> Gladiator
>  by Not_A_Hat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1 - Escape
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another day, another death.

I grasped the spear, my fingers wrapped painfully tight around the wooden haft. Drying body fluids crackled on my skin as it pulled free of my opponent’s corpse. The spearhead glistened in the sun as I shook it above my head, letting out a primal roar. A fierce feeling of victory welled up in my chest as the noise echoed around the carved stone arena.

The adrenaline faded with the sound and I grounded the butt of the spear, leaning on it heavily. I staggered away from my kill, the ichor-soaked sand sticking to my bare feet.

How many rounds would I last for?

Maybe today they would kill me.

I sunk into lethargy, watching as the portcullis began to raise. I'd already fought through three opponents. They would surely push me farther.

My next enemy entered as soon as the portcullis was up. Easily seven feet tall, the black bug was probably twice my mass. It had wings, a horn, and vicious looking fangs. Its legs were pierced with holes, its wings ragged. It stood on four legs like a horse, but its shell was hard and it had multifaceted eyes. Splinter called them 'changelings'. I was going to kill it. It roared, turning and bowing to the crowd, trying to gather some applause.

Grandstanding. What a fool.

I was halfway across the arena before it could react. I angled my spear sharply, lashing out while dashing past. I watched its movements, the shifting of body weight, the flick of its antenna-like ears. It dodged my feint, lifting a foreleg as I jabbed. So it was stuck when I stabbed for its back leg, trapped by its own stance.

"Stupid amateur," I spat, as the spear slid through one of its piercings. It sunk deep in the sand behind. I heaved, leaning into the turn as I darted behind. It tried to jump back, but it had no leverage on the spear. It fumbled, nearly falling. I seized the opportunity and lashed out with a kick, stepping deep into the turn to pivot on my heel, bringing my foot against its locked knee with punishing force.

CRACK.

The sound of its knee shattering might have sickened me, if taking these things apart wasn’t so very enjoyable. The insect screamed and fell. I leaped backwards and calmly circled it. It was hurt, but I knew from experience; this was by no means over. Surveying the arena, careful to keep my opponent in sight, I spotted another weapon.

They didn't like giving me heavy weapons anymore. I'd gotten an axe, once, and that match hadn’t ended until the archers intervened. Those black carapaces crack so very nicely! They only allowed me spears and swords now, and once in a while, a rapier. It was still leaning against the wall, right where I'd left it. I edged over to it, reaching to pick it up as my attacker struggled to its feet. It limped a step towards me, but stopped. I leveled the rapier. It wasn't much, as weapons go; three slender feet of cold steel, pointed on one end with grip on the other. The changeling lowered its head, returning the threat with its horn.

I groaned. Magic. I hated fighting magic. Sure enough, its grey aura wafted out, coalescing into a series of orbs. They floated a second, sizzling, before zipping towards me. At least this one was an amateur. A trained magician was a serious challenge.

I dodged for my life, taking the only option available; I charged. I sidestepped the first, ducked the second, slid past the third, and took the fourth square in the chest. All the air rushed out of my lungs. I was sent flying backwards, skidding on my back across the sand. I was up in a flash, hand still clamped on the rapier. My shirt had been burned off again. The crystal embedded in my chest pulsed yellow as I spun, trying to keep the changeling in my vision. It had taken to the air, the infernal buzzing of its wings thrumming in my ears. I immediately looked to the sun, diving away as it swooped.

I evaded a few attacks by rolling and diving, but quickly worked my way to the corner of the arena and placed my back against the walls. Unable to swoop, my attacker descended.

"Enough. I'm finishing this," I growled. I dashed towards my attacker, stabbing with my rapier. It buzzed backwards slightly, trying to simply outdistance my thrust. It jerked in surprise as the thrown weapon rattled off its face, enough of a distraction for me to dash in, grab its neck, and swing onto its back. I saw the archers, ever alert for an escape attempt, raise their bows; I didn't give them any time to shoot. Moving like lightning, I whipped the short dagger out of my belt and slammed it into the base of my opponents skull with a dull crunch. Orange goop spilled down my arms and the corpse fell from the air, flopping limply under me as it hit the ground.

Once again, I had won. I raised the dagger high, roaring my victory. This time my audience responded. In the seats above my head a swarm of changelings buzzed their wings and stamped their feet in applause for my performance. I bowed to them, turned and bowed to the Queen. Her eyes glowed and I felt the numbness start, the thrill of victory fading into a gray lethargy. I grit my teeth. Splinter claimed they 'fed' on our feelings, that this was a charade to them, some sort of energy amplification and extraction process. Whatever they did to steal my feelings, I hated it; the thought that they were inside my head was nearly enough to drive me insane. The queen was pleased. She stood and inclined her head to me ever so slightly.

Apparently I had done better than I realized. They were letting me go early. A bow, held in the gray telekinetic aura they all shared, hovered just long enough to send an arrow my way. I smiled as the shaft slammed through my chest with a FWIP. I tried to stay upright, but quickly fell to the sand. It hurt, but it would be over soon. A blow to the heart killed quickly.





Burning. Icy shock and terrible, scorching heat warred in my chest. I groaned and raised my head; I was on my bed, in my quarters again. The sun lanced through the tiny barred window. I rolled onto my back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Wesley." My neighbor, one cell over, greeted me.

"Splinter," I replied.

<"How many you kill?"> He asked in broken English. Soon after I'd arrived here, we had started teaching each other our languages. It had been slow going at first, but now we were at least basically conversant. We habitually used each others language, attempting to improve.

"Seven." I replied, in equally poor Equestrian. "I fight four times. I kill seven changelings. I fight good. Kill me early."

I stood and stretched, working out the kinks in my muscles. Regeneration always left me sore. I'd have a bit more rest than usual, unless they decided to pull me again tomorrow, but I didn't take chances. I checked my body all over, looking for anything unusual.

Besides, of course, the evil yellow gem and the scars, rapidly fading, from mortal wounds.

"I'm OK," I said. "This time."

<"This time."> Splinter replied. <"Next time, me."> I nodded. Splinter's turn was tomorrow. I walked to the bars separating our cells, and sat down cross-legged. He sat across from me, in that odd way he had; haunches on the stone floor, forelegs in front of him. His dusty yellow horn and coat shone in the sun, highlighting his brown mane and the gray saw-blade of his cutie mark.  A green crystal teardrop pulsed in his chest, twin to my yellow.

"One day, we leave." I repeated the promise to him, in his native language.

<"One day, we leave."> He echoed it in English, grinning. I made a fist, and bumped his hoof through the bars. "Sleep now," I said, rising. "Talk later." He nodded and I returned to my lumpy bed, curled up, and closed my eyes.

Blood. Pain. Fire. Screams.

I woke up.

"Splinter."

<"Wesley. Sleep bad?">

"Yeah." It was dark in the cells, but the window was starting to lighten. They would come for him soon. I used the bucket in the corner and checked my ledge, finding a stone bowl of water and green goop. I carried it over to my spot near Splinter and started shoveling the unappetizing mess into my mouth. Splinter had his head pressed against the wall. He was twisting it back and forth, slowly boring into the rock with his horn.

"Drilling to freedom?" I asked, flippantly.

<"One day, we leave."> His serious response shut me up.

<"You know,"> I said, switching from Equestrian to English. <"I think I'm beginning to lose hope. I've considered ending this."> I lifted my shirt and rapped my knuckles against the gem embedded in my flesh, causing it to flare slightly.

<"Could. You could burn."> Splinter replied. <"Showed you how."> He snorted slightly and switched to Equestrian. "Had enough?" He asked, taunting me. In the first days of my imprisonment, that was one of the first phrases I'd learned from him. Had enough? Was I going to chicken out? I may have been an alien, arrived here who-knows how, but Splinter had made it clear to me that he had no time for cowards. I'd clung to that. In the midst of the degradation we were put through, forced to kill, forced to be killed, treated like cattle and if I understood right, even being fed on like livestock, he'd offered me a sliver of respect. Respect for my courage.

"No." I replied softly. "Not a coward," I shot back.

I knew I could end it. He'd shown me how the jewels reacted to our emotions and thoughts. Once we could communicate in a broken mix of English and Equestrian, he'd explained to me, slowly and cryptically, how the jewels could be destroyed. Focus your thoughts on them, chip away at the magic long enough, and they would crack and crumble before disintegrating in a flare of magic. A flare that would blast your gem and body to dust.

<"Good,"> He grunted. <"Have your life to live. Get you out yet.">

"Splinter...I will not leaf you."

"Leave. Leave," he said, calmly correcting my pronunciation.

"Leave," I repeated, correcting myself. He was getting pretty decent with English, but I still found Equestrian hard at times.

<"You go if I say. I not giving you choice, Wesley."> He shot me a hard stare, and I reluctantly nodded. We had agreed that if either of us saw an opportunity, we should go for it. If he saw an opportunity for me... I couldn't stay to spite him.

Clicketty. Clacketty. The sound of hard, chitinous hooves echoed down the corridor.

He glanced at me, then at the door.

<"My time,"> he said. The guards were coming for him. Soon he would be in the arena.

"Fight well," I replied.

<"Always.">





When Splinter was returned, he was still healing. The guards dragged him into the cell and threw him on the bed. His limbs flopped around, uncomfortably corpse-like. I watched the green gem in his chest flare and imagined I could feel the vile magic from my cell. His wounds were severe, but they faded visibly as I watched. Even the blood matting his coat was burning away. The gems regeneration was harsh, but very thorough. It even patched my clothes, though they got burned, slashed, and torn time and again. The evil green light flowed over him, crawling along the lines of his body, patching and repairing. After a half-hour or so he groaned and sat up. Walking over to his ledge, he drank.

"Splinter."

<"Wesley.">

"How many?"

<"Twelve. I fight five times, kill twelve changelings.">

I watched as he checked himself over. He inspected himself thoroughly. My brows creased in puzzlement when he froze mid search, only to restart.

"You OK?"

<"No."> His voice was choked. <"No. Not OK."> My eyes widened and I started to panic a little.

The restoration gems grafted to us were not free. Besides the horrific cost of having them attached, they came with a cost for their use. They...burned up...part of you when used. Or, at least that's what I gathered from Splinters broken, jargon-filled explanations. Every time we healed, they burned a little more. Eventually, whatever they drew on was exhausted.

I'd seen it, once. A burnout. Her name was Fallen Leaves. She'd been a rust-red pegasus. I'd been fighting with her in the arena, back when there had been enough slaves for team matches. We were up against timberwolves; tough opponents, but not impossible. Leaf, though, had been slowing down for weeks. I covered for her as best I could, trying to deflect anything too harsh. I knew she’d been punished for a poor showing in her previous fight.

There are some very inventive ways to torture an immortal slave.

I could tell we were going to lose this one. The fight wasn't even half over, and she was slowing down. I'd had my leg broken, and she was surrounded when the wolves got her. The bugs jumped in soon after she'd gone down, trying to save something; the gem needed your skull intact to work with. It couldn't raise the dead. But it was too late for Leaves. I watched the magic flare up, literally consuming her. Maybe crushing my own gem would look like that? At the very least, I'm pretty sure she didn't feel anything as the pillar of amethyst fire roared heavenwards.

I cradled my head in my hands. The darkness of despair swirled around me. Would I be alone soon? How long did Splinter have?

<"Wesley."> I looked up to my one and only friend. Splinter stared at me, his expression serious. <"I sleep. Midnight, wake. Then you leave.">

I nodded slowly, emotions swirling in my chest as Splinter lay down. Hope surged up first. Could I really escape? I believed in Splinter with my whole being, but our captors weren't amateurs. They had seen it all. We had probed their reactions, timetables, escape routes, every scheme had been blocked. How could he do it?

After hope came guilt. Guilt at leaving behind my one and only friend in who-knows how many billion miles. The only person I knew. We had fought together, forged bonds of blood and tears together in the red sand of the arena and the cold dark of the night. Could I leave him? His face flashed on my inner eye for a second and I grimaced. I'd better be able to. He'd never forgive me if I didn't.

I didn't know much about Splinter. We tried to talk, but the language barrier combined with our ‘off-days’ not overlapping meant I really knew very little. I looked up to him like an older brother or cousin. He had taken me under his wing when I arrived, caring nothing for my different body or language and made sure I made it through the night. Then the day, and night after. One day at a time, he'd held me together. I liked to think I'd done the same for him some days.

After guilt came despair. A tiny voice in my head whispered that it wouldn't work. That escape was impossible, resistance futile. The bugs were too good. Although we could beat the grunts one-on-one, the elites would mop the floor with us. Besides, simple weight of numbers meant we were powerless. I tried to crush the voice, but it kept whispering. I counted the hours to hold it back, watching the moonlight from the window slide up the wall, keeping vigil. Splinter's sleep was restless. He whimpered and thrashed. I surely had done the same.

<"Splinter.">

I didn't bother whispering. The guards couldn’t care less what we did, but I spoke English anyways.

<"Splinter, get up. It's time.">

His head popped off the bed and he looked around, before slowly climbing to his feet and stretching. His hoof scratched around his jewel. He claimed it itched. I'd never felt it myself, but maybe his was different. He walked over to the shelf, retrieved his supper of nutrient goop and ate it slowly.

<"So, what's the plan?">

He reached up and tapped his horn.

<"Going to magic you.">

My heart sank. We'd considered this one. The gems blocked any magic being cast. This didn't bode well.

<"Splinter-">

<"Stop!"> He barked. I did.

<"Here's happening. I'm going."> He made a bursting motion with his hooves. <"No idea. Today? Tomorrow? No idea. I'm walking dead, Wesley."> I nodded slowly. If he really was reaching burnout, then that was the truth. He wasn't going to last much longer. <"Last battle, took a spear."> He motioned to his side. <"Still feel it. Cut my liver."> My eyes widened. He really was right on the edge. I wondered how long he'd known. I hadn't fought by his side in weeks...I couldn't gauge how well he was holding up. <"Here's happening. One last run. For real. One last run.">

A suicide mission. I buried my face in my hands, trying to hold back tears. Splinter wanted to do a suicide mission. We'd used the term in our fights; <"one last run">, to give your partner some room. Throw yourself on the enemies spear. Jump under their feet. Maybe your friend could last another round.

<"Wesley."> I looked up, seeing sadness and compassion in his eyes. <"Tonight, you leave.">

Those three words brought hope surging up in my chest. For so long, we'd promised. Tonight, Splinter was going to pull through for me. Even at the cost of his own life. I nodded and swallowed a sob, putting on a brave face. <"Thanks, Splinter. I won't disappoint you.">

<"Right. Here's plan. One last run; I'm burn. Use burn, make magic for you. Magic take you away."> He motioned from the gem in his chest to the horn on his head. <"Simple. Take you far away. No guards, no bugs. No worries."> A smile split his face. <"Life to live again.">

<"Right."> I took a deep breath, and blew it out. <"Right! I have a life to live. Ok, Splinter. What can I do?">

<"Come."> He motioned me over to the wall where he'd been drilling with his horn. He slid his horn into the hole. <"Hand on horn."> I reached through the bars and grasped the base of his horn. <"Good. Hold tight. Rest is me."> He closed his eyes and started to concentrate.

The green glow of his gem increased. First it was just a flicker, but it slowly gained strength. The light went from dim to brilliant, the flickering incandescence throwing stark shadows on the walls as I crouched by him. For a second it was bright as day. Then something cracked.

It was a small thing, like a twig popping in a fire, but it unleashed the inferno. The burnout of Fallen Leaves had been calm compared to this. Blisteringly hot flames shot from beneath Splinter’s body. He tried to aim them away, but even so I could feel my skin start to cook. Icy heat rushed through my veins, my gem healing me even as my flesh blistered and bubbled. It would be worse for Splinter, but he was used to working through pain. As his gem flared again, his horn started to glow. Green flames arched upwards, wrapping around his head and feeding into the horn. The ocher color of his magical aura bled into the sickly green of his hearts flame, and his horn pulsed brighter. Soon, there were twin suns in the room. I dimly heard scrabbling at the door, shouting and clanging as guards rushed about. The light show must have attracted some attention. I was just about to say something, when Splinter's pain filled eyes latched onto mine.

Goodbye.

His lips moved and he wrenched his head sideways. There was a sickening crack and the world flashed one more time, filling my eyes with spinning black and red and my ears with a rushing noise. For an immeasurable minute I hung in space, neither here nor there, the pressure of the cold stone cell gone.

I'm dead. Or in free fall, I thought. Did he send me into space? My eyes strained for a hint of light. I was about to start panicking when sensation returned. I was falling.

Finely honed instincts kicked in and I yanked and spun, righting myself in midair as quickly as possible. I was tumbling through a confusion of branches, green leaves and brown limbs flashing past my face until I hit the ground with a bone-shaking thump. I rolled forward and came to rest laying on my back.

Above, I saw the moonlit sky.

Through the leaves of a tree.

Free.

> 2 - Regroup
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Free.

The first thing I did was curl into a ball and weep.

I wept for Splinter. I wept for Leaves. I wept for the time I'd wasted. But I also wept for the warm night breeze drying tears on my cheek. I wept for crickets, for fireflies. I wept my heart out.

After, I felt a little better. The idea of 'free' might take getting used to, but I couldn’t wait around. Splinter had promised to send me far away, so I wouldn't have to deal with guards. Was I safe for now? I slowly stood, looking around. No obvious signs of pursuit. No buzz of alarms. The forest was silent. At the very least, I was out past the patrol perimeter.

Satisfied I wouldn't have to deal with pursuit immediately, I stretched and started a once-over. At first, everything seemed normal. My wounds were healed and my organs seemed fine. I froze in surprise though, when I realized my shirt was still torn. I fingered the frayed edge for a second. My gem always repaired my clothes along with my body. Curious, I bared my chest to check the gem itself. Its yellow fire , normally a bright glow, was barely flickering. I smiled. Splinter really had pulled through for me. If I was far enough away from the Nexus that my gem was malfunctioning, I was well and truly away from the Hive.

I drew my dagger and carefully scratched my arm. The gem flickered fitfully and a drop of ice oozed into my veins. The blood stopped and the scratch scabbed, but that was the extent of it. I nodded in satisfaction. Although the gem might seem a useful tool, I abhorred the thing; it was a symbol of ultimate degradation to me. My body wasn't even my own, simply a 'thing' to be used for the food of my insectoid masters. It had held me in thrall to them for who-knows how long. Although functional immortality wasn't something to be sneezed at, I loathed this piece of rock and for a moment, seriously considered prying it out of my breastbone. I slowly dismissed the thought. I knew very little about magic, and had no idea what the backlash from that might be.
 
I examined my surroundings, trying to pick a direction. I settled on what seemed 'downhill' in the bright moonlight. I paused when something caught my eye. I gasped, dropping to the ground for a better look. Tears filled my eyes at what I saw. Fingers shaking, I carefully picked it up, turning it this way and that.

It was Splinter's horn.

That cracking sound I heard must have been him breaking it off. He'd disconnected it from his body, before the flare burned him up. He made me hold it for the teleport, and he'd mutilated himself so that his corpse wouldn't be dragged along with me.

"One day we leave," I said, caressing the piece of yellow ivory. <"One day, you said. You came through for me. I'm free.">

I reverently slid it into my sheath next to my dagger and promised myself to give him a proper funeral when I could.

It was about then that I was jumped by a manticore.

The first thing I noticed was the roar. Honestly, it spooked me. However, I didn't freeze up. Months of life-or-death combat had taught me better than that. I sprang into action, whipping out my dagger and diving away from the sound. I felt trails of heat down my back and winced as I rolled, the underbrush cruelly raking the wounds. I was back on my feet in an instant, assessing the situation. My opponent was big, bigger than most anything I'd fought one-on-one. Its body was a tawny yellow, dim in the bright moonlight, its mane a charcoal black. It had a wrinkled scar on its muzzle that twisted its lip into a permanent snarl. I felt blood dripping down my back. My gem was struggling to heal me, but it was mostly exhausted. I nodded grimly. A feral feline opponent, several times out of my weight class. Me armed with nothing but a dagger. First blood to the enemy. And both my gem and I running on our last drops.

But a smile crawled across my face.

"I am free.” I stepped forward, showing my aggression. “I have a life to lead!” I brought my dagger up, threatening. “You, you will NOT KEEP ME FROM IT!" I roared my challenge to the beast, the same roar from the arena, a roar filled with the blood of friends and enemies. The manticore blinked, maybe confused by the audacity of its food.

I sprang.

No frontal attacks for this one. That was simply suicide. No way to attack at a distance, either. I was slower, and had less reach. No, I needed to play a waiting game here. I needed the perfect chance to strike, because I would only get one. And I needed to make it count.

I danced sideways, my footing sure in the dark. The manticore lunged after me, swiping with its huge paws, claws outstretched like talons. I slipped around the swipes, not even cat-quickness enough to catch me. It was an animal after all, and it had no finesse. Its eyes, the way it shifted its body-weight, the muscles of its arms; every single thing it did showed me where it would strike next. It telegraphed broadly. So I ducked, dipped, and dove, evading by a hairsbreadth each time, looking for my chance to strike back.

Finally, it came. I stepped backwards, letting a paw whoosh past. This time, it over committed. I stepped into its range and smoothly plunged my dagger into its eye. It roared, whipping its head away. I yanked my dagger out and sprang backwards, almost fast enough to avoid its counter, but inattention caught me. Manticores have scorpion tails. I tried to lean back, throwing up my arm to brush it aside, but I grimaced as the barb buried itself in the muscle. Pain blossomed, along with a boiling numbness. Suddenly scared, I staggered but kept my stance together, putting every ounce of energy into projecting calm confidence. That was key. I didn't need to kill this beast, I just needed to be enough trouble it didn't want to fight.

The manticore snarled and paced for a second, glaring at me with its good eye before giving one last roar, turning and bounding into the forest.

I deflated with a sigh. I'd done it. I'd driven it off. I looked down at my arm. Now, hopefully I could survive to appreciate it.

Moving slowly, I pulled off my shirt and tied it as tightly as I could around the sting. The wound itself, although not small, wouldn't give me too much trouble, but the poison was already working its way into my body. I hoped to contain it with the wrapping, so it wouldn't get to me all at once. When I was finished I was already feeling woozy and feverish. Hoping I'd done enough, I staggered through the brush until I found a hollow log and crawled in. No fortress, but maybe it would keep me safe.

Then I surrendered to the blackness.

Blood. Pain. Fire. Screams.

I woke to firelight.

I sprang upright, my instincts calling for me to assess the situation and seize the initiative. My body however, refused my orders. The blankets I was wrapped in tangled my feet, and my hands searched futilely for my belt. My clothes were gone, leaving me in my underwear. I wobbled for a second, perched precariously on the edge of the bed, and then crashed to the floor.

"My, my." A warm, cheerful voice greeted me. "Be calm and rest, my guest and patient. You were wounded sore, in a fight most flagrant."

I calmed a little as my brain decided that I wasn't immediately at risk. I slowly untangled myself and rose to my feet, fighting dizziness. I was definitely still feeling the effects of the poison but not being dead was a small miracle in and of itself. I rubbed my head, trying to ease the headache I felt starting as I inspected my surroundings.

I was inside a tree.

A large tree, which had been hollowed out. The interior was contoured to fit the natural curves of the bark. The floor was rings of wood, the natural pattern of the trunk. A plank door was cracked open on one wall, letting in a cool breeze. In the center of the hut a stone fire ring supported a bubbling cauldron. A cheery blaze licked up the sides of the small pot.

I stepped backwards, falling and landing on the bed. It was surprisingly soft. My arm had been bandaged. My back was treated as well, the bandages wrapping all the way around my chest, hiding the crystal there.

Every wall was lined with shelves. Every shelf was filled with...stuff. Bits of dried plants. Clay pots. Stoppered glass bottles. Cuttings of fresh plants. Vials of powder. Piles of rocks. Small bags, stuffed with who-knows what. A dream-catcher hung from the door and ornately painted masks stared back at me.

Sitting on the floor before the fire, across the room from me, a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye, sat a zebra. She was gray and black, or maybe black and gray? She had gold hoops in her ears  and gold rings on her neck. I stared at her, too tired and muddled with poison and meeting a new person for the first time in months to think up a coherent response.

"Rest, rest will stop you feeling sickly!" she said, pointing to the bed behind me. "The poison will not be cured that quickly!"

I seemed safe.

I was out of the woods. I was warm. She hadn't killed me yet. I wasn't restrained. I'd been treated.

Sleep sounded good. I lay back down, wrapped the blanket around myself, and closed my eyes.

Blood. Pain. Fire. Screams.

I woke to sunlight.

The fireplace was cold. The zebra was gone, the door open, letting in the sights and sounds of a beautiful summer day. I awoke slowly, drifting out of the haunted dark of my dreams. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up. I was feeling better. The nausea and chills from the poison had subsided. I felt...rested. For the first time in months, I felt like the exhaustion I'd been living with might have started to ebb slightly. Slowly, a smile worked its way onto my face. The exuberance of freedom I'd felt the other day was returning, if slightly more dimly. I stood and stretched, looking around for my clothes. I spotted them, folded neatly and placed on a shelf. I dressed quickly and chewed my lip pensively, trying to decided what to do.

Should I leave? I wanted to be moving. I wanted to head into the forest and see something new, feel the sun on my face, dip my toes in a stream, chase a butterfly. But should I? Last night, the zebra had seemed adamant about me staying in bed. Was that last night? How long had I been out?

I checked the scratch on my arm. It was still a scab. I hadn't been asleep for weeks, or this would be gone. I paced around the fire once or twice, and stuck my head out the door. A small patch of grass was framed by the tall trees of the forest I'd landed in. Stepping outside, I paced around the yard.

The tree hut was just as impressive outside as in. It was obviously still alive, evidenced by green leaves and even some blossoms. The forest was much the same as I remembered, which meant gloriously unlike my cell in every way. I spent a minute taking in the freedom flowing around me, considering the fact that I could go anywhere I wanted, do anything.

I did my stretches.

Splinter had introduced me to the idea of martial arts. Being a pony, he hadn't been able to teach me much, but he gave me a few basic ideas and I'd tried to develop what I could. I stretched my muscles and started to practice moving.

In slow motions, I mimicked kicks, punches, and blocks. I had no formal training to draw on, so I'd tried to use what the bugs had beaten into me. I visualized the movements of my enemies and felt the slow shift of my body. Splinter had explained some of the philosophy behind what he practiced and I had tried applying it, but eventually gave up. I was doing this to make myself better at killing. Specifically, I was trying to make myself better at killing my captors. I mimed punching through a crystalline eyeball, imagining the crunch. I'd felt that a few times, and it had always given me a sliver of joy. I pretended to block a strike, my arm flowing up and brushing it to the side. That motion had saved my skin countless times.

As I moved through the familiar motions, I fell slowly into a state of quiet contemplation. My mind slowly churned over what had happened, extracting the important things and shuffling the rest away for later. Finally when I was sweating and tired I collapsed on the ground, laying in the prickly grass and looking up at the sky.

"Well, my patient, enjoying the weather? A bit of sun helps anyone feel better."

I lifted my head, and found the zebra approaching along the path.

"Sorry." I replied, slowly pushing myself to my feet. "I don't speak Equestrian well."

"Oh, you are a traveler from afar? Together we make a pair, although slightly bizarre."

"Um. If it's not rude to ask...why are you rhyming at me?"

"I speak as I do to fence my tongue. It needs forethought; I can choose my words with care. This is what I was taught." She paused for a second, and regarded me carefully. "You know, you're the first person to ask me that?" I was surprised to hear her drop the rhyme for the question. I shook my head numbly in reply.

"I meant no offense..."

"No, no, don't worry about it. I will forbear, since your language skills are still growing. But, if you don't mind, could I have your name? You can call me Zecora. Some call me Shaman of the Everfree."

"I'm Wesley Kilmer. If you like, you can call me Wes."

"Well, Wes, are you feeling better? Most of the poison should be purged from your system. How did you manage to end up in the Everfree? If I didn't know better, I'd say you fell from the sky."

"Uh..." I opened my mouth, and stopped. "Funny story, actually-"

"Zecora! Zecora!" An unexpected voice startled me, and my mind kicked into overdrive as something red and tan bounced out of the forest, headed right for the zebra. I dove backwards, hurtling into the hut and slamming the door behind me. I put my back to it and held it tight.

"Apple Bloom..." I heard Zecora sigh. "What have I told you about jumping out at people?"

"To not do it and that ponies don't like it." A singsong voice replied to the zebra. Turning around, I cracked the door and looked out. In front of the zebra was the cutest thing I had ever seen. I'd seen ponies before. Even mares. Fallen Leaves had been cute. But this was a baby! Her huge eyes and tiny legs, combined with the round head and big red ribbon, made me want to pick her up and squeeze her.

"Yes, Apple Bloom. You scared my guest. Wesley? Could you please come out, and meet my friend Apple Bloom?"

I slowly swung the door open and edged out. Although I'd simply been startled, my heart was still racing. I cautiously approached.

"Hi! Mah name is Apple Bloom! Ah live on the farm! Nice to meet'cha! Sorry to startle you, Ah just..."

I spaced out a little, letting the inane chatter wash over me. Truthfully, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. This was the second new person I'd met. I'd barely adjusted to knowing Zecora and my acquaintances had already doubled.

"Apple Bloom." Zecoras voice was stern, and quelled the filly quickly. "Wes needs his rest. He was stung by a manticore, so please don't pester him. Now, what did you want to ask me?" I gave her a grateful glance, and retired into the hut, thinking to lay back down for a bit.

A little later, Apple Bloom and Zecora followed me. But they pretty much ignored me. Although Apple Bloom kept shooting me curious looks, she kept her distance, something I was grateful for. From what little I could gather from their conversation, Zecora was giving her a lesson on some sort of medicinal herb.





Apple Bloom left as the shadows started to lengthen. Zecora stewed some of the forage from her expedition and served me a plate of soup. I accepted gratefully and sat cross legged near the fire, facing her.

"Wes, if you don't mind, I have a few questions for you."

I swallowed my mouthful of soup, and shrugged.

"Go for it. I'll tell you whatever I can."

"Well then, where are you from?"

I hesitated for a second before answering.

"I don't know if you'll believe this, but...I'm pretty sure I'm from another world."

Slowly over excellent soup and later over glasses of some sort of beer that the zebra brewed herself, the story came out. I gave her a rough outline of Earth and how I'd fit into it. How one day, I'd gone camping and woken up somewhere else. How I'd been wandering alone and helpless through the forest, searching for GPS signal, when I'd stumbled across the Hive. I skipped what I felt I could of my imprisonment, merely highlighting the horrors I'd faced and culminating in the death of Splinter and my escape. I showed her the gem embedded in my chest and she nodded pensively.

"Your story is quite strange, Wes. But it rings with truth." She sipped from her mug, and refilled mine. "You are welcome to stay with me for a while, if you like. It's quiet here and I can heal your body. Your mind is scarred too, however, and I cannot do much for that. Nothing except provide a haven."

"Thanks, Zecora. Splinter promised me the people of this world were good. He made me swear not to judge everyone harshly because of the changelings. It looks like he was right. I would like to stay for a bit, I think."

She raised her glass and I clicked it to mine.

"To your stay. May it be dull and uneventful."

I smiled. I could drink to that.


> 3 - Relapse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So then, we went WOOOOSH! up the ramp, and came back down, SPLAT! in this big mud puddle!" Apple Bloom gestured furiously, tracing out the motions she and her friends had followed on their skateboards. "Mah sister wasn't very happy about that." I laughed softly and nodded.

"I bet she wasn't." The young filly and I were sitting on the grass outside of Zecora's hut. It had been a few days and my cuts and scratches were mostly healed. I was starting to feel a little restless about staying here and was considering visiting town.

"Hey, Apple Bloom." I asked, turning to the cheerful youngster.

"Yep?"

"You didn't seem too scared or even surprised to see me, even though I'm about as far from a pony as possible. Why is that?"

"Oh, you ain't nothing at all. We get plenty of non-pony people through Ponyville. We even have a dragon living there, and no-one looks at him twice! Sure, you're a little strange, but you don't hurt nobody."

"So...if I went into town, you don't think it would cause problems? Would anyone care?"

"Nah, it'd be fine! Are you going to go? Ah could introduce you to my friends! Can we go now?" She bounced up and grabbed my sleeve with her teeth, tugging me towards town. I stumbled up and took a few steps towards her, at which point she promptly fell flat on her haunches.

"Now, just hold on a minute." I said, as I freed my sleeve from her grip. "I don't know if-"

"Oh, please! Please come! Mah friends are lots of fun, and the ponies in Ponyville are friendly, and Ah'll even buy you a cupcake!" She looked up at me, and widened her eyes, sticking out her lower lip just a bit.

"You are just too. Dang. Cute." I said, caving in to adorable overload. Talking with Apple Bloom had improved my Equestrian significantly, although at first it had taken a bit of work for me to understand her accent. "Fine, fine. I do want to go. And a cupcake sounds like it would be great. But, Apple Bloom, I don't know if I can deal with crowds well, so let's try and stick to quiet places, OK?"

"OK, Mister Wes! Come on, let's go!" She set off down the path, bounding ahead quickly.

"Wait wait, slow down! I can't run as fast as you can!"

Laughing a little, I chased her down the path to Ponyville.





"And this is the Golden Oaks Library! Twilight Sparkle lives here with Spike! She's best friends with mah sister; she's really smart, and knows all sorts of things. Do you want to meet her?” Apple Bloom gave me a questioning look. We’d been all over town, and I’d seen most of the landmarks. I felt like heading back and taking a nap, but I couldn’t say that. My mouth was full of cupcake. I swallowed, but not fast enough. She pushed the door open and darted through. l cautiously followed, ducking through the door and following her to the middle of the room.

The interior of the library was oddly similar to Zecora's hut. Again, a house made in a tree. Again, packed with shelves. This time however, the shelves were filled to the brim with books instead of being stuffed with reagents. I scanned the spines, eyes sliding across the unfamiliar script.

"Twilight? Twilight, are you here? I have someone who wants to meet you!" Apple Bloom yelled.

"Apple Bloom? I'll be down in a minute!" A female voice yelled from the other room. There was a muted pop behind me. "What is-CHANGELING!" I heard the yell and spun, trying to orient myself on the new threat, just as I was picked up in a magic aura. My combat instincts kicked into high gear, and the room turned into a war zone.

Rule four of fighting magic; any grapples go by center-of-mass.

I kicked off the floor, spinning myself in the magic aura and reached for one of the bookcases. At full extension, I hooked my fingers under the lip of a shelf and hauled. My attacker, a purple unicorn, obviously hadn't expected any sort of resistance. Her eyes popped wide as I managed to heave myself several inches before her telekinetic grip firmed up. It wasn't much, but it was enough for me to seize the heaviest book I could see.

Rule two of fighting magic; any active spells can be canceled at their source.

I winged the book at the unicorn, and the hard  binding smacked into her head with a satisfying thump. The aura around me winked out for a second, long enough for me to get my feet under me, draw my dagger, and leap towards my attacker.

Rule three of fighting magic; mana burn stings like crazy.

She shook her head, obviously woozy from the magic backlash, and I almost had her. I would have been on her like a ton of bricks a split second later, but a small tan and red figure jumped in my way. I swerved, trying to avoid Apple Bloom, and that gave my opponent time to recover.

Rule number one of fighting magic; if you don't deal with competent spellcasters quickly, you’re in for a world of hurt.

This time, the magic that wrapped me was some sort of binding spell. I could feel the hard strands wrap around my limbs, tightening until I could barely move a muscle. Scenarios and plans cascaded through my head as I tried to think of some way, any way, out of this predicament. I calmed a bit when I heard Apple Bloom crying.

"-don't fight! Wes, Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't think-" Calmer now, I did what little I could; I focused all of my remaining strength into my legs and kicked as hard as possible, hoping to break free.

"OW!" The unicorn holding me winced, but didn't relent. "Apple Bloom, I can sense changeling magic all over him! You've been tricked!" Her horn began to glow brighter, the magic aura from two spells re-enforcing to form a brilliant glow. "Now, deceiver, let's see your true form!" A beam of bright magenta magic lashed out from her horn, striking me right in the chest.

Right where my gem was.

I blacked out to the sound of a dull crunch.





I swam in and out of consciousness. I heard snatches of panicked yelling, some hysterical sobbing and a few attempts to remain calm. None of them really made it through my own haze of confusion and pain, until I felt the soft familiarity of Zecora's bed.

"What do I do? What do I do?" That was the unicorn who had attacked me. What had Apple Bloom called her? Twilight?

"Is...is he going to be OK?" That voice, on the edge of tears, was Apple Bloom. I tried to move, to reassure her that I'd had worse, even if it was a lie. But the blackness around me was impenetrable and my limbs wouldn't respond. I guess I was hurt bad. The helplessness fed  my terror, and I heard a crunch and a fizzle.

"He is getting worse. I fear at this rate, there is not much I can do." That was the calm voice of my zebra friend, Zecora.

"He can't die! He just can't!" Apple Bloom cried. "Ah haven't even taken him to see the farm! He never got the chance to meet Sweetie and Scoots! Twilight, I hate you! You KILLED my FRIEND!" There was a shocked gasp, a stampede of tiny hooves and a rattling slam as the door was bucked closed hard enough to rattle the shelves.

"I..." There was a choking sound and quiet sobs started. "I killed him? Dear Celestia, what have I done?"

"You must take the blame, this much is true. But his chance of salvation lies also with you. He is not dead yet, merely headed there fast. You have shattered his heart; it was made out of glass. It was strong, evil magic, that much is right, but for magical problems, trust your mind over might." The zebra paused for a minute, and dropped the rhyme. "There is hope yet, Twilight Sparkle. It will not be simple or easy, but you may yet be able to save his life and make amends. I am no stranger to dark magic, and I think I can help you..."





Dreamless sleep is something I don't often have the luxury of. Waking this time however, I didn't feel so much like I'd been asleep, but as though I'd been drowning in oblivion and just now happened to surface. I tried to stretch, but groaned in pain. My whole body hurt. Not the sore ache of tired muscles, or even the sting of cuts or burns, but a bone-deep pain, like a sore tooth, throbbing over my entire body. It HURT. More than anything...oh wait, except for when those bugs... more than ALMOST anything I'd ever felt. On a scale from 'one' to 'excruciating', it ranked an 'OW OW OW OW'.

I managed to pry my eyes open. I was back in Zecora's hut. A warm weight was draped over my legs. I turned to look; it was Apple Bloom.  As I moved, her eyes snapped open and she bounced up.

"Wes! You're awake! You're ALIVE!" She hugged me, squealed, and broke into tears. "Ah was so worried! Twilight shot you and then there was this horrible noise and flames started to shoot everywhere and... and...Waaaaah!"

I nodded, and petted her for a bit while she calmed down. Once she'd stopped crying, a guilty look snuck onto her face and she leaped off the bed.

"Ah'm sorry, Zecora said not to bother you, but Ah just..." She looked down, ashamed, and kicked the floor. "Sorry. It's good to see you're OK. Ah need to go find Zecora."

I nodded, but held out a hand. "Water." I croaked, surprised my voice worked. She eagerly fetched me a drink before leaving the hut and closing the door gently behind her. Thirst quenched, I sank back into oblivion.





When I surfaced again, it was night. The fire crackled merrily and cheerful light flickered on the walls. I sat up slowly, once again groaning at the pain. It felt like my body had been ripped apart. Few people know what that feels like, but I could make the comparison firsthand.

Zecora was at my side in an instant, supporting my back and holding a cup to my lips.

"This will help with the pain," she said. I drank it slowly. It tasted worse than fermented feet, but I would proclaim it ambrosia if it alleviated my aches.

"What happened?" I croaked.

"Later." She said. "We will explain later. For now, sleep." I sighed in bliss as the potion burned through my body, consuming the pain and leaving behind cool relief. Suddenly exhausted, I closed my eyes.

Blood. Pain. Fire. Screams.

I opened my eyes. It was day and I was feeling much less awful. I lay in bed, enjoying the feeling of being relaxed. As I did, my mind wandered back to the dream I'd had. It had been particularly bad this time. Something had dredged up my memory of the night I was fitted with my gem. It had happened soon after I'd ended up in this world.

I had been captured and dragged to the Hive, where they had 'tested' me and deemed me fit to be a gladiator, the prized food source of the changelings. It wasn't until later that I really understood what had been happening; at the time, all I knew was that I'd gone camping in the woods and ended up being tortured by pony-sized bugs.

This dream though, was of one very specific night. Not long after I'd been 'approved', the changelings had retrieved me from my cell. They dragged me through the tunnels, ignoring my weeping and manacled me to the wall in the Nexus, a giant crystal cave. Afterwards they brought in another one of the prisoners, who I later realized had failed the examination.

They killed him in front of me.

Blood. There wasn't much. Just some ritual runes and things. Pain. My wrists and ankles had hurt, from manacles and struggling. Fire. The chamber and the crystals of the Nexus had been lit by dancing flames. Screams. Soon, my anguish faded into the uncaring void.

The whole ritual had been marked by austerity. In some ways, it was the least of my memories. Seen objectively, many worse things happened to me. There was a reason that I had nightmares about it, though, and they all centered around the gem in my chest. Moving with care, a changeling had arranged us in the patterns, and cast the ritual that bound me to the cursed crystal...at the cost of anothers life. Over the course of several hours, the life of the pony across from me was leached out and the flickering of the gem attached to my chest grew. When I saw the yellow energy seeping out of his body and into the pattern, and I noticed his breathing was becoming labored, I started to realize what was going on. I fought my bonds the whole time, but when he breathed his last, I screamed and thrashed until I broke an arm.

That was the first night of my nightmare. I knew, on an intellectual level, that I hadn't killed him. I hadn't been party to the evil magic that turned his life force into a tool for cruel amusement. But the weight always hung on me, like a millstone around my neck. Every time I was healed, his face flashed in front of my eyes. Nameless. I couldn't even discern the color of his coat, much less his cutie mark.

Even though I might not have cast the spell, my skin had always crawled at the touch of the stone's magic. A pony had died for this. A sentient being, killed for the convenience of my captors, so they could enjoy making a blood sport out of me. I abhorred the gem.

"Wes?" I prized my eyes open, to find Zecora standing above me. "Wes, Twilight wants to talk to you, to explain what happened. I know she attacked you, but she wants to apologize. If I let her in here, will you listen? You don't have to do any more than that, but I want your promise not to hurt her. She made a mistake, and wants to atone for it. Just listen. Please?"

I nodded my acceptance, and the zebra left. A second later, the door squeaked again and Twilight entered. Her steps were hesitant and her ears were laid flat against her head. I turned so I could see her and she winced as my gaze landed on her.

"Um...first, I want to say I'm so, so, sorry." She sighed. "I could claim ignorance. I thought you were a changeling and I tried to dispel the disguise. But...well, I was wrong. That's all there is to it. I should have listened to Apple Bloom and given you a chance to speak. The bolt cracked your crystal heart. You nearly died.” Her voice broke and she paused for a few seconds, before continuing hoarsely. "I nearly killed you. Because of a mistake." She sniffled and wiped her nose with a hoof. "You convulsed and flames started shooting out of your chest. I was shocked and nearly dropped you. Apple Bloom finally got through to me and we came to Zecora for help. She explained a little of what you told her. About the changelings. And the fights. She worked as fast and hard as she could, but you were fading quickly. You were going to die."

She raised her head a little. "You almost did die. The crystal heart is linked to your soul. Every time it healed you, it burned a little more of your life energy away. When I broke the heart, I shattered your soul along with it." She paused again, obviously disturbed. "I couldn't let you die. I couldn't! I..." She stopped, obviously struggling to continue, although it seemed she had rehearsed this speech. "I-I rebuilt the gem and bound part of my soul in it to save your life. It's all I could do! I don't know if you can ever forgive me, but I hope I can make it up to you. You will heal, slowly. I hope until then, you will let me help you." Her voice faded out, and she stared at me. A tear rolled down her cheek, a mixture of hope, fear, and self-loathing fighting in her eyes.

I lifted my shirt and carefully pulled on the bandages, trying to reveal the crystal. When I saw it, I froze in shock. Instead of glowing the familiar yellow I knew, it was filled with a gentle lilac fire. My breathing accelerated as I flashed back to...blood. Pain. Fire. Screams. I rubbed my wrists, as the manacles seemed to clamp down on them, and curled up in a ball on the bed, trying to exorcise the memories.

They refused to leave me alone. Once again I felt the obscene pressure draining the life of that poor unfortunate, hanging it on my shoulders. Half of my hate for this gem had been where it came from. And now, I was responsible for it happening again.

I barely heard the slow retreating hoofsteps as Twilight left.

> 4 - Interpersonal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And here is where you'll sleep!"

Twilight forced a jittery cheerfulness into her voice as she showed me my room. I nodded and placed my one possession, my belt and sheath, on the dresser.

"I'll...leave you to settle in." She nervously withdrew.

"Wes." Zecora stepped up beside me. "How are you doing?" I sighed and slowly walked out of the library. Twilight had discovered I needed somewhere to stay and asked that I live with her. As an apology, of sorts. I had accepted, trying to assuage her feelings of guilt, but I still found it hard to face her. My own feelings of fear and anguish kept surfacing, and the crystal seemed to be boring a hole in my chest. We stepped outside and I led Zecora down one of the small streets, enjoying the sun and letting it relax my muscles.

"The funny thing is, Zecora, I'm not even angry at her for attacking me." I paused for a minute. "I mean, sure, it's not like I'm happy about it, but...it was an honest mistake. She thought she was protecting Apple Bloom." I sighed again, but Zecora didn't say anything. "This might sound stupid, but I never considered holding a grudge. I probably should care a bit more, but...well, death has been a fact of my life for so long it didn't even register I should’ve been angry. I just thought, 'Oh, a fatal wound. Looks like I didn't make it after all.' I mean, not that I didn't care, it just isn't....Oh, I don't know. But I'm not angry at her."

"Have you told her this?" Zecora's voice was mildly reproving.

"I've tried. But there's more. You've seen the gem in my chest, right? You know what it is?"

"Fell, fierce, dark and dangerous, magic that should never see the light of day."

"Oh, that's all correct, and more. But it was forced on me, and I saw the whole thing played out. They killed a pony to make it, Zecora. They killed him in front of me, and I got to watch as his life-force was drained into the gem. I've never gotten over that. I've always felt him, hanging around my shoulders, the weight of a life that shouldn't have been ended. I carry it with me."

"His death was not your fault."

"Hah. You think I don't know? Tell that to my heart, Zecora. It's not enough for me to say to myself, 'Wes, you're not at fault, Twilight isn't going to die, you won't end up carrying her...her soul around for countless years...' My heart doesn't listen. Whenever I see her, I flash back to that room. I can feel the cold steel of the manacles and every swirling emotion like it was yesterday."

We walked in silence for a bit.

"Wes, you seem to be a good person."

"Thank you, Zecora. I do try, although you've done more for me than I can ever repay."

"Freely given, Wes. But that is not my point. You are a good person. So is Twilight. Don't avoid her, Wes. You two are drawn together, at least for now. If you surrender to your feelings and take the easy way, you will never heal your fear. More than that, your friendship would help Twilight forgive herself. That mare holds herself to a higher standard than anypony else could. What she did...it’s breaking her up inside. She needs healing as much as you, and your acceptance and forgiveness can do a lot towards starting that."

I nodded slowly. "Thanks, Zecora. I'll try."

"Good. Now, let us return. I do believe they are making lunch."





"So, your name is Wesley?"

I nodded. I was being introduced to a small purple and green dragon. He wore an apron.

"And you're here because Twilight hurt you, and wanted to apologize."

I nodded again.

"Well, I'm Spike. I'm Twilight's number one assistant! If you need to find anything around here, just ask me."

"Spike, stop bothering Wesley!" Twilight pulled him away. "Sorry." She laughed nervously. "I tell him not to be a bother, but..." She gathered up the dishes from the meal and they quickly retreated. I sighed. He hadn't been a bother. I would have liked talking to him, if only for the company of someone I could comfortably look in the eyes.

I lay my forehead on the table and tried to think. Twilight was avoiding me. I didn't feel confident enough to talk to her anyways. I needed to say something, but didn't know what.

Was interpersonal stuff always this hard? I'd never been a particularly outgoing person, preferring my own company in high school. The habit only got worse in college, where even my roommate barely saw me. At least all the friends I did have, I’d been close to. I'd made friends with Splinter, but we’d been forced together. How was I supposed to convey my feelings to Twilight? I had no idea what to say, and I choked up when I tried to say anything at all!

CRAAAAASH!

I was knocked out of my contemplations when the door to the library was blasted open. Something slammed into my side, flipping me out of my chair and plastering me against the wall. The bookshelves hurt. I collapsed in a heap. That should have hurt more, but I landed on something soft and...blue?

"Ow, ow, ow. Sorry about that," a rough voice apologized from the bottom of the pile.

A blue pegasus pony with a flamboyant rainbow mane had slammed through the door and into me. Now I was sprawled on top of her, in a pile on the floor.

"Hey, get off me, Twilight!"

"Um..."

There was a blur and the pony under me was gone.

"You're not Twilight!" She stood over me, and poked me with a hoof. "You… You're the guy who...! Alright, come with me." Showing surprising strength, she grabbed my shirt in her teeth and started to drag me from the room. I scooted along the floor for a short way, before scrambling to my feet. She let go as I did; it was either that, or end up hanging from my collar.

"What is up with you?" I asked, mildly annoyed. "First you bust in and slam me into a bookshelf, and now you're dragging me off? Who are you, even?"

"Oh, right. I guess you wouldn't have heard of me yet, being new in town and all, but I'm Rainbow Dash! Fastest flyer in all of Equestria, weather mare extraordinaire and one of Twilight's good friends. Now come on!" She trotted out the door, leaving me behind. I almost let her go, content to sit and mope a bit more, but curiosity urged me forward and I followed.

She was standing in the road, waiting for me, her hooves spread and head down. My memory flashed; I'd seen that before, but where?

"Alright, let's do this. Right here, right now, no holds barred."

Suddenly, I remembered. Splinter had used that stance when he was fighting. I blinked and she was gone. I blinked again and I was on the ground, two hoofprints on my chest.

"Wait, wait!" I yelled, rolling backwards and springing to my feet. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not?" She dipped to the left and I turned to follow. "Afraid? Don't want to hit a mare?"

"No, I-"

"You seemed willing enough the other day. Willing enough to draw a knife on one of my friends!"

"But I-"

"Shut up and pony up! Either you're going to fight me, or I'm going to beat you black and blue!" Another kick connected. I managed to block this one, but the force behind it almost staggered me. I took a step back and made my decision.

I wasn't really afraid of getting hurt, although I undoubtedly would be. Rather, I was afraid that if I went into this, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back. I'd spent nearly a year, day in and day out, fighting for my life. Every single blow I'd landed in those fights had been aimed to kill or maim. I hadn't held back anything. Maybe when Twilight had surprised me things would have worked out better if I hadn't attacked her without thinking. Deliberately picking a fight seemed foolish; my brain only had two settings. Peace, and full-auto. No 'stun'.

Another blow brought me back to the present. I wasn't being given a choice. How could I resolve this, without grievous bodily harm to either of us?

Fine, I thought, giving in. I wasn't going to just stand and take this. I steeled my concentration and got my head in the game. I started off with a few punches and counters. Rainbow backed off a bit, as I ruthlessly exploited any opening to land telling body blows. They were fierce, but I did my best to avoid her internal organs, windpipe and arteries, tempting as they were.

I could tell fighting against my instincts was affecting my speed. Several times, she managed to return blows through my defense. She obviously had some training, and probably from a better teacher. Still, I had experience and a very, very well defined sense of what my body could take before it started to break. I'd stress tested it, after all.

The exchange soon started to tell on both of us. My breathing grew ragged, and her quips and witty banter stopped. I was only slightly surprised when she flapped her wings, breaking off to leap into the sky.

Stupid wings. They're almost as bad as magic. I'd been handily beaten several times by changelings who knew how to utilize the high ground.

At least she didn't have a ranged weapon. If she decided to drop stuff I was sunk. I promptly turned my back on her and dashed for a nearby house. I planted my back against it and looked up.

She was diving for me, but pulled up short when she realized what I was doing. She couldn't gather momentum if I stayed near obstacles.

That didn't stop her from using hit-and-run, though. She was a much better flier than any of the changelings I'd fought, just not as battle-trained. She could turn on a dime and lash out with any of her four hooves. Soon, she was raining blows on me as she swooped and dipped just over my head. I blocked as best I could and waited for an opening.

I'd learned to deal with an opponent who was faster or had longer reach by closing in. Nothing gets closer than grappling. Her eyes popped wide as I grabbed a hoof and yanked her out of the sky.

"Fingers!" I yelled, wrapping my arms around her and slamming us both onto the ground. She struggled, but I'd done this to changelings half-again my weight and won, while she had never fought a two-armed opponent. I had her pinned, one arm blocking her wings and one fist jabbing in to crush her throat when I realized what I was doing.

I was off her so fast, it might have looked like a teleport. I focused for a second, trying to calm my breathing, but it did no good. That was a killing blow! I'd almost suffocated her!

She lay on the ground for a second, before rolling over and pushing herself to her feet. She looked pretty bedraggled, feathers out of place and dirt and dust staining her sky-blue coat. She coughed once or twice.

"That...that was AWESOME!" she said, shaking like a dog and flapping.

I stood dumbstruck.

"Wh-what?"

"Man, you really know how to fight! Spike said you went all pony-fu on Twilight, but I didn't believe it! Man, you're good!" She bounced up on her back feet, and shadow-boxed for a second. "What style was that? I've never seen those moves!"

"Um...are you OK?" I asked tentatively, still not confident I'd managed to keep my self control.

"I'm fine." She said, snorting dismissively. "I take worse trying out stunts." She took a step forward, and winced. "Ok, maybe that will bruise. But I'm fine. Now, seriously, where did you learn to fight like that?"  She walked up to me, and stared up into my face. Her magenta eyes were filled with eagerness, and she was just a little too close for comfort.

"Umm, that's a long story..."

"Ok, ok. Let's go find somewhere to chillax. I'll buy you a drink."

I eyed her for a second, and then slowly nodded. She was insane. But at least she was friendly.





"...and that's why I'm living at Twilight's."

She had slowly worked the whole story of my imprisonment out of me. Although I had been reluctant at first, it did feel good to tell someone everything. Rainbow and I sat on a hillside, a carton of cider bottles on the grass between us. Rainbow picked another one up, twisting the top off with her teeth.

"Wow, dude."

"Yeah, that's how I feel sometimes. I mean, seriously..." I tapped the gem through my shirt, making a 'clink clink' sound. "I would have considered magic about as real as...as UFO's, or Bigfoot, if you'd told me about it a year ago. And now, well, here I am."

"Wait, you don't know about UFO's?"

I looked at her incredulously for a second, before she burst into laughter, rolling over backwards and waving her hooves in the air.

"-hooh hooh hah! Man, you should have seen your face!" She sat back up, and took another pull on her cider. "Seriously though, you need to talk to Twilight."

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, I know I do, but...it's hard, you know?" I said. She nodded somberly.

"Yeah, I know. Feelings suck, dude."

"Yeah," I snorted in response. I stood, gathering my bottles. "Anyways, thanks, Rainbow. It was a lot of fun talking with you, but it's starting to get dark and I have no idea when supper is." I stretched, wincing at bruises. I was still getting used to the idea of feeling sore. It had been a long time since any sort of mark stayed on my body, but I liked the idea. It was proof I was moving forward, away from the arena.

"Hey, no problem. We'll have to do this again sometime. I really enjoyed that match we had." I flinched at the idea.

"Um, like I said..."

"Right, right, don't trust your instincts, yadda yadda, but seriously. How are you going to get better if you don't practice? And dude, you can totally get better. I plan to. If you're just going to sit on your haunches, I'm going to kick your flank next time." She nodded once, and winged her way into the sky.

I laughed nervously and headed back towards town, walking slowly and enjoying the night air, mulling what she'd said. Did I want to continue to practice fighting? Should I continue, even if I wanted to? I'd gotten these skills, such as they were, in the most ignoble way possible, fighting and killing in a filthy, disgraceful manner for evil masters with evil purposes. Maybe they were better off forgotten. Would I even need them in this peaceful little town?

Lost in thought, I walked through the library door and tripped over a pile of books.

The inside of the Golden Oaks library looked like a hurricane had swept through. Books were piled everywhere, many of them open, or with multiple bookmarks. Several hung in the center of the room, enveloped in Twilight's magic. The unicorn herself, looking somewhat frazzled, sat in the middle. She mumbled to herself, taking notes with three quills simultaneously.

I walked over to Spike, who was re-shelving a book, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What's all this about?" I asked quietly, trying not to draw attention.

"All night study session." He replied, yawning tiredly. "She does this whenever she can't figure something out. She has no concept of 'taking it easy' and does everything like her life depends on it. Of course, for her, the best way to find answers is to check a book, so...yeah. This is how she is in a knowledge crisis. Study till you drop."

"Oh." I stood for a minute, trying to take the whole scene in. "Um, is this about..." I trailed off, and tapped my chest.

"Yeah, I think so. It started with crystals and magic permittivity. Her research has gone off the deep end, though. I'm just about lost. I mean, emotive tensors? What the hay do emotive tensors have to do with megaswirl engram absorption? They can't even interact! I mean, maybe if you used a widderspindle, but...no, that wouldn't work." The little dragon shook his head. "Anyways, I need to get her this." He pulled another book of the shelf. "She's done with volume nine. There's soup on the stove, if you want some."

I nodded my thanks, and picked my way around the outside of the mess, re-considering my first impression of Spike. The dragon was obviously more intelligent that I'd first guessed. although to be fair, I hadn't talked to him much. Then again, I guess you don't work with someone like Twilight without picking up a few things.

The soup was corn chowder. I ate slowly and headed to bed. Maybe tomorrow I'd have a chance to talk to my host.



> 5 - Shattered
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke to a crash and a spray of flying glass.

"Did my mirror just...explode?" I mumbled, sitting up in bed and trying to clear my mind. I brushed a handful of glass fragments off my bed and felt around on the floor for my sneakers. I slipped them on and padded out into the library, thinking vaguely of a broom.

Apparently I wasn't the only with reflective malfunctions, because a sleep-bleared Twilight stumbled down the stairs a minute later, shards of glass held in her telekinetic aura. She walked right past me and into the kitchen where I heard a clink-clink-clink as she threw them away.

"Twilight, did your mirror explode, too?"

The purple pony turned towards me.

"Yeah." She yawned. "Maybe my spell’s relativistic co-efficient wasn't right."

"Wait, you weren't asleep? Twilight, have you gotten any sleep, at all?" I glanced up at the clock. It was three in the morning. "You need to go to bed!"

She flinched at my raised voice.

"But, but I've had this really great idea, see...if I used a fractal matrix, maybe I could overload the thingness vectors and eliminate the spin on my numosic field, and separate-" She mumbled until I cut her off.

"No, no, no! That would never work. Numosic fields spin axially AND sidereally, and a fractal matrix can only be resolved in one dimension!"

"Oh. Oh! You're right! But that would mean...wait. How did you know that?"

My mouth snapped shut.

"...I have no idea. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not even sure what I was just saying." I tried to grab a hold of the memory, but although I could remember just how much sense the words had made when I said them, the meaning was fading, dreamlike, from my head.

She blinked foggily at me for a second.

"Whatever. It's too late for this, and I'm going to bed." She said, turning to leave.

"Good." I followed her out. "Get some rest."  I walked back to my room, confused. Where had that come from? I puzzled over it as I swept the floor. It's not like knowledge could just appear in my head like that, right...?





"Is she going to become completely nocturnal?" I asked, as I shoved a bit of pancake in my mouth.

"Probably not." Spike replied, flipping another onto my plate from his pan. I smeared butter on it, and picked up the maple syrup. "She gets like this sometimes," He said. "Hopefully, she'll be back to normal in a bit."

"I'm just afraid that she's avoiding me."

"She might be. But if she is, she won't admit it. Your best bet is to give her a few days; she’ll either cool off or melt down. That's the best time to talk to her."

"Well, I"ll take your word for it, Spike. Hey, I had a question. Are there any quick ways to make a bit of money in this town? I want to be able to pay Twilight some rent."

"Wes...you know she wasn't thinking of that when she invited you here."

"Yeah. What she was thinking of was a mixture of crushing guilt and apprehension. I don't want to take advantage of her good nature; this is something I want to do."

The young dragon looked at me speculatively for a minute.

"Well, most of the well-established business don't need a part-timer. You could probably find work on one of the farms, if you wanted. But if all you want is a quick bit....are you afraid of the Everfree?"

"That's....the forest where Zecora lives, right?"

"Yeah. It can be pretty dangerous in there, what with the wild animals and weather."

"Well, I don't really have a good handle on how dangerous it is, I guess. but I felt safe at Zecoras, and I did manage to run off a manticore. Maybe if I made myself a spear..." I thought about it for a minute. "I think I'd be OK in there for a while. Why?"

"There are lots of interesting and magical things in the Everfree." He flipped the pancakes in his pan, and stepped out of the kitchen for a minute, returning with a slim volume, printed on cheap paper and bound in card-stock. He handed it to me and stepped back to the stove.

"The Wizard's Almanac?" I asked, reading the front of the book. "What?"

"Try page twenty-seven."

I flipped through the book, quickly coming to a page of small boxes, each with a name and a price.

"Alchemicals from the Everfree; going prices." I read a few, eyebrows climbing. "Wow. Some of these are...wow."

"Yeah, well...the Everfree is pretty much unique. It's also pretty dangerous. A lot of the things there are a niche market, but it's a niche market for people who have money. If you want a temporary job, you could hunt these. It's high-risk, but it's also high-reward. And Zecora could help you, I think. However." Spike bit off the last word, and turned to look me in the eyes. "If you manage to get seriously hurt, Twilight will be devastated." He poked his spatula at me, managing to look menacing in a small purple apron. "And that will make ME angry. Got it?" I nodded, soberly. I thought this was a good idea, but I'd better go about it carefully. He was right; getting hurt again wouldn't be good for my host, and the whole point of this was to pay her back a little.

"Thanks for the food." I carried my plate over to the sink and rinsed it off. "And thanks for the suggestions. I think I'm going to visit Zecora." I waved the Almanac at him. "Is it OK if I borrow this?"

"Sure, take it with you." He sat down at the table, and pulled the syrup towards his plate. "I'll write it in the checkout book."





"Oh, hello Apple Bloom." I stepped into Zecora's hut, and closed the door behind me. "Did something break?" The filly was sweeping a pile of glass shards into a dustpan, just as I arrived.

"Yeah. Zecora said that her mirror shattered in the night, and that it was some kinda warning. She took off as soon as Ah got here, telling me to stay by the hut and clean up. Said she wouldn't be gone long."

"Huh." I sat down on a clean part of the floor, and flipped open my book. "I hope she's not too long. Weirdly enough, Twilight's mirrors broke last night, too. She thought it might have been something to do with an magical experiment."

"That's odd." Apple Bloom agreed, as she trotted past me and dumped the glass shards in Zecora's garbage pit outside. Coming back in, she curled up next to me, and looked at my book. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, Spike gave me this." I waved the book. "It's an almanac for wizards. Lots of odd things in here. But I'm looking at this." I showed her the pages on alchemical ingredients. "Spike suggested that I might be able to find some of these plants in the Everfree, and sell them for a bit of money."

"Mandrake? Flameweed? Wesley, some of these things are really dangerous!"

"Well, that's why I was going to ask Zecora. I thought maybe she would be willing to take me along with her. I could watch her back. These are plants she uses, right?"

"Yeah, most of them. Woah, sparkle salts sell for ten bits an ounce? But that does make some sense, Ah guess..." She trotted over to peer at the shelves, checking on various different ingredients. It seemed she was favoring her left foreleg over her right.

"Hey Apple Bloom, are you limping?"

"Huh?" She looked back over her withers at me. "Oh, yeah. A little, Ah guess. I was helping to buck apples the other day, and Ah might have overextended myself a bit."

"Do you want me to rub it for you?"

"Well, Ah wouldn't say no." She came back over, and lay down with her back towards me. I carefully reached for her near shoulder, and buried my fingers in her tan fur.

"Ooooo...." She sighed as I started to rub. "Wes, that feels just peachy."

"Good." I said. She closed her eyes, and lay her head on the floor. I concentrated on working her muscles gently.

"If you don't become an herb gatherer, Ah bet you could make money as a masseuse." She mumbled. I grinned.

A few minutes later, I heard hoof steps approaching.

"Hey, I bet that's Zecora." I said, standing up. Apple Bloom reluctantly got to her hooves as well. "Feel better?" I asked.

"Much." She replied. We both stepped outside.

It wasn't Zecora, however. Instead, it was a slender yellow pegasus with a strawberry pink mane.

"Howdy, Miss Fluttershy!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Fancy seeing you here! What's up?"

"He-hello." The pegasus responded timidly. "Um, I was wondering if I could borrow Zecora's mirror. If that isn't too much trouble. I didn't mean to bother you."

"Did your mirror break, too?" I asked, curious.

"Yes. Last night, I heard the most frightful noise, and when I woke up, there was glass all over the bathroom! My Angel Bunny was very bothered by it, so I thought maybe I could borrow Zecoras, since I was coming this way on my visit to Mr. and Mrs. Bear anyways."

"Well, we'd love to help you, Fluttershy, but Ah'm afraid that Zecora's broke, as well."

"I'm beginning to think this isn't a coincidence." I said. "I wonder how many other people have broken mirrors this morning?"

"Oh!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "You two haven't been introduced yet, right? Fluttershy, this is Wes. He's my friend, and he's thinking of gathering things in the Everfree with Zecora! Wes, this is Fluttershy. She's the town veterinarian, and takes care of all sorts of animals at her house."

"Nice to meet you." I said, extending my fist. She responded by bumping it with her hoof, the pony version of shaking hands.

"N-nice to meet you." She replied in a tiny voice. "U-um, what sort of creature are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm a human."

"O-oh."

We all stood there awkwardly for a second, until Zecora stepped out of the forest, right next to Fluttershy. There was an 'Eeeep!', and the yellow pegasus was gone. Zecora sighed, shaking her head.

"Wes, it's good to see you." She said, obviously distracted. Apple Bloom and I followed her into her hut, where we found Fluttershy from under the bed. "I apologize for scaring you, but I need you to listen well; this may be serious trouble. I ventured into the Everfree this morning, after I discovered that my mirror was broken. Do you know what a broken mirror signifies?"

"Um..." Apple Bloom answered hesitantly. "Seven years bad luck...?"

"Right. But do any of you know where that old tale came from?"

All three of us shook our heads.

"Well, it has to do with mirror magic."

"Mirror magic?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Right. Mirrors can be used for magic. Spying is the easiest, or sometimes magic that uses mirrors as doors. The superstition comes from the story that if you break a mirror a mirror mage is using, he will curse you. Probably impossible, since how can he curse you if his mirror is gone? There are records, though, of powerful mirror spells that broke mirrors."

"Twilight thought that one of her experiments had broken the mirrors in the library," I volunteered.

"I suppose it's possible." Zecora mused for a second. She shook her head. "No, that isn’t likely. The amount of power required to break mirrors all over town isn't too much, but she wouldn't have done it by accident. However, I think I might be able to shed some light on this." The zebra reached back into her saddlebags, and extracted a vial of water. She swirled it and held it in the sunlight, where it cast rippling shadows around the room. She took a white bowl off the shelf, and poured the water into it. She added a few drops of something inky, turning the water dead black.

"This is water from the Mirror Pool, deep in the Everfree. With this, we may be able to scry some of the resonances of any mirror magic that was used last night. It might not show us much, but we can at least guess if it was magic or not." She waved a hoof over the water, and mumbled for a second in what I assumed was Zebrican. As the ripples died down, the reflections on the surface re-arranged themselves, forming rapidly shifting shapes. For a second, it resolved into a glowing green eye. It blinked once and then was gone as the surface of the water was broken by a flurry of bubbles.

"Is it...boiling?" I asked, holding my hand over the water to feel the heat.

"Yes." Zecora said, her voice flat. She shuddered. "What power! A spell that leaves that much residue behind...we need to discover what it did as soon as possible!" All three of us nodded.

"You should go ask Twilight." Fluttershy said quietly. I looked over at the yellow pegasus, and nodded.

"She might have some idea what sort of magic could do this." I said.

"Very well." Zecora said, carefully pouring the water out the door into the dirt. "Let's go."

"I hope she's awake." I said, and we set off down the path, parting with Fluttershy at the door.

> 6 - Weave
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Fascinating." Twilight held a vial of Mirror Pool water, turning it this way and that before her face. Her horn glowed as she examined it both magically and mundanely. "This has some very unusual properties! Zecora, how long have you known about this stuff?"

"Oh, quite a while," Zecora said. "But rest assured, I have my reasons for not wanting the knowledge spread about."

"And you're saying that the residue your scrying picked up boiled the water?"

"Yes."

"This is going to require some research..." Twilight absentmindedly finished the sandwich Spike had made her for brunch, and ambled out of the dining room.  Zecora and I followed, only to find her already immersed, books floating around and pen scribbling. We shared a wry smile and continued out the door. As I did however, an overheard mumble from Twilight caused me to freeze.

<"...but Planck length means that couldn't be the case, even with ice...">

I almost stepped back inside, about to ask Twilight where she had learned English, until I remembered my own oddness last night.

"Zecora, something weird is happening with Twilight and me." The zebra turned to me inquisitively. "Come on," I said. "Someone showed me a great hill for sitting and talking around here. Let's see if it's available."





"Well, I think I could help you with that." Zecora was looking through the Almanack. "Actually, you should also ask Apple Bloom. She is quite well versed in the ways of the Everfree, and when you are on the edges, she can be quite an effective guide." Sighing, she leaned back on the grass. "As for the other, you say that both you and Twilight have known things you shouldn't? But you don't realize until later?"

"Yeah. I think that's right."

"Well. Firstly, the spell Twilight used to heal you." She tapped my chest, the gem clinking against her hoof. I could feel the vibrations deep in my bones. "It was a thing of desperation, and I am not surprised at unusual side effects. Twilight pulled you back from the brink by mixing the energy of her soul with yours. Souls are complex and delicate. This is just a guess, but perhaps you ended up with some of her memories and she ended up with some of yours?"

"Great." I sighed. "Now I feel like a thief AND a jerk."

"Easy, Wes. She did what she did of her own free will."

"I know, Zecora. But this is kinda a lot to take in all at once."

"...Yes."

I was getting better with ponies. I really was. I was learning not to see every one of them as a 'threat' on my subconscious danger assessment. I wasn't jumping around like crazy in town, I was able to walk calmly down the streets. I still didn't feel like I was up to large crowds, but those were blessedly uncommon in the quiet town.

I STILL wasn't prepared to have an electric-pink pony materialize directly in front of me without crossing the intervening space in any discernible manner. My instincts, still taut, screamed. I hadn’t noticed the approach at all. I’d normally default to fight, but against such a complete unknown, there was only one option.

"HI!"

"EEEEEEEEEEK!" I screamed like a little girl and ran as fast as I could. Somewhere behind I heard Zecora laughing, but I was too busy escaping to care.

"Hi! My name is Pinkie Pie! I haven't met you yet, but you're Rainbow and Twilight's new friend, right? I want to be your friend too! We can play games! Oh, are we playing tag? I like tag! Oh, oh, am I it? I want to be it!" The crazy pink creature was somehow keeping pace with me. I leaped into the forest, dashing at full speed through the underbrush. I had to concentrate and use every ounce of skill and innate speed I had to keep from falling and hurting myself, but my attacker somehow managed to not only keep pace with me, but to do it by bouncing.

I tried zigzaging, but that didn't work either.

"So, you're new here and I want to have a party for you! I love parties and any reason to throw a party should be embraced! Except we can't throw a party for a silly reason, because then parties won't be special anymore and the best part of parties is that they're special! But a new pony in Ponyville is definitely special, even if you're not really a pony! We can play games and there will be cake and friends! That's the best part of a party, how everyone has fun and is friendly and we can all share smiles!"

Giving up escaping, I dived for the next piece of cover I saw, a thick bush, and curled up in it hoping she would go away.

"Oh, are we done playing tag? But I didn't catch you! But you're not running anymore and tag is no fun if you don't run! What are we playing now? Is it hide-and-go-seek? I like hide-and-go-seek, but it's hard! You have to HOLD STILL and I have trouble with that! But you seem to be pretty good at it. Maybe I'll just let you hide? OK, I'll go count!" There was a series of 'boings' and the chattering died into the distance.

I lay in the underbrush for a while, trying to process what had just happened.

A few minutes later I heard laughing, giggling and even outright guffawing approach my hiding place. A little later, a black-and-gray fetlock poked into my bush and a hoof rapped me on the shoulder.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Zecora said, trying to stifle a giggle.

"Oh, shut up." I growled, slowly uncurling. "How do you deal with her?"

"It's really not so bad." She said, consolingly. "At least, for those of us who can suppress their fight or flight instinct." She added more seriously. "And once you get to know her I can honestly say that Pinkie Pie is a delight. She has her oddness, but it is vastly outweighed by her genuinely warm and caring heart."

"Fine, fine." I rose to my feet, dusting myself off. "I over-reacted. But honestly, how does she do that?"

"No-one knows," Zecora said. I glanced at her, half expecting her to be mocking me, but she was serious. "Honestly. Pinkie Pie is entirely inexplicable. Even our resident egghead, Twilight, had a go at researching what makes her tic. She soon decided to leave well enough alone, and categorized Pinkies tics as 'knowledge better off unknown to ponykind.'"

I shook my head, trying to settle this new information into it comfortably. This time I only jumped a little when Pinkie appeared.

"Found you!" She yelled, before collapsing into giggles.

"Good job, Pinkie." Zecora said, smiling warmly. "You win a bottle of cider! Come sit with us a while." Turning back towards the meadow, she led us all out of the forest.





"Really?" I asked, surprised. "I had no idea that making cupcakes was that complicated."

"Well, you only have to do that if you want really good ones!" Pinkie said, shooting me a serious look over her cider bottle. The three of us had spent the past hour or so sitting in the sun and swapping stories. "Rarity sticks her nose up and says they're all the same, but I can TASTE the difference! My cupcakes are made with LOVE!" She swigged her drink and slammed the bottle on the ground. "I can TASTE IT!" She broke out in smiles again, after her overly serious moment. "And I think others can, too. That's why I do it."

I shook my head a little, smiling. Zecora had been right. Although Pinkie had poor impulse control, it wasn't usually an issue because she had nothing but genuinely kind impulses.

"Rarity is your friend who owns a clothing store, right?"

"Oh, Carousel Boutique is MUCH more than a clothing store!" Pinkie said. "It's a place of art! Rarity pours her heart and soul into making clothes that ponies will love! Everyone who walks out of there is happy with their outfit, unless they're the sort of pony who has trouble being happy. That hurts Rarity the worst. But what can you do? Some ponies like being miserable." For a second she stared off into space, before shaking the mood away and bouncing to her feet. "Wes, you need some clothes, right? Come with me! I'll take you to meet Rarity, and you can order some new threads!"

"Um..." I took a swig of cider and stared uncertainly into space. "I'd love to, but I don't have any money."

"Here." Zecora dug a small pouch out of her mane and tossed it to me. "Take that, and consider it an advance on helping with my potion ingredients. Having another person gathering in the Everfree will give me more free time for experimenting."

I stared at the pouch for a second, feelings conflicted, before slowly pocketing it.

"Thanks, Zecora. you've been a true friend to me."

"Awww." Pinkie smiled at us. "That's what I'm talking about! Smiles should be shared!" She turned and started bouncing towards the town.

"Wait, I can't keep up!" I said, as I struggled along behind. "How do you do that, anyways?" I asked, frustrated at her pace.

"Just put a little spring in your step, silly!"

I stopped for a breath and paused in bemusement. looking up at the brilliantly blue sky and the green grass all around me, I summoned a bit of playfulness up from the bottom of my heart, slipped a smile onto my face, and cast off my cares for the future for a bit.

I set off with a hop and a skip, and it really did seem easier to keep up.





We must have looked a little ridiculous coming into a town, a bouncing pink pony and a skipping human, but we shrugged off the stares. If you’re doing something fun, do it with all your heart!

We soon reached a round two-story building. The upper floor was circled with a porch and a wrought iron railing, with ponies worked into it to simulate the shape of a carousel. The bottom floor was rather larger, with extensive glass windows. A glimpse through one showed several manikins...or would that be ponikins? Each with their own dress, some in states of partial completion.

Pinkie burst through the door, the bell jingling wildly.

"Rarity!" she called. "Come meet Wes! He needs clothes!" There was a startled gasp and clatter as something fell, followed by the sound of many small things bouncing on the floor. I stepped through the door behind her and saw a brilliantly white unicorn with an immaculately coiffured mane. She was shaking her head and examining a dropped sewing basket that had spilled bobbins and rolls of thread all across the floor.

I bent down and picked one up. It was red.

"Pinkie, you really MUST stop surprising people! There are some situations where it is simply not appropriate!" The white unicorn was berating Pinkie, while gathering up the thread with her telekinetic aura. She stopped as the bobbin in my hand glowed.

"Oh, I do apologize! How rude of me to ignore a customer!" She tucked the bobbins back in the basket, and set it on a nearby table. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"He needs new clothes, Rarity!" Pinkie interjected, sounding slightly frustrated. "I just said so!"

"Yes yes, dear. Run along now." Rarity waved dismissively at Pinkie. I shrugged at my pink guide slightly. I could probably take it from here. She huffed, clearly annoyed at being excluded, but made her way to the door and let herself out.

"Um, she's pretty much right." I said. "I know you only do custom work and I can't afford to pay much, but I don't think I can wear pony clothes and I really need something new soon. These can't take much more wear and tear." I fingered my shirt. It had lasted much longer than it should have, thanks to the magic of the gem, but by now it was starting to look pretty lived-in. I had washed it when I could, but I really wanted a bit more than one set of clothes.

"Well, you came to the right place!" Rarity spun, waving about the store. "If anyone can help you, I can!" She took a closer look at what I was wearing. "The patterns for these don't seem too difficult. But for formal wear, this seems awfully plain! I can surely make you something much more fabulous than this!"

"Oh, uh..." Cultural differences. I hadn't really thought about it until now, but most of these ponies were naked. The most clothing I'd seen in day-to-day use was a hat. "Well, this isn't actually formal wear. I wear clothes pretty much all the time." No need to get into human social norms and mores too far. "Look," I said, holding out an arm. "No fur. I need the protection from the sun and wind, not to mention if I walk in the forest," I pointed to a scratch. "Actually, I could use some long sleeves."

"Fascinating! A race that wears clothes all the time? You simply MUST tell me about your home country! It sounds fabulous! But I must ask you, what sort of fiber is this made of?" She rubbed the cloth of my shirt gently. "And it's spun so very finely! This is absolutely masterful work!"

"Um, let's see..." I pulled the collar of my shirt around, and squinted at the tag. "Rayon? Personally, I would prefer cotton. Oh, and they're machine made. I've never been able to afford hand-made clothes, not to mention hand-spun."

"Oh my! Your country really must use more textiles than us to have such an advanced industry! But I do have cotton and I can work with that. I wonder if I could import some fabric, though; the possibilities in this cloth are simply fascinating."

"I don't think that will work...I'm from a very, very long way away."

"Well, why don't you tell me about it?" She motioned to a changing screen. "Step behind that, and pass me your clothes so I can examine them. After that, I'll need to take your measurements."

"Well, I don't really understand how it all works myself, but I was camping and there must have been some sort of magical accident, because when I woke up..."





"...and so, Twilight saved my life, but I have trouble even looking her in the face."

I ended up telling Rarity a lot more than I had expected to. Maybe it was because she was obviously very close to several ponies I had already met, or maybe it was because she was extremely personable. We were sitting in her studio, sipping from tiny teacups. She was working on a pattern with paper and pins scattered across the table. it was going to be another shirt, a simple button-down like the one I was currently wearing, but with two breast pockets and long sleeves. I had mentioned buttoning cuffs to her, and she was currently working on adapting a pony design to fit my wrists.

"Well, I would say there's a little more to it than that." She said. "Although you claim to hold no grudge, that sort of...altercation can be difficult to put behind you."

I nodded glumly as she re-filled my cup.

"Um...could you point me to the bathroom?" I asked, looking down into what was probably my seventh tiny cup of tea.

"Next room on the left." She pointed absently as she carefully placed a pin.

I stepped back into the studio a bit later, much relieved.

"Rarity, did your mirrors break last night, too?"

"Indeed! It was horrible! Glass everywhere and this horrible noise! It's a wonder I got any sleep afterwards, what with the fog and the magical resonance."

"Wait...fog?"

"Oh, didn't you notice?" She looked up, her baby-blue eyes wide with surprise. "Although I guess if you didn't look outside, it might have been easy to miss. There was this horrid black fog floating through the streets. I have no idea what the pegasus were thinking; honestly, it was awful!"

"Huh. And the resonance?"

"Well, of course you would have missed that, not being a unicorn. Honestly, I almost missed it myself. It was faint, but I think it came from that way." She turned her head, pointing with her horn. "I wonder what caused that sort of thing? It seemed a bit strong for a misfired spell, but my mirrors are replaceable. At least none of my projects were damaged."

"Did you know that mirrors all across the town broke? Even Zecora had one shatter."

"Oh, is that so?" She sounded mildly curious. "You should really tell Twilight. She will find it fascinating, I'm sure."

"She knows. She's locked herself up in the library, pouring over all her books. Again."

"There there, dear. She will surface eventually. As her friends, we just need to be there for her when she does."

"She's lucky to have friends like you."

"Friends like us, Wes. If you're not her friend, after her saving your life and accepting her offer of room and board, you have a colder heart than I thought."

That floored me. Was I Twilight's friend? I thought about it for a minute. There had been nothing but bad blood between us so far, but that could change, right? I pushed my first impressions aside and thought about Twilight objectively for a bit. Although she had hurt me, she had owned up to it and apologized handsomely. She had immersed herself in her books, maybe to avoid me, but also to find a way to help me.

"I...I think I would like to be her friend."

"Well! That's the important part. Now, dear, I'm going to be sewing for a bit and I won't be fit for polite company. I've had a wonderful afternoon with you, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave me to my work. If you come back tomorrow, I should have this finished."

"Ok, I can do that. Just out of curiosity, how much is it going to cost? I don't have much money now, but I should be making more soon."

"Well..." her voice trailed off as she trotted out into the middle of the studio and started comparing bolts of cloth and checking her notes. "Most outfits I do are not exactly cheap. I charge for material and labor, gems and design time, with a little taken off if it's a particularly nice piece or for a particularly important person. This sort of business is built on reputation, after all and I don't sell outfits everyday. But this has been a pleasant afternoon and your order is so very basic, it will be simplicity itself to make. I even have some pieces of cloth leftover from previous projects that I think I can use." She paused for a second, tallying in her head. "It will be fifty-five bits. That's the material only, but I won't take anything more. You need some help and I'm happy to provide it. Besides, you've been excellent company." She tossed her mane over her shoulder and turned towards me. "You don't need to pay it all now, though, if you don't have it."

I pulled the bag Zecora had given me out of a pocket and spilled it into my palm. It came to thirty bits. I counted twenty out and passed them to her.

"Consider this a down payment. I hope to have more for you soon. Thank you so much, Rarity. I'll be back tomorrow. I hope you have a wonderful evening."

"Oh, I think I will," she said, pulling pieces of fabric out of a basket and holding them up for inspection. "I will see you tomorrow."

I nodded in response and pulled the door closed behind me, only to bump into a tiny white unicorn filly with a pink and purple mane. Behind her stood Apple Bloom and an orange pegasus filly.

"Wes?" Apple Bloom said. "Ah'm so glad Ah found you! These are my friends!"

> 7 - Repair
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stumbled into the library covered in a mixture of mud, bugs, and tree sap. I swung a hard right and stepped into the bathroom where I started to draw a bath.

"Wes? You back?" I stuck my head out, looking into the kitchen where Spike was in the middle of a huge sandwich.

"Yeah."

"Wow, you look a mess! What happened?"

"Three small, enthusiastic, and entirely too adorable fillies."

"Oh. The CMC. Did you have fun?"

"Actually..." A smile slid onto my face. "Yes! Yes I did. I had a lot of fun today. I talked with Zecora, I met two mares named Pinkie Pie and Rarity, and I did some extremely silly things with some foals. It's the first time in a long time that I just had some fun. But now, I need a bath."

"Cool. Hey, I'm not serving anything for supper, since Twilight is still lost in bookland."

"Ok, thanks."





"Um, Twilight?" I approached the fortress of knowledge, a peace offering of lettuce and radishes on a plate. I gently knocked on an open book, its pages flipping leisurely. It slowly moved aside. Twilight met my eyes uncomfortably for a second, and the gap widened to let me in.

"I brought you some supper." I awkwardly placed the plate near her notes.

