually a pretty old mare, but the feller at that gate offered me a younger body. Ah accepted. Ah didn’t want ta’ be hindered by my fragile bones. Ah’m named after a variety of apples, not mah age.”

Wait… No, it can’t be.

The mare sighed in sadness. “Ah hope they’ll handle things alright on the farm. My youngest was really torn up. Ah can’t even imagine the pain my two older grandkids are feelin’.”

Three grandchildren, living on a farm…

After sitting for a while, the mare finally got up. “Ah’m gettin’ kinda tired. Maybe Ah’ll walk a bit before Ah go ta’s sleep. You wanna join me?”

“Uh, no that’s alright. I need to be going to sleep myself.”

“Well, nice talkin’ to ya regardless. Maybe we’ll see each other again sometime.”

“Yeah… Maybe we will.”

As the mare walked away, Twilight caught a glimpse of her cutie mark thanks to a small gust of wind: An apple pie. This confirmed what Twilight already suspected.

“...Granny Smith…”

The land around her was dark. So dark that Sunset Shimmer could hardly see in front of her. All she saw, and heard, were a herd of ponies running and practically stampeding over her as they galloped past her.

“Hey! Watch it!”

But yelling at the offenders did not make them stop. If anything, they ran faster. Sunset scowled at them and was about to shout more obscenities at them when she felt a warm breath behind her, accompanied by a rancid stench. She turned around slowly sees a large shadowy hydra, infinitely more wicked looking than the ones she had seen during her time in Everfree.

“Ooh….”

One of the hydra’s heads opened its jaws and attempted to crunch on the unicorn, only for her to teleport at the last second. Now she understood why the ponies were running since she was doing the same. The hydra pursued relentlessly, forcing Sunset to teleport frequently to catch it off focus. Eventually, the hydra lost sight of her and she could only watch as it chased the other ponies, trapping them at a slope of a mountain. She tried her best not to look when it devoured them, the sound of horrific screams and crushing bones filling the air.

The beast road triumphantly as it gobbled the last of its prey and if not for Sunset watching from a higher cliff further away, she was sure it would’ve gone after her next. However to her surprise and confusion, the mountain at the hydra’s front rumbled and exploded from the top, smoke and molten debris raining down on the area. The hydra tried to run but found itself paralyzed, unable to combat the lava that spewed from the crevices of the mountain. Despite putting up a fierce fight to get away, the hydra perished with an ear piercing scream as its skin, muscles, and bones melted into oblivion.

Sunset thought she would be next and shut her eyes to meet her imminent demise. Yet, no death came. She opened her eyes to see the smoke dissipating into a clear blue sky, the smoke become white fluffy clouds. The areas the lava touched became grassy fields that bloomed with life. Intrigued and confused, she attempted to investigate this strange turn of events. As she did however, the ground beneath her collapsed and without even being allowed the time to think about her predicament, she plummeted into the dark abyss.

It was at this point that Sunset woke up abruptly, sweating and breathing heavy. After a moment to get her bearings, she realized the obvious: it was just a dream.

“Geez, that was… odd.”

From the little amount of light present in the villa, it was most likely very early in the morning, possibly between four and five AM.

“I guess I’m getting up early today.” With little else to do, she decided to go back to tending her weapons. It was fairly easy to install the remaining parts and once that was done, she placed the blades in their respective sheaths so she wouldn’t cut herself while putting the wrapping on the hilts. “Still… What was up with that dream?”

The first rays of morning light found three mares sitting in the atrium trying to focus on their early breakfast. They were all dealing with their own kind of worries about future and felt the others in the room didn’t want to be disturbed from their contemplation, just like them.

For Ditzy, every morning she was supposed to return to Equestria posed a fight of contradicting emotions; on the one hand she would be seeing her foals again, any time spent away from them causing her worries and grief, on the other hand she would go back to never-ending struggle that was her everyday life, pushing through without her friends there to help her. She got used to it a long time ago, but the sadness would always hit her hard.

Twilight and Sunset always felt empathy for her, but today they sulked because of different matters, bad sleep being one of them. While Twilight lamented not getting much sleep either before the encounter or afterwards, Sunset would happily trade with her, if it meant she would avoid the nightmare. Still, Twilight’s findings would possibly hit her harder than the night’s horror.

They continued sipping their beverages and nibbling on croissants, pretending that everything was alright and knowing the other two were doing the same, when the rest of the group finally showed up.

“Good, you are still here, Ditzy! I was worried I slept in too much and missed you,” Lightning exclaimed cheerfully and promptly took her place by the table. She reached for the kettle and served herself a big cup of coffee as per usual. Her breakfast now occupying most of her attention, she asked only half expecting an answer, “did you sleep well?”

“No,” came the unanimous answer from the original occupants of the table, disdain apparent in their voices.

“What’s wrong? Did somepony die?” Canvas asked in her usual happy way. Over the years the group came to suspect her and Ditzy of liking the mornings. Normally her good mood would be contagious, but somehow the forlorn mood of the room refused to shift, mostly because her comment hit too close to the truth.

“Great many ponies, Canvas, that’s the thing,” Twilight replied tiredly and finished her coffee in one big gulp. “Too many. And we are sitting here in safety.”

Trixie sat down close to Twilight and placed a reassuring hoof around Twilight’s shoulders. “We will stop it, you’ll see. Now that we were given the Elements, it’s only a matter of time.”

“I know.” Twilight leaned closer to Trixie and levitated some strawberries for her, dipping each in yogurt. “I just fear we don’t have too much time.”

“Speaking of time, I should really get going. I hate it when the girls wake up without me in the house.” Ditzy got up and put her dishes to the side orderly. She brushed her mane with a hoof absentmindedly and checked how far the others got with their breakfast. “If you want to finish your meal, I can go alone. It’s completely alright.”

“Oh no, of course we will see you to the gate, right girls?” Canvas chimed and immediately got up, followed by the rest of the group. Not a single visit went by without them saying their farewells to Ditzy by the gate and they wouldn’t break the habit just for sake of food.

They walked down the path toward the great plaza. They frequented it so often that they could choose a color, close their eyes and jump from stone to stone, never landing on a different hue. Even this early in the morning the place was buzzing with activity, as the angels wouldn’t let a single minute of their time to go to waste.

Those they passed closer would smile at them kindly or even exchange a wave and a greeting with them. Although the angels’ attitude toward them was improving ever since they arrived, the massive leap from the situation before the ceremony couldn’t go unnoticed. The girls felt like the they belonged to the Ein Sof ranks from how warm the angels behaved to them.

With their mood significantly brightened from the pleasant experience, they soon found themselves on the plaza and in sight of the gate. They also spotted a slim angelic figure with two pairs of wings hurrying toward the gate from the right. They reached the gate at the same time, the angel panting slightly.

“Good morning, Brother Empathy,” Ditzy said, glancing around in confusion, “have you perchance seen Scintillant somewhere? I expected her to be here to open the gate for me and bid me goodbye.”

“Yeah, we haven’t seen her since before the ceremony. Is she alright?” Trixie added.

“Good morning to you too, Elements. Don’t you worry, Sister Scintillant is alright, just very busy. I assure you she is very happy about your achievement and that she will soon tell you herself.”

“If you say so,” Ditzy said doubtfully. “How am I going to get home though?”

“Oh don’t worry, Diligence. As the Ein Sof assigned to assist you, I will take on all the tasks Sister Scintillant used to perform for you, opening the gate included.” He bowed slightly and to back up his words charged his horn, opening the gate effortlessly. “As I belong to the rank of messengers, such task costs me even less effort than Sister Scintillant.”

“This doesn’t mean we won’t see Scintillant again, does it?” Canvas asked, a crestfallen look on her face.

Empathy, true to his name, sensed the depth of her worry and sadness of that possibility and stepped forward, caressing Canvas’ cheek with one of his wings. “We all have our duties, Justice. Sister Scintillant has to return to them just as you have to take on yours. But I am sure there will be times you will meet with her. She is very fond of you after all.”

Canvas touched the wing with her hoof and pressed it closer to her skin, reveling in its warmth and softness. As if the sole closeness of the Ein Sof brought peace to her heart. “Alright, I guess we can’t do anything about that. But could you call us by names? Scintillant always does.”

Empathy chuckled at her antics even though expected and nodded. “Me calling you by your Elements is only a sign of my respect towards you. We keep them in highest reverence, and I wanted you to know the same applies to you. But if you wish so, I will be using your names, Acrylic Canvas.”

“Thank, just Canvas is fine.” Canvas let his wing go and went to embrace Ditzy. “Take care. I hope to see you soon again.”

Ditzy reciprocated the embrace and pecked Canvas on the cheek. “Same here.” Then she turned to Twilight and after another brief hug she asked, “do you want me to gather any specific information this time?”

Twilight slumped a bit at the question, but then her expression morphed into one of determination. “Actually, no. I think it’s time for me to see for myself. We have been sitting here for way too long.”

“So you plan to go back to Equestria? When did you decide on that?” Trixie asked for all of them.

“Last night, actually,” Twilight admitted sheepishly. “I met somepony when I couldn’t sleep and it convinced me I needed to see the full extent of the problems. “

“A wise decision, Humili- I mean Twilight Sparkle. I am sure Mother Dogma will be pleased with you taking actions so quickly after the Elements being bestowed upon you. We will prepare everything needed quickly.”

“I hope you will visit when the time comes. It will be nice to have a friend around again. I’ll have a bed ready for you,” Ditzy said and turned to the rest of the group to say farewells.

“Make that two beds, Ditzy, ok? I’m not letting Twilight go alone... For safety reasons!” Trixie blurted out, red tinge gracing her cheeks.

“I’ll see what I can do, the guest room is a bit small though,” Ditzy said with worry. “Alright, I’m looking forward to seeing you soon, everypony. Take care!” She turned around and jumped through the gate, fearing that she would be late to make breakfast for her daughters. Empathy charged his horn again and the gate closed seamlessly.

“Now then. We need to start the preparations for your return to Equestria. First we need to tell Mother Dogma, then we will gather whatever you think you will need. Or do you have other plans for today? I can tell Mother Dogma alone if you want to relax a bit still.”

“No, we should be there as well,” Twilight said, earning nods from the others. They started after Empathy, heading straight toward the dome, excitedly discussing future plans.

Trixie threw one last glance at the gate, then at Twilight and went to catch up to the rest of the group. “One bed is ok as well,” she muttered to herself with a smirk.

“I have never been happier that you got those wings, Twilight,” Trixie remarked when her hooves touched the ground and Twilight landed next to her. She missed the feeling of Twilight holding her around chest with her hooves, but if she had to trade it for firmly standing again, she would endure that loss.

“They come in handy sometimes, especially since I learnt how to use them properly,” Twilight agreed and readjusted her black cloak with a hood to cover her more snuggly, not only to hide her identity, but also to protect herself from the biting cold. Trixie did the same and brushed off few specks of snow from her back.

“Why do you think the portal ope-”

“Kyaaaaaaa!” an exclamation sounded from above them and they looked up to see a black bundle desperately flailing amber legs. Unfortunately, legs can’t generate sufficient lift to keep a bundle hovering, and so a fifteen feet fall was inevitable. All Twilight and Trixie could do was to shield their heads and brace themselves for the impact.

“Oww,” three voices wailed from a mostly black pile on the ground. The latest addition got up first as her fall was cushioned by the other ponies and nopony was lying on top of her either. She gazed up to where she materialized and shook her hoof in an empty threat.

“I’m not a pegasus, you harp strummer! Maybe you could try harder to empathize in my situation!”

“Long time no see, Sunset,” Trixie called toward her angry friend and helped Twilight to her hooves, this time taking the task of readjusting her attire on herself, “what brings you down here? Apart from gravity, that is…”

“I decided to just drop by,” Sunset countered with a smirk. “But seriously, I thought I should join for safety reasons. We don’t want either of you getting hurt, right?” She eyed her companions with worry and stepped closer. “You aren’t hurt from my grand entree, are you?”

Twilight gathered the few items she brought in her saddlebag - mostly maps, money and some refreshments - and put them back inside. “We are ok, don’t worry, Sunset. It may actually help to have you around.”

“We really need to tell Brother Empathy to open the gate to some place closer to the ground next time though.”

“Why? Trixie and I landed without any problems,” Twilight said feining obliviousness and as if by the way flexing her wings. Sunset only huffed indignantly and strode toward where she saw a smoke rising from Ponyville chimneys. The others quickly fell in step with her, exchanging amused glances from time to time.

“We should also come up with a different story about how we began our march toward ridding Equestria of all evil,” Trixie remarked after a while of walking

“What’s wrong with the true one?” Twilight asked, surveying her surroundings, especially the Everfree to her right.

“Are you telling me that ‘we fell from a misplaced portal and had a hard time picking ourselves up,’ is a dignified enough version to put into history textbooks?”

“...touché.”

They continued their journey in silence, enjoying seeing a different kind of scenery than they were used to from Elysium, though it got boring rather quickly as the unchanging snow covered fields and silent forest didn’t provide much to observe. That’s why Twilight and Trixie soon returned to conversation.

“Good thing we have these capes, it’s colder than I expected,” Twilight remarked and pulled her cloak closer to her body.

“Yeah, for March there is more snow than there has any right to be. Shouldn’t there have be that spring festival in Ponyville? What was it called again…”

“Winter Wrap-up, and yes, it should have already taken place. It’s strange. Apart from that, I wonder why Brother Empathy made us appear so far away from the town.”

“Maybe it’s because of how poorly he aims with the gate,” Trixie offered with a giggle.

“Or he wanted to show us this,” Sunset who remained concentrated on their surroundings stepped in their small talk and pointed forward and slightly to the right. About two hundred feet from the line of the forest they could see a mangled corpse of a cow, huge chunks of flesh missing from its side and flank. A pack of timberwolves was either feasting on the still steaming carcass, or fighting over already torn out pieces. Strangely enough, the trail of blood didn’t point to the forest, but parallely with it.

“Timberwolves,” Trixie muttered through gritted teeth. She lowered her head and started fuming angrily.

“Poor creature. If we walked quicker, we could have saved it,” Twilight added forlornly.

“I don’t think so, Twilight. It looks like they have been at it for some time already. That cow probably died even before we came here,” Sunset reassured, but joined Trixie in the battle stance. “Though we should worry more about saving ourselves. They apparently noticed us as well.”

Three out of five timberwolves, those that didn’t have direct access to the protein reservoir, indeed stopped their scuffle for scrapes and started toward the trio. Saliva was dripping from their maws and the bared teeth communicated their intentions clearly. They were gaining speed and soon they were sprinting for their supposedly easy prey.

Sunset was charging her horn, prepared to literally open fire, but Trixie placed a hoof on her shoulder, gaining her attention.

“Allow me, please,” she said and charged her own horn. The snow around lifted into the air and flew sharply toward the timberwolves. They paid it no mind even when it entered their maws and continued further through their digestive system. Thanks to their magical nature they couldn’t feel cold, so why should they concern themselves with few snowflakes.

“This is for chasing me on the worst day of my life, you smelly tree garbage.” Her horn flashed brilliant pink and suddenly the snow in front of the timberwolves formed into razorsharp ice spikes, penetrating the chests and heads of the monsters. They couldn’t even go into a convulsion from the pain as at the same time the snow inside them underwent similar transformation, tearing them from inside and resurfacing through their bark. The timberwolves would never have to worry about snowflakes as they alone became one.

“Wow, that was wonderful, Trixie!” Twilight praised and clapped her hooves. “But what they were you talking about?”

Trixie put her hood back up and grinned at Twilight from under it. “Let’s just say the next one on my list is an ursa minor.”

“In that case I hope you erased my name from that list already.”

“Maybe.”

They were interrupted by a pained howling from the direction of the corpse. Sunset decided that it was time to end the timberwolf threat once and for all and that combusting the beasts would ensure best results. The beasts would have to agree with her on that.

“They attacked outside the borders of the forest. Everfree got out of hoof,” she mused. Then she lit her horn one more time and incinerated the corpse as well. “Rest in peace, you have been avenged.”

“There we go. A glorious tale about how we started our task!” Trixie exclaimed happily and looked around the impromptu battlefield to remember it properly.

“If you say so, Trixie,” Sunset said in a bored voice, “but in my opinion ‘we defeated a pile of smelly tree garbage’ doesn’t count as much of an improvement compared to the first version.”

“You would never make for a showmare. You can’t give a story the glance needed.”

“Maybe, but my stories shine with their inner fire. Anyway, let’s go. This place is freezing.” She jabbed Trixie in the ribs and resumed walking toward Ponyville, but the physical attack didn’t go unanswered and soon a snowball found its target.

Twilight only rolled her eyes and followed behind the bickering unicorns. “Maybe I should have taken Lightning Dust with me instead,” she grumbled to herself. “She’s at least disciplined. And she would allow me to partake on the action as well.”

Reaching the edge of the town didn’t take them too long then, mostly because they sped up with the vision of warm place to rest in minds. “So what’s the plan Twilight?” Trixie asked and looked around for anypony watching them. Nopony was outside though as the dark grey sky was signaling an incoming snow storm.

“We will check the library. Spike may be gone, but they should have the recent newspaper anyway. We need to catch up on what’s going on around.” At the deadpan looks her friends were giving her she only rolled her eyes and replaced Sunset in lead. “This way.”

Even from the distance the tree house looked desolate. No light shone behind its windows, the frames gathered a lot of dust and as they drew closer, they noticed an old parchment on the door. “Closed indefinitely,” Twilight read it out loud. “This town never had an appreciation for literature.”

“Is there anything you want to retrieve from there? Some personal belongings?” Trixie offered and pointed her horn on the padlock, waiting only for a signal to make it follow timberwolves’ fate.

“I don’t think there’s much left and definitely nothing I would need. Besides, breaking in a library is not what heroes do.” They shared a giggle at that and started toward the centre of the town. “They should keep an archive in the town hall, we can check that instead.”

They hurried as the snow was starting to fall in larger amount and they chose the path leading across the town square. In the middle they saw a bit silhouette, the first sign of a pony since they arrived. They found out that it was just a larger than life statue.

“Wow, somepony in this town really likes you, Twilight,” Trixie praised as she took in the masterfully crafted form on the pedestal.

“In memory of a great friend Twilight Sparkle,” Sunset said reading the plaquette out loud. “Or liked, Twilight.”

The alicorn joined Sunset by the statue briskly and read the plaquette for herself. “What’s this supposed to mean? Why would they-” She was interrupted by a snowball chattering against the plaquette, closely followed by another which hit Sunset in the flank.

“Hey! What gives? Show yourself you annoying brat!” Sunset shouted and gazed angrily into the thickening white cloud. In response she got only a giggle and soon another snowball flew at them, this time knocking Twilight’s cape off of her head.

“That’s two spookies down,” a cheerful voice called from indeterminable direction and laughed happily. “Now for the thir- TWILIGHT!” A pink blur shot from behind an abandoned stall and sprinted toward them quicker than they could watch. It pounced Twilight and wrapped her in a rib crushing hug. “Twilight, it’s really you! What are you doing here? Where have you been? We had been looking for-”

“Pinkie, not so loud!”

“-you everywhere and I was organizing welcome-home-parties every day and-”

“Let me go!”

“-then I organized you a birthday party, but you didn’t show up and then I- UMPF!”

Pinkie got lifted off Twilight in a field of pink magic and her mouth suddenly vanished. Twilight got up with help from Sunset and inhaled deeply to replenish what Pinkie pushed out of her. Then she noticed the perplexed look of horror and recognition on Pinkie’s face along with what Trixie did to her.

“Thank you, Trixie. Though I think you overdid it a little there.”

“She wouldn’t stay quiet. Soon all the ponies from the town would show up here and see you,” Trixie defended her good intentions, although a slight tone of satisfaction at getting back on Pinkie Pie couldn’t be missed.

“You have a point there.” Twilight walked in front of Pinkie and looked her firmly in the eyes. “Hi, Pinkie. I will explain everything, but not here in the open. You have to stay quiet, alright?” She earned a hesitant nod along with a questioning stare. She deduced what that was concerning. “Trixie is my friend now and so is Sunset. They are both really great ponies and you don’t have to be afraid.” Pinkie nodded again and dangled her legs in the air to signal her wish. “Alright, Trixie, you can put her down… and give her the mouth back.”

“Gah! I don’t want to feel that ever again!” Pinkie turned to Trixie with a dark frown. “Do you know how it feels to have your voice stolen? Everypony ignores you and you feel all alone and insignificant! Do you know how hard that is?!”

Trixie returned the glare with her own and took a step forward. “Yeah, I may have an idea. Keep talking about it and you will feel it for the third time.” Twilight immediately moved next to Trixie, sensing and understanding her pain at Pinkie’s remark, and pulled her into a small hug. The warm gesture served two purposes as it both dispersed Trixie’s glum memories and convinced Pinkie about the worth of Twilight’s new friends. If Twilight cared about them so much, they couldn’t be mean.

“Come with me, the storm will soon begin for real,” she said to the trio with a content smile. “I have a fresh batch of cookies baked and we can have some hot chocolate too while you tell me what’s new.”

Sheltered from the raging snowstorm by the strong walls of Sugarcube Corner and by the rekindled fire in a hearth, courtesy of Sunset, the group was getting comfortable in one of the secluded boxes furnished with pleasantly soft couches. That is, apart from Pinkie, who was running back and forth between their table and the kitchen, bringing what seemed to be the entire stock of the establishment.

“Sorry there isn’t that much of variety in flavors, we have to do with what’s accessible in the surroundings since the famine,” Pinkie apologized when she returned with another plate of apple-strudel.

“There’s nothing wrong with apples and berries,” Twilight assured. “Just please don’t bring any more food. You already dished out a veritable feast.” There really wasn’t much space on the table that wouldn’t be occupied by some sort of sweets, although Trixie and Sunset had no reservations regarding filling their bellies. “Come on, could you at least have some manners, you two?!”

“Oh let them, Twilight. It shows they like the treats.” Pinkie bounced away and returned with four cups of hot chocolate. She surveyed the table and clicked her tongue. “Nah, it’s still not it. Oh well, this is just a makeshift party. I will make up for it with your Welcome-home-Twilight party where we invite everypony and have balloons and streamers and music and games and everything!” She suddenly appeared among them on the couch and pulled them all into a group hug. Nopony saw her sit down there.

Sunset wriggled out of the hug and looked at Pinkie cautiously. “Um, miss Pie-”

“Just call me Pinkie!”

“Alright, Pinkie. I don’t think there will be such party.”

“Why wouldn’t there be?” Pinkie bulged her eyes out in absolute disbelief at such blasphemous thought. “Twilight is not dead and she returned home, that’s a great reason for a party! Especially since we have had so few recently! I mean really, Since everypony has become so serious and frowny and since the unicorns acted so mean and then the food started running out, the ponies have been ordering the parties seldomly and now you would-”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Twilight butted in Pinkie’s rant, freeing herself from the embrace as well. “Why would I be dead?”

“Well, in that note for Spike you wrote that you were going to kill yourself and then we couldn’t find you anywhere and they you didn’t show up for your birthday party either, so we thought you died. That’s why poor Spike left Ponyville and why we built that statue where I got you. You weren’t expecting those snowballs, huh?”

Twilight slumped on the couch, trying to remember the exact wording of her goodbye note. “That’s not what I meant! I only wrote I would be away for a while!”

“I told them so, but they wouldn’t listen!” Pinkie exclaimed and pulled Twilight into another hug, only now releasing Trixie who didn’t particularly mind her previous position as she still could deliver the sweets to her mouth with magic. “I knew you wouldn’t kill yourself, but they said you weren’t returning. So now tell me why there shouldn’t be a welcome-home party, huh?”

“Well… because…” Twilight couldn’t quite formulate a plausible explanation, especially while faced with Pinkie’s pleading stare. Thankfully, Sunset came to her rescue.

“Twilight has lots of work to do, Pinkie. You see in what disrepair Equestria finds itself now. We all have been getting ready to fix this, and now the time is getting close, but it will all be a big surprise, you know?” She leaned closer to Pinkie and went into a conspiratorial whisper. “If anypony else knew Twilight returned, they would immediately swarm around her and not give us any space to prepare. That’s why you have to keep our visit a secret, even from your closest friends, understand?”

Pinkie looked truly heartbroken at the explanation, but still reluctantly nodded.

“Once it is done, we will have the biggest party and you will be the host,” Twilight promised to make the situation easier for Pinkie.

“Do you Pinkie promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Twilight went through the motions and earned raised eyebrows from her companions for that. She only mouthed “I will explain later,” in their direction.

“Okie, dokie, lokie.” The obviously cheered Pinkie leaned back in the couch and helped herself to a cupcake, although she shouldn’t have been able to reach the plate from her position. “It won’t be that hard. I don’t see them that often.”

“How so?” Twilight asked sipping on her hot chocolate.

“Applejack and Fluttershy hardly ever visit the town and Rarity and Dashie moved away, duh.”

“Much changed since I left…”

“Yep, and not for the better.” Pinkie sat back up and lowered her voice. “So, you said you have big plans. What’s first?”

“We wanted to visit-” Trixie started, but Twilight shoved a hoof into her mouth to keep her quiet.

“We are too many and in Ponyville somepony could easily see us. We have to leave soon. She will understand,” she explained in response to Trixie’s hurt expression.

“You won’t stay for the night? I thought we could at least have a sleepover or play some games…” Pinkie’s mood dropped again and she tried to fight it with another morsel.

“Where shall we spend the night, then? We can’t just go to the hotel. They would recognize you,” Sunset pointed out.

“Most ponies would recognize me, but not everypony will tell others.” Twilight smiled dreamily as fond memories returned to her. “It’s been some time since I visited my parents.” She got up and was about to head to the door, but Pinkie pulling on her tail stopped her.

“Are you really going to travel in this weather?” she asked with eyes wide like the sweetest puppy.

“The weather doesn’t really interfere with teleporting, Pinkie,” Twilight tried to brush the comment off quickly, but Pinkie’s trembling lip and the pleading cuteness in front of her defeated her. She didn’t really mind though. “But I guess we could spare a while for some games.”

“YAY,” Pinkie exclaimed, jumped up and clapped her hooves happily. Then before even touching the ground again she shot for the stairs and soon the room was littered with party games.

“There is a storm coming, honey. Where do we have more candles?” Night Light asked and gazed into the approaching darkness on the sky. He shivered just from the thought of more snow. The winter had lasted too long for his tastes and mostly for tastes of everypony, but the weather managers declared it necessary to compensate for the drought.

“For the tenth time this week, they are in the cabinet next to bed sheets,” a shouted answer came from the kitchen. Twilight Velvet tried to sound angry, but in fact she found her husband’s forgetfulness cute. “Bring me some as well, if you would be so dear.”

Night Light took a few moments to recall where they held the bed sheets, pridefully refusing to ask again, and then stepped away from the window and walked into the storage room. “Do the candles on the chandelier need changing too?”

“Yes, take the better ones. They are in the golden package.”

With his light bringing cargo Night Light made his way to the kitchen. He offered his wife about a million times that they could hire a maid to give Velvet more free time, but she insisted on taking care of her household on her own. He put three candles into a candle holder and then levitated the mostly burned out candles from the chandelier and replaced them with new ones as well.

“There we go. Would you light them up, honey?” he asked and pecked her on the cheek. She turned to him and smirked.

“Why, don’t you see I’m busy? You could just as well do it alone.”

“I sure could.” Night Light took advantage of his wife facing him and went for a deeper kiss this time. When he pulled away, he returned his wife’s smirk double time. “But with that fire inside you, I thought the task would be befitting you.”

Velvet giggled at that and lit her horn, sparking the candles into a steady calm flame. “Now, now, you charmer. There will be enough time for that once we have eaten dinner.” She glanced out the window at the worsening storm and then back to her husband. “And by the looks of it for several days afterwards as well.”

“My, what a fate! Cut from the world by tons of snow, just one stallion and one mare, nothing to kill time.” He sniffed the pots on the stove and grinned. “Yet Lady Luck stands by them since they have many a tasteful morsel to quench their hunger.”

“I hope you like what you smell, my little poet, because I cooked so much it could feed a small regiment. Too bad no guests will show up in such weather.”

“I can eat for a small regiment. And other things as well.”

Velvet flicked his nose with her hoof, but the twinkle in her eyes betrayed her amusement. “You are a naughty colt today, Night Light. As a punishment, you will wait for the dinner here and you can’t bring anything to read!”

Night Light took the indicated place without complaining, though the condition of not reading was driving him slightly crazy. He watched his wife add the finishing touches to their dinner and wiggle her hips in the process seductively. She got to preparing the dishes and instead of using magic to retrieve the plates from the upper shelf, she stretched up and took them with her hoof. He couldn’t wait for the dinner to be over.

“Here you are, honey,” Velvet said as she placed a plate full of kale rissoles with mashed potatoes and cheese dip in front of her husband. She intentionally took seat across the table from him, only caressing his calves with her hooves. “Don’t eat too quickly, or you will get a hiccup.” The warning couldn’t stop Night Light from trying to devour the delicious food as quickly as possible though. Velvet sighed in exasperation “At least tell me if there was anything interesting in the Academy today.”

Nightlight stopped his fierce attack on the vegetable for a second and looked up. “Not really. They still lead the same snobby talks about theories of races and so on. I try to ignore them. No loss that we stopped meeting most of them.” He took few more bites and stopped again. “Well, there was that rumor about Twilight being seen in Fillydelphia few days ago, but that’s about it.”

Velvet took a sip of the white wine they chose for the dinner beforehand and shook her head. “They could finally stop it. For some time those news could have served to raise profits of the paper, but now? It’s pathetic and dishonoring.”

“I know, honey, but you can’t stop ponies from hoping in these dark times.”

“I guess. But maybe if they stopped hoping and started doing something instead, those dark times would pass quicker.” She ate the last morsels of her dinner and levitated the plate and utensils into the sink. “Speaking of dark, the storm is here, and as you said, we are cut from the rest of the world. Whatever shall we do, my knight?”

“Firstly,” Night Light said and got up from his seat, “we should move to where we can decidedly stay warm. Therefore, I suggest we fortify our bedroom.” He grabbed Velvet in his magic hold and started out of the door, extinguishing the candles behind him.

“Hey!” Velvet exclaimed and giggled as the magic tickled her on her belly. “I can walk on my own, you know.”

“Not while I levitate you, honey. Both the scientific theory and the experience confirm that.”

“I am powerless against science. Very well then, though I now see you are in fact a robber knight.” She held a hoof to her forehead in a feigned horror and allowed Night Light to ‘kidnap’ her without struggling.

They soon found themselves on the top of the stair and Velvet helpfully opened the door to the bedroom with her own magic since Night Light’s was occupied. He laid her down on their princess sized bed and closed the door just as a knocking sounded from the front door.

“Did you hear that?” Velvet asked and looked curiously at the door.

“I didn’t hear anything but your sweet voice, honey.” Night Light made his way to the bed and joined Velvet on it, embracing her and pulling her into another deep kiss. After a few seconds the knocking returned though. This time they both heard it, but Night Light waved it off. “They will go away soon, just ignore them.” They returned to their cuddling and kissing, but the visitor wouldn’t be deterred by being ignored. This time the doorbell rang through the house for about ten seconds.

“No, they most definitely aren’t going away on their own,” Velvet said with a deep sigh of exasperation. “I will go tell them we are already in bed and to come tomorrow. Don’t go anywhere.”

With no small amount of disdain Night Light watched his wife get up from bed and walk out the door. She left it slightly open, allowing him to track her moves by hearing. Rhythmic thuds told him when she descended the stairs and the muffled ones signaled she was nearing the front door. At that moment the ringing of the doorbell returned again, making him scrunch his face in disgust. Velvet obviously shared that feeling.

“Oh yes, I am coming. No need to break that poor doorbell!”

He heard the chain on the door being removed and the click of the lock. He should oil the doorposts soon as well.

“I am sorry, but this isn’t the best time for a visit. If you wouldn’t mind returning tomo-” The sentence remained unfinished, a surprised gasp following instead. He shot up immediately, fearing something horrible happened to Velvet. It wouldn’t be the first time ponies were attacked in their homes. He was cursing himself as he galloped from the room and to the stairs, charging his horn to strike down whoever dared to lay hoof on his wife. What he saw from the top of the staircase made him freeze on spot though.

Velvet wasn’t harmed in any way, far from it. She sure was shaken though. She was trembling on the threshold of their house, facing three horned figures in black cloaks and reaching her right hoof to the cheek of the one in the center.

“Twilight…” he whispered in disbelief and slowly walked down the stairs and joined his wife by the door.

“Twilight,” Velvet echoed and caressed the visitor’s cheek lightly as if afraid that she would shatter at stronger touch. “Is that really you?”

“Hi mom, hi dad.” A warm smile spread on Twilight’s face at seeing her parents again. “I’m sorry I made you worried. I’m completely alright and-” she didn’t get to finish as her parents moved forward at the same time and pulled her into a hug, unteenth one for Twilight that day. She reciprocated it happily and nuzzled into their manes like she did as a filly. “I missed you.”

“You… have no idea how much… we missed you, sweetie,” Velvet managed to say among sobs. She didn’t try to stop her tears. They fit the moment well and everypony had to understand. They would stay there for ages if it weren’t for Trixie who found that sole thought abhoring.

“Um… I hate to break the moment, but may we come in? It’s kind of freezing out here.”

As if a spell was broken by that comment, Velvet let her daughter go and returned to her usual role of premier hostess. “Where are our manners! Welcome to our humble home.” She gestured to them to enter and then toward the coat hooks. “Take those heavy things off, there is no cold in our household.”

“Oh thank you,” Sunset breathed out in relief. “It almost feels like that snow storm was following us from Ponyville all the way here!”

“Yeah. Almost,” Trixie piped from behind her, averting her gaze from Sunset. That of course didn’t go unnoticed.

“Are you implying you dragged that awful cloud behind us on purpose? Why?!”

“Twilight didn’t want to be seen by anypony. And it’s not an awful cloud. That storm is really pretty and I want to keep it!” Trixie tossed up her head and huffed in indignation, earning a deadpan stare from Sunset.

They removed their coats gratefully, piling their luggage under the pegs as well. Night Light, who eyed some of the equipment with curiosity and mild suspicion, turned toward his daughter. “Would you introduce us, sweetie?”

“Oh, of course,” Twilight agreed giddily, ignoring Trixie’s giggling at the cute addressing. “Mom, dad, this is Sunset Shimmer, my good friend and-”

“-bodyguard,” Sunset supplied, pointing to her long bag neatly prodded against the wall.

“-yes, bodyguard, and this is Trixie Lulamoon, another great friend and-”

“-partner,” Trixie butted in, but at the mix of confused and amused looks she received she blushed and quickly added, “in the field of magic study I mean!”

“It’s nice to see Twilight finally found a partner. In the field of magic study I mean,” Night Light teased and shook hooves with both mares. “My name is Night Light and this is my wife Twilight Velvet. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

The mares exchanged bows and Velvet eyed them from head to hooves with her experience of a parent. “You must be hungry. I will bring you something in a jiffy!” She rushed toward the kitchen and left Night Light with their guests alone. He led them to the living room where they took places on very comfortable sofas. Both Trixie and Sunset now understood where Twilight’s love for books stemmed, since the walls were literally covered with bookshelves.

“So,” Night Light began as he poured them a glass of wine each and sat down in his favourite spot, “what exactly brings you here? Don’t get me wrong, we are overjoyed to see you alive and well, but after such a long time it seems abrupt.”

“Well, I am returning now for good and I haven’t decided where I want to live. So apart from visiting you just to see you, I wanted to ask if we could stay here for a few days. I don’t want to be seen around yet, like Trixie said and there is no other place I can go. There’s nothing holding me in Ponyville when Spike left.”

“But of course you can stay here, sweetie,” Velvet exclaimed, welcoming the request happily since she would get to pamper her long lost child again, even just for few days. She was bringing three plates full of what she prepared for Night Light and herself previously. Maybe it was some kind of motherly intuition that she cooked so much of it.

“It should be no problem,” Night Light added, smiling as Twilight embraced her mother when the plates were laid down. “We didn’t move a thing in your room out of nostalgy either and there is enough space to house your friends as well.”

“I will get to see Twilight’s room? Awesome!” Trixie chirped and clapped her hooves happily. Twilight on the other hand paled at the notion visibly. “What? Is it full of Starswirl the Bearded posters and toys?” Twilight did what she could to not meet anypony’s eyes. “Seriously?”

Twilight didn’t answer, instead attacking her dinner with fervor. Velvet could only chuckle at how much Twilight was taking after her father mannerwise.

Velvet placed down her own glass of wine on the table and retrieved a parchment, quill and inkwell from the writing desk by the window. “We have to send a letter to Shining and Cadance. They will love to hear that you returned. Not to mention what Spike will do.”

Twilight shot to full attention immediately. “You know where Spike is?”

“Yes, he left for Crystal Empire soon after you vanished. He didn’t want to stay in Celestia’s proximity.”

“No surprise in that point,” Sunset remarked and sipped daintily from her glass. She never was much of a drinker.

“Indeed. Though that’s not the only surprise waiting in Crystal Empire, Twilight. But it’s not my place to tell, you will see, when you visit them,” Velvet added mysteriously, rolled the parchment and sent it away in her magic.

“I guess I don’t have other choice but to go there soon,” Twilight agreed with a smile. “For now though, I am happy to be home.”

Chapter 22

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Original Title: Fire Forged Friends
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

On that first night, there was much joy and talk to go around. The excitement of seeing their daughter again made both parents, especially Velvet, too giddy to sleep and she spent most of the evening hugging and kissing her sweet daughter, as if afraid to let her go. While Twilight was obviously embarrassed by receiving this amount of affection in front of her two friends, she held onto her mother as both of them reminisced the days they spent together when she was much younger. Now in her mid-twenties and an alicorn, she was taller than her mother.

Night Light got his fair share of affection in as well as they traded between stories and events. The two unicorn guests found out quickly that Twilight took after her father in terms of study and intelligence; if the shelves of books didn’t already give them a hint, seeing his degrees in sciences certainly told them all they needed to know.

Along with catching up with their daughter, the unicorn parents were interested in learning about her new friends. Knowing how much their daughter grew up as a shut in, it always pleased them to see her with companions, case in point when she dropped by from the Grand Galloping Gala with five of her other friends.

“So what can you tell us about yourselves? You two seem like an interesting bunch,” Velvet said as she poured them cups of tea.

“Well, I first met Twilight in Ponyville, not too long after she moved there if I recall correctly,” Trixie said earning a nod from Twilight. “I won’t lie, we didn’t meet on the best of term. I was kind of a proud showmare and I tended to boast a lot.”

“She still does,” Sunset said deadpan as she sipped her tea, earning a glare from Trixie and a giggle from the others.

“Yes well, after an incident there, I decided to take a job on a rock farm so I could earn the money to receive a proper magic study, under Professor Midnight Spell. Does he still teach, by the way?”

“He does, but he’s pretty withdrawn nowadays due to the events that transpired awhile back,” Night Light responded.

“Oh. I see. Well sometime later, I met Twilight again in Canterlot around the time that symposium happened, right after her brother’s wedding. We’ve been good friends ever since.”

Twilight and Trixie made a mutual agreement prior to coming to the house that they would leave out the parts about Ursa Minor and the Alicorn Amulet when talking to her parents. Neither were things Trixie was proud of and Twilight didn’t feel it was appropriate to tell her parents that her friend almost destroyed Ponyville on two occasions.

“I see. How good are you at magic, Trixie?” Velvet asked with genuine interest.

“I don’t think I’m as great as Twilight yet, but I’ve practically mastered water magic.”

“She used snow, of all things, to defeat a pack of Timberwolves earlier today,” Sunset chipped in while taking a bite of her dinner.

“Wow, that’s quite impressive.”

“Thank you, though if I haven’t have met Twilight, I don’t think I would’ve ever learned that much,” Trixie said while smiling at Twilight, who was smiling back.

“I suppose you two make the best of ‘partners’, right Velvet?”

“Oh yes, our little girl has found a very good ‘partner’ indeed.”

As the parents teased and the two mares in question blushed, Sunset simply went on watching with the same deadpan expression as she filled her stomach, making sure her table manners were appropriate while still enjoying what was arguably some of the best food she’d ever tasted since her days in the castle.

“So how about you, Sunset? What can you tell us about yourself?”

Sunset swallowed the food in her mouth. “You’re actually looking at the previous student Celestia had before Twilight came under her wing. I wasn’t just her student though, I was kind of her unofficial daughter. See, I was an orphan who never really knew my birth parents. But the princess took me in and taught me magic, which was how I got my cutie mark. But I ended up running away because I had a problem with how Celestia ran things. This is really good by the way, may I have some more?”

“Absolutely dear,” Velvet said putting more food on the plate. “Why exactly did you run away?”

“Well, I was a teenager and I wasn’t getting many of my accomplishments noticed. She was asking more of me and I just lost respect for her. I will admit, I was kind of a problem foal too. I tended to come off as a vain brat most of the time- shut up.” she said suddenly pointing at Trixie who looked like she was about to make a smart comment. “Anyway, it got to a point where I just couldn’t take it anymore and well, I ran way to make something of myself. And in a way, I kind of did.” Though, they probably don’t need to know how.

“How did you meet our little Twily?” Night Light asked pulling in said pony for another hug.

“I actually met her at the Crystal Empire, during that princess summit thing. I’ve been falling on hard times and I did some things I’m not proud of. Now don’t worry, I’ve made up for that and renounced my bad ways. I have Twilight to thank for showing me there was another way. Now, I’m her trusty bodyguard as a master in the Centauri Sword arts. I even forged my swords myself.”

“Centauri you say? I’ve studied about that a bit back at the academy during my college years. The art was created by Centaur revolutionaries seeking to overthrow an abusive prince. They would use their magic to forge various weapons and enriched them with powers of the natural elements.”

“Yeah, most of the time, it was heavier weapons like axes and polearms. The intention was to create a counter to the powerful armor worn by the prince’s shock troops and they were first deployed during the battle of Forlorn Hope, a valley that carried military advantage. Of course, the weapons alone weren’t enough to win the battle so the now legendary General Nebaridzuyo perfected a technique using two swords, both rather small compared to the conventional war weapons used by both sides. One was a normal sized blade like the one I have meant to be the primary weapon, and the other was a shorter blade used in follow up strikes or as a backup weapon to decapitate weakened enemies. This combined with his powerful fire magic thinned the prince’s forces and allowed his men to completely push them back, claiming the valley as their own.”

“You really know your stuff, Sunset.”

“I’ve had access to the general’s advanced teachings so in a way, I guess you could say I learned from him personally. My swords were actually forged with a hybrid of Centauri and Kirin metals, with a little touch of my own magic. I haven’t had to use them yet, but I’ve trained with prototypes that withstood molten temperatures.”

“So I take it you’re an expert on fire magic then?”

“Master more like it,” Sunset said proudly.

“And here I thought I was a boaster,” Trixie said rolling her eyes. “But as hot blooded as she seems, I’ve seen her in action and she has the right to boast. She completely incinerated a giant scolopendra one time.. And that was before she gained four years of training. Though my flank burned up something fierce after that.”

“Hey I saved your life. Don’t complain.”

“For the thousandth time, I’m not.”

“Then why do you keep bringing it up?”

“Because shut up.”

As the mares exchanged banter, the other occupants of the table spectated with Twilight groaning at their antics and her parents amused by them. “I’m sorry mom and dad. They do this a lot, but they are friends.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’ve seen much worse between rival sports teams,” Night Light said.

“I seem to remember you and your brother competing with each other a lot too, Nighty,” Velvet added. “And what about that time in high school you and that other stallion competed for my attention?”

“That arrogant jerk didn’t deserve you, especially not how he kept flaunting his wealth the way he did.”

“He didn’t have a chance against my brilliant professor,” Velvet cooded as she leaned in to kiss her husband.

Oh geez, get a room you two, Twilight thought as she cracked a smile.

“Well, it’s nice to hear you think highly of our daughter,” Velvet said to her dinner guests.

“Yes, I would consider her the first real friend I ever had,” Sunset responded. “Although, somepony else tends to grind my gears sometimes. I’m looking at you, Trixie.”

“Hey, you do it to me all the time. I’m just evening the playing field.”

“Whatever.” Sunset leaned in to whisper to the parents. “She’s just mad because my fire turns her water into steam.” Trixie apparently heard that comment because she gave Sunset a playful shove, resulting in a devious giggle from her. “Hehe, okay I kind of asked for that.”

With the stomachs of their visitors full, Night Light set up the guest beds for Trixie and Sunset, who themselves were taking turns with the shower, while Twilight and her mother washed the dishes. Velvet cherished this time together, however mundane, and Twilight couldn’t help but notice the tears swelling up in her eyes.

“Mom?” Twilight asked concerned.

“It’s nothing, dear. I’m just glad you’re alive and well. When we heard about everything that happened, I just didn’t want to believe you were gone. And I just couldn’t forgive Celestia for driving you away like that.”

“Aw mom... I’m sorry for making you worry like that. I didn’t intend for Spike and everypony else to misinterpret my note like that.”

“It’s okay,” Velvet said hugging her daughter for the unteenth time that night. “But Celestia… It doesn’t matter what her intentions were and how things turned out, I just don’t trust her anymore. And neither does Cadance, Shining Armor, your father, and even Spike. But can you tell me something? Why did you leave like that in the first place? I mean, if you didn’t intend to kill yourself like everypony thought, what was your motivation?”

Twilight paused at this question. She knew it was coming eventually, but she was still unprepared to answer it. “Well… I guess I just needed some time alone. I spent most of my life learning under Princess Celestia that I guess I just wanted to find my own calling, to find my own purpose. And I did find it, with the help of my new friends. We plan on fixing Equestria. I’m responsible for a lot of it anyway. It’s hard to explain and I’m not completely sure how we will do it but in due time, I hope to be able to tell you everything.”

More or less satisfied with the answer, Velvet nuzzled her daughter one last time before everypony got ready for bed. Sunset and Trixie took their bags into the bedroom with them, the former not wanting to leave her swords by the door. Though her friends had an easy and restful sleep, Sunset was again plagued by a night terror for which she could not explain. Many times in the night, she would wake up in a cold sweat and lay there before drifting back to sleep.

“Okay, this is getting stupid.”

The next day, Twilight was surprisingly the first of her friends to wake up. As she showered, she tried to remember the last time she’d ever used the shower in this house. Regardless, it felt good to be here again. With herself clean, she went down to breakfast where her parents were waiting, Night Light reading the newspaper and Velvet cooking, something good if the aroma was anything to go by.

“Good morning mom and dad.”

“Good morning Twily,” Velvet said looking back and smiling.

“It’s going to take some time to adjust to you being here again,” Night Light chuckled. “Good morning Twilight.”

“Where are your two friends?”

“I guess they’re still sleeping. We were kinda tired last night.”

“Well, hopefully they wake up before ten o’clock. It would be a shame for them to miss your mother’s cooking.”

Twilight sat down and yawned and stretched away her sleepiness. As she finished, she looked over at her father and noticed something on the newspaper he was reading. It was an advertisement for a familiar shop.

“Carousel Boutique?”

Night Light looked up, confused for a moment before finding the ad on the paper. “Oh?”

“Rarity’s boutique in Ponyville was called that. I don’t suppose…”

“She is in Canterlot?” Velvet said finishing her daughter’s question. “Yes, she moved here not too long after you disappeared a few years ago. She is probably one of the few unicorns in Canterlot that still has some decency.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. And I do remember Pinkie saying she and Rainbow Dash moved away from Ponyville.”

“Your friend Rainbow Dash is also in the Wonderbolts now. She’s performed in shows from time to time.”

“Really? Huh. I guess she achieved her dream. I guess without me in Ponyville, she didn’t have much to keep her there either. And judging by the state of Ponyville, Rarity must have been struggling which is why she moved. Pinkie is the same as usual and I would bet Applejack would prefer to work, especially since Granny Smith died. But what about Fluttershy? I wonder what she’s doing nowadays.”

“If I saw timberwolves and other beasts roaming about, I’d probably stay inside too,” Trixie said walking into the kitchen with a very tired Sunset.

“Oh, hi girls. I’m surprised you actually woke up.”

“Har har, I’m not that sleepy.”

“Are you alright, Sunny? You don’t look so good,” Twilight said as Sunset’s messy mane and heavy eyes were hard to ignore.

“Hardly slept. Night terrors. I’ll get over it,” Sunset said as she tried to brush her mane with a brush handed to her by Trixie.

“If you say so.”

After breakfast, Sunset and Trixie again took turns with the shower while Twilight and her parents talked some more before her father needed to leave for work. Twilight had already decided that she wouldn’t dare go out into the streets during the daytime as she would be more than likely recognized. Trixie and Sunset agreed on the same.

“Mom? Dad? I would like to catch up with the recent years and study about what happened. Do you think you could help me with that?”

“Sure, I can bring back some old newspapers from the academy when I come home from work,” Night Light said as he got ready to leave.

“And I can tell you about the recent things that have gone on here in Canterlot. Trust me, a lot has happened. Though, I’m surprised you don’t know anything. I would have thought you would at least hear tidbits here and there.”

“Well, I was technically outside of Equestria.”

“Even still, some of this relates to other nations too like the griffons and the minotaurs.”

“I was in a secluded place most of the time, honing my abilities. I needed some time away from the world.”

“I see. Well, I’ll gather what all I can offer for you.”

Much of the day was uneventful, at least to the trio of mares. Twilight spent a lot of her time researching the previous four years while also getting some magic study with Trixie. Sunset had little else to do after polishing and maintaining her swords, which she did along side her friends in Twilight’s room. Having finished, she decided to dive into one of the hundreds of books in the house. Fourteen books later and the boredom hit a point where she decided to take a nap, praying that she would not have another night terror. As dusk hit, Trixie started to get a little restless.

“Hey Twilight? I’m going to go for a small walk. I need to stretch my legs and I want to see what all has happened since I left Canterlot.”

“Uh huh,” Twilight said with her attention still on her research. “If you find out anything interesting, tell me okay?”

“Sure.”

Trixie grabbed her coat and her saddlebag on the off chance she may find something she may want from one of the shops, and stepped out into the cold evening streets. As expected during this weather, hardly anypony was out aside from a few street goers trying to get home. Her “small walk” turned into a stroll all over town as she found herself almost fascinated by the contrast in extravagance and ruin the different districts were in. Many of the ponies were the same as far as she could remember, the elite being snobbish as usual. However, as she explored the poorer districts, she felt uneasy as some of the ponies glared at her as she walked by. This eventually escalated as a few squared off with her in a secluded part of the district, thugs motivated by greed and hatred.

Their threats and insults fell short as their target looked more bored than scared. Seeing as how nopony else was around to see her, Trixie sparked her horn and used the surrounding snow to form an icy serpent which had the look of bloody murder on its face. To their credit, the thugs were smart and realized they picked on the wrong unicorn, running off to live another day. She could have pursued them, but she decided they weren’t worthy of her attention. Nevertheless, she made the choice to leave the district and stay away from it from now on.

The moon was decently high in the sky by the time she made it to the square. Very few ponies were out and about now, only those headed off to bars or parties. “This place sure has changed,” she said to herself. Before she made plans to go back to the Sparkle house, one last location popped into her head that she wanted to visit. The thought stirred up unpleasant memories, but her curiosity needed to be quelled.

She still remembered where the old house was. Her old house growing up. Sadly, the house was no longer occupied as it was falling apart and broken. A sign in front told her the house was condemned. She walked to the side of the house to look up at her old room window, which appeared to be broken and boarded from the inside. She thought for a moment before looking around for any pony who might be watching. When she saw the coast was clear, she stepped up to the front door and used her magic to break the boards and the lock, freely walking inside her old house.

The house interior was fairly barren and looked as if there was structural damage, likely the result of neglecting maintenance. Considering her parents, this didn’t surprise her. They tended to care about more “important” things like hanging out with the upper class. There was a broken glass cabinet, one door hanging from its hinges, that used to carry a variety of expensive fine china and silverware. She grimaced at the many bad memories associated with the many dinner parties where she was only there for enhancing her parents’ image. She wasn’t allowed to talk or leave until the guests were gone, she was the honor student who was supposed to make valedictorian in her future, to give her parents many chances to mingle with the high class.

In a sort of masochistic pleasure, she walked all throughout the house to relive many more memories from her youth. She remembered the jade tiger statue her mother was so proud of, now gone from its place in the foyer. The bathroom, which now suffered from water damage and a moldy odor, where she remembered her mother spending hours getting her mane to look just perfect for her first day of school. And of course her bedroom, her prison with nothing but a standard bed and a desk for studying. The wall closest to the door had a hoof sized impact in it, possibly from her father’s temper when he and mother found out Trixie not only ran away, but took their stockpile of funds.

“Maybe that’s why the house is out of shape,” Trixie stoically mused. Something in her wanted to laugh or at least grin. They brought this upon themselves, didn’t they? Yet as much as she wanted to, seeing how far the old house had deteriorated sparked a feeling of pity in her. Even if they were deserving of such a fate, did she really have the right to applaud it?

After all, despite her accumulation of the negative, not all of her memories were bad. There were many times when she was very young that she would sleep in her father’s study by the fireplace as he worked, or when her mother would play with her in the bathtub. One of her fondest memories that she could recall with her parents was during a Nightmare Night outing. She was about six and she got really scared from a misguided attempt from a few colts to spook her. For the rest of that night, she took refuge by her mother’s side.

“Why did they become so overbearing? After I got my cutie mark, they just… changed.”

A cold chill blew through the unicorn’s body, telling her it was time to wrap it up and go back to the house. She debated whether to board the door back up, but decided against it after a grand total of two seconds. It’s not like anypony had a reason to come here, especially with how bad shape it was in. Nopony would want to have spiders or cockroaches crawling at their hooves or put up with the moldy smell.

The walk back to her temporary home didn’t yield much excitement at first. Everything was quiet, likely because nopony in their right mind wanted to get frostbite. Trixie didn’t mind much though. During her time with Mother Acumen, there were times where they trained in subzero environments, even frigid waters. Though she got sick at least twice, by the end of Mother Dogma’s ceremony, she emerged with a high tolerance to the cold. Such temperatures simply didn’t affect her anymore.

Her attention was drawn to a shady group of ponies following a mare wearing a blue coat. Her instincts told her something nefarious was going to happen soon and thus she discreetly tailed them to a small house. Her instincts turned out to be correct as the shady ponies confronted the mare before she got past the front gate.

“Hey!” one of them said. “I don’t think you unicorn folk deserve that money. Maybe you should hand it over.”

The mare paled as she knew what was probably going to happen and she attempted to yell for help, but a swift movement from one of the ponies had her restrained and silenced. Trixie decided now was the time to act and she stepped behind one of the ponies before tapping him on the shoulder. When he turned around, he was met with a slam to the face with a hoof covered in hard ice. The icy punch certainly caught them all off guard and the pony who was hit doubled over in agony of his injured nose.

“Attacking a defenseless mare for money and who knows what else? I knew you Canterlot folk were low, but when did it escalate to this?”

“Hey! This ain’t none your business so back off! This mare ain’t using her money for anything useful so she don’t need it.”

“Such arrogance… You should really think your actions through first. Otherwise,” Trixie lite her horn and used her magic with the surrounding snow to create two large icy serpents, which were quick to shut the ponies up. “The Great and Powerful Trixie shall turn you into ponycicles! So if you don’t want to be crushed like an ice cube, I highly suggest you run away like the little cowards you are.”

Despite her intimidating display, one of the ponies rushed her in a vain attempt to take her down. Big mistake. One of the serpents bit down hard on one of his legs, drawing blood with the nauseating sound of a bone crunch accompanying it. The remaining ponies only watched in horror as their buddy screamed in agony. Trixie stepped over him and the pony whose nose she punched attempted to get away, only to be tripped by the other serpent. When he picked himself up, he was met with the fierce face of the angry unicorn who had teleported in front of him. One swift motion of her horn and the serpent melted and reformed into a chunk of hard ice and in less than a millisecond, the stallion was met with excruciating pain between his back legs. With him downed, she looked over at the remaining stallion who released his grip on the mare in a surrendering fashion, throwing his hooves up. The look on his face told her he wasn’t willing to get hurt for some money.

“Take your friends and run away before I bury you under six feet of ice. I don’t want to see you around here again, you hear?”

The stallion picked up his friends since they couldn’t walk on their own and ran like the dickens. With them gone, Trixie walked over to the frightened mare and attempted to help her up.

“I don’t think they’ll be coming back. Are you alright?”

Upon getting a closer look at the mare, she saw she was a gray unicorn with a whitish-gray mane which was tied up into a bun. She was wearing black framed glasses which sat in front of deep blue eyes. The mare was re-adjusting her glasses in an uncomfortable amount of times, as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Beatrix Lulamoon? Is… Is that you? Do you remember me? Moondust?”

Hearing her voice utter those words struck a cord in Trixie’s brain. There were only three ponies who knew her full name, and this wasn’t Twilight nor her father so there could only be one logical conclusion.

“Mother…”

She didn’t even recognize her at first. The last time she saw her mother, she was wearing a silky red dress, had her hair flowing freely, and she certainly didn’t have glasses. But she did remember that her mother would dye her hair from time to time so the white mane, the gray coat, and now the voice all came together. This was her mother from whom she ran away in the first place.

“Beatrix, where have you been all this time?” Moondust asked with what sounded like genuine concern. “We’ve been looking all over for you.”

Despite the tone her mother spoke in, Trixie involuntarily backed away from Moondust’s attempt to hug her. Moondust gained a look of confusion as she softly fell.

“Beatrix? What-”

“That’s Trixie to you,” she said with minor coldness.

Moondust looked bewildered at her daughter’s words. “W-what?”

“I left for a reason, you know. It may have been almost a decade ago, but I still remember your so-called ‘parenting’. And after all that, you think everything is just going to be all nice again?”

“Beatrix, please listen.”

“My name is Trixie now. I would prefer you call me as such.”

Moondust grunted in irritation. “First you disobey my authority, then you steal a large sum of our money, now you stand defiantly when your own mother is trying to-”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie has no parents!”

Moondust backed away, genuinely hurt by her daughter’s declaration. “I… Beatrix…”

“You and your husband only care about yourselves and your stupid status. You demanded so much from me and not once did you ever consider my interest in magic. All I wanted was for you to acknowledge me, to hear at least one ‘I love you’ or ‘I’m proud of you’. Was that so much to ask? But then you forced me to go to that stupid school. You didn’t give me a choice, even after I dropped out.”

Trixie began breathing heavily and though she didn’t notice, Moondust noticed her starting to tear up.

“But no more of that. I’ve become my own mare now, made powerful friends, and perfected my magic to rival the princesses. And unlike you, I used your money for something useful. While you just drank up the socialite life, I contributed to society in my own special way. Even when I fell on hard times and had to work on a rock farm, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. And do you know why? Because it was my choice. I met some of the best friends I could’ve asked for now, too. And did you REALLY look for me? Because I studied in Canterlot for almost a year, even attending some parties, and I didn’t so much as hear about you or father searching for me. And now you are here, trying to coax me to come back so you can chain me down again? Well guess what. Even if I did go back, you would never be able to lock me up. You saw what I did to those thugs. The Great and Powerful Trixie will not allow you to steamroll over her like you’re so fond of doing.”

Trixie got right up in her mother’s face as she said that last line, glaring with such fury that would make the wicked creatures of Tartarus quiver. While Moondust didn’t lose her composure, at least not externally, she was left speechless at first.

“Beatrix… I’m sorry,” she said eventually, her voice faltering.

“What?” Trixie said softening her glare.

“I’m sorry. I really am. If your father was here, he would be sorry too.” Moondust teared as she gently grabbed her daughter’s hoof and held it in her own. “We’ve been so selfish and look where it got us. Unwelcome in most parts of Canterlot and not even our own daughter likes us. And who can blame them all?”

Trixie said nothing as her mother broke into a soft sob. Now she felt kind of bad for her earlier outburst but she still stood by her words. She knew her words held weight so she wasn’t willing to retract them. For many years since she ran away from her home, she dreamt about becoming successful and rubbing her success into their faces. During her travels, whenever she was having a bad day or she needed something to lift her spirits, she would daydream about slugging her arrogant mother for all she’d done and said, and that thought always gave her the motivation to continue.

But now that she was standing in front of her, with her vandalized house and many enemies, she just couldn’t bring herself to dish out anymore retribution, no matter how much she wanted. As Moondust now sat sobbing and dirty while holding onto her hoof like it was a life preserver in a sea of depression, where before Trixie felt years of built up anger, she now only felt pity. She felt that perhaps… perhaps they’ve already got what they deserved.

With this conclusion in mind, Trixie slowly pulled her hoof away and watched solemnly as Moondust’s eyes pleaded for her to stay. Trixie only closed her eyes and shook her head in a disappointed manner, causing Moondust to look down towards the ground in sorrow as she dared not look at her daughter calmly turning away.

“But know this: if the Great and Powerful Trixie knew it was you who those thugs wanted to rob, she would still come to your help. Would you do the same for the one who ruined your life?”

Trixie found herself back at the Sparkle residence far later than she intended. By now, Velvet and Night Light had long fallen asleep in their bedroom, which Trixie found open. She could tell by the way they were snuggled, Velvet’s head resting atop her husband’s shoulder as he had his hoof wrapped around her, that they shared a very deep love for each other. She decided to quietly close the door to the bedroom to give the couple some privacy before she headed to her own room. From under the door to Twilight’s room came a flickering light, likely from a candle or lantern, telling her that she was still awake. She continued down the hall to the room she shared with Sunset, who herself was sleeping on her side.

“Trixie? Where’ve you been, you’ve been gone for almost two hours. I was starting to get worried.”

Twilight walked into the room behind Trixie, who was removing her saddlebags and placing them on the floor.

“Sorry…”

Twilight took note of Trixie’s melancholic expression and felt concerned for her close friend as she closed the door and laid down in her small guest bed. “Did something happen? You look kind of down.”

“Nothing, just took a trip down memory lane is all… You know something Twilight? I envy you. You have an amazing family. A good brother, a good sister-in-law, a good whatever Spike is, and good parents, all of which love and support you. Me? I have two aloof parents who had their priorities skewed.”

Twilight’s ears drooped as she heard her friend’s plight, deciding to sit next to her bed. “Trixie…”

“Out of curiosity, I went to see my old house. Guess now I really do come from a broken home, hehe. But in all seriousness, it was pretty ruined. It looked vandalized too, though considering the type of ponies my parents where, I shouldn’t be surprised. But I just so happened to run into my mother after saving her from a group of thugs. Part of me wishes I didn’t.”

“Why, did she yell at you?”

“No. And that’s what bugs me. If only you were there, Twilight. If only you could’ve seen how pitiful she looked. I dunno, I guess she was just so pathetic look that I couldn’t bring myself to hit her. She looked… glad to see me again. I hope I don’t see her again, because I might find myself feeling sorry for her again.”

Twilight at this point laid down beside Trixie, who was thankful for the darkness as she could hide her reddened face as Twilight pulled her in for a hug. “I think she realizes how much you mean to her. If her house was vandalized like you say it was, I’m willing to bet being outcasted opened her eyes and saw that status and money isn’t everything. I’d say give her the benefit of a doubt.”

“Maybe. I’m just tired of talking about this tonight. I’d rather not think about it. But can I ask you something?”

“Mhm.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask this for some time, but I never got the chance. Your old friends seemed pretty close. I mean, the way they stuck up for you when I first came to Ponyville and then how supportive they were of you when I returned with the Alicorn Amulet. How did you meet them?”

Twilight closed her eyes as she attempted to recollect the memories associated with her first visit to Ponyville. “Well, I was sent by Princess Celestia to monitor the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. I didn’t really want to be there because I knew of the legend of Nightmare Moon, that she was going to come back that night. But try as I might, come circumstances led me to meet each of them. Then later, they accompanied me to the old castle in Everfree where we found the Elements of Harmony. In that short amount of time during my visit, I had managed to make my first friends besides Spike, my brother, and my former foal sitter. It all was very nice, but… I don’t think they realized it, but they weren’t the best of friends. But I wanted to keep these friendships so I tried my best to put up with it. However, the incident with my brother’s wedding was when I started to really doubt them. I’m not proud of how I handled it either though, and maybe if I was calmer and smarter about that approach, it wouldn’t have happened the way it did.”

“Do you still hate them?”

Twilight hesitated before giving her answer. “...No, I don’t think I do. It’s been four years and whatever anger I may have felt for them is mostly gone. That said, I don’t think things can ever be the same between us. I just… can’t trust them like I used to. But I suppose it really affected them if Ponyville is anything to go by.”

“Could you two please shut up and go to sleep already?” Sunset abruptly said, startling the other two mares. “Or at least talk quieter or something.”

“S-Sunset!” Twilight said. “How long have you been listening?”

“I’ve been awake since before Trixie got here, I’m just having a hard time staying asleep.”

“Insomnia troubles? Why is that?” Trixie asked.

“Ugh. You know how at breakfast this morning, I said I was having nightmares? They aren’t as strong, but it’s still enough to keep me from staying asleep all night. My head and my eyes hurt too much to talk anymore so can we by any stretch of the imagination possibly discuss this in the morning?”

Trixie was more than happy to oblige for once as she simply repositioned herself onto her back and laid her head to her pillow and closed her eyes. In the darkness of her great and heavy eyelids, she could feel Twilight getting comfortable beside her, apparently intent on sleeping there that night. The warmth of her body gave Trixie an odd surge of bliss and she laid her head on her splayed out foreleg.

“You seem pretty down tonight so I figured you needed somepony by your side,” Twilight said as she closed her eyes. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

This helps more than you know, Twilight.

With having spent two days at her parents’ house and catching up with the years she had been gone, Twilight found that she had also gone through the entire library of books in the house. For her, this was nothing considering she had gone through every book in Golden Oaks Library nearly fifteen times during her time living there. However, she was looking for specific information and none of the books in her house contained it.

There was little else she could do then. The archives in the Canterlot castle might have had something for her, but she could not risk showing her face. It was doubtful she would be able to waltz right in either, given how intrusion attempts in the past year caused an increase in security.

“Maybe you could ask your dad for some titles,” Trixie suggested. “If he works at that university, perhaps that library has something.”

“No, if dad heard what kind of info I wanted, he would think I’m nuts. Besides, they may have copies of old treaties but I doubt they have anything on Elysium, or any history of the Crystal Empire.”

“I don’t know about those first two but the Empire has been around for about five years now since it reappeared. Surely the schools are at least a little interested in its history.”

“Given the other problems that have happened, I don’t think so. And I don’t think the Canterlot elite would really concern themselves with that place, now that it’s not part of Equestria now.”

Twilight and Trixie brainstormed on solutions to their dilemma as Sunset polished and maintained her weapons. She was half listening to the conversation as she worked, but another thing was going through her mind. The night terrors she was experiencing were getting more intense and it was depriving her of her precious beauty sleep. The odd thing about her dreams was that she was never the direct recipient of the gruesome imagery. It was always happening to other ponies or monsters. Every time it ended the same way: the ponies would be attacked by monsters, which in turn would be killed by flames or other forms of heat. She was always in a safe distance when it happened. It seemed as if she was being shown some kind of past or future event.

“Hey, what about that old castle in Everfree?” Trixie said, breaking Sunset’s thoughts. “When I lived in that forest, I explored that castle a bit and found a library.”

“Hmm…. it’s the old castle of the sisters, meaning it existed around the time the Empire vanished. It would also have books on ruling most likely, since the sisters were younger. Perhaps even old treaty records and maybe some notes on Elysium if we look hard enough. Trixie, you’re a genius! I need to go tell mom and dad where we are going first. I’ll be right back.”

Everfree… Sunset thoughts continued. Now that I think about it, all of the monsters in my dreams have been creatures native to that forest. The timberwolves, the scolopendras, Ursas, manticores…. Her eyes widened in realization and she worked quickly to make sure her swords were nice and clean before putting them back into their respective sheaths, wearing a grin on her face as she did.

“I know what I have to do.”

The trip into the forest was simple for three mages of magnificent majestic magic. Two of the three mares pulled empty wagons with them while the remaining mare, the one with the intimidating swords, made sure the path was safe. Few monsters crossed their paths and those that did were kicked and burned to the point where they were almost unrecognizable. Sunset was all too happy to be rid of these creatures and she took a noticeable amount of enjoyment in spilling their blood.

Before long, they came to the bridge to the old castle, surprisingly still intact with what appeared to be new ropes and new boards.

“Somepony’s been busy,” Sunset said wiping her hooves free of blood from her latest victim.

“It looks like the castle might have been occupied recently. I hope the library is still intact,” Twilight said slightly concerned.

“Well, if anything happens, Trixie should back you up. Still, this worries me. Since I really don’t feel like looking through hundreds of books, I’ll leave you two to search for what you need. I’m going to sweep the forest and make sure no unsavory surprises are waiting for us.”

“Are you sure? The forest is awfully dangerous.”

“Pfft! I wear danger like a badge. If I come across anything, these mighty hooves will end it. Besides, Andreia and Sophia are just itching for some action,” Sunset boasted as she gestured to her weapons.

“...You named your swords?” Trixie said giving her an odd look.

“It’s an old Centauri tradition. You forge your own weapon and then give it a name. That way, you have a special connection to it and therefore you are never fighting alone.”

As Sunset trotted away, Twilight and Trixie simply glanced at each other. “I’ve heard worse excuses,” Twilight shrugged.

Sunset knew that Twilight would likely be spending almost the whole day going through every single book in the library. Twilight was always a bigger bibliophile than she ever was. She didn’t mind though as today, she needed all the time she could get to prepare her plan. Before she went to work though, she wanted to check a specific area in the forest. However, navigating through said forest proved to be more arduous than it needed to be as she was in unfamiliar territory and the brush was thick. The monsters weren’t much of a hazard anymore as they learned quickly to fear her flames. Sunset eventually lost her patience with meticulously moving around fallen trees or brush too thick and started to use concussive magic blasts to clear a path. Trees that were too sturdy to be hit by the blast alone were first weakened by controlled flames. Rotting wood did not stand a chance against this one mare demolition crew.

Once she got to a clearing, she recognized the debris from the old cabin she shared with Trixie. She remembered how they took apart the cabin to destroy any traces. The remanings of the shelter where still right where they left them.

“Of course it would be, what reason would anypony have to disturb this place?” she thought outloud.

While there really weren’t many memories to reminisce, being in the area did remind her of how she had come this far in the first place. To her, it was a reminder of the trials she had gone through. So despite the unpleasant events that led up to that point, she considered this area to be sacred.

And that made what she was going to do all the more cumbersome. She had plans for the forest, but at the same time, she wanted to preserve this piece of land. Carefully she dragged a stick and made a circle around the perimeter before standing in the center and casting a spell. The spell burned markings deep into the ground and once she activated a second spell, the area was surrounded in a bubble type barrier, which almost immediately became invisible.

“There. With this Centauri spell, it won’t be damaged by the forces of nature. Now comes the hard part.”

It took Sunset all day to carefully make a perimeter around the forest’s border, teleporting quite frequently to cover the large distances. Unlike the preservation spell, her next intended spell required more precision. She had to go around the entire forest perimeter three times: once to set the boundaries, once to set the glyphs, and once to place the trigger spells, which took the form of butterflies made of embers. She was careful in making sure the lined perimeters matched up perfectly; if they didn’t, she feared the boundaries would not work properly which would be extremely dangerous. Even when she had the boundaries set, she wanted to make absolutely sure the payload would be as effective as possible so once the last of the last of the fireflies were placed, she augmented the spell with several ember birds placed within the forest. Once she was completely sure she was ready, there was a faint, but noticeable sun pattern that could only be seen from a bird’s eye view.

As the dusk approached, Sunset sat on a rock near the rear of the castle to wait for her friends to come the front of the castle. She ate a prepared boxed dinner while she rested, which she put away once she saw the other mares with their wagons filled with books.

“Did you find what you were looking for Twilight?”

“She did, but we got sidetracked with other things and one thing led to another, now you see all these books,” Trixie said before Twilight opened her mouth.

“You do realize we have to carry all these back to the house?”

“It won’t be a problem. We’ll teleport near the house and unload from there,” Twilight said confidently.

“Where've you been all day, Sunny?”

“Scouting, pretty much. Really nothing worth mentioning.”

“Anyway, we should probably wait for the sun to go completely down before we teleport back,” Twilight continued. “The darkness will give us cover. Simply rolling into Canterlot with two full carts of books won’t simply go unnoticed.”

“Exactly,” Sunset said as she wiped out her boxed dinner again. “Till then, I’ll just sit back and-” Sunset was interrupted when an arrow suddenly struck her dinner, knocking its contents to the ground and sending the amber unicorn into a dimension of pissed off she had never been in. “...Beat the crap out of whoever’s coming. Great. Just Great.”

From the direction of the arrow came from, she saw silhouettes of not monsters, but rather a group of ponies. They were mostly stallions of pegasus and earth races, all of which seemed to have weapons of some kind. Twilight cursed herself for not bringing her cape to hide her face and horn as these ponies did not seem to be happy to see the unicorns. The feeling was mutual, at least for Sunset.

“What are ya’ll doin’ here in these parts?” one earth stallion angrily asked brandishing a large crossbow. “Them’s here’s our parts. Y’aint welcome here.”

“Apparently, neither is proper grammar,” Sunset hissed back. “Now back up and try again. I’m having a hard time taking you seriously with that poor speech of yours.”

“Whatcha say, horn whore?” the stallion said pointing his weapon at the mare.

“I said you should learn to talk right. Now why don’t you put that toy away before I start laughing at your misery.”

“Ha! Looka dis horn hobbit, she be act’n all guard an such, she ain’t a brain from a stem.”

“...Does anypony know what the hell this idiot just said?”

“What’ya-”

“Equestrian mothabucka! Do you speak it?”

The stallion got mad and aimed his weapon before his pegasus friend stopped him. “Here, let me take over, this isn’t going anywhere.” The pegasus stepped forward and drew his cutlass. “What my friend here is trying to say is that your kind isn’t welcome here or anywhere in Equestria. You unicorns do nothing except whatever pleases you, so your kind doesn’t deserve to breathe. So why don’t you just lay down and die like good little fillies.”

Much to everypony’s surprise and confusion, Sunset actually burst out laughing at his statement. It was clear she didn’t take him very seriously. But her laughter wasn’t because she found his choice of words funny. “You guys are really delusional. Do you really think I’m going to listen to a bunch of foal killers.”

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb.” Sunset lost her grin. “You’re remnants of anti-unicorn vigilantes I’ve heard about. Even though your leaders were executed, you continue on with this petty revenge plot you have.”

“We are delivering justice!”

“No. No, you are not. You are using it as an excuse to satisfy your thirst for blood. I can understand if you simply went after adult unicorns who were guilty of the same sins. But there is no reason to kill foals, especially not infants. Even now, you are going after the innocents like my friends here, who have done nothing to deserve such a fate. Do you really think that I, a former student of Celestia, would really let you do such a thing?”

“Heh. Look at you, trying to exert your authority using false claims. However, I should inform you that I’m not afraid to hit a lady.”

“My, my, my, what a coincidence. Neither am I,” Sunset grinned darkly.

“Typical unicorn arrogance. You can say what you wish, but that flimsy magic of yours can’t do you any good if you don’t have a head!”

The pegasus lunged at her with blistering speed and swung his cutlass at her neck. If it were anypony else, this swing would have decapitated them easily with how fast and how heavy the cutlass was. As a former royal guard, he knew no normal unicorn would be able to react fast enough to counter such literal breakneck speed with some barrier spell or teleport away in time.

But Sunset Shimmer was no normal unicorn.

Not only did the blade of the cutlass fail to even scratch her skin, but the blade itself snapped in two. The other ponies in the group lost their grins when they realized something was very wrong. The pegasus was frozen in place, petrified with a sudden fear as he watched the unicorn mare’s face distort into a twisted grin, brushing aside the hoof that held what remained of his sword.

“Nice blade. Now let me show you mine.”

In a lightning fast motion, Sunset grabbed her sword with her right front hoof and before he even knew what happened, the previously confident stallion found his front leg cut clean off, so quickly in fact that there was a split second delay before his blood squirted from the wound. The pain of the injury didn’t even register at first, but when it did, he screamed in agony as he collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain as the dangerous mare balanced on her hind legs, holding the sword with her front ones and raising it over her head. With his other hoof he desperately tried to reach out to his friends for help. However, they never got the chance as with a heavy chop, Sunset did to him what he intended to do to her.

“Be honored that you are the first victim of my Andreia. She has been wanting some of this for awhile now. Don’t you worry, mama will feed you,” Sunset cooed to her sword in a strangely caring demeanor which creeped out even her friends. The katana sword was a fine piece of art in itself. The thick guard was made of a gold like Elysian metal that was much stronger than actual gold, all shaped into her sun cutie mark. The hilt had an ornate white nylon wrapping with a gold lion head at the end, holding a sun shaped tassel chain in its teeth. On the opposite side, the blade had dragon engravings at the base while the blade itself had a distinct orange color, the result of the unique metals and magic used to forge it. With the color the way it is, it was hard to tell when the blade was hot or cool to the touch as her magic could fluctuate its temperature at will. This sword and her smaller backup were both kept in ivory white sheaths, both of which she kept either at her left side, or in a black sword bag with her name embroidered in Elysian text with gold thread.

“Now then. Will you act as the cowards you are, or will you fall to me, Sunny the Slaughterhouse?”

Whether it be from pride or desire to avenge their fallen friend, one pony lunged with his glave, hoping his long polearm would keep distance between him and the crazy mare. This did little as Sunset simply parried the attack and countered with a blast of fire from her horn. The blast itself was not enough to kill him or even seriously injure, but it did provide a split second window for Sunset to rush in and bifurcate him. He laid bleeding as the other ponies followed suit, attempting to graze her at the very least. One bulky earth pony with a lumber axe swung his weapon to try and chop her, but the mare used her hoof and caught the handle just below the blade.

“I applaud you for at least showing some balls,” Sunset said as she casually watched the stallion struggle to get his weapon free. “But there is one advantage to being a coward: they tend to live.”

The big stallion’s bravery shrunk as Sunset’s face came dangerously close to his with a toothy grin that screamed bloody murder. And bloody murder is exactly what happened as the stallion felt her sword pierce his stomach, blade paralyzing him as it severed his spine before she twisted the blade and slowly pulled it out through his side, causing excruciating pain in parts where his body was not numb.

“Oh Faust! She got Brutus!”

Other ponies tried and failed to subdue Sunset. She had to give them credit, they were quite bold for standing against her. However, such bravery costed them dearly in the end as half of them ended up instantly killed while others were killed in a slower, much more gruesome manner. Those that were not instantly decapitated were left to bleed out in agony as all they could do was watch as their friends fell one by one. Some where even burned alive by this sadistic unicorn swordsmare before they fell. Her friends only stood back and watched, growing somewhat uneasy about seeing her friend’s ferocity.

Before long, only one scrawny stallion was left, the first stallion with the crossbow, fearing for his life as the bloodcrazed mare approached him with her distorted smiled. He cowered in the dirt as the mare used her magic to drag him so that they made eye contact.

“So, do you still think your cause is just? Is that ‘just’ what you tell yourself?”

“Please don’t kill!” the stallion pathetically pleaded. “I’ll do anything you want, just please let me go! I swear I won’t do anymore vigilante justice!”

Sunset only chuckled. “Look at that. Looks like you lost your accent and poor grammar,” she said as she pointed her blade to his throat. “Okay. I’ll let you, but you have to do something for me in return.”

“I’ll do anything!”

“Go to the rest of your vigilante brood hiding in the forest- and I know they’re in there- and tell them to cease all activity. Tell them what you saw here and tell them that Sunny the Slaughterhouse will fry them alive if they continue. And believe me, I will live up to my promise. By those. Exact. Words. I will hunt you, I will find you, and I will obliterate you.”

The stallion quivered at her dark expression as she released her grip on him. Once he was on the ground, he ran as fast as he could into the forest. After a swift swing of her sword to shake the blood off it the blade, Sunset simply huffed and ritualistically sheathed Andreia as she turned back to her friends, who were slack jawed over what they just witnessed.

“Oh please, it’s not any worse than those atrocities in the past year,” Sunset said dejectedly as she walked back to the remains of her poor dinner box. “Although, spoiling this food is a crime in itself,” she said mourning picking up the box. As she walked back to the carts, she noticed her friends still had rather uneasy looks on their faces. “Hey, those guys were going to kill us if I didn’t do anything, this way if they try anything again, no other ponies should be harmed-”

“It’s not that,” Twilight said with concern. “It’s just that… Well, um…”

“There’s an arrow in your butt,” Trixie bluntly said.

Sunset only blinked before looking back at her rump and there was indeed a crossbow bolt stuck in her flank, right in the middle of her cutie mark. “Oh, would you look at that,” Sunset said nonchalantly. “No wonder my hindquarters felt numb.”

“Here, let me try and get it out-”

“OW! Easy Twilight! That actually kind of hurts when it’s moving.”

“Hold still.”

“Ah, stop, stop, stop!”

“If you keep moving, it’s going to hurt even more.”

“Just let me get it out when we get back, it won’t be a problem for-”

Sunset was suddenly interrupted when a surge of pain hit through her body as the bolt was yanked out by Trixie. Sunset grit her teeth and tensed all muscles in her body out of agony as she looked back at the blood trickling from her flank and then looked back at Trixie, eye twitching.

“THAT. HURT. YOU SONUVA B-”

Birds flew high into the sky as Apple Bloom gathered some hard to get herbs for her mentor’s new brew. The sight of the birds were accompanied by a loud sound by which she could not make out. But as soon as it came, the sound stopped so she really didn’t pay it any mind. She simply shrugged and collected the last of the roots she needed in the area.

“Okay, Ah think that’s everything,” the teenage mare said confidently.

For a long time after getting her cutie mark, Apple Bloom had debated whether to take Zecora’s offer to live and learn under her. After the death of Granny Smith, she had decided to go ahead with it. Living in Sweet Apple Acres would only remind her of the painful parting anyway and Applejack said she didn’t mind. She could always hire help if she needed, like that Caramel fellow who worked occasionally. Though she worried how her brother and sister would hold up with just the two of them there, part of her knew they could handle themselves.

The time she spent with Zecora over the past few years plus her time living in her hut lended knowledge of the forest and it’s dangers. Zecora had taught her how to make a potion that would repel the various monsters inhabiting the forest and so far, it seemed to work perfectly. Creatures, whether it be manticore or timberwolf, ignored her even if she was standing less than a foot from them. She didn’t know how it worked but boy was she glad it did with how often she found herself traveling between locations.

In her trip back to the hut, she saw two familiar faces. At first, she could only make out their silhouettes but upon getting closer, the unmistakable face of Diamond Tiara and her father Filthy Rich surprised her as of all ponies, she would never have thought she’d seen these two in Everfree.

“Hey Diamond Tiara, what are ya’ll doin’ here?” Apple Bloom called.

The father and daughter turned back and sighed in relief when they saw Apple Bloom, fearing it might have been something else. “Well hey there miss Apple Bloom,” Mr. Rich said, seemingly more happy to see her than his daughter was. “Diamond Tiara and I were traveling back to Ponyville and we were stopped in a nearby town when our escorts stopped working because of the danger of night. We really need to get back to Ponyville so we decided to hoof it.”

“Ya do know Everfree is pretty dangerous too, right?”

“Yeah, we know. We decided the monsters were less dangerous than the bandits though.”

“Well if you want, Ah can give you a sample of Zecora’s repellent potion. Ah have spares and Ah can easily make more.”

“Shoot, I’ll gladly take you up on that offer. Thank ya kindly.”

Apple Bloom reached into a pouch in her saddlebag and pulled out a spray bottle with a small amount of the clear liquid, not enough for a full day but its effects would last for long enough to get to Ponyville. With the repellent sprayed on to them, Apple Bloom decided to use whatever was left in the bottle to renew her own repellent before putting the empty bottle in her satchel.

“There. That should keep the monsters away for awhile so ya shouldn’t have to worry about em’. But if’n ya need directions, Ah’d be more than happy ta be yer guide.”

“Nah,” Diamond Tiara said sourly. “we have a pretty good idea of where we’re going. We can handle ourselves.”

“Okay then, good luck,” Apple Bloom said as she tried to keep herself from glaring at the spoiled mare.

As Apple Bloom walked off to her mentor’s home, the father and daughter continued in the opposite direct. “Diamond Tiara? Why do you insist on being so high and mighty like that? We really would have been better off if we had her help.”

Diamond said nothing to this question. In truth, despite Silver Spoon’s friendship with the cutie mark crusaders, Diamond Tiara was too stubborn to convert into one with them, despite the efforts of all four fillies. She and Silver Spoon were still close friends of course, but she found herself growing envious of those fillies taking away time with her. Even though Apple Bloom lived in Everfree now, she still went to school with everypony and weekends allowed her time in Ponyville after school.

Silver Spoon wasn’t the only reason for her stubbornness however. It was no secret that she often teased and taunted the crusaders for being blank flanks. Now that they had their cutie marks and their special talents to go with them, they were going on to do amazing things. Apple Bloom was helping the community with her potions and products, Sweetie Belle was working to help repair the economy and government, even Scootaloo participated in fundraisers with her athletic feats. Heck, even Silver Spoon had some merit with her education. She was well on her way to achieving something great of her own.

What do I have? Diamond internally pouted. Just a stupid tiara cutie mark that describes my oh so interesting accessory crafting. At least a spoon has practical use. Even if I get daddy’s business, I’ll still be known as “that stuck up mare who runs the company”. Meanwhile, everypony else will be known by name.

Even as she moped, she was well aware that she wasn’t making her angst any better. She knew it was her own actions that led her down this rabbit hole so she wasn’t above calling herself a hypocrite. But even growing up, she really didn’t know how to properly communicate with other foals. Silver Spoon was her close friend not just because their parents were close friends, but also because Silver Spoon was the first to open up to her and give her a chance. Sure, both were quite arrogant, but they shared many interests and hobbies. Nevertheless, she always held Silver Spoon in close regard for her humble nature, her ability to give credit when it’s due.

And all while Tiara herself was too pompous and too stubborn to admit when she’s in the wrong. So even in her high and mighty disillusions, she always considered Silver Spoon to be better than her for not only being more honest, but for also being willing to give this pathetic filly a chance.

Diamond Tiara was knocked out of her thoughts as her father’s hoof stopped her from advancing. Her eyes shot up to see several stallions approaching them from all angles, each sporting a knaving look and a weapon. She grew scared. Many vigilante attacks have popped up within the past year and they gained a reputation for being relentless as what started out as a misguided causes had turned into spiteful criminal acts against not just unicorns, but the upper class in general.

And they had just found a target.

A single stallion circled the two ponies like a shark as he would occasionally throw lewd leers toward the teenage filly. Mr. Rich pulled his daughter close to him as he glared at the stallion, trying to hide his own parental fears. He could tell this guy was a predator in more ways than one and he would be damned if he was going to just allow this to happen.

“Mr. Rich I presume?” the stallion smiled maliciously. “What might you and your daughter be doing in these parts?”

“It’s not any of your business,” Filthy Rich hissed. “What do you want?”

“Oh many things. I would like a bigger house, a better income, a pretty wife, I can make a whole list of things really. But the thing is, this economic crisis is making it quiiite hard to even keep a decent job. It’s because of those greedy corporate heads and nobles that make things hard for the working class to survive.”

The stallion drew his sabre and examined the blade as he smirked at the frightened teenager, licking his lips a little as her father stepped in front of her.

“And then there are the spoiled brats like yours. Growing up with everything being handed to them, never having to work or learn how to do anything for herself. It’s disgusting really, just how dirty the youth is nowadays. So I figured in addition to making the rich pay taxes like everypony else, I would take it upon myself to teach the rotten youth some… discipline.”

“You disgusting bastard!”

The stallion simply laughed as she waved his weapon around. “Oh please. You’re not much a saint yourself, Mr. Rich. Everypony knows how much you tend to cut corners with your business practices. My little brother almost killed himself because you laid him off.” The stallion gave one last wave of his weapon and the other ponies present sans the two imminent victims readied their own tools. “Now, I’m not going to pass up this opportunity to get some retribution. And after I beat the absolute crap out of you, I’m gonna make you watch as I ‘educate’ your little-”

“Mistress of Bitchvania! Seriously! Five ancient sages of bitch all gathered together on the peaks of mount bitch to proclaim your birth! And then a hundred years later, when all the bitch stars were aligned, you were born and as the bitch prophecy foretold, you were born and used your great and powerful bitch fu to and made my life a real mother bitch! Because you are such a BITCH!”

Twilight just stood wide eyed and speechless as the target of Sunset’s rage simply stood boredly while the amber unicorn breathed heavily.

‘You done?” Trixie said flatly.

“Yeah…. Yeah, I guess,” Sunset said with a raspy voice, having strained her vocal cords in her swearing rant.

“Good. Now we should probably get you home and patch that wound in your butt because I can see your flank turning red.”

“Fine. But before you do, I need to do something really quick.” Sunset turned her attention to the forest and unsheathed her Andreia again, holding it at the ready with her right hoof while balancing on her hind legs again. “Those bandits awhile ago came from in there and that one that I let go ran back in. That makes me believe they make their base of operations in there. Not to mention the dangerous creatures that inhabit the place that just roam outside the boundaries, killing as they please.”

The unicorn held her sword over her head, which concerned her two friends greatly.

“So I’m going to do Equestria a favor and kill two birds with one stone. I’ve spent the day preparing an advanced spell, but I didn’t think I would have to use it this soon.”

“But you agreed to let him live,” Twilight said incredulously.

“I changed our arrangement. We need to give them an example that even they can understand.”

Now Sunset unsheathed the smaller Sophia with her left hoof and pointed it towards the forest. At this point, the blade of both weapons irradiated the air around her with unbearable heat as her halo of Fortitude materialized, engulfed with the powerful marble colored flames of Elysium.

“Spark once started all that thrives.
Spark has right to end all savage.
Hear how malice of old cries.
To bear life from death needs courage.”

“From one life, she shall give birth to thousands.
In many thousands, many more shall feel the warmth.
From this warmth, a catalyst emerges.
In a courageous catalyst, the senses shall be abandoned in the end goal.”

“To purge and purify, I implore thee!
You who shall bring a new flame into the lives of the desperate, burn and flicker in the void!
Ignite! Remain adamant and steadfast! Wipe clean this slate of blind corruption and calamity!
With this act, we show a devotion long forgotten! Now, go forth and perform without fear!”

With a swift motion, she drove the blades into the ground, causing a disk of fire to erupt from the earth, sending large chunks of molten rock into the sky. At a certain point, these blobs of lava molded into various molten birds, such as eagles and owls. It was almost like fireworks as these creatures of fire filled the sky and once all of a whooping one hundred of them collected, they flew in all directions of the forest, programmed to seek out the pathing their creator mapped for them.

Sunset smiled deviously as she watched her pretties do to work. This significant action would mark the start of their war, one that would hopefully end with their goals achieved. She turned back to her slack jawed friends and took a single step before the weakness in her legs caused her to collapse, causing the other mares to rush to her aid.

“Sunset! Are you alright?!” Twilight asked.

“Didn’t realize how taxing that spell was. Of course, I’m a bit tired and bleeding so maybe that has something to do with it.”

“Sunset? What the heck was that spell?” Trixie inquired as she helped Sunset to her feet.

“Something I’ve been working on for awhile now. See while you were searching through that library, I’ve been out marking the boundaries for this super powerful spell. It creates a variant of molten Windigos that are meant to incinerate the whole forest and every wicked beast inside in about seven minutes. It will be isolated to just the forest though, I made absolute sure of it that it won’t spread to surrounding towns.”

“Burn the forest?...” Twilight glanced into the dark Everfree, understanding Sunset’s intentions. With the timberwolves she saw when they first landed back in Equestria, the monsters of Everfree were an obvious problem and destroying them would prove to be beneficial not just to them, but to Equestria as a whole. It would also take out much of the bandits that terrorized the roads, or at least send a warning to them.

But she also remembered that an old friend lived in the forest too. And the realization hit her hard.

“Zecora is still in there!”

Trixie’s face grew pale upon seeing Twilight attempting to run and warn the shaman zebra. Luckily, Sunset stopped the alicorn with a grasp of her hoof. Even in her weakened state, the purple pony could not struggle away.

“Twilight!” Sunset shouted to get her attention. “I’m sorry for not realizing that sooner, but what is done is done. We have seven minutes… well, actually six and a half now, before the whole of Everfree burns brighter than the sun.”

“But if we don’t do anything, she’s going to die?! We have to help her!”

“If we go in there now, we run the risk of being burned alive and all our training will be for naught!” Sunset let go. “I set the seven minute delay on the spell so that we could teleport back to your house in time to form an alibi. If we are connected, this will endanger your parents and pose a problem for us. I know you are concerned for your friend, but we need to worry about the fate of Equestria right now, as well as ourselves.”

Twilight stared into the forest, horrified by the thought of the imminent blaze possibly killing her friend. She alone made it possible for the citizens of Ponyville to accept and befriend the zebra, who they previously took for a wicked sorceress. Now indirectly, she would be the first casualty of their goal. She didn’t want this to happen but she knew Sunset was right. She would have to hope for the best.

“I just hope her death isn’t in vain,” Twilight mumbled.

“Come on, Twilight,” Trixie said placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Let’s get back to your house.”

“Guys! Guys!”

The stallions who were assaulting Filthy Rich while holding back Diamond Tiara stopped as a pony came galloping. It was one of their own and by his look and tone, he was extremely flustered.

“Where have you been, bro? Look, I’ve got that Filthy Rich here so if you wanna take a whack at him or his daughter-”

“No time for that! Listen! There’s a crazy unicorn mare with a flaming sword out there, calls herself Sunny the Slaughterhouse, who’s going to kill us if we keep doing this!”

There was a moment of silence among the group before they burst into laughter. “That’s a good one bro. What unicorn would be so stupid as to challenge all of us?”

“The same unicorn who killed everypony else, including Brutus!”

Suddenly the laughter stopped. “Brutus is dead?”

“She slaughtered ALL of them! She’s a monster I tell ya! Marshal’s blade snapped in two when he swung at her neck. Then she sliced his legs off and beheaded him. Then she killed this guy, and then that guy, and murdered all of them with the most freakishly evil smile. The only reason I lived was because she let me go to tell you. W-w-we-”

“Calm down, bro!”

“I-I-I c-can’t! I’m f-freaking out h-here!”

A burst of light erupted from the east, followed by an overwhelming heat wave from the explosion that knocked them off their feet. A few ember birds and butterflies flew past them, preluding the stampede of molten deer, bears, eagles, and other animals that began to rise from the ground and destroyed the vegetation with their touch. If the threat of the Slaughterhouse wasn’t enough to make them run, the threat of being burned alive made them realize just how serious it was.

"Aw screw this! Let’s scram!”

The stallions all ran for their lives as Filthy Rich helped his daughter up to do the same. He was bruised, but just fine for the most part. They decided to save their breath as they would need it to outrun the blinding white flames that fast approached them. The terrain of the forest really hindered their progress as the rocks and vines threatened to trip them. They had to take various detours in order to get around obstacles that they could not pass. During one such path however, Filthy Rich looked back to check on his daughter, only to realize she wasn’t there.

“Diamond Tiara!? Diamond Tiara, where are you!? Oh Faust no!”

He turned tail in an attempt to find his little filly. He knew this would inevitably lead to his demise, but as long as he could save his daughter, it was worth the sacrifice. She had so much to live for. But sadly, he was unable to find her before he became trapped in an isolated area, no way to escape as molten lionesses closed in on him. All he could do was pray for Diamond Tiara’s safety as the creatures of heat and smoke eventually did him in.

Elsewhere, Apple Bloom was running and attempting to avoid the incinerating debris and molten Windigos that blindly stampeded. She had to get to Zecora! If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to react with her deep meditation process. If Apple Bloom didn’t snap her out of it, she didn’t even want to think about the possibility.

But In her haste, Apple Bloom caught the sounds of screaming in her ears. Whoever was screaming was nearby and when she ran in the direction of said screams, she saw a terrifying sight. It was Diamond Tiara crawling fruitlessly as she saw a Windigo chimera stalking from a distance.

“Diamond Tiara? Darn it! She musta sprained her leg or somethin’. Ah gotta help her!”

She prepared to run to her aid, but something made her hesitate and she starred in the direction of Zecora’s home. She was at an impasse. Zecora was a close friend and her mentor whom she’d known for many years now. But if she attempted to save her, Diamond Tiara would be fried. But saving this filly who tormented her for years would result in her mentor meeting said fate. Both options had serious consequences. Would she be able to live with herself if she just let Diamond Tiara die when she could have helped her? Would it be right for her to do so if she did?

Remember that not everypony can be helped, but don’t let that stop ya’ from helpin’ those that can.

Another scream knocked her out of her thoughts as she saw Diamond’s face. For the first time in her life, she saw the look of absolute horror that the filly had. She was legitimately scared and quite literally laying at death’s door. If she didn’t act fast, nothing would be able to save her. For one quick second, Apple Bloom glanced at Zecora’s hut before rushing toward the nearby filly.

“Ah’m sorry Zecora…”

A powerful buck to the chimera’s face stunned it for a lengthy amount of time, allowing Apple Bloom to pick up Diamond Tiara and carry her on her back. As Diamond came to her senses and realized what had just happened, she and the farm filly were already meters away from the dazed monster.

“A-Apple Bloom? W-what are-”

“Ah was nearby. Ah couldn’ta just let you die, could I?”

“You’re saving me?”

“Ah know, Ah’m surprised too. Now ain’t the time for that though. We gotta get outta here!”

As Apple Bloom galloped through the predetermined path towards Ponyville, they noticed they were being pursued by the chimera again who regained her balance. The farmer filly however had the upper hand in this marathon and in taking sharp turns, tricking it into ramming into a boulder, and making a long jump across a river, she lost the chimera as it decided to abandon pursuit and carry out it’s prime directive.

But the fillies were still not out of the woods yet. By this time, the burning boundary around the forest had raised to a height which they could not scale or jump over. But they were by a body of water, a river which Apple Bloom knew led outside the forest into Ponyville’s water reservoir. The water would protect them from the flames, but the depth of the water posed a problem with her cargo.

“Diamond Tiara, can you swim?”

“Uh, n-no not with my leg.”

“Then hold on and try not ta drag me under.”

“Wait, whaAAA!”

Apple Bloom jumped into the river and swam the best she could while Diamond Tiara held on for dear life. She managed to dodge the falling branches and rotten trees that rained down, weakened from the blaze. She was already quite exhausted at this point and it was becoming harder and harder to keep her head above water. Diamond Tiara, in an attempt to aid her, did what she could to keep her stable and to prevent her from drowning with her. Apple Bloom was trying to save her life, the least she could do was to keep her head above the surface.

The fillies approached the edge of the forest as a wall of flames covered the surface, apparently starting to boil the water around it. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara winced as they headed into hotter water but they had to do one last thing before they were home free.

“Hold yer breath, Tiara!”

Both ponies took a deep breath as Apple Bloom submerged herself and her friend to avoid the column of death; at this point, a little scalding water was better than meeting a fiery fate. They had come too far to succumb now. They held their breath for as long as they could before hitting colder water again. Diamond Tiara grabbed onto the riverside and pulled both of their heads back to the surface, both inhaling deeply to replenish their air supply.

“We… We managed to avoid drowning,” Diamond Tiara said between breaths.

“Good job.”

Apple Bloom climbed out of the river, helping Diamond Tiara up with her. Diamond’s leg was too tender to walk on so Apple Bloom took the extra effort to carry her back to Ponyville. Not two minutes though, the exhaustion finally hit her and she stopped to sit down. Diamond didn’t complain in the slightest. She had earned her rest.

As the fire became larger and more noticeable, citizens of Ponyville took action to contain the blaze and help survivors. A paramedic pony arrived in time to treat Diamond Tiara’s leg and as she watched her leg being wrapped, she glanced over to Apple Bloom, who was staring into the blaze.

“Zecora…”

The farm filly shed a few tears for her mentor. Nopony would be able to survive inside this large scale furnace. She was lucky she and Diamond Tiara got out alive, and just barely. Diamond knew this too and the full knowledge of this hit her much harder when she realized her father was nowhere to be seen. Among the survivors, who only consisted of the bandits that attacked them, she saw no glimpse of Filthy Rich, leading her to come to only one conclusion.

“No…. No daddy, please… Daddy….” She weeped. She weeped for her beloved dad. When Silver Spoon’s father was killed, she’d always feared what would happen if hers did as well. Now, those fears were coming true.

Apple Bloom teared her eyes away from the catastrophe when she heard the loud sobs. Diamond Tiara had NEVER shown any ounce of weakness in front of her before, or anypony else for that matter. But this also marked one of the few times she could sympathize with her. Both had lost a close family member, sooner than either would have liked. This tugged on something in her mind and on instinct, she wrapped her hooves, which were wrapped in soaked bandages due to burns, around the sobbing teenage filly. Diamond looked up at her rescuer to see her solemn, yet sympathetic expression as Apple Bloom gave her a tight hug.

“Ah feel yer pain, Diamond Tiara. Ah truly do…”

Rainbow Dash’s house was cold, yet cozy for her and her coltfriend as it hasn’t been touched for awhile now. Nowadays, the couple would only stay here whenever they visited Ponyville during their free time in between tours. It was a painful decision but since Fluttershy was too grief stricken to pet sit due to her loss of Angel Bunny and because she herself was always on the road (well, sky technically), she had to give Tank to another pony. She hated having to do so, but it was for the best if he was cared for by somepony who was actually around. Tank was understanding though, so despite his owner’s heartbreak, she knew he would be happy and well taken care of.

The headstrong mare was rather flirtatious this evening as she laid next to Soarin’ by the warm fireplace. The two were inseparable and their trials together only strengthened their relationship with one another. However, Rainbow recalled the odd way in which Spitfire last spoke to her. She almost seemed… congratulatory as they talked with each other as they got ready to leave the academy. It was no secret within the Wonderbolt HQ that the captain’s wingpony and element of loyalty were a couple and with them being together for a long time, neither even remotely denied the love they held for each other. But for Spitfire to speak in such a praiseful way kind of confused her.

“Hey Dashie?” Soarin’ said out of the blue. “Do you know how long we have been together?”

Dash took a moment to think before giving her response. “I’d say almost four years now. Why?”

“Four years. Hm, that is awhile. Well, I have been meaning to ask you something. We’ve been dating for so long and I’ve really grown attached to you.”

“So have I, but where is this coming from?”

“Just give me a moment and I’ll be right back.” Soarin’ got up and walked over to the bag he had on the table in the kitchen, where Dash couldn’t see him. He rummaged around his satchel until he found his item of choice: a small cyan velvet box with a rainbow streak on the lid. He opened the box to peek in, making sure his purchase was still inside, and walked back over to the fireplace with the box hidden away in his wing.

“I just… well,” Soarin’ paused blushing. “I’ve been wanting to tell you how much you mean to me, how much I love you. I think we could go a step further. All I need from you is an answer to one simple question.” Soarin’ discreetly took the box into his hoof as he said the question. “Rainbow Dash, will you-”

Before he could finish however, an enormously bright light flashed through the windows and a subsequent explosion in the distance followed. This caught both of them off guard and Rainbow rushed to open the door and see what happened.

“What’s that?”

“Is that a fire?” Soarin’ said as he placed the box back in his bag.

“Looks like it. It’s coming from the direction of Everfree… Fluttershy!”

“Rainbow, wait!”

Rainbow Dash didn’t listen to her coltfriend’s plea as she sped at mach one towards Fluttershy’s cottage. Soarin’ sighed as he closed the door and went after her. “Of all the times for this. Oh well. Another time then…”

As Rainbow got closer, she saw weather pegasi struggling in an attempt to put out what was easily one of the largest and strongest fires in history. Many had gathered nearby clouds and did their best to dowse the inferno with as much heavy rain as they could muster. But the effort was fruitless. The flames were just too large and too strong as it simply converted the rain water into steam on contact. In their attempts to put out the flames, they made themselves targets for the molten Windigos that were responsible for spreading the purging blaze in the first place. An ember hawk swooped upward and latched onto a male pegasus’ wing, acting as an antibody for other Windigos to attack and drag him down to the inferno. Many other weather pegasi met this fate until the effort was called off. It was useless to lose more ponies and this conflagration already ate many good pegasi.

The fire was so bright it actually lit up the night sky with luminosity that rivaled Celestia’s Sun. That was no exaggeration either. Aside from the dome like fireball resembling a fallen sun, the light from the colossal flames illuminated the night sky and was visible from other cities such as Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and as far as the Crystal Empire the horizon burned like dawn. The heat from the fully empowered fire was strong enough to instantly melt the snow over a very large radius, yet it oddly did no structural damage to the towns themselves.

All apart from one which was unfortunate enough to be next to the forest.

Rainbow Dash and Soarin’ made it to Fluttershy’s home and could only watch as the roof had started to smoke. Oddly, even though it was right next to the fire, the building was still standing, albeit not exactly safe. The animals however were not so fortunate. Some of them could not get out of harm’s way before burning from the sheer heat while many others were too weak to move. The two Wonderbolts found it hard to see, even with their sun goggles, and withstanding the solar level temperatures and luminosity took a lot of effort on their parts as they reached the front of the house.

There, they saw Discord cradling Fluttershy within a blue water bubble barrier. “Come on Fluttershy, please make it!” Discord pleaded frantically as he was continuing to snap his fingers to supply fresh bags of ice as he placed them against the body of the yellow pegasus. Each bag of ice would only last a few seconds before melting into water, and if his urgency was any indication, Fluttershy was in perilous condition.

“Discord!” Rainbow yelled as she tried to protect her eyes. “What are you doing?!”

“What does it look like I’m doing?! I’m trying to keep Fluttershy cool! She’s got major burns from trying to save her animals!”

“Why aren’t you teleporting her away from danger!?”

“She got this burned from trying to protect her animals! I need to help them and keep her house safe too! But if you want to take her to the hospital, I would gladly give her to you while I keep these flames from incinerating us!”

Rainbow didn’t need to argue with him. He was right. Fluttershy needed immediate medical attention if she was going to survive. Discord stretched his bubble to allow Rainbow Dash to take their injured friend and as she and Soarin’ took her away, he turned his full attention to the white blaze as he snapped his fingers and spawned a hose and fire fighting gear. He knew for a fact that he would protect the cottage and himself from meeting a fiery fate, but he was unable to save his furry friends. Those that were able to get away, he wished good luck. Despite his effortlessly strong bubble barrier protecting him and the cottage, he was having a surprisingly tough time keeping the fire back. Earlier, his lion’s paw was burned when he got too close to the inferno. It burned him, something that normal magic or normal fire for that matter isn’t supposed to do to a creature of chaos. What hurt even more was the fact that this burn was familiar to him.

“I haven’t seen an Elysian fire this strong since the early days of the Crystal Empire.”

As Rainbow and Soarin’ carried their friend outside the boundaries of the heat and the blinding light, they saw just how bad Fluttershy’s burns really were. Almost the entire left side of her body had sustained severe burns just from being near the fire, and other parts of her body had even started to calcify. She was unconscious but barely clinging to life. The pegasi from here on out carried her as carefully, yet as quickly as they could.

“Doctor!” Rainbow shouted as they got into the door. “Please! She needs help!”

The doctors and nurses rushed to see the condition of their patient and one of them nearly fainted from the horrific sight. Other hospital patrons could not help but stare in shock as Fluttershy was carefully whisked away to the emergency room. Of all the burn victims from the great Everfree fire, Fluttershy’s was definitely one of the worst medical cases Ponyville had ever seen.

As Rainbow and Soarin’ were given treatment for first degree burns of their own, Rainbow started to sob. Her childhood friend could possibly die tonight and she was too aware of that fact. She had already lost two best friends, she didn’t want to lose another. As she sat heavily in the ICU, Soarin’ scooted up beside her and wrapped a hoof around her, being careful not to irritate any of their burns. Without any hesitation, Rainbow buried her face into his chest and just let go of her tears as Soarin’ cradled her head. This was the second time he had ever seen her lose her composure because of a friend. Soarin’ knew how hard things were for her, and she needed him now more than ever.

“I’ll be here for you all night, Dashie,” he said gently stroking mane. “I promise I will always be here for you.”

Chapter 23

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Original Title: We Carry On
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

A lone golden chariot drawn by six determined looking pegasus guards was approaching the forebodingly black column of smoke, though judging by its scale, a column wasn’t the right term for the phenomenon. A mesa fits much better. A depressingly black mesa where treetops should be, Celestia thought as the chariot performed a wide arc around the smoke to avoid as much of it as possible on its way to Ponyville.

“I don’t recall a forest fire this big since… ever,” she said to Luna sitting on the other seat next to her.

“Or one started out of the storm season,” Luna added and charged her horn. A glimmering shield appeared around the vehicle and all eight ponies. At Celestia’s raised eyebrow Luna only shrugged. “After landing we would look like Nightmare and getting the ash off would be just that too.”

Celestia tried to smile at Luna’s attempted joke, but the reality was weighing too heavily on her. Everfree always posed problems, but usually for the surrounding lands, as dangerous creatures tended to leave its borders, with increasing frequency recently too. But now it seemed the Forest itself was suffering.

“How did you get over so quickly anyway? I expected you would come, but not so soon,” Celestia broke the silence after a while, the landing area getting into sight.

Luna chuckled unhappily. “You are forgetting who you are talking to, Tia. I guard the night. So when a messenger from Cloudsdale arrived with a report of strange glow and changes in winds, I set on journey immediately. Of course this is your territory, but the fallout in endangering us all.” She paused for a moment as if unsure whether to continue, but then shook her head. “That and there was something wrong with magic in the evening. As if a huge spike shot out of nowhere and then vanished.”

“I felt that too. Hopefully we will find the source here.”

The chariot made its final descend, an admirably smooth one considering the weather conditions. The sun had risen about an hour ago, but with the darkness in front of them and the amount of clouds above it could still linger just beyond the horizon. On the ground they could make out an impromptu tent village and few ponies signaling them the landing area.

“We are glad you could arrive, your highness…-es,” a middle-aged stallion said the moment the princesses stepped out of the chariot. Luna noted he didn’t bother with a bow, unlike the rest of gathered ponies. And that Celestia didn’t react to that at all. “Although our findings are limited given the short time we have been working here and the shortage of staff.”

They couldn’t make much of his appearance since thick protective goggles and surgical mask were hiding his face in the same manner as the non-flammable coat did to his body, but Celestia knew her best ponies well.

“Anything will be of help and maybe our presence will serve the findings as well. Though I think you two haven’t been properly introduced yet.” She turned to Luna and gestured to the stallion. “Luna, this is commander Acid Cloud, Anomaly and Cataclysm Investigation Department. I sent him to coordinate the operations last night.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Luna said with a nod, “Though how come I never heard of that department before?”

“Oh, it’s a very small, one member department. And before you ask, no, being an earth pony doesn't hinder uncovering magical problems. I don’t need to throw spells around to understand them,” Acid explained sharply. It was obvious he had to answer those question on daily basis and that he grew fed up with it a long time ago.

“Duly noted,” Luna nodded again with a bit of annoyance apparent in her voice. “So what have you found out so far, commander?”

“Follow me. We need to be quick, it will start raining soon and the traces will be lost.”

They started for the rim of the charred forest. The snow was melted and the ground was showing sign of extreme heat’s touch, but not a single sign of fire. “Can’t you just order the pegasi to disperse the clouds?” Luna asked again, not hiding her animosity.

Acid threw her a look similar to that adults use on ignorant foals having silly ideas. “Even if they were capable of flying in this choking air after a night spent trying to put out the fire and with all the injuries they acquired, how exactly do you expect to stop rain with so many particles serving as condensation cores in the air?”

They arrived to the distinct line of the blaze’s end in silence, Celestia a bit amused from Luna’s misfortune. She alone was a target of Acid’s sharp tongue several times. He could afford such behavior though. Some rules don’t apply to exceptional minds.

“The fire was artificial in nature, though you probably guessed that much,” Acid started his lecture.

Spark once started all that thrives

“...the border of the flames was drawn expertly and emitted a shield, about fifty feet high…”

Spark has right to end all savage

“You hear it too, don’t you?” Luna whispered and turned to Celestia with confusion etched in her face. “That voice. It resonates here.”

Hear how malice of old cries.

“...the magic type doesn’t match with anything I have ever encountered, though some similarities may be found in the traces after Crystal Heart’s attack against Sombra…”

To bear life from death needs courage.

“...especially on these stones.” Acid pointed down just in front of the Princesses. They bowed down to it, noticing strange markings on its surface. “The runes on most are destroyed, probably intentionally…”

GO FORTH AND PERFORM WITHOUT FEAR!

All three ponies staggered back from the sudden residual spark that ignited from the rune. It vanished then, leaving the stone coal black.

“Preserve as many of those runes as you can, commander,” Celestia ordered firmly after they caught their breath. “Act with utmost caution and inform us of any findings.”

“Um excuse me, your highness…” They all turned to the voice, not having noticed anypony in the surroundings. An unassuming looking gray unicorn with a pair of black sunglasses for a cutie mark, was just extinguishing the aura of his horn. They could only guess how long he was listening to them.

“You again?” Acid barked out. “How many times do I have to tell you to wait for the report for press?”

“And how many times do I have to reject those lies you write in it?” The newcomer turned to the princesses, who were starting to feel a bit miffed from the strange approach of everypony around. “Where are my manners. Gum Shoe, Equestria Morning newspaper. Could I ask you for a short statement about these gruesome events?”

Celestia weighed the options. This newspony probably already knew everything she did about the fire. If she refused to give her opinion, it would only serve to fuel the rumors of the crown withholding important information and ruling shadily. She sighed and assumed a confident stand.

“The crown is disturbed and disappointed by such an act we witnessed here. The reckless action of whoever started the fire cost lives of many ponies and countless animals. We hereby declare the culprits enemies of Equestria and whole ponykind and will do all in our power to locate them and bring them to justice.”

“Thank you, your highness, your words will be communicated to all ponies immediately,” Gum Shoe promised, finished the last word on a parchment and sent it away with his magic. “They will actually make it into today’s issue.”

With that he lit his horn and disappeared from sight. Acid stomped on the ground angrily. “That colt will drive me crazy one day. He is everywhere I move…”

“Maybe you should hire him then. As I did with you,” Celestia quipped with a small smile. “Let’s go further in the forest. I want to see the ruin for myself.” She stepped over the border line and immediately felt immense gratitude to Luna for the shield she provided.

Twilight Velvet was sitting at the kitchen table and drinking her second morning coffee. She already cleaned the plates she and her husband used for the breakfast and had few more in standby position for when the girls would wake up. She didn’t expect that to happen too soon though.

She started to suspect there was some conspiracy going against her and her husband’s tender moments as Trixie had knocked at the door late at night exactly when they were about to head to the bedroom. She asked them to go assist the girls with what Twilight collected, which surprised the married pair a little. Three extraordinarily strong magic users incapable of handling a few dozen books?

Well, Velvet mused, with in how bad state they were, I can’t blame them. That Sunset must be a great bodyguard for my daughter if Trixie’s story is true.

Trixie didn’t participate in the teleportation spells saying somepony must be ready to defend them if something went awry. Or she simply disagrees with Twilight’s obsession with books. Heh, they are like Night Light and me. I am jealous of his tomes too. Heh. He should be back soon though…

They got up later than usually as well. With all the commotion outside, it was a bit difficult to stay asleep, not to mention the glow on the sky. Despite Velvet’s protests, Night Light used a window to get to the roof with his spy glass - a telescope couldn’t fit through - and checked the source. Although under the horizon, he could determine the light came from Everfree. And that there wouldn’t be any Everfree anymore.

When they eventually managed to fall back asleep, it was well past three in the morning. The girls however weren’t disturbed from their dreams at all. Once the breakfast was over, Night Light left to get the newest newspaper to confirm his theory and maybe talk to some friends. Such a magical spectacle had to drive his curiosity crazy.

She had to wait for another fifteen minutes before the key rumbled in the keyhole. She got up, levitated her now empty mug to the sink and went to greet her husband. He was just putting his coat away and a peck on the cheek came as a surprise for him, as did the small pain from Velvet whipping his flank with her tail.

“Where have you been so long? I was getting worried and bored.”

“Sorry, sweetheart, they delayed the release of today’s paper to get the freshest news. Then I had to stand in that massive queue. The bakeries were a bit crowded too,” Night Light explained and lifted a paper bag in his magic. “Brunch?”

“Sure, you just bought my forgiveness. But don’t count on such luck too often.” She walked past him and in the direction of the kitchen and flicked his nose with her tail. “I would have to punish you, sweetheart.”

“Eww! Do you two ever stop fooling around?” came a grumpy voice from the top of the stair.

Night Light sighed deeply and looked up. “And good morning to you too, Trixie. Have you slept well? You missed some interesting spectacle last night.”

“Sorry, good morning to you too,” Trixie said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I’m sure there will be others I will get to witness.”

“I sincerely hope not.” Night Light walked to the kitchen, took his usual place and bit into one of the scones he brought. He didn’t bother with butter and jam, so much was he eager to read his paper. Velvet just shook her head and went to properly prepare the brunch for them all, expecting the other girls to show up soon.

She was correct as within ten minutes both Sunset and Twilight arrived in the kitchen. They were decidedly worse to wear than Trixie, both magically exhausted and Sunset with her patched posterior.

“Good morning, mom, dad,” Twilight greeted sleepily and sat down, throwing a bit annoyed glance at Trixie.

“Good morni- coffee please.” Sunset almost collapsed in her chair and was promptly handed the biggest mug “Thanks. It’s been a tough day. Sorry we kept you up so long and forced you to move Twi’s books.”

“It’s no problem really. If it weren’t you, the glow and commotion would sure keep us awake,” Night Light commented from behind his paper. “It really was Everfree, sweetheart, I was right. Gum Shoe got there in the morning and collected much details.”

“Soon after you went to bed, a white glow appeared on the sky and it ponies started panicking in the streets,” Velvet explained to the girls who were trying to look shocked.

“How bad is the result?” Twilight asked, not faking her concern. She still held a sliver of hope that Zecora may have escaped somehow.

“The smoke hasn’t dispersed yet, so it’s unknown for now. But judging by the size of the fire and by the heat, the whole forest is gone,” Night Light stated grimly. “There have been casualties too. The fire attacked pegasi who tried to put it out.”

“That’s horrible,” Twilight whispered, throwing a pained glance at Sunset. The fiery unicorn noticed it, but didn’t even flinch. To her, the spell worked wonderfully and she had a reason to be proud.

“Do they have any clue to how it happened?” she asked instead, trying to prolong her moment of glory. Night Light took it as a sign of scientific interest and skimmed through the article quickly.

“Acid Cloud, the pony in charge of the investigation said it was artificial. There were some strange runes found around the border and the fire was kept in place by a mighty force field. It must have been an incredible act of magic!”

“NIght Light!” Twilight Velvet shouted angrily. “You can’t talk about such a tragedy and praise the culprit for his skill!”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, it slipped.” Night Light visibly flinched at his wife’s tone, having experienced the consequences in the past. Her ire was not to be ignored. “What I meant is that it must have consumed an enormous amount of magical power. I can’t imagine somepony so powerful to go unnoticed or not being uncovered immediately.”

Twilight Velvet considered his statement and looked at the girls questioningly. Twilight was starting to get uneasy from that look quickly. “Weren’t you there at approximately the same time as the fire started?

“More or less,” Sunset confirmed warily.

“You may have seen somepony suspicious.”

“Nopony apart from the bandits,” Trixie quickly shot back. Maybe a bit too quickly.

“Are you sure? Maybe somepony skilled with magic of unusual kind, controlling fire really well?” Velvet pressed on leaning over the table with a frown pointed at Sunset. “They would be probably really exhausted afterwards.”

“Nopony of that sort, no,” Sunset cooly answered. She wouldn’t back to anypony.

“Why don’t I believe-” A ringing at the front door broke into Velvet’s statement and distracted her a bit. “-you. I have to answer the door. You can strain your memory a bit in the meantime.” She left the kitchen hastily and left the other four ponies in a bit shaken state.

During her short journey to the door Twilight Velvet managed to hide all signs of her anger and adopt a sweet smile for the visitor. She opened the door to see a tired looking gray pegasus with strabismus. She too was pleasantly smiling, though Velvet had a feeling they both knew the other one was faking the expression.

“Good morning, can I help you?”

“Good morning to you too, Mrs. Twilight Velvet,” the pegasus greeted with a small bow. “My name is Ditzy Doo and I am a friend of your daughter Twilight. She told me she would be staying here. Is she home please?”

Velvet was a bit surprised Twilight let the information about her stay slip to somepony, though that was her personal choice. “She is indeed and her friends too. Please come in, you can join our brunch if you want.”

“Thank you, that would be nice.”

“Would you like some coffee, Ms Doo? You look a bit exhausted.

“No, thank you. I try to avoid it for some bad experience. Good morning everypony” Ditzy said as they entered the kitchen. The girls immediately jumped from their places and ran to her happily.

“Ditzy! What a nice surprise! What brings you-” Twilight exclaimed excitedly, but she got her answer before she could finish the question.

Ditzy’s face contorted in anger as she laid her eyes on Sunset. She reared up and hit Sunset on the left cheek with her front hoof. “You inconsiderate ignorant self absorbed prick!” she shouted as Sunset fell on her rump from the unexpected punch. Everypony froze in place from the shift in Ditzy’s mood, though she would ignore them no matter what. “Do you have any idea what you caused?”

Sunset didn’t seem impressed. “I did what I had to. You having a problem with it doesn’t change the fact that ponies will thank me one day!”

“Even those who died in the blaze? The innocent ones fulfilling their duty? Those who lived there or went for a trip?” Ditzy continued shouting, breathing heavily. Twilight Velvet laid a hoof on her shoulder reassuringly, trying to calm her down a bit. It wasn’t working though. “There was a school trip scheduled to the calmer parts of the forest! Thankfully they canceled it at the last minute because of a timberwolf sighting. I… When I imagine that Sparkler and Dinky would end in that inferno of yours… I should just kill you for this, you fool!”

Sunset flinched at the idea of what might have happened to the innocent foals and realized just how little precautions she took to prevent such tragedies. She wasn’t willing to capitulate though and even less to apologize.

“Alright, I didn’t think it through completely. But it must have been done. The forest was dangerous for everypony and the life of ponies will be better now!”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Ms Sunset,” Night Light spoke up, stressing out the formal addressing. “The ash and the smoke will cause much damage to the weather. I am no meteorologist, but this could bring massive temperature dump too.”

“Alright, alright, you hate my work. I still think it was the right move.”

“I do too,” Trixie joined the argument. “Living there for several months would show you just what Everfree was!”

“Twilight? What is your opinion? Do you support this murderer?” Velvet asked, hugging the now sobbing Ditzy. The thought of her children hurt was too much for her, not to mention the ignorance of her friends.

“I am sorry, but being call murderer by the mother of the ex royal guard is a hypocrisy,” Sunset deadpaned, sure that she had nothing to lose here. Velvet just glared harder at her.

“I…” Twilight struggled with her voice. Hearing the full extend of what Sunset did and realizing the extent of her power was scaring her, though she couldn’t but see the positive side as well. “I think it was poorly thought out and poorly executed deed, but the idea itself was right.”

“Besides, it’s impossible to avoid casualties in war, Ditzy. You should realize that sooner better than later, if we are to make world better,” Sunset added.

That seemed to snap Ditzy back to reality. The mention of their task worked on her strongly, she was Diligence after all. She would make any sacrifice for their cause, she just didn’t realize their kind up till now. All she could do was nod weakly, tears still in her eyes. Twilight Velvet was not willing to accept that though.

“If you want to make it better by this means, you should maybe leave it as it is.” She let Ditzy go and got up. “I need some air and time to think. But know this, Twilight, I don’t approve of this at all. Murder is murder.” With those words she left the house.

Twilight and Night Light exchanged a crestfallen look, Twilight taking Ditzy to the living room to try and console her a little. The remaining three ponies returned to the table, having nothing better to do than to finish the brunch. Sunset was still rubbing her reddened cheek.

“Velvet has a point about killing ponies,” Night LIght broke the silence after a big sip of coffee. He got up and retrieved a bottle of cognac from a cabinet, pouring three glasses and levitating them to the girls. “But since it is done and there is no way to undo it, would you describe that spell to me? I must say, so much power fascinates me!”

“Ah can’t believe how much damage this all caused.”

Apple Bloom walked through the barren wasteland that Everfree had become. Without the plants and animals to give the forest identity, everything just looked bleak and depressing. The earth at her hooves had been scorched and black from the blaze and across the miles of dead trees, Apple Bloom saw the calcified remains of the many creatures, fallen ponies included.

Even though a bulk of the ash had stopped falling, the air was still somewhat hard to breathe from the stench of death and burnt flesh and fur. As a result, a lot of ponies in Ponyville had taken to wearing surgical masks to protect themselves from the hazardous inhalants. Many health officials even handed out these masks for free to further encourage this. Apple Bloom was no exception. Since she was walking through Everfree where the ashy air was most concentrated, she even wore a pair of swimming goggles to protect her eyes as well.

Aside from the air, the ash that had already fallen had created a blanket across the desolate land, replacing the snow that was previously there before the blaze, also creating mud in some areas. While the snow was bitterly cold, at least it was pretty to look at. And it wasn’t hazardous to the lungs.

In the distance, a familiar settlement approached, albeit badly damaged. Despite the powerful fire, Zecora’s house still maintained a recognizable shape. However upon cantering up to it, the doors and windows had unfortunately been rendered impossible to use as entrances. Surprisingly, the wooden door still stood, scorched and useless in its present form with the hinges welded. For anypony else, getting inside would be difficult as not only was the door shut tightly, but as were the melted windows which were now foggy and calcified.

Apple Bloom however knew of a secret back entrance. She walked to the side of the tree the hut was built in and dug at the ash, wiping it away in order to see the ground. It took only a minute of doing this to find a large white flat rock which she lifted to reveal a large tunnel, large enough for a pony of her size to crawl through. After clearing away some more ash, she carefully descended the mostly intact ladder down nine feet.

This tunnel led to a basement below the hut where Zecora stored a stockpile of supplies, mostly food and ingredients for brews. She had installed this shortly before Twilight disappeared and it saw more use after Apple Bloom began to learn under her. The normal staircase into the basement was inside the hut but the tunnel to the outside was for emergencies. It would seem that the basement was mostly shielded from the disaster as only the items near the staircase were damaged at all. For a flame so powerful, it was strange that this basement would be mostly unaffected, even if it was about nine feet underground. All that seemed to be down there besides supplies where archaic masks and items from the zebra homeland which seemed to be virtually untouched.

The door at the top of the stairs was damaged as well, but not to the point where it was impossible to just kick it down. Having grown up as a farm pony, this wasn’t any feat for Apple Bloom to accomplish, though she almost lost her balance and fell down the stairs in the process. The interior of the hut looked depressing. Everything was either scorched black, melted, or calcified including a few of Apple Bloom’s belongings. None of the pre-concocted potions had survived the catastrophe and the bottles they were stored in were all but unrecognizable. Many of the items from Zecora’s homeland were gone as well, more than likely incinerated into nothing. Both of the bedspreads used by the occupants were charred and too weak to support any weight.

But the absence of her zebra mentor puzzled Apple Bloom. The last time she saw her alive, Zecora was preparing for something. She wasn’t told what, all that was said is that it was a surprise. She checked everywhere in the hut, but there was no sign of Zecora. There was however a ladder that she had never seen before, leading up higher in the tree. Apple Bloom knew there was an attic in the hut, taking up an extra space above them, but Zecora never allowed anypony up there and until recently, seemed to try and hide its existence. The only reason Apple Bloom knew of it was because she witnessed Zecora close the trapdoor to the attic.

“Maybe whatever’s up there can tell me somethin’.”

The trapdoor leading up into the tree was closed and discreetly blended in with the ceiling but using the ladder nearby, it didn’t take much effort to find and open it. Pushing the door open, the room was nearly pitch black with the only light being from the sunlight from downstairs. It required the use of another light source like a candle from the basement. Thankfully, the extra candles were undamaged and ready for lighting.

Back inside the attic, Apple Bloom took note of how tall and spacious the attic was considering the narrow tree trunk it was supposedly located in. The room had what seemed to be bookshelves with destroyed books and tomes. The items hanging from the walls were odd, not at all resembling the zebra knick knacks in the rest of the hut. On the floor though quite damaged, she could faintly make out a carving of symbols and glyphs she had never seen before. A few of them seemed to match the motif of the items and books that she could make out. In the center of an assorted circle of these carvings was a figure, calcified and statuesque. Because of the darkness, Apple Bloom had to get close to the figure to realize what it was, having gotten a close look at its face.

She recoiled back, almost falling on her rump at the realization. “Z-Zecora…” The late zebra had been positioned in a meditation pose, sitting up with her hindlegs crossed and her forelegs in a praying stance at her chest. Her face was staring forward right at Apple Bloom, her eyes seemingly wide open. At least that’s what she thought, considering the body was too damaged to be certain. By her expression or rather lack there of, she either didn’t notice the heat that killed her, or wasn’t bothered by it. It would seem she died without feeling any pain whatsoever.

Apple Bloom was put at ease knowing that her mentor at least was peaceful in her death. Yet, it was odd how she seemingly knew there were flames around her and even seemed to acknowledge their presence seeing as how her open eyes faced a blackened window. But whatever the case, there was little Apple Bloom could do about it now. She thought about maybe burying Zecora, but it was futile to even move her. Zecora’s body was not only stone stiff and impossible to manipulate, but she was seemingly welded into the floor. Even if she could move her, how would she get her down the ladder? She certainly wasn’t just going to carelessly toss her downstairs. Such an act would be unthinkable.

At that point, she decided it would just be better to leave her as was. Apparently, Zecora had crafted a shrine of some kind and it was a fitting memorial. So after gathering some items that survived in the basement, Apple Bloom made the decision to go back to her home in Sweet Apple Acres. There was nothing else she could do now.

“Have you noticed the young lady has been very quiet lately?” one servant said to the cook.

“I’m not surprised. She just lost her father in that inferno and almost died herself. I don’t want to meet the pony who looks good after that.”

“It’s just so silent though. I’m not used to it.”

“Bare with it. I feel as though a lot is going to change since the master of the house is gone. By the way, have you seen Randolph?”

“He’s in the hospital. The ash from the fire gave him a pulmonary infection. It’s pretty bad too, not sure if he’ll make it.”

“He’s endured worse from our young lady, I’m sure he will be alright. Speaking of which, could you bring this to Lady Tiara and Madam Agate?”

The servant nodded and used his magic to carry two trays of food from the kitchen to their respective recipients. The first stop was Lace Agate who was in her bedroom, also sick from the ash that was quite heavy in the air during the aftermath of the blaze. While not as bad as the burn victims, a few residents in Ponyville, particularly those with lung problems, suffered from adverse effects to their health. Almost a fifth of the household staff were absent for this reason, though it was likely they wouldn’t be needed today anyway.

“Madam Agate? Your breakfast,” the servant said knocking on the door before entering.

The mare in question sat up in her bed, attempting to make herself comfortable despite the frequent coughing fits. “Oh, thank you. Did you bring my medicine?” she said tiredly.

“I did indeed. It’s right on the side of your tray. The cook also made camomile tea with some mint to soothe your throat a little.”

“How thoughtful. Just set the tray on my nightstand, I will get to it in a minute.”

“As you wish, madam.”

With another coughing fit dominating the room as Agate shifted in her bed, the servant headed to the room down the hall. The bedroom belonged to Diamond Tiara and most of the hired help usually dreaded to head in this direction. While the filly wasn’t the meanest especially in recent years, she wasn’t the nicest either. She was known for being demanding or otherwise bratty. Even as she grew older, her attitude didn’t get too much better. Since the blaze however, she spent much of her time in her room silent and unnervingly courteous to whomever passed.

“Lady Tiara? Your breakfast,” the servant mimicked his actions from before.

No answer. She was laying in her bed facing away from the door as the servant entered.

“Lady Tiara?”

Still no answer, though the teenage filly flinched a little at the noise made by the closing door. The servant placed the tray on the desk Diamond Tiara had in her room before quietly walking up to her bed.

“Lady Tiara-”

“I heard you the first time!” Diamond Tiara shouted as she swiftly turned her head. Her sudden outburst spooked the servant as he recoiled in time to avoid his eardrum taking the verbal assault. As soon as Diamond Tiara sat up, she winced in pain and started to rub her head. “...I’m sorry for yelling that.”

Her response perplexed the servant. Since when did Diamond Tiara apologize for anything? “Uh, it’s alright, m’lady. I brought you your breakfast though, with some tea.”

“I’m really not hungry.”

“M’lady, you really must eat. You’ve eaten so little in the past few days and we’re starting to worry about you?”

“I’m not exactly in the mood for eating,” the filly said as she laid back down, pulling the covers over her head. “Look, I really don’t feel like getting out of bed right now. I just wanna go back to sleep.”

“M’lady.”

“Please. I just… wanna be alone for awhile.”

The servant decided it was best not to argue further. It was going to take a while before the young lady would be herself again and he felt that perhaps he should cherish this peace while he still could. “Very well, m’lady. Let us know if you feel hungry later.”

Diamond Tiara spent the morning laying in bed, snuggling in her blankets. The room was dark with the lights off and the black curtains blocking the daylight sun. This had been all she had been doing all week since she escaped the fire. What happened that day forcefully replayed itself, as if she was not allowed to forget. Everything from the bandits assaulting her and her father, to Apple Bloom putting herself at risk to save her life.

Apple Bloom. She couldn’t understand why she could not stop reliving that specific part of the day or even why she would even help her after everything that happened between them.

“M’lady,” another servant said interrupting her thoughts. “You have a visitor to see you.”

“Visitor?”

“Lady Silver Spoon is waiting in the foyer. Shall I send her in?”

Silver Spoon?... “Y-yeah, please.”

The servant nodded and Diamond could have sworn she saw him smile a bit as he was leaving, closing the door behind him. She waited for a few minutes before she heard hoof steps along with the turning of the doorknob.

“Hi Diamond,” the gray spectacled filly quietly said as she gently walked inside, closing the door behind her.

“Hello Silver Spoon. What are you doing here this morning?”

“What? It’s almost evening.”

“Oh... Wow, I guess I slept later than I thought.”

“Yeah. I’ve experienced that too when my father died. Speaking of which, how have you been holding up?”

“Well…” Diamond Tiara rubbed her eyes, both to wake herself up and to hold back some tears. “I had some first degree burns from that night, but now I just don’t have a lot of energy.”

“You and everypony else. Miss Cheerilee had to close the school for awhile due to her illness.”

“Cheerilee is sick?”

“Lung sick from the ash, same as a lot of ponies. It’s nothing serious, but she said it wouldn’t be appropriate to hold school for awhile anyway. I can see her reasoning. I guess Apple Bloom earned some rest for her act of heroism.”

“A-Apple Bloom? Um, what is she doing now?”

“She’s living back in Sweet Apple Acres. Some minor burns and cuts but otherwise just fine. I can’t tell you how scared Applejack was when the disaster started. I mean, her sister lived in the forest with Zecora.”

“I got really lucky. If she wasn’t around when she was, I wouldn’t be here.”

Silver Spoon sat down on the bed next to her friend. “Apple Bloom told me everything that happened. Listen, I know you and her had your differences but-”

“I owe her a lot.”

Silver Spoon was caught off guard by her blunt response. She was expecting her to rationalize things and dance around the subject. Instead, she was honest and sincere.

“She saved my life, despite being her number one enemy. I’m thankful.”

“...I see. Uh well, perhaps you should show your gratitude to her. Show her how thankful you are.” Silver Spoon nuzzled her friend as she laid next to her. “Trust me. Having friends can help you through the darkest of time.”

“I want to. But…”

“But what?”

“I’m… I’m scared.”

“Scared?”

“What if they reject me?”

“Reject you? Please. We’ve been trying to come around for a long time now. I’m pretty sure rejection is not possible in this case. Besides, the fact that Apple Bloom went above and beyond to save you says a lot.”

“I guess so… I just don’t know what to say.”

“I’ll help you, Tiara. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Diamond Tiara glanced at Silver Spoon’s face, slowly gaining a smile before laying her head down by her hooves. “Thank you. C-could I ask you one more thing?”

“Yes?”

“Would you mind spending the night? I’ve been pretty lonely.”

“Of course I will.”

While she felt a bit better to have somepony she trusted to help her, the next day was extremely tense for Diamond Tiara. The pounding in her chest grew more heavy the closer she and Silver Spoon came to the Crusader Clubhouse where the trio of fillies had been called. Her anxiety started to get the better of her when it came into view.

“I-I don’t know, Silver Spoon. I’m g-getting extremely nauseous now.”

“Just relax. You’ll be fine.”

“But-”

Silver Spoon stopped and placed her hoof to Diamond Tiara’s chest, smiling as she made eye contact. “You’ll be fine. Trust me,” she reassured. “Just take a deep breath, calm your nerves.”

The same gray filly took her hoof from her friend’s chest and knocked on the door to the clubhouse. A second later, said door was answered by the white unicorn of the group. “Hey Silver Spoon. Come on in.”

The other two fillies inside greeted Silver Spoon, but all froze when they saw Diamond Tiara, who gulped and shyly hid behind her friend. “It’s alright,” Silver Spoon said to all present. “She means no harm. In fact, I think she has something she wants to say to you, Apple Bloom.”

Apple Bloom blankly stared as Diamond Tiara cautiously creeped from behind the gray pony, eyes darting all over the place. It was clear by the trembling in her legs she was extremely distressed.

“...Hey, uh, Diamond Tiara,” Apple Bloom awkwardly greeted.

“H-h-hi Apple Bloom.”

“Um, did yer injuries heal?”

“Y-yeah, t-they healed.”

“Are you okay? Ya seem kind of shaky.”

“Um… I-I-I’m a little unsteady today.”

Diamond Tiara’s expression stated she was on the verge of tears, and her anxiety was making it difficult to hide that fact. She wanted to sit down or step away, but her body absolutely refused to move backwards. Even if she could, Silver Spoon was right behind her.

“I-I-I w-w-want t-to s-s-s-say…”

The crusaders were more confused than anything else by her panicky trembling and broken speech, but what they witnessed did create a cause for concern. Silver Spoon had told them Diamond Tiara hasn’t been herself in the entire week since the fire. After what seemed like an eternity, Apple Bloom stepped toward her.

“Are ya alright?”

She outstretched her hoof in an attempt to see if Diamond Tiara was feverish, thinking maybe her physical turmoil was caused by over exerting herself. Having a sister who has a habit of doing so, she had learned to recognize the signs. Almost the very instant her hoof made contact, Diamond Tiara breathed in sharply and flinched. The weakness in her legs became too much and they gave out on her, collapsing into Apple Blooms forehooves.

“Are ya alright?!” Apple Bloom repeated in a more desperate tone.

Diamond Tiara tightly squeezed the yellow filly and buried her face into her chest. “I’m sorry Apple Bloom!” she said in a shaky, high pitched voice. “I’m sorry for everything! I’m sorry for calling you and your friends blank flanks! I’m sorry for making fun of you! I’m sorry for calling Scootaloo a weak pegasus! I’m sorry for calling Sweetie Belle a stupid unicorn! I’m sorry-”

“Diamond, calm down!”

The now even paler pink filly looked up into Apple Bloom’s eyes and the emotional agony and regret became as clear as the hot tears that gushed uncontrollably. The breakdown she was having had passed the point of no return. “T-thank you for saving my life. I really mean it. I don’t know how I could ever make it up to you.”

“Shh, don’t worry about it. Ah’m just glad yer okay.”

Diamond Tiara buried her face into Apple Bloom’s chest again and hugged her even tighter, almost afraid to let go. “Why do you have to be a good pony, Apple Bloom? Why did you save me? What good am I? You lost your zebra friend because of me!”

“Diamond Tiara-”

“I’ve been a monster for as long as I’ve lived. I was mean to you, tormented you and everypony else in everyday life. I’m a pointless waste of space, a horrible abomination of ponykind. What use am I compared to everypony else?”

“Diamond Tiara! Don’t say things like that!” Apple Bloom held her tight as she did to her. “Believe me, there’s hope for ya. Yer not worthless so long as one pony thinks otherwise.”

“How can you be so forgiving?”

“Because ya lost yer dad… Just like Ah lost my grandma and Zecora. I know exactly how it feels to lose family. Ah save ya because I wanted ya ta understand you got friends, whether you know it or not. There are ponies who care.”

“But I’m-”

“Thats enough of that,” Sweetie Belle said joining the two in the embrace.

“Sweetie Belle? I’m sorry about everything.”

“There’s no need to apologize. You called yourself a monster earlier, but all I see is a scared filly who needs help. And I’m as willing as Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon to help you start over.”

“Count me in,” Scootaloo said, also joining them with Silver Spoon. “If Rainbow Dash has taught me anything, sometimes you need to fall before you can truly rise.”

“See, Diamond?” Silver Spoon said with a smile. “Did I tell you you’d be fine?”

Diamond Tiara continued to sob for awhile, but smiled a little as the other fillies warmly comforted her. It had been a long road and many misfortunes happened along the way, but at long last she had made some genuine new friends.

It has been nearly nine days since the tragedy that has been dubbed “The Great Everfree Inferno” occurred. Officials had no real leads and all ponies knew at this time that the fire was intentionally started by somepony with a powerful magic. The inferno was the talk of Equestria because it not only caused a lot of death and injury, but also a lot of emotional panic. The thought of the culprit still being at large and possibly striking again caused a lot of tension in everyday life, especially for those who lost a loved one in the blaze.

On the upside, some ponies did rationalize that the flames killed nearly all of the dangerous creatures that resided in Everfree. Since the blaze, there have been no reports or even sightings of the bandit groups in the surrounding areas and soon, all bandit attacks in Equestria would cease almost entirely. Disastrous as it was, the demise of Everfree had some silver linings.

Besides that however, it was impossible to ignore the sheer damage it did to the citizens of Ponyville. In particular to one cyan pegasus waiting in the hospital lobby with her coltfriend and fellow Wonderbolt. The couple had been sitting there for almost an hour after they got a message that Fluttershy, arguably the most injured pony in town currently, was stable enough to see visitors. Naturally being what is basically her immediate family, Rainbow Dash had to see her.

“Excuse me, Miss Dash?” Nurse Redheart called to them.

Without missing a beat, Rainbow Dash quickly stood up. “Can we see her now?”

The nurse nodded and gestured into the ICU. Rainbow grabbed Soarin’s hoof and hastily walked through the halls behind Nurse Redheart. In the other rooms, the pegasi saw other burn victims being visited by their friends and family as well, injuries gradually looking worse with each passing room.

“Think they’re placed according to the severity of their wounds?” Soarin’ asked to Rainbow in a whisper.

“Looks like it. If Fluttershy is at the end of this hall…” Rainbow shuddered at the thought.

“She needs her friends at time like this.”

As they feared, the sterile room containing Fluttershy was at the very end of the hall. Nurse Redheart opened the door and let the pegasi in. She was in a room by herself due to her critical state and if not for small strands of her yellow coat and pink mane, nopony would have been able to tell it was her as she was completely covered in gauze, save for her mouth, nose, and left eye. The other eye had practically been welded shut but thanks to surgery, the impairment would only be temporary.

“Fluttershy?”

The sound of Rainbow’s voice inspired the injured pony to open her eye and tilt her head in her direction. “Hi, Dashie,” Fluttershy responded weakly, raspy due to having a breathing tube in her throat for a few days. “And hello to you to, Soarin’.”

“You're able to speak at least. That’s a good sign,” Soarin’ replied with a smile.

“How are you feeling today, Fluttershy?” Rainbow quietly said as she sat down beside the bed.

“I feel very tired. I couldn’t stay awake when Discord came by earlier.”

“What were you doing to get so burned up?”

“Um… I don’t remember very much. All I remember is trying to save my animal friends and… then I blacked out.”

“A bit of debris hit her hard on the head,” Nurse Redheart confirmed. “During the surgery, the doctors found a fracture in the side of her skull, accompanied by some hemorrhaging. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to have caused any permanent brain damage. It turns out though that impact might have saved her life. Anymore physical activity might have resulted in exhaustion and if that happened any closer to the fire, she might have burned to death. Not to mention the heat might have collapsed her lungs.”

“I see,” Rainbow said solemnly. “I guess Discord pulled you back to a safer place after he found you. Good thing he did too. Suppose I should thank him for that.”

“Rainbow Dash, I told you he was truly reformed, didn’t I?” Fluttershy said with a fragile smile.

“Yeah… Looks like he is.”

“But I’m afraid he couldn’t rescue your animals,” Soarin’ stepped in. “He was too concentrated on saving you that he wasn’t able to save them in time. I’m sorry.”

“I already know. He told me,” Fluttershy quietly said with a single tear in her eye. “I’m grateful that he cared enough to try though.”

“Miss Fluttershy, you have another visitor. Should I let her in?” the nurse said. When she nodded, Redheart gestured to the pony in the hall.

“Ah wus never too fond of hospitals,” said the voice of a familiar country mare. “Brings back too many sour memories and-”

“Hello Applejack,” Fluttershy greeted.

“...Oh sweet Faust. Fluttershy, are ya alright? Ya’ll is lookin’ mighty beat up.”

“I needed a lot of skin grafts, the fire was strong enough to calcify my body. It hurt a bit at first but I’m alright otherwise.”

“Ah’m sure you will be alright. You’ve been through a lot of tough situations and made it out good as gold. Ya got us ta help y-ya n’ d-don’t you forget about it…”

Applejack started to get a little light headed. As much as she wanted to look away, her wide eyes were tied to the sickly pegasus. Too many things ran through her head at this moment. The last time she was visiting the ICU was when her parents died. Even when visiting Rainbow Dash after her wing was injured, she had to fight back her anxiety, even using the excuse of getting some fresh air to open the window. Now seeing Fluttershy in this state, Applejack found it difficult to stand. Soarin’, having trained his eye to recognize the signs of physical weakness, walked over to her.

“Hey, maybe you should get some fresh air, perhaps a drink of water. Dash, I’m gonna take her outside if that’s alright with you, I’m scared she’s going to faint if she stays here.”

“Yeah, AJ isn’t very good with hospitals. Last time she was here, she almost threw up.”

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

The stallion escorted the woozy farmpony out of the room in time for another visitor to drop by. Ditzy was one of the few ponies whom Fluttershy saw daily after her beloved Angel died and even long before that, they were good friends. So naturally, she would drop by to see her.

“Oh my goodness, Fluttershy,” Ditzy gasped the moment she laid eyes on her.

“Hi Ditzy.”

“That fire really took a toll on you I see.”

“And she was only near the fire,” Rainbow said, spooking Ditzy who did not notice her sitting just outside her peripheral vision. “I shudder to think if she was inside the forest.”

Ditzy could not help but exhale sharply at the thought. So many close calls with the fire happened, first her children’s canceled field trip and now Fluttershy barely cheating death. Worse still, she knew the pony responsible for all of this mess and felt partially responsible for it.

“How is Dinky and Sparkler?”

Fluttershy’s sudden question jolted Ditzy out of her thoughts and she hesitated before answering. “T-they’re just fine. Physically at least. But it scared them really bad. Good thing Sparkler got her sister home when she did. Dinky is still having nightmares though.”

“Oh, um, I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault and you’re as much a victim as anypony in this hospital. You’ve got your friends and it shouldn’t be that long until you can go home again.”

“Thank you for trying to cheer me up, but what about you? You’ve got a lot to deal with too.”

“I appreciate your concern for me, despite your state. As much as I hate to do this, I have been thinking about leaving Ponyville for someplace safer. Plus, it would help little Dinky to get away from the cause of her nightmares.”

“I guess that make sense. I’ll miss you though.”

“As will all of Ponyville, I’m sure,” Rainbow added.

“It has been nice knowing all of you though. But I don’t want my babies to suffer or fear while this is all going on.”

“Where are you going to move to? I wouldn’t go to Canterlot if I were you.”

“I specifically said someplace safer. Canterlot is too racist and elitist to live in. If only unicorns could walk on clouds without the need for advanced magic, we could just move to Cloudsdale. They’ve been wanting to see their grandparents for awhile now. But that probably won’t be for a few weeks from now. Listen, I should probably go now. You need some rest, I hope you get better.”

“It was nice to see you again.”

Ditzy bowed respectfully and walked out of the door. A full hour went by before another visitor came in. This time it was two along with Soarin’ who came back in.

“Sorry that took so long. Applejack needed some help getting back to the farm. Geez though, her brother is strong. But on the way back, I ran into these two.”

“Fluttershy!” Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced in with balloons. “I heard you were really, really sick so I brought some of my special get well balloons.”

“She wanted to bring more than this, but I told her they wouldn’t be able to fit through the door,” Rarity said walking in behind her with a bouquet of daisies. “Nice to see you are okay, darling.”

“Pinkie Pie? Rarity? I’m happy to see you again. But Rarity? Don’t you have to attend to your shop in Canterlot?”

“And leave my poor friend alone in this boring old hospital room? I very well couldn’t do that, especially not after something so dreadful happened. Besides, there are other boutiques that the nobles can get their attire from if they needed it so badly. I’d much rather see you again.” Rarity placed the colorful bouquet on the small table next to Fluttershy’s bed.

“I’m flattered, but it takes so long to get back to Ponyville, won’t you fall back on work?”

“Nonsense, Fluttershy. I have plenty of funds saved up. Even if I were to close for an entire week, it would hardly affect me in the slightest. I also have family I needed to see, but don’t worry about me, dear. Just focus on getting better.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie said after she finished tying the balloons on the edge of the bed. “And after you get out of the hospital, we can throw you an ‘out of the hospital’ party. I may not have many ingredients to work with, but I’ll make you a extra super yummy delicious cake.”

Fluttershy giggled a bit. Even though she didn’t have much of an appetite at the moment, Pinkie Pie’s exuberance brought a smile to her face. A good laugh definitely helped to make her feel better after going through what she did.

Rainbow looked on as Pinkie attempted to entertained Fluttershy, being successful in getting her to laugh a bit more. Soarin’ sat down beside her after talking with the doctor. “It’s good to see she’s alright,” he said wrapping a wing around her.

“Yeah. She had me worried.”

“It seems that so far, the only fatalities were those that were pulled into the fire, and those that were in Everfree when it started. I think at this point, almost everypony who was injured should make a full recovery.”

“Almost everypony?” Rainbow said in a concerned yet quizzical tone. The look she gave him nearly broke his heart with how uneasy it was.

“I talked to the doctor a minute ago. He says that although Fluttershy just barely dodged amputation, she may be left with some permanent scars. We won’t know the full extent until she’s out of the gauze, but he didn’t sound optimistic at all.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the room fell silent and cold. Even Pinkie Pie dropped her smile. Despite her silly exterior, even she understood the full severity of the condition. Rarity put a hoof to her lips to suppress a grimace. Having witnessed her friend’s rise as a model, it seemed unfair for Fluttershy to lose her youthful beauty. Even in the times they were in the spa in Canterlot and she got dirty looks from many unicorn mares, the yellow pegasus never seemed to fail at turning the heads of many males who passed by. Granted, Fluttershy never wanted that kind of attention, but Rarity could only shudder to think of what would happen to her now. Rainbow Dash was simply downcast at the news, unsure how to even react. Before she could think of a response, the patient spoke up and broke the silence.

“O-oh, I don’t think that’s really an issue for me. It’s not like I go out much anyway.”

“Fluttershy, aren’t you even the least bit concerned about your body? This is a life changing thing we’re talking about,” Rainbow Dash said leaning on her bed, face closer to Fluttershy’s. “You may not be worried about it now, but what about in the future? What about when you decide to find a coltfriend or something like that? I mean, you’ve already lost so much now. I worry about you, Flutters. It’s just so hard to-”

Rainbow was silenced as Fluttershy weakly placed her warm, bandage wrapped hoof on her lips, a small tear in her eye and a smile to contradict it. “Please don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. You’ve done a lot for me ever since we were fillies. Trust me, I can take what life throws at me at this point?”

Rainbow Dash took her hoof into her own. Aw, Fluttershy… I know you’ve grown more independent since Twilight left, but I can’t help but feel you’re bottling up your depression. “Just promise me that you stay strong for us, no matter what happens. Kay? And if you feel like you need guidance, just call us. We’ll be here for you. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack even though she is kind of dizzy in hospitals, and especially me. I’ve got your back.”

“Excuse me, everypony,” the doctor in the doorway announced. “Your friend needs to take her medicine and rest for the day. I will have to ask you to come back tomorrow.”

Reluctantly, the remaining ponies started to leave. Soarin’ was almost out the door when he noticed Rainbow Dash still sitting at the bed. He then walked to the doctor and whispered to him. “Hey, is it alright if she stays until Fluttershy falls asleep? She has no immediate family and I think she needs the comfort.”

“Very well, but will have to ask her to leave after that.”

“Fair enough. Dashie, I’m going to be waiting at the house. Is that okay?”

“Alright. I’ll be there later.”

The cyan pegasus watched as the nurse replaced Fluttershy’s IV before giving her a pill and a cup of water. After swallowing it, she rested her head back on her pillow, squeezing Rainbow’s hoof in her’s as she closed her eye. Rainbow dash was never good in a lot of these situations when a friend or family was hurt, physically or emotionally. The best she could do was at least keep her company during the hour before she finally fell asleep. Deep down, despite the reassurance of her friend, she knew things were going to get very hard in the future.

“I can’t believe they threw us out! Or that you are taking us to this northern wasteland!” Sunset seethed and slammed her hoof into the small table between their seats so hard that the coffee cups jumped up a little.

“Staying at my parent’s house is becoming harder, and not just because of that stunt at Everfree. It was getting difficult to hide our presence with how much extra food mom was buying, and the authorities have been making random searches of the houses in trying to find the culprits, as in us. We just aren’t safe in Equestria. And for the upteenth time, Sunset, they didn’t throw us out. We left voluntarily!”

“And you think we’ll be safer on the run?”

“We won’t be on the run for much longer. Once we cross the Empire border, all we have to do is find shelter with Cadance and Shining Armor.”

“So what happens if we get caught on the way? I mean, being on a train with other ponies doesn’t really seem like that great a compromise compared to a house in Canterlot where we knew somepony.”

“Hey, if you wanna walk the remaining five hundred or so miles to the border, be my guest. And keep shouting like this, it will help us stay inconspicuous!”

“Couldn’t we just, I dunno, teleport? Hell, you can even fly! Instead, we’re sitting here trapped in this infernal noisy cart for the guards to fish us out.”

“Stop being so butthurt. Oh wait, you can’t because of that arrow, remember? And that’s way we don’t teleport,” Twilight shot back, growing annoyed with the constant whining of her companion. “It would take who knows how long even with teleporting, and do we really want to rely on my flying when we’re supposed to be under the radar? Plus I want to get to the Empire in good shape and not fall asleep while talking to Cadance. We can’t just waste time horse doodling.”

“Okay first off, horse doodling? Really? Second, they’re probably going to be looking for a group of ponies for their investigation and it would be harder for them to find us if we stayed off the main roads. And thirdly, horse doodling? Really?”

“It’s something Father Admiration said all the time, get off me. Besides, you weren’t exactly complaining about this when you set ablaze the forest. What happened? I thought I was supposed to be the uptight careful one.”

“Because I’m supposed to be deranged twenty-four seven, whataya want from me?! That was fun and all, but now I have to think of the group and make sure we don’t get shot down before we can even get up in the air. And, uh, I don’t wanna get smacked by Ditzy again. That really hurt.”

“Well, you can’t say you didn’t kind of deserve it. Look, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Until then, just lay low and stop talking about this. We’ll hopefully draw less attention that way. Assuming Trixie does the same.”

“Where is Trixie anyway? I haven’t seen her in over an hour. I swear, they should write a book about her, I dunno, how does ‘Trixie in Wanderland’ sound?”

“I’m going to go look for her, I need to stretch my legs anyway. You wanna join in?”

“I dunno, I don’t think you really want me around horse doodling on the job.”

“Ugh nevermind, I’ll go by myself. I need to blow off some steam. Just stay out of trouble, okay? Please?”

With Twilight soon gone, Sunset simply reclined back on her bench against the window. Not many ponies were present in the train car with her so all the sounds she had to keep her company were those of the train itself. That was just fine by her standards, though she grew bored quite fast. Since she had nothing better to do, she decided to use her magic to remove the maintenance kit from her bag while also grabbing her swords to use it on. Carefully removing the main sword from its sheath, she placed the blade onto her lap and reached into the small wood box. It was around this time that she noticed two little eyes from the other side of her bench, eyes that belonged to a green earth pony colt.

Sunset scanned both sides of the car before looking back at the colt and giving a sheepish smile. “Uh… Hi.” The colt tilted his head in curiosity. “How are you today, uh, little guy? Do your parents know you’re here?”

“Are you a royal guard, miss?” the colt asked, eyes centered on the orange blade.

“Me? A royal guard? Not really… Well, maybe I am in a matter of speaking. I’m just a trained mare working as a bodyguard to some close friends of mine.”

“Is that a real sword then?”

“This? In fact, it is,” Sunset said grinning proudly. “Personally hoof made and I learned from the best, both crafting and using.”

“It doesn’t look like any sword I’ve ever seen. It’s really cool.”

“Actually, it’s usually pretty hot, hehe… Okay, that was pretty bad. It’s an art not native to Equestria.”

“Woah! Is it powerful?”

“I like to think it is. Of course, a little unicorn magic helps make it stronger. But to keep it strong, I have to clean it often. The blade may look awesome with its orange color, but it’s made of materials that require high maintenance to keep in top shape.”

Sunset gently picked up a small powder hammer from the wood box and began to tap it lightly on her sword evenly along the blade.

“What is that, miss?”

“This little tool is called a Uchiko ball. It’s filled with very fine pumice powder that’s used to polish this type of sword. You tap lightly every two inches or so along the length of the blade and once it’s dusted, you take a sheet of rice paper or a cotton cloth to rub it. That polishes it. Afterwards, I put a few drops of this oil compound and do the same thing to clean it. See, certain components in our skin or blood promote rusting and since this particular blade requires a lot of maintenance, I need to make sure it’s polished, clean, and ready to be used whenever I need it.”

“Huh. Where’d you learn that?”

“Like I said, learned from the best. My master had to change a few things when it came to teaching me because of some… well, anatomical differences, but I learned a lot from him. My name is Sunset Shimmer by the way. What is yours?”

“Thyme. Thyme Bundle Jr.”

“I see. You know, my master used thyme herbs as incense in his temple. Where he’s from, his culture heralds it as a both a symbol and source of courage. It was placed beneath pillows to ward off nightmares and aid sleep, the leaves were a common component in gifts for warriors as it was said to bring courage to the bearer, and it was also a common practice to burn this same incense and spread the ashes on coffins at funerals. It was supposed to assure passage into the next life.”

“Ooh, that’s kinda neat. My dad is pretty brave too, so it makes sense.”

“Hehehe, yeah my master gave a lot of knowledge from his country to me. He was the closest thing to a father I had. Speaking of which, aren’t your parents going to be worried about where you are?”

“It’s okay. Dad isn’t in the best mood right now. He’s still kinda upset since mom died.”

“Uh, oh… sorry about that little buddy.”

“Should I do that spreading the ashes thing when I visit her next time? She was really brave and I wanna make sure she finds paradise.”

“Go right ahead if you feel it will help. But I don’t think you’ll have to worry about her finding paradise. If she’s brave, and if you loved her, she’ll have no problem finding it.”

“It won’t be the same without her, that’s for sure. I think dad is taking it harder than I am though, to be honest. I mean, I loved mom but I didn’t see her too much with how much she worked. But I have to let dad know I can handle myself. That way, he won’t have to worry about me.”

“I see. Well, I’ve only known you for a little bit and I can already tell you’re a strong kid. You gotta be strong in these times. For a kid your age to be so mature already is pretty admirable. Just remember one thing though.”

“What’s that?”

“No matter what happens, just know that your father worries because he loves you. He’s already lost your mother. Just try to support him like he does you, okay?”

“Okay, Miss Shimmer. I will.”

“Just call me Sunny, squirt. You’re alright, Thyme, I like you. You remind me of myself when I was your age, back before I had all my ambitious dreams. You’re a bit young to understand, but I’ve made some mistakes in my life that I’m not proud of. Promise me you won’t make any of those mistakes, okay?” Sunset lifted her hoof from her sword maintenance for a hoof bump, one that Thyme returned gladly. For awhile afterwards, Thyme was content to watch Sunset polish both her swords, intrigued with his new hero at work. Near the end of her maintenance, a pegasus stallion walked into the car.

“There you are, Jr. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“I take it you’re Thyme Sr. then? Your boy is quite a colt, you’ve done a fine job raising him,” Sunset said putting away her swords.

“Hey dad, Miss Sunset here told me our names mean courage in her master’s culture,” Thyme Jr. stated.

“Oh? Really? Who are you by the way?”

“Sunset Shimmer. I’ve been looking after your boy for the past twenty minutes. He’s a good kid.”

“Ah, thank you Miss Shimmer.”

“Hey, dad? Do you think thyme grew in Everfree?” Jr inquired to his father.

“Uhh, I have no idea. Probably, but why do you ask?”

“Mss Sunset said the ash is used to spread on heroes’ grave. Would that count for mom?”

A cold chill went down Sunset’s spine as she tried to swallow the sudden lump in her thought. “Did… she die in that fire?”

The stallion hesitated for a second as his son joined his side. “I, uh. Well, it was about two weeks ago. I’m a royal guard from Canterlot you see and she normally looked after Jr. when I’m at work. But she had some relatives to visit in Ponyville so I took a vacation day to watch him while she did that. Then that fire in Everfree started and… while she didn’t die from the fire itself, she had respiratory issues and the ash resulting from the fire made her very sick.” He took a deep sigh and wiped away a single tear from his cheek. “About four days after the fire, I got a letter saying she passed away in the hospital from lung failure. My boy and I were actually at the funeral early this morning.”

“I… oh… Wait, what are you doing on this train then? This one leads to the Crystal Empire, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, Canterlot just doesn’t seem to appreciate non-unicorn ponies, even in death. I just couldn’t stand the disrespect so I’m transferring to the Crystal Queen’s guard since I hear there are some job openings up there. Hopefully, things will be better there. For what it’s worth though, I’m glad to see there are some ponies who still have a shred of decency left. Thank you for listening, I need to get my boy to dinner now. Enjoy your evening, Miss Shimmer.”

“Y… Yeah. You too.”

As soon as the father and son were out of sight, Sunset exhaled a heavy breath she didn’t know she was holding in.

“Guess that’s a second smack to the face…”

Over the years since the coronation of the new crystal queen, Cadance had worked hard to ensure her crystal ponies remained in a prosperous state and for the most part she was successful. The empire was not technically part of Equestria anymore and besides having a city that was now almost triple its original size, the territories now included sections of the nearby mountains of the Frozen North. As for the ponies themselves, money had been fairly generous thanks to recent trading increases and the imperial expansion projects created more jobs. All in all, it was a decent place to live and even better for finding work.

However for the Crystal Queen, her husband, and a certain dragon, something else was occupying their minds. Twilight had been gone for over four years before she suddenly returned. All were glad she was alive and well, but where had she been all that time? They would be able to get some answers soon, but she first had to show up. Her supposed time of arrival at the train station had already passed over an hour and a half ago, making them all antsy and worried from within the palace.

“What’s taking her so long?” Cadance said pacing back and forth between the two throne room walls. “I hope nothing bad happened on the way. What if she was attacked by bandits? Oh, Shiny please tell me she isn’t being attacked by bandits!”

“Maybe she’s just being cautious,” Shining Armor reassured. “It’s not like she wants to be noticed.”

“I hope you’re right, Shiny. Gee, look at me. I’m hardly regal right now, all anxious and pacing like this.”

“This is the first time since in a long time we both get to see her again. I can understand the tension.” Shining walked up and placed a hoof on his wife’s back, nuzzling her in an attempt to calm her. “I’m nervous too, Cady, but Twily is hardly a filly. She’s an alicorn with strong magic and she isn’t traveling alone according to mom and dad. I think she’ll be alright.”

Ten minutes of tense waiting passed before a crystal guard cantered through the doors, bowing in respect to his monarchs. “Your majesties, your guests have arrived and are waiting near the Crystal Heart.”

“You didn’t let them in?” Shining Armor said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Well sir, one of them isn’t cooperating entirely and she was armed. She refused to hand her weapon over despite the ordinance law.”

“How are things right now?” Cadance asked with concern.

“That’s why I rushed in here. Miss Twilight asked me to get you, she said ‘please come at once’.”

The couple nodded and made a beeline outside where the scene was on the verge of escalating. The guards had their spears drawn and were prepared to fight the hot blooded mare, who had assumed her bipedal stance, sword drawn. Even in approaching the outside area, they could hear the confrontation unfolding.

“Put down your weapon!”

“How bout you put down yours!”

“This is a direct violation to local weapon laws! If you do not comply, we will be forced to arrest you!”

“You don’t have the stones to take me on!”

“I keep telling you you are not allowed to carry a weapon unless you are authorized!”

“And I keep telling you I AM authorized! I am a bodyguard and you wanna arrest me because I don’t have a permit?”

“At this rate, I don’t think you even know what a permit looks like!”

“I don’t think you know what your entrails look like either, but I’m tempted to show you!”

“Sunset!” Twilight shouted. “Why do you keep doing this?! This is pretty much the opposite of being a humble guest!”

“Hey, these guys started it! I don’t care if the entire force is on me, I’m not giving up Andriea!”

While she was distracted with talking, or rather snarling, at Twilight, a guard took the opportunity to lunge in an attempt to throw her to the ground… Only for Sunset to offhandedly swing her sword and slice his weapon, in half. With a menacing look, she used her free hoof and grabbed his armor, lifting him up off the ground, and held her weapon’s point inches away from his eye. The other guards, a few of them with only a couple weeks of experience, involuntarily flinched at the thought of possibly witnessing a massacre.

“ENOUGH!”

All heads turned to Shining Armor, who sported the gruff face of an experienced soldier. He was clearly not happy with the situation, understandably so, but he had to intervene nonetheless.

“Lay down your arms, all of you. You miss, you aren’t exactly endearing yourself to the city by threatening its citizens and guards.”

“And your guards aren’t endearing themselves to an invited guest,” Sunset shot back, unfazed by his authority. She was hardly the type to back down from anything. “I’m not looking to cause trouble, but these foals are the agitators.”

The two traded scowls before Shining Armor looked over to see Twilight not far away, tired and frustrated. As much as he wanted to deck Sunset for putting him into this situation, he had little choice at the moment other than to swallow his pride and end things before they boiled over.

“Look,” Shining said with a sigh. “I don’t appreciate you treating my men like this. However, I see this mess started with the threat of your weapon being confiscated. Seeing as how you are a friend of Twilight, I am willing to overlook this infarction and continue to allow possession of it. Under the grounds that you not use it to cause trouble.”

“That seems reasonable,” Sunset said through her gritted teeth. After releasing her grip on the poor guard, he stood stunned from what had just transpired before Sunset jerked forward in an intimidating fashion, making him flinch and back up quickly. “See boys? Was that so difficult?” she said sheathing her sword.

The guards glanced nervously at Shining Armor, unsure what to do and waiting for their next order. With their captain giving them signal to resume patrol, they quickly scattered, all too eager to get away from the red and yellow mare.

“You are so difficult to work with sometimes, you know that right?” Trixie growled at Sunset.

“Hey, I’m not in the greatest mood anyway, thanks to Twilight.”

“ME?! You were the one who started this mess!” Twilight said with a glare.

“Woah girls,” Cadance interrupted in an attempt to defuse the conflict. “Listen, it’s behind us. Just calm down and come inside the palace. Maybe some food and rest will settle things.”

“That’s hardly how I imagined our reunion,” Twilight sighed and followed Cadance.

It was a rough start, but the anger of all three mares eventually subsided. Well, for the most part. Sunset still fumed as she walked behind the rest of the group. With Twilight at the front with Cadance and Shining Armor, perhaps it would be for the best.

“I’m sorry about that, guys,” Twilight said to her siblings. “It’s been a very rough trip. The stations were doing inspects and we had to walk the rest of the way to avoid being seen. I guess we’re all a little cranky. Some more than others.”

“I’m just glad the snow is mostly gone,” Trixie added. “Makes it easier on us.”

“And I’m sorry about Sunset. She should know better.”

“Oh shut up,” Sunset half shouted, too tired and too pissed to raise her voice much.

“Okay, just settle down. No need to cause another scene,” Trixie said stepping between them.

“What happened to make you two upset?” Cadance asked while nuzzling Twilight, calming her slightly.

“You mean besides the whole fiasco back there? Let’s just say we’re having some disagreements and leave it at that.”

Cadance, sensing a surplus of frustration, decided it was best to change the subject. “So, it’s been a long time since we last got to see each other.”

“Yeah. It was this very place if memories serves.”

“I suppose you know by now how much Equestria has deteriorated,” Shining Armor finally joined the conversation. “It’s been really hard. I’m glad to have you back, little sis.”

The smile on her BBBFF’s lips was able to bring one out in her. “I’m sorry for worrying you. I really didn’t intend for Spike to misinterpret…. Spike! Where is he? I need to see him.”

“Oh he’s around. Last time I saw him, he was playing with Luster.”

The unfamiliar name caused Twilight’s ears to perk. “Um, Luster?”

“Regal Luster? Our son? Your nephew?”

“Nephew?!”

Shining facehoofed. “I’m guessing mom and dad didn’t tell you then?”

“They just said something about a surprise waiting in the Crystal Empire.”

“Ugh, that figures. Mom was always like that. Well, I think it’s about time we introduce you. Spike should be there too.”

Meanwhile on the other side of the palace, the young white and purple maned prince sprang like a baby blue cannon ball from a fort of pillows that had been built seconds earlier. The playful unicorn had taken a liking to Spike a long time ago since he was his closest playmate. Spike, though he did enjoy his company, always seemed to be on the opposite end of his rough housing.

“Rrrraawr!” the colt shouted enthusiastically as he leaped from his fort. “I’m gonna get you!”

“Have at thee, dark king!” Spike responded holding a wooden sword and wearing a ‘helmet’ made of tinfoil.

“I am the king of this castle. You shall not pass.” Luster tossed a wad of paper at the drake’s feet. “Taste my powerful fireballs, scaly knight!”

“My scales are fireproof, dark king! Hiya! Take that!”

Spike lunged with his sword and ‘stabbed’ his playmate with the toy ending up under the colt’s armpit. “Arrrg! This cannot be!”

Luster acted like a dying villain, pretending to die in a rather over the top and dramatic fashion, eventually closing his eyes and letting his tongue flop from the side of his mouth. Spike got an idea and leaned in to tickle the prince’s belly, making him squirm as the giggles left his system.

“Hey! No fair, Spike! That’s my one weakness.”

The two ended up giggling uncontrollably before things settled down a bit. Spike sat down facing away from Luster for a second, and the colt took his chance at revenge. He quietly rolled over onto his hooves and snuck up to the tired drake.

“Surprise!” Luster jumped on Spike’s back and tried to ride him like a pony, oblivious to his strained back from the sudden weight. He had always been a big boy for his age. “Giddyup, Spikey! Whoo!”

“Luster!” Cadance said, getting the colt’s attention. “How many times have I told you? Spike is not a riding pet.”

“Oh let him,” Shining countered with a giggle of his own. “Mom told that to Spike about me too, and it had no effect. A little retribution won’t hurt.”

“Shining!”

“I’m kidding… mostly. Anyway Luster, please get off of Spike. For the sake of his back.”

The colt complied, disappointed that playtime was over. With the colt sulking, Spike patted him on the back as he tried to catch his breath. “Don’t worry about it, buddy. I’m a dragon, remember? I’m stronger than I look. If you want, we can play steed later.”

“You mean it?”

“Of course! I don’t mind at…” Spike trailed off as he spotted a certain purple pony walk through the door. It didn’t take any time at all to recognize her, he knew it immediately. “Twilight?”

“Hi Spike,” Twilight responded warmly. “I’m back. Sorry for making you worry about-” Before Twilight could finish her sentence, she found herself comforting the dragon, having leapt from his spot and hugging her. Nothing more had to be said, they were just glad to see each other again.

“Didn’t we already go through this with your parents?” Trixie stepped into the room. “Getting kind of a deja vu vibe from this.”

The mare’s voice caught Spike’s attention and upon recognizing her, immediately grew tense. He still remembered the trouble she’d caused. “Trixie? Twilight, is she…?”

“Don’t worry, Spike. She’s a friend now. Has been for awhile now and is one of the few ponies I can rely on in this day and age. Besides you, Shiny, and Cadance of course.”

“It’s been almost five years since we last met,” Trixie said smiling at the drake. “I’ve changed and Twilight taught me a few things. I hope we can put the past behind us.”

Spike was put at ease a bit. “I guess if Twilight is okay, then I should at least try.”

“Oh, and Sunset is with us too,” Twilight frowned as she gestured to the grumpy mare outside.

“Wasn’t she-”

“Back in the other world? Yeah, uh, long story. We’ll explain it later.”

“No, by all means,” Sunset snarked. “Not like it would be the first time we spent horse doodling today.”

“Okay, you’re just making fun of me now.”

“What’s got her so upset?”

“Even longer story. Look, I’ll tell everything in detail later, we’re all just a little tired from the journey. But that aside,” Twilight turned her attention to the colt Cadance was cuddling. “Hi there little guy. So you’re Regal Luster, right?”

“Uh huh,” Luster yawned, having just come down from his energetic high from earlier. “Who are you?”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle, I’m your daddy’s sister. Your aunt.”

“Hi Aunt Twilight. You have the same name as grandma.”

“Hehe, yeah I do. I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet before, I’ve just been really busy and didn’t have the time.”

Luster tried to respond, but he had burnt most of his energy playing as was evident by his increased yawning. The mother and aunt giggled at this and Cadance carefully placed him in his bed. “Okay sweetie, let’s go to bed early tonight, okay? You’ll get to spend time with your aunt all day tomorrow.”

“Okay. Good night mommy.”

“Good night sweetie.” Cadance gave him a kiss on the forehead and ushered the rest of the ponies, and dragon, out of the room before turning out the lights.

“He seems like a nice kid. Sure looks a lot like you, Shiny. Only with lighter blue in his mane.”

“Eh, maybe so but he takes after his mother. Listen, I gotta get back to reviewing applicants, we’ll catch up later.”

“Aw, but Twilight just got here, dear,” Cadance pouted.

“I know, I’m sorry. But if I don’t do it now, it’s going to add to our workload tomorrow. You remember what happened last month.”

“Shiny!”

“It’s okay,” Twilight stated. “I understand. Actually, we’re all exhausted so maybe we can speak over breakfast.”

“Ah, okay. Shining Armor, I’ll show them to their rooms personally so please don’t worry about us. Please try to hurry with that paperwork, I’d like my knight to be close to me tonight.”

“No problem, my dearest princess, I would never keep you waiting.”

With Spike hopping onto Twilight’s back, they walked along side the other mares through the palace. “I’ve had rooms prepared in advance for when you arrived. We had plenty of time to make sure they were clean and comfortable. You are our honored guests, after all.”

“Hey, your husband said something about applications back there,” Sunset addressed as she walked up beside Cadance. “Hope you don’t mind me asking, but would that have something to do with all those camps we saw on the outskirts of the city? They looked kinda… Equestrian.”

“Awhile ago, we had ponies traveling from Equestria to get away from some of the problems going on. I’m not going to call the empire a paradise, but we do try to keep things as civil and safe as we can.”

“Some are looking for work.”

“The empire is expanding and we need ponies to work in construction and other jobs. I’m not going to lie, it has been taking longer than usual to teach the crystal ponies how to do more complicated jobs, so we need to hire ponies with experience in those fields to show them the ropes.”

“And the weapon laws?”

“A way to counteract crime, especially the bandits that have been popping up last year.”

“Yeah about that. I don’t really think those bandits will be much of a problem soon. See, I kinda sorta maybe perhaps possibly sent them a warning and some of them are kinda sorta maybe perhaps possibly dead, with a lot more kinda sorta maybe perhaps possibly arrested. I was kinda sorta-”

“Will you please talk normally, Sunset?” Trixie said deadpan.

“Fine, sorry. Long story short, they’re feeling the heat. Both figuratively, and very literally.”

“Um… Dare I ask?”

“I wouldn’t,” Twilight nudged. “Let’s just say she can be very persuasive. With the mood she was in at the time, I wasn’t exactly in a rush to stop her. Trust me, you don’t want to mess with that.”

“I see. Anyway, why do you ask in the first place? About the projects?” Cadance said to Sunset, getting her back on track.

“Oh yeah, well I met a stallion and his son on the train and it just made me wonder. Not much to it, just curious is all. By the way, if you meet a pegasus by the name of Thyme Bundle Sr, please be generous with him. He’s a former solar guard and he needs work.”

“I’ll see what I can do. If he’s experienced, it shouldn’t take much to convince Shining Armor.”

“Thank you. Now that that’s out of the way, I think I’m gonna hit the sack. Where's my room located?”

“Right over there, last door on the left.”

“Alright then. I’ll see you all later, maybe my mood will improve in the morning. Oh and Twilight? Trixie? I need to talk to you two about something, remind me of it tomorrow.”

“I think I’m going to take a bath before I turn in,” Trixie said. “Is there a bathhouse or something similar in this palace, Queen Cadance?”

“Please just call me Cadance, and each of the bedrooms on this floor has a private bathroom with a shower. We had them installed a few months ago for high profile guests.”

“That’ll work, thanks. My room is…”

“Third to last on the right.”

“Good night Trixie.”

With the first two girls gone, all that was left was Twilight. Spike decided he was going to show her to her room personally, allowing Cadance to prepare for bed herself. Entering the last door on the right, Spike and Twilight set foot into the pristine room. It had been pre stocked with two bookshelves worth of books and had a small balcony with a great view of the city. Spike had also moved his bed into the room beforehand.

“Wow. Brings back old memories. It’s just like the last time I was here.”

“Huh, it really is,” Spike said getting cozy in his bed. “Hey Twilight? I’m sorry for misinterpreting your letter back at Ponyville. I really caused a lot of fuss.”

“Spike, it’s not your fault. This fuss would’ve happened regardless if it really was a suicide note. The outcome would hardly be different. If anything, I’m the one who should apologize for dragging everypony into this. You have nothing to apologize for, you acted understandably.”

“Where did you go, anyway?”

“In a matter of speaking, I left the country with Sunset, Trixie, and a few other friends. We all needed to get away from Equestria for awhile and… well, I needed to get away from the girls and especially Celestia. Though I saw Ponyville a couple weeks ago and, well, I didn’t really like what I saw. It’s nice to see Pinkie is still trying to be cheerful though.”

“So… how do things look for you and the girls? There’s not going to be any big reunion, is there?”

Twilight sighed as she laid back on her bed. “I don’t know, Spike. I don’t really want to be friends with them right now, but I don’t want to hate them forever either. Plus, Rainbow Dash is a traveling Wonderbolt, Rarity lives in Canterlot, Fluttershy and Applejack don’t seem to show up much in Ponyville from what Pinkie Pie told me, so Pinkie herself seems to be the only one still in Ponyville. And maybe that’s for the best.”

“Yeah, especially since Everfree is burnt to a crisp… Twilight, be honest with me. Did you have anything to do with it? It happened a little bit after your parents sent us that letter. Fire powered by powerful magic shortly after you turned back up, c’mon that’s too much to be a coincidence.”

“Spike, I… Look, I was there when it started, but it was Sunset who did the actual ignition. It’s a very long story as to why, but it’s part of a large project we have going on. Maybe the short term damage is hard to ignore, but in the long term we think it will do a lot of good. Let’s face it, Everfree was a dangerous place. I’m not exactly proud to be a part of it, but it’s for a greater good.”

“If you say so. Just promise me you won’t do anything too extreme.”

“I can’t promise anything definite right now, but we’ll see how things go, Spike.”

Chapter 24

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Original Title: Ballad of the Paradise
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

“It feels good to walk these corridors again,” Luna remarked as Celestia and she were striding from the throne room toward a more secluded part of the castle. “It hasn’t been as long as the last pause, but I still felt it.”

“Technically, you never walked the Canterlot corridors before you were banished,” Celestia quipped, there was no malice in her voice though. Just a friendly bantering between siblings, something she missed a lot again since Luna left. “I built it afterwards.”

Luna waved her hoof dismissively. “This castle, that castle, same thing. And don’t you mean that you ordered it to be built afterwards?”

“No. I pulled the stone from the depths of the mountain and turned it into the city with my magic.” At Luna’s slack jawed look she reacted with a giggle. “What, do you think ponies learnt how to build bright and stylish manors overnight? I didn’t want to wait.”

“And you wanted to blow off some steam, I guess. Well, I will pay respect where it’s due.” They walked in silence for a short while, but then Luna noticed where they were headed. “Did you move the conference chambers to the military quarter? I thought we were going to discuss current situation.”

“We will, but we need more information first and now we have a way to get it. That’s why I called you. We have witnesses of the arson.”

“That’s amazing,” Luna exclaimed with unpretended delight. “I still don’t understand why military quarter.”

“They belonged to one of those bandit groups,” Celestia explained.

“And?”

“So they are potentially dangerous.”

“To an alicorn that magicked an entire city out of nothing?”

“...I got a bit rusty?” Celestia tried.

“So much that you wouldn’t handle few thugs if I were assisting you?” Luna asked incredulously. “That’s nigh impossible.”

“There is… one more reason why I don’t want to fight,” Celestia admitted after a pause. “It’s much more difficult to wash blood out of white coat than to raise the sun.”

“Point taken.” They entered an interrogation room side by side and beheld the assembled ponies. “I know you wanted to be safe, Sister, but aren’t ten guards watching three near starved thuds a bit of an overkill?”

“Maybe a little. But you know the saying, the more the better.” Celestia turned to one of the guards. “Have they behaved, lieutenant?”

“Yes, your highness!” He saluted and the others did the same. Even the prisoners stood up. “They were cooperating diligently. We haven’t started the interrogation yet though, as you wished.”

“Yes, thank you. I want to do it alone.” She moved toward the stallions. “So you claim that you saw the culprit of Everfree fire.”

“Ginger Leaf, at your service, your highness,” said the youngest looking one of the group slimily

“I didn’t ask your name. It is of no importance to me. I asked you a question though,” Celestia shot him down sternly. Luna just sat down on one of the prepared cushions and watched her sister at work.

“Y-yes, your highness. I met them shortly before the fire started.”

“Just you?”

“Yes. My friends and I were on a walk around the old castle ruins-”

“You mean a raid,” Celestia stepped in.

“Something maybe a bit like that, your highness,” admitted Ginger dejectedly. “We saw three of those horned bitches- I mean unicorns!” he corrected himself quickly at the glares he received from the princesses and guards alike. “It looked like they were looting the ruins, so we wanted some profit too.”

“I suppose it didn’t go too well,” Luna pointed out from her seat. “Three unicorns that could brave the Everfree probably weren’t exactly weaklings.”

“We met such unicorns before and managed just fine,” Ginger defended the pride of his raid group. “But these, or actually one of them, was something different. The others were just sitting there in their fancy capes, but she drew a sword and cut down my whole group. She was like crazy! A demon!”

“Typical,” turned Celestia to Luna. “Something is stronger than them and it’s automatically a demon. So how did this demon of yours look?”

“Like her sword. Orange and red, furious and mad!” Ginger was actually shaking just from the memory of the meeting. “She… she was enjoying the massacre. She was even taunting us. I shot her with a crossbow and she didn’t even notice!”

“And what makes you think that she was the one who burned the forest?” Celestia asked doubtfully.

“She said so!” Ginger exclaimed, afraid that his testimony wouldn’t be believed in the end and his only chance of survival would be lost. “She said that Sunny the Slaughterhouse would fry us alive if we continued to ambush ponies! I ran to my brethren as quickly as I could and warned them, but… but they already broke that ultimatum and the forest was burning around us!”

Celestia jerked a bit at the mention of the attacker’s name. Could it really be? That feeling from the border of Everfree returned to her. She would have to check the runestones carefully.

“Can you remember her eyes? she asked, trying to gather more indicia.