"Thanks."

"Um, and thoughts? On the mirrors?"

"Well, um...there was definitely a spell. I haven't been able to tell where it came from, but I'm working hard on it."

We sat there awkwardly for a minute. I sighed and pushed the plate a little closer to her.

"You should eat something. You're going to hurt yourself if you can't remember to eat."

She silently picked up the sandwich and took a bite out of it.

"Um, Twilight...I don't think I ever really said this to you, but I think you need to hear it. Um. I forgive you." She stopped chewing for a second. "I don't care about getting hurt. I'm better now and you thought you were protecting Apple Bloom...I can't be angry over that. I've been talking to Zecora and she said that I should make sure to talk to you, so I'm trying to do that. I'm still not sure how I feel about everything that happened, but...at the very least, I'm not angry at you and I want to be your friend."

The silence returned. Twilight swallowed her sandwich, and stared off into space for a bit. I saw a glitter in her eye but she quickly rubbed it away.

"Sorry to dump this all on you like this. Um. If you want to talk..." I stood slowly and was about to walk away when Twilight cleared her throat. I turned back.

"U-um...Sorry. Let's try this again." She said, in a weak voice. "Hi! It's nice to meet you; I'm Twilight Sparkle, librarian at the Golden Oaks Library!"

Suddenly, I felt like a weight was gone from my heart. A genuine grin flashed across my face.

"Hi Twilight, it's nice to meet you! My name is Wes, and I'm a traveler from another dimension, who-"

"Wait, WHAT?"

"Oh. Did Zecora leave that bit out...?"





"Wait wait wait, you eat MEAT?"

"Yes?"

"Is...is it good?"





"So, geocentric or heliocentric?"

"Well, according to Celestia the sun orbits Equus, but some of the other satellites orbit the sun."

"So....something like the Tychonian system."





"You transmit pictures with radio waves?"

"Yeah. Information transfer is a huge, huge business in my world. It's getting bigger every day. Let me tell you about...the internet."





"That...that is...AWESOME."

"I know, right?"





"So, is it just me, or is buying milk really weird when it comes from sentient creatures?"

"Um. I never actually thought about that much."





"To be honest, I'm STILL not sure solipsism is wrong."

"But if you can't trust your senses, what CAN you trust?"

"Honestly? Nothing. But consider getting pulled from one world to another by seeming chance. Why should I trust my senses?"

"Hmm..."





"Ok, how do you ponies pick things up with hooves?"

"Close range telekinesis. And you think that's weird? Have you even looked at those things on the ends of your arms recently?"





"Wait...is it really this late?"

"Oh, horsefeathers. And I promised Spike I would get more sleep tonight."

"Pff, clocks. Ok, ok, fine. I should get some sleep too."





"Morning, Twilight." I rubbed sleep out of my eyes and stared groggily across the breakfast table.

"Morning, Wes." My purple host replied, looking just as groggy or maybe slightly more so.

"Morning, you two!" Spike chirped from the stove.

"Coffee." Two voices droned in unison.

"Fine, fine. Sheesh, just trying to be friendly." The diminutive dragon poured two cups of the elixir of life and set one before me.

"You know," I said speculatively after my first sip, "I think this might taste better with some sugar."

"Ok?" Twilight looked at me quizzically. "Add some?"

I nodded and stirred in a spoonful, but that wasn't the point. I'd never taken my coffee with sugar. I wanted it with cream and no sweetener. But for some reason it seemed a bit too bitter this morning. Maybe it had to do with...that? The thing about sharing part of my soul? I grimaced at the sweet taste but slurped it down. Maybe.

"As much fun as I had last night," I said, "I need to spend the day working for Zecora. And you need to study mirror magic, not souls."

"Right." Twilight nodded and took a bite of pancake.

"You might be best off talking to Rarity about that. She said she felt some magical resonance and saw a black fog when all the mirrors shattered."

"PFFT-WHAT?"

Bemused, I wiped small chunks of pancake off my face.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner? This changes everything! If she felt the resonance, maybe I can do a risograph on her, and get the direction...!" Breakfast forgotten, Twilight dashed out of the kitchen. I saw a purple aura appear in the main room as books begin to orbit.

"Sorry." I said to Spike, who was glaring at me. I shrugged and tucked into my pancakes. "I didn't mean to."





I carefully moved a branch aside, working to be as quiet as possible. While a life of danger had prepared me well for dealing with monsters, it had done surprisingly little for teaching me stealth.

I smiled as a thorn bush clawed futilely at my new long-sleeved shirt. I had picked up my finished clothes from Rarity's before heading out to Zecora's, and it was well worth it. They were superbly made from thick double-stitched cotton in dark brown and blue. The cloth was nearly like denim and rougher than I was used to, but still comfortable. I really needed to thank Rarity for them later.

I stepped into the clearing behind Zecora and looked around in awe. Crumbling ruins stood among the trees. They were half buried in the forest, but still shone with majesty. Stone walls soared, dull earth given wings by skilled craftsponies. Here and there a fragment of colored glass winked at me from a window, glories of time long past clinging to the decaying skeletons of memory.

"Wow." I whispered. "Hey, Zecora..." She turned back, waiting for me to approach so she could hear me more clearly. "What is this place?"

"This is the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters."

"You mean...Celestia and Luna?"

"Indeed. However, for many years, Princess Luna was imprisoned on the moon. It wasn't until two years ago, when Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony released her-"

"Wait, what?"

"...Huh. Must have forgotten to mention that bit."

"Zecora, I...what...argh, never mind. Go on with your story."

"Well, Twilight and her friends redeemed Luna from her curse and now the two alicorns rule together again. But for a thousand years, Equestria only had the guidance of one royal. This place was where the two ruled before the interregnum."

"Well, it sure is impressive."

"Indeed. But we're not here merely for sightseeing. I'm going to show you how to harvest flameweed."

"Ooo! Finally, an alchemy lesson!"

"Hah. Well, I guess you're not wrong. This is the beginning of that vaunted science. Let us see what we can find."





"...and then you can simply remove the flower."

I carefully examined the bloom I had harvested before I reverently tucked it into my belt pouch. Cha-ching! Twenty bits. I took a guess at the time from the sun's position. It had probably taken me half an hour to learn the process. Hopefully it would go faster next time.

"Now that you know how, please gather a few more. As we agreed, one third of what you gather today will go to me, but you are welcome to sell the rest. Be careful not to take too many from a single patch. You should harvest no more than half the flowers if you want the plants to continue thriving."

"Yes, Zecora."

"Good. Now, I have something to check."

The zebra left me to my work.

A few hours later I stood again, working a crick out of my back. This was turning out to be a profitable day. I had gathered several more flowers with only a few minor burns to show for my trouble. Looking up, I noticed how long the shadows were getting and frowned. Where was Zecora? I'd been sure she was going to return for me. I glanced off in the direction she had gone.

"Zecora?" I called, trying to pitch my voice so it would carry without being loud. I waited for an answer, but on receiving none I slowly followed the shape of her hoofprints in the soft earth. They lead through the ruins of the castle. I stepped through patches of golden sun and dark shade. The ruins grew ominous around me, but I continued on. Eventually I came to a hall where the windows were still intact. The glass was thick and the small panes were set deeply in sturdy lead fixtures. No two pictures were the same, but most centered around two ponies, one white and one blue.

"Those must be Celestia and Luna." I whispered.

"You are correct."

I jumped, but recognized my guide's voice and calmed myself. I turned and found Zecora emerging from the shadows behind me. "Come." She said, beckoning. "Take a look at what I have found." We set off down the ancient hallway, our steps muffled by the thick layer of dirt on the floor. "When we scried the magic residue yesterday, what did you see in the water?"

"An...eye. I think. It was green, and it glowed."

"That is also what I saw. At the time I was too surprised to make the connection, but as I considered what had happened I came to think I had seen it elsewhere. So although I did indeed want to gather flameweed today, there was a secondary motive to my directing us to this place. Look now, and tell me what you see."

I stepped into the room after her and cast my gaze about. More stained glass greeted me. This was in a somewhat poorer state than the last few panels, but the pictures were still recognizable.

Above my head, a city sprawled in glass. It was filled with spires, impossibly high buildings towering over narrow streets. Here and there ponies stood with hope on their faces. They all looked up to one point high on the window where the royal pony sisters were hovering wreathed in magic. Before them, wracked by the strength of their spells, hovered a black shadow. It seemed they were in the process of banishing it. Its green eyes were wide in horror.

Green eyes.

I stared at them for a moment, before turning to Zecora.

"That's them."

She sighed heavily.

"I feared you would say that. I think so as well. This mural depicts King Sombra. He was a tyrant who enslaved an entire nation. Celestia and Luna defeated him, banishing him to the arctic north, but... he was a magician most fell. Also, from what I've been able to gather, he was extremely well versed in the magic of crystals and mirrors."

"Buck."

"Succinctly put."

I sighed. "We should really add this to Twilight's checklist of things to research. Although I don't know how long she can keep working at that pace before burn out."

"Unfortunately, we have little choice but to continue burdening her. She is an extremely capable pony."

"I've gathered that, but...well, I wish we had more choice." I turned my back on the window. "Anyways, we should return. It's starting to get dark out, and I'm not comfortable enough in the Everfree yet to be OK with being caught in the dark."

"If you are ever that comfortable in the Everfree my friend, consider putting me in your will, because you will soon be dead."

Turning our back on the magnificent desolation of the ruins, we started our hike out of the forest.





"Twilight?"

I walked into the library and blinked in surprise. The floor was clear of books. 

"Down here!"

I followed the voice into the lower levels of the tree-house. Knocking once, I opened the door to Twilight's lab.

It looked nothing like the labs I'd seen in college. Instead of white walls, steel fixtures, and bright lights, this was warm wood, intricate brass machinery, and glowing crystal fixtures. I breathed deeply, smelling chemicals and old paper, and stepped inside. Twilight was hunched over a bowl of water set on a piece of slate, chalked with an intricate pattern. I could faintly see the remains of construction lines, traces of pencil and wax used for laying out the spell conductors.

"What are you working on?"

"I'm re-doing the scrying spell." She grunted and carefully re-drew a sigil. "I need to get this exactly right. I think, if I've done this correctly, I can modulate the feedback caused by the spell residue. My risograph of Rarity wasn't enough to pinpoint the location of the caster, but it did give me some hints. This mirror water is amazing! If I had more of it, I could do some really neat things..."

"Not going to happen." I said. "Zecora was clear; that pool is dangerous."

"Fine, fine." She sighed. "Well, at least I have this to work with. Now, how does that look?"

"Um..." I scrutinized the magic circle, eventually pointing to the tip of one sigil. "Shouldn't this hook? Also, this line might need more work."

"Ok, give me a minute..."

I frowned as she worked. This was another time. I didn't know how I knew, but something about those two points on the diagram had seemed off. Maybe I should say something....? I watched Twilight work for a bit, eagerly immersed in her study. This would distract her, and maybe that was bad, but I was getting more and more uncomfortable with the idea that I had some of her memories.

"Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"Um....I don't think there's any good way to say this, but I think there were some complications with the spell you used to save my life."

"Are you ok?"

I flinched as she shoved her face into mine.

"Eeep! Personal space!"

"Oh, sorry." Twilight retreated a bit. "But what do you mean? Are you ok?"

"Um, that's not what-"

"Is it the gem? Take off your shirt, let me see it!"

"No, I-"

"Is it the leftover magic? You haven't been un-healing, have you?"

"Twilight!" I yelled a little, breaking through her intensity. She snapped her mouth shut. "I'm ok. I'm not going to take off my shirt. I don't know if there's leftover magic or not, but I don't think I'm un-healing, thankfully. It's nothing dangerous. At least, I don't think so. But, um...well, I think...I think you have some of my memories. And I'm not sure, but I think I have some of yours."

She tilted her head slightly, bemused.

"That's...odd, Wes. Why would you think that? I don't think I have any new memories."

"Um, ok. They seem to mostly be subconscious. In that case, maybe something I know by heart would be more easily accessible. Let my try something." I thought for a minute, and then recited:

<"Twas brilling, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe.">

Twilight twitched a little, opened her mouth and replied:

<"All mimsy were the bogoroves, and the mome-raths, outgrabe.">

<"What the hay did I just say?"> She twitched in surprise, and tried to squint at her own mouth. <"Umm...Wes? What's going on here?">

<"....Oh, that was unexpected. Um. You're speaking English.">

<"Ok. Ok, I believe you. There were some complications. I'm speaking English. Cool. Now, how do I stop?">

<"...I have no idea.">



> 8 - Webs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

<"Twilight!">

<"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-">

<"Twilight!">

<"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-">

<"TWILIGHT SPARKLE, CALM DOWN!">

I put all my energy into that yell, forcing the air out with my diaphragm, projecting from my stomach and not my throat as I'd been taught. I'd never been very good at drama class, but I had picked up a knack for being loud.

The screaming and running in circles cut off abruptly as Twilight froze in place. She fell on her haunches and her eyes bulged for a second as she tried to hyperventilate and hold her breath at the same time. I would have laughed if she wasn't so very distraught. Her struggle ended with a gasp and she started inhaling again.

<"No screaming!">

<"But-I-can't-speak-Equestrian-how-can-I-talk-to-my-friends-or-Princess-Celestia-or-my-parents-I-can't-even-READ!"> Her words came out all at once, tripping over each other. Her lip quivered and she seemed about to burst into tears. Working against my instincts for space, I sat down beside her and put an arm over her withers.

<"Look, it's not that bad! I mean, it's not like your Equestrian is gone for good! I've heard you speak in English before; that's how I thought you might know it! And every time you went right back to Equestrian! You'll be fine this time as well.">

Slowly, her breathing quieted. She sniffled a little, but that was all.

<"Ok. Ok, you're right. Ok, we need a list."> Her horn glowed and a piece of paper and quill floated down off the table. <"First. What sort of situations have you noticed this...memory bleed happening in?">

<"Only situations where we are distracted. It first happened when you brought that mirror down and said something about numosic matrices. I have no idea what a numosic matrix is, but I answered a question of yours concerning them. The second time you were studying something and you mentioned Planck length.">

<"Alright."> The quill scratched for a second as she noted this down. <"Oh, I remember that one! I found some conclusions I'd made using it, but couldn't remember where I'd looked it up. Ok, so, what sort of spell did you cast to switch me from Equestrian to English?">

I chuckled a little at that and she shot me a curious glance. I scooted to face her, moving so I sat cross-legged on the floor.

<"Twilight, you know I can't cast spells! I have no magic, innate or otherwise. That was poetry! It's a nonsense rhyme I memorized when I was young. 't'was brilling and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe, all mimsy were the bogoroves and the mome-raths outgrabe.' It doesn't mean much of anything, although Humpty-Dumpty does explain it to Alice at some point, it's pure and utter nonsense. I thought that maybe if I recited something embedded deeply in my memories, it would trigger them in your subconscious and you'd be able to access them better. It seems to have worked, although I'm not sure why this was the outcome."> I shrugged, lost.

<"I...see."> Twilight mumbled, her quill scratching notes out on the paper. <"A rhyme? That makes a lot of sense, actually."> She contemplated the idea for a second. <"Actually, maybe this makes things easier!"> She turned and trotted out of the room. I followed her upstairs, where she scanned the bookshelf. I couldn't tell what she was looking for and by her own admission, she couldn't read Equestrian right now. She continued until she reached the children's section, where she started pulling books off the shelf one at a time. Finally, she gave a little whoop and held out a book to me. I took it, curious. It seemed to be a picture book for young children with a brightly colored cover.

<"Read this to me!"> She said.

<"Um...I don't think I can read any better than you can."> I said, unsure. <"I know spoken Equestrian fairly well, but I've never learned the alphabet.">

<"Just try! I have your memories and you have mine. So maybe... Take a look at it and see what you can do.">

Unsure, but willing to try, I sat down on the floor and flipped the book open. Her magenta eyes followed my motions eagerly. I stared at the first page, trying to make some sense of the words. They looked like gibberish. Slowly, I flipped to the second page. Before long I had gone through the whole book and Twilight's expression was fading from eager to discouraged. Unwilling to give up, I turned back and started again. But this time instead of concentrating on the words I simply looked at the pictures.

The story seemed to be about ladybugs. They lived under a leaf and they looked like a happy family. There was a crisis with raindrops at some point and a friendly pony that helped them out. On the last page, the sun rose brilliantly, drying their leaf.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake..."I mumbled, staring at the picture.

"Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" I looked up and saw Twilight spring upright. "Yes!" She yelled. "It worked! I'm back!" She danced in a circle for a second, rejoicing. She calmed down quickly. "Ok, I need you to memorize this rhyme for me, in case something else like that happens." She repeated the couplet a few times, and I repeated it back to her, until she was satisfied. When I was done, a dark expression fell across her features. "This isn't good, though. I thought I was precise with that spell. Wes, I really do need to take a look at your crystal."

I reluctantly unbuttoned my shirt, exposing the now-lilac gem. It glowed only faintly in the lamp-light. Twilight touched her horn to it, and I shivered at the odd intimacy.

"Is everything OK?" I asked hesitantly, after a few moments of silence.

"No." She replied indistinctly. "This isn't what I expected at all. This really isn't good. Um, I need to think about this for a while. You're in no danger for now, but...well, I need to talk to Zecora about this and see what she thinks. It seems that the crystal is under more stress than I thought and the magical flux is causing some very odd effects. The first one is that our souls are mixing a little." She lifted her head and sighed. "Soul mixing might sound like a cheesy line from a bad romance, but it could actually be pretty bad. I don't know how to predict what will happen. I only know that it's probably going to end badly for one of us if it continues."

"Horsefeathers." I said, softly. This was not good at all. I fought back images of a crystal cavern and a shivering pony dying across from me.

"Wes." Twilight's voice drew me back to reality. "Wes, you are not allowed to panic either." She said, with a slight twist at the corner of her mouth. I nodded, smirking a little myself, thinking back to how I'd needed to calm her down.

"Ok." I said, standing. "Well, don't you have an experiment you're in the middle of?"

"But that-" She looked up at me uncertainly, as she started to stand.

"Needs to be done as well." I said. "I didn't get a chance to tell you this earlier, but Zecora realized something important, and we were able to investigate it today on our expedition..."





I brought a bowl of soup down to the lab later. Twilight accepted it gratefully, and slurped loudly.

"How's it going?"

"I'm about ready to start. If this really is Sombra, we might need to call for backup. I've gone up against ancient magicians before and it's no fun at all. I just hope we're not too late; whatever he's doing, it can't be good."

I nodded in response, swallowing my own mouthful of soup. She turned back to her spell diagram. It still looked vaguely familiar to me, but I didn't try and reach for those memories. With a few deft touches she finished the circle. Her horn glowed as she readied the spell. She tapped the center of the diagram and with a soft thrum, the chalk outlines started to glow. The construct flickered fitfully for a second before settling into a steady incandescence. She inspected the wards again and nodded firmly.

"Now, watch the water." She said, preparing another spell. This one crackled off her horn like static electricity and danced around the mirror water for a second before dissipating. I was about to ask if she had miscast when the water in the bowl started to steam. I stepped back, half-expecting an explosion, but the liquid stayed calm. Twilight added a drop of ink from her inkwell and ripples spread across the surface. As they cleared, images started to form.

We saw a moonlit glade.

"That's on the edge of the Everfree." I said quietly, recognizing the path running through. "I've been through there on the way to Zecora's."

Twilight nodded silently and her horn glowed more brightly for a second. The picture zoomed out, showing the outskirts of Ponyville and more trees. In the streets, I could faintly see wisps of black fog.

"That's the residue." She said, homing in on one. "It's decaying, but still there. Um. Let's check some of the places that the spell might have been cast." A series of scenes started to flicker across the surface of the water.

"Twilight, watch it!" I warned as the water started to bubble gently. She frowned and adjusted a rune-carved stone that made up part of the warded circle. The chalk glowed more brightly and the water cooled a bit.

"We're getting close." She said. The image in the bowl was showing more and more black fog. Finally, we were looking at an open field where the residue was slowly swirling around an unseen focal point.

"That's...on the way to Canterlot, I think." She said with a frown and released the spell. "That's all we're going to be able to get with a spell. First thing tomorrow, I need to report to Celestia and go investigate. Whatever happened, the spell has been cast, so it's not like we can stop it now. The best we can hope to do is read whatever happened from the residue and think up a response." She yawned. "Well, Wes, this has been exciting, but I need some sleep. I've been a bit short on it in the past few days."

"Agreed." I said, opening the door for her and following her up the stairs. "See you tomorrow."





As it turned out, I didn't. Twilight rose early, collected her equipment and assistant and headed out to the focal point without disturbing me. When I reached the kitchen, the first thing I noticed was the note on the table.

The second thing I noticed was a burning pain.

It felt like all my skin was being flayed off. Or maybe being burned off. Or dissolved with caustic chemicals. No, more like being flayed. There was a certain delicacy to the filaments of agony that played across body. I hazily mused over the exact differences of my various tortures as I fell over, my head bounced once on the wood floor, and I blacked out.





The first thing I noticed when I woke was the crystal.

I was in a crystal hall. All around me, black and purple gems glowed malevolently.

Dead. The body of a pony flashed across my vision, and I started to hyperventilate. My instincts forced me upright, and my head swam from the combination of abuse and adrenaline. I frantically spun in place, trying to discover how I had ended up back in the Nexus, how I could protect myself and most importantly, how I could escape. My knees felt weak as I forced my body to stay upright. I staggered across the crystal hall to place my back against a wall. I rubbed my wrists and checked my belt. I had my dagger. I drew it. Better than nothing. I tried to force back visions of a purple corpse and did my best to assess my surroundings more rationally.

The room I had found myself in was clearly a cell of some sort. There was a magical diagram of some sort on the floor. I tore my eyes away from it and tried to swallow my bile. The crystals that made up the walls and floor were the same purple color I remembered.

"MUAH HA HA HA HA!"

A shiver crawled down my spine as maniacal laughter echoed through the room. I froze, listening. I heard the susurrus of distant voices and slowly worked my way towards the door of the cell. I was surprised and relieved to find it unlocked. I nudged it with a foot to swing it open and peered cautiously around the edge. Nothing.

Moving cautiously, I worked my way through the complex towards the sound of voices. As I got closer, I began to understand some of what was being said.

"....My friends will come for me!"

"Good! That is exactly what I want! Haven't you realized yet what sort of spell can be cast three days ago, but still show it's effects? It was a trap, a trap!"

I inched a bit closer to the door the voices were coming from. The voice that was quietly panicking was Twilight. She was trying to maintain a strong facade, but it was pretty clear that she was starting to break down.

The other voice was gloomy, echoed oddly, and had a strange resonance to it. I edged up to the corner and smoothly peeked around the door-frame.

An undefinable weight on my chest eased slightly as I saw Twilight, detained but alive, in a cage made from crystal rods. They stuck out of the floor, surrounding her completely. She looked exhausted and the black crystals growing on her horn seemed to be dragging her head downwards.

The other speaker was much more intimidating. He was a tall unicorn with a charcoal grey coat and a billowing black mane and tail. His horn shaded to an ominous red at the end while his eyes were a poisonous green and seemed to be releasing a faint purple smog into the air. He paced back and forth before Twilight's cage, taunting her. I inspected the room, trying to spot anything I could use to improve the situation. It wasn't very large, maybe the size of the library's main room, but it was filled with all sorts of junk. Corroding machines of obscure origin, blocks and chunks of crystal and piles of various and sundry types of stone and metal obscured my view of what was happening. I didn't see anything immediately useful. But more importantly, I didn't see another door. If the green-eyed unicorn decided to leave I would be caught in full view, standing next to a doorway in an empty, straight hallway.

I glanced around once more. Seeing nothing, I waited for the right moment and slipped inside. I dodged around a few machines and found a spot mostly hidden from both the door and cage. I hunkered down, trying to make myself inconspicuous.

Eventually the gray unicorn seemed to tire of taunting Twilight and paced out of the room. There was a slam and I winced as a slab of crystal sealed the exit.

Twilight was resting her head on the floor of the cage, her eyes closed. Probably thinking. Hopefully not descending further into panic; I had enough of that for both of us and it was barely under control.

I sheathed my dagger and quietly worked my way over to where the cage was. She didn't notice me until I rapped gently on the bars.

"Wes!" She hissed, clearly shocked. Worry, hope, and fear all warred in her eyes. I nodded.

"I was in the kitchen, when something....a really, really painful something, happened and I woke up here. Any idea what that was? I found you when I followed the gloating. Now, how can I get you out of there? What is this stuff? Do you have any idea how far we've gone? This looks like the Nexus...part of the changeling's hive. I really hope that's wrong, but can you tell?"

"The trap must have grabbed you as well, because of your crystal! It was primed for me, but since you had part of my soul, it grabbed you too. It must have taken longer for you to arrive because you were further away..."

She devolved into mumbling about magic theory.

"Twilight, focus!" I said, maybe more sharply than necessary. She flinched at my tone.

"I don't know what this stuff is." She tapped the bars with a hoof. "It almost seems like it could be solidified magic, but...I don't really think that's the case. Even if it acts the same, this much of it should have created a thingness singularity."

"And that would have killed us by now." I said, nodding as a memory of hers floated to the surface of my mind. She shot me a surprised look.

"You know," She said speculatively, "I might enjoy having someone around who I'm actually allowed to use long words with."

I grinned, and the tension in the room lessened slightly.

"If you can crack jokes, you're doing better than I thought." I said. "Was that actually Sombra? How did this happen?"

"It was a trap." She said, hanging her head. "I went to investigate, just me and Spike, but what I was calling residue wasn't really just the leftover magic from the spell. It was both the trigger and the bait. Sombra talked about how he had planned to neutralize the Elements of Harmony, and catching me was key. I don't know what he's got planned, but it's not good. " She paused for a minute. "I've been trying to figure out an escape plan, but I'm not coming up with anything. These crystals on my horn are draining my magic, or I could just teleport out of the cage."

I reached an arm through the bars, and tapped a crystal. Her head jerked back from the unexpected contact, but she slowly moved back. I ran a finger over the black gem. It didn't feel cold, but after a second my finger started to go numb. I grabbed one and tried to twist it off; she squeaked as I torqued her head a little.

"Sorry." I said, letting go. My fingers felt numb, and I shook them. They started to tingle, and I frowned at the pins-and-needles feeling. They were stained black. "Yuck. Well, I should have guessed that you'd already tried to knock them off, right?"

"Yeah." She agreed miserably. I rubbed my fingers, trying to get the black stain off.

"Ouch." I said. "This hurts." She glanced at my fingers, and gasped slightly.

"Wes, look at the crystal!" She said, crossing her eyes and trying to focus on the tip of her own horn. I stopped my fidgeting, and closely examined the protuberance. At first, I thought there was nothing there, but after a second I noticed a swirl pattern.

A fingerprint.

"I was absorbing it?" I asked slowly.

"Yeah, I think so. This is clearly something different from crystallized magic."

"Well," I said, "Maybe I can...dissolve them off your horn?" I flinched at the idea. If the pain scaled from what my fingers felt, it would hurt. I'd dealt with worse, but usually not willingly.

"I...don't know if that's a good idea." She said, frowning. "This stuff might be poisonous."

"I don't know if we have much choice." I said. "I highly doubt I can beat Sombra in hand-to-hand and we're trapped in here without your magic. Your friends need to know what's going on, so they don't walk into the same trap."

She nodded reluctantly and closer to the bars so I could lean on the cage and still reach her. I carefully wrapped a hand around the black crystals and relaxed as best I could.

Pain.

The crystals started to warm against my hand. The pins-and-needles feeling that I'd felt in my fingers began spreading up my arm. I looked down and saw an inky blackness swirling under my skin, slowly inching towards my heart. I could feel the crystals starting to shrink and grit my teeth. I felt tendril of the black stuff, clearly marked on my skin by the stinging pain, crawl up my neck and touch my temple.

This might not have been the best idea. My last thought before swirling darkness eclipsed my gaze, was: I've been blacking out entirely too much.

> 9 - Explore
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wes!"

Once again, I resurfaced from unconsciousness.

"This is getting ridiculous." I mumbled. "Just how much time am I going to have to spend knocked out this month? I've hardly been free for a week and I feel like I've hardly gotten to enjoy it."

I looked up. Twilight was standing over me, her horn clear of the parasitic magic. I groaned and sat up. We were still in the same room. The door was still blocked. I rubbed my eyes, trying to get brain back on track. We needed to escape.

"Are you OK?" Twilight asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Um, I think I will be. That was...extremely unpleasant. I don't know if those dreams were my worst fears, but they were definitely a runner up." I shook my head and tried to dismiss the unpleasant visions. "The decor here doesn't help." I frowned at a nearby crystal and then down at the dark streaks that swirled underneath my skin. "And this is somewhat worrisome."

"Yeah." Twilight nodded. "I'm still not sure what it is, but I don't think it’s good. I appreciate the rescue, but...really, are you sure you're going to be OK?"

"No." I said. "But it needed done. We had no options."

She looked a little dubious, but nodded reluctantly.

"Right." Twilight said. "You claimed this place looked like, what did you say, the 'Nexus'? part of the changelings fort?"

"Yeah. It's where I got...." I tapped the gem in my chest. "This thing. Anyways, it's very similar. Crystals, colors, that sort of stuff. Although I don't think I've seen the same room yet, which means I'm not really sure."

"Well," Twilight bit her lip pensively. "I took your advice, and I've been trying to locate us. I don't think we're far from Ponyville. We're not in the changeling's fort, unless they're a lot closer than you thought."

Realizing something, I unbuttoned my shirt and exposed the gem. It was still purple and the glow didn't seem any more pronounced. "Hum," I said. "It doesn't seem to have re-connected to the Nexus. So, unless your spell broke the connection completely, we're not close enough." I sighed in relief. "I didn't want to face that again." I said with feeling. "Now, how do we get out of here?"

"I'm not sure." Twilight admitted. "This stuff-" She rapped a hoof against a crystal, "Whatever it is, is very resistant to magic. I've tried burning, blasting, unraveling, unmaking, unpatterning, and even retconjuration, and nothing had an effect."

"Can't you just teleport us out?" I asked.

"That would be horribly unsafe. If anything goes wrong we could be telefragged!"

"Um." I stood silently for a second, turning the problem over in my mind. "We might need to chance it anyways. In a time-limited scenario like this, it's often better to seize the initiative and do the wrong thing than to do nothing at all. Sombra will be back eventually."

Twilight nodded slowly.

"Wait, how about this?" I asked, as a thought occurred. "Can't you teleport something out and back in to see if it's safe?"

"Nope. I need to see what I'm 'porting, so it would be one way. Anyways, if it wasn't safe, it would just get stuck in the wall or something, and we'd never get it back."

"How does that work?" I asked, curious. It seemed my come-and-go magic knowledge wasn't helping now.

"Well, it just gets meshed with the thing it hits." She said, shrugging.

"Like...they actually intersect?"

"Yeah. I mean, if you consider the composition of matter, it's mostly empty space anyways. There's some hard radiation emitted, and maybe a few odd atoms are created, but it mostly just ends up as denser mixed matter."

"Would ‘mixed matter’ be less magically resistant?" I asked, hope in my voice.

"Hmmm...." her eyes narrowed, as she considered the question. "It might, at that." She trotted around the room, inspecting everything. "Here!" She grabbed a chain in her teeth and gave it yank, pulling it free from a pile of junk. "I think this will work." She laid it out on the floor in front of us. Her horn glowed for a second, there was a flash, and the crystal of the door lightened slightly. Looking at it closely, I could see the linked pattern of the chain showing through the dark crystal. "Now, let me try again..." She touched her horn to part of the new pattern and it pulsed once.

CRACK.

There was a dull crunching noise and a jagged rip climbed the door, shattering along the lines of the inset metal.

"Yes!" she exulted. The iron links of the chain showed through the crack, but they quickly crumbled to rust. I walked over to the pile and tossed what looked like a brass bar in front of her. She flashed it into the door and in a second another crack had appeared, running crosswise to the first.

It only took us a few minutes of work to demolish the barrier.

"Hmm." I gathered up a handful of heavy chunks, large pieces of scrap that looked easy to carry. "How much energy does it take to work that spell?" I asked.

"It takes a good bit." She was sitting on the floor, panting a little.

"Well, if we run into anyone hostile, maybe you could telefrag them?" I said, holding out the handful of ammunition I'd gathered. She nodded silently, but grimaced. I caught her wary expression, and mentally kicked myself. Fool. Of course she's not going to be OK with using lethal force. "But we might need them for another door, too." Her expression relaxed a little at that.

I stepped over to the broken slab of crystal and kicked it a few times, knocking it out into the hallway. My sneakers were getting pretty beaten up by now...huh. I probably couldn't get decent leather anywhere in this nation of herbivores, or I'd try and make myself something else to wear. Maybe if I used felt? I guess I could try for a pair of sandals, or clogs. These tiny pastel horses used metal shoes. I needed a cobbler, not a farrier.

I stepped out into the passage, absentmindedly scratching at the black discoloration on my skin. It hurt less now, but itched and burned enough to be distracting. I looked down worriedly before deciding to ignore it. I'd deal with it later.

"Stay behind me." I stopped for a minute, trying to decide what plan-of-attack we should use. I settled on running it like a maze; we'd done those in the arena, sometimes even in pairs. A tall labyrinth where the audience could see us hunt or be hunted clearly, but we stumbled around in the dark. The trick was to track down your opponents before they managed to ambush you.

Move forward cautiously. Support one another. I started forward smoothly, my body falling into a loose stalk.

"Twilight, if we get into a fight, hang back and support me. I'll try and keep them off you by bottlenecking them in these halls. Don't get separated from me, whatever you do. I don't know what we're up against, but keep an eye out. Check behind us every few seconds. If you watch our backs, I can concentrate on moving us forward."

She nodded determinedly and we slunk off down the crystal hallway.

I had already started to explore this place, when I was trying to find Twilight. As we worked our way along, I scratched marks into the walls of tunnels I'd already explored. The place was large but not impossibly huge, and the fact that there was a pretty decent variance in the texture and colors of various tunnels allowed me to navigate without worrying about getting lost.

We worked slowly, carefully and quietly navigating our way through the maze. A half-hour or so in we had mapped most of our starting section. The crystal cave was full of caverns, mostly dimly lit by the same crystal glow that had crudely illuminated Twilight's cell. As much as we'd explored, though, we found nothing of interest. Everything mouldered in decay, rusted in wrack and ruin. We left footprints in the rust and dust sprinkled finely across the floor wherever we went.

"What is this place?" I asked quietly, as we moved away from another dead end.

"I'm....not really sure. it seems like an outpost of some sort." She thought for a minute. "I did some research on Sombra, but records of the Crystal Empire are very poor, and there’s even less on him. There's an important part there, though. It was the Crystal Empire. From what I read, the kingdom proper was very small, not even half the size of modern Equestria. But before the rule of the Diarchs, the Crystal Kingdom was arguably more powerful than even the Ever Free City. This may be an outpost of some kind. I'm not sure where it is, or what it's made out of...but I think that might be why it was built. Some of this stuff is what you'd find in a long-term military post."

I nodded at that. We'd passed through what seemed to be a forge of some sort a while ago.

"However, I think Sombra used this place as a personal refuge as well. I have no idea how he managed to escape his imprisonment, or if he has more reasons to be near Ponyville than the Elements, but this seems elaborately prepared. And this crystal?" She tapped the blackish material "I highly doubt that this is what the building was originally made from."

"That makes sense. Um, sorry to ask you questions and then shush you, but we need to be quiet again."

She nodded, and we fell back into silence.

After a while, I started to grasp the layout. The building was in  layers, with three or four staircases, arranged radially around a central room. It seemed we had broken out of one of the side rooms on the bottom floor. We had slowly worked our way around the underground tower, looking for some way out, until we covered the whole floor and made our way up a level.

Now we were on the third level and it seemed as high as we could go. I was hoping we would escape soon. If we didn't, we would run out of places to search and have to try something drastic. It's possible that the only way out was through the same teleporters that had brought us here, but I was trying not to even think about that too hard, unless my attention made it true.

Stupid, but I was stressed.

We were approaching the final area. Unless it yielded another staircase, we were either going to find Sombra or an exit.

Or maybe both.

I was standing near the doorway to the last area. I'd managed to scavenge a shiny piece of crystal in our exploration, adding an extension by wrapping it with wire. I used it as a mirror, inspecting the inside of the room.

It contained both the tall, dark stallion, and what might be an exit. A tall doorway, wooden planks bound with corroded iron, stood at one end of what seemed to be a lab of some sort. At least, Sombra seemed to be doing some sort of magic research or creation. He was fiddling absentmindedly with an odd array of nicknacks. Every so often, his horn would glow and they would re-arrange themselves, or a spark would jump from one to another. He was humming.

In the corners loomed things that might have been crystal ponies, if ponies were made from faceless slabs of black glass. I eyed them suspiciously. They didn't move, but their bodies glowed fitfully with an inner radiance. My senses warned me to watch them, so they might be constructs. Or maybe I was becoming paranoid. Either way, we needed to get past at least one, maybe three, huge ponies. One of which was an ancient sorcerer, with who-knows what sorts of evil magic to draw on.

I stepped back and motioned Twilight forward to use the mirror. She peered into it for several minutes, her ears twitching nervously, her tongue caught pensively between her teeth. Finally she nodded and we withdrew to a safe distance for talking.

"So." I hunkered down on my heels, back to the wall. "What do you think?"

"This is going to be tricky." She stopped and thought. "We can try and escape, or we can wait for rescue." I started to say something, but she held up a hoof. "Just let me talk this out. Sometimes I process things better when I'm speaking." I shrugged and nodded. "OK. So. We can attack, or we can wait. Attacking is going to be tough. That door is magically sealed, as well as being made of stout oak. Those two statues are magical in some way. At the very least, they're alarms. At the worst, they're advanced golems, and will obstruct us as best as they can. That's three magical defenses we need to get past. The biggest worry, however, is Sombra."

"Right." I nodded, fully agreeing with her assessment so far. "However, if we're quick, I think we might not need to fight him. If we can rig a distraction, I think we con him out of there. It might-might be long enough for us to open the door, get past the guards and escape."

She considered it. "Yeah, that might work. But, let me finish thinking this through. The other option is to stay where we are, and try and wait him out. Our friends are coming. We do have an advantage, in that he doesn't know you're free, but if we stay trapped in here...I don't like our odds. Things would have to fall out just right for us to come out on top if we play a waiting game."

"Not to mention," I said, "That we're pretty much just handing over the initiative. If we escape from the cell, but don't do anything to capitalize on it, it's barely better than sitting on our hands. If we had some sort of guerrilla objectives I might caution a waiting game, but we don't gain anything."

"...yeah." She agreed reluctantly. "I don't like the idea of going up against Sombra. But I think it's the best option we've got. If we can distract him, we might escape."

"OK." I nodded. I'd been thinking about traps for a while now. "I have a distraction."





Twilight and I crouched in a side corridor. I gripped my club, a piece of metal scavenged from a broken-down machine. It had a spike on the end, nearly making a war-hammer. I worked my hand on the 'grip', the end with broad threads worked into the metal. It wasn't the most comfortable, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't drop it.

We had rigged a trap for Sombra. More than a distraction, hopefully it would-

CRUNCH.

And there it went. A sound like dropping a dozen eggs, and a trickle of black smoke worked it's way along the ceiling. We both froze.

clip-clop, clip-clop, clip came towards us. clop, clip-clop, clip-clop faded away. As soon as Sombra was past, we moved out. I jogged silently, while Twilight was a bit more noisy.

We stepped into the lab. Twilight cast her eyes across the nicknacks and we set our plan into motion. I stepped forward and touched the door, before leaping backwards and raising my club.

With a surprisingly beautiful sound, like crystal chimes, the two statues stepped forward.

I hate it when I'm right. The only good thing about pessimism is the surprises.

Behind me, I heard Twilight's horn hum as she powered it up. I swung the club up from my ready position into a striking pose and entered the fray.

> 10 - Confront
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CRUNCH.

The sound of breaking glass echoed through the room. I recovered my stance, fighting a dozen small wounds to bring my war hammer into the ready position again. We were fighting for our lives. Twilight stood behind me, the magic from her horn playing across the door, pitting her formidable brain against the ancient enchantments in an attempt to escape alive.

I took a step backwards, trying to bottleneck the golems between tables so they couldn't flank me. From what I'd seen so far they had excellent strength and dangerous speed but they were severely lacking in creative tactics. They would have been simple to disable, even two against one, if they had any vulnerable points at all.

Hah. Can't crit constructs. I thought. At least bludgeoning overcomes their DR! I risked a glance at the door. Twilight's magic crackled across it like purple lighting. I could see the spells, ancient layers of enchantments laying across the ancient wood and steel flare like neon spiderwebs. She was slowly ripping the carefully woven lace into shreds but it wasn't going as quickly as I would like.

I ducked a blow and slid in from underneath to plant the head of my makeshift mace in my opponent’s chest.

Even though it was an unfeeling construct, like anything with legs it had to balance, and I managed to stagger it. Taking advantage of it's momentary hesitation, I followed with a blow to the knee. I smiled in victory as the cracks spider-webbing it spread a bit more. Maybe I could take its leg with a few more strikes.

Working with a war hammer had a certain brutal euphoria to it. It wasn't the sort of weapon that someone who wanted to look elegant used; it was all about effect. I dodged another blow and blocked a third, waiting for an opening. Working with a heavy weapon and no armor meant I needed to be certain of each attack. Getting caught out could be potentially devastating, since the extra weight slowed my reactions considerably.

Seeing the constructs stance open slightly, I punished its mistake brutally. The war hammer lashed out, the spiked end crunching deliciously into the glassy front of its skull, a killing blow on a normal pony.

Despite the inch-wide hole in its skull, this construct was unaffected. I groaned at the useless hit; I should have been been trying to focus my blows on its limbs.

"Twilight, ETA?"

"Two minutes!" Her voice was strained. We had no idea how long Sombra would be distracted, but we were reaching the limits of our estimates. If he returned to find us fighting we would lose by default. I dodged right, rolling over a table. My two opponents followed, splitting and attacking from the sides. I groaned, estimating the space I had left for retreat. I was getting dangerously close to Twilight. I dashed clockwise around the table, thinking to intercept one of the constructs.

I met it half-way with a fierce blow. My weapon really made a difference in this fight. Without it i’d have been at a distinct disadvantage, but as it was I was slowly taking these golems to pieces. A quick dodge pinned my assailant between me and the table and I choked up on the haft of my hammer. I spun, sinking every ounce of twist and weight I could into the stroke. The spike landed directly on its knee and sunk deep into the crystal.

I whooped with excitement as the construct’s next step faltered. Its shattered leg bent oddly, and its stance crumbled. It hobbled a step, trying to move on three legs. I darted away. I was nearly between the still-moving construct and Twilight when the damaged one exploded.

It didn't have much force. Its cracks began glowing blue, and instantly spread across its whole body with a sound like ice dropped in warm water. The glow pulsed once, and shards of glass were thrown across the room. There was a WHOOMPH! As a pony's worth of black sand hit the floor. I barely took this in before I was fighting again, dancing away from blows and blocking strikes. I was searching for an opening when frost began forming on my war hammer.
 
At first I ignored it, but when it started chilling my fingers I glanced around, searching for the source.

In place of the construct I destroyed, a vaporous cloud of blue gas was forming. The shattered glass of its body was exuding azure mist, which streamed upwards and hung in a swirling mass. I wrenched my eyes off the spectacle, but I was a second too slow. The moving construct caught me off guard with a lashing forehoof, the sharp glass edge crushing the bicep of my arm. I dipped with the blow and managed to avoid dislocating my shoulder, but the muscle was severely damaged.

"Buck," I swore. It wasn’t the first blow I'd taken, but it was the first with potential to turn the flow of the fight. I winced as I tried swinging my mace, my damaged arm fighting the motion. My body was in overdrive and adrenaline numbed most of the pain, but if I didn't end this soon I’d be in trouble.

"Twilight, threat assessment on that cloud?"

"Seems to be the animating spirit. It's less dangerous than one with a body. We'll deal with it after!"

"Ok, thanks." So, it was better to break them.

I grit my teeth and pushed myself hard, squeezing the last few drops of power from my screaming muscles. I stepped into the fight, working desperately hard to finish this before I succumbed to attrition.

I groaned as the construct let me take the initiative, holding back and playing conservatively. Maybe it could sense my desperation? Either way, I needed to end this as fast as possible.

I screwed up my courage and started taking risks.

Normally, I would play this as safe as possible. But we were on a timetable, and sometimes sacrifice was necessary. I purposefully opened my stance, daring the construct to take a shot. As long as I didn’t overcommit, I should be able to dodge...

The expected hoof flashed in. I jerked to the side, barely scraping by, and narrowly missed being disemboweled. Darting in behind the blow, I attacked with my entire body, rotating from the ankles and hips. My war hammer smacked into the golem’s head so hard it practically exploded into a shower of glass.

Sagging in relief, I let my hammer fall and stepped back. The golems body disintegrated as I watched. The pile of sand began smoking just like the other. I retreated to where Twilight was.

"Um, no pressure, but-"

"A minute. Or less."

"Ok." We stood in silence.

"What...what are those things?" I looked over to the shattered glass golems. Above them, the blue mist was forming coherent shapes. The first one I killed was noticeably firmer than the second. They looked almost like horses; larger than the average pony and with much fiercer, with straighter body-lines. They seemed to exude cold, the vapors and fumes from the their bodies settling on the tables and floors nearby as frost.

"No idea. No time to look," Twilight ground out between clenched teeth.

"Right."

Then I heard Sombra returning.

The lab was surprisingly still. There was Twilight's magic, its eldrich crackle loud in the air, and a swishing, tinkling sound from the golems....reforming, or whatever they were doing. Other than that, nothing. So when Sombra's hoofsteps sounded in the passageway, I heard them clearly.

"He's back. Hide." I pushed Twilight behind a table. She crouched, still concentrating. The doors defensive enchantments looked ragged. We would be ready to go any second. I debated: wait with Twilight, and hope she was fast enough? Or hide by the door, and try to distract Sombra so she could run?

I took a position by the door, hammer raised.

There was a nerve-wracking pause as the hoofsteps paused, before picking up speed. I tensed, waiting.

Twilight gave a tiny whoop as her spells finally ate through the enchantments. She dashed for the door, throwing it open just as the charcoal gray stallion dashed into the room. I swung my hammer as soon as the tip of his horn appeared in the doorway.

I never stood a chance.

He flicked his eyes towards me, hardly taking more than a moment to assess and dismiss my threat. His magic, a purple shadow with a green penumbra, flickered around me. I was frozen.

"Wes!" Twilight had glanced back, saw my predicament, and spun to face Sombra. "Let him go!"

"No." The reply came instantly. My friend lowered her head, horn sparking to life as she faced him down.

"Windigoes!" Sombra's ethereal voice lashed out. The two clouds, now completely free of their corporeal shapes, moved towards Twilight. She backed up slowly, trying futilely to draw a bead on either as they dodged and wove, light as the breeze. They were circling her in seconds. Ice began forming under her feet. It crackled upwards, engulfing her with shocking speed. In moments, her only sign of life was her panting breath steaming in the cold air.

I hung limply in Sombra's aura, projecting an attitude of complete defeat. A chance for reprisal required complete surprise.

The act wasn't hard; I already felt pretty discouraged. But I hadn't gotten here by giving up. Not that I really wanted to be here. Maybe a little giving up now and then would help...?

I grit my teeth and banished the thought.

"What do you want with me?" Forcing a tremble into my voice was easy.

"Well." My captor paused for a second, and his horn glowed. I flinched as the aura around me thickened. "Let's see what you have to offer. A human body in its prime, trained as a gladiator. Knowledge of human science, math, and technology, inaccessible here on Equus. Hands." As he spoke, Sombra was imprisoning me. The aura spread away from my skin, slowly solidifying into a dome. It crackled charcoal gray. "But the most important part is that empathic crystal nodalized into your numosic matrix. Oh, what a gift!" He threw his head back and laughed. My eyes narrowed, mind racing furiously. His words tickled the half-buried knowledge I was slowly leaching from Twilight.

"How do you know about my crystal?" I challenged, trying to extract more info from him.

"Your crystal?" His tone was suddenly menacing. "YOURS? Those filthy insects may have welded it to your soul, but it is not yours. I created it. It has been, and always will be, mine.” He took one slow step towards me, and then another. "Soon, I will take it back. And soon, I will have a body again. You asked what I wanted from you?" His eyes narrowed, and a horrible hissing laugh filled the room. "I want you. I plan to eat your soul and possess your body."

I shivered and hunched over, twisting my hands into my hair.

"You made this thing?" My voice came out mangled, growling deep in my chest.

"The crystal soul room was one of my masterpieces. I'll have to reckon with those bugs one of these days, taking my research, and even my old fortress, and using it without my consent."

"This is all your fault?"

The unicorn smirked at my powerless fury.

"Maybe? I don’t care what you blame me with." He was obviously baiting me, but I still couldn't stop rage from welling up in my heart. I smashed a hand against the shield, feeling the skin on my knuckles split and bleed.

My anger swelled, and I screamed something unintelligible at his laughter. I smashed my fists into the barrier again and again. It snapped and sizzled, burning black the blood I smeared on it. My vision was clouding. I'd been captured by the person who created the instruments of my torture. It was him! Because of this unicorn, I'd been trapped. I'd bled. My friends had died. All because of the evil he created.

I wanted to kill him. No, I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to cause him the same pain I'd carried. I wanted him to burn. To burn like Splinter. Like Fallen Leaf.

I scrabbled at the gem. I didn't even notice until my fingernails started drawing blood from my chest. It hurt, but I ignored the pain as I tore away the surrounding skin and began to pry. The blood made it slick, but I persevered. I didn’t realize the implications until the magic began burning my fingers,  but at that point I'd nearly grasped the gem.

A jolt ran through my hand. My fingers were still black from absorbing a magic-suppression crystal.

The feedback started as a raw magical discharge. I felt it crackle up my arm, down my wrist, through my heart, and back into my arm. I tried to yank my hand away, but it seemed stuck, caught in the current.

My actions caught up with my thoughts as time suddenly seemed to slow.

What was I doing? This would trigger a burn-out!

My arm burned as runaway magic circled through my body. Sombra's laugh shook through his lean frame in slow motion. I was planning to kill myself, just to hurt him? Had I gone completely insane?

I must have, at least for a second, because my next thought hit like a sledge.

I was planning to kill Twilight just to hurt him?

Sickened, I tried again to pull my fingers away. Still stuck. Concentrating on my feelings of regret and frustration, I tried to feel the pulse and sting of magic in my arm, willing it to slow, to quiet. I concentrated on the buzz, the surge, as it crackled around the circuit. I felt each separate bone in my hand vibrate. As I concentrated, the magic seemed to still slightly. Encouraged, I tried harder, imagining the results I wanted; the magic would be re-absorbed into the gem, the feedback would cease. I pictured it in my mind, pretending to feel the circuit stilling.

It didn't happen quite like I imagined.

As I watched, I was surprised and worried when the smoky patterns on my skin swirled and started feeding into the gem.

There was another crackle as my abused crystal started to absorb the magic-nullification spell I'd leeched off of Twilight earlier. My eyes widened in shock as I tried desperately to reverse whatever I'd done, but to no effect. The magic feedback lulled for a second before increasing quickly. There was a sharp crick as a flicker of purple flame shot from the gem and licked my hand.

Suddenly, I could feel Twilight's power.

The purple flame burned away the black on my skin and sunk in, leaving a lilac stain and somehow connecting me to the unicorn encased in ice.

She was just as tired, scared, enraged and confused as I was.

There was an instant of surprise as our consciousness' touched, and then a firming of resolve.

She was scared of what was happening to me and the details she picked up from my mind didn't make it any easier. However, as soon as she began to grasp what was happening, a plan snapped into place, nearly full-formed. With a thought, I quickly dismissed that it might kill me outright. There was a burning, rending feeling in my chest as I let Twilight take what she needed to implement the plan. Uncertain death is better than certainly having your soul eaten.

We jumped into action instantly.

My hand fell off the gem. Purple fire flickered over it for a second, fusing the cracks closed as the destructive feedback was destroyed. I raised a fist, clenched it as hard as I could, and slammed it one more time into the shield around me. The last remnants of the magic leaching spell stained my fingertips and knuckles, concentrated there by the flow of magic and my own visualizations. There was a flash of smoky purple flame and the shield dropped with a resounding crack. I leaped, whirling my weapon in a vicious arc.

Sombra barely had time to look surprised before he was intimately introduced to round two.

My war hammer caught him between the eyes. He roared and staggered in pain as the club sliced through him. I barely felt any resistance as the heavy chunk of metal dissipated the mist of his body. I staggered in shock, critically unprotected  as I tried to absorb the unexpected momentum, but the physical assault wasn't important. It was just enough to disorient him so Twilight could land one good shot.

As his attention refocused, her horn flashed in her prison of ice.

I'd seen the spell when I touched her mind, but I still wasn't sure what she'd based it on. She had spent several seconds of our shared bullet-time putting it together, before tasking me with distracting Sombra. Considering his misty nature, she must have had a better idea what we were up against than I did. It looked like multicolored lighting, but then, just about every third spell I'd seen looked like that. The effect was impressive, though. It didn't ground out when it struck Sombra, or arc to another target. Instead, it hovered near him, slicing back and forth repeatedly through the space he occupied, cutting his wispy body into streamers again and again.

I watched for a second, impressed, before the second spell caught us up and whisked us away.





"Why...why didn't you do that before?" I asked, as we collapsed in burned, frozen, crushed, exhausted slumps onto the library floor.

"Farrierday cage warp defenses. All that crystal. Any prison would have one," Twilight replied. "Also, I had to pull some of that magic out of your gem. After the door, I didn't have enough power to do that myself."

"Oh. That's why it hurt so much. At least we're alive."

"...yeah."



> 11 - Dream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wes? Twilight! You're back!"

I looked up from where I was laying on the floor, recuperating without being unconscious for once, to see Spike enthusiastically hugging Twilight.

"Hurk!...some air?"

"Oh! I need to tell them!" Spike released her and dashed out the door. A second later I heard stampeding hooves, and the door burst open to reveal a tall white unicorn with a blue mane. It was striped with a lighter shade of blue, just like Twilight's.

"Twilight!" She was once again swept up in a hug, which she returned gladly and laughed giddily.

"Shiny!" She squealed, but winced in pain. "Ow."

"Oh, you're hurt!" The unicorn carefully switched from hugging to levitating her and inspected her wounds, before glancing me over as well. "Medic!" He yelled. A second later the door opened again and another pony entered. He wore bronze armor, ornate but practical, with a crest atop his head.

"My lord?" he said, saluting the unicorn.

"Cold, these are the two we were preparing to search for. Get them some first aid and let me know when I can debrief them."

"Sir."

"Twilight and, Wesley, right? This is Cold Pack, our medic. I need to hear what you two have been through, after he makes sure that you're going to be OK."





The next hour was a bit of a blur. I started to wish I HAD blacked out. Cold Pack was a good doctor, but there was not much he could do for internal magic burns, damaged evil artifacts, and a bucket of bruises, besides hand out some painkillers and ice and hope for my recovery.

Somewhere in there, Twilight and I were moved to the hospital. After a thorough examination, the unicorn she called 'Shiny' returned and was introduced.

"Wes, this is my brother, Prince Shining Armor. He's captain of the royal guard in Canterlot Castle. Shiny, this is my friend Wesley. He's a human, and because of...things, he ended up captured with me."

"Things?" A raised eyebrow showed Shining wasn't quite ready to leave the discussion there, but he let it pass, instead quizzing us on what had happened after our disappearance. As soon as he got some idea of where the fort might be located he called in a few more guards, gave them precise orders for a patrol, and sent them off.

The rest of the story was related to a series of sympathetic winces, angry hisses, and a shocked gasp or two.

"So then something odd happened with Wes. I'm not sure exactly how it started, but he generated some sort of magical feedback and was able to pierce the shield. He distracted Sombra for a second, just long enough for me to snap off a Prismatic Sphere and warp us out of there."

"A Prismatic Sphere? Twily!" He laughed proudly. "You're just as shocking as usual. How can you casually consider 'snapping off' a Prismatic Sphere? Most unicorns would faint from that sort of magical overload."

"Hehe, well..." Twilight grinned, and rubbed her head abashedly. I bit my lip, hoping he wouldn't press for more. For some reason she was skating around anything to do with the soul-graft she had performed on me. I didn't exactly know what to make of that, but I'd pretty much just lain in bed and listened, here and there contributing a point or two. I yawned and rolled over, thinking to get some sleep.

Maybe I would hurt less tomorrow.





I was laying on a cloud.

It seemed totally normal, until I rolled over and discovered a tree growing in the center.

"Wait. Trees don't grow on clouds."

I stood up, plugged my nose, closed my mouth, and tried to breathe. As I pulled in a breath anyways, reality became clear to me.

"I'm dreaming."

"Correction. WE are dreaming."

Taking cautious steps, Twilight was coming around the tree.

"Twilight?"

I took a second to inspect my dream-self. As I concentrated on my fingers and feet, the dream solidified. This was one of the most realistic dreams I'd ever managed to achieve. It was also blessedly free of any of my usual traumatic memories.

"This is very odd," I said, wriggling my bare toes in the cloud.

"You're telling me," dream-Twilight said. "Dream sharing isn't supposed to just happen like this."

"Um." I said. Telling dream-characters they're just part of a dream didn't seem to work out well, usually.

"I mean, seriously, only Princess Luna is supposed to be able to dream walk. If I've started doing it, does that mean that our soul-bond is breaking down? Tightening? Does that mean we are in more trouble, or less?"

"I've never dreamed of a cloud before. Somehow, I didn't think it would feel like this." I said.

"That must mean it's from my dream." Twilight sighed despondently and flopped down on the cloud, laying in the tree's shade. The green leaves danced, sending dapples of shadow jumping and skittering over the fluffy surface..

"Wait wait." I said. "Ok. I need to re-think this. First off, are you convinced you're not just part of my dream?"

"What...Oh!" Comprehension dawned on Twilight's face. "You think dream sharing is impossible. Another one of the limitations of your science. Let me assure you, it's possible to dream walk. It's just not usually something that happens so simply as this. Only one pony has full control of their dream-self, and that's Princess Luna. I really am Twilight, although I have no idea how we ended up here."

"Ok." I thought for a second before throwing myself backwards to land flat on the cloud with a puff. I felt oddly safe here. "Ok, well, how about this. If you're really Twilight, when I ask you how you slept, you need to say 'like a banana' tomorrow."

She giggled a bit at that, but nodded her agreement.

"Fine then." She said. "If we're running an experiment, then you need to reply with 'orange you glad you didn't fall out of bed?'"

"Hah, OK. I guess that will work."

We lay under the tree for a while. All in all, it was one of the most restful dreams I'd had in a long time.

"So...any thoughts on this?" I said. "You claimed this shouldn't happen, but as a good scientist, you can learn more from a broken theory than a proved one."

She sighed. "I'm not sure. As I said before, this really shouldn't be happening. Perhaps the spell on your crystal was eroded by magical feedback? If so, the mixing of our souls could escalate...I really need to inspect it tomorrow."

"Hum. So, why were you were so reticent to tell your brother anything about the gem?" I asked, my eyes closed.

"She would not tell because it is forbidden magic." The voice that answered was unfamiliar, and Twilight's surprised gasp made me open my eyes. Standing on the cloud, not far from my feet and looking down at both of us, was the largest pony I'd seen yet. Her coat was midnight blue and her mane billowed ethereally, filled with a field of stars. I blinked as Twilight teleported to her feet and bowed. I smirked slightly, flexed my dream-control, and did the same.

The midnight alicorn raised an eyebrow at that.

"Princess Luna, I presume?" I said.

"Indeed. And thou must be the human, Wesley."

I nodded in response.

"I apologize for entering thy dreams without permission, Wesley. Yet this dream did seem unnatural to me, and since the guarding of dreams is part of my domain, I thought it needful to investigate." Her voice dropped slightly, taking on a serious tone. "It is well that I did. Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, how long did you intend to let this foolish exercise in numancy proceed before informing thy teacher?"

"It's not like that!" Twilight claimed, clearly bothered by the thought she had betrayed her teacher.

"She did it to save my life." I interjected. "It's no simple experiment. I don't know why this spell is forbidden, but she hasn't hurt me with it."

The dark princess regarded us coolly for a minute, before speaking again.

"I see the truth of your words. However, that is not all there be to the matter. This spell is restricted not because of the harm it can cause to the one it is cast on," she pointed at me, "but the harm it causes to the one who casts it." She turned to Twilight. "You know not what you have wrought, Twilight Sparkle. My sister must hear of this at once, or avoidance of injury will be a slim hope indeed."

"Did you know this?" I demanded, my head whipping around to stare at Twilight. She hung her head, trying to work up an answer. "DID you?" I yelled, slightly more loudly than necessary.

"Zecora did say..."

"Thou didst know?" Luna's voice was calm, but with an undercurrent of steel. "Surely thou art not so blind to the ways of magic to not see how badly wrong this could turn?"

"He was dying!" Twilight cried, anguish in her voice. "I-I was the one who wounded him, mortally! Don't tell me, don't YOU tell me that you've never been willing to throw caution to the wind! That you've never wanted to undo a mistake badly enough to gamble your life on it!"

Luna flinched as if physically struck, and cast her eyes down to her hooves. She stood silently for a second.

"Be that as it may, Twilight, everypony is judged on their actions, not their intents. Although there are those who foolishly esteem my sister and I as Goddesses, we are not able to truly judge the heart of anypony." She shook herself. "Sometimes even my own. I too have stood condemned for what I have done." She walked over to Twilight, and tenderly nuzzled her neck. "I will leave you with this, though; do not fear mercy. It's tenderness may cut like a knife, but my sister loves you yet. Bare your heart to her, and she will do her utmost to respond to that trust."

She stepped back, and her voice rang like a bell. "Both of you are hereby charged to appear before Princess Celestia with the elements of Harmony, no less than two days after you are discharged with clean health." She lowered her head and sighed. "Truly, this is but a formality; my sister would like to talk with thee and thine anyways." Her ears and tail drooped a little, as if the bearing of bad news had taken a physical toll on her. "Now that my royal business is done, I shall take my leave." She turned and vanished, rotating out of reality as if she was two-dimensional.

"Dang." I said. Twilight nodded soberly in response. "She's beautiful." Her nod of agreement turned into a boggle of surprise. "Seriously, royal, majestic, that mane...wow." I saw her looking at me suspiciously, and laughed. "I mean, like a work of art! Who do I look like, Louis Wu? I'm not into rishathra." That changed the look  to confusion, and I changed the subject.

"Enough gloom!" I exclaimed, concentrating until I was hovering a few inches above the cloud we were on, "Since this is my first pleasant dream in quite a while, I intend to have some fun! Tag, your it!" I tapped her on the nose and flew off, laughing giddily at her surprise.





"Urgh." I rolled over and hurt. My right arm ached in a line from my chest to my fingertips, which were wrapped together in a bandage. I had bruises all over my body, and my other arm was taped to my chest to immobilize my abused shoulder. I awkwardly threw back the blankets and sat up, rubbing at my eyes with my free hand.

I was in the hospital. I'd expected it, but it still took me a minute to re-adjust myself to the surroundings. Groaning again, I swung my legs back onto the bed and scooted to lean against the headboard, before pulling the covers up over my legs.

"Wes, you awake?" Twilight asked. A glow of magic pulled back the curtain between our beds.

"Yeah." I said. "I kinda wish I wasn't, though. How did you sleep?"

"...like a banana," she said. My head cleared quickly at that. Sure, I'd experienced magic while being in this world, but honestly? I hadn't expected that to be anything more than an odd but fun dream. I rifled through my memory, looking for the response, and smirked slightly as I returned the bit of nonsense to her.

"Orange you glad you didn't fall out of bed, then?"

"Blargh." She grimaced. "That sounds even stupider when you actually say it."

"But that means," I said, "that was all real? You were really there? And...the Princess?" She nodded soberly.

"Yes, Princess Luna. We've been summoned to a royal audience in Canterlot. No getting out of it now. Looks like the jig is up."

"Twilight..."

"Yes?"

"Tell me."

She sighed.

"Alright. I guess you are owed an explanation." She took a minute to gather her thoughts. "First off, the spell I cast on you is branch of magic called 'numancy'. It's from the Old Equestrian 'Pneuma', or breath, as in breath of life, and '-mancy,' which refers to divination. It started as research into souls, especially the magic surrounding our Cutie Marks. There was much research done, by many respected wizards, but the Diarchy eventually decided that it was too dangerous to continue. Well intentioned practitioners, using their own souls for research, had a remarkable tendency to wind up dead after a failed experiment. Poorly intentioned practitioners, using the souls of others, tended to have dead bodies appear around them with distressing frequency. The whole discipline was bottled up." She turned to look at me. "I want to make it clear, the spell I used on you comes from the so-called 'good' side of the discipline. I had no nefarious intentions when I cast it."

"Twilight. If you hadn't already made that clear by your actions, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

"Um. Right. Anyways, the spell is not without side effects." She sighed. "Working with magic is similar to working with any other high-energy project. Steam powered machinery, for instance. Although a machine is well built, well maintained, and well run, it's a complicated mechanism that contains high levels of power. Any sort of mistake can cause problems, and a small problem can cause a catastrophic cascade. A well constructed spell has multiple safeguards and fail-safes, but anything can be broken. The best spells are constructed as low-point balances; any energy added to them will self-correct the spell. This spell is not like that."

She rubbed her forehead, as if her horn was starting to ache.

"This spell was only half-finished, at best. Firstly, let me assure you, I knew every single risk I was getting into when I cast it. Zecora laid it out clearly, and I know enough magical theory..." She laughed dryly. "Suffice to say, I understood the spell. I understood the underpinnings of the spell. I understood the research those underpinnings were founded on. I knew the history of the researchers who laid those foundations. I knew what I was getting myself into, even if I'd never learned a numancy spell before, even if I re-wrote it on the fly, even if I have no idea where Zecora learned such magic."

She lapsed into silence, and I thought maybe she wouldn't continue, but her voice rose again. "That's not what you were asking about, though. You want to know what I've gotten myself into. Well, it's pretty simple. If something goes wrong, our souls could fuse. That-" She pointed a hoof at my chest, "Is what has started to happen. As I've said, it's not something simple, or romantic, or even good. At best, I'll die, and you will live a very confused life with two sets of memories. At worst, both of our souls will be ripped to shreds. Oblivion." Her voice faded into silence again.

"What are our chances?" I grated harshly.

"Wes, I-"

"Guess!"

"Not good." She said quietly. "Things are progressing too quickly. I'd hoped that we would have a quiet few months. If your soul healed with the support of mine, I would undo the spell. Everything would be back to....to the way it was before. Now, however...everything is going wrong. First, the memories. That, I thought, was manageable. Now, Sombra has forced us to stretch the capabilities of the crystal. It's even more damaged. The magic feedback, and the anti-magic spell, have introduced imperfections into the crystalline lattices. This dream-sharing, as much fun as it was last night, is a bad sign and we need to stop it however we can."

She rubbed her eyes, looking defeated.

"I knew, as soon as we teleported out of the crystal fortress, that we needed to go to the Princess. Celestia is one of the most talented mages in existence. It's just...well, I hoped it would never come to this, and it's a little hard to take. If only we had more information on how the crystal was built, maybe we could do something. "

I hunched over, and tried to think straight. What had happened wasn't important now. Even though I'd felt like she was punching me in the chest and head when she told me the consequences, and later, our odds, I fought past all of that. Self-loathing, recrimination, rage, and helplessness all burned away. I wasn't going to lie here and wait to die. I needed to do something.

Suddenly, a thought struck me, bringing a smile to my face. It wasn't a pleasant smile, and it hurt my teeth a little with the intensity of the thoughts behind it. This was it. A way to learn more about the gem bonded to me. Something I could throw my rage and anger at.

"How about we go find it, then?" She looked at me questioningly. "The Nexus." I tapped the crystal in my chest. "This came from a changeling hive. Let's go back, and find out what they did."

And maybe, just maybe, I'd get the chance to kill a changeling or two.



> 12 - Audience
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was in trouble.

I glanced at my dwindling reserves, and checked my weapons again. This was going to be close.

I eyed my opponent, studying them, trying to discern what lay behind that impassable mask.

I wouldn't have guessed it, but Pinkie Pie was absolutely amazing at poker.

"All in." I pushed the last of my potato chips into the center of the table. She gasped, eyes flicking back and forth from her hand to the three face-up cards, trying to guess what I was holding. It had taken a while for me to interest Twilight's friends in the game, but once I'd gotten them to try it, they found it very enjoyable. Applejack, who I had just met a few days ago, was the worst at it despite being so stereotypically 'cowpony'. She couldn't bluff to save her life.

Fluttershy played too conservatively, but was surprisingly good at reading people. Rarity played a pretty even game, but usually wasn't able to conceal her feelings well enough to last till the end. Rainbow Dash was the opposite of Fluttershy; she overplayed, dramatically. Twilight was good, honestly scary with her calculating gaze and cold poker face. Shining Armor was all over the place. His game varied with his mood too much. I wasn't that great myself, honestly; I usually didn't risk enough, and fell out pretty early. However, everypony, and I mean everypony, fell before the Pink Menace. I was never sure if she was actually playing randomly, or if there was a cold, calculating intelligence behind it, but she seemed able to read minds, bluff with steel confidence and hide any possible tells behind a blinding facade of nonsense. This time, maybe, she was bluffing.

I turned over my cards. Three of a kind; a pretty good hand. I groaned when she revealed hers. Of course she would have a full house.

I gathered the cards together while she pulled the pile of treats we'd been betting with over to her side of the table where she began demolishing them cheerfully. Fluttershy watched in fascination as I shuffled, once again demonstrating the utility of fingers.

"Good game!" Pinkie said.

"You know," I said, "If you don't want to share your snacks, you don't have to loan them to us and then win them all back."

"Nonsense!" She winked. "They taste better this way! Anyways, you all have fun too!"

I nodded ruefully. I'd always enjoyed poker, and playing with friends was even better. Not that I'd ever won much, but I never let that stop me.

"So, Twilight, what's the word?" I leaned back in my seat and addressed the pony across from me. We were on the train to Canterlot, having been released from the hospital as fit to travel. Captain Shining and his squad had located the fortress from our leads and staked it out for several days. When no movement was observed, he had decided to assault it, setting the time for today. His magically delivered report had arrived while we were in the middle of our game, and Twilight had just finished reading it.

"It's just about as we suspected. There was no-one there. They did document everything we reported to them, including the cells, the teleport room, and the remains of the lab, although much of the equipment was gone."

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. That was about what I'd feared. We knew where his hideout was, we had busted up his golems and his lab. If I'd been Sombra, I would have been out of there before the dust settled.

"There's not much more, except my brother does make a note about not finding the Windigoes Sombra controlled. If he commands more, we need to make preparations for real conflict. If he has that sort of army at his disposal, he could be planning to attack much more openly now he's lost the element of surprise."

"Advice from the expert." I shrugged. "I just hope it doesn't come to that." She nodded, her reply lost in the squeal of brakes. The train was coming into the station. We had arrived at Canterlot.





Twilight and I paced through the wide halls of Canterlot Castle with slowly heightening apprehension. My fingers and chest were still bandaged, but I had no trouble walking. The rest of the Elements were chatting happily, but the cheerful noise swirled past our morose mood without touching us.

I leaned my head back, trying to take a deep enough breath to relax. I was attempting to take my mind off my thoughts by appreciating the view of the capital city through passing windows.

Canterlot was really quite impressive.

Tall towers rose all across the city. It was built onto the side of the mountain, small plots of land terraced into a slowly sweeping cityscape. The blocks were small and the roads narrow, but the height the homes and businesses made up for it. It wasn't anything compared to a modern skyline of concrete and glass, but the fact that it had been put together using simpler technology made the whole thing more impressive, not less, like the architecture of ancient Rome or Greece. The noonday sun smiled brightly on the whole scene, illuminating the roads and byways where hoof traffic mingled with a few carts and wagons.

I followed the road from the train station with my eyes. We had wound our way up and up, slowly working towards the center point of the whole city, the towering castle where the Sun and Moon Diarchs ruled, where we were now. In the back of my mind I tried to compare it to the ruins I'd seen in the Everfree, but I couldn't manage to set one above the other. The warm stone around me contrasted too sharply with the dim magnificence in the forest.

My mental excursion came full circle as I looked at the bright stained glass surrounding us, and I remembered where we were headed. I sighed and lowered my head.

"So, um, any pointers on etiquette?" I asked.

"Not much," Twilight replied. "Be respectful. Don't interrupt. Be truthful. I've never actually figured out if Princess Celestia is just really, really good at reading ponies, or if she actually has a lie detector spell she uses. That's about all that's needed for a private audience. She's never been a stickler for protocol, and there's not nearly enough time to give you the formal rules. Even if you could remember them all."

I glanced over at her, watching as her eyes grew soft with memories of her mentor.

"You two are close."

"...Yes."

She lowered her eyes, dread for the meeting dragging her head down again, and we went back to glooming for a bit.

"For what it's worth," I said, trying to raise her spirits, "I appreciate the choice you made. I don't know the Princess, but I don't think she'll be angry at you for saving my life."

"I know. I'm not...not really...afraid of her reaction any more. At least, not as far as any sort of punishment. I panicked, I really did, when I started to realize what had happened."

The guard leading us ushered our group into a large, lushly appointed room. Celestia had called the Elements and me for a private meeting. Although I'd like to see the throne room at some point, I was also relieved that we weren't going to be under the scrutiny by the whole court.

"It's just..." Twilight flopped into a chair, and I sank into one nearby. "I mean, I did what I needed to do. I needed to make things right, I had a way to do it, I counted the cost, and I put my hooves where my heart was. It was my decision, and I made it. What bothers me is not the possible punishment, but the idea that this might distance me from her. It's not her anger I fear..."

"But her disappointment." I finished.

She nodded. We sat in silence for a few minutes. The rest of the group sunk into uneasy quiet as well.

Soon the doors opened again, and Celestia entered.

I was awestruck.

It was hard to tell if her force of presence was magical or not. I didn't realize just how strongly it was affecting me until I realized my jaw had fallen open. I slowly closed it, and tried to assess her calmly.

She was a little taller than me, much slimmer and maybe a bit shorter than an Earth horse, but only if you disregarded her horn. I wasn't really prepared for her height. In my mind I'd been equating her with Luna, and the fact that she was noticeably taller caught me off guard. She was also brilliantly white. I'd been prepared for the billowing mane from meeting her sister, but her soft pastels and brilliant coat were enough of a contrast to catch me by surprise.

Her eyes were absolutely huge, just like every other pony I'd met so far, but they were actually more in proportion on her.

I was so caught up in assessing her royal demeanor that I jumped when she swept Twilight up in a hug.

"Twilight! Are you OK?" Celestia set Twilight down and walked around her. "What have you done to keep the numosic flux under control? Do you have a stability matrix you're using?"

She sounded worried. Not angry, or sad, but worried, like a parent whose child hasn't called home.

"Princess, I'm fine. I detailed everything that happened in my letter. But...aren't you...angry?"

The white alicorn took a step back and smiled at Twilight briefly.

"Twilight. I thought I told you after the wedding that I admired how you stood by what you thought was right despite opposition. I certainly learned to trust your vision and commitment more. If you thought this necessary, I'm willing to trust that."

Twilight sagged in relief, a week worth of tension and worry fading from her body. She jerked forward and embraced Celestia, tears glimmering in her eyes.

"Oh Princess, I was so worried!"

"Shush. There, it's Ok." The alicorn soothed her for a second, before stepping back. "Twilight, I really do need answers for those questions, though. Flux, and a matrix. What’s going on here?"

"Um, flux. We've had some. Memories seeping, which seemed controllable, and as I mentioned in my report, one shared dream in the hospital. Also, one after I sent it."

I winced at that. If the first dream was from Twilight's mind, the second had been from mine. I was used to waking up in a cold sweat. Twilight had screamed herself awake.

"Hmm." Celestia narrowed her eyes. "Let me scan you."

"Just a second, Princess. The matrix we're using...Wes, could you show her?"

I nodded and unbuttoned my shirt, pulling the bandages aside to expose my crystal.

"This is the matrix originally grafted to Wes as part of his...ordeal under the changelings. My breaking it almost killed him." Her voice barely quavered. "I rebuilt and re-purposed it as best I could, but It's frankly beyond my understanding. It’s a conductor of unparalleled capacity, though. Honestly, if it wasn't of such high quality, we would be in much more trouble. Still, according to Wes, it's not the sort of thing casually made."

"Indeed." Celestia stared at it for a while. She turned back to her desk, and a notebook flipped open while a pen inked itself. She took notes for a few moments, before turning back to us. "I do want to scan you, but I will do it later." She turned to look around the study, meeting the eyes of the other five ponies watching the proceedings intently. "Girls, although this is mainly between Wesley and Twilight, I called you all here because it does concern you as well. Specifically in your capacity as elements of Harmony." She levitated a stone box down from a nearby shelf. "You see, Twilight, although I will not punish you for what you have done, it is not without consequences. My sister Luna spoke truly when she claimed you knew not what you have wrought. This concerns the Elements. After all, they are bonded to your very soul. Consider the shapes they have taken on, each one shaped after your cutie mark."

She set the box in front of Twilight.

"Now, since your very soul has been broken, Equestria itself may come to rue the decision you've made." She raised the lid, exposing the contents. It held golden tiara with a dull gray star set in the crown, split down the middle with a single jagged fracture.

"Um," I said, in response to the six-fold gasp that echoed through the room, "I guess it's not supposed to be like that?"

"No." Twilight's voice was soft with terror. "I...I broke the Element of Magic?"

Everyone jumped slightly at Celestia's silver chuckle.

"Not quite, Twilight." She stepped towards her student, and snapped her out of an oncoming panic attack with a gentle nuzzle. "The Elements are not so easily destroyed. At best, you have begun to de-harmonize with it. At worst, it has begun to reject you. But you have not broken it."

"Oh." Again, Twilight sagged in relief. "That's good?" She sounded like she was trying to decide whether to be relieved or continue into shock.

"Well, maybe not good, Sugarcube, but I guess it's a darn sight better than th'other." Applejack interjected. "Princess, is there anything we can do about this?"

"I'm afraid not." Celestia gazed around the room again. "I've informed you because this affects you, as Elements, but this problem is tied up with the other." She pointed to me. "When this is resolved, I hope the element will return to Twilight. To further this, I'm putting all of you on this. We need to do whatever we can to help Twilight and Wes untangle themselves."

"Um, Princess," Twilight said nervously. "I thought maybe if we knew more about the matrix, we could do something. And Wes had an idea about that." She nodded at me. I cleared my throat nervously, a bit apprehensive at being scrutinized by Celestia’s champagne-pink eyes.

"Well," I said, "Do you know that there is a nest of changelings living inside your borders?"



> 13 - Scanning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I wasn't trying to be dramatic, I just...Oh, I don't know. Of course Twilight told you about the changelings and what happened to me. Of course you document disappearances. Of course you've been extra careful since the invasion."

I stood stock still as warm magic caressed me, tendrils of power flickering over my skin. Probably under, too, but I couldn't feel that. Celestia paused the scan and smiled.

"Well, you are right," She said. "All of that is true. And yet I can't do anything, because I need to know more than that something is going on." She resumed the scan.

The meeting with the Elements had devolved quickly after my dramatic question. Any answer Celestia tried to make was drowned out by the curious clamor of the others. I had ended up recounting most of my story, both for the Elements who hadn't heard some parts of it, and for the Princess. Afterwards, she had taken Twilight and I aside in order to conduct a more thorough magical exam.

It hadn't taken her long to explain that yes, ponies disappeared. Yes, she wanted to stop it. Yes, she had been doing her best for as long as she had been Princess. I'd felt pretty stupid after that.

"Your idea does have merit, though." She finished the scan and moved her aura to Twilight. "If we could find this Nexus, it would surely tell us something worthwhile about the gem. Besides that, cleaning out a nest of such vermin would be for the best all-round. Hmm." She finished with Twilight, and took a few notes before giving her diagnosis. "Your progression is not catastrophic."

We both sighed in relief.

"It might be best for Luna to act on the dream sharing. If she works from within, as it were, it will be much more strongly bound than if I fumble with it. Expect her in your dreams as soon as you are both asleep." She peered over her notebook, and we nodded.

"Wes, you arrived near the changeling hive?"

"Yeah," I replied, surprised by the question. "It wasn't far at all. They caught me in their patrol perimeter."

"Interesting." She mused for a second. "Well, I don't know if we can find the place. If it is found, I'd like to investigate for magic residue. A spell with such an interesting effect must have been powerful, and in an isolated location it's not impossible for traces to linger. Who knows? Maybe we can figure out how to return you to your world."

"Really? Isn't that great, Wes? Wes?"

Twilight's enthusiastic voice floated past me, my train of thought derailed, each successive idea slamming into the huge mental roadblock that had just appeared.

I could… go home?

Home? To Earth? To my family? To college? To my stupid professors, handful of friends, favorite foods and music, even my brother's awful cat?

I fell to my knees, suddenly faint.

"Wes!" Both Twilight and Celestia caught me in their magic. I felt tingly as they lifted me off the floor.

"Sorry." I mumbled, still lost in my mind as they lay me down on a nearby couch. Images flashed across my inner eye; the shimmer of stoplights on rain-slick pavement, the smell of the computer labs, billboards and store logos, a taste of my father’s homemade beer, the scent of fresh-cut roses from my mother's garden.

Home.

Something, something I'd locked up, tied down, choked, cut, starved and killed, stirred in my chest.

Home.

I dared to hope. And suddenly, I needed to cry.

"I..." I swallowed a sob. "Sorry..."

"Wesley Kilmer." Celestias voice was gentle, but brooked no argument. "Never, ever, apologize for crying."

Given permission, my sobs broke loose.  I curled up on the couch and sobbed.

When I was done, I opened my eyes to find myself covered by white feathers from one side with a lilac shoulder curled up against me on the other. As I recovered, I sniffled and sat up. Celestia and Twilight were sitting on the couch next to me.

"Do you feel better?" The princess levitated a kerchief to me, and I blew my nose noisily.

"Yeah," I said. "I...I guess I needed that. Um." I stopped a second apology and took a minute to scrub my itchy eyes.

"I thought it was a little weird," Twilight offered. "You didn't seem to be interested in much of anything, but I wondered why you were never once mentioned getting back to your world."

"I-I killed the thought." I mumbled, my mind dredging up my first few weeks in my cell.

"What do you mean?" Celestia asked.

"I couldn't afford to hope," I said. "I didn't have the energy for that. When-when they had me, I couldn't do anything more than take each day one at a time. Splinter held me together, held me up, but even then...I almost didn't make it through those first weeks. Despair gnawed me, and only his support kept it from consuming me whole. He didn't know anything about me being from another world. At the time, the only goal we could hold onto was survival. Everything else was secondary." I frowned. "Even the things I did in Ponyville came out of that mindset, I think. Find some shelter. Find some food. Make sure I’d survive. After that, THEN live life." I drew in a deep shuddering breath. "I killed my hope of getting home. I did it to survive. And now, even a little hope hurts."

"Oh Wes..." Twilight's voice was filled with compassion.

"Not daring to hope... It breaks my heart that this would happen to anyone in my realm." Celestia stood, and stepped away from the couch. "I can't tell what will happen, but if I can help you return to your home, please don't hesitate to call on me. Although I speak as merely Celestia, and not the Princess of the Sun, my might is not inconsiderable. Any friend of Twilight's is a friend of mine."

"Th-thanks." I managed, swallowing another sob. I rubbed my eyes again. Despite the discomfort the sobbing brought, my heart felt lighter. I nodded once, and then again more firmly. "Thanks. I will."

"Um, Princess..." Twilight's sounded uncertain, but she forged ahead as Celestia turned to her. "You suggested searching for signs of a summoning spell. But... that means.... you think somepony brought him here? On purpose? For a reason?"

I snapped my head around at that. She flinched, and I tried to soften my gaze.

"I...don't know." The princess sounded troubled. "Well, I thought so, from your story. But you didn't?"

"I...you know, have no idea. I didn't even consider it. The changelings seemed just as surprised as I was. I never saw any signs of magic, any sort of spell. I just fell asleep in one world and woke in another. I never suspected a purpose behind it." I frowned. "I wasn't in the best frame of mind when I drew that conclusion, and I haven't re-thought it until now. Um. Here's an odd thing. Several of the, the races I've met in Equestria match up with beings from human myths. Unicorns, pegasi, and dragons... Is it possible something like this happened before?"

"I can't definitely rule it out." Celestia frowned thoughtfully. "But if so, it was before Luna and I ruled. At the least several thousand years ago."