“They were furious, your highness. Screaming murder!” He was barely controlling himself anymore. It was obvious how traumatized he and his friends were.

“We won’t find out more, Tia. He really believes she was some monster from Tartarus and maybe she was,” Luna said to Celestia and got up. “He will collapse if you press on.”

“You are right. That will be all. Thank you… Ginger Leaf. You case will be judged leniently in reward for the information you provided.”

They were already leaving the room when Ginger recovered enough to react. “Your highness! What will happen with my friends? They came with me!”

Celestia just turned her head and called over her shoulder. “They didn’t say anything to me. They should do better with the investigators and the judge, otherwise they will be hanged.” They could hear the stallion descending into sobs before the door was closed behind them.

This time they headed to Celestia’s personal quarters. Apparently, Celestia didn’t care about the opinion of other parts of the government with the current predicament.

“I can’t but admire how he cared about the other two,” Luna said as she made herself comfortable on a sofa and poured herself some tea. “One would expect him to care only about his luck.”

“From what my agents learnt, they were his brother and a childhood friend.”

“You could have been more generous with them in that case.”

“There is no reason to. Their crimes warrant execution. I at least gave them a chance to save their hides. Normally they would get hanged no matter what they would say.” Celestia sipped from her own cup and sat down across a small table from Luna. “Anyway. How has your land been dealing with the fallout?”

“Actually, not too bad. It may turn out that the fire will help us. We analyzed the ash and it looks fertile.”

“Yes, it is. And it will help the farmers in a long run. That is, if it stops falling soon. Otherwise there may not be any long run.”

“Is it that bad, Tia?”

“Sadly, yes, Lulu.” Celestia sighed and bit into a scone. “The number of cases of pulmonary diseases has increased fivefold. The meteorologists predict next three years to be significantly colder because of the amount of ash in the air. I will try to compensate with the sun activity, but I mustn’t overdo it or the world will burn.”

“We will be there by your side, Tia,” Luna promised and reached over the table with her hoof to path Tia on her foreleg reassuringly. “I will ask more pegasi to support the weather patrols in Equestria.”

“Thank you, Luna. We will be thankful for any help. The land is drained, especially with the threat from outside.”

“What, are the griffons rattling their weapons again?”

“But of course they are. The main cloud of ash flew in their direction first and they saw it as our trick to suffocate them. That the cloud returned in Equestria afterwards, that’s completely alright in their eyes.”

“If anyone tries to attack Equestria, we will come with weapons and chase them away, Tia. We may not agree on how to rule, but we are still ponies. Our armies and nations will be victorious.” Luna supported her words with a pump with her hoof and a bright smile. Celestia didn’t seem too sure though.

“What armies, Luna? What nations? You are still ruling a nation, but mine is in ruins. Maybe once there is someone to unite against, ponies will be brethren again.”

“In that case we need an enemy,” Luna stated simply. “Ponies have always had enough of them.”

There had been happier days in Ponyville. With a few ponies lost in the fire and a few more sucumbing to the ash, it had a perpetual gloom overcasting the town. In the household of Ditzy Doo, none seemed to feel it more than Dinky and Sparkler who were having a forlorn breakfast on a chilly Sunday morning.

“It’s not fair,” Dinky pouted as she laid her head on the table. “Why do I have to move away after I make some new friends?”

“Because the ash is making for harsh living conditions, Dinky,” Sparkler said depressingly, no more happy than her sister was. “I have to echo those sentiments though. I finally get a coltfriend, then this whole mess starts and he moves away. Now here we are doing the same.”

“H-hey, don’t be too down,” Canvas said walking into the kitchen. Not long after the blaze, she and Lightning Dust came back to Equestria to help their friend move, and to move themselves. “I’m sure you’ll make new friends in the Crystal Empire. And I hear there are other refugees there as well. Who knows? You might see your friends up there too.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Sparkler responded with no ounce of cheer in her voice. “Still blows though. Moving to another town is one thing, but another region too? Just a lot to take in.”

“Have you been to the Crystal Empire, Miss Canvas?” Dinky said between the small bites of her cereal.

“Not personally but our friends up there told me all about it. It sounds like a very pretty place. I just can’t wait to see-”

“Hold on, friends?” Sparkler said pivoting her head to the dreamy eyed mare. “Who do we know up there?”

“Didn’t your mother tell you? There’s Twilight and Spike for one.”

“Twilight is alive?!” Dinky said wided eyed in disbelief.

“We already know that, Dinky,” Sparkler said deadpan. “Remember? Mom helped her around that time?”

“...Oh yeah.”

Canvas giggled at the filly’s embarrassed smile while her sister simply facehoofed, not in the best of moods to laugh. “Who else do we know up there?” the elder unicorn asked, curiosity now piqued.

“Well-”

“A unicorn mare named Sunset Shimmer, a colleague of mine,” Lightning Dust said now entering the kitchen with Ditzy. “and another unicorn named Trixie Lulamoon.”

“Trixie?” Sparkler said with a hint of distaste. “You mean that showmare from a while back? The one who came here to show off that one time, and take over Ponyville that other time?”

“Now now, Sparkler,” Ditzy said placing her hoof up. “Do you remember the story about how I used to live?”

Sparkler looked down, intent on studying her forehooves. “Yes, mom.”

“Would you like to tell me that I am still the same mare and should be frowned upon?”

“Err… no,” Sparkler whispered with a little guilt.

“I know we’ve had past experiences with her, but I assure you she is not who she was those years ago. She’s a better, wiser mare now. All I’m asking is you give her a chance. She’ll treat you with respect, especially since she is a family friend.”

“I’ll try, mom.”

“That won’t matter much unless we actually get there,” Lightning interjected, looking at her watch. “Train will be arriving soon so we better make sure we’re there to catch it.”

“But what about the table,” Dinky asked innocently. “And the sofa and the beds? Are we just leaving them here?”

“We’ve made arrangements in the Empire and we’ll have brand new furniture to use, so we can leave them here.”

“But I like my bed!”

“Dinky, your bed isn’t in the best of shape, especially not if you use it as a trampoline. Besides, we’ll have a higher end home where we’re going. It will be nice living there, you’ll see.”

“Can I at least keep my blanket?”

“Oh, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Just make sure you’re packed and ready to go in ten minutes, okay muffin?”

“Okay mama.”

Dinky made a beeline for her room to make sure everything was ready to go. Ditzy turned her attention to her other daughter who she noticed looked rather weary. “Sparkler dear? You look kind of pale, are you feeling ill?”

“Not really, mom,” she said taking a sip of her milk. “I just didn’t get any sleep last night. I’ve been packing.”

“You don’t really own a lot of things,” Ditzy said suspiciously. “Come on dear, you can tell me if something is bothering you. Please.”

With her mother walking up and nuzzling her, hugging her the same way she did when she was a filly, Sparkler sighed and rested her head on Ditzy’s chest. “It’s just… I’ve lived here for my entire life and now that I’m moving away, it kind of scares me to leave all this behind. I have so many memories here, I don’t know if I can handle it.”

Ditzy softly stroked Sparklers mane as she buried her tired face into her chest fur. “Shhh, it’s okay. To tell you the truth, I’m a bit scared too. I’ve only moved once in my life and that’s when I came here to Ponyville after your sister was born. Unlike before, I’m moving quite a distance away from home and I’m nervous. I won't get to see all the familiar faces here. It’ll be awhile before we get to see grandma and grandpa again too since they live in Cloudsdale. But I feel this move is for the best. It’s becoming too hard to live here and I’ll have an opportunity to give you and Dinky a better life in the Empire. So despite my fears, I’m going through with it to help you.”

“Do you think anyone else from here will be there? Like maybe… uh…”

“Ponet?” Ditzy giggled, earning Sparkler an embarrassed blush. “Honestly, it’s unlikely. I don’t really think that would be his type of city. Listen, why don’t you go prepare to leave. We need to be at the train station by ten-thirty.”

Now it was Sparkler’s turn to make sure her things were packed. As she left the kitchen, Ditzy cleared the table of any leftovers with Canvas and Lightning Dust taking the seats. “Who’s Ponet?” Canvas asked curiously.

“A painter who used to live here. He and my little Sparkler had a thing for a while before he moved. Though to be honest, I didn’t like him very much. He was kind of high and mighty with his artwork and I didn’t like the influence he had on my muffin. She started to slack in her chores and caring for Dinky when I was away.”

“Oh. Uh, how was his art? Was his attitude justified?”

“Not in the slightest,” Ditzy said cleaning out the cabinets. “He was a unicorn and yet he didn’t seem to grasp the idea of simple strokes. You on the other hoof, I’ve seen create amazing masterpieces without the need for a horned appendage.”

“Yeah, they really come to life,” Lightning Dust said cracking a smirk, though Ditzy didn’t find much humor in the pun. “So, we just gonna leave this house like it is then? You’ve got pretty much everything except the heavy furniture moved out. I’d say we’re pretty much ready.”

“I think so, yes. Anything we don’t take from here, we can replace. I’m glad I have a friend with a useful talent,” Ditzy said smiling at Canvas. “If you don’t mind, that is.”

“I’m always happy to help my friends.”

Lightning Dust looked at her watch, growing a little restless. “It’s almost time, we need to get going or we’ll miss our ride.”

The fillies took their time but they came to the front door with everything they could carry packed up and ready to go with the other mares. Without wasting anymore time, the group stepped out of the house with Ditzy being the last to leave. For the last time ever, she locked the door to the house. It was amazing how something so small could make her so sad. She loved this house, but she knew it was time to move on.

On the way to the station, they walked by a few ponies who were still outside, some either sweeping the remnants of the ash out of town, and others simply going about their daily lives waving her goodbye. Because of her job and demeanor, and partially her unique optometry, she was fairly well known in Ponyville. Ponies knew her and had come to respect her as a loved citizen. She was a hard worker who despite some mishaps here and there, never faltered from her duty.

Which is why she couldn’t bare to tell them she was leaving for good. For all they know, she is just going on a vacation with her family and a couple of friends. It wasn’t unusual since she made time for such holidays every now and then. Even if they did know she was moving, none of them would have blamed her.

There was, however, one pony who did know. A pink earth pony waiting for them at the train station, a faded smile painted on her face. Years earlier, it was hard for Ditzy to imagine Pinkie without absolute enthusiasm. How the times do change though.

“Hello Pinkie Pie,” Dinky greeted as they stepped on the platform.

“Hi Dinky, hi Sparkler, hi Ditzy, and hi two ponies I’ve never met before.”

“Well, actually...” Lightning Dust began. “Eh, nevermind. It’s not important.”

“I’m glad to see you one last time, Pinkie,” Ditzy said giving her a hug. “I appreciate it.”

“You’re another good friend I’m meeting on their way away from their home,” Pinkie said saddened, but cheerful. “I wanna make sure I get to actually say goodbye this time. Will you come visit?”

“I can’t say for sure, Pinkie. We’re moving so far away, but I will write from time to time.”

“Oh… Okay.”

“Come on, Pinkie. Where’s that chipper optimism? You’ve worried me for awhile, it’s not like you.”

“I know, it’s just that… well, everypony is moving away, all my friends. I want to make ponies smile, but it only works if there are others around who want to laugh. It’s okay though, I got used to living differently with so many friends gone. I’ll manage.”

The gloom that emitted from this pink pony was rather jarring. Sure, she tried to keep a smile for the sake of everypony else, but it was obvious she was hurting inside. Laughter is the best medicine, but what happens when laughter is sick? Ditzy’s ears drooped with the painfully tense moments before the train docked at the station. Canvas and Lightning Dust escorted the fillies into the passenger car, but Ditzy wanted to do something before she left. A parting gift of sorts.

“Hey, Pinkie?” Pinkie’s ears perked back up at the mention of her name, curious to see Ditzy reaching into her bag. “Why don’t you keep this?” Ditzy grabbed Pinkie’s hoof and with her own, placed the key to her empty house in it. “I don’t need this anymore, so if you’re planning a change, you could use a place to start. Use it wisely.”

Pinkie stared at the key for a few seconds before suddenly hugging Ditzy one last time. “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.”

Breaking away from the hug, Ditzy hurried onto the train to join her friends and family. Pinkie stayed at the station and waved goodbye to her friend as the train left, continuing to watch until the locomotive faded into the horizon.

The first time Twilight visited the Crystal Empire, she didn’t really know what to expect other than it being a city made of, well, crystals. Now that she was here for an extended stay, she could judge what kind of place it was like to live in. Assuming of course, she didn’t spend all day in the library like she was doing today, looking through every book to find anything she might find useful.

It wasn’t until her stomach bugged her about missing lunch that she decided to take a break. Really, she had nothing better to do. She and Sunset still had excess steam they needed to blow off before talking to each other again, so Sunset had taken the opportunity to work and meditate in various quiet places. Today, it was the summit of the palace which nowadays seemed to function as an archaic lighthouse or signal tower. Trixie, being the adventurous spirit that she was, had been exploring the city thoroughly. This was her first time in the city and before this visit, she’d never seen a place with a glory to match her’s.

With Cadance attending royal duties, Spike on the Queen’s advising staff, and Shining Armor training recruits, Twilight was disappointed and mildly annoyed that her reunion with them wasn’t as heart to heart as she would have liked. She completely understood the reasons, but that didn’t keep her from being bored out of her mind.

After a late lunch, she started back for the library. However, she wasn’t yet accustomed to the layout of the palace and with some wrong turns, she was inevitably lost in an unusually quiet corridor.

“Where is everypony? I would have thought there would at least be guards stationed here? And I’d be able to ask one for directions.”

Oddly, most of the doors in the area seemed to be unlocked and open, leading to empty unfurnished rooms. It would appear this portion was installed fairly recently, perhaps not even completely finished yet. It appeared to have a slightly different design from the rest of the palace, sharing the design of the expansion projects in the rest of the city. Navigating through the rough crystal supports, she found herself back in familiar ground with an area leading to a garden.

In a spur of sudden wish she turned to the path leading further in. While crystal structures remained prevalent, many of the pergolas and railings were lovingly carved from wood. Twilight had seen were few trees in her time here, assuming the garden originated even before Sombra’s rule.

Ivy was climbing around the white gates sometimes arching over the path way, usually signaling a change in the flowery composition. While Equestria was staying in the grip of winter, Crystal Empire seemed to ignore the flow of seasons, or more accurately yet, keeping them all at the same time. How else could one explain the plethora of blooms around, ranging from roses of pink and bordeaux hues on carefully cut bushes, through chrysanthemums and lilies, poppies of the high summer and blooming sakuras of the break of spring? Winter alone didn’t contribute in a living form. Though in their own sense, even the crystals often reminiscing icicles and snowflake-esque forms hummed with their own immortal soul.

Twilight was strolling down the sand paths among the many flower beds, shrubberies and trees, now and then crossing bridges over over small slowly flowing streams or pools with waterlilies, and drifted away in her own little world. Almost no sounds of the city were reaching her ears as the hedge around kept the area soundproof, probably with small aid of magic. There were birds chirping somewhere above her and butterflies gliding among the green.

Fluttershy would love this place. If she had known about it back when we all visited together, we would have never gotten her to return to Ponyville, Twilight mused as she watched a monarch butterfly unfold its wings on a daisy. Then again, wouldn’t it have been better that way?

She rounded a corner marked by a particularly beautiful eglantine and found herself on a small meadow. On one end a small fountain was giving birth to one of the streams, burbling quietly over the stones. Next to it Twilight spotted a blanket with several pastries, a tea kettle and two cups, yet nopony to attend the picnic. It took her few moments to realize that what she originally held for a marble sculpture bowing its head down over the flowers was in fact an actual Ein Sof. One she knew by name at that.

Brother Empathy’s face spoke of serene pleasure and peace. A light melancholic smile was playing with his lips and his eyes were half-lidded, focusing on nothing in particular. Even his wings seemed affected by the place, floating and curling slowly like in a thick honey.

Twilight with her own smile from before and from seeing the otherworldly glory of the Ein Sof in such harmony with the world she knew, walked to his side silently, not to disturb his thoughts.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked quietly. “So much of Elysium like imprinted in the world. Like in the days now gone. It’s been really too long.”

“It really is quite tranquil. I didn’t know this place was here.”

“A place to cleanse one’s troubles is indeed paradise. This such paradise has been distant from us for far too long. I just couldn’t resist a glimpse. Elysium is pleasant yet artificial in a sense.”

“So is that the only reason you came here?”

“Hm? Oh… Well, this is embarrassing. It would appear I got sidetracked.”

Brother Empathy cleared his throat and slowly stepped back to his picnic area, still taking in the sweet aroma of the nectar of the flowers in the meadow. Even away from the plants, his wings seemed to fan the scent over the clearing.

“I was assigned by Mother Dogma to watch over the Elements, as you well know. With Temperance and Justice now outside of Elysium, Mother Dogma sends her greetings. Please forgive my earlier procrastination, I was simply enraptured.”

“It’s alright. But if you came here in the first place, that must mean you have something to tell us.”

“Indeed. Mother Dogma has reviewed recent actions, most notably the use of Elysian magic in the Everfree region.”

“Um… How did it go?” Twilight said shifting nervously.

“She is not exactly pleased with the amount of pony deaths that resulted from it, however she wants to point out that the amount of danger will decrease as a result of this action. She advises careful thinking about actions of this scale in the future, preferably with her permission before executing them. Mother Dogma would like to assess possible damage ahead of time if she can help it.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure to let the others know. Is there anything else? How is Scintillant?”

“Scintillant is still fairly busy attending to some duties. I cannot say when you will get to see her again. Aside from that, both Mother Dogma and myself commend you for your choice of city. It is deep symbolism that the rebirth of the world starts in the first city of ponykind.”

“First city? Wow, this place is more sacred than I thought.”

“It would also seem the influence of the last ruler has faded out almost entirely, thanks to your family here. Please treat the city with care and let your decision lead to glory, not horror compared to Brother Aurora’s dark attempt.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Brother Aurora? Is he another Ein Sof?”

“You are not familiar with the tale? Forgive me, I assumed Father Admiration would have told you as he remembers the details quite vividly. To answer your question Twilight, yes Brother Aurora was another Ein Sof, specifically belonging to the rank of the Seraphim. When the first of ponykind set foot onto the earth, he watched over them with the Grandmother. He was a personal Seraph to the Creator and was the first and last of the First Sphere to come to Gaea.”

Brother Empathy glanced towards the palace and the serene smile returned to his lips. “He gave the first ponies guidance, wisdom, art, and a myriad of other things to help them grow. He was close to them, called many of them brother.” His smile suddenly faltered a bit. “In fact, he may have grown too close to them. Back then, it was more common to see my brothers and sisters walk the earth among the living. Life for many creatures were still blooming and the Grandmother wanted to make sure they were well taken care of.”

“After some time, the primordial ponies crafted a city to honor the Grandmother, the city of Dorothea, using materials they could find. Though perhaps the city wasn’t as beautiful as it is today, Grandmother was please with the hard work and determination her children put into the gift. In return, she gave a gift of her own: a special heart shaped crystal called Theodora. It was a large gem, mirroring the size of her own heart which gave countless love to her creations. Brother Aurora gave a gift as well. With his holy magic, he turned the entire city into the same crystallized texture that the heart had. And over time, Dorothea gradually became what it was today.”

“That would explain all the statues and paintings of Ein Sof in the palace and the gardens,” Twilight said pondering. “As well as why such crystals aren’t to be found anywhere else in the world. I feel the Elysian magic inside them as well.”

“Indeed, however the city was much smaller back then. The large palace had not yet been built either. In its place was originally a temple with similar architecture to Elysium’s Grand Citadel. But if you can believe it, the Dorothean temple is older.”

“Amazing. Now that I think about it, the large statue on the mainland almost exactly matches the palace in size. If Grandmother’s passing came long after this place was built, it would make sense to honor her with a colossal statue of that size. One question though. Why did Aurora decide to even turn the ponies into crystals?”

“If memory serves, it was his way of blessing. Since the city was made into crystal to mirror his respect to the Grandmother, it made sense to give this same respect to those close to him, that is pretty much all Dorotheans. He did this by using the Theodora, which is why it seems to crystallize everything with hope and joy. With this, he gave them long lasting life and optimism. Yet, over the centuries he spent watching over the Dorotheans and the chosen queen, he noticed the corruption of the rest of the world. And even the Dorotheans started to take the gift for granted. If you have something good for so long, you tend to overlook it due to how common it is. This resulted in some vices and sins manifesting in various forms.”

“Brother Aurora became conflicted. He did not want his brothers and sisters to fall into such bad habits, for Dorothea to become a simple maggot’s nest of sorts. But he also did not want to hurt them if he could help it. After some consideration, he made the decision to start treating the illness. He attempted many passive methods to compromise his wishes to remain neutral, but none had impact. Before long, he became obsessed with cleansing the world of the poison and in the process, he fell to the same enemy he worked to eliminate.”

“So Aurora fell from grace?” Twilight said wide eyed yet intrigued.

“Eventually, yes. You may or may not know that Ein Sof can perform questionable actions, yet still remain true to their original tasks, often acting in loyalty to said task. Scintillant is perhaps the best example I can give to you right now. You already know she is not exactly liked among the council.”

“A bit off topic, but what is your opinion of her?” Twilight curiously asked, as she never had a chance to.

“I respect her as I do all my brothers and sisters,” he responded with an honest smile. “I will admit, I cannot agree with every one of her actions and I would be lying if I was completely for her idea of training you and your friends to wield the Elements. However, I quickly became open to it. But I digress.”

“In time, he started to perform various actions, all in the name of keeping Grandmother’s world pure from corruption and sin. After a certain reprehensible act, one that shall remain nameless, his body was no longer able to support him. His pristine shell had been tainted with the blood of many, cracking the very foundation of his mission. His halo shattered and in turn, his wings responded to the sudden imbalance and tightly wrapped around him, doing away with his shell. Any lesser Ein Sof would cease to be under this strangulation of the soul, but him? Brother Aurora was a Seraph of the highest honor.”

“Even with the loss of this very honor, he continued to exist, albeit disfigured and no less deterred from his goal. In fact, he may have interpreted his survival as an approval from Grandmother. However, he was no longer as powerful as he needed to be. He required help to carry out his mission, but he was virtually unrecognizable from his former glory, body blackened and charred into a vicious looking monster.”

“I have a feeling I may know who you’re talking about now,” Twilight shuddered. “Dorothea being the Crystal Empire, it’s not hard to make the connection. Still, it makes me see things in a whole different perspective…”

Brother Empathy chuckled. “I suppose it would. The Dorotheans looked up to Brother Aurora, loved him as he did them. Naturally, such a betrayal really shook them up. However, as traumatic as it was, I feel the experience ultimately benefited them. They grew wiser from the experience, never taking peace for granted as often. That said, I still feel as though they have never truly recovered from their fear, although Queen Mi Amore Cadenza is slowly mending that wound. I implore you to keep them in good care and keep their spirits high. I have told you this tale in the hopes that you will not repeat the darkest events in Dorothea’s history.”

“You can count on us, Brother Empathy. By the way, how long have you been in this garden?”

“Oh…. Well, I seem to have lost track of the time. I suppose I best be going, Mother Dogma will only grow more irritated if I lollygag more than necessary. I look forward to the next time.”

The black clouds above their heads promised a storm, but Scintillant wasn’t phased by that at all. They always looked that way, apart from the moments when small gaps appeared between them as if signaling change, only to vanish again. With the frequent rains one would expect the grass under their hooves to flourish and the crops on the fields to be full and numerous, yet neither was true as the land cried for more and cracks were forming in the parched soil.

“This doesn’t look like Tartarus at all,” Cherish spoke up as they arrived on a dusty road full of stones and holes. “It looks pitiful, sure, but from a region so deep I would expect lava, brimstone. Choking ash and scream of the damned.”

Scintillant showed a small smile, more of a smirk in fact, and shook her head from her companion’s naivety. “And why, pray tell? Because that’s how the world of mortals works? The lower the hotter? Or to torture the damned? Even many of the mortals know that physical pain is hardly the worst one can endure.”

“Still, there should at least be some watchers. Are the lords of Tartarus slacking on their work again? We should report it to Mother Dogma.” Cherish’s eyes were darting from one end of the plain to the other. A relatively healthy looking forest was surrounding it from all sides. Only a closer scrutiny revealed how thick the undergrowth was and how many of the bushes sported nasty thorns. Nopony would escape through there. Very little sound apart from whistling of the wind would be heard.

A deep sense of despair and fatality lay on everything. Cherish shivered as she sensed all the evil lurking around. “Something is not right here, Sister Scintillant. I… I’m scared! Monster of Tartarus are around. They will attack us!”

Scintillant stopped and lifted Cherish’s chin up to look into her eyes. “You are a Virtue. You know no fear apart from the one of failing Grandmother’s plan,” she said sternly, only achieving Cherish’s eyes to grow wider. She cursed herself for slipping like that and softened her tone. “I really appreciate you volunteered to the duty down here with me. But if this place is hurting you, you should return back to the others. I will not see it as weakness.”

“No!” exclaimed Cherish and went rigid from that idea. “I will not leave you alone to this task! I promised you I would accompany you. It’s just…” She waved a hoof toward the fields around. “I don’t understand this place at all. It’s like nothing I have ever seen and the air almost stinks of malice.”

Scintillant wrapped her wings over Cherish’s back and resumed walking. “Only few would sense that, Sister. You are very talented.” Cherish blushed at the praise from her idol, but didn’t say a word. “This place is filled to the brim with the darkest emotions of the world, but it wasn’t done artificially to torture the damned.” Scintillant mimicked Cherish’s gesture, encompassing the area in it. “You said that monsters of Tartarus are lurking around. Indeed they are. Look for yourself.”

Among the crops there was constant movement. Ponies and other creatures were wandering around with tools and scythes. Their labor bore no fruits though as every weed they plew would immediately be replaced by another planted by other worker, every hole they dug and made fit for planting was spoiled by another as well. When somepony managed to get some grain, somepony else would come and make him drop it. They were wearing ragged clothes, some reminiscing luxurious gowns and coats, some even uniforms or talars. Others wore nothing at all, their bodies ruined from lifelong hard labor at full display. What identified all of them as the same kind were their scowls. They seethed and glared at one another and everything,

“Behold!” Scintillant shouted theatrically. “The monster of this land, the damned themselves!” A village appeared in front of them and more of those creatures came into sight along with their houses. They mirrored their inhabitants, holes in roofs, jagged shards of glass in the windows, dying flower beds in front of them and dirt and dust everywhere.

“How better could those who spent their lives in hatred be punished than by having to live together for all eternity?” Scintillant asked rhetorically. “They struggle day by day, never helping each other, never sharing what they have and never speaking. They only dwell in their darkest thoughts about the rest, seeing themselves as better.”

“Then… why have we come here? There is nothing to supervise and nothing to redeem!” Cherish cried out in disgust at one of the damned stealing another a molding piece of bread.

“We need to ensure they suffer for their hatred as well. Actually, what we do is rubbing salt in the wound as we give them another reason why to torment each other.” They reached the other and of the broken village and stepped off the road into one of the fields. The workers immediately fled from their reach and watched from afar. Scintillant stopped in the middle of the field and lowered her head to look closer at the ground. “This will do nicely.”

She charged her halo and fired a single short blast of Elysian light toward the earth. At once it healed of its wounds, the wheat stood suddenly strong and high, all pest fleeting like the damned before. Cherish glanced at the damned and to her surprise learnt that their faces contorted into even worse grimaces as they were trying to chase the others away.

“We give them enough food for a comfortable life,” Scintillant said and fired another blast toward the forest. “Enough wood to repair their roofs.” Another blast his a bank of a muddy river and turned it into clay. “Ways to rebuild their homes.” The last blast targeted a stray plant of flax. It multiplied and covered a whole hill. “And clothes. Yet all they do is try to keep everything to themselves and prevent others from gaining anything. Thus they spend few days until all we give them is destroyed, molded and infested.”

Scintillant didn’t give the damned another glance and started for the hill in the opposite direction from where they came, Cherish in tow. “In the end they will notice. But instead of admitting the fault of their ways, they blame the others and the circle of hate is complete.”

“Horrible beings. Don’t they ever learn any empathy?”

Scintillant’s face darkened and were it not for her Elysian glory, she would resemble the damned they were leaving behind. “They don’t. This place has existed long before I came and will long continue to even after my days are over. They could use the presence of Empathy though.”

Catching the not so subtle wordplay Cherish quickly went to support her friend’s opinion. “I couldn’t believe Mother Dogma stripped the privilege of cooperating with the Elements from you. It was so unfair, I almost shouted out loud at the ceremony.”

“You weren’t present there, my dear. You were attending the duties in Tartarus,” Scintillant answered softly. “Lying is a sin unbecoming of Ein Sof, Sister Cherish. White lies count too.”

“I am sorry!” Cherish panicked. “I didn’t want to upset you. I just wanted to express how much I feel with you. You did so much for Elysium and Mother Dogma backstabbed you like this.”

“I am not angry at you. And you don’t have to prove your loyalty to me. Nopony has ever went with me for this duty. Nopony ever volunteered. You even refused when I offered you a safe way out.” Scintillant sat down on a rock just past the horizon blocking the view of the village. “Let’s rest for a moment. Would you tell me your true opinion on the matter?”

“Alright…” Cherish followed her friend’s example opting for the ground instead of rocks. “While I really think it should have been you to supervise the Elements, I am not so sure why it is so bad that Brother Empathy is taking your place. Apart from the stealing the honor thing.”

Scintillant took a moment to carefully formulate her point. She was on a thin ice here. Thankfully the place they were resting in was giving her enough ammunition for her explanation. “You have seen the damned residing here. You asked if they ever learn empathy. You know the answer and yet we will never stop trying to teach them that. Does it bring anything? No.”

“Do you mean that feeling with others doesn’t bring anything good?” Cherish asked doubtfully. At this point she would be capable of believing Scintillant anything and seeing it as good.

“Of course not. The Elements will need that to defeat the malice of the world as well. What I am saying is that this ability can’t be learnt. You are either born with it or you will never feel it. That’s why Empathy’s presence is troublesome.”

“But if he just wastes time with his teaching, it won’t cause harm to the Elements.”

“You don’t understand. His teaching is not about lectures and homeworks. He will try to enforce empathy by actions, binding the hooves of the Elements. He thinks that if he constantly moderates their activities, rules out the harshest moves and reminds them of it, they will become better ponies.” Scintillant slammed her hoof into the rock, which turned to dust at the impact. “Well, it won’t!” she shouted and shattered another rock. “It will only cloud their judgment, strip them of their free will and dictate his own!”

As she was getting angrier and angrier, the clouds started swirling and lightning was shooting from time to time.

“They will step back from more and more actions, retreating from battles for fear they would hurt the families of the killed soldiers, and in the end they would call a truce with Celestia or even ask her for forgiveness! All the work Elysium expended, all the hopes we hold for the world, would be crushed.”

The lightning started raining from the sky and hitting the surroundings of the village. They couldn’t see the impacts but by the enraged shouts the damage was being dealt. Cherish cared very little about that, horrified by Scintillant’s predictions of the events. She couldn’t believe that Mother Dogma overlooked such a crucial mistake in her planning, but it must have been so. Still, she spent all her life trusting in the wisdom of the Santorum. Maybe they knew what they were doing.

“it… it is horrible. But if they allowed this to happen, they must know the world wouldn’t gain anything in the victory of the Elements. Maybe it isn’t as corrupted at it seems.”

The traction Scintillant was gaining for so long with Cherish was getting lost by second. She would have to go to drastic measures. “I wish you were right, my dear Cherish, but I know too well just how corrupted the world and its rulers are.”

The edge in her words didn’t slip Cherish’s attention. “How do you know? You are a Power and spend most of the time in Tartarus. You see only the darkest the world has to offer.”

“I still remember my life, even if it is so long ago, Cherish. I remember its cruelty. I remember how ponies kept trying to dominate others. I remember what the world did to me for no reason at all. And why we Ein Sof often need to wear these immaculate shells of ours so desperately.”

Before Cherish could react in any way, Scintillant reached up to her face and peeled off the pristine white skin of Ein Sof. Underneath a mutilated caricature of a face resided, one eye missing and huge chunks of skin flapping in the wind, revealing the bone and tendons underneath. Charred flesh contrasted fiercely with the purity of Scintillant’s body.

One glance was enough for Cherish. She turned away with a shriek and curled into a ball. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t know. Please forgive me, Sister.”

“There is nothing to forgive, my dear. Ignorance you alone don’t cause to yourself is no sin. Otherwise the Tartarus would be filled to the brim.” As she was speaking she restored her visage and helped Cherish back to her feet.

“We must convince the Santorum them! They have to put you in charge of the Elements or we lose everything!” Cherish managed to say after she recovered from the shock a bit.

“That’s impossible, my dear Cherish. They will never see the fault of their ways and even if they did, they would never admit it. The cause is already almost lost, unless the Elements manage to see the right path despite Empathy’s musings.”

“But that mustn't happen!” shouted now honestly desperate Cherish. She well on her knees in front of Scintillant and reached up to her, tears in her eyes. “Please, Sister Scintillant! You mustn’t give up! You brought the Elements to Elysium and revived the light for the world. Don’t abandon them now!”

Scintillant gave an exaggerated sigh and adopted a crestfallen look she practiced so many times in the past. Her eyes looked hurt and old, pain almost surging out of them. “But how can I not abandon them when Mother Dogma cast me here to a nigh eternal duty among the damned? She even sent some of our brethren to shadow me and make sure I don’t leave without permission.”

“Then I will be your mouth, ears and eyes, Sister! They are leaving me alone and as a Virtue I easily travel between realms.”

“I can’t ask that from you, Cherish. It is too dangerous.” Scintillant shook her head dramatically and placed a hoof on Cherish’s shoulder. “Do you even realize that you would go against Mother Dogma’s will?” she whispered, their faces mere inches apart.

A shade of doubts flew across Cherish’s face, but disappeared quickly to give space for determination. “When our superiors lose the right path from sight, we mustn’t blindly follow them. I want to serve you, Sister Scintillant, because I believe you know what’s necessary. I will carry out any and all orders you give me and never betray you to our brethren. Thus I swear!”

“Only with heavy heart do I accept your oath and in turn I say to you that I will do anything for the success of our great work. The malice of the world will be punished and Elysium and its Elements will stand victorious. Thus I swear.”

Cherish launched herself around Scintillant’s neck and happy tears streamed from her eyes and she babbled her thanks. With a quiet chiming a few cracks appeared on Cherish’s skin, pale light emanating from them. Her wings darkened a few shades as did the glow of her halo, but the young Virtue didn’t seem to notice, unlike Scintillant.

“Let’s start our task then,” Scintillant said after a minute of enjoying her victory. “We need to get you properly informed on the details.” They separated their embrace and took off to leave the village to its hopeless fate. The fighting inhabitants didn’t even notice the two majestic Ein Sof soaring above their heads.

As the Crystal Empire was much, much further in distance compared to Canterlot or any other places they had been to, the girls aboard needed to occupy their time. With her kids being watched by Canvas and Lightning Dust, Ditzy decided to catch up on the sleep she had been deprived up for about a week now. She would need her energy when they got to their destination anyway. Sparkler had the same idea, having been awake most of the previous night.

This left Acrylic Canvas to painting a small project while Lightning Dust was teaching Dinky how to play chess. During her time in Elysium, she played the game often with her mentors and grew to love it. As a pony born to a military family, use of strategy was valuable. Having been taught by two master generals, she became a strong player. Which probably wasn’t the best for Dinky, even though she was having fun.

“You know Dinky, the Knight can jump other pieces,” Lightning said, seeing Dinky struggle with a check. “You don’t need a clear path as long as the square it will end on is empty.”

“Oh, really? Couldn’t I move this one?

“Bishops can only move diagonally so that wouldn’t work. Besides, when your King is in check, you need to get it out of check before you can make other moves like that. Right now, the only option you have is to either put another piece between your King and my Rook, or move your King to one of the these other squares.”

“Chess is complicated.”

“Yeah it is a little bit, but once you play the game a couple times, you get used to the rules.”

As Dinky contemplated her next move, Lightning Dust glanced over at Canvas who was sketching in a small artbook. She seemed tired, the result of drawing for four straight hours. No doubt her hoof was cramping up by now.

“Hows that passport coming along?” Lightning Dust asked as she moved her Queen, putting Dinky in check again. “Check by the way, Dinky.”

“I’m almost done, Dusty. I just want to put in some more work to make it look authentic. Hopefully, I can make it convincing enough.”

“You still have about an hour, make it count.”

“What is she doing, Dust?” Dinky asked as she moved her King.

“Forging official papers. See, Canvas doesn’t have proper documents like the rest of us and a couple of ponies in Canterlot think she’s dead due to an incident awhile back. So, she needs to make a passport for herself if she’s going to be coming with us. Her special talent is really useful in that case.”

“Why do ponies in Canterlot think she’s dead?”

“She used to go to the Royal Academy of Arts, but a warehouse caught fire with her biggest project in it. Because they can’t find a body and she’s been gone for several years now, most of them just assume she died.”

“That… Doesn’t seem very smart of them,” Dinky pointed out. “Wouldn’t it make sense for them to say that for sure after they find her?”

“You’re a smart kid, Dinks,” Lightning Dust smirked. “Your logic is correct, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. When somepony goes missing with no trace and no contact with those they know, it becomes really difficult to track them and thus confirm their status. After a set number of years, they are declared dead in absentia. There is no evidence to suggest she is even alive, especially considering the circumstances of her disappearance. It’s a presumption really.”

“Okay. Can I ask you one thing? If she’s actually alive, why is she trying to hide with us?”

“Uh… Well…”

“I can answer that one, Dusty,” Canvas said stretching her hurting hoof. “See sweetie, I had some… let’s call them ‘bully issues’. When I was young, I lived with my father who was a noble and a judge in the Canterlot justice system. But I did something I’m not really proud of and I ended up running away. I met Twilight and she helped me out, giving me a place in the Academy of Arts and a home at the dorms there. But something happened and I need to start over.”

“That still doesn’t really answer her question,” Lightning Dust said before moving her other Rook. “That’s checkmate by the way.”

“Man! You’re too good at this game!” Dinky said scrunching her face.

Canvas giggled at the filly, clearing her throat afterwards to continue her explanation. “I didn’t really want to deal with any of the racism that’s been going on, and I certainly didn’t want to be subject to an investigation. I needed to be left alone by those ponies for a bit, so I traveled elsewhere.”

“Besides,” Lightning Dust began, “Canvas here has always been kind of timid.”

The last hour before arriving at the Crystal Empire train station was probably one of the slowest the girls felt. Canvas had her passport and documents all ready and the project drained her too much to draw anything else. Under Lightning Dust’s suggestion, she took a nap for the remainder of the trip. Lightning herself continued to play chess with her only awake opponent, Dinky being determined to win at least once. Aside from one stalemate due to Lightning growing a bit too bored to pay attention, each one ended with the same result.

As the train came into the station, the rest of the passengers were woken up by the sound of the intercom announcement. Ditzy, now well rested, stretched her body out as she stood up, as did Sparkler who was still groggy. Among the group, Lightning Dust was the only one who was not in the least bit tired, or at least she didn’t so her fatigue.

“Geez Dust, how do you do it? How can you sleep the least out all of us and still be active.”

“Military training can do you wonders. Matures the body as well as the mind. Besides, I wake up at like five in the morning.”

Walking out of the train and onto the platform, they noticed the interior of the station had several ponies standing around nervously, seemingly waiting to be called on. When they tried to leave the station, they were stopped by a guard.

“Excuse me, ladies? I’m sorry to inconvenience you like this, but we have to ask a few questions before we can let you go.”

“Oh? What for?” Lightning Dust asked simply.

“This is just a formality. With the recent arson case near Ponyville, we have to clear passengers on these trains before we can let them go. It’s a small formality, I hope you understand.”

“Oh, fine. Well girls, I guess we’ll be waiting for a bit longer.”

The two fillies groaned a bit as the group of five sat down at the benches. One by one, ponies were called into an office and spoke to the clerks who had been working with the officers in the investigation. However, Lightning Dust had her suspicions about the process. While her friends only tried to keep the boredom away, she noticed the door from the most recent interview was left ajar, wide enough to hear the conversation inside but narrow enough not to be noticed at first. The words were muffled but she could vaguely make out what they were saying.

Besides clearing the travelers of any crimes or arrest warrants, it would seem the investigators had ulterior motives with trying to convince potential emigrant to stay in Equestria. From what she heard, they seemed to be trying hard to convince ponies from leaving Equestria, saying that the economy was picking up, friends staying in Equestria, racism subsiding, and offering money and decreases on taxes. Of course, she knew all of these were empty promises.

“Group eight? You're up next,” the inspector said to Lightning Dust and Ditzy.

The girls were led into the office with the guard as previous ponies had been before them. The small amount of officers would have made most other ponies nervous, their stern faces making them feel like criminals. However, this group, or at least its adults, were not intimidated by the guards. They had no reason to be.

“May I see your papers?” the unicorn officer asked. The ponies did as they were told and placed their documents and passports on the desk. Canvas was still worried about hers, but that fear came and went soon. “Good, good. Things seem to be in order. Now then, Miss Ditzy Doo? You and your children came from Ponyville, am I correct?”

“Yes.”

“You may know already that we are running an arson investigation regarding what happened. Can you tell me what you remember?”

“And may I ask why you are investigating hundreds of miles away from Everfree? And why are you inconveniencing me without me giving you any reason too? I was already interrogated like everypony else in Ponyville. This is bordering on police bullying.”

“My apologies, Miss, I didn’t mean to anger you. What about you then young ladies?”

“I-” Sparkler started, but Ditzy stopped her promptly.

“Foals can be interrogated only with expressed permission of their parent. I am not giving consent.”

“Very well, then. Please accept my apologies,” the officer said, rather taken aback from the harsh reaction. He turned toward Lightning Dust, hoping for a better luck. “How about you, then? You are listed as being from Canterlot.”

“Well, I was born there but I’ve been traveling a lot lately.”

“Really? I can’t say I’m surprised with how elitist and racist the city has become. Still, don’t you miss the sights from time to time?”

“Is there a point to all this?” she said irritated. “Why are you asking these questions?”

“You have a lot of luggage with you, so we assumed you are planning to emigrate. It has been happening a lot lately and we need to at least understand why the ponies choose to abandon everything they know and go into insecurity.”

“Indeed I plan to leave Equestria, but my reasons are for the immigration officer of the Crystal Empire, not you.”

“Hm…” The clerk took a moment to write something down on a penpad, visibly disappointed from how uncooperative these ponies were, before finally looking at Canvas’ documents, then to the mare herself. “Clay Craft, is it? You are also from Canterlot I see.”

“Yes, life is getting difficult there, especially with finding work which is why I’m traveling to the Empire,” Canvas said, desperately trying not to let her anxiety show. The clerk however picked up on it a bit, though he misinterpreted the reason for it.

“I don’t hear too many good things about the work force in the Empire, assuming you’re lucky enough to actually find work that is. In any case, might I then ask what you do for a living, if anything at all?”

“I’m currently unemployed, but I’m a painter in my spare time.”

“An artist, huh?” Something about the way the clerk said that made it seem like he wasn’t very impressed. The officers were also rolling their eyes, making the irritation in Canvas grow a bit. “Well, I suppose you want to move to the Empire because you feel it will boost your creative mojo?” the clerk said in a condescending tone, one that none of the girls liked, least of all Canvas. Lightning Dust managed to react quicker.

“Did they send you so far from Canterlot for your interpersonal skills, or only to learn them? Because I can help you with the latter!” she hissed menacingly and got up from her seat, prompting a threatening posture from all the guard. Canvas placed a hoof on LD’s shoulder and pushed her back to the seat.

“Thank you, Lightning, but this is my fight.” She turned toward the officer and put on a stern look. “No,” she said trying keep the anger out of her voice. “I’m moving because my friends here are and mainly because of narcissistic elitist jerks like you who think that a horn means the right to insult others.”

“Really now? If I am to be sincere, I personally couldn’t care less. But we all have our tasks... So, let’s move on. Your papers seem to be alright. All that’s left is for me to wish you a good day.” He gestured toward the other guards to put their weapons back down. The last thing he needed was explaining his superiors why it came down to violence during a regular control, especially since the Crystal Empire would issue an official complaint.

With all that decided and over with, the group escorted themselves out of the office into another part of the station, separated from the rest by a fence and guarded by several crystal pony guards.

“The nerve of him!” Canvas shouted, the sudden interjection made the others jump a little bit, as Canvas wasn’t exactly known for anger. “What was his problem? Why did he have to be so rude to me about myself?”

“Calm down, dear,” Ditzy said wrapping a wing over the seething mare. “He’s not worth the trouble.”

Once aboard the crystal train, they took their seats and waited for an officer to come by and check their passports. After an uneventful ride, they all got to see the city for themselves for the first time, each mare was able to evaluate their first impression on the place. Naturally, Canvas did not waste any time in making mental notes for where to paint. The others had to practically drag her away from many places of interest to keep from slowing them down. While Ditzy and her girls just wanted to get moved in before sightseeing, Lightning Dust seemed to be more interested in surveying the citizens. There did indeed seem to be a noticeable divide between the native Crystal Ponies and the immigrants. However, that appeared to be caused by the latter’s lack of interaction rather than the former’s active interference.

After walking through the suburban districts, the group got into the heart of the city where most of the crystal ponies lived. Reaffirming Lightning’s earlier observations, the crystal ponies warmly greeted them with no hint of malice or ill intention. In fact, many of them seemed to remind her of some of the Ein Sof in Elysium, especially those from the mainland.

“Excuse me? Are you Miss Ditzy Doo?” an ivory guard asked as they approached the palace district.

“Yes, I am.”

“I was asked by Queen Cadance to assist you in moving into your new home. Please, right this way.”

“We’re living in a palace?!” Dinky exclaimed excitedly.

“You are friends of her majesty’s family so she wanted to properly accommodate you.”

Before he could turn around, Canvas, still awestruck from the glamorous city sights and somewhat falling behind the group, caught up with them and back right into the guard, causing her to drop the bags on her back. “Oops, sorry about that sir,” she said with a slight blush in embarrassment.

“It’s alright, miss. Here, why don’t I carry that for you? It appears to be quite heavy.”

“O-oh, y-you really don’t need to…”

“As your host, I insist.”

“Um, okay. Thank you, sir.”

Dinky and Sparkler giggled as Canvas joined their side. “Looks like somepony’s got a thing for the uniform,” teased the elder unicorn.

“S-stop it, Sparkler!” Canvas replied defensively.

“Alright Fluttershy, you are free to leave,” Nurse Redheart said to her patient. “Make sure you keep taking the antibiotic medication and keep those wounds clean. Your body is in no condition to fight an infection so if you start to feel acute sickness, come back here immediately.”

“Oh, okay. I will.”

“Also make sure you continue your physical therapy, but do not strain yourself more than necessary.”

“Do I need to keep the bandages on, Nurse?”

Nurse Redheart froze a little. She wasn’t sure whether to answer that question as she knew just how bad the scars were, and how grotesque they had become. “You… don’t have to by this point, but I would advise against removing them except when cleaning them.”

“Is the scarring really that bad?”

“...I will not lie to you, dear. We’ve done all we could to help you heal. But… Look, I’ve seen my share of disfigurement working this job and I just don’t want you to feel depressed about yourself.”

“I appreciate the concern, but I really don’t think it will be a problem for me,” Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you for helping me get better.”

As Fluttershy left the hospital, Nurse Redheart couldn’t help but feel sorry for the pegasus. If she could, she would have done everything in her power to help her. Alas, Fluttershy made it clear she didn’t want them to ‘waste’ resources on her. There was little she could do other than get back to work. After all, medicine is a full time job.

Walking was still painful. Even though she had enough strength to stand on her own again, she couldn’t take one step without feeling the tingling in what little nerve endings were repaired, not to mention her stitches. Even simple facial expressions took more effort to perform due to the dried scar tissue.

Of course, none of this was visible to anypony with the bandages and gauze covering a majority of her body. Yet their presence on this particular resident still let a profound impact as she walked back to her cottage, moving somewhat slow to avoid straining her stitches. It was no secret that Ponyville’s animal care expert suffered the most damage out of all the living victims. Maybe she wasn’t subject to the effects of the ash, but she lost the most with her home being closest to ground zero.

Now that she was back on the streets again, the few ponies that were out could only watch this damaged pegasus walk by, sporting empathetic looks and silently wishing her well. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but something about the looks she got just rubbed her the wrong way. It was almost as if everypony knew what she looked like underneath before she did.

This wasn’t too far out of the realm of possibility considering she had plenty of visitors during her rehabilitation, mostly ponies who previously went to her for animal care or grooming. She wasn’t always alert during these times due to medication making her drowsy, but she could remember recent day when Rainbow Dash came to visit. During that time, the nurses were cleaning her wounds and… Well, it was understandable why she had a hard time looking at her.

She wanted desperately to be able to just put it behind her, bury the uncertainty into the deepest recesses of her mind. She promised to be strong in this time, she promised she wasn’t going to let it bother her. But regardless how hard she tried, her doubt inevitably grew with each step to her house as more and more residents expressed their condolences the only living pony in bandages.

When she finally did get home sweet home, it looked… isolated, for lack of a better word. It obviously suffered damage from the powerful disaster and without her animals, it was just too empty. Around the property, there were trees that weren’t there previously, possibly moved from elsewhere. It was likely a thought on the part of Discord, perhaps in collaboration with the Apples, to give her some privacy. The small hill where she had buried Angel now seemed to be occupied with more animal graves, although the rabbit’s tomb still remained the most prominent.

When it came to the interior, it looked no different than it usually did apart from the lack of animals and newly replaced walls and windows in the general direction of what used to be Everfree. Even the small vegetable garden she recently started in her backyard was virtually untouched, although there seemed little use for it now. In the kitchen, there was a carepackage on the table filled with food and various gifts donated by her friends. Among these a vase with flowers, a get-well card from a certain red stallion, some incense, and a purse with a very generous sum of bit.

The only noticeable thing that was different was the distinct lack of mirrors. For some particular reason, no reflective object of any kind was present in the house, specifically the mirror on the bathroom cabinet. As much as it pained her to admit, she had a good idea why.

Upon walking into the bedroom, she found her housemate sleeping in his hammock, limp limbs twitching in his slumber. All it took was Fluttershy’s giggle at the sight for the draconequus to tilt his head and open one of his eyes with a smirk.

“Oh how I’ve missed your company, Fluttershy,” Discord said, stretching as he sat up. “I’ve been taking care of the cottage while you were away, as you can see. Of course, it’s been quite lonely here.” Discord snapped his fingers and the hammock vanished. “The only ponies that come to visit besides our friends are those pesky investigators. Why, it’s an invasion of privacy I say. I’m glad to see you’re back.”

“I appreciate it, Discord. Although, you really didn’t have to remove my mirrors.”

“I… Oh, it’s just that-”

“Discord, please don’t make excuses. I know full well I don’t look healthy right now.”

Discord really couldn’t argue with her there. It was obvious even to her just how macabre her image was. “Well, the important thing is that you’re alive and well. The best thing for you right now is to rest up.” With a snap of his fingers, he wore a nurse’s outfit and had a small cart with water and medicine. “You need to save your strength if you’re going to get back to your old self, huh?”

Fluttershy forced a smile. It was nice to have a friend to take care of her now that she was back home, but she saw right through him. He was avoiding the subject. “Discord, I know you mean well, but I need to see how bad it is for myself.”

“Now now, deary,” Discord said in an old mare type voice, now wearing and elderly look. “Let granny Discord take care of you.”

“Discord…”

“Maybe you could use a laugh or two to cheer you up.” With another snap of his fingers, he wore clown clothes and makeup, juggling balls on a unicycle.

“Discord!”

Thrown off his tracks, the balls he had been juggling dropped to the floor as the unicycle’s tire deflated. Fluttershy’s stern expression accented by the bandages and what little scarring he could see was more than enough of an indicator to stop fooling around. With a sigh, he snapped his fingers again, now back to his normal self. “Are you… absolutely sure?”

The pegasus nodded, albeit hesitantly. After a slight pause, Discord snapped his fingers one last time to make a mirror appear. Fluttershy slowly started to removed the bandages on her face, careful not to hurt herself. As she did this, both her and Discord couldn’t help but shut their eyes, fearful of what they would see.

And what Fluttershy saw made her heart sink. While the left side of her face was mostly alright, a few small sections where the skin grafts were done, the right side leading all the way down to her neck was damaged beyond any real repair. Even with corrective surgery, it would never look the same again. Part of her eyelid was damaged as well, making it hard to blink with that eye and she would never be able to completely open it. Lifting her hoof, she very softly touched her cheek. The nerve endings were too destroyed to feel it, numb except for the pressure on her teeth and jaw. Her mane was mostly healed, but much of the excess hair had to be cut for surgical reasons and nopony was sure if it would grow back completely.

Perhaps it wasn’t quite as bad as she expected, at least she could tell what her face was, the full realization of what happened was only now hitting her though. If this was her face, she could only imagine what the rest of her body looked like. She didn’t have the courage to go that far.

“Fluttershy…?” Discord solemnly asked. “Are you… Are you alright?”

“I… Yeah… I’m just fine. Despite everything that happened… I’m just fine.”

Discord flung the mirror aside, causing it to crack slightly. With Fluttershy’s shaky voice, seven years of bad luck didn’t bother him. “Hey hey, it’ll be alright,” he said softly, kneeling down and placing his lion paw on her head. “You’re still the Fluttershy I know, no matter how you look.”

“I… I feel so weak.” At this point, the accumulated pain had built up to a point where she lost control over her tears as she fell into Discord’s embrace in her breakdown. “I told Dashie and everypony else I would be strong. That I wasn’t going to let this affect me. I know I don’t go out much anyway and there’s no reason for me to go out at all without my critter friends, but… but….”

“Shshsh, it’s okay.”

“I’ve always been weak. I’m a weak flier, I don’t ever have the courage to do anything, least of all be in the spotlight, and… I just can’t do ANYTHING right! I couldn’t save Angel, I couldn’t protect my critters, and I couldn’t be there for Twilight when she needed me. I’m just… I feel so useless.”

“That’s not true, Fluttershy. Look at me…” Discord used his eagle’s claw to lift her chin up, her despondent eyes meeting his. “Once upon a time, there was a mischievous spirit who liked nothing more than to spread chaos and misery about the land. It wasn’t until recently that he found a friend that truly cared for him enough for him to change his ways. He had a reason to be mellow instead of malevolent. Sure, he may relapse every once in awhile, but he was never as dangerous as he was before he met that one friend.”

Discord set the depressed mare on the bed before snapping his fingers to spawn a roll of bandages. “But you see, he discovered a problem after he did. His powers were for creating mischief. Now that he is reformed, he really didn’t know what to do. His magic, great though it was, didn’t have much use anymore. So he had to relearn how to use it, teach himself how to be a samaritan instead of a serpent. It was difficult and even now, he’d never actually succeeded. But his new friend was there to show him, lead him, and teach him the finer points of life. She always told him to do good for those who did good to you, to repay and reward any kindness shown. Now that friend is going through a hard time. As such, this spirit needs to be a good friend.”

“Thank you, Discord…” Fluttershy smiled a bit, wiping some of her tears away.

“And it’s not just me. You’ve got many friends who want the best for you. I’ll be here if you need anything. We’ll get you set up just nicely and before you know it, you’ll be better than ever. Just you wait an see.”

Like every day, Rallying Net woke up early and like every day, he cursed himself for it. As if there was anything for him to do. More time awake meant only longer time of hunger and emptiness. Still, he at least wasn’t hurting his back on that horrible bed more than necessary.

He got up and did his bed meticulously. Habits die hard and perfectionism was ingrained into him very deeply from his younger years. Silently as to not wake up the others, he made his way to the former eatery. Like the rest of the building it looked positively rundown. The years of being out of use did its trick on the place, but the strict character of the furniture originated even before that.

“Rallying Net, soldier of nothing, is reporting for duty.” There was nopony he could report to and no reason to either. Yet sometimes it’s easier to joke about the situation than to suffer in silence. Besides, Net sometimes felt like the former barracks he and many other homeless ponies called home now yearned for reminders of its former glory. Net would know, he missed his days in charge as well.

As the sun finally started climbing up the sky for another disgustingly bright and cheerful day of the Empire, Net’s companions slowly started trickling into the room. Some talked among themselves or at least exchanged greetings. Net didn’t participate in that at all. He didn’t even remember the names of them all. Why would he? Could they serve any purpose in his life or make an impact on anything? No. Then the only times he talked were when they planned how to survive another day.

“Whose turn is it to pick up the food?” somepony called from another side of the room. Net didn’t even bother to lift his eyes to check who.

“I think it’s Grassy’s turn,” somepony else shouted back.

“Nah, I went there three days ago. They will still remember me. Net could go.”

“That’s true,” the first voice returned. “Hey, Rallying Net, you hear?”

“Yeah, I hear you. On it.” Net picked himself up and left the room. At least he wouldn’t have to spend time with them. Although he didn’t care much about the happiness of his companions, he knew that if he wasted too much time the food would be all gone, so he made haste. The road was long after all.

From the outside the barracks looked as desolated as from the inside. When the regime changed with the return of the Empire and Princess Cadance taking the throne, there was no longer need for an enormous military force. With the rule becoming benevolent, the princess didn’t need too big of an administrative system to enforce all the regulation either. So as a result of all these positive changes, a large number of ponies lost their jobs. They were given back their freedom, but their lives were suddenly gone.

He was no exception. The promising start of his career in the government was cut short with the defeat of Sombra and there was no place for him after the reorganization. So like many others he left the Empire for Equestria, only to trade an empty plate for an even emptier one.

Net walked the empty street briskly and gazed with melancholy at the rows of empty houses of the military quarter. At least he had a place to sleep now and he was ‘home.’ If it weren’t for that friendly unicorn in Canterlot, he would be probably dead. That was the only good thing he could say about ponies of Equestria though.

Few more blocks and he got into the area currently being reconstructed. The populace of the Empire was growing and more houses and infrastructure were needed. Scaffoldings covered the old buildings and the sound of hammers and saws filled the air. Even this early, the work was at full swing. It wasn’t the work of crystal ponies though. Rallying Net scowled as he saw one of the immigrants emerge from the nearby house with a bright yellow helmet on his head.

Strange that there was always enough work for them. They did nothing but steal it from natives in Net’s opinion. Who wanted them here? They came when their paradise of a land started withering.

He spat to the side and continued on his way, ignoring the greetings from the ponies he passed. He just wanted to be done with his task and find some way to kill time until it was time to go to bed again.

Some time after the change of regime, Rallying Net didn’t know exactly when since he was abroad, the more prosperous of crystal ponies realized in what situation their brethren were and founded charities distributing food. Yet as the number of unemployed and homeless grew, the charities had to impose strict rules about it. To provide for bigger number of ponies, they wouldn’t serve the same one in few days after he got fed. Then they would give him more than one pony needed for one day though. For that reason groups like Net’s one formed. Every day one pony would go and get them food.

Net despised this parasitism. But what could he do? He wanted to live. And live unhindered. So why was that crowd blocking his path?

He got into the lively centre of the city and it was showing as the amount of ponies everywhere grew. Still, not even here was there no reason for such a huge group of ponies to meet in one place. He flattered a few feet above the ground, not for too long as he didn’t want to waste too much energy, to get a better look at what was going on.

The ponies were gathered around a fountain in the centre of which a strange statue pranced to the sky. It was some sort of pegasus, yet its wings resembled ribbons more than anything else. On the rim of the fountain stood a young magenta earth mare with glasses. She was balancing on her hindlegs and was propped against the forelegs of the statue with one of her own.

“What in Tartarus is she doing up there?” he muttered to himself as he was getting closer. “Don’t they respect anything and must break all the beauty still left here? At least others decided to take her down a peg. This could be fun to watch.”

To his immense disdain, the crowd was showing no signs of wish to harm the mare. In fact, they were intently listening to her words and apparently for not exactly short time.

“...and thus they will be judged with the knowledge of wrong and good, strengths and weaknesses, each for the value of their heart, to be given what rightfully is theirs and finally achieve Justice,” she ended her current thought and was met with thoughtful humming and murmured agreement. She glanced over the crowd with a pleased and relieved smile and after a few seconds called out: “Any questions?”

Rallying Net stood up on his hindlegs as well and shouted over the heads of the ponies: “Just one. How does a filthy outlander dare to speak of justice here?” he wouldn’t tolerate such breach against how the Empire should be handled in his opinion. She had to get punished for being so daring.

The ponies formed an aisle so that the mare and he could speak face to face immediately. Obviously nopony spoke up against her till this moment. She didn’t seem fazed though, which distinguished her from the crowd even more.

“Everypony speaks about their experience and tries to convey to others what could be beneficial to them. I sampled true Justice and wish for others the same,” she stated calmly. That angered Net even more.

“So you call your existence a sample of justice. You, a pest suffocating crystal ponies!”

“I can assure you that my life hasn’t hurt a single crystal pony. Why would you even think so?”

“Because your kind just marched in here and took everything we had! Crystal ponies are dying in poverty because of you! You drain the money from us. You eat our food!” That gained few sympathetic grunts from the assembly, yet it didn’t last long.

“All crystal ponies starve, or those who don’t work?” As she asked that question, her auburn eyes started emanating a weak golden glow, though it could have been just reflected sunlight. In shade though? “Ponies of Equestria come here, find a job and earn money for living. Not a single one of them gets anything for free. Not even one daily meal.”

Net bit his lip at that last remark, but wouldn’t give up so easily. She just had a lucky shot. “How are the crystal ponies supposed to find job when you take all of them? I have been searching for years!”

“Then you were just too picky, my friend. There is always job to be found and some is always better than none.” The ponies stomped on the ground in agreement and talked quietly among themselves. Net’s chances to move them against the mare were looking grim.

“That’s beyond the point! This is not your home and you have no right to be here at all! Go back to your own land” he shouted desperately. To his surprise the mare bowed her head down in sadness. He was cheering internally from his victory, but then she met his eyes again, hers no positively glowing.

“You are right that nopony should abandon their home. It’s what helps to define us,” she said quietly, but somehow she could be perfectly heard even over the commotion. “Nopony should also be forced to leave their home. Stirpped of it. Those who come to your land have no home anymore. How could they stay there?”

“They should have better defended it.”

“What if an unstoppable force took it? What if there was nothing they could do to prevent their loss? You know that feeling well, don’t you, Rallying Net? Having to flee because there is no place for you. Past destroyed, future lost, presence only suffering.”

Rallying Net recoiled as if bitten by a snake and crouched a little. How did she learn about this? How the hay was she? Instead of searching for answers he returned the offensive. “Look missy, I have no idea how you know my name, but I’ll tell you this. I went to Equestria and was met with nothing but hatred and rejection. I almost died there. Why should I care about their fate?”

She waved a hoof in a wide semicircle, encompassing the both sides of the street. Net followed it with his eyes and to his surprise learnt that their argument drew the attention of much bigger number of ponies. In fact, probably all the workers from nearby construction sites gathered here as well as many random passerbies.

“Look at them, Rallying Net,” she said calmly and smiled at the crowd. “Look at them and point out any of them that wronged you during your stay in Equestria. Find a single one and I will look into it that every immigrant is expelled in a week time.” Net’s eyes were feverishly running across the faces of those present. This was his chance. He could clean the Empire. He was desperately trying to find anypony that hurt him in the past, not even thinking about cheating. She would uncover it.

After a long while he lowered his head and chose to inspect his front hooves thoroughly. Suddenly he felt a hoof on his shoulder and looked up to be met with the golden glowing eyes of that mare. She was smiling kindly. There was something soothing in that smile and the ire he felt just moments ago was melting away. She knew of the injustice he had to face. She knew of every wrong and good that befell him. She would decide justly.

“A thousand years ago a self entitled force entered your home and through its carelessness shattered all you knew. By blindly swinging the blade it hoped to restore peace in its own limited definition without seeking higher judgment. I am very sorry for sharing this history with my kind. But history often repeats itself, even if not in the same form entirely.”

She broke the eye contact for a moment to gaze at the workers again and sadness spread across her face. “Blindness and selfishness of that force harm ponies of Equestria and in thus indirectly you. But they don’t mean any harm. You should feel with them, not hate them. And you should help them too.

That force is still sitting on its throne, allowing the malice fester and take root in the heart of ponies. From that reason you were met with refusal in your life and the same malice took hold of you for a long time.”

Although she was speaking directly to him and didn’t raise her voice a single time, there was no doubt even those furthest from her in the gathering heard every single word and waited for the next enraptured. Nothing of that manner mattered to her though, she talked to Net and Net only.

“I am sorry for your loss and suffering, yet wishing it on those with no guilt in return breeds only more pain and hopelessness. You wish for your Empire to flourish and to win back its former greatness. That can be achieved, yet with that comes big responsibility. The Empire was never meant to serve its own beauty. It and its inhabitants equally so were chosen to be the beacon showing others the good and keeping the wolves of evil away. If you wish to achieve Justice among all, you must drain the poisoned spring of malice in Equestria. Together, as ponies, not newcomers and natives. Go in peace, Rallying Net.”

With those words she turned away from him and in the direction of the castle. The ponies stepped quickly out of her way, letting her pass unhindered, almost in reverence. As she was walking past the ones standing in the utmost back, someone in the centre started slowly stomping and others followed suit. It was not a furious cheer. Truth doesn’t bring happiness directly.

Rallying Net found his way out of the gathering and like a sleepwalker continued with his task for the homeless group squatting in the old barracks. They were relying on him and he wouldn’t betray their trust. This final time would he cather to them.

They welcomed him with loud cheers and a bit of chagrin. He was away longer than usually after all and they were getting very unpleasantly hungry. He didn’t care for their reprimanding though. He saw the path before him. As soon as he ate his own share, he left for his room and packed whatever little belongings he had.

On his way out he was stopped by a questioning gaze of one of his companions. Ponies were leaving from time to time either to try their luck elsewhere or even to end it all. He didn’t feel any need to explain himself. His life was always in his hooves. So he just shrugged, waved goodbye and left for good.

He was taking the same path as earlier, yet the activity of the workers suddenly looked different. They were creating the future for his Empire. No. For the Empire they all shared and that needed them all. He wanted to add to the effort as much as he could. No matter how. And he especially wanted to help that mare with whatever she would be undertaking. She knew the path as well.

Soon he found himself by the castle, but he didn’t enter through the main entrance. Instead, he turned into another alley, one that he remember from his apprenticeship days in the office, where the entrance for the staff was located. He glanced at the door and smiled as a simple note caught his eyes. Servants needed. He pressed the handle and entered, more sure of himself than ever.

Celestia was sitting in her study alone, only few candles lighting up the place. She ordered everypony in her proximity to get an early night since they had been working overtime ever since the fire. Besides, she too wanted some time alone, if only to concentrate better.

The investigation was wrapping up, but it brought very little information thus far. The fire was artificial and magical in nature, that was for sure, but they knew that almost immediately. Through interrogations of witnesses they learnt about a group of three possible culprits, although the testimonies were not of the most credible ones.

What sparked more interest in Celestia were the reports of scientists. There was enough residual magical pollution left to study it properly and she had to admit they didn’t miss a single method. Still, according to the summary of results she was currently reading, all they determined was that this kind of magical pattern was not yet observed, although the caster belonged to the unicorn race without a doubt.

She placed the papers to the side and finished her cup of tea. There was one more way to learn the truth, yet she didn’t perform anything of that sorts in a thousand years.

A round stone with a barely visible rune was lying on the table next to her cup. They found many of those around the former Everfree and performed all possible tests on them to no avail. This one wasn’t touched by a different magic than the original one though, and Celestia could make profit of that.

She learnt many spells from many teachers in her long life, some more useful for the everyday life than others. Summoning of the essence belonged to the once in the lifetime category though. At least she wished it did, as she was about to use it for the second time.

Back when she banished Nightmare Moon, she had to locate and eradicate any remnants of her spells and power itself. Task easier said than done since the mimicry was changing quickly. Summoning of the essence would reveal the image of the caster imprinted in the item affected. Celestia prided herself that she found every single piece in the end.

Now the same spell would finally tell her the truth about the biggest case of arson in history. She concentrated deeply and sent a single spark toward the stone. It sunk in and immediately fumes started emerging from the surface as if pressed from inside by an invisible force. Celestia watched as they formed a cloud above the table and slowly shaped into the spatial image of an amber orange unicorn. Celestia let the spell fade and pressed her forehooves on her eyes in a gesture of equal tiredness and disappointment.

“Why couldn’t you stay in that world you chose, Sunset Shimmer? Why did you have to return and bring ruin to our world as well?” she whispered past her hooves.

She soon realized that particular question played no rule in her next steps. What mattered was how Sunset Shimmer returned and how she would deal with her.

She could answer the first one. Thirty moons passed since Twilight ventured away. Cadance’s animosity toward Celestia apparently reached such a level that she openly supported her enemies. Celestia would have to send a sharp protest against such activities, potentially even freeze the diplomatic contact with the Empire.

Now the second problem would demand longer term solution. In her time she defeated much stronger adversaries, even though the feat Sunset performed deserved a morbid respect at least. But in that statement lay the catch as well. She did so in her time. It seemed the age of peaceful laziness would be replaced by a harsh training once more.

“Raven, come here please,” she called toward the anteroom and the pony in question immediately trotted in.

“You called your highness?”

“Indeed,” Celestia smiled and beckoned the petite unicorn closer. “First of all, you acted against my direct order when you stayed here-”

“I am sorry, your highness.” It was clear to both of them though that she was not.

“-so you will report to the accountant tomorrow and pick up your premia. I really appreciate how much you dedicate to me.”

“”Thank you. I don’t trust the others to take good enough care of you. I can’t do much to ease your tasks, but I try.”

“That’s probably the first time you didn’t say ‘your highness’ in a sentence to me. Keep at it, it’s a refreshing change to have a friend.” They exchanged brief smiles of understanding before Celestia continued. “Tomorrow we will have a long talk with the ambassador of Crystal Empire, please invite him for lunch. And arrange for the old royal training grounds to be fixed, cleaned and secured. Repeatedly. Alicorn spells don’t joke around.”

“Alright, I’m on it right away.” Raven turned and crossed the whole room before stopping one more and calling over her shoulder: “Go to bed, it’s late.”

Celestia leaned back in the chair and sighed. It was a pleasant change to receive a direct order as well.

Chapter 25

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Original Title: Voluntas Coacta Volunta Est
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

The sun was still deep under the horizon when Rallying Net woke up from his sleep. Just a month ago, he would have been peeved about such a pointless increase in the waking time for a day, now he was acting from his own will. After all, he found a cause.

He got up from his bed in the small room assigned to him by the chief of the staff at his admission. It was nothing fancy, just a bed, a locker a desk and a chair, but it was his and nopony else’s. After months of being denied any privacy, Net could appreciate that.

He made his bed meticulously, as if an inspection were to come, even though not once in his three weeks stay did anypony check or even ask about the state of his housing. To Net it was a neglect on the side of his superiors, but who was he to judge their actions? After all, they got their position for a reason. All he could do was act above what was required from him, to the best of his conscience.

After a quick trip to the small bathroom adjacent to his room, apparently added only recently, he dressed up into his work uniform and headed toward the kitchen. No matter that another shift of his training wasn’t to begin for another few hours, there was always a lot to do and any pair of helping hooves was welcome. Later there may be a time for a cup of coffee between the tasks as well.

“And Rallying Net is arriving earlier than he needs to again,” were the first words that greeted Net once he arrived to the kitchen. He stopped immediately, turned in the direction of the voice and straightened himself up.

“Of course, sir. What I need doesn’t matter as long as the needs of the palace differ from it,” he stated almost like a soldier reporting for duty. “You are here earlier than what the schedule requires, too, sir.” Indeed, the head of the staff in the Crystal Palace, Night Knight, was the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave in the evening. Some where even speculating that he actually never left the job and didn’t even sleep, as the night shifters spoke about his supervision as well.

“I share that feeling with you, Rallying Net.” He brisky saluted, which Net returned. They grew to greet each other in that manner. Night Knight aspired to high position in Empire’s military back in the days of the old regime, and with the rapid change of circumstances he had to adjust his life style just like Net did, only he succeeded in beating his delusion much sooner. Still, the old dreams die hard.

Net got immediately into work. He didn’t need to ask what had to be done, he knew that from experience well enough. Dishes for every inhabitant of the palace were to be thoroughly cleaned, the lists of allergies checked to prevent any accidents, the food distributed to corresponding carts and the inbuilt heating spells tweaked. Thankfully, they were adapted for use by non-unicorns as well. The whole operation transpired in the form of strictly organized chaos Net learnt to love. Everything worked together like the gear of a machine.

“You are to serve the Master of Ceremonies today, Net. Do your best and report to me afterwards. I have more tasks for you.”

A knot formed in Net’s throat. The Master of Ceremonies wasn’t referred to as such for nothing. He knew, upheld and required every tradition, every single move ordered by old texts, every formula pronounced at any occasion. Being sent to serve him usually meant big trouble and was connected with the wish of the superiors to fire somepony.

He hid his nervousness and nodded in confirmation. The cart was loaded full - the old stallion grew to enjoy worldly pleasures - but Net had no difficulties pushing it around. He wouldn’t be undone when he got so far. He would succeed. Just before entering the room though he allowed himself exactly ten seconds of pure panic. He imagine all the consequences of failing, the humiliation, the self-hatred, the poverty once more. He refused such fate resolutely and entered.

There was no surprise in the outcome for Net. He succeeded fully. He achieved a contented nod from the Master of Ceremonies, which was the biggest sign of appreciation one could hope for from him, and left to meet Night Knight, expecting to find him back in the kitchen. To his surprise, he was waiting behind the nearest corner, leaning against a strange winged statue.

“I see you are in one piece. Let’s proceed then. You are to oversee the preparation of an apartment for the griffon delegation counting two males and one female. Sadly, due to the shortage of staff I can provide you only with two guards with little experience in anything but walking the hall from one end to the other. But you will surely manage.”

This was starting to look suspicious to Net. Would it be such a problem to assign more ponies to such an important task? Griffons proved dangerous if displeased in the past, leaving the preparations in the hooves of mere guards seemed irresponsible.

He was leading them toward the rooms reserved for foreign dignitaries, worrying about the mental health of Night Knight, when the realization hit him. “It is in our hooves. Not just theirs. I know what to do and am responsible for the result just as for them,” he said to himself out loud, confusing his assigned helpers. He didn’t mind about that though. They didn’t have to understand. He had to.

Several more tasks followed during the day, from choosing the correct decoration for a banquet to negotiating the transfer of funds from one fund to another because of the changed needs of the staff and deciding the most effective way. In fact, it exceeded his regular duties as a servant, but with his previous bureaucratic training he found that the simplest of all the tasks.

Eventually, around four in the afternoon, Night Knight called Net into his office. Net couldn’t recall when was the last they he encountered Night Knight so often, but at this point he didn’t even think about it anymore. He would fulfill any task given to him.

“You called me sir.” It wasn’t a question. Net never bothered with playing dumb. Partially this trait was responsible for his quick improvements.

“Indeed. Please sit down.” Night Knight waited till Net assumed his place before continuing. “I am pleased to notify you that you successfully finished your training and based on that become a full time employee of the Crystal Palace and Queen Cadance.”

Net managed to contain his glee at the news, finally understanding the events of the day, and merely nodded curtly. “Thank you, sir.”

“It is really an unusual achievement to finish within three weeks of being admitted. Such vigour mustn’t go unrewarded.”

“I am merely seeing every task as equally important and deserving full attention sir. Whatever is needed to take care of, I will.” He couldn’t but let his pride show at that. “I believe everypony should act so.”

“I wish they did. For as long as they don’t though, I want to express my appreciation.” He pulled several papers from a drawer and placed them in front of Net. “We have plenty of free positions ranging from normal servants, through supervisors, suppliers and ushers to the completely new positions.” To Net’s questioning glance from the papers he pointed on one particular sheet. “The queen has requested personal servants to be provided for the permanent guests of the palace, the entourage of former princess Twilight Sparkle. We don’t know anything about their habits and needs aside from what we managed to pick up during their stay.”

Name after name Net read the characterisations of the guests as the most challenging task was his natural choice. Ms. Ditzy Doo seemed very sympathetic and easy to relate to for him, but then he spotted what he was unconsciously looking for.

“I would like to become the personal servant of Ms. Acrylic Canvas, sir.”

“As you wish. From now on you are exempted from the standard subordinance, answering only to her, me and the queen. The contract will be ready for you to sign in the evening unless there is a problem on the side of Ms. Canvas, which I don’t see as probable. Please show up at the personnel department then.” Night Knight scooped up the papers again and returned them to the drawer. “I am looking for further cooperation with you Rallying Net. For now, you are to serve tea to the entourage. They are seated in their common living room. Use this occasion to introduce yourself.”

“I will do so immediately, sir. Have a good afternoon.” Net left the office in peace. He achieved what he didn’t even hope for and now felt content and exactly where he was meant to be.

He quickly, but carefully assembled the tea service for six and collected an assortment of tea brands to provide a choice to the guests. He timed his journey through the palace to arrive at the apartment exactly at 5 o’clock. He knocked three times, waited a moment during which he noticed a commotion in the room, cleared his throat and then entered.

“Good afternoon, ladies. My name is Rallying Net and I am assigned as a personal servant for Ms Acrylic Canvas. May I offer you-” He hesitated a moment at what he beheld in the room, but his professionalism prevailed. “Ehm, may I offer you some tea and bring another cup for your guest?”

“Good morning, your majesty. It’s time to wake up,” a sweet sing-a-song voice slipped into Cadance’s unconsciousness and caressed the mind slumbering there. She smiled calmly in her sleep, but merely turned to her other side.

“Come on, your majesty. You don’t want those mamboberry cakes to get cold, do you?” A sound of a metal lid clinging against a tray as it was being lifted accompanied the words and a sweet smell soon drifted to Cadance’s nose. She was taking deep breaths of it and crystal berries soon manifested in her dreams. That is, until her tummy reacted on its own and rumbled lightly. The effect was immediate. Cadance’s eyes fluttered open and she realized for the first time the scent was real.

“It was about time, your majesty. I may really start to wake you up with imitating your hungry belly.”

“I’m sorry, Spinel, Did you have to wait long for me to wake up… again? Cadance asked with mild embarrassment, rubbing the back of her neck and glancing timidly at the elderly cheerful maid in front of her.

“Not longer than usually, your majesty. I got used to it,” Spinel said and placed the tray on Cadance’s lap. “Here, I’m not sure if you heard me before, but it would be pity if those cakes got cold.”

“You are too kind, Spinel. I told you a million times that you don’t have to bring me breakfast to bed. I am perfectly capable of walking to the dining room.” Even though protesting, Cadance eagerly grabbed one of the small cakes and took a big bite. It tasted as good as it smelled. Such was the truth for any meal served in the palace after all.

“I know, your majesty, but this is not a breakfast. That is indeed served in the dining room as we speak. This here-” Spinel pointed at the quickly vanishing sweets, “-is just a morning snack. Besides, you stay still while you eat, making it easier for me to brush your mane for you.” She protruded a mane brush and started proving her words by actions.

“Admit it, Spinel. You liked how chubby I got carrying Luster and now you are trying to return me to that weight.” The accusation was followed with a fake-betrayed expression on Cadance’s face and a gestures of defeat.

“Maybe. Try to stop me.” Spinel stepped back and satisfied with her work nodded with a smile.

“Never. But beware, if I am rolling into the dining room one day instead of walking, it is your fault.”

“Duly noted, your majesty. If you finished your cakes, please follow me. Next part of my diabolical plan awaits you.”

It’s nice to be surrounded by loving ponies. And being pampered. They are like a family. It’s a great motivation to be a good ruler indeed, Cadance mused as they were walking down a short corridor, being greeted by anypony they met. And here comes my actual family.

They entered the dining room, and for the thousandth time Cadance giggled at how differently it was decorated compared to the rest of the palace. Instead of classical paintings, monumental statues and exotic woods, most of the surface was covered with colorful pictures from fairytales, drawings by hoof of a small foal and food stains. The last mentioned told Cadance that Regal Luster was already in full swing of breakfasting.

“Cadance, sweetie, so you woke up after all,” Shining Armor jabbed and rose from his place to kiss his wife good morning. Cadance decided to play offended and dodged his attempts several times. “Well, well, well, somepony is playing hard to be kissed. Luster? Could you hold mommy still for a second?”

“Yes, sir!” Luster squealed in elation and before Cadance could react, he jumped from his place and landed against her side full force. She would of course keep her balance easily, but for sake of his amusement fell slowly to the other side and pretended to be pinned down. “You are captured, mommy!”

“Good job, Luster. You have instincts of a hunter,” Shining commended and pointed his attention to Cadance. “Now, for trying to avoid a kiss, you are hereby condemned to ten of them.”

The execution of the sentence proceeded to the sounds of giggling of both Luster and Spinel, but neither Luster nor Shining were showing any signs of setting Cadance free. She didn’t mind too much, but had to voice that concern anyway.

“Can I go now, please?”

“No,” came the answer from both members of her family.

“But I will be late for audiences. And I don’t even know who I am meeting with today. Where is Spike, anyway?” She took a glance around the room to locate the dragon, but failed to.

All present ponies started to giggle again. In response to her uncomprehending looks Shining eventually explained. “It’s Sunday, sweetie. You are not meeting with anypony. Spike probably left for the library with Twilight. That must be very nostalgic.”

“Oh…” For the second time that morning Cadance felt mild embarrassment. At least she was allowed to get up and assume her position at the table. Spinel was right, the true breakfast was to be found here. She didn’t even know what to begin with, so she opted for coffee. “I completely lost track of days. It’s been a long time since I had a free one, what with all the problems pressing lately.” Her expression went noticeably darker for a second. “And that letter from Celestia still doesn’t let me rest.”

“Don’t let that awful thing spoil your free day, sweetie. She is blaming you for something you didn’t commit. She just can’t deal with her own problems.”

“But we are helping Sunset Shimmer now,” Cadance pointed out dejectedly.

“Because Twilight asked you to give her a chance. I trust Twily, she knows what she’s doing. Even though I can’t say I am happy about that mare being around. the way she introduced herself to us…” He trailed off for a second, but soon assumed his previous supportive tone. “Just ask her for some explanation. She should know about that letter anyway and you didn’t have much time to catch up with her since returned.”

“You know, Shiny, that’s a good idea. I don’t have plans for today and wanted to discuss another matter with her too. You said they went to the library?”

“Most likely. Twily kept going there a lot since she came. Luster and I will find something to do while you are away. Library is not a place for us, right?” Luster’s sour expression told the story of his agreement better than words ever could.

Cadance got up from the table, levitating a cupcake beside her and started for the door. She stopped after the first step though, turning back to Shining, the third instance of embarrassment that morning. “Um, Shiny, where is the library?”

“Pray I never tell Twily about that question, sweetie.” The devilish flames in his eyes dimmed and turned to amusement at Cadance’s deadpan expression. “Third street to the right from the palace gate. You can’t miss it.”

“Thank you. Make sure your father behaves, Luster.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Luster mock saluted and to show how responsible he was, he tried to push a carrot into Shining’s mouth. The sounds of struggle followed Cadance down several corridors.

She left the palace without any guards. There was no danger of an attack against her, she knew that from experience. And even if an attacker appeared, everypony around would come to her help. The whole Empire was loving her and supporting her as their queen. Of course everypony didn’t agree with every decision or course of action, but in the end they accepted her authority every time and wouldn’t change.

Left and right, ponies were greeting her and bowing. Both native crystal ponies and immigrants were smiling and she was returning their smiles. For all of them she symbolized freedom. From their former oppressor, from painful past, from social discrimination and dictated opinion.

She prided herself for providing an environment friendly to anypony, regardless of their believes as long as they weren’t harming or impeding others. The Empire became a beacon of free speech actually. There were limits to everything though and there had been signs of trouble recently. Hopefully Twilight could explain those as well.

As Shining promised, the library wasn’t far from the palace at all. With how beautiful the day was, spring in the fullest bloom and sun ray fracturing at every crystal, she almost regretted not getting a better opportunity to venture around, especially with how happily a nearby merchant with an apple stand was inviting her over. She couldn’t enter the library with food though, so much she remembered from foalsitting Twilight, so she just smiled warmly and gestured that she would be back soon.

She continued into the large building in front of her and couldn’t but stare at the vast amount of books stored everywhere around. Locating Twilight would obviously take much longer than Cadance imagined, especially if she built another of her famous book fortresses. Cadance wandered aimlessly for a moment, but luckily she spotted a mare carrying a huge pile of books on her back. Nopony would order such an amount but Twilight. That was Cadance’s chance.

“Excuse me, ma’am, that looks awfully heavy for you. Let me help you with that,” she called out and levitated the books instantly.

“You would be very kind, dear.” The mare sighed in relief and popped her back before turning to her savior, only to drop into a deep bow. “Oh, your majesty, please forgive me for not noticing you earlier and for addressing you so inappropriately!”

“It’s absolutely alright. Actually, it’s a pleasant change to not be called ‘your majesty’ for once.” Cadance stacked the books in the air and pulled them closer with her magic. “Say, these are for Twilight Sparkle, correct?”

“Oh yes.” The mare straightened up and apparently happy that her ruler was happy pointed toward a secluded reading box. “Miss Sparkle is an avid reader indeed. I am not even sure this will suffice for her today…”

“I will assign some funds from the culture budget to the library for purchasing a bookcart. With her staying, you would soon break your back.” They shared a short laugh and each headed to their desired destination: the librarian to the office for some coffee - it was still morning after all - and Cadance to Twilight’s corner. She let her know of her presence by a small knock on the doorframe, but as expected, Twilight didn’t even lift her eyes from her current book.

“Thank you, Mrs. Maresbury. I would have picked them up alone if you called, they must be horribly heavy for you,” she said though, always polite toward the staff of libraries.

Cadance couldn’t but giggle at that cute trait. “It’s no problem at all dear,” she said trying to mimic the librarian’s voice. “But I told you a million times you could call me Cadance.”

That gave Twilight a pause and she looked up swiftly. Her expression quickly shifted to glee as she beheld the grinning Cadance and she jumped up to give her a big hug. This time, Cadance wouldn’t have had to fake smalling over if Twilight had decided to connect with her full force. Fortunately, she knew to restrain herself. Even so, she was clutching Cadance to the point of choking.

“Wow, wow, calm down, Twilight!” Cadance exclaimed, but wasn’t hiding her own joy from the meeting. “You are acting as if we haven’t seen each other for decades!”

“Sorry…” Twilight hesitantly pulled back and smiled sheepishly. “I guess I got a bit carried away. It’s just things have started looking up so quickly since we came here and I have been enjoying myself a lot and now you showed up…”

“I’m happy to see you too, Twilight. Sorry we don’t see each other more often. There is so much going on and I have to watch over all those projects regarding immigration.”

“I completely understand, Cadance. It’s not your fault. Spike has been telling me about all those problems you are facing.” She lifted some of the books from the sofa she was sitting on, making space for Cadance, and place them on the top of another tower of books nearby. Only a practiced reader could judge correctly to what point such constructs would remain stable. Cadance had to admire that mastery. “Please, take a seat.”

“Thank you. Where is Spike anyway?”

“Oh, he is sorting out some more books for me. These wouldn’t be enough for today.” She said it as if it was the most obvious information in the world. Only in response to Cadance’s perturbed gaze Twilight realized just how otherworldly it sounded. “I am not reading them from the beginning to the end! Just the useful excerpts. Mostly about history and governing.” She visibly brightened up and turned to Cadance with sparkling eyes. “Speaking of which, I could maybe help you with administrative, if you want. No decision making of course, just some support.”

“That would be great, actually.” Cadance immediately warmed up for the idea. “I wouldn’t dare to ask, not after how your last experience was, but if you are willing, it would help me greatly.”

“Alright, I can start tomorrow. I need something to pass time anyway.”

“So you plan to stay for a longer time?” Cadance asked with hope. After all, she could at least make sure Twilight was living in a comfortable way, safe from trouble here.
“Yes, the girls and I talked and we decided to stay here. If you don’t mind. Crystal Empire is a wonderful place. Just what we need.”

“Then it’s a good thing I started with choosing a staff to take care of your personal needs then.” She went noticeable more serious though after that remark. After all, she didn’t come just for chit chat. “Speaking of the girls though, I needed to ask you about them though.”

“Sure, what do you want to know?”

“I heard rumors of them going into streets and talking to crowds.”

“They are fantastic!” Twilight exclaimed and pride almost radiated from her physically. “They have been doing so well when you realise they have no previous experience with addressing crowds… well, except for Trixie.”

“I have to admit they have been drawing a lot of attention to themselves and that ponies generally speak fondly of them,” Cadance said, trying to not break Twilight’s happiness if possible. “I would like to know what they are speaking about though. It has an impact on my subjects, so I need to acquire as much information as possible. I'm sure you understand.”

“But of course.” Twilight continued beaming, thrilled to initiate Cadance to the secrets. “They are talking about morality and co-existence of ponies, each from the point of view of their Element. Ponies need to recover from the wickedness of the world.”

“They do, no doubt, but what Elements are you talking about?”

“Each of us represents one of the key virtues and is tasked with spreading it among ponies.”

“Like the Elements of Harmony?” Cadance suggested, suspecting Twilight was merely replacing what she lost with a construct of her mind.

“Much more important, Cadance! They influence all pony conduct. What good are Elements of Harmony? They apply only to friendly relationships. How are you to react when somepony refuses to be your friend?” Twilight turned on the sofa so that she was sitting facing Cadance and started leaning forward. Her voice gained on urgency and conviction as well. “Diligence, Fortitude, Temperance, Prudence, Justice and Humility help you in every situation though!”

Cadance backed a bit from the slightly insane visage Twilight was sporting. “Who chose these particular virtues? They sure are important, but they seem random. And how did you become the representations of them?”

“The Creator herself chose them, Cadance. She ordered them to be the principles of the creation and her servants passed them to us. They tasked us with bringing ponies hope again.” Twilight finally realized just how eccentric she was acting and pulled back with a red tint on her cheeks. “Sorry… I got carried away… again. We just really owe a lot to them and wish to further their work.”

“I see…” Cadance took a moment to sort her thoughts. This was very unlike Twilight, but so far she could tolerate it without worry. “You just never struck me as a religious type.”

“One changes her opinion on a lot of things once faith turns to certainty.”

“Alright then. Let’s say I believe you. In what form are you to bring hope to ponies? To get mad at me for assuming bad things, but the rumor has it that the girls were talking harshly about Celestia. Even calling for dethroning her.” Even though she spoke of believing, her voice betrayed doubts openly.

“Why so skeptical, Cadance? Of course they are speaking about Celestia. You must know best just what malice she breeds in the world. All your problems are stemming from her acts.”

“They do, but you are not answering my question, Twilight,” Cadance answered sternly. “And while I do share your resentment of Celestia, please note that she gave you much and that the problems of Equestria started with your departure!”

Twilight jumped of the sofa, infuriated by the remark. “The problems of Equestria were cummulating over eons, Cadance,” she spat out. “Yes, when I left, it started an avalanche, but the calamity of snow is not my fault. Nor can you blame me for choosing my own path in life instead of obeying to a forced one!”

“I’m sorry for that, Twily,” Cadance whispered, knowing that she overstepped boundaries. She reached toward Twilight with a forehoof and caressed her cheek. Twilight leaned onto the hoof and soon returned to the sofa, curling to Cadance’s side.

“Do you think it was an easy decision to leave everything behind? Everypony I have known, everything I achieved. I had to sacrifice it, Cadance. I want to change the world for the better and Celestia stands in the way of that.”

“What is your task Twilight?” Cadance asked quietly and pulled Twilight closer to her side. “What is it the servants of the Creator told you?”

“We are to purge sin out of the world. To teach ponies that with virtue they can achieve more. To save them from eternal damnation in Tartarus.”

“And you see Celestia as the root of all sin.”

“I do. We do! Even the Ein Sof told us she went astray from the right path. There is no helping it, Cadance. We need to stop her!” Twilight’s voice was quivering and when Cadance looked down, she spotted tears in her eyes. Twilight was begging her for support. For approval. “Crystal Empire needs to fight her and bring order to the world as it was meant to from the beginning.”

It was breaking Cadance’s heart to see Twilight like that. She wished so hard to say yes. She even agreed with the most of what Twilight said. Still, she couldn’t. She shook her head and kissed the top of Twilight’s head.

“No, Twilight. I am sorry, but we can’t do that.” The look of betrayal in Twilight’s eyes shook her even deeper. Everything was screaming at her to agree. To prevent Twilight from more pain. But the interests of her subjects went first. “I can’t let you preach about defeating Celestia, Twilight. Not now.”

“But… but why? You know I am right, don’t you?”

“In a sense, Twilight. But please, look at the bigger picture. Crystal Empire doesn’t really have an army. Its citizens barely recovered from the horrors of King Sombra and I can’t throw them into the turmoil of another war. And any provocation could actually make Equestria attack us.”

“Why would they do that?” Twilight asked in shock, her own concerns forgotten for a minute.

“I got a letter from Celestia some time ago complaining about my support of Sunset Shimmer. She thinks I set her free, conspired with her and helped her in the arson of Everfree. Not to mention how angry she is about the waves of emigration. The diplomatic connection is balancing on the tip of the knife.”

“So… you won’t help me.”

“I will not hinder any public speeches about morality and ethics. Talk about your virtues, inspire ponies to be better. I still count on you with that administrative support too and you are all welcome in the palace for as long as you wish. But if I hear that you were promoting hostility toward Equestria after today, I will have to step in.”

“I… I understand.” Twilight laid her head down on her forelegs and closed her eyes. Cadance could feel her shaking lightly against her side. She couldn’t stand to see her in that state any longer. She got up, kissed her on the forehead and prepared to leave.

“I am sorry, Twilight. I wish I could do more for you.” She was about to charge out of Twilight’s reading hideout, but suddenly stopped in her tracks perturbed. What the hay am I doing? I just broke what she obviously devoted herself truly to. Who am I to leave her alone like that? She turned back to face Twilight again, knelt down and nuzzled Twilight gently on the cheek.

“Wha-?” Twilight’s head jerked up in bewilderment. Small streaks of tear were matting her fur, but she was doing her best to stay composed. “I-I thought you didn’t want to talk to me after this…?”

“Twilight, why would I ever want that? We disagree on something, that’s not the end of the world.” She got up from the ground and gestured for Twilight to follow. “Now don’t be so glum, everything will work out in the end. Why don’t you and Spike go with me and spend some time with the family? Luster needs to see some bookworm habits around.”

Twilight giggled a little and jabbed Cadance in the ribs lightly. “Only Luster? Or all of you? A day out could do me a good though. I need to clear my head.”

Soon all three of them left the library and on their way back to the palace. Each was enjoying a juicy red apple - the merchant who Cadance waved at before was more than happy to provide for her family as well, especially since Cadance place a sizeable order for the palace kitchen upon the first bite.

Savouring the company and the sweetness of the fruit, Cadance finally began to enjoy the day in its fullest. It’s nice to be a queen.

With repeated views of the Empire, or at least the Crystal Heart district, Canvas continued to notice how similar it looked to Elysium, albeit with some major differences. It would have been nice to paint these views, but with the speeches she and her friends were giving, there just was never a moment to do so. And on that note, she got ready for the day and soon began her walk from the palace into the surrounding plaza.

The route for today was a different one than what she previously traveled. She had grown tired of preaching in the same area, so it was time for a change of scenery. Maybe one of the other districts would prove successful as well.

During the morning, she had to fight a small headache brought about by a small bug she had apparently picked up, as well as a sore throat. She could have told the others she wasn’t feeling well, but she simply wasn’t that type of pony. By now, she was expecting to go through a lot of problems in the foreseeable future, a little cold wasn’t going to get her down. In her walk though, she wished she had at least taken some painkillers or something along with her as the lightheadedness was starting to distract her. It was in this distracted daze that she made a wrong turn and found herself lost.

This district was less glamorous than the parts she was familiar with and she figured it was a newer portion with all the scaffolding. It seemed nearly empty and with no ponies around, it was definitely not the place to perform her tasks. The only ponies around were a few unicorns wearing ragged winterwear. The way they eyed her, as well as their very presence, made her very uncomfortable and she did her best to remove herself from the situation.

Her fear turned out to be warranted as these unicorns started tailing her. She started walking at a faster pace to get some distance. She did not want to get involved with any type of conflict, but confrontation seemed inevitable when she turned a corner and she found herself face to face with a white unicorn.

“Well hello there,” the stallion said slyly. “What’s a gal like you doin’ in these parts?”

Canvas backed away slightly, doing her best to keep a stern expression. The other unicorns from before, three in total, caught up and surrounded her, as if to entrap her.

“I recognize you from somewhere. I’ve seen you around the palace. I’m kinda surprised a gal like you could ever be invited into that place. Meanwhile, none of us can even approach. So what makes you so special, huh sweetcheeks?”

Though she never took her eyes off the stallion in front her her, she could feel the conniving looks from those around her. “I don’t have to answer to you.”

“Ah, there's that lovely voice.” The tone in which he said that that sent a shiver down Canvas’ spine. “Y’know? I wonder just how high that voice can get. Look toots, yain’t wantin’ to make me angry. I tend to get, shall we say, rough. But by all means try to run. I like a little resistance.”

She felt a brush against her flank at that moment, which made her flinch, heart starting to race. The nature of this encounter started to bring back unwelcome memories of another unicorn that wronged her. Back then, the circumstances didn’t allow her to do anything about it. But now, she had both the means and the desire to take control.

“So, what’s it gonna be like? Easy, or rough?”

“You really should be careful who you threaten. Your magic isn’t going to help you here and you would be surprised just how strong a mare can be.”

The stallions cackled, obviously amused with her words. They had let down their guard though, and Canvas saw an opportunity. With the nearest stallion being the one at her rear, she raise her hind hooves and kicked him in the face, forcing him back enough to dive out of the way of the other stallions who scrambled to restrain her, bumping into each other in the process. She quickly got back on her hooves and dashed past the dazed stallion, getting a decent head start on the hoodlums. Naturally, they gave chase and they had one advantage that Canvas didn’t.

The ringleader lit his horn and teleported in front of her, ready to tackle her. Canvas did not stop running and after evading a haymaker, she used her momentum and headbutted his muzzle. With this pony stunned, she ran past him and continued running. Unfortunately, she tripped over a small pile of construction bricks and the impact gave her a daze of her own. This was enough for the stallions to catch up, not willing to give her the chance to escape again.

“Was a nice try, toots. But now, I’m gonna need to exact some reve-”

The stallion’s word was cut off by an impact to the face caused by a thrown rock. All ponies present looked in the direction of the thrown projectile to see an ivory colored crystal guard. “Your kind just never learns, do you?” the guard said in a calm yet authoritative voice.

“Back off, ya ponce! Ain’t havin’ none of ya today, ain’t your business.” The injured thug turned to one of his cohorts. “Oy, you! Have her ready. You two, let’s introduce this guy to the ground and make that relationship, shall we say, intimate.”

As three of the stallions approached the guard, he popped his neck and simply waited for them to get within a good discipline distance. The one to his left lunged forward for a haymaker and as he did, the guard stretched out his hoof and redirected the punch before moving in and used the metal plating of his helmet to headbutt him in the manner Canvas did earlier. This time, it knocked him out cold. The second lackey moved behind him and attempted to restrain him, but the guard spun around to the right of him and grabbed his right hoof. In a second and a half, he raised his hoof and swiftly brought it on the stallion’s elbow, breaking it and bringing excruciating pain before a subsequent punch from the guard’s armored hoof connected to his skull and knocked him unconscious as well.

Now it came to the ringleader, who was physically larger than the guard. The guard was not at all deterred and when the thug lit his horn and teleported, the guard ducked out of instinct just in time to barely miss a headlock attempt and was in a prime position to hit the thug in his most vulnerable weak spot. With him doubling over in pain, the guard delivered a cross punch to the left cheek. The thug attempted to retaliate with a wild haymaker, one that was blocked with an elbow and countered with a throw. Now wheezing and writing in pain, the thug was in no position to fight and the trauma to his head soon gave way to him blacking out.

“Never mess with an imperial guard.” The guard then turned to the direction of the last remaining stallion, still remembering there was an important mare in danger. “Now as for… you?”

He was surprised to find the last of the instigators trapped in a chokehold by the very same mare that was being assaulted. There was some struggling, but try as he might, he was no match for the strength of Canvas’ earth pony heritage and in a matter of seconds, he was the last to join his brethren in a group nap.

“You can stop choking him now, miss. He’s starting to turn blue.”

Canvas gradually released her grip, just enough to allow circulation but not enough to let him escape should he regain consciousness. When the color returned to the knocked out stallion, she carefully set him on the ground and the guard came closer to put him in cuffs, as he did the other three soon after.

“Are you alright, miss Canvas?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m fine, just a little sore from tripping. That was quite impressive with how you dealt with those guys.”

“I just did what I learned in training. You on the other hoof, I didn’t see how you did it, but you handled yourself very nicely.”

“I learned how to defend myself and then some. Thank you for coming to my aid though… um…”

“My name is Marble Rampart. We actually met when you came to the palace with your friends. I was the one who carried your bags.”

Canvas thought back to the memory of the strong guard who escorted her group and blushed slightly as she remembered bumping into the guard himself. “Right, I thought you looked familiar. I just got so caught up in this city’s beauty that I just didn’t watch myself.”

“It was not a problem at all. Though, I guess you can see now this city isn’t as beautiful as it looks. Even before the immigration influx, it had some hidden problems, most of which I’m sure you already know.” Marble Rampart finished cuffing the suspects and not too long afterwards, a wagon with a few other guards came by to pick them up.

“They sure got here fast,” Canvas pointed out as she watched the guards loaded the suspects into the wagon.

“This district is rather infamous for criminals like them so Her Majesty and Captain Armor had us carefully watch these streets. So many of us are within shouting distance if anything goes wrong.”

“Is that why you just so happened to be in the right place at the right time?” Canvas joked.

“Hardly. Actually, Captain Armor wanted to make sure our guests were well taken care of and requested a few of us to watch over all of you. Covert security, so to speak.”

“It’s a good thing too. I really wasn’t expecting to go through all that today.”

“May I suggest staying clear of the more dangerous areas of the city in the future, at least when by yourself? The best protection against danger is prevention.”

“Y-yeah, I’ll try.” Canvas tried to walk a bit but discovered the combined might of her headache and sore legs made it difficult to stand too long. She wasn’t terribly impaired, but she knew it would not be wise to perform her duties today. “Marble Rampart, may I ask you to walk me back to the palace. I’m feeling kind of weak.”

“Yes m’lady. Just let me know if you need any help.”

Canvas followed Marble’s lead as he walked back in the direction of the palace, staying close to him in the off chance she should lose her balance. Though the palace was tall and hard to miss in scenic areas, the combined limited light of the morning overcast and the height of some buildings prevented a clear view of the imposing building. Thankfully, Marble Rampart knew his city well.

“So, what’s it like working in the Imperial Guard?” Canvas inquired, attempting to kill the boredom of the walk back.

“Not as glamorous as you might think. I mean don’t get me wrong, it has its benefits, but you go into the job expecting huge responsibilities and thrills associated with protecting royalty and the public. In reality, you’re really just standing around or patrolling a certain route and most of the time, it’s pretty uneventful.”

“I suppose you could think of it as the type of job where it’s better to be uneventful.”

“Maybe, but I personally don’t like being idle. It’s not only boring, but I feel like it’s a waste of effort and time. Sure, somepony has to do it, but sometimes I feel like we only get paid to sit around doing nothing. Then when something does come up, we feel out of practice because that’s all we’ve been doing, training sessions notwithstanding. They might as well be hiring sloths. I don’t know, maybe I’m just whining.”

As Marble spoke, Canvas noticed a slight amount of anger in his voice. It wasn’t anger aimed at anything in particular, it was just there. She wasn’t really sure what to make of his actual words.

“Well, you did your job very well back there. You defended me and took out those ruffians almost single hoofed.”

“That’s only because I make it a point to keep my skills fresh, unlike some of the others. And it’s like you said, I was doing my job. Really nothing more when you get down to it.”

“I don’t think that’s necessarily true. You took them on by yourself, without backup. You went above and beyond to help me.”

“If you say so.”

Now the frustration in Canvas was starting to grow a bit. She couldn’t remember dealing with a stallion like him since… Well, Rallying Net. Thinking back, it took some effort to completely persuade him as well. As mildly frustrating as this was though, something about this stallion intrigued her. She wasn’t entirely sure why, but he was different than what she was used to dealing with. She was feeling to ill to think any further on this for the moment though, so perhaps she should save it for later.

“Well, thank you anyway. Just know that more ponies appreciate what you do than you think. You are right about one thing though. It helps to keep your skills sharp and not to disregard them. Perhaps I should take that to heart as well. And thank you for escorting me back.”

Marble bowed as they approached the palace plaza. “Safety and peace, Miss Acrylic Canvas.”

“Upon you as well, Marble Rampart.”

During the day, in full activity and enjoying the company, it was easy for Twilight to push her desperation out of her mind, but as she said her goodbyes to Shining and Cadance for the day and as Spike ran off to order some snacks and tea to be delivered to their apartment, the thoughts of her conversation with Cadance returned. How would she even break it to the girls?

She had gotten deep in thought by the time she reached the apartment. She knew that everything would change for them. The plan they drew would fall apart even though they were still allowed to teach the ponies about morality. They would have to search for other resources. But where?

“The tea should arrive soon, Twilight. I ordered some for the girls as well. Are you holding another afternoon together?”

Twilight jumped up a little, startled by Spike’s voice. She kept forgetting how much longer he had lived in the Crystal Empire. He knew every shortcut to be found in the palace and traveled at an amazing speed. He opened the door and held them open.

“Thank you, Spike. Yes, we are.” She walked over to the sofa in the centre of the room and sat down. After some time they spent in the Empire and after they first considered staying permanently, they asked Cadance for an apartment that could house all of them. Guest rooms of the palace sure were comfortable, but they couldn’t be called home. Since then they lived like one happy family, Spike included.

“Want me to go get them? As I know them, it will take them forever to gather.”

“Sure, if you would be so kind.”

He returned in a few moments, everypony was in the apartment, and sat down next to Twilight. “Could I participate this time? I have nothing better to do.”

Twilight thought for a second, but there was really no reason to not let him. He knew about their preaching anyway, if not the details. “I don’t see a reason why not. Trixie will be jealous about your spot though.”

“She can lean on your other side.” They shared a giggle, Twilight’s more strained as it was merely masking her prevailing anxiety. Spike was right about the girls taking their time. It didn’t really matter though. The tea hadn’t arrived yet anyway.

One by one the girls entered from their respective rooms and started assuming their favourite places. Normally they would go outside and combine the meeting with exploring of the gardens or the city. Today, Twilight didn’t really feel like walking anymore. Trixie glared at Spike a little, but at receiving a clear ‘what are you going to do about it’ look from him, she just huffed and as expected sat down by Twilight’s other side. Ditzy came next and in a nearby armchair.

“You look really great today, Ditzy,” Spike commended. Ditzy flashed him a smile and got more comfortable.

“Flatterer. I got a free day, so I went to a spa and relaxed a bit. Sparkler took Dinky for a trip today. They are sweethearts, but a day alone is necessary from time to time.”

“Sometimes, yes. But you would get fed up with it really soon.” Sunset stepped in and laid down on a big pillow. “Trust me, I’m talking from experience.”

“True, true.” Ditzy nodded thoughtfully.

Soon afterwards they were all seated and ready. They were all throwing covert glances at Canvas who seemed somewhat disheveled. She noticed of course and before anypony could ask, she took the word.

“I hope you had a better day than me. Some rabble-” Everypony flinched at her using such a word, forgetting that her petite and cute looks could be deceiving at times. She frowned at them a little before continuing. “What? They are just that! They tried to rob me and more. Thankfully a skilled guard came by.”

“That’s awful. Are you alright?” Sunset said and popped her neck. “Do you want me to find them and teach them a lesson or two?”

“They got arrested and won’t leave the dungeon for a long time,” Canvas explained, getting appeased by the immediate offer of help. “But I didn’t get to speak to the ponies at all today. I got a horrible migraine afterwards and had to return to the palace.”

“My offer still stands in case you change your mind.”

“Thanks, Sunny, it won’t be necessary I think.” Sunset just shrugged, not convinced in the least.

“Speaking of addressing ponies,” Twilight took advantage of the pause and gathered her courage to move to the problem at hoof. “We have a big problem, girls. Cadance talked to me today and-” She didn’t get to finish though as Spike jumped up from the sofa and pointed feverishly toward the door.

“Look! What in Tartarus is that?!”

They all turned in the signaled direction, thinking at first somepony was trying to break in. The reality proved to be worse as the door remained intact, but the air in front of them didn’t. A footlong glowing vertical slit formed about five feet from the ground and something began to emerge from it in a snake like motion. The matter split into two streams and spread to the sides a little, as if grabbing the space itself from inside.

Ditzy who was sitting the closest to the door scrambled to her feet quickly and retreated behind the table to join the others who were watching the spectacle in awe. The first pair of appendages which now assumed the form of white ribbons was joined by another and at once they started pushing to the sides, widening the slit and prolonging it to the ground.

While the girls started backing away, Spike moved forward, leaving the relative safety of their table cover. “Run! I will distract it!” He assumed a threatening pose in the middle of the room and bared his teeth. Meanwhile the portal grew so much in size it would easily let pass a pony of Big Mac’s size and a strangely familiar floral scent filled the air. There was an undertone of rot in it though, disheartening the girls without them understanding it. The light emanating from the portal reached blinding intensity and they could more sense than make out a silhouette coming out.

Sunset and Twilight joined Spike in his stand despite his refusing glances. They wouldn’t let him face the peril alone. They charged their horns and prepared the most deadly spells they could recall. Especially in Sunset’s case that meant she expected apocalyptic enemy. The light disappeared at once, but their eyes couldn’t focus correctly.

“Fear not, for I come in peace,” a familiar voice declaimed and they finally got to recognise their visitor. Cherish stood in front of them, wings spread majestically, one foreleg bent in elbow and head held proudly high. “I commend your bravery, young dragon. Few stood their ground at face of Ein Sof’s arrival.”

“I will show you just how brave I am if you don’t explain yourself right now!” Spike threatened and took a step forward to emphasize his words.

“Spike, stop!” Twilight worked quickly to avoid the impending confrontation and stepped in front of him. “Thank you for defending us, but Cherish is a friend.”

“A friend?” Spike asked in confusion. “But… but what even is she? I have never seen anypony like that!”

“She is an Ein Sof. The Creator’s angel. The girls and I spent the last four years in their land learning from them.” She turned to Cherish and frowned a little. “But none of us has ever witnessed this.”

“That doesn’t surprise me, in the least. We prefer to enter the world of mortals unseen, on secluded places. Alas, today you gave me no choice but to come to you directly unless I wanted to breach the privacy of home of one of you. It’s not like I could have sent you a warning,” Cherish explained indignantly and moved toward a sofa opposite to the one where Twilight, Trixie and Spike sat previously. Lightning and Canvas had to find new spots for themselves, the former not hiding her annoyance.

“So angels are real…” Spike muttered to himself as he returned to his seat with Twilight, who nuzzled him and whispered a thank you to him.

“I can see why,” Sunset remarked and she too returned to her pillow.

“One does how one can. Speaking of which, Sister Scintillant wanted me to forward a greeting to you and express her delight upon your achievements with the plan. She has been analysing the reports you sent through me and thinks that in a few months you will have accumulated a sufficient force for a direct attack. Will I have the pleasure of forwarding more good news today?”

“You came just in time,” Sunset said. “Twilight was about to tell us something about her conversation with Cadance when you made your spectacular entreé.” She turned to Twilight who was squirming again, although her ability to do so was limited by Spike and Trixie pressed against her. “What did you want to tell us, Twilight?”

Twilight sighed and bowed her head low. “I don’t think Scintillant and any of you will be happy with this, but Cadance came to talk to me today and forbid us to talk about Celestia and Equestria in our preaching altogether.”

An outburst of indignation, confusion and disappointment followed around. “Why would she do such a thing?” Lightning cried out.

“We are just telling the truth! Ponies deserve to know,” Canvas added.

“Did you explain our motives to her?” Ditzy asked, the most composed of them all at the moment.

“I did, but it didn’t change anything. She even agreed that Celestia is bad, but still didn’t budge.”

“I fail to see why this is a problem,” Cherish stated calmly, drawing attention of them all to her. “Changes always happen against the order, otherwise the revolutionaries wouldn’t be needed at all.”

“But she said that if we continued, she would take action. She could send guards on us or even throw us out from the Empire!” Twilight explained, a tinge of desperation and sadness in her voice. “I don’t want to lose another home. Another part of my family…”

“Then you must find a way to gain followers and don’t give her a chance to do anything about it simultaneously,” Cherish said matter of factly

“That’s-” Once again Twilight didn’t get to finish her sentence as three sharp knocks sounded at the door. Lightning and Sunset jumped out quickly and started for the door to lock it, the others trying to do the same, but they were all late as the door opened to reveal a black pegasus in servant uniform.

“Good afternoon, ladies. My name is Rallying Net and I am assigned as a personal servant for Ms Acrylic Canvas. May I offer you-” He stopped dead in his tracks, scanning the room with the ponies frozen in the dash toward the door and a strange alabaster white figure with ribbons stemming from its back, but he regained his composition quickly. “Ehm, may I offer you some tea and bring another cup for your guest?”

“That would be lovely of you, Mr. Net,” Cherish said, lifted the tray with her magic from the trolley he was pushing and set it on the table. “You could also bring us some desert and cookies, be so kind.”

“Of course, ma’am. I will be right back.” He retreated from the room and closed the door again. Once it did, Ditzy looked sternly at Cherish.

“I hate to be rude to an Ein Sof, but-” she took a deep breath and stepped closer to her, “-Are you completely out of your mind?!” she shouted at such volume that the others cringed in pain. “He saw you and you just send him away as if nothing happened? He will return with guards!”

“And if he did, what would it change?”

Cherish lifted a spoon with her hoof and her halo spinned a slow pace. The cutlery bent at first and then a droplets of melt metal started falling on the table until all that was left was a little grayish pool. The hoof previously holding it remained unscarred. Cherish then picked the metal in her magic and pressed on it from all sides until the spoon was formed again.

“We are allowed to defend ourselves when threatened. Besides, I sometimes happened upon him while watching the palace. He always goes after his task directly, never stopping to chat with others or taking detours. He will return with my cup and the sweets in no time.”

“He could have been listening behind the door though,” Lightning pointed out. “He may not run to his superiors right away, but later when we stop suspecting him, he may tell Cadance about what we have been discussing. You weren’t exactly subtle, Cherish.”

“So what would you do? Execute an innocent pony without any evidence he is a threat or that he would do anything against us in the first place?” Canvas asked angrily.

“Yes, that would be my cause of action,” Trixie said cooly. “Any, even the smallest and improbable threat must be eliminated right away, otherwise we are all in danger.”

“By that logic Twilight would have had to ended you after your lapse with Alicorn Amulet,” Lightning countered. “Be a dear and compare the potential loss and gain next time you try to sign an order of execution.” Trixie pressed closer to Twilight at the realisation that indeed her words wouldn’t be exactly beneficial to her past life. But that would have to wait for now.

“Please, Twilight,” Canvas took the word again. “I met Rallying Net before. He was that pony I had to argue with during my first preaching. Back then he was nothing, a beggar and vagabond. Now he made it so high in the staff. I convinced him of our cause. Please don’t let them kill him.”

Twilight glanced at the faces of her friends and at Spike who was unsure what was even transpiring in front of his eyes. One moment they were being served tea, the other the servant was to be executed. The servant he, Spike, called by his order of tea. He looked up at Twilight and shook his head no, pleadingly stretching his claws toward her.

“I can’t decide this alone,” Twilight said apologetically to both his and Canvas’ pleading eyes. “We will vote about it. Who is for getting rid of Rallying Net?” Ditzy, Trixie and Sunset raised their hoof. Canvas glared at Sunset viciously for that.

“He chose servitude as a way out of his powerlessness. Such pony is useless to our cause.”

“A pony judging others by social status is useless to ponykind,” Canvas hissed in response, but before the argument could escalate, Twilight stepped in.

“Who is against?” Canvas’ hoof shot up immediately, followed by Lightning’s and Twilight’s. “A draw…”

“When the path best for you is hidden from your eyes, take the needs of others into account as humility combines all virtues,” Cherish stated calmly. “I will use your cup for now, Sunset. The worthlessness of the pony who brought it to you soaked into it anyway.”

Sunset bit her lip and started inspecting the pattern of the carpet. “Sorry. It’s just I was raised to love strength and power and despise weakness. It’s hard to overcome.”

“Everypony makes mistakes, Sunset,” Twilight said and Canvas reached a hoof to Sunset who gladly shook it and pulled the younger mare into a hug. “Just remember that the easiest or straightest path or even the one leading directly to the top of the world doesn’t necessarily be the correct one.”

“I will, Twilight. But we still need to decide what to do. Rallying Net knows more than we would like and we need to take precautions.”

“Let me talk to him,” Canvas offered. “He alone should decide his fate. I will just help him.”

They all nodded in agreement and finally poured some tea for themselves, apart from Sunset who was stripped of her cup. It took several more minutes before Rallying Net returned, again announcing his arrival by three sharp knocks.

“Come in, please,” Canvas called and Rallying Net entered. He was about to hand the cup to Cherish, but noticed she already had one. “Our guest turned out to be rather thirsty, so Sunset gave her the cup for the time being,” Canvas explained quickly. “I need to talk to you, if you have a minute.”

“Of course, ma’am. I was assigned to serve as your personal servant. My time is yours.”

“Very well then. You know who I am and what I have been doing, correct?”

“I do indeed, miss Acrylic Canvas. Among the other activities you managed to show me to the right path,” Net said with a sense of reverence to his words. “Thanks to you I decided to change my life and it felt natural to choose you as the pony I would devote my service to.”

“So you chose to get rid of your freedom. What an excellent course of action,” Sunset said mockingly, gaining a glare from Canvas and surprisingly from Ditzy as well.

“No, ma’am. I realized that by not doing anything I was causing loss to everypony and chose to lessen that problem. Furthermore, I came to the conclusion that on my own I can contribute only so much and will never achieve a significant effect. Therefore I chose to be of help to Ms. Acrylic Canvas. The notion she represented in her speech is worth following.” He stayed perfectly calm, not letting any emotion show. His position was one of subordination and he would not act to displease Canvas. Ponies who didn’t understand his reasons deserved pity, not anger after all.

“Thank you for your kind words, I am glad I left such a strong impression on you.” Canvas’ cheeks were tinted a bit red from the praise, though she would immediately deny it. “Due to them it pains me even more that our preaching must come to an end.”

Now his feelings shone through and they were of disbelief and betrayal. “Why would you do that, ma’am? You need to continue spreading the truth!”

“We can’t, dear Rallying Net. We were forbidden to by Queen Cadance,” Twilight explained, catching wind of what game Canvas wanted to play. “What would you do in our place?”

He sat down on the ground and thought hard. On one hoof he felt obliged to follow the orders of his beloved ruler. On the other, he knew Cadance’s decision was wrong according to his conscience. If he carried through with the orders, he would be betraying his believes and once he would start with that, where would he end?

In the end he turned to his experience. In his life he learnt how the rule of King Sombra and queen Cadance felt. Princess Twilight was crowned and resign. Princess Luna fought by Celestia’s side, turned against her, reunited with her and formed her own kingdom. The sole presence of the changes were showing clearly that the rulers were often wrong in their opinions and actions.

“I would continue preaching, ma’am. It pains me to say it, but our beloved queen is wrong to bar you from doing so,” he said slowly, still fighting his sense of duty. He was decided though and wouldn’t leave his path. “If I were to choose between my loyalty to her majesty and to the ideas Ms. Canvas presented to me, I would choose the latter.”

“Should I take it as an oath of loyalty, Rallying Net?” Canvas asked and slowly walked to him, her eyes starting to glow with the same light as when Net first met her. “Think carefully as there is no turning back once you devote yourself to Ein Sof.” She turned to her friends and a halo with a vine spiraling around it like a snake appeared above her head. “For none of us, as choosing to leave equals actively opposing the cause ergo choosing evil and damnation.”

They all shivered a little as the judgment was passed on the matter with unwavering authority. Only Net didn’t, bowing down in front of Canvas instead.

“My loyalty is to you and your cause, Acrylic Canvas. I will follow you, protect you and serve you. My death will be in your name.”

A strand of his mane turned into a string of leaves similar to the one on Canvas’ halo. To Spike’s eyes it looked the normal way in the next second, but the Elements and Cherish kept the sight of reality. Cherish was smiling fondly at the success in front of her, while the others were watching with their mouths agape. Canvas reached a hoof toward Net and helped him up.

“Thank you, Rallying Net. I promise to not fail the trust you put in me.” She lead him to where she sat previously and signaled him to take a seat next to her. Only then did her mind return to the business at hoof. “Yet it may be complicated for us to continue on with our preaching as we are facing exile if we don’t obey”

“Then we need to seek another way to spread the word and make ponies see the truth. Even against the queen’s will,” Net stated convicted, “Talking to them in the open in the open can’t be the only option.”

“Your first true follower speaks well, my friends,” Cherish said, drawing the attention to herself after the longest time. She kept sipping her tea and even ate several pastries in the meantime. While the life of Ein Sof didn’t lack the pleasures of Elysium in general, following Scintillant to the darkest parts of Tartarus often prevented her from finding them. Furthermore, she was feeling more and more drawn toward the bodily pleasures she was missing on away from Elysium.

“We could meet them in smaller numbers or in their houses,” Ditzy offered.

“Somepony would spill the beans sooner or later and we wouldn’t gain anything in the end,” Lightning countered.

“Then we should make Crystal Empire into our own kingdom by force,” Sunset said, but shrank on her pillow immediately at being faced with eight deadpan looks.

“Firstly,” Trixie started after several deep breaths aiming to calm herself, “how exactly would seven ponies defeat an entire kingdom? If that were possible, we would be sitting in the throneroom in Canterlot by now.” She meant it as a small joke of sorts, but wasn’t surprised nopony laughed. It was too close to truth. “Secondly, who in their right mind would follow notions forced down on them by a tyrant?”

To her surprise that purely rhetorical question received its answer. “Everypony who wouldn’t know they were living in tyranny,” Twilight whispered sadly, but in the quiet room it rang like a bell.

“Care to explain, Twilight?” Lightning finally broke the silence since nopony but Cherish seemed to make any sense of Twilight’s words. The Ein Sof on the other hoof was now smiling widely and motioned for Twilight to continue.

“Back when Brother Aurora got on his path of destruction and became King Sombra, he manipulated the Crystal Heart to bend the will of crystal ponies to his own.”

“How can you even think about such a thing?” Canvas exclaimed in disbelief. “You are talking about enslaving an entire nation!”

“But Dorothea was meant to protect the world from evil, Canvas,” Twilight tried to defend her point, but Canvas wouldn’t have any of that.

“Is it their fault that they were born here? A decision made eons ago shouldn’t impede their path through life! That’s pure-”

“Did you choose your parents, Canvas?” Trixie called out, cutting the rant short. Canvas looked at her not comprehending the meaning of the question. “Or your cutie mark? Was it your conscious choice that you would be turning pictures into material objects? It was forced upon you, Canvas and you had no way to change that. You told us it brought you discomfort, even danger and still it was to be, no matter what you would pick for yourself.”

“What the Creator decided even eons ago remains in force forever. In the same way as the condition of the judgment after death have been and will always be the same,” Cherish added and definitely broke Canvas’ argument. “There is justice in the fate, dear Canvas. It is that nopony can avoid it.”

“Do you know how Sombra achieved his control, Twilight?” Lightning asked, turning their attention from philosophy to practical problem of everyday life.

“No exactly,” Twilight admitted. “He was very close to the Creator and probably knew about its structure more than anypony since. He had to alter its structure somehow, but that’s all I know.”

“He merged a piece of his being with the Heart,” Cherish said with the same contented smile from before. “He controlled them perfectly because he was broadcasting his will to them directly. He had to change the structure of the Heart considerably for that though.”

“So he gave up a piece of himself?” Twilight asked incredulously. “He was more dedicated to his thing than I though.”

“In a sense he did and yes, he was. You will be too, Twilight Sparkle, as Brother Empathy will surely teach you everything you need to know.”

“Why not you?” asked Trixie in surprise.

“Who is your link to Mother Dogma, him or me?” Cherish said with a smirk and got up. “My time is short. I need to return to my duties lest others might get suspicious. May Creator’s blessing be with you. Safety and peace, Elements.”

“Upon you as well,” they all replied as she got up from the sofa, placed the cup back on the table and nodded to Net.

“Thank you for the tea.” She then spread her wings and gripped the air with the tips just like they saw at her arrival. A gate slowly opened in the air, the same light emanating from it, and Cherish stepped in, leaving on an unseen path. Then the gate faded to nothing.

One by one the girls started leaving the room, Net following Canvas to talk about his duties as a servant and mainly about what transpired. In a few minutes only Twilight and Spike remained in the room, huddled next to each other on the sofa.

“I wish we didn’t have to do this,” Twilight said quietly. “At least we won’t have to hurt Cadance.” She didn’t receive an answer and looked at Spike with concern. “Spike? Is everything ok?”

“N-no, Twilight! It’s not!” he got out between the sobs. “You don’t understand at all! You are going to hurt Cadance!”

“What? How?” Twilight’s eyes went wide with bewilderment. She really couldn’t find how their plan would harm Cadance other than reducing her power as a ruler.

“The coronation. The Heart accepted her. They are the same, Twilight. You hurt one and the other suffers. You are going to hurt Cadance and change her into somepony she is not. If she even survives…”

“Creator help me, that mustn’t be…” Twilight muttered and joined Spike in his weeping.

A peaceful night reigned over Crystal Empire. Northern lights were weaving their way among the stars, beating the moon in brightness. A light wind was brushing against the trees, just enough to make them swivel and cover the quiet sounds of night animals.

It was also sufficient to hide the careful steps of a lone unicorn sneaking through shadows. She was almost disgusted by how easy her task was so far. She didn’t meet a single guard. Apparently that strange and contemptible servant supplied them with correct information. What surprised her more though was the complete absence of random passerby’s. Crystal ponies never ceased to surprise her. Nothing was forcing them to meet an early bedtime, still they rarely left their houses after ten in the evening.

Maybe it is for the best, she thought, I’m not exactly the type to move around unnoticed. At least I am almost there.

The dark form of the Crystal Palace was towering in front of her. She spent the whole day away in the hills just to conceal her moves. To her knowledge the others did the same, apart from Twilight and Ditzy each choosing one excuse or the other to stay out of their shared home. She wouldn’t mind if such days away from the other girls would become a regular occurrence. Solitude never bothered her, unlike the constant yapping about nothing.

She got nearer to the arch leading to chamber of the Crystal Heart. Just outside the circle of light emanating from the inside - both the the Heart itself and the crystal on the inner side of the pylons supporting the palace above providing a pleasing pink light periodically transitioning to cool ice blue - she spotted a shade she was looking for.

Crystal ponies didn’t dedicate too much defense to the most important artifact of their culture. She knew the guard was well trained by Shining Armor himself and wouldn’t be a simple target. He even positioned himself so that a potential attacker would have their vision impaired by the contrast of the night and the well-lit chamber.

She quietly circled him in the distance so that they were facing each other. An ambush from behind would bring her nothing. She would get spotted sooner than she would get into reach and the following combat would draw attention of the whole city. No, there were other ways.

Waiting patiently, something achievable with her only by the promise of an outstanding enjoyment, she stayed motionless lowered to the ground to avoid any attention and gazed up to the sky. A lone shade drifted quickly across the colorful streams on the sky. Amateur.

Suddenly three bright spots burned just above the highest spire of the palace. The waiting was over. She fired a single beam of sunlight toward the guard, aiming to where she thought his eyes would be. She shot after her beam immediately. If she missed, there would be no hiding anymore anyway.

To her satisfaction the guard dropped his spear and was covering his eyes with a hoof, stumbling a little from the sudden blindness inflicted to his darkness-adapted sight. He didn’t even register the pounding of her hooves on the cobblestones or the sharp whiz of air followed by a dark thud nearby and the buck hitting him into the face came as a nasty goodnight surprise.

She was standing above his unmoving body, shaking her head in disbelief, not even mourning not using her blades. That would go against Twilight’s wish after all. “Really? That’s the elite force of Crystal Empire? I thought they would be the best force around. We have cut ourselves much more work than it seemed.”

“They are not all that bad,” a voice came from the closest pylon. With a concentrated, but slightly disdainful face, Trixie was making her way over, levitating her charge behind her. “I watched them during the drill. They know how to handle themselves. These don’t measure.”

“That’s because they are not the elite force meant to protect the Heart.” Acrylic Canvas was slowly walking to them, a pair of saddlebags on her bag, and dropped a vine she was dragging with a hoof. On the other end of it was a gray bundle crowned with several knots of a similar plant. “Rallying Net switched the names of guards assigned to various duties for tonight. The elite is sleeping and the rookies watch over the crucial spots.”

Sunset whistled approvingly. “It seems your servant really has some value. Interesting.” She gladly took another sheaf of vines that Canvas was growing from the ground at will and bound both her guard and the one downed by Trixie.

“That only means their security sucks,” Lightning stepped in and dropped the last remaining guard in front of Sunset to be tied like his brothers without arms. “They should be more careful and not allow anypony march in and tamper with their documents.”

“Speaking of more careful, oh master spy,” Sunset mockingly saluted and blue a raspberry at her, “did they not teach you to keep a low profile in case you could be spotted on the lit sky? Any proper soldier could and would have gotten you like a pigeon against the northern lights. This is a no-flight-zone”

“Then I’m lucky I’m the only proper soldier around, don’t you think?” She messed Sunset’s mane with a hoof and walked closer to the centre of the chamber to assume position for the next phase.

Sunset was muttering curses through her clenched teeth after the retreating pegasus, Canvas and Trixie trying their hardest to keep a straight face. Suddenly the sound of wings slowing a long free fall caught their attention though and they turned just in time to spot Twilight and Ditzy drifting side by side into the chamber through the northern arch.

“No. Flight. Zone,” Sunset said, accentuating each word. “What in particular is unclear on that. You shouldn’t fly here.”

“If you know of a better way from the top of the spire, I would like to hear it,” Ditzy countered with a smirk and walked past to join Lightning Dust.

“What were you doing at the top of the spire? And how did you get there? I thought there would be guards at the entrance,”” Sunset asked incredulously, but with a noticeable hint of resignation. She was getting to the point of going with the flow not caring.

“The one in higher in the tower sure. But Cadance doesn’t know about the one in the throne room. This was the easiest way to both give you the signal and get here undetected by guards. The patrols are more numerous inside,” Twilight explained and looked around. “Besides, the view from up there is outstanding and I wanted to stargaze a little to relax. Any trouble down here?”

“Not at all, Rallying Net did a good job with the guards and there are next to none ponies outside. We won’t be disturbed,” Trixie stated happily, to which Sunset reacted sorely, even more after spotting Canvas’ proud expression.

“At least the transition will be easier for them. They will think the epiphany came to them in a dream or they won’t question it at all.” She muttered something to herself, but Sunset couldn’t quite make it out. Something like ‘if it comes to that,’ but she wouldn’t bet on it.

“It’s time to start, Twilight,” Trixie said and walked to the spot she would be watching for intruders. Sunset marched to her spot as well, followed by Canvas. They formed an equilateral triangle with the centre of gravity in the Crystal Heart. It was currently levitating high in the air, almost touching the canopy above.

“Alright, bring it down to me, girls,” Twilight commanded and two sets of wings started beating in unison. “Careful, keep it in axis, we don’t want to set off any protective spells.” The beating became slower and as if more measured, but Sunset’s attention was drawn to much more dangerous sounds. Pony voices.

“It’s not like Twilight to drag us out here so late in the evening,” a male voice commented. “She has always been a night owl, but was restricting that only to herself.” A loud yawn followed.

Sunset’s suspicion was piqued. Twilight dragging them out here? What’s that supposed to mean?

“She probably came up with some astronomical observation or a spell and couldn’t wait till the morning to show us,” a female voice answered. They were definitely getting closer. Sunset wanted to signal the others, but Trixie and Canvas were already moving, getting into position at one pylon, leaving the other to Sunset.

“Besides, it’s not that late and we haven’t taken an evening walk in ages,” the female voice continued. Now she could even identified the speaker. Queen Cadance. So that meant that meant the male had to be Shining Armor. Sunset sent a silent prayer to all Ein Sof wishing the prince was walking on the side closer to her. She glanced over her shoulder to check on their progress. The Heart was almost at the ground level. Just a few more inches and Twilight would have a perfect position.

“You are right, sweetheart. We grew a bit too comfortable. We need some sort of excite-” The clopping of their hooves on the stones stopped abruptly. Sunset peaked around the pylon and spotted them standing just at last decorative shrubbery blocking them the view of the Heart previously. The luck was with her. “Hey! What are you doing?!”

Sunset watched them sprint forward for a second, catching the glimpse of crystalline quality Cadance’s body was assuming quickly, judging their speed and approximate time of when they would reach the chamber. They would get there about… Now! She lunged from behind the pylon in direction to the centre of the chamber with a perfect timing, landing on Shining Armor’s back and knocking him to the ground.

He turned under her with agility she wouldn’t expect from him and bucked up, sending her flying over his head, but she too was trained in acrobatic stunts and landed in a roll. Before he could get back to his hooves, Sunset was upon him again, this time slamming into his chest with her flank, jumping a little back and kicking him in the jaw. He was on the ground once more, but refused to give up, trying to stand and fight again.

Sunset wouldn’t have any of it and jumped forward again and landing on his stomach with such force she knocked his breath out. She was now lying on his chest, safely out of reach of his hindlegs and keeping his forelegs in place with hers. A sheen of sweat was forming on both their foreheads as they were trying to outpress the other, but she was slowly gaining on him as she was considerably more rested. And definitely not that rusty.

He knew he wouldn’t stand a chance much longer and resorted to the last option he had. He would break every rule of a brawl and wouldn’t be able to look himself in the eyes in the mirror for a long time, but he needed to win. He started charging his horn for a potentially deadly spell, but suddenly found his control stripped from him.

“No a chance, prince. No spells for you on my watch,” Sunset said sweetly to his ear and he squinted up, catching a cold green aura dancing around it. She was blocking his horn with her own magic, showing without a doubt who the stronger unicorn was.

“Twilight asked us not to harm anypony permanently unless we didn’t have a choice.” She hissed. She drew her blades from the sheaths with her magic, not ceasing her magical blockade, and crossed them an inch above his neck. He could feel the fiery heat rising from them. “Please, leave me no choice, Shining Armor. I beg you. You could for example try to take my blades from me just like I took your pride.” She giggled a little, exhilarated from the fight. baring her teeth and a hungry smile. “I mean, pride must be the most cherished thing for a stallion so mighty.”

He snarled up at her and through the gritted teeth spat out angrily: “Tell me who the one with less pride is. The defeated adversary, or a pony who ambushed them from behind and spitting at the hospitality they were shown?”

Sunset growled in frustration, leaned back and headbutted Shining in the muzzle, causing him to start bleeding from his nostrils and hit his head against the crystal ground. His eyes rolled back and all his straining ceased.

“That is enough, Sunset,” Canvas suddenly said just above her. Sunset was surprised by the unexpected interruption of her business and gazed at the earth pony with wild anger in her eyes. Canvas remained unphased and lifted a hoof holding a ring. Sunset noticed it looked a bit smudgy as if the crafter didn’t bother with ridding his work of imperfections at all.

“That was enough,” Canvas repeated more emphatically. “I will handle him from here.”

Sunset was reluctant to budge. She defeated Shining Armor and he was now in her power. She was perfectly capable of guarding him for the time Twilight needed to perform the spell. Canvas wouldn’t let her though. She reached into her mane and there were two rings lying on her hoof now.

“I drew several of them, you know. If you don’t give me other choice, I will force the magic suppression on you. I am an earth pony, be sure I would beat you.”

Sunset knew that well. Canvas may have looked small and fragile, but that body was harnessing a true earth pony of the highest calibre. She stepped back and allowed Canvas to do her job. In seconds, Shining Armor was tied to the ground and stripped off his magic. How she got to Sunset so quickly, remained a mystery though. Until she looked around and spotted queen Cadance being immobilized as if her hooves were part of the ground and her horn wrapped in a thick layer of ice. She apparently didn’t get a chance to put up a fight like her husband did. She remained in a pose of galloping.

“Block the entrances, Trixie,” Twilight commanded and Trixie obeyed immediately. Walls of ice rose from the ground between the pylons and grew up quickly until they reached the ceiling. The chamber was now isolated from the outside world. Nopony was getting in or out. Even the glowing crystals on the pylons were buried deep in a frozen grave, the only light being provided by the Heart itself.

Sunset shivered at how closely the chamber resembled her picture of the legend about founding of Equestria she formed as a foal. Now the fate of ponykind would be decided once more.

Cold. It was suddenly biting her, with furious finality. Not just on her skin and in her body from the cone of ice imposed on her horn, but mainly in her heart. Yet it was not coming from inside her, her heart still wanted to spread warmth and love. It was a crashing fist holding it in a vice grip.

“What are you doing, Twilight?” she managed to get out through the swirling confusion, despair and sadness inside. In a single term she would feel betrayed, if she could. Yet to feel that, one has to condemn the pony wronging them, and condemning means hating in a sense. Cadance was incapable of hatred.

Twilight walked to her former foalsitter and placed a hoof to her carotid, counting the pulses for a moment, making sure Cadance wasn’t in imminent danger. She then stroked her neck gently and reassuringly before stepping back.

“The Heart is the key, Cadance. Through it, I can make all crystal ponies see, understand and follow our cause. The Ein Sof taught me a spell with which I will put a piece of me into the Heart and thus into everypony in connection to it. The Crystal Empire will fulfill its duty.”

Cadance wanted to shake her head, but her body turned crystal refused to answer to her. Apart from her face she had no rule. “No, Twilight. What are you doing?!” She put utmost emphasis into her question this time and accompanied it with looking intently at the Heart, then in Shinings direction and then down to her body. She would have attempted to explain further with words, she felt it wouldn’t be necessary though.

She was right as Twilight slumped a little in tiredness and when she lifted her eyes again to look into Cadance’s, they were saying a quiet apology.

“What I have to. What we have to.” She waved her hoof to the others, who gathered behind her and were watching attentively. She effectively separated the present ponies into two groups in that gesture - the ones with her and the ones hindering her. “We have to continue in our task. The world must be made better and we can’t do that alone. We need the ponies and you made it impossible for us to gain supporters by other means. We have no other choice.”

“I explained to you that the Empire can’t go into war. It’s against its interests!” Cadance pleaded.

“What is the Empire, Cadance?” Twilight asked curiously, as if forgetting their current predicament. Cadance was left aghast at that.

“What’s that for a silly question, Twilight? Everypony knows that! Everything around you. The land!” she exclaimed in frustration.

“The land. Everything.” Twilight gazed at her reprovingly, not hiding her disappointment. “Then feel what the land and everything think about their interests. You are one with the land now after all.”

Before Cadance could ask what that was supposed to mean, she felt an overwhelming surge. Through her hooves, now firmly coalesced to the ground, strange vibrations she had never felt before began to arise. Soon her whole being was resonating with them and she was losing contact with the outer world. The last thing she noticed were Twilight eyes glowing white.

Then she felt it. The vastness she was suddenly part of. She now understood what Twilight meant by being one with the land. She sensed its presence, not quite conscious, as if dormant, yet certainly comprehending itself at some level. Every stone and particle of dust, every spring of water and the furnace deep beneath. Some were shifting constantly, others remained in place for millennia and all were one in the end. She knew of them all in that moment.

And they were enormous, making her as minuscule and insignificant as a drop in the ocean. Mind couldn’t cover the size and age of it all. She couldn’t concentrate on anything in particular, but sensed it all. What she didn’t sense was any care from the land.

It existed on its own, with no direction and no needs. It was here before ponies and would remain whatever happened to them. For apart from it, there was nothing and something never turns to nothing. It was created to host ponies, but nothing else. When ponies were born, they took part of it with them, but as they were dying, everything returned. They had no importance to it. The land felt her the same way she felt it, but it didn’t care about her. She was just another stone to it and it didn’t care about the stones either.

Cadance emerged from her trance as if resurfacing from deep water. She was still paralyzed, but the vibrations disappeared. Twilight was standing in front of her with her hoof again on her neck and with expectation and concern painted over her face.

“What is the interest of the land, Cadance?”

“What was that?” Cadance asked shakily, still recovering from the stressing experience.

“I allowed you to know the truth. Light can show us many things. What is the interest of the land, Cadance?”

“It has no interest. It just exists, not caring.” She realized that Twilight wouldn’t give any more answers and that the conversation was not in her hooves.

“Then whose interest are you protecting? What is the Empire?”

“The ponies,” Canvas said quietly as she saw the Crystal Heart in front of her and felt her subjects. They cared. “But that’s just sophism, Twilight! You knew what I meant all along and it’s not in their interest either.”

Twilight sat down few steps in front of her and levitated the Crystal Heart to her hooves, catching it gently. “It used to be sophism, Cadance, but the fact you answered incorrectly the first time beats that notion. I asked you because I knew the answer while you didn’t. You had to learn whose queen you are. Because the Empire in the sense of a political state is inseparable from its inhabitants. In fact, they come first and their needs as well.”

“They need to live, not to die in war,” Cadance stated defiantly, getting tired of being lectured and kept captive. “You want to drive them to death.”

“You are mistaken. What they need is a peaceful life free of fear. That’s impossible in this world.” Twilight ran her hoof around the edges of the Heart, taking in every facet glistening in the reflected light and glowing with its own. “There is too much sin and malice. We aim to change that.”

“By killing those you deem evil you will not make the world better.”

“But it will surely provide a good starting position for that goal. Think, Cadance. When ponies see that evil gets punished and good rewarded, they will at least contemplate their actions. If we show them how to get along with others better, they will at least try.” She pressed the Heart against her chest and polished it with her fur. “You know that Celestia is a threat the Empire will never get rid of. One day she will cross every remaining line.”

Cadance had to admit that. The letter she received about Sunset Shimmer was an outright accusation, not a request for assistance. Celestia met with no opposition for a thousand years and knew of only one way to deal with that. It would be foolish to allow her to strike and not perform any steps in preparation. Still, preventive offensive still counted as aggression.

“She hasn’t done anything to us yet.”

“She did fling the Empire into a thousand years of oblivion instead of leaving the Ein Sof problems to Ein Sof. They would deal with their fallen one and the Empire would prevail, maybe prevent the fall of Luna. You may be willing to give her chance after chance, but I refuse.”

“Sombra…?” Cadance asked incredulously. It made no sense to her and it fairly seemed Twilight was making things up. Still…

“How would a mere unicorn master the power to enslave the whole country? He lived here. Have you never noticed the strange statues with ribbons instead of wings? They depict Ein Sof. He saw the corruption, but fell to it himself.”

“But the crystal ponies managed to defeat him. If he stood above them, they would fail!” Cadance tried to reason.

“They didn’t. I was at the top of the spire with Ein Sof and with the power she lent me I brought Sombra’s demise. Ponies without guidance can’t achieve much. They would defeat him today, but not back then. Not with the Heart, Creator’s gift to guide them weakened.” Twilight placed the Heart on the ground and stepped to Cadance again. “They will be lead again and they will achieve great things. You know that.”

Cadance was losing her ground quickly. Twilight knew much and it seemed clear what was expected. Yet she couldn’t reconcile with the thought of war. “May ponies will die, Twilight. They will suffer and you want to prevent suffering.”

“At first, yes.” Twilight carried the Heart back to the centre of the room and set to level to her eyes, the others making a circle around her. “But they will get rid of uncertainty. They will know what follows after death and that there is nothing to fear as they will meet their loved ones again.”

“You will not budge, will you? You will hurl the ponies forward without care and without them having choice,” Cadance asked with resignation apparent in her voice.

“That is not true. You have a choice now. If you help us, we won’t have to force them at all. Those who wish to fight, will be allowed to. The rest will help otherwise. That’s what I am asking of you the whole time.” She returned to Cadance’s side and hugged her tightly, getting her muzzle just next to Cadance’s ear. “I don’t want to lose you. Don’t make me lose you, don’t make me lose a pony dear to me from my own will for the first time. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.”

Cadance felt her sadness and deep wish for approval and acceptance. She was originally the princess of love after all. Deep inside she knew all along that she sympathized with Twilight’s cause and Twilight knew it, too.

“If I choose to work with you, do you promise not to touch the Crystal Heart again?”

“I do,”

“And do you promise that none of you will force my subjects to fight against their will?”

“I do, Cadance.” Twilight nodded fervently. The rest of the girls got closer, sensing something their presence around the Heart would no longer serve anything.

“You proved you would go to great length to achieve your goal.” Cadance was addressing merely Twilight, but to an extent it held true for the others as well. They performed a coup after all. “But all you did so far was securing the resources and speaking of your superiors. I want proofs.”

“What kind of proofs? Not everything will amount,” Lightning Dusk asked, ever attentive to the right measure.

“I want to meet the Ein Sof. At least one of them.”

“Naturally you will. I would be very surprised if they didn’t contact you now soon anyway,” Trixie assured and got confirmation from the rest of the girls.

“And secondly, I want you to prove to me you know how to handle power and that your intentions are firm. Before you aim your attention to Equestria, you must cleanse the world of changelings. Show me that your words about justice and good are not just empty promises and that you won’t back off!” A dangerous flame burned in her eyes as she was talking. While she could not feel hatred, changelings were close to making her to. That poison of the world had to be dealt with first.

“Not all changelings are evil,” Canvas cried out disturbed, having her experience with changeling Santorum. “You can’t just damn a race!”

Trixie placed a hoof on her shoulder and having gained Canvas’ attention shook her head no, mouthing: “We will figure it out.”

“That is acceptable,” Twilight stated, her own, in her case actual, hatred for changelings making her agree without doubt.

“In that case I, Mi Amore Cadenza, the queen of Crystal Empire, declare that the ponies and their Empire identify themselves with your cause. You have my full support as long as the conditions are fulfilled.” The Crystal Heart flashed at those words brighter and Cadance’s eyes reflected that shine fully.

At that moment Canvas ordered the ground to release Cadance. The alicorn promptly collapsed to the ground as her muscles were tired from the unnatural position she was locked in. Twilight cradled her and started examining her body for any harm, but Cadance quickly recovered and galloped to Shining who was still lying there unconscious. His bounds were removed quickly as well, Sunset watching it with a slightly ashamed expression.

“How can we know she will keep her word?” Ditzy suddenly asked, drawing them back to reality. “She can just go and order her guards to banish us.”

“She can’t,” Twilight said calmly. “The Crystal Heart is connected to her. Her word is binding. Besides, I can perform the spell from afar now. I touched the Heart and made it know me.”

Cadance looked up from Shining. “That won’t be necessary, Twilight. I keep my word,” she said a mildly scolding tone.

“I know. I just have to be sure.” She joined Cadance at Shining’s side and helped her lift him up. “Let’s get him to the infirmary. Cancel the blockade, Trixie.”

Chapter 26

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Original Title: Unfrozen North
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

The two days after the girls spoke with Cadance at the Crystal Heart were filled with a lot of tension for the royal couple. Naturally, Shining Armor wasn’t anymore willing to trust Sunset Shimmer, not with the concussion from Tartarus. After repeated glares and occasional displays of aggression, Cadance and Twilight did what they could to keep them as far away from each other as possible.

Cadance, despite her best efforts, found it hard to keep her thoughts from going back to that night. What she experienced, what she heard, all of it cemented its place in her mind. Never again would she be able to look at the palace architecture the same way, especially the statues. Her brain was cloudy, but as she walked through the corridor leading to the garden later in the evening, one thing in particular was keeping her attention.

Earlier in the day, Twilight came to the throne room to deliver some news. Just as was promised, it would be time for her to meet one of the fabled Ein Sof her sister-in-law had spoke of time and again. Of all places, she wanted to say the garden was an odd place to meet, but she knew well by this point that she had seen and heard much stranger.

Entering the garden perimeter, something seemed to cleanse the uncertainty and cloudy feelings away. During her first few months of residence in the Empire, she had visited this private sanctuary every now and then. Whenever she did, the ambience of the flowing water, chirping of birds, and wind through the trees helped in relaxing her after the turbulence of work. After some time though, it somewhat lost its effect. Today though, she noticed a change in scenery, namely Twilight standing in the clearing with the other girls, sans Sunset. There also was a new statue by the fountain that seemed unusually life like. The closer Cadance stepped in its vicinity, the more relaxed she seemed to feel.

“Good evening, everypony,” Cadance smiled as she sat down at the one empty space among them.

“Good evening, Cadance,” Twilight smiled back.

“Are you alright, you seem a bit spent,” Brother Empathy’s voice asked from behind the queen.

“Yes I’m alright, thank you. It’s just been a long day.”

It took a moment to register the unfamiliar voice, but Cadance pivoted her head to see what she earlier thought was a statue now right next to her smiling. She had no idea how to react to him, but then she felt the warmth of one of his wings as it gently brushed her face. The heat of the ribbon had a rejuvenating effect that instantly melted her fatigue away, leaving her with a new burst of energy.

“Oh wow,” Cadance said as she couldn’t help but admire the unusual sight of the angelic pony.

“You have served Dorothea very well in your rule, your majesty. I am honored to stand before you.”

Cadance struggled to find the words to express how fascinated and dumbfounded she was in this moment. Standing before her was a being that she previously only thought existed in fiction and religious tales. Even the sculptures around the palace could not do the real thing justice, even with the many strange things that existed in Equestria. Not only is she seeing a real living Ein Sof, she felt its harmonic touch.

“Twilight Sparkle has informed me of the situation sometime ago, Mi Amore Cadenza. As such, I feel the need to introduce myself. I am Brother Empathy, third sphere messenger rank. I have been assigned by the powers that be to guide our Elements and form the link between them and Elysium.”

“Uh… Good evening?”

“Is something wrong, Cadance?” Twilight asked, noticing the elder alicorn’s confusion.

“I have to be honest, I wasn’t very prepared for this. I’m sorry if I offend you, but I just wasn’t expecting… Well, anything, least of all this.”

“Fear not, child,” Empathy serenely stated. “I understand that our very existence can be difficult to comprehend and I don’t blame you for your apprehension. Given the circumstances, you are under a lot of stress. Yet, you have done much for Dorothea and we are grateful for it.”

“Excuse me, Dorothea?”

“It’s a long story, Cadance,” Twilight spoke for Empathy. “I will fill you in later. I found it rather interesting myself.”

“Yes, indeed. Now that introductions have exchanged, I have something to present. But before that, I would like to ask how the progress of your tasks are going.”

“We have so many ponies wanting to join together to change the world. I’m speechless!” Ditzy beamed.

“I know, I know!” Canvas clapped her hooves with glee, having grown ever so enthusiastic at so many ponies flocking in larger numbers each day.

“There are a lot of ponies out there who sympathize with our views. At this rate, I can see that only increasing,” Lightning smirked.

“This is good news,” Empathy said merrily.

“If we play our cards right, we might even get more supporters coming to the Empire,” Trixie added.

That sentence brought back a thought to Cadance that had been bothering her for awhile. “I hate to dampen the mood, but if more ponies come in as you expect, I don’t think we will be able to support them. It is already starting to crowd a bit due to the immigration.”

“Then the gift I brought along will be of good use,” Empathy said without losing his serene smile. His glassy halo spun as a small cloudy sphere materialized in the center, after which it gently floated in front of Cadance and separated into six small crystalline fragments. “I present to you, your majesty, Elysian seeds. They are a collective gift from our powers that be.”

“Seeds?” Trixie asked as she, along with the other girls, sat closer to examine them.

“The texture of these seeds is similar to that of the Crystal Heart,” Cadance said as she held one up to the light of the setting sun. She could feel the energy from the seed radiate as her magic interacted with the material.

“That is because they are made from similar resources. They will serve an identical function as well. Just as the Theodora hallows those in its presence, these seeds too will grow to shield areas from the bitter cold. With strategic placement, you may be able to link them with each other as well. Mother Dogma advises you all to use them wisely. Your majesty? Do you have anything you would like to add before I make my leave?”

“I… Can’t really think of anything right now, but there is so much I would like to ask.”

“Naturally, your majesty. I shall return periodically to deliver updates or check in with the Elements. If you wish, I can return tomorrow at any time you wish to respond.”

“Very well then. Gosh, this is just… wow.” Cadance giggled nervously as she struggled further to find the correct words. While normally a collected mare who can think on a whim, she just wasn’t prepared for all that happened in this evening.

“If you have any questions before Brother Empathy shows again, any of us can try to answer them as best we can, especially me,” Twilight said placing a hoof on her sister-in-law. Her gesture was one of trust, one that would ensure further support despite the stressful moments that led to this point and those that would inevitably come in the future.

“Thank you, Twilight,” Cadance smiled warmly.

“Please take special care of these seeds, even well after they are planted. Like the Theodora, they are a treasured piece of Grandmother and like any piece, they are to be honored, respected, and loved. Your good will shall be held in the same regard, your majesty,” Empathy bowed with a hoof to his heart.

As Brother Empathy walked towards the meadows of the garden, the girls decided it was time to go as well. Ditzy was the first to get up, wanting to make sure dinner was ready for her daughters before it got any later. Canvas and Lightning Dust followed soon after. After sharing a hug with her sister-in-law, Twilight followed Trixie headed to their chambers as well. Now Cadance was the last of them in the garden and as soon as Twilight was out of sight, Cadance’s smile weakened a bit. Even with the assurance of her sister-in-law, there was still doubt plaguing her mind.

“Something troubles you, your majesty,” Brother Empathy spoke from behind her, making her jump. She turned to face the Ein Sof, whose halo was refracting some of the natural light. “Sorry for startling you again,” Empathy continued with a suppressed giggled.

“No no, it’s just… I just assumed you went back home,” Cadance responded taking a breath.

“I apologize for that as well. This garden is simply too enticing to leave right away. Just like you, I find it to be quite peaceful and serene. A place to set aside certain issues and stress.”

Cadance soon found herself walking with Brother Empathy around the garden. The sweet, pleasant smell of the flowers and glow from the Ein Sof did soothe her slightly, but an underlying issue needed to be brought up.

“Hey, Brother Empathy? May I speak to you about something?” Cadance asked cautiously, still not sure about both herself and her acquaintance.

“Please do, your majesty. I will listen to whatever you need to say.”

“Well… How long have you known Twilight? I mean… Even though she is still herself, she is also different in some ways. A little more…”

“Ambitious?” Empathy finished for her.

“Somewhat, yes.”

Brother Empathy used one of his wings to gently stroke the alicorn’s head in a calming gesture. “I have not personally interacted with the Elements until the start of this year. Before then, they were under the guidance of our Sanctorum. However, it is my job and my specialty to offer assistance and guide those lost to their right path.”

“That… doesn’t quite answer my question,” Cadance responded awkwardly.

“Forgive me. I cannot honestly say I truly know Twilight Sparkle as a pony. She is, however, an outstanding pupil and a determined leader. The two of you are much closer, yet I can sense tension. Please talk to me about it, your majesty.”

“I’ve… I’ve been thinking about something that happened some time ago. I mean, I’m happy to have Twilight back with us, but some of her actions lately have been rather… Well, I don’t agree with everything, in particular her words regarding Celestia.”

“Your apprehension is understandable. You are concerned with your subjects and a pointless conflict would not be healthy for them. Yet some conflicts can’t be avoided which a good leader must know. The citizens of a land often reflect the quality of their leader. Do you fear that if you surrender a portion of your power, the quality of your land will suffer?”

“That’s one way to put it I guess. I love Twilight very much, but I can’t stand idle and watch while she leads the crystal ponies to possible war. They aren’t fit for it and I don’t know if I can ever forgive myself if something horrible happens to them.”

“Yet they are more fit than you would ever imagine. Didn’t Twilight tell you of their origin?”

“Only a little bit, but there was nothing about waging wars,” Cadance said with doubt and distrust, stepping slightly away from Empathy. He didn’t make any attempt to shorten their distance again. It would only intimidate the queen further.

“I would be surprised if she shared that part. Nopony in their right mind picks war as the first course of action. Neither did the Creator when she gave birth to the crystal ponies as the first of the world’s inhabitants with the task to tame the world. She made them strong and resiliant, immune to disease and weather. They would prevail.”

“Yet where’s the war in that? What does it matter if they withstand polar frost when they are chased to be slaughtered?”

“The world doesn’t stay tame, your majesty. Just like a trained animal will lapse back to its low instincts, the world would spoil itself over time with the presence of growing cultures. The condition of Crystal Empire reflects in the whole world, yet as you can see these days it doesn’t always suffice. Thus the crystal ponies are to guard the order.”

“So they have no choice but to obey and fight? That’s what you are telling me?” Cadance was starting to get mad at that creature, however much he made a good first impression.

“Not at all, your highness. But it’s part of their nature to strive for order. They suffer when the virtues fall silent and feel an urge to fix it. When they refuse to act, they betray themselves and reject their gift. For what makes crystal ponies what they are is only the gift of the Creator. Everypony has their place in the world, your highness. Deciding for another always brings consequences.”

“That still leaves them with only one option.”

“There are many ways to support the order, your highness. Cooperating with the Elements is one of them and it still doesn’t mean picking up the arms and marching to the field. The crystal ponies can decide on their own in which way they help. They may for example support the fugitives and not care about the Elements at all. But for some of them fighting provides the best path. All I ask and what Humility asked from you is to allow them that choice.”

Cadance returned to Empathy’s side, trying to make sense of everything she heard and starting to slowly give in. Still one problem remained. “I came to understand it differently from how Twilight and her new friends acted a few days ago. I never expected her to resort to using force, least of all on Shiny or myself.”

“Have you left them with any other way though, your highness? You explicitly forbade them to continue their task. They resorted to the only path still open to them out of desperation and still Humility allowed you to prevent the worst, despite you not doing her the same favor before. I understand feelings of betrayal to an extent. It is difficult to confront them on this, especially if it is a loved one. But try to look at the situation through their eyes. Maybe you will find understanding.”

Silence reigned over them for few minutes as they slowly passed through the alleys among the rose trees, stars and aurora borealis providing enough light to admire the sleeping blossoms. They seemed to unfold slightly when Empathy got nearer and then settle back. Finally Cadance looked directly at him again. “Over time I hope we will get over it completely. I owe her enough to at least try.”

“Under the guidance of both the Elements and yourself, will the citizens be acting under impulse or honor? At this point in time, are they doing something because of what they believe, or what they are told to believe? In my opinion, it is a mixture of both. Some have seen first hand the difference in two societies for themselves, have suffered injustice personally and know they want to change it. Others may not have witnessed it personally, but are familiar from those that do.”

“They influence each other...” Cadance sat in a patch of grass, trying to think about the given food for thought.

“I believe that in the end, the citizens will act on what they believe will bring the most benefits, even if it is not the best choice for them. It is unfortunate, but sometimes we cannot stop something from happening. In these cases, we have to find the best compromise. You have ruled for years now, I believe you can find benefit in Twilight’s action while she can find understanding in yours. If you influence each other, you can both come close to finding a solution that will appease the majority, yourselves included. I promise I will work to keep Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements under control. But I cannot be here all the time. That is why I ask you to act in my place. Be their conscience.”

“I will. But what if they don’t listen to me?”

“Even if the other five do not, Twilight Sparkle will. She is Humility, she will always lend an ear to those around her. In this sense, the Elements keep each other in balance, influence each other. If all the Elements had been present to the burning of Everfree, much of the suffering would have been prevented. Diligence would insist on checking the security, Temperance would argue against the size and Justice would stop the fire from hurting innocents. They need each other and you must ensure they always decide together, or else they will stray from the right path again. You are just as vital in that sense as they are. Everypony has changed over the years, but not always for the worse.”

Cadance felt the warmth of Empathy’s wing on her cheek again. The uncertainty still existed, but the warmth melted some of it away and in its place came a new wave of confidence. “Thank you, Brother Empathy. I have reservations about the means, but I’ll at least give this a chance.”

“Be flexible and continue to learn, but do not lose sight of yourself and abandon your emotions, your majesty. Otherwise, you will lose the very thing that makes you queen.”

The herd of polar sheep and musk oxen was peacefully grazing on the plain. The day was pleasant, one of the warmest that year so far and the sun was glistening on the snow lying on the tops of the mountains on the northern horizon. This time of year the tundra broke into a multihued bloom, the grass doing its hardest to use the short period of vegetation as much as possible.

Flourish Straw was watching the herd with bittersweet feelings. It was his entire life and the tradition of his family to keep the stock up in the north, which apparently wasn’t frozen all the time as the name would signal, so he felt a natural pride at the sight. The number of lambs and calves brought to life that year surpassed their expectations. They were prancing among the elder pieces, too young to feed on the grass yet. They would learn soon though and the ponies would get to milk their mothers. There would be a lot of milk for the spring was promising a long and stable summer.

Oh the other hoof, what was the point? They would produce cheese and other dairy products of high quality, but who would buy it? With how Equestria’s standard of living was falling, ponies cut the expenses on anything they could do without, luxurious foods being pretty high on the list.

One of the lambs ran a bit away from the herd and Straw immediately started after it to return it to safety. Such a small creature could easily fall victim to even a fox hidden in the grass. He caught the lamb by the scruff and carried it hastily back. Its wool was short and soft, like of all other members of the herd now. The wool was sheared few days ago and whoever wasn’t watching over the herd on the pastures was back home processing it into a fine cloth. The community would keep some for the next winter, but most would be sent to the market. Again, they would be lucky if the money earned would suffice for them to buy enough food to last another winter.

“To Tartarus with this,” he cursed to himself. The life up here was never easy, but with that damn crisis everything got much worse. They were even considering leaving for a better spot, but was there something of that kind? Here they at least had their freedom. Nopony would limit their movement around and nopony would dare to come collect taxes. It actually wasn’t even worth it.

As the noon approached, most of the shepherds gathered around a blanket spread on the ground, only few keeping an eye on the herd in the meantime, and laid down the lunch. As with most of their meals, this consisted of crackers, cheese and water. They had to do with little and save whatever possible. Still, when a small group of four ponies showed up in the distance, they quickly made space for them to join.

“May the frost be merciful to you,” the newcomers were calling from the distance already and waving at them. Straw squinted against the sun as the ponies were coming from southeast, but soon identified them.

“And may the stone lend you its treasures, Deep Ingot,” he shouted in response and waved at them to join the meager feast. They did so happily as they must have been on the journey since the early morning and probably the whole day before as well. “What brings you out here to the plains? It’s not like there is iron lying around for you to mine.”

Deep Ingot grinned at him and after he swallowed a hefty bite of cheese he countered: “You sure go to outhouse, even though there is no grass for your sheep, Straw.” He got a wave of chuckles from around the blanket, the ponies enjoying any chance for glee that came.

“Very true and as good as any answer,” Straw said with a nod. “But really, you don’t usually venture so far from your mines. You must have a good reason.”

“Darn sure we have. My pals and me,” he gestured to the three other stallions, all sharing the gruff features and sturdy stature of the ponies physically working every day, “are sent by miner of Iron Hole and Glitter Luck mines to that meeting those lasses called to Crosstown. So we thought we would go past your spot to see if you are going along.”

“Wait, what meeting are you talking about? What lasses?”

“Those flying all around the Frozen North and talking to settlers about whatever. I didn’t give a damn,” Deep Ingot explained as if it was the most obvious matter under the sun. “But then they sent a word to majors that a they had some offer for us and to meet them. I’m surprised you don’t know about that.”

“I’ve spent the past few weeks out here with the others and the herd, I’ll be frozen if I know what’s going on at home.”

“Then better come with us. It sounded urgent.”

“Who cares. It’s probably just another gimmick to get money from us. I know those pricks sent from Canterlot. They are all the same.”

“True that,” Deep Ingot said, and the approval was shared all around. “But these lasses aren’t from Canterlot. The message had Crystal Empire seal.”

“Crystal Empire, you say?” Straw’s curiosity was piqued by that a little. Crystal Empire traded with them regularly, but never tried to make further contact. “They are not much better though.”

“Maybe, maybe not. They are against old Celestia though. Come on. You can make a short trip with an old bud, can’t you? Like when we were young.”

Straw glanced around. There would still be enough ponies to handle any problem and the outlook for future days seemed very uneventful anyway. At least he could try to strike some bargain in the town.

“Flourish Leaf, you are in charge as long as I am gone,” he called to his brother. “The rest of you, you know what to do. No stupid business and don’t get too close to the mountains. The bears are probably still lurking.”

Soon they were on their way, this time counting five ponies. They would have to traverse a long stretch of tundra still, including several waterlogged locations. They knew they would have to hurry. The only interesting event of the whole journey was prepared by the wildlife as a huge herd of reindeer galloped across their path and they had to wait before the animals passed and with how numerous the herd was it took a long time. The spectacle of the massive animals in full sprint, the muscles rippling under their hides, was fascinating though.

“To Sombra with these things, how I hate them,” Straw muttered to himself. “If they push out my herds from the pastures again, I will build myself a new house of their antlers and their young will end like Everfree!!”

“Hohoho, calm down, Straw.” Deep Ingot patted him on the shoulder and offered him a field bottle with moonshine. “They are just animals, it’s not their fault.”

“You kill rats in the mines, don’t you?” That effectively ended the discussion.

They reached Crosstown the next evening. The town itself consisted of low wooden houses like most settlements in the Frozen North. There was a serious lack of building materials around and transporting wood was easier than stone. The only exception of this rule were the mining towns built of stone for obvious reasons. Railroad led through the town and it was located more or less in the middle of the region, which made it into a natural centre of trade.

Further proof of the significance of the town was the existence of the inn, where they also accommodated. They were dreading the bill as the inn served mostly for the merchants from the south, but they were pleasantly surprised as the rooms and full board were paid for in advance. Whatever the organizators of the meeting wanted to tell them, they had to deem very important not to rise any negative feelings in the participants.

The meeting was set for the next noon and as they arrived to the conference hall of the town hall, they realized that probably every village and town in the Frozen North sent out its representant. That didn’t mean much though, about seventy five ponies.

A small podium was raised at one end of the hall, lectern in the centre front, few rolls of paper in the corner and three ponies sitting to the side. One of them, the only stallion, was to Straw’s knowledge the mayor of Crosstown, but it was hard to keep track of every name of dignitary around. The other two were pegasi and by their looks didn’t come from Frozen North. Their stature spoke openly against it and very few pegasi in general were living here. They could do nothing with winter storms and the weather was stable during summer.

As the door of the hall closed, all invited probably present, the major walked to the lectern and by knocking on it several times asked for silence.

“Mares and gentlecolt-” a wave of chuckles interrupted him. There really weren’t too many who would ask for such titulation. He gave a smile himself having expected that reason before reiterating. “Alright, lads and lasses, thank you that you came from your homes to this meeting. I wouldn’t bother ya with it at all, if these nice ladies,” he gestured to the two pegasi, “-didn’t have something worth your time. They convinced me, and ya know that’s not easy feat. So give them a chance. By the way, they also paid for a lunch for all of ya once this is over.”

A small applause followed as he left the lectern to the pegasi. They seemed very confident, both in their step and their expressions. They stood next to each other, smiled into the audience and the grey one took word.

“As mayor Longleaf said, we are very grateful to all of you for coming and we are hoping your journey was pleasant. Allow me to introduce us. My name is Ditzy Doo and this is my colleague and friend Lightning Dust. We represent queen Cadance and wish to talk to you about the situation in the Frozen North.”

“What’s to talk about?” somepony called from the assembly. “Nopony cared for us before the Empire returned and nopony cares now. Nothing changed.”

Ditzy Doo nodded with concern. “We are well aware of the neglect the government is performing on you, but we would like to know more particularly what the issue is.”

“Why would you try to learn now? Empire didn’t move a finger for us either,” somepony else called. Apparently, the apprehension toward officials wasn’t pointed just at Equestria.

“You may be aware of the situation in the Empire in recent years. We first needed to stabilize in the new regime and then the waves of immigrants arrived. The Empire couldn’t effectively help you when it was in turmoil itself,” Lightning Dust explained. “Besides, the Empire has been trading with you to the best of its ability all this time. We are trying to support local production.”

A murmur of agreement echoed through the hall and somepony even called out: “It’s true. Equestrian merchants said our ore was too expensive, but Empire bought it. We can’t sell cheaper, we would starve!”

“We could, if crown provided us dotations like the rest of the country,” Deep Ingot said next to Straw. “But that would mean they would have to pull their heads out of their asses!”

“What is the reason for them refusing to fund you?” Ditzy Doo asked with intrigue.

“They say we are using outdated technologies and could produce more effectively if we tried. But we would need money to get better tools and machines!”

“And then they have the guts to tell us to go work in agriculture. What darn agriculture? There are just herd grazing the grass, nothing else. They want us to starve up here.”

“Surely they sent at least some support in form of food during the famine?” Lightning Dust said faking conviction. In Straw’s opinion she knew damn well everything. They both did.

“A rabbit wouldn’t last on that. My sons had to flee to the Empire just to avoid starvation.”

By this point the whole hall was boiling with indignation toward Equestria. The officials were playing their cards well and got the ponies exactly where they wanted them. “Not like Empire sent much food either,” he called to lessen the crowd psychosis at least a little.

“We will now,” Ditzy Doo stated calmly, drawing the attention of everypony to herself. “We want to propose you an offer of cooperation. The Empire is willing to buy all goods from Frozen North producers and supply you with necessities. All for preset prices negotiated with you, the representants of the community. You will determine what price is fair.”

“Why would you do that? You sure want something in exchange” asked somepony suspiciously over the excited chattering of the ponies.

“The Empire needs stable supply lines these days. Besides, we are concerned with the fate of our neighbours,” Lighting Dust said and unrolled a map of Frozen North. “We are surrounded by Frozen North, our closest ally. Southern parts of Equestria aren’t exactly keen on us and the trade is coming to a grinding halt. You are in a similar situation, so it is logical we would cooperate.”

“Where do you plan to get enough food? You said the Empire was struggling with immigrants,” Straw asked warily. There was something strange on the whole endeavor and he wanted to know what exactly it would cost him to secure his livelihood.

“We have some reserves and the tundra is big enough. We can produce,” Ditzy said nonchalantly.

“Are you crazy? You are like them, silly hussy. You can’t grow crop in tundra!” he exclaimed indignantly. Of course that this would lead nowhere. It would be too good.

“Ignorance builds more confidence than knowledge and being rude doesn’t make your argument more valid,” Lightning Dust replied quietly and Straw would swear her eyes glowed a little at that. “Of course you can grow crop in tundra. The Empire is a shining example. We now have means to replicate the effects Crystal Heart has on the land and create mild oasis wherever we want. All that’s need is that you point us to a part of the land you aren’t using and we will do our work.”

“So you want our land in the end,” Longleaf summed it up tiredly.

“We all need to eat,” Ditzy Doo said in defense, but her voice didn’t show any signs of shame. “Frozen land serves nopony. Food for your own consumption will be sent to you and the rest to the Empire to feed the its citizens.”

“We don’t know how to work the ground though,” somepony pointed out from the crowd.

“We can teach you. And many other things, including those improvements in effectivity Equestrian bureaucrats were talking about,” Lightning Dust promised. “But if we do, you must allow all our knowledge to be spread. If you accept our offer, you must allow emisars to talk to ponies in your community. Don’t hinder our activity and we will give wings to yours.”

Ponies started talking among themselves again. They obviously knew about the ‘emisars’ walking from one village to another and speaking of virtue. Most were curious as to when the discussion would turn to them. Apparently no discussion was allowed about that point.

Mayor Longleaf walked to the lectern again and silenced everypony like before. “I think we were given an interesting offer by Miss Ditzy Doo and Lightning Dust. We have a lot to think about and it would be hasty to decide right away. That’s why I would ask you to return here at six in the evening for a vote. Until then, we have been invited to a lunch.”

In his life he held many offices. He started as a mere assistant to a lesser inspector, but soon took his position. He worked hard on himself and climbed the ladder quickly and efficiently. For a short time he became a member of Celestia’s Royal Advisory Council. Sadly, the times have changed with the Dominion gaining power.

“Maybe I chose the wrong side,” Wintershades contemplated. “I should have recognized how much power Covenant would accumulate.”

Indeed his rival in the Council gained a lot of influence thanks to his race. He didn’t bother with moral justifications as he got rid of any opposition, Wintershades among the first. Still, Covenant at least kept some decency in him and gave Wintershades a comfortable spot as the ambassador in Crystal Empire. A slightly hostile country, but at least a civilized one.

For the longest time he didn’t have much to deal with. Equestria and Crystal Empire were both trying to pretend the other one didn’t exist and Wintershades was just hanging around the palace and enjoying himself as he could. But with the recent development he had talked to the queen more times in five months than before in four years. First that Everfree incident, then trade regulations, and now who knows what.

He polished his silver band and placed it into his well groomed mane. The queen sent for him and by the tone of the notice it was a serious matter. He would therefore opt for a more official regalia, consisting of a embroidered cloak and golden shoes. It could never hurt and he would feel less inappropriate in the splendor of the palace.

Although he could have taken the offer of an apartment in the palace itself, he chose to live in the city, securing himself more privacy. He wouldn’t be under constant scrutiny and acquiring information about immigration rates was therefore easier, as well as attending the nightlife of the city which he frequented more regularly than streets in daylight. Alas, it also meant that whenever he would be summoned, he would have to perform a walk through the crowded streets.

The activity in recent days increased significantly. He could see a huge number of ponies of Equestrian origin trading with the natives. The limitations of the trade were still in place though. The crown would need to know about this soon.

As he reached the gates, the guards were already waiting for him and politely ushered him toward the throne room. He knew the path well, but they always insisted on accompanying him, a gesture of respect or of suspicion, he couldn’t tell. It could have been a pragmatic approach as well, since the decoration of the corridors threatened to sway his attention from the task ahead and it could happen that he wouldn’t arrive to the throne room at all on his own.

“Sir Wintershades of Equestria, your majesty,” the majordomo announced as Wintershades entered the throne room. Even in the shoes he could tell how soft the red carpet leading to the thrones was. He also noticed that where only two thrones used to stand, one for the queen and one for her husband, three were now. Apart from Cadance and the majordomo there was nopony around.

“Splendid. Please leave us alone.” The majordomo immediately left the room. Cadance stood up from her throne and levitated a glass of wine to the bowing Wintershades. “Please stand up, ambassador. We have an important matter to discuss.

“Thank you, your majesty.” Wintershades grabbed the base of the glass with his lips carefully and walked closer to the throne. Cadance sat back down in the meantime, but he remained standing. “Before we start though, may I express one of my concerns?” Cadance waved him to continue. “In the recent days I noticed greater number of Equestrian citizens trading in the Crystal Empire. I see it as my duty to remind your majesty, that economic sanctions were moved into place and they are not to be blatantly ignored.”

“I am well aware of the hostile step Equestria took against Crystal Empire ambassador,” Cadance answered sternly. “There is absolutely no reason why the Empire should act upon it. If your customs service isn’t capable of maintaining the blockade, why should I do their work instead? But I am glad you brought the issue up, it is closely related to the matter at hoof.”

“Crystal Empire is breaking many rules of cohabitation between states, your majesty. It may complicate its position.”

“Indeed it could, but I find it satisfying you finally consider Crystal Empire an independent state.”

Wintershades bit his tongue. Equestria and its government of course understood that they had no say in Crystal Empire, but they refused to acknowledge its independence officially. He just blew that pretense up.

“That’s a mere rhetorics, your majesty.”

“Rhetorics which will make our negotiations much easier, I assure you.” Cadance levitated a map from a holder by the wall and spread it in front of Wintershades. It depicted the northern regions of Equestria along with Crystal Empire. The latter grew significantly in the past few years and Equestria could do nothing about it. You can’t very well question real state of affairs. What he found curious though was a winding red line in the area where he expected the border of Frozen North region.

“The merchants you have seen in the city come from this zone solely.” Cadance pointed at Frozen North. “The villages and towns in the region decided that secure economic connection with the Empire would benefit them more than the neglect by Equestrian government. You can’t really blame them.”

“I admit that the treatment they faced wasn’t exactly fair, but they are still breaching the law and will have to face repercussions,” Wintershades said firmly. “I will also ask you for a copy of this map for investigation reasons.”

“You will be given it immediately.” She levitated another roll of paper to him from the same holder. “Here. But I assure you that they will not face any punishment from Equestria.”

“With all due respect, your majesty, I am not aware of any influence you may have in that question.”

“Not yet, ambassador, but soon. Due to the increased economic and social links of the Frozen North region to the Crystal Empire and based on the express support of the representatives of the communities, I hereby demand Equestria to hand over the administration of the region to the Crystal Empire.”

Wintershades found himself completely dumbfounded. Did the queen just ask Equestria to cede a significant part of its territory? He had to take several deep breaths to calm himself down and give a composed answer to the patiently waiting Cadance.

“Firstly, your majesty, I have to protest against such an outrageous demand. It goes against all customs and Equestria will take appropriate actions in that matter.” His voice was slightly trembling. He had to thread carefully as to not cause even more havoc in the relation between the countries. If it even could be worse.

“Your protest is taken note of, ambassador. You fulfilled your duty.”

“Thank you, your majesty. That makes it easier for me now.” He sat down, not asking for permission. It would be granted anyway. “You know I have been trying to dissolve the tension between the countries. I even fought against the sanctions. But this is something I can’t help you in.”

“I don’t expect your help, ambassador.” Cadance smiled and refilled his glass which he sipped from gratefully. “And I appreciate everything you have done in time you have lived here. But this matter must be decided swiftly and you are the only dignitary whom can this demand be addressed to.”

“I am sorry, your majesty, but I wasn’t given any instructions regarding situations like this and it definitely isn’t in my competence to decide about the territorial integrity of Equestria.”

“I understand.” Cadance stepped down from the dias and stopped in front of him. “But unless the negotiations can take place, a presence of Equestrian ambassador is not needed in the Empire.” She reached a hoof to him and he shook it. They were equals at that moment, not having anything against the other, but standing on the opposite sides of the barricade. “I suggest you return to Canterlot for further instructions.”

“I will do so, your majesty. It was an honor to make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise.”

He turned around and walked out of the throne room. There was no point in arguing, the ambassadors stayed in the country only for as long as the rulers allowed it. Still, he would miss the Empire and his comfortable life.

The next few hours were spent packing the many things he had in his city apartment. His residence was located in the upper floors in a hotel building. It was a relatively new addition and was spacious, decorated with polished mahogany flooring and carved onyx walls. It was fun while it lasted, but he knew his chances of returning were essentially zero.

By the late evening, everything was ready to go, all except the sheetless bed which belonged to the building. The last train of the night was scheduled to depart later and he still had about an hour before he needed to leave. He took a moment to do a thorough check of the place to make sure nothing important was left behind. The last thing he needed was to lose something expensive. A knock at the door interrupted his double checking however. Like anypony would do, he walked to the door and took a look through the peephole before opening it to reveal Shining Armor, off duty from his military job, but still wearing his uniform.

“Good evening, old friend,” Wintershades smiled.

“Right back at you. I heard about what happened and thought I could at least lend a hoof.”

Wintershades glanced back at the suitcases laying in the middle of the room. “Uh, that would be appreciated. Thank you.”

Shining gestured to a pony standing down the hall for a flatbed. Once it was parked right outside the door, Shining stepped over it into the apartment and started to help Wintershades load the bags. “So this is it, huh?” Shining asked with masked disappointment.

“I’m afraid so. I’m not all too surprised, though.”

“Nor am I. But still, this all just seems so sudden. I tried persuading Cadance to reconsider, but I feel like my words just don’t hold a lot of weight here anymore. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Shining Armor,” Wintershades faintly smiled. “I appreciate your concern, but there is nothing I can do in this situation. But maybe you can do something for me?”

Shining Armor stopped loading the bags for a moment to listen to his friend’s request. “Go on.”

“If you can, I would like for you to try and mend the stressful relationship between the two territories. It’s not good for either side to live in constant disdain of each other. I’ve never known you to give up, even in the face of uncertainty. That is how you became a captain in the first place, isn’t it?”

“Well, that and I had good friends to push me in the right direction,” Shining chuckled.

“Please do the best you can. I would like to see this conflict end, especially with the tension with the griffons brewing.”

“How bad has it gotten, by the way? We haven’t heard anything aimed towards the Empire yet, but Equestria isn’t the only place with a pony population.”

“Nothing has escalated yet to the point of direct violence, but the threat is there. We don’t know when it will happen, but I know the Griffon Kingdom is just waiting for an excuse to declare war. That cloud of ash did not help either.”

“No kidding. If I could end the pony who started that…”

“It’s a bit late for that, Shining. The damage is done and it’s only going to get worse if it continues at this rate.”

“You have no idea,” Shining said rubbing his temples. “Anyway, I’ll do my damnedest. I have my work cut out for me, but I want to see peace return again. For my son if nothing else. I don’t want him to be exposed to all this.”

“The best of luck to you. As for me, I need to return to Canterlot. I’m… not looking forward to it. Not with those weasels running things.”

“Condolences, my friend.”

With all bags loaded onto the flatbed, it was wheeled out into a wagon outside and with a little help from Shining’s unicorn magic, the wagon was all set. Wintershades took the reins at front and was ready to head to the station.

“Would you like me to meet you there?” Shining asked.

“No, I can take care of it from here. Thank you. I’m sure the staff there will help further if need be.”

“Alright, if you say so. Just be safe.”

Wintershades smiled and began his trek. The streets of the city were less dense at this hour, thus it was easier to get his destination unhindered. By the time he arrived, the train was just boarding and he was able to get his belongings into it with almost no lag at all. Once he was finally able to rest, he sat down in first class car, prepaid by the crown, and looked out the window. There was always something about Luna’s moon that entranced him, whether it was because of the faint glow or the mystery of the rock itself.

After a slight delay, the train departed and Wintershades’ trip to hell had begun. It would be quite some time before he got there though. Perhaps a little shuteye wouldn’t hurt.

From up high everything was looking peaceful and small. Luna rarely got time to fly during the day, reserving the late nights for her pastimes, so the current occasion felt special to her. She could see the snow covered mountains in the and the sea in the opposite direction. But most of all she paid attention to the city of Fillydelphia underneath her, her home and capital of her land.

Even though she was flying above the sparse clouds that they dotting the sky, she could still discern her palace. Nothing betrayed the furious activity taking place inside. The staff was making everything ready for the important guests and Luna simply couldn’t take the noise and haste anymore.

She spotted a huge pile of clouds closeby the highest mountain. The pegasi had it good, she thought, lack of space was something beyond their imagination with all the sky serving them as home. But the other races didn’t share that luck and now the problem blew up. She thought hard if she could have put a stop to the madness in time, but Celestia was right in this point. It came too abruptly.

She noticed a small golden golden glint from the corner of her eye and realised it was approaching from the direction of Canterlot. “So Celestia is already here. I should let others know. But where is Cadance?” She ascended few hundreds of feet higher and gazed toward where she knew Crystal Empire lay. Indeed, a small dot was making its way from the distance, very likely a chariot carrying the crystal queen.

She descended in wide circles to the courtyard where a silver earth pony was waiting. “The chariots are closing in, Sharp Note. Please let the servants know and order somepony to signal the landing area to the drivers.”

“It will be done, your highness. How are you feeling?”

“A bit better, thank you. But I won’t be able to calm down until this is over with.” They walked up the red carpet covering the steps toward the entrance and entered into the main hall, diligently decorated with Luna’s and Fillydelphian banners. Sharp Note made sure not a single attribute of the guest monarchs was present in the decoration as to not rise any discussion about preferring one to the other.

“I am sure the negotiation will be short. The matter at hoof is clear after all.

Luna had never stopped marvelling at how beautiful a palace she acquired for herself in the end. The marble floors were polished like mirrors, all paintings on the walls renovated and the statues placed around the corridors. It felt like home. A bit nostalgic with the resemblance of Canterlot, but she truly belonged here. She was so deep in her thoughts that she almost knocked down a pony walking down the crossing corridor.