My eyes widened at that. I'd picked up that alicorns were long-lived from the tales of Nightmare Moon, but having millennia casually thrown into a conversation really brought it home.

"Just...just how old are you?"

"Wes!" Celestia laughed. "Don't you know you should never ask a lady her age?"

I cast my eyes down, slightly ashamed. I guess it was rude, at that.

"Honestly though," she continued, "I'm uncertain myself. It was quite a while before I began counting. That's not the point, though; we didn't rule Equestria until nearly two thousand years ago. At that time, we gained a little more insight into what happens in the kingdom. That sort of thing should have come to our attention, much as you have, if it happened when we were in power."

"Actually, two thousand years sounds about right." I cast my mind back to Greek mythology. They came before the Romans, right? A few hundred years BC, maybe? “That only accounts for the myth of <Pegasus,> though… dragon legends were much more spread out.” They extending into the middle ages in Europe. I had no idea about Unicorns. Celestia shrugged. 

"Well, I have no idea." She admitted frankly. "As I said, if it happened, it was before our time. Although, maybe..." She frowned. "It's possible some dragon legends contain mentions of humans, now that you mention it. I've always interpreted them as Diamond Dogs, but that never really made much sense. The myths call them 'Tuatha', and they were cunning despoilers, usually tricksters who steal gold and gems from innocent dragons who overcome them with brute force."

"That...sounds completely opposite to the legends in my world."

"Well, if you were a ten-ton reptile, you might decide to play your strengths as well."

"Hah. I guess."

"That's all I can think of." Celestia made a note in her book. "I'll have it looked into. Maybe we can discover something." She frowned. "The point still stands, though; if you were brought here, and I'm no longer entirely sure you were, then why? If we can find a motive, maybe we can move a little closer towards an answer."

"Sombra said..." Twilight stopped, and then restarted as we turned to her. "Sombra listed why he wanted you, right?"

"You could hear that?" She’d been encased in ice at the time.

"He was loud."

"Um. Yeah, I guess he was. It seemed he wanted to possess me because I was the nearest available body. He talked about this," I tapped the gem, "as if it enabled the whole thing, but he also claimed he liked-" I furrowed my brows, trying to remember, "the fact that I was fit, and that I knew human math and science."

"How much do you know?" Celestia said, interested.

"Honestly? Not too much. I was about halfway through college. I was in engineering, so I do know some, but I was never the top of my class, and I hated homework. Hush!" I said, as Twilight gasped in horror. "It's allowed." Celestia giggled a little at her student's grimace. "Um, math should be the same, and most of Equestria seems to be functionally close to Earth, but we used different methods. You don't use electricity, and your information infrastructure is easily eighty to one-twenty years behind ours or more, if magically transmitted mail can be equated to electric telegraph. I have no idea about weapons, but I don't know how well human weapons would manage against magic. Most human weapons are ranged, and magic shields..." I frowned in thought. "I really can’t say what facts would make me valuable. I have even less confidence in remembering the useful bits. My mind is like a steel trap...but only for completely trivial tidbits."

"Well, anything could be important,” Celestia said. “Make a note if you think of anything else."

I nodded.

"Now!" Her notebook snapped shut. "This meeting has been more than I expected, but I can honestly say it was worth every second. However, as loath as I am to say it, we must adjourn."

Twilight rose and hugged her.

"Thank you Princess," she said. I echoed her, and we departed slowly.





ZOOOOOOOOM

"Cars-"

ZOOOOOOOM

"Are-"

ZOOOOOOOM

"AWESOME!"

I looked up from where I was hovering, laughing a little as I watched Twilight pilot a Nascar racer around the oval circuit I'd conjured in the dream world. Hopefully this would be the last of these dreams, but I'd taken the opportunity to show her some Earth things before the chance was gone. Her jaw had dropped at the cities, she'd been flabbergasted at airplanes and she'd loved computers, even though they didn't usually work in dreams, but she'd fallen in love with cars. I was surprised I could make them work, but this was one of the most realistic dreams I'd ever managed.

I focused for a second and smiled, before snapping my fingers and summoning a Ferrari. I touched the rearing horse on the steering wheel and settled into the seat, before gunning the engine and zipping out into the track. In a few seconds I was creeping up on Twilight, trying to sneak around the inside of the curve. Even in a dream, the feel of the acceleration made me smile. It wasn't the same as real life, but the fact that you could do stuff like this made me sad dream sharing was so dangerous.

"My, my." I jumped in surprise, swerving and almost crashing, when Luna popped into existence in the seat next to me. "This is fascinating. What an ingenious machine."

"It's called a car." I shifted once, listening to the thrum of the engine, and frowned. "I'm pretty sure I'm getting the acceleration wrong, but whatever. That's dreams for you."

"You seem rather knowledgeable about the workings of my realm."

"Yeah, well...I studied dreams for a while. Read lots about it. Kept a dream journal. I tried to be aware of when I was dreaming, and control them. I haven't really done anything in that vein for the past year, for obvious reasons. But this is something else. I've never been in a dream this realistic or consistent."

"The more ponies in a dream, the more real it becomes. Now I am here, your perceptions should be nearly as sharp as waking."

"Hmm." I slid around the inside of the corner, barely scraping past Twilight. "So, any thoughts on how to stop this?"

"It should be simple enough. However, I had a few thoughts. Before I act, what do you remember about the changelings fortress?"

"Um, oh! You're thinking of looking for clues in my memories?"

"Indeed. If you can project them into the dream, we can search for clues."

"That...is very clever. Hum, let me stop Twilight." I concentrated, and the car peeled away around us, the parts dissolving until we were sitting in empty air, still racing around the track. We quickly caught up to Twilight's car, and I tapped on her window.

The look of shock on her face was amusing for about half a second, until her broken concentration led her to swerve and she went into a tumble. I winced as the car flipped and spun. I reached out with my dream control and stopped it in mid-air.

"That...that was mean." She protested, as she squeezed out the window, sprouting wings and flapping over to us. Twilight was as good or better at dream shaping than I was, but she seemed determined to fit things into her previously understood paradigms, instead of simply breaking the laws of physics at a drop of a hat as I tended to.

"Princess Luna, welcome!"

"Thank you, Twilight. You were having fun?"

"Oh yes! Cars are great! I'll have to see if I can build one."

I saw her eyes glaze over as her brain kicked into overdrive, trying to work out a thousand details at once.

"Um, Twilight? Maybe you can work on that later. Right now, the Princess suggested I recreate what I could of the changelings fort, to see if we discover where it was."

"Will that work?"

"It should," Princess Luna replied. "If thy memory works the same as that of a pony, there may be details you could not recall while awake."

"I've heard that theory," I said. "The idea that you don't actually forget anything, you just lose the ability to bring it to the front of your brain, right?"

"Correct. Although the more often a memory is retrieved, the more contaminated with imagination and change they can become. In all honestly, there may be little there for us."

"Well, let's give it a shot." I spun in place, imagining the two ponies and myself teleporting, and muttered "Changeling-fort, Changeling-fort, Changeling-fort." When I looked up, we were standing in the arena.

Twilight glanced around, and shuddered a little. All over the place, pieces of dead changelings and visions of dying ponies faded in and out. I concentrated, trying to calm my heart and bring back some semblance of control to the dream, and it stopped. The details of the stonework sharpened, and the grains of sand seemed more distinct.

"I fear this place is no good for our purposes," Luna said. "Not only have you been here far too many times for any details to remain consistent, but there is much too much emotion in this place."

"Well, maybe the cell?" I led them out of the arena, banishing the gateway with a thought. I had very rarely walked this course; most times, I was dragged back comatose. I knew the turns by heart, though, and soon enough, we stood before the two cells. The door stood wide on one, and in the other, an orange unicorn slept.

"...Splinter?" I whispered, suddenly a little weak.

"Simply part of the dream," Luna said. She stepped forward, and took a closer look. She froze for a second as she got closer. "Oh my… what did you say this pony’s name was?"

"Splinter."

"Hum." She stood there, staring at him for a moment. "Well, mayhaps from his cutie mark my sister can discern where he disappeared. Perhaps there would be a lead there."

I looked at her curiously for a second. Did she know Splinter? But how could that be? She met my gaze coolly. If she did, she wasn't willing to share anything about it.

"Maybe I should try and remember Fallen Leaves, as well."

"Good thinking."

We examined the cells for a bit, but they didn't seem to be much good, either. Not only were they inside, but even when I tried to look out the window for landmarks, things shifted constantly between several different views. As the sky faded from blue to black and stars danced blurrily through the bars, I had an idea.

"One more time," I said, spinning around. When I stopped, we were in a clearing. "This is where I appeared." I concentrated, thinking of when I'd woken up, and the blue sky faded quickly to black, a thousand glimmering stars appearing above us. This time they were rock-steady. I'd only been here once. I'd only seen this sky once.

Luna looked up, taking in the vista.

"Yes," she said, "this might work."



> 14 - Testing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wes?"

"Oh, hello Captain."

I finished stretching and nodded to Shining Armor. I stood in the sun, enjoying the warmth of a new day. I'd been eager to exercise even a little now my injuries were healed enough they didn't limit my movement.

"Twilight said I would probably find you here. What are you up to?"

"Um, I'm practicing moving."

"Come again?"

"It's something a friend showed me. His martial had a special word for it, but all I do is visualize myself fighting and practice movements to go with that."

"Oh....a kata?"

"Maybe. I just think of it as practicing moving. Since I don't have formal training, I just reflect on the things that worked well in previous fights and imagine myself doing them again. That way, next time they will be more automatic."

"Does it work?"

"It seems to. The first thing Splinter made me do was sit and think through the range of motion for my limbs, and how my muscles and bones connect. From that, he had me work out how to strike and block using principles from his training. Since then I've been trying to refine things and work out what's most effective. I think it’s given me an edge a few times, and it definitely helps me avoid or stop blows."

"Mind if I watch?"

"Not really. But what are you here for?"

"I had a question, but it can wait. Now I'm curious." Shining Armor brushed his blue mane out of his eyes and found a spot in the shade to watch. I went back to my stretches.





I blew out a final breath and let my concentration fade. Exercising with someone watching hadn't bothered me, but my injuries had definitely been affecting me. I wasn't sure how long that would last. Though I had plenty of experience with injury, I had very little with healing.

"You're pretty good." Shining walked over and nodded his approval. "Not having any formal training shows, but all in all, you're doing OK. I guess it's true that a single real fight is worth a month of training. Honestly, now I'm more curious than ever. Will you spar with me?"

"Um, I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Really." He quirked an eyebrow, clearly unsatisfied with my answer.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I have no experience with sparring. I've only done it once, with Rainbow. I didn't hurt her, but only just."

Shining stared at me for a minute.

"You need to trust yourself more." He walked slowly around me, inspecting me from every angle. "This is something I learned, re-learned, and learn again every so often. Last time was on my wedding day. Don't be afraid of your feelings. There is only one you. You are not divided against yourself. Your feelings don't change who you are, they only reveal it. Do you want to kill ponies?"

"No." I surprised myself with a quick answer. "No, I don't. But in the heat of a fight, I don't know-"

"You need to trust your friends more, too. Let me tell you this; I don't know how good Rainbow Dash is, but I promise I'm better. You may have been able to beat her. You might be able to do it again. If you wanted to, you might even be able to hurt her. But I've watched you move, and I'm saying right now I can take you. Maybe not win, but I can stop you. You won't hurt me. Trust me on this."

I met his eyes, matching his level gaze. Maybe I did need to trust others a bit more. And if he was better than me, it would only do me good to fight him.

"Ok." I agreed finally. "But, we need a ref, and a spotter."

"Pfah, what do you take me for, an amateur?" He picked up the guard helmet he was carrying, the only piece of armor he had brought, and tapped the side before placing it on his head. "This is Captain Armor. Bronze Tangent, please join us in the fourth courtyard."

I mentally kicked my estimate of pony tech up a few notches. That was clearly a short-range communicator of some sort. Probably based on a sympathy spell, that would....aaaand I couldn't remember. I sighed as the knowledge fled. It was neat using Twilight's memory, but inconvenient how it came and went.

I wonder if she feels the same way about mine? Hmmm. Maybe she could think of reasons that I would be useful to Sombra. I dropped the train of thought as a royal guard, a unicorn, came through the arch and saluted Shining. The captain acknowledged him, and gave him a brief explanation.

"Bronze, you know the rules; don't let us hurt each other if you can help it."

I relaxed a little at that. A unicorn's telekinesis to hold us back would make things somewhat safer. I paced to the center of the courtyard, raised my hands and flexed my knees. Shining stood across from me, his stance loose but confident.

"Begin!" our ref called.

Swish. His voice barely faded before I had to throw myself to the side to avoid flying hooves. I'd nearly underestimated the range ponies could get out of a good kick. I rolled to the left and sprang to my feet, dashing in towards Shining as he recovered his footing. I lunged for his neck, but had to pull back as a razor horn sliced through the space I'd occupied.

He's not fooling around, I thought. I grit my teeth, and forced myself to concentrate, tuning out my surroundings and focusing on the fight more and more. His movements accelerated to match mine as I danced backwards, trying to dodge his flying hooves. One of them clipped my arm and I winced. I could tell he was pulling his blows, but that still hurt.

I had a mobility advantage, the same as with the changelings; being on two feet let me dodge and weave more easily, but his lower stance and center of gravity meant that he was difficult to imbalance. Against an amateur I could do something, but his experience and ingrained training meant he wouldn't fall for cheap tricks. I threw another few attacks, which were handily deflected or dodged, and grinned. He really was better than Rainbow. So. How far could I trust the spotter?

I faked left and spun right, barely dodging a swipe of his horn. I was surprised when my blow missed, but adjusted quickly. He was still getting faster. Just how far was he holding out on me? Should I go all out? Dare I? I'd agreed to trust him and myself, but just how much did he want from me? If I came at him with true intent to kill I might not be able to do it, but I could surely do some serious damage. My pondering was cut short as I threw myself backwards, trying to avoid a horn-stab. I wasn't quite fast enough.

"Point!" Bronze yelled. I was jerked to a stop as our spotter's ocean-blue aura caught me. I looked down; Shining's horn was stopped an inch or so from my chest. Bronze nodded to him, and set us both free.

So, I could trust the spotter, at least within an inch of my life. Good to know.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Shining said grimly. "If that's all you got, I'm not going to let you anywhere near the hive when we attack."

"Say what?"

"Oh, didn't I make it clear? This is more than a fight, it's a test. If I don't deem you able to hold your own, there's no way I'm taking you with us in the assault. I'll miss your insider knowledge, sure...but there's no way I'm letting a liability join my squad. So. Convince me." He took up a stance again. "I'll even give you one more shot. Make it count."

I shook my head, trying to clear it. Is that was this was about? I'd been confused by his insistence that we fight, but this...I grimaced. I guess I'd taken it for granted that I'd be part of the assault, but there was really no reason for that. Shining was a soldier, a professional. Of course he needed to know that I could fight and follow orders. At least he was giving me a second shot.

"Ok. Ok. Let's try this again." I turned to him, and fell into my stance.

This time I was the first to strike. He said I should trust him? Ok. He said to trust myself? That one was a little harder, but I pushed past it and pressed the attack. I went for vital points again, and managed to catch him by feinting at his eye and nearly landing a blow on his horn. Suddenly, my hand was caught in a magic aura; I thought for a split-second that Bronze was interfering, but the glow of Shining's horn shattered that idea.

Well, we hadn't agreed to not use magic. Still, I felt a little miffed. I clenched my fist tighter and pushed forward as hard as I could; the aura cracked, and his eyes widened slightly as a spark of magic leaped back to his horn. I took vicious advantage of the distraction by whipping my left fist around and attempting to catch him on the nose. He stepped backwards, but the glow around my hand held firm. I torqued my arm, putting my whole weight behind the movement as I shattered his aura. He was better at maintaining concentration than his sister however, since he merely winced and met my rush with a flawless defense.

A second in, I realized this was going nowhere fast. At this rate, he would simply kick my butt again. I dodged backwards and he let me go. I stood for a second, breathing heavily, and assessed my situation. A bare courtyard with no-one here but the combatants and ref. Great. Nothing except the walls to use. How could the walls-I dropped the thought and swayed sideways, dodging another bone-crushing kick. Those were powerful, but he telegraphed like crazy. Too bad the range meant I couldn't take advantage.

I stepped backwards and he followed. I led him like that for a few steps, before I whipped around and dashed for the wall. I heard him behind me and smiled. Maybe this would work. Ponies were versatile, but they didn't really have feet like me. I reached the wall and kept running, placing a foot up on the brickwork, leaping as high as I could. I managed a few steps before I reached the top of my arch and twisted backwards, looking below me as I started to spin in mid-air. Eat your heart out, Neo.

"Point!" Bronze caught me in mid-air, heels inches from Shining's head. It's hard to say how much damage I would have done falling on him like that, but it would have definitely hurt. Not my most elegant plan, but I'd managed to catch him off guard. I breathed a sigh, relieved both that my attack had worked and that I had been stopped in time.

"You," I panted as I was lowered to ground, "are too good. I'm not fighting you again." I knew when I was beat; the captain of the guard was too much for me without a trick or weapon, and he wouldn't fall for that one twice.

"Well," He smiled at me. "Fancy that. I was going to say the same." I snorted in disbelief. "No, really. I might be able to win, but I'm not good enough to keep both of us safe through another match. If we didn't have my best spotter here, I wouldn't have even pushed as far as I did. You're too deadly. But, all said, that's probably a good thing; it means I can give you my permission. If you're willing to go through training, we can allow you onto the team. You in?" He held out a hoof. I stepped forward gratefully, and rapped it with my fist.

"Count me in." My grin may have been a little bloodthirsty, but he returned it just the same.





<"Carrot.">

<"Cake.">

Twilight flipped a page on her journal, and wrote down the phrase. We were sitting in the sun, in the garden near the entrance to the hedge maze. I had my back against a tree, and she was a few yards away on the grass.

<"Is carrot cake the same on Earth as it is here?"> she asked.

<"Yeah, pretty much. Maybe it's a universal constant?">

<"That's an interesting idea, that certain things are guaranteed an existence in different dimensions-">

<"Twilight, it was a joke."> I sighed. I thought I'd been bad at over analyzing.

We were playing a word-association game, as a test of how far our memories had mingled. Twilight had learned, with some practice, how to use my memory to speak English and not get 'stuck'. So far, for almost every word I'd said she'd had the same association.

<"Christmas."> I started the game again.

<"Cookies.">

<"I was thinking carols. What are we at?">

<"Looks like about one in five...call it eighty percent association.">

<"I wonder...do you think this means that those parts of my memory didn't transfer? or are you simply accessing different parts more strongly than I am? Is this test even helpful?">

<"I wish I knew...but it's all we've got, unfortunately. Oh, I've been meaning to ask. Even in English, ‘Wesley’ doesn't seem to be a real word. What's up with that?">

<"Most names in my culture weren't proper words. They usually came from other languages, or were from older dialects. My mother told me that Wesley is a combination of 'Wes', or west, and 'lea', an old word for meadow. Properly, I guess it would mean 'west meadow', or 'from the west meadow'.">

<"Oh. Have you considered using the equivalent Equestrian?">

<"Eh, if you like. Those words aren't anything similar in Equestrian, though, so it would sound pretty weird.">

<"I guess. Hmm. Let's try it from my side, now.">

"Ok." I switched back to Equestrian, and flipped my notebook open. Twilight had been teaching me the alphabet ponies used, and I was getting better at writing it. I had only been slightly surprised when she picked up the Roman alphabet in just a few minutes. Seriously, just how smart could one pony be?

"Hat," she said, startling me out of my thoughts.

"Rack." I wrote down the pair in my notebook.

"Ice."

"Skating."

"Apple."

"Jack."

"I was going to say pie," she said. I wrote down the pair, and added a tick to the column of broken pairs. It seemed that either Twilight's memory was leaking into mine somewhat less, or the fact that I'd learned Equestrian traditionally was changing the way I thought more than her 'total absorption' technique did for English. We were at something just over sixty percent association for me and Equestrian words.

"Crystal."

"Heart." That was one of the strong associations; it could only have come directly from her. I wrote it down and ticked the other column. "That makes me think. Any thoughts on what Sombra is up to? The fact that nothing has turned up is somewhat worrying."

"You're right." She frowned. "I know the Princess has ponies looking into it, but you're right. We need to watch our backs. I'm sure he's not done."

We sat in silence for a bit. I scratched the back of my hand, and then began unwrapping the bandages. I'd promised Shining I'd show up bright and early for training tomorrow and these had been bothering me. I needed my rest. Surely my burns were finished healing by now?

"Hey, check this out," I held up my hand so Twilight could see. On my palm, where the black residue from Sombra's spell had been, the skin under the bandage had changed from patchy black to patchy purple. "Is that supposed to happen? I mean, normally healing skin can be purple, but this doesn't look the same."

"No, you're right." Twilight craned her neck for a better view, and then realized she was being silly and walked over for a closer look. "This does look odd. Hmm, maybe this can give us some clues on what's going on! We need to test this! Come with me!"

I yelped as her magic aura grabbed me and dragged me away from my comfy seat. I sighed, but resigned myself. As much as I disliked being a test subject, 'Lab Animal' was vastly superior to 'Corpse'.

Unfortunately, it looked like I wouldn’t get much rest this afternoon.


> 15 - Assault
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're saying you sparred with the Captain? How are you still alive?"

"Well, he wasn't trying to kill me. Also, I mean, he was good, but I did get a few hits in myself. Really glad I didn't get kicked, though."

I glanced upwards, attempting to spot Rainbow, who was cruising overhead on lookout. The company of guards I was attached to was hiking through rocky foothills on our way to the changelings fortress. Princess Luna had worked backwards from the stars I'd shown her, calculating approximately where I'd entered Equestria. Given a location, careful scouting and high-altitude flyovers had found what we were pretty certain was the fortress. While the scouts worked, Rainbow and I had trained under Captain Shining in order to participate in the assault.

"No, but...oh, oh! Hey, he didn't use any magic on you, did he?"

"Not a bit. Which was good, because I'm pretty sure he would have whipped me."

"Heh, that's not the half of it." Rainbow's voice came clearly though the communicator in my helmet. We were allowed to use the private channels for 'chat' as we marched, as long as we were discrete. I was glad the ponies were keeping a reasonable pace; if they pushed, they would leave me behind easily. As it was, I was trying pretty hard to keep up, but a week of conditioning had left me in better shape than before. Growing and changing was still a little strange for me. While I'd been in the changelings...'care', I'd healed instantly, but it had also stopped my body from adapting. The fact that I could now get better, faster, stronger, was pretty cool to me, and I was enjoying being even a little more fit than before.

"See, the thing is," Rainbow jerked me out of my reverie, "magic is a huge part of any unicorn martial art. It's integral to who they are, and gives them ranged options like nothing else. From what I've heard the Captain is a master or maybe even a grandmaster of Battle Stream. It's this awesome unicorn art based around telekinesis. There's even rumors he's studied the Path of Void, since he's one of the few unicorns powerful enough to teleport. If you’d been fighting for real, you'd have been nothing but a smear."

"Wow. That's...pretty cool, actually." I glanced towards the front of our column, where the white unicorn led the march. "I hope I get a chance to see that when we attack."

"Oh, I bet you will. You're in the 'bait' group, right where he can keep an eye on you."

"Yeah, I guess."

I wasn't sure to be flattered or bothered by my appointment to the decoy group. The plan for attacking the changelings was pretty simple, honestly; lure them out into the open, and call Luna. This was apparently one of the few situations that merited direct intervention from one of the Diarchs. I wasn't entirely sure what she would be doing, but since her commitment to using "The Dance of the Dark Moon" had drawn such shocked looks from the ponies in the war room, I was convinced it could crush the resistance.

Originally, some ponies had suggested a siege. However, we weren't even sure if we could starve them out. Would they be able to feed off the attackers? If not, could we even afford the time it would take, with one of Equestrias strategic-class magical artifacts possibly out of commission? Working from there, we had come up with a plan to shatter the fortress as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

We were currently en-route, posing as a small mercenary company, using normally traveled roads and normally scheduled caravans to get as close as possible to the fortress without alerting our target to our intention. Soon we wouldn't be able to get closer by road, and would cut cross country directly for the stronghold.

We knew we would be noticed. Complete stealth was impossible. With any luck, by the time they did realize what we were up to we would be too close for them to preemptively attack or to flee. The stealth was really just one way of trying to keep them from pulling something unexpected. If they didn't see through our disguise or intent, they would be reacting as we predicted. And if we could predict them, we could outmaneuver them.

What we expected to find at the fort was changelings preparing for a siege. There might be some struggle for air-superiority, but we were confident of at least suppressing their patrols. Once they started to turtle, we would have to act fast. Before they had time to settle in, to realize what was going on, to get really organized, we would need to strike first and strike hard.

I glanced back at the wagons that trailed us. Much of that was supplies and camouflage, although we would ditch the vehicles when we split from the road; the guard could carry their own meals. The one at the very back, however, contained something like a siege machine.

'Something like', because even with Twilight's borrowed magical knowledge, I still wasn't sure what to make of the engine of destruction we were bringing with us. From the outside, it looked like brass clockwork studded with a few glowing crystals, but I was assured that it was more than powerful enough to open a hole in the fortress. It was apparently a 'class three emplacement, tactical thaumic clockwork cannonade'. This level of weapon was normally reserved for strategically hardened emplacements, and crewed by dozens of trained and dedicated personnel. Who or what exactly the ponies needed this sort of firepower to defend against, I had never actually found out. However, I was assured that with Twilight and Shining working together, we would be able to get at least one breaching shot off before responding fire made it impossible to continue.

It showed a measure of the commitment Celestia had, that she was willing to commission both her sister and strategic-class weaponry for this action. Not to mention that this weapon was marked expendable.

Once we were inside the fort, things would get really hairy. In order to completely exterminate the nest, we had two objectives; destroy the actual, physical fort, and assassinate the Queen. If we accomplished both of these, we could be assured that the changelings would be crushed beyond recovery. The demolition of the building itself, while important, paled beside the significance of killing the leader. If we failed to kill the Queen, these bugs would simply scatter when we stomped them. We could break their stuff all we liked after they left; but if we didn't get her, they'd just set up again somewhere else and come back worse than ever.

Thankfully, we didn't have to actually fight the Queen. That was Luna's job. And I, for one, was glad to leave it to her. Sure, I wanted revenge, but I wasn't suicidal. I'd seen the Queen in the stands of the arena every few days; if I thought I could take her, I'd have made a go of it long before. The trick would be actually getting our champion into contact with theirs.

We were convinced that Luna would be able to deal with the changeling Queen. However, our enemy was also smart enough to realize this. She hadn't survived in Equestria this long without realizing that her hive's existence hinged on the fact that she could never, ever let the Royals catch her. So it came down to this: we needed to draw the Queen out, and we needed to get her to somewhere Luna could access. We had decided to target the arena.

We knew very little of the layout of the fortress, but we knew that the arena was relatively large and open to the sky. Normally, getting caught in a fight in the arena would be something to avoid. For our smaller force, keeping to the corridors of the building proper would allow us to limit exposure to the bugs, while the open area of the arena invited them to surround us and take advantage of their numbers. No matter how good Captain Shining was, and I hoped he was even better than Rainbow thought, not even he could deal with that sort of pressure.

Nevertheless, the Princess should be able to. So, five steps. Scare them, crack the fort, bait the queen, head for the courtyard, and call for backup. If everything went well, we would be able to draw the Queen out before she fled, and call in Luna to smack her down and mop things up.

"Wes? You've gone quiet." Rainbow called to me through the helmet, and I tried to spot her in the sky again. She'd been trained as a scout and courier, in case we needed to get a non-magical message somewhere fast. Shining was nothing if not thorough in his planning.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about the plan. It's a pretty good one, and I hope it works. Thing is, there's this saying in my world...'No plan survives contact with the enemy'."





Things were not going according to plan.

Diligent stepped back from the changeling we were currently facing, and readied his axe for another swing. My team of one human and three ponies was pushing down a corridor in the changeling fortress, the floor slick with ichor, dead bodies strewn behind us.

"Diligent, TAG!" I shouted, signaling a switch. When my partner stepped back, I moved in front and lashed out with my war hammer. The force of my swing crunched through the bugs natural armor, shattering his guard and breaking his foreleg. I finished it off on the backswing, sinking the my weapon's spike deep into its eye and silencing its groans of pain.

We weren't doing as badly as we could be, but being separated from the main force was not something I enjoyed. We were all still fit to fight, thankfully, and moving forwards as well as we could, but I didn't want to be trapped here.

I tapped my helmet, trying to get something from my comm, but all I got was random pops and crackles. I turned it down again. The changelings apparently had some sort of magic interference field they used. It wasn't enough to stop full-power casting, but it caused any passive spells to go haywire.

Diligent Aegis, our ranking member, leaned out past the corner we'd come to, looking ahead.

"Good news," he called softly back, "I see allies ahead. We need to get to them; they look like they might be in trouble." Our medic and archer, Ace Wrap and Hawkeye, nodded and readied their swords. As the two close combat specialists Diligent and I had taken point, but the other two were more than ready for a scrap if need be. I signaled my readiness with a thumbs up and we dashed out of cover, closing on the changelings with a yell.

Diligent and I quickly fell back into our one-two; one of us would push hard, while the other waited for an opportunity. When it came, we'd switch places. This let us take short breaks to keep up the pace and cover each other. It also tended to confuse our enemies. Diligent, with his guard-issue axe, fought entirely differently than I did with my custom war hammer.

I admired my new weapon once again as I used it to shatter the horn of a charging changeling. Shining had ordered it made to my specs, and I'd asked for something light enough to swing all day with enough kick to get through thin armor. Perfect for crushing bugs. It had a thin but strong wooden handle with a fairly light head, spiked on one end and flat on the other. I whipped it around, switching from a one-handed grasp to a two-handed, and smacked it through the chest plate of my attacker, leaving only shattered chitin.

"Thank you for the assist!" The ponies we'd rushed to help turned towards us, but showed no sign of dropping their guards. "If you don't mind, what's the password?"

"Harmony in all things." Diligent replied formally. They relaxed, just enough for one of Hawkeye's arrows to slam through the nearest, breaking his crystalline eye and showing his true changeling form. "No countersign?" Diligent asked. We stepped forward, joining battle again as their disguises flickered and faded. We had come prepared; a sign, countersign, and three not-so-obvious motions were needed to convince anypony we were legitimately allies.

Shortly, the corridor was cleared of changelings. Living ones, at least.

"Guys!" Hawkeye called. "Up ahead, can you see? I think that's a connecting hall. Pretty good chance there's more ponies there. Let's see if we can link up." We slowly approached; sure enough, we soon reached a wider hall. Unfortunately, there were no friendlies in sight. Fortunately, we didn't see any more bugs.

"I recognize this!" I exclaimed. "This is the passage from the cells to the arena. If we head that way, we'll pass the cells and reach the target. The only question is, has the main team managed to draw the battle there, or would we be arriving alone?"

"Can't say." Diligent replied. "But we need to keep moving. Let's go that way for now. We can always take a side passage if we need to, and maybe find a place to hole up near the arena until we reach phase two." He stepped forward, and I moved up next to him. In the wider hall, we could easily walk two abreast.

After a few seconds, we reached a side passage.

"This leads to the cells," I said. "Do you mind?" I motioned to the door.

"Let's have a look."

The door was locked, but the hinges were on this side, obviously meant to keep ponies in, not out. I pushed the pins out and kicked the door open. Looking in, I was hit by a familiar feeling of disgust and trepidation.

I stepped in and stopped, staring at my cell.

One year. For one year, this had been my...life. I'd lived here, imprisoned. It was odd to see it from the outside. Splinter's body was gone, and his cell was scorched black. A fine layer of soot, maybe all that was left of him besides his horn, lay on the floor. My hand dropped to my sheath. I hadn't told anypony about the horn besides Twilight; she'd told me that it was unusual, but not impossible, for a horn to survive the death of a unicorn. She'd urged me to keep it private or to give it to his kin, if I could find them. I hadn't done anything with it since then. It might have been macabre, but I liked the idea of carrying it around. Sorta like he was still at my side.

"Diligent!" Hawkeye called from the other side of the room. "We've got a live one over here!" I whipped my head around. In the cell across from mine, a drab pony cowered, his body covered in bruises and cuts.

"Thank you, thank you," he sobbed. Ace practically ripped the door off it's hinges, and rushed over to him.

"Wait!" I yelled, pulling him up short. He shot me a quizzical look.

"Surely you don't think..." He glanced at the pony cowering on the floor, and then back to me.

"Don't rush in, Ace." I said. "That's the sort of thing that kills ponies. Remember what Shining said?" The captain had briefed us all on how to check for shapeshifters. I walked over, and cautiously poked the prisoner with the haft of my hammer. The easiest way to tell was by touch. The changeling illusions were good, but they didn't do much for texture. I gulped as my hammer skittered off of smooth chitin with an immediately recognizable scraping noise. I roared in rage, yanked the handle back and raised it over my head.

"P-please!" The changeling however, made no move to fight back. Instead it cowered even more. It's disguise flickered out and revealed that, even though it had been hiding its nature, it truly was as wounded as it looked. Its tough hide was scored and even cracked in a place or two, and its jagged teeth were broken and bleeding.

"Wes, stop!" Diligent's voice yanked me to a halt, mid-swing. "Look at its eyes." I paused, and took a step back. Although it was exposed, the supposed assassin wasn't making any move to attack.

Its eyes were blue. Not the red I was used to, or even the green Captain Shining had reported, but a deep royal blue.

"Squad leader?" I asked, questioningly. Our orders were to kill on sight, and this definitely was a changeling.

"This one is different, and I don't like that. Leave it be for now." He looked down, tapping a hoof in thought. "You, prisoner. Are you from a different...hive, nest?"

"Diligent, you can't trust-" I started to rebuke him, but he motioned for me to be stand down, and I did.

"Yes." The voice was quiet, tremulous. "I was captured from a caravan. They thought they were getting someone they could feed on. They were enraged to discover me. P-please don't kill me. I'm not dangerous, I promise! I-I'll do whatever you want, just please don't kill me!"

I grit my teeth, trying to deny the raw despair and fear I was hearing. I knew the changelings were consummate actors, but the emotion in its voice cut even me. We stood in silence for a moment as our leader thought.

"Ace, give him what you can. Hawkeye, Wes, find a way to lock the door. We're leaving him here. If someone comes in, changeling, you are to tell them that Diligent Aegis has accepted your parole, and will stand for your actions. Do you understand? We will be back for you after we take this fortress."

"Please, please don't leave me here! Take me with you!"

"Sorry, can't do that. You're a liability. I'm already trusting you farther than I should; our orders were to kill every," and here his voice went as cold as stone, "and I mean every changeling we find. I've already stuck my neck out by willingly letting you live. Don't ask for more."

The prisoner shuddered visibly. Ace left a small pile of medical supplies on the floor of the cell. Hawkeye held the door up for me, and I hammered on it until it was well and truly wedged into the frame. It ought to keep this wretch in, and anyone who felt like simply killing him out.

"Let's go." Diligent turned and led us out.

> 16 - Arena
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

VEE~~~~~~~~~~~~EEN

"Holy crow, was that-" I cut my words short as a long, thin section of the wall we cowered behind melted into slag, revealing the arena.

"I thought the tac cannon was busted!" Diligent yelled, referring to the magical breaching artillery we'd used to enter the fortress. We were currently working our way into the arena. We'd managed to avoid getting caught by any group of changelings too big to handle, and had been carefully searching for an entrance.

"It was!" I yelled back. The sound of warfare pumped through the gap. It seemed that phase two had started. From what I could see through the slit, without wading through molten rock, the arena was an all out battle zone.

"Then I hope that's not our enemies!" Ace added.

"ME TOO!" Hawkeye yelled.

"Hey, I think we can get through over there!" Ace pointed to where the wall was crumbling away from the beam. We darted forward, moving carefully to avoid superheated rock and rubble. I reached the breach first, and peeked out.

Just as I suspected, the arena was full of fighting ponies.

It really looked nothing like I remembered.

There were dead changelings scattered everywhere. I winced as I saw plumes of red pony blood mixing on the sand with the yellow ichor of changelings. A wide fan of bugs was pressing hard towards a small knot of defenders sheltering in the corner. It was Captain Shining with his squad, fighting like demons, backs to the wall.

They were holding. I watched in awe as no more than a dozen ponies held off more than three times their number of bugs, and did it in a calm, collected, and above all efficient manner. They were arranged in a semicircle, backed into the corner of the arena to keep from being surrounded. Six earth ponies held the front line, backed up by three unicorn archers. Three pegasi held the skies, Rainbow among them, falling like thunderbolts on any changeling stupid enough to challenge them. Maybe a concerted effort could have gotten off the ground, but as it was the pegasai simply converged on any bug stupid enough to fly, easily demolishing them.

Two medics waited in the back, occasionally darting forward to shore up the line, or take a minute to patch up a teammate. In the very back corner, Shining Armor and Twilight stood, eyes flaring white with magic, dealing death. I could barely tell what Shining was doing. As I watched, his horn glowed and his magic lashed out, quick as an eye blink. Changelings just...died. I couldn't follow, but the insects boiling through the doors and arches weren't moving fast enough to overwhelm them. His eyes would flick from one target to another, there would be a twinkle, and the target would collapse. I whistled silently. Battle Stream was impressive indeed. His lethality made my own skills look like child's play.

I was a bit perplexed by Twilight being there. She had come on the mission, but her brother had commanded her to remain in the small outpost we had set up for coordination purposes. I'd watched as she and her brother set up the tac cannon, charging it slowly overnight and firing it off at the beginning of the assault. The beam of incomprehensibly dense magic it produced had screamed through the air, slicing into the wall of the fortress and giving us the entrance we needed. We had all scattered, expecting responding fire. We hadn't been disappointed. A volley of gray magic, moving akin to mortar fire, had rolled across the cannon's position minutes later. Even if Shining and Twilight had wanted to take another shot, the weapon had been smashed beyond recognition. After that, she should have headed to the command tent.

I heard the sound of tortured magic, and gulped. The air around Twilight started to twinkle and I yanked my head back, motioning for my squad to hit the floor. They complied instantly.

VEE~~~~~~~~~~~~EEN

This time the beam didn't pass anywhere near us. I stuck my head out again, and saw Twilight panting from exertion. What had she done? That cannon had been demolished! Unless, maybe...No. Oh no, she hadn't! That crazy purple pony! Looking closer, I saw the shards of clockwork and gems hovering around her. She had! She had re-built the entire mechanism using telekinesis!

"That's madness..." I said.

"Report!" Diligent snapped.

"Phase two is under way. Shining is holding position in the far corner. His squad is backed by two others, and his sister. She yanked the vortex cores out of the tac cannon and is currently operating it by horn. We need to get to them! If they keep this up, the bugs are going to flood this place and we won't have a chance."

"That's insane!" Ace yelled.

"That's what I said!" I shouted back over the clamor. "I'm not even sure how she got in here, but she's really doing some damage! She couldn't do it without her brother guarding her, but man, does that cannon pack a punch!"

I watched in awe as the array of crystals swung around. They started to spin and charge, the magic aura siphoning off into a shot that was much less powerful than the original had been, but still enough to qualify as BFG in my book.

"This is our chance!" I yelled. "She's going to hit just to the left of us; it’ll open up a path! We need to go!" Dilligent nodded, and motioned for me to lead us out. I waited for the blinding glow of the cannon to flash out one more time and broke from the cover of the wall, dashing straight down the corridor of scorched corpses Twilight's artillery left behind.

Unfortunately, we were not the only ones who realized what was going to happen.

The first thing I noticed, consciously, was my body had decided to twist sideways. My intuition screamed that something dangerous was coming, and I'd been listening to it for too long to not act on it. I watched in fascinated slow motion as a black horn sliced through the air where I'd been moments before. I completed the spin, whipping my hammer up and falling into a battle-ready stance. I locked eyes with my attacker, and had to steel myself to keep from flinching.

It was Gash.

I didn't know his actual name. I'd fought several changelings in the arena. Most of them had been freshly hatched, with maybe a very small amount of training. The gladiators were a weeding process to some extent. If the hatchlings survived us, they would move on to their new life in the hive. We usually managed to kill about half of them, hampered as we were.

Gash, however, was something special to me. The first time we fought, I'd handled him easily. I'd had little experience at the time. Not much, but enough to smack down a new hatchling. I hadn't killed him. It hadn't been worth my time. I'd left him lying on the sand, oozing, while I handled the more dangerous companions he'd been paired with. When he came back to fight again, I regretted that.

I don't know what drove him, if it was simple revenge that motivated him, but he kept coming back to the arena. He would improve and return. He would taunt me, laugh at my plight. I honestly tried to kill him, but he never let it get that far. If I was winning, he'd retreat. If he was winning...well, I had some mental scars from those times, even if I was physically healed. We'd faced off a good two, three dozen times. It had always been a toss-up between us, and if he had been anything besides a complete and utter monster, I would probably have enjoyed having him as my rival.

At some point, I'd managed to crack his leg. The wound healed but left a deep crater in the chitin, running most of the length of the limb. I started calling him Gash after that. I grimaced as the memories rushed over me.

"Go!" I yelled to my squad. "I'll hold him; get to the captain!" Diligent gave me a long look, but nodded and led the rest of the squad past. I locked my brown eyes on Gash's red ones, and held.

 I moved in as soon as my teammates were safe, hammer swinging.

"So, human, are you behind this?" He taunted me as he dodged. He'd always been fast, both with his feet and tongue. Most changelings never really got the hang of footwork.

"Yeah. Yeah I am." I'd never been much for witty banter. Maybe I could give him a reason to get angry? "I came back to crack your skull. Thought I'd give your head a gouge to match that leg." I slipped past another of his strikes and swung wildly at his neck, but he was too good.

"Heh, still defiant." He grinned. "I was always better than you, and now I'll prove it. How many times can I kill you today?"

"Sorry, not happening." I surprised him with my counter, every ounce of new muscle I'd put on letting me whip my hammer around just a split-second faster than I could have before. It wasn't much, but it was enough to catch him off guard. My unforgiving weapon caught him on the chin, stunning him. "I'm not the same as I was, Gash. I'm never going to be the same as I was. I'm moving on. I'm leaving you behind." I grit my teeth. He recovered in record time. He must have turned his head to soften the blow and keep me from rattling his tiny bug brain. I could see the shock in his eyes, a glimpse of fear.

That felt good.

I could almost feel flakes of past-me fall off as I fought against my rival once again, under the same sun, in the same place. The things holding me back, regret, disappointment, self-recrimination, fell off one piece at a time as I started to shift into my new pace. My strikes sped up. My reflexes accelerated. I spun and wove, ducked and dove, with accuracy and speed I didn't have until recently. I was moving like an avalanche, my slow start gathering an inevitable rolling momentum. I could see the fear building in his eyes as I gained the upper edge.

He was going to die, and he knew it.

"What's the matter, Gash?" My flying hammer drove him into desperate positions, one after another. he barely managed to dodge, time and again, but without the guards to hold me off he couldn't afford to withdraw. It was only a matter of time. "Why are you so scared? Aren't I just your plaything, your toy?" I spat in his face, echoing his claims from previous fights. "Are you not entertained?" He flinched for a second, rattled by the venom in my eyes and voice. It was all I needed. I wound up a blow, wider than I should have, but it still managed to connect. My hammer spread his brains across the arena.

"GRAAAAAAH!" I yelled, my blood-lust boiling over. I spun, adrenaline and victory propelling me into the next fight. I was about jump in, leading with my hammer, when the Queen arrived and her aura hit me.

It was like having ice water splashed on my soul. I froze. I'd raised my instincts to a fever pitch in the fight, pulling on every scrap of intuition and sixth sense I had. Now every single cell in my body was screaming 'Danger!', and I had no idea what to do. I started to cower, lost in thoughtless fear at the sudden and overwhelming presence of almost tangible menace that suddenly pervaded the arena.

I would probably have been cut down where I stood if the Captain's magic aura hadn't dragged me into the circle of defense.

"Wes, pull yourself together!" He yelled. I shook my head, trying to calm my heart, and turned to look.

Entering on the other side of the arena was our target, the Queen. She moved into battle with perfect surety, every step asserting control over more and more of the field. Everything I knew about fighting told me she absolutely deserved that confidence. She knew she was the baddest thing there, and she was right. I dragged my eyes away, fighting back my flight instinct. We didn't need to fight that. We had to call in our own help. The plan had worked so far, despite setbacks.

"Wes!" Shining was yelling in my ear. "Get back there, and help Twilight with the beacon!" He pointed me towards the empty semicircle the squad was protecting. His sister, obviously exhausted, was trying to piece together the construct we would use to call in support. I glanced up; it needed clear view of the sky. I grinned as Rainbow spun past a changeling, the bladed chains she trailed wrapping around them and shredding lacy wings. We had that under control.

I skidded to a stop on my knees next to Twilight, and took over the construction with flying fingers. This wasn't a military issue beacon, rugged and easy to use; this was an experimental prototype, bulky and strong enough for an alicorn to travel through. The higher load capability came with some drawbacks, however. Mainly the fact that it was big, heavy, and needed to be disassembled for travel...

I started feverishly fitting pieces together. Twilight sighed in relief and let her field dissipate. I glanced at her. She'd probably strained herself more than she realized, multi-casting and using the tac cannon like that. But the battle wasn't over yet.

"Think you have one shot left in that sparkly gun?" I asked. She nodded grimly, and levitated the crystals again. "The big bad just arrived. Buy me a little time." She moved towards the defensive line. "Captain!" I yelled. "Twilight's going to give us one more shot! Can you assist?"

"Right!" He yelled back. I grinned, and redoubled my pace. The mechanism was nearing completion now, the inherent magic layered into the metal starting to power it up. It looked a bit like a set of nested gyroscopes. Blue auras flickered fitfully as they began to spin.

"Come-on-come-on-come-on...." I whispered, my nerves stretched to the breaking point as I waited for the magic to take hold. Snapping the last piece into place, I stood back. The beacon gave a shrill whine as it accelerated. The noise quickly swooped up through the audible registers and vanished from hearing. Soon only an ache in my teeth let me know it was working.

VEE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I cast a glance over to the unicorn siblings. They had the tac array hovering between them, pumping out screaming white death. Sparks trailed from the corners of their glowing eyes, floating on the wind like the tears of lightning as they neared magical overload. The gems from the tac cannon, shining and spinning between them, were being pumped for all they were worth. I threw myself flat as one of them exploded with a bang, sending a pulse of power down the line of the beam. They staggered, gasping, and their aura shattered, dropping the rest of the crystals.

I looked up. The Queen held  single hoof in front of her. The shield she had summoned was fading, a wisp of smoke rising. The sand around her was molten, glowing red in a perfect arc, but she stood unharmed in the center.

"Impressive." Her voice echoed in empty space. It sounded like a thousand insects, all buzzing together. "A moment more of that, and-"

The rest of her banter cut off as the sound coming from the beacon swooped back down into hearing, and cut out completely. She glanced towards it, her eyes widening in realization.

Luna arrived.

What she did wasn't exactly teleportation. It was more like projection of some sort. I tried to dig something on it out of Twilight's memory, but got nothing. It looked cool, that's for sure.

Just above the beacon, a cloud spun into existence. It looked like Luna's mane, a rip in space through which the stars were visible. The edges rippled and moved, but the stars held their places. Suddenly, an eye winked in the void. Then another, and Luna stepped through, seeming to form herself out of mist and stars as she did. She scanned the gathered horde, and locked eyes with the shocked changeling queen.

"Die," she said. And they did.

It was almost anti-climatic. The Dance of the Dark Moon wasn't about looking good, I guess, just about killing as many enemies as fast as possible. There was a deep crackling sound and something like a grid of black spheres flickered into view a few times, appearing and disappearing. Every, and I mean every changeling in the arena except the queen, fell over dead.

I whistled quietly. That must have been something from the Path of Void. No-wonder Twilight was so scared of telefragging. How could you even defend against that sort of attack?

I looked at the changeling Queen. It could be defended against, because she was still standing. She was about the same height as Luna. The two behemoths stared each other down for a few seconds, until the alicorn broke the silence.

"Wraith, self-styled Queen of changelings, We are here to hand down a judgment and a sentence on thee. As Diarch of the Moon, We hereby declare that for thy unlawful acts inside this, Our royal territory, thy sentence is death."

Wraith shifted her eyes to and fro, frantically seeking an escape. Finally she hung her head, seeming to accept the situation and turned, baring her neck to the alicorn.

"Do it, then." Luna moved forward, lowering her horn for the blow.

That's when the fight really started.

As soon as Luna was in striking distance, Wraith showed her true colors, lashing out with her hooves in an attempt to catch the princess off guard. Luna was wary though, and flowed past the strike like water moving around a rock.

I have to admit, after that, all movement was lost to me.

Princess Luna moved like dark mist, Wraith like a killing wind. They fought back and forth in such a fury of blow and counterstrike that just glancing at them dazzled. I blinked in awe at the fight for a second, and then scooped up the beacon, grabbed Twilight and Shining, and dragged them back to huddle in the corner with the rest of the soldiers in an attempt to keep away from the fight.

It ended with a scream and a thump. Luna stood triumphant and terrible. Her horn steamed as the power flowing through it cooked off Wrath's yellow ichor. Under her feet, the broken body of her enemy lay dead. She was barely breathing hard. I steeled myself so as not to shudder at the chill of her eyes.

"Shining," she called. He stood shakily, still trying to recover from the stress of battle and using the tac cannon.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Good job. Begin triage. We-I am going to make one last sweep."

"Your highness!" Diligent stepped forward, quailing slightly as her gaze landed on him.

"Yes?"

"There is a changeling from another hive that we discovered locked in the dungeons. I've taken his parole."

"Very well. I will spare him for now. Shining, his actions are in your hooves." The captain nodded. She turned as if to take wing, but staggered with the rest of us as a violent tremor shook the whole fortress.

A guard snapped their head around. "Those were demolition charges, or my name isn't Blast Radius! Did they plan to blow this place off the face of the mountain?" Shocked realization crawled across the captain's face.

"Probably. Twilight, Wes, take Rainbow and get what you can from the Nexus. Everypony else, fan out and retreat! We need to get out of here before this place destabilizes. The cliff isn't going to hold up to much of that. Go!"

I nodded to Twilight and took off, dashing as fast as I could for the last place I wanted to see again.





"This is amazing!"

"That's nice, Twilight. How long do we have left, Rainbow?"

"Not long. Those charges are still going off. The whole place will be flattened by tomorrow. Shining is saying we have five minutes to wrap up here, and then we need to grab and go."

"This is-!" Both of us ignored Twilight's shocked gasp until we realized that she had frozen again, and was actually not moving.

"Twilight, are you OK?" I said, turning towards her until I caught a glimpse of what she was looking at, and froze as well.

"Wes? Twilight?" Rainbow shook me and I snapped out of my reverie.

"Rainbow, the comm." She hoofed it to over. "Captain."

"Wes?"

"We've found something important."

"Continue."

"Have you heard of the Crystal Empire?"

"A little."

"I think we found it."

"Come again?"

"Well, not exactly it. But a gateway. It's clearly labeled. We can use it. It's still in working order. Barring the impossible, we can get through."

"Wes, I don't care if-"

"Captain. When Sombra was banished, he did...something...to the Empire. The whole thing disappeared. No-one knows how. No one knows where."

"You and my little sister are not risking your life to find out some where some shiny buildings went!"

"Captain when the Empire disappeared, it took four thousand ponies with it. We NEED to know what happened. How he did it. If he can do it again."

I could hear Shining's teeth grit across the comm. I knew he hated this, being forced to send some into danger to protect others. It didn't help that everyone was willing to do it. He didn't want to send his sister and friends into danger. That's part of why we were willing to follow him. We meant something to him, and we knew it. But this had to happen.

"Go." He grit out. "But if you don't come back with my sister..." He let the threat hang. It might have been irrational, but I knew it wasn't empty.

"Yes sir." I handed back the comm and stepped up to the circle. We hadn't found much in the Nexus that we understood, but this was clearly a precursor to our current spells, the sort of thing the beacon we'd used earlier was based on. I touched part of the ring, twisting my fingers into the shape of the rune needed to complete the circuit. With a hum and a snap, the circle activated. Twilight shook herself out of her stupor, and looked at me in wonder.

"We're going." I said. "Shining gave it the OK. We need to know what Sombra did. Let's find out."

"Me too!" Rainbow stepped up beside us. I nodded, and we all stepped forward into the growing light.

A moment of falling, a snatch of song, and blackness followed.

> 17 - Systematic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I staggered as I landed in a dark room. The floor had lowered a good four inches in the transfer. I heard a 'thunk' and an 'ooof' behind me as my companions arrived. I stood in the dark for a minute, eyes straining for any sign of light; I could hear quiet breathing behind me. The other two must be OK.

I raised a hand to my face, thinking to test for light. I noticed a purple glow barely apparent in the dark.

"Huh," I murmured, as I turned my hand back and forth, inspecting the luminescent stain under my skin. "Hey, Twilight, can we get a light here? A small one?" I whispered, wary of attention. A gentle glow flowed around me, bathing the chamber in a dim light and revealing a small room. It was maybe twenty feet to a side, bare of any distinguishing features, and carved from red crystal streaked with black. A spell circle was fading under our feet, the room's only real marking quickly disappearing back into the rock it had sprung from.

I stepped towards the door, and glanced through. It opened into a corridor that lead straight out before widening into what might have been a larger room, but the creeping darkness made it difficult to tell. I motioned, and Twilight dimmed the light a bit. I waved again, and it blinked out completely.

"Ok." I said quietly into the dark. "Here's what's up. For now, we consider ourselves behind enemy lines. We need to discover where we are, and then get out of here. We need to be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible. Rainbow, try and raise Captain Armor on the comm. Twilight, any ideas on how to get a message out if that doesn't work?"

There was a moment of silence, and Rainbow started to talk quietly into the comm.

"No." Twilight said at last. "I don't have any long-range spells that would work, not with the sort of interference I'm sensing. I wish we'd had more time."

<"If wishes were horses..."> I said.

Twilight snorted quietly at that.

"Well, we can't let that hold us back. Oh, hey, check it out; I'm glowing." I held up my hand, showing her the purple light on my palm.

"Fascinating!" I felt her horn brush my hand and jerked away, surprised. "Hey, come back!" she said. "I want a closer look."

"Shhhh." I urged, carefully returning my hand. The tip of her horn, cool in the air, dimpled my skin and I felt a fizzy-tingly feeling spread across my hand. "Didn't we do this before?"

"Yeah, kinda. The fact that this glows, though, makes me think the stain might really be a form of crystallized magic...which I'd previously considered, but dismissed."

"Oh. Um, shouldn't that be impossible?"

"Ordinarily, yes. That's why we never bothered to test for it. And it's such a dim glow, this never came up."

"So, what's going on?"

"Well, if it IS crystallized magic, it means...well, I'm not sure exactly, but at the very least it means that your body isn't completely incompatible with magic like I'd first thought."

"Ow." I felt sharp pain lance up my arm, tracing back towards my heart. "Ow! Ok, stop." Her horn drew back for a second, and then touched me again. This time the pain was worse, like tweezers on my nerves. "Ow, OUCH! Seriously cut that out!" I yanked my hand back, and then froze, listening in case my raised voice attracted attention. I grit my teeth and silently berated myself for my stupidity.

"Um, guys?" Rainbow's voice interrupted me. "I can't get anything on the comm. About what I expected, but..."

"Still discouraging." Twilight finished for her. I nodded, realized they couldn’t see it in the pitch dark, and grunted my agreement.

"Ouch," I said again, quietly. "What was that about?"

"Oh, don't be such a 'fraidy foal! I was just scanning you!"

"Well, it hurt! Don't you ever think to ask before you start running tests on people?"

"Hey, don't be like that! We needed to know-"

"We? Needed? You mean you wanted! Get your head out of the clouds, and consider other people for once!"

"Um, guys-" Rainbow tried to interject, but at this point, neither of us were feeling particularly rational.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that! I'm working my horn off here to help you, and you're treating me like this? Maybe I should let you try and figure things out! On your own! See how well you do, completely unable to sense magic!"

"Just because I need help, doesn't mean you're allowed to do whatever you want to me! That seriously hurt, and it's not the first time you've ignored my complaints! Maybe I'd be better off without your help anyways! Death by burnout would be preferable to being cut, scorched, and worried away bit by bit!"

"Ooooo, you, you...FOOL! Why did I even try to reason with you, stupid, meat-headed, ignorant, APE!"

"Guys, seriously, what are you-"

"Calling names now? Well, Miss I'm-so-perfect Sparkle, You, are an insensitive, clueless, naive filly, who doesn't know the first thing about friendship!!"

"I'm an expert on friendship! You're the one can't seem to understand that I'm the victim here! I wish I'd never seen you!"

"Yeah? Well, I'd rather have died, then ended up in your company!"

"Both of you, SHUT UP!" Rainbow's shout echoed in the small room, shocking us out of our litany. "You're both acting like foals! What happened to teamwork, Twilight? And what about keeping a low profile, Wes? What is wrong with you two? And why is it so cold in here?"

"I don't know! Can't you do anything on your own, Rainbow? Do I need to have all the answers for you?" Twilight snarled out of the dark. I took a step towards her voice, a fist raised in anger, but found my shoes stuck to the floor. Unable to lift my feet, forward momentum pitched me onto my face. My flailing arm caught Twilight a heavy thump, and I yelled in pain as my ankles over-extended and my head hit the floor.

"OW!" I yelled again.

For a moment, there was silence. The pain robbed me of my anger. I tried to curl up, and ended up squatting on the floor. Feeling around my feet, I discovered that there was a thick layer of ice encasing my shoes, and it was slowly creeping up my legs.

"Twilight!" I gasped, realizing a bit of what was going on. "Windigoes!"

"Oh hay," she spat, and re-lit her horn. All three of us shied away from the specter that floated in the center of the room, gazing down on us with white eyes. It looked like a windigo, all strong lines and fierce features, but instead of the bluish colors that they had sparkled with in the fight against Sombra, this one was a dark and forbidding but much less substantial. It looked like an ink outline hung in the air, and it was remarkably hard to discern against the dark crystal walls. I moved my head to the side, trying to make sure that it wasn't just a tracing on the wall. When one line obscured part of Rainbow's head, I decided it was real.

"What do we do?" Rainbow yelped, her red eyes flicking towards me.

"No idea." I shot back. "Twilight? Um, I'm sorry for what I said...I don't think I was completely in control. Do you have any idea what to do here?"

"Not really, but...hey, did it just get a little smaller?"

I looked down, as I felt a flake of ice chip off my leg.

"Um, maybe..." I thought for a second. "Twilight, I don't regret meeting you, and I don't wish I'd have died instead. You've been a big help to me while I've been here, and I'm honored to work with you." I looked down. Sure enough, a larger crack ran through the ice holding my feet to the floor.

"Did that actually work?" she asked, eyes flicking from my shoes to my face. "We just have to...apologize? O-Ok, I...I'm sorry for what I said. I don't think you're a coward, and I really have enjoyed getting to know you. I'm sorry for all the problems my mistakes have caused you."

"I forgive you." I said sincerely, and the ice around Twilight's hooves receded a little. "I'm-I'm sorry for yelling. I know I shouldn't raise my voice like that. It doesn't help anything, and it just makes things harder. I apologize for not seeing the situation for what it was sooner. I let both of you down."

"That's Ok," Rainbow said. Twilight nodded agreement, before continuing

"I'm sorry for not stopping when you asked. I know I need to work on taking other people's feelings into account sometimes, especially when I'm wrapped up in work. I shouldn't treat others as experimental subjects, even when they have absolutely fascinating magical phenomenon happening around them."

"I forgive you." I said. "I'm sorry for saying you were a bad friend. You've been nothing but gracious to me while I've been here. I think that-GET HIM!" Judging the time right, I snapped my feet loose with a quick movement, and leaped for the Windigo in the center of the room. Rainbow did the same, and Twilight lashed out with her horn.

I was surprised when the pegasus and I collided roughly, the specter giving no more resistance than the wind. I staggered back, my eyes flicking around the dimly-lit room, trying to spot the threat.

Twilight had him.

Her magic had wrapped the spirit, and was slowly constricting, crushing the black thing smaller and smaller as it tried to escape. Finally, with a small 'pop', it imploded, leaving behind a wisp of black smoke that quickly dissipated.

"What was that?" Rainbow asked.

"A windigo." I said. "And, I think, what we're going to be up against. Unless Sombra has some other kind of ageless, undying guards to patrol his hidden city."

"Remember the golems?" Twilight panted.

"Oh, right." I nodded to Rainbow. "Last time we fought these, they used crystal bodies. They could physically attack us while they had them. I needed to crush them before they turned like..." I waved to the center of the room. "That one."

"Um, Wes?"

"Yes, Twilight?"

"No hard feelings? I think the windigo was influencing us, and I didn't really mean all those things, and I'm sorry I was so angry though I understand if you're still—"

"No, Twilight. No hard feelings. I was being stupid too, and...well, I'll forgive you, if you forgive me—Ahg! Why are you hugging me! Why do you ponies hug everyone so much!"

"Oh, don't whine," Rainbow interjected, from where she'd positioned herself by the door. "Sometimes ponies just need a hug. Give it a try. You'll feel better."

"Um..." I wasn't entirely sure of the logic of that, but my mood HAD been severely whiplashed just now. I fought back my instinctive twitches at having anyone this close to me, put my arms around Twilight’s neck and gave her a squeeze. She was fuzzy and warm and I did feel a little better. I broke off after a few seconds anyways, stepping back.

"Ok, what now?" Twilight asked. I turned to look at Rainbow, and found her staring at me expectantly as well.

"Hey, wait a minute. How come I have to make the decisions all of a sudden?" I asked, struggling with a sudden feeling of responsibility.

"You were all 'this is what we're doing', a minute ago!" Rainbow said. "Also, you seem to have some actual experience with this kind of thing."

"Yeah," Twilight agreed, "last time was the same. You called the shots, and got us out of Sombra's other dungeon."

I sighed, and rubbed my temples for a minute. I didn't really feel that me being the leader was a bad choice. I could understand where they were both coming from, and, honestly, I did know a bit more about what we needed to do. Although Twilight technically outranked me, she wasn't really part of the formal chain of command; and even then, she wasn't really a field operative except in very special circumstances...which this was.

What really weighed on me was the responsibility.

Captain Armor, now I know how you feel. I looked up. Two ponies had just placed their lives in my hands. That sort of trust...well, it could make or break a man. I wasn't particularly eager to find out what it would do to me. I'd never considered myself particularly strong-willed or clever, although I tried my best. I guess my best had better be good enough. My biggest problem with calling the shots was the fear that I might call it wrong. Someone needed to do it, though, and they were looking towards me. For the sake of my companions, I could do this. I would do this. And I'd be dammned if I didn't do it with every single ounce of effort I could. No pressure. I took a deep breath, and braced myself. Here goes.

"Ok. First off, can you secure the door, Twilight? We need to assume they know we're here, and we do need to move, but they're not here yet, and we need to make sure we understand our situation as best we can before we rush into anything. Sound off; what do we have to work with?" The purple unicorn cast a shimmering barrier over the door, and nodded to me.

"Well, I have my armor and chains," Rainbow began, "although they're not much good in here. I have a full canteen, a first-aid kit, and my comm, but it's keyed to my squad and Captain Armor. Umm, a few days worth of emergency rations, and my saddlebags. That's it."

"I can re-key the comms, so they work with each other," Twilight began. "I have a few notebooks, ink, pens, saddlebags as well, a telescope, and...oh, this." She reached into her bags, and my jaw dropped as she pulled out a bandolier loaded with a dozen crystal grenades.

"Holy crow, that's great! Where did you grab that from?" I asked, taking them from her and dividing them up evenly between the three of us.

"Well, when I realized that the comms weren't working, I...kinda panicked a bit. I stripped the tactical thaumic clockwork cannonade down, grabbed what I could, and started 'porting to get to where the action was. This is one of the things I found in the command tent's ammo cache."

"Don't suppose you have any of those vortex crystals, do you?"

"Nope."

"Dang. Um, my turn, I guess. I have my comm, my armor, my war hammer, half a first-aid kit, half a canteen and field rations as well. Oh, and my knife. My armor is kinda patchy, since they had to throw it together in a hurry."

I stood for a minute, trying to think things through. My arm twinged again, and I winced at the shooting pains.

"Ok, before I forget; I don't have any debilitating wounds. A cut on my scalp, and bruises, but that's it. How about you two? And Twilight, how's your magic doing?"

"I'm OK," Rainbow said. "None of them could even touch me in the air. We had them out-flown and out-classed."

"I'm fine as well. I ported right into the arena, and Shiny watched my back after that. As for magic..." Twilight grimaced, obviously unhappy. "I don't have much more left in me. Maybe a half-dozen good spells, or one real doozy. Certainly not enough for prolonged combat. I'll need several days rest to get back up to level. I really pushed with the cannon."

"Rainbow, you need a different weapon." I slipped my dagger out of its sheathe, and presented the hilt to her. She carefully coiled the barbed chains she used in the sky, making sure that the hooks were turned inwards, and took the knife from me.

"Wow, this is good steel." Her voice was indistinct as she tested the knife-edge against her hoof, peeling off a thin sliver. "Where'd you get this?"

"It's one of the few things I still have from my world. It's a utility knife used by the army there. It should take anything you throw at it." I felt a little naked after giving up my trusty dagger, but consoled myself with my hammer. "Twilight, any idea why we couldn't do anything to the last windigo?"

"Yes, actually. They're pretty much beings of magic. I was able to dissipate it by disrupting the coordination of its components. Let me see your weapons." I held out my hammer, Rainbow the dagger, and they floated out of our grips. Twilight glared at them for a minute, and then cast something on them and returned them to us. My hammer's head was warm to the touch. "That ought to give you at least a few good hits against one of them. I made them somewhat magically repellent. They ought to be able to disrupt a windigo if you can get them going fast enough through their body." I mentally ticked off one of the six spells Twilight thought she was up for.
 
"Thanks, Twilight. Are you going to have trouble maintaining this light?" She shook her head. "Ok. Adjust the comms, and we're moving out. Try and conserve your strength; your magic is our most versatile asset, so let's save it for when we need it. Stay in the center, and try to keep the light useful but not too bright. Rainbow, watch our back. I'm taking point. We're looking for anything that can tell us where we are. Remember to keep calm. As long as we're not fighting, I hope the windigoes won't find us as easily. They seem to be awfully sensitive to conflict." My companions nodded, and I walked out the door, shattering the barrier with my passing.

We quickly left the building. I stopped for a second at the door. Outside, cobble streets empty of traffic rolled away in all directions. We had arrived in a blocky crystal house. It seemed to have originally been red, but streaks of black ran through the entire structure. It seemed military in nature. A flag, decorated with a snowflake, hung limply from a nearby roof.

I looked up, and winced. Deep black hung above us. Maybe we were inside a cavern? Yeah. That must be it. We weren't trapped in a fathomless void, unable to find our way home. Drifting forever. Lost and alone.

I pushed my shivers back, and stepped out the door. Once more into a brave new world. Or something like that.


> 18 - Void
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Incoming," I whispered into my mic, and froze. The others followed my lead. We stood, still as statues, barely breathing while the shadow oozed past the window. After it left, we all sighed quietly in relief.

We had left the arrival building, carefully marking the position in case we needed to return. We were trying to stealthily explore the city, dodging from house to house, avoiding the random windigo patrols. Thankfully, most doors were open and we didn't need to force entrances.

It seemed the patrols couldn't sense us when we weren't actually fighting. We still kept a careful watch, and hid at their approach. They were easier to spot than I'd expected, since they brought a chill feeling with them. I was currently on lookout, using a shiny piece of crystal as a mirror to watch the street. Rainbow and Twilight were searching through the house for anything useful, especially water. If we were here for more than a day, we needed more than a canteen and a half.

"Twilight!" Rainbow hissed. "Come see this!" I heard Twilight's quiet hoof-steps move towards Rainbow's position.

"Rainbow, what did you find?" I asked softly.

"Hold on, I'll come relieve you. It's, uh, I'm not really sure, but it LOOKS like a pony under a layer of black ice. Captain Egghead is on her way."

A bit later, Rainbow tapped me on the shoulder. I handed her the mirror-crystal I'd been using.

"Go up the steps, first door on the left," she said. I nodded.

I stumbled up the stairs. Ponies used a different ratio for the height-to-width of their steps, and it was easy to trip unless I concentrated. I took a left, and found what had bothered my teammates.

"Woah."

Twilight was already there, horn glowing with a scan. In the corner, curled up on a bed as if asleep, was a lime-green pony. Its color was muted under a layer of black crystal, which folded and flowed over it like water, covering even his nose and mouth.

"Is he dead?"

"No idea. I'm not getting much. That stuff, whatever it is, is a superb insulator. Just guessing from the visual similarities, but I'd say this is a product of the windigos. Well, that and there's nopony else here."

"What's it for?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe if I could take a sample, I could-"

"No. Sorry, but our own survival comes first. Anything you do could alert the guardians, since this must be part of what they're guarding. As fascinating as that could be, our first priority is to find a way out. Once we have a retreat secured, we can consider grabbing things before we run."

"Fine. Then I'm done here, I think."

"Ok." I turned, and led the way back towards the door. I tapped my mic to silence it, and stopped Twilight for a second. "Um, do you have a spell that would make Rainbow's flying less....noticeable?" She frowned in thought.

"Hmm....maaaaaybe. Why do you ask?"

"I...would really like to send her out on a patrol. I'm pretty sure she could out-fly anything here, but... I don't want her traced back to us. Or even noticed, if possible."

"Careful what you ask from her, Wes. Rainbow is very brave, but that doesn't mean she's unaffected. This has been pretty stressful for all of us. If you push her, I'm sure she'd agree to a flight. But that's not necessarily a good idea."

I nodded thoughtfully.

"You're right. I still want to do it, but we'll talk before I do." I tapped the mic back on, and we headed down the stairs.

"We're moving to that house next." I pointed to our target, several blocks down the street. "Let's stick to the drill; skulk, sneak, and stealth. Fall in, here goes!" The two took up position behind me, and I slipped out the door.

"Rainbow, how are you doing?" I whispered, letting my mic carry the words into her furry blue ears.

"A little thirsty, but not tired at all."

"That's not exactly what I meant, Rainbow. How do you feel about all...this?"

"Just fine, Wes! As if this sorta thing could bother me, Rainbow Dash!"

"None of this bothers you at all? Not the creepy emotion-sucking shadows, or the impossibly black sky, or the way the streetlamps have that eerie, green cast to them?" I paused, but got no answer. Well, sharing some trust helped garner trust. "Because honestly? This whole thing has my skin crawling."

"Heh, that's a good expression. Crawling skin." She paused for a second, and sighed. "Listen, don't you ever tell anypony I said this, 'k?"

"Cross my heart, hope to die."

"Fly, dude. Fly."

"Huh?"

"Um...later. Anyways...yeah. I'm a little, teensy bit creeped out. Just a bit."

"It's OK to be scared, you know."

"I'm not scared! Nothing scares Rainbow Dash!"

"Woah, calm down a minute. I'm not saying you're scared. I'm saying it's OK to be scared. Which you, of course, aren't."

"Of course."

"But if you are, it's OK. Listen, this is something my friend Splinter told me. It's important not to deny who you are. Understand, that's not the same as giving in to who you are. Giving in lets your feelings control you. But if you're really trying to be effective, then you can't block parts of yourself off, either. Being afraid isn't a bad thing. Remember in training, how you commented on the way I sometimes guess where an attack is coming from, even if I didn't see it?"

"Yeah. Still think that's crazy."

"This is part of it. My brain, and yours, takes in a whole lot more information than we notice. Small things, but they all add up. This comes out as intuition and guesses, and an important part of that is fear. I can guess attack paths because I'm afraid of being hit. If I denied my fear, blocked that off..."

"You couldn't do that." A sigh came across the channel. I carefully eased the door of the target house open; we'd made it without trouble. We filed inside. Twilight began exploring, but I waved for Rainbow to wait, and started counting till the next patrol passed. They were very inconsistent. I'd suggested it was intended to throw intruders off guard. Twilight thought we just didn't understand the pattern. Rainbow insisted they weren't actually organized. I was beginning to drift towards Rainbows viewpoint, especially since there hadn't been any sort of concentrated effort to find us and any sort of command chain should have noticed their missing unit by now.

"Rainbow, I'd like to send you out on a patrol." I said. "I asked Twilight to think of spells that could hide your takeoff and return, but it's important for me to understand how you're doing, first. So, are you scared?" I pinned her with my eyes. "As your leader, tell me true."

"....yeah, I guess I am." Her ears flattened slightly, and she peered up at me. "I mean, I'm certain that the three of us can get out of here. We're too awesome to let this stop us. But this whole place is creepy, you know?" I nodded somberly. "And, well, I just can't help it."

I steeled myself, knelt down, squashed my feelings, toughened my resolve, and carefully hugged her. She stiffened for a second, and then returned the gesture, wrapping a wing around me.

"That's OK." I said quietly. "Really, it is. Don't wall your feelings off. Don't put up a facade and ignore them. You do yourself a disservice, if you do. I'd be lying if I said I was as sure as you that we'd get out of here. I went into this because it needed to be done, not because I was sure I could do it. Bravery is moving forward despite all that, and no-matter what else you may be, you are brave."

"Thanks."

I rubbed her ears for a second, and then broke the hug off with a sigh of relief. That would take some getting used to. It did seem to help, though; her ears were noticeably less flat. I stood and carefully checked the street again. Nothing.

"Um, guys?" Twilight said softly. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've found water."

"GAH!" I swallowed a gasp. "How long have you been there?"

"Just now. I looked like a nice hug." She giggled quietly.

"Nevermind that," I said. "Water?"

"Yeah. This house has a cistern."

"Good. You get something to drink?" She nodded. "Ok, take over watching. Rainbow, let's go top up."

A minute later we returned, stomachs and canteens full. I pulled out some of my ration bars and we split a quiet meal. They were very similar to granola bars, heavy on the oats.

"We have four days worth of food," I said. "We have water now, so that's not a concern. Twilight, any thoughts on that spell?" She flicked her eyes towards Rainbow, and I nodded slightly.

"Ok, how are you two doing that?" Rainbow interjected. Both of us turned to look at her, eyebrows raised quizzically. "That, that!" She gestured to us. "Twilight, you don't even have a comm. But Wes just gives a wave or two, and you know exactly what he's thinking! When did you two get so....so close? it's like you can read his mind, or something!"

That's an interesting idea.... I thought, wondering if it were possible. I glanced at Twilight but she flicked an ear, waving the notion away.

"You're doing it again!" Twilight giggled quietly at Rainbow's distress.

"Um, Rainbow..." I started, but paused, not sure what to say. We'd explained some of what was going on to Twilight's circle of friends, but we hadn't given them an in-depth or technical overview. Partly because we weren't sure what they would think of Twilight and I 'sharing souls', and partly because I didn't feel totally comfortable sharing, and Twilight respected that.

"It's because of last time." Twilight came to my rescue. "I said it before, right? This isn't the first situation Wes and I escaped from. We worked out some of these signals before."

I nodded. That was true, if not everything. Our sharing some memories, if on a mostly subconscious level, could be ignored.

"Yeah." I added. "Not to mention the bonds of camaraderie that form from being in a life-or-death situation together." 

"Ok, fine." Rainbow slowly nodded. "I'll buy that for now. But you two seem awful close."

"What can I say?" I shrugged. "We're just friends." I finished my bar, and gestured for Twilight to continue explaining.

"Well, Rainbow, I've got a spell that should hide you." She took over smoothly. "However, for real stealth you'll need to fly slow. Your contrail is just too noticeable. Still, it will dampen any noise you make and color you mostly black. If you're cautious, and if the guards don't look up, a slow exploration by air should be fine." She began charging her horn, but I stopped her.

"We're not doing this just now," I said. " We need a better location. If possible, I'd like to find the wall of this cavern. Can't have Rainbow flying into them in the dark." My two companions nodded. I felt a chill march down my back. "Patrol!" We all froze.

"Ok," I said, after the windigo had passed, "We continue heading that way." I pointed down the road. "I still think we're most likely to reach the wall by heading away from the castle. Remember, slow, quiet, and above all, careful." We opened the door, and slipped out.





"So, thoughts?" I stared into the 'wall' of the 'cave', wishing Rainbow would get back so we could leave.

As it turned out, we weren't in a cavern.

We were lost.

In a formless void.

With no way home.

I squashed that depressing train of thought.

We'd reached The Edge, as I now thought of it, recently. The whole city was sitting on nothing. Literally. The Edge was where the road ended, cut off as if by a razor. Beyond was a deep black void.

Lost.

I squashed the thought again.

"What's got you so twitchy?"

Twilight turned towards me. We were hiding in a house sliced clean in half by The Edge. She was carefully researching the phenomena, probing with as much magic as she could spare. I'd cautioned her against using more than necessary, reminding her our highest priority was escape.

<"Apollo 13,"> I answered. She winced, as my words pulled up memories of my childhood. I'd been absolutely terrified of that movie. Not so much from any rational reason, but from the idea that people could be lost in space. Gone from the planet for good. So far from home not even their corpses would return. Drifting endlessly in a lightless void, crackling voices fading one by one on the radio as they lost all hope. Looking back, I rationally knew their situation hadn't been quite that bad... but when I was young, it had given me creeping shivers.

"Hey, Wes, it'll be OK." Twilight nuzzled my arm and I nodded, once again squishing the thought. Irrational fears were irrational. We'd survive, escape. We would. For our sake. For our friends sake. For Equestria's sake! I psyched myself up.

A glance into the black stole my mood, but I managed to keep from despair.

"Again, thoughts?" I asked, wanting a report from my magic expert.

"Well, the space itself isn't anything special. I mean, I don't think you can examine emptiness. Although, the phrase <fabric of space-time> keeps popping up in my head, and I'm going to need to examine that concept later. Anyways, what's really fascinating is the boundary. Look!" She held up a rock, turning it. It was sliced so smoothly the surface showed my reflection. "Whatever did this was operating by different rules than most transportation spells. Teleporting only part of something means it bypassed geometry laws! If I could understand that, imagine what we could learn!" She deflated a little. "It does mean, though, that Sombra is even smarter than I thought. If he did this alone, he's an unsung genius. We might be up against somepony with the sort of knowledge I thought only the Princesses had. This could be very tricky."

"Well, we do have an advantage. With any luck, we'll be out of here before he even notices us."

"I hope."

I leaped to my feet as a black shadow swooped into the room, but relaxed as I recognized the disguised Rainbow. She laughed quietly at my reaction, her red eyes twinkling in a pitch-dark face.

"How'd it go?" I asked.

"Flawlessly, of course!" She struck a pose in the air. "They never even suspected I was there!"

"See anything worth investigating?"

"Most of the city is like what we've seen. There are windigoes in the streets, but they just drift around randomly. I still don't think they're organized. The castle, though, does have the statue-things you talked about; faceless crystal ponies. And it is in the center of town. Also, I flew a ways into that-" she waved a hoof into the void, and I shivered at the thought. "It seems to continue for a long ways. Didn't see signs of an end or anything, though I didn't go far. It was a little creepy not being able to tell if I was moving."

"I bet," Twilight said, subdued.

"First off, do not do that again. We have no idea what sort of magic is sustaining this...this pocket dimension, and I do not want you messing with anything connected to that if it can be avoided. That's Twilight's job. Secondly, were you able to find anything with your scanner?"

She pulled out the enspelled telescope, and spun it in a circle. The lenses glowed slightly, brightening and dimming as the barrel pointed different directions.

"Yeah, no matter where I went, it gleamed directly at the castle."

"Well, I'm glad that gamble paid off. Twilight, how's the magic feeling?"

"Only two or three spells left, Wes."

"Blech. Well, that's what I expected. At least it was worth it. It seems that our next objective is the castle. Take a rest, Rainbow, and wrap up your studies, Twilight. We're moving out in a half an hour. If we're lucky, we'll be out of this before tomorrow."

> 19 - Doors
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright Twilight, call it."

Our magician stood, hooves braced, head low, horn alight. At my words the glow faded and she raised her head, blinking blearily.

"Yeah. Something's in there. I'm not sure it's useful, but Rainbow's survey and my scans agree; this is the only significant source of magic."

"Right, then. I stand by my decision. We're going in." I turned and spoke into my comm. "Rainbow, any luck on the upper stories?"

"Nope, it's all locked down. Looks like the ground floor is our only real option."

"Dang. Well, we did plan for this. Start the distractions."

"Aye aye, bombs away!" A clink and a swish came through the mic as Rainbow primed and dropped one of her grenades, carefully aiming for the empty areas we'd agreed on. A loud CRUMP sounded a moment later, echoing oddly through my comm.

"The windigoes noticed," she said. "Several are moving in. Any luck with the golems?"

"Nope." My heart sank slightly as the statues near the doorway stayed frozen. "Give the backup plan a shot." Rainbow, working quickly, zipped towards the rear wall of the castle. Another grenade was dropped, now on the actual building. Another CRUMP sounded. This time, the golems twitched slightly. "That got a reaction," I reported. "Go for a guard." Rainbow had been given most of our grenades, but I'd promised myself I wouldn't let her make more than three runs, even with the disguise spell. One more swish, one more blast. This time the golems jumped, and started moving clockwise around the castle. "You got one?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow exulted. "Direct hit! Take that, chumps!"

"Sweet, they're outta our way. Now, get back."

"But if I wait till they bunch up, I can-"

"Back here. Now." I hardened my voice, trying to channel Captain Armor. Maybe I was overly cautious, but I wanted our group together as much as possible. I wasn't willing to test Sombra's forces more than necessary, and didn't share Rainbow's thoughtless certainty of being safe in the air.

"Right, right." Moments later, she arrived with a swish.

I led our group across the square, keeping low but focusing on speed over stealth. I grabbed the door handle and twisted roughly. I gasped in shock and nearly tumbled through when it opened easily. My friends slipped in and I slammed it behind us, the crash echoing unnervingly in the crystalline hall.

"I really didn't expect that to open," Twilight gasped, as she slowly let the magic drain from her horn. She'd planned to open the door one way or another.

"Hey, don't jinx us now," Rainbow smirked, before glancing around and whistling. "Whoah, this place is pretty sweet!" She flitted away, examining the room. I silently nodded agreement. The inside of the castle didn't disappoint. It wasn't anything like the castles Celestia and Luna had built, but it was breathtaking all the same.

Instead of soaring, airy geometries, we found ourselves nestled into intricate crystal perfection. It didn't have the sheer breathtaking scale of Canterlot Castle, or the ruined grandeur of the Ever Free City's palace, but it was dazzling in its own way, layer upon layer of decorative art flowing lushly over every spare inch of wall, ceiling, and even floor.

I trailed my fingers along a mosaic, an abstract pattern which seemed to repeat but was broken and twisted in such a subtle manner as to draw and dazzle the eye. It flowed smoothly into the tiling of the floor, each individual piece picked and placed with such care the surface under my feet seemed to ripple with light.

"This is like being inside a snowflake," Twilight murmured.

"Yeah. Like..." I groped for words, unable to better describe the splendor. "Like M.C. Escher decorated Superman's Fortress of Solitude."

"Come on, guys!" Rainbow's voice came clearly through the comm. "It's even better further in! Let's see what we can find!"

"Rainbow's calling," I relayed. "We need to move on. Let's go before she gets too far ahead." Twilight nodded, and we set off into the interior of the castle.





"This is all starting to blend together for me." I sat, my back against a sculpted crystal pillar. "How's the map coming? Thoughts on how much we have left to explore?" The map floated over towards me and I plucked it from the air. My eyes skated across the cryptic scribblings. I tried to force concentration, but found myself staring blankly through the page. I groaned. We'd been carefully working our way through the castle, mapping and trying to note anything interesting. Unfortunately, the intricate interior made everything extremely confusing. I felt like I'd been stumbling through a carnival fun-house for the past hour.

I set the map down and slipped to the floor, curling into a ball. "I want to take a nap. Let me know if anything interesting happens."

"Wes?" Rainbow's voice sounded in my ear. I swallowed a moan of protest, and sat back up.

"Yeah?"

"Uh...not sure if you want to tell Twilight, but I found a library. And, wow, what a library."

I forced myself to my feet, and stoically set off on her trail. I'd made her stay nearby on her scouting; she couldn't be far. Twilight collected the map and wordlessly accompanied me.

"We're on our way."





*GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASP!*

Twilight's reaction to the library was pretty much exactly what Rainbow had expected. She babbled something about preparing a report on Sombra, and dived in. I decided to let her take the lead in this; she knew what we needed, and research was part of her specialty. Rainbow and I stood for a second, watching our bibliophile friend zip from place to place, excitedly pulling book after book off the shelves, skimming for a second, and then zooming on to another one.