“Oh, excuse me, your highness. I should watch my step better,” the gray unicorn said, bowing deeply before Luna.

“Oh it was my fault exclusively. I hope you aren’t injured.”

“Not at all, your highness. I will let you continue and will pay much more attention in the future.” He started down the corridor again, seeking for something in his saddlebag with his magic.

“I would swear I saw that pony somewhere, but not in Fillydelphia. Strange,” Luna mused as they resumed walking. They soon reached another crossroad and Sharp Note stopped.

“I will go tend to the regular administration for the day, your highness. If you want, I can try to determine the identity of that pony. Otherwise I hope you are successful with your mission.”

“Thank you once again, Sharp Note. Your help is irreplaceable. And leave that pony be. If he were a threat, guards would have noticed, and I am probably just confusing faces.” Their ways parted Luna checked if nopony was listening, then sighed for herself: “I do hope so too.” She headed toward her chambers to get prepared. Flying in the sharp wind didn’t help the condition of her mane at all which her maids didn’t omit to mention.

Sooner than she would like she found herself on the way to the room where the meeting would be hosted. Refreshments were already set on the table, glasses with water and pitchers standing in the centre. They opted for a rectangular table, Luna being seated on the shorter side. They could have prepared a round table, but since Luna wasn’t part of the dispute, the need for equality was limited to the guest.

“I am not sure they will even need me for anything else than providing the neutral ground where they could meet.” She looked to the other end of the table were a stand with the map of northern Equestria and Crystal Empire was pinned. Celestia sent her a copy after the ambassador returned from the Empire with it. The crimson line was glaring at Luna and Luna was glaring in response. “I did at least that. The mediator does only as they are asked to, after all.”

She didn’t have to wait for too long before the doors on both sides of the room opened. It took them quite a while before they located a room which would allow the monarchs to come in separately. It aimed to prevent conflict before the discussion would even start.

Cadance and Celestia walked in, heads high and crowns sitting in their manes. Celestia chose a snow white dress with golden lining. It ran smoothly down her sides and ended an inch above the ground. The wings had enough room to support flight as well. Cadance’s dress resembled Celestia’s in all but color, hers being cream with violet lining. She obviously got her taste in fashion from her aunt, Luna noticed.

Luna stood up and bowed to them, they both repeating the gesture. Now the hard part would come for Luna as she had to choose the order. She went by title in the end. “Queen Mi Amore Cadenza of Crystal Empire, Princess Celestia of Equestria, welcome to this meeting. Please be seated and we can start.”

They moved to their seats at the table and the door closed. Nopony else would be privy to their conversation. Luna coughed to clear her throat, feeling strangled by the heavy atmosphere. Neither Cadance nor Celestia flashed a single smile since they entered. “Alright, here we go. Celestia, please explain what seems to be the problem.” Celestia looked at her as if she grew a second head. “We know it of course,” Luna explained, “but we need a starting position.”

“The problem,” Celestia put a spiteful emphasis on that word, “is that Crystal Empire assumed control of Frozen North without any legal ground, a region that always belonged to Equestria! We have reports of Empire’s army taking positions around the line drawn on the map.” She pointed to the stand as if accusing the piece of paper of treason. “This is a breach of all conventions, Cadance and I demand your ponies retreat back to the Empire.”

Luna turned to Cadance, who looked completely unphased by the accusation. “Do you admit that the Crystal Empire entered the space of Frozen North and took over?”

“I do, there is no reason to deny that,” Cadance said calmly. “But I have to object against the accusation that we did so without a legal ground. The inhabitants of the region invited us expressly and we even issued an official demand for the region to be ceded.”

“You can’t tear land from the states just because somepony invites you to. We rejected your demand. That should have been the end of it.” Celestia took a sip from her glass before pointing at the map again. “The region is strategical for Equestria as are the resources to be found there. We refuse to let it go.”

“The fact we walked all the way to the new border unhindered doesn’t show much interest in the region, Celestia.”

“The absence of military force doesn’t automatically mean lack of interest, Cadance,” Luna stepped in. “There are many threats for Equestria these days, be it the griffons or the inner unrest, so the soldiers are needed elsewhere.”

“But when the ponies need protection, the soldiers should be present,” defended Cadance her point. “The ponies of Frozen North feel threatened by the carnivores coming from the plains up north. Nobody provided them any help. All that Equestria did was taking the natural riches of the region.”

“Don’t play their savior, Cadance. You are aiming to do the same,” Celestia countered. “Equestria does care for its citizens, they just have to wait a little bit for their turn.”

“We made a mutually profitable deal with them, Celestia, something you never even considered. I don’t blame you, it is very far away from Canterlot after all and you do have more pressing matters at hoof. But that’s probably why they held a plebiscite and decided to join the Empire instead.”

Celestia shook her head in disdain. “You are running in circles, Cadance. I am telling you that they have no right to decide that.”

“Then how come Luna’s domain was created?” Cadance asked with a victorious smile. Luna threw a worried glance at Celestia. She wouldn’t be able to stay neutral much longer after that argument.

“That… that was a completely different situation,” Celestia finally said,

“It wasn’t that different, Tia. I asked ponies if they wanted me to govern them and they decided in a similar plebiscite.”

“But you were governing them even before that point, Luna! Nothing changed in that manner.”

“If it makes things easier for you, we can let Frozen North to become an autonomous state first and only then will it merge with the Empire,” Cadance offered.

“No autonomous state will be created and nothing will merge with the Empire, Cadance.” Celestia’s frustration was now apparent, she was pushed to a corner and couldn’t get out. Cadance knew it too.

“You are right. It already happened.” She got up from the table and bowed to the princesses again. “In the end it matters not whether you acknowledge the change in the legal sense. The factical state of affairs is unquestionable. If you cross the border with army, it will be an invasion and we will act accordingly to that. The rest of the negotiations with you will be led by my ambassador, Luna. It was a pleasure speaking to you.”

As Cadance was leaving the room obviously with the intention to return home as soon as possible, Luna caught a glimpse of glimmer in the air just behind her. As if an almost translucent figure was walking behind her. She turned to Celestia who was intently watching the same spot.

“It’s Gum Shoe, Luna. That reporter we met some time ago. We don’t need to bother with press release anymore.”

“I am sorry, Tia. For that and for the Frozen North.”

Celestia walked to her and embraced her like they didn’t since Equestria was splitten. “Don’t worry, Lulu. Equestria is smaller again, but we will prevail. Cadance won’t push any further and eventually will come around.” They released each other and got up. “You should check the discipline of your guards though. We can’t have newsponies lurking around.”

“I will address it very soon, Tia, you can be sure of that. But for now, would you care for a lunch? You didn’t take any of the snacks we prepared.”

As a military pony, Soarin’ always knew that one day he would be called for some important duty. After all, the Wonderbolts were more than just an athletic flight team and many ponies forgot about that. He just expected something more than boring paperwork. What Spitfire said still concerned him greatly.

The Wonderbolts are to be sent to the Crystal-Equestrian border, and I’m stuck in this stupid desk job. Whats the point of being part of an elite flight team if I’m not even going to be in the action?

Having been put in charge of the academy after Spitfire was promoted to Air Chief and moved to the headquarters in Cloudsdale, Soarin’ was not going to be part of that mission, at least not actively. Rainbow Dash however was. It was a no brainer that one of their top tier members would be sent on this important assignment. Yet, this meant she was going to be traveling a long distance away from her home as well. They would not see each other for a long time.

In spite of this, Soarin’ still held much pride for he had some positive news as well. Better yet, he was going to be the first to share it with her, fairly soon if the knocks on his office door were an indication.

“Morning, Dash,” Soarin’ said looking up from his paperwork as Dash entered.

“Hey Soar,” Rainbow smiled as she always did whenever they saw each other. She had to admit that it was somewhat awkward now. “So, about the new assignment?”

“Yes, let’s talk about that. First off, the brass has been sending mission specs to a lot of us, briefing us on situation. So far, it doesn’t look like the Empire is all that equipped to handle a large scale military assault. Nevertheless, we are to aid the ground army in providing patrol and air support.”

“Sounds pretty heavy.”

“Furthermore, and I know you’re not going to like this, but the Dominion is pressuring us to eliminate potential threats if they cross over. I want to stress the fact that while deadly force is authorized, we would like to see only the minimum amount of force possible.”

“Geez, the Dominion is just being hypocritical now. They claim to be bringing order, yet want to see blood when something they don't’ like shows up. And we get stuck doing the dirty work.”

“I know, Dashie. I know. That’s why you will wait until they cross the border. Other than that, it’s the times that determine our opposition.”

“Yesterday’s ally is tomorrow’s enemy, and vice versa.”

“Exactly. In any case, you already know you are going to the border as part of this duty.”

“Probably under a gruff commander, right?” Rainbow sighed.

Soarin’ only grinned as he opened a drawer. “Actually, no.” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Some of us have talked a bit, we came to a conclusion. We’ve decided it’s about time you got your own position of command for your dedication.” Soarin’ placed a badge on the opposite end of the table where Rainbow Dash was standing. “And since you’ll be going on an important assignment, we feel it best you be put in command of your own flight, Group Captain Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened immensely. He could see her excitement at the prospect. Her, a captain? Joining the ranks Spitfire and Soarin’ held before her? It certainly wasn’t what she expected to happen when she woke up that morning, but it wasn’t unwelcome either. It was another dream fulfilled.

“Gosh, if only mom and dad could see me now,” Rainbow said admiring the badge.

“I’m sure they would be very proud,” Soarin’ smiled sadly. My mother would have been proud of me, too. If she were still around… “Anyway, I will drop by your room later with your uniform insignia. In the meantime, you do have today and tomorrow to prepare for your leave. Why not pay a visit to your friends? I’m sure they’ll want to wish you luck.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that. It’ll probably be the last time I get to see them for awhile. You gonna train recruits today?”

“Most likely, though I probably will have to get a new assistant,” Soarin’ chuckled. “Congratulations, Dashy. I really wish I could go with you.”

“Well, we can make up for that before I leave,” Rainbow said with a wink. “Good luck with the training, Soar.”

As Rainbow left the office, Soarin’ paused for a minute before he went back to his paperwork. He kept eyeing the drawer he had reached into earlier. Next to where the badge used to be was the same small box he had with him the night of the Everfree Inferno. Many things were holding him back from trying a second time to present it to his love, from Fluttershy’s condition, to their individual duties. He could never find an appropriate time to try again. Now that Rainbow Dash was heading off for an indefinite amount of time, this was probably the last chance he would have for who knows how long. The question was, should he do it?

He thought for the longest time before coming to a firm conclusion: no. He did not want to worry her about it. It would distract her too much and that was something neither of them could afford.

“Another time then,” he thought out loud. “It’ll be a welcome-back present.”

Rainbow Dash returned to her room in the Academy to prepare for a trip to Ponyville. It would be a simple fly to the town, so there was nothing extensive she needed to take with her. A simple bag and perhaps her previous uniform shirt would do. After dressing herself in the dress shirt, she pinned the badge onto her collar. Once she was all ready, she exited the building and took flight in the direction of Ponyville.

By this point, the ash from the disastrous fire, while it still polluted the air, wasn’t in as large a concentration as it used to be. Even so, Dash wasn’t going to take any chances as she approached Ponyville. She stopped in midair to cover her mouth and nose with a surgical mask before continuing to land in town square. Her lungs were important to her so the mask would continue to stay on in spite of the danger being fairly mild now.

With a brief moment of indecision, she walked in the direction of Ditzy’s old house which was now occupied by Pinkie Pie. It was another thing about Ponyville she was sad to see go, but she more than understood Ditzy’s reasoning for leaving. In flying over the town, Rainbow Dash had a difficult time locating the house, not because she didn’t know where it was, but rather because she was searching for a cheerful building where there were none in sight; When she finally did find the house, it just look too sad to belong to her favorite pink party pony. It just seemed to blend in with the rest of the struggling town.

Rainbow landed in front of the door and gave a few hard knocks. She waited for a bit and gave a few more knocks when nopony answered. Still no response. Guess she’s not home. Rainbow walked away from the door and took flight again.

Her next nearest stop was the another house to the west to visit her favorite filly. She’d visited Scootaloo’s house more times than she remembered and sister figures always had tons of fun. It was going to be painful to tell her what was happening, but she had the right to know with how close they were now.

Rainbow Dash approached the humble house and noticed Scootaloo’s mother sweeping the porch. Like Dash herself, she was wearing a surgical mask to protect her lungs from the dirt and ash that was being kicked into the air by her broom. The mare looked up from her sweeping and waved when she saw the spectrum pegasus.

“Well hi there, Miss Dash. Didn’t think I’d see you today.”

“Morning Mrs. Mayday. Is Scoots here? I need to talk to her about something.”

“I’m afraid you just missed her. She went to the homestead to help the Apples. Got a summer job, so proud of her,” the mare smiled.

“Okay, I was headed there next anyway. Thank you, Mrs. Mayday.”

With Mrs. Mayday waving goodbye, it was now time for Rainbow Dash to visit Applejack and by extension Scootaloo. As she flew in that direction, the damage to the orchard was all too obvious. It went without saying that the ashy aftermath of Everfree did quite a toll on the trees, and it was already suffering to begin with. A good third of the orchard was filled with dying or dead trees, withered and good for little more than firewood.

Applejack herself was growing increasingly frustrated. Aside from the obvious produce problems, she never realized how difficult being the matriarch was until Granny Smith passed on. She was given little time in between for grieving, her livelihood couldn’t afford any slouching, at least not with only three ponies working the farm. Today was what she considered a “slow” day.

“Hey Applejack,” Rainbow Dash said landing.

“Howdy Rainbow,” Applejack responded, bucking one of the still good apple trees. “What a surprise t’ see ya here!”

“I’m gonna be in town for a bit, so I wanted to see all of you before I need to deploy for the border up north. You guys been holding up alright?”

“Just fine, ah guess…. Deploy for the border?”

“Yeah, I got promoted to Group Captain and I’ll be going to the border of the Crystal Empire. After the things that happened, we’re helping out the army to protect Equestria.”

“That don’t sound good. Hope it goes okay. Things ain’t much better here. Since that fire, it’s been hard t’ keep up. Been up since five AM trying to balance the work.”

“Geez, AJ. It’s almost noon, take a break already. For the good of your health.”

“Ah can’t, sugarcube. Ah have t’ make up for all the losses. If Ah miss even one day of work, Ah’m liable to fall too far behind.” Applejack did however take a moment to rest, wiping away the sweat from her forehead. “Ah have new respect for Granny Smith now. Anyway, Ah’m happy for your promotion. Good job. Anything else ya be needin’?”

“Actually, have you seen Pinkie anywhere today? She wasn’t at her house.”

“She’s off some place getting supplies for Sugarcube Corner. She came by earlier to buy some apples off us. She really ain’t been herself neither.”

“I’ve been getting that impression about everypony today…” Rainbow Dash observed the diligent farm pony kick more trees, savaging any and all apples there were still good. “You know, I’m not actually leaving for the border until Monday morning and a little exercise wouldn’t hurt me, maybe I can stop by tomorrow and help you guys out. You look like you could really use it.”

“Ah think we’ll be alright. We got hired help.”

“Right, if you say so. Speaking of which though, do you know where Scootaloo is? I wanna talk to her while I have the chance.”

“Talk to me about what?” Scootaloo said approaching the mares with a basket of apples on her back. “Hey, Rainbow Dash.”

“Hey squirt. Everything going alright?”

Scootaloo put down her full basket and retrieved an empty one. “Yeah, pretty good. Since the last time you were in town, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and I all made peace with Diamond Tiara.”

“Really? That’s good. I heard about what happened to her father. Is she going to be alright?”

“She’s struggling a bit, but we’re going to help her through it.”

“Good going, squirt.” Rainbow Dash contemplated her next words before speaking them. “Hey, Scoots? I some news I need to share with you?”

“Yeah?” Scootaloo responded while picking apples from an airborne position.

“Two things. First, I got promoted to Group Captain. I’m officially in charge of my own squadron. Second, I’m going to be deployed to the Imperial border in about two days from now.”

“Oh, cool! That’s so AWESOME!” Scootaloo exclaimed, dropping a few apples and fluttering around the area in excitement before suddenly halting. “Err, about being a captain I mean, not about the border thing. That kinda sucks.”

“I know, but it’s up to the brass to decide where we go, not me. Being a Wonderbolt isn’t all thrills and fame. There’s a big conflict going on between Equestria and the Empire and it could boil over eventually. I’ll be doing my part to protect you and Equestria. Until I leave for the border though, I’ll be in town in case you wanna talk or practice any.”

“I understand. Good luck, Captain Dash. And if they try anything funny, make sure to give them hell,” Scootaloo saluted.

“Will do, squirt,” Rainbow saluted back. “I’ll see ya round. Good luck with your summer job.”

Rainbow took flight once more, her final destination being the cottage of her foalhood friend. The home stuck out like a sore hoof now, with some new trees obscuring the view of it from Ponyville’s direction, in the middle of the area where the grass and other vegetation was all but gone.

Strangely, the vegetable garden in back was flourishing, further adding to the out-of-place feel the cottage now had. This is where Rainbow Dash found Fluttershy watering, still wearing her bandages.

“Uh, hey Fluttershy,” Rainbow said quietly as she landed on the opposite side of the garden, not wanting to spook her from behind.

“Oh, good morning Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy smiled after placing her rather strange looking watering can down.

At least she seems to be recovering a bit. “I’ve got something I need to tell you, Shy. I’ve already told the others about this, but I got promoted to Group Captain.”

“Oh my, congratulations!” Fluttershy said clapping her hooves together a few times before her joints became a bit sore. “Ow…”

“Thanks,” Dash responded with a smirk before cringing a little at Fluttershy’s pain. “But at the same time, I’m gonna be gone for a long time again. I’m supposed to be deployed to the border of the Crystal Empire. I don’t know when I’ll be back, so I wanted to see everypony again.”

“Oh, that sounds… serious. Why are you going out there, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Equestria and the Empire are having some, well, differences. To put it lightly. We’re trying to make sure it doesn’t escalate to physical violence. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t know that though.”

Suddenly, the watering can gained a pair of yellow eyes and a mouth. “And I’m surprised you didn’t know more about your oldest friend, Rainbow Dash. Though, I should have guessed you would gloss over Fluttershy’s lack of interest in the newspaper lately.” Rainbow Dash glared as the draconequus assumed his true form. “I can’t really say I’m surprised.”

“What’s that supposed to mean you animal accident?!”

“Guys… Please don’t do this.”

Both Discord and Rainbow Dash backed down a little bit. As much as neither one was fond of the other, Fluttershy was the best friend to both. It was disrespectful to her, especially given her situation. You got lucky, both growled internally.

“I’m here for the rest of today and all of tomorrow, but I have to go back to the Academy first thing Monday morning. I might be helping AJ with her orchard tomorrow, but if you want to talk about anything, I’ll be either there or at my house.”

“I don’t think that will be much of an issue. I don’t really go into town anymore…”

“Well… You’ll know where I’ll be either way. I should probably go home and send a letter to Rarity. Gotta decide if I need to take anything back too. I’ll see ya later.”

With Fluttershy smiling, and Discord pouting, Rainbow Dash flew in the direction of her home. On the way, she saw more ponies out and about, only a few of them recognizing her in the sky and even then treated it as if she were any other pegasus. This was bothering her more than she felt it should have, and it wasn’t because she wasn’t getting the attention of being part of an elite team.

The rest of the day was uneventful and slow, which honestly she did not mind. Any chance she could get to rest and relax, she was not going to complain. However, she dealt with some insomnia that night. Thinking back to the last few years, she had been visiting Ponyville less and less. She could only hear of the troubling times going on, never being a part of it. From her conversation with Applejack, to her interaction with Discord, her thoughts kept going back to a feeling of alienation that had been growing from the previous year. So much happened that she missed, how many ponies would notice or care if she just stopped showing up.

“Maybe I’m not welcome here anymore…” she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.

Other than a little visit with Scootaloo and then to Fluttershy, the day went and gone with a late package being delivered to her mailbox that evening. Priority mail from Canterlot, which meant Rarity.

Sure enough, the package contained an indigo scarf with Rainbow’s cutie mark embroidered and a letter go with it.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

Congratulations on your new rank. I hope you can help end all this silliness before it goes too far. But I know you’ll be up there for quite a long time, so I took the liberty of putting together this for you. I will admit, it’s not one of my finest works, but it will keep you warm in those temperatures. I hope I got the colors right, it would just look garish if the scarf didn’t match your uniform. But of course, that is probably silly thing to worry about.

Good luck up there. I apologize for not being able to see you in person.

Sincerely,
Rarity.

Rainbow Dash smiled as she flung the scarf around her neck. Perhaps it wasn’t aerodynamic, but it was still decently stylish in addition to being warm. Besides, she wasn’t going to be performing high speed tricks up at the border. And of all the colors she could have picked, Rarity was smart enough to pick a darker color to blend in with the night time patrolings that would be likely.

Around eight in the evening, she had to make sure she said her goodbyes before going to bed because with her alarm set for four in the morning, she wasn’t going to get a chance otherwise. The moon was still above the horizon when she woke up and gathered whatever items she wanted to take with her. Once it was time to leave, she locked her house door and began her journey back to the academy for what was going to be the longest job yet.

Approaching the academy on her flight back, she could see the Wonderbolt airship docked in the light of the moon. The chosen Wonderbolt flight was set to arrive at the border by daybreak. But flying for hours with just their wings was not ideal with that distance.

The lights in the academy building indicated a small buzz of activity, the militant ponies loading supplies into the airship. Rainbow landed next to a yawning Soarin’, himself not terribly active yet. “Good evening, Dash.”

“Technically it’s morning.”

“Not to me it isn’t. How did your trip go?”

“Not as eventful as I would have liked,” Dash replied, herself now yawning, albeit purposely to hide the depression in her tone. “How long before we need to depart?”

“Eh, about twenty minutes I’d say. You might want to retrieve whatever you want to take with you. We can’t afford any delays.”

“I’m ready, don’t worry.”

“Good. Now, it will still be a few hours before you’ll arrive at the patrol camps so you’ll have some time aboard to sleep a little more. Trust me, you’ll need it. Everypony going, you already know and have been filled in about your position. Regardless, try to make a good impression on the army when you get there.”

“I intend to,” Rainbow grinned. “I really hope this whole thing blows over fast.”

“Wishful thinking, but I doubt it will be that simple. You should probably get aboard though. As I said, we shouldn’t delay.”

Rainbow Dash and Soarin’ exchanged a prolonged heartfelt embrace and parted hesitantly in order to go back to their duties. Rainbow knew she had to stand tall and set aside her emotions. The warzone was no place for them.

For the remainder of the preparations and well after the departure, Rainbow slipped into her new role. Doing so turned out to be much simpler than she thought, having participated in coordinating many Winter Wrap Ups in Ponyville, and weather patrols. However here, she was representing her flight. She had to take this seriously, especially given the mission. If she didn’t, there would be consequences that would weigh on her shoulders.

After overseeing loading of supplies, Rainbow Dash joined her comrades on the main deck for roll call. Her flight consisted of a total of forty-two pegasi, herself not included. They were separated into six sections with seven soldiers each.

“Group Captain Rainbow Dash,” Thunderlane stated with a salute, to which Rainbow returned. He had been promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant and was assigned to work under the Group Captain. He had no idea it would be Rainbow Dash until the morning of the prior day, yet he had the soldier attitude etched into his mind and as such would adapt accordingly.

“Attention Wonderbolts!” Rainbow sternly announced. “This job we are being deployed to do is a very important one. I know that for a quite a few of you this is the first time you will be out on the field. Myself and your flight captains will be going over the specifications multiple times with everypony to make sure we understand them. Nevertheless, we are all a team. We must communicate and cooperate with each other if we are to stay strong. To any rookies out there, if you have any questions or issues that need to be brought to attention, speak with any of your respective flight captains. It is not only important that we know what we are doing, but to take pride in doing it.”

Thunderlane took a step forward with a clipboard in his hoof. “Wonderbolts, assemble!”

Five of the six flights took a preset arrangement. The captains of each group stood at the center front while the remaining six members of their flight formed two rows of three behind them, according to their given number and flight name. The members of the sixth flight, Rainbow Dash’s, formed a row behind Rainbow and Thunderlane as the latter went through the list.

“Alpha team is good,” Thunderlane said as he checked off each name. “Beta team, Gamma team, Delta team, Epsilon team, all thats left is Omega team.” The dark gray stallion turned around to face his flight. “Omega One,” Thunderlane checked himself off the list. “Omega Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven. Alright, everypony in the squadron is accounted for.”

“Good. Now, I want everypony to move to their respective quarters to get some rest. Chances are we’ll be starting as soon as we touch ground at the border. I need you all alert. Now you are dismissed.”

Everypony headed to each of their barracks on the ship at this point, Rainbow Dash being the last one to get to her room after double checking certain criteria. This was the first time she actually slept in the captain’s cabin and it should have felt good. She felt as though this was supposed to be a major step up, being a perk of her new position. Instead it felt… empty. Too many conflicts prevented her from enjoying it.

Despite how soft and comfortable the bed was, it took nearly forty minutes of tossing and turning before Rainbow Dash finally fell asleep. Yet she slept light that night, waking up periodically as the hours ticked by. Upon the fifth time this happened, she noticed a small hint of light emitting from her window and took a look at her alarm clock which read seven twenty-five.

With a yawn, she sat up in her bed and stretched out. She expected to be landing soon, so now was as good a time as any to start preparing for the day. Breakfast was to be served at the camps, so there would be no point in going to the mess deck. So instead, she decided to head topside and catch some of the breeze through her mane.

This was where she caught a glimpse of the Imperial territory. The Sun was still sitting on the horizon at this point, but there was a noticeable brightness emanating from the Empire’s direction. There was no aurora effect, but rather it was a glow concentrated in one particular spot in the distance, not from the Empire itself.

“Wait… What the heck?” Rainbow said squinting in an attempt to make out what the source of the glow was. Something about it bothered her, but she did not have the slightest idea why. It just unsettled her.

However, that glow erupted into a strong light that became unbearable to gaze directly into it. After a brief moment of rubbing her eyes, Rainbow focused in its direction again and after a minute or two, the light dimmed to a manageable level, but for a long time never completely diminished. This whole incident spooked the cyan pegasus. What was happening? Was it some sort of powerful spell? Princess Cadance was an alicorn and not only did she have the assistance of her husband, a unicorn fluent in barrier spells, but the fugitive Sunset Shimmer was supposedly hiding in the Imperial territory as well. Regardless of what was going and who was doing it, the phenomenon was well visible and she was definitely not the only pony who saw it.

“Oh boy…”

The whole building place was buzzing with activity. The air was filled with the sounds of sawing, hammering and screeching of pulleys. Looming Arc was hovering just under the roof of one of the pavilions, checking if the beams were properly affixed. In his opinion it would hold, but with how many ponies would arrive, one could never be too sure.

“Hey, Canopy, pass me a hammer and few ten inch nails!” He turned to take the tools from his sister, but the air was empty. That is, until they came flying from underneath. He caught them just barely.

“You could have flown up here with them, you know,” he reprimanded her.

“And you could have flown down here for them just as easily,” she shouted back and grinned mischievously. Arc had to admit she had a point. “I will go help them with the central stage and then do some decorating. Catch you later.”

“Alright, I’m sure you’re gonna nail those strings of roses just fine.” She flicked her golden tail and threw her head back in fake indignation as she was leaving, but he could see right through it. They were twins after all. He put the nails where they needed to go and hammered them in with a single hit each. That comes with practice and a cutie mark for construction.

He flew down, packed his tools into a reinforced saddlebag and left the pavilion. The sun stood still rather low above the horizon. It never climbed too high when the summer ended, but it was still an early morning, so it didn’t feel that out of place to him. There he came from, the sun would climb steadily and bring warmth even now. Hay, it would probably be still warm enough to go swimming!

He shivered from a gust of northern wind and walked to the nearest fireplace hastily. There was a tripod above it with a huge kettle. A unicorn he had never seen before poured a cup of coffee out of it and floated it to Arc, beckoning him closer to the fire.

“Are you new to these parts?”

“Kinda.” Arc sipped on the coffee and shivered some more. It was blazing hot, darker than night and so strong it would wake dead. He immediately took a larger gulp. “My sister and I arrived six months ago, but we were spending time in the Empire only. Thanks for the coffee, it’s great!”

“You are welcome. Both regarding the coffee and the country. I’m from around here, from Crosstown.”

“So this party will be for you then?” Arc waved his free hoof toward all the tents, pavilions around, some being still built, but most getting decorated by this point. The celebration was planned for that very evening. When Arc learnt few days ago that volunteers were needed for the construction of the areal he didn’t hesitate at all. There was enough work for his sister and him in the city with all those renovations and new investments around, but this was something special. When he looked back though, maybe he should have waited for a day or two though. He would have avoided digging the lavatories and foundations. As a pegasus, his place was in the sky, not under the ground.

“Sure, they won’t get me away from here now after all the work I did here! You don’t look like you spent the last few days just standing around either. It’s just as much your celebration as mine.”

“I meant more like celebrating your annexation to the Crystal Empire, but you are right on that.” Arc finished his cup and being offered a refill gladly accepted.

“It’s a pleasant change, sure,” the unicorn said and gazed to the Crystal Empire flag flapping on the closest flagpole, “but I don’t expect that much of a change. Still, it’s closer and the ponies are friendly. I say it’s worth it.”

They spent some more time drinking coffee and chatting about everything and nothing until the sun started to provide at least some heat and they returned to work. Arc trotted among the stalls and piles of wood ready for the evening, looking everywhere for Canopy. Along the way he picked a sandwich for her from one of the suppliers. The workers had the food free the whole time they spent at the construction.

It took him almost half an hour to finally find her - the areal for the fair took several acres. She was just hanging another garland to a pole and waved at him from above. He flew up and helped her with affixing it, and as they landed he gave her the snack. She dug in hungrily. Obviously she did much more that day than he had.

“I’m beaten,” she said and leaned against him. “Do you think they would mind if we left the rest on others?”

“Probably not. You can go back to Crosstown and I will try and get something done still. It’s the last day and you know how crystal ponies are with building stuff.”

She giggled, kissed him on the cheek and flew toward Crosstown. He knew that if he flew above the tents, he would spot the clock tower in the town to the east. They were assigned a small room in one of the houses, provided by a native who also participated on the preparations. He didn’t exactly belong to the hard workers - he liked to sleep in every day and would show up at the construction site only after lunch - be he was a good fellow. Arc felt an urge to work that day up for all three of them.

He spent next few hours drifting from one construction to another, helping and advising wherever he could. He would leave only after the chief of the crew would declare the works finished. It was about time too, as the cooks needed to start preparing the feast for the night.

As he returned to their temporary home, he met their roommate in the doorframe, ready to go to work. “You can stay home, Rice Soup. We are done.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Rice Soup said quietly and put his hat back on the hanger. “But don’t make so much noise, Canopy fell asleep. She worked herself into exhaustion apparently.”

“That can’t happen to you anytime soon.”

They didn’t have much to do for the afternoon apart from grabbing something to eat from the inn. All the expenses were prepaid here as well, so they didn’t have to worry at all about the higher than normal prices the place usually demanded. Then as the time for the fair neared, they brushed their manes and tails and started for the grounds again. Canopy, now rested and cheerful, was giddy with anticipation.

“Do you think there will be fireworks? And balloons? And the princess?” She was barely holding herself from hopping around. She always loved big celebrations especially after she got a chance to attend one thrown by the famous Pinkie Pie. The stallions exchanged an amused look.

“You were around the whole time this was being prepare, Canopy,” Arc said with a shake of his head. “You know exactly what there will be.”

“But they could have added or changed something in the meantime!”

However improbable it was, they indeed did. The sun had set already, but the place was perfectly lit. Not only the torches provided much more light than they had any natural right to, but also the strings of paper roses they spent a long time hanging everywhere were glowing in all hues of the rainbow and few more still.

The sounds of drums, violins, flutes and singing were coming from everywhere. They obviously weren’t among the first to arrive, but the site spread so far that many more ponies would be comfortably accepted without having to fight for space.

As they were passing one of the crystal pony organisers, they were each given a small necklace with a small crystal. Nothing expensive, but a pleasant souvenir for the days to come. Not to mention it glowed in the dark and with everypony around having one it added to the general feeling of belonging.

They soon split, each wishing to see different things. While Rice found the closest taproom with cider, Canopy flew away to watch a comedic reenactment of Sombra’s defeat at one of the stages. Arc was mingling around, occasionally stopping to look at fireworks blooming on the sky from time to time or to admire some artist. There were painters, acrobats and other performers, and among others…

“Behold the skill and finesse of the great and powerful Trixie!” a blue unicorn he faintly remembered from when he was in his early teens was shooting small firecrackers from her hooves, a big purple pointy hat hiding her horn, though the pink glow was obvious to anypony. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, turning ribbons into paper birds into birds into roses, letting bunnies jump out of her hat and then pretending she was trying to grab them with her hoof much deeper inside than the hat could ever go.

Arc joined the group of spectators, mostly foal who were having just as much fun as the mare herself, laughing and cheering. They didn’t even notice how late it was getting and that they should have felt really tired by then. For once their parents didn’t mind though.

As the grand finale of her performance the mare magiced a pile of small wooden sticks and lowered them into the hat so that their tips would reach just over the rim. Then she jumped down from the stage and went along the line of spectators, prompting everypony to pull one out. To the excitement of the foals a big round lollipop with a colorful picture appeared on the other end of every stick.

When the mare got to him, he hesitated a bit, which caused the mare to smirk. “What, do you think you are too old for licking a treat?” She pulled out one lollipop, slowly licked it with her tongue sticking intentionally very far out and then placed it with the wet side on his muzzle. He went red like a tomato and now it was the adults’ turn to giggle.

With the performance at this stage over, the mare leaving for some other part of the grounds and shooting few balloons and fireworks for the foals to ease their disappointment from the fun ending so soon (though she was performing for two hours straight as Arc noted), he made his way toward the tables with refreshments if they could be called that. He was holding his lollipop with the tip of his wing and occasionally licked it, not caring about the others seeing him anymore, even though he noticed the picture on his lollipop wasn’t so innocent.

When he met with Canopy again, he had thankfully already finished his sweet. While he didn’t mind other seeing it, he wouldn’t hear the end of it from her if she saw that picture. She seemed even more excited than before. Her eyes were positively sparkling.

“Can you believe it? I met Rapid Fire! He even gave me an autograph!” She giggled like a schoolgirl when she showed him a headband she got somewhere around as it had a crystal in the front. The autograph was just next to it. “He even danced with me! I thought he would be some stuck up star, but he is a great guy!”

Arc let her jabber on as he knew she didn’t require any answer to her fangasming. He was rather concentrating at stuffing his tummy full of baked eggplant. So when she finally asked him how the evening was for him so far, he had his mouth hopelessly full and so just muffled “Pwetty sweeth,” and made something that would be a mischievous grin if it weren’t for his full-mouthed condition. Alas, it only made him look like a hamster, which Canopy hurried up to tell him.

Once the hunger was sated, they proceeded to the nearest dance floor. As almost every pegasus they loved movement and dancing in particular. They weren’t the only ones though which was proven by a petite magenta earth pony mare with glasses who was causing a lot of admiration with her smooth wavy moves and rhythmic tapping of her hooves. She seemed to have no care in the world, being fully submerged in the tune and the movement of her dancing partner, an ivory crystal earth pony.

The pegasi twins wouldn’t be put to shame though. As far as their memory went they participated in every fair their school back home would throw, regularly with a successful dance performance. They watched the pattern of the pair’s movement and then moved in the almost empty dance floor, the others only watching. They were soon noticed by the pair and in a few seconds the pattern started changing to accommodate four dancer instead of two. The music sped up a little, the pairs were mixing and switching partners and the rest of the ponies were clapping their hooves to the rhythm.

For the next song the floor was completely full, everypony moving in happy companionship. It didn’t matter who could and couldn’t dance or where they came from, they were having fun.

After an indiscernible amount of time, although the sky was no longer black, so it must have been a long time, did several volleys of fireworks draw everypony’s attention. The centre of the fair grounds, a small hill up until now bathed in darkness which couldn’t be natural since all the torches and flashes would have illuminated it comfortably, lit up with a ring of white and pink crystals at the bottom. Ponies getting the hint started gathering around it in the free space dividing it from the nearest tents.

As the majority of the ponies arrived, crystal ponies, natives and immigrants side by side, the top of the hill illuminated as well with another set of crystals, revealing the majestic Queen Cadance and six hooded figures in a semicircle behind her. After a series of cheers she raised a hoof to calm them down.

“Beloved citizens of Crystal Empire!” she called out and was awarded with another round of applause. “I am indescribably happy that so many new ponies can be called with that title now. I hope that our common future will bring much joy to everypony and that we will grow in the same harmony as we are spending this wonderful night.”

“Long live the Queen!” somepony shouted from the crowd and many glasses were raised to take part on the toast.

“Many of you surely remember,” Cadance continued after she alone took a sip from a glass floated toward her, “that we promised you all prosperity and enough food for everypony. Many of you questioned how we would provide all of that with limited resources.”

She beckoned the six hooded figures forward and took a small box from one of them. “Frozen North may not be the most comfortable place for living, yet look at the Crystal Empire. It flourishes in eternally mild weather and the storms rage around. As my advisors taught me, that place got a blessing long ago from mighty forces and now with these ponies’ help the time has come another blessing would appear. As a gift to all the citizens.”

She levitated a small crystalline seed from the box and showed it to the crowd. Although small, it was perfectly visible for everypony somehow. She then floated it to the centre of the hill and stepped behind, so she was standing in the middle of the hooded group. They all reached up and slid the hoods back. Both Arc and Canopy gasped as they recognised one of the ponies, Arc even two. Now they all turned their heads toward the queen just as the first rays of the sun slipped over the horizon.

“May the Elysium guide you and lends you its strength,” they declaimed as one and their eyes lit up brilliant white. So did the eyes of the queen, to the mild awe of the crowd. She looked serene though, joyous even.

“And you as well,” she said and the light erupted from her horn toward the seed on the ground. All the other ponies knelt down in a manner that Arc could remember from the single occasion he had to watch the reinforcing of the Crystal Heart. Indeed, he now felt the connection to everypony around and a strange feeling of his happiness streaming forward, yet not leaving him.

The light was growing in intensity, soon making it impossible to see at all, yet somehow he sensed something growing in front of him, something beautiful, benign and soothing.

When the light receded, he had to wait for a few seconds for his eyes to adjust back to the normal level of illumination. In the meantime he noticed that it got very noticeably warmer and the wind had stopped almost entirely. He blinked few more times just for a good measure and then gazed upon the hill. A massive white tree, whose color was so intense it was momentarily lapsing to blue, stood where the seed used to lay. It was no sapling. In those few seconds it skipped tens, maybe even hundreds of years. Its branches spread far, their crystalline structure glittering in the morning sun and adding to its inner glow. In the small breeze its leaves were whispering, continueing the soothing sensation from before.

Queen Cadance, along with her companions, stepped forward again, a please smiles adorning all their faces. “Citizens of Crystal Empire! Through your devotion and through the power given by our friends we managed what ponies deemed impossible. I hereby declare Crosstown the second oasis of the Frozen North. May it prosper and may you rejoice.”

She waved her hoof in a wide semicircle, drawing the attention of the ponies to their surroundings. The sky changed, if only lightly. A small sheen of ever-changing color could be discerned in the distance and above. But what really impressed the ponies present and what drew gasps and loud cheering from them was the ground. Where tundra reigned with her brown and yellow shades of autumn just minutes ago, the ground was covered with fresh green grass and a flood of flowers now. The winter had ended before it started for real and it ended forever.

Chapter 27

View Online

Original Title: The Hexarete Front
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

The streets of Crystal Empire were once again overcrowded, but Canopy was slowly getting used to it by now. She learnt how to weave through the neverending sea of ponies, although today’s festivity wasn’t willing to give up on hindering her so easily. Not to mention she was dragging Arc behind her with one hoof.

“Could you speed up a little, you slowpoke?” she reprimanded as she spotted another gap in the crowd through which they could advance much more comfortably. It was no use though as Arc continued trudging behind in his monotonous tempo of a sleepwalker. “I swear you are doing it on purpose!”

“Excuse me, Ms. Agile, but you are not the one balancing two cups of sweet sticky lemonade on your back!” he shot back and cautiously glanced over his shoulder on those malicious beverages, precariously trembling between his wings. “If they spill on me, I will rip all your feathers out! Besides, it’s not that big deal. So we just won’t catch the beginning of the parade.”

Canopy stopped abruptly and turned to him, almost giving him a reason to act on his threat. Her expression spelled boundless disbelieve and angry shock. “Just won’t catch the beginning?!” she yelped and stepped closer to him. “That would mean not seeing the queen and her advisors! What if they hold a preaching? Or they could notice us! That can’t happen!”

She was glaring at him from few inches away with her hoof raised for emphasis. He cocked his head, raised his own hoof and booped her nose. She shook her head and blinked a few times. “What just happened?”

“You just went into another fan frenzy, that’s all.” He passed her and flicked her nose with his tail. “You say the queen and her advisors, but in the end it’s all about that Wonderbolt drop out, isn’t it?”

“First of all, she is not a drop out. She left voluntarily instead of joining the team,” she said indignantly and followed him. “And what if it is? Wonderbolts are cool. And she can talk really well, I can learn a lot from her.”

“Sure, sure… You keep talking about those preaching all the time.” Seeing the hurt expression on her face though, he risked a movement of his back muscles to take her under his wing. “I like what they are saying too, Canopy, but it’s enough during the preachings.” She smiled a little, so he decided to use the big guns. “And I think that Wonderbolt already noticed you there. She waved in your direction last time.”

He overdid it. He knew it and he hated himself for it, for Canopy charged forward with an eager grin. He had to try hard to keep up with her and spent an equal time balancing the beverages as apologizing to the ponies Canopy pushed to the ground on her dash toward the front lines of crowd. Sometimes he question if she really was a pegasus, or the wings were glued to an earth pony undercover.

Soon enough she arrived or rather minted to the railing that ensured the parade would have some space to move. He joined her seconds later, panting and sweating from the exercise. She reached on his back and grabbed one of the cups.

“You are welcome,” he grumbled, being flashed a smile in response. Canopy would never change. If Arc’s memory served, that Wonderbolt was usually preaching about evaluating one’s actions and toning them down. Although she kept herself attentive and was soaking in every word, her approach to the meaning was similar to the one of a drunkard listening with scientific interest to a lecture on the advantages of sobriety.

Arc desperately wished that wasn’t the case with the majority of the listeners. Otherwise all the striving of the preachers would be in vain and their confidence would have fake grounds which could be deadly after today. The world outside the Empire wouldn’t tolerate it.

The main street of the Crystal Empire, leading from the palace in the very middle of the city through the whole centre was diligently decorated with real roses, adding their intense scent to the effect their paper counterparts provided a week ago during the fair. They were accompanied by streamers in six colors having something to do with the advisors, Arc guessed. The sky was without a cloud and promising to stay that way for the rest of the day. Arc couldn’t recall any important occasion in the Empire ruined by the weather. Actually, he realised, not even any day ordinary day either. There was that downpour the evening before, but everypony was briefed on that two weeks prior and it served only to help clean the street for today. Other than that, the rain was limited to the gardens and fields. Not that Arc complained about his wings staying dry.

To his surprise even the railings keeping the crowd back was glinting in the sun and he could only wonder how the organisers managed to cover the uppermost tube with living ivy or how those ice statues depicting those supernatural beings Ein Sof standing ever thirty feet from one another weren’t melting. There was a lot of magical licence in play he concluded.

Clopping of many hooves resounded from the free corridor, though quite peculiarly from the opposite direction than everypony expected. That couldn’t stop Canopy from jumping happy from one hoof to another and excitedly shouting about the parade beginning. To be honest, Arc was getting a little bit more than little tired of the eternal giddiness of his sister, especially when it got to the matters of the new philosophy spreading around. Seriously, just because somepony was talking about general truths, it was no reason for his life to revolve around them.

He would have soared a bit up to get a better idea what was going on, but the density of pony bodies around prevented him from almost any movement. He didn’t have to wait for long though, the unexpected ponies getting into his field of sight along with an amused smile to his face. Small merchants decided to get some use of the enormous gathering, and as the ponies couldn’t get to their regular stands, they decided to turn themselves into mobile ones.

“Peanuts in chocolate! Fresh lemonade, cold and refreshing! Honey cookies! Buy my honey cookies! With real wild bee honey and propolis, great for your teeth! Balloons! Get your foal a colorful balloon!”

The cacophony of voices went on and on and with every passing merchant the assortment of offered food and drinks was getting more exotical, soon including even cicadas in carrot glaze, and Arc decided that if he were to get some snack, he would rather do so now. The moment he pulled his wallet from the saddlebag, an extraordinarily complaisant and warmly smiling merchant stepped to him as if he spilled over from his original place to the new instead of walking there.

“Wanna something stronger, dear sir? Ya know, the faith gets more enticing with some moonshine.” He pulled a bottle from the wild collection of brick-and-brack on his saddle-regals and let Arc sniff it. The smell hit him like an earth pony sprinting for the last train which served as a best argument for Arc. Maybe he would have an easier time alongside his sister.

The merchant counted the coins contentedly and and hid them in a pouch deep unter his back-scaffolding. “I also have some hair of queen Cadance, if dear sir is on that sort of things. Authenticity guaranteed! I would give him a bit of grinded dragon horn as a bonus! It’s great for… you know what. No? Alright, your bad. Enjoy yourself!”

Arc only shook his head in disbelieve. How could that loon expect anypony to buy such stuff? The moment he thought that he saw the merchant about twenty feet away, successfully selling what looked like a burl of pink and yellow thread. Maybe he should start selling random splinters and claiming they were originally a part of the throne room door.

After securing himself a small baguette and a cucumber to bite to his moonshine, he turned his attention back to Canopy. On the second though he could have expected so much, but finding her with a big blue balloon and pink cotton candy gave him a pause at first.

“It’th goow! Wanth thome?” she mumbled through her slips glowed toghether by the sweet. He declined and happily turned back to the corridor. Long live the cotton candy. The merchants were being chased away by the guards trying to return the corridor to its previous empty state and purpose. The merchants having wings at their disposal didn’t seem too put off by that, adjusting their wares and opting to sell from the air, now for the doubled prices. And they say avarice sends you directly to Tartarus. At least the damned will have something to drink.

The sun climbed suitably high on the sky, still refusing to melt the statues, but otherwise pleasantly warming the air. A bit too much for Arc’s taste as the ponies pressing on him on every side served as heating sufficient for the weather outside the protective dome. The crowd had only one advantage - nopony could sneak to him and steal his wallet, unless snakes learnt how to pick pockets.

He caught the first tones of a celebrational marching music from the direction of the palace, soon followed by the rhythmic steps of the guards. They were wearing their ceremonial uniforms, crystals retracting the sunlight in every direction and illuminating the white walls around in the same spectrum of colors the feathers on their helmets possessed naturally. Or maybe unnaturally. He had at least never seen such a big aquamarine blue bird.

“They are wonderful! So majestic! Do you think that armor would look good on me?” Canopy chirped next to him excitedly. Cotton candy apparently had a shorter lifespan than he wished it. He had to admit though that the idea of wearing something of this beauty could be a nice experience. On the other hoof…

“You would have to join the army to wear that, Canopy. And not just that. These are the elite guards. They surely did something heroic to be admitted to those ranks,” he explained patiently.

“So what? Wouldn’t it be great to serve to the queen, her advisors and all ponies of the Crystal Empire? Just imagine it! It would be so romantic! They would maybe sing a song about us…” Her eyes got misted up briefly as she continued her daydreaming. “Then we would be introduced to the queen and to Lightning Dust and we would dine with them…”

“Yeah, but first we would have to do that heroic deed, you know. That’s not so easily done and ponies usually get hurt during that.”

“We would manage,” she said with confidence, pranced on her hindlegs and glanced over the heads of the marching guards.

“I would rather stay a builder and serve the queen, her advisors and the ponies of-” he grumbled with disdain at his sister’s careless attitude, but she cut him off before he could finish his paraphrase.

“Hush! They are here! The queen is coming!”

Indeed, a pink and golden chariot, resembling more a bathroom apparatus than a means of transportation with its decoration - and did he mention the colors? - was slowly moving behind the guards At the front the queen with her family positioned themselves so that everypony would have a perfect view. Prince consort Shining Armor in his best red and golden uniform of the captain of the guard was smiling widely at everypony, though there was something strained in his expression. The smile didn’t reach his eyes. The young prince Regal Luster on the other hoof was openly enjoying all the commotion and carnival-like atmosphere. The queen herself seemed to have stayed somewhere on the way to Luster’s joy. She was surveying her subjects with calm content and warm smile.

In the rear of the chariot stood the royal advisors. Arc noted with amusement that by the expression of that fiery unicorn at least somepony shared his opinion on the chariot and the parade in general.

The chariot was passing by uneventfully, Canopy jumping in place and cheering with all her might, when suddenly the pegasus his sister was constantly talking about turned her head, smiled, more on Canopy than him, and waved.

“SHE SAW ME!” Canopy shouted ecstatically and leaned against him, her face equal parts blissful and stupid. Alright, only NOW was he doomed. He unconsciously caught the balloon attempting to flee his sister’s grip. It was the same color as Lightning Dust’s fur.

The parade continued with the ponies everypony gathered here for in the first place, at least officially. The newly assigned preachers were walking in pairs, their light beige robes embroidered with the symbols of elements. The rims of the robes were reinforced to withstand long journeys with hems of six colors corresponding to the advisor they swore their allegiance to.

To Arc they looked very calm and collected, aura of confidence emanating from each one. Maybe those virtues they followed really gave their mind peace?

They passed and another group of guards followed. The music must have been magically amplified, because not a single musician walked behind them. That was probably the end. The preachers would be officially sent to the world with a speech of the queen most likely and then somepony would maybe give a preaching. Neither Arc nor Canopy would be around for that as the place chosen for that lay half a mile away, half a mile filled with ponies. They couldn’t even leave immediately. Arc sighed. This would be a long day.

He was slowly slipping into a standing slumber, when he noticed a sudden change in his sister’s monologue. Somehow it started reacting to outside world.

“Oh hi! I didn’t see you coming. Nice armor!” she chirped and Arc felt an unfightable urge to see to whom. By Canopy’s side stood a crystal guard, adorned in that massive ceremonial armor which Canopy admired so much, and had a nonchalant feeling about him as if he stood there from the beginning of time. So it was possible to move in this crowd after all. Arc immediately checked his wallet, thankfully still present in his saddlebag.

“Good morning, young lady. I’ve been sent to you by Ms. Lightning Dust. She noticed you in the crowd and your devotion impressed her.”

Canopy sat down, grabbed her head with both her forehooves, squeed and fell byck to where Arc already positioned himself. The guard cocked an eyebrow on him. “Is she alright?”

“Sadly, yes,” Arc said with exasperation. “This is how she normally reacts. To one too many things.”

“Oh hush,” Canopy hissed and waved a hoof at him to let her go. “Oh, I… I noticed her too! On that chariot! With the queen. Yeah…” She trailed off, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. “She is really cool!” she added after a few seconds to save the situation.

“One could say that.” The guard smiled and then regained his nonchalant facade again. “She said that a pony of such faith in the cause of the Hexarete Front should consider adding to the efforts herself.”

“That she said? That’s very nice of her, but-” Arc tried to divert the slowly materializing danger, but once again Canopy ignored him.

“Of course!” she exclaimed. “I would love to be of service to her!”

“Sure, she would…” Arc mumbled to himself bitterly.

“You see, the preachers are being sent to their mission and the new ones won’t start their formation for several weeks.” Arc signaled with all his nonverbal skills for the guard to stop there, promising him kingdoms, wealth and eternal youth, just to not ask that question. To no avail. “But how would you like it in the Regiment of Temperance?”

“He really asked that. Why would he even bother asking? Why did he have to ask?” Arc was close to utter despair, but one doesn’t know the true depths until he sees them from even deeper pit.

“Yes! Sign us in, officer!”

“That’s the spirit!” He pulled out a roll of paper and a quill. “So I will need the name and the address.”

“Canopy Heights and Looming Arc, Breezeville 5” Pegasi never suffered from the lack of homes and building space. All they needed were some clouds. For some reason, the first house in the town had always the number nine.

Arc now assumed he couldn’t feel any worse. His sister signed for the military training. That meant most likely death. Something was bothering him even more though. He replayed her answer in his head once more and… “WAIT WHAT?!”

“That’s our street number, right?” Canopy asked innocently, adding the signatures of them both to the paper. She knew his hoofwriting too well.

“I don’t give a damn about that! You signed in both of us?!”

“Well… you wouldn’t let me go alone now, would you?”

“Brilliant! We will send you the instructions within the next two days. I’m looking forward to serving with you. Have a good day!” The guard bowed a little and departed from them in a fluent manner as if there were no ponies in his way.

“Waít!” shouted Arc behind him, but his voice was drown in Canopy’s cheerful bye. He sat down and hid his face in his hooves.

“This is wonderful! I am sure a great adventure is waiting for us!” Canopy exclaimed and continued her neverending monologue. Arc stopped listening. He let her drag him into yet another trouble. Even moving up to the Empire was her momentary idea and he was the one to take care of their survival.

“You will be my death,” he sighed. Now a perfect time had come to finish his bottle of moonshine.

A soft knocking on the door rose Brittle Steps from his sleep. He squirmed under his blankets, hoping to burrow deep enough to not get noticed by the world for a few more minutes. Or hours. All those last minute preparations left him absolutely exhausted last night, not to mention the visit of his friends exactly as he was climbing to his bed. Sadly, for his hope to fulfill, his blanked would have to rise akin to mountain ranges.

The knocking returned and in the sleepy haze of his mind he realised that whoever was behind the door rapped the rhythm of Crystal Empire anthem on the wood. Alright, they gained some plus points. He stuck his legs out into the comparatively cold air of his bedroom.

It was situated to the east so that it wouldn’t overheat in the summer. Brittle Steps noted with disdain that the sun was not welcoming in the waking world with the glint on his limbs as usual. Just a yellow strip of the sky just over the horizon signaled morning was approaching. Slowly though as he was living in the third floor. He didn’t mind getting up, but there were normal hours and outrageous hours.

“Coming,” he called quietly as to not wake the luckier inhabitants of the apartment building. They deserved a lot of rest with how much everypony in the Empire worked recently. As he opened the door of his two-room flat, he found nopony at all. He could only hear the muffled click of the entrance door downstairs. Could it be somepony took so much effort as to prank him?

Definitely not. As he looked down he spotted a small package with his name written on a small piece of paper affixed to it with purple ribbon. Now he was getting much wiser as to the identity of his visitor. He took the package in and closed the door as quietly as he could.

Inside the package he found beige robes decorated with white symbols and the hem shared the coloration. He moaned lightly as from his own will he would never choose beige as his color. At least it didn’t clash too badly with his own light green coloration. As he lifted the item of clothing to inspect it closer, an enclosed note fell to the ground.

“Dear Brittle Steps. Hopefully we got the measurements right and the robes will fit you. You will have time to assess them during the parade, we can always do some adjustments. Please join us in the palace for breakfast and last briefing at 7 o’clock. Twilight. PS: Sorry for the color, everypony gets the same.” He put it to the side, slipped in the robes and gazed on himself in the mirror. It wasn’t too bad and the soft material accommodated itself to his body swiftly. Still, he couldn’t lose a face. “At least you admit the color is wrong, Twilight,” he mumbled to himself.

“So a breakfast. That sure comes in handy. There’s nothing left in here, apart from about one ration of a strong coffee.” He checked the cabinets to make sure. He wouldn’t like to prepare some ugly surprise for his friends who agreed to take care of his flat during his absence. Once he would return, everything would be prepared to host him again.

Another knock on the door made him pause the last control of his home. “Strange. In the last twenty-four hours of my stay in the Empire I get more visits than normally in a month.”

“Good morning, sir,” a young unicorn stallion in a bellhop livery greeted as Brittle Steps opened the door. “Ms. Twilight sent me for your luggage. It will be stored at the railway station during the ceremony.”

“That’s very thoughtful of her. Please come in, I need to finish the checking.” They returned to the living room and Steps ushered the bellhop to the couch. “Would you like some coffee? It must be horrible to be up so early. It sure is for me.”

“That would be very kind of you, sir.”

Soon the bellhop was smiling at him over the rim of the steaming mug. Steps was going through the contents of his two small suitcases and hoping they served coffee in the palace. “Alright, it seems everything is in place.”

“Ms. Twilight tasked me to tell you that you don’t need to fret about forgetting something. You will be provided a sufficient allowance.” Nopony ever called her other than ‘Ms. Twilight,’ her second name was never used. Almost everypony who came in contact with her of course had a serious suspicion as to her identity, but nopony would talk about it. A public secret of sorts.

The bellhop got up and put aside the empty mug. He seemed much more awake and attentive which he proved by pointing at a small flower pot covered with protective construction made of wire. “Is that your luggage, too , sir?”

Brittle Steps tapped the wire to make sure it held firmly. He did that so many times in the past few days that he was starting to worry the construction would break solely because of his tapping, but so far it resisted. “Of course,” he said as if it was the most pointless question ever asked. “That’s Narcis, my pet ficus. Everypony needs a companion.”

The bellhop shrugged and levitated all three pieces of luggage toward the door. At the doorstep Steps slipped him a ten bit coin. Which the bellhop accepted with a smile. Steps remained alone and the finality of his leave, at least a temporal one, settled down on him. He would be gone from his home for who knows how long, he realised.

“I’m not sure I want to leave, Drassil,” he said to a big ficus in the corner. Once he learnt he would be sent abroad, he planted a stick cut from the old plant to secure himself a more portable companion. Some of his friends found his conversations with the plant weird, but in his opinion Drassil was much better listener.

“I convinced few friends to water you regularly and to fertilize the soil as well. I explained them in detail what’s necessary and what to beware. You don’t need to worry, Drassil.” The plant stood quietly in the corner, its leaves hanging as if mourning. “Don’t give me that look, Drassil,” Steps said conciliatory and arranged few misplaced leaves. “I have to do it. I can be of more help out there than here and I will return as well.”

The atmosphere of the flat was pressing on him more with every second. All the memories and dreams came back to him along with the downtrodden look of Drassil. He couldn’t take it any longer. “I promise to be careful, alright? I will miss you. Goodbye!” He left the flat hurriedly and locked the door behind. Soon he was outside and he could breathe freely again. He made the first step.

The chilly air of the early morning wrapped around him and took some of his stress away. The robes slapped around his ankles in the light breeze and he set on his way, not turning back from fear that he would run back. To his surprise the streets were not at all abandoned. Many ponies were running from one place to another, finishing cleaning of the streets, magically drying the pavements after the downpour last night and hanging roses on every element of architecture that could serve as a hook.

Some of them recognised him and called a hello, even bigger number of them greeted him without any idea who he was. The Empire worked that way, ponies would wish you a good day because they knew it didn’t cost them anything. He was answering in kind, pondering if the town where he would be sent would be as friendly.

His walk to the palace didn’t take him particularly long. In the past months he found several shortcuts. All the guards knew him already as well and waved at him from afar. They stayed unmoving solely when tourists were around. A running joke among the regiment.

“How is it going?” he called at them in response to the wave. They waited till he got closer, a guard on his watch can’t show too openly that he is not inattentive all the time.

“It could be better. They didn’t choose us into the parade. Something about our armor not glittering enough or other horseapples,” one of them shared with him confidently, trying to sound easygoing, although his face betrayed his disappointment.

“Be glad. If I didn’t have to, I wouldn’t participate at all. All those ponies staring at me, bleh, not my cup of tea.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have become a preacher,” the other guard quipped, but then tapped Steps’ shoulder encouragingly. “You will do fine. Both here and outside. I know it.” They exchanged warm smiles and.Steps was usher through the gate that would otherwise remain closed till eight o’clock, that is during audience days. Otherwise till nine.

Brittle Steps knew the way to the correct dining hall by heart. The apprentices would meet there every day before they would be split into groups for education. Furthermore, this wouldn’t be the first meal he ever had in the palace. It came with the position. He friends were actually surprised that he wouldn’t go live into the palace along with the other apprentices, to soak in the highly spiritual atmosphere. How could he teach the ponies about life though if he didn’t know how they lived in the first place? Separation didn’t come in question.

The dining hall prepared a pleasant surprise. The normally so plain room, although what can be called plain when it’s built of crystal, changed into a flood of roses, just like the streets, and a sweet scent was filling the air. Three small glowing white orbs were floating under the ceiling, bathing everything in a soft light. Even a high hair red carpet was added on the stone floor. Somepony was trying to make their last meal before leave as pleasant as possible.

He was by far not the first in and he caught sight of few of the Elements as well, but not of Ms. Twilight. They were mingling among the apprentices, chatting with them and probably going over the instructions again. Those who weren’t caught in the conversation were already minding the food set on several tables around the hall. He decided to do the same and helped himself to a bun with strawberry jam. They even had a coffee.

He was at his second bun and third peach when he sensed a presence next to himself. When he turned his head, his eyes met with those of Ms. Twilight. She was smiling at him, not a glimpse of worry in her entire being that day. He smiled back with his lips firmly closed as he was preoccupied with chewing at the moment. He pointed at the coffee cattle and raised his eyebrows in silent question.

“No, thank you. I already had some before. But if Canvas asks, we ran out. Understood?

Steps looked over his shoulder and found the mare in question on the other side of the room. While everypony present already managed to wake up fully, she still stuck out with how chipper she acted. “Fully, Ms. Twilight. Thanks for the robes, by the way. They seem to fit just right.”

“There’s nothing to thank for, Brittle Steps. I’m glad you are content. Three more robes will be added in a package to your luggage.”

“In that case I hope bellhops are cheap wherever I am being sent,” Steps deadpanned and drew a giggle from Twilight.

“Not exactly, but you won’t have to worry about that. There is an account in Beak’n’Claw Bank you will have access to. The number and password are among the other documents, along with the passport. Here.” She handed him a thick envelope which he slipped into an inner pocket he found during getting dressed.

“Thank you. I will try not to spend too much. The money could serve many other ponies.” He gazed intently at his hooves. How could he address his uncertainty? She seemed so confident, would she even understand? His dilemma got solved when she lifted his chin to look him in the eyes again.

“You will do fine, Brittle Steps. You learnt our teachings well and you have a kind heart. Every task can be managed if we want to.”

“But what if they won’t listen?” he asked with doubt.

“Then you mustn’t force them to. They will choose their own path in life and not joining us doesn’t equal damnation. In any case, don’t blame yourself for their behavior.”

“I won’t, Ms. Twilight.”

She smiled in response and left him to his breakfast, heading to another of her apprentices. If Steps could judge, they were all present already and all adorned in similar beige robes too. Now it was a matter of time. He would eat some more and talk to few of the apprentices he knew by name. They all seemed just as tensed.

At quarter to ten they were lead to the space around the Crystal Heart where the parade would start. They formed a row of twenty-five pairs behind a pink and golden chariot for the queen, her family and the Elements. In his opinion, whoever created it had some serious mental dysfunction.

With the tenth strike of the clock on one of the palace towers the parade moved forward, the guards in heavy ceremonial armor marching at the front. This was it. Now he would have to withstand all those eyes focused on him. He, who prefered solitude his whole life. He, who chose a ficus as his companion in life.

His legs started moving on their own and he realised with horror that the narrow corridor was getting closer. Soon they would be everywhere around him. He was panicking, weighing his chances for escape. Then he entered the corridor and the feeling slammed into him like a train.

They were all cheering, their voices intertwining with the music in the air. Not a single pony was judging him for anything. They saw him and those around him as heroes and sincerely wished them everything good. It didn’t even stop by the wish. They were pouring their happiness to them just like they did a week ago when the Crystal Tree was planted near Crosstown.

He waved at them, as did several other apprentices, and took a closer look. Mares and stallions, colts and fillies, all smiling, waving and calling at them encouragingly. Some were waving small flags of the Empire, some were holding balloons - mostly foals, but there were exception - and others yet toasting to them. They started enjoying the energy surrounding them, the pure joy of the crowd. Now he knew he would be alright. He would defeat any obstacle knowing how much support lay behind him.

Like in a haze he arrived to one of the squares of the city, a two-level podium raised at one end. Everypony from the chariot got on the higher part, the apprentices the lower. Ms. Twilight stepped forward, the other Elements two steps behind her, all wearing robes similar to those of the apprentices, just more luxuriously decorated. The crowd went silent

“It is an honor to watch you all here in front of me, ready to spread our word further in the Empire and mainly the outside world,” she addressed the apprentices, her voice filling the square with no difficulty, drowning any noises in the background. She didn’t even need any spell for that. “Yet at the same time it is a great responsibility we all take on ourselves. In the days to come, you will represent not only the beliefs we share, but the whole Crystal Empire and everypony living here. Will you represent us, bringing glory to our land?”

“We will!” thundered the choir of voices. She nodded contently and beckoned the other Elements to join her.

“You studied hard and came to understand much. You are as ready as can be and we have faith in your pure hearts and devoted minds. Yet maybe a decision was born in you to follow another path. There is no shame in that, yet you must state it now.” She paused and just like the other Elements closed her eyes firmly. When she opened them again, they were glowing white and Steps thought he saw shimmering above their heads.

“Thus I ask,” Ms. Twilight reiterated, her voice now becoming almost tangible, although distant as if coming from another world, “will you serve the cause of Hexarete Front and spread the word of virtue?”

“We will!” thundered the apprentices again.

“Then be the blessing of Elysium with you,” said all the Elements together and Brittle Steps felt another surge of energy course through him. He gazed at a string of his mane hanging over his shoulder. It turned into swirling white strands glowing with the same white as the halo above Ms. Twilight’s head. The Elements possessed an aura of majesty around them, solemn, but beautiful, and just like over Twilight’s, halos formed from the shimmering over their heads. Even the apprentices changed, the mane of each identifying him with his chosen Element. Now they were true followers of Ein Sof, ready to preach.

“Go, you are sent forth,” Twilight closed the ceremony and the crowd returned into its fervent celebrating of the occasion. They formed an aisle for the preachers to get to the railway station, trying to pat them on their back and passing them small gifts.

It was quiet within the station. The Elements wouldn’t join them again, they had their duties in the festivities. Not all the preachers were present. About ten of them would stay in the Empire as the Elements needed some help as well and those ponies wouldn’t want to leave their families. Still, it would take some time before the rest would leave. They couldn’t go with a single train - such a group would definitely be suspicious. They also changed into common travelling clothes, pretending to be tourists.

Steps’ train left at two in the afternoon. He would most likely get to the next train in Equestria before dark, if the control at the border wouldn’t take too much time. He thought back to the ceremony and gazed at his glowing mane. Strangely enough, nopony in the carriage seemed to notice anything strange.

Neither did the clerk at the border. He let Steps know with his behavior just how disdained he was from seeing a crystal pony. He wasn’t obstructing though, letting Steps pass after just a brief questioning and a short search through his luggage. A question regarding Narcis couldn’t miss on the fun.

The building where he was being controlled was new, apparently built only after the Frozen North was annexed to the Empire. It was a combination of customs control, checkpoint and a railway station, and even after such a short time it looked rundown. Maybe it never looked any different though. As Steps left the office, he noticed a stronger than usual presence of guards. Equestria tolerated it in the end, but Tartarus would freeze if they were happy about it.

He sighed and pulled another train ticket from the envelope. It would be a train to Manehattan and from there a night ride to Las Pegasus. He acknowledged with happiness that they reserved him a bed in the train as well as dinner and breakfast. He wondered what a real summer looked like.

The bakery swarmed with activity. The clatter of pans, baking trays, bowls and an avalanche of cooking utensils filled the steaming room to the top. Bakers were shouting commands to the helpers, suppliers were bringing bags of flour, dozens of eggs and gallons of milk and over the overall commotion one could hear hollow thuds of wood being chopped in the next room to vanish in the eternal howl of the ovens.

Nopony seemed to pay any attention to young earth pony colt entering through the back door and briskly sneaking among the ponies at work to the row of pegs with aprons and mane nets. He chose some that would fit him and replaced them with his light coat. Among the items hung a notebook and a pen where the employees would mark their arrival and departure, though Crisp Field knew better than to touch it. Instead he ran to the adjacent office where the owner of the bakery was signing facturations.

“Good morning, Mr. Crumb!”

“Mowning, Cwithp. Go find Freth Woaf, he’w give you wowk,” said the dark brown earth pony behind the desk. He was holding a pen in his mouth and was stretching to sign another paper, That task required a gargantuan strain as well as enthusiastic optimism as his stomach wouldn’t allow him to push the chair closer to the desk.

“Will do, sir.”

Mr. Crumb finally succeeded at his endeavor and spat out the pen. “Oh and Crisp?” he called after the retrieving colt who turned in place, “Nopony saw you, right?”

“Of course not, sir,” Crisp reassured and left. Soon he was in full swing of work as the other ponies around him, carrying ingredients and trayes of finished good. For his young age he was surprisingly strong, but that could have been expected from an earth pony. Still, the cooks kept his peculiarities in mind and would carefully judge what he could or couldn’t do.

He tried hard. It wasn’t easy to find a job, especially when you were under the legal age for working. He would do anything to keep it, it was no wonder when he lost any track of time and jumped up as Mr. Crumb patted his shoulder, his belly swaying under the apron.

“Hey boy, it’s seven fifteen. Shouldn't you be going?”

Crisp’s mouth opened in shock. He would have to hurry to get home and to school in time. He darted for the pegs again and put his borrowed attire back to its place. Mr. Crumb was right behind him, handing him a small pouch of bits.

“I watched you today. You did very well, I wonder when you will get your cutie mark for this.”

“Thank you, Mr Crumb! See you tomorrow!” Crisp said with glee as he hid the pouch in his coat. By the weight he could tell he was paid more than he worked again. Mr Crumb and his wife often slipped him more, just from the goodness of their heart.

The sun rose few minutes ago, the shortening days manifested even for this unsleeping city, so he hurried from the alley the back entrance of the bakery led to. He could never be sure who would be waiting behind the dumpsters and the young not too well nourished colt would be an easy prey for any thug around. The moment he got to a wider street he breathed out in relief. You could get pickpocketed quickly in the crowd, but that was something Crisp Field could at least protect himself from a bit.

Las Pegasus should have been divided into two cities for sake of limiting the distortion of statistics. The first one would encompass the locations inhabited by the rich and famous as well as all the hotels, casinos and other businesses that made it the centrepoint of entertainment. The living standard in those parts enormously exceeded the expectations created from average income data for the city.

Then there was the hidden part of the city, the one where all the supporting facilities would find their employees. There was no glamour and extravagance in the architecture, no luxurious goods in the shops and mainly no establishments offering hazard games. Ponies in here simply didn’t have much left to spend frivolously and tourists wouldn’t visit these parts.

Crisp naturally lived in the poorer quarters, his mother a laundress, his father a waiter in one of the casinos. They used to get along quite well, although feeding five foals in this city always brought some problem. Then his mother got pregnant again though and the complications around the birth didn’t allow her to.

He quietly opened the door of their flat on the fifth floor of a tenement house and slipped in, going straight for the kitchen. His mother lay on the couch by the wall nursing his youngest sister. They were apparently the only ponies around, the others have already left for school, work, or in case of his father hadn’t returned from work yet.

“Good morning, mum.” He walked to her and kissed her lightly. “Are you feeling better today?”

“Much, darling,” she said and smiled at him, but the exhaustion could be seen in her expression. She probably didn’t get much sleep that night once again. The young foal kept waking up all the time.

He placed the pouch on the table and grabbed an apple and the small bag with his snack for school. “They slipped me more again, mum. It should help a bit.”

“Thank you, darling, but you shouldn’t do this. You are too young to work. We will manage even if you don’t harm yourself like this.”

“Everypony must help, mum. I want to support the family too.” He ran to the room he shared with two of his brothers and returned to the kitchen with his school saddlebags. “Besides, I don’t need to sleep that much. You should nap though. See you later!”

Soon he was galloping down the street again, now in real hurry for he had quite a long journey ahead of him. By a stroke of luck his father managed to get him signed into one of the school in the richer quarter. Thankfully the schools were still paid by the state, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to afford that. This way Crisp was getting much better education than most of his peers.

As he ran, the scenery around him was changing in more than just the coordinates. The facades were getting brighter, the green around the street lusher and the clothing of ponies more common occurrence than around his home. There was no clearly determined border between the world of rich and poor, employers and employees, but you couldn’t miss the difference when you crossed it.

At a small square close after crossing the non-existent border, he had to slow down and could put his skill in sneaking among ponies to use. There was a small crowd gathered and Crisp could spot and mostly hear a green crystal pony, or at least he thought it was a crystal pony as he hadn’t seen any other member of that race before. He was wearing a strange beige robe and was talking about taking the wellbeing of others into consideration.

Crisp didn’t have any time to stop and listen, and it crossed his mind that impeding him on his way wasn’t the best example of being considerate, but then he broke free from the crowd and resumed his gallop. The school bell was tolling as he entered the school ground through a huge decorative iron gate.

In the years he attended this school, he learnt that most of the other pupils didn’t want anything to do with him. They generally belonged to wealthier families and weren’t raised to keep the others in high regard. They were flaunting their money and expensive accessories around, forming a hierarchy based strictly on that. Of course, there were few like Crisp who got lucky and also a small group of decent foals. They formed a tragic minority though.

It took Crisp two years to find a friend at all around here. Until then he would spend the recesses alone in the school garden, sufficiently far from the playground to slip the attention of bullies and rich pricks. It wasn’t bad, definitely better than the encounters he went through before he settled for this. He liked trees and the garden was very well kept. He would enjoy that time, although solitude didn’t sit well with him, a result of growing with so many ponies.

Then he met her and his school life changed. Ivory Grace stemmed from one of the richest families around. She also surpassed most others in looks, her namesake coat and light grey, almost silver mane along with softly golden eyes catching eye in the crowd. To secure her position the fate made her to born as unicorn. And this pony, generally nicknamed Princess, once stepped in when a bully wanted to beat Crisp up. She didn’t bother threatening with her father’s influence. She simply bucked the offender in the face. They got to talk in the detention that day and had been friends ever since.

He found her already sitting in the classroom. They had been sharing a table ever since that day, from which they both profited as they specialized in different subjects. She smiled at him and then jabbed him in the ribs lightly.

“You are almost late,” she reprimanded and he thought he caught a small tint of rosy on her cheeks when she looked him in the eyes. “I was getting worried.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled and massaged his hurt chest. “I lost track of time.”

“Have you been working again?” Apart from his family and the ponies in the bakery, Ivory Grace was the only pony who knew about his job. She wouldn’t tell anypony though, she wouldn’t do anything to harm him.

“Yeah, and then there was a crowd in my path again. That stallion is always choosing the worst places.”

“My father forbode me from listening to him and the likes. What was he talking about today?” She scooted closer to Crisp, rather unnecessarily in Crisp’s opinion as nopony was listening to their conversation in the chattering classroom.

“Something about thinking about the feelings of other ponies, I think. I didn’t have time. Do you want me to listen to him for you sometime?”

“That would be nice of you. That topic is very important,” she said thoughtfully and gave him a look Crisp couldn’t quite decode. He didn’t have much time to ponder about it as the teacher entered the room and the classes started. Ivory Grace remained close, he didn’t mind though.

Training for new recruit was sometimes difficult. Aside from the physical conditioning, camp was a maturing process, sometimes a scarring one. Lightning Dust knew this well with her military background and her knowledge of it most likely was only matched by Shining Armor. The military could change a pony and it was not for everypony. There were already a few dropouts this season, a fact that she was not happy about but could not fault them for.

Wearing a new military tunic crafted for her by crystal pony artisans, she flew from her palace home towards the palace stadium just north. Though it was primarily intended for sporting event, it became an ideal place for training soldiers in other hours, certainly useful with how many volunteers signed up recently. She landed at the entrance and walked inside, flashing her military ID for the security stationed there.

Her walk through the corridors and into the lockers was fairly routine, as it typically is when coming into work. She counted the locker numbers until she found the one assigned to her and after inputting the combination, opened it to place her bag inside. The billboard did not display much for her, simply a reminder of the training schedule and a notice of the training subjects. Today, it was hoof-to-hoof combat.

Once she felt ready to go, Lightning Dust headed for the main field but bumped into another pony as she turned the corner out the room.

“Oh, sorry,” she said moving aside to let the pony by.

“General Lightning Dust! Sorry about that,” responded the pegasus mare dressed in light leather armor.

“My mistake. Carry on Canopy, I’ll see you out on the field.”

Canopy tried her best to not burst into excitement from talking to her. Yes, working alongside one of her Wonderbolt heroes always made her tingle, even if Lightning Dust was never made an official member. Her devotion actually somewhat reminded Lightning Dust of her old friend from the academy. There was a part of her that wondered how her life would turn out if she had accepted Spitfire’s offer.

Now was not the time to think about it though. She was already a bit late. Lighting Dust hurried out into the field where many of the recruits already began their sparring and Canopy soon returned to her brother who was waiting for her. Pacing back and forth among the recruits was Sunset Shimmer, wearing a set of armor (sans a helmet) also crafted by crystal pony artisans; in place of a helmet was a campaign cap indicating her as the current drill instructor.

“Rice, lower your center of gravity! Don’t give your opponent an opportunity to knock you off your feet. Beryl, use your opponent’s momentum to compensate your size! Pillar, take this training seriously or I will make you run laps around the track! That is assuming I don’t throw your ass out of here all together!”

Lightning Dust stood on the sidelines, staying out of the way of the recruits as Sunset continued her drill sergeant shtick. The unicorn shortly noticed her and gave a brief but firm nod in her direction to acknowledge her presence and continued without any delay. Lightning made observations of her own as the minutes passed by. There were definitely many recruits with potential, many naturals. However, devotion alone does not always translate into skill, especially among the younger recruits that were not even Canvas’ age.

Then there were those who needed improvement.

One pegasus stallion struggled to keep up with the rest of his class in the physical segments. Academically he was decent, but he was marginally worse on the field, being tripped up quite often by his opponent and at this particular instance he lost his footing for the third time. He was subpar and did not seem motivated, but apparently not enough for Sunset to give more than a sigh and a head shake before passing by.

On the flip side, his sister and current sparring partner was one of the stars of class. She held herself very well and took pride in her ability, something Lightning Dust and even Sunset respected, as did quite a few of her classmates. Watching her and seeing the stark contrast between her and her brother, Lightning Dust couldn’t help but see something familiar in them.

At some point, Sunset stood near Lightning Dust’s position and gestured her to walk with her. “So what’s your opinion on this group so far?” Sunset asked with her eyes still focused on the trainees for the short walk.

“Well… Aside from a few, I can’t really say this is the best I’ve seen. Their not the worst either though, we certainly have our stars. Looming Arc is a bit of an issue, however.”

“I’ve seen Arc lift almost twice his own weight, so I know he’s strong. He’s got the potential, just little motivation. Given enough time, one of two things will happen. Either I’ll be able to whip him into shape and mold him into a proper soldier, or he’ll cave in under the pressure and leave.”

“Then there is his sister Canopy Heights, best in the class as far as the field goes. I like her and I think she’s got some worth. However, and I’m going to sound strange for saying this, I fear that her confidence is too high. She knows her abilities and I worry she’ll develop a hubris which will possibly lead her astray.”

With a distance of about ten feet from the brother-sister duo, Sunset observed as Canopy successfully performed a headlock reversal and accidentally threw off her brother’s balance, though he was able to recover before he fell thanks to small flaps of his wings, to which Canopy called him out on cheating.

“If I can mold her, that shouldn’t happen. Kind of hard to believe those two are related though, huh?” Sunset said as she readied a fighting stand, Lightning Dust doing the same and began a sparring session.

“Not to me, no. My two cousins were the same way when our fathers were teaching us martial arts. I remember Plasma hated the training and took every opportunity he could to get out of it. Static always one upped him because he just never showed up for practice. He was always better in academics anyway. When I was growing up though, Static was my favorite cousin because he was always playing sports. He never liked it when he lost in anything, especially to a girl. I think that’s what strived him to get better at everything he did. Kinda wonder if he ever got that mare he was after.”

The mares were interrupted when a loud shouting sounded in the middle of the trainees and their heads turned to the source. Two trainees from two different pairs got into an altercation after a failed throw attempt knocked one of them down.

“What the hay, man! You’re supposed to keep to your own square!” the wine colored unicorn said.

“You were too close to us, you should’ve moved back a little bit!” the orange crystal pony responded.

“Dude, it’s not my fault you suck at this. If you can’t take it, maybe you should consider quitting.”

“Maybe you should learn to be considerate of other ponies. If it keeps up like this, we’ll never succeed!”

With the scene causing a distraction for the other recruits, Sunset felt the need to step in and end the argument in its infant stage. “You two! I don’t want any of that. You are supposed to cooperate, not beat the crap out of each other. Now I want you ladies to give me five laps around the track and start over.”

The stallions reluctantly ran to the track and did as they were told, though it almost turned into a race to finish first which Sunset had to moderate to make sure it didn’t get ugly again. Lightning Dust then came up to the partners of those stallions who seemed equally frustrated from the interruption. “You two, I want you to finish sparring with each other. Please be patient with each other, don’t blow up like they did.”

Lightning Dust walked back towards Sunset’s position, passing by Canopy and Arc. Even when distracted by her idol, Canopy was still countering the moves made by her brother. As Lightning looked back at the entire group to check for any other subtle signs of trouble, Canopy took the opportunity to try and impress her with a perfectly executed throw at Arc’s expense. This did manage to get a grin out of Lightning Dust, albeit with a momentary cringe towards Arc’s pain. She gave Canopy a gesture to calm down on the force before Sunset walked her way.

“By now, I think you’ve noticed it too,” Sunset simply stated. “Everypony is really tense lately. That mixed with this is a recipe for disaster.”

“Can you really blame them?” Lightning responded after seeing one of the runners trip and land face first into the track before getting back up. “Stress of the training, exhaustion at the end of the day, change of their daily regime, it will throw you off track. Remember when we first started our teachings in Elysium?”

“Yeah, plus there is that news from the outside. Some of our preaching members seem to have been arrested, even with speaking permits where required, and a lot of them are being moved to Canterlot from what I hear. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect it, but…”

Lightning shook her disappointed head. “Equestria has been quite corrupt the past few years. Why do you think so many flocked to the Empire in the first place? Those that lead don’t want their ‘livestock’ getting ideas. This does complicate things, but with some planning and patience I’m sure we can turn things around.”

“Passion is high, but patience isn’t exactly in abundance right now, Dusty…”

The second Sunset finished her sentence, Canopy came to a halt just behind them with her strong wings carrying her brother. “Uh, excuse me? Arc kinda needs medical attention, he took a pretty hard fall,” she said with a sheepish look.

“Really need to tone it down next time, recruit. This is only training,” Sunset said rolling her eyes.

“I’ll take him to the infirmary, I’ll be back,” Lightning Dust said picking up the poor stallion off of Canopy’s back.

“Yeah, fine. In the meantime Canopy, why don’t you take five. Dust’ll probably be your replacement partner for the next part when she comes back.”

Canopy had to restrain herself from fangasming at the idea of training with Dust, though a quick glare from Sunset stopped any chance of her losing control. She slinked away to the water fountains in the corridors and took a large sip from the stream. After wiping away the sweat from her forehead with her hoof, she sat down on the bench simply stared down at the floor as she tried to comprehend what she heard.

“I gotta hand it to you, you really put your muscle into it everything. I kinda wish the other recruits were as dedicated.”

“Oh, thank you General Shimmer. I try my best…. Hey, can I ask you something? If that’s alright with you that is,” Canopy said lifting her head to make eye contact. “You did say those preacher guys were moved to Canterlot, right?”

Sunset’s eyes widened slightly, thrown a tad off guard by the question. “Ah, you heard a little bit of that, didja? Unfortunate but true, our guys don’t seem to be doing so well out there. More unlawful than I expected.”

“What do we do about it, General?”

“Not really much we can do right now,” Sunset shook her head. “But something has to be done about it. They’re just trying to spread their good faith, is that really a grounds for arrest? Empire can’t take official action though. They won’t listen with that whole Frozen North business, you know?”

When Canopy learnt that her brother was finally being released from the infirmary, she felt a two-fold satisfaction. Firstly, he managed to get away from training for whole five days. Something like bruised ribs, the nurse told her. He must have feigned it perfectly, they were even keeping him away from the full work-out for another week because of impaired movement. Nothing of that sort could have been the case in Canopy’s opinion. He didn’t fall that hard. She wouldn’t allow such harm to him. Secondly, she could have her plan started now.

She slipped around the corner, carefully checking if the patrol was out of sight. Then she rapped on the back door of the kitchen three times quickly and then twice slowly, the signal she established the day of Arc’s injury. The door creaked quietly and opened just enough to let her in.

The room stank. She couldn’t comprehend how their food, overall rich and tasty, could have been prepared in these premises. Seriously, not even rats survived in such environment. She mused about that being possibly part of the origin of the stench, forming a cycle of death for the ugly rodents, but she would leave investigation in that direction to somepony else, probably with non-existent gagging reflex. Like Rice Soup.

“How can you work in here?” she asked the unicorn and put a dish-cloth in front of her muzzle. Wrong choice.

“You get used to it. Besides, usually it’s much more tolerable. Tomorrow we will be serving broccoli and cabbage though, a special request by general Shimmer. Hmm.” He stirred one of the kettles and lifted some of the green stuff on the stirring spoon. “If I ever saw a schadenfreude, it was on her face.”

Canopy gazed at the goo dripping back down into the dark depths of the kettle. There were exceptions to everything, the quality of Hexarete Front catering included. “Good thing we won’t be served to tomorrow.”

Rice put the spoon to the side and his demeanor became much more serious. “So it will be today.”

“Yes, Arc is back, so we can start,” Canopy said waving her wing in front of her face to chase away the broccoli fumes. “Make sure the supplies are ready and wait for us at three. I’ll go tell the others.”

She hastily left the kitchen and spent the next hour running around the barracks and surrounding facilities. When she returned to her room, she found Arc lying on his bed, the other two inhabitants absent. Luck was on her side.

“There you are,” she said cheerfully, swallowing the anger she felt for him slacking off. Soon it wouldn’t matter. “Pack your things.”

While her return didn’t prompt any reaction from him, the command perked him up immensely and he shot out of the bed. “So you finally came to your senses? Awesome!” He pulled his suitcase from underneath the bed and in one jump he stood in front of the wardrobe, throwing his possessions on his bed. “How did you convince them to let us leave the army? I thought we would have to serve at least five years.”

“We are not leaving the army, dummy:” HIs excitement melted away like an ice cube in a hot shower. “We are going on a mission!” Now the water remaining of the ice cube decided left the world, probably to start a new life forming a star somewhere very far away from here. He returned to the bed and turned toward the wall.

“We haven’t even finished our training. Why are they sending us to a mission?” He whined. “Did you volunteer us again?”

Canopy felt a bit offended at the accusation in his tone. She signed them in the army, sure, but they would profit from that soon. She would make sure of that. And from this as well. “Kind of,” she said reluctantly and a bit sternly.

“Why can’t you decide only about your own life for once?!” he shouted at her and faced her at last. “You made us leave home, then you got us into this mess and now you signed us for a mission without even asking me first! That goes for all three, actually.” He kicked the suitcase back where he got it and retrieved a pair of reinforced travelling bag.”

“I think we are doing just fine,” she defended, albeit weakly since the outburst surprised her. “I am only trying to improve our life!”

“By this?” He gestured around with his hoof with such contempt that Canopy half-expected him to spit on the ground. “You don’t seem to get this on your own, so I will tell you, Canopy Heights. I bucking hate it here! I want my old life back. I want to repair houses, get up when I want and definitely not fight!”

“I swear we will be set for life after this mission, Arc.” This wasn’t the pony she knew so well. Arc wouldn’t shout at her, would he? He always supported her, because she was making the right calls, right? She was certain that she was right. Then why was she pleading with him? “We will be heroes of the Empire and won’t have to work ever again!”

“And just what task would they give us to make us heroes, huh?” He sat down in front of her, his forelegs folded on his chest.

“Well… The thing is… They didn’t technically give us the task,” she started carefully.

“They didn’t?”

“Depends how you look at it. Have you heard that many preachers were arrested?” She didn’t an answer other than an impatient look. “They transported them to Canterlot. I know it from general Shimmer. And when I talked with her about it, she said that Empire can’t help them officially, but that something must be done.”

“So you decided you would rescue them, on your own, freeing them from a prison in Canterlot, right?” He was smiling. Actually, his smile was getting slowly wider as she was explaining.

“I talked with few other recruits and they will go as well. We have everything planned and prepared. They switched the patrols so we won’t get caught and Rice got us enough food for the journey.”

“A few other recruits you say?” That smile was getting unnerving and awkwardly contagious at the same time.

“Ten, actually. I didn’t want to spread the word too much in case somepony tried to rat us out and there can’t be too many of us. We have to sneak in. Besides, you will be with me, so everything will be alright. Come on, this means really lot to me!” She chuckled a little and mimicked his smile. “I won’t be dealing with this alone, right?”

“Right. You won’t.” The smile reached it peak and then suddenly disappeared. “But after this is over, you will deal with everything else alone. I will get a new life in which you won’t be included.” He was absolutely calm, not a hint of anger or malice in his voice. He was not threatening, just stating a fact.

She wanted to say something, opening her mouth and reaching forward, but he turned away from her and continued packing. She couldn’t do anything else but pack as well. Hopefully he would change his mind. She prayed he would.

Moron, moron, moron! Arc scolded himself on the way to the train station. Why would you tell her something like that? Just how heartbroken she looked! They were moving in pair through different streets so to minimize the suspicion. A group of twelve armed ponies would definitely draw attention.

Because you meant it. This is the last drop, said another part of him, the one that was usually keeping his frustration at bay and that apparently quitted his job on short notice. Why didn’t I simply go to the officer and tell them everything?

Because this means the world to her! He could tell not only because she said so, but also by how precisely she organized everything. Recruits were being prepared for military life as a whole, so they had to participate on patrolling, changing every two hours. Every patrolling pony on their path as well as the one at the gate was member of Canopy’s little conspiracy, having their travelling bags hidden somewhere around.

As promised Rice Soup had food ready for them as well as his own bag, joining on their ‘mission.’ What Arc couldn’t imagine was getting the battle gear, but Canopy had a plan for that too. Somepony conveniently forgot to lock the door of one of the storages. Whoever did that was either in their group or in big trouble, which was in Arc opinion one and the same. They couldn’t take the newly forged armor with emblems of the Empire and the Front. General Shimmer made it clear that taking an official action was out of the question, including the presence of Empire’s soldiers. Thankfully, although that was the last word Arc would use, the Empire kept the old pieces from back when it reappeared. These were crafted in Equestria, keeping neutral looks. They would avoid suspicion for about long enough to stick the spear into the overly observant pony. Yes, weapons were stored in the same building.

Arc patted his spear with his right wing. Most pegasi opted for long weapons. They could afford it, not having to use their forelegs to move around the battlefield. He just hoped he wouldn’t get to using it. Maybe those guards in front of the train station would get suspicious and put an end to this madness. It was looking promising.

One of them stepped forward and pointed his own spear on them. This one was unicorn though, the spear glowed in an orange aura, serving as a weapon and a torch at the same time. “Stop right there,” he barked and scrutinized them with a trained glare. He must have practiced it in front of the mirror. “Report yourselves!”

While the ponies of Crystal Empire were allowed to move freely, a group of twelve armored and armed ponies did, as was already pointed out, raise some questions even in a such environment.

Arc was starting to celebrate being saved in the last minute when Canopy stepped forward confidently. She had looked fairly downtrodden ever since their exchange in the dorm, but now it all seemed to vanish, a mask of infinite confidence and dignity taking its place.

“Commander Canopy Heights, Hexarete Front,” she said in the same tone as the guard used before. “My unite and I have been given orders by general Shimmer. We are to transport to the proximity of the border immediately. The rest is classified.”

“Commander.” The guard pointed the spear up and saluted, as did the one standing still by the door. “You arrived just in time. The train is about to leave.”

They all saluted to the guards and continued to the platform. The transportation of personnel and material of the army was prepaid by the crown, so they were soon comfortably seated in one of the carriages. They would ride as close to the border as possible without getting too suspicious on their final station. Arc had enough time to catch up on sleep he hadn’t gotten that night and worrying he needed to frontload. One never knew when it would come in handy.

Their journey began for real much sooner than he would like. They disembarked in a small village few stops before the train would reach the border. Nopony else was in sight, the combination of a place in the middle of nowhere and the early hour providing them with that luxury. The only luxury they would get.

The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the sky already turned to a metallic blue hue, letting them see enough to navigate. They could also see their breath condensing in front of their muzzles. Thankfully, the snow hadn’t been falling yet, otherwise their enterprise would surely fail, ending in their death by cold.

As they got out of sight of the last house in the village, they unpacked their camouflage cloaks. They were splattered with dark green, but mainly gray and different shades of brown. As the sun climbed higher on the sky, which they could tell only by the clouds coloring heavy gray, Arc admitted that the creator of the cloaks knew the tundra perfectly. From what he remembered from his first journey to the Empire, the land looked much more scenic, maybe even romantic. The inhabitants probably took the effort to cultivate the areas around the tracks.

Heather, stone, dead grass, low bushes. Lather, rinse, repeat. They were trudging with their heavy equipment across the expanse of the north. They chose a path through the foothills to the east of the tracks, hoping that the forest would hide them sooner and that they would avoid most of the settlements. That made their journey even more difficult, as the rocks were getting bigger still and they had to beware ravines.

Nopony talked. They were all deep in their thoughts, reflecting on their decision to venture after such elusive goal. Arc was fighting with the urge to scold Canopy again, seeking distraction wherever he could. He had to admit that as they walked, the scenery regained something of its qualities. The hills and higher mountains on the horizon lended the view a feeling of an expensive painting. Those birds in a V formation were a nice touch as well.

Wait a minute! Arc stopped in place and shaded his eyes. Why are birds migrating in November? And why to the west, not south? They were getting closer with much higher speed than migratory birds ever would. Soon he recognized they didn’t even share color.

“Everypony, down!” he ordered with just enough intensity to be heard, but not to cause echo. “There’s a patrol!”

While the fighting skills were important for a soldier, staying alive ranked even higher on the list. The training in the Empire reflected that, the recruits having absolved a thorough drill about survival; part of it was that when somepony shouted ‘take cover,’ everypony would take cover immediately instead of gawking around like a suricate trying to spot what are they to take cover for.

The cloaks blended with the ground effectively, more so since they chose hiding spots under bushes and in a small trench. Arc found himself next to Canopy, who was gazing through the thorny branches upwards. She was breathing hard, adrenaline coursing in her veins. He reached out to her and patted her hoof reassuringly, first semblance of communication between them since the previous evening.

The pegasi got so close that their uniforms became apparent even in the bed lightning. Blue and yellow weren’t exactly Imperial colors.

“Look, Canopy. Your idols,” Arc whispered the obvious into her ear. He should have kept that taunt for himself though as Canopy tried to jump out of their hideout. “Stay here! What do you think you are doing?!”

“We haven’t crossed the border yet. This is still Imperial territory and their aerial forces dare to fly here! Oakstick has a bow, he will show them!”

He had to expend a lot of strength, but managed to keep her down. “Great idea, commander!” He spat the rank out with such contempt that Canopy flinched. “I can imagine that conversation. ‘Hey, we got these Wonderbolts in Imperial territory by the border.’ ‘Nice, what were you doing by the border?’ ‘Ehm, trying to do the same to Equestria as they did?’ That would go brilliantly!”

Canopy bit her lip and calmed down, caressing his hoof like he did to her before. He shook his head tiredly. He could never hold a grudge against her for a long time, at least not with maximal intensity. He would do everything in his power to prevent harm from her, but she went too far this time.

They stayed in the hideout for five more minutes just to be sure, then resumed their journey. By the evening they crossed the border and as grooves became more of a common sight, picked one to encamp. They didn’t dare to light a fire, so they huddled together and shared the blankets. Cold food didn’t lift their spirit either.

Thankfully the threat of snowing remained unfulfilled for the whole night and the next day as well. They walked as quickly as they could in the difficult terrain, intentionally avoiding roads and villages. Their presence needed to stay hidden for as long as possible. That wouldn’t be too long though. On the third day of their march, their supplies very running desperately low. They wouldn’t last another day.

Arc was looking down the hill they camped on. There was a small town, although it deserved that label just barely. They would have to go there and resupply.

“We will leave the equipment here and venture down like normal travelers,” said Canopy, appearing next to him and following his gaze. “Rice, you and I. More would be suspicious.”

“If you think that three ponies in the wilderness in November aren’t suspicious, there is something deeply wrong with your sense of trustworthiness.”

Still, they had no other choice. Canopy held a speech to the others, instructing them to continue with the task without them if they didn’t return by the next morning. Arc couldn’t but groan at her pathos.

The town had seen better days. Many of the houses were abandoned, rusty plows and other tools scattered in the backyards and weed suffocating the gardens. The shop was open, but nopony was shopping. As they soon discovered, the reason lay in the prices. The shopkeeper apparently wanted to get a hefty compensation for living in such a hole. For the first time a flaw in Canopy’s plan was revealed: not even the most optimistic person would call their supply of gold sufficient.

They left the shop without a coin and with just enough food to last a day if they limited the ratios. On the other hoof, the shopkeeper didn’t show any sign of suspicion. Or interest. Or personality, really.

“I beg you, Canopy, take this as a sign. We have just enough food to make it back to the Empire,” Arc pointed out, feeling an odd satisfaction at their situation.

“That’s out of question. We will continue on.”

“How? We will starve,” Rice joined in, supporting Arc for the first time. When it came to his motivation and building up opinions, food played an outstanding role.

“We won’t, we will just get food in a different way.”

“If you mean stealing, don’t count on me,” Arc whispered and checked if nopony could hear them. There were actually many ponies who could; without them noticing, the trio got to the town square and joined the back rows of a crowd gathered there. They stopped subconsciously and gazed over the heads of the ponies to a small impromptu stage - just two planks laid over barrels.

“Of course not.” Canopy watched the pony stood on the stage, an earth pony clad in a beige robe with red symbols embroidered on it. “Crime is not the way of a hero. Nor of Hexarete Front. Watch and learn.”

She vanished into the crowd, leaving Arc and Rice where they stood along with the newly purchased supplies. The preacher was slowly getting to the end of his speech. Arc the scheme of this one. He would appeal to the inner strenght of the ponies, to their bravery in hardships of the life so far. They needed to be strong and face the world, taking good and bad, never letting anything to break them. Who stayed idle would perish and bring suffering not only to himself. Only through action could the world change.

The preacher knew his craft well. He was cleverly using the realia of the town, its struggle in the past years, the troublesome trading and leaving of the citizens. He didn’t forget to mention how rotten the rulers and nobility were in their hoarding of possession and ignoring normal honest ponies like those in Hayfield. They didn’t even know where Hayfield lay! The townsfolk heard to it. Those who decided to stay in the town had felt pride deep down in their hearts for continuing the tradition and way of life their fathers pursued. Now somepony talked about their decision as a virtue.

A huge applause followed his speech, several ponies even heading to him to talk further. Before the rest of the crowd could disperse, Canopy jumped up the stage and slammed with her hoof into one of the barrels few times, drawing attention of everypony back.

“Honorable citizens of Hayfield!” she shouted, mimicking the preacher’s tone. She had a huge talent when it came to imitating ponies, something she showed with the guard at the station already. “I would love to thank our brother for his excellent speech today. I share his believes and still I felt inspired by his wise words. Surely many of you value the same virtues we do and intend to live by them to improve this world!”

“Damn right!” somepony shouted from the crowd. “He knows what he’s talking about!”

“And not just talking,” a mare’s voice flew above the agreeable murmur. “He helped me fix my roof! You know how it flew off during the last storm. He’s a good fella and lives what he says!” The square filled with applause once again, the cheering making the preacher blush. Canopy smiled and patiently waited for silence.

“He is a great pony and a paragon… a good example for us all,” she continued, gaining more confidence. “Just like the others travelling all over Equestria and teaching. Everypony should get a chance to hear what you heard, don’t you think?” She was of course met with agreement, a quite loud at that. “Yet not everypony shares that opinion. Many of our brothers have suffered for what they teach!”

She didn’t have to wait in the dramatic pause too long before somepony shouted: “Why? What’s wrong on what they do?”

“Who would hurt them? They help us!” somepony else shouted.

“Those who have power don’t like to see ponies relying on themselves. They feel threatened and are scared that we could live without them!”

“What did those bastards do to them?” That question resounded in variations all over the town square.

“They put them in chains and dragged them into dungeons in Canterlot!” Canopy shouted with vigour and righteous anger. “They will try to break them, just like they tried to break you! They took everything from you and now they want to steal hope! That must be stopped!” She pointed toward the hill they camped on, risking everything, although the crowd seemed to be completely on her side. Angry shouts calling for retaliation were heard and nopony opposed them. “My friends and I are going to rescue them for the evil clutches of nobles, but we need your help!”

Suddenly a young earth pony stallion jumped up next to her. Given his muscular build it was a surprise the planks didn’t break on impact. Canopy, startled by the change of situation, stepped a bit to the side instinctively.

“We will help you, missy!” the stallion shouted, putting her previous attempts to deep shame. “We will put an end to their tyranny. We will set the preachers free and take back what belongs to us, right folks?”

Rather unsurprisingly, a call for open action wasn’t met with such a glorious reception as mere appeal to morality. Even so, a sizeable group of ponies cheered and clopped. That group consisted mostly of younger ponies, often of similar build as the speaker. They were filled to the brim with energy and the town didn’t offer any chance to spend it. Canopy watched it with disbelief and jolted a little when the stallion turned back to her.

“See, missy? You are not alone in this. We are going with you!”

“But I only wanted-” she tried to explain, rising a hoof to stop him, but he wouldn’t let her finish.

“We will get everything ready. Meet us in two hours on the road just outside the town.” He jumped off the stage and joined the group already lively discussing the preparations. “Here we come, Canterlot!” he shouted as they were leaving the square.

As the commotion slowly died down in the streets, the mood on the square shifted. Instead of heated support, the remaining present ponies were giving out the air of worry and scepticism. More of their young would leave the town. Arc could imagine how they were feeling. Somepony decided their fate for worse without even asking them just when it was looking up. Yes, he could relate alright.

Canopy joined her friends again, trying to avoid the eyes of the townsfolk. There was a silent accusation in them. ‘You are taking them away. How gave you the right?’ they were saying.

“I just wanted to ask them for supplies!” she cried out when they left the town. Arc and Rice exchanged bitter glances, quickly getting tired of good intentions.

“For sake of your heroic epos we will keep that to ourselves. We promise,” Arc said and sped up a bit so he would at least put the bag of supplies down sooner. “After all, marching with an army is more heroic than sneaking and both equally leads to death.”

How could everything go so awry so quickly? One moment she was on a heroic mission to rescue unjustly imprisoned ponies, the next she found herself amidst a group of angry noisy ruffians. She could live with that. They would simply serve for protection and the final part of the plan would be performed by her little group. She was still in charge too.

But as they continued toward Canterlot, quite openly as a group of sixty can hardly sneak unnoticed, ponies were joining along. At first she felt joy at their enthusiasm for the right thing, but then the shouts calling for freeing of the preachers slowly died out, replaced with those demanding death of the nobles.

Even worse, they no longer asked the villagers for supplies. Either they would be given them automatically, the villagers too scared to oppose them, or they would take them with force, burning the house of the unlucky settler to the ground for ‘supporting the regime.’

Canopy was constantly trying to stop them, explaining that they shouldn’t harm common ponies and why theft and arson were serious crimes. They would alway acknowledge her words, still officially considering her the leader of this punitive expedition, but with one breath they would add that their cause is just and that after the short period of discomfort, they would secure much happier life for everypony. That was the intended meaning at least, their exact words sounding approximately ‘they’ll be fine, they can take what’s nobles’ once they conk out.’

It reached its peak when they met a merchant on the road. It took much of her effort to convince her comrades to not kill the merchant, opting for a simple robbery. The pictures from few years back were playing in her mind the whole time. Arc and she were travelling to their relatives in a safer part of Equestria and their caravan was attacked by one of the bandit groups. Arc managed to pull her into some bushes by the road which saved them lives, but he couldn’t prevent her from seeing the bloodshed. She had had nightmares of that day ever since and her decision to leave Equestria was born that day. She couldn’t let the same happen under her command.

In the end though the calls were made by everypony but her. Even some of her original group joined on the bloodthirsty mood of the newcomers. They were further encouraged as they didn’t encounter any resistance of regular army along the path. They took it as a sign of weakness, further fueling their rage. At least they would fight valiantly, she thought. This could be still met with a success.

Now they were camping in the proximity of Canterlot, not really in sight of the city though. All settlements in a wide ring around the capital were abandoned, the ponies having fled behind the walls. The punitive expedition didn’t touch the houses though. They had enough food and burning the homes would achieve nothing. In their understanding the common ponies had nothing to fear. They were fighting for them, even if they didn’t realize it.

“Here we are, commander,” Arc said as he entered her tent. They got those as a generous donation in one of the merchants they met along the way. While most donated under the threat, this one seemed genuine in his actions, especially after Canopy talked to him about the teachings. He even told Canopy he would probably head toward the Empire.

“Could you stop calling me that?”

“Why? You took that rank voluntarily and now you even have an army.” Arc kept addressing her that way during the whole march, constantly reminding her of how little word she had in the group. “They are demanding your presence for a final planning. You have probably the last chance to stop this.”

When she left the tent, she could hear the thuds of axes in a nearby forest. While she insisted on a sneak attack, entering Canterlot through sewers, hidden caves, anything but the front gate, the ponies wouldn’t hear reason. The moment they encamped, a group of them left to build a battering ram. A big one if the time they spent in the forest was any sign.

The final briefing went about as she expected it to. Nopony heeded her warning and very little of actual tactics was discussed. Instead they kept shouting encouraging phrases about their victory and about how they would change the history of Equestria forever. A rather idealistic opinion given their ‘army’ counted about five hundred ponies. Still, the certainty in their voices, the energy emanating from them and the air of determination started to rub on her during the evening.

Almost everypony was celebrating in the camp, dancing, singing and drinking like no tomorrow. When she was returning to the tent late at night, she spotted Arc sitting forlornly by one of the fires. From the look he gave her she could tell that he was certain about existence of tomorrow. The days to come after not so much.

With the first rays of sun they all gathered on one of the fields and formed somewhat regular units, the battering ram standing behind them. She wondered where they got the chains connecting it to the supporting construction, but in all honesty she didn’t want to know. She stepped forward, leaving the unit to Arc’s command, and faced ‘her’ army.

“Today we are finally reaching our destination! Behind this strip of forest lies Canterlot, the evil fortress where tyrants imprisoned our brethren!” She insisted on the true task of the army being freeing of the preachers, although very few of the ponies present cared about that at all at that point. “We will meet our enemy in a few short minutes and reach a victory!” The shouts of ‘viva’ shook the field and the trees around, showing that her comrades believed her words much more than she did.

“Many of us will die in the fight, but I promise you that our deeds will never be forgotten and that death will not be in vain!”

“For freedom and glory!” somepony shouted from the gathering and many others joined him. Canopy returned to her unit and started the final march. Arc was walking by her side, his face unmoving and serious.

“There is freedom in death, I suppose. Very little glory though,” he said to her.

“Could you stop being so pessimistic? We will be fine.” They emerged from the forest and gazed upon the city, walls glistening in the sun. Pegasi apparently wanted to provide best possible conditions for the battle. To Canopy’s surprise the gate of the city was open, no defenders anywhere in sight. “See? They will let us in freely!”

Her whole army was now on the open plain by the lower Canterlot gate, few hundred yards from the gate itself. They were walking proudly, shouting about victory and enjoying their triumph. Just a short walk remained.

Then all of the sudden a loud rattle filled the air and seconds later they were sprayed by soil launched into the air on impact of something strong. When Canopy looked up, she saw a six feet long pole sticking askew from the ground about five feet away, high amount of splinters around. It was a projectile fired from a ballista.

“Charge!” Canopy shouted and started sprinting. “To the gate, everypony!”

The rattling returned and more massive arrows plowed the earth in front of them, but this time even among them, prompting pained cries. These arrows were splintering in the air!

They were running as fast as they could, zigzaging to make it difficult to aim. The safety of the gate was near, but the air wailed with high velocity projectiles. Then Canopy spotted the gate filling with guards, polearms pointing outward. She stopped in desperation. They wouldn’t make it, she realized. There was no escape. She watched with horror as an arrow left the ballista on the ramparts and as if in slow motion was flying directly on her. She opened her mouth and a whimper escaped her. So this was how her heroism would end? She closed her eyes, wishing the massive arrow away. She didn’t want to die! She didn’t intend to bring death to so many ponies either! This wasn’t what she wanted. She just wished to impress her idol! She just wanted to help!

Something warm and heavy hit her from the side, tackling her to the ground out of the way of the arrow. she could feel few splinters puncturing her skin, but not a shattering blow she expected. Then something warm trickled on her from above and she opened her eyes.

“Arc?” her brother was lying on her, shielding her from the impact. He saved her life! He wasn’t moving though. “Arc? Arc, move! We have to get out of here! Arc!”

“This is really happening, isn’t it?” said a light blue pegasus guard to himself, in more of a statement than a question. He ran through the castle corridors, rushing to his post soon after the warning was called. “I always knew this would happen. Geez, what has Equestria become?”

“Sergeant Static!”

The guard stopped in his tracks as he heard the familiar voice. He turned and saluted at the indigo pegasus that was his superior. “Lieutenant Strom, sir!”

Strom saluted back, but sighed as he moved closer and put his hoof on his son. “If we can drop the pretenses for a moment, I’ve got some news.”

“Of course, father.”

“We’ve been preparing for a siege like this for a long time now, haven’t we? I’m afraid this is the real deal. The prince has given the order to neutralize the riot and deadly force is authorized. As always though, the Dominions are only thinking of themselves. They want their homes protected at all costs, by any means necessary.”

Static’s eyes widened in horror. “What about the rest of the citizens?! What are they going to do?” he shouted in a mixture of anger and concern.

“We’re working to evacuate those that we can while the ballistas are keeping the attackers at bay. I don’t agree with the reasoning, but this riot will go far out of control if we just let it boil. Don’t worry about Golden Cage, she’s safe within the castle walls.” Static breathed a large sigh of relief, though still unnerved by the situation. “I want you to come with me, we are on the front lines. We need the best of the best out there to minimize damages as much as possible.”

“Okay… Okay, alright. Is Cage here right now? I want to see her before I go, just in case.”

“I’m afraid there isn’t the time. Your duties as a soldier come first, Static. She will understand.”

“Yes sir…”

Static begrudgingly followed his father as they galloped off to armory and prepared for what was without a doubt going to be an absolute bloodbath. All of the soldiers participating in the front lines, a majority of them pegasi and unicorns, opted for heavier armor than what is regular for standard patrols. In addition to providing better protection to their vital areas, the chain mail covering other parts, helmets had a visor that hid their faces, protecting both their face and their identity from the opposing party. Though spears were still used, some opted for longer ranged weapons like crossbows, or heavier weapons like longswords or battle axes.

It took maybe three minutes for each soldier to fully suit up, having been well trained for this very kind of situation. All guards had a stern look of anger and readiness to them that could kill in themselves, even if they were going to be hidden behind face platting. In the midst of everything, Static understood their feelings; even if he didn’t agree with the political leaders, he would be damned if he was going to let a bunch of ruffians come into his home and cause chaos in the name of some thinly justified righteousness.

He stood with his brethren at a distance from the open gate of the city, ready to strike down any who penetrated the wall. Those carrying polearms placed themselves in sight of the attackers while those with heavy weapons and crossbows at the sides to ambush those that got through, the former on the ground and the latter on the roofs. It was the longest five minutes he had ever experienced, with the tension so thick it could be cut with a knife. It took all of his self-restraint to keep his mind from racing and focus his attention to the gate’s direction, let alone from charging onward.

Finally, it was time. With nearly a third of their numbers incapacitated, the rabble rousers broke through when the artillery failed to fire any longer. Once a sizable number of them were inside the walls, a storm of arrows rained down on them from above, injuring several and instantly killing about three. From that moment, all hell broke loose and the heavy armed soldiers charged along with the main unit. Blindsided, the remaining enemies did their best to adjust to the sheer force of the coordinated attack, but with their numbers effectively cut down to one fifth their starting position, they were grossly outnumbered.

Static ran full force into the nearest pony, a light gray earth stallion with little more than a lumber axe and a bloodlust expression. The stallion swung his axe in an attempt to knock him down, but Static parried, jumped and pointed his spear downward, skewing the pony in the chest on the descent. The stallion let out a painful scream and foolishly tried to attack again, but the mortal injury drained any kind of chance of a damaging strike from him to the point that Static easily parried the swing and finished him.

Despite the low numbers, a lot of the remaining attacking party made an enormous if futile effort to push through with determination and anger fueling their threats. It did not do much to protect them from sharpened steel though as passion was not a substitute for armor. One by one, their comrades fell with almost no damage to the royal army aside from one. A guard was double teamed by two larger stallions and was having serious trouble, both stallions taunting and boasting all the time.

With other soldiers occupied with adversaries of their own, Static made a split second decision to throw his spear at one stallion, piercing him through the neck. The stallion suddenly got serious and quickly stole the guard’s polearm and used it to trip him. He would have impaled him as well if not for Strom tackling him, giving the guard time to regain his balance. The stallion swung furiously at the lieutenant, the latter performing swift parries with his own sabre and patiently waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

Finally, the stallion grew exhausted and Strom delivered a hard swing to his hind legs causing him to fall in agony. The guard from earlier took back his weapon and pressed the point to the stallion’s chest, causing him to surrender. With the situation handled, Strom joined with Static to fend off the remaining numbers. As the opponents thinned out, it became increasingly clear to them that there was no winning this fight. Though a few decided to surrender as well, the rest wasn’t willing to let everything go to waste and continued to fight.

It was these individuals that perished.

Almost twenty minutes after it started, the whole siege concluded with the mass majority either dead or otherwise incapacitated. Those that were still alive within the wall were arrested and prepared to be led to jail later. Even if the cells were reaching full capacity, there was still plenty of room. As for the dead, the cadavers were gathered up and placed into a pile which would later become a bonfire to incinerate them for easy disposal.

Static, along with many others, surveyed the scarlet aftermath of the short but fierce battle, making sure there were no stragglers. The whole thing made him sick, he had never seen so much blood before in his life. Before today, he had never killed anypony and it was only now that this was starting to sink in. Now that he was looking at the mangled corpses, dismembered by arrows of ballistas and other weapons, his queasy stomach got the better of him. So after another senior comrade offered to take his place, he gladly accepted.

“Oh Celestia, I think I’m gonna hurl…” he gagged sitting against the gate wall.

“I think we’re in the clear, son,” Strom said patting his son gently. “You did well. I know it wasn’t easy for you, but you held your own.”

“I’m not…” Static choked back vomit. “I’m not sure I really care about that right now.”

“It’s alright. Just calm down and take a rest. You’ve earned it.”

Static took several minutes to compose himself. He came very close to losing his lunch, but at some point he felt he was calm enough to make the trek back to the castle for debriefing. As he attempted to get back up, he saw a few more of the survivors being escorted into the gates, those that were incapacitated before making it into the wall. Among them was a pegasus mare with an limp stallion on her back.

She was crying and trembling with a look of absolute horror on her face as she seemed to mumble something continuously. As Static moved closer along with other soldiers, he could barely make out her words.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen…. Not like this, it didn’t have to happen like this…. Why did they do this?”

He could not help but ponder the meaning of those words. Given the armor she and the stallion on her back were wearing, he could only come to two conclusions: either they were coerced into doing this… or they had something different in mind. Static could not shake off the feeling of folly this day resulted in.

It didn’t need to happen. It shouldn’t have happened. Yet it did, ending in the deaths of many ponies, many of them not even legal adults yet. For what possible reason would they recklessly throw their lives away in such a poorly thought out coup?

When they came to the inner parts of the city, his thoughts turned to the Dominions. With his visor hiding his face, he grimaced in disgust. Perhaps he couldn’t entirely fault the ‘revolutionaries’ for their actions today, not while the truest of scum claimed control. After all, those bastards were perfectly willing to let lower tier residents fall victim so long as their own homes didn’t have any splatters of blood. Even though the royal guard triumphed and succeeded in minimizing damage, there was still some required repairs to be done later. And who was going to pay for the repairs? Certainly not the noble worms.

“Static,” Strom said startling him out of thought. “You look like you’re going to be sick. Tell you what, I think we can handle it from here, why don’t you go clock out. Golden Cage will want to see you too. I will debrief with Captain Dart Chaser and the pigs- I mean Dominions.”

“Y-yeah… Thank you.”

Static entered the castle and went to the lockers to wash up. After punching out on the time clock, he removed his helmet in front of the sink and ran the water, splashing his face with the ice cold water. His reflection in the mirror looked as disgusted at him as he felt at the whole situation. He lingered for far longer than he planned to, starring in deep thought at his reflection before he looked away. He left his war armor in his locker where he would return to the armor during his next shift, then he left the room to head home.

Outside, he bumped into a petite unicorn mare. The silky spring green fur around her eyes was stained with tears, as though she had been crying for awhile now. She looked up at him and her jaw hung open and quivered as it seemed like she was about to start again.

“S...Static…”

“Hey Cage. Don’t worry, I’m just fine.”

The mare wrapped her hooves around his neck, squeezing tightly as she sobbed softly. “Dummy… You worried the heck out of me!”

“Shshsh, I know. I’m sorry,” Static cooed as he stroked her light brown mane. “It was rough out there, but I’m back in one piece. Are you okay?”

“I hate it here, Stat! I hate working at that racist spa! I hate living with the thought of possibly never seeing you again! I don’t want to live in Canterlot anymore! One of them was hitting on me when you were out! I kept telling them I was married and was worried about you, but he didn’t care! He called you a worthless pegasus unfit to be my husband and that he was a better specimen for my race, that it would be a good thing if you died out there! I wanted to throw him out for those guys to rip him apart!”

“Shhh, it’s okay liebchen. Those pigs will get what’s coming to them one day. You’ll see.” Static escorted his wife through the castle corridors and started to head home. “It’s at times like these I wish I would’ve followed my brother’s advice and went to Fillydelphia with him…”

“Why didn’t you?” Golden Cage said as her sobs subsided. “You wouldn’t have to deal with all of this if you did.”

“True, but I also wouldn’t be with you,” Static said smiling. This got a small smile out of her as well, plus a kiss on the cheek. “Still, it’s for reasons like these that those Dominions need to get their heads out of their asses and see the damage. Thinking back on it now, maybe those prisoners from earlier have a point about the lack of virtue in today’s world…”

Chapter 28

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Original Title: Watch Your Temper
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

The dining room of Canterlot Castle would host up to fifty guests if needed. The tables for such occasions were moved to the walls, holding flowers most of the time. A table of ten usually sufficed and would be also prepared every morning. Having just one pony eating, the room seemed rather forlorn, as if deep in memories about the dies of glory. So did the pony, but most spectators would mistake her expression for resentment or anger.

That’s because they never took the time to get to know her. They made an assumption, they created an image of a ruler in their heads and then assigned it her name. For a vast majority of ponies (and other species) there was no problem with such practice. Neither them nor her had time to acquaint themselves properly. The picture they made about her varied from pony to pony according to their status and their feelings toward the crown. Thus a common citizen would see her as a benevolent loving being who watched over their lives keeping them safe. To the countries she would be a fierce warrior, barring even the thoughts about invasion from their minds. To the apparatus of the government she would look like an inconceivable judge of their proposals. All of that without her ever meeting them.

The system worked almost flawlessly and saved Equestria and her much trouble. But would it kill the small group she was meeting on daily basis to take the effort and try forming some semblance of relationship? What would it cost them to be actually interested in the answer when asking ‘How are you doing today?’ She was providing opportunities for that, these breakfasts being one of them. She would strike conversations about various topics, appear on their celebrations from time to time, organize tea parties…

All for nothing. In conversation they would weigh their every word, thinking it to be some kind of test. Whenever around her, ponies went either rigid or try to win her favor with compliments. Those who tried to throw dirt on others to climb higher wouldn’t stay in her company too long, thus she didn’t even count them in the equation.

As for the breakfast, they thought she didn’t see them when they peeked in the room through the slightly open door. They would gaze upon her for a second, judge her expression as angry or resentful and vanish as quietly as possible. By this point she wasn’t even sure how she really looked. How long and how many ponies does it take to change what we are without our consent?

Once again silent steps approached the door. She didn’t even bother to look up, they would leave soon anyway. The door creaked a little. Well, it must have been some corpulent dignitary, as the others didn’t need to move the doors at all to take a peek. Then the door closed. How rude. What about the poor ponies who would come later? They would have to betray their presence to her by opening the door again!

The hooves clopped on the parquets and turned into muffled thuds once the pony reached the carpet. Celestia lifted her eyes from the pattern on the tablecloth and gazed in surprised into smiling eyes behind black-rimmed glasses.

“Good morning, Princess. How are you doing today? You look like you have seen a ghost just now.”

Oh yes, then there was Raven. Smiling most of the time and sincerely concerned about Celestia’s feelings and life. Without her, Celestia would probably start talking to paintings and sets of armor. The land wouldn’t run as smoothly either, since organization skills of plates of steel didn’t reach further than reliably forming piles when dropped.

“Good morning to you as well, Raven. Not a ghost, but I didn’t expect anypony else for the breakfast.”

Raven glanced around at the empty room and then pointed back at the door. “Me neither. That’s why I closed the door. Nevertheless,” she pulled the chair opposed to Celestia away from the table and sat down comfortable, levitating the chair with herself back to its place, “with a bit of goodwill, I will find a place with the current company.”

“Did you just call me fat, Raven?” Celestia raised an eyebrow and sprinkled some sugar on the spoonful of oatmeal she was about to eat.

“No, your majesty. That was you. I just covertly suggested you could keep your legs under your side of the table.”

Celestia was left speechless for a few seconds, then nodded. “You win this round.” She poured Raven some coffee and levitated a tray with sandwiches toward her, knowing well her secretary wasn’t fond on cereals in the morning. When Raven tried to answer, Celestia used the opening to slip one in. “Oh and please don’t remind me about the score, agreed?” Only once Raven nodded did Celestia release her magical hold, smirking the whole time.

They ate in silence for some time, sometime exchanging light kicks under the table just for good measure. What most would consider grave disrespect toward her majesty princess of Equestria, Celestia saw as a welcomed relief. There was nothing malicious in Raven’s behavior, she was just teasing Celestia. What’s more, she sincerely and wholeheartedly considered her a friend. Celestia didn’t know many ponies like that.

By the end of the breakfast Celestia’s mood improved drastically. Sure, the matters at hoof would turn her day bitter, but at least she was certain she would manage.

“The meeting with the Dominion is set for ten o’clock as you asked, your highness,” Raven said as they were leaving the dining room. With the plates and cups used and chairs casually standing slightly away from the table, it also seemed in much better mood than before. After all, ponies, just just a pony spent some time in there.

“Thank you, Raven. I hope you will attend. You know how I hate dealing with them.”

“I do and I will, your highness.” Raven turned a page on her clipboard and studied the data scribbled in. “There is also a delegation from several villages from the northern regions. They ask for audience regarding the attack.”

“They probably want their friend released. Let them join the hearing, they can state their request once the main report is dealt with.”

“As you wish, your highness. But they seemed rather angry.”

They parted ways to perform final preparations for the audience, Raven to inform the delegation about princess’s decision and Celestia to retrieve her crown. She didn’t look forward to the meeting. The only topic on the agenda was the attack against Canterlot from yesterday. She still couldn’t comprehend how that even happened and felt a strong bitterness about it. That was also another reason why the ponies assumed her angry at breakfast.

The bell on one of the castle’s tower stoke ten times and Celestia walked down the red carpet leading from the door of the audience chamber between the chairs toward the throne risen above the floor on few steps. Everypony in the room stood up once she entered and didn’t sit down until she made herself comfortable on the throne and gave them permission. The only ones who remained standing were the guards positioned around the walls, next to the door and behind the throne. The Dominion insisted on such precaution back when the groups of bandits roamed the land. After an excessive number of demands she gave in.

She scanned the room with mild curiosity. Not too often would small delegation from villages come to address her personally. Big merchants, cities or guilds, sure. But common ponies had little reason or time to come. She feared the latter. She could discern them easily. They were sitting further back in the chamber, the members of Dominion taking the first row. They also didn’t wear any fancy clothes or expensive jewellery and they gazes were roam all over the place, taking in the furniture crafted by artisans, gobelins and overall luxury. They were also throwing hidden looks at the nobles, probably realizing that the stones on their earrings and necklaces would buy their whole villages, fields included.

Another great difference lay within their expressions. While the nobles maintained a composed look of smugness and contentedness with themselves, as if the attack didn’t concern them at all, the villages were overall nervous, unsure and most of all upset.

“Welcome, everypony. I am happy to see all of you at this day.” Such a blatant lie. As if the chamber itself cringed at it. “The meeting would bring me much more pleasure if we were to discuss a less grave topic. Alas, we rarely order fate what to bring us.”

She looked to the side where Raven was sitting next to the throne. She was smiling encouragingly, the only ally Celestia felt she had in the whole room. The only one she was happy to see in fact.

“May the speaker of the Dominion report on the attack deflected yesterday,” Raven ordered. As a master of ceremonies she stood above the social ladder in these situation.

A dark green stallion, Sequoia Crown, stepped forward. While the Dominion supposedly worked on the principle of equality, everypony knew that Sequoia Crown called the shots. Nobles couldn’t simply ignore the old hierarchy, however hard that tryhard Covenant Seal seeked alliances and supporters. He was still just a new merchant nobility, something generally seen as uncouth. Sequoia Crown on the other hoof knew perfectly well his place was on the top.

“Your highness, praised society, dear-” he looked over his shoulder at the delegation, hiding his disdain with difficulties, “-citizen,” he finished with a bit of a pause. He would find many different names for them, most of them rather pejorative. “It is a great pleasure for me to inform you that the threat posed by a rabble rebellion was successfully deflected and that our army achieved an absolute victory.”

“Hey, who are you calling rabble? They were normal ponies!” a yellow mare from the delegation called out, only to be hushed by her peers. Sequoia wouldn’t leave such opportunity be and turned to her.

“I would like to remind the attendants of this audience that there is a protocol to maintain and that breaching it may be considered disrespectful to the crown and lead to being escorted out of the audience chamber.”

The mare shrank into herself and Sequoia adopted a smug smile. Petty slimy fool. They both reverted to normal once they caught Celestia’s benevolent smile.

“I will decide myself which acts disrespect me, Sequoia, thank you. Now please continue.”

“Of course, your highness.” Part of his smugness was replaced with suppressed anger. The result of the fight for influence in Dominion depended on every little victory and defeat. He just received an equivalent of a slap. “As I was saying, the army achieved a glorious victory. Thanks to careful planning and brilliant strategy the whole rebellion was suppressed and didn’t bring any losses on lives and almost no material damage. All that thanks to-”

“We object!” An elderly grey earth stallion got up from the midst of the delegation and started walking toward the steps. He had trouble walking, probably suffering from arthritis. If he decided to travel all the way to Canterlot, his reasons must have been very serious. “What this good sir is telling you is no truth, your highness!”

Sequoia Crown magicked a truly ugly smile on his face. This was his triumph. “Guards! Escort this stallion out of the chamber. He was warned.”

Two guards immediately stepped forward, pointed their halberds on the stallion and started maneuvering him toward the door. He had no choice but to obey, He wouldn’t be intimidated though.

“Listen to me your highness! They didn’t send anypony to protect us! The rebellion robbed us and killed our loved ones!”

“Guards, let the stallion be. I am interested in what he has to say.” To Celestia’s surprise the guards didn’t react to her at all, continuing their march.

“The word is given to Autumn Sta- ack!” Raven tried to keep up the protocol, but stopped in surprise. Sequoia stared Celestia directly into the eyes, all his contempt in that gaze as Celestia stood up from her throne.

“Guards, I command you to step back!” They just glanced back at Sequoia who gestured them to continue. “I said, step back!” Celestia shouted and with a flash of her horn the two guards were flung through the air, a thin ribbon of smoke rising from their chests. Immediately the spears of all remaining guards in the room were pointed at her. While most of the attendants were trying to get away from her and any danger, Sequoia stood his ground, his right forehoof pointed at her.

“The command of the army and royal guard falls within the competence of the Dominion, your highness. We are protecting this country and we do so how we see most fit and no soil-eating scum will give us advice!” He nodded to the guards who started advancing. “I have to arrest you for an attack against the armed forces and for usurpation of powers. Guards, appre-”

Celestia spread her wings and descended upon him like a falcon upon his prey. While in the air, white lightning shot from her horn in direction of every guard like a cobra, hitting their necks and incapacitating them quicker than any venom could. The door burned white as well, white snakes intertwining around the handles to prevent anypony from escaping or entering. She tumbled Sequoia with her landing, one foreleg stepping on his neck, the other one shattering his horn with a loud crack. Another one could be heard next to the throne among the noise of chairs being overturned or smashed. She spent a glance in that direction, seeing Raven standing over a guard over twice her size. He was bleeding from his nose, his jaw horribly disfigured.

“I am allergic to blades on my neck, remember that!” Raven hissed at him, but it was doubtful if he could hear her in his fog of pain. Celestia nodded in acclaim at her, then shifted her attention to her own victim.

Sequoia Crown was lying under her hooves with his mouth agape, gasping both from pain and for air as she was still suffocating him. She relieved some pressure and bowed her head close to his. “I am not one of your pitiful friends, Sequoia,” she told him gently as if she was talking to a foal on a school excursion, who expressed a wish to become a princess. The contrast between the kindness of her voice and her violent actions seconds ago made the ponies press against the walls even more. “You can’t boss me around. Raven?”

“Yes, your highness?” Raven joined her side, absentmindedly rolling the shards of Sequoia’s horn from side to side with her hoof. Unlike others she seemed completely unfazed by the events.

“Please find captain Fiery Swirl. My personal guard is to replace guards in the castle immediately. Furthermore, the guards from this chamber and dear Sequoia Crown are put under arrest for high treason.” The snakes from the door disappeared and Raven ran away immediately to fulfill her orders. It wasn’t the first coup attempt in the history of Equestria, although it certainly ranked very high in the charter of foolishness. There were plans for these situations, standardized and assigned numbers.

“Oh dear Sequoia. Wth me your bloodline started. I am sorry I didn’t keep a closer eye on it, we may have avoided this.” Her horn touched his forehead and Sequoia lost consciousness, an act of mercy in his state. Then Celestia looked up at the frightened ponies. “I am very sorry for this spectacle. Now even more than before my statement applies. I would much rather see you under happier circumstances. With this out of the way though, would you please share what information you have for me, Autumn Star?”

The stallion hesitated for a second, but then made his way back to the front and took a bow. “Your highness, it is not true that the rebellion didn’t cause any damage. We come from villages to the north from Canterlot. They travelled through our homes, took our supplies and burned houses when somepony dared to stand up against them.”

“And no help was sent to defend you?”

“No, your highness. And the few guards positioned in the surroundings retreated to Canterlot. They said they were ordered to.”

“Does the Dominion wish to deny this information?” Nopony spoke up, all the unicorns fervently trying to avoid her eyes. “Very well. I, princess Celestia, hereby apologize for the choice of such ruthless strategy by the high command of our army. You will be paid damages increased by twenty percent for the suffering you sustained and your traveling costs will be compensated as well. Furthermore, I will personally see to it that this will never repeat.”

“Thank you, your highness!” Autumn Star rejoiced as did his fellow delegates. “That is more than we expected!”

“I am glad we found a mutually agreeable solution.” Celestia smiled and pointed at the door. “If that is all, I will ask you to wait in the entrance hall. As a gesture of goodwill I would like you to be my guests until the technicalities of the refundation are solved. My servants will be with you in a short while.”

As the door behind the excited delegation closed, their happy chattering audible for few more seconds - oh how little is sufficient to take pony’s mind from a horror witnessed - Celestia centred her attention fully on the remaining members of the Dominion. They didn’t even attempt to sneak away along with the ponies leaving.

“I am sure I don’t have to remind you it will be you who will compensate them. Now though, I would like to hear the full version of how the attack was deflected. You must understand I am a bit suspicious.”

Without making any move, Covenant Seal found himself in front of the others. He would finally get his time in the spotlight. That’s what happens when you try to make those above you remember you. They will, but only once they need a scapegoat.

“Well, your highness, you see we tried to minimize losses on lives, so we set up a trap in the lower city-”

“As in inside the walls, but far enough from your own homes, I take it?” Celestia inquired.

“Y-yes, your highness. But we made sure not too many of them would get there! The ballistas took care of that!”

“So you used ballistae.” She got a nod. “The heavy siege weapons?” Another nod. “Against a group of farmers with pitchforks.”

“There was five hundred of them, your highness!” Covenant tried to defend their methods. “It seemed the most reliable way.”

“Sure. May I ask who came up with that idea?”

“Prince Blueblood, your highness. He took command of the whole action.”

Celestia closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. When she opened the eyes again, she regained her composure fully. “Thank you for the answers, Covenant. You were giving them effectively and correctly, just like when you were still in my service, not Dominion’s.”

“I did my best, your highness. Can… can we leave now, please?”

“In a second, my dear. I need to tell you something very important first.” They all relaxed a bit and gathered closer to her to hear better, as the volume of her speech returned to normal. “I hope I don’t have to explain to you just how upset I am. You abused your power, allowed harm to befall ponies, everything to ensure your possessions would stay in complete safety. Along with previous activities of the Dominion, I feel obliged to disband this organ. It proved to be completely dysfunctional.”

“But-”

“You can’t just-”

“That’s a breach-”

They protested, but fell silent when Celestia raised her hoof. “The Dominion will disband voluntarily, without protests or problems. Otherwise, I will order a thorough control of your undertaking and taxes. I am certain my auditors would find enough violations of the law to put you all in prison and confiscate all your cherished possessions.” They all suddenly found their hooves the most intriguing thing in the chamber.

“Very well. Now please return to your homes and await the couriers with payment orders for the damages. And one last thing.” The stopped in their tracks and looked back at their ruler, unrivaled in her authority. Celestia stood over the body of Sequoia Crown, her mane waving, wings spread and eyes speaking of determination. “Do not try to sabotage the efforts of the crown, you will meet the same fate.” She intentionally left out which fate, whether the auditors, or that of Sequoia, letting them choose for themselves. Who knows which they found worse?

She turned away from the picture of destruction and left the chamber through the door behind the throne. She still had a lot to take care of.

As if fresh wind pervaded the air in Canterlot. He could breathe much easier and the whole place seemed to relax as if it waited in suspension for a very long time. Fancy Pants left his house with a mixture of anticipation and animosity in his thoughts, huddled in a thick raincoat as aside from the metaphorical winds of change the very physical ones were blowing, carrying like needle sharp droplets of rain.

Fancy Pants never understood what the point of orchestrating the weather was. Of course, the weather wouldn’t be changing without the efforts of pegasi at all, due to some ancient concept suggesting a grave shortsightedness of planner behind it, but the pony who decided that the best course of action would be to follow the pattern of seasonal weather from Everfree must have suffered from either very low imagination or very big mental disorder.

While he travelled a lot, he never got a chance to visit Everfree Forest, knowing of its autonomous weather management only from the stories. In all honesty he didn’t regret it either and even if he did, he wouldn’t have any way to change that by this point. As the last act in its existence the Everfree visited every citizen of Equestria after all and in the form of ash would become an integral part of their bodies. They would be carrying it forever in their hearts. And lungs.

He frowned at the mud that stuck on his forehoof after an inattentive step resulting in a splash. Just for what reason did the plants need the autumn sleets? Probably to make the leaves rot quicker. Their smell mixed with the smoke from the many chimneys of the city. The smoke signaled fires burning in fire places, comfortably warming up the rooms and inviting ponies to spend a pleasant afternoon with a book.

When he thought about it, the day would be quite scenic from that suggested position. Instead he was hurrying up the street toward the castle, slowly learning to ignore the puddles and the obtrusive cold. Maybe now with Everfree gone pegasi would forget about certain aspects of its folklore - or naturelore? - and make the life more bearable during these months. Somepony should probably see to their records being burned as well, just to be sure.

During such days only the most determined or the most desperate would venture out. Either way, they needed a very good reason to. Fancy Pants had such reason, the change he was sensing.

While most of the city still lay in ignorance, Fancy Pants knew of the event from that very morning in detail. The nobles naturally didn’t spread the word, nor was he in any regular contact with them. They embodied the very counterpart of how noble should behave in his opinion.

To name one of their flaws, they didn’t know how to lose with grace. To name yet another, they thought the servants didn’t have ears and mouths. Thus they talked freely and often in anger in front of their maid and never asked their butler what was new. Fancy Pants did ask and since he cared for his servants genuinely and treated them much better than was common practice in Canterlot, he also got the answer.

Serving in a noble house was a profession with a low fluctuation. One could even say that whole families of nobles and servants lived in symbiosis for generations. Therefore the servants knew each other about as well at the nobles did among themselves. And since the servants weren’t plotting against each other, information travelled much faster among them.

Fancy Pants knew that Covenant Seal spent the last few hours trying to beat the world record in speed consumption of whiskey, that Sequoia Crown never returned home from the Dominion meeting, and also the reasons behind both phenomenons. There was change in the air.

There was also pegasus hurtling at him. In the opposite direction in the air, clearly thrown out of balance by the wind. Fancy Pants charged his horn quickly and caught the flyer in a telekinetic field, carefully bringing them to a stop just before they would impact.

“Thank you, sir,” the pegasus said and adjusted his cloak with slits for wings. There was Celestia’s cutie mark embroidered on its deep red waterproof fabric. “I lost control in this mess.”

“Cycle of seasons or seasonal cyclone, that’s the question,” Fancy Pants mused taking some time to shake down the water from his coat. “What brings Celestia’s messenger outside though?”

“Actually, you, sir.” That gave Fancy Pants a pause. The messenger unbuckled a case hidden under his cloak - he was handling it with utmost care, dragon skin cases were a rarity even among the most accomplished in his trade, providing maximal protection to the documents transported - and retrieved a single roll of paper. “I was on my way to your residence when I spotted you in the street, sir. Sorry again for the landing.”

“Nothing bad happened.” Fancy Pants broke the seal on the roll and read the letter. Celestia apparently reached a similar conclusion to his own at approximately the same time. With the Dominion gone, he would find his way to the castle again. “Thank you for delivering the message so quickly. Here.” He retrieved a twenty-bit coin from his saddlebag and handed it to the messenger, who saluted with a smile and flew away.

While he was expected in the castle, nopony assumed he would arrive so early. The guards, wearing cloaks in the same color as the messenger, identifying them as members of Celestia’s personal guard, directed him briskly to one of the conference halls though. Being surprised wasn’t part of their job. He knew his way around the castle perfectly and soon opened the last door, after only a light knock.

He wasn’t the only guest of the princess at the moment. Captain Fiery Swirl, a light yellow pegasus with a namesake mane was sitting by the table along with ex-ambassador Wintershades. Quite unusually Raven was sitting with them, not standing close behind Celestia, ready to run away on an errand. He had to smile. It took her a long time to promote herself.

They all stood up with their mouths agape as he appeared at the threshold. His smile only widened at that and before the butler could help him with his coat, he lifted one of the flaps, hiding half of his face behind it. “Why so silent good messieurs, did you think that I have left you for good? Have you missed me good messieurs? I have returned to you in castle!” he sang, prompting a giggle from Raven. Celestia stepped forward and answered his dare.

“Fancy, I hear you. Speak, I listen. Stay by my side, guide me. Fancy, my soul was weak, forgive me. Enter at last, my friend.”

They exchanged a bow and another bright smile. It had been a long time since they met face to face, at amicable conditions even longer.

Fiery Swirl tapped on the table with his hoof impatiently, “I would be the last pony to speak against art, but I am afraid we have more important matters to handle than theatrics, your highness.”

“I am awfully sorry that I interrupted you, captain,” Fancy Pants said with a nod at the pegasus and being gestured by Celestia to the remaining free chair, he took his place at the table. “I hope my early arrival isn’t causing any trouble.”

“Not at all, Fancy Pants,” Celestia said and poured him some tea from a china kettle. Nothing about her betrayed just what transpired earlier that day. “I am actually glad, you showed up so soon. You will get into picture of matters much smoother. Please, continue, captain.”

“As I was saying, the interrogations of the captives from yesterday’s attack have been finished before we even overtook the prison as you ordered. They must have been performing them throughout the night, which shouldn’t get out either. Ponies are on edge already. If they learnt of such ruthless behavior, we could be facing another rebellion.”

“Prepare a list of interrogators who participated in that and of their commanding officers. They will face disciplinary commission.”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Have they at least learnt anything useful?”

“As a matter of fact, they did.” He turned few pages of his notes, before he found what he needed. “They revealed the group wasn’t united in their motivation. While a majority wanted to take revenge on the nobility, just as we expected, a small group intended to mainly free the preachers arrested in span of previous weeks. We can’t confirm that though as only one of the prisoners testified in that way.”

“So that new movement could have been involved in that, intere-”

“How dare you bar me entrance, you scum?!” The door was flung open following that exclamation and in came Prince Blueblood, seething like a cat somepony poured a bucket of ice-cold water on its head. He even looked like such cat, courtesy of the sleet. Maybe that weather served some purpose after all.

“Auntie, I demand an explanation!” he cried out, pushing the spear of one of the guards to the side with his magic. “Captain Dart Chaser informed me that my guards had been put off duty and replaced-” His eyes narrowed when he spotted Fiery Swirl. “You! You were the one who ordered that, you feathery canon futter!”

“If I were you, I would watch my tongue, prince. There are no ballistas around to hide behind and your cutie mark is much bigger than the targets I practice with.” Fiery Swirl lifted a dessert fork and scrutinized its pointy ends. No gentlecolt would draw a weapon in the presence of the princess. There were no rules about cutlery though.

“You little dirty-” Blueblood started, now truly enraged, but he shut up when Celestia got up.

“That would be quite enough, thank you.” She looked to the side at Fiery Swirl and removed the fork from his hoof with her magic. “Don’t stain the silver, captain. You will need it for the dessert later.” Then the full weight of her gaze rested on Blueblood again. In Fancy Pants’ opinion the day was getting better still and he wasn’t alone in that assumption.

“It was I who gave that order, Blueblood. I came to the conclusion that the guards you chose were not reliable enough for such important task.”

Blueblood seemed baffled with that revelation. For a few seconds the only sound in the room was caused by the droplet falling from his mane and coat onto the ornamented tiles, forming a small pool.

“But the army is under the command of Dominion!”

“The Dominion disbanded this morning, prince,” Fancy Pants stated between the sips of tea. For the second time that afternoon, he drew surprised looks from his companions. “What? Is it a secret?”

“You are dangerous, Fancy Pants. But you are right. Thus all the power of the Dominion returned to me, if it weren’t mine all along,” Celestia explained and seconded Fancy’s sipping.

“But-”

“As for you, I was told some very valuable information. According to the report I received, you were commanding the defense of Canterlot all by yourself yesterday. I would like to thank you.”

Blueblood relaxed a bit and started fixing his mane, grinning smuggle at the gathered ponies. “Well, that was nothing really. I wouldn’t let some idiot hazzard the fates of us all.” The amount of arrogance cummulated threatened to inflate the room a little to stay in tolerable concentration.

“Yes, I have a lot to learn from you, as you apparently did.” The cat just received another involuntary shower. A kick would follow. “As I said, I would like to thank you. I doubted your intelligence and abilities before. Now you provided me a definite proof. In which way does using siege weapons against our subjects seem like a good idea?”

“They were rebelling! I had to stop them. You should be glad they didn’t get further!”

“They got so far only because you allowed them to, Blueblood. Nopony had to die!” Celestia rounded the table and stood face to face with her nephew. “I am deeply disappointed and disturbed.”

“They only got what they deserved.” He gathered the last of his defiance and gazed her directly into the eyes. Fancy Pants laid a hoof on Raven’s shoulder, as the petite unicorn gasped in expectation. The confrontation was playing out too similarly to that with Sequoia.

Celestia caught the sound and as she glimpsed back at her friend, who shook her head in rejection, withdrew some of the anger from her eyes. “What they deserved you say, Blueblood? You should see what they really got. Guards?” The two stallions in dark red stepped forward, saluting her promptly. “Take him to the battlefield and explain to him what he will see there. Then take him to his house. He is to be put under home arrest and will wait there for further punishment.”

They saluted again and grabbed Blueblood under the armpits, dragging him toward the exit, which he resisted with all his might.

:”Let me be! I’m a prince, you better show me some respect, you ruffians!”

“Only by name, Blueblood. Any country would do better in anarchy than with you as its ruler.”

As the door slammed shut behind the guards, Celestia returned to her place and helped herself to another cup of tea. “I am sorry for the scene everypony. I would have gone and found him after we would be done, but as he saved me that trouble I wanted to be over with that.”

“It’s no trouble at all, your highness. I am actually quite happy that I got to witness Blueblood’s fall. Some of my friends will certainly enjoy the story.”

“I will assign few of the guards to rotate watch at his house, your highness,” Fiery Swirl added.

“Thank you. Now back to our original problem. The movement may have been involved and the word has it the preachers are coming from the Empire. Can you tell us something closer to that connection, Wintershades?”

“It is rather complicated to answer that question, your highness,” the silver stallion said and stroked his chin in thought. “I can confirm the presence of the preachers in the Empire, that is for certain. But I don’t recall anything that would signal their connection to queen Cadance. She is tolerating them in the very least though.”

“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions, your highness. We all remember Cadance from when she lived in Canterlot. She isn’t stupid.” Fiery Swirl and Raven both nodded in agreement with Fancy Pants’ statement. “Despite her recent unfriendly actions, she wouldn’t send a direct attack against Canterlot, let alone one with such a low chance of success.”

“You are probably right, Fancy Pants,” Celestia said. “We can’t connect this to her reasonably. Regardless though, I promised the delegation that the northern regions would get better defense. There is not only the Empire, but Griffon border is rather close as well. Fiery Swirl? I would like you to study the landscape of the region with Wintershades and choose three spots for new fortresses. That should sufficiently improve the situation and lower the crime rate as well. That will be all, thank you.”

While the other three ponies got up and started leaving for their further tasks, Fancy Pants remained seated and sipped his tea. Celestia didn’t notice at first and let her guard down, slumping in her chair tiredly and sighing deeply.

“Something the matter, your highness?” he broke her from her thoughts, actually startling her.

“Oh, you are still here, Fancy Pants? I thought you left.”

“Should I?”

“No, I’m glad you didn’t. It’s that coup from this morning. I still can’t believe Sequoia went so far. He was always arrogant, but I thought he knew his limits. I should have suspected something from his speeches though, I guess.”

Fancy Pants tried to recall as much about the stallion as he only could. He didn’t keep in touch with him too lively, for the same reasons as with the whole Dominion, but still he would see him from time to time at the social gatherings. Sequoia Crown was always an elitist. But when Fancy thought about it more, it seemed that Sequoia’s attitude sharpened within the last few weeks and his views were getting more extreme.

“He changed a lot lately. I think it started around the time when that second cupola was spotted in the Frozen North territory. Maybe some mental disorder? It would explain both the personality change and lack of judgment.”

“I’m afraid we will never know, Fancy Pants.” Celestia wanted to pour herself another cup, but discovered the kettle was empty. “His horn was broken in our skirmish. You know what that means.”

Of course he did. Sequoia’s mind must have been in a horrible turmoil. Losing the ability he had for his whole life, an integral part of himself, must have thrown him into madness if he wasn’t there before. There was no helping him.

“It doesn’t matter in the end,” Celestia voiced his conclusion and got up.”I know that I should judge in dubio pro reo, but in this case reus is dead anyway. Execution and a pardon became one for him.”

“And his son?” Fancy Pants asked after the retreating princess. “He shouldn’t suffer for his father’s sins.”

“I will be lenient with him, Fancy Pants. I promise.”

“That’s all I ask.” There was nopony to hear him already. Fancy Pants looked into his cup and saw half of it still full. If the princess had paid attention and acted in time, she would have gotten that tea instead as well as prevented the coup.

Now his attention was in her service.

Dear citizens of Equestria. Allow me to begin with something we all very well know, even though we often refuse to admit it out loud. Our land is not flourishing. The great potential of us ponies is not put to proper use. Enormous groups of us create goods nopony has any need of, while others still starve.
That would still be tolerable though. What’s worse, we are living in a morally corrupt atmosphere. We became sick because we learnt to say something else than we think. We ignore others, and love, friendship and compassion lost their meaning, turning into abstract concepts
We were not created to live this way though. We suffer and desperately seek for cure. For guidance and advice. We are willing to grasp at straws, just to get out of this cold suffocating fog. Sometimes that wish blinds us.
Quite recently it seemed such straw appeared within our reach. Humble and smiling ponies started talking to us all over Equestria, teaching us about virtues and better way to live. Their words were sweet and the visions attractive and truly in what they were saying lay no malice. In the shine of dragon’s scales there is nothing evil either.
We get blinded too easily and swayed from the right path without noticing. Thus the courage merged with hatred, friendship became exclusive, picking ones and condemning others, and violence ruled over compassion.
I ask you, oh virtuous preachers. Why did you chase good ponies against others? What was gained through their death? Why didn’t you teach them to tolerance? Where were you, when your herd was rampaging our fields?
Don’t judge our friends too harshly, dear citizens. They may have raised weapons against us, but their hearts were pure, just beset by wickedness and contention. Forgive them and learn from their error. Beautiful words of others may be just as empty as ours. Don’t trust them, dear citizens. Judge by their actions instead.
–Gumshoe.

Canvas put the newspaper down and looked at her friends. They all gathered in their living room. Sunset was surprised how composed she looked. She was certain Canvas would be taking it much harsher, what with her idealistic views. Then again, maybe they were exactly the reason why she stayed calm. That rebellion was asking for that. Not everypony around was sharing that view.

“He has a point, you know,” Canvas said after a moment of silence.

“He could express it in a less theatrical manner, if you ask me,” Trixie said and adjusted the pillow she was leaning on. To her, the affair was over, damage done and they would have to live with it. That was actually very close to truth, although a comment about theatrical behavior coming from her…

“It’s nicely written,” Canvas defended the writer. “He knows how to play on ponies’ feelings.”

Sunset decided to not comment on that though. “That rebellion indeed started with our preaching,” she admitted instead. “One of my preachers returned and informed me of the incident in Hayfield. The core of the rebellious group was formed after he finished his speech. Needless to say the rest of the inhabitants weren’t too fond of him after that, so he decided to return.”

“That’s great, Sunset,” Lightning Dust spat out cattily. “Another great example of your teachings, always rushing everything!”

“Wasn’t it your fanfilly who caused this whole mess?” Sunset countered cooly.

“She wouldn’t get to do that if you didn’t motivate her and if your security measures worked!”

“So now they are my measures? Last time I checked we designed them together.”

“Girls, calm down!” stepped Twilight into the discussion, quite literally as she stood between them. She then took a step back, so she would talk to them both from eyes to eyes. “Arguing and accusing will not help us. It happened, so make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“I actually meant he was right in something else.” Everypony looked back to Canvas who didn’t move a single bit during the heated exchange. “We are constantly talking about being virtuous and making life better for ponies, but it stayed by the words.”

“You are right.” Twilight returned to her seat, which Trixie acknowledged by a content smile. “If we had rescued the preachers before, nothing of this would have transpired. We should fix that. And we shouldn’t leave the survivors in the prison either.”

“Not that there are too many,” Canvas said and her expression changed for the first time. It showed that even she was deeply affected by the whole affair. “Haven’t you heard the rumor? The guard weren’t exactly gentle. They wiped them out with ballistae.”

The room fell silent. While for most the deed meant only cruelty and brutality, to Sunset and Lightning, the only ponies with military knowledge, it was worse. Whoever ordered that, broke every rule of leading a war.

“I guess they presented us with a great opportunity to prove we don’t just speak into the wind,” Lightning said quietly. She looked completely serene all of the sudden, a hint of smile playing on her lips. Sunset knew that state. She found herself in it back when she was about to light the first ember in the Everfree. “Let me go to Canterlot. I will bring our ponies back. And I will see to it that justice is met.”

“If you want to help me with justice,” Canvas said with a small smile, “I will help you with your temper. We can’t afford another excess.” Lightning looked up, intending to repay the insult, but from Canvas’ outstretched hoof she realized that the younger mare meant her words sincerely. She smiled and shook the offered hoof.

With that, everything was settled and the discussion moved to topics of inner functioning of the Front. Sunset paid very little attention to the matters at hoof. She found Canvas’ behavior much more interesting. She acted calm for such problem and Sunset noticed several secret nods exchanged with Ditzy. Then the newspaper caught her attention. It was Canterlot Daily, which, quite peculiarly, wasn’t sold in the Empire at all. There were also few small smudges around the edges of the paper, as if the pony making it was in hurry.

She scrutinized Canvas’ face a bit more. Canvas was smiling directly at her and slid the newspaper further behind herself. When she was sure nopony else was watching her, she raised a hoof to her lips. After a moment of contemplation Sunset repaid her the smile and nodded in agreement. Justice didn’t have to see to know what was right.

A lot had changed since her last time in Canterlot. Canvas was sitting on a fountain in Limestone Boulevard. It was surprisingly empty from what she used to remember. It used to be there wouldn’t be a single day where the street wasn’t at least a little bit crowded. It was a major tourist revenue source.

Right now, she was the only pony to be seen this early in the evening. Aside from the fountain and the statue across from her, almost none of the sculptures she remembered where there anymore. Quite a few of the shops were either closed down or replaced

Canvas glanced at the clock located atop one pole. Almost two hours went by since she arrived and started a small art project to pass the time. She knew it was going to take some time for Lightning Dust to catch up with her, having taken a detour. Unlike herself, Lightning didn’t have a passport stating she was native from Canterlot, and given the recent events, travelling from the Empire to Canterlot just for a trip may rise suspicion. But she should have arrived already. Canvas continued to draw more in her sketch book to keep her mind off the possibilities. Dusty could handle herself, she was strong, right?

Fifteen more minutes went by before the sound of hooves approached her and a wing tapped her. “So why exactly did you pick this place to meet? It’s kinda hard to spot from the air.”

Canvas glanced at her and smirked. “You know, you could have just looked at the map at the station. That would have saved you time.”

“I uh… So why exactly did you pick this place to meet?” Lightning Dust said with an embarrassed blush.

“This place just holds sentimental value to me, that’s all,” Canvas replied as she put away her sketch book. “What took you so long, anyway?”

“Cloudsdale is not exactly close to Canterlot, you know. And then the train was delayed because somepony messed up a downpour and we had to slow down because of an unstable slope. The weather ponies these days...” Lightning twirled with her hoof next to her ear, making her opinion on mental state of those pegasi clear.

“Anyway, where should we start now that we’re both here?”

“Well, give me a second.” Lightning Dust sat down and put a hoof to her chin to ponder their options. “First things first, we need a base. Somewhere we can stay and plan things out. I don’t think we should stay in an inn and the streets are out of the question. I thought of three possible places on the way here, but if none of those work out we’ll be in trouble.”

Canvas stood up from her sitting position, a little bit wobbly as her hind legs fell asleep, and took a deep breath. If Lightning’s suggestions didn’t work, she had an idea of a place to stay. However, she wanted to avoid that location for as long as possible. She had no idea how she would even explain it.

“Well, we ain’t gonna get anything done just by sitting around,” Lightning said jumping up. She started trotting in one direction before she stopped mid step and turned around sheepishly. “Uh… You don’t happen to have a map on you?”

The magenta earth pony stifled a giggle and took out a street map from her bag. Lightning skimmed through it while she waited for Canvas to put her art supplies away and once she was ready, Lightning Dust lead the way to the east. Silently, she was uncertain the building she was looking for would even be occupied.

The duo proceeded through the streets of Canterlot. They noted some neighborhoods looked slightly worse than others, whether it was because of crime rate, budget cuts, or simple negligence. Lightning Dust scrutinized her surroundings, looking for a specific feature or landmark that she could use to identify the house.

“So where are we going exactly, Dusty?”

“Oh, I guess I never told you. My bad. Well, I’m looking for houses that my relatives live in. Two belong to my cousins, and the last one my uncle.”

“And you need a map to find them?” Canvas said suspiciously.

“You’re the Canterlot native, not me. I don’t see you trying to find us housing.”

Canvas rolled her eyes and shook her head. “The last kind of housing I had when I was living here was a school dorm room. I don’t think it would go over well.”

“If you come up with anything, we’ll need some kind of plan B just in case.”

They remained silent for the rest of the walk. As the sun’s light grew dimmer, the street lamps turned on to compensate. The clock was ticking and the mares found they couldn’t hold back their yawns much longer. Lightning Dust was also growing hungry with much of her energy spent flying.

Finally, they found the first of the houses on the list and thankfully, the lights were on to indicate somepony was inside the beige two story home. “We’ll, here goes nothing,” Lightning quietly said. She walked up and gave three knocks on the door. Several seconds passed before hoofsteps on the other side were audible, followed by a feminine voice.

“Who is it?”

“Hi, is there a Static in there? Pegasus?”

“May I ask who this is?”

“I’m his cousin, I would like to ask him something if that’s alright.”

“Um, hold on a moment, let me go get him.”

Lightning Dust could hear some muffled speech through the door before more hoofsteps approached. This time the knob turned and the door opened inward just enough for the stallion’s face to be visible in the gap. “Lightning Dust? That really you?”

“Hey static. I know it’s been about eight years but do you think we could come in?”

“Yeah, sure.” Static removed the chain lock from the door and opened it completely. “Come on in, mom and dad will be happy to see you again.”

Lightning Dust and Canvas stepped inside, placing their bags next to the door. “Uncle Strom and Aunt Typhoon are here too?” Lightning inquired.

“Family dinner, but we can make room for you and your friend.”

“Thank you sir,” Canvas nodded with a smile.

Static led the two into the dining room where the aroma of food instantly caught their attention. The room wasn’t anything fancy, aside from dark hardwood flooring and simple neutral white wallpaper. In the center stood an oval shaped wood table with a small chandelier above it. At the table sat an indigo pegasus stallion with streaks of dark gray in his silver mane, and a plump pale orange pegasus mare whose blonde and teal mane had been tied back into a large bun.

“Everypony, look who stopped by,” Static announced as he sat down.

“My word, Lightning Dust! It’s been too long,” the orange mare gasped.

“Hi aunt, hi uncle. I hope you don’t mind that we kinda interrupted the dinner,” Lightning Dust said awkwardly.

“Oh don’t be, Dust,” Strom said with a wave of his hoof. “I haven’t heard from my favorite niece in years, how can I possibly pass this opportunity up. Come sit with us, you and your friend look famished.”

“Got that right.”

Lightning Dust and Canvas sat down as Static pulled two spare cushions for his guests. However, he didn’t sit down just yet as he noticed one pony was absent from the table. “Excuse me for a second, I’ll be right back,” he said before he walked into the kitchen

“So who is your friend?” Typhoon asked with a smile.

“Oh, uh, my name is Acr-” Canvas stopped herself quickly and cleared her throat. “Sorry, hiccup. My name is Clay Craft. Dusty and I have been good friends for a couple years now.”

“Really now? Tell us a little about yourself.”

“Well, I’m a native of Canterlot, but I had to leave due to reasons I would prefer not to talk about.”

“Of course, I understand.”

Canvas continued to hold a conversation with Typhoon while Lightning Dust savored the taste of her hay casserole. Strom leaned over and tapped her on the shoulder. “I’m glad to see you again. I was worrying about you ever since I heard from Blitzschlag.”

“I figured you would have heard about that. How has dad been? Is he alright?”

“Big brother has been a bit of a wreck ever since he had to cut you loose. He may keep a stoic exterior, but I think deep down he really wants to see his little filly again.”

“Yeah, I kinda share that sentiment…” Unfortunately, I don’t really have the time. I’m on a mission, I can’t really deviate from it. “Where’s Plasma by the way? I would’ve thought he’d be here.”

“Baby brother moved to Fillydelphia when Luna moved to her territory,” Static said walking back into the dining room with a timid Golden Cage following behind. “She needed guards for her palace, he wanted a better home for his wife and sons.”

Lightning Dust made eye contact with Golden Cage, who slid further behind Static despite Lightning’s neutral facial expression. “Speaking of wives, am I correct in assuming?”

Static nodded. “This is Golden Cage, my wife of almost four years. Golden Cage, this is my one and only cousin Lightning Dust.”

Golden Cage gradually inched to the table with what Lightning Dust could only assume was a feeling of nervousness. “Hello Miss Dust, it’s good to meet you.”

“Yeah, likewise. I knew my cousin had his eye on a pretty mare, but you are quite beautiful,” Lightning said with a sincere smile.

Golden’s nervous face softened and relaxed a bit with a small exhale. “Thank you, that means a lot.”

Static sat down across from Lightning Dust and next to his wife. Even now, Lightning Dust was uncertain why Golden was apprehensive in the first place. Then again, first impressions are important.

“So now that everything is out of the way, what brings the both of you here?” Static asked once everypony was settled.

“Well, Clay and I travel frequently and we just arrived in Canterlot not that long ago. Thing is, we’ve been having issues with getting a room at the inns for different reasons. We were wondering if either you or Uncle Strom could take us in temporarily.”

“What do you say, dear?” Static whispered to Golden, who nodded. “Sure, we can do that. How long do you expect to be staying in the city?”

“About a week, maybe two. I mean if that’s not a problem.”

“Not at all.”

Canvas stood up yawned. “Since that is all set, may I go lie down please? I’m kind of tired,” she said removing her glasses and rubbing her eyes.

“You want to turn in now? It’s still early,” Lightning Dust said incredulously. There were many times were Canvas was the last to go to sleep, yet the first to wake up. How could somepony who gets so little sleep still maintain so much energy?

“I was sitting outside in the chilly air for two hours, sleep sounds good right now.”

“Fair enough.” Lightning Dust stood up, placing her utensils to the side of her plate. “I’ll help move our bags into the guest room.”

Golden stood up and after the mares retrieved their luggage, she escorted them to the guest bedroom on the second floor. The room, lined with white wallpaper that was noticeably yellowed from age, had a loft set to the left of the door consisting of a full sized bunk bed with a small futon sofa under it. The place was also noticeably cluttered with boxes stacked atop each other on the opposite wall, leaving a single window on the wall across from the door.

“Huh. I can’t believe this is still here,” Lightning Dust said referring to the loft set.

“Static insist it still has its uses. Sorry for the crates, we’re in the middle of packing to move. If you give me a minute, I will go dig out the blanket and pillows.”

“Don’t worry Mrs. Cage, I’ll be okay.” Canvas opened one of her bags and pulled out a small travel pillow and placed it on the futon before crawling on top of it. The sofa, not pulled out, was small for her, but it didn’t matter so long as she got the rest she wanted. “I’m going to go to sleep now if that’s alright with you.”

“Are you sure you don’t need a blanket, Canv- Clay?” Lightning Dust asked with a quick backpedal in her speech.

“Not right now,” Canvas responded as she removed her glasses and placed them in a case.

Lightning Dust shrugged and turned for the door as Canvas laid her head and closed her eyes. “Well alright. Good night then.” Leaving her own bags in the room for when she would turn in, she gently closed the door behind her. She and Golden proceeded back downstairs.

Golden used her magic to stack the empty plates and utensils and took them into the kitchen to wash, Typhoon joining her to help. At the table, Lightning sat down where she was previously with Static and Strom. She had with her a small black case that she carried with her from her bags.

“Either one of you up for a game of chess?” she said opening the case to revealing her Elysian themed chess set, made of polished quartz rather than traditional wood.

Strom tapped the table. “Sure, I’ll play. But just remember the last time we played, you didn’t do so well.”

“Yeah, you threw a tantrum when you lost,” Static smirked as he exchanged seats with his father.

“Oh shut it, that was a long time ago,” Lightning blushed. She removed both king pieces, each of which resembled griffon Ein Sof, from the case and held them out, allowing her uncle to choose which color he desired to play as. She already knew which one he was going to pick though, as he would always choose black whenever he played. So too was this the case as he took the green crown black king, along with the rest of the pieces from the case as his niece took her white king which possessed a yellow crown.

With their pieces set up on the outside of the case, which became the board when layed out flat, Lightning placed the game clock to her right and moved her pawn E two spaces forward before pressing the button on the clock.

“I noticed some crates in the guest room earlier. You guys are really moving, huh,” Lightning stated as Strom moved his pawn D forward two spaces, he too punching the clock. “I guess I can’t blame you with everything that happened.”

“The recent attack put everypony on edge, rightfully so. Golden already hasn’t been feeling well living here, but that just sealed it. I don’t want her to worry anymore,” Static said closing his eyes.

Lightning moved her queen’s knight to C3. “How bad was it?”

“A large majority of the ponies who attacked were killed before they even got through the gates. The rest were taken down rather easily. Physical damage was very minimal. Emotional damage on the other hand…”

Golden came out from the kitchen with three glasses of water held with her magic and strategically placed them among the others at the table. “Got some refills for you.”

“Oh, thank you dear. You are a gem,” Strom said a smile. Golden sat down next to Static and nuzzled him to lighten his mood, an affectionate gesture Lightning Dust would have smiled at if not for the current subject. Strom moved his pawn G forward one space and took a sip from his water glass. “Static and I were on the front lines, I can confirm that it was very violent.”

“I heard rumors about ballistae being used… That’s not true, is it?” Lightning asked, moving her king’s bishop to E1. Though she attempted to keep a stoic face like her family members, her voice displayed a level of worried plea.

“Unfortunately, it is,” Strom responded grimly, confirming her fears. All three of them knew the severe breach of law involved with simply using one in this situation, let alone a set. “The aftermath was more than grizzly to say the least,” he continued as he moved his queen to D2. “Poor Static was on the verge of throwing up after everything quieted down.”

“I hated every minute of that siege,” Static hesitantly added looking down at his hooves. “The stench of blood, the mangled bodies, the actual fighting, I hate that I was involved in it to begin with. And that… it was the first time I’ve ever had to kill another pony.”

As he hung his head, Golden leaned in and tilted his head for sad kiss. “It’s not your fault, liebchen,” she cooed soothingly. “You were only doing what had to be done. I don’t want to see you blame yourself like this.”

Lightning broke her already flimsy stoic expression and replaced it with a mixture of horror and sadness. She had no doubt that war was a very messy thing, doubly so if you are an active participant. Her uncle and father were veterans in the trade, therefore they were more jaded when it came to first hand combat. But there was not a word Lightning Dust could say that could take away the trauma her cousin had experienced.

She quickly moved her king’s knight to F3 and averted her eyes for a brief moment. “There… There were survivors, weren’t there? Please tell me some survived,” she pleaded.

“Yes, yes we have some in captivity,” Strom assured, moving his bishop to H3. At this point, Typhoon joined the table between Strom and Lightning Dust. She touched her niece’s face with her motherly hoof, yielding a twitch. “A few of them wisely surrendered, others were injured but alive. They make up the minority, I’m afraid.”

Lightning took a deep breath and turned back to face her uncle. She wanted to ask about those among the survivors. She had her mind on one pegasus and her brother. Did they make it… or were they going through judgment right now?

When it came down to it though, there simply wasn’t much that she could do about it. After shaking her head in attempt to rid her mind of her personal plight, she decided to shift the subject. “After all that, I guess moving isn’t such a bad idea. Change of scenery, get your mind off it.”

“Golden has certainly had enough here,” Static said looking over to his wife, who cuddled closer. “She was really scared when I had to go out there. Mom and dad came by tonight to help get away from that negativity.”

“I can imagine.” Lightning took a long pause to ponder her options based on everything she heard, though it could easily be mistaken for deciding her next move in the game. That settles it. Something has to be done. But at my current state, I’m at a disadvantage. I need to dig deeper.

“Dusty, you do know it’s your turn, right?” Strom said after Lightning didn’t so much as blink for an extended period of time.

“Yeah… Right.”

The game continued further as subjects that evening gradually turned more light hearted and pleasant. Golden, though at first apprehensive of meeting her husband’s cousin, eventually grew to like her a bit more after hearing about her exploits in the Wonderbolt academy, and genuinely enjoyed some of the stories she and Static told from their foalhood.

“Remember that time you, Plasma, and I went hiking in mountains with our dads?” Static mentioned as Lightning captured Strom’s last rook.

“Yeah, part of the traditional family training program, surviving in the wilderness. We weren’t allowed to use our wings for most of the trip. My dad taught us how to determine direction without a compass based on the position of the sun and the stars.”

“And during night, how to find the north star. It was a lot of fun. Though Plasma was a bit of a baby in the dark and he didn’t like the ghost stories at campfire. You’re in check by the way.”

“Huh? Oh, right.” Lightning moved her king out of the way of Strom’s queen, one space down at E1.

“It’s kind of hard to believe that Plasma even applied for the royal guard at all for how much of a softy he was,” Typhoon giggled at the memories of her younger son.

“Yeah, that’s for sure. Then again-”

“Checkmate,” Strom grinned as he moved one knight to a space two squares in front of the white king.

“Aw c’mon! I was doing so good!” Lightning half shouted in disappointment. “How did I lose?”

“Well for one, you weren’t paying much attention to the game,” Strom pointed out. “Not very wise to do that in the battlefield.”

“Stupid knights and their weird movement patterns…” Lightning grumbled, producing a collective chuckle from the rest of the family. Although he does have a point. I’m going to have to concentrate on the goal a little more if I am to achieve the desired outcome. It’d be no use if I back myself into a corner.

“You wanna play again, Dust?” Strom offered. “It’ll give you a chance to play for real.”

“Nah, I think I should turn in now. I’m used to a certain sleep schedule and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Yeah, it is getting a little late,” Typhoon said as she stood up and popped her back out. “We need to be going home too, Strom.”

“Ah, that we do. It has been very good to see you again, Dusty. Please consider visiting sometime during your stay. And Golden, I hope everything will turn out okay. Don’t be afraid to ask Lightning Dust for help if you need it.”

“Yes sir, thank you for visiting tonight,” Golden said with a respectful bow.

“Good night everypony,” Typhoon said in a sing-song voice. She and her husband retrieved their jackets from by the door and stepped out. Lightning took great care in putting away the pieces of her chess set and as she did, Golden nuzzled Static for a bit longer before both stood up.

“Why don’t you go ahead to bed,” Golden cooed in his ear. “You’ll need your rest if you’re patrolling the prison tomorrow. I’ll help your cousin settle in, then I’ll meet you there.”

“Always looking out for me, huh liebchen,” he responded, sneaking a quick kiss on her neck.

“You always look out for me, it’s only fair,” she playfully retorted. Static nodded and started upstairs. Golden then turned her attention to Lightning Dust. “Well then, shall I get a pillow and blanket for you?”

“Better get one extra blanket for Clay, I don’t want the poor girl getting colder than she needs to,” Lightning Dust said with a smile. Golden’s own smile seemed to be rubbing off her.

Golden escorted Lightning Dust back to the guest bedroom and quietly opened it so as not to wake Canvas. Though it seemed she was already in a pretty deep sleep if the drool on the side of her mouth was any indication. Lightning successfully suppressed any attempts to chuckle at the amusing picture and helped Golden move a few boxes out of the way of the closet.

“It’s a good thing I haven’t packed these yet,” Golden whispered. “These would have been a pain to find in the boxes.”

“Don’t you label the boxes? I find it makes it easier.”

“...Oh. Yeah, I supposed I could have done that. Hehe…” Golden smiled sheepishly as she opened the closet to reveal a few comforters and quilts folded and stored in plastic storage bags. Pillows were on the higher shelves and there was a surprising variety of bedding in the small closet. “What type of blanket would you like? Cotton? Fleece? Wool?”

“How about a cotton for me and a fleece for Clay. By the way, why so many blankets? That’s kind of a lot even for guests.”

“I took up sewing as a hobby and a lot of these are my creations.” Golden used her magic to levitate the two blankets and one pillow out from the closet. The fleece blanket was draped over Canvas’ sleeping body while the cotton blanket and pillow went up to the top bunk. “There you go, all set. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. You are our honorable guests.”

“Thank you. For now, I think both of us should get some shut eye. It was nice meeting you today, Golden Cage. I can see why my cousin likes you.”

Golden blushed at the compliment and her smile grew bigger, though the limited visibility of the room made it semi-difficult to see. “You have a good night, Lightning Dust.”

“You can just call me Dust. Or even Dusty if you wish. You have a good night as well.”

Golden exited the room, closing the door behind her, and Lightning Dust put her chess case next to the rest of her bags before climbing up onto the top bunk. After pulling the blanket overself and resting her head on the pillow, it wasn’t long before she drifted off after a long day.

Military training had many perks that some might not immediately think about. Sure there was the obvious benefits such as the physical conditioning and mental discipline, but over time one would subconsciously adapt to an array of different things, often resulting in instinct becoming very malleable in the process. In Lightning Dust’s case, the combination of her training in the military and her experience with her Elysian mentors resulted in a very flexible mare who could adapt to most given situations.

Lightning Dust woke up at half past four in the morning with the only light in the room coming from bright street lamps outside. It appeared that an overcast blocked whatever remaining light of the moon, along with a light haze in the streets. The spring mattress she slept on during the night made her realize how superior her bed back in the Empire was, discomfort subtracting from an already weak rest. Even her bunk back in the Wonderbolt academy wasn’t this unpleasant.

How did Static sleep on this thing for fifteen years? she thought in irritation as she sat up to rub the crust from her bloodshot eyes. Now I understand why Plasma opted for the bottom.

Speaking of which, the occupant on the futon was still long asleep and wrapped up in her blanket after rolling during the night, one hoof tucked fleece burrito with the other sticking straight out off the sofa. Canvas’ left cheek was also slimy due to the drool that accumulated. Upon climbing down and seeing this sight, Lightning Dust snorted with suppressed laughter. Okay, that was worth waking up early. She took the time to correct the pudgy mare’s awkward sleeping position, untangling her body from the blanket and laying her in such a way that would cure any snoring.

After doing this, Lightning Dust stretched out her limbs and let out the biggest, yet quietest yawn she had done in a long time. There was a bigger reason she came to Canterlot other than to reunite with family, but where should she start now that she was here? She walked down the stairs with this thought in mind, though her stomach took bigger priority. Planning could not commence without some food first.

A simple bowl of cereal was enough to keep her stomach busy as she considered her next course of action. Okay, first I need to do some scouting. I need three things: the location of the preachers, the identity of the pony who ordered the massacre, and a good escape plan. She pondered further as she finished off the last bits of the wheat cereal. But Canvas will hardly get us out of here. She has no experience.

After sipping the milk from the bowl, she took it to the kitchen sink and rinsed it before putting it off to the side. She took a peek through the window blinds to assess the visibility she had to work with. The second half of a cloudy November was not going to make it simple for her, but the same could also be said for anypony out there right now.

With a nod to nopony in particular, she quietly stepped back upstairs to the guest room, silently turning the knob, and went to her bags a few things she would need. One was a hooded gray sweatsuit which was folded and neatly packed in one bag. Aside from protecting her a bit from the weather - though as a pegasus it didn’t bother her as much - she brought it along with the expectation of stealthy, illegal activities. Another item she retrieved from the bag were a pair of thick metallic bangles, one green and the other yellow.

Lightning Dust unzipped the sweatsuit and began to put it on when she heard a yawn from the direction of the bed. Canvas was rubbing her eyes as she sat up groggy and squinting. “How do you wake up so fast, Dusty,” she said, her speech slurred from another yawn.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you up,” Lightning responded as she zipped herself up in the sweatsuit. She pulled back the sleeves on her front hooves and slipped the bangles onto them before covering them back up, bangles unseen from the eye.

“Your going out already? But it’s barely light out!”

“Exactly. Almost nopony is going to be out at this time. Makes things easy.” Lightning Dust was all set for her excursion into the city. It was a decent cover, a pony going for an early morning exercise. “Canvas, would you mind staying here at the house to keep Golden company? I’m kind of worried about her after what she told me last night. Besides, it would be a little suspicious if we were both gone. She at least knows my family’s military history.”

Canvas stretched her back out like a cat as though she were about to get up, only to plop right back down like her pillow was a magnet. “Sure thing, Dusty. Still feeling a little tired anyway.”

“Get all the rest you need, Canvas. We’ve got a rough time ahead of us.”

As her friend rolled back over, Lightning Dust stuffed a small pair of binoculars inside her sweatsuit and carried the map that she still had in her teeth as she snuck back down stairs and walking out the front door. Outside, she walked to the nearest street lamp and opened the map. The area on the map with Static’s house was circled so that she would not forget it later. Her main goal for the day was to locate the prison in which the preachers and survivor of recent attack were being kept. In a most cases, a correctional facility tends to be located away from the rest of the population for various reasons, typically in a more isolated region. But where would such a place be located on a cliffside city?

She wasn’t going to find out by just standing under the lamp, that much she knew. The hardest part of anything was the ‘how to start’ phase and Lightning Dust did not have much to go on at this moment as she started her jog. Given the amount of prisoners being stored, the preachers, survivors, and the normal criminals that would probably add up to a slightly cumbersome number. There is also a chance that they are not all being held together.

Lightning Dust formulated a route as she went about her jog. She tried to keep an idea in her head of the general idea of what she was looking for: large facility, isolated building or buildings, high amount of security measures such as fences or a plethora of guards, anything that might indicate some sort of restricted area. As she neared the highest points of Canterlot, she stopped before entering the richest districts and looked at her map under another street lamp before turning tail. A major prison was not likely to be in this area of Canterlot, nor did she believe the castle dungeons would suffice for those individuals she was looking for. Possible for the treasonous ponies that assaulted royalty, but too impractical for harmless preachers and disarmed rebels.

In order to save some time, she took to the air once she came to the outward edge of the city, putting up her hood before taking off. Being just below the edge of the cliff and the darkness of the pre-crepuscular hours would cover most of her chances of being seen by anypony, most of all authorities that might be suspicious. While by no means a slowpoke on her hooves, she was much stronger in the air and reaching her original starting point only took half the amount of time as it did to get to the top. From there, she landed on a tall building to get a better view ahead of herself.

I’m missing something here, she thought as she overlooked the downslope part of the city. Let’s see. If prisoners aren’t kept at the top, then the next step would probably be the foot of the city, maybe the foot of the mountain. That might be the next best place to look, but if that’s not it where they are, I might have to do something else to find the place.

Lightning decided to keep with an aerial search rather than remain on ground. It was faster and the likelihood of somepony seeing her would be reduced, assuming the few ponies out and about would even be looking for her. As she was flying, she made a mental note of landmarks that could be used for future planning in various routes. It may or may not turn out to be useful, she had no way of knowing at present time.

When she neared the foot of the mountain, she noticed path that she previously didn’t spot coming into the province. There was a more isolated district with a decently large set of buildings that were very well lit. The main building seemed to be built into the mountain itself while other outside buildings were watchtowers with spotlights scanning the ground below. When she got closer, she was a sign with the words ‘Canterlot Penitentiary’ printed on them.

Call it a hunch, but I think I found it.

There was a problem though. You don’t just walk into a restricted area filled with armed guards and plenty of criminals. As it stood right now, this wasn’t a rescue attempt, at least not yet. Right now the most important thing was to determine if a rescue attempt was even possible and given the stress of recent events, security would more than likely be tight. Most anypony else would find the task daunting with much of the odds against their favor.

Lightning Dust on the other hand was always one to test her limits, in one way or another.

She made a perch atop the roof of an abandoned four story building that was far enough away that ponies in the prison perimeter would be hard pressed to see her with the unaided eye, not unless she was telegraphing her moves. This would be her scouting position all the way into the later hours of the morning, watching the movements of the guards through her binoculars. She was fortunate for the location of the facility as the mountain blocked any potential rays of the sunrise, thus keeping the district enveloped in shadows, aside from the watchtower spotlights.

Four hours in, she saw an opportunity in the form of a convoy with a prison wagon sporting the solar monarch’s seal and its soldiers wearing similar designed uniforms. She had to make an educated guess that the convoy was transporting one or more high priority prisoners, likely from the royal dungeons. Whatever the case, it provided a window of time in which she could probably sneak past security.

Lightning Dust stashed her binoculars away and bolted to the underside of the watchtower platform furthest left of the compound, being cautious not to be spotted by either the convoy or the spotlights. Using the sounds of the hoofsteps atop the platform, she assessed that there were two guards occupying the top of the tower, one operating the spotlight and one keeping watch on the facility grounds. She followed the hoofsteps of the guard walking and quickly dove down to ground level, landing in a pile of hay.

Now that she was inside the fences, the more difficult part would start. The pegasus could not risk exposing herself with flight at this point. From this point on, she was essentially an earthbound reptile who slithered in. She waited until the convoy was completely inside the gates and most attention aimed towards it, she advanced forward, dodging patrols and making little noise. She slithered off to the left of the crates and stalked behind a guard who turned right into an open space, allowing her to swiftly pass with the guard being none the wiser. However, she came to a point where she trapped herself between the sound of guards coming from one end and a spotlight threatening to expose her from the other. There was no other choice but to take a gamble and hide in a storage shed which happened to be unlocked.

Due to the quick thinking and perhaps a bit of luck, she successfully kept herself safe inside. Nopony else entered the shed and continued walking by with the spotlight passing soon after. “That was close…” Lightning whispered to herself with a sigh of relief. She decided to stay inside the shed for a few minutes to study the patrol and spotlight pattern through a window. When the spotlight passed over again, she saw the contents of the room: batons and less-than-lethal weapons, uniforms and body armor, clear shields, much of the typical equipment found in an officer supply shed. Right there, a lightbulb lit over Lightning’s head.

“I don’t know if this will work, but it’s worth a shot.”

She grabbed a long sleeved uniform and some light armor that matched her body size and ditched her sweatsuit, keeping the binoculars, before donning the new clothes and clipping a belt with a baton on it. The uniform covered most of her body, including her tail and cutie mark, leaving only her head exposed, something she attempted to remedy with a riot helmet. Though she looked convincing enough - enough to blend in with the guards outside anyway - it was not entirely flawless as the badge she clipped on was blank. While it would fool anypony from a distance, it would be problematic if they were to ever get a closer look. She would have to further exploit the lack of sunlight to stay undetected.

“I hope this is good enough…”

She waited until the next patrol and light passed by before exiting the shed. Her new disguise allowed her to walk more freely within the grounds, though she maintained a healthy distance from alert eyes. Thanks to her military discipline, she perfectly mimicked the behavior of the guards and was even able to guess their patrol routes. She was also correct in her assumption earlier that new prisoners were being brought in from the castle dungeon, noticing five male ponies in jumpsuits being lined up with chains hindering their legs, as well as the wings of one pegasus.

They will probably be lead into the main population building. I could probably use this to get in myself.

Lightning Dust continued to ‘stand guard’ around the area and patiently waited for Celestia’s guards to escort them to their cells. She followed behind alongside a trio of other prison officers in a diamond formation, making sure to place herself in the back. Inside the primary building, she would have to be more careful as she no longer had the lighting advantage. When nopony was looking in her direction, she silently walked away from the formation. Unfortunately, the gray walls did not give her a clear indication of where she was going now.

Keeping in mind to stay in character, she disguised her wandering of the facility with a patrol. She kept her head facing forward, only moving her eyes to see to the sides. Though it seemed like she knew what she was doing, she was sweating beneath her disguise as the tension started to rise. Any minute now, she expected to be exposed and detained, leaving her with little choice but to fight her way out. As long as she kept a low profile, the risk of that occurring was manageable but not implausible.

Her wandering started to pay off when deep into the mountain facility, she came across a path to the sublevels, used for holding inmates in solitary confinement and death row. She walked down the long flight of stairs and was just about to open the door to the special housing unit when her worst fear came true.

“Hold it right there.”

Crap, crap, crap, crap! This isn’t good! I can’t get out of this one! If it were anypony else, she could have incapacitated them right then and there. But the voice. It was all too familiar to her. In fact, she had spent the previous night talking to the pony who owned it. She swallowed hard as the stallion approached her.