"Take a nap, Rainbow." I said, barely fighting back a yawn myself. "She's going to be here for a while, and I'll keep watch. If we're lucky, she'll find something useful." Rainbow nodded, and curled up in the comfiest seat she could find. I walked a slow circuit of the room, making sure that all the doors were closed and locked, and stationed myself where I could observe Twilight's progress.

First, the bookshelves were thoroughly scanned, in a seemingly random pattern. After they had been sampled, Twilight took a small break, sipped some water, ate a ration bar, and buckled down for some serious study. The library had a few tables. She moved two or three of them together and started constructing a wall of floating books around her, her quill already scribbling across page after page of parchment. She was just starting to get into the swing of things when Rainbow yawned, stretched, shook herself, and took over watch.

I shoved a few of the seats together to accommodate my height, and drifted off for a few hours of well-earned rest.





When I woke, Twilight was snoring quietly in a chair across the room and Rainbow was gliding slow laps by the ceiling, counting quietly on each circuit.

"Dash?"

"Oh, you're up! Good, I was getting realllllly bored. Are we moving on?"

"Um, not sure." I stood, and walked over to where Twilight had left her notes. "How much sleep has she had?"

"Dunno. She didn't last too much longer after you conked out. She mumbled something about 'exhausted trails of inquiry', and went to sleep."

"Did she say anything about what she discovered?"

"She found a map." Rainbow flitted behind me and pointed over my shoulder at a buried parchment. I twitched, controlled my instinct to violently eject her from my personal space, and carefully unearthed it, nearly causing a noteslide. "Also, she had some ideas about what sort of magic Sombra might be using." I took a seat and carefully started to organize the note pile. A minute later, I was intrigued. Five minutes, and I was fascinated.

She had done an excellent job of researching and synthesizing a report on Sombra and the windigos.

According to her research, Sombra had secretly worked with the windigoes long before his banishment. His magic being based around emotions, same as the windigoes, had pointed her in that direction already. However, the journals and reports she'd found suggested there was more to it. Sombra's experiments on corrupting the magic of the Kingdom Crystals all but confirmed his duplicitous nature, even before he seized power. His magic was highly illegal, but nopony had taken the warning signs seriously until it was too late. He'd orchestrated a coup using his forbidden magic, holding an artifact called the Crystal Heart hostage in order to force compliance. I circled that, determined to ask Twilight about it later. What followed was a protracted war with nearly every  nation nearby, a war he'd been shockingly close to winning before Celestia and Luna struck him with the Elements.

After summarizing Sombra's rise and fall, Twilight delved into conjecture and calculation on how he returned and what he was now. My eyebrows climbed higher and higher as I read her conclusions, but all of her logic was sound. It even made a twisted sort of sense.

Sombra had become part windigo.

In order to safeguard his life and extend his magical power, he was transforming himself to be more and more like his mindless wraiths. I was blown away by the intricacy of the spells Twilight postulated. She had more question marks and dummy variables in her equations than real numbers, but what she did have demonstrated it might actually be doable, and if so, that it would look something like what we'd seen from Sombra. It would also make him extremely difficult to actually hurt, although in his weakened state he could definitely be inconvenienced. He would simply get stronger with time, though, and if he was smart, he wouldn't repeat his mistakes.

Bothered by the idea that we might be in even more trouble than I'd imagined, I double-checked her figures as best I could, grasping fiercely at the magical loan-knowledge that slipped randomly in and out of my mind. I was a little surprised to find a section of multivariate calculus right smack-dab in the middle, worked as cleanly in modern Earth decimal. I checked that as well, hoping that I remembered enough from my college classes to do an accurate job of it. It seemed OK, although I would have needed a calculator to properly work the math she was doing in her head.

I sighed when I reached the end. If this was correct, then.... it didn't change much. We already knew Sombra was bad news. We'd started to realize that he was formidable intellectually as well as physically after we'd examined The Edge. Although more evidence of his power was discouraging, it was actually a good thing; with this, we better understood our opponent. I rubbed my eyes, and looked to the future. Maybe in our next skirmish we could actually devise a plan.

I finished reading and was about to try finding more about the Crystal Heart when Twilight yawned, noticed the clean state of her workspace, and shrieked quietly.

"What did you do to my notes?" she asked, voice full of horror.

"I...organized them?" I tried, weakly. The narrowing of her eyebrows told me this was not a satisfactory answer. "Um...I can put them back?" I tried again. Her countenance darkened further. "I, uh, checked your work..." I tried one last time. She seemed slightly puzzled at that, but her distress faded a little. Her sleep-bleared befuddlement sparked a mischievous idea in my mind. "You got...FULL MARKS!" I exclaimed, forcing as much cheer into my voice as I could. Still half-asleep she smiled widely and bounced off the chair.

"Yaaaaaaay!" She squealed, bounding around the room. I smirked stealthily. Too easy.

"I had a question, though, about the Crystal Heart that you mentioned. Any more ideas on what that is, or where it is? Maybe it's our key to getting out of here?"

"Well, you see-" She was instantly by my side, spreading out books and talking a mile a minute. I kicked my brain back into gear, and started filtering her words for the useful stuff. Soon enough, I had a handle on what was going on.

"So, what you're saying..." I stopped her with a raised hand. "Is the Crystal Heart must be nearby the castle, since this was the center of his power. It's probably what you picked up on your scope. And that, is right about-" I jabbed a finger into the map "-here."

"Yep!" 

I stood, tapping her sheaf of notes into as neat a package as I could, and started tucking them into my pack.

"Right. Let's get out of here! Rainbow-" I was stopped with a look. Huge velvety purple eyes pinned me to the spot. A wibble of her lip, and tears threatened to spill.

"But... books!" Twilight quavered.

"Gah! Um..." I wracked my brain. I should have considered this before I let her go hog-wild. "Ten pounds. For each of us. That's all we can take. Pick fast!" I withdrew quickly, leaving her to frantically weigh her options, sometimes literally, and waved Rainbow over. "We have an objective, Rainbow." I traced our route on the map. "Start scouting towards the throne room. Remember, don't go more than two or three doors, and mark your path carefully. First sign of trouble, head back. Keep me updated." I tapped my comm. She nodded; we'd been using the same scouting pattern before. "Twilight will have a few books for you to carry when you return."

"Aye aye." Rainbow took off in a blur. Our rest must have really been good for her. "All clear!" she called, re-appearing shortly. If I hadn't already been accustomed to it, her speed would have surprised me.

"Twilight?" I called.

"Uuuu..Just a minute...urgh....um...huuu..."

"Pick!" I called heartlessly. She squirmed, eyes flickering across the piles. Finally she grit her teeth, grabbed a few books for each of us, and hovered them over. Rainbow and I tucked them into our packs.

"Let's get out of here," she grit through clenched teeth. She clomped towards the door, obviously frustrated to leave so much knowledge behind.

"Hey, Twilight, don't take it so hard," Rainbow called. "We'll be coming back later to free the Crystal Ponies anyways, right?" Twilight noticeably perked up at that, but we still made our way forwards in silence.

The throne room was probably grander than the rest of the palace. However, my mind was so inured to the splendors of the Crystal Empire by now that my jaded eyes skated unseeing over the frescoes and friezes, murals and mosaics adorning the walls and halls. I was slightly surprised to find a large square pit directly before the throne, with a downwards stairway winding along the walls. After a short deliberation, we headed down.

"Why did he build this here?" Rainbow wondered aloud. "Not much of a hiding place."

"Normally, you wouldn't be able to see it." Twilight easily fell into 'lecture' mode. "This castle is created from empathically reactive crystal. See the black streaks running through it? That's Sombra's negative emotions. He could manipulate the crystal into nearly any shape with that. If he wanted this closed, he could just withdraw his control of the crystal and it would revert to the original form."

"Huh." Rainbow nodded. "I'm going to pretend you said that he hid this when he didn't need it."

"That's exactly what I...urgh!"

Rainbow winked at me. I smiled back.

"Ok, enough of this." Rainbow flipped herself over the railing with a wing. "I'm taking the low road, slowpokes." She tipped her nose down, and dropped towards the bottom of the stairwell like a stone.

"How are you doing, Twilight? Holding up OK?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine. This has been both exciting and terrifying, but that nap helped a lot. I think we'll be OK...even if we can't escape, the others will move heaven and earth to recover us."

"That's true. Magic still the same?"

She grimaced.

"Yeah, unfortunately. That nap helped, but as I said, I overstressed myself. I'm going to need some serious rest to get back up to speed."

"Eeeeek!" A shriek floated up the stairwell.

Both of us shot to the railing, looking straight down into the darkness. We looked at each other.

"Rainbow!" we exclaimed together, and shot down the stairs as fast as we could.

Turns out, that in a race down a flight of steps, a human can nearly outpace a pony. Turning corners is a bit more difficult with twice the number of feet. I edged ahead of Twilight, rushing as much as I could but still careful with my footsteps. I nearly tripped once, and slowed down as much as I dared. A twisted or broken ankle was the last thing any of us needed right now. Still, Rainbow.

I reached the bottom with a clatter and a stumble, nearly falling as I made one last turn onto flat ground. I found Rainbow curled into a ball in the center of the room. I skidded to a stop near her, checking if she was OK while scanning the room for threats.

"Don't look..." She quavered something unintelligible. The room seemed clear; I dropped to one knee, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What was that?" I asked quietly. I thought she would repeat what she was saying. Instead, she tackle-hugged me. I staggered and fell on my back with a grunt of surprise.

"Don't look at the door!" she mumbled into my chest, all six limbs tightening.

"Twilight!" I called, as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Don't look at the door! Rainbow, are you going to be OK?"

I think I've used up my week's quota of hugs, I thought. I hope this calms her down. I'd hate to use next-weeks hugs up pointlessly.

"I..." She was so quiet, I barely heard her. "I'm scared."

At that, I hugged her back. If she'd admit that, she really was shook up. Soon enough she stopped shaking, and pried herself off me.

"Going to be all right?"

"Yeah, I think so." She shook herself and fluttered her wings for a second, folding them carefully.

"What happened?"

"I got to the bottom, and I saw that." She pointed a hoof, but carefully didn't look at the door frame carved into the stone. A a dark, purple-black crystal capped it. My eyes skated across it, but I didn't let them linger. "It...draws you. But if you look in, all it shows is nightmares."

"A door to your worst fear..." Twilight muttered. Her eyes were tightly shut, but her magic probed the door. "So, how do we get through?"

I shrugged helplessly, and turned back to Rainbow. She seemed better, but her pupils still looked smaller than normal, and there was a certain tension to the set of her wings I didn't like. Whatever she saw had badly shaken her, and she wasn't over it, no matter what she said.  

"Bah!" Rainbow snorted. "Sometimes we need egghead solutions, but sometimes we just need to BREAK THINGS!" She flipped into the air with a flick of her wings, and spun to face away from the door. Twilight's eyes popped open, and I started to call her back, but she was just too fast. She launched a kick at the gem crowning the sculpture faster than either of us could react.

"Rainbow!" we chorused. The door flickered, squirmed, and shattered, black empty sky showing through the frame.

"Huh," Twilight said. "I guess... it sometimes does work?"

*WOOP* *WOOP* *WOO-*

"Aaaaand, that's an alarm." I ducked out the door and glanced around. "Something very odd is going on here. This leads to the surface of the central spire! But no choice; we need to move forward, and fast. Come on!" I barely spared a glance to make sure they were following before I darted up the stair.

It was a long, long, staircase. I expected Rainbow to take to the air, but she stuck with us. I guess she didn't want to rush into trouble again. I slowed down when I felt my heartbeat accelerate, setting a pace that would get me to the top without leaving me gasping.

"Wes!" Twilight called. "We're being followed!"

"Horsefeathers!" I swore. "Golems?"

"Sounds like it."

I stopped, and flattened myself against the wall.

"Go ahead!" I motioned them past me. "I'll stop them if they catch up."

"Wes, I think I can get us all up there!" Twilight was charging her horn as she spoke. "But I'll need to use a spell to do it. You OK with that?" I bit my lip for a second. I'd been saving Twilight's strength for a pinch, but I guess that if anything qualified, this did.

"Go for it."

"Hold on, everypony!" she yelled. I grabbed her mane and Rainbow threw a hoof over her shoulder, just as her power flared across us and the whole world flipped upside down.

Literally.

I stumbled, and only my grip on my comrades kept me from reeling over the edge of the tower. Twilight, having expected it, took the transition the best. She landed on all four feet, and started sliding down the underside of the stair, carefully leaning just enough to corner smoothly. Her military-issue steel shoes threw sparks from the smooth stone. Rainbow yelled in surprise and what maybe delight, spreading her wings wide to glide behind. I barely managed to keep up, running frantically to not end up underhoof.Thankfuly, we quickly reached the top.
 
"Stopit-stopit-stop-STOP!" Twilight yelled, frantically working to dispel the charm as we hit the smooth lip circling the top of the tower. The world abruptly righted itself and I gasped, gulping down air in an attempt to settle my stomach.

"That was intense," I wheezed. "But it bought us time. I hope we found something worthwhile." I circled the tower once more, reaching the top of the staircase. My eyes slowly widened as they took in what we had found.

This must be the Crystal Heart.

It was enclosed in a glittering cage. The gem-stuff of the tower grew upwards, the dark streaks branching throughout the whole castle continuing out of the floor, enmeshing the Heart in a net of glistening black. It looked like cancerous veins, or the branches of a fire-blackened tree. The heart-shape was clearly visible inside. Its bright blue, like the unending sky, shone bravely past its prison.

"This stuff..." I walked across the tower, and flicked the crystal with a fingernail. "This is like the stuff that was covering the ponies. I wonder..." My mind flashed back across everything we'd seen today, and I gasped. Could it be? "Twilight, I think-"

"-it IS the same!" She finished for me. "This isn't just a cage; those ponies aren't just imprisoned! This...this whole city is some sort of diabolical machine! This siphons emotions from the captives, and shuttles it through some sort of underground network...Look! You can even see it pulse!" She pointed to where the darkness of the crystal seemed to be oozing along a branch. "Sombra is using the Crystal Heart as a doorway! This whole pocket dimension is lynch-pinned on this artifact! But that shouldn't be possible... the Crystal Heart should be anathema to this sort of magic! It was created by Clover in order to help combat the windigos. How did he do this?"

"Reflections!" I spat, thinking back to his dimensional magic. "Look, this whole place is unusual. Remember what you were saying about it not following geometry laws? I think he took a piece of space, something hypothetically there and sorta-" I groped for words, unsure of how to convey what I was getting at, "-inverted it! Those field integrals you were working, I don't think this space is really real! OW!" I'd been reaching for her knowledge as I said that. Now I grabbed my head as our connection deepened, thoughts leaking through, ideas firing faster than I could process. I looked over, and to my dismay Twilight's eyes had gone completely white, the frantic synthesis in her mind moving towards a conclusion. "Rainbow, watch out! Things are going to get crazy!"

"Oh, trust me! I've seen that look before!"

I held my head and tried to concentrate on the outside world as Twilight began her spell, peeling back the enmeshing crystal around the Heart. Whatever conclusion she reached, apparently it was time for action. She absently moved until her nose nearly brushed the black glass and gently floated into the air.

"Twilight!" I yelled, trying to drown the noise in my head. "Can you get us out?"

"Yeah! Um...I think so!" Her voice sounded only in my head.

"OK, give it all you got! Rainbow, she's got a door for us coming up! We need to hold the line!" I dashed back to the stairwell, not a moment too soon. The golems reached the top just as I did. I spun my war hammer, using my higher position and the element of surprise to completely shatter the head of the first. It collapsed into dust, tripping the next. I took vicious advantage, swooping in to belt it as hard as I could. It shattered satisfyingly, but refused to break. I took a step back, willing to give a bit of ground for another clean stroke, but as I adjusted Rainbow zipped past me and body-checked it off the stairwell.

"BOOOYAH! Take that!"

"Rainbow! What-" I started to berate her. Jumping into combat was foolish, but not even warning me was suicidal! I cut off as another golem, rounding the corner at a tireless gallop, dashed directly at her unguarded side.

"Oh, no you don't!" I threw caution to the wind and slide-tackled it, something I avoided even on flat ground. I winced as my sneakers slammed into its ankles, but I managed to push it over the edge. I gasped and flinched, barely managing to grab the lip of the stair, somehow swinging far back in enough to land on the next spiral.

My feet tingled, the fear of nearly falling to my death crawling over my skin. I took a deep, shaky breath, planning to chew Rainbow out, but she hit me like a ton of feathers. Soft and fluffy, but still enough to destabilize. I staggered, and let my body go limp, trusting to her grip. I got another flash of color, felt the world twirl, and we were on top of the tower again.

"-stepped in-" I thought I heard her mumble something against my shoulder as she set me down. I almost questioned her, but the remorse on her face stopped me. She pushed me away, and focused on the stairway again. "You take the center. I'll hit them from the sides."

"Ok." I flipped my hammer into my grasp by its wrist strap, and stationed myself on the top step. She flicked my combat knife out of her pack, and stood where heads would be at stabbing level. The first golem surprised us by falling out of the air, nearly atop Twilight. Rainbow tackled it and I looked over the edge.

The golems on the ground must have decided that if they could fall that far, they could fly that far. Several of them were in formation; as I watched, they hoisted one onto their shoulders and heaved. I boggled, unbelieving, as the crystalline figure soared upwards.

"In the air, Rainbow! Get your whips!" I finally called. She heaved the golem she'd been struggling with off the edge, and glanced over. Her eyes widened in shock, and she reared back as another golem zipped by, just missing her. She reached into her pack, exchanging the knife out for her aerial-combat chains. A moment's work attached them to her hooves, and she was in the air.

I breathed easier as I saw her work. She would whip a chain around a flying golem, approaching from a blind spot so they couldn't even try avoidance, and yank it off course. I relaxed as each successive missile was harmlessly re-directed. She even took a minute to yank the ones off the stairs.

I glanced back at Twilight. Merely thinking about her made the roar of magical formula return. I winced as glyphs zipped past my vision, imaginary sigils and symbols scorching past my inner eye so fast I felt dizzy. Is she really thinking that fast? I carefully plumbed the connection between us, dipping my metaphorical toes into the raging current of thought that was tearing through her formidable brain.

I caught a glimpse of what she was working on and gasped, yanking my attention back as firmly and fiercely as I could before the incredible inertia of her thought process pulled me in. Her project was fascinating, but I couldn't spare the concentration to help her now. Still, she was doing OK; the portal should go live any moment.

Twilight was tunneling between two layers of reality. Using the same pathways Sombra had established for leeching the Crystal Empire, but using the force of her own magic, she was piercing through the spell used to stabilize this entire bubble of space-time and doing it smoothly enough to not collapse the whole thing. I pushed thoughts away as arcs of ancient numbers tried to expand in my vision. I couldn't afford this distraction.

I turned back out, looking for Rainbow. I bit my lip when I saw her; she was flying with consummate skill, drawing graceful arcs around her foes, all pretense of stealth abandoned in favor of crushing speed. She successfully diverted attack after attack, but she was no longer alone.

A noisome cloud of wraiths followed her, a shrieking conglomeration of shadows, each windigo making a noise like fingernails on the blackboard of my soul. She dodged and wove brilliantly, avoiding them even as they split and flowed, dividing time and again in attempts to catch her. I glanced over my shoulder. Twilight had better be quick; this couldn't last long. I canvassed the tower top again, looking for another threat to deal with, but came up cold. I fidgeted nervously for a second, almost deciding to help Twilight; but by the time I turned back towards her, I saw the portal spark, take, and spin outwards.

It expanded like a vortex forming on the bottom of a drain. The skin of reality puckered inwards and twisted inside out, leaving a hole. Late evening sunlight shone through. Tension I didn't even know I'd been carrying melted off my back as I saw a way out appear.

"RAINBOW!" I pitched my voice just right, cutting across the racket around her. She didn't even look towards me, but flipped a wing in acknowledgment. I steadied myself and dove through, carefully not touching the edges. Twilight floated after a moment later, the white already fading from her eyes. We waited for one tense moment, until Rainbow followed. The windigoes behind her shrieked even louder, but seemed afraid of the sun; they turned back from the portal. I glanced nervously at Twilight, wondering why the portal was still open. She was panting, her head sagging nearly to the ground, ears and tail limp from exhaustion. I heard a few golems thump onto the top of the tower.

"Wes..." She forced the words out between gasps. "Wes, you need to close it! I can't work it right now!"

"What? How can-"

The knowledge hit me like a ton of bricks. The backlash of her magic overload was wearing off, but our expanded connection still persisted enough for her to foist the entirety of her considerations onto me. She had been surprised and fascinated by the magic crystals under my skin, in the stains on my hand. It had been forgotten in the argument about the windigos, but she'd been worrying at the problem ever since. Her magic crystallizing under my skin meant I wasn't as anti-magical as she'd originally thought. The scanning pulses that hurt me so much showed the magic that had coursed up my arm might have burned power pathways into my soul. If so, using the correct magical focus, I could manipulate magic. I might even cast a spell, leaning on borrowed power, if she was right.

If.

I reached into my knife-sheath, and drew out the last keepsake of my first Equestrian friend; Splinter's horn. I probed the connection between us. Twilight's reserves were drained to the dregs.

"Hold on, Twilight! This is going to hurt you a LOT more than it hurts me!" I well remembered the pain I'd felt when she'd burnt part of my soul to get us away from Sombra last time. It hadn't been pleasant. If this worked, she'd be sore later. One of the golems carefully pushed a leg through the portal, carefully clear of the edges.

At least she would be in one piece later.

I reached deep into the narrowing connection between us, gathering as much magic as I could, and the most sparing smidgen of her life energy I thought I could get away with. Then I marshaled my thoughts, and carefully crafted the spell necessary to disrupt the tunnel.

Twilight had done most of the hard work when she created the thing. Destroying a high-energy construct was always miles easier than creating one. Witness, a train-wreck. My lips twitched at the image of a train hitting Sombra. Focus! I reminded myself.

Most of what I did, I could rely on Twilight's transferred reflexes for. She'd trained herself in magic manipulation long enough that basic spellcraft shone clear in my mind. I needed to strong-arm a few things, and one or two pieces took serious concentration, but it all fell into place faster than I expected. I made a few rough calculations, waving the horn like a wand. It started to glow, a sickly orange aura twisted through with streaks of purple life-force. Holding the magic back was difficult; it felt like blood was pooling in my arm. The very skin of my hand felt tight and swollen, like a balloon. I half expected my fingers to grow pudgy and stiff.

Finally, the spell was complete. I gathered together everything needed to power it and pushed it all into the horn. I stepped forward, gesturing grandiosely, and with one final wave unleashed every scrap of power. Twilight screamed somewhere in the background, nearly drowned out by the rush of energy in my head.

<"Abara-Cadabara!"> I yelled at the top of my lungs.

The collapse was surprisingly slow, a controlled crumble. I couldn’t risk rupturing the inner dimension. My orange and lavender aura circled the portal, wreaths and clouds of light eroding the passage. The twist in space tightened, reversing the ripple we’d escaped through. The golems in the gap seemed to panic for a second as it closed in. I grimaced fiercely as, with crunching, shattering sounds, they were twisted in half. Parts of one landed on the ground by us. It turned to dust and I breathed a sigh of relief, finally taking the time to examine our surroundings.

Snow.

I looked down. I'd hardly noticed, but we were standing in ankle-deep snow, surrounded by trackless plains. Mountains rose in the distance, but there was nothing for miles.

This could be bad.

I looked to where Rainbow was holding Twilight up. The purple unicorn was swallowing convulsively, and the pegasus was trying to comfort her. I tried to banish my sudden feeling of guilt, but to no avail. It had been necessary, yes; but hurting a friend like that still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I sighed, and started to slip Splinter's horn, My wand, I thought, back into my sheath when one last surprise was unleashed on us.

With a bang, a flash, and a twist of fire, a light-orange unicorn appeared. A streak of red ran through a flamboyant yellow mane, and a yin-yang sun gleamed from her flank. She swept our entire group with searching blue eyes, which narrowed accusingly on the relic in my hand.

"What have you done to my brother?" Her voice cut across the sudden silence like a whip.

Connections fired in my brain. Where I'd seen that color orange before. Why Luna had known Splinter. A few scattered stories, told in near-death delirium.

"Sunset Shimmer?" I barely managed, before my brain went blank from shock.



> 20 - Tracks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

My nerves sang with tension.

I was frozen. The orange pony, probably Sunset, panted foggy breaths in the cold air. Rainbow and Twilight stared, eyes huge, as we faced off.

"No, don't answer that." Her voice went calm, hard as ice. She drew herself up, perfect control glassing over her eyes and smoothing the anger from her face. She stood staring for a moment longer. My arm went limp, and I nearly dropped Splinter's horn. "You clearly have...that, by his will. I apologize for my earlier outburst." She turned as if to go. I mentally kicked myself, and my brain lurched into gear.

"W...wait!" I called, my voice nearly breaking. I didn't really want to do this, but I was the leader. We really had no choice, and parting like this felt wrong. "Please....Sunset, if that's your name, please help us." I dropped to my knees. I had no idea if the ponies understood the significance of that, but I even bowed my head to beg for help. "We need your aid. We're hurt, lost, and helpless. Please don't leave us like this."

She looked back, and a hidden tear may have been glistening in the corner of her eye. She inspected me, then turned her gaze to my teammates. Her eyes widened slightly at Twilight.

"Fine." Her voice was flat, but her horn lit up and streamers of magic floated out. "Security." Four complex ward spells drifted into the night. "Shelter." The snow around us, no more than ankle deep, crept slowly together and mounded upwards. A small dome quickly appeared, something like an igloo. "Warmth." A collection of gravel and rocks lifted off the ground and steamed. I could feel the warmth on my face. "Water." She threw a canteen from her pack at my feet. "I am Sunset Shimmer, and I offer this freely and in good faith."

Her formal tone confused me slightly, especially when she assumed a blank, expectant stare.

"Thank her." Twilight advised weakly. "She's demonstrating she won't hurt you; it's a traditional unicorn hospitality...thing. Altered a bit. A promise to help and to guard, at least for a while." She flopped onto the now-dry ground, surrendering to exhaustion. Rainbow watched worriedly, eyes flickering about.

"Thanks." I wasn't sure what to say. "You have my gratitude for this gift." Hopefully that was flowery enough. At my words, Sunset turned to the igloo, the rocks floating behind. She didn't look back as she ducked in.

"Come on." Twilight staggered to her hooves, and towards the hut. "Let's get out of this wind." Rainbow and I followed.

It wasn't warm in the igloo. Anything much above freezing and the shelter wouldn't last, but Sunset carefully buried the warmed rocks around us, and closed most of the doorway, leaving only a small hole there and in the roof for air. It was much, much better than outside. She even cast a minor light spell. As the moon rose, we settled down. The three ponies, completely nonchalant, snuggled together in the middle of the room.

I awkwardly tried to get comfortable by the door.

"Wes," Twilight said, just as I  found a half-reasonable position. "I know you have a thing about personal space, but you'll be much warmer if you huddle with us."

"Um." I wasn't really sure what to say. I was cold and tired, and it would be warmer...but besides my space issues, I was a little wary of cuddling up to three xenomorphic young women. Ponies seemed to have different ideas of personal space, but still.

"Come ooooon," Rainbow added. "Stop being such a wuss or you're going to regret it."

I sighed, and scooted over to the pile, settling my back against her side. She draped a wing over my shoulder. It was...nice.

I didn't have nightmares, at least.





"Guys, I found a railroad!"

"Huh?"

I rubbed sleep out of my eyes, awoken by Rainbow's call. I was curled on the ground, cold and stiff and still tired but feeling remarkably better. I shot a dark look at my erstwhile pillow; she seemed entirely too cheerful and loud.

"A railroad, a railroad! I can see it from the sky! It's maybe five minutes flight, if you head three marks north of east! Come on, let's catch a train!"

"Don't we need flares for that?" I still felt half asleep, but the situation was returning to me. Sunset and Twilight grumbled awake, stretching and yawning widely.

"Pff, whatever. I can totally land on a train. But we can get home! The others will go lunatic if we don't let them know we're safe soon."

"Five minutes flight...Rainbow, that could be hours by hoof, at the speed you fly! Don't rush us so much." Twilight rubbed her eyes and followed her out, muttering airspeed calculations.

Sunset gave me another flat look. She was starting to make me a little uncomfortable. I was learning to read pony expressions, and most of them were fairly easy. But from Sunset, I got nothing. Ever since calming down last night, it was as if her emotions had iced over. It was better than the alternative, but she was creeping me out.

"Splinter's horn...should I give it to you?" I asked softly, after a moment.

"He is dead?"

"...yeah."

"Keep it." She abruptly left. I followed morosely. She nodded to Twilight and Rainbow, who where talking and stretching in the sun, and slowly walked east. I shrugged at my companions, took a drink from my canteen, and passed it to Twilight.

"We'd better move out." I nodded to Sunset. "Looks like our host has made up her mind." Twilight fell in beside me and passed the canteen to Rainbow, who zipped into the air and circled above us as lookout. As we walked, I went through my pockets and pack as best I could, arranging my kit comfortably and settling in for a long hike.  





"Granola bar?" I offered one to Sunset. She glanced over and hesitantly accepted.

"You know, it's funny." She talked with her mouth full, and her eyes never left the horizon. "When I first picked up Splinter's magic on that old scanner, I was beyond shocked. I put together an emergency pack, and went on high alert. The only thing I didn't pack was food." She sniffed quietly. "I guess I'm still a fool. I thought I'd lock onto him, warp in, save his bony ass, and we'd go home together." Her eyes didn't waver and her voice was calm, but she seemed a touch more vulnerable, if only for a moment.

"Do you want to hear-"

"No." Whatever I'd seen was gone. "No, don't talk about him right now. I've just been through a bit of an emotional storm, and I'm liable to be a wreck when I get...back. But I do want to know. What exactly are you?" Her cool blue eyes swept my figure. "You're like nothing I've seen, except maybe a minotaur. You have no magic, besides that abomination welded to your soul, and that crude link with the perfect Princess' prized purple protege."

I blinked at that. I guess involving Twilight in this discussion is a no go, I thought. I spent a minute thinking my story out, avoiding Splinter as I could.

"Well, this might be a bit tricky," I conceded, but launched in with a will, carefully skirting sensitive bits. "...so, they thought I might be from another dimension or something." I finished, a half-hour later.

"Ludicrous!"

"Come again?" I glanced at her, honestly surprised by her vehemence. It was the most emotion she'd displayed yet.

"Twilight might believe that, but Celestia? She must be going senile."

Oooooookay, I'm missing something here, I thought. I'd assumed Sunset's connection to the palace was completely through her brother. From what I recalled, he'd been a member of the Royal Guard. I hadn't connected Luna's work with missing persons to him at first, because it was such a tenuous link. I didn't remember it until Sunset literally appeared in front of me, and dredged up things about Splinter I barely remembered. Talking about Celestia like that, though, was something ordinary ponies would find nearly unthinkable.

"Look, I've studied dimensional magic. I'm not at the level of the greats, like Sombra, but I'm better off than most. It's very simple. You worked from the multi-verse idea? Multiple worlds, new ones appearing at each quantum decision, creating an infinity of slightly different worlds, allowing yours and ours to exist in the same continuum?" I nodded slowly. "It's complete horse-apples. Either the theory is plain wrong, or it's totally impossible to travel from one reality to another. I can demonstrate it easily.

"Consider this; if an infinite continuum of worlds exists, AND it's possible to travel through it, then because everything HAS TO exist at some point in that multi-verse, someone is planning to appear, ten feet in front of us, right...now." She waved; the snow stayed empty. "You see? Either it's not infinite, or the walls between universes are impenetrable. Either way, something more is going on here."

I turned the idea over in my head; it seemed sound to me.

"So, what does that mean for me?"

"Not a whole lot," she replied coolly. "Either the multi-verse is only near-infinite and you're one of the extreme outliers, you didn't come from another universe, or..." She trailed off for a bit, but finished all in a rush. "Or something from outside the multi-verse moved you."

"I could be from this universe?" I started with the simplest idea first.

"Sure. The universe is huge; who's to say that your world's not out there, around another star? If you only moved through space, this whole thing would be slightly less nauseating to contemplate."

"Such as being moved?" She nodded slowly.

"I don't know why it bothers me so much, but if you were intentionally moved through an infinite multi-verse, it was by something so completely outside the limits of our understanding, it might as well be called 'God'. Who knows what purposes it had for you? I don't like it." She shuddered ever so slightly. I nodded. The idea was chilling to me as well; the thought of being nothing more than a pawn was distinctly unpleasant.

"Either way," she broke into my thoughts, "don't give up the search. I'm confident of my reasoning, but none of this is actually proof. The fact is, you are here. That means, the way back potentially exists. You're only lost if you stop looking."  

<"One day we leave,"> I replied automatically.

"What?"

"Sorry, nothing." I waved memories away, and tapped my comm on. "Hey, Rainbow, how're we doing?"

"Another half-hour or so. Not too much farther. But wooo, you guys are slow."

"Hush. We can't all be as awesome as you."

"Don't you know it!" She signed off with a chuckle.

We walked in silence after that.





"Well, it is a railroad!" Rainbow said hopefully. Indeed, but it had obviously lain unused for a while.

"What are our chances of a train?" I asked.

"Not good," Sunset answered. "By the snow, I'd say they don't pass this way more than once a week. And I need to leave; I've already spent longer than I should have with you."

I grimaced at that, but nodded.

"Thank you for all your aid." I paused, then pushed on. "Sunset, your brother saved my life. More than once. I know you said it was OK for me to keep this," I touched my sheath, "but if you ever need my help, let me know. I'll be there for you."

"Thank you, Wes. I may have to take you up on that."

"Would you be willing to take a message for us?" Twilight asked hesitantly.

"No." The reply was instant. Twilight drew herself up to argue, but stopped as Sunset extracted a paper from her pack and passed it over. "This ought to serve, though." She stepped backwards, gathered her magic, and disappeared in a flash.

"Where did she get this?" Twilight's voice was troubled, and she looked deeply confused. I gently plucked the gift from her grasp, and inspected it. It looked like a piece of stationery with an attached ribbon. A crest modeled on Sunset's cutie mark adorned one corner. Celestia's crest was on the other.

"A vivre card," I breathed. "This will go directly to Celestia!" My brows scrunched in confusion, mirroring Twilight's. "But this means..."

"Yeah. She's someone very close to Celestia, whom I've never heard of. Just who is Sunset Shimmer?"

I shrugged helplessly.

"Maybe she's a SPY!" Rainbow exclaimed. I rolled my eyes at Twilight, who rolled them back.

"Maybe, Rainbow," Twilight said noncommittally. "Anyway, let's use this. What's the nearest mile-marker?"

"Six hundred and seventy-three," Rainbow said, surprising us with her prompt reply. "Hey, I had a lot of time while you guys slogged."

"Mhmm." Twilight's pen was already moving. She floated it to me; I skimmed it, and handed it to Rainbow.

"Looks like you got it all. No critical wounds, exhausted, low on supplies and suffering from exposure. Time, place, promise of a full report, weather; looks good, send it on." Twilight rolled the vivre card up and sealed it. It burst into bright flame and the ashes floated away. "Well, that should get our rescue moving. Now, let's find someplace out of the wind and work on our reports." Twilight grinned eagerly at that, but Rainbow groaned a little.

"Hey, look on the bright side," I said. "We finished our mission. We learned something useful. We all made it out. We're still together."

That drew heartfelt nods, and we set out to make the best of our situation until help arrived.

We weren't quite done yet, but I resolved we wouldn't falter on the home stretch.


> 21 - Hideaway
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I lay on my back, feeling the cool tiles through my thin shirt. I sighed as the ceiling shook, breaking small clots of dirt free of the interwoven root system supporting the library. I wasn't sure what was happening upstairs, but hiding in the basement had kept me out of it so far.

I'd been honestly surprised when we'd made it back to Ponyville without further incident. Captain Armor had used the low throughput, high priority military-only teleport network to deploy a squad of pegasus couriers, who had rushed a pony-powered cart along the railroad to our location. We'd been whisked back to civilization faster than I'd thought possible, a combination of excellent logistics on the military side, and the fact that we hadn't actually been as far removed as I'd first suspected.

We had been thoroughly debriefed three or four times. Once by the official procedure, once for Captain Armor, again by Celestia, and maybe one or two more partial retellings to various officials, friends, and family as we worked our way through the paperwork and made our way...home. Back to Ponyville.

Home. An interesting word, but it fit better and better every day.  

Through the whole thing, Twilight and I had been scrambling to assemble some sort of official compilation on the spells and techniques involved in the sealing of the empire, and a risk assessment of Sombra being able to weaponize the effect. Her current conclusion was that it couldn't be done, since it was centered on a unique artifact, and took a mind-bendingly huge amount of magic.

Celestia had skated neatly around our unexpected rescuer, Sunset Shimmer; I had likewise kept quiet about what was said to me. I guess neither of us were quite sure what to make of the issue.

A little private investigation revealed that Sunset was wanted for questioning, but why, or in connection to what, I had no idea. She had no charges against her, and even her official records seemed oddly sterile, as if information on her was controlled. It painted an odd picture, like Celestia was both being protecting and persecuting her. Information on Splinter was a little more open, though there wasn't much more. Maybe they were just a boring family. As I'd thought, he'd been in the Royal Guard, and she'd definitely been his sister. Other than that, unmarried, disappeared about the same time.

"Wes?"

I sat up, my head easily clearing the pony-sized counter I lay behind. Twilight stuck her head around the door-frame, a pair of pens and two journals hovering along.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing down here?"

"Hiding."

"What?"

"Hiding! Listen, can't you hear them stampeding upstairs?"

"But...why?"

"I'm worn out! I appreciate the welcome-home we were given, but after the hoop-la we went through for the army, and the government, and finally, Ponyville, I need some alone time!"

"Really?" She sounded genuinely surprised; her eyes searched my face, as if trying to find some indication of sickness.

"Really! Look, I'm not trying to be rude; you know I'm your friend, if you mares need a hand, heh, you have only to ask. But there is always, and I mean ALWAYS, some sort of wacky hijinks going down in this supposedly calm, peaceful little country town! Always! I'm not sure what they're doing up there. All I can say is that when I found out it involved a flugelhorn, a family of ducks, three cans of paint, and Pinkie Pie, I decided I wanted some alone time and I've been here since. Anyways. What did you need?"

"Um...is it OK?" She drew back hesitantly, as if to leave.

"Yeah, yeah." I waved hand helplessly. "Don't worry about it. I've already had more time than I expected. It's not like you're a whole herd by yourself. I can deal with one pony."  

"Ok. Um, I was thinking we should re-start our association testing. And it would be better if we used fragments of songs, or something like that, since they're a little easier to remember, and a little less likely to be duplicated in language learning." She walked over, floated a journal in my direction, and sat down on the floor behind the counter. I adjusted the light crystals, brightening the lab enough that reading wouldn’t be a chore. 

"Yeah." I plucked the notebook and pen out of the air, carefully setting the inkwell down and uncorking it. "Both of those sound like good ideas. Ooop!" I nearly knocked the ink over with a shuffle of my foot, but grabbed it just in time. "I really need to re-invent ballpoint pens. Or, at least, pencils. How do you live with this?"

"It's not so bad with telekinesis." She giggled a little as I tried to balance the inkwell on a knee, and almost spilled it again. I finally set it on the counter behind me, which was awkward but workable.

"Maybe I should learn some," I said, half joking, but her expression turned serious.

"Actually, I meant to ask you about that." She uncorked her own inkwell, and dipped her pen. "When we escaped the Crystal Empire, you were able to use the link between our souls to borrow some of my magic. I know you've given statements on this several times now, but I don't think you've been asked...do you think you could do it again?"

"Seriously?" She shot me a look, wondering if I was offended, but I was thoroughly impressed. "Twilight, I have some idea how painful that must have been for you. You haven't even finished recovering yet! I'm suprised you can suggest that so calmly. And, well, we haven't had time to re-work the diagnosis on the soul-meld. Is that sort of experimenting safe?"

"Ah, no..." She trailed off for a second, her gaze going distant as she reviewed whatever data she'd prepared for this discussion. "I mean, you're right. We can't actually do any experiments yet. I just wanted to know, if you had to, or wanted to, do you think you could do it again? Hypothetically."

"Oh. Um. Maybe?" I mulled it over for a moment. "Hypothetically....that's a definite maybe. Yeah. I can't really say. Both times, when we've moved magic, we've been on the brink. I've been working from instinct, practically autopilot. And, we were both on some other level of connectedness. I mean, normally, this...thing," I waved a hand from my crystal towards her, "isn't intrusive or even noticeable." I tapped the gem; it clinked dully through my shirt. "It glows purple now, but other than that, I can't say anything has changed in my day-to-day. During those two times, however....well, something changed. You felt it too, right?"

"Yeah. Yes, I did. I could feel you, almost physically connected to me. Like your mind was touching mine."

"Right, like that. I could use your magic to close the portal, because I also had access to all of your magical lore and spell-casting training. As our memories are now, that's not possible; I can sometimes use bits of your memory, like when I checked your calculations in the Crystal Library-"

"It's kinda silly to refer to everything there as 'Crystal this', or 'Crystal that'."

"Yeah, but you know what I'm talking about. The point is, our memories are normally connected only weakly. But when I was spell-casting, I was using more than just your memory. I also used your reflexes and instincts. I couldn't have done it otherwise, but it started earlier than that. I nearly got pulled into your spell-casting when you opened the gate. Maybe it has to do with the amount of magic you're pulling? Like, the pressure of power can force the connection to widen?"

"Maybe." She thought for a minute, and the items she levitated danced in an absent minded way. "We could test that. Maybe if I built up a full horn of magic, we could open the connection like that again, and-"

"No!" My vehemence stopped her dead. "No." I continued more calmly. "At least, not until you're completely recovered, and have some theoretical idea of the power-flows and thaumic patterns involved, and we've both sent a write-up to the Princess about it. And even then, we start with a proof-of-concept."

"Fine." She sighed, flicking her mane out of her eyes, pretending annoyance. "But Wes, Sciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiience!"

"Pfff." I flicked a pebble at her. "Enough. Let's give this new association testing a try. You go first."

"B.B.B.F.F."

"Big-Brother-Best-Friend-Forever." She nodded, and made a tick in her notebook. I thought for a second, and scribbled out my phrase.

<"Scar tissue that I wish you saw.">

<"Sarcastic mister know-it-all."> I made a check mark, and nodded back at her.

"Learn to face your fears."

"You'll see that they can't hurt you."

<"The silence, a mirror,">

<"That breaks the light in two.">

"The time has come to welcome spring,"

"And all things warm and green."

<"There was something so pleasant about that place.">

<"Even your emotions had an echo, in so much space. Wes,"> I looked up, surprised at the break from the pattern. <"Are all the songs you know melancholy?">

<"Um, I dunno."> I felt a little defensive. We'd only done three rounds! <"Why? Does it bother you?">

<"Not really, but...well, it's a little different from what I'm used to."> I sighed, and put the notebook down for a second. I was feeling melancholy. This thing with Sunset was distracting me, and if Twilight didn't have advice for me, no-one would.

"Twilight, do you think Celestia trusts me?"

"Yes. Well, probably. Why?"

"Well, Sunset said some really odd things to me." I proceeded to retell the multi-verse refutation I'd been given, and how Sunset had mentioned that this was the sort of thing Celestia ought to know. "...and, the thing is, I don't think she's wrong. Celestia is too old, wise, and knowledgeable to not have realized this sort of thing. So, why didn't she mention it?"

"Hrmph." Twilight gave me a confused glance. "I don't know, Wes. Only… I've known the Princess for quite a while. I believe she has good reasons."

"Heh, that's fine." I laughed bitterly. "Hey, even I don't trust myself most the time. I can get that. But she seemed so...honest. Straightforward. Not like a chessmaster, not like someone who'd be manipulating me. And that makes it even worse, honestly. I'd prefer outright coercion. Better a <steel fist> than a <velvet glove.> I want to like her, trust her, but I can't tell if that's dangerous or not."

"Wes, look at me." I turned towards her. She was very serious, purple eyes boring into mine. "Trust her."

"But-"

"Ah! Let me finish. Look, she comforted you, and gave you her word. You can hold onto that. I don't know what she's holding back or why, but it's not for some secret scheme. She's not like that. She told me once, as part of my study on power and its uses, that the just use of power limits our actions as well as widening them.

"She can't allow Celestia-the-princess to do things that Celestia-the-pony wouldn't think twice about. She won't hurt you, unless you need it, and she will help you as much as she can, as long as it doesn't hurt another. Although she may have resources she's not offering to you, that's her prerogative and burden as a ruler. She needs to place her kingdom first. Her personal interests come second. The fact that she offered you her help as Celestia-the-pony is not to be scorned." She looked down, and her voice quieted a little. "It's more than most get."

"Fine." I puffed out a great breath, stirring up the cobwebs and dust around us. "Fine. Ok, yeah. I'll take her at face value. What the hay, if you don't know her, no-one does. Except maybe Luna. Thanks, Twilight."

"You're welcome." We sat in silence for a second, before she raised her pen again. "Let's give this another few rounds. You've gotta share, you've gotta care."

"It's the right thing to do." I thought for a second; if she didn't like my music, maybe I should go with something else.

<"Voila! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran,">

<"Cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate."> Her eyes widened, and a look of surprised eagerness crept across her face as she realized I'd quoted her a bit of something very like poetry. She accelerated, and her voice took on louder, more rolling tones as she fell into the character of the speech. <"This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.">

<"Twilight, I didn't mean-">

<"The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.">

<"-that you should recite the whole thing."> I finished lamely. Dang, I hadn't even memorized it that well; I didn't think I could recall the whole thing. My breath caught at that thought. Could it be?

"That was so cool!" she said, laughing. "All those VvVvV sounds! And so powerful! I guess that's what declaiming feels like! Do you know more poetry like that?"

"Um. Some. But that's not the point of this, right?"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess. Still, human poetry sounds cool!"

"Yeah, I like it. Sorry, your turn."

"Right. How about: The fire of friendship lives in our hearts."

"As long as it burns we cannot drift apart."

<"So since I'm still here livin', I guess I will live on.">

<"I could've died for love, But for livin' I was born.">

"I'm the belle of the ball, the star of the show,"

"I'm the type of pony every pony, every pony should know." I finished, with a wry twist. Twilight giggled a little at my deadpan recital.

<"He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.">

<"The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls. Oooo, more poetry!"> She took a minute to write this down in her book.

"Twilight..." I started speculatively.

"Yeah?"

"You know how, before, we were seeing something like a twenty percent difference in how much we could remember? I think I figured it out." I chewed on the end of my pen for a second, before realizing feathers taste awful and spitting.

"What do you mean?"

"I think you're just better at remembering things in general," I said slowly, tasting the words. "I got the idea with the <V speech>. I tried to memorize that after hearing it the first time; I barely made it past the first line. Yet you spit the whole thing out, like it was no big deal."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And more than that; those last two bits of poetry, I'm pretty sure I couldn't recite more than the fragment I gave you. I mean, 'The Eagle' isn't any longer than that, but still. Why," I asked plaintively, "do you even get to be better at my own memory than I am?"

"But that can't explain the whole thing, can it?"

"Dunno. But it's a working theory on where the gap comes from. Even explains the block of decimal calculus in your notes. I didn't  do well in that class, but you were throwing integrals around like it was nothing-"

"Wait, what?"

"Oh." I stopped for a second. Had I forgotten to give that back to her before the whole blur of re-entry? It would probably have made her report much easier. "Um, I might need to check my pack, but I picked up the report you made on Sombra when we left the empire. I might still have it in my stuff. Right smack-dab in the middle was a bunch of math I learned a year or so ago, but wasn't very good at. You worked it in human decimal, not Equestrian. If you can remember my own memories better than I can, it might explain how you were able to use it more effectively than me."

"Calculus, calculus...I really want to see this report. You know how, when you first accessed my memories, everything was pretty blurry?"

I nodded; both of us had noticed that. Our first attempts to use the others' memory had been reflexive, and we'd been unaware of what we'd done afterwards.

"You think you did the calculations, and then forgot it?"

"Maybe. But calculus...I'm not sure why, but I just like that word. What does it mean?"

"Um...it's a little hard to put into a short description, even if I was an expert, which I'm not. It's...kinda sorta a way of getting discrete answers for equations that are continually changing, by quantifying the limits of the problem and working from there. I'm not sure if that's...anyways, you were using it for field calculations. Like, the sort of thaumic signatures necessary to force sigilistic patterns through different dimensional layers."

"That...can't be right."

"Maybe I misunderstood the math? But that seemed to be what you were doing."

"No, you don't understand the problem. There's no way to do those calculations. The vectors are morphing in three dimensions, and the whole thing needs to be rotated axially-"

"You can do that with calculus. I mean, I can't, but it's probably doable. I've seen examples of integrals rotated through space. They ought to be solvable."

"Wes." Her voice was flat.

"Y-yes?"

"Get me that report."

"Yes ma'am!" I leaped up, intending to dash off. Just as I did, the roof shook. I paused, my enthusiasm quailing as the ruckus knocked more dirt out of the root-woven ceiling.

"Wes!" An energetic voice exclaimed. I sighed, completely deflating as Pinkie's head appeared in the door. "I was looking for you! Do you know how to play the flugelhorn?"

"I need to move out," I muttered, glancing back as Twilight's giggle rose invisibly from behind the counter.



> 22 - Surprises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wait, you’re seriously leaving?" Twilight pulsed her aura, and her whole mess of notes slammed inwards, forming a neat stack. I cocked an eyebrow, impressed despite myself.

"Yup. I wasn't joking about moving out."

"But...but! I'm close, Wes! I'm nearly there! Human math is crazy cool; with these new tools, I've already resolved the Infinite Stable Loops paradox! I'm re-writing centuries-old axioms in thaumaturgy and science!"

"Again." Spike muttered as he re-shelved a book. Twilight continued heedless.

"One day soon, I'll have some answers. Give me a little more time, and I'll unlock the secrets of numancy as well!"

"Relax, Twilight. It's not like me moving across town is going to...undo your work." I glanced around quickly; I still wasn’t willing to discuss 'soul-bonding' openly. "That would take, like, dimension-hopping. Anyways, you're welcome to visit. I'm not going to stop being your friend because I'm not living in your spare bedroom." I turned back to packing. Twilight dejectedly returned to her calculus proofs and magic research. After I returned her report, she'd dove into math in a big way.

I shook my head; she may have begun with my half-remembered knowledge, but she was already far past that and steadily accelerating. Apparently even most of the Canterlot University math department had stopped asking for updates, content to wait for her to slow down so they could award all her prizes at once.

I'd confirmed my resolve to move, hopefully to somewhere with a lock, after Pinkie dragged me all over town playing the flugelhorn. I'd gone to the Town Hall to make it happen as soon as I escaped. I'd discovered that land on the edge of the Everfree was available to anyone willing to sign a homestead contract and pay taxes. I'd arranged to lease a small house, really more of a shack but enough to keep me dry and warm, and had it dragged over to my homestead before sundown. All I needed to do was dig an outhouse and a well, buy a bed, stove, and fridge, and I'd be good to go. Hmm...maybe a bit more than I thought. But I could deal for now.

It was all remarkably painless, considering what I'd gone through renting apartments back on Earth. I hadn't even been asked for ID. Which was good, because I didn't have any.

I'd been a little surprised at how affordable the whole thing was. Not just homesteading the land, which totally blindsided me, but the rent was significantly less than I'd been expecting. After a bit of research, I concluded I was making rather more money than average. My job required continual exposure to one of the most feared and magically active environments in Equestria, and I had next to no serious competition, which meant what I sold went for premium prices. I just hoped that the Everfree wouldn't cause problems in the long run. Getting eaten or enchanted can seriously crimp your life.

"Hey, look at the bright side," I said morosely to Twilight. "It seems I've finally gotten into a situation where I can't deny Pinkie her party. She was squeaking something about 'hearths-warming' when she found out I'd gotten my own place."

"Oh?" Twilight stacked her notes again. I smirked slightly. Once is impressive, twice is showing off. "Are you really doing a traditional hearths-warming party?"

"Maybe. I have no idea what she's organizing. I felt I owed her one after I shouted her down on having a 'Welcome to Equestria' party, so I gave her free reign in this."

"Hoo boy."

"Heh, well, I think it'll be worth it. But what did she mean about a hearths-warming party? I thought that was just once a year."

"Now it is. But used to be a tradition for moving, or big changes in your life. Invite all your friends over, have a party, exchange presents, and start a 'fire of friendship' as the first fire in the new hearth. Everyone brings something to burn, as you move from one chapter of life to another. It can be pretty cool."

"Sounds like it."

"It's not done traditionally very much anymore, especially with the railway spreading ponies farther than ever. Many new-built towns have everyponies hearths-warming at the same time, instead of a whole series of smaller ones. It’s becoming the norm, and the individual ones happen less and less."

"Neat. Anything I should know?"

"Um...you'll get lots of presents. Probably food, and some practical stuff. We'll light a fire at the end. If you want to burn something, maybe prepare it beforehand?"

"What's the thing about burning mean? Is it something we want to leave behind?"

"Oh! No, not really. No, it's more like...if you burn something in the fire, that's supposed to become part of your friendship, and fill the house. Lots of ponies write something out, or cut shapes out of paper."

"Huh. Cool." I stood for a minute, scratching my chin. I'd already packed my meager belongings. My stubble was starting to get itchy; I sighed, thinking of trying to trim it with my dagger. Hair and nail growth was one of the few things that hadn't been affected by my soul's entrapment. Splinter conjectured it was because they were already dead, but I'd argued that the spell repaired my clothes, and kept my knife shaving sharp. One more argument I'd never have again.

I slid my fingers over my scalp; I'd pulled my hair back and trimmed it into a short queue for a long time, but maybe I could find a razor and barber now that I'd seen quit of those bugs. "Hey, Twilight, any idea where I can get a...mane-cut in this town?" I stumbled slightly, almost saying <hair>, but corrected myself at the last moment. Just because Twilight would understand was no reason for sloppy speaking.

"Ask Rarity," she mumbled, already re-absorbed in her work. I nodded; that should have been my conclusion, as well.

Maybe she'd even find me a razor.





"You undercharged me."

"Really, dear?" Rarity lowered her sewing and looked innocently over her glasses. I sipped my tea and nodded.

"Did you know you have one of the most relaxing houses I've ever been in? Every time I come here, I can't help myself; I end up with 'a spot of tea and a chat.'" I tried to mimic a Canterlot accent. She snorted.

I really did value time at Rarity's; she always made me feel welcome, and gave me an oasis of peace in whatever craziness was swirling through town. Unless she was feeling...Ugh, dramatic. Then, things could get bad.

"Yes, you seriously undercharged me. The material for my shirts is easily worth three times their price." I ran a finger lightly over the cloth she was sewing; it was significantly rougher than what I wore. "Those weren't scraps; they were premium-quality cotton, the best you had. And they might be work clothes, but there's no way you whipped them out in less than a night."

"Pish. I undercharge all my friends." She was doing detail embroidery, using a tiny needle and a horn-held 'thimble' like a tiny steel golf ball.

"Not that much! And you hardly knew me!"

"Would you have taken charity? You didn't have the money to pay, and if I offered you those for free, what would you have done?"

"...refused."

"Right." She nodded firmly. "Sometimes ponies need a hoof-out, and sometimes they need a hoof up. Knowing how much you can give, and when giving will hurt the recipient, is part of true generosity. I had three choices: try to give you the clothes for free, charge you full price, or give you a bargain you'd be willing to take." She neatly snipped her thread, and knotted it in a blink. "Two of those choices would have left you walking away with nothing but your foolish pride." She threw a glare across the table. "I wasn't having any of that stupidity, not if I could help it."

"Haaaah." I rubbed my eyes; it seemed that the Elements had some of the strangest blind-spots. My hands wandered through my hair again and I remembered why I'd come over, before being distracted by small talk and tea. "Hey, Rarity, you wouldn't happen to know where I could get a decent mane-cut, do you? I need to get this shortened, and maybe buy a razor." I rubbed my chin again. I'd tried growing a beard, but my thin brown facial hair came in scraggly and looked awful no matter what I did.

As soon as I said mane-cut, her head snapped around, and her sewing accoutrements sailed back into storage. She folded her glasses and ran a comb through her mane and tail. The sign on the door swung from 'open' to 'closed'.

"Um, Rarity? What are you-"

"Spaaaaaaaaa~!"

"-great."





"No. No! Nonononono, the clothes stay on. ON! Back, back!" I ducked behind the counter, weathering hurt stares from the spa ponies.

"But sir, you can't go in the sauna like that!"

"You...you have a sauna?" I peeked over the countertop. The spa attendants were a matched set, blue and pink mirrors of each other with matching cutie marks, something I'd never seen before.

"Wes, what's keeping you?" Rarity stuck her head back through the door.

"I just wanted a mane-cuuuuuut!" I wailed quietly. "Rarity, what are you doing to me?"

"Oh, come on, Wes. The spa is wonderful! What's the holdup?"

"He won't take off his clothes!" Blue-on-pink said in hurt tones.

"He yelled about it!" Pink-on-blue added, long-suffering.

Rarity glared at me. "Wes, I have no idea why you're being so unreasonable, but surely you don't need to be rude."

"Sorry," I mumbled and curled up into a ball, feeling rebellious and put-upon. "It's a human thing. We wear clothes all the time. I'm...shy. Anyways, I only want a trim! Maybe just in the back...really!"

"Nonsense, Wes, I invited you to the spa, and I really think you'll enjoy it. Stop being such a foal and give it a try. What happened to the big scary human warrior?"

I grimaced. A sauna did sound nice. Wonderful, actually. I hadn't been really clean for...well, a year or so, it seemed. I washed, but I’d gotten out of the habit of bathing. I didn’t really fit pony showers or tubs. And I'd definitely sleep like a rock afterwards.

"...and a massage, and a hooficure, and..." Rarity prattled on about the delights of the spa, while I tried to think of a way out of this dilemma. Wait, did she just say massage? At the thought of a massage, I sat up. I was no snob, but I liked to think I could appreciate the finer things in life. And right now, that meant a sauna and a massage. I could almost feel my muscles melt.

"Um, do you have a towel?" I asked timidly. "Or maybe a robe?" Blue-on-pink smiled indulgently, and set a neatly-folded garment on the counter above my head.

"Of course, sir! You should have asked immediately."





"Aaaaaah." I sighed in pleasure, breathing hot steam as I poured another dipper of water on the rocks. I'd appropriated the bucket and shooed the spa ponies out, although they checked on us every few minutes. Fair enough; having a customer faint in the sauna would be bad. I ran my fingers through my hair again, reveling in how neat it was. It felt good. After so long, I hadn’t realized how much the mess bothered me. I could have cut it shorter myself, but it would have looked horrendous. Also, the 'crew-cut' was pretty pointless when none of your opponents have fingers.

The spa ponies, Lotus Blossom and Aloe, had been shocked by how short I wanted it. Once convinced, though, they'd gone to work with a will. The massage had also been nice...although hooves couldn't hold a candle to fingers in my book. Now we were in the sauna, and I'd exchanged the robe for a towel tied securely around my waist.

"Too bad it's not winter," I said reflectively, relaxing against the warm boards and closing my eyes.

"Hmm? How come?" Rarity and I were the only two in the steam bath, and it was deliciously hot. I preferred it hotter and dryer, but I was starting to feel really sweaty, and loving every minute of it.

"Well, we used to do this back on Earth. But we would do it in the winter, near a lake. We'd cut a hole in the ice and when we got warm, we'd run outside and jump in the water. It's very shocking, very draining."

"I can imagine. I might like to try that." I cracked an eyelid at that; I'd never expected Rarity to be the adventurous sort, but it seemed that she had hidden depths. I shrugged.

"You do have fur." My eyes snapped open and I twitched away. Rarity was examining my light body-hair.

"Erm, yeah. A bit." I'd never really thought of it as 'fur'. I wasn't even very hairy compared to lots of guys. Whichever relative gave me a scruffy beard had left me patchy all over. "Um, Rarity..." She was staring at me, as if searching for something. "You're making me uncomfortable."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. It's just...when you said you were shy, I thought for sure you must have some sort of horrible scar, or something."

"Like this?" I smiled wryly and tapped the gem in the center of my chest. It flickered, casting an instant of purple-edged shadows in the cedar scented dimness.

"But dear, that hardly counts. You can barely tell there was a cut." I looked down; it was true. A slight star of pinkish skin surrounded it, but the gem had healed me as soon as it was grafted in. The scar seemed years old. "If I didn't know better, I'd think it was jewelry. Anyways, your skin changes color all over." Also true. I had a very uneven tan, starting at a light brownish on my hands, and working inwards to a tender pink.

"That's called tanning. The more sun I get, the darker I become." I waved at the lines from a sleeve. "See? My cuffs end here. If I get too much sun, my skin turns really pink and hurts. It's called sunburn. Sometimes it peels."

"Fascinating." Rarity really did seem absorbed in the idea of my skin changing color. "So, tell me the truth now; what is it about humans and clothes?"

"Um, feels like time to rinse off!" I hopped to me feet. "Eeeep!" I gave a very Fluttershy-like squeal, and stopped dead, grabbing for me towel. Rarity had pinned it down with a hoof, nearly pulling it off me. "Ok, ok, fine." I sat back down, and rubbed sweat out of my eyes. "I'll tell you! But this isn't really a secret. Just sorta embarrassing."

I steeled myself. Once Rarity grabbed a hold of an idea, she wasn't one to let go easily. I'd have to tell her eventually, now that her curiosity was piqued. And although she could be a horrible gossip-generous with her words, if you were kind-she wasn't malicious or anything. It would be fine. Probably.  

"The part about warmth and protection really is true. If I tried to spend a day in the Everfree naked, I'd be shredded by thorns and sun-burnt to a crisp. Being shy isn't wrong, either; I've worn clothes so long, going without them feels like...well, you might feel the same if you shaved your mane." She gasped slightly, and I knew I'd scored a hit there. "But there's a bit more to it. Since most all humans wear clothes, it's also the very last step in human courtship...taking them off." Her eyes widened, and I saw she understood my meaning.

"So you mean...it seemed to you...Aloe, and Lotus?" Her jaw dropped, her pupils dilated, and she waved her hooves vaguely in the air. I nodded miserably. "Oh!" she gasped, collapsing into giggles.

"Basically." I deadpanned as she calmed down, sending her off into another fit. The door opened, letting in a draft of chill air; I shot a reproachful glance at blue-on-pink, possibly Aloe. She offered me a tall glass of iced tea as condolences. I took it gratefully and set one by Rarity for when she calmed down.

"So," I asked the spa-pony. "Any idea where I could buy a razor?"





I strolled calmly down the lane to my new house. It had taken me nearly seven hours to make it here from the library, but I'd spent every minute well. I was clean, and wearing clean clothes. I was shaved. I had a haircut. I thought of the razor tucked into my pocket, and smiled.

Things are looking up! I thought, as I opened my new house's new door, planning to unpack and take a good long nap.

"SURPRISE!!"

“Um...hi.” I stood in front of a crowd of grinning ponies. I smiled weakly. So much for my nap. Apparently the Pink Party Pony had taken advantage of my distraction to accelerate her plans. Unless Rarity had been in cahoots. Somehow, Pinkie had squeezed what seemed like most of the population of Ponyville into my uncomfortably small living room slash kitchen.

My eyes swept the room. Colorful streamers hung from the walls and ceiling. Balloons festooned random pieces of furniture. An improbably large cake balanced on my tiny table, and a similarly proportioned pile of presents was heaped to one side.

“Ok, he’s here!” Pinkie bounced to the front of the crowd and let off a popper with a bang, confetti fluttering around her head. “Let’s get this party started!”

Just like that, the whole confusing scenario broke down into herds, lumps, and clots of milling ponies. I took advantage of the confusion to stow my pack in my bedroom.

The party quickly spilled out onto the lawn; my house was about the size of a postage stamp, but it was right on the edge of the town, and there was plenty of green space for mingling. Pinkie flitted through the crowd until I stepped out. As soon as she spotted me, she glued herself to my side and did her absolute best to make sure I was enjoying the party.

The cake, presents, games, and even a lot of the decorations, followed us out of the house. It was a beautiful evening, with a clear sky and air still warm from the summer sun. I was spun past a dizzying blur of names and faces, some of which I even remembered. Pony names were a bit easier for me to recall than human ones. The variety of colors really helped.

After that, the cake was cut. It was amazing. The standard from Pinkie, I was coming to realize. There were other snacks too, although some of them were a bit...odd, to my palate. Hay fries? What is a hay fry even supposed to be? I filled my stomach regardless. Some of it was great, some was merely OK, but I enjoyed it all.

Presents trickled in through the evening. I didn’t get anything really shocking. More food than I could eat, as a start. Most ponies gave me a token for the fire; I got dried flowers, scraps of poetry or well-wishes, bits of wood from odd or significant places, recipes, and even a small bottle of what smelled like alcohol.

“This...is fun,” I said, surprising myself.

“Of course, silly!” Pinkie laughed, and bounced extra-high next to me. “It’s your party! It wouldn’t be very good if it wasn’t fun!”

“No, it’s just…” I paused as we passed the impromptu buffet, and I snagged a glass of...carrot juice? Odd, but tasty. “I didn’t actually expect it to be this much fun. I think I can honestly say that this is one of the nicest parties I’ve ever been to, and probably the best ever thrown for me.”

“Really?!”

“Really.” I stepped back; Pinkie’s bouncing had increased in speed. “I mean, I’ve never been much for crowds, and meeting new people isn’t exactly what I’d consider a good time, but you’ve really made this enjoyable for me. You literally know everypony, and somehow, it’s always interesting to listen to your introductions. Seriously, thanks for this.”

“Aww, you’re welcome!” I flinched as she bounced up and flung her forelegs around my neck. “That’s probably the nicest thanks I’ve ever gotten for a party!” She mumbled in my ear. Just hug the ponies…. I repeated to myself, as I gingerly returned her embrace. Sometimes it helps.

“I bet you say that to everypony.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s not true! Oh!” She zipped off into the crowd again. She must have seen a newcomer.

Sure enough, she returned moments later with a mint-green unicorn who had sun-yellow eyes and a golden...instrument of some sort as a cutie mark. Maybe a harp? She was wearing a black silk top-hat for some reason.

“Wes, this is Lyra! She’s a musician and an equuologist, with her friend Bon-Bon! She’s been living here for a few years; she moved here from Canterlot. Lyra, this is Wes, he’s-”

I froze, absolutely petrified as chilling waves of menace rolled off Lyra.

I’d told Rainbow that I’d been training my fear. That was strictly true. I’d been skeptical when Splinter told me about the idea at first; it sounded like magic, or something from Dragonball. But the technique had proven itself to me many times.

He explained that we perceive our surroundings using all our senses, and our brains process things much faster than we realize. Conscious thought, what we focus our attention on, is only part of the data that we are constantly consuming and digesting. I’d discovered through fighting that my feelings and intuition could be shockingly accurate, and so I’d trained myself to heighten them and watch them.

That was partly why I twitched whenever someone invaded my personal space; it tended to confuse my finely-tuned instincts. Feeding your fear was double-edged; my high strung intuition could lock me up if I found myself up against something out of my league. Literally, paralyzed with fear. Most wouldn’t think Lyra dangerous, but my senses were screaming at me to freeze, hide, melt into the ground, to be absolutely non-threatening. I’d never had this much killing intent thrown my way before. Not even Sombra had seemed this serious about hurting me.

My stare was locked on her golden eyes. I dropped my paper cup. It bounced emptily. I was barely cognizant of Pinkie’s continued introduction.

This pony was dangerous.

I tried to draw a breath, willing myself calm. My eyes flicked across her. She wasn’t obviously threatening, but...a tendon stood out in that leg. Slowly shifting weight betrayed a readiness to strike. Her breathing was tuned to mine. It was the culmination of a hundred small things. I knew for certain that if I attacked, I’d be crushed.

Pinkie gasped somewhere in the distance, as I felt my lips curl back in a savage smile. I winced internally. I’d acted without thinking, but now I couldn’t back down. I prepared for violence and released my own savagery, muscles tensing, weight shifting slowly to the balls of my feet. If I was attacked, I wouldn’t go quietly.

Suddenly, Lyra relaxed imperceptibly and the pressure was gone. My stance crumbled as I shook slightly from the rush of adrenaline, but the unicorn in front of me seemed absolutely ordinary and harmless now. She smiled cheekily, and winked at me from under the brim of her top hat.

“It’s nice to meet you, Wes! You’re just as talented as I’ve heard; I’m very impressed. I’d like to get to know you more later.” She nodded goodbye, and trotted off.

I drew in a shaky breath. Holy crow that was intense. I calmed slowly, bending to pick up my cup and forcing my savagery back.

“Wes, are you OK?” I looked up. Rainbow hovered in front of me, her eyes mere inches from my face. I jerked away; her eyes widened as I flowed backwards, falling into a fighting stance for an instant.

“Don’t do that!” I snapped, relaxing.

“Wow, something really did rattle you.” She floated to the ground, and gave Pinkie a re-assuring wave. “He’ll be fine, Pinks. Let me talk to him for a bit, I’ll get him sorted.” Pinkie nodded, and bounced off into the crowd. “So, Wes, what was that about?”

“Um…” I rubbed my chin, realized I didn’t have stubble anymore, and dropped my hand lamely. “What did Pinkie say?”

“She said she was introducing you to somepony and you both sorta froze up, then you got, and I quote, ‘super-duper scary looking’. And now I find you raring for a fight? What are you thinking?”

“Do...do you know a green unicorn named Lyra?”

“Yeah?”

“She’s deadly.”

“What?”

“No, for real! She stared me down, and I locked up. I was absolutely sure she meant to harm me. She’s got something serious going on.”

“Hmm.” Rainbow rubbed her forelock absently.

“What do you know?”

“Not much. I mean, it’s obvious she has some martial training; anyone who knows what to look for could tell you that. But she’s been living here for a few years, and she’s always been sweet and polite to everyone. Never even been in a fight as far as I can tell.”

“That’s the thing; she didn’t attack me, either. Just...menaced me, and then said something about me being talented and left. Oh, and she wants to talk later or something.”

“Huh. But she didn’t do anything?”

“No. Though it would be silly to try anything in this crowd.”

“Well, sure. But she’s given up any element of surprise. If she did mean you harm, and is as dangerous as you say-”

“She is.”

“-then she could have hurt you at any time before this, or after this, and you’d never have stood a chance. You know what I think?”

“Yeah?”

“I think she was level with you. She was testing you somehow, and honestly wants to talk to you. You’ve mentioned your instincts before. Maybe she has something similar, and wanted to see your response?”

“That...hmm.” thinking of that as just a test was slightly scary. I didn’t like being measured so easily. I’d just been stretched to the breaking point. If Lyra could do that casually, she was impressive both in ability and for pulling it off in a crowd while avoiding notice. I shook my head slowly; I was starting to accept Rainbow’s explanation, but I didn’t like it much.

Was I really that much of an amateur? I couldn’t hold a candle to Captain Shining, and most of the veteran Guard were above me, but to be so overmatched by...by a random passerby in this tiny little town? I was a little miffed. I’d thought I was doing pretty good, for a non-magical being.

On the other hand, I knew from Splinter the extent I’d trained my instincts wasn’t a level a casual fighter could reach. It took years of serious training, or hundreds of life-or-death fights, to reach the point I was at. If Rainbow had been standing next to me she might have felt something, but it wouldn’t have made nearly the impact. Maybe Lyra really did just want to see my reaction and send a message.

“She’s lived here for years?”

“Yup.”

“Sweetness and light to everypony?”

“Yup.”

“Not a changeling?”

“Hah. No, the wards are functioning, or we’d hear the alarms.”

“Dang.” I rubbed my eyes. “Fine. I don’t know what her game is, but you’re right. All in all, she didn’t hurt me. No more damage than a nasty prank.” I yawned, stretched, and walked away from the party.

The sun had gone down and lanterns had been lit, hung in strings from branches and eaves, leaving the whole gathering a dappling of dim lamplight under the cool moon. I was exhausted; first the spa, and then the party, and now random challenges from unknown combatants. I really needed a nap.

“Where are you going?” Rainbow flitted beside me.

“I’m going to find a quiet place and take a nap.”

“But what about the party? Pinkie?”

“It’s my party, I can sleep if I want to,” I smirked, and after a few minutes walk, found a comfy-looking spot under a pine tree in a park. The needles were soft, it smelled nice, and the air was warm. Rainbow turned back as soon as I made my intentions perfectly clear. I pillowed my head on my arms, and gazed up at the stars through the knobbly branches.

What a day. I closed my eyes.





When I re-opened them, the tree was gone.

“Woah.” I sat up, rubbing my eyes. “Oh, I’m dreaming.” I caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of my eye, and turned to find I had a visitor. “Good evening, Your Highness.” Princess Luna flicked a midnight ear in acknowledgement. “Any particular reason for this visit?”

“Thou-ahem, you were going to have a nightmare. I thought you might appreciate a little assistance.”

“Thank you.” I glanced around, and lay back down. We were in the middle of a grassy field, with a soft, sweet-smelling wind sighing around us. It was night here as well, but the stars were even thicker and more beautiful. “Do you actually rearrange the stars?” I’d been curious since I learned of her domain.

“No. Well, it might appear that way.” Although we spoke softly, the quiet air carried our words clearly. “The stars themselves are far beyond my purview. However, on occasion I have bent the light that comes from them, seemingly moving them to another part of the sky. It isn’t something I make a habit of, and it is not permanent. Why?”

“Oh, mostly curiosity. Partly, though, somepony mentioned that it might be possible that I was transported from a different planet, instead of a different world. I thought that, if you moved the stars...well, maybe you could say.”

“No. Not even I have that sort of power. But, I can not say it is impossible.”

“Mmm.” I plucked a stem of grass, and chewed thoughtfully. “No moon here?”

“No.” Her voice was quiet, and I left it at that.

“Is this your dream?”

“Yes. I pulled you from your own, as it started to...deteriorate. Are your dreams getting worse?”

“Actually, I think they’re getting better. I should really start journaling them. I bet Twilight would be interested, at least. Hey, I was wondering; your speech is much less formal. Why is that?”

“I have been attempting to align my speech with the current mode. It is simple enough, but takes more concentration than seems warranted.”

“I know how that goes. I tried learning another language once, and man! Not easy.” We were silent for another minute.

“Wes, what are your plans?” I opened my eyes. I’d been enjoying the feeling of complete relaxation. It’s not often you get to dream of watching yourself sleep.

“Not sure.” I yawned. “I mean, I don’t have anything specific. I’ve secured a place to stay, and I have something like a job, although it’s not a steady income. I think I can make ends meet. Pinky even threw me a party.”

“I know.” Luna’s voice was laced with mirth. “I was given an invitation.”

“Oh really?” Heh, Pinkie. "Um...short term, can’t say. Long term…? Well...I’d like to go home.” I stood, stretched, and ran my fingers through my hair. I frowned, and concentrated. It crawled and re-formed itself into my new haircut. Luna smiled at that.

“I do like it here, but don’t really think I belong. I know,” I held up a hand to forestall her, “if I wanted to, I’m sure I could make it my home.”

I paced back and forth a bit, reveling in the feeling of cool grass on bare feet. “When Princess Celestia first mentioned returning to my world, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I’d never understood that figure of speech. I don’t know if she told you, but I broke down...cried like a baby.” I sighed.

“See, I’d given up on it. When the option was...returned, I couldn’t help but grasp at it. Then, I’d have liked nothing more. Now I’ve had time to think...I can’t say I’ve come up with a better answer. But...home.” I stared at the sky, trying to sort my jumbled thoughts.

“I used to stargaze back on Earth. Do you mind?” I waved at the sky. She shook her head mutely. I snapped my fingers and the sky flashed, Equestria’s foreign constellations dissolving into the familiar ones of Earth.

“Home.” I said again. “Look. There’s the Big Dipper.” I traced it with a finger, and glowing lines illuminated it briefly. “If you follow the last two stars of the cup, you can find Polaris. In my sky, it’s a fixed point, consistent; head towards the Pole Star, and you’re going north.” I studied it for a second, and flopped down on the grass. As I stopped concentrating the sky blurred, thousands of memories of different starscapes smearing the sky into an indecipherable smudge.

“Sorry. You can have it back. My feelings are complicated. For now, I’m going to focus on returning...home. I don’t know what it’ll take, but I need a long-term goal. A guide star. My life has changed drastically in the past few weeks. Most has been good. Despite - or because of - that, if I don’t have something to focus on, something to work towards, I feel like I’m drifting.”

“I know your feelings, I think.” I glanced at her. Her eyes were downcast, though the constellations had re-formed. “I once felt myself drifting, lost of purpose. It can be distinctly unpleasant.” Her huge eyes locked onto mine. “How are you dealing with...the rest?”

“It’s hard to say.” I scratched my head. “The dreams do seem to be receding. I think what we did, cleaning out the nest, gave me a little closure. But I still have hurts, maybe. I was no expert on human mental health even before this.” I shrugged.

“I’ve heard of people who’ve had worse problems. I don’t think I’ve ended up with split-personality disorder or anything like that. I don’t know the symptoms or the treatment for post-traumatic stress. I...I think I’m OK? At least for now.” My mind flickered back to the poetry I’d been trying to recall for Twilight.

“I’m not afraid of moving forward, though. At least half an experience is what you make of it, and for now I feel strong enough to do my best and work with my friends to make things better. Although life has it’s ups and downs, hope can always be found if you look. There’s a bit of a poem I always liked…

'Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.'

"Sometimes life sucks. But that doesn’t mean we should give up on it.” I sat quiet for a second. “Sorry. I kinda went off on a tangent.” Luna shook her head gently.

“Think it nothing. Your sharing is appreciated; even a Princess can use encouragement sometimes.”

We rested. The wind sighed. The grass rustled.

“Would you…” Luna started slowly, and glanced away when I turned to her. “Would you be willing to show me more of the constellations from...Earth?” She asked quietly. The sky swam, and re-constructed itself into the scene I’d showed her earlier.

“Sure.” I pointed upwards, at a sharp vee of stars. “Look, that’s the horns of Taurus, the bull…”





I pried my eyes open and sat up. I was a little stiff from sleeping on the ground and little chilly from the night air. I’d spent what seemed like several hours with Princess Luna, though she assured me it was much less.

I stood and stretched, remarkably refreshed. She’d sent me back, saying that to miss the first fire for my own home would be rude to my guests and friends. I yawned and started back.





“-and then write on his face!” Rainbow exclaimed, as I approached the Elements. They  formed a small arc near the punch bowl.

“Rainbow, we are not pranking Wesley at his first party here!” Rarity retorted. “Anyways, if you tried to do all that-”

“Um, girls?” Fluttershy tried to interject while I paced quietly up behind the others.

“-you would probably set yourself on fire. Not to mention the rest of us.”

“Oh yeah?” The chromatic wonder retorted. “Just you watch, I’d-”

“Girls, see, the thing is-”

“-be fine! And even if I wasn’t, it’s not like-”

“Wes is sneaking up behind you right now, and-”

“BOO!” I yelled. Fluttershy sighed as the other five shrieked and tied themselves into a whimpering pastel knot. I nearly fell over laughing.

“Yeah, Rainbow?” I gasped, between breaths. “Who’s going to prank who?”

“Oh...oh!” she growled, as they untangled themselves. “Now you’ve started it, buster! You have no idea what you’re in for! I’m going to-”

“You’re back!” Pinkie interrupted. “Now we can start the fire!” Rainbow muttered dire imprecations as the party planner led us away.

Tinder and logs were laid in a fire-ring, cut neatly into the grass and circled with bricks. The basket of flammables, which had been filling throughout the night, sat near. I took the striker from Pinkie and sent a shower of sparks into the pit.

A curl of smoke ascended from the tinder and I breathed on it softly, coaxing the tiny coals into flame. Within moments, tongues of fire licked up the logs, illuminating our surroundings and warming us gently. I picked something randomly from the gifts and fed it into the conflagration.

Soon the basket was empty, and a small haze of sweet smelling smoke drifted around us. I fumbled in my pocket and pulled out the paper I’d prepared earlier.

“What’s yours?” Twilight asked as I unfolded it, showing a crude drawing.

“A <pineapple>.” I said. “I don’t know the Equestrian word. They’re a symbol of hospitality in my world. I thought, well, I don’t want to ever be short of visitors.” As I flattened the paper, another piece fell free. I picked it up with a frown. It was small and dark blue, with a silver crescent inlaid. Ah. I thought. From Luna. I fed it into the fire with my own.

“Look!” Applejack pointed. The dark paper had given off a wisp of glowing blue smoke, which didn’t drift in the wind; instead, it floated into the sky. A few stars glittered and drifted slightly, forming a familiar pattern.

“Heh. Heh hahhaha!” The others looked curiously as I laughed, staring up at the Big Dipper, transplanted into the Equestrian the sky. For a while it seemed, I’d have my guiding star.



> 23 - Mail
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Knock-Knock-Knock

“Coming!” I called. I rolled off my makeshift bed and rubbed my eyes. A sunbeam marked halfway across the floor; I’d slept in. I grimaced a bit, but I’d expected that. I didn’t exactly get to bed early last night. At least I’d slept like a rock.

I stumbled to the door in my pyjamas, and swung it open with a yawn.

“Yes?”

“Delivery for a Wesly Kilmer?” I rubbed my eyes again, and peered down into the face of a slightly goofy-looking gray pegasus. I accepted the clipboard, and signed with a flourish.

“How does this thing work?” I asked, inspecting the tip of the stylus I’d been passed.

“Ink in the paper, I think?” The mailmare replied, pausing to tear off a receipt.

“You’re...Derpy, right?” I asked, watching curiously as the pile of mail slowly grew.

“Mhmm.”

“That seems different from most the names I’ve heard.”

“It’s a type of flower.” She laid one last package on top of the pile, and smiled at me. “That’s all, sir! Have a nice day!”

“Thanks. You too.” I gathered up my mail, and stepped back inside. Hmm. First day at my new adress, and it was already getting use. I wished for a decent chair, sat on the floor, and started in on them.

“Confirming the homestead application for Mr. Wesley Kilmer…”

Government paperwork. 

“Change of address confirmation for…”

Same.

“Apologies for not attending your Hearths-warming…”

Hmm, a belated gift. I’d have to ask Twilight what was appropriate.

“Ten percent off! Fifteen percent off! TWENTY PERCENT OFF…”

Spam? Pony spam? The day after moving in...oh wait, this is for sofas. I could actually use one of those.

I paused at the next, curious as soon as I touched it. I could feel the quality of the paper immediately; the envelope was heavier, and much smoother. It was sealed with a delicate piece of foil, intricately embossed and firmly attached.

Is that real gold leaf? I carefully tore it open, and slid out a very official-looking document.

“You have been granted an audience with Her Royal Majesty, Princess Celestia, Guardian of...yadda yadda, titles, names...Ah. Day before the summer sun celebration, Golden Oaks Library? Huh. What have I done to merit a Royal Edict?” I flipped the decree over, wondering what this was about; on the back, delicate script caught my eye.

Dear Wes

Sorry to surprise you with this, but I have no time to visit, much as I’d have liked to attend your Hearths-warming.

Your homestead application has been unconditionally approved. However, since you’re living here, I’d like you to be a citizen of Equestria. For various reasons, I think the best way to accomplish this is to swear you in as an auxiliary guard.

This will formally naturalize you, and open a few other opportunities. Captain Shining has agreed, so unless you refuse, we will have a minimal ceremony next time I’m in Ponyville.

Hugs and cake,
Celestia.

I blinked stupidly at the letter for a few seconds before shrugging and adding a few questions about Equestrian law to my mental list of ‘things to ask Twilight’. I started a pile of ‘important mail’, next to the piles of ‘spam’ and ‘save for later’, and wished for my file-box, or at least a three-ring-binder.

I wonder if I can get those here? I mused for a moment over the intricacies of fabricating office products before coming to myself and picking up the next package, a wooden crate about the size of a banana box. I prized the lid off with the point of my knife, revealing a canvas-wrapped bundle and a piece of stationery.

Mr. Wesley Kilmer

As part of the survey concerning the captured changeling fort, a team scanned for symmetrical non-organic objects in hopes of discovering your arrival point. They were much surprised by their findings, and after examining them, I am returning what they found to you, as the rightful owner. Unfortunately, much of what was discovered was ruined by exposure, but a few interesting artifacts have survived.

If you would be willing, a few ponies have expressed curiosity over the nature of these things; apparently, specimen three is ordered on such a basic level it overloaded the locating spell several times, while specimen five is obviously utilitarian, but made of exceedingly rare metal.

I am exceedingly curious about the science that makes these possible.

I must sorrowfully inform you that although extensive scanning of the area was performed, no discernible traces of magic have remained; as of yet, we are unable to progress towards returning you to your home, or even conjecture whether your transportation was by intentional magic.