“Authorized personnel only, let me see your ID.” Static got closer in and noticed a distinct lack of engraving on the badge, which put him on guard. But despite the vest and helmet, the outline of the pony was too small compared to other guards he was familiar with. That along with the color of the wings…

“Quickly, follow me,” Static said in a hushed whisper, his tone shifting drastically. “Stay completely silent.”

LIghtning Dust had no choice but to follow. She wouldn’t dare strike her own family member, least of all the one providing shelter to her and her friend. Static used a key to open the door to the unit, locking it again when he and Lightning Dust were on the other side, and led her to an unoccupied interrogation room. With the only other guards in the unit keeping watch on the inmates, they would be free to talk uninterrupted. Static gestured her to sit down at one side of the desk and he sat down in the chair facing the door.

“I can’t wait to hear you explain this one, Dust. Honestly, I’m impressed you made it this deep in, but this better be good.”

The mare sighed as she removed her helmet; there was no reason to wear it if Static already knew. “Sorry about this, Static. It completely slipped my mind that you were working here today.”

“You were lucky that I was here. If it were anypony else like one of Fiery Swirl’s elite, you would probably not be leaving here. What the hell is going on? This is the last thing I expected to catch you doing. I mean, I can understand breaking out of prison, but breaking in?”

“I guess there’s no getting around this, is there?” Lightning Dust sighed. She took a deep breath and collected her thoughts as she prepared to face the music. “I came to Canterlot with an ulterior motive. I’m sure you are familiar with the Hexarete Front, correct?”

Static’s eyes widened. “You’re…. You’re affiliated with them aren’t you?”

“Not just part of it, I’m a collaborative leader. But please, before you judge, hear me out. I have no desire to seek revenge of any kind, only to get my brothers and sisters back home. They don’t deserve to be locked up here. They only want to promote good will and fairness among fellow equines. Surely you can understand where I’m coming from?”

Static rested his chin on one hoof and thought further. In truth, he had listened to some of the words of virtue since the preachers were transferred to Canterlot. Furthermore, he fully sympathized with their views as he knew full well the corruption that plagued Equestria and in fact had experienced it himself. The stigma of his marriage to a unicorn noblemare was not looked upon very kindly by some of his peers.

“I suppose so. But what has violence have in common with virtue?”

“You make a valid point. For awhile, we were only words and not actions. And the recent attack sparked from one of our own directly contradicted their intentions. However, the one who initiated it all only wanted what I’m here to do now; the freedom of her brethren. I’m sure she didn’t intend to start a full scale controversy.”

Is she referring to… to her? Static replayed the image of the survivor he saw from much earlier. The look of shock and horror on her face. It was the look of a pony who had completely lost control, the look that told him something had gone horribly wrong.

“I understand the intentions, but the damage is done. It caused a lot of panic, not to mention collateral damage to villages leading here.”

“We don’t approve of the actions that these destructive ponies have done. We do not want to destroy Equestria, nor do we want to conquer it. Our goal is reformation, an attempt to fix long standing problems. I will not deny that this group was in the wrong to do what they did. I even understand the efforts to neutralize them. But you and I both know that how excessive the whole thing was, on both sides. You’ve seen the result of having selfish, corrupt ponies in charge. Not only did they completely disrespect the law, but they had a blatant disregard for everypony else.”

The male pegasus delayed his response to let her words sink in. He was having a difficult time trying to think of a rebuttal, but as he thought more on it, he once again realized the full scope of the riot’s attempt.

“They expected, neigh ordered you and uncle Strom to put your lives on the line to protect their own skin and possessions! Think of how devastated Golden Cage would be if you were severely injured or worse. And what exactly did you get for this? Gratitude from them or your neighbors? If they felt it, they certainly aren’t showing it. You’ve said it yourself, Golden has had enough of living here. And it’s not hard to see why. Unfortunately, there aren’t many better places in Equestria.”

Static found more truth in her words than she likely realized. His employment in Canterlot had more or less become a double-edged sword. The job had benefits, but it wasn’t helping him and his wife anymore. A soldier’s salary was not much higher than anypony else’s and it was becoming more difficult over the years to support the family. That was on top of all the contempt and ridicule.

So when he came into work one day, it was a refreshing change to get to talk to a few of the new preacher inmates who had been brought in from other cities. They didn’t curse or threaten him, they instead smiled and treated him with respect. Even behind bars, they still continued to share their words of wisdom with other inmates and guards who would listen. In truth, he knew they didn’t belong in the special housing unit, the only reason they were here in the first place was because of a command from the former Dominions to shut them up. In spite of all the things they had endured, they maintained a positive attitude, eager to help their fellow equines.

Lightning Dust hung her head for a bit before looking back at Static with a sad smile. “Look, I understand if you don’t sympathize with the Front and I won’t hate you for disagreeing with me. Sometimes though, we have to do things we don’t like to get anywhere in life. But if you decide you do share our views, we can help each other. I can offer you much better living conditions in the Crystal Empire. You or Golden would have a much better job, you will be treated with the respect and love you deserve, you could even start a family in peace. In return, all I ask for is your help just this once. And yes, I am asking for your help, not demanding it. I won’t force you to do anything. What do you say, cousin?”

Lightning Dust extended her hoof to offer a hoofshake, hopeful, but not expecting too much. Static hesitated for a moment to think, but he too smiled and reciprocated the offer. “I’ll be leaving this dump soon anyway. I might as well do something with it. You have my support Lightning Dust, I’ll tell you whatever you need to know. But after my shift ends. I can’t be away for too much longer or else I will get in trouble with the brass.” Static gave a wink as their hooves returned to their bodies.

“We’ll talk later tonight. I can’t thank you enough for your help on this, Static. It will make things easier on myself and Canvas.”

“Canvas?” Static raised an eyebrow. “You are referring to your friend right?”

“...Maybe,” Lightning Dust timidly responded. I really gotta work on that.

“You can explain that one later. Right now, I think you should get out of this place. If you climb to the higher floors, you should be able to fly from the rooftop of the main building. The searchlights won’t be angled there, so if you’re careful you should be able to escape unnoticed.”

“Thank you. I’ve got this far, I should be able to get out.” Lightning Dust put the riot helmet back on and stood up. “By the way, I’ll leave this stuff somewhere on the rooftop. I found it in a supply shed to northwest of the yard. I had to leave a sweatsuit in there to wear this.”

“I’ll see if I can retrieve it for you when I get off work.” Static stood up and unlocked the door of the interrogation room and just before he opened the door, he turned to Lightning Dust with a quizzical grin on this face. “Hey before I let you go, if I had refused to help, what was your plan for getting your friends out of here?”

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t have a plan yet. I only wanted to record the layout. But I can think of a couple ways to do it,” Lightning Dust responded cryptically. “I’ll explain it when you have time. For now, try to have a good day.”

“Yeah. You too cuz.”

All alone, Lightning gone and there was nothing to do. When Canvas agreed that morning to stay behind at the house while Lightning would go scouting, it sounded like a good idea. She wasn’t too fond of going out into the city. She knew all the sites and she wouldn’t be much help in the task either. She didn’t think it through though. She didn’t have anything to busy herself with. In the Empire she would always organize, teach or run errands, occasionally even spend time with Ditzy’s daughters. In her absence all of that, except for the spending time, became Rallying Net’s task. Back when she went down to grab some breakfast, Golden hadn’t been up yet, so she returned upstair. Next time she would travel somewhere she wouldn’t forget to pack a book.

That was it! She recalled seeing a bookcase down in the living room. There was a slight chance she would find books in there, if her general experience with bookcases was to be trusted. She jumped off the sofa and started downstairs.

The house was quiet. To her knowledge Static left early in the morning and Lightning followed several hours ago. Since then Canvas was trying to come up with anything to do in the guest room, as to not pose any trouble for anypony.

In the light of day the living room looked even more cozy than the previous evening. If Canvas could judge, all the furniture was quite new and designed primarily for comfort, not to impress. It would provide for a perfect reading environment. She stepped to the bookcase and started the choosing process.

“Military Training for Dummies, Advanced Military Training, Short History of War, The Art of War - it’s never the war of art. Art doesn’t wage wars,” she mused for herself, “Tactical Movements, Tactile Movements, Tic Tac Toe Rule Book - seriously? - Communication through Cloud Patterns, Embroidery Patterns, Paternity Guidebook. I give up!”

The biggest problem with most bookcases wasn't the lack of book. If that occurred, one would simply start calling it simply a case. Almost all the bookcases contained books, too often books either not worth reading at all, or not on desired topics. This particular bookcase managed both.

Canvas returned to the armchair she considered so appropriate for reading earlier and slumped in, throwing her forehooves to the air in exasperation. “Oh Creator, grant me a distraction!”

“There you are, Clay,” a soft pleasant voice came from the door. “I made you some hot chocolate and took it upstairs, but you weren’t in the room. You like hot chocolate, don’t you?”

“And a good book, a million bits, pet kitty...” Canvas muttered to herself, hope filled eyes turned toward the sky.

“Are you alright, Clay?”

“Oh, yes, I’m alright.” For many ponies it would be hard to learn reacting to a different name. That is, unless they were used to being called many different names, most of them pejorative and degrading, for the entire time of their school years. Clay wasn’t such a bad name and Canvas picked it herself after all. “I love hot chocolate, thank you.”

“I thought it would come in handy. You looked really tired yesterday. Are you feeling better?”

“Much.” Canvas daintily sipped on her beverage while Golden sat down in the other arm chair and retrieved sewing material from a drawer. “This tastes wonderful.”

“I put cinnamon and honey in. It makes the chocolate feel even warmer,” Golden explained with a smile. She unfolded the fabric and showed Canvas her work. It looked like a cloak with a hood of lavender casmer with rich silver embroideries of lilies and falcons along the rim and on the top of the hood and on the back. With the black satin lining it would provide exquisite protection against the cold while looking positively fabulous.

“Wow, did you make that yourself?”

“I did. It’s a present for a good friend of mine. He’s going through a very hard time.”

“I am sorry to hear that.” Canvas took the cloak carefully in her hooves and inspected the fine details of the decorations. “This must have taken ages!”

“About five days, though I had the base ready beforehand.” Golden took her creation back and threaded a needle. “There’s not much else to do since I don’t like to go out alone. I don’t feel safe.” Under her hooves another branch was getting its shape. The needle was flying in her magic, bringing the smallest leaves into existence as if they were painted, but real at the same time.

“That friend must be dear to you to expend so much effort.”

“He is.” Golden smiled and changed the thread for a longer one. “Back when I was a child, I didn’t have too many friends. I never cared about what they did. Looks, money, that sort of things. You can imagine that didn’t sit well with them.”

“I don’t need to imagine at all. I grew up here.”

“Oh, right, sorry. Well, he never judged me based on that. He was getting along well with others, but would treat me kindly. And now this affair…”

“What exactly happened? Canvas asked, placed her empty cup on the table and assumed a more comfortable position in the armchair.

“It’s a sad story and I don’t know all the details, but the gist is that his father has gone mad and attacked Celestia.” Golden sighed and levitated a book from the bookcase to herself. “I mean, yes, it is an outrageous act and all, but his family shouldn’t suffer for his crime, right?”

“That they shouldn’t,” agreed Canvas, although deep in thought. Attacking Celestia is really a silly idea… for now. But it’s not right to punish ponies for crimes committed by somepony else!

“There. Just few more leaves and the cloak will be finished. I wonder how he will react once he unpacks it.”

“Why, won’t you give it to him personally?”

“I think we won’t be in Canterlot anymore. I still have to find a fitting clasp for it. What do you think would fit?”

Canvas looked at the cloak again. Injustice suffered. “Do you have some paper and paints, Golden?”

“I will look.” She left the room and soon returned with few tubes and few sheets of paper. “That’s all we’ve got. I don’t even know since when it laid there. Will you design a clasp for me?”

Canvas inspected the paints and found out they were still in a usable condition. “Better. Just watch.” She worked quickly, outlining the clasp and carefully adding an engraving of scales in a circle of leaves based on how she remembered her halo. Above the scales she added the same symbol the preachers had embroidered on their cloaks. “Now watch.” She caressed the paper with her hoof and then made one last small stroke with the paintbrush.

“What’s going on?” Golden cried out as the clasp started materializing from the paper, leaving the sheet clean. “How did that happen?” She lifted the clasp carefully, visibly surprised from how cold it was, and inspected it from all sides.

“I told you I liked to create,” Canvas said with a smile and handed Golden the cloak so she could attach the clasp. “Now just finish the embroidery and we can deliver it in person.”

“But the thugs-”

“Will do best if they stay out of my reach. We don’t have anything better to do anyway,” Canvas finished and with that it was decided.

Soon afterwards they were outside and well on their way. The weather didn’t pick up any - if there was a change, then it was purely negative - so they were taking the most direct route they could, or at least Golden assured Canvas they were, as Canvas had no idea where they were going.

“See?” Canvas said as they entered one of the more prominent quarters of the city. “No trouble at all. It’s too cold for thugs to roam. Am I right, you there?” she shouted at a pony looking at them in a way she didn’t find appropriate. He quickly started pretending he didn’t even notice them. “No trouble at all.”

“That’s the only thing I miss from when I was small. You could walk the streets safely even at night. Not that I did. My parents held me at home a lot.”

“That means they cared, I guess.”

“Or that they didn’t find it proper for a noble filly to just walk around,” Golden supplied with contempt.

“Let me guess, you don’t get along very well?”

“I visit them from time to time. But they didn’t even come to my wedding. They found Static too lowly.”

“I am sorry.” She stopped for a moment and gazed wistfully in the direction her former home lay. It had been so long. “I left home because I was afraid that my father would be ashamed. I don’t even know how he is doing.”

“If he loves you, he would feel no such thing. My parents love me despite my choice. If you want, I will go visit him with you later. You’ll see everything will be just fine.”

“I will think about it, Golden. Maybe one day.” Canvas couldn’t be feel somehow warmer in Golden’s presence. As if the unicorn radiated calmness.

“Let me know when you decide, okay? Look, we are here!”

They arrived at a decently sized mansion with a garden around, the gate to open, although something told Canvas that not from hospitality, but neglect. The curtains in both storeys were drawn and nopony in sight. Despite the forlornness, the house looked majestic with its column portal and marble walls.

Golden didn’t bother decoding the meaning of open gates, instead making a beeline directly for the door, pulling the cord of the bell strongly.

There was silence for a few seconds before the hoofsteps neared. “Go away! I’m not admitting any visits!”

“Not even me, Pine Diadem?” Golden called out cheerfully, despite the harshness of the rejection.

Canvas jerked at the name. “Wait, Golden. Your friend is Pine Diadem?”

The door opened before Golden could answer though, revealing a unicorn the color of pine wood, his mane only few shades darker. He had dark circles under his eyes and overall looked like he could use some rest. And food.

“Golden? I didn’t expect you at all! You are of course welcome to come in and your friend-” He took a better look on Canvas, who tried to hide in her jacket completely. She recognized the stallion immediately. You don’t forget childhood friends, especially if you didn’t have many. They would play and even sneak out at night from time to time to explore. He would protect her from bullies, being from a mighty family. Then their friendship faded a bit, as it often does among foals. But if she recognised him…

“Is it really you, Acrylic Canvas? I thought you were dead!” he exclaimed and ran toward her, pulling her into a hug.

“Pine, wait! Her name is Clay Craft,” Golden said, grinning at the picture. To her, Canvas’ inner fight must have looked like a standard panic attack. In reality, Canvas was debating her next course of action. She could just push Pine away, sticking to her false identity, maybe forging a story about a distant relative or something. Instead she reciprocated the hug.

“It’s alright Golden. It has been very long, Pine. Let’s go inside, I will explain.” They sat down in the living room and Canvas couldn’t but admire the exquisite tapestries and comfortable yet tasteful furniture, the unifying hue being light beige. “I am sorry, Golden, for lying. My name really is Acrylic Canvas. I had to change my name.”

“Not that I am surprised. I mean, you can make only so many slips of tongue before it gets suspicious, right?” Golden wasn’t fazed at all. “After all, the name doesn’t matter much as long as the pony is nice. But why?”

“I had to. Officially I am dead. It makes things easier. I’m also not a tourist, but that’s not important. Are you angry?”

“Not at all. Are you, Pine?” Golden said to the stallion returning with three glasses of white wine. Liquor would have to wait for few more hours before it would be proper to serve it. At least officially, since the bottle standing on the table wasn’t full anymore. They all took the glasses with nods of thanks.

“That Canvas isn’t dead? Of course not. It’s the first good news in a while.”

“Are things going downhill?” Golden asked with concern and pulled the package with the cloak inside.

“Well, depends how you take it. I was in the castle this morning. Celestia won’t confiscate the estate against the payment of one hundred thousand bits and loss of title.” He downed the glass quickly with an apologetic smile. “But she refused to pardon dad or change the punishment and I am forbidden from visiting him as well.”

“We feared that much,” Golden said as she got up and unwrapped the package. “I’m so sorry about your loss, Pine.” She hugged him and wrapped the cloak around his back. “I can’t do anything about your father, but rest assured that you are the noblest of all for us, no matter the title.”

“Thank you, Golden. It is beautiful.” He looked at himself in a big mirror on the wall, “This must have taken days of work. Hm. What’s that symbol on the clasp?”

“It means justice,” Canvas explained. “Something you need.”

“There are ponies who need it more, I would say.” Pine slipped from the cloak again and carefully folded it. “Like Blueblood. My father will die, I am losing my title and that disgrace will probably get away again. Despite all that blood!”

“But Celestia declared she would punish him, didn’t she?” Golden asked with outrage.

“She did, but so far he doesn’t look like being punished. At least from the invitations he is sending all the time.”

Canvas took a bigger sip from the glass for courage before she asked, “Was it Blueblood who ordered that massacre at the gates?”

“Yes, that was his work and he is even bragging with it,” Pine said and Golden nodded in agreement. They were looking at Canvas worriedly and Pine even got up and walked over. “Are you alright? You are shaking.”

“It’s nothing,” Canvas said and placed the glass on the table gently, making sure to suppress the shaking. “I promise that your wish will come true, Pine. He will meet Justice.”

Pine levitated the bottle of whiskey toward them along with three clean glasses, acting in stark contrast with Golden’s shock. “Cl- Canvas?” she said with a gasp. “You don’t mean that…”

Canvas gave her a weak smile. “I am not a tourist, Golden. Far from it.”

Take him to the battlefield and explain to him what he will see there.

Any country would do better in anarchy than with you as its ruler.

For some weird reason, the prince could not stop thinking about those particular words his aunt said to him, robbing him of the nap he intended to take. Why did he care?

Maybe it had something to do with what he did see out there. The guards who escorted him to the remains of the battle from the previous day. There, the armor clad stallion who was in charge of supervising the clean up only stared daggers at him and did not once let go of his malicious look. While at this point there were very few bodies left inside the walls, the stench of blood and rage maintained a dominance in the air, only growing more overpowering as he neared the exterior of the gates. The aftermath of the ballistae was no prettier either. For many, their gravestones were the very bolts that killed them.

Even if he never saw the mangled corpses, the implication of the damage was enough to tell him the story. So much violence tainted the memory of the residence that still lived in the area now, no doubt uneasy despite having been evacuated during the conflict.

“They were just no good rebels,” Blueblood rationalized to himself, though with a hint of uncertainty. “Maybe it got a little excessive, but they weren’t anymore innocent than we were…”

Blueblood rolled over in his king sized bed. He tried and failed many times to forget about the ordeal, only growing more restless. After a glance at his alarm clock, he decided it would be pointless to try and continue this endeavour and got out of bed to wash up. He had a social gathering tonight, it would be a faux pas if the host had a matted mane or coat.

He opted for a quick rinse in his luxury shower and used his magic to blow dry and brush himself, a routine he was more than used to by this point in his life. After spending some time checking for split ends in his mane, he trotted off to the lounge where he would find his longtime lady friend, a scarlet red unicorn with jewels tied into her pink mane, sitting on the sofa and munching away on small bites of cheesecake as she read the newspaper.

“Y’know? For all this talk of justice and reform, these ponies always fail and fail hard.”

“Dare I ask what it is this time, Ruby?”

“Eh, usual plebian stuff. Commoners always complain about stupid stuff and they always expect us at the top to fix it or surrender power to them. Guh, stupid.”

“Y-yes, I supposed it is a trifle amusing.”

Ruby put the paper down on the table and finished off the cake, licking the spoon rather suggestively. “Follow, hon. I’ve got something to show you.”

The corridors of his large mansion always held quite a few pieces of art, whether it was purchased or made by Ruby herself. It was always questionable to some if she really did paint them, but Blueblood himself could vouch for their legitimacy. That is all except for one: it was a painting of an androgynous white alicorn stallion that appeared to be praying in front with a set of ripples while it appeared the feathers on his wings were falling off and being sucked into a crosshatched dark void. The furthest edge of his tail had burst into white hot flames and was also being sucked into the void. A prominent feature of the whole thing was a decorative vertical purple ring sitting behind the stallion’s head, and the look of sadness on his face. It was almost as though he was accepting his own demise out of shame or guilt.

“Remember this old thing?” Ruby asked as she stared at the painting, adopting a smug grin. Even if she didn’t actually create this piece of work, she still considered it one of her favorite paintings. “Still can’t believe the brat actually did it. Just goes to show you how naive and desperate freshmen are.”

“Apparently she died a while ago. In that warehouse fire, you remember that one, right?” Blueblood said trying to mimic Ruby’s smugness, though the tone in his words almost contradicted it. The memory of the filly always stuck with him. At the time, he did not exactly care for her feelings, evident in what he made her do. He always felt invincible since he was a prince and that he could get away with just about anything. Though he always looked back on that memory fondly, he recently could not help but feel a bit dirty from it. Even he had to admit that what Ruby did to her was a real dick move.

Yet for some reason, he just couldn’t say no to her. She would always find a way to make it worth his while.

“Eh, who cares? One earth filly died in a warehouse when she shouldn’t have been in there in the first place. Big freaking woop. One less weakling in the world. Anyway, I thought the picture would look nice for the party.”

“Yes… Yes it would.”

Ruby threw a disatisfied look at her mate. Is that all he really had to say? He could at least try to put some energy in his compliments, not sound so uninterested. “Princy, you’ve been acting like a stick in the mud lately after your aunt grounded you. I mean, I get it’s not fun having to stay in your house but what’s the deal?”

Blueblood threw his head back and acted as if he was trying to pop his vertebrae. “Yes dear, I’m just tired. I did wake up from a nap fifteen minutes ago.”

He knew better than to tell her what he had on his mind. It’s not like she cared about the kind of concerns he was struggling with, let alone try to understand them. She always had to be the center of the world, nothing else mattered. Right now, Ruby was more interested in the party in his mansion. Why else would she show off her old trophies?

She was perfect for him.

“Whatever you say, Prince. You know, we’ve got forty-five minutes before the guests start showing up,” Ruby purred into Blueblood’s ear. Her hoof began to stroke his chest, a signal he was quite familiar with. “Plenty of time for some private time.”

Blueblood only rolled his eyes before cracking a grin as his mind - and hoof - went other places. Perhaps it would distract his mind, at least temporarily. At least his house arrest wasn’t a complete prison.

“Do lead the way, my dear.”

Chapter 29

View Online

Original Title: Setting Things Right
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

At first, there was nothing. He would have remembered that time fondly later if he had the capacity to remember, for nothingness gave soon way to screaming pain. Literally screaming. His brain was filled with howling and shrieking as if he was caught in the middle of a hurricane.

Gradually the noise would fade, leaving only the pain and a feeling of loss behind. He lay there, completely limp, and searched for that missing bit, but it felt as if with losing it he also forgot it, like a dream after waking up. The difference was that unlike a dream, he sensed that something signified much more to him, an existential necessity. He of course realised that in much vaguer terms, for his thoughts remained scattered.

They say you can get used to pain. By no means does it mean you stop feeling it. It always prods on your consciousness, blocking you and harassing. But slowly it loses its novelty and if you are lucky, you become slightly detached, watching it as if it was happening to somepony else. You can develop even some degree of morbid curiosity.

His eyes forgot how to blink. He stared upwards, unmoving and unseeing. He couldn’t even guess how much time passed before his senses tiptoed back to him. He found himself on a soft surface, and material of the same texture was covering him. The fog before his eyes cleared only to give way to white surface of a ceiling. Light was surrounding him at all times. Soon his eyes went blind again, this time from lack of stimuli.

Slow monotonous beeping was assaulting his ears, sometimes joined with hushed voices. He couldn’t concentrate on their meaning. There was a gap in his mind preventing him from comprehension. Yet somehow he knew they were talking about him and that they were worried.

As the pain dulled to such a degree that the signals from other parts of body talking about discomfort could make themselves heard, the idea appeared to him that he may adjust his position. Very carefully he tried inching his limbs around. Yet his efforts for gentleness fell short, a pang of pain surging through his left foreleg. Something was piercing his skin! Instinctively he reached for his magic to pull the offending object out.

The howling returned full force at that moment along with some pain, but what made him join in on the cry was neither of those. While he felt emptiness before, although vastly overpowered by suffering, it had nothing on this sensation for instead of a path he found something alike to wall of stone. Or rather a tomb wall, with hundreds of meters of rock in all directions.

His eyes bulged out in a utter horror, his mouth attempting to scream, although with how parched his throat felt the sounds he emitted very closer to wheezing, he remembered what he lost and despite the pain raised his hoof to confirm. Where his horn used to be, he found only a spiky stump, alike one left of a pine broken by a storm.

He vaguely noticed ponies swarming the room and pulling his hoof away from the stump, They laid him down to his original position and injected some clear fluid into the canila sticking from his forehoof, but he paid them no mind. He wasn’t screaming anymore. He was too deep in his mind to manifest his suffering physically.

Along with the realisation of his loss came the remembrance. He heard his smug words and saw Celestia drifting against him. From his subconsciousness rose her composed voice, although her words remained clouded. And there was more. His success in recent week, one victory after another against his political opponents, rise in influence and power all flashed in front of his inner sight.

Whatever injected him was taking effect. He was losing sight of the ponies around and even his mind was slowing down. But it couldn’t prevent one last memory, that of a kind, supportive, yet firm voice accompanying him during those weeks. It was thanks to its advice that he gained so much. There was no trace of that voice anymore. It forsook him.

He wasn’t crying as the darkness surrounded him, for the first time in eternity. Tears were the only thing he had left it seemed. He would have to be thrifty with them.

When he woke up again, he was feeling much better, that is from the physical side of things. They helped him sit up and he managed to feed himself, although a bit clumsily, since he was used to holding the utensils with magic, not with hooves. He paid special attention to restraining himself from any attempt to use magic. They didn’t need to warn him about that, he could deduce on his own just how much suffering it would cause him.

With the pain subsided, he could think much clearer and his thoughts drifted back to the voice guiding him. He didn’t know where it originated and at first he suspected himself going mad. But the voice knew things. It predicted the very words of nobles he was negotiating with, provided information he would never acquire on his own and slowly convinced him to cooperate.

Around the same time he started having unusual dreams. They varied in setting and subject, but always featured a glowing white figure with waving ribbons growing from its bag. She, for he was certain the creature was female, spoke to him of his past, explaining his mistakes and right steps, offering better future to him. He felt her care and resolve, wishing to please her with all his might, especially since she wanted his success. He couldn’t hear her anymore.

Three meals and one exhausted nap later they decided he was well enough to be transported. Not that he could walk on his own for too long, but not requiring medical supervision any longer. They drove him on the hospital bed into a chariot and then on a wheelchair. He recognised the place, although he never visited. There was only one place they could take him anyway.

Naturally, they would accommodate him in the most guarded section. Not that he would attempt to escape. Hay, he could barely move! But on some level such security could be taken as a sign of respect for the high profile prisoner. His cell didn’t have any windows as it was carved deep in the mountain, but he didn’t suffer lack of light. Along with glowing crystals in the walls, the room was illuminated thanks to a skylight, without a doubt tens or even hundreds of feet long.

He was spending time the same manner as the previous, lying on the hard bed and contemplating to the best of his ability just what went wrong. He wasn’t distracted from it with bodily discomfort; they provided him with enough food and despite the general idea of prison cells, water wasn’t dripping from the ceiling and walls and biting chill didn’t threaten to kill him before it was time.

They told him he would be executed for grand treason, although they could have saved that effort. He knew that well enough himself. After how things proceeded back then in the audience chamber, his fate couldn’t be different. He didn’t worry too much about that. With the emptiness he felt inside and with the cold stone surrounding his mind, he wouldn’t be willing to live anymore.

While the level of light in the room remained almost unchanging, he could tell by the small square of sky he could see how time was passing. Just as quickly as his remaining time was passing away, his feeling of betrayal was growing. He didn’t care that he was going to die. Death could under certain circumstances be a victory. But this one signified defeat. He deserved to win! That wonderful white pony told him so! Then why did she leave him?

He asked that question many times over the course of days and nights. He was asking and nopony would answer. He asked the last glimpses of light the day before his execution to no avail.

He couldn’t sleep that night. He was full of morbid excitement and half mad with anger and despair. He needed that answer! He jumped up, wrapped his hooves against the door and pressed his face against the barred window. “Why did you leave me?!” he shouted, his voice echoing in the empty corridors of the prison. The guards stopped reacting to his question a long time ago.

He trudged back to his bed and curled on it. “Why? Why?” Tomorrow he would be gone. If there was a right time to spend what he had left, it just arrived. “Why did you leave me?” He allowed his tears flow freely. Through them he could see that moon rose early that night and shone directly through his skylight. The crystals in the walls seemed to dim in shame from comparison with the bright square, encompassing the floor and bed.

“Was it really me who left you?” He knew that voice! He recognised the care and firmness from the past. He was waiting for it all that time! “Or did you forsake me instead?”

He fell from the bed from how fast he tried to stand up and used it to kneel down in front of her. Where only moonlight used to lay now stood the pony from his dreams, alabaster white, majestic and glowing. A richly engraved halo was slowly spinning over her head and her strange wings billowed in a nonexistent wind.

“Stand up, Sequoia Crown, for it is solely right of the Creator herself to request kneeling.”

“You returned to me at last, my revered guide!” He crawled forward, not heeding her command. Most of his animosity was forgotten, just like a foal runs to its mother for comfort after being scolded by her. “I feared you abandoned me for good!”

She reached down to him with a smile, honestly resembling a mother accepting that her foal can learn another day and still be loved, and stood him up. “I haven’t abandoned you at all, my dear Sequoia. It pained me as much as you not to speak with you, but it was not my fault.”

“But you promised that you would stand by my side every step of the journey,” he said with confusion. He leaned into the wing caressing his cheek, sighing from comfort. It was warm and awaking something deep within. When he was in contact with it, his loss of magic suddenly didn’t matter. He felt more whole than ever.

“I did, my dear Sequoia, and I would. Yet once you stepped from the right path, I could do nothing. It was you who abandoned me.”

“I tried as I could, mistress! I followed your advice! You told me I would rise to the top, that Equestria would follow my command because the princess mustn’t stay in power for the good of everypony. Where did I go wrong?”

“Do you really have to ask?” From the disappointment in her voice he started tearing up again. He failed her again! She would leave him again! Instead, she moved another wing to him, wiping away the tears. “To command a land doesn’t mean to become its ruler, my dear Sequoia. I never imagined you would replace princess Celestia. It is her fate to rule, as is of all alicorns, and only alicorns can change that. Under my guidance you would have gained influence in every aspect of the government, eventually deciding more affairs than the princess. But to think you could challenge her for a duel and win was a grave sin of pride. Nothing good rises from sin and I couldn’t step in at all.”

“It wasn’t my fault,” he wailed, not for a second questioning her word. What had been really said or implied in the past had no impact on truthfulness of her words to him. “They forced my hoof! I wished to act slowly and subtly, but with Celestia enraged from the use of power against that scum, I had to take action. It is all Blueblood’s fault, not mine!”

“Many serve the same goal as you, my dear Sequoia. That ‘scum,’ as you say, among them. You had part in their suffering as well, again thinking yourself better than them. Yet they will be judged the same way as you. Many of them aren’t half as weighted down with sin as you are. Pride rules you, even now.”

“I couldn’t know! If I knew of their task, I would have acted. Please don’t abandon me again. It is all Blueblood’s fault! He deserves punishment! He forced me!”

“Fear not, my dear. I will not abandon you. I will stay near till the end even though you won’t see me.” She took a step back from him, which prompted him to jump forward. He grabbed her forelegs, fearing she would leave. “I am not going anywhere, my dear. Not yet. In your time you were bringing me much joy. In this moment I would like to grant you joy as well. Tell me, what do you wish?”

He looked up to her with his mouth agape. She would fulfill him a wish! What should he wish? What did he want? Most of all he wished to prevent her from leaving. He didn’t want to be alone again. He was about to say it aloud, but then his thoughts returned to the time she wasn’t with him and suddenly he burned with hatred. It was Blueblood who chased her from him! He caused his suffering! Blueblood had to pay!

“I wish to see Blueblood punished,” he growled before he could stop himself. He was cursing himself the next second as the face of his guide and mistress turned sorrowful. He intensified his hold on her forelegs fearfully, but she lifted him with her wings and pressed him to her chest.

“My dear Sequoia. Despite all I am saying, despite all you learn, you still dwell on your pride instead of salvation.” She drove her wing over his back gently, not letting go as he sobbed. “Your wish will be fulfilled, he will suffer for his crimes before you are called from this world.” She carried him gently to the bed, just like foal after a nightmare. “But what you really wish is that I stay with you. I will for I know how much you cherish my presence. I will be gone when you wake up, but even then you will be not alone.” She settled down on the bed with him prodded against her side, and wrapped her wings around him.

He snuggled into her warm glowing skin and closed his eyes. “Thank you, mistress,” he muttered, half asleep already. “Will I see you again?”

“Maybe. We will see. Be patient.”

“I will. Goodnight, mistress “

“Goodnight, my dear Sequoia.”

The week following their arrival in Canterlot, Lightning Dust and Acrylic Canvas had quite a quota to fulfill before they could carry out their intended mission. Fortunately, it was no longer just the two of them. Static and his wife, both perhaps apprehensive at first, came to support their task. Said support was a boon that helped speed up the reconnaissance and preparation.

Static, still clad in his uniform, exited the Canterlot Penitentiary after ending his shift at four AM and began his trek home after he was let out of the gates. For security reasons, he was not allowed to start flying until he was off the property, but he took to the air once that threshold was met. On his way home, he passed over the old house that he and Golden Cage had lived in until just four days ago. It saddened him to have to let go of it, but times were changing and it was time to move on. Hopefully, the next occupants of the house would appreciate it as much as he did.

Until it was time to move out of the city, Strom and Typhoon were more than willing to offer shelter for all four. This is where Static landed as soon as his father’s house came into sight and walked in through the front door. “I’m home!” he casually shouted out of habit. The house seemed fairly quiet, though this would hardly be the first time he walked into an empty home.

Only, he knew the house wasn’t empty.

He sighed and walked to the bedroom where Golden was sleeping before he removed his soldier uniform, neatly folding it and placing it on the desk. He gave a gentle kiss on the cheek of his sleepy wife.

“I really miss you at night,” she moaned tiredly as she barely cracked one eye.

“Sorry, love. Been really busy lately, what with dad moving me to night shift. It will be over with soon though and we’ll have a wonderful new home, just be patient. I need to go downstairs and meet with dad and Dust. Think you can hold out for half an hour?”

“I’ll be waiting for you, my knight.”

Golden closed her eyes and buried her face into the pillow as she went back to sleep. Static would have liked to join her, having been missing her during the week as well. He knew he would get his chance soon though, he would need all the R&R he could get although the few hours left wouldn't allow him much.

His next destination was the basement, though he stopped when the basement door was locked for the third time this week. He banged on it hard until the voice of his cousin sounded from the other side.

“What’s the password?” Lightning Dust said in a way that her grin, while not visible, was still plainly obvious.

“Stop teasing me and let me down there,” Static responded with a frustrated groan.

“Password accepted.”

The door to the basement unlocked and the chuckling mare stepped downstairs with the stallion close behind. “Why do you keep doing that?”

“Hey, you did it to me all the time when we were kids. I couldn’t pass up a little payback.”

The basement of Strom’s house used to be a sort of a clubhouse for Static and his brother and cousin. As kids, they would always have a blast playing different games and pretending to be soldiers and generals planning for war. Static never thought that as an adult, he would be doing the same thing down here, only this time it was for real. However while Plasma was absent, their father wasn’t.

“There you are, son,” Strom greeted with a firm hoofshake. He was still wearing his lieutenant dress uniform while Lightning Dust was wearing a similar formal military uniform, albeit not sharing the Equestrian military seals.

“I feel a bit underdressed among us,” Static joked as he took a spot at the center table.

“Just be glad my dad isn’t here. He might just give you a reprimand,” Lightning said in an equally joking manner.

“Now that that’s all out of the way, have you anything new to share today?”

Lightning Dust pointed to the items to the middle of the table. There were three maps: a map of Canterlot city, a map of the underground tunnels, and a layout of the penitentiary. Each of them had chess pieces on them, quite a few more than what came with a regular chess set.

“Based on the recon you conducted for me during your night shifts, Strom and I think we’ve formulated the best possible way to go about this. First, we needed to worry about getting into the special housing unit where our friends are being held.”

Strom leaned in and pointed to the white knight pieces in strategic locations on the prison map. “I was able to convince some of our friends in the royal guard to support us internally. Those in the prison will subtly make way for our arrival without arousing suspicion. Those on the streets will look the other way when Miss Canvas carries out her part of the plan.”

Static nodded. He was very thankful for his parents supporting the cause as well with little reserve. His father’s position meant he had the power to reorganize patrols, at least to a degree. A few sections were out of his reach, such as Fiery Swirl’s guards around Prince Blueblood’s manor. However, Lightning Dust placed a lot of confidence in Canvas that she could handle it, so he had to trust them.

“Canvas has been surveying the city with Golden and Aunt Typhoon,” Lightning Dust stated. “They’ve found a few ponies that will help Canvas. A little bribe didn’t hurt.”

“Friend from Crystal Empire?” Static asked.

“Sometimes it literally pays to have friends in high places. I’m fairly certain Canvas won’t have any problem with the guards stationed around Blueblood’s house. Best case scenario, they’ll be absent from the premise entirely with Sequoia Crown’s capital punishment. If not, Canvas and the ponies she will collect will overwhelm them.”

“What if something goes wrong? Do we have a fallback?”

“The chance of things going wrong are minimal and manageable. Judging from the majority of royal guards aiding us, they aren’t exactly in a rush to protect Blueblood. Just in case something does go wrong though, I can have a few of our comrades take a covert escort formation. A lot of them will probably want to leave Canterlot anyway after this to avoid legal punishment.”

“Fair enough.”

Lightning Dust would further explain the plan. She used the white queen piece to represent herself, and the white bishop piece to represent Canvas. With all of the pieces, she would move them all over the maps to serve as visuals for her explanation. Static and Strom would add suggestions over the course of the meeting and by the end, the three felt as though they had covered just about everything. If something unplanned happened, they would have to improvise.

Static stretched his back and legs as they wrapped things up. He still was unsure if the mission was going to be successful, yet it was a bit early to say for sure. If Lightning Dust and his father were confident though, it shouldn’t be bad.

“I’m going to rest for a bit. I’m pretty beat,” he said standing up.

“Yeah, go ahead. Get as much rest as you can,” Lightning Dust replied cleaning up the table. “Once we start this thing, we’re not going to have many chances to stop for a while.”

With the go ahead to leave, the weary pegasus climbed back upstairs out of the basement and then up to the bedroom. He opened the door as quietly as he could so as not to wake up his wife. Golden however wasn’t sleeping anymore, though her eyes still said sleepy.

“Just couldn’t wait for me, could ya?” Static teased as he placed a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door before closing it and sat on the bed. Not a second late, Golden gently pulled him in and smooched him.

An elderly grey pegasus checked the plans laid in front of him again and then gazed over at the construction growing on the Canterlot Plaza. It was one of those moments when you try to put together a locker, ending up with a chair.

“What are you doing with those poles? Do you even know what we are building?!” He ran toward his workers who were about to affix a twenty feet pole to the anchors. You can’t exactly bore holes into the cobblestones just to keep a temporary scaffolding in place. “That’s twice longer than I ordered!”

“We thought that since we will be tearing it down in a few hours anyway, we could reuse the pole later. This way it has more chance.”

The pegasus shook his head in disdain. “It doesn’t matter how long this thing will stand. As long as it’s my work, it will be done correctly. Now cut it in half as I instructed.” He slowly walked around the growing wooden construction. Blasted thing. Building this nonsense would have been deep under his level say two years ago. But since his offsprings left for better life in the Empire, he had to take anything just to get by. Especially with these good for nothing apprentices.

“Put another diagonal pole over there. It needs to last at least a day,” he shouted at another of his workers. Strangely enough, even this one seemed reluctant to waste the wood. “They will pay us good for all the material. Even the advance we got would cover the expenses.”

That seemed to calm them a bit. Times were hard and lately the payments had been late. They understood though that they were in it together. They would stay loyal to the company, although mostly because they wouldn’t find another work. They tried. They all returned to the work with higher vigour and well so. The sun was about to rise.

Before it crested the horizon though, most of the construction was already standing, along with a small tribune for prominent spectators and mainly for the princess. To his surprise some of what he would qualify for the future occupants of those spots were just passing along. Three white unicorns, two mares and one stallion. What surprised him even more was that they wished him a good morning and one of the mares, the one with curled violet mane asked him for a business card. Maybe building this monstrosity would strike them a better job after all.

“Alright, pals, time for a break.” They all gathered next to a caravan they stored the tools in and occasionally slept in when it was needed to guard the building site at night. A barrel with burning wood formed the centrepoint of their small gathering, as the morning chill was permeating the air. Coffee was served in old cups, buy the chief builder’s wife. She wouldn’t let him go work so early without helping him at least a little.

“Damn this gallows,” one of the oldest workers muttered angrily and spat to the side. “You build it, you tear it down, no use of it whatsoever again. It was better back in my younger years.”

“What, did you have a portable set of gallows you could reuse?” the thrifty worker from before asked.

“Nah. We didn’t have executions.” They shared a laugh and the joker gulped down the rest of his coffee. “Tell your wife I said thanks for the coffee, Towering Pillar, alright?”

“You are welcome,” the mare in question said as she stuck her head out of the caravan. “But you should better get back to work. It’s almost eight.

“Already? We have to hurry, those boards won’t lay themselves!” They placed the mugs back in the caravan and sped up back to the gallows-to-be. At least here the careful planning paid off since they saved much time with pre-cut boards and properly sorted nails. Soon the only matter left to solve was boarding up the sides. It wouldn’t gave them a good name if a foal ran under there and get stuck. On the other hoof, who would bring a foal to watch an execution?

The works were nearing completion when one of his workers walked to him, fidgeting a little and digging with a hoof in the ground nervously before he actually addressed his employer.

“Ehm… Do you think I could leave a bit earlier, boss? I have somewhere to be.”

“Oh?” Pillar scrutinized his employee’s face, noting how he was avoiding eye contact. They knew each other for over a year and Pillar knew the worker was reliable. There was no reason to cause him difficulties, but some teasing was in order. “Meeting a young pretty mare, aren’t we?”

“Um, yes, boss. I kinda promised her to show up and didn’t think the work would take so long…”

“It wouldn’t have if someponies stopped stalling around and moved their lazy asses around a bit quicker.” Pillar shouted that in the general direction of other workers, getting an anonymous ‘For example you’ in response. He grinned at that brashness, appreciating a bit of familiarity with his employees, and then turned back to the pleader. “You can go. Leaving a mare waiting is like teasing a bear with a fish. They may decide to eat your ass instead.”

The relieved stallion ran quickly away, trying to ensure his boss wouldn’t have time to change his mind, and the others finished the gallows, in much more reasonable tempo. The moment they hammered in the last nail, they started packing everything and cleaning up the place. What they had left of the building wood would be loaded into two carts and along with the caravan dragged to their workshop slash warehouse to await the second phase of the contract.

Pillar decided to take a walk instead of travelling in the caravan. The day was exceptionally pretty for late November, most likely a commission from the princess herself. Or maybe the last wish of the condemned. Dying in the rain would depress everypony and the spectators would suffer more than the condemned too. As for Pillar, he didn’t need to see another bloodshed. What he witnessed from afar during the attack would suffice for him till the end of his days.

Although there was about an hour and half left before the spectacle would begin, many ponies were already heading in the direction of the Plaza to catch the best spots. They had some very morbid tastes indeed. But with them all gathered elsewhere, maybe he could take his dear Limestone Spears to her namesake boulevard for a walk. They would enjoy maybe the last sunny day of the year together.

Checking if the coast was clear around, Canvas peaked around the corner into a short passage leading from the backstreet into the heart of the buildings. The free space, originally unintentional in itself was turned into an oasis in the quarter overflowing with stone and enlarged. It must have been a wonderful and serene place back in its greatest glory. But just like for the whole quarter, those days passed.

Beautiful scenery was the last thing Canvas was seeking at the moment though. Her thoughts concentrated only on escaping for a second. The streets were crowded, each of her favourite spots teeming with ponies. Celestia’s generous idea of freeing ponies of work and school at this ‘Day of Sorrow’ as she dubbed it would help Canvas the Justice’s cause in the end, she knew that well, but Canvas the Pony was suffocating.

In the past few days she had hardly gotten any time to rest. When they weren’t planning with Lightning and her family, Canvas would roam the city on her own, preparing for her difficult task. Lightning couldn’t help her with that. Only the fulfillment of Canvas’ task would move the ponies into the position of balance Lightning mastered maintaining. What would proceed before that point, remained inscrutable for her.

In fact, so it did for Canvas. She took a lot of effort to understand what the inhabitants felt. She listened to their conversations covertly, their worries and few joys, and learnt just how insecure everypony was feeling. They feared another attack would come any minute. Once she ventured to the area of the attack herself, that fear suddenly started to make sense. She had walked across the battlefield, now thoroughly cleaned of most reminders, but the gruesome feeling remaining. She saw the damaged houses and jittery ponies gazing to horizon from the ramparts.

She also learnt how apprehensive the ponies acted toward everypony they didn’t personally know. She would have had huge trouble to even draw any attention from the passersbys with her preaching in that situation. If the direct path wouldn’t work though, she still had ways to secure herself listeners. Examples draw others in. She reached into Twilight’s funds and paid a random ponies a small sum to show up at Friday in the chosen place. Canvas wasn’t naive. She would never see them again like that, so they were promised the same sum after the gathering.

Such a dishonest way of gaining support didn’t sit well with her. Back in the day she would have had no difficulties getting listeners. Ponies used to be curious. Now they were scared. Indeed, she had no doubt what happened was an atrocity. As much as it pained her to admit it, the whole army of rebels should have been wiped out tens of miles away from the city. They would face consequences in the Empire. She would see to it. But the reason she would have to lay in Canterlot.

She did everything right, yet something remained amiss. She had always enjoyed talking to ponies, spending time in their company, and here she was, tired, hiding, fleeing from their temporal home just to avoid more discussions. Because despite everything she knew, she was far from sure about her role.

She ventured further into the small park, passing barren trees and cracked benches. In the end, maybe the time and forlornness helped the place to some deeper peace. The small fountain in the centre wasn’t flowing either, although the water present in basin promised it would again. For now, nothing was disturbing the calm surface of it, Canvas scrutinizing her reflection.

“I am going to rid Equestria of a bad pony. I should look forward to it. I should embrace the task at hoof. Why does it feel so strange then?”

What if I were to tell you that justice can be seen as revenge by the society?

For a second Canvas thought she saw her teacher’s face instead of her own in the water. The fleeting image burned deep into her mind, along with the words she was told all that time ago. She couldn’t but question her motives now. The moment she learnt who stood behind the atrocities, her resolve to punish them was solidified. Would she feel the same way if the culprit turned out to be a pony she never heard of before? How much of her motivation lay in the past?

One is motivated by virtue and the other by vice.

Of course her feelings were conflicted. She focused on her personal revenge and masked it as virtue. All this time she had been rejoicing on repaying the pain she suffered. But Blueblood wouldn’t stand in front of her that day for what he caused to her. Her selfish reasons had to stay away from the task, otherwise her efforts would be tainted. Could she promise that though? She wasn’t fit to judge him. Not yet. She would be though.

She hit the water surface with her hoof, sending droplet in all directions and causing rings to spread all across. Her reflection vanished. “You have been out there, Prince Blueblood, living comfortably all those years. Do you even remember who I am? Do you remember who you turned into a whore?”

Of what importance is that to you? Why should I? Do you think you left any impact in my life?

In front of her inner sight Blueblood stood proud and regal just like the day she saw him for the first and last time. A smug smirk was playing on his lips. A pang of hatred shot through her whole being, but she contained it quickly.

“Every wrong leaves a trace in us, Blueblood. An ugly scar.”

Scars are easily hidden under the coat. You do that as well with yours.” The image stopped smirking, his eyes weary for a second before he composed himself. If I dwelled on every scar I bear, you wouldn’t be standing here today. I would have killed myself already alone.

“Don’t you feel slightest regret over the pain you inflicted on me?!”

And just what exactly did I do? I played you. I squeezed you, got everything I could and then left. It was your own fault in the first place. You cheated.

“Because you forced me to! I would have lost everything if I didn’t comply!”

You would have lost a competition and not even that is sure. Aren’t you proving today that not even prince can do everything he pleases without consequences? You ignored your rights and went down the easy path. Am I at fault? Like a wind breaking a tree. The tree should have grown stronger!

“You shouldn’t have done that. You chased me from my family.” Few tears fell from her cheeks down to the water and when it turned still again, Blueblood was gone. She gazed at herself, but younger. Like the day it happened.

“He didn’t do that. I chose to run instead of facing consequences.” She couldn’t believe those words were coming from her mouth. Time and time again she had pondered about her actions and secretly she admitted her failure, but she wouldn’t have said it out loud for the world. Until now.

“I ran, I caused pain to my father and nanny and threw everything away.” Relief washed over her with that confession. She was finally honest with herself. She could meet her past openly. And with this realisation she saw all that stemmed from her decision. “If I didn’t though, I would have never met Twilight and learnt of Ein Sof. I wouldn’t be here today and Blueblood would be free to cause even more harm. I don’t need my personal revenge. Justice finds him instead.

She took few deep breaths and stood up, ready to get her peace. She closed her eyes. It had to be said.

“Prince Blueblood, you did the meanest thing that ever happened to me. But I forgive you. My heart will no longer be bound by that hatred. I forgive you, because I can. I am alive. Many aren’t and you will have to ask for their forgiveness personally. You brought me here. You brought Justice. And Justice acts without malice. Be in peace.”

A pair of hooves suddenly wrapped around her, causing her to panic a little, but when she felt dampness on her neck, she knew there was nothing to fear. Instead of pushing the pony away, she reciprocated the hug.

“How much did you hear, Golden?”

“I am sorry. I was looking for you and then I saw you talking to yourself passionately and somehow I couldn’t bring myself to break you out of it. And there were voices around. I couldn’t understand them. They were for you. I shouldn’t have listened.”

“It’s alright. I don’t mind you knowing at all. You were honest to me too.”

“Did he really do that?” Golden pecked Canvas on the cheek and then pulled away, wiping her tears.

“He did, but it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s in the past and has no effect on today.”

“You are a brave pony, Canvas. I am glad I know you.” She reached into her saddlebag and retrieved a small package from it. “Here. I brought a present for you. You are Justice, so you should look that way too.”

Journalism had changed. You didn’t have to work in that business to notice. All you had to do was take a look on the newspaper stand in the morning. The news about squirrels being rescued from certain death in brooks or a foal getting stung by a bee vanished entirely. Nopony specialised in tabloid anymore either. You can’t very well specialize in what everypony is writing and events of nationwide importance didn’t qualify as tabloid anyway.

The opportunities for quality investigative reporting were plentiful as of late. Compared to the tranquille years of relatively recent past, you could speak of a flood of life-changing events. All you had to do was come to the right place and reap the fat cheques for your writing. Many attempted that.

Gumshoe wasn’t afraid of competition though. Those incapable of prevailing on the market didn’t deserve to in the first place. Maybe that view on the matter stemmed from never suffering in that regard. He always found a way to beat his competitors. While his natural talent for uncovering secrets played a big role in his success, he wouldn’t get this far without being daring to the point of insolence. How else would you describe sneaking into the royal palace of Princess Luna to eavesdrop on the peace talks?

His work didn’t require that level of effort all the time though. He could bring the same news as his colleagues and still get it to the printing based just on his fame. Today was one of those days. The whole land was concentrating on Sequoia Crown’s execution. He wouldn’t be losing anything by covering it. All he had to do was get there.in time.

Sometimes the easiest things could turn out to be the hardest. When he was honest to himself, he didn’t have a single clue as to why Celestia proclaimed that day work-free, not to mention school-free. Did she want her subjects to make family trips to see a pony beheaded? Furthermore, just how was everypony supposed to get to the Plaza? He wouldn’t be surprised if the mouths of the streets leading there would get jammed from too many ponies trying to pass at once.

He sneaked nimbly between two slow-walking ponies and continued forward as fast as he could. They didn’t even notice him. Indeed, if he didn’t become a journalist, he could find a good job as a spy, or these days even an assassin. There are limits to every skill though, which he soon got confirmed. A huge group of ponies seemed to have gathered on a small square and destroyed any chance of getting through. He turned around to find a more viable path, but the escape route was cut off by the ponies arriving.

“So much for easy money,” he muttered to himself. He made few attempts to push through despite knowing the futility of his efforts. Once he gave up on the idea of getting to the execution, his mind turned to the obstacle in his way itself. Why would they gather here? No way could the entire distance to the Plaza be crowded like this. There must have been a reason.

He reared on his hind legs to get a better look at the gathering. As was expected in this part of the city, most of the ponies around belonged to the lower or at best the middle class. While those nearest to him looked about as confused as he felt, toward the other end of the square he could spot a number of rather contented faces casually watching the pile of crates in a small semicircle of free space in front of them. With no shops or warehouses around, it didn’t take a genius to deduce the crates had been brought there as a podium for somepony.

“Those ponies must have been paid to form a crowd in advance. Well played. Maybe this won’t be such a waste of time after all. It won’t make the front page, but at least I will not return with bare hooves.” Gumshoe changed tactics and instead of getting away from the gathering, he ventured further to its centre which, surprisingly, wasn’t half as hard. “Who could wish to address ponies so badly to expend so much money though?”

He didn’t have to wait for the answer too long. A crimson-clad figure emerged from the midst of the contented group. Whoever it was must have put the cloak on only seconds before making the move. Gumshoe wouldn’t miss such a distinct feature during the evaluation of the gathering. The cape leaving the face of the pony in shadows only supported that idea. They wanted to stay anonymous at all costs. As of late there was only one group of ponies who talked to big gatherings without seeking attention for themselves.

As that hooded pony climbed to the top of the pile, the ponies nearest to them bowed. “Yes, they are definitely paid. I haven’t seen anypony bow outside of the castle in ages,” Gumshoe mused and watched in bemusement as row after row bowed as well. “Like sheep. One starts running, the rest follows. Not to mention they got it all wrong. Speaker is not amused and Hexarete preachers never ask for reverence.”

“Please rise, equals don’t bow to each other. I am not a ruler.” The whole bowing ordeal, which Gumshoe refused to partake in, had at least that effect that the feminine voice carried over the heads of ponies unrivaled by any other. Somehow, Gumshoe didn’t doubt it would beat any noise even without that help though. Maybe those glowing eyes under the hood had something to do with it.

“I didn’t come to you today to boss you around or to gain favor. No, you get enough of that all the time from all sides. Today, I came to apologize to you.”

Indeed, that was a twist Gumshoe didn’t expect. Not just from a preacher. From anypony. He hadn’t heard an apology from a high standing pony since Princess Luna returned from her banishment. He withdrew his scroll and pencil and hurriedly scribbled down what he heard. A glance around revealed the rest of the listeners were equally out of concept from that statement though.

“Yes, I want to apologize for all the grief we caused to you. Although they misinterpreted them greatly, the ponies who attacked your city few days ago follow the same teachings as I spread. I stand here without defense, yet I would love to explain their deeds, before you decide my fate.”

Silence reigned over the gathering. Be it expectations, indifference or fear of a trap, something was preventing the ponies from taking any action. The preacher was lucky she arrived so long after the battle. During the first days she would have been shredded to pieces.

“Thank you for giving me the chance,” she reiterated after a short wait. “I deeply appreciate it. You prove to me that your hearts and minds are stronger than those of the attackers. You are free of rashness and weigh every option first. The same couldn’t be said for them. They set on their journey to rescue our brethren from unjust imprisonment. Nopony should suffer for their beliefs on the whim of self-inserted authority. Nopony should watch idly as injustice roots all around. They decided that along with this, the culprits should be punished.”

She encompassed the square with an outstretched hoof. “This city holds much evil within its walls, as well as the gravest prison. My brethren moved through the land in this direction, aiming to defeat both, and they got blinded by this intention. They did horrible things to you and to others, but not out of malice. They followed an ideal of giving ponies fair life in peace and equality. Many of you share it.”

Small murmur rose from the ponies around, Gumshoe’s trained ears filtering the more important remarks. They didn’t sound malicious at all. The preacher couldn’t know that though, so Gumshoe understood the worried deep breath-in as she sat down and spread her forelegs wide. Gumshoe caught a glimpse of her fur color, rich magenta soon vanishing underneath the cloak again.

“They did wrong and they are suffering for it. They will meet even harsher punishment. Yet their hearts are pure. Free yourself of hatred you feel for them. Relieve both your souls and theirs of that burden. And if there is no other way to appease your righteous anger, here I am, a willing sacrifice.”

At first nopony moved. They were gazing at her, sitting there quietly, ready to face her demise as she promised. He couldn’t see her face, but somehow knew she was at peace. For her, no outcome held mysteries. There was no fear. Then the ponies started bowing again. Slowly, one by one, not in organized lines like before. They were giving her their forgiveness, each in his own time. Suddenly even Gumshoe felt the urge to bow to her, but he justified it to himself as a necessity for staying undercover. She humbled herself in front of them and thus she won their hearts.

At long last, when all the ponies joined in, the preacher bowed as well. “Thank you,” she whispered, but everypony could clearly hear her. Those two words contained relief, hope and satisfaction, not just hers, but theirs as well. They all stood up together and Gumshoe expected the gathering to disperse, but the preacher remained in her place.

“I asked you forgiveness for my brethren and myself since I could carry the guilt for what they did. They weren’t the only ponies who caused your grief during the attack though and I can’t act for him. He didn’t wrong just you. Many of the victims of his malice are no longer in this world.”

So this was where she was going with all of her efforts. In the end, she would preach just like every single one of her ‘brethren’ as she called them. Gumshoe couldn’t deny her bravery, but still felt slightly disappointed. His report wouldn’t carry half the importance it would if it stayed only with the apology. Still, he would at least stay till the end.

“When violence befalls ponies, the attacker is not the only one to blame. If somepony had means to prevent harm and didn’t use them, they carry the same responsibility. You suffered because one pony decided to allow it.” The intently listening ponies started shifting in beginning excitement. Everypony knew who she was talking about. Everypony felt that injustice. She was merely voicing their feelings. “The word has it that pony prioritized his personal comfort to safety of everypony, the protection at risk of many instead of the other way around. He chose wisely when he ordered the death of my brethren, but they didn’t deserve to suffer so much either.

The participants of the attack, my brethren, are either dead or in deep dungeons. They are paying the price for their crimes. But this pony stands without punishment, happily continuing his carefree life. He must be tried and if found guilty of what he is accused of, he must be punished.”

Gumshoe looked around in agitation. Did they really get convinced so quickly? Judging by their loud cheering, they were. On the second thought though, maybe they had that conviction in them all along, the preacher only enticing it to the surface. Either way, things were getting heated quickly.

“Bring Prince Blueblood to me on Limestone Boulevard. There he will be interrogated and judged. Either he will justify his actions, or he will get his rightful punishment. Either way, justice will be met today.”

She pointed to the street leading in direction of luxurious parts of the city and the crowd began moving. Nopony was staying behind. Gumshoe saw that even the ponies he uncovered as paid assistants were marching with the rest of them, fully determined to help. He made another attempt to get free, to escape the crowd, but it carried him like a tide carries a small pebble.

This couldn’t go unanswered, could it? Somepony would step in and stop that madness! His hopes rose when he spotted few guards a bit further down the street. Not enough to stop the crowd, but they could always call for reinforcements and stall long enough to divert the worst, right?

They did nothing though. They stood there with horror etched in their faces, and tugged at their spears. The weapons wouldn’t budge! They were standing on the blunt end and thin roots were running in all directions from them. Reluctantly the spearheads would fall off, pushed off the handle by young branches.

The crowd ignored the guards’ struggle as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Gumshoe gazed at the powerless guards with pleading eyes as he was passing along them, but he couldn’t get out of the stream. He would have to witness everything.

Once he reached that realisation, it was a matter of his journalistic professionalism to push through his fears and apprehension. He quickly scribbled down what he saw happen to the spears and continued taking notes. After all, if he had fled from unexpected events in the past, he would have never reached such outstanding position in his branch.

For the second time, Lightning Dust was approaching the prison at eight AM. This time, she was walking with Strom and Static in the convoy along with four other royal guards and a prison escort wagon. She herself was dressed in the armored uniform to blend in with her allies.

“Geez. I never thought of how uncomfortable this armor is. How do you guys do it?”

“You get used to it after awhile, cuz. We’re almost there. Once we clear the gates, make a beeline to the tunnel entrance while the officers are distracted with Sequoia's transit. Dad says there should be friends down there that will help you.”

Lightning Dust nodded and patiently waited for them to approach the gate. Strom was on point and when he got close, the gate officer closed the distance. “Lieutenant Strom, sir,” he said flashing a salute.

Strom held out his ID and security pass. “I’m here for the death row inmate. Her majesty wants him transported to Royal Plaza.”

“Very well, go on in. Perhaps he’ll be an example for the rest of those snakes up there.”

The convoy moved in once the chain link gates opened. Lightning Dust was careful to keep her face hidden from the eyes of the guards; even if most of them were likely in on the plan, there was no point in taking chances. Though barely moving her head, her eyes were still free to scan the entire right side of the prison courtyard, aside from a few one story buildings and sheds obstructing her vision. The wagon stopped in the center of the yard and Strom made exactly three flutters with his wings, a signal to his niece it was time to split from the group.

After this signal, the convoy’s sides fanned out to mask the stray movement of the mare as she cantered behind the building to the northeast. Once she confirmed nopony was inside, she opened the door and locked it behind her before closing the shade of the window next to it, moving to the steel door on the opposite wall. There was an audible tapping on the other side.

“Over here!”

Lightning Dust was quick to open the door to reveal a bulky brown unicorn guard on the other side, holding a recently lit lantern on his saddle. “Why hello there, Mr. Prometheus. Giving that fire to the mortals, are we?”

“Very funny. C’mon, we need to hurry. The others will be ready soon. I don’t want to be around here when the warden makes his inspection.”

“Copy that.”

The unicorn gave his lantern to Lightning Dust, hanging it on her own saddle. “These tunnels are a convoluted mess, but when you work down here long enough, you get a sense of where you need to go. Your friends should be at the end of the northwest quadrant. Getting them out of their cells and down here shouldn’t be an issue. We’ll have to make a detour or two, but I’m sure we can get everypony out of the city if we intersect into the sewer system. It’ll be cramped, but it’s the safest route.”

“After we do this, make sure you don’t stick around for long. I’ll do the best I can but if you get caught, I won’t be able to help you.”

“Any family members were evacuated well in advance, I’m sure we can handle this just fine. Worry about the noncombatants. Oh and by the way, if you see Scales, tell him I said thanks.”

Lightning nodded. Guess he made an impression on this guy. Even behind bars, their words inspire. She stayed quiet for most of her trip through the somewhat spacious concrete tunnels. It was surprisingly well lit at the moment with magic powered light crystals, though that would change soon when the grid would be deactivated. As she walked with the unicorn, she would catch glimpses of other guards, who would nod in acknowledgement upon making eye contact. Lightning Dust would use this to determine who was friend and who was foe.

The two soon came to an isolated room, a sort of break room where other ponies were waiting for them. All of the nodded once they saw Lightning Dust.

“All of you be ready to go in the next twenty minutes,” the unicorn guard commanded. “When the lieutenant gives the signal, I will need that grid deactivated fast.” He then turned to Lightning Dust. “The outage should shut off the primary locking mechanisms on the cells. From there, we’ll be able to open them manually.”

“Gotcha. You all know who to free right? Be careful you don’t release the wrong prisoners. I want to be in and be out within ten minutes at the most.” Lightning Dust took a seat near the door. And now we play the waiting game.

The Blueblood mansion tended to be quiet in the morning. Whether this was because the master of the house rarely got up before ten or because the servant staff had a tendency to leave during the first week of employment, it was unclear. However, that was not necessarily a bad thing. Not when your mistress was yearning for some bonding.

Blueblood lay in his bed, slowly waking up to the small amount of movement next to him. His mare sat next to him wearing a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her head, just fresh out of the shower with her namesake coat still gleaming from the water and shampoo. As he glanced over to see the stunning image beside him, the sultry look Ruby gave him was a profound indicator of how the day was going to start. Sometimes, it’s good to be prince.

Ruby used her magic to remove the towel from her head and leaned in closer to her mate’s face, during which the stallion caught a whiff of the pleasant aroma of her shampoo. As she laid down, her hoof started to gravitate under the covers while she planted a soft kiss on his neck.

“So soon after showering?” Blueblood calmly said as he used his own magic to disrobe Ruby.

“Nothing wrong with getting dirty after getting clean,” she teased. “Fridays are meant for winding down after all.”

The couple spent close to thirteen minutes of kissing, caressing, and teasing, oblivious to the sounds of banging and yelling coming from the outside. It was easy for them to write it off as construction or ponies gathering for Sequoia's execution. Perhaps a bit early for that, it was still a ways away before the time would come. It wasn’t until the sound of broken glass that Blueblood stopped and really questioned it.

“Did you hear that?” he said sitting up. “That didn’t-”

“It was probably just a wine glass. You know how clumsy and useless those stupid earth pony servant are,” Ruby said nonchalantly as she waved her hoof. “C’mon, I know you want something more interesting.”

Ruby pushed Blueblood back down on his back and crawled under the covers as she lay on his chest and licked her lips. Not too long did they get to enjoy themselves before the sound of stomping hooves radiate through the house. It was far too much stomping to just be the servants, not to mention the abnormal amount of speech. While Ruby clearly didn’t give a care what else was going on, focusing only on their moment, Blueblood was growing increasingly concerned.

His concerns ended up being justified when the noise came closer to the bedroom and he could clearly hear the destruction of his house. Blueblood pushed Ruby off, much to her chagrin of being denied her pleasure, and went to check the hall. He immediately regretted this decision as he was instantly pushed back onto the ground.

“What in the world?! How did you-”

The obscenity he was about to shout was cut short with a pitchfork pointed right at his most vulnerable weak spot and he promptly shut up. Ruby was caught off guard by this sudden influx of strangers entering the bedroom. At first she was more angry than anything that ponies were seeing her without any clothes, as she was almost never seen in public without some kind of expensive garment. But then she saw the weapons being pointed at her and her lover.

“What the hell is going on?! Why are all of you scumbags invading our home!?” she demanded. There unfortunately was not much she could do to defend herself in this situation. Though she was a unicorn, she did not know any spells that would be appropriate for self-defense, not even so much as a weak barrier spell, much less teleportation.

A brown earth stallion walked past the subdued Blueblood with a few other stallions of the same race. “Dove Ruby and Prince Blueblood. Your presence is required downtown. If you refuse, we will take you by force.”

“You think you can order moi around? A lowly earth pony like you?”

The haughty mare was then restrained against the wall and a hard punch was delivered to her stomach. It was pain that she had never felt before. Nopony ever had the nerve to physically assault her before today, let alone break into her home. As she was being overpowered by ‘peasants’ too, it was a punch to the gut in more ways than one.

“Yes. I do. And it’s exactly that kind of behavior that got you into this situation.” The group placed restraints on both unicorns, including those on their hooves and horns. Blueblood remained surprisingly calm in all this. He was clearly flustered, but he was not struggling like Ruby was to get away.

“My father will see to it that you pay for this! And don’t you realize who you’re dealing with? Did you forget that his aunt is Princess Celestia?! One word and she’ll have your asses on those gallows too!”

“Is that word going to come from beyond the grave? Look, nopony is going to save you, so shut up and cooperate or we will make this much more difficult for you.”

Ruby did not cease though. She continued threatening and swearing as she and Blueblood were led downstairs and outside the mansion. Finally, the brown stallion had all he could take and he took a small piece of rope and tied it tightly around Ruby’s muzzle. While she still muffled angrily, he took satisfaction in her frustrated flailing. The look of humiliation on her face was priceless as she was donned a dirty burlap sack.

“Alright gang. We need to move fast. We only have so much time. Move out!”

Her cell was cold. Not in the sense that the temperature itself was frigid, as it was actually rather stuffy due to her struggling against her restraints. The atmosphere left a very hostile impact on Canopy. A lot of ponies, inmates and officers alike, did not treat her kindly, nor did they treat the survivors any better. The inmates were understandable. They were usually here for a reason. It was the officers and their malice or indifference that scared her more.

She lost track of how long she had been here. A majority of her time was spent anchored to the wretched wall on a length of chain just long enough to reach the door when her meals came. It was uncomfortable, but at least she was only cuffed at her hind legs. During her early days in the special housing unit, she would be pulled out to be interrogated. Those were some of the most emotionally stressful moments in her entire life, and at one point it was physically stressful when a guard resorted to abuse. This stopped after the second day, but it was torment that would stay with her for a long time.

But the biggest scar wasn’t the bruising, nor the fragility in her legs from the violence. It was the fact that she was directly responsible for causing this mess. She had nopony but herself to blame for the situation she was in. It was her fault that so many ponies lost their lives to all the violence. Most of her friends were among the statistics. Of all the survivors, why was she one of them? Her beloved brother saved her life, but at what expense she did not know. However, she feared the worst.

And Rice…. He was gone forever.

Not a single day went by that Canopy didn’t shed tears over this fruitless idea. If it was possible, she would turn back time so that she could slap herself for even suggesting it in the first place.

“Why didn’t I just wait?...” she mumbled to herself through her tears. “Why didn’t I follow Lightning Dust’s advice? I’m sorry Rice…. Arc…”

The thought of spending the rest of her life in this prison presented conflicting feelings to the pegasus. Very few ponies ever want to be incarcerated for life. It was their very freedom being taken away from them and for an energetic pegasus like her, that was the ultimate punch to the gut. It was a life sentence, a fate crueler than death. Yet in the wake of her actions, perhaps this was where she belonged. Did she really deserve to be free for all the blood on her hooves?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the lights of the unit when out. No way it was already time for lights out, it was only morning. If not for the accursed chain holding her back, Canopy would have jumped up and glanced out the small window at the steel door. It was too dark to see what was going on anyway, though some faint but persistent noises aroused her suspicion further. All she could hear was the distinct sounds of metal against metal. It was the all too familiar sign of a struggle.

The metallic sounds ceased abruptly when a powerful smack collided with one of the living bodies outside. It was the sounds of masculine grunts hitting the walls that allowed her to determine it was the guards being on the receiving end. There was no doubt now: it was a jailbreak in progress.

“Canopy? You’re in there, right?” calmly asked a familiar voice. Canopy’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Surely it couldn’t be…

“L-Lightning Dust? Is that…?”

“Stand to the side.”

Canopy quickly obeyed and all she could hear was a clanging sound before the steel door was penetrated by what appeared to be a thick gold spear. Only, it wasn’t a spear at all as the supposed spearhead separated into three claw appendages and quite literally shredded the cell open, tearing the door off its hinges. Lightning Dust walked on her hind hooves with large gauntlets covering her forehooves. The red and gold plating irradiated the cell with a dim green glow with about the luminosity of a large candle, the citrine and emerald orbs on the wrists being the source of this light.

“I’m sorry it took so long, Canopy,” Lightning stated, kneeling down before the slightly startled pegasus. The rescuer adopted a look of concern when she got in closer to cut the chain and caught a glimpse of the signs of abuse on Canopy. “Oh my goodness, you don’t look well. Static wasn’t exaggerating about those interrogations. Can you stand?”

“Y-yeah. It l-looks worse than it really is.”

Canopy wasn’t entirely truthful with her statement. She wasn’t crippled by any means, but there was a stiff pain when she tried to bend her swollen limbs to stand. It did not help that her previous sitting position had cut off circulation in her legs.

Lightning Dust flexed the wrist of her right hoof and the gauntlet on that corresponding limb reverted back to the size of the bangle that she wore. She then used that free hoof to aid the struggling pegasus to the point where she could stand upright. Despite some initial trouble, she was on all fours and would be walking out of the open cell on her own, albeit with a slight limp.

“Hey, are you sure you’re alright? The pain isn’t too much for you?” Lightning asked growing increasingly concerned about her comrade, as well as the integrity of the mission.

“I’m fine. I’m just… I was only…” she stammered on the verge of breaking down. “I was just scared. I had so much on my mind.” Canopy attempted as best she could to fight back the inevitable sobs as Lightning wrapped a wing around her. “I’m sorry, general. I was foolish to do what I did. I… I let everypony down. Arc...”

“I can’t deny your actions, but you did it with the best of intentions.”

“No… I-”

“Sorry, we don’t have a lot of time to waste. I could use your help freeing the others though. I’m sure your brother would like to see you again too,” Lightning smirked.

Canopy wanted to protest, but she ended up simply nodding and looked around to the other cell doors in the unit. The fact that she saw so many guards and officers working to free her brethren confused her. Why were they doing this and how did Lightning Dust get this much help? From law enforcement no less. Perhaps she shouldn’t complain. She was free from the horror and so were her brethren.

There unfortunately wasn’t much she could do in her tender state. Her legs were only strong enough to support her weight, not move the weight of a steel door more than a few centimeters. Still, she did the best she could despite her current condition. One by one, she proceeded to help free her fellow ponies who had been imprisoned for false crimes or overzealous actions.

The curious thing about this whole situation was the guards who were assisting her, both prison patrol officers and royal sentinels. She didn’t recognize any that gave her hell from before during interrogation, but that didn’t do anything to explain why they were part of the rescue party in the first place. If anything, they should have been trying to stop the attempt. Again, she couldn’t complain nor was she willing to. It just felt… odd.

That awkward feeling soon passed when she came to one particular cell with Lightning Dust and a blue pegasus guard who she had seen from time to time pass by her cell. Unlike the others, this one had a medical chart on the door. Nopony present could make out the jargon, but it was an indication that the pony behind this door required special attention.

“Hey Static, can you help me with this?” Lightning Dust said to the male pegasus.

“Wait, why do you need my help? Can’t you pierce steel with those things?” Static retorted as he eyed the illuminating gauntlets.

“Uh, yeah. I meant after I get the door open,” Lightning responded flatly.

“Oh. Ohhh, okay sure.”

“Stand back you two.”

Lightning Dust reared and assumed a front stance, the claw of her left gauntlet clenched and the right extended flat. She then started to retract her right hoof back slowly, as if preparing for a lunge. This was a good indication for Canopy and Static to stay clear. Faster than the blink of an eye, the lightning pegasus delivered a spear strike against the steel door, puncturing it with ease while being careful not to overdo it. With her claws penetrating the door just enough, she bent the tips of her weapon to create small hooks that imbedded into the opposite side and it was simple enough to break the lock when she jerked her hoof back. From there, it was easy enough to open the door.

After the whole three seconds elapsed, Static and Canopy - to the best of her ability - opened the now mangled cell door. The interior did not differ much from the other cells in the unit, aside from the absence of chains and shackles as they were not needed for this inmate. It was the unconscious prisoner himself laying on the prison bed that held Canopy’s attention, particularly the brace on his torso. She knew the olive coat and dark gold mane anywhere, those that were similar to her own.

“Thats…”

Canopy moved closer to get a better look at the pony. She didn’t want to get her hopes up before she knew for absolute certain that he was who she thought he was. By all accounts, the body build, the mane, and the race all pointed to the optimistic answer. When his cutie mark was illuminated by Lightning Dust’s gauntlets, there was no doubt.

“Arc… Oh Arc, you’re alive!” Canopy wrapped her hooves around the stallion’s neck in a sobbing embrace. “I’m sorry, Arc! I didn’t mean for this to happen!”

Canopy would have sobbed for eternity if Lightning Dust didn’t put a hoof on her shoulder, once again removing the gauntlet on said hoof. “It’ll be alright, Canopy. He’ll be alright.”

“But it’s because of me he ended up like this in the first place. How can I face him again after that?”

“Trust me. He’s family.”

Static stomped his hoof a few times to get their attention. “Assuming we even have the time. Sorry, but we’ll have to worry about this later. The deadline is drawing close.” He stood closer to the bedridden stallion and carefully attempted to hoist him onto his back. Though Arc wasn’t exactly light as a feather, Static was no weakling in terms of muscle. He was a soldier after all and he had lifted heavier things.

“Please be careful with him,” Canopy pleaded.

“No worries, m’lady,” Static winked.

Just about every other target were rounded up by this time. There was not a moment to spare, they needed to head out now if there was a chance at a stable getaway. Everypony could feel that tension as the escape party led back into the underground tunnel system. WIth so many ponies, the corridors quickly became cramped.

“Listen up, guys,” Lightning Dust said just loud enough for the group to hear without yelling. “I’m going to need everypony’s cooperation on this. We’ll be traversing these tunnels for a good while. I assure you we’ll find the exit, but until then, we need you to stay calm. If you stray from the group, I won’t be able to help you.”

A silent nod followed the group. They already knew the stakes of this situation. If they wanted to live to see the light at the end of the tunnel, they needed to stay together. There was safety in numbers. The threat of imminent danger hardly faded though. This was still home territory for the enemy and though a few of the ally officers knew the route, there were known unknowns that could be lurking around any corner.

Twenty minutes of anxious walking passed before a rear officer noticed a troubling noise far behind them. He looked back over the long void that they had crossed before and though it was faint, he could see a light. The light of a patrol’s illumination magic. And it was slowly growing in size.

“Code six!”

Lightning Dust, who was flying with her gauntlets to give light to the group, looked back and saw the faint light approaching much faster than she would have liked. She quickly bolted to the rear and firmly planted her hooves about two meters behind the party and waited for the opposition to approach. As they did though, the headcount grew to a frightening ten guards giving chase.

Canopy could see the reluctance in Lightning’s eyes as she looked back at the group. She was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. She was hoping her task didn’t have to involve bloodshed. But given the nature of her heritage, perhaps it was inevitable. Nopony in her family lived a life free of conflict. Nor did anypony else for that matter.

There was no way to avoid it now. The least she could do was ensure the safety of her comrades, if only for a short moment. She closed her eyes and a breeze manifested behind her. That small zephyr soon transformed into a squall as a ring of sparkling dust formed a translucent halo, the dust giving shape to an otherwise invisible corona.

Lightning Dust assumed another front stance, similar to the one she had in freeing Arc. But something more intimidating cloaked her this time. As the enemy guards drew closer, the howling of wind grew increasingly louder, as did the force of the gale itself. Everypony, Canopy included, instinctively held on to each other and onto the pipes that ran along the tunnel to keep from getting knocked off their feet. The approaching guards became affected as well with their advancing becoming slower, losing control over the powerful wind tunnel this had become.

In the blink of an eye, Lightning lunged in a blistering velocity that closed the ten meter distance with a hard smack to one guard’s stomach. He was instantly incapacitated with enough pain to make him pass out. Lightning followed suit with subsequent takedowns. They did not stand a chance against an enemy who was seemingly unaffected by the forceful maelstrom, but used its force to her advantage.

With all guards either stunned or unconscious, Lightning Dust shifted back towards her own group and let the remaining winds she could muster push the guards back into the complex from whence they came. She was breathing slightly harder, but she otherwise looked uninjured.

“Run! It’s only a matter of time before they bring reinforcements. We need to get out of here now, double time!”

There was a second long delay before everypony started back in their original direction, only this time sprinting with their lives dependant on it. Every second counted down here, and now it was essentially everypony for himself. Once they turned the final corner, it was a straight up five-hundred meter dash for freedom. Nopony would dare slow down by this point with the threshold so close.

Lightning flew along with the herd, staying in the air should she need to defend them again. It was no surprise her speed would allow her to keep up with the group, but she stayed toward the rear to keep an eye on her cousin and the twin pegasi. Canopy was clenching her teeth. The pain in her tender joints was extremely uncomfortable, but fear was dominating her will to give into to exhaustion.

Static however was struggling to keep up. Arc’s weight was taking a toll on Static’s stamina. It didn’t matter how strong he was, Static could only sprint for so long with the cargo on his back. He was slowing down and falling behind, worrying his cousin greatly.

“Keep going, cuz! We’re almost there!”

“I’M TRYING THE BEST I CAN, OKAY?!”

Lightning didn’t doubt that in the slightest, but unfortunately it wasn’t meeting her expectations. With every inch he fell behind, desperation replaced hope for the three pegasi, especially for Canopy who did not want to lose her brother again. But it was what her idol said next that really sent her over the edge.

“Static! We need to leave him behind! Don’t fall behind!”

Canopy could not believe it. Was Lightning really telling him to drop her brother? To feed him to those vultures? After all that effort to get him out, she was willing to let him go back? “NO!” she shouted in retaliation. “YOU CAN’T DO THAT! I WON’T LET YOU DO IT!”

“Canopy, I’m sorry. I really am, trust me. But Static can’t run like this and Arc can’t even walk. I know your brother is important to you, but-”

“Lightning Dust, I swear to the Creator herself, if you leave him behind I will NEVER forgive you!”

Canopy was understandably angry and it pained Lightning Dust to see her fury over this. They were presented with a Mortan’s Fork, this was going to hurt regardless of the outcome. But she couldn’t let it register on an emotional level. Setting aside the fact that her own family member risked imprisonment and death if he fell too far behind, he was a vital asset who could provide strategic support in the future. Arc could not.

“I stand by my logic, Canopy. If you have to resent me for making this choice… So be it.”

The olive pegasus gained a horrified look on her face. It was happening all over again. She was losing control of the situation and she would lose her brother, most likely for good this time. An angry tear leaked from her eye as she shot a glare at Static, who did not know how to react. He didn’t want to drop his cargo until he knew for certain what was going on. It was order nopony wanted to see happen.

Which is why Canopy decided to take back control.

Canopy moved closer to Static and he braced himself for some sort of spiteful shove, but to his surprise she stopped short of affecting his movement. Instead, she got as close as she could and was actually attempting to yank Arc off his back. “I’m not leaving him behind. If you won’t get him out of here, then I will. I’m NOT letting him die!”

“Canopy! You’re in no state to carry him!” Lightning Dust said utterly disturbed at her ludicrous decision. “You’ll fall behind-”

“You don’t understand what it’s like to lose the closest friend you’ve ever had so just SHUT THE BUCK UP! Maybe I’ll fall behind, but if I have even the slightest chance of seeing him live… so be it.”

With that, Canopy’s brother was resting on her own back. She had severely underestimated the added strain that this would entail, not just in her hooves but it wasn’t until now that she realized how bad off the bones in her wings were and with his weight exerting pressure on them, it became absolutely unbearable. But there was no turning back now. She was determined to see this through to the end. Even if she would be left behind by her former idol, she would at least die by Arc’s side.

Boot camp was nothing like the marathon she was running. Every burning muscle in her body, every bead of sweat that dripped down her face, nothing from her crying body would deflect the sheer force of will that kept her going. She was overclocking herself harder than she ever thought possible. This was the tour de force of her life.

Static regained a second wind. Though he could never hope to be as fast as his all-star cousin, he took advantage of the lack of weight and took flight to relieve the fire in his legs. Both he and Lightning Dust were honestly shocked to see Canopy keeping pace with them as if she was in top shape.

I’m sorry this had to happen, Canopy.

At last after so much exertion, the end of the road. They and everypony in the group crossed the mouth of the tunnel into the light of the outside. They stood far below the train bridge that led into the city they fled and once the last pony exited the tunnel, Lightning Dust used her gauntlets one last time to slice the pipes and supports of the entrance and soon after, the mouth of the system caved in and sealed it.

Everypony wheezed and gasped heavily, promising themselves never to take oxygen for granted ever again. The only pony not absolutely fatigued was Lightning Dust who was well used to pushing her limits. This was nothing for her.

“Take a small rest, then do what you can to make your way back to the Empire. I’m confident Canvas will hold most of the attention. You did very well everypony.” She turned to the officers and royal guards who aided today’s efforts with a genuine smile. “Thanks guys, your help was very much appreciated and I assure you will not go unnoticed.”

The officers knew it was safe to rest for awhile before they needed to head out with their new friends. But staying in this particular spot wasn’t wise. Prior to this day, they had stashed camping supplies and tents halfway towards the north side of the mountain. They planned on distributing a bulk of this equipment to the now fugitives for their journey back home. After a brief rest to recover, the group headed towards to the rendezvous site.

Static grew anxious during the walk, constantly training his eyes above to the city of Canterlot. What was happening up there he wondered. Likely, nopony would pay much attention to the jailbreak given the imminent executions, but what about the aftermath? His family was still up there, how long would it take for him to see his beloved again?

“She’ll be just fine, cuz,” Lightning wrapped a wing around him. “I promise you, Canvas is much tougher than she looks. Golden will be safe with her.”

The assembly of nobles on the tribune was sitting silently, occasionally peeking at Celestia in the middle. Their faces were remaining painfully expressionless to the point of resembling badly crafted masks. When they were unfortunate enough to meet her eyes, they nodded with utmost respect and quickly averted their gaze.

It was the wrong kind of respect though. The one that grew from fear, not love or reason. They were scared the would be the next in Sequoia’s place or that Celestia wouldn’t be appeased with disassembling Dominion and would orchestrate further repercussions. She never wished for them to fear her, but if she were to choose between disrespect and this, she would act the same again. In the end, she wasn’t even sure they ever addressed her with loving respect in the first place anymore.

Representatives of all noble families were present. They all had been given invitations worded rather clearly as a demand for attendance. But even if they hadn’t, Celestia assumed, they would have showed up nonetheless. They wouldn’t miss the death of their rival for the world, not to mention risk being seen as not agreeing with it. The only exception to that were Twilight Velvet and Night Light. They sent a word that enough gruesome things had happened and they didn’t feel a need to witness another. They ignored all invitations from Celestia’s side though, so there was no surprise.

One more noble was missing at the occasion, the one who didn’t even receive invitation. While watching the fate of those who dare stood up against Celestia had a chance of teaching Blueblood a valuable lesson, Celestia assumed so would the real punishment. He would never hold an important office again and she would order him to help the citizens deal with the fallout of his recklessness. But to allow that, the anger of the ponies would have to be quenched. She hoped today would help with that.

The grave occasion and their animosity wouldn’t stop the nobles from flaunting their wealth around though. They were all wearing luxurious gowns and suits, many of which were newly crafted as her friend Rarity confirmed to her. The jewellery covering their necks, ears and hooves would be enough to stop the blade as well. Celestia remembered her decorative yoke doing that service to her a long time ago in one of the battles during uniting of ponykind.

Speaking of Rarity, Celestia was eternally grateful for her company. Following the return of Fancy Pants, more ponies found their way back into Celestia’s circle of friends, and along with the two previously named Fleur Des Lee was sitting by her side as well. In their company, Celestia didn’t care about the rest of the haughty nobility around.

It was almost time and she spotted the guards escorting Sequoia to the gallows. They had to use the handles of their spears to force the gathered ponies out of the way. It looked like half of canterlot yearned to see the spectacle, pressing on the wooden construction like a python choking its prey. Not that long ago Celestia would have laughed in the face of anypony who would expect such bloodlust in the hearts of ponies.

By the old tradition, they gave Sequoia’s brown cape girded with a rope as a sign of his loss of status. The hood was hiding his face until he climbed up to the platform, accompanied by two guards. The executioner, clad in a similar cape, only black, stepped to him and pulled the hood back.

Sequoia hardly resembled the proud stallion he used to be. Celestia was receiving reports about his state, but the change still took her by surprise. His cheeks had lost all shape, falling in like on the skeleton and he had bags under his eyes. The jagged stump of his horn served as a symbol of his guilt, punishment and pain at once. He ignored both the executioner and the sword lying nearby, his eyes were roaming over the gathering instead until they found what they sought and to Celestia’s surprise his lips curled into a soft smile.

She followed his gaze to its target and the expression quickly found its justification. Pine Diadem stood among the regular citizens, his violet cloak differentiating him from the mass of mostly naked ponies. He was muttering something, back in the overall commotion Celestia would have trouble hearing him from a yard away, not to mention fifty. Despite how heavily the situation must have weighed on him, he held his head high and when he felt Celestia’s eyes on him, he returned the gaze.

Although he wouldn’t hold the noble title for much longer, he reacted just like the others, giving her a nod. In his there was no fear though. He acknowledged the punishment of his father and the consequences it had for him. But you don’t simply forgive those who kill your family, no matter how just the reasons.

In the meantime Sequoia walked over to the block and turned to the tribune as the herald climbed up to the platform from the other side.

“Sequoia Crown,” the herald shouted over the noise, his voice magically amplified, “you have been found guilty of grand treason and attempting coup, punishment for which is death. Do you wish to say anything before the sentence is carried out?”

Sequoia took few steps toward the tribune and bowed deeply. Then he looked up at Celestia. “I do, your highness. I wish to say that I did wrong and that I deserve the punishment you are giving me. My mind was clouded with vanity and ignorance. You are the true ruler of Equestria.”

While the words were pleasing to her, they also disturbed her greatly. The guards told her that his sanity vanished along with his magic, yet here he was talking clearly as day, fully aware! What was more, there was not a trace of pleading in his tone. What was going on? Celestia spread her wings and drifted down to the platform, causing a lot of confusion on the tribune. Halfway down she realised just how similar her moves were to her confrontation with Sequoia during the audience, but he didn’t cower at all this time.

“I appreciate your statement, Sequoia,” she said quietly, just for his ears, “yet they make me wonder. Don’t you fear death? Don’t you wish to stay alive?”

“There is no need for fear when you know what lies ahead, your highness. And I lost my right to live with that deed.”

“You must at least feel resentment toward me then.”

“Why should I? I have only myself to blame for what befell me. I respect your judgment, your highness and find it fair. Live well and please forgive me my foolishness one day.” He spoke evenly, serenity in his face changed by the past suffering. Celestia didn’t do anything when the guards motioned Sequoia to the block, the stallion complying without resistance. She just stared after him. Absolute acceptance of his fate was the last thing she would expect from that proud noble. He placed his head in position and the executioner prepared the sword, waiting on her signal.

For that you are sentenced to death. The judgment is to be executed immediately.

Death! Death! Death!

She place her hooves over her ears, trying to shut out the chanting that assaulted her, but there was no escape. They weren’t coming from the crowd around. She heard them inside her head.

Death! Death! Death!

So much hatred pulsed in those words, many ponies uniting for a horrid cause, demanding blood. That wasn’t how her subjects used to act. That wasn’t how she used to rule. The executioner was lifting the sword...

Death! Death! Death!

“No!” she shouted and the executioner froze in the middle of the deadly move. “As the one who you trespassed against, I deem you suffered enough. You are granted royal pardon and are to be set free!”

From the corner of her eye she spotted Pine Diadem pushing his way through the confused crowd and toward the steps to the platform. She turned to the crowd and lifted one forehoof to get their attention. “Death is only the last solution and as long as any other option stands, we should prevent losses of lives. Because death only results in more death and the circle never breaks. There will be no bloody spectacle today and hopefully in the future!”

Pine reached the top of the steps and embraced his father with tears in his eyes. The elder stallion reciprocated the gesture, but there was no relief in his expression, just tiredness. Celestia sat down, watching in turn the ponies starting to leave the plaza and the reunion of the two unicorns when Fiery Swirl approached her from the side.

“Your highness, we received reports of breaking riot in the area of Limestone Boulevard. Permission to step in?”