May the stars guide you;
Princess of the Dark Throne,
Sovereign of the Night,
Luna.

My stuff? I thought excitedly, standing and carefully lifting out the bundle. I hoisted it onto the table, untied it, and began examining what I’d recovered, laying the ‘specimens’ out one at a time.

Number one was a small bundle of fiberglass poles and sun bleached shreds of nylon. All that remained of my tent.

Number two was my stainless teakettle.

Number three was my digital watch, although missing the strap. I grinned at that. I’d taken it off for the weekend, and the battery was good for years.

Number four was my set of stainless silverware.

Number five was my cast-aluminum dutch oven. Rare metal? I’d have to ask about that.

Number six was my metal water bottle.

I sighed as I lifted the last piece out of the bundle; apparently, the changelings had destroyed my backpack and the contents after all. Still, this was miles better than nothing. I wondered for a second about my sleeping bag, but it was probably ruined; although warm, it hadn’t been expensive.

There were a few more letters, but nothing really interesting. A few belated gifts; one was just a paper cut-out. I tidied my piles, and moved them to the counter.

“Achooo!” I wiped my nose, and looked around. Maybe it was dustier in here than I’d thought. I added ‘broom’ to my shopping list, and got ready to head into town.





“I’ll take this one.” I scanned the runic entropy pump attached to back, grasping at Twilight’s knowledge to confirm my first impression; this fridge was solidly made.

“But this unit-” The salespony pointed to a larger, and rather more expensive, cooler.

“Too big.”

“Or maybe this-” One with two doors. Also, more expensive.

“Nope. I want this one.”

The salespony seemed a little chagrined to be shot down without being able to even make a decent pitch, but when I pulled out my purse, he cheered up again.

“Can you have it delivered?”

“Of course!”

“Sweet.” I gave him my address. I was nearly done shopping, and my purse was getting rather flat. I’d have been worried about eating for the next week or so, but  I’d been gifted a surprising amount of food. Hopefully rent wouldn’t be a problem, because I’d budgeted pretty closely.

"Achoo!" I sneezed as discretely as I could, and thanked the sales clerk.

"Cold?" He asked, passing me a receipt. "You should get something for that." I wiped my nose. It was starting to feel like either a cold or allergies.

"Any suggestions on clearing my sinuses?"

"I swear by the cough drops at the store around the corner." He pointed to the left. "It's called Sweet Drops. Can't miss it."

"Ok. Thanks." I tucked the receipt into a pocket, and stepped out the door. Maybe I could get a free sample or something. Maybe they cost less than two bits. No harm in asking.

Sweet Drops was right where he’d said. I turned the corner and discovered a two-story brown building, done in the vaguely European style most of Ponyville used. The name was painted on the wide glass front window, displaying a dizzying assortment of candies, sweets, and confections. An ‘open’ sign, neatly lettered in vaguely antique-looking calligraphy, hung in the door. I pushed it open and stepped through, smiling at the gentle chimes which announced me.  

“Just a moment,” a pleasant voice called from the back. I took the opportunity to glance around, suddenly feeling like a child.

The store was crowded. Almost every square foot of floor was covered with racks, barrels, shelves, baskets, stands, tables, bottles, bags, and boxes of candy. I saw gumdrops, lollipops, lemon drops, jawbreakers, peppermints, and, mmmm, chocolate.

There were plenty of things I’d been surprised to find in Ponyville. Coffee, for instance. Oranges. Here was another, chocolate. I don’t know when or where chocolate had been introduced to Western culture on Earth...maybe Marco Polo? Was there a pony Marco Polo? It must have come a long ways. Regardless, it was one of my favorites. White, dark, milk; I wasn’t picky.

I drifted over towards the display, feeling my purse. It seemed that what ponies did, they did to perfection. I imagined the difference between box cake and Pinkie’s cake, and tried to apply that to chocolate. The difference between a two-dollar Hersheys bar, and Swiss confectionery? Would these be even better than that? Maybe if I ate nothing but apples and foraged in the woods this week, I could-

“Oh, you came!”

I spun, thoughts of chocolate fleeing. I fell into a defensive stance on hearing the voice of my mysterious assailant, Lyra, the mint-green unicorn. She had come through the door from the back of the shop and I hadn’t noticed.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d laid it on too thick! I thought maybe I’d scared you, but if you’re here then-” I ignored her outburst. She started bouncing excitedly in place, talking the whole time.

“Lyra, are you bothering the customers again?” A cream-colored earth pony with a distinctive blue and pink mane stepped out of the back room, cutting her off. The newcomer was wearing a smudged white apron and carrying a ladle covered in something dark, which she carelessly laid on the counter. She glanced at my trapped expression, and gently pushed Lyra back through the door. “You stir the fudge, dear. I’ll help him.”

“But Bon-Bon-”

“But no, Lyra. Look, he’s obviously uncomfortable with your chatter.”

“You’re not the boss of me! I need to talk to him about-”

“No, see, I actually am; I write you a check each month and everything. Go on now.” She shooed Lyra again, and the green unicorn turned sulkily away. I relaxed slightly as she slouched back into the kitchen.

“Sorry about that. Lyra can be very enthusiastic at times, but she means well. I’m Bon-bon, and you’re...Wesley, right? I didn’t see you the other night; your friends said you’d gone off for a break from the noise.”

I sighed slightly and straightened.

“Yeah. I’m Wesley, but please call me Wes; everyone does. Sorry for not greeting you at the party. I was feeling a little...overwhelmed.”

“Heh, I understand.” She brushed her apron with one hoof, creating several new smears, and stepped up behind the counter. “Think nothing of it. Now, what are you here for? Can I get you something?”

“Um…” I cast a longing eye back at the chocolates. “I was told that you sell cough drops here. How much?”

She turned to the shelf behind her, and flipped a small brown-paper bundle onto the table.

“My special menthol blend. One bit, two dozen.” I dug out the coin, and it clinked on the counter. I paused for a second.

 “Well...to be honest, I probably should talk to Lyra. She said something...odd... at my hearth-warming and sorta invited me to visit her. She’s probably excited because she thinks that’s why I’m here. But, um, maybe outside?” I glanced around the shop again. I was probably over-reacting, but I wanted to be able to run if I felt like it. Bon-bon gave me a curious look, but nodded.

“There’s a bench in the circle just down the road. If you want, I’ll ask her to meet you there.”

“Thanks.” I glanced at the chocolates again. “Just out of curiosity...do you give free samples?”

> 24 - Faceoff
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Twilight, why are you sneaking up on me?” I threw an arm over the back of the park bench I was lounging on, and peered over my shoulder at the purple mare, who had a slightly guilty look on her face.

“Um…”

“No, wait. Rainbow put you up to it, right? I bet she said something like ‘Hey, betcha can’t tap Wes on the shoulder’. Is she still mad at me for scaring her?”

“...um.” Twilight coughed sheepishly, and glanced innocently at the flowers planted artistically around the small garden circle.

“Rainbow!” I called.

“Dang it Wes, how do you do that?” Rainbow swooped in, alighting nearby.

“I told you; I listen to my instincts. Well, and I miiiiight be a bit more keyed up than usual, since I’m waiting for-oh, and here she is.”

I pointed down the road. The door to Sweet Drops opened and Lyra stepped through, carrying a paper bag. We stared unabashedly at her approach.

“Um, hi.” She glanced nervously at Twilight and Rainbow. “Bon-bon sent these.” She tossed me the bag and I snagged it, carefully keeping my line-of-sight clear. I grinned unconsciously; Bon-bon sent fudge! “I, uh…” Her voice trailed off, and she coughed once. “I think we may have gotten off on the wrong hoof, Wes.”

“Maybe.” I stared coolly through her; I wouldn't make this easier for her. “What do you mean to say?”

“Well, see-”

“Aw, cut her some slack.” Rainbow interjected. “Listen, Lyra, he’s OK. You just rattled him, and he’s a little sore. Come on, Wes, don’t hold it against her.”

I sighed and relaxed a little. Rainbow’s plea made acting martyred seem about as petty as it really was.

“Fine.” I nodded to Lyra. “Fine, Rainbow, I get it. Listen, Lyra; she’s not wrong. You scared me half to death, and it’s making me a little...wary of you, but if you say you’re here in good faith, I’ll take your word for it.”

Lyra nodded fervently, a grin spreading across her face.

“You have my word! Sorry for scaring you like that; I didn’t know you’d take it so hard, you’re much harder to read than a pony! I just wanted to say hi, and to gauge you, and, well, maybe let you know that there are other ones of us here in Ponyville! I thought that-”

“Wait, wait. Other ones of...us? What do you mean?”

“Martial artists! I mean, serious ones. No offense, Rainbow."

“Nah, it’s cool. My job is weather; I don't practice, really.”

“But-” I started, then stopped, mouth hanging open. “Huh. I guess I am. I never really thought of myself like that, but I am a serious martial artist.”

“Serious, and seriously talented! I haven’t seen anypony who can read the atmosphere like you for a long while! How long have you been training for? Do you follow some tradition from your homeland? I have some questions about that, actually, if you don't mind!”

“Um.” I rubbed my forehead. After actually meeting Lyra, she seemed much less menacing. She was...bubbly. And silly. Overenthusiastic. Adding those qualities to ‘dangerous’ made her much more approachable. “First, at my party, you said you'd heard about me. Who from?”

“A pony in the guard.” She stopped, obviously uncomfortable with our stares. “Aw, come on! That’s all I can say; I might not be on the scene right now, but I can’t go around revealing Underground names. He's called Halfbrick on the scene, if that helps.”

“What is she talking about?” I asked Rainbow, who was nodding.

“The Canterlot Underground. It's...an illegal fighting club? An outlaw group? Twilight, can you explain it?”

“It’s...well, actually, it’s not illegal.”

“Really?” Both Lyra and Rainbow asked, surprised.

“Really. The law is...cleverly worded. As long as they’re discreet, and keep things under control, they’re clear. The whole thing is secretly designed to perpetuate unicorn martial traditions. Dueling and and civilian demonstration are prohibited, but as long as no-pony dies or reports them, they’re actually legit. It all hangs on some rather obscure records, which-”

“Right, right. Sorry, shouldn’t ask an egghead for clarification,” Rainbow cut back into the discussion. “Anyways, Wes, The Canterlot Underground is where all the strongest, coolest, and all-round most dangerous fighters can be found. Lyra, how high did you place?”

“Well,” Lyra preened slightly, “It’s poor manners to say yourself, but I was a pony of some distinction.”

“Really?” Twilight was intrigued now. “You actually made it that high?” Lyra grinned, obviously enjoying the attention.

“Higher than that.”

“No way!” Rainbow breathed. “You don’t mean?” Lyra nodded firmly.

“I placed in The Tournament.” Both my friends gasped slightly. “I’m not really supposed to do this, but...can you three keep a secret?” They nodded. "You might know me better as Harmonics."

"You're Harmonics?" Rainbow was truly flabbergasted.

"Huh?" The jargon was becoming steadily more confusing, and I was starting to get annoyed. I nudged Twilight, hoping for an explanation while Rainbow fan-mare'd for a bit."What's this tournament?"

"The Fighting is Magic tournament. It's the apex of the whole thing. Competing in it is the whole point of joining the Underground. It's a series of a dozen or less matches, and it's absolutely brutal." Twilight muttered to me. "There's no sign-up, or schedule, or anything; to be included, you need to be on the scene, and you need to be widely acknowledged. Even then, selection's pretty arbitrary."

"You need to be good?"

"More than that; you need to be good AND lucky. She just told us her ring-name, which shows she trusts us. The Underground is kinda picky about keeping your identity a secret. It's sorta silly, actually."

"The first rule of the Underground is you don't talk about the Underground." I murmured. She snorted, but nodded.

"You came in second?" Rainbow squealed.

"Only second?" I said, turning back towards them. Rainbow shot me an incredulous look.

"You don't get it, Wes. Second is incredible; first is impossible. The top spot has been held by the same pony for years now. She runs the Underground, and sets the whole thing up; just being able to face her is a huge honor!"

"Really?" Twilight asked, suddenly interested. "Did you ever meet her?"

"Yeah!" Lyra said. "She's called Lahar, and-"

"Wait."Twilight cut in, obviously shocked. "Huge earth pony, steel blue, ash mane, marked with a flaming gavel? That Lahar?"

"It's a gavel?" Lyra asked. "That makes much more sense! But wait-how do you know her?"

"Well, that's...um, not really my story to tell."Twilight stammered, shaking her head. "Sorry." Both Rainbow and Lyra looked disappointed, but dropped it.

"Anyways, Wes, we should fight sometime!" Lyra exclaimed, bouncing slightly.

"No."

"Aw, come on, Wes!" Rainbow said. "It would be really cool to watch! Don't be a fraidy-cat!"

"It's not that I'm afraid, Rainbow. I'd certainly lose, but that's not the point. Fighting isn't a sport for me. I don't do it for fun. I don't particularly like it, and I don't think this sort of thing is a very good idea."

"Cuz of that?" Rainbow asked. I nodded.

"Hmm?" Lyra glanced back and forth between us.

"He's a bit of a...berserker."

"That's what Halfbrick said." Lyra fixed me with a stare. "He was at the changeling assault. He said you went feral in the courtyard, and nearly got yourself killed." I nodded somberly, thinking on my fight with Gash. I'd been stupidly reckless. "A berserker. You're afraid." She studied me for a second. "Of...yourself?" I hesitated, but nodded. Lyra chewed on the corner of her lip for a second. "You didn't learn to fight conventionally, did you." I shook my head. She lowered her eyes in thought. "Please, fight me!" she said finally, looking up. Rainbow shot me a pleading look. I even caught a sparkle of interest in Twilight's eye. I thought for a good minute, considering.

"Fine." I rubbed my eyes. "I don't really like getting drubbed, but I'll indulge your curiosity. As long as you're confident you can keep us from getting hurt."

"No fear," she chirped. "I'll take you seriously."

"Good. Ok." I pushed down my apprehension, and stood. "Where are we doing this?"





"Hey, this is pretty cool." Rainbow glanced around the clearing I'd begun hacking in the woods behind my house.

"Thanks." I was stretching, preparing for our bout. We'd decided my backyard was good enough as an arena. "Eventually, I plan to cultivate some of the plants I'm gathering. I think I'm far enough into the Everfree to get magical effects. I just hope it doesn't attract trouble."

"Hey, Wes..." Twilight murmured, as Rainbow left to check on Lyra's preparation.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking...my magic has somewhat restored. Would you mind if I tried channeling a bit? I'd really like to observe your mindset...from the inside, as it were."

"Um. You want to try a soul-link? While I fight?"

"Yeah! We could get a better idea of what bothers you. I think we can link shallowly, just to observe." I frowned, but considered it. Honestly, I was curious. I'd thought Twilight would be adverse to experimenting because of her last experience, but this was her second time suggesting it. I snuck a sideways glance; she didn't seem apprehensive. Maybe curiosity outweighed stress? Maybe she was better at coping than me? Maybe I was overestimating the impact.

"That...could be pretty neat. But would Lyra notice? Would it be distracting?"

"I don't think Lyra would notice. It's low-profile magic. Not even a spell, really, and she isn't a very powerful unicorn." Twilight looked a little embarrassed at that. "Not to disparage her, but...yeah. As for distracting, I couldn't say. You're the one fighting."

"Hmm." I contemplated the idea a bit more. The last few times we'd done this, it had been in times of extreme stress, and it had mostly overtaken my perception of events. Even though I'd continued functioning, I hadn't been thinking much, so it hadn't affected my thoughts. Although I'd survived by luck and instinct, I couldn't count on that; at some point, we needed to understand what was happening. If we could investigate in a controlled way, we might even turn it into an advantage. As long as...

"This...is it dangerous? I mean, what would it do to our synchronicity?" She frowned thoughtfully at that.

"I think using the bond shallowly wouldn't affect us badly. Most of the damage from previous incidents was caused by soul-burning, which is generally a bad idea. By our current measurements, we're just over seven percent merged. Channeling certain magic patterns increases that, but as far as I can tell, it's only temporarily."

"Only temporary? No side effects? That's...suspiciously convenient. You know what they say; if it sounds too good to be true-"

"It probably is. I know." She frowned. "That's part of why I want more information. I can't help thinking we're missing something."

I mused on that. She was right, we had to be missing something. Too good to be true didn't half cover it. We were working with obscure, half-improvised spells and high-energy arcane constructs hooked directly to intimate portions of our energy signatures. Messing with that, even a bit, should have disastrous consequences. What were the chances something like this would just...work? We really did need to know more, because it's the trap you don't see that kills you.

"Ok." I nodded agreement. "Give it a go before Lyra gets here, and let's see what it's like." Twilight nodded back, and closed her eyes. A nearly imperceptible glow pulsed along the length of her horn, and I gasped.

"Are you OK?" she asked, snapping her eyes open.

"Yeah, but..." I put a hand to my temple. "That feels weird." It was sorta-kinda like what I'd experienced before, but the scope was different. The sensation was nearly indescribable; I sensed Twilight's presence clearly in my head, but now the delineation between us was clear. It was like an eye opened in my brain, viewing a dimly lit room. I had an impression of her thoughts, a calm stream of calculation and logic, underpinned by stronger, slower currents of emotion and feeling. Concentrating, I caught glimpses of deeper thought-structures; the dark depths of her subconscious gleaming turgid and incomprehensible for a fleeting second.

Before, the flow of thought and instinct had been furious and overwhelming, drawing us together on a level deeper than thought. This was much less immersive, but fascinating in its own way. As I studied the phenomena the connection slowly widened, until Twilight firmed her concentration.

"Ooop!" She regulated the magic flow, and the window narrowed. "I'll need to watch the power level. This is fascinating, though! Do you always think like that?"

"Um...probably?" As I spoke, her impression of my thought process leaked across; a glimpse of ideas constantly scattering and gathering like birds, each contributing, but with multiple streams of thinking that fought for attention from my consciousness. In comparison to her orderly progression of thoughts, it seemed messy and confusing, though it felt normal to me.

"Woah!" Suddenly dizzy, I staggered. As I saw her view my thoughts, a feedback loop formed with a snap. It crumbled a second later, but I momentarily felt caught between mirrors, perception bouncing between us in a dizzying cycle of viewpoints.

"Sorry!" Twilight gasped, leaning against me in an attempt to offer support. "I think I've got that under control." My perception of her shifted slightly as she adjusted the connection.

"As long as it doesn't come up during the match. That was distracting." We fell silent as Lyra and Rainbow approached.

"Ready?" Rainbow asked, with barely concealed excitement.

"Yup," I said.

"Sure!" Lyra exclaimed. Our audience stepped back to the edge of the circle. My clearing wasn't very large. Barely enough space for a small garden, fire pit, and picnic-table if I ever got around to building one. The win would be decided by loss of consciousness.

There was no ring, and surrender wasn't allowed.

I fell into a fighting stance, just as Lyra's menace washed me like a wave. I felt Twilight recoil in my mind as the she experienced the brunt of trained killing intent for the first time through our link. I smirked slightly at that. I was anticipating questioning her on what this looked like.

I expected this fight to move in waves.

For some reason Lyra was seriously evaluating my fighting potential, which intrigued me. At first I'd thought of her as simply threatening and spiteful, but it slowly become clear this wasn't the case. She was a bit too invested for mere curiosity, as well. I was unsure of her reasons, but she was working towards a higher goal here, and though her intentions seemed good, I couldn't guess them yet.

But I was OK with that.

I wasn't a foolishly trusting person, but neither was I particularly suspicious. From what I'd seen and what my friends had said, Lyra seemed pretty decent. I was willing to follow her in this, even if it cost me a beating. Maybe I'd learn something worthwhile. Maybe I'd make a friend. Either way, it cost nothing but a bit of dignity, and that wasn’t worth much.

What it boiled down to, though, was that Lyra was leading this fight. Though I was willing to follow, I wasn't very motivated. This whole thing was an extended test of some kind, which meant that Lyra, trying to fully test my capabilities, would also be tested. Could she push me far enough, but not too far? Would it be worth it?

This was the first wave; a mental face-off. Not so different from my party. This time, however, I took a different tack.

At the party, I'd instinctively raised my own fighting spirit, trying to overpower hers. It wasn't a bad response. In the same way a rattlesnake warns you, or a cat fluffs his tail, if you're intimidated, responding in kind may be all that's needed to avoid a more serious confrontation. But if I did that here, I'd play into her hooves. If I tensed up, I'd instinctively respond to her first attack, and I already knew I couldn't match her in a fight.

But, there was another way to 'win' this. if I could keep her from drawing me out, I would maintain a certain control of the situation. She'd never test me fully, and she would fail-even as she thrashed me. It was a little underhanded, but I'd take what I could get.

So I went the other direction. I relaxed. I blanked my face and mind. I dropped my hands. I erased my presence thoroughly. I felt her menace, but didn't care; I was empty, void, vapor on the wind. By erasing my aggression, I reduced my chances of countering, but also shielded myself from being provoked into moving first.

I felt Twilight's sudden fascination with my mental state very clearly. A smidgen of amusement arose as she whipped out a notebook and started scribbling; Rainbow facehoofed, hard. I kept my attention on Lyra.

I forced her to move first. It wasn't too hard. I just waited. She started with a simple strike, easily read, easily dodged.

I retaliated with a flurry of kicks. If I had any chance of pulling a win out of this, it would be in the beginning, before she fully measured of my abilities. My hopes puffed into smoke as she ghosted around my blows.

"How's she doing that?"  Twilight asked across our link, as Lyra effortlessly evaded strike after strike.

"It's called shadow-stepping. Splinter used it. Watch her hooves. Footwork is the basis of everything. Hush! You're distracting."

Twilight winced as a flying hoof snuck past my guard and clipped my hip. I leaped backwards, and we paused for a second. My breathing was starting to accelerate from the exertion, but I was feeling pretty good. Lyra grinned at me, also puffing slightly.

"No spells?"

"With my technique, It's a waste of magic. You're under control?"

"I don't like berserking. It dulls my edge." That was true. I really didn't like losing myself in the fighting. I'd learned it to survive. The changelings had faced me with an odd mixture of imminent defeat and pointless repetition. The bugs had been fodder, barely competent fighters, but my reward for fighting and winning was another fight. It had been crushingly depressing, but if I didn't acquit myself well, the punishment could be literally excruciating. I'd taken refuge in rage. As long as I was angry, I didn't need to think, I just killed. The fact that it dulled my skills, making me reckless and overconfident hadn't been a problem.

Things were different now.

Lyra pressed in again. I barely slid past crushing blows, relying on half-seen cues to capture her movements. I thrilled with the exultation of success and tried to squash it, to regain my calm. I attacked again with kicks, trying to use the unusual movements to take her by surprise, but it was useless.

Fine. Let's kick things up a notch.

I relaxed my hold on my emotions, allowing my killing intent to rise. Lyra's stance responded instantly. My body language was more threatening, and she noticed. I pushed hard with a barrage of attacks, momentarily forcing her to defend. She gave ground for the first time and I leaped after, launching myself into a flying kick.

This broke a personal rule, which was: Feet ON the ground! I had never been flexible or fast enough to use acrobatics effectively.

However, I'd found that many ponies dealt very poorly with a fighter that jumped, instead of flying. I trusted Lyra to not kill me, so, go big.

Surprised, she barely blocked. I exploited ruthlessly, dropping and attempting to sweep her legs before bouncing up and trying to flank, making full use of my bipedal stance for unconventional movements. I managed a solid body blow before she evaded, but just then I realized how badly I'd miscalculated.

She kicked it up a notch as well.

I swear, she blurred. My fist thumped into her side, right about where her kidney should be, and she was just...gone. Twilight's astonishment mingled with mine, and then I was flying through the air, hurting. Waves of menace washed over me again and I was too near the edge of anger. I felt myself fall into familiar patterns. I committed myself to fighting. To winning at any cost. I gave up thinking, and committed myself to hurting. I twisted in midair, coming down with a sweeping spin that placed me just so; right where I needed to be to meet her advance.

Twilight seemed worried, but I didn't have time for her. Lyra's eyes were serious now, and my lips curled into a snarl. She ghosted towards me, using unfamiliar, unreadable footwork. She stepped past my strikes as if they weren't there, and she nearly, nearly broke my stance. Though I'd given up on controlling this fight, surrendering to desperation meant I would spend every last drop of myself for victory. I scraped up my reserves and braced myself, refusing to block, but twisting to absorb the blow. I took a solid hit, but surprised her. I saw her eyes widen, then widen further as my hands clamped onto her hoof. I played my last card.

Grappling.

Hands gave me a significant advantage with grappling. Horns and wings were trouble; unless I grasped from behind, every grapple I closed had ended poorly. But throws... Well. I stepped forward, pivoting both of us around the center of gravity, and flung her across the clearing. The look on her face was satisfying but she landed cleanly, barely avoiding a tree-trunk.

Her horn pulsed once, so dimly I wouldn't have noticed without the link. This time, she moved so fast I couldn't even see the step-in; she was suddenly hitting me. It felt like a freight-train, and I was out of options.

Almost out of options. Desperation drove me, and I scrabbled frantically at my sheath, but Twilight realized what I was trying for and our connection shattered like glass. Lyra hit me again.

Black.





I was lying on my back when I awoke. I knew I was alive, because I hurt like crazy.

"...yeah, he surprised me with that when we fought, too. You should play cards with us! He does the really cool shuffle. It's like, fwip-fwip-fwip." That was Rainbow.

"Maybe I will. I'd love to see him try playing a musical instrument." That was Lyra. Were they discussing my fingers?

"Are you sure he's going to be OK?" That was Twilight.

"I mostly sure. I still don't think friends should do this, but Lyra didn't hurt him permanently." That was...Fluttershy?

I pried my eyes open, and tried to sit up. Yup, that was Fluttershy. She was leaning over me, and placed a hoof on my shoulder to hold me down.

"Please hold still, Wesley," she murmured. "Lyra was horribly rough with you, and I want to make sure you'll recover." She shot the green unicorn what might have been a reproving glance. Lyra looked vaguely guilty for a second.

"Um, Fluttershy, I think I'll be Ok." I tried to sit up again, but she held me down easily.

"No, no, no. Patients need to listen to the doctor." She fixed me with a reproving stare, and I subsided. She spent a few minutes poking and prodding, before allowing me to sit and directing me through a series of movements.

"Well, I don't think there's any serious damage." She glared gently at Lyra again, before looking back to me. "Come see me if anything doesn't heal well. Make sure you stretch, and take it easy for a few days. You'll have bruises, but a warm bath should help." She gave her prognosis in a quiet voice and stepped back. I slowly sat up, feeling my muscles protest and my bones settle back into place. I had really taken a beating.

"Was hitting me that hard completely necessary?" I glared at Lyra, who looked vaguely guilty again.

"You pushed me farther than I expected. You really are excellent."

"So, did you find out what you needed?" She grimaced at that.

"Was I so obvious?"

"In a word? Yes. What is it you were trying to discover by-" I popped my back, and winced. "-beating the stuffing out of me?"

She took a deep breath, and put on a serious expression.

"Wesley Kilmer...I, Lyra Heartstrings, sometimes called Harmonics, respectfully offer to sponsor you in the Canterlot Underground and ask you to accept me as your instructor."

"GAAAAAASP!"

"Hush, Rainbow. Let me get this straight, Lyra. You're offering to...teach me?"

"No, nonono, Wes, she's offering you her spot in the Underground!"

"Rainbow, I'm not going to fight in the Underground. Even if I lived in Canterlot, I don't think-"

"Yes, I'm offering to teach you. My spot in the Underground is a formality; if I take a student, I can't hold a spot anyways. I don't care if you fight or not. Wes… what do you know about pony martial tradition?"

"Not much. Dribs and drabs from… a friend."

"Well, here it is in a nutshell. Most of the Underground would be shocked, but, yeah. It can all be traced back to two ponies; Celestia and Luna. Every single current martial tradition from all three races has been strongly influenced by them. They've only ever taken a handful of students, but they've left such a strong mark on the world that their teaching has pretty much subsumed every other style and school.

"Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't really a bad thing. The world of fighting moves by what's most effective. Out with the old, and in with the new, I say. Their teaching has taken us to new heights. But it's inescapable that the styles they use are tailored for them. They've never named their techniques, but the Underground calls it 'The Divine Path Of The Unconquered Sky'." Twilight snorted quietly, and I noticed that she was studiously taking notes.

"I think that's a bit grandiose, so I call it the Lunestia style." Twilight nearly choked at that. "It's built specifically to their needs. This is the part that especially relates to you, Wes; all true martial arts are about control. First, you control your body. Then, you control your mind. After-and ONLY after-that, you can try using what you've learned to control the world. The princess' have achieved such stunning control over themselves they can perform feats like the Dance of the Dark Moon. Another theatrical name, but you've seen it's effectiveness." I thought back to a warring army annihilated in seconds, and nodded.

"This, then, is where I come into conflict with the Lunestia school. It's designed for extremely magical minds housed in physically powerful bodies." Lyra sighed. "As you may know, I’m neither. I found myself at a bit of a loss when learning to fight. But! I persevered, and I had two advantages. The first was a father who taught me how to learn, and how to work hard. So when I found that none of the current techniques would make me much of a fighter, I set out to find and build my own. That's a story in itself. The other edge is this." She tapped her cutie mark.

"But that's not really pertinent to you. Here's the gist. Wes, I want you to study under me, because I promised somepony that I wouldn't let my techniques die with me; I need at least one student, and you're the most talented and suitable I've found. More than that, my teaching can help you. As a self-taught warrior who's done well, I can give you training on developing yourself." She paused, and took a deep breath.

"Maybe the most useful thing I can teach you, though, is my meditation techniques. Mental control is key to my style, and it's what you're missing, Wes. I think that if you apply yourself, you can move past where you are now. I don't know what you've gone through to get there, and I can't promise to heal scars, but I can say that you will be able to focus more strongly and effectively. So?" She stepped forward, and raised a hoof for me to shake.

I pressed my palms to my eyes, and tried to think. My mind had drifted through much of her monologue, but when she reached the end, I'd focused intensely. A way to improve mental control? A way to, maybe, help with my nightmares? A way to put things, just a little more, behind me? I wanted that.

On the other hand, jumping into this now wasn't a good idea. I had enough experience with my brain to be wary of decisions in my current state. I been beaten half to death and was coming off such an adrenaline thrill I wouldn't trust myself on whether I liked cream in coffee. This deserved clear and rigorous examination. I wanted the benefits of what she was offering, but did I want the responsibility of learning more fighting?

Fighting had once been a fact of life. Feelings didn't factor; it was simply there, with the walls and bars. And Splinter. Since escaping, I'd discovered the way I'd been molded wasn't always what I wanted. I didn't WANT to fight every day, and now I had the power to change that. I wanted to laugh with friends, to nap in the sun, to explore ancient ruins and uncover flowers hidden in the underbrush. Fighting had become vaguely repugnant to me. I couldn't deny its usefulness, but in the closet of my mind, it was like a toilet brush; necessary, but not what I wanted to focus on.

On the other hand, I'd had no luck avoiding fights. They seemed to come find me, even. I ground my palms into my eyes until I saw stars, and gulped in air, trying to stabilize my thoughts. I held my breath until my heart started to pound.

"Wesley?" Fluttershy said, uncertainly. I let it out with a whoosh, and suddenly stood.

"Lyra, I'm not saying no." Her eyes fell, and she stepped back. "You've offered me something precious, and your attention honors me. Give me time to think. I can't decide right now; this needs consideration."

"Fair enough." She nodded and turned away, obviously disappointed.

"Um, I don't think I said this before, but...it was a good fight. Thanks." Her ears perked a bit and Rainbow turned to follow her, shooting me a sympathetic glance.

"Achoo!" I sneezed suddenly. "Excuse me. I think I might be coming down with something."

"Oh dear!" Fluttershy floated up to head-height and placed a gentle hoof on my brow. "And you still got into a fight! Really, Wesley, you should be more careful! And you feel feverish!"

"I...don't think I'm sick. It feels like allergies. Um." I almost suggested a thermometer, but realized I had no knowledge of pony vitals. Or what their temperature scale was. I got half-way into considering Celsius calibrations and Fahrenheit conversions, and lost my train of thought as I realized I had no idea what altitude we were at, or if air pressure was similar to Earth. I absentmindedly pulled my watch out and tossed it hand-to-hand as my brain freewheeled, looking for a solid constant.
 
"What sort of apparatus would we need to measure the speed of light?" I asked, just as Twilight got a good look at my watch.

"What is that thing?" She blurted simultaneously. Jerked back to reality, I gave Fluttershy a reassuring smile.

"I think I'll be OK. But if I start feeling worse, I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks for your care, Fluttershy; I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Wesley. If you need help, please drop by." She smiled back, and landed, turning to Twilight. "You be careful too!" she said, almost harshly, and started home.

"It's my <digital watch>." I tossed it to Twilight. "Luna found it when she investigated my arrival, and returned it to me. Um, about the thing we were investigating earlier, we should compare notes."

"Oh, there were no side effects. I watched. Did you know that this seems to use some sort of rock for the central timing mechanism?"

“Yes,” I sighed, and resigned myself to dealing with a distracted Twilight. Things were probably Ok...right?

> 25 - Complications
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I guess, at a certain point, the amount of weirdness in my life eventually tipped over the edge and I landed back in 'normal'.

Or maybe prolonged exposure had permanently damaged my ability to discern normal. Perhaps I was developing an immunity to weird, and would eventually lose all the weird receptors in my brain.

Either way, I was barely surprised the next day when I woke up as a pony.

"No side effects she said. She checked, she said. Wouldn't leave my stupid watch alone."

I rolled out of bed, thought about clothes, and then firmly squashed the thought. I gave myself a glance in the mirror; sure enough, I was purple. I had a darker mane and tail with a lighter streak, and a leg at each corner. I was in the Golden Oaks Library.

I was Twilight Sparkle. I facehoofed, hard. I remembered going to sleep in my bed last night, in my shack on the edge of town. It had been delivered, as promised; a special extended edition. It had been soft. And comfortable. And quiet. And now, this.

After assuaging my frustration and annoyance slightly, I essayed a few cautious steps around the bedroom. Walking on four legs was pretty doable. It wasn't that surprising, since I could crawl just fine as a human. Still, pony anatomy made it feel like walking on tiptoes.

"Ooof." I tripped over the edge of the rug, and collapsed in a heap. Perhaps adjusting wasn't quite so simple after all. I lay on the floor for a second, noticing how a fur coat made the morning feel warmer, and the last of the sleep cleared from my brain.

If I was here, that meant that Twilight, had to be...

"SPIKE!" I yelled, taking a second to contemplate how different my voice sounded.

"Twilight, why are you on the floor?" He swung the door open and shot me a confused glance.

"Listen carefully, because this is too stupid to repeat. I'm not Twilight, I'm Wesley, I don't know how this happened, but I'm guessing Twilight is in my body and I need to get across town to find me. Her. Whoever."

"...did you hit your head?"

"Horsefeathers." I facehoofed again. "Look, I told you it was too stupid to repeat, but it's true. I know you've heard us talk about soul-bonding and that stuff; this has to be a side effect. There's no other explanation. I need to find Twilight, so we can get this sorted out. I promise you, as ridiculous as it sounds, we have somehow swapped bodies. Just... don't tell anyone, OK?" Spike gave me a disbelieving look.

"Ok, Twi-I mean, Wes. I'll go make some breakfast. You...pull yourself together and come down when you're feeling better."

"I did NOT hit my head!" I yelled, as he retreated down the stairs. I pried myself off the floor, and considered following. First, though, I needed to deal with this mane and tail. Twilight had bed-hair, and now it was my problem. I was starting to get seriously frustrated before I figured out how to pick things up with hooves. I tried telekinesis till I was blue in the face, but nothing came of it. Either the necessary memories hadn't come with me, or Twilight had taken her magic with her. I finally got her-my, for now I guess-mane under control, and turned towards the door.

Stairs.

"Ow." I said when I reached the bottom in a heap. Whatever else came of this, Twilight was going to have a nice collection of bruises waiting when she got her body back. I consoled myself with the thought she was probably having worse luck with my body; no way going from four legs to two would be easier. On the other hand, I was my own boss. If she decided to stay in bed all day, nopony would notice. I glanced longingly back up the stairs. Too late now to barricade the bedroom door and hope things worked themselves out.

"Woah." Spike looked over from the table, where he was eating cereal. "You were serious?"

"As a heart attack," I levered myself off the floor again. "Can you take a letter for me?" He wordlessly retrieved his scribing tools. I stumbled to table and, after a few attempts, managed to pour a bowl of cereal. It looked like tiny hay bales. "Your Majesty, Princess Celestia..." Through mouthfuls of cereal, I outlined the situation and asked for help as long as it could be delivered discretely. I stressed that we weren't yet in actual danger, and could maybe fix this ourselves; for some reason, I was feeling uncountably optimistic. Maybe because, out of all the situations I'd been in so far, this was actually the least life-threatening. I knew Twilight and I could deal with worse. Spike sent my terse sentences off with a flare of green and a bemused look.

"It really is Wesley in there."

"Right. Don't ask why; I couldn't say. My only lead is that we were experimenting with our link the other day. Although it's a long shot, that's my best bet on what caused this. But then, I'm not actually a qualified magician. Despite looking like one." I smiled wryly. "We just need to go get Twilight, and maybe we can see about setting this straight."

"Um..." Spike glanced nervously at the clock, and ran one claw in a small circle of milk.

"Spike?" I asked, voice low and ominous.

"Sorry!" He jumped guiltily. "I didn't think you were serious! But, if you want to keep this even sort of secret....Twilight's-supposed-to-be-at-the-school-soon!"

"What." My forehead was starting to get sore. Twilight would have facehoof calluses if this kept up. "When? Why?" Spike took a huge gasp of air, and I stopped him with a hoof. "Slowly. Remember to breathe." He gave an abashed chuckle.

"Twilight agreed to give a guest lecture on basic arcanology. It's a favor to Cheerilee, and she's due just after recess. It's weird for you to be the calm one. I mean-you know what I mean." I checked the clock again; a five minute walk. I had five minutes to finish my cereal and come up with a plan. I took another bite of cereal. It was surprisingly good to a pony palate.

"Arcanology. How ironic. On a scale of one to ten, how out of character would it be to skip?" Spike winced at that.

"You know how serious Twilight is about her responsibilities," he said. I nodded glumly.

"Suggestions for a decent excuse?" I asked.

"Pony pox?" he said.

"Come on. Not even Rainbow would fall for that."

"Magical accident?"

"Heh. That would work, but I don't think I can whip up something convincing and ALSO low profile. I want to avoid attention."

"Why can't you just give the lecture?"

"Pff. Of course I-" I stopped. Maybe I could. This was Twilight, after all. She could be counted on for preparation. "Do you have her notes?" Spike gave me an approving look, and dropped a stack of cards on the table. I clumsily shuffled through them. Arcanology wasn't a specialty of Twilight's, but that's like saying hamburgers weren't the specialty of a chef; she could still do it in her sleep. Concentrating on the notes, I discovered the connection between us still gifted me with enough of her memories that I could at least understand concepts and recognize most terms.  I tried tapping the cards back into a sheaf, but my clumsy command of hooves spilled them across the table.

"That's going to need a bit of practice." Spike carefully gathered the cards. "But can you do it?"

"Actually, I think I can." I drank the last of my milk, and glared at the saddlebags by the door. "Listen, Spike; I'm going to need you to come and help."

"What? But I-"

"Spike. Please."

"...fine. But why?"

"Wherever Twilight is, she took her magic with her. I can't pick anything up with telekinesis, and you saw how bad I am with hooves. I'll dictate, and you write on the board. As my Number One Assistant. Got what we need?" He nodded once, and we set out. "Here's a few tips on keeping secrets, in case something comes up-"

As we walked, I gave him a bit of coaching, mostly on keeping his mouth shut. He listened astutely; I guess lectures were normal for him.

"Wes, you're pretty good at being sneaky." He shot me a curious glare. "What's up with that?"

"Um." I cast around for some explanation. "I'm just a sorta private person, I guess? And I had a brother who was always a bit of a tattletale...but we've arrived." A small herd of yelling foals marked the schoolhouse, as they lined up for the end of recess. I casually trotted up the steps and slipped in first.

"Oh, Twilight! I'm glad you made it!" Cheerilee greeted me with a wave. "Are you ready? Do you have everything you need?"

"I think so." I smiled back at her. Act casual, friendly. Twilight was both. Remember, even Spike thought body-swapping was too stupid to be real. "I've brought Spike along, to help with the blackboard." Cheerilee nodded, and started corralling her students. I borrowed her hole punch and tied my stack of notes together so I wouldn't lose them. Once everypony was seated, I cleared my throat, and launched into the lecture.

"Arcanology is the study of secrets. More specifically, it's the study of 'spending secrets'. We don't have the time to give this specific branch of magic the in-depth study it deserves, but believe me when I say it's absolutely fascinating. Today, I would like to reveal a bit of Arcanology's mystery and beauty to you." I frowned a bit, and scanned ahead on the note card. It was more of the same; quite dry, very intellectual, and utterly wrong for grade school. Maybe a more direct approach was called for?

"Ok," I tossed the note cards to Spike. "Who in here knows a secret?"  About a half-dozen hooves went up. Good; now we were getting somewhere.





Nearly an hour later, the class was chattering with each other, working on the group exercise I'd set them. It was a simple logic puzzle, but hopefully it would distract them long enough for me to take a breather and think through the next bit.

"My, Twilight!" Cheerilee gave me an approving smile. "That was excellent! Even I think I've learned something. And the students are definitely enjoying it. You're just full of surprises today!"

"Thanks." I smiled weakly. You have no idea. A few minutes in I realized just how badly I was breaking character, but by then, I didn't care. Twilight was an excellent magician, and probably even a very good lecturer. But she was used to teaching ponies at the college level. Her notes were mostly worthless to me, except as the roughest outline and a jog to my memory. If I could do this better than Twilight, I was going to give it my best. She'd thank me for it later...right? I sighed gently, and accepted an annotated note card from Spike. I only had an hour or so more to do, and I would be able to go look for my body. As long as I could avoid any complications, this seemed pretty doable-

"Sweetie Belle!" A knock came at the door. Oh NO. Thinking of complications. The door swung open, and a pink pony bounced in, carrying a paper sack. "You forgot your lunch! Oh! It's Twilight! Are you teaching today, Twilight?"

"Pinkie Pie."

"Yup, it's me! Did you forget who I am? I do that sometimes! Then I go look for myself! When I find myself, we hang out and it's super fun! Why are you doing that? Hey, you have a bruise on your forehead! You shouldn't do that so much!"

A complication. A BIG complication. In fact, probably the biggest complication. And she just bounced in here. Maybe I could get rid of her?

"Um, yeah. You're probably right. Hey, did you come here to give Sweetie Belle her lunch?"

"Mmmhmm!"

"And now you've done that?"

"Yup!"

"Soooo....you no longer have a reason to be here?"

"Nope!"

"Then....are you going to leave?"

"Nope! Today I'm off, and I want to stay and be a student! I bet you're a really good teacher, Twilight! I want to learn something too! Oooo, maybe I'll get homework!" Cheerilee laughed lightly.

"You're welcome to stay, Pinkie. Twilight is giving a lecture on Arcanology. If you want, you can take a desk near Button Mash."

"Okee-dokey-lokey!" After a few minutes, the students were done with their exercise. Now actually feeling nervous, under the scrutiny of one of Twilight's good friends who was also the town expert on 'weird', I resumed my very out-of-character lecture.





"And that is how you use a numismatrix!" Spike scratched the last symbol on the board, and I sighed in relief. I took a moment to straighten up my things as Cheerillee got the class ready for lunch.

"Thanks for coming," she said quietly, as we slipped out the door.

"You're welcome." I returned, finally relaxing as it swung closed behind us. With one last wave and nod, Spike and I set off down the road..

My relief was short lived.

"Spike, is there a bouncing noise coming from behind us?"

"Yup."

"Is it coming from a pony?"

"Yup."

"Is the pony approximately five different shades of pink?"

"Yup."

"Oooh! Ooooh! Are we playing twenty questions? Can I go next? I want to play too!"

"Pinkie, why are you following us?"

"I'm your friend, Twilight! Aren't you happy to see me?" I blinked at her reply, and swallowed a lump of frustration.

"The thing is, Pinkie, we're going to see Wesley, and I don't think he's expecting you, so-"

"Oh, that's OK! He said I could drop by anytime." I nearly ground my teeth at that. I had, too; I'd told all of them they were welcome. I'd just planned on locking my door and hiding under my bed when I was feeling overwhelmed. That, and spending lots of time in the Everfree.

"...oh."

"Anyways, I had a question for you, since you said we could ask whatever at the end of the class."

"Ok, shoot."

"Are you actually Wesley who got trapped in Twilight's body because of some obscure magical thing you don't really understand? Huh? Are you?"

My natural response, of course, was to curl up into a ball.

"Please don't tell anyone! It was an accident! I'm not going to do anything bad!"

"Ok, I take it all back." Spike gazed at me with faint amusement. "That's not sneaky at all."

"Of course you're not! You're Wesley, and he's a good human, so you're a good pony!"

"I think this body is conditioned to panic." I said bitterly, raising an ear and looking to see if everypony was staring at me, or if it just felt that way. "How did you know, Pinkie?"

"You just told me, silly!"

"Horsefeathers," I said, slowly climbing to my hooves. "You had a pretty good idea. What gave it away? And why are you so willing to accept it?"

"The words you were using were waaaay to short for Twilight! And so I thought, who else is super smart and knows lots of stuff about magic? Wesley, of course! So, the logical conclusion is that you swapped bodies!"

"How is that logical? I was banking on it being too impossible to believe!"

"Sometimes, I believe three impossible things before breakfast. And you smile like Wesley."

"Fine." I gave up trying to understand Pinkie, and turned towards my house. "Come on. I really do need to find my body. I just hope Twilight is doing better than me."

"So, can I call you Weslight? Is it fun being a pony? What sort of things do you think Twilight is up to? How long are you going to be doing this for? Can I try next?"

"Please don't call me that. Um, it's Ok, I guess. Being a pony is pretty tricky for me, since I don't know how to do some simple things, like stairs. I have no idea what Twilight's doing in my body, but my guess is not much, since it's pretty beat up from yesterday. I have no idea how long this is going to last; if I can do anything about it, not much longer. And no. No, you cannot try next. I don't even know how this happened, but even if I did, I don't think I'd feel comfortable about loaning my body to anyone. This is pretty strange for me, Pinkie. Even if weirdness doesn't bother you, some of us aren't quite so inured."

"Come on, Wesley! Don't you want to try being pink? Oh, or maybe you can switch with Rarity, and be faaaaabulous!"

"No. No. Nononono. This is NOT a good idea, Pinkie. Seriously. I want this to stop, and then have a sorta boring life for at least a few weeks! Please!"

"Silly Twiley, you can't do that in Ponyville! This place is super exciting, which is why I love living here! Cool things are always happening, like that one time last cider season, when-"

Both of us stopped, ears swiveling towards the end of the road as we heard a distant roar. I took a moment to reflect on how weird mobile ears felt, and so was a second behind Pinkie when we both gasped "Manticore!" and took off at a full gallop. 

"Spike, thanks for the help!" I yelled, as we left him behind. "Why, why, WHY is there a manticore at my house?" I gasped, was we galloped full-tilt down the road.

"No idea!" Pinkie shot back. "Do you think Twilight will be OK?"

"Gah!" I redoubled my efforts, managing to put on a bit more speed. Ponies were faster flat-out than humans, but I felt my energy flagging already. I'd do better over a long distance than Twilight. I was willing to bet on it. I guess scholar-magician vs. survivalist-warrior wasn't really a fair match, though. Maybe she knew a boosting spell? Too bad I couldn't cast.

"Wesley?" I felt Twilight's connection with me snap into place as we got near my shack. Another roar came from the forest behind.

"Ooof!" The distraction caused me to stumble, and I collapsed. Pinkie looked back worriedly. "I'm fine!" I called. "Twilight just contacted me with magic. Let me find out what's up before we head in." Pinkie slowed, and turned back to me, glancing worriedly at the hut.

"Twilight, draw more!" I called. Through the link, I had the odd sensation of feeling a myself-that-wasn't-myself wrap fingers tighter around a familiar orange horn, and draw magic more strongly through it; enough to let me borrow her instincts. With a dizzying lurch, a whole host of new options opened up to me, the most useful of which was scrambling to my hooves. I felt Twilight spring to her feet, reveling in sudden understanding. The doubled viewpoint disorientation nearly caused me to tumble again, but I recovered my footing and motioned Pinkie to approach more slowly.

"What's going on, Twilight?"

"I'm not sure. Fluttershy came over-"

"Fluttershy's there." I said, for Pinkie.

"-and I was pretty much just acting sick and not talking. Now she's gone outside to see what this manticore wants."

"She went out to meet it?" My horror and shock must have carried pretty strongly, because I felt Twilight wince. Pinkie gave me a curious look.

"If there's any chance of settling this peacefully, it's Fluttershy. She knows what she's doing, Wes."

"Fine." I swung the door open and trotted into my house. "But, if she's not back in a minute or two, we're going after her."

"But what can we do?" Twilight asked.

"Seriously?" I pointed to her. "You're STILL the strongest magician anywhere outside Canterlot. And I bet you throw a pretty mean punch right now. Pinkie and I aren't going to do anything; if we need to, you  are going to sling a few spells and use my body to chase that monster off.  I've done it before, so you should be just fine."

"Wesley!" Fluttershy swooped in the door, and landed between us.

"Yes?" Both Twilight and I said. I facehooved. Fluttershy gave me an odd look. "He won't leave! His eye is hurt, and I think he's angry at you because of it. We need to do something before he heads into town!"

"<Damn,>" I swore vehemently. Twilight flinched. Fluttershy gave us a really confused look. "Ok, we need to act. Let's go do this."

"But I don't-"

"Come on. We don't have time for backup, and I don't know who else could handle this anyways. Let's...sorta give him what he wants. Pinkie, if you want to explain to Fluttershy, feel free."

"Wes, I don't want to hurt anypony!" Twilight hissed, as I led her out the back door. Inside, Pinkie was chattering about Arcanology. Fluttershy was responding with a series of more and more confused noises.

"That's fine. But you're going to need to do something  flashy. Do you have a weak electricity spell? Or some something that will scare him good?"

"I...guess. Maybe if I used Freezing Hooves..."

"Right, go with that. Here's the plan. I'll feed you cues, and you dodge for all your worth while preparing the spell. When it's ready, use it on or near him. We don't need to hurt him much, just enough to convince him I'm still not worth messing with. I thought I did a pretty good job last time, but...I dunno. Anyways, go with that, OK?"

I looked back, realizing just how much my rangy frame towered over most ponies. I wasn't even far above average for a human. She-he-she I decided, nodded uncertainly.

"There." I caught a glimpse of the manticore in the clearing ahead. It suddenly seemed a lot more threatening than I remembered. It was clearly the one I'd fought right after my escape, with a charcoal mane and a scar across its left eye.

"Huh." Twilight gave it a bemused look. "Suddenly, it doesn't seem so scary." She gave a confident smirk.

Do I really look that cocky? I wondered.

"Yup." Came an answering thought as she sprang forward, seizing the initiative. She had Splinter's horn in her left hand, and she'd drawn my dagger with her right.  

The next few moments were both fascinating and nerve-wracking. I hadn't really noticed that I actually did move like a trained martial artist, but now I watched in surprise as Twilight fluidly ducked and wove through each and every blow sent her way.

She even blocked a strike or two, turning them on the flat of my dagger. As she fought, I saw lambent energy start gathering around the horn in her left hand. It was a warm orange, but still streaked through with crackles of purple. I wondered at that; what actually colored magical energy?

I nearly lost myself in thaumaturgial theorizing, but my attention was yanked back as a familiar feeling began feeding through our link. I realized I was clenching my teeth.

Twilight was starting to get angry.

I'd foolishly thought that her normal pacific disposition was enough to quell old habits. I'd underestimated the effect my instincts had. Last time I'd fought this beast, I'd been too injured to consider seriously harming it. I'd happily settled for driving him off. Here, Twilight had the upper hand in every way. She wouldn't even lose to brute force if she used her magic, and she was about to do just that. I mulled my options for a second. I didn't have a problem with injuring someone who brought the fight to me, but she would.

Also, as much as I'd killed before, I couldn't be sure she'd settle for wounded in the heat of battle. Killing the manticore would be bad all around; she'd be crushed, and although they might not be able to talk, they were clearly much more intelligent than Earth animals. I wasn't sure if it would be murder, but as long as I wasn't sure, I couldn't, in clear conscience, put it down like a dangerous animal. If there was a possibility of it being intelligent, I'd treat it like a human.

I paced for a second, unsure what to do. I needed to calm her down before the fight peaked, but how? She was dealing with my feelings and instincts. I wasn't even sure what to do when I was dealing with them, and I'd had practice. She might not even be aware of how she was slipping. I'd never realized before just how much a 'feeling' was literally 'something you felt'.

But...feelings could carry across the link. I was getting feedback from her anger right now. Maybe I could counter it with a feeling of my own? What sort of thing would counter anger? Shock her enough to bring her back to herself?

Ahh...that might do it. 

I thought of Twilight's apprehension in the Canterlot palace, before meeting with Celestia. I tried to grasp the emotions she had fought: anxiety about disapproval, disappointment, and distance from the pony she loved and feared so strongly. I barely managed to get a grasp on the feelings when Twilight's anger snapped, turning suddenly to confusion.

"Celestia?" she asked, turning to look.

"Watch out!" I yelled, as distraction broke her guard. I winced as she took a ferocious blow to the hip. She tumbled to the side, barely managing to catch herself, but dropped my dagger. She rolled to her feet, and I felt the pain in the link. "Now, Twilight! While you have some distance!" She nodded, and leveled the horn across the clearing. Magic surged, and a cone of sparkling dust burst from the point of the horn, engulfing her opponent. There was a crackling noise, and the condensation cleared to reveal a very surprised looking manticore, rimed with frost and clearly shivering.

"Quick, charge up another one!" I shot across the link.

"I can't! This isn't the same as-" 

"It doesn't know that! Just make the horn glow!" She nodded slightly, and power surged again, the aura re-appearing."Stand straight! Be confident!" She squared her shoulders, and forced her stance to display strength. "This is about dominance. Take a step forward. Menace! Be scary!" 

"I've never been scary! I don't know how to do it!" 

"Like this." I showed her what I could, feeding it across our link. She narrowed her eyebrows, tensed her fists, and stared the manticore down with as much cool confidence as I ever could. Her relief was palpable across the link as it took a cautious step backwards. At my urging, she stepped forward, leveling the horn. It flinched at the sudden movement and broke backwards a few steps. She pushed forward again, grimacing. A spark or two leaped from the tip of the horn, and at that, the beast turned and fled.

"Hold!" I sent, as it disappeared into the underbrush. I fed her encouragement, forcing her to remain confident as we walked back to my house. I didn't let her relax until we were inside, well away from any windows. She collapsed like a cut marionette, the link snapping as her concentration broke.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy gasped, jumping forward to support her.

"She's Ok," I said. "Just took one hit; I don't think it managed to get its claws into her."

"So you really did...swap?" she asked, glancing back and forth between us with her soft eyes.

"Yup." I tossed my purple mane out of my face. "I'm not very happy with it, either. But maybe we can do something about it, now we have a spare moment."

"That...might be tricky." Twilight said, sitting up and wincing, a hand to her side. "Wes, this hurts like crazy! Are you sure it'll be OK?"

"Fluttershy?" I asked.

"I think it will be fine." The pegasus inspected the bruise that was forming. "He's right, it's another bruise. Just a bad one."

"Good thing you dodged," I added. "A bit slower, and you could have ruptured organs."

"It was all instinct. Do you always feel like that when you fight, Wes? So...wild? So invincible?"

"Yeah. But don't trust those feelings; they're straight-out wrong."

"That's what Lyra was talking about." 

"Yeah," I nodded, "but I don't know any other way to fight, and well... you've seen the nightmares. That's mixed up in there, too. Paranoia, rage, and confusion; I can't say how much is from my head, and how much from my heart. Sorry." I shrugged awkwardly with pony shoulders. "All in all, you should probably be as worried about switching back as I am."

She grimaced, obviously unhappy.

"I'd love to, Wes. Well, I mean, this is fascinating and all, but you're right; we should focus on getting back to normal." I mentally tacked 'experiments can come later' onto the end of that. "But first, we need to know why this happened. We can't do anything without that information."

"But I thought..." I paused, reviewing my morning. "No, I assumed it was the link, since it's the only new magical thing I could think of." Twilight shook her head slowly.

"It can't be the link. It's logically impossible. Like opening a box with the crowbar that's inside it. You'd literally have to turn your soul inside out. I said it was free from side effects, and I meant it. Whatever caused this is packing a hefty magical punch, and we're both missing it." I frowned at that, the suspicious bastard part of my brain ringing an alarm.

"I-" I started trying to voice my concerns, but broke into a huge yawn instead. "I am suddenly exhausted." Maybe it was the adrenaline crash after facing down the manticore or maybe... "Twilight, what time did you get to bed last night?" I had left her studying my watch, after all.

"Um..."

"Nevermind. I need a nap, badly. I'm going to to go crash for a while, because I'm about dead on my hooves. Is that going to cause you problems?" She shook her head slowly, looking slightly guilty. "Ok. You are all welcome to chill here for a while. Just try to be quiet."

"So!" Pinkie said, scooting close to Twilight. "Tell me about this 'link' you two mentioned a minute ago."

I retreated to my bedroom, and curled up on my now too-big bed, clumsily pulling the covers over my purple self. I lay there for a minute, trying to sort my thoughts out. The new uncertainty of my situation weighed at me. I'd been foolishly confident this was caused by the link and hadn't even considered what I'd do otherwise. Now, Twilight said it was something new. That was more unsettling than I'd have guessed. Maybe weird affected me more than I'd let on. Maybe I'd been in shock, just a little. Maybe changing bodies affected my mind. I pictured the Big Dipper, and thought of home for a while.

Perhaps I was fixed on finding my way home because it had come to represent stability. On days like these, my very identity felt like it was quicksand. I had so little to ground me, that I was sometimes afraid I'd slip through a crack and be lost in the crazy. Having friends helped, but when they treated this as commonplace, I began to realize just how alien my culture was.

Eventually, I fell asleep.

I was still a human in my dreams. It hurt.

I awoke to find a pink mane obscuring much of my vision.

"Pinkie?" I asked blearily. I turned to find her snuggled up beside me. She opened her blue eyes, and gazed back. "What...?"

"You were whimpering in your sleep," she answered softly. "I thought a hug might help."

"Thanks." I yawned. "Did I bother you?" I could hear, in the other room, the sounds of ponies relaxing. Apparently it had turned into something of a party.

"I don't think anypony else noticed." She rolled over onto the edge of the blanket as I tried to get up, effectively trapping me. "Was it a nightmare?"

"Yes. Luna helps with them, sometimes, but she must not be on dreamwatch at four in the afternoon."

"Tell me about it?" She gave me a serious look.

"I don't think you want to hear my dreams..." I said slowly. I was glad Twilight wouldn't be afflicted with them, even though we'd swapped. I didn't want to burden Pinkie, either.

"But I think you need to talk about it."

"It's...not pleasant."

"Lots of things aren't. Ignoring them isn't usually a good idea, either," she said. I sighed.

"This is the most serious I've ever seen you, Pinkie. Are you feeling OK?"

"I'm always serious, Wesley. But don't try and change the subject. Tell me your dream. It'll help, I promise."

"Well...Ok." I gave in to her insistence. Maybe it would help. I paused for a minute, trying to organize the horror of shapes and shadows in my brain. I'd had this dream before, and recalling it wasn't too hard. "It starts with fire..."

Pinkie listened seriously through the whole thing, which took a few minutes to tell. And, oddly enough, I did begin to feel better. In the bright afternoon sunlight filtering through the window, the whole thing began to look vaguely ridiculous. But that was always the way of dreams; while you were in them, they made very little sense but meant the whole world, though they evaporated in daylight.

"...and that's the end of it." I gave a breath of relief at the end. "Thanks for listening. I do feel better, I think."

"We're not done yet," she said. "Before I let you go, I want you to try something. You said the statues bother you particularly, so I want you to picture them smiling."

"I don't-"

"Wesley, I'm trying to help you here. Telling dreams gives you power over them; use that power to change them. Picture the statues smiling. Big goofy grins."

I subsided, and did as I was told. In my mind, the grim figures of the Changeling stronghold slowly metamorphosed into Moai; big, cartoonish ones, with huge, cheery grins. It made the whole thing faintly ridiculous. I snorted at the image.

"There." She tapped me on the nose, and rolled off the bed. "See, you still have smiles in you! Remember, laughter is the best medicine! Now, come on out, and join the party!" I stood slowly, and shook the blankets off. Of course it had turned into a party.

Still, there was a bit more spring in my step as I followed. Maybe she could even carry laughter into my dreams. I was beginning to think there wasn't much this crazy pink mare couldn't do. And I was feeling much better; a long nap had refreshed me, and grounded me again. I'd managed to regain some of this morning's optimism, despite the continued uncertainty of life. A smile worked it's way onto my face. At least I wasn't alone in this. My friends were ponies worth knowing.


> 26 - Investigation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In my tiny dining room, ponies were sitting around my table, playing cards, laughing, and arguing. I was suddenly reminded of a classic oil painting.

"Ah ain't sayin you do a bad job, Rainbow. But my apples need more rain, and the dang department won't let me schedule any this month!" Applejack slammed her cards down. "Ah fold. Ah can't match that." Rarity leveled a sharp gaze across the table at Rainbow.

"Looks like it's just us, dear. How about a little raise?" She hoofed a small pile of chips-apple chips, I think-into the pot.

"Listen, Applejack, no-one knows better than me the paper-pushers in the weather department are a bunch of wooden horseshoes." Rainbow casually matched the raise, and motioned Rarity to flip another card. Rarity smirked, and raised again. "Tell you what. I think we have a bit of extra cloudspace in next week's weather. I can set up a microsystem for you, if you really need it."

"It would be a weight off mah mind, Rainbow. Oh, Wesley." Applejack nodded to me. "Feelin' better?"

"Much, thanks." I yawned once. "Still waking up, a bit. Where's Twilight?"

"Out back. Said something about tests, and got Spike to bring a buncha stuff over."

I nodded, and stepped out the back door. I immediately tripped and fell flat on my fuzzy purple nose.

"Ow. Steps."

<"Need a hand?"> Twilight giggled. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground nearby. I took the offered palm, and she helped right me. "Mind if I start the link?" She fingered the horn hopefully.

"Go for it. A few extra reflexes wouldn't go amiss here." I felt the connection form. It was almost familiar now. "Sorry. I didn't think how hard this might make things for you. And thanks for not trying a link while I was asleep."

"That's Ok. You really did need a nap; I shouldn't have stayed up so late. As for linking while you slept...I considered it," she said ruefully. "But I didn't want to bother you. Though it would be an interesting experiment."

"Maybe later. Have you heard back from the Princess?"

"Yeah, Spike got a reply soon after you left. She said I'm normally her response to this sort of situation anyways, so as long as we want to be discrete, all she can do is offer advice." I looked around my backyard. It was short grass, and very small. Spike was carefully assembling a structure of sticks and multicolored string.

"Is that...a widderspindle?" I asked. "I didn't know you even owned one."

"Yup!" She sprang to her feet, and stretched. "Ooo, still sore, but it feels good move around!" She paced into the structure, carefully stepping over strings and examining the placement of various sticks. She adjusted one or two, moving them a few inches or less. "Princess Celestia suggested we examine our engrams for clues."

"Oh, that's a good idea."

"I know, right? I just hope we can get a strong enough read on the tensors to-" She grimaced as her stomach rumbled loudly. "Ooof. I'm getting pretty hungry."

"Have you eaten at all?" I asked, surprised. "Surely Fluttershy would try and feed you, at least?"

"Tea, toast, and apples this morning. But she left soon after you took your nap. I could really go for a bite of hay right now."

"Um." She glanced down at my pause. "I don't think that would help much." I could guess what my body was craving, and hay wasn't it. "I can't actually digest cellulose. Apples are barely a snack for me; you'd get about as much from a glass of milk."

"Oh." A look of realization crept across her face. "That's why the toast tasted different! You're more reliant on refined carbohydrates!"

"That, and it had butter on it, right?" She nodded. "Whole wheat and dairy is a complete protein. I eat a lot more of that than a pony. That's probably what my body wants right now, to help repair after a beating. I also find it very satisfying."

"I'm...omnivorous." Twilight said cautiously. "I'm omnivorous now. That's one aspect of this body I didn't really consider. What would you suggest for supper?"

"Ah...well. I was planning on fish." She made a face at that. "Fluttershy gave me some for Hearths Warming. Somepony named Harry caught it. It'll keep in the freezer, but...if you want, I'll fry it for you."

"I think Harry's a bear, but... no, I'm not quite up for that. A few pegasai eat fish, but I've never tried it. I don't like the smell." I didn't comment; she might feel differently if I fried one, but I didn't want to chance it. I wanted to eat them!

"Well...hmm. I think I can make something for both ponies and humans. Why don't you stay for supper? I'll invite the others, too. I...should probably apologize to them for making you keep secrets, and tell them the real beginning of the story."

"If you think it's worth it. They'll be your friends either way, Wesley." She paused to reposition a peg. "I'll get this set up, and have a look. Um, the link seems to diminish with distance, so let me know if you leave. This morning, I couldn't make contact until you were coming down the road. Needs testing."

I nodded at that. I'd wondered why she hadn't used the link earlier.

"How do you feel about spaghetti?" I asked. Her stomach rumbled again. I laughed and turned for the door.





"Look, cooking is an earth pony talent! Ah'm tellin' you, that's not going to taste good!" Applejack pushed her nose against mine, glaring ferociously.

"And I'm telling you, I've made this before! I'm not putting much in! Spaghetti sauce likes a little sugar, and cocoa can flavor savory food!" I glared back, but she was unimpressed. "I'm not even really a unicorn!" I added, trying to sidestep her, but she moved to block me. "Fine, look!" I turned and spilled the cubes of fudge on the table. "I'm just going to put in half-Rainbow!"

"Mmmf?" The pegasus widened her eyes, trying to appear innocent. I swept most of the fudge back into the bag, and glared at her. "Man, that's good stuff," she said, swallowing.

"I know! Bon-bon gave it to me." I scooped up the last cube, and held it out to Applejack. "Half of this. That's all. This is my kitchen; can't you let me cook, please?"  

"Come on, Applejack!" Pinkie added. "Just a little will be good."

"You're only saying that because you like anything with sugar!" Applejack grumbled, but stepped away. Pinkie nodded cheerfully. I fumbled with the knife, my exasperation increasing. Twilight wasn't much of a cook, especially with hooves.

"What's bothering you?"

She must have felt my irritation; I turned a bit of attention inward. She was nearly finished calibrating the widderspindle. All we needed was moon-rise.

"Hooves!" I sent back, loading the word with as much derision as I could.

"Hmm...I've wanted to try this for a while now." I felt a familiar cold sensation crawl through my brain. Twilight was trying to feed power across our link. I hesitated for a moment; this was one more unconsidered experiment. On the other hand, I had used Twilight's power to close the portal. Twilight felt my hesitation and sent a feeling of query, like a voiceless question mark. I mentally shrugged and grasped the power.

"Aha!" My horn lit up with a slight crackle. I drew on Twilight's training a bit more, and wrapped the power around the handle of the knife. The aura was reversed for me, now a deep purple crazed with orange.

"Now that is fascinating." I turned to find Rarity staring at my aura with narrowed eyes. I dismissed her curiosity; I'd had enough experimenting today. I turned back to the cutting board. Time for some cooking.

In short order, the sauce was finished. I turned my attention to egg noodles for Twilight. I'd serve it over hay for the rest of us. Applejack, working alongside, was trying to scrape an apple pie and a green salad out of the food I'd been given. She was surprisingly fun to work with, always ready with a bit of wisdom or a tip on how to make the most of an ingredient. I'd always enjoyed cooking, mainly since I loved eating, and working with her seemed to bring back a bit of the 'normal' in my life. I needed to feel a bit grounded. Cooking with Applejack was about as grounded as it got.  

"So, wait." I hovered my makeshift rolling pin, an empty cider bottle, over to the dough. "These...zap-apples, they have rainbow colors? And even when you make jam, they spread rainbow colors?"

"Eyup. They're magic something fierce. And dang, are they delicious! Ah think Apple Bloom is learning how they work from Granny."

"Awesome. You know, as much as Equestria makes me slightly crazy, there are things like this that make it worth while. Magic apples? Yes please! I don't suppose you make Hesperidean Cider or something too, do you?"

"Cider?" Rainbow flicked an ear at us, and we both laughed. I picked up a pair of knives, floating them carefully over Applejack before deftly slicing the noodles and scooping them up.

"Wes?" Rarity asked, her voice slightly odd.

"Yeah?"

"How many things are you holding up?"

"Um..." I counted quickly. Two knives, one bottle, a bowl and spoon, noodles... oodles of noodles. "Dunno. Why?"

"You're not straining at all?"

"Should I be?" Twilight stepped in the back door, taking a minute to remove her shoes.

"He's cheating," she said to Rarity. "He's borrowing more than my magic; I'm lending him some skills, too. Wes, levitating more than a few objects can get difficult because of the concentration it takes. Although I think your patterns of thought might give you an edge there; you're concentration is usually more scattered. I was wondering if that was natural, but the fact I'm not thinking like you in your body suggests it's trained. Oh, I'm done with the widderspindle." She glanced around the room, and grimaced. "Don't you have a decent chair?"

"Not yet. My money is budgeted towards getting food in before winter. I'm curious, though; how does that follow, the thinking in different ways? We're in different bodies now. We should see some effects, right?"

"Honestly? No idea. I hope we can get a few clues from our engrams. It's been debated for quite a while; whether the soul is formed by the body, or the body is 'controlled' by the soul. Some ponies say that since damage to the brain can affect a ponies mind, the soul has to be secondary. Others refuse this interpretation, claiming the brain merely connects to the soul; damaging the brain breaks part of the connection."

"Hmm." I mused for a second. I'd never considered 'soul' from a scientific perspective before.

"Enough egghead talk." Applejack nudged me. "Your water's boiling." Jerked back to reality, I carefully submerged the noodles. Telekinesis was useful for not getting burnt.

"Any word on Flutter-Oh. Here she is." A very, very soft knock came from the door. Rarity, the nearest, swung it open.

"Come in, dear! You're just in time for supper."

"O-oh. Um, before that-"

"Woo, food!" Rainbow swept the cards off the table. Rarity gasped; she'd been close to winning. I sighed as they started bickering, and floated a stack of paper plates, leftover from the party, to Twilight. Letting the others set the table, I stepped over to Fluttershy, and tipped an ear towards her.

"What's up?" I asked quietly.

"Well, you see, I thought something was odd about that manticore showing just as he did, so I spent some time asking my animal friends about what's been going on in the forest."

I frowned at that; I'd also been suspicious. Twilight and I both fall under strange magic, and then an old opponent shows up? A little cute for coincidence.

"Because that manticore was away from his hunting ground. And he came quite a way; I was wondering how he found you."

"Any luck?"

"Um...not much. Some of my friends said a strange pony may have led him this way, but-"

"Really?"

"Yes. But most animals don't pay attention like we do, so that's all I was able to find out."

"Still, it's something. I was thinking this was more than chance could account for. If somepony really did lead him, we need to find out who, because they're purposefully causing trouble. And find how they knew about our fight."

"Oh, any of the Everfree's residents could tell them that."

"Wait, really?"

"Of course! You're new, and scary, and you go everywhere; they all talk about you. Anypony who knew who to ask could find out about the manticore."

"...huh." I guess if squirrels could gossip, that made a fair amount of sense. "Um. I'm scary?" Fluttershy gave a small nod. "Oh. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," she said with a reassuring smile. "Most things are scary to my animal friends. Why, they're even afraid of me sometimes." I kept my peace at that; I'd heard of The Stare.

"Uh, supper?" I motioned her towards the table. Places were set, and food was being served.





"So, I didn't ruin it?"

"Ah guess you didn't, at that. Still, don't think it was necessary." I glanced around the table; cleaned plates were in evidence. Spaghetti sauce over hay or noodles, salad and pie; I'd have loved a beer, but had no idea if I could get it here. Or if ponies could even drink it. I tapped my fork on the edge of my glass a few times, until quiet fell.

"Um, thanks for staying for supper. It's been fun, but there's something I need to tell everypony. You see, I've told most of you I'm from another country. That isn't really wrong, but the whole truth is a bit stranger-"

The whole explanation took quite a while. Reactions varied; Rainbow seemed slightly disappointed, as if expecting a bigger secret. Applejack nodded firmly, like I'd just confirmed her suspicions. Rarity's eyes sharpened with interest at the idea of a separate world. Fluttershy looked vaguely apprehensive; I wasn't sure if that was a change or not. Pinkie didn't seem perturbed in the least. Expert on weird, I guess.

I soon pulled Twilight into the explanation, and we gave a pretty comprehensive breakdown of what the soul-bond was and how it had started. Some of them knew bits and pieces, but I saw some confusion clear as the whole picture was presented. Explaining the whole thing was a weight off my mind.

"So, I wanted to apologize for hiding this from you, and for asking Twilight to hide it as well. I'm sorry." I wrapped it up as neatly as I could, and threw myself on their mercy.

"O-Oh. It's Ok."

"That's fine."

"Forget it."

"Forgiven, dear."

"Okey-Dokey!"

I was slightly flabbergasted.

"That's all?"

"What do you want?" Rainbow asked. "Come on; we knew something was up. Twilight is, like, WORST EVER at secrets. Pinkie even suggested, about sixteen times, that you were from another world. Maybe we need to take her a bit more seriously. I'm glad you told us, but I understand your reasons. It's not a big deal. I'm just annoyed you didn't tell us earlier; this 'link' sounds like it could be a lot of fun."

"Um-"

"Yeah! Think of the pranks we could play!" Pinkie bounced out of her chair, and grabbed one of Twilight's hands, holding it behind her back. "Wes, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"I don't think-"

"Let's indulge them a bit, Wes. They're just curious, after all. And maybe they'll test something I didn't think of." 

"Well...Ok. How many?" 

"Huh?" 

"Fingers." 

"Oh. All of them?" 

"Four." I said to Pinkie, with a smirk. "And one thumb."

"Ooo, tricky!" She smirked back, and Rainbow rolled her eyes.





"They're asking what?"  I rolled my eyes, and bit back a cutting remark. "No." I said, glaring at Rainbow Dash. "I am not answering this. You're not testing our link anymore. Now you're just trying worm information out of me!"

"Aww, come on! Just this one question! If you don't answer, we won't know you heard it from Twilight!"
 
"Or, I could just repeat the question. You don't honestly think my favorite foods have anything to do with this link, do you? Anyways, I don't know if Fluttershy told you, but I eat meat. At least, I do when I'm in my own body. Are you sure you want to hear the answer?" She shivered slightly at that, but her eyes grew sharp and curious.

"Really?"

"Really really. I'm omnivorous, like a bear. Actually, the sauce I made tonight? I normally put meat in it."

"Oooo." She shivered again. "That's...kinda creepy."

"It's the way I am. Was." I glanced over to where Twilight and Pinkie were sitting, on the other side of the room. "I offered Twilight some fish for supper, but she didn't want any."

"Oh, you mean fish? Fish is different." I didn't mean fish; I normally put ground turkey in my spaghetti, or when it was on sale, beef. But I remembered the talking cows we bought milk from, and left it at that. "Fish aren't smart enough to know they're alive. And even other fish eat them! Hey, we should go to one of the pegasus restaurants; there's a really great one that just opened, but none of the others will go with me. Even Fluttershy doesn't like fish much."

"Huh. Maybe. After we get this all sorted out."

"Any luck on that?"

"Well, we're going to cast for engrams later tonight. Oh, and Fluttershy talked to the animals in the forest. She thinks that maybe a pony was behind the manticore showing up, so I think they may be connected. You heard about the manticore?"

"Yeah." She gave me a piercing look. "So, what are you going to do?"

"No idea." I shrugged.

"Aw, come on! Whip up a plan! I've seen you work; you're good!"

"In a familiar situation. This?" I shrugged. "I have very little idea how to deal with ponies when they're not trying to kill me. In a pinch, I'm happy to plan tactics. I'll even lead. But strategy? I'd rather to leave that to Captain Shining, or Twilight. And this is something else, even. I have no idea how to deal with social situations. Point me at someone who needs punched, and I'm your guy. Talking? No thanks."

"Hmm, I see." She rubbed her jaw for a second. "Whelp, if you need assistance, ask an expert! Raaaaare!" The snowy unicorn turned away from cleanup in the kitchen, and started towards us. I suppressed my misgivings; there was no harm in asking an opinion. And at the very least, any plans were assured of being fabulous.





"Move your right foreleg a skinch to the left." I complied. I'd left Rainbow and Rarity discussing our mysterious malefactor; Twilight had reported the moon was rising, and the conditions for engram casting were getting closer. I was currently standing inside the widderspindle. It was dimly visible in the moonlight, forming an eight-pointed star with the last point split open for access to the inside. Multicolored strings ran to and fro between the posts, enameled medallions arranged precisely through the whole setup.

Gazing at it, a few memorized facts surfaced. For a second, I saw a deeper, underlying magical structure, taut with arcane energy. I grasped at the arrangement of the medallions, fleetingly recognizing the half-dozen magical disciplines that imbued them with potency to reveal the shadows of the mind. Those thoughts had leaked across my link with Twilight; maybe if I just-

"Don't do that!" Twilight snapped, as my attention distracted her. "I'm trying to work here." 

"Sorry." I answered meekly. "It's just...I could almost see it like you do, and it was really neat." Instead of responding, she continued pacing around the circle, occasionally touching a peg or medallion with the horn in her hand. The whole nest of string was starting to glow faintly, and if I hadn't understood what was going on, I'd have felt somewhat apprehensive.

Engrams represent the patterns of energy in the body. The casting would reveal any magic or spells, the shape of the body, and the shape of the mind. If we did this right, it should give us a start on what magic caused our swap. The difficulty of using a widderspindle was actually that it revealed much more than you needed. Sorting through the engrams could be a chore.

After four circuits, the preparations were finished. I felt a gentle buzz as the magical potentials balanced. Thaumic energy began flowing in complex and subtle patterns. A sensation like tearing spiderwebs crawled across my skin, and for a second I could feel moonlight flow through me. The widderspindle chimed once, and the reading appeared.

I stepped back to look at it; once it was cast, it would persist until reset, or daybreak. The moonlight, captured by the spell and twisted through unimaginable dimensions until it refracted off what defined 'me', glowed up from the grass in multichrome rings, dapples, splots and speckles. It looked like burning Rorschach origami in a kalidescope. I found myself wishing for a camera. Twilight had a notebook out, and was scratching away. I caught fragments of her muttering as she wrote.

"Left wing four...oh, fascinating...of course it's the tower...hmm, didn't expect that...but if that's true, then..."

I considered trying to skim her thoughts, but dismissed the idea. She'd just snap at me again for being nosy. Eventually, she stepped into the ring herself. I touched my horn to the grounding peg, releasing the spell; the captured imagery faded away, draining into the vast equalizing neutrality of the planet.

"Now, here's how you cast for me-"

I followed her instructions to the letter. I only had to restart once, but after that she occasionally fed instructions across the link. Finally done, she positioned herself and I tapped the last medallion, charging it precisely.

This chime was much less pleasant. It was a disharmonic, almost tortured creak. The spell wobbled as it fell into place, the imbalance nearly wrecking the reading. Twilight took a step back, and gasped at what she saw.

My body's engrams were distinctly different and less pleasant than Twilight's. I could guess the deep crackles of shadowy purple denoted the gem. The flickers of crimson looked like bloody hands to me, and the baleful green flecks...well, no use guessing.

"Oooh..." Twilight breathed, her pencil working twice as fast. I waited impatiently. As soon as she nodded and stood, I wiped the pattern. She grimaced, but didn't say anything.





The group was sitting on the floor this time, circled around a firefly lantern. All eyes turned to us as we entered. We settled down with them. I joined the card game; the were playing Fools. Twilight buried her nose in her notebook.

"So, Wes, we were thinking." Rainbow passed a sheaf of cards to Applejeck, and smiled at me. "Rarity figures that we might be able to discover who's bothering you, by checking if they're tailing you."

"I...guess. Would they do that? Tail me?"

"Maybe." Rarity answered. "Honestly, I can't say for sure. But if they're trying for some specific effect with this attack, they will need to check on you at some point. I'll ask around town, but in the meantime there's not much we can do."

I considered it for a minute. It made some sense; if they wanted to find out how I was doing, they might have me watched. Or rather, who they thought was me watched.

"So...do you think watching for a tail would be enough?" I asked, speculatively.

"Again, maybe." Rarity shrugged, and triumphantly slapped an ace down in front of Rainbow, who groaned. "It's all we can do for now. If they're foolish, or we get lucky, we might learn something."

"Hmn. Ok, thanks for the suggestion. I'll ask Twilight what she thinks, and-"

"Hey, Twilight!" Rainbow reached over and tapped her on the shoulder. I felt the reaction across the link, first; Twilight had maintained it so the could use her fingers properly. Reflexes I'd painstakingly trained lashed out, and she moved without thinking, twisting violently and throwing a punch directly at Rainbow's unprotected side. I reacted nearly as quickly, trying to keep my friends from hurting each other. I grasped Twilight's power, yanking it across the link and spellcasting in a split second. Rainbow blinked out, reappearing halfway across the room, and Twilight hit only empty air, a shocked look appearing on her face.

"Oh, Rainbow, I'm so sorry!" She leaped up and ran to her friend, hugging her fiercely.

"It's Ok," came the muffled reply. "I guess that's why Wes twitches when I sneak up on him."

"No kidding." I said dryly. "Those reflexes have saved my life. Careful with them, both of you."

"I didn't even think," Twilight said. "I just felt you there, and then I was moving."

"Hey, it's fine. Hopefully you and Wes'll be back to normal soon anyways, right?"

"Maybe! Actually, Wes, I'd like you to check me here. I'm getting some odd readings."

"Oh?" I levitated her notes, and scanned them. "What are you seeing?"

"Well, it's odd. I'd swear that this signature here-" She released Rainbow, and ran a finger along one line of calculation "-means this whole thing is caused by wild magic. But the only sort of wild magic strong enough would be from the Everfree. And you haven't been in there in days, right?"

"Yeah. I haven't gone out past my clearing in weeks. But-" A sudden realization stopped me. Magic, from the Everfree? Strange effects? A sinister somepony? No way. I jumped up, and dashed to yesterdays mail pile.

"Wes?" Rainbow asked.

"No way. No WAY!" I shouted, scrambling madly for a specific piece of paper.

"What's up?" Applejack asked, putting her cards down. "You two out of the game, or what?" I pulled the piece out, and threw it on the floor. It was a simple flower, cut for Hearth's Warming. The one that had no return address, or name of the sender. I'd thought it odd then.

"Don't touch that!" I snapped, as Rainbow reached for it. "This is the culprit. Or rather, from the culprit."

"Oh!" Twilight scanned it quickly, and a slightly horrified expression appeared on her face. "Oh! Someone mailed you-"

"Poison Joak pollen." I finished. "I can't believe I didn't notice earlier! Zecora trained me on it; I should have recognized the smell, even! I didn't put two and two together until you mentioned wild magic. This wackyness has Poison Joak written all over it! I even started coughing and sneezing after getting this. I thought I was getting a cold, but it was allergies. Magical ones." I stared at the paper a second longer, and grit my teeth. "This clinches it. Somepony - or ponies - here in Ponyville have it in for me." I glanced at the circle of staring faces, and the reality of the situation hit me. "Now what?" I asked helplessly.

> 27 - Rain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Everypony looks so cute!" Twilight said.

"You're just noticing?" We were on the path to Zecora's in the early morning. Mist hung low on the ground and gnarled trees loomed menacingly in the forest shadows, but birds sang cheerfully and sunlight slowly brightened our way. Dew hung heavy on the branches and leaves. My fetlocks were soaked. "Odd it would strike you today. I wonder if it takes time for minds to acclimate to bodies? Maybe if we stayed switched, you'd find yourself thinking like me?"

"Possibly. Do we really look this adorable to you?"

"Likely more. If you didn't notice yesterday, then tomorrow it could be even more pronounced. Most of you look like soft plush toys. Super cute and huggable. Especially the foals. The cutie mark crusaders are so sweet, sometimes it's all I can do to keep myself from snuggling them. Especially Scootaloo. Can you imagine how offended she would be?" We both burst out laughing, imagining the 'tough' filly's reaction to being adorable.

"I guess no matter what else we got out of this, it has put some things into perspective." I brushed a branch out of the way.

"Yeah." Twilight nodded. "Although now we've solved this, we have a whole new set of problems."

"One thing at a time."  I sighed. A sinister somepony was not what I needed in my life. "For now, we need the antidote. After, I need to talk to Lyra."

"You're taking her offer?"

"Yeah," I said somberly. "I'll ask if we can focus on mental discipline. I don't know if it was watching you fight the manticore, or almost punch Rainbow, but I realized that I can't afford to pretend I'm normal. I need to do something. One of the first things I learned from Splinter was indecision is usually worse than guessing. I can't pretend my problems don't exist. Lyra's training may not be the final answer, but it's a step."

"Makes sense. Well, it's been educational, but I, for one, will be glad to be back to normal."

"Amen to that." I turned the last corner on the trail, carefully edging past a puddle, and smiled with relief as Zecora's house came into view. Soon, one problem would be out of the way. Soon, I could start working on the next one.

Soon.





Zecora cured us quickly, although she burst out laughing upon hearing about our plight. After picking herself up off the floor and choking back paroxysms of giggles, she mixed the antidote with no fuss and no trouble. We went separate ways, relieved and planning to pick up the pieces as best we could.

For me, that meant heading straight into the Everfree.

I wasn't kidding when I told Twilight I didn't have money for a decent chair. I barely had money for decent food. I had a job, and it payed well; comparatively better than my job on Earth. But I hadn't put in a full day since visiting Canterlot. I had made bits here and there, but I couldn't afford to be just scraping by. Winter was coming eventually, and I couldn't subsist on hay. I needed to stock up, and that meant buying in bulk; I couldn't eat pony staples, and that meant a special order. Put those together and I needed big bits, cash up front. My house was worth it. I was very happy I'd laid out the money for it, and I wouldn't take that back. But things were...tight. Tighter than I'd thought, with wacky shenanigans filling my time. So, I seized the chance to get some work done.

I headed into the forest diagonally to the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters. The Everfree could be very dangerous, but not everywhere. Between Ponyville and the Palace it was scary, but fairly tame. Near the Palace, it was quite safe. Past the Palace, things started getting crazy again, like the old city had a calming influence of sorts. I hiked until things started to get interesting. I was nearly half a day from Ponyville, clockwise around the Palace.

One of the best parts of the hiking was exploring. I'd taken an hour or two in Twilight's workshop to make myself a decent compass. Combined with a good map and my orienteering skills, I could always find my way out. Not as convenient as the GPS on my long-lost phone, but I kept notes on my map, and carefully expanded my 'territory', slowly moving further and further into the unknown, slowly stretching my understanding of the wild.

 One part of being a naturalist I really enjoyed was the outdoors time. Hiking was a paid activity, and working meant leaving my paperwork behind. I was alone, the distractions of life, the hustle, bustle, and ponies of the town were far behind.

It was nice. Peaceful.

I didn't just wander anywhere, of course. Even before my run-in with Poison Joak, I moved slowly and cautiously. I stuck to trails as I could, and didn't let my thoughts stray far. Now I was a bit more comfortable with using Splinter's horn, I had another advantage. I couldn't cast spells without help, but sensing didn't take energy, so I could scan for magic; I could spot magic and enchantments from afar as long as I paid attention.

I was moving stealthily, dagger in one hand, horn in the other, on a thinly-worn rabbit trail. I'd found a slow-stone, which was quite good; if I didn't turn up anything else, I could call it a day. But I was enjoying the breeze, and decided to continue a bit. As I hiked, I caught glimpses of something odd through the trees. Finally stepping into a clearing, I found what seemed to be a relic of the Ever Free City. Ruins were scattered all through the Forest. The City had been a big place, and left lots behind, much to my pleasure. I enjoyed exploring ruins. Walking the hoofsteps of those who came before gave me a curious feeling, and I liked to imagine the days of those who lived an age ago. This one was a large mural, intricately and painstakingly painted onto a cliff.

I stood and appreciated the mural for a good five minutes. At some point, erosion had halved the hill before me, leaving a generously sized rock face footed by scree. Using an unknown technique, somepony had marked the surface, using the expanse of bare stone as their canvas. Dark swirls alternated with natural gray. It was abstract, with no obvious symbolism, and big enough that as I walked closer, I couldn't take the whole thing in at once, but more and more details sprang to light. As I neared the cliff, foreshortening bent the whole thing, drawing attention to a point where darker shadow lay. At first, it looked like part of the design. But the blackness didn't quite match the dark of the mural. With a start, I realized it was a cave. I scrambled up the scree to investigate. It didn't seem like much at first, just a crack in the rock; but as I looked deeper, I was surprised to find an ancient door in the depths.

I picked my way past the debris and ran a hand slowly over the old stone, excitement and apprehension warring in my chest. Heart thumping, I tried the handle; it was unlocked. Ruins were fun, but actual artifacts were something else. I paused before entering, but pushed past my hesitation and swung the door open. Inside, it was cool and dry. I sneezed at the dust and held my horn up, scanning for magic.

The response nearly knocked me over.

Panicked, I leaped backwards, dodging away and flattening myself against the cliff. After standing motionless for a few minutes, I started to feel a bit foolish. I carefully retraced my steps. The response didn't change; something behind the door was intensely magical. I fumbled a flask of fireflies out and tapped it to wake them up. The sullen glow barely pushed back the darkness, but it gave me enough to start.

This was...a guardhouse?

I stepped slowly through the door. The magical aura I sensed swirled around me, and started dissipating. I blinked in astonishment; had I panicked over thaumically charged air? Surely not! But my opinion changed as I stepped further in. My skin fairly crackled with potential as fresh air swirled in; the atmosphere here harbored the energy for a good sized storm. Whatever this place was guarding, for this much free magic to leak was extraordinary. I explored carefully while the room aired out. As my eyes adjusted, my lantern light revealed more secrets.

Mostly boring secrets.

This place was so ordinary, I could hardly believe it. A few small rooms, mouldering beds, a fireplace, the door I'd entered. An empty desk. Empty weapons-racks.

But finally, a trapdoor. It was the only interesting thing in the place, and it delivered.

It was wreathed in runes, and wired in silver. From the bits I understood, the whole thing was designed to ground wild magic, harmlessly releasing it into the surrounding stone and air. With the door sealed, the charge had built up over time. I might not have noticed if it hadn't been concentrated like that.

By now, I was starting to suspect I'd found an entrance to the Caves of Song and Shade.

The Caves underlay the Everfree, and were even more wild and treacherous, though oddly, in some ways they were better documented and understood. The Forest was a modern phenomenon, which the Caves predated by an era. When the Ever Free City was finally broken and its inhabitants scattered, the Forest rose in its place. Most entrances to the Caves were lost in the Forest. I'd studied them as a matter of curiosity. Some researchers claimed the Forest was merely the Caves magic aboveground; one account even called it the Forest of Song and Shade.

I'd never expected to find an entrance. And now I wasn't entirely sure what I should do with it. The Caves of Song and Shade had been important to the ponies of the Ever Free City. They'd founded their settlement here for a reason, and although I couldn't fathom the whole of it, the Caves factored in deeply.  

Even more curious now, I ran my fingers around the slab. It had no lock, or even hinges. It looked like something expected to see infrequent use, but built to last. Somepony had wanted this done right, the first time. Military? Government?

It didn't seem dangerous. I scanned the whole thing again. The dissipating circuits muffled whatever was below, but it didn't seem hostile, intelligent, or even alive. Just...very wild.

I slipped the tip of my dagger under the edge and levered it up a crack. The first note confirmed my suspicion. I let the trapdoor close, walked back to the entrance, leaned against the cliff under the mural, and thought this through.

That was definitely singing stone. The only place it was found nearby was the Caves of Song and Shade; it was even in the name. My heels were itching now; I wanted to explore. Partially because I was sure I could find something to sell, and partially pure curiosity. I'd found a purpose-built entrance. The idea that the Ever Free City had a systematic access to the caves was fascinating. What had they left behind down there?

But, was I ready for this?

I went over my mental checklist, frowning as answers rolled in. I wasn't equipped for a very long expedition. I'd told Zecora I'd be gone for a day; if I didn't drop by, she'd assume the worst. Twilight wanted help with an experiment, and I hadn't talked to Lyra.

But I did have extra supplies. And this was intriguing.

With a hint of regret, I closed the door behind me, and started to Zecora's. I needed to tell her, at least. Nopony else knew my schedule; nopony else should come looking for me. I'd scrounge some food, and explore the Caves. Maybe I'd head back tomorrow.

Maybe.

Three days later, I was still here.

I sat in the entrance to the crevasse, and watched the rain.

Exploring was slow going. I was camping in the guardhouse; it was sturdy enough for security, even in this fairly wild area of the Everfree. I smiled at that; surprise camping had caused me trouble before. As I guessed, the trapdoor opened into the Chorus Caverns, one of the better documented areas. Maybe because of this entrance. Of the known caves, they were fairly safe, but troublesome in their own way.

Singing stone wasn't worth much, but it had unusual properties. The obvious one was resonance. The longer I stayed in the caves, the more sound I made; the more sound I made, the more the caverns sang. The notes I'd heard on opening the trapdoor were faint, like a distant pipe-organ. I carefully lowered myself down, closing the door behind me, and raising my lantern. I'd removed my shoes, and my socks made little sound on the floor. But even small sounds echo in the right spaces.

I'd begged some beeswax from Zecora for a pair of earplugs. They were clumsy, but a lot better than nothing. With these, I usually managed at least a half-hour in the Chorus Caverns before needing a break.

On my first exploration, I was startled by the hum. It started building as soon as I touched the floor.

It was a gentle buzz in my bones, not exactly unpleasant, but slowly growing. I took a cautious step, and the buzz increased. I sighed in exasperation; if it continued like this, I'd need to leave the caves periodically or be shaken to pieces. I resigned myself to a slow, grinding process, and began documenting everything I could see.

By the time the resonance became unbearable I had started a serviceable map and taken samples of the surrounding rocks, noted the glowing stream that cut through the large entrance cavern, and even managed to find an unusual fungus. As I climbed out of the trapdoor, my whole body bubbled and fizzed with sound, transmitted strongly through the air and rock. I could hear it through my earplugs. It was harmonious, a thousand sweet instruments all signing as one, but monstrously penetrating. I felt brittle, like a wineglass shaking to pieces.

I slammed the trapdoor closed, and tweaked my earplugs out. The seals filtered the magical vibrations, and even muffled the sound; it was like a deep underground pipe organ, or distant church bells on a foggy morning. I sat, exhaustion flowing through me. The constant pressure had worn me thin. I felt drained, like I'd been on a ten-hour car ride.

This could take a while.

Today, I was taking a break.

I'd planned to gather food in the Forest, before exploring a bit more. But when I'd gotten to the entrance of the crevasse, I'd found it was raining. Not the gentle sprinkles we got in Ponyville, or even the more substantial stuff Applejack and Carrot Top scheduled for their farms; this was a real whiz-bang thunderstorm, with lightning crackling angrily overhead, and a sullen green cast to the air. I'd smiled at the sight; a bit of real weather wouldn't go amiss. Making a snap decision, I set my pack down, leaned against the warm stone, and watched.

That's what I'd been doing most of the morning. Watching it rain.

A bit bored, I'd scrounged samples of singing stone from my pack and began tinkering. Staring out into the storm, I touched my makeshift instrument, a framework of twigs with fragments of stone suspended. A clear note rang out. I flicked a few more, frowning as they sounded discordantly. They never did that in the Caves; maybe if I connected them...I cast around for something, and a flash of color caught my eye. I set my experiment to the side and stood, peering.

"Fluttershy?" I was surprised and slightly worried when I realized what I was looking at. The delicate pegasus was well and truly bedraggled. She stepped out of the trees as I called her name, soaked wings nearly dragging on the ground, mane dangling listlessly in her eyes.

Her ears lifted noticeably when she heard me. I waved her over, and cleared the clutter of my inventing away as best I could.

She picked her way up the path I'd cleared and stepped into the crevice with obvious relief. I stepped back as she shook water off herself. I'd been told pegasi were moderately water resistant, but when they got soaked, they were surprisingly absorbent. She flapped her wings a few times, dampening the area further.

"What are you doing way out here? In the rain?"

"My animal friends said you might be around here," she replied quietly. "I didn't check the weather schedule."

"Oh." I led her into the guardhouse, and threw a few pieces of wood on the coals in the ancient stone fireplace, and started my kettle heating. "I don't think the weather schedule would have helped. They forecast the edges of the Everfree, but this is pretty far in. Here." I threw her my poncho, a thick woolen garment I'd been using as a blanket. "Pull that over you. Just how cold are you?"

"I'm Ok."

The conversation lapsed into awkward silence.

I blocked the doorway open, retrieving my experiment. It had taken a bit of work to clear the chimney, but now I got pretty decent airflow through the room.

I'd been trying to connect the stones. I used twine to carefully tie them, and touched my instrument again. Now they sang harmoniously. I smiled and ran my fingers along the notes. The storm rumbled outside. The white noise of the rain reached us through the door, damp chill fighting the cheerful blaze of the fire. I began picking out a song, searching for sounds. I could change the pitch by adjusting the frame, so I would play a few notes, adjust my twine, and try again.

A melody began taking shape in the dim room. Fluttershy pulled the poncho close and scooted near the fire. After a few minutes, a shrill note disturbed my playing, and I put the instrument aside, and carefully retrieved my kettle from the flames. I fumbled a sachet of cocoa from my pack and dumped it into my mug, adding water and mixing thoroughly.

"Careful, it's hot." Fluttershy accepted hesitantly.

"Wesley, what's bothering you?"

"Nothing." It sounded hollow even to me. "Not much, anyways."

 "Um, I...I think I know how you feel." Fluttershy blew carefully on her drink. I smiled bitterly. "Oh, maybe not about being in another world." Her voice dropped. "Although I'm sure that's very scary." She shivered slightly. "But, about running to be in the forest. I know how you feel, because I'm good at running from my problems, too. And I love the forest." I stroked my instrument again. I could 'bend' a note depending on how I activated a stone. The melancholy song trembled in the air for a moment.

 "Did you come all this way just for me?"

"I thought you might need a friend." I was speechless at that. I knew she was 'kindness', but, like realizing just how sly Rarity was in undercharging me, I was just now realizing how well Fluttershy fit her Element. A half-day's hike through unfamiliar parts of the Everfree was no joke, even with help from the local wildlife.

"If you want to talk, I'll listen. Sometimes it helps." she said carefully. I mulled over her words for a while, listening to the rain. The storm seemed to be getting even fiercer, if that was possible. After finding tropical plants growing in one part, I'd begun speculating there were microclimates in the Everfree. Maybe this spot was particularly inclement?

"What are you playing?" she asked, when I didn't respond.

"I found some singing stones. As long as they're connected, they'll harmonize." I frowned. "I don't think the instrument has a name. I built it because I-" I cut off, my thoughts devolving into a muddy swirl of realization.

"Wes?"

"Because I wanted a distraction." I rubbed my eyes. "That's all I'm doing, isn't it?" I swallowed convulsively. "I'm such a fool sometimes. Am I really so shallow?" I drew a few more notes out to fill the silence. "I...I don't know how to deal with Ponyville." I finally confessed. "I can barely deal with friendly ponies. And now one of them is trying to make trouble for me." The situation loomed over me, an insoluble mass of problems. I shut my eyes, trying to ignore it, but it bore down more strongly. Unavoidable. Inescapable. Painful. I couldn't see a way through it; wherever I turned, my malefactor menaced me, safe in anonymity.

"It's so much easier to run away." Fluttershy filled in for me. I nodded.

"I even convinced myself it was a good thing," I said, "but I'm just shirking. Pushing the responsibility onto everypony else. Right?" I spat. "Faugh. I disgust myself. I thought I was stronger than this."

"We don't mind."

"Hmm?"

"We want to help."

I shook my head slowly. The melody was taking a definite form, now.

"Really?" I asked softly. I knew they were my friends. Twilight and I were nearly of one mind, and I had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Rainbow on the battlefield. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie had welcomed me in their own ways. But it seemed I still hadn't grasped what 'friend' meant to these ponies. Fluttershy's assertion still blindsided me. They were Ok with helping pick up my mess?

"Sometimes we need to do hard or scary things." Fluttershy sipped her drink. "Sometimes we thoughtlessly hurt our friends, or they hurt us. Sometimes we do things we regret. But true friends are trying to help. I know about running from problems." She smiled. "But my friends have helped me through them. Let us help you too. We're okay with you pushing some of the load onto us."

I thought of Fluttershy as delicate, but her smile didn't look weak to me then.

"You right. Of course. This really isn't solving anything. I can tell myself that the caves are intriguing, and that I need alone time, but it's just an excuse, huh?" She nodded warily.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was soft. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," I said. "It leaves a bitter taste to be called on my foolishness, but I'll grin and bear it." I sent a few more notes soaring into the rain. "Thank you." I said quietly. I got a gentle nod in reply. I composed myself, and re-ordered my priorities. "I guess we should head back." Her ears drooped a little at that. "We can wait until the rain stops, though." We shared a quiet laugh. I pulled a few more notes out of my instrument.

"Fluttershy..." I stopped.

"Hmm?"

"Why aren't you more scared of me?"

I hadn't fully understood until I saw her at my party, but Fluttershy was extremely shy. Ridiculously so, even. I'd realized just how odd it was that she easily spoke to me.

"Umm..." She hesitated, sipping her cocoa for a moment. "You...you feel like one of my animal friends."

I blinked at that. She saw me as...a wild animal?

"Hah. Hahaha!" She gave me an odd look as I burst out laughing. Looking back on our interaction, I realized she was right. She rarely met my eyes, and always acted very non-threatening, just like dealing with a potentially dangerous predator. The thing is, I realized I'd always made slow movements around her, and avoided using a loud voice myself...as if she was half-wild, and might spook.

"I guess we're even, then." I wiped my eyes. "I think I've been doing the same. Heh. Sorry."

"That's Ok." She blinked her huge eyes slowly. "You're calming to be around."

"Oh." I smiled slightly. Even strange compliments were nice. I adjusted a few bits of my instrument, and tried again.

"What's your song?"

"Auld Lang Syne. It means...long, long ago? It's about memory. The huge mural on the cliff outside got me thinking about it." I paused for a second, trying to marshal my thoughts. "Whoever painted the cliff-face is gone. Their work still stands bold, though. Why were they forgotten? Should we remember them, or are we better off not knowing? Moving forward means leaving things behind. What do we need to hold onto, what can we leave by the wayside?" I stopped, cutting off my diatribe. These were things I'd been trying to understand ever since escaping. I shook my head, dismissing the thoughts. Fluttershy was looking at me oddly, but blinked the expression away as I noticed.

"It sounds pretty." I nodded at that. I'd always liked the tune. I'd nearly finished adjusting my instrument to play it. I started again, and got most of the way through this time. We spent the rest of the morning there, talking quietly and drinking cocoa. Eventually, the storm broke, and we ventured out.

The path was muddy, and the trees dripped, but the sky was clear, and it wasn't far past one or two o'clock.

"Can we make it back before nightfall?"

"I...I think so," Fluttershy answered. I nodded, and we set off down the path. She kept glancing back towards the mural, but soon enough we were well on our way back towards Ponyville.





"Look, Rarity. This is worth twice what you're charging me!" I held up the wool jacket I'd commissioned. It was sturdy, but finely cut and woven, entirely too nice for the use I intended. "I just wanted something to hike in on chilly days! This is nearly a dress coat!" We were standing in the showroom of the Carousel Boutique. I shook the garment at her. She was being difficult.

"Wesley, you should always look your best. This will work just fine for exploring the forest. It's got all the pockets you asked for, and it's sturdy enough."

"That's not the problem." I massaged my temples. "You're practically giving it away! I can't, in good conscience, pay what you're asking!"

"But Wesley, we agreed! You're not trying to renegotiate, are you? That would be a shocking breach of etiquette."

"I want to pay you more!" I shouted, and instantly regretted it. Her ears flattened, and her eyes grew wide. A lip wobbled. Inwardly, I groaned. She was faking. Probably. Definitely probably. I tried to re-assure myself as a tear appeared at the corner of her eye, and she sniffled.

"You...you don't need to shout," she whimpered. "If that's how you really feel about my work-"

"Sorry." I mumbled. I tossed the coat onto a counter, dropped to my knees and threw my arms around her neck. She was probably faking, but I still couldn't stand up to that face. "Sorry. I didn't want to make you cry. I'll pay what you ask. Even if it's worth more."

"Well!" She stepped back and flipped her mane, every trace of tears gone. "You should have said that in the first place. Would you like some tea?"

"Fine." I followed her into the sitting room. "Look, Rarity, I just want to pay you a fair price. You do great work, and I feel guilty you're not being properly compensated for it."

"Wesley, things are tight for you. No, don't try and dissemble. I can see right through you." She fixed me with a piercing blue stare. "You're saving up, aren't you? You need to hold onto your bits."

"I can afford to pay you fair value." I said sullenly.

"But you do, Wesley. I set my own prices. Surely you don't think I'm too shy to ask for more."

"Hah. No." I poured for both of us, and sat down on the couch, taking up most of it. "No, not too shy. You're right, though; I'm saving up for winter. I'm going to order food in bulk, and store it in my basement; I think with a bit of work, I can make a decent root cellar." I sipped my tea, glancing around. The ornate furnishings caught my eye, and I had sudden thought. I tried to suppress a wicked smile as I set my cup down. "Just a sec, I had an idea." I stepped back to the entrance and rummaged through my pack, which I still hadn't emptied. Fluttershy and I had gotten back right around sundown. I'd seen her home and collapsed in bed.

I extracted a bundle and returned.

"How about this?" I waved it. "I found a piece of amethyst the other day." I loosened the rag I'd wrapped it in, showing the beautiful indigo color. I set it on the table, and sat down. "Would you accept it as part of my payment?"

She eyed me suspiciously, and carefully inspected the rock. I'd purposefully placed it out of her reach, but it was very clear, with a pleasant shade. I could see ideas spark in her eyes as the deep hue caught her interest. It was large, several inches in diameter and maybe a foot long, but smaller than many of the gems Rarity uncovered on her expeditions.

"It's uncut." I said. "And harvested poorly. It's yours, for, say, forty bits." Rarity gave me a searching look while I innocently inspected my fingernails. That was nearly fair market value, and probably confusing after my fuss about paying more. On the other hand, she wouldn't suspect me of cheating her. She could tell my protests were sincere; I did want to repay her. I don't know what swayed her, but she nodded decisively.

"Can I deduct the balance from your bill?" I nodded, and flipped a bit of the cloth over the stone to push it nearer her. She scooped it up for a closer inspection, and jumped in surprise as it chimed gently. "Oh!" She shot me a speculative look. "Wesley, this a singing stone!"

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow over my teacup. "How astonishing."

"Wesley."

"I had no idea." I continued. "What a perplexing discovery."

"Even uncut, singing gems sell for hundreds of bits on the Canterlot Exchange! They're not produced anywhere!"

"Astounding. Too bad we've already closed the deal." I grinned. "Rarity, you're not trying to renegotiate, are you? That would be a shocking breach of etiquette."

"Pfft." She sipped her tea, and grinned at me. "One day I'll pay you back, Wesley."

"Come at me. One day we'll get even." I smiled back, and then sighed. "Rarity, what's going on?"

"How do you mean?"

"With the town. I'm not expecting to be friends with every pony, but just walking here, they seemed apprehensive of me. Scared, even. I think I heard a door slam. They hurried past, wouldn't meet my eyes."

"Oh, Wesley...I'm sorry you found out this way. I hoped it wouldn't happen, but, well, our sinister somepony has started spreading rumors."

"What?" I was faintly astonished. "That's all?"

"Don't take it so lightly." She added a spoonful of sugar to her tea. "Did Zecora ever tell you what the town was like when she first arrived?"

"...yeah." I nodded. I knew she'd been ostracized. It sounded unpleasant. But she gave me some helpful advice; ponies weren't actually afraid of different people. They were afraid of the unknown. She'd unthinkingly exacerbated the situation by acting mysterious and living out of town. I'd purposefully been as open and transparent as I dared in my interactions, and the townsfolk had responded in kind.

Until now.

"Is that really all it took?" I was still trying to wrap my brain around simple rumors being responsible for the sudden change.

"Wesley, you're starting to fit in, but in many ways you're still a stranger here. Believe me when I say I know the power of rumor. Used well, it's more vicious and effective than a knife. And there are complications." She set her tea down, and locked eyes with me. "Other ponies heard the manticore roaring that day."

"Oho." That's what this was about. "So, the rumor is-"

"You're dangerous. You bring dangers to the village. I'd guess that was the start." She puffed a breath in annoyance. "As of now, you either killed the manticore, or are in cahoots with it to devour the whole town. And everything in between. Either way, they paint you as harsh. Powerful. Deadly."

"But...I am all that." I smiled wryly.

"So is Lyra. Come to that, Twilight and Rainbow aren't too far off. Even-Well."  Rarity cut herself off mid-retort. "Though you are all that, that is not all you are. Get your head right, Wesley. You're also a kind caring human who's making the best of a bad situation."

"So, what can I do?"

"First, stay in town." I winced at her tone, but nodded. "Your haring off into the forest limited what I could do for damage control. I can spread competing rumors, and try and trace things back to their source, but I'll need your cooperation for anything to be convincing. Will you follow my directions, even if they sound silly?"

"Um. Is this really necessary?"

"Do you want to live like an outcast? Even if this sinister somepony is only trying to make life difficult for you, that doesn't mean you should let them."

"...I guess it's rude to whine after asking for advice." She nodded firmly. "Ok, Mistress Rarity, what are your orders?" Her eyes twinkled, and a mischievous grin spread across her face.

"Well, we need to respond to the rumors about you. And the best-or rather only-way to do that is to spend time around town talking to ponies and being a pleasant, non-threatening human. In short, you need to socialize. So, you need to be presentable. The first thing we are doing is visiting the spa."

"Oh." I set my cup down. "Ok."

> 28 - Byways
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, wait, you've never meditated before?"

I cracked an eye and glared at my mint-green mentor. This was my first training session with Lyra. I'd requested her tutelage yesterday, after Rarity made sure I was properly groomed, and we'd agreed to meet this morning. Since I was restricted to the town until the rumors were dealt with, I decided to make some use of my time.

"Never. Your interruptions aren't helping, Sensei."

"Fine, I decree we're taking a break. Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Mysterious martial arts instructors should always be called Sensei. This is common knowledge where I come from. Would you prefer a different title?" I stretched, and yawned. So far, all I'd gotten out of meditation practice was a rest for my eyes.

We were at Sweet Drops, where Lyra and Bon-Bon lived. There was plenty of space upstairs for two bedrooms and two sitting rooms, so Lyra had turned her sitting room into a studio of sorts. Most of it was a bare hardwood floor, with a few pony-shaped exercise aides scattered around. Skylights gave bright light, and large mirrors on most of the walls made it seem even bigger. I liked it. It smelled warm and relaxing.

"Just, don't call me Sensei. So! Common knowledge where you're from... tell me about that." I frowned.

"Um." I thought back on detailing the whole story to the Elements, and how confusing it had been for just those six. I didn't want to lie, but I wasn't sure if the unvarnished truth was a good idea, either. "It's not that important."

"Nonsense!" Lyra bounced to her hooves, and paced a circle around me. "You're obviously from a long way off! You've got to be an omnivore, with those teeth. And a whole bipedal culture? It must be fascinating! Anyways, I need to know more about you. The fact you've never practiced meditation means you weren't raised as a unicorn, but I should have expected that. You're just so different. I want to know where you came from, so I can know more about how you think. I need to know how you learned to fight, so I can evaluate what habits to keep, and what to train out of you. As your teacher, I'm responsible for molding you into an effective and beautiful martial artist. How can I do that if I don't know anything about you?"

I sighed. She had some good points. At the very least, I'd better tell her about the ordeal I'd gone through with the changelings. But this session was starting to drag on, and I'd promised to meet Rarity for morning tea and a discussion of my social life, such as it was.

"Well, you make a lot of sense." I stood, and stretched. "How about this; I'll tell you everything about how I learned to fight. I'll  tell you what I can about where I grew up, but there's going to be bits I need to skate around, or dumb down, or just plain leave out. Is that Ok?" She hesitated, so I continued. 'Listen, some of what's going on with me is related to the Elements. I don't know if it's actually restricted information, but....are you sure you want to be involved in that?"

"Yes!" She started bouncing enthusiastically. "I do, I do!"

"Oh." I face-palmed. That backfired. "Um. Listen, Lyra. Let's start with my...training." I smiled bitterly. Seeing my expression, Lyra stopped bouncing, and leaned her ears back. "It's not really a pleasant story, but my therapist says talking helps."

"O-oh. Ok."

"Anyways, I'm meeting Rarity for tea. I'm supposed to be more 'social'." I made air-quotes with my fingers. Lyra whipped out a notebook, and jotted something down. I blinked, but ignored it. "Want to come? We can talk at the cafe, and order before she gets there so she can't pay for our food."

"Sure!"





"...and we collapsed the portal." I ended my story, describing our escape from the Crystal Kingdom. I'd skimmed over the soul-bonding stuff; I had no idea how educated Lyra was magically, but numancy was technically a crime. Besides, part of that secret belonged to Twilight. As I'd related my story, Lyra's eyes had grown progressively wider, and her ears progressively lower. Looking up, I found her staring at me in blank shock.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, leaping up to throw her forelegs around my neck.

"Isn't your fault," I mumbled. I gingerly returned her embrace. "I'm trying to work past it."

"No, but-" She released me and returned to her teacup. "It must hurt."

"Less each day." I smiled. "Anyways, that's how I learned to fight. That's why I'm...a bit of a berserker. I don't know if you still think you can help, but that's what you're working with."

"Hmm." Her face grew serious, eyebrows furrowing. "No wonder. You've been motivating yourself with fear and anger. Thats...not a good idea. Those feelings can help in the short term, but you'll find yourself becoming what you hate if you go too far." I raised an eyebrow; she didn't notice. "This makes meditation even more important. We'll be re-working your emotional habits." She looked up. "Wesley, in order to fully combat this, we're going to need to start sparring at some point. If you can't deal with that...I don't think you'll ever fight confidently." I nodded slowly.

"Well Jedi, I'll deal when we come to that. But if you're sure it will help, I'll give it a shot."

"Jedi?" She crinkled her brow, puzzled.

"Instead of Sensei. Jedi are warriors of great renown, who fight hatred and cruelty in all things." Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I feel you're teasing me. But it is better, so Ok."

"Rarity!" I waved to the fashionista as she appeared around the corner. We were in the open-air section of a small cafe, a pot of tea and plate of sweets before us. I'd never been any sort of social drinker, but I was beginning to appreciate tea.

"Oh really, Wes." Rarity wrinkled her nose as she sat down. "I'm quite sure I said this would be my treat."

"Hmm?" I pretended not to hear. "Rarity, I hope you don't mind, I invited Lyra. She's been helping me with training, as my Jedi."

"Any friend of Wes' is a friend of mine." She politely tapped hooves. "I'm Rarity; it's nice to meet you. Tell me, what does Jedi mean?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself." Lyra said wryly. "Wes just started calling me that, since apparently martial artists have special titles where he's from."

"I see." Rarity raised an eyebrow at me. I shifted uncomfortably. She couldn't really see through me...right? "Well! Wes, I simply must show you what I've begun working on!" She produced a small velvet box, and placed it before me. "I love making jewelry, and that gem you brought me was so exquisite, I just had to begin a project. Go on, take a look."

Curious, I cracked the lid. All three of us jumped as an ear-splitting shriek rang out. I dropped the box and plugged my ears, but the sound cut off immediately.

"Hehe." Lyra had caught the box; she sheepishly floated it back onto the table. "Sorry." Rarity and I shared a look, and then stared at her. She shrugged uncomfortably, and sipped her tea.

"Mysterious martial arts instructors." I waved the incident away and flipped the top to examine Rarity's piece. Small, perfectly faceted amethysts were set in a large brooch shaped like a carousel pony. It was barely begun; the shape was clear, but it was mostly empty settings. I carefully lifted it from the box, and Lyra gasped as it sang.

The pin gathered sound from the surrounding area and hummed gently back, overlaying the random clamor of the busy street with a sweet, almost inaudible chorus. It was a delicate, beautiful sound. No wonder singing gems were sought; once it was finished, wearing this would turn every hoofstep, every rustle of clothes, every word spoken to magic.

"Rarity, this is beautiful." I rubbed a finger along the tall silver pin running through the clasp, and felt the gentle hum.

"Is that singing stone?" Lyra asked, wonder in her voice.

"Amethyst!" Rarity answered proudly. "Wes kindly offered it to me as payment." Lyra's eyes narrowed at that, and she cast me a speculative gaze.

"Magnificent," she agreed. "Where on Equus did you manage to find a singing amethyst, Wes?"

"A cave. in the Everfree. A-anyways. You had ideas for improving my social life?"  I clumsily changed the subject, replacing the brooch and pouring Rarity a cup of tea.

"Indeed." Rarity smiled widely. "The first is to sit and have tea and enjoy the company of your friends, in a highly visible setting where you're obviously friendly and don't punch anything. So, Lyra. You're from Canterlot?"





I walked the empty streets, hands deep in my pockets, hat low over my eyes. There was little traffic at this time of day, and the ponies I did see were just as happy to ignore me as was them. Frustration and helplessness bubbled in my chest.

"Howdy, pardner." I raised my eyes from my feet, and plastered a smile over my restless discomfort.

"Hey, Applejack." I tried to put a bit of lift in my words, but they fell flat and dull in the quiet. She pulled her hat a little lower over her blond mane, and fell in silently. We walked for a few minutes, heading through town square towards her farm. I was tempted to turn away, to see if she would follow, but didn't quite feel rude enough.

"You know, Wes..."She chewed contemplatively on a stalk of grass. "Ah jest can't get a read on you."

"Hmm?"

"Ah like to think Ah'm a fair judge of character. But no matter how Ah try, Ah've no idea what you're thinking most times." That didn't seem to need a reply, so we walked in silence for a while longer. "It's clear enough, somethings eating you. Ah'd like to tell you to bear up, that this nastiness will blow over, but it's not just the hard words and looks that hurt, is it?"

"No."

"You seem a decent sort. Ah'd like to help. Twilight and Rainbow told me you were there for them; you're a friend of mine, for what it's worth."

"Thanks." I raised my head, and blew a breath at the sunset, trying to dispel some the fugue hanging over me. As companionship lightened my mood, my burdens loosened slightly. I rubbed a hand through my hair, trying to ease the tension in my neck.

"You're right, it is more than the rumors. Though they sting." I laughed humorlessly. "Never thought words had such power. Will ponies really fear me so, because of what they heard?"

"Ah reckon." Applejack produced a few apples. "Want one?" I accepted gratefully, polishing it on my shirt. "Look, Ah dunno much about where you grew up, but around here, what ponies say is pretty much all there is to go on. Even the newspaper's just what somepony typed up. If certain ponies talk, you listen, cuz that's news. If other ponies talk, you ignore them, cuz that's rumor. It's the ones in the middle, the ordinary ones, that do the most damage. If it makes a good story. Mah sister learned something about that." She munched her own apple for a minute. "Not everypony hates you. Most aren't even that afraid. They're playing a stupid game called 'better safe'n sorry'."

"Come again?"

"You got weapons back on, what was it, Earth?"

"Sure."

"Any small ones?"

"Lots."

"Something you could kill with?"

"Easily. A pistol."

"Well, if everypony, and I mean everypony, started telling you a certain human had a pistol, and was liable to use it, would you avoid them? If you'd never talked to them before, and didn't particularly care to?"

"Maybe. Yeah, I might." No point lying; I was just as capable of small-minded cruelty as the next human. I'd definitely shunned people who had a bad reputation, without even talking to them. Was that all it looked like to an outsider? I frowned.

"Most are just too timid to make the effort. It's easier to follow the herd. And they've never met you. Dang, we did it to Zecora, the six of us. Just never took the time for a kind word, and look how long she suffered for it." Applejack kicked a stone, hanging her head slightly. "And it's not like they're all shunning you, right? They're not shutting stores or nothing."

I nodded at that. The hard looks and whispers were definitely there, but nopony had actually acted against me.

"Anyways, Ah think it's gotten better."

"Maybe I should have just ignored the whole thing."

"Nah. If you'd let this sinister somepony do whatever, it would be worse. No point making it easy for them."

"I guess."

"So, what were you sulking about?"

"I wasn't...well, Ok, yeah, I was." I paused for a second, rubbing my chin. "Just, how helpless I am."

"How's that?" Applejack shot me flat stare. "You beat a manticore single hoofed, and you're helpless?"

"I am in this situation!" I spat angrily. "I've no faces, no names, and even if I did, I can't keep solving problems with violence." I sighed, and rubbed my eyes. "I needed alone time, so I went for a walk. Hah."

"How long you been pounding the streets?"

"Hours. Since lunch, maybe? My brain got caught on what I couldn't do. But, that's what friends are for, right?"

"Right." Applejack replied firmly. I threw my apple core into a nearby trash can.





The sun was pretty much set, and the streets were starting to darken. I'd parted with Applejack at the edge of town. She'd left me with an apple and a kind word, and I was feeling a lot better as I headed home, until a chill walked down my spine.

I didn't question the instinct; I knew what that shiver meant. I was being tailed.

I took a few random turns, trying to throw them off. But the shivers didn't falter. I glanced in the reflection of a window as I passed, trying to glimpse my pursuers. My heartbeat picked up, senses sharpening as I caught silhouettes. Could they tell I knew?

What to do? If they meant harm, they should have waited near my house. It was secluded, near the forest. If they were observing, a crowd would have shielded them. Empty streets were less than ideal. Why now? Had they anticipated my noticing? Should I confront them? Should I run? Options raced through my head, but it kept coming back to the question: what did they want?

Firming my resolve, I stepped into an alleyway. It was darker, but still had enough light to see. I couldn't afford to play to their plans. I would seize the initiative, wait for them to follow me, and confront them on a field of my choosing. I picked up a piece of trash, a handy plank, and held it behind my back.

When they rounded the corner, I wondered if I'd misread the situation. I lurked as subtly as I could, trying to flatten myself into a doorway. They seemed fairly innocuous; two earth ponies and a unicorn. My doubts were quickly laid rest as they glanced hastily around and muttered to each other. They were definitely up to something. 

"Can I help you?" I stepped forward.

"Maybe." The leader, or at least the one in front, was a battered yellow earth pony. "Do you like bleeding?" He pulled out truncheon.

I blinked.

Didn't they realize just how outclassed they were?

They might be decent fighters in their own way. Maybe they could handle a bar brawl. But I gauged them, and none were much of a threat. I was used to fighting for my life. I'd wipe the floor with them, even three on one. They didn't even have basic training, and they were hardly coordinating. I touched my hip pocket and felt the reassuring bulge of my straight-razor, visions of scarlet spray dancing through my head. Rarity had recommended I leave my dagger at home, but I wasn't silly enough to go unarmed. They straggled closer. I almost laughed; they weren't taking me seriously at all. I'd even placed the sun in their eyes.

"Stupid hooman," the unicorn drawled. He was scrawny, dark blue, with beady black eyes and a ragged mane. He was the wild card; besides his magic, his eyes were cast with desperation. I would never underestimate the desperate. "Can't you run back into the forest? Go back to your animal friends."

They were baiting me. They stepped closer. I paced backwards, trying to formulate a plan that didn't leave corpses.

Rarity had been very clear on that.

She had forecast the possibility of violence. Physical attack was simple escalation. She hadn't guessed when or where, but was very clear on my job; fish for info and bail. I wasn't allowed to hurt anypony. She declared it counter productive, and exclaimed I was better than that.

I was unsure on the last bit, but I understood not reacting as they wanted. They were blatantly taunting me, but I wouldn't rise to the bait. No matter how satisfying.

"Who sent you?" All else equal, take the simplest route.

"Why would anypony send us? We just saw you walking along, and thought, as friendly neighbors, you might not know-"

"Look, I don't want to hurt you." I cut him off, to a salvo of dirty looks. Ugly Two produced a knife. "But I'm not letting you hurt me, either. Will you tell me anything? Your names?"

I got a flat look in response. So they weren't that dumb. I realized their cutie marks were covered.

"Well, I think I'm done here." I was about to turn and run, when another pony landed behind me with a thump. One glance verified the wings; they had air support. I guess that's how they tracked me.

"Come on, four against one?" I flattened myself against the wall, and traced the tempting length of my straight razor again. I could almost feel the cold steel in my grasp. But after, my actions ran red.

"Now. Take your lumps like a stallion." The gang moved in towards me. I sighed a little. Ham-fisted amateurs. I locked onto the weakest spot in their formation; I'd be past before they reacted, gone before they organized. I just needed to get in a building, then sneak home after dark.

"Don't hurt him!" I blinked in astonishment as a small form galloped off the street, and threw itself between me and my attackers. "We should be friends! Humans are friendly!" It was a...filly? Maybe a little older than the CMC, maybe a teenager. I couldn't tell if she had a cutie mark in the dim light, but her wings were obvious.

"Thanks, I think?" I muttered. "Look, kid, I appreciated the support, but do you know what you've gotten into?"

"Are you his friend then?" Ugly Leader said. The teenage pegasus swallowed nervously, and nodded convulsively.

"Grab my mane. I can fly you out of here," she whispered.

"Not a bad plan." I admitted grudgingly. "If you can carry me, and if we can ground that vagabond, we only need to get to the roof." I pointed to the pegasus blocking the back of the alley, and she wilted slightly.

"He'll be faster! Um, um-"

"Hey. Hooman-hugger." Ugly Unicorn called. "You think we'll just let you go?" The group laughed. I would have sighed at their stupidity, if I hadn't been gritting my teeth. As cliched as the threats were, harming an innocent youth was awfully near my berserk buttons. My new friend shied nervously from the advancing group, nearly into striking distance. Her eyes flicked back and forth; she was beginning to panic as the reality of the situation hit her. I knew that feeling, and decided to act.

"I'll ground him," I spat, pointing at the pegasus. "Sure you can lift me?" She nodded erratically. "Be ready. Get us out soon as I grab your mane." I spun, lunging for the flier. He reared, striking with hooves and wings, and I stopped short. My razor sang as it whirled open, but I restrained myself; instead of touching it, oh, so lightly, to the crucial tendons at the wing joints, I merely snagged a half-dozen pinions. The shaving-sharp blade took them effortlessly, crippling him for mere weeks.

I leaped back at the snicker-snack. The others were nearly on my would-be savior, and I didn't waste a moment; I lay about with my fists and feet, faster than they could react, and drove them back with a flurry of blows. As I'd guessed, the amateurs could barely see my strikes.

Rarity would be disappointed. I was disappointed. But violence was needed for my new friend's safety, and in no way would I betray such an honest trust. Discomfort bubbled in my gut nonetheless; I knew, despite winning the brawl, that I'd lost a battle here.

"Now!" I yelled, tangling my fingers in the pegasus' locks. She spread her wings with a fwip, lowered them with a fwump, and we soared skywards. I waved a finger at the gang in disarray. The pegasus tried following, but his clipped wing betrayed him; he wobbled once, and corkscrewed hard into a wall. I smirked.

The flight was short, but surprisingly fast. I noticed with curiosity that I didn't dangle; I was supported by air currents, lifted on the same cushion that allowed pegasi to flap so leisurely. We landed near the library. I staggered, but kept my feet.

My blood was still roaring for action. I threw my head back, staring at the dim stars and running through the exercises Lyra had begun teaching me; focus on breathing, monitor the reactions of the body. If you watch what is happening, it will correct itself. Concentration is the light of change. Meditation directs concentration.

The trick was to pay more attention to my emotions, not less. Distancing myself wasn't the answer; I had to watch them, accept them, catalog, number, organize, file and alphabetize them. Once I could gain mindfulness of my whole body, attention would generate calm.

"-Ok, Mr. Wesley?" As I returned to myself I realized my acquaintance had been speaking.

"Sorry, what was that?" I tried to steady my voice, but my fading battle spirit must have shown, because she refused to meet my eyes.

"Are-are you Ok?"

"Yeah." I breathed deeply, letting the adrenaline fade. " Yeah, I am." We stood awkwardly for a moment. "Um, I appreciate that you wanted to help back there, but... I would have been Ok."

"...oh."

"Sorry, it's just, by jumping in like that, you put yourself in a lot of danger." I admonished gently, but her ears went totally flat and she hung her head. "It was very brave, though."

"Really?" Her voice was small.

"Yeah!" I tried putting enthusiasm into my voice. "I'm amazed you could carry me. You're a very strong flier." I had no idea if that was true, but it was encouraging. Her ears lifted a bit. "Just, you know, never do it again."

"Um, I was wondering if-" she produced a slim notebook, and pushed it into my hands, "-you'd be willing to-"

"Wesley?" I turned; Twilight stuck her head out of the library, a book floating close behind. "Who are you talking to?"

"Um, this is-" I heard a rustle, and glanced back. A feather floated downwards, highlighting a distinct lack of pegasus. I snagged it. "You left your book!" I called aimlessly. No answer.

I sighed. Maybe I should go back to hiding in the woods.

> 29 - Travel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I crossed my arms, and sighed deeply. Twilight shot me a concerned look and paused her spell-casting. I was sitting on the table in the center of the library, a complex scratchwork of chalk adorning the floor beneath me. We were in the middle of an experiment.

"Are you still bothered by what Night Watch said?" she asked.

"Mmmhmm." Twilight had insisted I sleep on her couch after hearing about the assault. I'd agreed without much urging. No sense in asking for trouble. This morning I'd gone to the sheriff and filed a report. I hadn't expected much, but discouraging news was still discouraging.

"Well...I hate to say it Wes, but you didn't give him much to go on. Colors and pony-type aren't very specific."

"I know."

"At least the pegasus is distinctive, what with the clip. Still, though this is a small town, it's not tiny. If they're hiding, or have left-"

"I know."

"And even if something does turn up, it's your word against theirs. They could even charge you with assault, and since you're legally an alien, worst case scenario, you could be deported."

"I know! We've been over this! I just wish we could've told Rarity." The boutique was closed, a hastily scrawled sign announcing the proprietress was camping. I imagined Rarity hiking through the mountains, and felt a little less grim. I wished I could be there to poke fun at her distress, but I was pretty sure Applejack and Rainbow would tease her for me. Although the timing was spectacularly bad for me, I couldn't begrudge them and the Crusaders their trip. "I wonder if I could get Celestia to accelerate my immigration. She was going to work with me around the Summer Sun festival, but maybe she'd move it forward."

"You could ask. Want Spike to mail a letter?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'll mention it to Princess Luna next time I see her." That drew a quizzical look.

"Do you see Princess Luna often?" Twilight energized another section of the pattern beneath me. I felt it come alive with a tingle on my arms.

"You know  my nightmares?" I leaned back on my hands and gazed at the ceiling.

"Yes." Twilight winced, and I remembered how she'd been dragged into one, before Luna bound our dreams.

"Well, it turns out that, as part of her duties, Princess Luna patrols the dreams of her subjects and helps assuage restless minds. I've been seeing quite a bit of her. We...hang out, I guess."

"Huh." She worked in silence for a moment. "What's that like?"

"Honestly? Kinda odd. She's a study in contrasts. Fastidiously polite one second, unrestrainedly rambunctious the next. Proudly haughty and surprisingly vulnerable, self-assured to the point of arrogance or uncertain to the point of panic." I scratched my jaw. "I don't think she has many friends."

"You're probably good for her, then."

"I hope so. She's been awfully accommodating for me. I don't think recurring nightmares are very normal for Equestria. Woah!" I yelped as the table lurched. "Take it easy!"

"Hey, this was your idea."

"Yeah, but-" I cut off as the library door opened, and Lyra poked her head in.

"Wes? I thought I heard you in here. Where were you this morning?"

"Oh, man!" I smacked my forehead. "I knew I was forgetting something. Look, Lyra, I'm sorry about missing our training; I meant to get you a note, but I really did have a good reason, you see-"





"-and that's pretty much what Commander Vimes said."

"Vimes?"

"Sorry, Night Watch."

"You and your nicknames." Lyra eyed me for a second. "Well, that is a pretty good reason. Have you talked to Rarity?"

"She's gone camping."

"Camping?"

"I know, right? Anyways, I'm not sure what to do. I'm planning to ask the Princess' advice. But..." I sighed again. "I just don't know. This whole situation is so confusing. I mean, what's even the point of all this? Are they trying to get me thrown out of town, or what? It seems like an awfully far-fetched plan. The only thing they've really accomplished so far is to make me really angry and frustrated."

"Which isn't really that hard." Lyra slowly circled the table, examining the runes.

"Hey!"

"What are you two working on here? This looks like bizzanarchy, but these runeations aren't anything normal. I'd almost say they're for gravity manipulation, but that's no spell I've studied." The green unicorn squinted at the diagrams. I was continually surprised by how much magic Lyra knew, despite being a weak caster.

"Just watch, we're almost done." Twilight passed me a black oil pastel, and carefully supervised as I marked the backs of my hands. "If this spell works, I hope to get it published in the Journal of Magical Design. It is gravity manipulation; a significant re-working, and ought to have some interesting uses."

"Really?" Lyra sounded impressed. "You don't aim low, do you? Of course, you've already had work reviewed in the Journal, haven't you?"

"Ehehe, well." Twilight laughed sheepishly. "Only a bit. And Wes helped design this. Ready to go, Wes?"

"Almost." I carefully perfected the runes marking me as part of the spell. They would guide the casting, and I wanted to be sure I knew where any energy in my body was being directed. Runes were useful for design iteration or extraordinarily complicated spells; with a completed spell, these symbols were hard-coded into the casting procedure. With experimental spells like this, it was easier to use the runes, instead of re-interpreting each version to generate a new procedure.

"Is it possible that's their goal?"

"Hmm?" I looked up. Lyra glanced aimlessly about, searching for thoughts.

"Their goal. Maybe they simply want to make you angry and frustrated?"

"That..." I stopped.

"That's a very worrying possibility." Twilight finished for me. "It implies they're either trying to provoke a reaction from Wes, which means he's being manipulated, or even worse, something about Wes being angry and frustrated is inherently useful to them."

"Like the changelings." I spat. "Manipulating me. Emotions. Hate. Hate. Hate." I tossed the pastel back to Twilight. "I try not to think about that option. Fire it up, Twi."

"Here goes!" A lavender spark leaped from her horn, illuminating the cast. I felt a sudden lurch, and my head whirled as I lost contact with my frame of reference. I swallowed convulsively and fought to not windmill my arms as a sudden sensation of falling overcame me.

"Woah!" Lyra breathed. "It is a gravity spell! How did you do that?"

"Well!" Twilight launched into an explanation of the intricate power-flow mechanisms she'd designed, after I'd asked her about the reverse gravity spell she'd used in the Crystal Empire. I had tried explaining just how overpowered it seemed to me. After taking a good look at the world through my engineer-trained eyes, she'd started to understand, and we'd begun researching a more economical version. We'd spent a good few days drawing circuit schematics and free body diagrams before it really clicked, but it seemed to have paid off.

I was floating.

I pushed gently off the table, and watched the room rotate around me. I traced the runes on my arms, trying to 'feel' the nearly invisible aura that surrounded me. I touched my finger to my horn, sensing the power flowing smooth and steady from the reservoir Twilight had established. I picked up a book, and the output scaled easily for the increased mass. The runeations sparkled, reflecting the rearranged flow, and I grinned victoriously. This version looked like it was working just fine.

We had created a variable power spell. Instead of simply reversing my gravity, it was effectively nullified. The procedure was more complex, but it could draw significantly less power. And selectable gravity had intriguing applications.

"Well, it seems successful." I smirked. "Why are you upside down?" I was spinning gently, and suddenly felt glad I'd closed the windows; drifting around the room weightlessly was disconcerting enough, without worrying about floating off into the sky.

"So, let's get started interpreting!" Twilight enthusiastically flipped through her notebook until she came to the spell diagram; it was our twelfth iteration. "I bet we can increase efficiency by at least  seventeen percent! Lyra, do you want to help?" I grinned at her eagerness. For Twilight, knowledge was in and of itself a goal. She was here 'for the science'. Compiling and debugging the spell was exactly the type of detailed minutia that gave me headaches, but Twilight reveled in exacting analysis. Clearly, Lyra didn't. Her ears drooped slightly, but she gave Twilight's gleaming eyes a glance and didn't have the heart to deny her.

"Only if you let me try it." The green unicorn watched as I drifted slowly in the center of the room, frantically trying to 'swim' towards a handhold. "That looks like a lot of fun."





"So, you created a regressive cascade in the degeneration linkage?"

"I...think that's right? I understand most of the concepts, but honestly, it's from a physicist's perspective. Most of the actual thaumaturgy was Twilight's work." I ran a finger across the crystal orb before me, and a swathe of sky blazed with stars. Luna hummed, studying my addition to the game board in the sky.

I lay on my back, watching the stars of Luna's dreamscape, which we were currently manipulating to simulate a game board. a fitful breeze whispered through the grass around us. My opponent looked nearly black in the silvery starlight. There was no moon. As I'd said to Twilight, Luna and I 'hung out'. I was applying Pinkie's advice on dreams, and I'd achieved a small, but noticeable reduction in nightmares. I was unsurprised they persisted, though I wished for a magical cure. As usual, hard work seemed the only real answer.

I'd already detailed what gruesome parts of my dream I could remember to Luna, and asked her for Celestia's considerations on immigration. She promised to pass the message along, but was intrigued by the spell research I mentioned. I described as best I could, but felt I was fumbling it; she obviously knew more about the nuts and bolts of spells than I did, even with the considerable education I'd magically appropriated.

"Anyways, you can read about it when Twilight does the write up. She's hoping to get it published." She responded with a move; a broad stripe of sky blazed with stars, and I squinted, trying to grasp her tactics. I was losing pretty badly. Challenging an ancient master to a game I'd learned hours ago probably wasn't the best strategy.

"It will, undoubtedly, if it be as well-crafted as you say." I added another patch of stars, and she made  vexed sound. "About the assault; hast thou consulted Rarity?"

"She's camping. Should be back tomorrow." This was the second night of the three-day trip. I'd slept soundly last night, though I'd spent most of the day at home, or making up for missing training with Lyra. I had begun wondering whether the timing of my attack had been purposefully picked. It seemed just a bit too neat.

"Camping? Verily?"

"Right? You're slipping."

"Sorry."

"Not that I mind. Your archaism is perfectly understandable, and you don't need to put on a front for people to like you. Usually the opposite, honestly."

The alicorn sighed.

"I appreciate the encouragement, though I do know that. Yet this is something I do for myself, to better understand where I now fit. You, at least, should understand circumstances wait for nopony." I nodded soberly, and added another asterism to the star-spangled playing field. Luna studied my move, and fixed me with a stare. "Sometimes, we can change what surrounds us. Sometimes, we need to change ourselves. Sometimes the rule of the world is literally adapt or die."

I gave her a piercing look.

"Do you really feel the changes in your world are so grim?"

"Hah!" She threw her head back and laughed. "You rightfully spite my self-pity, Wesley. I do not intend to belittle your suffering."

"That's not what I-"

"No, no, I understand. We will not compare scars, you and I. I do not belittle myself, either. What I went through cut deeply." I glimpsed anguish in her eyes. "What you endured hurt as well. I will not make light of either pain by setting them against each other. Yet if you tell me self-pity is pointless, I will wholeheartedly agree. You have seen it in yourself."

"...yeah. Forward is the only way to move, like it or not. Clinging to wounds doesn't help either of us."

"So I move forward into this new era. I mourn what I leave, but can at least afford the comfort of choosing. You had no choice, and I am deeply sorry for that."

"It's not your fault, is it? Anyways, I survived."

"I wonder about that."

"Huh?" Disturbed by her statement, I fumbled my orb and accidentally smeared stars across the wrong stretch of sky, wasting a move. I sighed and examined the placement, trying to fit it into my strategy. "What do you mean?"

"Wesley, I have not known you long. But even in the short time we have 'chilled,' as you put it, I have seen a stallion - or, sorry, 'man' - in flux. Be careful. When we are forced through uncontrollable circumstances, we adapt." She sighed, and caught my gaze. "That is nothing wrong. But beware; sometimes, it is easier to retreat into the darkness of the mind than search for the light. It is possible to be slain by circumstance and yet remain alive."

I pondered that, chilled by the implications. I knew I was - had - changed. I was trying to understand that.

"Am I becoming a monster, then?"

"No." Another constellation coalesced, blocking my advance. "I think you will not, while your friends uphold you. But my words are not empty. Even if all change is to the good, do not blithely assume you still know yourself; if you change far enough, fast enough, who you were may be gone before you realize. Examine yourself carefully, since you may change more than you imagined." She laughed bitterly. "Though I am returned to myself, when I finish adapting there may be little enough left of Luna-who-was. Certainly better than continual strife, yet though I rejoice, I am slain in myself. Such is the price of maturity. Growth means abandoning yourself surely as death."

"Metamorphosis."

"Indeed."

I absentmindedly made a move, and considered her words. I had been considering the changes in me to be mainly superficial; imposed on me, and thus something that would disappear when I returned to 'normal'. Thinking of myself as a whole different person was oddly...liberating. I didn't need to hold onto the normal 'Wesley Kilmer' if I wasn't really him anymore. At the same time, I was unwilling to abandon everything. There were good reasons for who I'd been, and I wouldn't reject them carelessly. Besides, some changes I really didn't want. I frowned, deep in thought, but returned as Luna gasped slightly.

"What's up?" I followed her gaze skyward, and noticed a shooting star. "Oh, make a wish."

"Silly." She gave me a laughing look. "These are not truly stars. Their magic is different indeed. That is a call for help."

"Huh?"

"Pfft." She giggled at my befuddlement, climbing to her hooves. "Allow me to demonstrate. If you would place your hand on my withers?" I stood, and cautiously complied, wondering if her coat felt as warm and soft in real life. She spread her wings, and I gasped as the grass below fell away. The sense of movement diminished rapidly, since the ground below us seemed endless in length and breadth; for a long moment, we hung motionless in the air, between a infinite sky and plane. Then, with a rush, we reached the stars. I carefully brushed her mane out of my eyes, wondering how the ethereal thing managed to feel so much like hair.

"This is the sea of dreams. Many of the stars you see are the visions of sleeping ponies."

"And the others?" I examined the orbs we were zipping past. Most of them were surprisingly small, to my conception of stars; merely a meter or so across. They glimmered like pearls on velvet. As my eyes skimmed them, I saw dreamscapes. I glimpsed a swirl of petals in one, and an expanse of clouds in another. Some few, though, were different. I pointed to what seemed to be a disc, instead of a sphere; kaleidoscopic patterns swirled across its surface, forming no discernible shapes.

"Those? They are oneironautilus. Shall we try one?"

"Huh?" I had no time to ask what she meant before we flashed towards the disc in question and plunged through it. It seemed to grow indescribably large; maybe I was misjudging sizes, or we were moving faster than I thought. My thoughts washed away in a rush of sensation.

A taste of cinnamon and the scent of apples clashed with the motion of storm-tossed sea. I saw a vista of swirling sand, and caught strains of haunting music. Then, with a feeling like a soap bubble bursting, we were back in the sea of dreams.

"Ooog." I clapped my free hand to my temple, trying to sort out my disorientation.

"Sorry. That one was particularly intense."

"What are they?"

"Fragments of dreams."

"They look like engrams."

"An astute observation; I wonder about that myself. Using a widderspindle here, though, seems nearly impossible, so it may be a while before I can get a better idea of how they form. There are usually a few floating around. Sometimes, when I am bored, I make a game of popping them. It can be exhilarating."

"Cool."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah. This sort of thing is really neat." I stared in wonder at our surroundings for a moment. We were drawing closer to the shooting star; it was a dream, but it was frantically darting and jagging through space. Luna matched its pace effortlessly. "Seriously, Luna, thanks for showing me this sort of thing. I know your work is special to you. This means a lot to me."

"Why, you are very welcome, Wesley. I have certainly enjoyed your company on the night shift." She stopped before the fleeing dream; the other stars seemed to swoop and swirl around us, but we were perfectly motionless relative to our target. Curiosity tempted me to pull my hand from her shoulder, but I squelched the idea.

"So, what's going on?"

"Oh, yes. Well, Wesley, this is what a nightmare looks like. We are going to enter it, and hopefully assist the dreamer."

"Is it really Ok for me to tag along?"

"I think so. You know this pony, after all. Your presence may be comforting."

"Who is-" I cut off as her horn shone. For a second, the crescent moon glimmered at the tip, a sure sign she was drawing on her domain as the Alicorn of the Night. The dream swelled suddenly, and with a confusing sort of whirl, we were inside. I glanced about, taking in the dark forest, full of uncomfortable noises and half-seen motion, and shuddered. Somepony had too much imagination.

I heard cantering, and turned to find Luna had darted off through the trees. I followed as best I could, but fell slowly behind.

After stumbling through the woods, I soon found the Princess in a clearing. She was talking to...Scootaloo?

"Scoots?" I stepped out of the trees, and the young pegasus startled, her eyes rolling wildly, small wings flaring in fright.

"Wes? What are you doing here?" I walked over and sat cross-legged, careless of the imagined cold and damp.

"You look like you could use a hug." I held out my hands, and she jumped into my lap. I folded my arms around her; she was shivering. Luna gave us an amused glance. "The Princess helps me with nightmares, too."

"You? But you...you're Wesley! Nothing scares you! You're almost as cool as Rainbow Dash!"

"Thanks." I rubbed her mane for a moment. "You are even more snuggly than I imagined," I mumbled, enjoying the feel of her soft fur.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You even chased off a manticore!"

"Oh, really? I thought I asked Applebloom not to tell anypony." I shot her a stern look, and she had the grace to look embarrassed. "But I guess Crusaders don't keep secrets from each other. No, some things scare even me, tough as I may be." Scootaloo's shivers were subsiding. "So, what's getting to you?"

"The Headless Horse!"

"No, Scootaloo." Luna lowered her navy nose to look the filly in the face. "Dreams merely reflect minds. Your fear is from the waking world, and will still exist upon awakening. What truly scares you?"

"I-" She glanced around wildly, as if somepony else might be listening. "I'm afraid Rainbow Dash will find out I'm not as tough as she thinks I am!" She admitted in a rush. Luna gave her a comforting look, and I hugged her a little tighter.

"Everypony has fears, Scootaloo. Everypony must face them in their own way. But they must be faced, or the nightmares will continue." Luna smiled gently. "And I believe you are brave enough for this."

"Yeah, if anypony can face their fears, it's you." I gave her an extra squeeze. "Anyways, although Rainbow is proud, she's not the sort of pony who looks down on others. She genuinely admires the strengths of her friends, and I'm telling you, Scoots, you're plenty awesome yourself."

"Really?"

"Really really," I said. Luna shot me a glance, and the dream began to fade. "Face your fears, Scootaloo. I know it's hard, but you're up to it." The filly disappeared with a squeak, and the dream began fading.

"Do you think she'll be OK?" I asked Luna, as the vision unraveled around us.

"Undoubtedly. As you said, she is tougher than she realizes. But for now, maybe you should look to your own safety?"

"Huh?" I glanced around, only to realize I was no longer touching Luna as the last fragment of the dream vanished. "Aaaaa!" The princess laughed as I flailed, and began plummeting to the endless plain below. She swooped below me, and I threw an arm around her neck.

"So, where were we?" She set us down gently on the grass. "I believe I was winning."

"Probably." I said sourly. "Next time, let's play checkers."

"Perhaps, Wesley. Perhaps."





"Iconarcana."

"The school that studies magic in symbols, specifically passive magic accumulated over time." Twilight nodded, and made a check in her book. Our association game was on its third incarnation. We were using obscure word definitions, trying for ones outside ordinary conversation. The idea was to limit corruption from everyday sources. Of course, corruption was hardly an issue for Twilight. Her exposure to American culture was minimal, to put it lightly.

<"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.">

<"A made up word...from Mary Poppins? Is that right?">

<"Far as I know."> I made a tick on my paper.

"Somnology."

"The school that studies magic related to sleep. Dang! Just how many schools of magic are there?"

"Hundreds. At least as many as you have fields of science, and for the same reasons. I mean, it is science, for the most part."

"I guess. Um, <cleave>."

"Uuuu..." I watched, trying to conceal my amusement as Twilight struggled to define the word.

"What's going on?" The door to the library swung open, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders poured in. "Are you guys having a dictionary contest? Can Sweetie Belle join?"

"Applebloom! There's no such thing as a dictionary contest! Anyways, I don't think I can compete with Twilight."

"Woooah!" Scootaloo gazed up at us in wonder. I smiled. Both Twilight and I were floating in mid-air, testing the duration of the anti-gravity spell. "How are you guys doing that? That's really cool!"

"Magic." I said gravely. "How was camping?"

"Good. Thanks, Wesley."

"No problem." I waved the curious looks of the others away. "Anytime you need a hand, let me know. So, is Rarity back then?"

"Ayup. She sent us to find you, Wes."

"Thanks." I grabbed the edge of the table, and grounded myself carefully. I caught Twilight's eye, and felt magic brush across my mind; I grasped it, and the link formed between us. I touched the horn in my pocket and grounded the extra energy from the spell back into her pool of magic, breaking the enchantment. My knees bent slightly as acceleration returned. I felt dizzy for a second, but quickly adjusted.

"You're not giving me homonyms again, are you?" Twilight glared suspiciously as she ended the spell on herself, nearly falling over. "We're going to have to re-run this test, you know."

"Nope, this is actually worse than a homonym. Sorry, I was getting bored." I smirked. "Hey, maybe these three would test the spell while we're gone."

"""Really?""" Twilight rolled her eyes as the three gave an imploring gaze, opening their eyes wide and projecting as much cute as possible.

"No. Definitely not. Although I'm sure you'd find Cutie Mark Crusaders 'Test Subjects' hilarious, Wesley, I don't think much of the library would be left when we get back from Rarity's. And I can't have you three floating away untethered." I winced and nodded. I hadn't considered their penchant for getting into trouble; no way a test would go smoothly. I pictured them floating around the library, flailing. Funny, but not worth it.

"You're going to visit Rarity?" Spike called from the kitchen. "I'm coming too!" Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but let's go. And Wes, you need to tell me what's up with this word. How can it have conflicting definitions like that?"

"Well, English is a particularly odd language. Cleave is technically an auto-antonym, which-" I opened the door, and we all stepped out into the street, heading for the boutique.





"Oh, I knew camping was a bad idea! Nature cannot be good for anypony." Rarity's voice wafted from behind the screen across the room. A waft of scented steam floated past me, and I shifted uncomfortably. We'd arrived at the boutique, only to find that Rarity had started a bath as soon as she returned, dragging the tub into her bedroom and filling it with hot water. I felt slightly uncomfortable about talking to someone while they washed, but...well, we'd saunaed together. And it's not like she took off any more clothes. And there was the folding screen she'd thoughtfully put up, so I wasn't actually watching. Still, it was a little odd. We sat on her bed, and listened with barely veiled amusement to an increasingly dramatic account of the trials of her hike to Winsome Falls. After Rarity tired of trying to answer Twilight's unending series of biology, geography, and meteorology questions, I'd related what happened to me.

"I knew something was up as soon as I got back, but I never thought it would be this bad. Oh my, Wes! I am so sorry!"

"Please, don't apologize." I felt uncomfortable enough; profuse apologies didn't help. "Look, I appreciate your help, but you don't have to take responsibility for my problems."

"Well, of course I don't!" I blinked at that. "I chose to. I promised you help, and I won't have it said I did less than my all!"

"Um, not to sound unappreciative, Rarity, but...you have done more than I expected, really. Don't beat yourself up over this. Did you get a chance to spend some quality time with your sister?"

"Oh yes! Sweetie Belle was such a dear."

"Then it was worth it. Anyways, I've asked the Princess for some help, too. maybe-"

*BUUUUUUUURP*

Green flame erupted from Spike's mouth, nearly knocking him off the bed.

"Worst. Mailbox. Ever." Rarity mumbled quietly behind the partition. I rolled my eyes, hoping Spike hadn't heard, and snatched the missive from midair. It was addressed to me, but sealed with an unfamiliar cutie mark. I broke the wax with my thumb, and unrolled it.

"It's from...Celestia's secretary?" I said. "Apparently this unicorn, Ink Well, is coming to Ponyville tomorrow, and is fully authorized to help with my immigration."

"Did you say Ink Well?" Twilight gasped, and snatched the scroll. "Oh no! I need to clean the library! And my room! And the lab! Spike, we're going to need a cake!" She leaped up, and dashed out the door, dragging Spike along in a swirl of magic.

"Huh?" I stared stupidly after.

"Don't ask me, darling." A sound of splashing came from behind the screen. "I have no idea what goes on in that mare's head most of the time. Will you be a dear and throw me a towel?"





"No, seriously." I stood in front of the card catalog. "You can't organize this until you tell me what's going on. Why are you so panicked about Ink Well? You've been freaking out since yesterday, and rushing around like crazy. If you're not careful, you won't even notice her arrival!"

"Hello?" An unfamiliar voice called. The door swung open, and a white unicorn with a pink mane and a pair of delicate tortoiseshell glasses nudged the door open. An open bottle of ink adorned her flank. "Is this the Golden Oaks? I'm looking for a Wesley Kilmer?"  

"Eeeep!" Twilight froze, as if expecting scrutiny and judgment of the entire room completely and immediately.

"That'd be me." I nodded to the unicorn and her standard-issue guard, and surreptitiously checked the clock. They were actually early. I hadn't really expected them to surprise us like that. Oh well. Whatever was bothering Twilight, there was no way it could be as bad as she thought.

"Oh my. You certainly are tall." Delicate brown eyes widened in perfect surprise, and something clicked in my brain. I walked over to the window, and pulled the shades closed.

"You're Celestia." I sat down on a nearby cushion. "That's why Twilight was freaking out."

"What, fifteen seconds?" The guard gave Ink Well a flat glance. "I told you it would be fast." I recognized that voice. Twilight did too, apparently.

"Shiny!" She broke out of her shock, and  hugged her brother, tugging off his helmet. As she did, his appearance wavered and shifted, the illusion losing its grip. Celestia also dropped her disguise and embraced her student.

"Oh dear." The alicorn glanced around the room, noting the clean sparkle of every surface, including the ceiling. The books were aligned to microscopic tolerances, the cushions were placed evenly and exactly, there were even fresh-cut flowers on the checkout desk. "Was it very bad? I tried not to give her too much time, but some advance notice seemed necessary."

"Well, she hasn't had long enough to burn out. I might have even been able to calm her down if it had lasted a bit longer. And Spike just soldiered on. I believe he should be back with cake any moment." I carefully swung the sign to closed and latched the door, in an attempt to prevent surprises. "I'm curious, though. Why the masquerade?"

"It's quite simple." Celestia sat at the table across from me, and started producing papers from a pair of extra-large saddlebags. Her glasses hadn't been part of the illusion; they perched lightly on her nose. "If I go places as the Princess, I'm bound by expectation. It's much more convenient to disguise myself."

"And how many ponies know about your alternate identity?"

"Few enough," Shining answered. "You will be getting a security clearance today, if you agree to be inducted into the guard."

"And nopony notices your disappearance?"

"Wesley, do you know how long I spend 'ruling' each day?"

"No, not really. I guess I sorta assumed it was an all-hours job?"

"Pfft." Celestia stared at me over the top of her spectacles. "Good leaders delegate. I have no less than forty secretaries, ministers, princes and princesses, in various layers and organizations, to keep anything labeled 'work' in that bureaucracy as far away as I possibly can. I spend less than four hours a day at court, and we're closed weekends." She slapped a sheaf of papers down in front of me. "That leaves time for getting the really important things done, like teaching," she cast Twilight a soft glance, "and ensures things needing my personal attention get it. Holding court, as the Canterlot elite see me do, actually does very little to keep this country moving smoothly." Shining cleared his throat and gave her a meaningful glance. "And, as my captain would love to explain, I have very capable ponies would could accomplish most everything I need without getting my hooves dirty. But where would the fun in that be?" She smiled sweetly.

"So...you dress up because it's fun?"

"In short, yes. Surprised?"

"It just seems... frivolous. Silly, even."

"Well." She sighed. "There is more to it than that, but not much. Twilight, you know what I like to say...?"

"Anypony can plan for the obvious." The two unicorns pulled up cushions, and joined us at the table. "Princess Celestia told me about her...alter-egos soon after I started studying under her, and I asked a pretty similar question. She has been working and planning for a certain scenario for years, trying to make sure if it ever came to be, catastrophe could be averted. She calls it 'having retirement options'."

"Oh."

"Oh, indeed. I was a little less stoic about it; the idea that Celestia would, could stop ruling, for whatever reason, was pretty much unthinkable to me. And most other ponies."

"I have ruled this country for a long time," Celestia added. "But, blithely assuming status quo is a foolish attitude. The reason I have slowly distanced myself from leadership is not because I don't want to rule, but because for years, I was the only pony willing to consider myself vulnerable at all." She adjusted her glasses. "Alicorns are powerful, sometimes shockingly so, but by no means invincible. If you cut me, I bleed. Any opponent who knows my weaknesses can hurt me; pretend invincibility is arrogance I will never allow." She gave a self-deprecating smile. "As Chrysalis showed, I'm as vulnerable to surprise and stealth as anypony."

"Your Majesty-" Shining started to speak, but Celestia silenced him with a glance. I saw self-recrimination in his eyes; he turned his gaze downwards. Twilight threw a foreleg over his neck, and nuzzled him.

We all glanced up as a knock came at the door. I rose unasked, and cracked it open. Spike stood outside, a carton of cake slices in his claws. I let him in surreptitiously.

"So, snacks from Sugarcube Corner?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. Celestia's face lit up, and I grinned. Apparently that sweet tooth was more than just a rumor.





"Ok, so let me get this straight." I sipped my tea, and shuffled through the papers in front of me again. "I'm swearing an oath of fealty to Celestia? And that's enough to get me into the guard, and make me a citizen?"

"Pretty much." Shining pointed to the relevant part on the papers I was sorting. "It's here." Across the room, Twilight and Celestia were discussing the anti-gravity spell, and  trying to drink zero-gravity apple juice. They were giggling. I leaned back, and considered what I was about to do.

As far as I could tell, the oath was pretty straightforward. I swore to obey Celestia, as the head of the guard and lady of the land, until such time as I might leave the world. In return, she agreed to provide me with all the rights and privileges of a citizen. And, if I should need it, upkeep in the castle barracks.

"This oath is not magically binding, is it?"

"No!" I was surprised by the emphasis in Shining's voice, and even more by the disgust in his eyes. "We deprive nopony of free will. No matter how well-intentioned the reason, that's unthinkable! Of course, breaking the oath still brings retribution." His eyes went hard. "Treason will bring retribution."

"Oh." I looked at the papers again. "Well, Ok. I think I can do this."

"Good!" Celestia trotted over. "Wesley, do you agree to abide by the terms and conditions herein?" She held the papers out to me.

"I do." I dipped my thumb in the inkwell, and pressed it lightly to the paper, leaving an obvious print. Celestia tapped the paper with her horn, and her cutie mark appeared beside it.

"Excellent!" The papers were swept back into her saddlebags. "Wesley, as a citizen of the realm, I am commissioning you to join the Royal Guard. Captain, can you agree to this appointment?"

"Consent is given," Shining said flatly.

"Wesley, you are now officially a Special Lieutenant in the Royal Guard. Your security clearance is three-B. I am attaching you to the Royal Canterlot Archive, as a strategic knowledge resource."

"Strategic?"

"Indeed. What you've taught Twilight has already opened a whole new branch of mathematics to us. You are quite valuable, like it or not."

"Oh." I sat back, surprised. I hadn't considered how my contributions to Twilight's vast body of knowledge might be perceived by other ponies.

"More precisely, you are now technically part of the Canterlot Archive."

"Bwuh?"

"You have been assigned IPBN number 978-3-16-148410-0."

"Wait, what?"

"Here are your withdrawal slips." The Princess waved two squares of paper at me, with my name on the top, and space for dates below. "They would normally be placed in your front flap, so please keep one on your person at all times. You will be alphabetized as soon as you report to the stacks." My brain spun wildly. I was being treated like a book? I snatched at the papers, but she held them away.

"Hold on a second-"

"Twilight, do you happen to have your library card on you?"

"Of course, Princess!" The excited unicorn produced a laminated square of cardboard. Celestia inspected it gravely, and passed her the checkout card. She signed and dated both, and passed one to me. I gave it a look; it was identical to the ones in the books here. To borrow a book, you signed both; one stayed with the book when it was checked out, one was left in the librarians file.

"This all seems to be in order. Please return him to the Archive in the same condition you found him. I'll file the withdrawal as soon as I return."

"Of course!" Twilight grinned hugely, bouncing excitedly in place. "I always wanted to be friends with a book!"

"Oh, you two are such trolls." I slid the paper resignedly into my wallet, as the pair collapsed in giggles. I shot Shining a look of long suffering; he returned it with sympathy. "Fine, whatever, I'm a book. Is there any of that cake left?"





"Truth be told, there is more to this than simply doing you a favor, Wesley." Twilight and I were walking Ink Well and Shining to the train. We'd spent a good few hours laughing and just hanging out in the library, but the two needed to be back in Canterlot before the next day.

"What's up?"

"Sombra is moving up north, where we discovered the whereabouts of the Crystal Empire."

"Really?"

"Indeed. It's regretful, but...I think I may need to mobilize the Elements."

"But the Element of Magic..." Twilight's voice trailed off in worry. I imagined the cracked gem, and shook my head.

"True." Ink Well nodded. "But I believe it may still be useable. Twilight, you and your friends will be getting an official summons in the next few days. We will do some testing. Wesley, as part of the guard, you will be receiving deployment orders." Her voice was troubled. "I have no idea how usable the elements are, but at the very least, using them may hurt you."

"As long as it's just pain."

"It may be excruciating."

"I'll deal."

"But-"

"Look, Celestia, I knew what I was getting into. You've appointed me as part of the guard, and I appreciate that. But it means you're calling on me to risk my life, right?" She nodded tightly. "Well, I understand. And I accept. I gave my word; it's good." Shining gave me an approving look, and I shrugged. "Anyways, I can deal with pain. If it's worse than anything I've ever felt, I'll be surprised."

"Very well." We stepped onto the train platform. "Then, I will be seeing you in the next few days. Be well." One more round of hugs went around, and they boarded the train. Twilight and I watched it pull out in silence.

"So, another mission, this time with all the Elements?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Huh. Well, it might be nice to get out of town for a while."

> 30 - Sent
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Huuuuuuu…." I slowly exhaled, striking smoothly at quarter speed. My hammer arced gracefully, and Lyra nodded approval.

"Good!" She circled behind me, tapping my knees. "Place your feet carefully! This is the third stance we've adjusted, and you use it a lot; re-training may take a while."

"Yes, Jedi." I relaxed, standing loosely but attentively. I was beginning to feel I was making real progress working with Lyra. Besides meditation, she had begun analyzing my self-developed fighting style. Some parts she approved of, especially my throws and kicks, while others she decried as sloppy, and even once, disgusting.

The first few sessions of analysis had been uncomfortable for me, as she examined and pushed my limits, testing just how far I could grow.

"All right! Now, meditate." I nodded, and dropped to the floor cross-legged. We were in her studio above the store, golden sunbeams spilling through the high windows. It was silent as a dream despite the bustling city outside, friendly and welcoming as a good book on a rainy day. I closed my eyes, and focused on breathing.

I was initially surprised to discover just how practical unicorn meditation was. Instead of koans or vision seeking, it had more in common with biofeedback or stress therapy. On reflection, my expectations were ridiculous; I knew very little about meditation on Earth, and relation between the two was obviously impossible.

"Focus!" Lyra snapped. I turned my attention inwards, trying to monitor each element of my physiology individually and collectively. "Ok, good enough." after an uncountable number of breaths, she released me. "Stand, start over." I rose and began again, attempting to maintain the mindful state I had cultivated. I felt focused and alert, my body responded easily and loosely. After a few minutes my concentration began fraying, and I dropped my arms, showing my limits. "You're doing better. Ok, we're done for today."

"Thanks." I wiped my forehead. "Oh, I need to say; I've been appointed to the Royal Guard."

"Oh-ho. You're a citizen now?"

"Pretty much. But I'm also being called for duty. I'll be out of town, and don't know when I'll be back."

"Hmm, that's not so good." She gave me a piercing yellow glance. "If you're not careful, you'll hinder your training. Be sure to continue practicing as you can, and for stars sake try not to get into too many fights! If I have to beat another bad habit out of you, we could be at this for years."

"Yes, Jedi."

"Humph, fine. Well, I guess there's nothing I can do about it." Lyra crossed the room and levitated some small globes. I watched in fascination as she began her own workout, mobility and acceleration training with weighted spheres. I knew casting was a relatively small part of her discipline, but the basics, throughput and control, were developed like this. "So, are you going by yourself?"

"The Elements are summoned as well."

"Up north. Hum. Are you going to that Crystal Kingdom you mentioned by any chance?"

"The Empire? No idea. Probably, since Sombra is involved." I shifted uncomfortably. "Hey, be sure to keep this stuff under your hat, Lyra. I don't think it's exactly secret, but I don't really want it spread around, either."

"Of course." She smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Right. Ok. Well, see you tomorrow." I left her to her workout, and headed out to start my day.





"So, what do you think is going on?" Rainbow asked, drawing my attention from the passing scenery.

"No idea." I glanced around the cabin. We were headed north by train. The rest of the Elements were chatting and relaxing as best they could. "All Celestia said was Sombra's up to no good. I guess we'll be filled in on arrival? Still, it's enough she thought the Elements might be necessary."

"Yeah, but we all saw Twilight's."

"I know." I sighed. I was concerned about testing, but if Celestia deployed the Elements despite the fracture of Magic…she thought this was serious. I couldn't withdraw my support, not after giving my word in full knowledge. "She thinks they might work, but with drawbacks."

"Drawbacks?" 

I winced. I hadn't detailed Celestia's warning, and didn't really want to.

"Yeah. Drawbacks."

"That what's eating you?"

"Heh. Maybe. Am I that obvious?"

"Well, maybe not. But we're not strangers anymore, Wes."

"True."

"We're your friends."

"You're right."

"And friends tell each other things."

"Fine." I threw an arm over her neck, dragging her into the seat next to me, and lowered my voice. "Twilight and I think the Elements are useable, but there will be backlash."

"What sort of backlash?"

"Not really sure. But we did simulations; turns out, the Elements channel magic through your soul. The magic of friendship, or the noetic pseudo-element we've labeled that, is-" I cut off as Rainbow's eyes started glazing over. "Short version?"

"Ten words or less."

"It's going to hurt. A lot."

"All of us?" Her eyes widened in alarm, then narrowed as I shook my head slowly.

"Just me."

"And you're…OK with that?"

"Well, I'm obviously not looking forward to it much."

"He said, in a calm voice with an unruffled demeanor."

"Pffft. Ok, ok. Well...of course I don't like the idea. But I'm not backing out just because it might hurt. Seriously, Rainbow. You followed us through the gateway to the Crystal Kingdom easily enough, so no calling me reckless or shortsighted."

"Still, you seem kind of careless. That's unhealthy, dude."

"I'm not uncaring, I'm resigned! Look, you know what Celestia did for me the other day?"

"Made you a citizen."

"Sure. But, to do that, she came to Ponyville just for me and inducted me into the Guard personally. The ruler of the realm specifically went out of her way to make my life easier. Maybe that was partly a favor to Twilight, but I think it also shows she trusts me, thinks I'm worth the time, and because…" I trailed off, staring out the window a moment. "Because she values me. As a person, and, I hope, as friend. That sort of leader is worth following. So, if I can return her generosity by serving like this, I'll do it. Anyways, I have experience with pain." I gave a tight smile. "I won't say it's a cakewalk, but if one of us had to be picked, I'd still take the job. I'm the most experienced candidate." Rainbow gave me an impressed look.

"That's hardcore."

"Thanks."

"So, what's this about you actually being a book?"

I slumped and sighed.





"Thank you all for coming." Celestia met us at the station. We had changed trains part way, stopping in the middle of nowhere and transferring to a hastily constructed rail which cut straight across wide open plains. It was the same route our small team had hiked to escape the Crystal Empire. Riding was much quicker; we were on the train less than two hours. We disembarked, greeting the princess and looking around; we were in an unassuming shantytown, apparently a hastily constructed military outpost. Celestia led us towards a nearby building.

"What is that?" Rarity pointed straight ahead, shock on her face. I followed her lead and stopped, surprised.

We hadn't seen it from the side-facing train windows, but out on the plain, far enough that details were difficult to discern, a huge gray sphere hovered over the ground, swallowing the rays of the sun like a tumorous void. Its surface swirled with barely-discerned movement.