Pine and Sequoia were leaving the platform, the younger stallion supporting his father in his fragile walk, and the executioner was putting his blade into a wooden case, carefully covering it with silken blanket.

“Your highness?”

“Permission granted. But the use of deadly force is not authorized.”

Life had a nasty way to turn the tables on ponies sometimes. One way you are enjoying a peaceful morning with the prospect of spending all of your passion with your lover, the next… The next your hooves are shackled and you are led like some filthy criminal through the city. Blueblood never suspected it would come down to this. Why should he?

At first he thought maybe this whole mess was just a part of the punishment aunt Celestia prepared for him. She sported a fairly odd sense of humor, not to mention judgment of what was appropriate. That hope faded quickly though. The mob around him was hissing with hatred and several times somepony called out for his death.

The few guards they met on their journey didn’t make the impression of saviors either. As bizarre as it was, they were trying to wrestle young trees bristling with leaves from the ground. Under different circumstances Blueblood would have laughed at that sight to no end. But joviality leaves you quickly when you are surrounded by armed rabble, bound and escorted somewhere. He would prefer them sprinting to his rescue, especially if blood of those ruffians would be shed in the process. Alas, for that task there would have had to gather much greater number of guards.

They actually should have been around and they should have been carrying spears! Why didn’t the guards have spears? A glimpse of sunlight sprung into his eye. It didn’t reflect from any window or mirror. No, the rays were playing on several shards of metal among the roots of the tree that grew in the middle of the pavement. Blueblood shuddered as he realised the tree couldn’t have been called that just few minutes ago.

He couldn’t count on the help from outside and his own chances for breaking free drew desperately close to zero. With his appendages bound so tight that he could barely walk and with his magic blocked, what could he possibly accomplish? He was no master of escapes. Not to mention that he couldn’t leave Ruby behind, even if he could save himself. He loved her truly, and his momentary satisfaction with her being kept quiet couldn’t change any of that. He couldn’t think in the atmosphere of never-ceasing stream of insults toward the mob she would spew. In this point he could find a common ground with their captors, although it would hardly help him in bargaining freedom.

According to his cutie mark he excelled at finding ways and he proved that on many occasions throughout his life. The problem was, sometimes the way he found wouldn’t follow his wishes, leading where he needed to be instead. There was no path of escape and from what he gathered he wouldn’t live for too much longer. He could attempt to protect Ruby though. And he definitely should cherish the few remaining minutes.

He stepped to the right and pressed his side against Ruby’s. The mare had been tugging at her restraints and muffling through her forcibly closed lips the whole time since they left the manor, but as their fur touched, the noises stopped and she stiffened a bit, but eventually relaxed and leaned into him. She was trembling and whimpered a little, letting Blueblood know she was more scared than enraged at the moment.

“It’s a beautiful day,” he whispered directly to where he expected her ear so quietly, nopony in the mob would hear. “You wouldn’t find a single cloud in the sky. The houses glow with alabaster and the shopkeepers put the flowerpots out for the day. Do you smell their sweet scent?”

She nodded slightly and took a deeper breath. She always liked flowers and whenever Blueblood wanted to brighten her mood, he would order a huge bouquet for her. That wouldn’t suffice today, not in this mess. He sighed and nuzzled her over the sack on her head. “Everything will be ok, Ruby. We will get out of this. Don’t worry, they won’t hurt us.” She trusted him. The trembling almost stopped. He just wished he wasn’t consciously so blatantly lying.

They arrived to the lower part of Limestone Boulevard and the castle came to view. According to the legend, which for Equestria equalled history since eyewitnesses of events a thousand years gone still walked among ponies, the whole boulevard was transmogrified from one massive piece of limestone found during the prospector works for the new seat of the crown. Celestia herself turned the stone into the forward-most beacon of the castle representing her power and glory. While the fortifications had been removed with the growth of the city, the statues remained from those old days. Blueblood had an unnerving feeling that the statues were watching him intently, full of expectation.

Other than that, he could be certain of quantum of eyes gazing at him. The mob that assailed his manor apparently hive off a much larger group that was waiting here. Most ponies gathered in the upper part of the boulevard, in front of two massive statues of a pegasus and a unicorn, one of their hooves outstretched so that it pointed at the castle for the spectator. While they didn’t have their regalia, everypony knew they were meant to depict Princess Platinum and Commander Hurricane. The only reason why they didn’t was the affair earth ponies would start for the absence of their founder. The truth was, nopony knew how Chancellor Puddinghead looked or if they were even real.

A swift in his posterior snapped Blueblood from his memories of school years studying to the harsh present. Ruby at his side, they were made to walk down between two rows of ponies. Nopony said anything, nopony was shouting, they were just gazing at them and once the group would pass, the ponies would follow behind them.

As they neared the statues, the ponies stopped forming the orderly lines along their path. They had been clumped in a circle around something and engrossed to the point of not noticing the newcomers until the brown stallion that announced Blueblood the arrest called out to them. As the group parted, a single pony was revealed in the centre of a wide empty space. Crimson cape on which Blueblood’s trained eye noticed a silver embroidery of branches, leaves and scales around the rim. They were holding a short spear in on hoof, similar to those of royal guards, but with living tendrils with leaves entwining it.

“Who is the other pony you brought?” they asked with a feminine voice. Blueblood could swear he had heard it before, but if his life had depended on it, he wouldn’t have remembered where. That didn’t make any difference though.

The brown furred ringleader of the mob stepped forward and bowed to the hooded figure. “We found her with him. It’s his whore.” That woke Ruby to another fit of squeals and muffled attempts to curse, despite her honor being the last of their worries. The stallion saw it similarly as he nudged her in the side forcefully. “You were whoring with him.”

The hooded figure, apparently their leader, nodded slowly. “Remove their restraints.” As nopony made any move to obey, reluctantly stepping on the spot instead, the leader tapped impatiently with the spear against the ground. “They won’t make any attempts for escape. Will you?”

Soon enough both Blueblood and Ruby stood free once again, or at least without direct impediments to their movement. Indeed, neither of them attempted even the smallest spell. They remembered too well what happened to Sequoia. As for running away, they could have as well tried digging a tunnel through the cobblestones under their feet.

Still, now that he could stand with dignity again, Blueblood regained some of his confidence. “You broke into our house, dragged us across half the city in bounds and now hold us against our will. I demand an explanation,” he said, doing his best to hide any traces of fear and worry in his voice. He must have admitted to himself that his situation hardly entitled him to demanding anything though.

“And the explanation you shall get. Prince Blueblood, you have been accused of gruesome misdeeds against ponies and of abuse of power bestowed upon you. Are you aware of any grounds for such grave claims?”

Of course he was. That was what Celestia wanted to punish him for. Could it be in the end that she was behind all of this? “I have always done only what I deemed best. Some controversion can’t be avoided. Look, if auntie Celestia hired you for this, tell her that I will be more careful next time, okay?”

“Rest assured that Princess Celestia has nothing to do with this trial.” The leader gazed over to the castle, shaking her head in disdain. “We gathered here today because she failed to take action. We have been told that you led the defense of Canterlot against the recent rebel attack. Do you wish to deny that?”

How could he? By that time it was common knowledge that he was the one in charge of military actions that day. “No, I indeed acted in that position.”

“Is it true that during the attack siege weapons had been used against infantry and that lives and property of innocent citizens were deliberately put in danger?”

Again, what would be the point of denying anything? He gave the orders and these ponies, whoever they were, knew it perfectly well. They had all the facts and the result was clear already. He tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat as he realised the faint prospect of death he had suddenly turned to cold certainty. He nodded.

“Did anypony else partake in the deed, be it by advice, aid and abet or directly?”

He was doomed. But that didn’t mean they should get anypony else. He wouldn’t give them the pleasure. “No, it was my sole initiative.”

“What are you talking about?! We-” Ruby exclaimed, but a firm but covert stomp by his hindhoof silenced her quickly. It was too late though as the leader’s attention shifted to Ruby.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, nopony else carries the responsibility for what happened. It was my decision and I stand by it,” he stated firmly, gazing intently to where the leader’s eyes had to be hidden. She was returning the stare and he thought he saw a weak glow in them.

“Very well then.” The leader turned her back at him and walked in direction of the castle until she stood between the statues’ pedestals. Then she faced him and the mob again. “Prince Blueblood, you have been found guilty of abuse of power, acting against the interests of citizens and of crimes against ponykind. For that you are sentenced to death.”

With those word she slammed her hooves into the ground and the stone changed. A slender limestone spears shot from the cobblestones and the statues inviting toward the castle were suddenly barring the path toward it. They were probably meant to do so from the beginning of their existence.

“The judgment is to be executed immediately. We will grant you a last wish though. What should it be?”

“Let Ruby be!” Blueblood demanded, this time with full right and full authority.The leader seemed to jerk a little at the sound of the name, but she hid it quickly with a nod.

“She is free to go and nopony will attack her. You have my word.”

Two pegasi flanked him and grabbed him under the armpits. This was it then. He would get impaled by some rabble based on a self-appointed court. Actually, that would flatter them too much. This had nothing in common with proper court hearing. They were just playing pretend really badly, giving nice facade to bloodlust. Did that matter to him though? Not really. The spear would tear him all the same.

He didn’t live a bad life. For himself, anyway. He enjoyed all of it and made the most of every pleasure available. He had a nice manson, lots of money, partied hard and had a great lover. He didn’t want to lose it, but he would, very soon. They already lifted him several feet in the air. The mob started chanting ‘Death, death, death!’

What even happened after death? Where would he come? Would the afterlife resemble this life? Was there even any? The notion of nothingness was the drop that overfilled the glass of his self-control. Desperate fear took over. Fear of unknown and loneliness. How would Ruby feel when he would be gone? Where was she?

He spotted her backing toward the wall of ponies. They stepped away from her path, truthful to their leader’s promise. Wild panic was written in her face, her bulged eyes jumping from one pony to another like those of cornered animal. She was at the brink of galloping away…

“Please Ruby! Don’t leave me alone!” he cried out. She looked up at him for a second, torn between running and obeying his very last wish. Tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes as she shook her head and sprinted away. “No! Ruby!”

She left him. She could have stayed without danger, but she abandoned him in his darkest hour. As if an iron vice clenched his heart. He had nopony now and soon he would lose himself. He went limp in the hooves of his carriers, now hovering above the spear that would end him.

“She abandoned the pony who was willing to sacrifice himself for her rescue,” the leader’s voice came from below. “May she be paid back the same from everypony, alone and without help from now on. I am here and you won’t be alone. Know this, Blueblood. When you come to the last judgment, your misdeed toward me will not weigh upon you. May the decision be just.”

The spear pierced through his body in the same moment as the memory of where he knew the mare from. She may have forgiven him, but the pony he knew then wouldn’t do this. She changed and he could only theorise if he had part in that.

The pain coursed through his every limb and the loss of blood made him feel very cold. He felt his heartbeat getting slower and more labored, just like his breath. It could have been much worse, he thought. The pain faded away slowly, his mind becoming drowsy and slow. The chanting vanished as well as any other sound and his sight was getting dimmer. The last thing he saw of the world was the blue sky and the glitter of sun on armor in the distance.

As the pegasi released their grip on Blueblood, to Canvas’ eyes he remained in the air unmoving for a split of second before the gravitation took hold of him. As if in slow motion she watched him falling, the needle-sharp tip of the spear connecting with his stomach just under the ribcage. The blood stained his pristine coat around the wound, more and more of the limestone vanishing inside him, until the now bright red tip resurfaced from his neck where it met the back, few crimson droplets following in its waky.

An eternity later his heart remembered its task and pumped, sending more blood from both unnatural orifices like horrific fountain. The ponies gathered behind Canvas bursted into victorious cry, venting their pent up frustration and anger, but Canvas kept staring up at the body still sliding down slightly. She found his eyes, tears in their corners and eyelids quivering in pain. His jaw was clenched almost to the point of breaking, but he wouldn’t make a sound. She was so engrossed with him that she didn’t notice where the initial burst of blood was heading until it connected with her cape, face and hooves. She lifted the hoof to her eyes in inspection, the droplets glistening in the sun before they soaked into her fur.

“Your blood is on my hoof, Prince Blueblood, and I carry it proudly. Whether you can say the same for your soul, you will soon find. Farewell.”

The world returned to its normal speed and the commotion around. She span on the spot and slammed into the ground with her spear three times. “Enough!” she shouted, her voice rising over every other sound. The ponies went silent immediately, as if all sound was stolen from them. Eyes of all concentrated on her.

“He met the highest punishment in our power and is no longer of this world. He paid the highest cost for the suffering he caused and the bill is settled. You are not to feel resentment or contempt for him any longer. Find peace and let go of the past.”

“The scars don’t heal that easily. We will have to live with what he did,” the brown stallion who made himself the leader of the group bringing Blueblood and to some extend her second in command protested in disdain.

“Will dwelling in anger change any of that though? When you buy bread, would you pay the merchant twice? Or when you break a window, would it be just if you had to bring a new one and pay its price to the damaged on top of that? Don’t demand second suffering from malefactors with your rage. For the same rage could harm yourself when the judgment comes.”

They fought a short battle of stares and wills before the stallion bowed his head down and the rest of the gathering with him. “I am sorry. I will try to take your words to heart.”

“Then start right away with him.” Canvas pointed up to Blueblood, although what carried that name no longer resided in that body. The stallion’s eyes followed her hoof and he stepped a bit forward.

“There is no debt between us, Blueblood. Rest in peace.”

A commotion rose in the distance at the opposite end of the boulevard and quickly spread through the group. “The guards are coming! There’s a lot of them!”

“What shall we do?” the brown stallion asked, breaking from his coming to reconciliation with the wrong suffered. “We could fight them. There is enough of us and you could escape, mistress.”

“They didn’t commit anything bad. They don’t deserve to die and neither do you.” Canvas reared on her hind legs and just barely caught the glittering of golden helmets in the distance. “Disperse and never mention you were here. They won’t chase after you.”

“But what about you?”

“They won’t catch me, don’t worry about it. And even if they did, what you learnt today will stay with you. Now go!”

Canvas watched them hurriedly comply her command, she herself remaining unmoving for a bit longer. The guards needed to see her first for her plan to work. A faint glance would suffice though, just for them to learn they were following a pony in red cape.

She waited until the guards reached the middle of the boulevard before she pranced on her hind legs and took off into one of the streets crossing it. The wind was whizzing around her as she galloped, trying to vanish from the sight of the guards for long enough to remove her cape, effectively disappearing from the world for them. In the streets of Canterlot that didn’t pose much of a problem. All she needed now was a convenient side alley and-

Somepony slammed into her from the side and even though she kept her balance, the speed was lost and they knocked the cape from her head as well. Before she could break into gallop again, the pony lunged at her again.

“You are not going anywhere, you murderer!” they shouted as they were about to pin her to the ground, but she nimbly moved to the side in a half-pirouette, letting them slam hard into the wall instead. That momentarily dazed them and Canvas used the opportunity and her own momentum from the evasive move to buck them in the hindquarters with all she got. A loud crack resounded in the street and the pony fell to the ground.

Canvas took few deep breaths and took a better look at the assailant for the first time. She was almost sure she saw that grey unicorn with sunglasses for cutie mark in the gathering. He must have anticipated her path of escape. Despite the clattering of armor of the guards getting near, she stepped to the immobilized stallion and put her mouth next to his twitching ear to ensure he would hear her.

“I don’t know who you are and I respect your choice. But cross our path one more time and I will aim for your head.”

“Murderer,” the stallion wheezed and attempted to spit under Canvas’ hooves.

“Justíce.” She didn’t have time to say more as the spotted the guards turning the corner about hundred yards from her. She pulled the cape back on in case the stallion wasn’t in the state to tell them how she looked, but that was more of a wish than possibility. She would have to outrun them by a long stretch to hide in Strom’s house safely. With her training she should manage.

She made it about halfway to the house when she spotted Golden galloping in the opposite direction. The petite mare was trying her best to move at her top speed and signal Canvas to turn left at the same time. Although it confused Canvas greatly, she followed the signal and turned into the perpendicular alley, crouching behind a dumpster. Golden arrived few seconds later, gasping for air.

“Guards… They blocked the path… They want to cut… you off!”

“Do you know of other hiding place?” Canvas asked, supporting the tired mare.

“No. And they know what you look like. I heard them talking.” Golden’s laboured breathing somewhat returned to normal. She took the cape from Canvas, folded it and put into her saddlebag. “We need to hurry. They are closing the downtown!”

“You should return home. I will manage.”

“No! I’m going with you. I know the city better than you do.”

Evaluating the determined frown on Golden’s face Canvas gave up any attempts at convincing her otherwise. They started running again, but the escape was getting more difficult with every second. The number of guards in the streets was growing and the fleeting mares had to take every opportunity at hiding they could.

Fifteen minutes later they just barely managed to slip behind a pile of crates when a squad unexpectedly marched from behind a corner. “Phew, that was close,” Golden remarked and pulled herself up to check the situation.

“We need a hideout soon. They will hunt us down otherwise. How does it look out there?”

“No guards in sight. But wait, some stallion is waving at me. I think he wants us to follow him.” That got Canvas’ attention and she joined Golden on the crates. A brown unicorn with greying mane was indeed waving at them, trying to stay out of sight from the sides, but the moment Canvas took in his face, she slid back into their temporal hiding spot, covering her face with her hooves. Golden joined her a second later, prying one of the hooves away to look Canvas in the eyes. “What’s wrong, Canvas? Do you know that pony?”

“I… I do,” Canvas whimpered, “We can’t go with him.”

“Why not? Who is it? Is he dangerous?”

“No! He wouldn’t hurt anypony ever!” The sudden burst made Golden jerk back, but she wouldn’t let the matter go, motioning Canvas to continue. “That is Star Chamber. My father…”

Golden brightened up considerably at that, proving to Canvas she didn’t understand at all. “Then we are saved! He will help us!”

“Can’t you see that I can’t go with him?!” Canvas started backing in the opposite direction than her father probably still waited. “I disgraced his family and ran away! I caused him and Nanny so much pain! He must resent me for it…”

“Then he has strange way of showing resentment!” Golden shot back, but then changed tactics and sat down calmly next to Canvas. “Look. It happened a long time ago. He had enough time to get over any disgrace. If he even felt any to begin with. Did you ask him?” Receiving a shake of head in response, Golden gave Canvas a victorious smile. “I didn’t think so. Parents don’t hate their foals, Canvas. It is you who resents yourself for what happened.”

“M-maybe… But-”

“No buts! You convinced yourself that you were a horrible pony. But you are not! I have known you only for a few days, but I can tell already.” Golden stretched to her and pulled her into a light hug, one from which Canvas could easily escape if she chose so. She didn’t want to at all though. “You forgave Blueblood what he did to you. Now you need to forgive yourself, Canvas.”

Golden was right. Didn’t Canvas tell those ponies they shouldn’t punish anypony twice for the same? She suffered a lot for how weak she was and compunctions had been chasing her for all those years. Wasn’t it enough? Didn’t she deserve a chance? She pulled away from Golden and started walking toward the exit of the alley. She was prepared to face the hardest leap of faith of that day.

Chapter 30

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Original Title: Where I Belong
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.

Every little filly dreamt about becoming a princess one day. Having a palace, hordes of servants, infinite amount of dresses and going to balls and galas presented an irresistible ideal for the young minds. They naturally understood, even if they refused to admit it even to themselves, that such dream had hardly any chance to come true.

As they aged, the dream developed along with their comprehension of the world. If they couldn’t become princesses, they would at least find a husband who would cherish them, treat them to various pleasures, put food on their table and smother them with affection, all that exactly when the wife would desire, and who would ask nothing in response, especially not working.

It was a beautiful dream to be sure and the more lucky fillies would even get to live it, that is if they managed to marry a rich enough stallion. There was just one small drawback in all of that, a catch they completely failed to notice. The life they led had nothing in common with being a princess. In fact, only one other lifestyle resembled their own - that of a house cat.

Nursery Rhyme fluffed up the last pillow and placed it back on the sofa. She took a look around her and enjoyed the swell of pride in her chest. She truly lived a life of a princess, keeping her kingdom tidy and orderly. Not only that, but she always knew where everything was and just what was needed. Just like a true ruler was bound to. Living like a cat seemed immensely boring to her. In her opinion, cats must have secretly led an engaging intellectual life just to preserve sanity. She couldn’t say that much about all those hussies she knew.

She found her prince more than twenty years ago, an event worth of fairytales… or a bad romance novel. And just like in either one of those, a poor mare employed as a maid had to defeat many obstacles on her path to happiness. Her prince chose her over the cruel baroness he had been forced to marry and helped her in the hour of highest need.

But all those fairytales were wrong in one thing - a commoner can never ascend to become a ruler. That would require either an extraordinarily powerful prince nopony would dare to question, or endlessly benevolent nobility. No, the only way a morganatic marriage could come to happen in Canterlot was for the prince to abdicate.

She caressed the golden marriage necklace she was wearing and smiled fondly. He did. Only for her. Now it was her duty to make his life better than it could have ever been otherwise. And since the way to stallion’s heart led through his stomach, both for a lover and an assassin, she ventured directly for the kitchen.

Poor Star Chamber. Today must have been very difficult for him When they woke up in the morning, Rhyme could immediately tell he would have prefered to sleep in till the next day. It hadn’t been even a year since the last one and here the city would witness another execution. It must have been shaking the very foundations of her husband’s world, although the chances were it just brushed against the old wounds.

She couldn’t look at the first execution as a bad thing. It opened the way for what they had now. She could have finally married her love when he stepped down from the office of a royal judge. The rent Star Chamber received didn’t compensate for his previous income fully, but by no means did they struggle. It was a wonder they got any rent anyway since despite the advice of all his friends, Star Chamber stated the reasons of his resignation openly. In person. To Celestia’s face.

“To some stallions it’s easier to lose livelihood than honor. That’s why I love him so much. But he must eat nonetheless.”

She cut an eggplant to slices and started covering it in corn flakes. She would prepare something with a lot of calories to both replenish his energy after a long walk and relax him a bit. As long as he would be well fed and digesting, his capacity for brooding would be diminished. At least she hoped.

Once the eggplant was sizzling in the pan, getting ready for the next steps of the recipe, Rhyme quickly did the dishes and prepared another set of ingredients, the deciding flavour being sweet this time. What would a lunch be without a proper dessert? It took her no time at all to dish out a full baking sheet of vanilla puffs with how often she used to bake them back in the day.

Soon she had nothing else to do than sit down and wait for the timer to go off. She planned her tasks wrong that day - they left her with too much time on her hooves and to make things worse she forgot to visit the library a retrieve a new novel. She could have tried one of her husband’s books, but given the percentage of legal texts among them, she would just spend the rest of the morning searching for anything readable.

“I wonder where he is so long anyway,” she mused. “With all the shops closed and the downtown crowded, he must have a hard time finding any peaceful place to begin with.”

Fortunately, the eggplant reached the required consistency soon enough and she could continue. A bit of vinegar, a lot of different veggies, some spices and back into the pan. She made a dough of potatoes, flour, milk and eggs in which she would put everything for the final stage and washed some lettuce to serve it on.

Just in time did she finish the preparations as a key rumbled in the keyhole of the entrance door. She quickly checked if the puffs weren’t done yet and then hurried forth to greet her husband. She got to the door just as it opened and she immediately went for an embrace, pressing her lips to his in a deep kiss.

She got so easily lost in his sweet auburn eyes; gazing into them would be enough activity for the rest of her life for her. Brushing a stray strand of his mane from his face to the side, she noticed more grey hair appeared. The events must have been weighing on him even more than she imagined. She would keep him safe from the world though. No evil would enter her house.

Star Chamber separated their lips and smiled at her fondly. There was so much love in that simple smile, but also a strange mixture of sadness and excitement. She cocked her head questioningly at that; under regular circumstances he would have never ceased their welcome kiss so early.

“It’s not the right moment, Rhymey,” he said quietly, putting the same mixture of feelings in his voice.

“What? Why not? I missed you!”

He chuckled at that, never able to resist her when she talked to him like one does with a little foal. She learnt that a long time ago too. “I missed you too, love, but we have guests.”

She looked over his shoulder and indeed found two more ponies on the steps to the door. A yellow unicorn mare was grinning from ear to ear, while the earth pony one seemed to debate between feigning strength and running away. There was something familiar on her, the magenta coat and peach mane, the timid smile. Those auburn eyes behind glasses…

“Canvas?” she whispered, not daring to speak louder in case the dream would shatter from noise. “Is that really you, child?”

“Hi, Nanny. I-I’m sorry I worried you so much. Uhm… It’s so nice to-”

They say you can’t notice when a viper strikes, the only thing left behind being the marks on your skin. In this case though, the viper would rub its eyes and ask in confusion just when that lilac mare switched the targets of her hug.

The feeling of holding her foal after all that time was incredible. As if she went back several years and welcomed Canvas after coming from school again. She caressed her and covered with kisses, her eyes getting blurry from tears. Who knows how long they would stand there if the yellow mare didn’t tap her on the shoulder.

“Um excuse me,” she said and sniffed a bit toward the door, “is it just me, or are there vanilla puffs about to get burned in the oven?”

Canvas curled on one end of a sofa, a steaming cup of sweet tea on the table beside her next to a small lamp painted with flower pattern. She remembered painting on that silken cloth and her frustration when one of the flowers materialized. Back then her powers hadn’t fully developed and she didn’t understand them either. She assumed she just placed the plant she modeled the painting after on the wrong side of the cloth, which despite the silliness still seemed more plausible than creating a flower out of nothing.

The whole room was breathing memories to her. Each Hearth Warming Eve would be celebrated there, a tree standing by the window. Her father would always charm the decorations to shine. Few days around the Hearth Warming, they would have piled blankets and pillows around the tree and sleep there, pretending to be outside in the snow. She loved her old life and scorned herself a thousand times for ruining it.

Ever since she left her home, she had worried about how would her father react and what would come from her behavior for him. Even during the sneaky journey through the city today when Golden managed to convince her to accept his help, she fretted only about what he would tell her. It all seemed really foolish now. But how she fail to consider Nanny, she didn’t have a clue.

If it weren’t for Golden’s interruption, Canvas wouldn’t live to see another day because of Nanny’s bear hug. She acted just like Canvas remembered her - loving, impulsive and unpredictable. The rescue mission for vanilla puffs naturally succeeded and furthermore provided Canvas enough time to check out her slightly bruised ribs.

From there on it was a stream of kisses, more tender hugs, compliments on how she matured and grew into beauty, even though ‘Oh you got so wonderfully plump’ bordered with an insult a little, especially accompanied with Golden’s giggling, and endless train of food, beginning with eggplant and puffs and ending with strawberry preserve.

Only after Golden requested to see some photos of Canvas, did Nanny stop her loving onslaught and gave Canvas a moment with her father too. They made themselves comfortable on the sofa while the two mares sat by the table under which Canvas used to play house and were obviously enjoying themselves, discussing Canvas’ foalish exploits. She would have to be angry or grateful to Golden, but an oath of silence was definitely in order.

“When I realised what I’d done, I just couldn’t return home. I was scared it would ruin your reputation, dad, I wanted to protect you,” She felt an immense urge to justify herself. For her fall, for running, for everything. She spilled it out almost in one breath, expecting a verbal lashing, but instead of that she was pulled into a gentle embrace.

“Parents ought to protect their foals, not the other way around,” he said, planting a soft kiss in her mane. “I’m sorry I didn’t prevent all of that. I should have expected that pig to try something like that.”

“So you aren’t mad at me?”

“Of course not, dear. If anything, I am happy you are alright. We gave up all hope after that blaze five years ago.”

“I didn’t realise you would hear about that. I’m sorry, dad.”

“Don’t be. It’s gone and we are together again. I just wish you told me back then. Blueblood wouldn’t have gotten away unpunished, you wouldn’t suffer and many bad things would have been avoided. Like today.”

Canvas rose from his embrace and looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean by today?”

“Well, you eventually took care of punishing him alone, and quite excessively at that. Such things should never come to pass.”

“You think this was a revenge? He didn’t die because of that. He committed crimes against others and so faced the judgment.”

“So instead you avenged ponies who attacked this city. I admit the cause is higher, but still remains revenge.”

She slumped back in the sofa. Even though her father wasn’t condemning her, but only the deed, she felt miserable. She did the right thing, following only Justice itself. If the act was wrong, she was wrong and she knew that wasn’t true. “Even if nopony died that day, dad, I would have had to act the same,” she whispered. “Even if I never met Blueblood before, for his crimes he would be sentenced to death. He put his interests before those of ponies and broke the deepest principles.”

“Don’t you think he could have redeemed himself later if he stayed alive?” He reached a hoof to her and caressed her foreleg and gave her the same look she knew from when she was a foal and misbehaved. One of understanding, but also sadness.

“He was faced with the results of his actions, dad, and didn’t show any remorse today. He must have been prevented from any chance of doing this again. His punishment began only after the execution. But if his crimes allow it, he is in bliss.”

“You can’t tell what future will bring, dear. As long as there is a chance for redemption, we have no right to take lives of others just because there is a risk of crime.”

“What right do we have to rest lives of many in comparison to one? He proved again and again just how depraved he was. Where is the line? When a beast attacks a pony, we put it down. Not to punish it, but to prevent this from happening again.”

“I am so sorry for allowing the world to teach you that, dear. Nopony should feel so threatened ask death of others. Life is sacred, Canvas.”

Canvas saw he had tears in the corners of his eyes. She felt her eyes burn as well. After all that time and the brief hope, would they be separated forever because of her own actions? She was scared and wasn’t even sure her voice would work, but she had to ask. “Do you hate me for that, dad?”

He sighed and pulled her back into his forelegs. Then he looked up to the table where Nanny and Golden still browsed the albums. “Mrs. Cage, would you please pick that magenta album and turn to page six? Tell us what you see.”

“Chamber that’s-” Nanny started, but he waved her to be silent.

“I know. I think it¨s time. Please continue, Mrs. Cage.”

“Um, sure, let’s see…” Golden quickly leafed to the requested page and lifted the album to her eyes. “Look at that!” she exclaimed and Canvas would swear her eyes sparkled at that moment. “It’s you as a little baby, Canvas. Definitely just a few weeks old at most!”

“Three days, to be exact,” Chamber clarified. It’s from the maternity hospital.”

“But then- Those ponies- You are-” Golden stammered as Chamber took the picture from her hooves with his magic and gave it to Canvas. Indeed, in the centre of the picture there was a magenta foal with a wide grin on her face. She was tucked in a beige blanket and nothing seemed to cloud her world. There were two more ponies in the picture though, apparently her parents. A brown stallion with auburn eyes and-

She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and to wipe away the sudden tears too. Then she lifted them to Nanny. “M-mommy?” she whispered, her voice trembling more than it ever did.

“Please don’t be mad we didn’t tell you earlier, child. We couldn’t. But it didn’t change how much we love you.”

“What? Why couldn’t you tell her before?” Golden inquired.

“Tell me, Mrs. Cage, how has the high society treated you since you married a pegasus guard?” Chamber countered, but Canvas didn’t care. She was slowly walking to the table, the photo pressed against her heart. “If we when public back then, it would have killed us in the society.”

Canvas finally made it to her mother and fell into her outstretched hooves. “Mommy. I love you mommy.”

“I love you too, darling. Everything will be alright now.”

In a few seconds Canvas felt another pony press against her and stretch a hoof around her shoulder. “I was foolish back then, Canvas. No office is worth more than those you love,” her dad said to her ear. “I could never hate my precious foal. I love you, darling.”

Whenever a new ideology arises, it always finds its followers. It’s the nature of ponykind to follow, an instinct shared with all beings living in herds. One individual strong enough to step out on their own will draw everypony after them because they prove superiority and potential to protect the rest.

Once followers start coming, they are bound to pressure each other more and more with every newcomer. That’s where conflicts start. Just like the animals stepping on each others’ feet and bickering over more comfortable spot to rest on. Not only that, but they will also fight to climb in the hierarchy or to impress potential partners.

While animals may keep order in their herd on their own, given the small number of members, no pony leader has time to deal with every little squabble alone. That’s why each group needs ponies settling down disagreements and disciplining wrongdoers. Who better should take on that role than the Bearer of Justice herself?

That is, at least if she were around. Rallying Net rearranged the stacks of papers on the table for the tenth time that morning, coming up with the same result. There had been too many. He would get through all of them by the end of the day, but it would leave him utterly exhausted. Again. Not to mention that the amount had been increasing almost daily. It wasn’t that the crime rate would grow. The other instances simply decided they could take off their load by redirecting the cases.

When a new instance of justice is formed based on the new ideology, only a fool would remove those already existent. After all, unless you pursue anarchy, new systems always bet on bureaucracy to smoothen their ascension to power. Thus the courts of Crystal Empire stayed in place, passing judgment in regular civil and criminal matters. At least until lately, when the option was given to the plaintiffs to take the action to the Bearer of Justice.

That wouldn’t cause that much trouble though. The overall number of judicial decisions in Crystal Empire had always been deep below the Equestrian average. What really grinded Net’s gears were the other parts of Hexarete Front. Why couldn’t they simply deal with their disciplinary actions alone as any armed body was bound to? Not to mention Crystal Guard. Net suspected Queen Cadance intended this as a hidden revenge. Maybe a taste of her duties for Ms. Canvas who showed her land.

“Then why couldn’t she wait till Ms. Canvas would return?!”

He got up from his chair by the side of a mahogany table and walked over to the window. Ms. Canvas had a lucky hoof when she picked this room as her office, as the place was bathed in sunshine the whole day and offered a beautiful view into the garden.

He missed her as his guide and security. Ever since they entrusted him with their plans for establishing the Front in Crystal Empire he had been loyally serving Ms. Canvas, first as her personal servant, then secretary and eventually, once he proved himself enough, as her second in command. When she left for the mission in Canterlot, he was her natural choice for a substitute.

Not that it made things easier for him. He learnt as much as he could under Ms. Canvas’ lead, but he never expected to be left on his own so soon. He felt honored that Ms. Canvas thought so highly of him, but in the past days he became a bit desperate. All his life he was taught to follow orders, to serve and keep things in motion, not to set them into it. He was excellent at his job, but he was born to be second in command.

Ms. Canvas on the other hoof acted as his opposite. She was changing everything around her. The ponies, their perception of the world, even that very room. Net marveled at the dark wooden paneling on the walls interrupted only by a library with various books of laws. The whole kingdom was built of crystals. They glistened everywhere you went and nopony would ever question that until Queen Cadance arrived. And now Ms. Canvas covered the crystals with what she felt like to.

She took special care to furnish her new quarters when the Elements decided it was time to get their own place each, and the study was no exception. Her touch and presence were in everything - the hazelnut brown sofas, six-spoke chandelier with a ring of candles on each end, a glasses case on the table and most of all the pictures on the wall, of Canterlot, Elysium and ponies he never saw and was hesitant to ask about. In the end, he saw her in the paperwork lying around too, since it represented her striving.

That was it! “Ms. Canvas didn’t leave me alone!” she told to his reflection in the window. “She stayed with me in the task itself. She entrusted me to continue with her work so she could perform a task of highest importance. I will not fail her.”

He quickly scooped up the papers he needed for the morning and made sure his chair was properly placed back to its place. While Ms. Canvas equip the room with a comfortable armchair to go with the writing desk, Net never used it. He wouldn’t place himself in her seat, expressing his substitute function with all means possible. Once everything was in order, he walked out of one of the three doors leading to the room - the other two led to Ms. Canvas’ chambers and the other to a public corridor as Ms. Canvas used the room for work meetings too.

The courtroom fit in the palace much more, with all its crystal beauty. Ms. Canvas didn’t go so far as to change such official space; it would affect the perception of the institution negatively for the traditionalist crystal ponies. As if the outside appearance mattered a single bit. However, Net wouldn’t make the same mistake by despising the room’s look.

His two assistants were already present, seated a short way in front of the door and facing the opposite way. Between them there was another chair reserved for him.

“Captain Palm Branch, Captain Rattan Cane, good morning to you,” Net greeted his coworkers, speaking in their general direction since he still couldn’t remember who was who. They both wore green capes, a sign of Ms. Canvas’ followers, and shared the cream coloration of coast and white manes. Despite the difference of age, the only discerning sign between the earth pony brothers was the manestyle, one leaving his long mane fall freely, the other keeping it in number of thin braids.

“Good morning, first secretary Rallying Net,” they said simultaneously. They did that a lot, making Net question if he really had two coworkers or just one flanking him on both sides. Then again, their votes often differed, mainly in the question of punishing. “How has the work treated you so far?”

“Sufficiently well, I suppose.” He took his seat and took the list of cases to be decided from the braided one. “The administrative disputes had been dealt with, now to the disciplinary ones. Let’s see. Still nothing from the units under generals Shimmer and Dust?”

“Not a single one, first secretary. It seems they continue to solve the internal problems on their own.”

“As it should be. Elysium grant them its favor for it.” Net finished his preparations by putting on a necklace with a pendant depicting a sword covered in leaves, and looked at both his coworkers. Ms. Canvas assigned them to act as a bench judges during her absence, picking them from her most trusted officers. Net couldn’t complain about their efficiency and deep understanding of the concept of Justice. “If we are all ready, we can start.”

The plain one tapped the ground with his hoof three times and the entrance door opened. Net didn’t know how exactly he did that - it may have been some earth pony thing, but the brothers could have achieved some level of Ms. Canvas’ skills. After all, she trained her officers herself. Either way, the path was now open for the first attendants - an ivory crystal earth pony and…

“Good morning, captain Armor. I am glad you came in person for the matters of Crystal Guard.”

Shining Armor scowled at him at him, as did his unwilling companion. It must have been because Net didn’t stand up to greet him, which he wasn’t used to. Unfortunately for the unicorn though, his title of prince consort had no power when it came to military matters, making him an ordinary captain. Not to mention that Rallying Net probably held more actual power as the first secretary of the Element of Justice than Shining Armor ever did. Which Shining Armor knew well and it drove him even more crazy.

“Good morning, first secretary.” The newcomers arrived to the centre of the room where they stepped to the assigned spots surrounded by wooden railing. “Before we start, I would like to express how displeased I am with the fact that disciplinary matters of Crystal Guard are decided by an outside body.”

Look at that! So they finally found some common ground! “I assure you, captain, that we are just as annoyed by it as you are. Alas, unless the supreme commander of Crystal Guards retracts the mandate, the Element of Justice has full jurisdiction and this court must decide. Therefore any complaints should be addressed to Queen Cadance, not us.”

“Hey! Would you stop bickering finally and cut to the chase?”

They all turned to the accused stallion who was leaning against the railing uninterestedly. Along with his scornful expression he was getting dangerously close to contempting the court. It was of utmost importance that Net would stay calm and unbiased. With such stallion it would be hard though.

“Very well then. I agree it is in the best interest of all parties that the decision it reached as soon as possible. Captain Armor, would you please state the charges?”

“As you wish.” Shining Armor cleared his throat and looked straight at Net, not wasting another look at the defendant. There could be no talk about unbiased approach at all. “Lieutenant Marble Rampart had been sent as a leader of task squad for a mission three days ago to eliminate a dangerous polar ursa to the north-east from the Empire. It was reported the beast had attacked several travelers and elimination was ordered.”

“And we got it done too,” the defendant stepped in, once again ignoring the processual rules. Net decided that acting against it would be as futile as teaching a carrot to tap dance, so he remained silent. Shining Armor wouldn’t though.

“The problem is how! You were directly ordered to proceed with utmost care and avoid risks whenever possible. However,” he turned back to the judges, pointing a hoof at Marble Rampart accusingly, “his chosen method endangered his entire squad, as you can see in the copies of the reports you were sent.”

Net searched his papers for a second before he located the one in question. The report described the operation in detail and Net couldn’t make use of most of it, so he skipped to the part about the actual elimination of the ursa. Apparently, the task squad was ordered to act as a bait and lead it to the chosen position while Marble Rampart assumed position on a cliff from where he then jumped down on the ursa and slew it with a clean hit of a spear. However, four members of the squad had been injured by the ursa before Marble stepped in and needed to be hospitalized. That was…

“Very reckless,” ‘Braids’ said and folded his paper down. “Orchestrating such a dangerous plan while having all options open can’t be evaluated otherwise.”

“Yeah?” Marble Rampart seemed to take that personally, as he leaned forward, forehooves firmly planted on the railing. “And how would you know? They were weak, that’s why they got hurt! And they were weak because self-appointed wannabe captains from who knows where teach them that! You have no clue how Crystal Guard is to operate!”

“In the case of fight against one strong opponent in the area of Frozen Wastes, the squad is to divide into pairs and camouflage under the snow. Two pairs than draw the attention of the enemy, but remain in a safe distance of at least one hundred yards. The hidden pairs are to wait until the enemy passes by and strike with long weapons all at the same time, thus eliminating the threat with minimal risk.”

All eyes turned to Net, who was sitting straight on his seat, head a bit lowered. He could no longer remain neutral as the evidence convinced him of Marble Rampart’s guilt. And gloated ugly ego. “My specialization was administrative, Marble Rampart, but under Sombra’s rule every state’s official must have undergone military training. I assure you that out of all of you here, it is I who knows how Crystal Guard ought to work.” He leaned a bit forward, mirroring the position of Marble’s hooves, but not the shocked expression. “Crystal Guard was formed as his personal army and I tell you that even in all his cruelty and madness, Sombra always valued his soldiers and treated them well. For what you did, he would have had you executed, you bratty defender of Crystal Guard traditions!”

He placed a hoof on the pendant from Ms. Canvas and breathed deeply to calm down. The rest of the ponies present were slowly overcoming their surprise. None of them expected a mere office worker to know so much about military rules. Appearance often deceived.

“Based on the evidence I deem you guilty of mistreating your subordinates and abusing your position.”

“I follow that opinion. He should right the wrong he caused, too,” ‘Braids’ said. “How do you vote, Palm?”

“There is no doubt of that. Furthermore, although I wish nothing more, I can’t plead for refraining from punishment either, since you don’t regret your actions a single bit. Decide wisely, first secretary.”

Net took a moment to consider all points, but the punishment seemed rather clear from the offenses themselves. “As you caused harm to others, you will pay them damages based on their lost income plus twenty percent for suffering. Furthermore, you are hereby stripped of your rank. Your new assignment is support unit in the Empire. May that change the way you view others, Private Rampart.”

“You bastard! That’s completely unfair! I did nothing wrong!” It seemed Marble Rampart would jump over the railing and attack Net. If he tried, the other purpose of the brothers’ presence would be revealed. Not much would remain from the angry soldier after they would draw their blades. Nothing of that came to happen though as Shining Armor grabbed Marble in his magic and lifted him a few inches up.

“Thank you for the decision, first secretary,” he said, bowing his head a slightest bit. “I must admit my doubts in the justice you deliver have been dispersed quite a bit.”

“That’s pleasing to hear indeed, captain Armor. Hopefully we meet under more enjoyable circumstances next time. Have a good day.”

As the door closed behind the two, Net looked at his table and noticed an alarming absence of a glass of water. In his current a bit raspy condition that posed a huge problem. “Let’s take a five minutes break before the next case. Elysium give us somepony more reasonable and less self-absorbed to judge. I also hope they won’t have such bright coat too. This room was getting blinding.”

Back when she was a schoolfilly, Twilight never understood what other foals had on weekends. To her they were nothing but a horrible waste of time that could have been spent in school. So while the other foals were running outside playing their silly games, Twilight would sit at home, head buried deep in textbooks and studied.

When she became Celestia’s apprentice, the weekends gained a new dimension. Unlike on other days, Celestia didn’t have to hold court and would spend the whole two days with Twilight practicing. The originally empty days ascended to the position of the busiest ones. Then she moved to Ponyville and while she missed the rhythm of life she was used to at first, she soon stopped watching the flow of days, following her original idea of all days following the same timetable. The same could be said for her time in Elysium.

Only recently, when her life had to accommodate to that of other ponies completely, she grew fond of those two precious days at the end of the week. She would preach and teach and reach to other all week long, helping with organizing of Hexarete Front and with running the Empire, and at the same time would have to manage planning of future steps and constant training. But since other ponies refused to stay that active during weekends, neither had she to, and for the very first time in her life she appreciated it.

She learnt one more important thing most foals understood as soon as at seven years of age: that while reading to learn something could bring a huge pleasure, reading just for sake of relaxing and enjoying a story surpassed it hundredfolds. Sure, she used to read about Daring Do, but more for the rather accurate descriptions of lost cultures, than for the suspension. That’s why she had adjusted her personal library with addition of beletry, and why she was carrying a fresh adventure novel along with a pillow into the palace garden.

Over the months she explored most of the waste expanse of hedges, flowerbeds and sand paths and picked several places as her favourite. Since she wished to spend the day in peace, she made her way to one of the more distant ones, a well-kept lawn under a sakura which was constantly clad in blossoms. Thanks to various bushes in the proximity, the place was kept out of sight for the most part.

Twilight placed the pillow in the grass and stretched her back and wings, taking a deep breath. The scent of flowers always permeated the air in the garden and had a calming effect on Twilight’s mind. She stood there for a few minutes, enjoying the atmosphere of the place. The spears of the Crystal Palace glistened in the morning sun quite a way from her, the sky without a cloud and the only sound apart from the chirping of birds and buzzing of bees being a quiet burbling of a fountain nearby. Finding a place where no fountain would be heard in the garden would require high detective talent. They were simply omnipresent, just like in Elysium. It helped Twilight with accommodating to her new home.

When she felt she indulged in her surroundings enough, Twilight stepped tentatively on her pillow and began turning on a spot to create a comfortable depression in its centre. Then she laid down carefully, folding her legs underneath herself, adjusted the position of her feathers and levitated the book in front of her.

The tortoise is a ground-living creature. It is impossible to live nearer the ground without being under it. Its horizons are-

Twilight’s ears perked up as they registered the sound of hoofsteps nearing to her hideout. She briefly hoped whoever it was would pass by for other destination, but the more rational and cynical part of her mind knew that wouldn’t be the case. Indeed, in a few seconds the pony arrived at the lawn Twilight occupied, revealing themselves as the Master of Ceremonies. Twilight sighed and put the book down. She forgot some ponies ignored the weekends whatsoever.

“Good morning Ms. Twilight. I am so happy I finally found you!” he said gasping for air. He must have been running all the way from the palace, which for a stallion of his age meant an admirable feat. His clothes were drenched correspondingly too. “I had huge trouble locating you.”

“How strange.” Twilight gestured for him to sit down in the grass. She didn’t exactly overflow with enthusiasm about talking with him, drawing from her huge, and honestly quite unfruitful and time-wasting, experience. “I distinctly remember choosing a remote place where it would be hard to locate me. How could you have any trouble?”

“But if you did that, it’s completely natural I had trouble, Ms. Twilight,” he pointed out in confusion, completely missing Twilight’s sarcasm. Twilight bit her lip, growing ashamed of her behavior. He only did his job, very well at that, and was constantly making life much easier for her friends and her. The least she could do in turn was treat him politely, especially given the Element she represented. Her rest would wait if others needed her.

“I am sorry. How can I be of help? Did something bad happen?”

“Oh, Ms. Twilight, it is horrible. I am awfully sorry for causing all this trouble. I should have solved the matter ages ago, but it slipped my mind entirely! I will offer my resignation if my failure will endanger our goal!”

Twilight was getting honestly worried. The poor stallion in front of her looked positively desperate and at the end of his wit. She was almost afraid to ask, but she needed to know. “Please tell me what happened. I will do my best to prevent any potential damage to the best of my ability.”

“I believe in your skills, Ms. Twilight. I hope you are right.” He seemed to calm down a little, but still fidgeted in the grass. After some further hesitation he finally gathered courage to spill the beans. “The thing is, the ceremony of appointing new generals of Hexarete Front is taking place in five days and haven’t decided on decorations, menu and worst of all, the seating arrangements! It’s horrible!” He gazed at Twilight for a few seconds, scrutinizing her reaction, then added crestfallenly: “I am deeply sorry for shocking you so darkly with my incompetence, Ms. Twilight.”

Twilight was indeed shocked. The experienced and professional stallion in front of her just presented such a trivial matter to her as a disaster of mythical size. On her free day no less! She was about to wave his concerns off when the realisation hit her: to him, it indeed was such a disaster. The sole thought of messy ceremony probably haunted him more than the idea of Sombra returning.

“You did well that you sought me out, Golden Scepter,” she said in a kind tone, surprising the stallion by actually recalling his name. He would hardly ever use it anymore, being called by his title. “If you have the papers with you, we will try to solve the matter immediately. With our powers combined, we should manage it.”

“You are too kind to me, Ms. Twilight.” He walked closer to her, so that they could both read the documents he brought at the same time. “I tried several arrangements, but it still feels off. Let’s see.”

After a time period that Twilight would describe as eternity, they solved all the troubled details of the ceremony and Golden Scepter left, his spirits lifted and his joy of life restored. Twilight on the other hoof fluffed up her pillow and resumed her previous position, happily returning to her reading.

The tortoise is a ground-living creature. It is impossible to live nearer the ground without being under it. Its horizons are a few inches away. It has about as good a turn of speed-

As hooves again resounded on the sand of the path, Twilight made an oath to herself she would treat the newcomer with a smile on her face and readiness to help in her heart. That presented a real challenge as the pony turned out to be the royal seamstress,

“Good morning, Ms. Twilight. I am glad I found you. We need your measurements for the new dress.”

“Wait, what new dress? And didn’t you take my measurements last week?”

“The one for the ceremony next week, of course!” the seamstress looked at Twilight as if she grew a second head at that moment, which Twilight promptly returned, only the head she face was immeasurably more ugly. The seamstress didn’t mind though, so Twilight didn’t count is as a breach of her oath. “As for measuring you, it is best to keep everything updated at all times. One can gain weight really easily in the palace!”

“You must have some relatives in Ponyville.” Twilight stood up to allow the seamstress do her job, although she didn’t see much point in it. She could have used one of her Hexarete robes just as well for the ceremony and the dress would resemble it anyway. Few ciphers marked down later, she started analysing what the seamstress told her and came to an unpleasant result. “Did you just call me fat?”

Eventually even this chore was over and Twilight returned to the pillow, much more promptly than the first time. By acting fast she unconsciously wished to prevent anypony from interrupting again.

The tortoise is a ground-living creature. It is impossible to live nearer the ground without being under it. Its horizons are a few inches away. It has about as good a turn of speed as you need to hunt down a lettuce. It has survived while the rest of evolution flowed past it-

“Good morning, Twilight!”

And her wish remained unheard. She just couldn’t read for a while, could she? She didn’t even hear any hoofsteps this time; the intruder must have been hiding nearby and waited till she would settle down! Her patience ran out. She jumped up and flared her wings wide.

“Can’t I have at least few minutes for myself?!” she shouted at such volume that few petals fell off the blooming tree. “I spent the week running around, solving one crisis after another, helping whoever needed assistance and teaching constantly, because ponies don’t seem to learn on their own! All I ask is a calm Sunday when I can lay down and read a good book! If you came because of that ceremony next week then- WARRRGARRB!”

Words couldn’t describe Twilight’s surprise when a stream of water hit her right in the face, threatening to drown her and stealing her sight from her. She reared her head back and turned away to avoid it, all the time flailing her forelegs wildly. Only faintly could she hear a familiar voice nearby: “What a drama. You should really take some classes in angry monologuing.”

Soon the stream died down and Twilight could push her drenched main from her eyes. As she was regaining her composure, she confirmed Trixie was standing few feet from her, a picnic basket by her feet.

“Let’s try again. Good morning, Twilight!”

“What was that for?” Although Twilight was scowling with passion, Trixie didn’t seem affected at all, repaying her with a sweet smile. Too sweet to be innocent.

“Oh, well your mane was catching ablaze from your flaming, so I decided to put you out.”

They stood there for a few seconds, Trixie keeping her smile up and Twilight heaving a little, head slightly lowered. Then they both broke to gallop.

“Just wait till I catch you! I will- garrbbbllele- stop that!” Twilight yelled and took a sharp turn after Trixie who was giggling madly.

“Then hurry!” Trixie shouted over her shoulder. “I don’t have the whole eternity!”

More than willing to obey, Twilight was giving chase with all her energy, closing the distance constantly, her longer legs giving her more speed. Trixie knew that as well and tried to compensate with litheness, taking sharp turns at every occasion. Sand and small pebbles were flying from her hooves, but the neither the smoke screen, nor the zigzagging would rid her of the pursuer.

Twilight was about to tackle her opponent when Trixie jumped directly against a pedestal of a statue at a crossing. Twilight thought for sure Trixie would smash against the stone, and her brain refused to register the following events at first as Trixie spinning in the air, bouncing from the pedestal and floating over Twilight’s head clashed harshly with her understanding of reality. Not to mention that with another water blast in her face she wasn’t in the best position to comprehend.

When she regained her stability and bearings, Trixie had already vanished behind a corner and mostly likely the next one too. Twilight was at the loss for a few seconds, before an instinct made her shake water from her feathers. The answer was painfully obvious; she took flight in an instant.

From up above the gardens looked just as beautiful as from the ground. Twilight traced intricate patterns created by the flower beds and if she soared a bit higher, she would notice a deep hexagonal symmetry. But she wasn’t after the skills of the gardeners and architects. She sought only one fleeing blue unicorn and she spotted her very soon. Trixie was not giving up on her speed, putting as much distance between her and the place of the last encounter as possible, but that wouldn’t save her now.

While ponies weren’t created as predators and never needed to hunt down prey, they were quick learners and you couldn’t tell a difference between the flight pattern of skilled pegasus and a hawk. Or an angry purple alicorn and eagle descending upon a rabbit.

“Hey! No fair!” Trixie whimpered as she was struck down and turned over to rest on her back. Twilight was towering over her, forelegs resting gently but firmly on Trixie’s, a victorious grin gracing her lips. She bowed her head down to gaze upon her defeated opponent better.

“All is fair in love and war,” she said, great satisfaction underlining her tone. Her confidence diminished a little when Trixie gave her a quizzical look, coking her head a little.

“All’s fair you say?” Trixie shot forward, kissing Twilight on the tip of the muzzle lightly. Then she giggled and teleported away.

“Y-yeah,” Twilight said to nopony, touching her muzzle with a hoof, “but which one was this?”

There was no point in stalling around; she could have just as easily returned to her reading place, although with so many interruption she doubted she would get in the groove anymore. That’s why she wasn’t exactly hurrying, When she made it back the arrangements of her spot had changed. Her pillow was moved to the side and instead of it a blanket rested on the ground, tea cups and a kettle on one side and sandwiches on the other.

“I brought some lunch. Come sit down,” Trixie said from her lying position, gesturing to the opposite side. The nonchalance of that statement disarmed Twilight to such extend that she simply obeyed. “What got you so worked up back then?”

“You mean apart from everypony seeking me on Sunday and you soaking my coat?”

“I mean that ceremony part.”

“Oh that.” Twilight rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. Honestly, she was ashamed of her behavior, and even though she would never admit it, she found Trixie’s actions justified. That being said, she had a good reason to be on edge as well. “It’s just that everypony has been reminding me of that ceremony all the time and I can’t stop thinking about the consequences.”

“What consequences should appointing few officers have? It will help us with organization if anything.”

Twilight took a sip of the tea Trixie poured for her. “It’s not the appointing that worries me. It’s what will most likely happen during the banquet afterwards. Have you read the report from the docks? The airship fleet was finished for the most part. With the new generals there will be nothing stopping us from venturing to Wastelands and Cadance knows it.”

“So you are worried she will urge us to fulfill the promise,” Trixie said with her mouth full of sandwich, crumbs falling out occasionally. One got caught on her fur and Twilight reached forward, brushing it away. “Eating with closed mouth is overrated. Anyway, you must have known this would come. We agreed the demand was reasonable counter-value and that it corresponded with our goals for the most part.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean I like it. Killing so many… Cadance just wants them all gone. It’s not right. I don’t think I can do it”

“Canvas will disagree with this too. For more reasons than one.”

They ate in silence for a while, contemplating the matter at hoof. The free day turned sour for Twilight. Once again she learnt that if you play hide and seek with problems, you should be the one seeking, or else you always lose. At least her company was pleasant and she didn’t have to worry alone anymore.

“I will do it.”

Twilight looked up in confusion, her train of thoughts disrupted by that sudden sentence. Trixie was facing her still smiling, but there was pain in the smile and Twilight knew she was serious.

“I will do it,” Trixie repeated, sighing as if she laid down a heavy burden. “If you can’t, then I will. We mustn’t lose Cadance’s support, and even though I share your animosity toward the task, I will follow through. I can deal with it.”

It was a sacrifice. Trixie never showed much interest in fighting in the first place. It didn’t suit her Elements at all since solving matters peacefully and to mutual satisfaction always surpassed violence. At the same time though, sometimes there was no other way and she knew it.

“Thank you,” Twilight whispered with a weak smile.

“Don’t mention it. At least till Friday.” Trixie shifted in her spot a little, getting more comfortable, and her face underwent a metamorphosis into its previous cheerful state. “So. What was it you read when I arrived?”

“The first paragraph for the third time,” Twilight quipped, earning a small shower over her head. “Alright, I get it. It’s a comical adventurous novel from a series I picked up lately.”

“Sweet! Would you care if I joined?”

“Go ahead.”

With the permission Trixie didn’t waste any time, flashing her horn and teleporting to Twilight’s side, the pillow appearing underneath them at the same time. She leaned against Twilight and propped her head on Twilight’s shoulder. “All set, you can start reading,” she chirped with a giggle.

Twilight was sure that her cheeks were burning at the moment, but sooner the world would freeze before she would make a move to change the arrangements. She levitated the book in front of her eyes again and cleared her throat.

“The tortoise is a ground-living creature. It is impossible to live nearer the ground without being under it. Its horizons are a few inches away. It has about as good a turn of speed as you need to hunt down a lettuce. It has survived while the rest of evolution flowed past it by being, on the whole, no threat to anyone and too much trouble to eat.”

The sun had long since vanished behind the horizon, stars coldly gazing from the clear sky above. Somewhere behind the houses a brook was bubbling away, having descended from the mountainside just behind the walls. It was getting cold and the wind drove the remaining fallen leaves across the courtyard with the sound of thousand angry snakes. Nobody lingered around anymore, the barracks far away across most of the areal. They got chased away by the bleak evening of early December, but one figure wouldn’t stop even if the space was filled with actual snakes.

Gilda expected the place to be forlorn and it suited her plans perfectly, but not meeting a single soldier the entire way from the barracks made her rather angry. Did those fools really think that as the season changed they wouldn’t need to train anymore? The chill and snow would make them rusty by the spring and she would surpass them all.

Adjusting the leather harnesses holding her heavy sword between her wings and pulling her cloak closer to her body, she started across the courtyard a one storey building with a jagged crest on the top of the roof’s slope. Two torches marked the entrance, the only sources of light around.

She opened the bronze door with no trouble; they never locked that house, everybody having an open access to it. That is, anybody who dared. Very few would ever visit this place, not just trainees, even most of the officers feeling strong apprehension to what it hid. The word had it that beating that training would earn you at least a lieutenant rank. Gilda didn’t yearn a promotion. She came for a challenge.

Once the door shut close behind her, the warmth of the room enveloped her, gentle and welcoming. Deep inside she felt as if the house was greeting her, being happy about receiving a visitor after such a long time. Fire was humming away in two fireplaces on the longer sides of the room under the first-floor gallery supported by evenly spaced out rectangular wooden pillars reaching to the ceiling. The beams of the roof were exposed to the eye, illuminated with lampions

Gilda walked slowly across the polished floor, looking around at the walls decorated with wallpaper the shade of reed and wondering how the device would work in such conditions. She would probably find out when the time was right. The door opposing the entrance led her into a much smaller room, a set of levers on the other wall immediately drawing her attention. This must have been the startup mechanism of the device.

To her knowledge, each lever would release the brakes of one figurine, while turning the wooden circle operated floodgates redirecting the brook she heard earlier to flow under the building and set the device in motion. Since this was the first time she would try, she pulled down half of the levers and turned the circle halfway as well. She could always increase the difficulty if she found the exercise too easy.

First the swiveling of water disrupted the silence in the house, but few seconds later it was drowned in wooden clatter of gears moving under the floor. Everything was ready. Gilda removed her cloak and folded it by the levers and again checked the harnesses; a soldier who wasn’t at all times certain of his equipment was fated to die.

She returned to the main room and found it completely changed. A number of doors opened in the formerly compact walls although Gilda didn’t notice any grooves on them previously. Wooden figurines had ridden out from their closets and were drifting all over the room led by rails on the ground, curving and spidering all over the room. Each figurine had a weapon affixed to it and was swinging or rotating it thanks to a clockwork inside and Gilda would swear she spotted darker stains on the edges. In shape the figurines resembled various races from ponies and griffons to minotaurs and everything inbetween. Some even simulated flying opponents, rising and descending on their riding pole in seemingly random intervals.

Now she understood why nobody rushed to train here. Even though the weapons of the figurines were only wooden replicas, getting hit by them could and would cause a very painful injury. She watched the figurines dance around the room for a while, seeking some pattern in the movement. There must have been one, but the cycle probably exceeded her imagination. The engineers of old who assembled the device centuries ago must have made a lot of effort.

She pulled her sword from the sheath and held it in front of her in a greeting, using her wings to balance herself on her paws. Then as a convenient moment presented itself she charged into the room, getting herself right in the middle of the fray.

The untraceable paths of the figurines were meant to simulate the chaos of battle. Griffon soldiers usually trained on various obstacle courses, but that could only teach them particular maneuvers or sequences at best. In the battle they would hardly ever have the luxury of easily readable situation, having to improvise in split second. The device had a potential to teach them just that.

She decided to see just how agile she had gotten first, opting to dodge the attack rather than blocking them, using the sword only as a counterweight in pirouettes. The figurines were moving a bit slower than live combatants would, providing her with enough time to position herself properly for every attack. At least for a while.

As she was just getting warmed up, the speed of the figurines began increasing. She didn’t notice at first, her skill providing her with enough reserves to compensate without even knowing. Soon though dodging became more difficult, forcing her to sidestep constantly and sometimes throw herself into a roll.

“Alright, those cunning bastards built in an automatic speed-up. Pretty nice, but I can speed up too! Let’s see how you handle my sword!”

Wood met metal in a dull thud and Gilda pushed herself from away from the assailant. She had trained with many masters, surpassing her not only in skill, but mainly in physical strength, so she understood some attacks couldn’t be repelled or even stopped. These figurines amounted to just that kind of opponents.

While they didn’t pose a problem at the beginning, Gilda soon found out the rails had also another purpose apart from leading the figurines. They were making her consider every step if she didn’t want to sprain her ankle. Along with the increasing tempo of the encounter it was challenging her to give the fight her all.

Heaving a bit from the furious combat, Gilda was about to fight her way out of the room, when the clattering from below now in the rhythm of a speeding train was suddenly joined with scouring of wooden panels shuffled away. She spared a glance around and to her horror found the open door on the wall in twice the density than before. The second half of the figurines had joined the fun.

The real struggle had began. The cycle led few of her opponents away from her for a second, letting her catch her breath a little, but they were soon back and twice as furious. She was swinging her sword in all directions, recalling every lesson she had taken, while at the same time constantly changed position and sneaked among the figurines. Several times she attempted to take flight, but always encountered the problem of limited space, having to retract her wings back.

So far she suffered only few lighter hits, which wouldn’t cause any major damage even if the weapons were made of metal. However, she couldn’t tell how long luck would stay with her. They said that device simulated a fierce battle, but Gilda knew better. It was much worse than anything you could get into on the battlefield, because foes, however tough, could be killed. The figurines just kept coming!

They were still gaining speed! Now they rivaled the quickest of fighters Gilda had seen and it still wasn’t all. The noise turned almost into a deafening buzz. They swarmed her like killer hornets and were still getting closer, pressing her into desperate defense. Why were they so mean to her? She was having trouble enough and they still wished her more pain. They wouldn’t just let her go. She needed shelter and they kept attacking.

Sweat was flowing in her eyes and her drenched hair kept blinding her. Over the combined curtain she watched her foes with something she hadn’t felt for ages. Fear. The figurines’ uniform faces shifted and assumed looks of ponies. She had seen all of them before, in reality and in nightmares. The angry faces she met in Ponyville. They pressed her and scorned in her time of need, It wasn’t her fault! She wanted rest, not their hatred! Bastards! Kicking a dying one! The fear had moulded into anger.

“RAAAARGH!” She grabbed the sword in both talons and charged the closest figurine, countering its blow with such force that the wooden weapon broke in half. “I asked for help! You could have just refused!” Another figurine splintered, losing its head along with its spear. “Harmony and friendship! Kind pretty ponies! Fuck you all!”

Rage was coursing through her veins and she was more than willing to let it loose. Wood chips were flying in all directions and soon the path to freedom opened, but she had no intention to flee anymore. Every single one would pay.

One of the ‘flying’ ones neared her, holding a flail in its hooves. Blue hooves, violet eyes and multicolored mane. The one who turned her back on Gilda. “You are gonna die!” She jumped and in one hit cut off both the wooden wings. Then she tackled the maimed figurine so hard the riding pole snapped. She raised the sword high up and beheaded the figurine. She didn’t have time to celebrate the victory as she sensed another presence behind her. Reflexively she swung from a half-pirouette and was met with a metal clash.

“My, my. Just as furious as the first day I see. I must say, I am impressed. You have beaten the device. LIterally.”

Gilda jumped back from the newcomer, gazing angrily into his golden eyes. All griffons were carnivores, but from this one’s gaze you could tell he prefered to kill his food with his own beak. She actually saw him do that on several occasions. Today she wasn’t feeling like a prey though.

“Was it you who turned this monstrosity to max?” She reared on her paws again and lifted the sword above her right shoulder. In return the newcomer spinned his black steel battle staff few times and assumed a stance as well. The blades on the end of the staff looked razor sharp.

“Why of course. You don’t think there are any ghosts in this house, do you? Although some fools died here, that’s true. Those unworthy of passing the test.”

“You don’t say.” They charged at the same time and their weapons collided.

Gilda woke up from her light sleep. Not that she was rested, but it’s hard to sleep when you are shivering from cold. She sat up in her nest of cardboard boxes and old rags and looked around. Yep, still the same dirty alley she had been sleeping in for a while. Since she returned from Equestria, to be precise.

“What was I thinking anyway? That everything would be okay there? That she would feed me? Gilda, you idiot!”

She wasted the last of her money on the journey to Ponyville. At flight school, Rainbow Dash was her best friend. They promised each other, they would forever have each other’s back. Pubertal mushy nonsense. Unless that was Rainbow’s opinion of having someone’s back. In that case, sooner or later her new friends were in for a nasty surprise. They would find out on their own though and they would deserve it.

Her stomach rumbled loudly. Oh yes, she hadn’t eaten in a day or two. “Damn you, I don’t need reminders.” She got up and brushed some of the dirt away from her coat and feathers. Her wings needed preening, but in her current state she wouldn’t manage flight anyway.

She had been in a lot of trouble before the way to Ponyville already. Finding job posed a horrible problem in the Griffon Kingdom and for a low class hen like Gilda, it was nigh impossible. Most would opt for marriage, but without means to prove her lineage, that path was closed too. Ponyville sounded like a good idea, but when it turned out a dead end, everything got even worse. She barely saved enough money to get back to her homeland, but that was about it. Nobody cared if you died in a gutter in the Griffon Kingdom. It was how it should be.

Leaving the nest behind, fully intent on killing anyone who would try to occupy it in her absence, she began her stroll through the streets. For some time after her return she tried to look for job again, going to every business with a ‘staff needed’ sign on the door, but to no avail. Eventually, she gave up and concentrated on pure survival. That included finding out where to feed when necessary.

She pressed her way through the crowded streets, asserting herself against the passer-bys when necessary. You needed sharp elbows if you lived in the streets. The day was grey and hostile just like the griffons around her and the city itself. The kingdom had seen better days. The dumpsters were never empty though.

She turned into another alley and neared one she knew would contain left-overs from a nearby restaurant. When she lifted the lid and was about the search through the garbage, she heard steps behind her.

“Bon appetite, if possible. I can’t imagine that fulfilling though.”

She turned quickly and gazed at the griffon in the entrance of the alley. She briefly noticed his purely black coat mostly hidden by a grey military tunic, but his golden eyes drew her attention like a magnet. Murder was written in them and they taunted her, something that couldn’t go unanswered?”

“Why don’t you just fuck off?” she shouted angrily and took a step toward him.

“Well, I was about to give you some money for a proper meal. You need it, you know.” Gilda found herself moving forward still and her mouth started salivating. Could it be that somebody would help her? Of course not. That smirk on his face said it clearly enough. As did his words. “But since you have no manners, I want something in return. You must beg.”

She wouldn’t. She didn’t beg Rainbow for help despite being friends and she definitely would give this bastard that pleasure. Griffons would keep their honor in all situations, even if it meant starvation. She spat on the ground and turned back to the dumpster.

“I honestly thought you would do so, such a pitiful creature.” She was ignoring him, searching through the bags for anything at least remotely edible. He wouldn’t bug off though. “It’s no loss for me though. To humiliate someone, they must be worth something first. Not like a stray dog.”

She clenched her talons in the dumpster. She reached the rock bottom and it still wasn’t enough. They wouldn’t let her slowly die, they would point at her and laugh. She had enough.

“Stray dogs bite!” she shouted and pushing herself up with her paws, she started into the air and directly at that demon-eyed griffon. She savored the moment when his face lost the haughty expression and turned into surprise. Her claws cut into his tunic and even though she didn’t pierce quite through, she still tackled him.

Her luck ended there though. She was weakened from malnourishment and this griffon belonged to military. He quickly threw her off him and after dodging several of her swings he pinned her to the ground.

“Look at that. So you aren’t broken yet after all. I am impressed.”

She was thrashing around under his claws, but nothing came from that. She was slowly going limb. “Let go, you nasty bastard!” She tried to peck him her beak, but he just slid his talon a bit further. “Let go!”

“Firstly, my name is captain Onyx Blaze of Royal Versatile Force, not ‘nasty bastard’” He pressed her neck with one talon, cutting her from air. Her lunges soon began to burn. “Secondly,” he continued in a satisfied tone, “letting you go would do you no good at all.”

Black and red spots were dancing in front of her eyes. The end was near. Over the haze she could still make out the griffon though and it seemed two more were approaching. The Onyx Fire turned his attention to them and beckoned them closer. “Bring her to the barracks and treat her.” Then Gilda blacked out.

Blow after blow they were trading and danced all over the room. The maimed figurines were still riding all around them, bound to their rails. Neither one paid them any mind. They had their opponent and the combat was all they cared for.

“I’m not a broken stray dog anymore!” Gilda shouted when they parted for a moment, measuring the opponent and deciding further strategy. That staff gained a lot of fame among the soldiers, almost the same amount as its bearer. According to some rumors, the blade could turn around to point in right angle with the handle. Not just thanks to that was Onyx Fire nicknamed Reaper. For those who failed, the entrance combat exam of Royal Versatile Force turned into a fight to death.

“I know. You weren’t back then either. That’s why I picked you up from the streets. Now give it all!”

They sparred for a while, circling each other and seeking for an opening. Using sharp weapons, they had to rely on the reflexes of the other one to stop the blade before delivering a killing blow. The steel was ringing and the number of rails on the ground was rising.

“Tell you what,” Onyx Fire shouted when he parried another of Gilda’s furious attacks and made her back away. “Whoever loses will take the responsibility for this mess by the superiors.”

Gilda wiped the sweat from her eyes and swirled her sword, to relax her wrist. “Why would you bother with that? I went here on my own.”

“Somebody has to keep saving you, Gilda. Besides-” he spread his wings and took to the air at lightning speed, “-losing is not my style anyway!”

The bars of the cell slid to the side and Gilda shot up from her bed, saluting to the prison guard officer in front of her. Getting punished for breaking rules didn’t mean she was exempt from them during that period.

“The summons arrived, private. Follow me.”

“Yes, sir!” Gilda walked out of the cell and kept one step behind the guard, marching briskly. She didn’t glance left or right even when some of her friends came in sight. Until she would face her punishment, she couldn’t count herself to the other soldiers at all.

Over her two years of training she had grown really fond of the place. The training camp she was brought to initially against her will gradually became her flock. At first she simply appreciated having more food than just enough to survive and a warm place to sleep. But as the rhythm of the military life drilled into her mind, she started enjoying the exercise and cherish the skills she gained as well as friends.

They reached the office of disciplinary officer and the guard pointed at them. “You are expected. Go right in.”

“Yes, sir!” Gilda opened the door and marched in, the guard taking care of closing them. A sand yellow hen was sitting behind the table, her grey tunic sporting an orange strip on the right sleeve, an insignia of Disciplinary Force. A file cabinet taking one entire wall was the only piece of furniture making company to the writing table. “Private Gilda reporting in, ma’am!”

“Very well. I suppose you know why you were brought here.”

“Yes, ma’am. I used excessive force against three other trainees in a skirmish yesterday. The ferocity of my attack was not adequate for the training combat and I failed to stop once they were defeated.” She had constant trouble with temper and knew well just where it could lead. She lost herself in the blaze of combat and her friends got harmed. They wanted to write it off as an accident, not keeping a grudge against her, but she insisted on reporting the whole incident.

“I take it you admit your guilt then. That’s surprising.”

“It is my duty to take responsibility for my mistakes, ma’am! I am ready to bear consequences of my lack of discipline.”

“Good to hear that. They will teach you discipline alright where you are headed.” The hen got up from her table and handed Gilda an envelope. “Normally, you would be given two weeks detention and reduction of allowance. If the injuries wouldn’t heal in time, it could lead to expelling you from the training too.” She paused for a second to read Gilda’s reaction. Gilda’s poker face must have had flaws since the hen nodded with satisfied smile. “That’s beyound the point though as an official request arrived this morning. Captain Onyx Fire himself asked to be put in charge of your disciplination. According to him your performance in the combat was extraordinary and should be developed further. You are therefore assigned to his unit. Report to him immediately.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am!” She left the room without letting any emotions show. Deep inside though, two particular ones were waging war - an elation that the famous captain Onyx Fire wanted to train her and a rage caused by the old memory of him.

“What would you do if I didn’t mess up that skirmish?” Now the pillars had scratches on them too, the two combatants holding nothing back. What little remained of the figurines after Gilda’s rampage now lay in splinters. If the house wasn’t soundproof, they would have drawn attention of the whole base.

“I would have bribed somebody to get hurt intentionally. Or maybe I would taunt you again.” He swung the staff at Gilda’s left shoulder and as she moved to parry, he reversed the swing and let the other end attack from the right and below. She just barely managed to jump away. “My, you are slowing down. Tired already?”

“Hey! It wasn’t you who danced with those figurines for eternity!”

“Making excuses, aren’t we? Not to mention that you should call me captain at all times.”

“You should talk less and concentrate on defence!” She stroke in the opening presented to her, aiming at his left wing. Too late did she realise it was a trap, leaving herself exposed to a hit. The blunt side of the blade collided with her side and threw her through the air. She regained control though with use of her wings and flew against Onyx Fire again, hits of her heavy sword raining down on him.

His smile was unnerving her. She had the upper talon at the moment, pushing him deep in the defense, yet he still smiled. She bombarded the staff from left and right, not leaving him no time to attack himself. He didn't have any trouble parrying all the blows though.

She couldn’t go on for much longer. Putting some distance between them, she caught her breath and weighed her options. She saw no other option than to deliver one final blow with all her might. If it wouldn’t work, she would be defeated. And he was still smiling! She gained speed, holding the sword ready above her right shoulder, and swung down.

He did flinch a single bit as the staff fell to the ground from his talons. It clinked against the floor and remained lying by his paws.

“You better pick that up, you cheater!” Gilda shouted angrily, face only few inches from his.

“Whatever do you mean? Your attack disarmed me. I am defeated.”

“No you are not! You dropped it on purpose!”

“Are you suggesting that a captain of Royal Versatile Force would give up a duel? Don’t be ridiculous.” He let himself drop to all four and returned the staff to its harness on his back. “Now if you excuse me, I have to go see the superiors about the damage inflicted to the device because of me.”

Gilda stared after him as he slowly walked toward the door. Despite the furious battle they had waged, he looked in a pretty good condition, judging by the spring in his step. She put the sword back into the sheath and looked around. The damage inflicted would surpass her yearly salary. By a lot. That dulled her anger caused by ‘winning’ a little.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Onyx Fire shouted, standing already in the door. “You better put your equipment in perfect state. Versatile Force got new assignment - a small unit will accompany ambassador to the domain of lunar princess. You are in. See you later!”

“But I… How can I… I haven’t even finished training yet!”

He didn’t even slow down his pace across the courtyard, only glancing over his shoulder. Gilda would have sworn he was smirking and mockingly raising eyebrows, but the darkness made it hard to tell.. “Why, whatever do you mean, lieutenant Gilda?”

“Are you comfortable, father? Shouldn’t I bring you another blanket?”

“Thank you, Pine, but with another there would be no more place in the armchair for me.”

“Oh. Uhm maybe some tea then? I could prepare some in a jiffy!”

Sequoia had to smile at the insistent willingness of his son to fulfill every need of the older stallion. It started on the gallows already, Pine letting him lean against his side for the whole journey home. He would have carried his father on his back if Sequoia allowed it, but that would have only put unnecessary strain on him.

From that point Sequoia was centre of attention of the whole household. Food would be served when he got hungry, the house went quiet when he went to bed, his every single wish became a sacred command. Everything to alleviate his suffering. As if he was some sort of martyr. He felt deep guilt for that. He was the last pony in the world they should have cared for and organized their lives to accommodate to. He caused his fall himself and dragged them all good way down with him.

They didn’t see it though. All they wanted was to please him, rejoicing he was returned to them. While he somewhat expected that from his son, he never guessed just how liked he was among the staff. Then again, while he used to never forget their lower social standing, he also never abused them or made them feel inferior without a good reason. Sometimes that was all the ponies needed to stay content.

Before that whole affair, he would have let them fret around him all they wanted. But his views changed considerably, the factual loss of noble title playing only minor role. He lost his illusion of omniscience and omnipotence and knew for certain that those around him were by no means worse being than him, mostly actually much better. That’s why they deserved care too.

“I still have some left, it will be enough,” he said softly, showing his son the cup.

“Then maybe a sandwich? I could-”

“Pine!” The slight emphasis on that word halted the younger stallion’s offers and made him stiffen a little, which Sequoia didn’t intend at all. He sighed and lifted himself from the armchair to hug his son. “Pine, I appreciate your attention, but shouldn’t you get some rest too? You have barely left my side the past week. You must be exhausted.”

“Oh, that’s nothing at all, father. I can manage.”

“So can I, surely for the evening at least. Go get some sleep, you need it.”

“If you are sure you don’t need anything else..” Pine reluctantly made his way toward the door where he stopped and turned back again. “You shouldn’t stay up much longer. You still haven’t recovered fully.”

Sequoia chuckled at that; it wasn’t that long ago when he was the one making sure Pine went to bed in time. How the roles could change in few years… “Don’t worry, Pine, I will go to sleep soon.”

“Alright. Goodnight, father.”

“Goodnight, son. I love you.”

As the door closed quietly, Pine making sure not to disturb his father at all, Sequoia returned to his armchair and slumped in limply. It was the high time, he wouldn’t have been able to fight the weakness much longer. As he relaxed the dizziness broke loose and drugged his mind into a turmoil of pain and confusion.

He was sitting still, only his contorted face betraying the suffering he was going through. He was waiting patiently for it to go away on its own as he knew it would. This wasn’t the first seizure of this kind; the first one, fairly short and weak, appeared the fourth day after he was pardoned. Since they they were growing in intensity and length alike. He wasn’t plagued by them without a reason - they were meant to remind him that his time was limited.

The pain subsided slowly and senses returned back to his consciousness. He was still sitting in his armchair among se had brought for him over the past few days. Fire was still calmly humming in the hearth and several lamps were bathing the study in a soft warm light. He breathed a sigh of relief. This seizure was the longest one so far and toward the end he worried he misjudged his possibilities. He almost did.

That night before his execution pain and void of his loss were taken away from him and replaced him clarity. He didn’t understand the purpose of it back then, but as they came for him in the morning to lead him to the gallows, he clearly saw the fault of his ways and damage he caused to those around him. Nothing was hindering his mind anymore and the serenity and acceptance of his guilt would then win him Celestia’s pardon. That would only delay the inevitable though.

Through the pardon his wish was granted and he got to see Blueblood’s downfall. While he experienced some satisfaction from the rightful punishment of that snobby unicorn, as did most of the ponies in Canterlot, although they wouldn’t openly admit it from fear of being seen as Hexarete Front supporters, Sequoia quickly realised that although he had yearned for it, revenge wouldn’t appease his heart.

At that moment the wisdom of his mistress manifested and along with what he wanted he was granted what he unknowingly needed the most - a chance to mend what could have been mended. His madness didn’t return right after he read the articles about Blueblood’s dramatic demise, nor did he succumbed to the depression after he heard several friends express their delight with it. He had time and he was bent on using it wisely.

Tomorrow would mark one week since his cancelled execution and Sequoia could say with clean conscience that he spent every second of that time to the best of his ability. His foolish attempt at overthrowing Celestia transpired without much preparation and his personal affairs had been left in complete mess. Trade partners needed to be contacted and the trades reestablished, Pine would become the new owner and manager of family endeavors and the old hassles would be quenched.

He sorted out the items on his table, bringing forth several papers. Contracts, property deeds, transfers, they still required his signature and since he couldn’t perform the same calligraphy he used to, he would add the family wax seal. He performed that action so many times recently, it didn’t even pose a strain for him.

While the wax was cooling, he scooped the remaining records into a black file and taking it in his teeth carefully he carried it to the library housing many more, the long history of the house described with numbers and old names inside them. Since he was already by the library wall, he couldn’t fight the temptation of a hidden cabinet housing a bottle of very old whiskey. He had been saving it, only pouring a glass at special occasions - his marriage, birth of his son, founding of Dominion and such. That day would definitely count.

Thankfully, a convenient glass was already present at the table, so he didn’t have to make another journey back to the cabinet. Over the short time he had lived without magic, he grew to appreciate how much the other races managed to do with such unfit appendages as hooves, not to mention mouths. Every activity became a strain and he was getting annoying cramps in his neck muscles.

He poured himself a hefty glass, briefly considering venturing to the kitchen for ice, but then assumed beverage of this quality could only suffer from additions. Taking a sip, he wallowed it in his mouth for a few seconds, savouring the velvet texture and full taste. It was heavy on the tongue, with undertones of honey and oaken wood, containing the patience of years since it was brewed. But behind all of this the sharpness of alcohol wouldn’t be dulled, sending the burn through his veins. Just like in his mind, the calm currents were hiding a thorn.

The last batch of papers finally reached the state at which they could have been piled on each other. With the table now almost empty, it was time to deal with one more letter. He grabbed the quill in his hoof and began carefully writing. That one needed to look impeccable, it was for his son.

Aside from all he managed over the week, the biggest gift from his mistress was the time he got to spend with his son. Why he had never taken a break from work to enjoy his company, he didn’t quite understand. Maybe it had something to do with how they had divided tasks in the family; his wife would raise their son while Sequoia would support them materially. He should have taken both roles when his wife passed away all those years ago. On the other hoof, would he do such a good job as the tutors? He wasn’t sure.

Either way, the last week counted to the happiest in his life. Both father and son were suddenly confronted with the very real possibility of never getting the chance of speaking to each other again, and took that experience as a warning and incentive. They would sit for hours, recalling old memories and probably for the very first time getting to know each other. While he always thought highly about his son, Sequoia became genuinely fond of the fine stallion his offspring grew into.

At the same time hit feeling of guilt for his unbecoming deed was fed with the same fondness. How could he pursue his personal gain with such abandon and inconsideration for his son? Pine deserved much better, not suffering. That was why Sequoia had to follow through that day.

Pine would probably argue otherwise, claiming that Sequoia was no burden at all and that he would gladly take care of him, but Pine didn’t know the full truth. He would learn first from the letter that there was no help for his father. The surges of dizziness told Sequoia that his relief from the madness he lived with in the prison would return soon, that the mercy was only temporary. It would flood him again and throw him into a vortex of pain and darkness. The being carrying the name of Sequoia Crown would vanish.

Sequoia’s eyes roamed around the dimmed room, stopping at various objects around as he drank his second glass. Portrait of his wife was hanging above the fireplace, smiling at him eternally from the palace gardens of years ago. Richly carved and inlaid black pendulum clock ticked quietly on the opposite wall, showing half past ten. Aside from the business records, he kept a huge supply of books in his study; sometimes he would have pause in his work and read few pages of random volume. He wondered whether Pine would keep using the study. Hopefully it wouldn’t be bound with bad memories for him. The room always consoled, it didn’t intend to sadden.

It was time. He would rather take his body with him, than to leave it behind as a living husk, and even though he was certain of his fate, he prefered it to madness. He retrieved an old griffon dagger from a drawer. It was never meant to be more than decoration, what with its golden hilt and amethysts for eyes of the eagle it depicted, but the artisan sharpened it all the same. Third glass was poured before he grabbed the hilt with his mouth and drew the blade along the vein on his left forehoof.

For a few moments he watched the blood rise from his fur, slowly streaming down his hoof and falling to the carpet. He briefly worried about the servant, to whom he added work, but Pine would surely compensate them. He let his hoof be, ignoring the small amount of pain it was causing him and picked the glass with his other hoof. In the little light escaping from the huge windows he noticed brighter specks. The first snow of the season was falling. The winter was coming, for Equestria and for him. He shivered slightly, but his worries were drifting away. He did the right thing and could rest. He needed to as well as he was becoming very drowsy.

When he woke up, he was no longer in his armchair. There was no hurry with getting up as nopony was rushing him and the sleepiness still reigned in his mind. Slowly he noticed he was lying on tall grass and that the discomfort of his hurt hoof remained a distant echo. Generally he was feeling more whole than in a long time. As if he didn’t even…

His hoof shot up to his forehead, but recalling the spikes of pain such reckless behavior brought to him in the past, he touched his horn very tentatively. His fear turned out unfounded as his horn indeed adorned his head in all its spiralling beauty. The confusion and giddiness at that were soon washed away with the memory of the last moments, providing the explanation. Apparently, afterlife had some perks even for him.

He briefly considered staying where he lay, feeling comfortable and safe among the rustling straws, but his sense of duty soon won over. He would face whatever awaited him. They would have come for him soon anyway.

As he picked himself up and rubbed the rest of sleep from his eyes, he found the grassy field stretched in all directions to good distance, waving in the pale light of stars above. They looked much brighter than those in Equestria and he watched in awe the meteorite showers, nebulas and galaxies above his head. In one direction though the stars dimmed compared to glow emanating from something on the ground. Sequoia chose it as his destination.

He walked in a relaxed tempo, never being one for sports. The grass was caressing him as he traveled to his destination and the wind seemed to whisper old tales, although he just barely couldn’t understand the words. As he drew closer, the source of light revealed itself to be a huge statue holding a glowing orb in its hooves. Even from the distance it breathed the air of majesty and honor. If a mere statue woke so much emotions, how would he have react to the being it depicted? He was certain the mere presence would diminish him to dust and he wouldn’t even mind.

White walls of much cleaner alabaster than Canterlot could ever dream of surrounded the base of the statue and he soon noticed a gate just in front of him. It stood open, as if asking him in, although if his assumption about the place was correct, he didn’t think that privilege belonged to him.

The proximity of the gate urged him forward, his steps quickening to trot He left an overwhelming desire to get there, as if everything depended only on that. He couldn’t fight it and honestly didn’t want to, breaking into gallop. The walls grew with every second in his vision, much quicker than they had any right to based on his speed. His desire drew them closer.

Slowly he noticed a figure standing in the middle of the gate. Their head was hung low and they seemed curled into themselves. Slowly he discerned more of their features, spotting a dull ring above their head, barely touching a long unicorn horn. Their body shared the coloration and seemingly the texture of the walls, and they kept their eyes shut, as if they slumbered or wandered in the depths of their mind. Sequoia needed to meet them. He needed to feel their gaze upon him!

He galloped on, not feeling any strain from the movement and increasing the tempo constantly. When he got about twenty yards from them, they moved for the first time, lifting their head and opening their eyes. At the same time, two ribbon-like wings parted from the figure’s sides and swirled in an intricate pattern.

Sequoia tried to stop on the spot, but due to his speed it took him rather long and he finally fell to the ground in a deep bow just by their feet. If his mistress shone to him like a candle in the a dark cave, whoever this being was, they resembled a sun of high noon for pony since ever lost in polar night, radiating kindness and acceptance, but unsurmountable power at the same time. Their eyes glew golden, just like the harnesses across their chest holding a short cloak. A halberd with wide blade of the same color stood on its own within their reach, but they made no move to grab it.

“Sequoia Crown, we have been awaiting your arrival, yet your delay was quite welcomed. Stand tall.” Their melodic voice reverberated through Sequoia’s entire being, giving him no choice but to obey, despite there being no threat in the deep tones.

“Who are you, master? Why would a splendid being like you wait for me?” he asked with great reverence, basking in the presence of the gate’s guardian.

“My name is Lord Repentance, Principality of the Third Sphere. With others I have been tasked to weight the lives and split the foul from the just, obdurate from penitent. Thus, our paths had to inevitably cross, Sequoia Crown.”

Sequoia lowered his head even further. His mistress provided him with enough clarity to know where he belonged. But still, the absence of malice in the voice of Lord Repentance left him with a sliver of hope of different kind. “Then I will accept your judgment without protest. I beg you for one mercy though. Allow me to meet my wife for the last time.”

He clenched his teeth in anticipation of the rejection, which never came though. The answer he got confused him more than anything as his judge chuckled. “Why for the last time, Sequoia Crown? Wouldn’t you prefer to see her eternally?”

“How could I?” Sequoia looked up for the first time, noticing the amused expression on his judge’s face. He meant the question seriously though and awaited further explanation, which Sequoia hurried to provide. “That would mean drag her with me to Tartarus where she doesn’t belong!”

“Sequoia? I am happy you think so highly about me and that I hear you say it in person.” Another figure walked from behind the gate and cantered toward them, briefly bowing to Lord Repentance who nodded to her with a smile. Then she wrapped her hooves around Sequoia. “Though you made your way here quite in haste and you save no good words for yourself.”

“Glassy Rose? I missed you so much…” he reciprocated the embrace of his wife burying his face in her soft mane like he used to in their youth. In fact, she looked exactly like when the started dating, fresh, young and full of life, and he could feel the years slipping away from him as well.

“It was a long time, but we will no longer be separated.” She pulled away and grabbed one of his forehooves, tugging him forward. “Come! I will show you around!”

“Rose, wait!” He freed his hoof from her hold and turned his eyes to Lord Repentance again. “I can’t enter. That place is for the good and I committed horrible things.”

“Which you regret greatly and suffered dire punishment for in life already.” Lord Repentance beckoned him to enter through the gate and Glassy Rose immediately seized hold of his hoof again. “We are the last instance. If the living appoint a penalty and the offender turns to right ways, what cause would damnation serve?”

Sequoia was listening with growing awe. After all the malice he spewed into the world, the perfect being in front of him found kind words for him and didn’t abhor him. “Are you saying I am allowed to enter Elysium, my lord?”

“Unless you wish otherwise, although my surprise would be inexpressible. Accepting guilt and actively trying to correct the wrong opens many gates, Elysian among them. Go forth and be in peace and joy. That’s your fate and my judgment.”

They ran in mirth into the streets and gardens of Elysium, rejoicing in their regained company and laughing just from the bliss. Death did them part and then led them together again. And once the time would come for their son to leave the cares of the world, the family would be complete again.

The orb held by the gigantic statue he noticed from afar, now identified as beautiful member of the same race as Lord Repentance and his mistress, surpassing both in every aspect if perfection could have different levels, illuminated their path along with many smaller ones floating around, the alabaster buildings deep in sleep. Soft wind was playing with the leaves and added to the quiet murmur of fountains. Only from a distance did Sequoia catch the last words utter after him by Lord Repentance: “If the calling comes to you, we will help you answer it, Sequoia Crown.” He didn’t pay much mind to the quizzical message, for where he expected eternal damnation, he got a paradise to explore.

Ein Sof Zealotry

by ZhaoZoharEX

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Overture ~ Hymns of Harrowing