"That," Celestia said, "Is your assignment. It marks the boundaries of the Crystal Empire. Or where they would be, were they here. We are calling it the Anomaly. Come inside, and I'll give you the rundown."

We filed slowly through the door. The roof was low, but the building was brightly lit by generous windows, covered only in screen. I was glad it was summer; though it was much warmer than our last visit, the breeze still nipped.

"I established this monitoring station soon after you discovered the Empire's location. It began small, but escalated quickly." We negotiated a small herd of researchers, arguing over a seismograph readout. "I called in academics and authorities from everywhere. It's been a headache to manage, but we have gotten some intriguing data." She gestured to a timeline of sorts, pieces of string connecting various compilations of research.

"Not long after the project really found its hooves, we noticed what should have been stable readings were changing. We've been trying to pin down just when it began, since the Anomaly hasn't always been obvious." She pointed to a marker on the timeline. "Currently, this is our best guess. The point of this project was, and is, to understand what Sombra did to the Crystal Kingdom, and reverse it." She lowered her voice. "We aim to rescue the ponies trapped at the time of disassociation." She sighed. "My current hypothesis is Sombra noticed your intrusion." She nodded to Twilight. "The Anomaly must be his countermeasure to our efforts."

"So, how does it work?" Twilight stepped forward and began skimming through the the research.

"Honestly? We aren't sure." Twilight gave Celestia an incredulous glance. "We only have circumstantial evidence it's intentionally caused. I believe it's Sombra. But how he's doing it…we can only guess."

I felt the gentle brush of magic, like Twilight tapping on my brain. I let her connect.

"A bit for your thoughts on this?" She sent a stream of digits and symbols. We discovered we thought in very different ways. Twilight was much better at number crunching, while I was strong in visualization. I mentally graphed what she was sending; as a picture began to form, I whistled silently. Those were some seriously screwy measurements. I showed her the graph, and she was just as surprised.

"On the plus side," I sent back, "If we ever figure out just how he's doing this, it will revolutionize something."

"The effects are clearer than the cause." Celestia turned back to the board. "We were working on a portal to the Crystal Empire's pseudo-space. As the Anomaly grew, the power needed stabilize it increased drastically. That was our first clue. When sabotage started becoming more obvious, we took countermeasures." She gestured out the window, where the gray sphere hung. "What you see is not the surface of the Anomaly, but the edge of an injunction field, maintained by Cadence and Shining Armor."

"That's not like any injunction field I've ever seen," Rarity said.

"Me neither!" Pinkie added cheerfully.

"Well, it isn't quite right to say you see the injunction. What you're actually looking at is a mass of windigos."

"What?" I asked, voice flat.

"The entire surface of the field is under attack by windigos. To me, this shows Sombra's intention and involvement clearly."

"And my brother is in there?" Twilight's pupils shrank in panic.

"Relax, Twilight. I'm sure Shining has it under control." Rainbow threw a hoof around her neck. "He's pretty tough, after all."

"Of course he does." Celestia said. "For now. But even that pair's inestimable power cannot maintain the field indefinitely." She sighed. "Luna and I would help, but our magic will not synchronize with them well enough. And nopony else has the strength to make an appreciable difference."

"She could." I jerked my thumb at Twilight. "Zat why we're here?"

"No, actually. We withdraw if the field drops, which I expect in two days. We don't have the resources to sustain this, and I've drawn my battle lines clearly. Besides, the strength of the Anomaly is growing. Shining is a specialist, and Cadence is an alicorn. Even Twilight can't extend the time limit more than a day or so."

"So, the Elements." Applejack stepped forward. "You need us to zap something?"

"Indeed." Celestia led us out of the building. "When I summoned you, I knew if this wasn't resolved yet, the Elements were our last chance." She sighed. "Sombra seems to be increasing the…call it 'distance', to the Crystal Empire. Luna and I agree this is a desperate move. If he succeeds, the pseudo-space will be severed from reality. Re-establishing contact would take impossible amounts of energy, so he loses the Crystal Heart's support. Our best guess is he's trying to deny it to us. A slash-and-burn tactic."

"And the ponies inside?" Fluttershy asked quietly. Celestia sagged slightly, and sadly shook her head. "Oh."

"So, we've gotta do something!" Rainbow zipped to the front, and shook a hoof at the Anomaly. "What are we waiting for? Let's gallop!"

"Wait." Twilight stopped her. "We don't know what we're doing! Princess, what's our goal? And…if we fail?"

"The portal was constructed but never activated, due to energy cost. In order to overcome that, I've been storing my own power in an aetheric battery. The tracks continue to the portal; you will take the train through, with supplies for several days, and work from the inside. You must use the Elements to charge the Crystal Heart." Celestia motioned to the dome. "Their magic should be compatible on some level. Success should stabilize the Empire and draw it back to this plane, destroying the Anomaly. I can't say for sure what you will be up against. At least whatever was inside before, but it's possible Sombra has a backdoor; the Anomaly suggests he has at least one agent working from the inside. Failure…I don't believe you will be lost. The Elements are tied strongly to this world. If the Empire is severed, they will be drawn back here, and you with them. It would probably be uncomfortable, but I'm confident you could survive."

"Could we bring Crystal Ponies back?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Possibly." Celestia shrugged. "But only as a last resort. That is not something to attempt outside worst-case scenarios."

"Ok!" Rainbow darted forward again. "Now, let's-"

"Seriously!" This time Rarity halted her, seizing her tail firmly. "Rainbow, we don't even have the Elements yet!"

"Oh, right."

"And we still need to test them." I added grimly.

"Oh. Right."





"Ow." I said calmly.

This hurt.

Twilight gave me a worried glance, and I felt the link brush my mind. This time I refused it, with a shake of my head. I grit my teeth and tried to appear stoic, only letting the barest hint of agony seep past my façade.

It hurt.

I'd felt worse. It only felt like all my skin was on fire. And a thousand jackhammers were in my skull, while red-hot ants crawled across my eyes. Not like the first time I'd failed to defeat even one changeling. No matter he had a spear, and it was just my second week. I pushed the memory back down, after comparing it to my current torment. Yup, wasn't that bad.

Yet.

I watched as the six Elements, standing in a circle, powered up. Chromatic flashes sparkled and twinkled, shimmers of light and glowing auras dancing around them. Rainbow also shot me a worried glance. I let a another smidge of pain show.

"Ouch." I rubbed my arms like they itched. If I pretended nothing was wrong, they would never buy it. If I showed them just how much it did hurt, they'd never continue. They were my friends, but they weren't that tough. Not all of them, anyways.

I let the pain wash over me, through me, filling me, but I didn't let it control me. Pain was a tool, a useful one, but once I'd acknowledged it, I let it go. I could function through pain, and not just on adrenaline masking. I checked every indicator light and read every notification my body sent, then dismissed them. None of this was actually damaging. It could be safely ignored.

It wasn't easy, but I kept my face calm, allowing only a splinter of emotion to seep through.

The pain ramped up a bit as the Elements lit, the six Bearers wafted aloft on a haze of rainbow power. Twilight's eyes snapped open, showing the disconcerting white of a high-tension thaumic load, and locked on me. I felt something like a shiver run through my body, and frowned momentarily. What sort of magic was that?

I nearly smiled as I realized how nonchalant I was being. Luna had prompted me to consider my ordeal as a metamorphosis, and to carefully consider how it changed me.  I put another mental tally by my list of differences; keeping a straight face under this sort of pain, back on Earth, would have been literally unimaginable. I didn't like what I'd gone through to reach this sort of stoicism, but now that I was here, I could appreciate the end result. I was reluctant to call this sort of change good, but I would gladly tally outrageous pain tolerance under 'cool and useful'.

My body tingled with relief as the pain subsided, and my muscles unlocked as I relaxed from my rictus. The energy whirling around the Bearers slowly faded, depositing them back on the ground. They laughed and hugged, coming down off the high of harmonious magic. Twilight excused herself, and trotted over to me.

"So, what did you see?" I tried. She flinched. Aha, bull's-eye.

"I was wondering if we could do anything for you with the Elements." She looked down, discouraged. "I wanted to try before I found out the Element was cracked, and after that…well." She ran a hoof over the gem, feeling the slight roughness of the fracture.

"Any chance?" I tried to keep my voice level, but a hint of eagerness crept through.

"No." She shook her head slowly. "As we thought, something seriously weird is going on. You're catching backwash, just like we guessed, and that's inimical to the magic of your gem. The synchronicity of our souls is what allows the seepage, and we can't cut that thing out of you yet because you still need my magical support. But the backwash isn't moving like I expected...it's more like an induction, instead of simple transferal, but that would mean more direct interaction than we thought! I wish I'd been able record it. If we compared it to our engrams, we might be able to find out a bit more about this link, and why there are so few side effects. I wish you'd accepted the link, Wes. It might have cleared up a lot."

"And it might have made the backwash ten times worse." And you'd definitely have felt it, I thought to myself. She flinched again; she'd run the numbers as well.

"Hey, you OK?" Rainbow flashed over, and put a hoof on my shoulder, staring me in the eyes. I twitched; still hadn't gotten that personal space thing down.

"I've had worse." I gave a self-deprecating grin.

"Well, OK."

"I'm fine. But how about the Elements? Did they work?" I gave an encouraging smile, hoping it wasn't too glassy.

"Yeah, I think so. Mine felt a little…I dunno, squashed? What do you think, Twi?"

"Hmm, maybe. I wish we could have test-fired them. I think the output was a bit low? Hey, Rarity!" She waved the other unicorn over, and asked her thought on magic flow. Rainbow flitted away to ask Celestia something, and I sat down on the grass, the sudden release of tension had left me a little shaky. I twitched again as a yellow nose brushed against my cheek, pink mane softly falling across my eyes.

"Oh, you poor dear." Fluttershy mumbled. "I had no idea that would hurt you so much."

"Thanks, 'Shy." I rubbed a hand gently through her mane, and felt a little better. At least she seemed to be the only one who had noticed. "But I'm OK."

"Okey Dokey!" Pinkie bounced past. "Let's get this show on the road, ponies! We need to get moving if we're going to make it into the Crystal Kingdom this afternoon!" I rolled my eyes at the idea of Pinkie spearheading the effort, but I guess it was a rescue party. I climbed to my feet and set off after her.

"Wes!" Celestia called.

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind, I would like to hear your side of the poison joak incident."

"Well, Your Majesty, I'm honestly surprised anypony could understand me."

"Really? How come?"

"Well, when I woke up that morning, I felt like I was a little hoarse- Ow! Ow, Twilight, you stepped on my foot!"

"So sorry." Her grin was a rictus. " I apologize, Princess. In English, that's a pun." She glared at me. "A bad one."

"Anyways," I shot her a resentful glare, "I did feel odd when I woke up-"





"Is this all your luggage?" The porter asked. He had been helping me load the extra supplies on the train.

"Um, I think so?" I glanced over the small pile of baggage that belonged to us, and the large pile that belonged to Rarity.

We were taking the train straight through the outpost, directly to the Anomaly with a stop at the camp where Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, the Alicorn I'd never met, were stationed. We'd been supplied with a staggering surplus, mostly because no cost was too high for our success, but also because when you're taking the whole train, there's no reason to pack light. This was the third time all our luggage had been moved, and I still wasn't sure what all belonged to whom. I was half-convinced boxes were appearing and disappearing.

"Good enough." I shrugged stoically. The food and water were there, and that was enough for me.

"All aboard!" Pinkie called from the engine, blowing the steam whistle enthusiastically. I leaped onto the caboose and started making my way forward.

"Wes!" Celestia stopped me as I passed the passenger carriage. This train only had three cars, but I wanted to ride in the engine with Pinkie. "Speak with me for a minute." She waved me aside. We stood, heads close together, out of the way so our words wouldn't carry. "Wesley, I'm making this clear; I want Twilight to be in charge for this operation."

"...good?"

"I want her to develop as a leader, and at some point, the best way to do that is to push her into the lead."

"Sure, no problem." I scratched my head. I hadn't really been considering who would lead us; I was used to things being sort of democratic, but once Celestia decided, I felt a little more relaxed. Sorry Twilight, I thought guiltily. "Um, Princess, if you don't mind me asking...is she part of your retirement planning?"

Celestia smiled at that, a warm, secret smile.

"Eventually Wes." She gazed off into the distance, anticipation and pride clear on her face. "Oh, the plans I have for that filly! One day," she paused, and locked eyes with me. "I hope she will surpass both Luna and I." I whistled silently. "Also, this is for you." She passed me a slim folder, sealed with red tape and rubber stamped 'Secret'. "I can share this now, privilege of your new security clearance. I would have liked to deliver it sooner, but a proper report takes time."

"Thanks?" I said uncertainly.

"Don't thank me yet." She sighed. "It's fascinating, but probably not helpful." I nodded, and tore the red tape, flipping to the first page and skimming over the neatly printed text. What I saw electrified me.

Being a compilation of extra-dimensional phenomena, produced in the third year after the return of Princess Luna, including all confirmed and suspected, magical or mundane, objects from other worlds.

My hands trembled as I closed the thin volume, and squeezed my eyes tight. I thought back on Celestia's words, and carefully corralled the sudden surge of emotion in my heart. This was a scant beginning, not yet an end.

"This is..." I trailed off. "How?"

"Resography is not a widely studied field." Celestia paused, gathering her thoughts. "The thought experiment you proposed, showing the infeasibility of infinite worlds?" I nodded; Sunset Shimmer had given it to me, but she didn't know that. "It disregards one important factor. For the demonstration to hold true, it would require travel between any two worlds to cost zero energy."

My mouth slowly dropped open. How had I missed such an obvious detail?

"As demonstrated by the Anomaly, even the energy for moving between 'close' realities can be very large. That's why I originally assumed purposefulness behind your transfer. Emerging unscathed from accidental involvement in something that magical is extremely unusual. It happens, but not often. Many catastrophic accidents are more likely, some very subtle. For example, having your chirality switched."

"Right." I answered weakly.

"Anyways. That's everything we know about actual objects which may be extraequestrial. I hope it's useful to you."

I nodded, and turned towards the engine again. As I stepped in, Pinkie caught my eye, and winked, smiling; she was wearing a conductors cap, and ensconced in the captains chair. I laughed, and she laughed with me. I flopped into the engineer's seat, opened the report again, and began devouring it.





"Mmmmph." I stood frozen. Pink feathers filled my vision. I was wrapped in strong but gentle wings. "Pfft. Captain, some help please?" I begged.

"Cadence, darling…" Shining sighed. "Wesley needs a little more personal space. He's not the hugging sort."

The pink feathers slowly withdrew and I got a good look at Shining Armor's wife, the third Alicorn of Equestria. She was very, very pink. Pink coat, pink eyes, even a pink stripe to her multi-colored hair. Almost as pink as Pinkie Pie.

"Um, nice to meet you, Your Highness." I bowed, as gracefully as I could. All the Alicorns were intimidating, and although Cadence wasn't quite as tall as Celestia or as formal as Luna, I hadn't met her yet. Watching her and Twilight dance and giggle together on their reunion hadn't prepared me for spontaneous hugs.

"Nice to meet you too." She glanced down, seemingly embarrassed by my rejecting her hugs. "Please, don't be so formal. Call me Cadence?" I glanced at Shining, who gave me a warning glare.

"Um, of course, Cadence. Nice to meet you."  She smiled, and stepped back. I breathed a little easier as her attention left me.

"So, Shiny!" Twilight stepped forward. "Celestia said you could help open the portal?"

"Right." Shining Armor stepped forward, exhaustion showed in every line of his body. "Dear, if you would?" Cadence nodded, and they touched horns briefly. Their auras mingled, and the Alicorn sagged slightly as the weight of the spell moved to her.

"Pretty soon, you won't be able to maintain this." She  looked her husband in the eye. "I'm only returning it if you promise you won't hurt yourself holding it too long."

"Of course, darling." He hugged her, and turned towards the door, leading us back towards the train. "You will have two days to finish your mission. I hope that will be enough." I nodded soberly; it had better be, for all our sakes.

I glanced back along the tracks, eyes skating across the swarm of windigos attacking the edges of the injunction, slowly eating away the field. I'd finished the report just as we'd passed through, so immersed I'd barely noticed their shrieking and clashing as Twilight's shield bore us safely through. The report was only sixteen pages, but I'd scrutinized each paragraph intensely.

As Celestia said, it wasn't much to go on. Five pages had been on me, which had been sort of odd. Most of the facts were right, but seeing myself from an impartial alien viewpoint had been disconcerting. Discovering I was the only confirmed artifact had been disappointing, but the rest of the report was still fascinating, though filled with equivocation and doubt.

The mythical Tuatha were briefly discussed, though eventually dismissed as unlikely. The windigos were also brought up; apparently, some of their abilities seemed otherworldly. Their apparent unintelligence made confirmation difficult, however. There were a few more vacuous myths, but there were also several more solid reports. One that intrigued me especially was a note from Celestia herself, discussing a magic mirror which created a portal once every thirty moons. The destination of the portal was unconfirmed, but tradition declared it otherworldly. It had apparently been an heirloom of the Unicorn Crown, but was lost to time. Another artifact that caught my eye was a scepter, supposedly able to speak with voices of unknown origin.

I was drawn back to reality as Twilight retrieved the aetheric battery Celestia had supplied, and began attaching it to the portal. Shining's eyes widened as he sensed the vast alicorn magic crackling through the black iron lattice. He helped attach it to the runes surrounding the arch over the track. The portal seemed crudely overbuilt, but it looked serviceable enough. If there was enough power in that battery, the portal would open, allowing us to take the train through. After that, the portal would quickly degenerate; keeping it open until our return was impossible. Our return was dependent on completing our mission, or the safety net of the Elements.

Which I, as the only non-bearer, was not assured of.

I grimaced, and cast the thought aside. Even if my soul-meld with Twilight didn't mean automatic inclusion, any of the Elements could carry me back. But more than that, I refused to entertain thoughts of defeat before even knowing what we were up against. We were strong, smart, fast, and adaptable; we were doing this, and doing it well.

We piled onto the train, and Pinkie fired the engine back up. I shoveled a little coal, and she let me blow the steam whistle. After a little consideration, I burned the report; I'd gone over it with a fine-tooth comb. No point keeping something troublesome like that around.

We picked up a bit of speed leaving the station, and Twilight signaled Shining Armor as we drew near the portal. He threw the breaker, and there was a crackle and a roar as the battery discharged, Celestia's stored power wrenching space apart. The portal formed before us, and for a moment I thought it a second late; but it was large enough, and we scraped through.

There was a jolt as we traded the tracks for hard cobblestone streets. Inertia carried us forward, and I was vaguely surprised we didn't flip over, but I guess Celestia had calculated for this. Pinkie threw the brakes, and we came to a halt with screeching, shivering lurch. I glanced up; the oddly bright darkness of the void again hung above us. I looked back, and the portal closed with a flash behind us. Twilight's shield enveloped us with a swirl of purple, and Pinkie and I shared a glance.

"Looks like we're here, Conductor."

"Yupperooni, Engineer! Let's go join the others!" I nodded, and followed her back into the passenger car.

We had our work cut out for us.



> 31 - Strategize
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We assembled in the passenger car, gathering in the open space before the door.

"Alright, everypony, circle up!" I clapped my hands, and the Elements gathered round. I gave Twilight an encouraging smile; I knew Celestia had talked to her about leadership as well. She took a deep breath, and stepped up.

"We all know why we're here." Nods went around the circle. "We're on a rescue mission. We need to reach the Crystal Heart, which was on the highest tower of the Crystal Castle. If things haven't changed, we're up against glass golems and windigos, but we're safe for now." She gestured to the thick purple shield encasing the train. "Celestia supplied me with aetheric batteries to power our defense; I need to set it up, but this train is equipped as our base, and fortress if need be. We have forty-eight hours from noon, forty-five hours from now, to charge the Crystal Heart with the Elements. After that, the injunction field goes down, and we head home - one way or another. Now, how are we going to start?"

"We'd better make sure the Heart is in the same place." Rainbow volunteered.

"Could he even move it? Do we know how much influence Sombra has in here?" Rarity asked.

"Um, where is the Crystal Castle?" Fluttershy asked.

"Right." Twilight held up a hoof. "That's enough to begin with. Rainbow, we're going to need some scouting. Wesley, would you please explain what we know about this place to the others? I didn't even consider doing a proper summary on the train...can you manage?"

"Probably." I sat down, and the four Elements who hadn't accompanied us last time gathered near. "Well, we didn't explore the whole thing, and I know you've all heard parts of this, but here's what we saw last time-"





"-and that's about it." The four ponies around me nodded, and the group broke up. I stood, and looked around.

While we talked, Twilight had been busy. The purple shield, the standard guard spell she learned from Shining, had been replaced by a much thinner blue shell, a variable-output warding emplacement that was fueled on stored magic. She was working her way through a list of supplies and muttering to herself, but left off when she noticed we were done.

"Twilight!" Rainbow gave a yell, as she swooped into the car, shaking the camouflage spell off. The ward irised neatly to let her in; she gave an appreciative glance, and landed before us.

"What did you find, Rainbow?" Twilight tucked her list away, and we all gathered around.

"It's...um, well..." Rainbow looked back nervously. "You'd better come see."

We all followed curiously as she led us off the train and around the back, staying inside the shield. As we went, her concern became immediately obvious.

We were surrounded.

We hadn't been concerned about secrecy since both the golems and windigos were frankly stupid. Last time, it had taken direct and obvious action before they began a concerted effort against us. Even if we'd wanted to be sneaky, our transportation made stealth hopeless; the portal simply wasn't quiet or calm. Taking the whole train had been decided when somepony pointed out that, as long as we were making a splash, it should at least be a big one.

Despite that, we hadn't been expecting this sort of response, or at any rate, not quickly.

"There." I pointed ahead as we rounded the caboose. The street was packed with golems pushed up against our shield, their hard angular features blankly menacing. Ahead, however, was an open corridor. The golems edging it were arranged in neat lines, and the two nearest even carried flags, blank purple with green eyes on them. A live pony stood in the center.

"Izzat Sombra?" Applejack asked.

"No." Twilight answered. "Sombra's black."

Though this pony was a unicorn, he wasn't Sombra. He was tall and menacing, with hard, cruel eyes and a coat the color of dried blood. He wore black horseshoes with a short cape and had an ocher mane.

"Could be his brother, though." I pulled up short, as Twilight stopped in front of me. "Has the same look in his eyes."

"A very nasty customer." Rarity gave him a look of revulsion.

"Greetings, Elements!" His voice boomed, and I twitched in surprise.

"Rainbow, was he here before?" I mumbled, low enough it wouldn't carry past the group.

"Yeah, just standing there. I was honestly surprised when you hadn't seen him. I did a full sweep; things look mostly the same, besides this joker, but the Crystal Heart's been moved. I bet he knows where."

"Right." Twilight stepped forwards, and raised her voice. "You seem to have us at a disadvantage, stranger. Who are you?"

"Call me Shadow Glory." He tapped the shield. "Mind letting me in?" Seven heads shook in response. "Very well." He straightened his cape, obviously put out. Awkward silence commenced.

"Well Mister Glory, what do you hope to accomplish with this barbaric display?" Rarity swept a hoof, encompassing the surrounding golems.

"Ah. Well. You see, Miss Rarity, your... invasion, has left me at an impasse. My lord, the great and powerful Sombra, tasked me with protecting this demesne and working his will here. I've been trying to defend his sovereign territory against the depredation of that tyrant, Celestia, but your arrival shows I failed in some measure." He heaved a dramatic sigh, a hoof pressed to his chest.

"Surely I don't look that foolish... do I?" Rarity asked quietly. No answer came, and she stamped a hoof in frustration.

"So, I assembled this august entourage, in an attempt to honor you and convince you that we can work this out without fighting. Bloodshed," the dark pony gave a shudder, 'is absolutely the last thing I desire."

Twilight turned back to us, and we circled up.

"Well, he's obviously a huge jerk," Rainbow said. "Any chance he really means what he's saying?"

"Not a bit of it." Applejack shook her head. "He's a liar to the core, and just hopes we'll cave under a show of force."

"Indeed." Rarity nodded. "It's an old negotiating tactic; claim the high ground. The carrot and the stick."

"But," I put in, "maybe he's partly sincere. If Celestia's right, he may be in danger from the Anomaly too. Maybe that can force some cooperation?"

"I don't like his smile." Pinkie shot an angry glance over her shoulder. "He's not nice at all."

"Um, I agree." Fluttershy added meekly. "He's not the sort of pony we should trust."

"Hmm." Twilight thought for a second. "Wes, give me your tactical analysis."

"Sure." I thought for a minute, and then presented my thoughts. "As I see it, we have three options. First," I ticked them off on my fingers, to looks of surprise, "is the option he offers; cooperation and negotiation, whatever that means. Talking costs little, but time is on his side. Though hopefully he doesn't know that. Second is the option he's blocked." I nodded subtly to golems. "He feels threatened, or this group is overkill. Unfortunately, it's an uphill battle. We need absolutely superior firepower, and need to be very careful of the surrounding buildings." I shrugged. "There are crystal ponies here; a pitched battle is a risk to them, so precision and power are equally necessary, which is tricky."

"And third?"

"Third, we surprise him." I scratched my head. "No idea how, but if we do the unexpected, we could regain the initiative. Risky, but rewarding."

"Thoughts? Anypony?" Twilight canvassed the group; shrugs and shaken heads were returned.

"He covered it." Rainbow flitted into the air for a glance behind us. "Look, we shouldn't loiter here; let's at least get into the train if we're ignoring this joker."

"Before that," Twilight called, drawing attention back. "We have three options; we're working on them all. Rarity and Applejack, you negotiate. Fish for info and stall for time. Focus on the Crystal Heart and Sombra. You can promise help if it won't hurt us; we trust you. Wesley, you're with me; we're scrounging for weapons. Let's see what we can whip up. If these golems have a competent commander, they'll be trouble. Pinkie and Fluttershy, you're on option three. I know you've got surprises up your sleeves, Pinkie, but if your ideas scare Fluttershy, try and re-think them."

"And me?" Rainbow asked.

"You're going scouting with a scanner. We need to find the Crystal Heart."

"Oh, fine. But when I get back, I'm joining flank-kicking party."

"Just be thorough. Don't leave yet; Hopefully, Shadow didn't notice you earlier. I'd like to keep you secret as long as we can. Remember!" She locked eyes with us, one at a time. "We are a team. Ask for help if you need it; we are stronger together. Let's do this."  

"Shall we, Applejack?" Rarity turned to the barrier.

"Darn tootin'. Let's see if this stallion haggles better than Granny." The rest of us started back towards the train. Twilight fell behind a step, and I saw her sigh.

"You're doing fine." I smiled encouragingly.

"Thanks." She returned my grin weakly. "It's just so intense, you know? It's all resting on me, and there's no guide, no plan. I make the decisions as they come up, one at a time; if I make the wrong one, it'll all come tumbling down. It's like building a house of cards." She shot a dark glance at the golems. "While somepony kicks the table."

"I know how you feel." She shot me a dour glare, and I raised my hands defensively. "No, I do! Last time it was me." She sighed, and some of her frustration left. "Anyway," I added, "Celestia manages an entire country. You've learned from the best." A tense look crossed her face as she contemplated that. "So what were your thoughts on weapons? We're not really set up for fighting."

"I know. And we don't need to be; we should avoid strife as we can. But we've got some interesting supplies; we can surely make something useful. And there's trick I've been dying to try."

I raised an eyebrow at that; we were under siege, but still had time for experiments.

Yup, that was Twilight.





"So, this is your idea?" I touched the case on the table.

"Yeah." Off to one side, Pinkie and Fluttershy's heads were bent over a notebook full of multicolored scribbles. I cracked the lid, and whistled.

"Are you serious?"

"You said we need overwhelming firepower, and matching precision to win."

"It's not that. I'm surprised Celestia sent these; you broke the last set. They're not cheap."

"I didn't ask for them. They were on the manifest. I swear, Wes, boxes appear and disappear every time I turn around.."

"Tell me about it. Still can't believe we have these." I let the lid drop open, revealing a half-dozen vortex crystals, set in velvet. They were the operative component from the tac cannon Twilight had dismantled and used to such devastating effect on the changelings.

"Come on, Wes, aren't you curious? Think what we could make!"

"That again. How? This isn't like last time; you had a built gun. We've no tools, plans, or anything."

"Look, Wes." She gave me a serious stare, and I fell silent. "Do you remember last time I cast a really big spell?"

"Yeah." I nodded, thinking back to the top of the tower, when she'd wrenched reality apart and gotten us home.

"Remember how you had trouble keeping your thought process separate from mine?"

"You're not suggesting..."

"Actually, I am. We will see those effects if our synchronicity rises above seventy percent." She tapped her horn. "Both the amount of magic I draw, and my patterns of concentration affect the link. You've noticed it barely takes magic to start?"

"Sure." I dropped my head to my hands, trying to accept her suggestion.

"When we started researching the link, I discovered the magical patterns that activate it. Since they appear naturally if I  draw enough power, starting the link is a side effect of big spells. I think, if we try, we can get those effects with much less magic. Also, next time I cast a big spell I can block you a bit now I know the patterns."

"So, if I'm guessing right...you want to intentionally mind meld, my knowledge of physics with your knowledge of magic, deep as we can go, and build a big honking gun?"

"Well, maybe." She shook her head slowly, a distant look in her eyes. "It doesn't need to be a gun, just destroy golems; there's no point in limiting ourselves to the obvious. But yes, a big honking gun was my first thought. I'm sure it'll be at least twenty percent more awesome than my last one." I snorted.

"Alright." I sighed. "Are you sure there's no side effects to this?"

"Very." She gave a puzzled smile. "I can't find any, and you know that's worrying me. What you can't see coming-"

"Hurts the most." I finished "Right. Well, I guess it's a bit late to complain about having you in my mind. Let 'er rip; let's see if two heads really are better than one."





This structure is best for the forces involved.

On the table before us, glowing lines of force took shape. They were smoother than the normal fuzz of telekinesis, and shone a cheerful cherry color, somewhere between magenta and orange.

We need a module here to compensate for the size changes.

It was difficult to tell which thoughts were mine, and which were Twilight's. We thought of ourself as 'we'. We slotted the module in, using our enhanced spatial awareness to reshuffle the spellwork, and our practiced thaumaturgy instincts to resolve possible conflicts.

This will kick like Luna's left leg.

We decided on a gun after all, since we didn't know what our obstacles were. We couldn't use an area effect without risking damage to the crystal imprisoning, but also possibly supporting, the crystal ponies. Incautiously awakening them could cause untold damage.

But the target will feel it sevenfold.

It was shaping up smoothly. This was purpose built, with much more thought invested than the last gun, and it showed.

If we raise the firing temperature with a choke, energy conversion will be more efficient, and power will go up.

Basically, the gun transformed raw magic into a kinetic blast using the vortex crystal's natural properties. Twilight was intimately familiar with the magical principles involved; I focused on the physical. Twenty percent awesomer was an understatement. Tac cannon barely did it justice; this would nearly be a pocket-sized battleship gun.

Let's add a capacitor to smooth operative load.

We were editing spells as needed, coding into the crystals on the fly. This sort of wizardry was normally impractical, but we managed by splitting our concentration. The gun structure updated as we committed a round of changes to the control matrix. It looked something like a sideways Eiffel Tower, though obviously smaller. Energy gathered in the splayed end, arranged into a bottle-and-choke mechanism for storing and focusing power.

What if we fire a physical projectile? It would have several advantages.

That began another round of revisions. We boosted efficiency again, although it cost accuracy slightly. The gun could now collect moisture for bullets, freezing and targeting them with a self-propagating helical field. Vents appeared on the sleek shape, pointing backwards.

We should make it deploy and retract automatically. 

The shape of the gun was modified shield stuff, a hexagonal hive of force planes interlocked for strength and rigidity. It was a physical construct of magical power. By splicing a variable-output module into the controls, it could be collapsed. The capacitor, combined with the feedback control we'd developed for the anti-gravity spell, allowed power to be added now and used whenever. We charged it up.

Since we're already writing custom routines for the crystals, targeting should be assisted. This will let us reach our goals for precision.

One strength of magic was it's pseudo-narrative structure, which let us write spells that responded to their surroundings. This automation meant we could embed sophisticated assistance programs in our weapon.

This is looking good; now we need-

"WOAH!" Both our heads snapped around, catching Rainbow Dash as she returned. "What's this? It's super cool! Is it a gun? Did Celestia send it? Can I try?"

"It's a gun." We spoke simultaneously. Rainbow glanced between us nervously. "We built it. It nears completion, after sixteen iterations. Celestia sent the parts. We haven't decided who will wield it, but our current thought is Rarity."

"You two are being creepy." The pegasus took a step back. "Did you know both your eyes have gone white?"

We shrugged in unison. Of course our eyes were white; both of us were drawing heavily.

-need a physical substrate for the control mechanism.

We extracted a lump of metal from the raw materials we'd gathered. An entropology spell heated it; a kinesthetic spell molded it. We deactivated the gun, setting the crystals in the metal and placing it to cool after carefully writing the last lines of code to interface the physical controls.

Purpose accomplished, the link faded.

"Ow." Both of us said simultaneously. I clapped a hand to my temple, where a throbbing headache was forming.

"That answer some questions?" I asked Twilight.

"No." She was already scribbling in a notebook. "But it raised some fascinating new ones."

"Great." I sighed, and touched the completed canon gingerly; it was still warm, but not enough to burn. It resembled an armored horseshoe, with six crystals set around the edge. If you didn't know better, it might simply be ornamental. "Here." I passed it to Rainbow. "Attempt one at a decent weapon for fighting the army outside."

"How's it work?" She slipped it on.

"Stamp to activate it." Rainbow complied, and her eyes widened as the crystals flew from their settings, and the gun formed beside her. It was four feet long, and held its cherry color.

"Should it look like that?"

"Not a problem." Twilight barely glanced up. "That's how the crystals were written."

"It's on half-auto targeting. It'll follow your gaze, and lock onto likely targets." I winced as Rainbow trained her eyes, and the gun, on me. She glanced at it, and I was glad to note the feedback squelch I'd implemented kept it from spinning wildly in place. She aimed it away from me. It hovered just above and to the right of her shoulder. "The safety is on. Please keep it that way. Stamp to turn targeting off, and I'll explain firing." She complied, and gun froze. "To arm it, use the password, arglefraster."

"Arglefraster." Her eyes widened as the gun pulsed along it's length, briefly outlining the instilled runes. The structure brightened as the frame powered up. A barely audible whine started as the containment bottle warmed, and choke pressure increased. The vents flared, air whooshing as moisture was gathered for bullets, tiny cones of ice spiraled in the barrel.

"Safety!" I yelped.

"Arglefraster!" She squealed. The gun powered down, hissing angrily as the bullets were vented as steam and unused potential was forced back into storage.

"Ok." I took a deep breath. "Firing. There should be a stud in the bottom of the horseshoe. That's the trigger. If you press it with the safety on, the gun should beep and flash." Rainbow gingerly complied, and the gun blinked brighter, chiming gently.

"There's a three-way switch opposite the trigger. It switches targeting, between manual, half-auto, and full-auto. Stamp to turn targeting back on." I watched as Rainbow cycled the options. Manual seemed fine. She pointed her hoof, and the gun followed. Half-auto we'd already tested; I was curious if it was 'sticky' enough, but that would probably need live testing. She triggered full auto, and gave a questioning glance when the gun froze.

"It only target's golems in full auto. It fires automatically, and that seemed the best way to avoid friendly fire. It's good for fifty shots full charged, but a unicorn can 'feed' it. Slip the shoe off to power down." Rainbow lifted her hoof, and the gun dissolved, the crystals returning to their places.

"This thing is wicked. I bet even the guard doesn't have guns like this." She lifted her hoof, inspecting it from every angle. "You and Twilight put this together in only four hours?"

"How long?" Two startled cries rang out.





"Rarity, Applejack, are you two doing OK?" I held out earpieces, which they accepted.

"Yes, darling." Rarity screwed the communicator into her ear. "Testing, testing?"

"Hey, mares." Twilight came clearly across the comm. "Finally got the short-range set up. Sorry about the delay, Wes and I were distracted."

"No problem." Applejack tapped her comm. "Hey, these are pretty nifty."

"No kidding!" Pinkie chimed in. "Now you can't escape by leaving the room!"

"But we can mute you," Rainbow drawled. "Anyways, teams, gather in. I'm back with the word, and we need to rock."





"Right, sound off." Twilight's muffling ward rippled like heat-haze just outside the circle. She pointed to Rainbow. "Circle right."

"Well, I quartered the whole island with your scanner." She retrieved the instrument from her saddlebags, and lay it on the floor. "The magical readings are wild, nothing like last time. I picked up two hot spots, one just behind us and the other at the Castle."

"I thought you said the Crystal Heart wasn't there anymore?" I interjected.

"I said it wasn't on the tower. But I'm coming to that." She pushed the scanner to Twilight, who returned it to the toolbox. "I checked the near hotspot first. It's where the portal dumped us; train tracks and everything. It's gotta be an after-effect, or part of the Anomaly." Twilight nodded thoughtfully at that. "After, I headed to the Castle. That was tricky; the defenses were boosted since last time. Now, the entrances are patrolled by windigos and golems both, and the whole place is covered by a glowing thing." She stood, flaring her wings.

"But I knew we needed answers. No way some crummy spoilsports could keep Rainbow out! So in I went, stealthy as Batmane. I swooped, I dived, I dodged!" She raised a hoof to her chest and preened. "I obviously succeeded. Going slow to hide my magnificent aura, I moved with delicate grace, like a leaf floating on the wind. I quickly got close and looked in the windows." She pulled out a piece of parchment, and lay it on the floor.

"The Heart's been lowered straight off the roof. It's suspended in the main hall, just below the ceiling." She traced the setup on her map. "If we remember the path to the main hall, it should be even easier than last time." She frowned. "But it's got defenses; what looked like mirrors, maybe five, circled it. And a magic clock."

"Magic clock?" Twilight turned from her scrutiny of the map.

"Yeah, I think. Like the hands of a clock, spinning underneath it."

"Interesting..." She scribbled a few notes, and turned to the next team. "Fluttershy, Pinkie, what have you got?"

"Well..." Fluttershy laid a much-defaced paper on the floor. "We thought of ways to sneak out, and wondered if maybe Twilight could teleport us?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie pointed to the paper. "And maybe we could distract him with something. Like when you're planning a surprise, you need to know where the target is during set up, so they don't surprise you! Maybe if some of us stayed, the others could sneak to the heart?"

"Hmm." Twilight tried to decipher Pinkie's diagram, but gave up. "A diversion. That might work." She turned to the third team. "Rarity, Applejack, what have you found out?"

"Shadow is a bore." Rarity dramatically sighed. "His ego is ludicrous. I could hardly listen to three words without laughing."

"Right." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Despite his silly pride, we found some useful facts. He called himself part of 'Lord Sombra's Inner Circle'."

"Dang." I must have sounded about as annoyed as I felt, because everypony looked at me. "Sorry!" I raised my hands defensively. "I'm just ticked off the villains finally started getting smart, using proper minions and all. With our luck, they've even read the Evil Overlord List. Let me guess; Sombra has promised him power?"

"Darn tootin. He talks big about this being 'Lord Sombra's land' and other nonsense, but what it comes down to is, he thinks whatever he does is Ok because Sombra's the meanest pony around. A real nasty customer."

"Does he realize the Anomaly is as much trouble for him as it is for the Crystal Ponies?" Twilight asked.

"Nah, he doesn't seem worried." Applejack gazed off reflectively. "Ah don't know if Sombra gave him a way out or what."

"Yuck." I'd been hoping to bring at least some pressure to bear.

"Any idea what he wants?" Twilight asked.

"Sorry, no." Rarity shrugged. "Best guess, us. He kept asking to come through the field, and got pretty annoyed when we wouldn't let him. I wouldn't put it past him to try breaking in, if he thought he could get away with it. He eventually got bored, and left an emissary in case we changed our minds. Pfft." She waved to us. "So, what have you two done? Hopefully, it will be useful if he tries to force his way."

I passed her the horseshoe. "We hope so. Like to test it?"

"Well." She scrutinized the vortex gems. "It definitely looks like something I might enjoy."





"Rarity?" Twilight waved a hoof in front of her friend's face. The fashionista was giggling gently, and caressing the gun.

"Oh, yes darling?" Rarity shook her head, and snapped out of her trance.

"I've set the plan." She lay out a diagram, drawing on everypony's research. "We're splitting into two teams. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and I are sneaking out and trying for the Heart. If I get near, I believe I can activate the elements. It's at the edge of our range, but should be Ok. You, Rainbow, Wesley and Applejack will hold the fort. You'll need to be sure Shadow Glory is busy enough that he can't interfere when we hit the wards. It'll draw his attention, so you four need to be more distracting." She rolled the parchment up, and yawned. "Could you please talk to the emissary and set up a meeting for tomorrow? Then we'll know when to start the operation. After that, we're making camp."

Nods moved around the circle. Rarity saluted, and Applejack joined her as they left the train.





Dinner was egg salad sandwiches. We had hard rations, but also a store of tastier, more perishable food. I sat on my bedroll, spread on the train seat, and inspected my meal.

"What are you thinking of?" Twilight asked.

<"Bacon.">

"Oh, eew." She swallowed convulsively, and put her sandwich down.

"Hey, you asked."

"I know, but-"

"What's this?" Applejack leaned over. "What are you two talking about?"

<"Bacon.">

"Yuck, stop!"

"That's...English, right? What's he saying?"

"Trust me, you do not want to to know. Humans eat meat."

"But it makes egg salad so much better...." I wistfully took another bite.

"That's part of the problem." Twilight pushed her plate further. "I remember. <And I sorta agree, which is really squicking me out.> I can't eat this."

"Oh."

"Because you share memories?" Applejack passed her a bowl of green salad, which she accepted gratefully.

"Right. But more, too. We're about seven percent synchronized, so parts of our personalities mesh very tightly. I don't just remember eating bacon, I feel the same Wes does. And that's really, really weird." Applejack eyed her doubtfully.

"You remember eating meat? From Wes' point of view?"

"No...more like, I have Wes' feelings about it, because we synch. Other memories are just facts."

"I like my coffee with sugar now." I shrugged. "It goes both ways." I tapped the gem in my chest. "That should decrease as I heal, till we can get rid of this." I sighed. "Then I just need a way home."

"So, Wes, if you have Twilight's memories," Applejack smirked. "Can you tell us what stallions she likes?"

"Hey!"

"Hah, no; it doesn't work like that." I popped the top off a bottle and sipped. Strawberry lemonade? Awesome! "The biggest problem with sharing memories is not knowing what we know."

"Come again?"

"Memories work by association. When you remember something, you have specific patterns to recall it. Those are habitual, and don't carry over."

"Like to remember the next rainfall, I think of the calendar?"

"Right." I gestured with my juice. "So, to remember Twilight's dream stallion, I'd need that memory's handles. Like a cutie mark. Or coat color."

"Sometimes words are enough." Twilight gestured to her half-eaten sandwich. "Bacon is a very distinctive type of meat. Just the name recalls smell and taste." She shuddered. "And both are disturbing."

"So, that's why you play your game?"

"Partly. The association game does let us re-connect to memories. But it's also a way to test just how far synchronization goes." I yawned, suddenly tired of the discussion. "Anyways, I'm for bed." I curled up, pulling the blankets over me. It had been a long day, and tomorrow started early. But despite my exhaustion, I found sleep difficult. My mind whirled around our discussion and what we accomplished with the gun. While linking deeply was fascinating, it both drew and repelled me.

Twilight and I were using it innocently, but the mind-link held enormous potential for harm. The first time we faced Sombra, he tried destroying me to occupy my body. What if he succeeded next time? Could Twilight resist him, or might she be dominated across the link? Was that what Sombra designed the gems for, an army of mind-slaves? No wonder numancy was restricted!

When I finally slept, I dreamed uneasily of an enemy who devoured souls, controlling his subjects so tightly rebellion was unthinkable. Sombra laughed from a hundred mouths and when I killed him, Twilight stared back reproachfully. Morning was a relief.

> 32 - Pitched
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ready?" Twilight asked. Nods went round. Everypony had their Element. Rarity had the gun; we'd started calling it Arglefraster, although I didn't like my secret key word being used openly. She could feed it power, and had the finesse to use it well. The plan was simple. One team would distract Shadow while the other made for the Heart.

"Okay, he should arrive soon. Let's move out."

The 'home' team, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, and I, waited patiently by the gap in the golem horde. The 'away' team, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight, were hidden in the caboose. After considerable searching, we found a spot mostly out of sight, but with a clear view of a good teleport landing. Twilight would lift the team out once our diversion started.

And here came our target. Shadow was looking just as sinister today.

"Good morning, guests. You wanted to see me?" He stopped just before the barrier, posing for dramatic intimidation, cloak carefully draped. Rarity rolled her eyes.

"We had a question." Applejack stepped forward.

"Proceed."

"What do you plan for the Crystal Ponies?"

"They are subject to my Lord, King Sombra; their fate is his decision."

"Say what? King Sombra? Sombra's a no-good, dirty, rotten scoundrel. He ain't king of nopony. You'd best be letting them go, hear?" Antagonism was the plan, but Applejack's anger was no act.

"My!" He gasped, throwing his short cape back with a flourish. Rainbow snorted. "Harsh words. If I refuse?"

I stepped forward, hammer swinging loosely from my wrist.

"Then we have a problem." I twirled it lazily. "You won't like that."

"You hardly frighten me, Mister Kilmer."

"Maybe I need to be scarier." The shaft landed in my palm and I stepped out of the shield, momentum and posture focusing every ounce of power on my hammerhead. It hit a golem on the chest, and sank in with a loud crunch. The defenseless construct disintegrated.

"Really." Shadow quirked an eyebrow. "Simply terrifying." He stomped a hoof and magic swirled, gathering and re-assembling the golem. The animating windigo was quickly re-embodied. I hid a wince. That could be real trouble, but it was too late to stop the plan. We had to gamble on Arglefraster and our shields.

"I've tried being civil. I've tried being kind." He tapped the shield. It rang dully. "Do you really think this can stop me? Ha!" He threw his head back, laughing theatrically. "Only my better nature keeps me from crushing you as you deserve. You invade my territory, you insult and threaten me! I - "

"You're a coward." Rainbow stepped forward. "You're a fluffsucker who puffs and postures. My friend Fluttershy is twice the pony you are; she, at least, won't lie about her feelings."

Shadow's eyes flared as Rainbow started. He swelled visibly with anger while she spoke, and when she stopped, he looked ready to chew iron and spit nails.

I nodded approvingly. The plan was progressing nicely.

Shadow was packing serious magical chops. We only had one shot at the Crystal Heart, and we were depending on Twilight acting without interference. We needed to occupy Shadow, which meant being a threat he couldn't ignore.

We were picking a fight.

"I-"

"Shut up." I spat on him. The shield let it out to splatter his shiny shoes. "Could you please stop waving your stupid cape? Your infantile ranting and raving sickens me. Can't you hear yourself?" I rolled my eyes.

"You-" He was practically frothing at the mouth.

"Right, right. Look, buddy, you think you're hot stuff, but I scrape nastier things off my boots." Applejack yawned.

"Sombra-"

"Oh, puh-lease!" Rarity scoffed. "You don't think we care about that ruffian-" Shadow visibly snapped. He reared back, pointing and yelling.

"Windigolems, get them!"

He was literally dancing with rage. I stepped back, momentarily intimidated as the golems rose as one and hammered against our shield.

"Hold hold hold hold!" I muttered, watching the azure defense field thicken and flow, the minarchistic tessellation flashing as power was reallocated for efficiency. I sighed with relief when simple weight of numbers couldn't push through.

"Hah! Is this the best Sombra can do? We thought you might actually be a threat!" I laughed, loudly and clearly.

"GRAAAH!"

Shadow's tantrum was reaching epic proportions. His horn fizzled and arced; if he actually managed to release that spell, it could be trouble.

Do I look that dumb when I'm angry? I wondered idly, motioning for Rarity to deploy Arglefraster. We had the initiative, and intended to hold it.

KRAKATHOOM!

I winced; our comms had muffling systems, but they took a moment to activate. Shadow visibly reeled from the aural impact as Rarity opened fire. One drawback of physical projectiles was the sonic boom. I heard her laugh through my comm just as the dampening magic kicked in, bringing  blessed silence. She looked like she was enjoying herself.

Arglefraster hovered slightly above and behind her, a thin cord of energy running from the gun's capacitor to her horn's tip. The barrel blurred as it auto-targeted, centering shots on nearby golems. It pulsed gently as Rarity fed it power. The propellant fields were nearly a meter long, and the spread of fire was small enough, a pretty silver stream rippled from the muzzle. The rate of fire was moderately low for a squad automatic weapon, only ten rounds per second, but the effect of the onslaught was impressive.

The press of golems literally disintegrated. They were soft enough for my hammer to crush. These bullets were smaller, but much, much faster. Arglefraster was programmed to place shots in the center of mass, though Rarity guided the general direction. It wouldn't shoot anything flesh-and-blood; even jumping into the fire zone would cause it to turn away. Rainbow - at full speed - might intercept a bullet. The rest of us were safe from friendly fire. It should even scan through walls, though the crystal buildings were tougher than golems.

Unfortunately, this also meant Shadow was safe. I don't think he realized it; he was too mad to think straight. He stormed straight at the shield, head down, horn alight. The golems drew back, running from the sleeting fusillade. Rarity followed, giggling hysterically. They circled sideways, leaving a trail of crushed glass. It looked nearly as fun as bubble-wrap.

I hope Twilight's on her way. I don't think he'll get more distracted. Shadow hit the shield with a brilliant flash. I whistled softly as his spell peeled the barrier back. Penetrating military-grade protection was no small potatoes.

"We can't let him in!" I waved Rainbow and Applejack forward. "Let's push back!"

He stood in an empty space, the golems leaving him room. Another reformed as I watched. If we wanted a decisive win, we needed to disable that repair spell, which meant putting Shadow out of commission. Willing to take that challenge, the three of us stepped up and threw down.

We didn't expect an easy fight. Sombra had wiped the floor with Twilight and I; Shadow was his lieutenant, and if he was half the mage his boss was, we would be hard-pressed. Magic was a great leveler. Twilight could probably reach orbit with the right spell. Rarity could horn-power a machine gun. Rainbow regularly broke the sound barrier. It wasn't just energy density, but also conversion speed. I could cross town the same as Scootaloo, but she was nearly seven times faster on flat ground. Unicorns cast spells, pegasi flew, and earth ponies were ridiculously strong and tough.

I had a hammer.

Still, training counted for a lot. I aimed a blow at Shadow's horn, and nearly finished the battle right there.

He pulled back, letting his shield-cutting spell dissipate. It looked like he was yelling. My earpiece was still muffling noises, but he surely wasn't complimenting me.

"And the same to you." I smirked, stepping back as he retaliated. He howled impotently as his hooves bounced off the shield. I made a note to thank Celestia; her defenses were no slouch. "Now, Rainbow!"

The comms picked up skull vibration. I would have liked to hear my surroundings, but at least we could still communicate. Rainbow swooped in as Shadow retreated, trying to deny us the shield. Once again, we surprised him. Her flying kick literally sent him sprawling. I frowned as he bounced back, barely shaken. He should have felt that.

Applejack didn't hesitate. As he stood, she moved in and loosed one of her signature kicks, catching him right on the knee. I whistled; that was an excellent choice, but far more brutal than I'd expected from the compassionate mare. My surprise redoubled when Shadow's leg literally fell off. All three of us froze in shock as fractures traced the rust-red limb, and it crumbled to dust. Shadow gnashed his teeth, eyes rolling in wrath.

"I thought we were overestimating him!" I yelped. The windigolem repair spell encased the limb, repairing it. "Looks like we've got a serious fight here, mares. Let's kick it up a notch." We dove back in, but our momentary hesitation had cost us the initiative; our opponent was ready.

I'd meditated thoroughly that morning, and it showed. I could calmly evaluate events, reacting rationally instead of emotionally. My reflexes were fast and smooth. I pushed hard, trying to pull pressure off Applejack, the fighter we'd worked with least. Shadow showed his skill, managing to cast several support spells. We obstructed, but he was tougher than a golem or a flesh-and-blood pony. We pounded him hard, but he slowly wore us down. Thankfully, the other team moved fast. A few long minutes in, Twilight reached the Crystal Palace.

I could tell because I got a moment of static on my comm, and then the ground shook. Shadow and the golems whipped their heads towards the source.

"Seriously, more explosions!" Rainbow grumbled. "And I don't even get to watch!"

"Come on, Rainbow." I sidestepped a kick. "Cool ponies don't look at explosions."

"Sorry, mares." Twilight broke radio silence, abandoning stealth. "The door was stuck."

"Now it's ajar!" Pinkie added.

"I bet." Applejack stepped in, trying to exploit Shadow's hesitation. I followed.

"This was a trap?" His eyes were wide in disbelief.

"Duh." Rainbow swooped in, clocking him upside the head. "You think we're kicking your flank just because it's hilarious? We have objectives too."

"To Tartarus with you. To Tartarus with your objectives!" He whipped around, searching for a gap in our defense.

"Eenope." Applejack, Rainbow and I closed ranks, backing him towards the shield. "Can't let you do that." His eyes narrowed as he realized our true motives. He lowered his head, and charged.

We hit him together. He turned a complete flip sideways in midair before slamming into the wall. Those three full-power strikes, coordinated as one, would kill a normal pony. We needed him here; beating his stuffing out through his nose was merely a bonus. This time, he actually looked disoriented as he staggered to his feet. A second later he was back in the fight.

I was picking myself off the ground, trying to keep broken golem out of my face, when the next report came.

"I'm at the Crystal Heart. Rainbow was right; it's heavily defended. I'll do my best to disarm the system before using the elements. Everypony ready? Wesley, sure you'll be alright?" I glanced at the shield; it was still standing firm.

"Yeah." I sprang to my feet, and charged back into the fray just as a sizzling bolt of power flung Rainbow back. I barely intercepted a strike aimed to shorten Applejack by a head, and devoted myself to frantically surviving a brawl with a battlemage several ranks above my pay grade. "Be fast. This is quickly going south." We were barely holding our own, and time wasn't our ally.

Once the Elements charged, their power should protect the wielders. I would get behind the shield, and after they were done with the Heart, Shadow would get his due. I hope it hurts him, I thought, as Applejack took a crushing blow to the side.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" I gasped.

"School of hard knocks." She shook the blow off, and stepped back in. "And a few tricks from the rodeo circuit." She was holding her own much better than I expected; I didn't think her soft, but strong and effective were different.

Suddenly, a gasp came over the comm.

"Trouble, mares!" Twilight was frantic. "The trap activated; spells inbound! They're weakened and won't hold us long, just try and-AAAAAAAAA!" I winced as her shriek cut off.

"Get back!" I yelled, taking a risky strike at Shadow's horn. "Rarity, cover us!" He dodged, retreating enough we could disengage. Our withdrawal surprised him; he couldn't hear our voices. Maybe deafening noise wasn't all bad. The golems behind us crumbled, and we dashed for the shield. The exclusion matrix let us through easily, but Shadow bounced with an audible clang. The sudden return of noise surprised me. Rarity was panting, a wild look in her eye, but Arglefraster dissolved as we gathered. She passed me the horseshoe.

"You might need this." The mares gathered in a knot, facing every way at once.

"Watch our backs, Wes." Rainbow landed, and put her shoulder alongside her friends.

"Always."

Suddenly, three glittering missiles slammed through the shield. Jagged holes gaped for a split second. My friends froze, caught in a silvery field, expressions twisted into horror, shock, and surprise. They were trapped, caught like flies in amber.

I stood before them, breath suddenly loud in my ears. The surroundings were shockingly still at the sudden cessation of battle.

"Ha!" Shadow was panting too. I wondered if that was simply habit, or if his crystal body actually needed oxygen. "Hah, hah ahah! Fools! Sombra's magic is not to be toyed with!" He lowered his horn, and it sparkled. I thought desperately as he prepared his assault. I was suddenly alone, but there was no way Twilight had given up. She'd seen the spell coming. She'd be working something out. I just needed to hold.

"Stop." I activated my gun and took aim. It couldn't fire at a flesh-and-blood pony, but he was closer to the windigolems. Maybe the next step in whatever twisted scheme Sombra abandoned his body for.

"That won't hurt me." He paused his casting, and the gleam of a personnel shield shimmered on his barrel. "I could shrug those silly little pellets off all day." He eyed me for a second. "Did you help construct that? It's quite intriguing." Satisfied he could attack at will, he took a moment to inspect his cape, face darkening at every rent and rip.

"I worked on it." I tried to regulate my breathing. Any time bought for my friends escape was worth it. "Want a closer look?"

"Don't worry; I'll have my chance after taking it from your corpse."

"Think it will be that easy?"

"Pish, yes." He found one of his black horseshoes and slipped it on, buffing it carefully. "I'll section this shield like an orange, once my minions recover." I glanced around; sure enough, the windigolem ranks were almost rebuilt. If he penetrated the shield, I couldn't dream of resisting. Our lives would be forfeit. I grit my teeth and resolved to gamble on one last shot, screw the consequences.

"Tell me, why do you work for Celestia the tyrant?"

"What?" I was honestly confused. "Have you even met her?"

"Of course! A more overbearing, pompous, arrogant pony I have never seen!"

"Ever look in the mirror?"

"Hah! No, you will not push me to recklessness again. Come now, Wesley, right? Sombra mentioned you. You have something of his, a soul crystal. He'd like it back, but might accept you in his service. It would be worth much to me if you'd consider joining us. We pay more than the Sun Alicorn, I promise." He smirked, dark delights gleaming in his eyes. "Really, the benefits are delicious. Haven't you felt the world is too small for you? Join us. You will have power!" I shuddered, revulsion wracking me.

"We're not so different, you and I? Are you serious?" I didn't bother hiding my scorn. He thought I was in this for money? Power?

"Deadly." His horn sparked to life, and he leveled it on the shield with a screech. The defense again peeled back under his pressure.

"You understand nothing." Disgust welled in me, and I locked him in my crosshairs. "You think I'm here for pay?" His eyes widened in puzzlement and I continued, the volume of my voice increasing. "Is money and power all you creeps understand? Is that all you want from life?" I was screaming now, anger coursing through my body.  

"What else is there?" He yelled back. "I'm about to prove my superiority on your body. Try not to regret your decision." He smirked.

"Regret? Hah! Over the past year, I learned there is evil!" I ran my hands frantically over Arglefraster's controls. Enough! This was the end. He watched with detached bemusement. "I don't know everything I've become, or am becoming! But I'm realizing one thing; I don't hate fighting. I might actually like it. I'm good at it, even if it hurts! That's part of what was so confusing. What I hate is murder. Being forced to kill innocents, even shaped like bugs, tore me up! But sometimes, sometimes my opponents aren't innocent." I smiled beatifically, the heat of anger transmuting into cold, righteous rage. The gun dissolved, the crystals rearranged, hair-thin whispers of power re-routed controls. "I'm starting to see. To people like you, murder and execution are indistinguishable. Not me. I'm not a killer. I. Am. A. Warrior! Don't whine when I turn your 'might makes right' back at you!"

"Oh, please. I've seen what that can do, and-"

I tapped the targeting stud, and the rebuilt gun snapped into shape. His eyes widened and he jerked away, but his horn was deep in the shield, and the energy matrix held him firmly.

"I didn't come this far without a trump in reserve!" Arglefraster was basically, a railgun. At its core was a very, very over-complicated function; it cast one spell, accelerate, on one thing, ice. Each and every extra made it more efficient, user-friendly, and safe...er.

Each and every one could be disabled.

The reconfigured system was stripped of every safety. It was jagged and vicious, a paean to brutal violence. The vortex crystals quivered, barely restraining the horrendous potential focused on an icicle as long as my arm. I spat the second safety phrase, and loosed it.

<"Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.">





My ears were ringing when I regained consciousness. The shockwave had actually thrown me several feet. I muzzily sat up, trying to gather my scattered thoughts.

"You okay there, sugarcube?" I jumped slightly as Applejack nudged me.

"Wha?" I turned, trying to focus on her. Rarity and Rainbow were nearby. "Made it?"

"Yeah, the trap was a memory spell. We mostly made it through Ok." Rainbow shot Applejack a telling glance, but the cowpony didn't notice. "Good job holding your own. The hay you do?"

"Arglefraster?" I asked. Rarity held out the gun. I accepted it, and inspected the vortex crystals; they were, shockingly, unburnt. I wondered briefly how our pocket battleship cannon would fare against a changeling queen. "I shot him." I handed the gun back. "Bang." I slumped, wincing as my head bounced off the pavement. "That gun has a second setting. All-in-one. Surprised it didn't destroy the load compensator. What's left of the fool?"

"Gravel and dust." Rarity gave the battleground a sober glance. "The windigolems are gone, too. Seems everything turned out OK."

"Alright." I gathered myself together. "Let's see about the Heart." I tapped my earpiece back into my ear. "Twilight, you there?"

"Huff. Huff. Yeah. I'm here." She was panting heavily. "What was that noise?"

"I went medieval on Shadow's flank. He's not going to bother us anymore, you're good to go."

"Fine. Good. Let's do this."

"Twilight..." I paused, unsettled. Something in her voice made me wonder what that memory magic had been, but I wasn't quite willing to speak. What if I made things worse? They didn't seem hurt.

"Here goes. Wes, brace yourself."

I scooted back against the train, leaning on a wheel and relaxing my muscles, concerns pushed aside. Choose to act and move forward. We'd work it out as we went. I bit my lip as the Elements activated. The three mares near me closed their eyes and started glowing, auras stretched towards the castle, but fading quickly into invisibility. I felt the pain wash over me. It seemed slightly less. Maybe distance had some effect?

I braced myself against the magical flow and tried centering my mind, activating the meditation patterns I was studiously practicing under Lyra's guidance.

Jedi's going to be mad, I thought, trying to distract myself as best I could. I really shouldn't have gotten that worked up over Shadow. I didn't really regret nuking the monster; he had it coming in spades. Holding four thousand hostages and impeding our rescue? That's all I knew he was guilty of. It would have been nice to drag him before the High Court, but his fate didn't bother me. If he really is dead. It had been ridiculously hard to hurt Sombra.

Wondering, I cracked an eye. It had easily been five minutes since the Elements activated; what was taking them so long?

I slid my gaze over Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow. They were still floating in the air, their nimbus of power gently pulsing. But something seemed...off to me.

I staggered over, peering closely into their faces. As I watched, Applejack's expression twisted, anguish showing slightly.

"Horsefeathers." I slapped my forehead, recalling my reservations from minutes earlier. "Something did go wrong. How long is Sombra going to outmaneuver us like that?" I slumped to the ground again; if they weren't defeated in the first moment, they could hold a bit longer. What should I do?

I dropped my head to my hands, and thought hard through the haze of pain. My brain was sluggish and unresponsive, but I cudgeled it into performing. Eventually, I forced myself to my feet and wandered off in the general direction of the castle. I had an idea but I needed to be near Twilight, and I wanted a better look at what was happening.





"Holy crow."

The castle had a gaping hole in the wall, easily meters across. The ward had a neat circle too, centered right in the middle of the gap. A small blue object held it open.

"What did Twilight do here?" It looked like she not only destroyed the wall, but also exploited a syntactic flaw in the ward design to completely bypass the magic defense. The shield made a clean half-circle around a perfectly ordinary Mason jar, held about three feet back all round by whatever phenomenotional keys decided access. I ducked through the hole, carefully not touching either the magic or the jar.

"Of course." I giggled incoherently as I traced the advance party's steps. "It's probably based on a pun. When is a door not a door?" The linguistic structure of magic gave me endless headaches. It was worse even than English; instead of simply borrowing words from other languages, new component words and spells were invented by magicians trying to define concepts with no clear meaning, or worse, concepts that changed meaning based on circumstance.

They were then categorized by effect into 'schools', which had names that seemed generated by alphabet dice. The process seemed silly to me. Bizzanarchy, for instance, grouped spell-words used to change natural phenomena. The gravity spell we researched fell there. However, when I pointed out it could just also be part of Kinesthism, the magic of manipulating movement, Twilight told me that school was usually used for variations on the telekinesis spell.

The fact most magicians had no idea what magic actually did to the world wasn't helpful, either. They thought of magic as 'fields of reason', and very few considered how it actually changed reality. The way Twilight and I had successfully meshed spells from nine incompatible schools when we made Arglefraster was a deeper understanding of what the effects actually meant.

To be fair, magic was such high-level manipulation a magician usually didn't need to consider the lower-level reality. Turning an apple into an orange was difficult not because of rearranging atoms and energy, but the conceptual difference between the two fruits. Still; knowledge was power, and a deeper understanding of how reality worked was a definite edge.

Not that Twilight really needed much of an edge. For the magic language, she was a poet or lyricist. Her penetration of the wards showed just how far above 'average' her understanding of magic went; cracking a spell using conceptual logic alone showed a mastery of the basics that hinted at her truly prodigious talent. Still, she wasn't the only clever pony out there, and truly lacked experience compared to her opponents. Sombra had showed himself her better several times, and this looked like it might be another.

"What have you gotten your fuzzy self into now?" I mumbled, as I staggered into the central hall.

The Crystal Heart dominated the scene. It looked similar to last time; surprisingly small, bravely blue, and meshed in a spiny cage of evil black crystal. The mirrors and the 'magic clock' were gone; probably part of the trap.

This time, the cage hung from the ceiling. The artifact was suspended just above the dais. Three ponies were arrayed before it.

Twilight was, of course, on point. She stood, eyes white, expression lost and haunted, staring at her goal but unable to achieve it. To her left was Fluttershy, curled up into a nearly perfect sphere of shivering yellow feathers. Pinkie was on the left, standing strong, her expression stern and sad, but strangely beautiful. Her mane lay flat, and I stayed carefully away; I'd been warned about 'Pinkamena', and wasn't risking anything.

I finally stood before them, and took one last long look into the Heart. It's depths gleamed darkly deep, and I thought a green eye winked back. I braced myself and considered what I was doing.

I still was still unsure on the mind-link. Twilight claimed it wasn't causing problems. That seemed right, but I still had reservations. It was just so alien I had trouble trusting it, useful as it was. Also, it seemed caused by my crystal. Anything connected to that I wanted no part of.

It was useful though, and right now it seemed the only way for me to affect what was happening. Sombra's trap hadn't failed; that was becoming obvious. What the effect had been, I couldn't tell. But I refused to simply wait, leaving the load on my friends, not while I could help.

Even if this was going to hurt.

I took a few deep breaths, steeled myself, pulled out my horn and touched the tip of Twilight's. There was a snap, like a huge invisible spark, and she was in my mind.

"Twilight!" I yelled, teeth clenched. The pain pounded me; the power of the Elements washed through and around our mindlink, and shallow as it was, it burned.

"Huh?" Her thought was soft, confused. Was she crying?

"Twilight, pull yourself together!" I could feel, through the Elements, the connection to the crystal. Sombra's dark magic washed across, a foul effulgence that tainted their power and bound them.

"Who are you? How do you know me?" 

"Snap out of it, Twilight! It's Wes, your friend! Focus!"

"I...I don't have friends." She sniffled, and an image crept across the link. The inside of...a book fort? A small, lonely purple foal huddled inside.

"HORSEAPPLES!" She recoiled from my profanity but I followed, deepening the link. "What about Fluttershy? Applejack? Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity? What about Spike? Shining? Celestia?" I felt muted recognition of the names, although Shining brought bitterness and confusion.

"You...you're hurting." There was wonder in her voice as she glimpsed my mind, curiosity appearing as she saw my sensations and feelings. She lingered for a second on the Crystal Heart, but gasped in horror as a fraction of my torment crept in.

"For...me?" 

"For all of you." I ground out, frustrated and in pain. Why did I have to be the one to pull their flanks out of the fire? My bitterness faded a bit as an image of Fluttershy, soaking wet but searching the Everfree for me, came to mind; or Pinkie, who heard me whimper in my sleep from the next room and thought to help. Oh, right. Team. I pushed that thought over the link; the feelings of trust and comradeship I'd started to build on this trip, the way our talents all fit together and complemented each other. How we worked as one, forming a whole stronger and more able than any part, by covering our own shortcomings with another's strength. "For me, too." I admitted, showing my own unwillingness to give up, a stubborn pride that had hurt me in the past, but kept me going long past my limits when I needed strength beyond strength, even to the teeth of bitter despair.

"You're...Wesley." That caught her; my self-image of stubborn defiance cleared her mind a bit, and the mindlink wavered, a taste of reality flowing in. The image of loneliness, friendless anguish, and despair shook as Twilight threw her mental weight against the walls trapping her. With a stretching, bending feeling, she re-captured some of who she was.
 
"Sombra's trap had two parts." She threw the information at me all in a rush. "He's forcing us back to desperate spots in our life. He expected Shadow to fail, he expected us to reach the Heart. We didn't escape at all! He reversed his link to it, and struck back through our own power. He's trying to break our connections to each other, and cut our connections to our Elements." 

"Well, fight!" 

"Of course!" I felt her draw on my strength, borrowing a bit of my stubborn anger to fuel her fortitude. I saw her plan; rally the Elements, push Sombra back with a surge of power, crush him with the strength of her friends. I smiled; he'd never know what hit him. Finesse was great, but sometimes brute force was best. I lifted my horn, and gasped in relief as the link broke.

It still hurt, though. I leaned into the pain, striding away from the dais, and turning to watch the tableau. Soon, the Elemental nimbus around my friends pulsed and grew; as it expanded, I saw crackles of dark energy running through it, Sombra's attack. Twilight grit her teeth, and Fluttershy staggered to her feet. Pinkie strode a single step, and their power lashed out, crashing into the Heart.

The Heart flashed. The cage of crystal caught fire, the ghostly flame consuming it with frightening speed, burning back into the ceiling. I watched in fascination as glowing energy zipped through the translucent walls, excoriating the evil magic wherever it lay. The Heart gleamed softly and fell to the floor with a surprisingly loud clang. I saw a pain-filled eye wink from it's depths, anger and hate writ clear, and cheered.

"Yeah! Go team!" I threw my hands in the air as the power faded from around the three, taking the pain with. "Good job!" I strode forward, planning to join the inevitable group hug. My steps slowed as they looked around in confusion, blank stares obvious in their soft eyes.

"Huh?" Pinkie, hair still fairly flat, glanced around. "What...who...?" Fluttershy caught sight of me, gave an adorable "Eeep!" and curled back into a ball.

"I...Ow!" Twilight caught my gaze, curiosity evident in her face, but her blank expression returned as she clapped a hoof to her temple. "Ow, ow, ow! I've never had such a headache." She paused, curiosity again creeping into her expression. "Or have I? OW!"

Mind whirling, I calmly walked over to the dais and innocently collected the Crystal Heart. It was about fifteen inches across, and six thick; I slipped it casually into my pack, before turning to my friends.

"Twilight? Pinkie? Fluttershy? Are you OK?"

"I think I-Ow!" Pinkie started speaking, but clapped a hoof to her head. "Maybe? Thinking is really hard right now. Please don't ask me to do that again?" She gave me a soulful gaze.

"Oh. Um." I thought for a minute. "Ok, why don't you three just...stay here for a bit? I need to...check something."

Sombra seemed to be out of the picture. His link was well and truly cut. As best I knew, Shadow's defeat had disabled the windigolems, and the windigos themselves weren't much of a threat as long as you weren't actually fighting. Besides, there were much fewer with the swarm harassing Shining and Cadence.

My friends should be okay, but I needed to check on the three at the train. This...mental block, was a problem. I didn't have many options myself, but if I could get to Rarity, maybe her magic could help. Perhaps being further away from the Heart had insulated them from the backlash.

I sighed, and started trudging back, mentally tallying injuries and resources. My body hurt less, but my problems weren't gone; just different. This was going to be a very long day.

> 33 - Manifest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing I noticed on leaving the Palace was noise.

Before, the only movement in the city was us or the enemy. Now, as I walked the streets, I heard voices and hoofsteps. Most of them were unsteady, questioning or wondering, but ponies were talking and walking.

Confused, I followed the nearest clip-clop noise. I found a stallion wandering vaguely through the street, a powder of fine ash sifting from his shoulders. He paused when he saw me, but I held my peace, hands behind my back and expression calm. He walked up and looked me over when I offered no threat or surprise.

"Do I know you?" He asked.

"No idea." I shrugged. "What do you remember?"

"I think-Ow!" He raised a hoof to his head, and I sighed.

"Sorry, buddy." I clapped a hand to his withers, and gave him a reassuring pat. "I don't think so. Don't hurt yourself, now." Leaving him to think, I turned away.

So, the Crystal Ponies were awake. That was good. But, they all had the same memory malfunction as Twilight and the others; at least, the others I'd seen. That was bad.

"Come on, Wes. Get your thinker going." I stumbled down the street, trying to keep my feet under me and come up with an answer at the same time. I'd really taken a beating from Shadow, and although I wasn't in trouble, I was going to be very uncomfortable for a while.

"Ooof." I stumbled against a wall and leaned there a moment, mind blank, before realizing what was happening; I was crashing from an adrenaline high and the stress of a heaping helping of pain. With a groan I forced myself onwards, trying not to look at the bright void above my head.

Surely this wasn't the worst scenario, right? I wasn't lost in a completely new world, with no help and nothing to work from?

My mind drifted back to when I'd stood at the edge of this 'island' and tossed a pebble off. It never struck the bottom.

I shivered. No, I was lost in a world I'd been to once before, with a train full of supplies, and thousands of ponies who needed help. We would all fall into nothing together if I couldn't pull through. I checked my watch, strung on a fine chain around my neck; it was half-past eleven in the morning. I had twenty-four and one-half hours before Shining and Cadence cut us loose. The Elements would make it back, and I might go with them.

Oh, wait.

That had been dependent on the Anomaly continuing, pushing us farther away. If we were now static to Equestria, resographically speaking, would the pull of the Elements be enough to save the mares?

Since they weren't gone yet, probably not.

And though we had a train full of supplies, that wasn't much food for four thousand-plus ponies.

Things were going to get interesting if I didn't manage something.

"No pressure, Wes." I trudged around the corner and breathed relief when the shield came into view. A few local ponies were wandering the edges, tapping on the shell. Rainbow was talking to one; they both seemed confused by how she could enter or exit easily, but not the other. At that, my hopes dipped.

I stepped through the shield and headed into the passenger car. I found Applejack daubing healing salve on her wounds, such as they were; Shadow had bruised us good, but three-on-one let us avoid bleeding profusely. I sat down. She took a good look at me and passed the jar.

"Can you remember me?" I accepted gratefully and started treating the most serious of my lacerations, a seven-inch gash on my forearm. The antiseptic stung.

"Enope." She shook her head. "Thinking too hard hurts. Can't recall you at all."

"Blargh." I groaned, and dropped my head to my hands. "Dang it, Applejack. What am I going to do now?"

She sat in silence for a moment, before surprising me by draping a hoof over my shoulders.

"Well, I don't know you right now, but maybe I did once. Something tells me you're no quitter, though-Ow. Horsefeathers. Sorry. Suddenly, thinking seems real hard."

"No, it's OK." I handed back the jar, and paced into the caboose. My friends needed my help now, and I would do my best for them. At the very least, I needed some idea of what I had to work with.





An hour or so later I slumped on a nearby crate and tried not to despair. Applejack had left for a walk. I was tired and hungry and frustration was starting to set in. I'd dug out the cargo manifest, but like before, the collection of boxes seemed to continually shift and change.

"Aaaaaah!" I vented a bit of frustration and thumped my feet against the crate I was sitting on, large enough comfortably hold a good-sized pony. I read the label; it said 'life raft'. I checked the manifest; no life raft listed. Why even send a life raft? Did Celestia cram whatever was handy into the caboose, and hope it would be useful? I glanced at another large crate, perforated with ventilation holes; it said 'oven'. This one was listed, but in the wrong place. I groaned and dropped my head to my hands.

I sat there, mind blank, for quite a while. I wasn't thinking, just drifting. My thoughts spun loosely, like a broken pinwheel. Desperation would give it a push; it would start upwards, working through everything I needed to accomplish, but frustration and overwhelming odds would eventually pull it back down, until it sagged back where it started with a squeak.

Finally sick of dead ends, I resolved to eat something and take a nap. I felt I could actually accomplish that, and life was usually better after. I was about to get up but a noise stopped me.

The crate marked 'oven' was jiggling. I watched with a combination of surprise, shocked anticipation, and pulse-pounding fright as something struggled gently to escape. After a few moments the top came off with an audible crack and a familiar minty-green head popped out.

I nearly fell over in shock.

Lyra Heartstrings yawned hugely, facing away from me.

"Bon-Bon! Hey, Bon-Bon, wake up! We're here!" I nearly jumped in surprise as the crate I was sitting on mumbled incoherently. At the noise, Lyra turned to face me. We locked eyes, both frozen in surprise.

"You are not an oven." I claimed stupidly.

"Psst! Bon-Bon!" She whispered theatrically, eyes locked on mine. "Bon-Bon, Wesley spotted me! What do I do now?"

"Lyra Heartstrings, sometimes I hate you so much." This time I did jump as the crate underneath me rocked, and the powerful earth-pony confectioner literally shoved me off. "I knew we should have used a different spell."

"You don't know the half of it." I rubbed my eyes. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you two. But you've got some serious explaining to do."





"Um, thanks." Bon-Bon accepted the bottle and bowl of soup; I'd still wanted lunch, so I served us all. "But, um, why doesn't Applejack remember us?"

"Nope." I shook my head, and sat down firmly across from them. "You first. What on earth were you thinking, stowing away? And how the hay did you pull it off?" They exchanged sheepish looks. I held my peace, flicking the bottle-top off with my thumb; they were sealed with wax and a metal disc. I could get a pretty decent flip if I tried. Lyra watched it spin, fascinated. I snagged it as it came down, and started rolling it across the back of my fingers. After a few moments of awkward silence, Bon-Bon sighed and gave.

"It was my idea." She took a bite of her soup. "You might have guessed, but I'm not actually a simple confectioner."

"Hu-bwa?" The bottle-top fell of my hand, landing in my bowl.

"Oh." Bon-Bon giggled at my obvious confusion. "Well, maybe you didn't. It does use my talent, I guess."

"I had no idea." I fished the metal disc out of my food, and licked it off. "But continue."

"Well," Lyra pried the top off her own drink and took a sip, "I think Pinkie might have mentioned it at your party, but we're actually equuologists."

"Hum." I cast my mind back; maybe she'd said something like that. "Yeah, sure. But what does that actually mean?"

"Oh." Bon-Bon gave me a surprised look. "I keep forgetting that you're not a native speaker. Equuologists study different cultures, what forms them, and what makes them unique."

<"Anthropologists!"> I slugged back a swallow of lemonade. "You're <anthropologists>." Lyra pulled out her notebook, and made an entry. "But how does that end with you hiding in our cargo? And how did you not wake up earlier? There was, literally, a pitched battle no more than forty feet away." Lyra's eyes sharpened at that. "After." I pointed at her and she subsided.

"I told her." Lyra admitted, slightly shamefaced. "You asked me not to spread it around, but the idea of investigating a culture lost for a thousand years...I knew Bon-Bon would be fascinated by the idea. I just underestimated how much."

"Just imagine!" Bon-Bon's eyes were literally shining with excitement, and she was nearly bouncing in place. "Think of all the things we might learn from the relics of their civilization! We might be able to find out what sort of clothes they wore, what sort of food they ate, their arts and crafts, even what sorts of hopes, dreams and goals they had! I want to be the first pony to find out those sorts of things. I need to be the first pony! So, I made Lyra hide us."

"Right." The green unicorn shrugged. "I'm not powerful, but I can cast pretty well if I concentrate. I used a hibernation spell so we could stay in the crates and a muffling spell so nopony would hear us. I even cast an obfustication on the luggage so we wouldn't be noticed easily."

"It's YOUR FAULT!" I exclaimed, pointing angrily with my spoon. "You're the one who was driving me mad! Your obfuscation spell caused the manifest to not match the cargo, and-" I slumped pathetically. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?"

"Nope!" Lyra chirped. "But I do know we're the first equuologists to set hoof in the Crystal Empire for a thousand years." She glanced bemusedly out the window, staring through the shield. "Why is everything blue?"

"No. I'm not done yet." I waved my hands emphatically. "If you're willing to go so far to investigate a new culture, what the hay are you doing in Ponyville?"

"Seriously?" Bon-Bon gave me a flat stare. "You've been there. Don't you have any idea how screwed up that town is? There's a serious disaster nearly every other week, and world-ending catastrophes on a yearly basis. If I ever figure out what's really going on in that town, it's going to be my doctoral thesis, and it will send my name down in history as the Mare who Knew." She eyed me suspiciously. "You don't happen to have any idea, do you?"

"Can't say I do." I shrugged. Sure, Ponyville was weird, but I hadn't spent much time elsewhere. It was just one more pile of crazy to me. "And you?" I pointed to Lyra.

"Well, I'm not really an equuologist. Don't get me wrong," she waved defensively, "I've got the degree. But that's not where my heart is; I went through college on a scholarship. I spent most of my time fighting."

"There are college scholarships for  underground fighting rings?" I asked, flabbergasted.

"There are in Canterlot." She shrugged. "It helps if you thrash the dean of students. I think he recruited me to keep a bit of pride. Mighty good fighter, though, and a real good sport." She smiled. "No, I'm actually her bodyguard." I moved my blank stare back to Bon-Bon, waiting for the next bomb. This was just too unbelievable. She coughed sheepishly.

"My parents wouldn't let me move to Ponyville otherwise. I think I mentioned it's sorta dangerous there." She took another spoonful of soup. "They're well-to-do, and pay her retainer. Though she spends a lot of that on candy."

"Hey, you're a good cook."

"And so, the economy spins on. But anyways, that's the end of the matter."

"So, let me get this straight. You're actually an undercover investigator, trying to write a paper on what makes Ponyville so weird. Lyra is your sidekick-slash-foalsitter, and she told you about the Crystal Empire. You two snuck aboard the train, because you wanted to be part of that. Then you slept for more than a day, and here we are." They nodded. "Ok, I give up. You can ask me questions now. Your story is too crazy not to be true; nopony is that good at lying."

"Um, before that." Lyra shifted uncomfortably. "Can you point me to a bathroom?"

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. Would these two even be any help?





"The Crystal Ponies are alive?" 

I wordlessly stepped out the door, and beckoned them after. Crystal ponies wandered the streets, staring blankly about. One or two were investigating the shield. My appearance caused a small stir.

"Like I said, they don't remember anything, and neither do the Bearers." I shrugged. "I've no idea where to go from here. We need to either activate the Crystal Heart, or get a message to Celestia. Neither option's easy with the Elements out of commission."

"Any idea what caused the amnesia?" Bon-Bon stepped up to the shield. I hesitated, filtering references to numancy out of my responses. Keeping secrets sucked.

"The Bearers fired on the Heart." I pulled the artifact out of my pack; they gasped. "Sombra was linked to it, using the connection to siphon energy off the Crystal Ponies and imprison them. The connection looked like black crystal vines, and when the Elements hit them, they burned away." I shrugged. "After that they woke up, but everypony connected to the Heart had amnesia. Including the Bearers."

"Oooo." Lyra shuddered. "That's a hard one; sounds like numancy. That's bad news."

"Tell me about it." I sighed, drawing a surprised look. "Anyways," I hurried on, "We've got the whole train to work with. Besides that, whatever we can scrounge, I guess?" I shrugged.

"The library." Bon-Bon gave me a sharp stare. "Lyra said last time you were here you found a library."

"Oh. Yeah, there was at that. Do you think we can find anything helpful there?"

"No idea. But there's no way I'm headed home without getting a look." I shrugged. Fair enough; I had no better ideas.

"Right. Let's go then." I stepped out of the shield, and led them towards the castle.





Our going was slow. Every few seconds, we had to drag Bon-Bon back on track.

"Enough!" Finally sick of detours, I grabbed a bit of her mane and towed her. "Talk to me. Earlier, you said confectionary 'uses' your cutie mark. But it seems that's all your cutie mark is. How can you be an equuologist instead?"

"Oh, good question." Lyra gave an approving nod. "You're really starting to think past the obvious."

"Hush, Jedi. You need to stop flip-flopping between faux-mysterious and a silly goofball."

"Hahah, nope!" Lyra pushed her lip out in a pout, and skipped a half-step cheerfully. "The day I become predictable is the day I deserve to get my tail kicked. If you're predictable, they can plan for you. And if they can plan for you, you're dead."

"That...actually makes a little sense?" I frowned, confused. "Anyways." I pushed her weirdness to the back of my mind. "Cutie marks. Tell me more about them."

"Well," Bon-Bon sighed. "Normally, this is the sort of thing you're told after you get your own..."

"Not happening."

"No, I guess not. Fine, I'll give you a run-down. First off, you know cutie marks have power? They actually help improve your talents?"

"Really? I thought they just, sorta indicated."

"Nope. They don't appear until your talent is already developing. They're an extra push, a bit of magical oomph behind your chosen skills."

"Chosen skills?"

"Seriously, Wes." Bon-Bon shot me a frustrated glare. "You hang out with the CMC far too much. You don't seriously think skill comes without practice, do you?"

"Um, but then all the things those fillies do-"

"Pointless."

"What?"

"Oh, really. Don't take it so hard. I mean, they won't get their marks until their magic finishes coming in, anyways."

"Ok, wait, back up. Unpack that."

"What?"

"Until their magic comes in. What do you mean?"

"I know you're a foreigner, but seriously. Your intelligence makes your ignorance on some things surprising." Bon-Bon took a deep breath, and assumed a lecturing air. Behind her. Lyra gently mocked her attitude, puffing out her chest and strutting. I struggled not to laugh. "Look, Wes, this is grade school stuff. Magic, intrinsic power, is something we're born with. But like the rest of our bodies, it's not fully developed when we're born. You've seen how Sweetie can't use her horn all the time? Or Scootaloo can't generate much lift?" I nodded. "That's more than control issues. Their magic isn't done developing. They won't get cutie marks until they're done growing."

"So...they're just goofing off?"

"Pretty much."

"Why doesn't anypony tell them?"

"You think nopony's tried? Give it a shot. Say something like 'Just give it time, your marks will come eventually.' At least this way, they have fun and stay busy."

"Ok, fine. But they're some of the last in their age group! Why's it taking so long?"

"No idea." Bon-Bon shrugged. "I'm an equuologist, not thaumotrician. But there's an old story..." She paused. "Well, I have no idea if it's true. But old mares say the ponies who bloom latest have the most powerful talents."

I thought back to Twilight's story; she hadn't gotten her mark until just before high-school. Several years after the CMC.

"Huh."

"Makes you think, right? Just don't tell them; they have enough worries."

"Sure." I nodded. "You're right. But back to what you said about using your mark."

"It's like this. A cutie mark is a helper. It's a magical boost, tailored to skills you've carefully honed. But, truthfully, not everypony goes into fields utilizing their exact skills. Rarity has a mark for finding gemstones, but she's no miner, or even an appraiser." I nodded at that. "Cutie marks aren't prisons or traps, or anything like that. They're usually founded on something pretty basic, though they may seem specific. If you're clever, you can apply them differently." She gestured to Lyra. "My compatriot has a mark for music, which she uses for fighting. Finding patterns of movement, for instance." She motioned to her own. "Mine is confectionary. But in order to make good candy, you need to understand mixtures, how tiny additions can tip the balance of a whole pot. Not," she smiled, "so very different from social dynamics."

"So...you can choose what your mark does? At least a little? So a cutie mark will never make a pony unhappy?"

"You can choose how to apply a cutie mark. And...well, it is  possible to hate yourself, even your cutie mark, or spend your life doing something you dislike, and even be very good at it." She sighed. "There are some tragic cases on record, and likely more we never knew. But there's lots involved in getting marked. Usually, years of practice and maturing. To really hate your cutie mark, you'd need to suborn all of that. It's not impossible, but the system works pretty well."

"As far as we can tell." Lyra added. I raised an eyebrow, and she shrugged. "Seriously, this is all conjecture. Thaumotricians draw inferences, and statistics tells a lot. This is the current theory, hypothesized by some great minds. But true understanding would require knowing either how the system came to be, even the Princesses don't, or numancy research. Cutie marks are restricted. The Internal Peacekeeping Bureau will come down on you like a pile of...bricks. Yeah. Bricks."

"Internal Peacekeeping Bureau?"

"You know, muscular horses in dark suits?" She gave me a searching glance. "Knock down your door, steal your notes, trash the lab, throw the book at you?"

"Lyra...have you been involved in criminal magic research?"

"Ok, look. I wasn't doing numancy. I clearly had not tinkered with magic involving cutie marks in any way. It was all statistics and empirically verifiable data, no thaumic elements whatsoever." She snorted. "The fact it took two months to clear my name doesn't mean a thing to them. Oh, no. Innocent until proven guilty? Phaw."

Bon-Bon and I shared a bemused glance. Clearly, there was a sore spot here.

"This was part of developing a new method of fighting?" Now I was rather intrigued. I still didn't understand what principles Lyra based her martial art on. Only that she was deadly dangerous, without needing huge reserves of magic.

"Later, later padawan."

"I never should have taught you that." I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Jedi."

"You know a lot about magic. Numancy in particular." Lyra shot a searching glare at me. "Want to share some of your secrets yet?" I stopped a hand from instinctively rising to my chest, and shook my head.

"Sorry. Like I said, they're not all mine to tell."

"Well."

"Ok, enough." Bon-Bon stepped between us. "Don't be bitter, you two. You're friends, act like it."

"Sorry." I muttered.

"Me too."

"How about this, then." I raised a finger, thinking up another question. "What about ponies who already have very general talents? What does that mean?"

"Like who?" Lyra gladly accepted my motion for peace.

"Like Twilight."

"Twilight? Isn't her talent something with astronomy?"

"Um, no? Why would you...oh yeah, stars. No. Her talent is magic itself." They both froze at that, and I turned to see what was bothering them. Expressions of shock stood plain on their faces.

"What? Should I have not told you that?"

"Um..." Bon-Bon coughed. "Well. I think we'll be Ok. But, no. That's not the sort of rumor you should spread."

"But it's not-"

"Look, Wes." Lyra gave me a gentle push to start me walking. "You're new to this, so I'll explain. That cutie mark is absolutely impossible. Consider; cutie marks are magical."

"Sure."

"So, a talent for magic in general would be a talent that included cutie marks."

"Right?"

"Don't you see? It's a circular talent. I don't think something that broken could exist. It would have ridiculous effects. It's not the sort of thing a simple librarian pony could have."

"She's princess Celestia's personal student, and the bearer of the Element of Magic."

"Still."

"Oh."

"Wait, is that a glass jar?"





We eventually did make it to the library. Lyra almost choked laughing at 'the door that was a jar', but we eventually dragged her away, snorting and giggling.

We wandered the halls for a while. The deeper we got into the castle, the fewer and fewer crystal ponies we found. When we finally did reach the archives, I was very relieved; I was half-certain I'd gotten us lost, and we'd been wandering in circles.

In the center of the empty floor stood a half-dozen tall stacks of books and one familiar purple pony. She was skimming through tomes, muttering to herself, and every few moments wincing in pain.

"Twilight!" I called. She turned to give us the blank stare of incomprehension all the amnesiacs shared. I ran over and dropped to one knee so I could look her in the face. "Hey, you Ok?" I gently took the book she was holding and closed it. "Don't hurt yourself!"

"I can't remember!" I tensed up as she flung her forelegs around my neck and started crying on my shoulder. "I can't remember, but I need to know! And it hurts, but if I don't do something, who will? I don't know what, or why, but there's something I need to be doing! It's all going to go wrong, it's all going to fail, it's all my fault!"  After that, all I heard were sobs.

I knelt there awkwardly and patted her back. She wept inconsolably.

"There, there." I felt absolutely useless. Her cries tore at my heart. My words only seemed to make it worse, but after a while, she did calm down. "Feel better?" I set her on the ground and gently wiped her tears with my sleeve. "Look, Twilight. You can't remember me, but you're not alone. You don't have to do everything by yourself. You have friends, good ones. I'm one, and I won't let you fail."

"Really?" She sniffled, voice small.

"Really really. Cheer up. Look, these are your friends, too. They remember you. Lyra, Bon-Bon, Twilight could use a hug." The two ponies embraced her, and her depression lifted somewhat. "Now, you remember books. Maybe you could look for information on the Crystal Heart?"

"Okay." She meekly turned back to her stacks, and started sorting through them. Lyra and Bon-Bon split up and squared off against bookshelves of their own. I picked up a book, and flipped to the table of contents.

After a while, I found myself working near Lyra.

"Wes, your attitude on the way here was off. What's eating you?"

"Besides our predicament?"

"Besides."

"I tried to kill a pony today. Maybe even succeeded."

"Did they deserve it?" Surprised, I turned to look at her.

"I...I thought so at the time." I put the book down, and rubbed my eyes. "He was threatening me and my friends. Interfering with a rescue. Tearing through my defenses. The only way to stop him was lethal force, and surrender wasn't an option."

"You thought that out? Didn't just hurt them in anger?"

"Y-yeah."

"Then, good job."

"I..." I paused. "I thought it would bother you"

"Not saying it doesn't. But look, Wes." Lyra sighed. "I'll make no bones about it; I plan to turn you into a lethal weapon. You'd already got a good start. As soon as I saw you, I knew you had been in life-or-death fights. Since you survived, I figured you had blood on your hooves, but I still picked you as my student. I've told you why I rejected the Canterlot fighting styles, right?"

"None of them suited you?"

"Basically, but that's because none of them were actually practical. Faugh." She nearly spat. "The founders would cry to see how their art has been crippled for sport." She re-shelved a book, and shot me a glance. "Fighting isn't a hobby for me, Wes. It's a major part of my life, not a game. You don't reach that spot without a serious push. You're not the only killer here." She rubbed her eyes, and paused a second. "I've been through some rough stuff, Wes. Came out worse for wear, some ways. After, I decided I needed to be able to fight. I didn't ever want to be defenseless again. Personal power is the hardest to steal. You know what I mean."

"Did you-"

"Stop." Lyra had grit her teeth, and her voice quavered slightly. "No. Later, maybe, once we can be vulnerable. Then I'll tell the story."

"Ok." I nodded slowly.

"Point is, I picked you because you can hurt somepony if they need it. You're not playing around. But, I think you're strong enough to know if they really need it. If you say it was necessary, I won't judge that."

"...thanks."

I turned, hearing Bon-Bon approach. She passed me a book, open to a middle page.

"Found something?" Lyra asked.

"Yup!" Twilight trotted up as well, looking much less distraught. "I read it earlier, but didn't realize it was important."

"We may have found a way to charge the Crystal Heart." Bon-Bon ran a hoof across the page, underlining the heading.

"Care and Keeping of the Heart: Renewing the Spirit of Love and Unity through the Crystal Faire..." I read aloud, a bit of hope welling as the import of the words sunk in. "We can charge the Heart by...throwing a party?"

"PARTY?"

"I know somepony who'll want to help."

> 34 - Charge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Any idea if it's working?" I whispered to Bon-Bon.
 
"Nope." She whispered back. "But I hope so." I nodded.
 
We stood behind the counter of a candy booth. Turns out, I'd worried about starvation a bit soon.
 
Sure, the Crystal Empire couldn't get more food. But the tiny burg actually produced a surprising amount. Most homes had a rooftop garden, or a patch of green out back, or even a window box. I would have expected the plants to die in a thousand years, but the stasis protecting the occupants had extended to their gardens as well.
 
In short, we made do.
 
Organizing the Crystal Fair in nine hours, though, had been physically crushing. I looked over at Pinkie, who was playing the flugelhorn and unicycling, and shook my head.
 
We had recruited the Elements, and about a dozen capable-seeming Crystal Ponies. They hadn't remembered much, but if Lyra, Bon-Bon or I pointed them in the right direction, they did pretty well. Their personalities and skills hadn't changed, so we stuck them on something they knew how to do, and they were fine as long as they acted naturally.
 
"Will this really help get our memories back?"
 
I turned to one of our aides, a fuchsia pony with a small desert island mark. She'd been extremely helpful organizing teams to clear the streets and string decorations. The Elements, the stowaways, and I, were ready to fall asleep on our feet but the newly awakened prisoners were still going strong. Apparently napping for a thousand years did that.
 
"You remember the Crystal Heart?" I pointed to where we'd placed the artifact, in the center of the Faire. The party was just getting started, although for us outsiders, it felt like late at night.
 
"I think-Ow." She winced, but forged ahead. "I think so."
 
"We took that back from Sombra, and managed to free you. But there were after-effects. If this works, it will regain its power and finish healing you." I glanced around. Things were running smoothly. Our crystal  aides knew what to do, and ponies would follow leaders. "Look, Paradise, I really need some shut-eye. If you have to wake me, fine, but it looks like things are under control."
 
"Yep!" She nodded decisively. "Go for it. Lyra set up camp in the main hall, if you want someplace quiet and out of the way."
 
"Thanks." By 'morning', we could check if the Heart was gathering energy. There wasn't much more to this plan, so if it wasn't working, we would be starting over from scratch.
 
I hoped it wouldn't come to that.
 
I found Lyra, Bon-Bon, and about half the Elements snuggled into a mound of blankets in the middle of the central hall, making a giant multicolored fuzzy pile.
 
Something caught my eye, and I stopped for a closer look. "Was that here before?" I muttered, curious.
 
When the negative crystal was burnt out of the building, the structure reverted to its pre-Sombra state. The downwards stair was now gone and the floor was whole.
 
However, directly over where I guessed the stairway would be, a strange, spiky pattern had appeared. It was all abstract curls and curves, with no obvious symbolism, but the intricate design drew the eye. I ran my fingers over it, feeling for roughness, but the stain didn't score the surface at all; the color alternated from dark to light with impossible smoothness.
 
"What, the floor?" Lyra muttered. "Was a hole there?"
 
"Well yes, but I meant...never mind." I shrugged, and dropped the subject. I rubbed my eyes, looking for a clear spot, but soon gave up. I tamped down my twitches on being close to others and made some space. "Scoot over." I gave Lyra a shove. "I'm napping too."
 
I fell asleep quickly.
 



 
We awoke to the sounds of panic. Ponies were running and yelling. Something broke, loudly.
 
Lyra and I both leaped to our feet. I was at the door, trying to assess the situation, even as my brain finished waking up.
 
I groaned as I caught on.
 
"WESLEY!"
 
A rust-red pony, with an ochre mane, was limping down the street. Magic moved sluggishly around him, still repairing his shattered body.
 
"Didn't I kill him hard enough?" I fumbled for my hammer. "Dang, this guy just won't give up!"
 
"That's the pony you shot...Shadow?"
 
"Yup. And my gun's out of power, so I can't pull that again. Even if he was obliging enough to hold still. I don't suppose you have, oh, thirteen swirls of power to spare?" I swung my hammer a few times to limber up.
 
"Hah. Nope." I stepped forward, but Lyra stopped me with a hoof. "But I won’t need that. This time, I'll take care of him. You said he's made out of crystal?"
 
"Yeah, but-"
 
"Nope nope. I'm the Jedi. Besides, I could wipe him up with one hoof; this will be a cakewalk. Tell you what, we'll make this part of your training. If you can analyze just one of my moves, I'll accelerate your lessons a bit."
 
"Um..." I hesitated, unsure. I didn't want to shove everything on to her, but Lyra glared.
 
"Trust me."
 
"Ok." I shrugged, replacing my weapon. By now, Shadow had spotted us.
 
"Wesley, I will make your demise painful beyond belief. I will torture you until-"
 
"Doubt it." I muttered.
 
"That's enough." Lyra stepped into the street, dashing forward with her incomprehensible footwork. I folded my hands behind my back and focused every ounce of concentration on her. "I don't know what you're planning for my disciple and I don't care. You're not moving one step further."
 
"Oh really?" Shadow smiled, magic starting to gather around his horn. "And how will you stop me? A half-rate like you-"
 
"You really are crystal." Lyra slipped through his defense and tapped his shoulder, eliciting a ringing noise. "How'd you do that?"
 
"He's an artificial windigo!" I called. "Like Sombra! They've got these crystal bodies the windigos use; he's the upgraded version. Probably."
 
"Ooooh. Huh."
 
"Don't ignore me!"
 
"Ok, Wes, pass that jar." I scooped up the glass jar Twilight made, and tossed it. She snagged it in her aura. We'd disabled the castle wards last night; it had taken ten minutes of searching and ten seconds of hammering.  "Look, Shady, when I'm done, I'm cramming you in this jar and taking you to face justice."
 
"You-!" He grit his teeth in rage and threw himself at her.
 
He was just as good as I remembered. But Lyra was better.
 
I strained, trying to capture her movement. It seemed to defy physics and anatomy, which meant magic, but I didn't sense casting. I ran a finger over my horn, using detection, but I only got jumbled fuzzy impressions. Magic was happening, but not spells.
 
I frowned, staring harder.
 
She was toying with him. Shadow became increasingly frustrated as his blows failed to land, or if they hit, had no effect. Lyra glanced to me after a few moments; I shrugged. She'd been giving me a chance, but I couldn't make much of it. She nodded, and touched Shadow for a split second.
 
His body started to disintegrate.
 
It fuzzed briefly, before elongating and stretching slightly. Suddenly, fractures spider webbed him, and pieces crumbled off. Shadow screamed and fought to escape, but Lyra held him fast. He diffused into mist, trying to float away, but Lyra's horn pulsed gently, and she caught him there, too. My eyes narrowed as ripples ran through his gaseous form, squeezing and flattening it in intricate patterns. Where had I seen that before? I rubbed my jaw, and tried to grasp the elusive thought as Lyra forced him into the jar, sealing the lid. Pitiful wails, thin through the glass, demonstrated futile attempts to escape as the mist swirled angrily.
 
"So?" Lyra asked, trotted back and passed me the jar. I accepted reluctantly; it was strangely warm, and buzzed slightly. "Got anything?"
 
"Maybe." She gave me an impressed glance. "I'm not sure. I need to think about it."
 
"Ok." She nodded. "Let me know when we're back." I smiled; she had no doubt whatsoever.
 
"He really wasn't a challenge for you. I wish we'd known you were along earlier."
 
"Heh, sorry." She shrugged. "I guess...well, we'll pay the penalty to Celestia. But you really did hurt him; he was in a bad way already. You maybe could have taken him yourself, with a generous dose of luck. And being made out of crystal isn't an advantage against my methods."
 
"Hum." I filed that away for future examination, and glanced around. "He did a number on our party."
 
The Crystal Ponies were starting to emerge from their homes, casting wary glances. I smiled; several looked markedly better.
 
"It's alright!" I yelled. "He's gone; you can come on out, now!" I spotted Paradise, and walked over. "How's things?"
 
"Well..." She grimaced. "See for yourself. The Crystal Heart glows, but...I don't know if we'll get further. It hasn't brightened for several hours."
 
I frowned, and walked over. Sure enough, it now sparkled gently. As I watched, a Crystal Pony gazed deep into its depths. A few sparkles floated over him, and he brightened noticeably. The luminance returned to the Heart, but didn't increase the glow.
 
"What do you think?" I asked Lyra.
 
"Paradise is right. It's capped out." She glanced around. "We're missing something. In the Faire, the ponies memories, or the surroundings..." She glanced up, as if searching for the sun. "Anyways, I don't think this will be enough." I sighed, and checked my watch. It was nearly ten; our deadline for outside support was near. "Still." She rubbed her jaw. "Maybe we can work with what we've got."
 
"Huh?" I glanced up. She was looking at Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack emerging from the Crystal Palace.
 
"I've got an idea." She trotted away, returning with Twilight in tow.
 
"Morning, Wes." She yawned hugely. "It was Wes, right? Or Wesley?"
 
"Wes to my friends. Lyra, what's your plan?"
 
"Well, see, the Crystal Heart is related to the Elements."
 
"It is?"
 
"Yup. Some ponies, including me, believe they were both made by Clover the Clever."
 
"I thought she lived in the Ever Free City."
 
"Well, I’m not saying it’s perfect. But she fought the Windigos. They were never that far south."
 
"Huh." I looked to Twilight. "So, you're thinking..."
 
Lyra turned to Twilight. "Maybe, just maybe, your attunement to the Element of Magic will let you draw on the energy in the Crystal Heart. If so, you can try to contact somepony outside."
 
"But..." I frowned. "Would that work?" I turned to Twilight. "No offense, but you don't remember complicated spells."
 
"Right." She frowned. "I can cast little bits by habit, but this mental block is incredibly frustrating. From your words, I should be a lot more helpful than I am."
 
"Don't sweat it." I waved a hand. "You couldn't have known." I wanted to say it wasn't her fault, but technically, it was. Team leader meant you were responsible, simple as that. Still, I doubt anypony could have done better, given who and what we were faced with. Sombra had outmaneuvered Celestia in this.
 
"Ah, but you're missing something." Lyra held up a hoof. "Somepony outside, close to Twilight, has a connection to the Crystal Heart."
 
"Who...Cadence!" I grinned, remembering her cutie mark. "Will that really work?"
 
"No idea." Lyra shrugged. "But it's possible, given our tools." She nodded to the Heart. "Nopony has ever quantified Clover's magic. Seriously; the formulation of the Elements seems to encompasses the entire idea of magic as a whole. They're phenomenotionally absurd. The Heart has myriad unknown capabilities. Cutie marks also defy hard rules. They're amazingly adaptable."
 
"Cadence." Twilight rubbed her head, thinking. "Cadence. I know her. I...owwwww..."
 
"Don't..." I stopped. I wanted to ask her to stop hurting herself, but suddenly felt like a hypocrite. If she needed to do this, could I tell her no? Was I the only one allowed to face danger for the team? As much as I wanted to protect my friends, sometimes they didn't need me. "Be careful," I said instead.
 
"What do I do?" She turned to Lyra.
 
"Do your element thing?"
 
"Not helpful." I turned to Twilight. "Look, I don't know much about activating the Elements, but let's start with this." I lifted the Heart from the pedestal, getting a few confused looks, and sat. The others followed my lead. I placed the Heart in the center of our circle. "Put a hoof on it." Twilight complied. "Close your eyes. Try and focus on the feelings of love, unity, peace, and acceptance." Lyra's eyes lit as the Heart started glowing, effervescent sparkles swirling around Twilight.
 
"Now what?"
 
I frowned. That wasn't enough? I could feel the pulse of power, tugging at my chest.
 
"Um." I thought for a few seconds, and looked to Lyra. She shrugged. I traced my mind back, looking for paths of thought that would help in this circumstance. What did I know about memory...?
 
Suddenly an idea came, but I winced and grimaced.
 
"Ok, I've got something. But...it may be pretty unpleasant."
 
Lyra gave Twilight a concerned look.
 
"Go for it," Twilight said.
 
"You sure? It might hurt."
 
"Do it! I'm sick of not being able to think. And somehow, I need to do this. It's my responsibility."
 
"...fine. Listen to what I say, think about it. I can't predict the effect of your memory block, so be careful. If it seriously hurts, stop. Injuring yourself won't help." Probably.
 
"Go."
 
I drew in a deep breath.
 
"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake-"
 
"-Clap your hooves, and-OWCH!" Twilight grimaced, pain twisting across her face. But as she did, the Heart flashed. Bright. Brilliant. Dazzling and blinding. I felt the pulse of power, the magic skittering across my brain and chest as the backlash thrummed through my crystal and the link tried to form. Unlike the power of the Elements, though, this didn't hurt.
 
I don't know how long I sat, suspended in a luminescent void. But when my sight came back, the first thing I saw was sunlight. Real, white, warm sunshine, spilling across the city and throwing sparkles off a hundred glittering crystals. My spirit soared with joy, and laughter bubbled up from my soul.
 
"We made it!" I sprang to my feet in excitement and threw my hands in the air. The sudden relief of tension made me feel like I could fly. "We made it!" I wiped a tear from my eye. We'd made it.
 
"Yaaaaay!" The two ponies suddenly grabbed me, pulling me into a group hug.
 
"Ooof." Surprised, I nearly fell. But I recovered, and hugged them back.
 
It was done. We were out.
 
"Memory back?"
 
"Oh, yes. Being able to think feels so good!"
 
We slowly disengaged. The crowd was all making similar sounds of surprise and delight, reunions, remembrances, and recollections sparking a hundred joyful cries.
 
"You're see-through!" I exclaimed, looking at Twilight and Lyra, then down at myself. "Me too?"
 
I flexed a hand, marveling at the change. My flesh looked like it was made from colored glass. If I stared closely, I could even see traces of the bones and blood moving under my skin. My clothes, thankfully, had kept their opacity.
 
"We're Crystal Ponies!" Lyra exclaimed, giving a little hop-skip. "I bet I look fabulous!" Twilight and I exchanged glances.
 
"Rarity!" We exclaimed.
 
"And the rest," Twilight said. "We need to gather our team and contact the Princesses. And Shiny." I nodded.
 
"What happened to the Heart?" I asked. Lyra pointed upwards. Floating over our heads, glowing brightly and spreading magic across the city, the Crystal Heart hung in the air, finally cleansed of evil. I felt a strange, warm glow in my chest. It was...pride? Accomplishment? I basked in the feeling. We actually accomplished our mission, and it felt really, really good.
 
"We did it." I repeated, this time more slowly. The challenges had been immense, but we had stepped up and faced each one down. "Against all odds. We really pulled through."
 
"Yeah." Twilight leaned against me for a second. "We really did."
 
"Good job, Fearless Leader." I ruffled her mane playfully.
 
"Hey!" She shot me a disapproving look. "Don't thank me. I nearly doomed us by failing to disarm that trap."
 
"That's not how it works." I help a cautionary finger as we started towards the rest of the Bearers. "As our leader, you're held responsible if we fail. But! You are also responsible if we succeed. And guess what? We did! So, it's your fault. You did a good job, and you can't tell anypony you didn't."
 
A bemused look crossed her face, but she smiled.
 
"So, you're saying…as long as we pull through, I'm doing OK?"
 
"Yup."
 
"Well then!" She sighed in relief. "Maybe leading won't be so bad. I don't think I'll ever fail with my friends behind me."
 
"That's the spirit!" I cheered her on. "Hey!" I yelled to the other five, who had gathered in a knot and were sharing a joyful reunion. "How are you all?"
 
"Fabulous~!" They cheered together. Rarity stamped a hoof in annoyance, but smiled good-naturedly.
 
"Dang, Wes." Rainbow flashed over. "You really came through for us."
 
"Not just me." I nodded to the two others. "It was a team effort the whole way."
 
"Lyra? What are you-"
 
"Look!" We cut off, as a wave of attention moved through the crowd. "Look, a Crystal Princess!" A series of 'oooooh's and 'aaaaaaah's followed the announcement and a pathway cleared, the ponies making a corridor from the edge of the plaza to the entrance of the palace, directly under the Crystal Heart.
 
We happened to be in the way, and were left standing clear of the crowd. Cadence and Shining, eyes wide with amazement and curiosity, slowly walked down the corridor. They had apparently been in the shockwave as well, because they shone and sparkled with the best.
 
"Twilight!" They exclaimed together, breaking into a canter.
 
"Good job." Shining congratulated her with a hug.
 
"But I-" She started, but I gave her a stern look over his shoulder. "Thanks." She ended weakly.
 
"I'm so glad you're all Ok!" Cadence swept us up in a smile. "We're here to get you out. I'm sure you all have quite the story. But first, does anything need to be wrapped up?"
 
"Um..." I drew attention, and shifted uncomfortably. "The Crystal Ponies are in the middle of their Faire right now. We can probably leave them to their celebration? But let me check with one of the organizers."
 



 
Paradise told me to go ahead; there would be no trouble here. With their memories restored, their imprisonment broken, and Sombra out of the picture, the Crystal Ponies had even more reasons to celebrate. They planned to expand the Faire to a bash that would be remembered for the next thousand years. The party planners were already ramping up their efforts. I left with the promise to return as soon as possible; if we got back within the week, the party would still have spots for us.
 
We recruited a team to help, and managed to rotate and re-rail our train, after quite a bit of preparation and planning. Shining and Cadence closed the door on their outpost, Pinkie and I fired the boiler, and we headed back to the research station.
 
By the time we arrived, a meal and showers were ready. We gratefully accepted both. While we ate, we gave the story as best we could to Shining, Princess Cadence, and Princess Luna.
 
I'd been a bit surprised by the Night Princess' presence, instead of her sister, but she'd simply waved my concern away.
 
"I don't need as much sleep as you might think," she said, in near-perfect modern. "So don't worry about me." I shrugged and complied. Worrying pointlessly didn't help anything, so I took her at her word.
 
They made a great audience. Cadence visibly drooped at the tense parts, while Shining cheered our victories. Luna asked insightful questions, and all three were fascinated by Arglefraster.
 
"This is property of the Crown." Shining declared, as soon as he got a good look at it.
 
"But Shiny!" Twilight whined.
 
"Sorry, sis." He shrugged. "Made using royal resources, on a royal commission, by royal agents? Yeah, no contest. Her Highness could probably even claim ownership of your innovations." He frowned. "If she can define them. You broke at least seven laws of magic making this."
 
"The laws of magic are a joke." I waved a forkful of cheesecake; I was currently on my third slice. Luna had donated her chef, who apparently went everywhere with her, to our meal. He was excellent, and wouldn't let anyone leave hungry. "I probably break three by breathing."
 
"Come again?" Shining gave me a quizzical stare. "The laws of magic are clearly set by the boundaries of the schools of magic, and are supposed to be inviolable."
 
"Hah. The schools of magic are picked on a whim, and the boundaries are set by tradition and happenstance. They don't define magic any more than phlogiston defined fire, or the luminiferous aether did light, or elan vital did cellular biology. All of those were science in their time."
 
"Excuse me?" He gave me another puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"
 
"Wes," Twilight interrupted, "not everypony has studied human culture."
 
"Oh." I stopped, realizing my mistake. I was used to discussing magic with Twilight. Talking to her as if she had a human education wasn't a problem, because for all intents and purposes, she did. "You explain, then." I gestured peremptorily with my fork and went back to my cheesecake. She gave me an annoyed glare, but turned to the task, outlining how we'd managed to deduce underlying rules to a few of the magical schools, based on actual physical laws most magicians ignored, that let us unify the actions into a more cohesive whole, beyond the boundaries of the 'schools' system.
 
"You are discussing a unified school." Luna interjected. "Did not Starswirl suggest something similar?"
 
"Nothing nearly that ambitious." Twilight shook her head. "We combined a mere three or four schools, and even then, only a few spells from each. Starswirl was absolutely brilliant, but I'm convinced he was going in the wrong direction. He wanted to find more and more general types of magic to encompass the specific fields. Wes has been suggesting, and I'm beginning to think he's right, that we need to find more and more specific rules, which will pull the disparate fields together. For example, we managed to merge minarchism, for the shield-structure, with kinesthism, for the acceleration gauntlet, by using phenomenotional syntax that confined the effects to particles of a certain size. Minarchism locks the air in place, while kinesthism accelerates the bullets." A look of understanding dawned for the audience.
 
"I think I get it." Shining nodded. "Hum." Luna gave the gun another glance, and then turned her stare to me. I shrugged; I would be willing to discuss physics with her whenever. She nodded.
 
"Anyways," she scooped the horseshoe up and pocketed it. "How did you end up along?" She turned to Lyra, who quailed visibly.
 
"Well, oddly enough-"
 



 
"So, what's happening to the Crystal Empire now?" I yawned and stretched, swallowing a spoonful of breakfast cereal. After our meal, we'd unanimously decided to call it a day. I'd slept well, despite the camp bed, untroubled by nightmares. Now we were discussing what to do next.
 
"No idea!" Pinkie answered. "But they're still partying. I can smell it." I shook my head, bemused; of course she could.
 
"Maybe we should go back?" Rainbow asked. "We're still sparkly."
 
"We should ask Luna along." Rarity added. We all turned to look at her. "What? She could use a little de-stressing!"
 
"And she would look fabulous in crystal, right?" Applejack asked.
 
"Well, perhaps." The fashionista grinned. "Maybe she would. Who can say?"
 
"Have fun." Lyra said sourly. "I'm being given three days hard labor for being a stow-away."
 
"Are you really surprised?" I shot her a glance. "Your interference turned out Ok, but things could have gone much, much worse. Anyways, I noticed you 'accidentally' forgot to tell Bon-Bon when we left. She's still there, isn't she? Living her dream?"
 
"Shhhhh!" My teacher gave me a death glare. "I'm hoping Luna will-"
 
"I might." The princess said, scaring her half to death. "Depending on what you're about to suggest."
 
"I was...hoping you would head back to the Crystal Empire, and enjoy the party?" she finished nervously.
 
"That," Luna exclaimed, "Sounds like…fun. Who would like to come?"
 
"OH!" Pinkie leaped out of her seat. "Me! Me! Pick me!"
 



 
The train-whistle woke me as we pulled back into Ponyville. I rubbed my eyes and gathered my stuff, double-checking I had everything.
 
We had headed back to the Empire. The party actually had continued for days. We left after only three, despite Pinkie's objections. We were guests of honor, literally paraded around town, toasted, feasted, hosted and adored. I saw dramatizations of our fight with Shadow and Twilight's re-activation of the Heart.
 
Ponies lauded us, hailing the Elements for their salvation and including me because I stood nearby. While I enjoyed the attention, I was glad it focused on Twilight; I was emotionally exhausted. I managed to stay somewhat aloof by being tall and intimidating, although I tried to maintain a pleasant smile.
 
We stayed long enough to show solidarity. The Empire wasn't big, but it was bigger than Ponyville. The days passed in a flashing, dazzling, blinding, blurring whirl of color, light, and excitement. There was food for everypony, and smiles on everypony's faces. The Empire breathed again, and they were glad.
 
But despite all the merriment, they weren't thoughtless of their future.
 
Throughout the whole thing, a few movers and shakers, the big-time operators from back when, got together. They were the sort to seize the day, and were at it again. They petitioned Luna and Cadence for help, and got it. Cadence agreed to hold the throne, since Sombra had pretty much snarled the original lines of heredity beyond recovery. Being an alicorn also gave her natural status as a leader, and her familial bond to Equestria offered much-needed political clout and stability. The Crystal Ponies also revered her cutie mark; such a deep connection to their cultural icon couldn't be ignored.
 
Luna was also involved. While the Empire wasn't destitute, they were accustomed to the support of outposts and allies from long before the modern era. Now they were an Empire in name only, and adjusting would take time. Equestria promised aid and support. The railway was nearly functional, and the Empire would receive food before the end of the week.
 
Cadence set up her court immediately, appointing the most trustworthy of the group as her cabinet, and installing herself and Shining in the hearts of the populace through judicious participation in the festivities. By the end of the party, she would be unquestioned ruler, with only a few hold-out factions that might dispute her power. With the support of the rich and powerful, and approval from the masses, even that would fade with time.
 
And, as an immortal alicorn, she had time. A new age of hope and prosperity had dawned on Sombra's demesne.
 
"Come on, Wes! We're headed home!" Pinkie bounced past, and I was pulled back to the present. I slung my pack on my back, and headed out the doors with mixed feelings. Last time I was here, somepony had been trying to make my life miserable. What would I be facing now?
 
Ready or not, I stepped forth.

> 35 - Account
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Evening, Wes." I turned from mulching my new plant to find Rainbow behind me. I'd just made it back from the forest, and I was wrapping up a day's work.
 
"Hey, what's up?" I stood and stretched, checking the soreness in my muscles. I was mostly recovered from the beating I'd taken in the Empire, but I could still feel a twinge or two.
 
"Not much. Just hadn't seen you around."
 
"Sorry, I've been busy." I replied lamely.
 
"Wassat?"
 
"This?" I pointed to the plant. It was transparent, the outline only apparent because I'd misted it thoroughly. "Invisible dusk-blooming chokevine."
 
"It smells nice." Rainbow sniffed deeply. "Spicy. Like watercress."
 
"Don't eat it!" I warned. She shot me an annoyed look.
 
"But it smells good."
 
"Sure, but it's from the Everfree." We were in my garden, the clearing where I'd fought Lyra. I'd been bringing interesting specimens back from the forest, and it looked pretty exotic by now. Giant mushrooms grew in one corner; the other had a cloud of multi-colored hummingbirds, zipping through a stand of rushes. In between, flowers, plants, rocks and shrubs of every size and description were scattered haphazardly, with only the barest concession to landscaping or paths.
 
I hoped to cultivate some, maybe introduce useful ones to Ponyville. Chokevine wasn't the sort I'd recommend; it was purely an experiment, for the flowers. "It's quite magical. If you eat it…" I considered the basic alchemy Zecora taught me. "You would turn insubstantial, or become a rabbit." Rainbow winced and stepped back, glaring.
 
"Wesley, are you avoiding us again?"
 
"Again?" I asked, guiltily.
 
"Again. Last time, Fluttershy had to drag you out of the forest sopping wet. She got a cold!"
 
"Did she?"
 
"Yeah. But that's not the point. What gives, Wes?" I sighed. I'd tried communicating this idea to the ponies several times, but they never really seemed to get it.
 
"I want to have some sort of control over my life." I inspected my work, and nodded. I hoped the chokevine would survive, but it needed a cage. It was dangerous, and I couldn't keep it dosed with slowstone. "I'm not content to float along, I need to make my own decisions. I've worked on that…well, the whole time. And Ponyville, oddly enough, is worse than the Everfree. When I get over something like…." I waved, vaguely, "that, all I want to do is sleep, read a book, and hide under my bed for a week or so. But I can't get peace and quiet in town, so I dive into my work." I started back towards my house. "Well, and I like money, I won't lie. But at least out there-" I pointed towards the Everfree, "nothing comes looking for me."
 
"Should I leave?" Her voice was quiet.
 
"Nonono, I don't mean…" I sighed. "That came out wrong. I don't resent you all; quite the opposite. You're some of the best friends I've had in years. Really. You know I take you seriously, Rainbow. I'm not complaining about your friendship. It's everything else." I paused, searching for an illustration. "Ok, consider this. You've told me about Discord. He made a mess, ruined things, made trouble for everypony, turned the neighborhood upside down. Think on that. No stability, nothing dependable. No firm ground. The very rules of nature were re-written."
 
"Chocolate rain," she spat disgustedly.
 
"Right, right. Now, think of this." I stopped dramatically, and flung out my arms. "Your whole world is like that for me!"
 
"Oh." We walked in silence for a while. "You really feel that way?"
 
"Sorta." I admitted. "Maybe not that extreme; I wasn't here. But to some extent. I have no idea where I fit in, what I'm doing, how I even got here, though it's been improving. Usually because of you and your friends, but I do move forward myself." I nodded to my house as it showed through the trees. "I have a job. An official position. Great friends. But I'm still unsure I fit. Sometimes, when I'm emotionally and mentally exhausted, I just avoid things I don't like. And that means staying out of town."
 
"Hmmm." The pegasus floated up beside me, and looked me in the eyes. "Well, we'd like to see you more. Feel better yet?"
 
"Yeah. Yeah, sure. I am feeling better. You have plans?"
 
"I'm treating the weather team to dinner at Birch's pub in half an hour. They have a great fish special. Wanna come?"
 
I mulled that for a minute.
 
"Sure." The more I considered, the more I liked it. Since returning, I hadn't had to deal with new harassment or rumors. Rarity let me restart work, since she couldn't decide if my sinister somepony had abandoned or accomplished their goals. One was good, one was bad, but either was plausible. But being social was still a good idea, and it sounded fun. A smile crept onto my face. "Yeah, that sounds really nice. I'll just wash my hands and change quick."
 
"Sure."
 
"So, I've been wondering this for a while." I glanced reflectively at Rainbow, gently hovering nearby.
 
"Yeah?"
 
"How can you fly when you only flap, like, once every ten seconds?"
 
"Pure awesome. Oh, and magic or something."
 
"Well, I know that, but-"
 
We continued into town, the conversation drifting easily this way and that.
 



 
I walked home afterwards, whistling and picking my teeth with a fishbone. Rainbow had been right; Birch did a great battered fish. They even made potato fries for me, on special request. I patted my belly, full of hot, greasy protein for the first time in quite a while. I needed that more often.
 
The weather team had been surprisingly welcoming. I'd been introduced to several very friendly ponies, most of whom declared that any friend of Rainbow's was their friend, too. It’s likely only the friendly ones actually came, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. I'd spent a nice evening trying to learn the rules of pegaus hoofball from Thunderlane. As far as I could tell, the game was one step away from Calvinball, although the fact I couldn't get Blitzball out of my head didn't help. Still, the idea of a three-dimensional ballgame was fascinating.
 
"Wes, that you?" I stopped, looking up. On the balcony above my head, Twilight was standing near her telescope, holding a notebook.
 
"Yeah. How'd you guess?"
 
"Whistling Eleanor Rigby? Also, not enough footsteps."
 
"Oh." I stopped, and leaned against the sign. "What's up?"
 
"I had something for you." She disappeared inside, and came out the front a moment later, holding a slim volume.
 
"Oh, this is that fillies…journal?" I took it, turning it over curiously. It might be a journal, but I hesitated to open it; if the nameless pegasus was anything equivalent to a teenage girl, I had some idea she might be extremely sensitive about others reading her thoughts. The cover was cloth-covered with a flower-like design, maybe a cutie mark, embossed on it.
 
"Could be." Twilight shrugged. "I dunno. But you left it here, and she might want it back."
 
"Yeah." I tucked it into a pocket but didn't leave, tipping my head to gaze at the stars. "What's the project?"
 
"Mapping constellations." She sighed. "I'm trying to discern if astrology has roots in ancient magic. Now, it's meaningless nonsense, but Starswirl took it very seriously. Maybe our modern practice is based on something that actually worked."
 
"Huh." I stared upwards, trying to pick shapes out of the unfamiliar stars.
 
"Sorry, but…I'm pretty sure it's gone."
 
"Huh?"
 
"Your constellation. The one Luna made you."
 
"Oh. Yeah. I noticed."
 
"What did you call it? The drinking gourd?"
 
"The little dipper." I corrected.
 
"Right." We stood in silence for a minute.
 
"Um, Twilight…"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"The mindlink. It's cool. But, I think we need to test it, to ensure if one of us used it against the other, we wouldn't be helpless."
 
"You would never do that!"
 
"Thanks." I smiled. "Neither would you. But if Sombra captured one of us?" She shivered.
 
"Um. Maybe we should test it. For Science."
 
"Right. Anyways, 'night. Rainbow told me off, so I'll be around more."
 
"Wes…" She paused. "We're not pushing you into anything."
 
"I know." I turned. "You don't have to. Really, I enjoy your company. And knowing you enjoy mine is nice. I mean it; I'll be around."
 



 
"Ooof." Lyra exhaled as I completed the throw. I'd done it slowly, and she landed on a mat, but I still worried for a second when she didn't rise.
 
"Ok," she said, still lying there. "I'm napping. This is super comfy, and I'm tired of being thrown around."
 
"Jeeeeediiiiiii…" I whined, pouring angst into my voice. "I need your help with throws!"
 
"Shutupshutup, nopony else throws like that, so why are you worried?"
 
"Because. You want me to be the best." I picked a patch of sun and sat. The training room was, as always, still, silent, warm and welcoming, and smelled faintly of pine trees. "How can I be the best at throwing without help?"
 
"Fine. But let's break for a minute. You promised an analysis when we got back. So, what did you see in my martial art?"
 
"Um." I hesitated, unsure. I'd thought extensively about what I'd seen, but she hadn't pushed for an answer before. I closed my eyes, digging up memories. The ripples in the smoke, the aftershocks of her kicks and punches….
 
"Noise." I finally said. I wasn't really sure, but she probably wouldn't penalize a wrong guess. "You use sound waves, constructive and destructive interference in your attacks."
 
"Wow." I opened my eyes; she was staring at me, pride evidence on her face. "I'm impressed."
 
"I was right?" I honestly hadn't expected that. It wasn't just a wild guess, but I wasn't certain, either.
 
"Half. But you’re closer than any of my opponents in the Underground. I ruled that ring, and none of them had the slightest idea what I was doing. I even chose Harmonix as my ring name, for crying out loud! The only one who was actually a challenge was Lahar, and although she thrashed me, I don't think even she caught on. Eventually, the reputation got a little troublesome. I couldn't find a decent sparring partner."
 
"Lahar. You mentioned her before."
 
"Yeah, a big earth pony mare. Stronger than an ox, I tell ya."
 
"Is that unusual? An earth pony dominating a unicorn fighting ring?"
 
"Not really." Lyra rolled over, curling up in the sunshine, her golden eyes half-lidded. "Actually, earth ponies and pegasi average better than unicorns. But they're in the minority, so it's not immediately obvious."
 
"Why?"
 
"Well defined limits." Lyra shrugged. "Unicorn magic is flexible, and few ponies understand their strength. For pegasi and earth ponies it's much clearer. One focuses on speed, the other, strength. Some try for combinations or attempt other oddities, but they mostly have an obvious progression. That gives amateurs a strong edge. Actually, one-on-one, earth ponies are the best bet. Passive strength and toughness gives them extreme survivability. Pegasi speed is fearsome, but needs more training."
 
"Huh. Is that why Lahar rules?"
 
"Maybe." Lyra yawned. "I have no idea where her strength comes from; it's basically ridiculous. But she does more than just fight the hardest; she actually organizes the thing. When I say 'rule', I mean as in, she makes the rules."
 
"Oh."
 
"Anyways, you pass." She tucked her nose under her hoof, serious about napping. "Next time, we're doing something different. Meditate before showing up. And, this might sound weird, but you said Splinter left his horn to you. Bring it."
 
"Alright." I said, somewhat dubious. It wasn't until walking down the stairs I realized we never finished throws. "Blargh." I facepalmed. Oh well; she was the teacher. I'd best let her sleep.
 



 
"Watchoooout!"
 
Slam! Splat. Thump.
 
"Ooof!"
 
"Ow!"
 
"Ponyfeathers!"
 
I looked up from sprawling on the floor. Spike wheezed heavily, and I tried to climb off him, only to find Rainbow on top of me. Twilight sighed in frustration. A creampuff was skewered on her horn, dripping blueberry filling onto her nose. The door swung lazily in the breeze.
 
"Really, Rainbow. Have you heard of slowing down before stopping?" She levitated a nearby towel, and wiped the confection off as best she could.
 
"Slowing down is for wimps." Rainbow flipped herself into the air with a twitch of her wings. "What the hay are you two doing?"
 
"Wrestling." I sat up, freeing Spike, and stretched my back.
 
"What? What does wrestling have to do with creampuffs? Hey, these are good!" She had her nose in our container of pastries. I snatched it away, and she gave me a wounded look.
 
"Well, I wanted water balloons," Twilight grumped. "But Pinkie wouldn't give us any."
 
"Apparently the latest revelation from the party dimension says anything you can do with a water balloon, you can do better with a creampuff." I found the lid and clapped it on the basket, much to Rainbow's disappointment.
 
"But, wrestling?" She asked, trying to pry my fingers off the confections. Lacking opposable thumbs hindered her slightly.
 
"Well..." Twilight paused, organizing her thoughts. "You know how Wesley and I have this dark magic spell, binding us together in unspeakable union?"
 
"Um, yeah?"
 
"We were wondering how much potential for evil it has. So, we've been trying to take over each other's mind."
 
Rainbow boggled.
 
"Must you be so dramatic?" I sighed. "Look, Rainbow, because it takes magic, only Twilight can begin the link between us. I was curious as to how much damage could be done if one of us turned against the other. So we we're investigating."
 
"With creampuffs."
 
"Yeah, okay. Watch." I sat cross-legged. Twilight positioned herself across the room. I handed Spike a creampuff and tucked the basket behind a shelf, hoping Rainbow wouldn't notice. Something like feathers brushed my mind, and I grasped the tendrils of power. If I refused, the link wouldn't start, but the more power involved, the harder refusal was. Twilight and I locked eyes. Our breathing synchronized.
 
Spike raised the creampuff. Telekinesis was a simple spell; simply think of the object, and energize that concept with 'lift'. I borrowed some power from Twilight, held my horn up like a wand, and wrapped an aura around the pastry. It floated out of his hand, the magic fitfully shifting and crackling with orange and purple. Spike dove behind a bookshelf.
 
"See, both of us are holding it now," Twilight said. "I wanted to know how strength was shared. Spike?" The dragon held up a hand and counted off with his claws. When the last one fell the creampuff lurched, first towards Twilight, then back towards me.
 
"We're each trying to force it towards each other," I gasped. "So far, we've found that Twilight is definitely stronger. But." I split my attention, shoving hard on the pastry and also feeding a confusing mixture of sensations across the link. The creampuff lurched away from me, nearly striking Twilight. "I'm better at multitasking. So, if I distract her, I have the upper hoof. Otherwise, I'm in trouble." The sweet lurched again, this time towards me. I tightened my grip, trying to pull more power across the link, but Twilight had a firm grasp on it. She snatched back at the magic, but I held tight.
 
"He's tricky," she grunted, horn flaring as she pushed magic into the spell, forcing the pastry back. "We found whoever holds more magic controls the link. As long as I concentrate, I can cut him off. But if he manages to distract me, he can grab-"
 
<"Bacon!"> I yelled. Twilight  winced and I shoved the creampuff with all my might. It zipped across the room, nearly reaching her. However, she threw herself flat and used my momentary surprise to return it.
 
Splat.
 
"Mmm." I licked delicious filling off my cheek. "Ok, I dunno. Maybe Pinkie's right?"
 
"You don't have fur." Twilight snorted disdainfully. "Anyways, Dash, that's what we were doing. What's the score, Spike?"
 
"Three wins, Wes. Five wins, Twilight. Even if Rainbow's interrupting counts for Wes, Twilight still has five out of nine."
 
"Best six out of eleven?" I asked. Twilight gave me a troubled look, and I raised my hands. "Just kidding, I give, I give! Let's wash up." She nodded gratefully, and took off. I stepped into the kitchen to splash some water on my face. Maybe next time I'd suggest using a cushion, just to see the realization dawn.
 
"So, what did you need?" Spike asked Rainbow.
 
"Well, I wanted to borrow-"
 
I slipped out; they were discussing comics. I'd borrowed a stack from Spike myself, and I was looking forward to them. Hopefully I could get some introvert time in this afternoon.
 
"Hey, Wes!" Rainbow called.
 
"Yeah?" I stuck my head back in.
 
"The CMC were looking for you. Oh, and Thunderlane wanted to visit. Mind if I bring him around?"
 
"No problem. Drop in whenever." I rubbed a shoulder. "Although maybe not literally?"
 
"Pff. Wimp." She smirked. I smiled back.
 



 
"Alright." Lyra sat before me on the mat, and locked eyes. "Listen, because this is important. You've brought what I asked?" I nodded, and slipped the horn out of my knife sheath. It was about as long as my hand, gently fluted and an orange-yellow.
 
"How much do you know about horns?"
 
"Not much."
 
"Ok. First, they are literally made out of magic. This is magic, in a solid form." I turned the ivory over in my hands, feeling it's warmth, idly wondering about elements and molecules. Lyra continued. "That magic is mixed with the unicorn's life-force, which controls casting. Normally, when that ends, the horn disintegrates. Sometimes a shell will be left, but not often."
 
"This is different." She pointed to the horn. "Splinter died by self-sacrifice. The intent is important; he put your well-being above his own."
 
She paused a moment. I sniffed, a tear running down my nose.
 
"Well, he was a great pony," she said softly. "No denying that. But he left you more than a memento. You may have realized something was up; I'm sure somepony commented."
 
I nodded weakly. I'd seen a few reactions to my having the horn of a dead unicorn. Sunset Shimmer's had been the most obvious.
 
"I believe Splinter's concern for you transformed the life-force inside. Either so it wouldn't fade, or so it matches your own enough you can maintain the horn." She paused. "If it's the latter, you could maybe learn magic. Maybe."
 
I frowned slightly. I had already cast using this horn, although she didn't know it. But the rest of this was new, and somewhat troubling information.
 
"How would I tell?" I asked. "About what happened."
 
"A horn grows." Lyra tapped her own. "Slowly, depending on strength. Have you seen anypony get theirs polished?" I nodded; Rarity had hers sharpened once, at the spa. "During casting, small amounts of magic layer on. Given a long enough, all of us would have horns like Celestia." She shrugged. "But that would look silly. So most of us shape them a little. Yours might slowly change shape, too."
 
"Huh." I ran my fingers over the horn. "And color?"
 
"Interesting question. That would depend on several things, mainly magic color." I thought back. Orange-purple? Hopefully not. My gem had been orange. I raised the horn to eye level, and inspected it. Was it a shade darker?
 
"How could I cast? I don't have any magic." I could borrow it, but…numancy. I paused, seriously considering explaining the gem and what it meant. She'd seen it, but never asked. Of course, for all she knew, all humans had them.
 
"Of course you have magic." She gave me a stern look. "Everything in the world has magic."
 
"But I’m not-" From this world. I stopped short. "I can't do anything like that."
 
"That's what I'll teach." She stopped, shifting uncomfortably. "Maybe."
 
"Maybe?"
 
"I'm a weak caster," she admitted. "You know that. My art uses weak magic effectively. Matter of fact, if I was stronger, I wouldn't be able to do some of it. I hope you can learn. But you may be too weak." She looked at the horn in my hands. "It's a long shot. But worth a try."
 
"Hmm." I considered. "Well, I'll try. What now?"
 
"Here." She flipped open a small brass box, removing a complicated ring-shaped mechanism, a system of interlinked orbital gears. "Put this on."
 
I slipped it onto my ring finger. It was rather large.
 
"Pfft, no. Hah, I didn't even consider that. It goes on your horn."
 
"Oh." I felt a little sheepish, but corrected myself.
 
"Why that finger?" I looked up. She had her little notebook ready.
 
"That's my ring finger." She took a note. "Hey." I stopped her as she was about to put the book away. "You're taking notes on my culture? For equuology research?"
 
"Yeah. Well, mainly for Bon-Bon."
 
"Hah." I laughed softly. "What does she think so far?"
 
"You're weird."
 
"Ahahaha! Well, sure!"
 
"Actually, we started by trying to discover where you're from, by comparing your culture with others we'd studied." She made a face, sticking out her tongue. "You're either from impossibly far, or the future."
 
"Heh. Well." I set my horn down, and dropped my head into my hands, thinking for a minute. Lyra shifted uncomfortably under my steady gaze, but I held it in silence. "Actually," I said, finally coming to a decision, "I need to talk to you about that. But afterwards."
 
I wasn't sure how much I should tell Lyra. She was a great person, and a lot of fun, but didn't always make the best choices. Still, she wanted desperately to know more about me, and there wasn't much to lose by telling her how I got here, at least. Not that it would help much; I was as curious about the 'how' as she would be. But telling her I was from another world shouldn't hurt. She'd done a lot of good for me and would love to hear it. It would also let me give clearer answers to some of her questions. As long as I could exact a sincere promise to keep my secrets close, I wanted to tell her.
 
"….ok." She returned my stare flatly for a few seconds. "Cool. Well, let me see. What's it read?"
 
"How do you take a…oh, right." I spun the outer ring, letting the inner traverse its oval course several times before tapping it once.
 
"Why shake it?"
 
"Gets a better reading." I said absently. "These old ones have sticky ratchets."
 
"And ten minutes ago, I thought you'd never seen a thaumometer." Lyra gave me a searching look.
 
"Hehe." I laughed nervously, and scratched my head. I glanced at the thaumometer as it registered, and my jaw dropped. "Three mini swirls?" I said, shocked.
 
"Now, I know that's not much," Lyra began. An average unicorn was rated at one swirl. Starswirl had implemented the measurement, and it had been used for years. But even that…
 
"Nonono, that's not it." I shushed her impatiently, and took the reading again. The same. Again. Still, three mini swirls. "How is this possible? I wasn't lying, Lyra. I should literally have no magic. I don't care if you believe me or not, but something very odd is going on here. Is…is this why my compass doesn't read well?"
 
Twilight and I had discussed this, although we'd never used a thaumometer. Magic wasn't something that existed on Earth; I was pretty sure of that. The fields had measurable physical side-effects, which should show on anyone with potential. The most noticeable was a magnetic effect. Even passive magic registered on a sensitive magnetometer. If humans had magic fields, someone would have noticed. We weren't normally magnetic.
 
"Dunno." She shrugged. "But, you do have magic. Either you're abnormal for a human, or it happened after your arrival. Not enough to cast much, but you can learn sensing. And, I think, parts of my martial arts."
 
"Oh." I paused. I could sense magic. I'd been casting detection in the Everfree for a while now. "Actually, I can sense magic with this." I tapped the horn. "But does that take power?"
 
"Well, yeah. What you feel is magic nearby interacting with your own. I'm surprised you learned by yourself."
 
"Like, current induction?"
 
"…maybe, whatever that is. Anyways, you have more than none. I cast at seven mini swirls, but don't know the lower limit for my art."
 
"Wow." I spun the thaumometer again, marveling at the reading. "Wow." It wasn't enough magic to lift a teacup; the scale wasn't linear progression. Lyra was more than three times as powerful. But still. Hmm. I pictured the magic I had used at Twilight's. Maybe that's where the orange crackles come from?
 
"So, let's try this." Lyra plucked the instrument from my horn, and returned it to its case. "Can you sense me cast? This spell is my original composition, based on unique research, and underpins the entirety of my art." She lit her horn, ever so slightly. I closed my eyes and tried to detect it.
 
"Sure," I said, frowning. The magic was definitely there; a gentle flow, very unlike the jagged spells I usually found in the Everfree. But it was very faint. From further away, I'd have missed it.
 
"Can you tell what I'm casting?" I concentrated, trying to get a read. Field-shape was easy, but the attributes were odd.
 
"Is that…echonarchy?" I stumbled over the word, trying to comprehend the field. I was no expert, but the spell seemed related to sound.
 
"Close! Although after guessing my methodology, that might be inference. There's more. Watch."
 
I gasped as she released the spell. Instead of spreading into the surroundings, the energy fed back into her skull and spread through her body. If I hadn't been looking, I'd have missed it. The whole thing was extremely subtle; it barely qualified as a spell. She could activate it much faster, too. No wonder I'd gotten nothing but fuzz when scanning her fight.
 
"That's metamancy." I exclaimed. "You're altering the qualities of the magic in your own body…to make it act more like sound?" She gave me a truly impressed look.
 
"Exactly! Can you see it work?" I watched as she moved her head, studying the flows of magic, and how the spell changed their properties.
 
"You're setting up resonances. Beats and nodes, in your own magic." I watched as she flexed a foreleg. My eyes saw the muscle tighten smoothly, but with my horn, I sensed magic concentrate there as she adjusted the nodes her metaspell was creating, moving power to reinforce the muscle.
 
"Right. Since sound is in my special talent, it's a breeze to manipulate. So, I can do this."  She spun, and lashed out at the punching bag. The magic in her leg flashed forward, the gathered energy lending weight to send the sand-filled sack flying. "It's not about power, but instead about effect. If I keep my magic in my body and use it to strengthen my natural abilities, I can achieve effects stronger unicorns couldn't dream of."
 
"The power would burn them."
 
"Look, punk." Lyra cut off, annoyed. "I know you're smart, but don't be a showoff!" She pushed her nose close to mine. "Who's the Jedi here? Huh?"
 
"You are!" I raised my hands in surrender. "Sorry, but this is fascinating."
 
"Right. Well, that's all. The only question is, are you ready for this?" She shot me a grave look. "I know you're doing better, and I hope that continues. But again, I'll tell you; I hope to fashion you into a lethal weapon. I'm convinced you have even more potential than I did, and l’ll be working to bring that out. It won't be easy, and there are some walls you'll just never be able to climb, but it takes strength of character and commitment. I won't teach you this unless you're sure you're ready." She stood, pacing back and forth.
 
"I know you're not sure about fighting, so don't accept unless you know you can deal with being even more dangerous."  She pointed to the destroyed sandbag. Her kick would have knocked over a house. "You can't unlearn that. You'll always have to restrain yourself. It's not a weapon you can leave at home. I'm confident you're ready, but…it comes down to self-control. If you're not certain, we'll stop."
 
I ground my palms into my eyes and thought, long and hard.
 
Yes, I was doing better. I would always shudder looking back, but I no longer feared moving forward. I would be plagued by nightmares, for a while if not forever, but I wasn't afraid to sleep. I had a semblance of control over my life, but I also had leaders I trusted, ready to shield me, who could look ahead and tell me what the future held.
 
What if I lost myself?
 
I didn't want to be a danger. I didn't want to hurt my friends, even if black magic or mind control meant it wasn't my fault. Could I risk being more of a weapon? I didn't want to be defined as a sword, destined to cut any near me. That was why I resisted hardening myself to murder and death, despite the cold relief offered; I wanted to retain compassion, because if I abandoned what made me human, I was afraid I’d never get it back. I’d have no reason to care. Through pain, retaining feeling was worth it. Would this make that harder? Could I risk accepting?
 
Then I considered my opponents.
 
Sombra wasn't pulling punches. He'd nearly consigned a lieutenant and four thousand innocents to the black void of inter-reality as a ploy, a trap. He’d almost succeeded. If Twilight hadn't broken his hold on the Elements I would still be caught in the Crystal Empire, only Shadow and the Windigos for company. What was next? Could I risk refusing?
 
No…that wasn't right. I couldn't accept because I was afraid of being hurt, lost, or killed; all those scared me, sure. But that wasn't it; I needed to protect my friends from being hurt, lost, or killed. I couldn't be the weak link. I didn't know how Dash felt, or the reason Fluttershy forced herself along, but if I wasn't strong enough to stand beside them, covering their weakness with my strength in return for their protection, what sort of comrade would I be?
 
"Teach me." I lowered my hands.
 
"Oh, there's iron in your eyes." Lyra nodded decisively. "Good. I know you can do it."

> 36 - Reprise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Howdy, Wes. What's up?" I nodded to Applejack and passed her a few coins.
 
"Not much. Can I have eight of your crispiest red apples?"
 
"'’Course. Where you off to today? Headed into the forest? Seems like a big lunch."
 
"Nope, I was headed over to the treehouse. The Crusaders want my help, and they'll be out of school soon." I lowered my voice. "I’m pretty sure they'll ask me to join."
 
"Ah, sure thing. Yup, sounds about right."
 
"What." I gave her a flat stare. "Am I the only one even somewhat surprised?"
 
"Come on, Wes. You're an adult who doesn't have a cutie mark but still makes time for those fillies. Of course they'd ask you to join. You're pretty much the coolest thing since sliced apples. At least, little Bloom thinks so. Dunno about Sweetie, but Scoots probably thinks you're just below Dash." Applejack passed a paper sack across the counter. "Hey, at least they picked somepony who can keep them a little out of trouble. Be careful now, you hear?"
 
"Sure thing. Thanks." I waved the bag, and turned down the road.
 



 
"That's all?" I blinked.
 
"Yup!" Scootalloo passed me a maroon bandanna with a blue and yellow patch.
 
"So, I just recite the promise, and wear this kerchief?"
 
"It's a cape," Sweetie Belle corrected seriously.
 
"It's...a bit small for that?"
 
"Whatever, just wear it." Scootaloo interjected. "Now we just need Apple Bloom."
 
"Here she comes!" Sweetie Belle called, catching sight of a red bow bobbing through the trees. "Hey, Bloom, what…" Her voice trailed off as the tan filly limped around the corner, hoof held to her nose.
 
"Hmm?" Apple Bloom wiped her hoof on the grass, before quickly returning it to her muzzle. "Thorry, I gob a nosebleed."
 
"What happened?" Scoots asked, zipping over and proffering a tissue. "Did you fall down? Walk into a post?"
 
"Diabond Tiara bushed me."
 
"Diamond Tiara made you bleed?" I asked, voice cold. The three fillies stepped back.
 
I rose, revenge hard in my heart.
 
I didn't know what I was going to do, but Apple Bloom's blood on the ground made me angry. She was one of the first ponies I'd met. She was pretty much a tiny Applejack, and she was adorable. I would have taken on raging beasts for any of the three fillies, but Apple Bloom had a special, tiny, soft and warm place in my heart.
 
"Get him, Crusaders!" I heard Sweetie Belle yell distantly. Suddenly, three fuzzy deadweights bore me to the ground.
 
I lay there a minute, cheek cold on the grass. The three fillies stood on top of me, small hooves hard on my back.
 
"Wes, we won't let you up until you promise not to hurt anypony." Sweetie Belle said in my ear.
 
"I won't hurt her much."
 
"No way, no how!" Scootaloo yelled. "We didn't invite you into the Crusaders to fight our battles for us. If we need help with something big, we'll come to you. Until then, we can take care of stupid Diamond Tiara."
 
"Yeah." Apple Bloom joined in, stomping on my arm. It was almost painful. "Don't you hurt anypony on my account, Wes."
 
"Not even a little?"
 
"Not even a little."
 
"Fine." I drew in a few deep breaths to calm myself and rolled over, scattering the foals. "Thanks for holding me back. I probably would have done something stupid."
 
"Ok, we're all here." Sweetie Belle let me rise. "Now, Wes, you gotta say it."
 
I stood, brushing myself off, and took a solemn pose, putting my hands behind my back.
 
"I, Wesley Kilmer, promise to be the best friend I can be to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and do everything I can to help them and me get a cutie mark." I then tied the 'cape' onto my head like a bandanna.
 
"Is that it?" Sweetie Belle whispered to Scootalloo, who nodded.
 
"It's kinda short." Apple Bloom said, a tissue protruding from her nose.
 
"Well, Ok, fine." Scootaloo shrugged. "I'll add more. Sheesh. Anyways, Wes, since it's your first day as an actual Crusader, what do you think we should try?"
 
"Um…" I hadn't expected that, but I glanced across the three of them. Apple Bloom, I knew, was quite good at handicrafts. Scootaloo had those wings. Sweetie Belle was quite nimble. "There's a lake around here, right?"
 
"Oh, are we going swimming?" Scootaloo asked, bouncing.
 
"Actually, I had another idea. Have you ever tried Cutie Mark Crusaders, Water Skiing?" Their heads shook as one. Oh, this was going to be fun.
 



 
"No, seriously, what were you doing down at the lake?" Lyra gave me a hard stare. "All I heard was this buzzing noise."
 
"I was laughing so hard I nearly burst," I said. "Have you ever watched three fillies try to balance on each other's shoulders, while one stands on water skis and one pushes?" Lyra shook her head, bemused. "Well, I was chilling with the Crusaders. They didn't get their marks, but they had fun. That's the important part. So…what are we up to today, Jedi?"
 
"Today, my young padawan, we are doing strength training!" She flung a hoof out dramatically. We were standing in front of a pile of cardboard boxes, just outside a small house. A cart sat in the road.
 
"With…boxes?" I quirked an eyebrow.
 
"Well, sorta." She moved over to the pile, and levitated one onto the moving wagon. "Ooof, that's heavy. Today, we're helping my friend, Vinyl Scratch, move."
 
"Lyra…" I sighed. "Some days, you are so full of horseapples I'm shocked your eyes aren't brown." I picked up a box and carefully set it on the cart. "You've pulled some interesting stunts before for 'training'. Like when you tried to make me catch flies with a spoon? I never should have told you about Karate Kid. But this isn't even funny."
 
After making Lyra promise to keep my secrets, I'd spent quite a while explaining bits and pieces of my world to her. She'd been just as puzzled by my arrival as I was, which was disappointing, but hardly shocking. She'd been most intrigued by human media, entertainment, and music, but I still hadn't mentioned Star Wars.
 
"Hey, Vinyl's cool. Anyways, you should lift more."
 
"Yeah, probably." I shrugged. "And I should start jogging. One of these days." The fact that exercise would actually help me improve now didn't mean it was suddenly easier to motivate myself. "Maybe next week."
 
"I also wanted Vinyl's opinion on what sort of instrument you should play."
 
"Come again?"
 
"Your instrument. For practice."
 
"Lyra…I want to learn fighting. Not music."
 
"Ah! But, in order to use my methods for controlling magic in your body, you need to learn music." I frowned.
 
"Really? Wouldn't it be faster to just practice the technique?"
 
"Maybe. If you're sure you can prevent internal burns."
 
"Ah." I shrugged, and moved another box. "Well, if I have to, I have to. But I'm warning you, Lyra, I have a tin ear. I can't carry a tune in a bucket."
 
"What? But Fluttershy said you play the synth."
 
"Huh?"
 
"A synth. She said you were playing one, when she met you the forest."
 
"How did you hear about that?"
 
"Well, one of Bon-Bon's customers came in, carrying this sick cat-"
 
"Nope. Nevermind. I give up; stop talking. Anyways, that's not actually a synth. It was more like a, a thaumophone, or…I dunno. Anyways, it was just an experiment. I made it myself; it harmonizes with itself automagically, so whatever you play sounds pretty. I couldn't actually play a real instrument."
 
"So you build synths."
 
"No, I-" I sighed. "Look, let's try this one more time. You've got a musical mark, right? So you get magical boosts?"
 
"I have perfect pitch. Chord progressions are easy-peasy, harmonies and dissonance are a cinch."
 
"Right, that sort of thing. But I can't do any of that. Just because your magical minty flank gives you superpowers, doesn't mean I have any sort of musical skills. I don't have a cutie mark. It takes about ten thousand hours to become an expert at any one thing. If I really need to play an instrument, I'm going to be at this for years."
 
"Do you really think it's magical?" She wiggled her rear at me, and I gave her a flat stare.
 
"Come on, Lyra. I'm one-hundred-percent committed to humans. Just because I hang out with lots of mares doesn't mean I dig them, any more than you working for Bon-Bon means you do."
 
"Well, actually…" She held the silence for a second, before we broke down giggling.
 
"Ok, fine." I said, as we calmed. "I just hope Vinyl has a better idea for what I should play."
 
"Seriously, I think you should play the synth. Tell her that you build them, and you'll have something to talk about right off. Vinyl's pretty-"
 
"Pretty what?" I looked up, as a very pale yellow unicorn mare, wearing fuchsia aviators and sporting a radically electric blue mane, came through the door carrying a box. "Woah, dude! Looks like we're pretty much ready to go." She grinned at the pile on the cart.
 
"Pretty awesome." Lyra tapped hooves with the newcomer. "Scratch, this is my disciple, Wesley Kilmer. Call him Wes; all his friends do, and you don't want to be his enemy. Wes, my good friend Vinyl Scratch. She goes by DJ-PON3 on stage."
 
"Nice to meet you." I made a fist, and rapped her hoof. "What's in these boxes, anyways?" I hefted another one onto the cart. "Bricks?"
 
"Ha hah. Lyra, he has your sense of humor. No, this is my setup. I've got a few crates of wax, but most of it's my mixboard and amps, with a turntable or two." She heaved a box onto the wagon herself with a loud rattle. "Also a buncha wires. You'd think somepony would come up with a wireless version by now, but noooo."
 
"I thought-oof!" Lyra hefted another box. "I thought they had a wireless one. Didn't that guy in Baltimare build one?"
 
"Yeah, but it uses singing stone. You can't get that stuff for love nor money. I've tried."
 
"Huh. Just the ordinary stuff, like, say, limestone?" I set another box on the cart. "I can get it for you wholesale. How much do you need?" Her ears perked up at that.
 
"Mr. Kilmer, I think you and I are going to be great friends."
 



 
"No, seriously, you can get echonarchy and kinesthism to cooperate. I'm telling you, Twilight did it with minarchism and entropology. The principle is the same."
 
"Really?"
 
"Hay yeah. Just slot a size filter in here," I indicated the rune structure, drawing in a new module and scribbling a few spell fragments, "target the vibrational medium, and with some experimentation, I bet you can get it working. Ignore the 'rules' of magic and keep tweaking; it will eventually fit."
 
"Sweet!" Vinyl took a gulp of her coffee. "Lyra, this guy's great! You should have brought him round earlier." We were standing in Vinyl's new cellar. We'd unpacked most of the boxes, and set up her 'lab' on a bank of shelves and a table. Wires ran to and fro across the floor, sheathed with tape, or strung from the ceiling. Dull yellow lights cast a sullen glow over the arrays of blinking indicators, dials, and mixers she used for creation.
 
She currently had a flexible piece of laminated paper spread on the table. We were discussing the design of her newest sound engine, drinking coffee, and annotating the spells with crayons.
 
"Yeah, well. He's convinced he can't play. Something about a tin ear."
 
"Whaaaaat?" The DJ gave me a long stare. "Who told you that?"
 
"Um…" I shrugged. "Dunno. My brother, maybe? Just, I've never been any good at music."
 
"Ponyfeathers!" She gave me a push towards the cushion carefully centered in the technical array. A thousand knobs and dials focused on the position. "Sit."
 
"Ok?" I slowly complied.
 
"You sit in The Seat, you wear The Cans," she intoned. I picked up her headphones and slipped them on. They fit a little odd, because of ear shape, but they stayed on. I watched curiously as she worked the wires, hooking and rewiring a dozen different pipes. She flipped a record onto the turntable, and I grinned as music started pumping. I gave the volume a spin, my grin spreading as the beat swelled. I noticed she was saying something, and spun it down.
 
"Sorry, what?" I flipped one earpiece up.
 
"Tap a beat." I placed one finger on the table, and started trying to pick out the rhythm. After a few moments, she nodded. "Now, whistle along." She flipped the earpiece back down. I frowned, but complied. Finally, she lifted the needle, and the sound died. She shrugged. "Far as I can tell, your brother's a filthy liar."
 
"Huh?"
 
"Huh?" She mocked me. "You can follow a beat and catch a tune by ear. That's all you need to learn music. The rest of it's just blood, sweat, and tears; the easy stuff."
 
"So, what should he play?" Lyra asked.
 
"With those?" Vinyl pointed to my fingers. "No contest; gotta be keys or strings. Maybe a synth of some sort."
 
"No neighsaying the Jedi, I guess." I grinned silently, to their confusion. "Any chance I could borrow one?"
 
"Oh no." Vinyl gave me a hard stare. "No way am I letting you take one of my babies. Besides, if I did that, I'd never find out what you could build. No, you'll make your own, like all the best. You can't just buy this sort of equipment. I'll help." She grinned. "I'll even let you pay me in singing stone."
 
"How generous." I leaned back on the cushion. "Give me a few days to gather materials, and we'll have a go."  Honestly, I was beginning to feel an interest in this. I loved learning new things, and this was about as new as it could get; I'd never given music a serious shot before, dismissing it as something I was 'bad' at. Maybe this would be different. I could take some of the time out of my fighting practice, since this furthered that anyway, and building stuff was always fun. Maybe I could get Twilight's help.
 
"Sounds good." Vinyl chugged the last of her coffee. "But for now, move over. Let's have a jam." Lyra grinned, and I scooted out of The Seat. This should be fun.
 



 
"Hey, Rainbow." Two pegasi stood behind my house, but both recoiled as I stepped out of the trees.
 
"Wes?" Thunderlane asked, shock evident in his voice. "What happened to you?"
 
"Oh, right." I looked down, taking in my mud and blood caked clothing. I was soaking wet, chafing, and both gritty and slimy. "I went hunting." I marched up to my back step, and flipped the load I'd slung over my shoulder onto the small concrete pad. "Mind passing me the hose?"
 
"Just…stand over there. I'll rinse you off." Rainbow waved a hoof, pointedly staying downwind. I waited impatiently as she uncoiled the hose and spun the valve. My well didn't produce much water, but when she turned the spray on me, it cleaned me fast enough. After I was merely wet and dirty, instead of filthy, I rubbed my hands through my hair and motioned for her to turn it off.
 
"Thanks."
 
"Um, what's this?" Thunderlane poked my load; it looked like a muddy log, but flopped limply.
 
"A cragodile tail." I grinned. "I did say I was hunting, right?"
 
"You fought a cragodile?" Rainbow asked, shock on her face.
 
"Hay no! I trapped a cragodile." I shrugged. "No way I'd go up against one of those monsters in a fair fight if I could avoid it."
 
"Why?"
 
"Because they're made out of meat." I smirked. "Tasty, tasty meat. And no-one, not even Fluttershy, minds if I kill them." Apparently cragodiles were barely smarter than grass, and mean enough even the gentle yellow pegasus wouldn't go near them. My other potential prey was parapsprites, but although they were more dangerous, I'd decided to go for the larger option.
 
"Really?" Thunderlane gave the tail an appraising glance. "I thought cragodiles were made of stone."
 
"Nope. They just look it. Zecora figures the rocks get embedded in their scales as they grow." I took the hose from Rainbow, and rinsed my prize. "So, what's up?"
 
"Well, I wanted to know where you lived." Thunderlane shrugged. "I brought you a few rulebooks, in case you were planning on listening to the game."
 
"Listening?" I kicked the door open and waved them both inside before gingerly tracking mud and water through my tiny kitchen.
 
"Yeah. We should get recordings of the Pegasus Premier by next week."
 
"Ooo, interesting." I normally wasn't much for sports, but the fact that hoofball was played in three dimensions had caught my interest. I dropped my bloody hunk of meat on the counter. It didn't quite fit; actually, quite a length hung off the end. I needed to cut this up so it would fit in my freezer. "Hey, do you two want to stay for supper?" I gestured to the tail. "I'm gonna find out if this is any good. You're welcome to some."
 
"Hmm." Thunderlane rubbed his jaw. "I'll try anything once. Rainbow?"
 
"I'll try anything twice. Let's give this a shot."
 
"Great!" I carefully rinsed my shoes in the sink and turned them upside down to drain. "I'm going to take a quick shower. After that, let's see what we can make."
 



 
"So, you're saying that if they're under the net they're offsides, but if they're above the net, they're fine?"
 
"Right!" Thunderlane slammed his empty bottle of cider down, and glanced regretfully at the clock. "Hey, Wes, it's been real, but I gotta get going. Thanks for the cragodile; it was something else."
 
"Not too bad, huh?" I grinned. It was halfway between fish and pork, much tastier and tenderer than I’d expected. I'd cut it thin and fried it as steaks. Rainbow and Thunderlane had devoured it eagerly, though they'd had plenty of salad too. Meat wasn't something they made a habit of; more of a treat. Like I considered ice-cream.
 
"Yup! Hey, you should wake the boss. She'll give everypony a headache if she gets a crick in her neck from sleeping like that." I glanced over to my couch; Rainbow had crashed after supper and was snoring soundly, all four legs straight up in the air and wings flat out to the sides. If she hadn't been making so much noise, I'd have been tempted to draw X's on her eyes.
 
"Sure." I walked him to the door. After he was gone, I turned back to my snoozing guest. "Rainbow, wake up!" She waved her legs weakly, and snored a bit louder. "Rainbow!" Nothing.
 
I thought for a moment, before a grin spread across my face. I scooped up the pepper pot and pinched some out, sprinkling it on her nose as she snored.
 
"Snrk. Mnmnmnm. Ah. Ahhhhh." She inhaled deeply, and paused. I took another pinch, but it turned out I didn't need it. "ACHOOOO!" Her sneeze flipped her off the couch; she spun through the air, and landed flat on the floor.  I watched, shocked and slightly horrified; I hadn't expected that much effect.
 
"Ouch." She stumbled to her feet. "How'd I get on the floor?" She rubbed her eyes. "Wow, Wes. I had the weirdest dream."
 
"Really?" I nonchalantly hid the pepper pot behind my back. "Did something explode?"
 
"Hey." She narrowed her eyes. "How'd you know?"
 
"Lucky guess?" I edged towards the table.
 
"You're acting weird."
 
"Um-" I wracked my brain for an explanation, but she didn't want to hear it; she tackled me. I leaned back, trying to dodge and not spill pepper everywhere, but she caught me easily. I had my hands behind my back, trying to cushion my landing, so she simply pinned my shoulders. I lost my grip. The pepper-pot rolled slowly away.
 
"Hey!" She saw the offending spice. "You pranked me! In my sleep?"
 
"Well-"
 
"Oooo, and I never got you back for scaring me!" She glared at me. "Fine! Take this!"
 
"Wha-" I tensed, as she flared her wings. My eyes widened in horror as I realized what she intended.  "No, please-" My pleading cut off as she lowered her feathers, ruffling them gently against my sides.
 
"Ahahahaahaha!" I gasped. I wasn't normally ticklish, but I hadn't needed to defend myself against a tickle attack for quite a while. Giggling helplessly, I struggled for purchase, but I'd effectively trapped myself. I finally managed to squirm under the table and curl up so she couldn't get at my sides.
 
"Hey, stop hiding!" She stuck her nose in after me. I flicked it with a finger. "Owch!" I smirked, trying to regain my breath. "Fine!" She withdrew. "Since you won't come out, I'll find a reason to make you. Hmmm." I rubbed my sore sides. "Oh, I know. I'll read your journal."
 
"Huh?" I poked my head out. Rainbow flopped down on my couch. "I don't have a journal."
 
"Really?" She shot me a lofty glare. "Explain this, then." She waved a slim, cloth-bound volume.
 
"That's not mine!"
 
"Of course it's not," she said disdainfully, before cracking the cover and skimming the contents.
 
"No, really!"
 
"Mmmhmm."
 
I lay on my back for a moment, debating emerging. If I was quick, I might be able to dodge her next strike. Maybe even turn the tables. But was she ticklish?
 
"Pfft." I glanced out. She was giggling at something she'd read.
 
"Honestly, Rainbow. That was left at the library by a pegasus filly. You shouldn't read other ponies journals!"
 
"Hmm."
 
"Seriously, how would you feel? And do you know any light-coated teenagers? Maybe pinkish, or light tan, with a curly mane?"
 
"Haha, nope. But if this journal is anything to go by, look for a ridiculously attractive stallion leaving a trail of dead bodies, because he's headed to save her."
 
"Huh?"
 
"Oh, and she's just as lethal. Her cutie mark lets her copy other ponies talents."
 
"Is that even possible?"
 
"No idea. She may also be a millennia old vampire?"
 
"What on earth…"
 
"And the seventh element of harmony."
 
"Wait…" A few pieces fell into place in my head. "She's writing fanfiction? On the Elements of Harmony?"
 
"Huh." Rainbow snapped the book closed. "I guess?" She smirked. "It's hilariously bad, though. You should read it."
 
"Uh, no thanks." I decided to take my chances, and crawled out from under the table. Rainbow tensed, but I raised my hands in surrender. "I give, I give! Look, I was just trying to wake you up, because Thunderlane thought you might want to sleep in your own bed!"
 
"Pfft. Fine, Ok. I'll let you go, just this once." She gave me a hard glare. "But next time, I'm tickling you until you forget how to breathe."
 
"Next time, I'll fight back." I wiggled my fingers at her.
 
"Bring it." She stuck her tongue out at me.
 
"Right back at ya." I pointed. "My window's always open."
 
"Hah. Maybe I will." She yawned. "Anyways, Wes, it's been fun."
 
"Yeah, thanks for dropping by, Rainbow. See you later?"
 
"Sure thing." She stepped up to the windowsill, and with a flip of her wings, was gone. I looked down at the slim journal, and sighed.
 
"Sorry." I spoke to no-one in particular, shrugging. "it wasn't intentional." Conscience assuaged, I headed to bed. I was headed into the Everfree tomorrow and needed my rest.

> 37 - Wander
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're learning the synth?" Luna placed a stone. We'd compromised on board games and were playing Go. It was strategically rich compared to checkers, but wasn't a parallel like chess. It only had two rules so remembering wasn't a problem. We were both amateurs but learning fast, though we still played on a smaller board.
 
"Yup." The board was floating in the air. We sat on a cloud, hovering far above a bright blue ocean. For once it was day in the dream, bright yellow sun streaming down on all sides. "I'm at least trying. Lyra claims music theory will help me learn her fighting techniques."
 
"Fascinating." 

I nodded and made a move.
 
"I just wish I could remember more." I grimaced as Luna took several stones. "There was some really cool synth music back on Earth, which would be neat to bring over."
 
"Wouldn't that be cheating?"
 
"I don't think so." I shrugged. "In all I do, I stand on the shoulders of giants. Why should I feel any different about music?"
 
"Hmm." She nodded. "Fair enough. Is human music beautiful?"
 
"Erm. Well, lots of it was pretty awful, but that's true of most things." I shrugged. "There were definitely masterpieces. But once we started recording and selling it to everyone, there was just so much of it. More good, but lots more bad. Still, I had sounds I liked, and I followed them."
 
"I see."
 
"Do you play any instruments?" I frowned at the board, considering my strategy.
 
"Most of them."
 
"Huh?"
 
"There are only a few base skills to playing an instrument. You need to know what sounds to make, and then you need to know how to make your instrument produce those. If you're skilled at music, after you learn a half-dozen instruments or so, the rest follow fairly naturally." I stared at her, jaw slack. "Synthesizers may be more complicated, since they have far fewer restrictions than, say, a flute."
 
"Dang." I swallowed, placing a stone. "How are you so…so normal, despite having thousands of years of life experience behind you?"
 
"I'm not so different from you." She shook her head and made another move.
 
"What?"
 
"You stand on the shoulders of giants." She shrugged. "I've built myself up, but if I'd learned more from others, I might be further yet. A smart pony learns from their mistakes. A wise pony learns from the mistakes of others. You've taken the better course, in many ways."
 
"Huh."
 
"You know, memories are much easier to recall in dreams, due to the subconscious connection."
 
"Huh?"
 
"You spoke of recalling music. You might remember some here. Consider this dreamscape." She waved a hoof at the wrinkled blue ocean and the fluffy clouds. "You remember flying at least once." She frowned. "Which is a little odd, considering your winglessness."
 
"We had machines for that." I rubbed my jaw, thinking. "I thought this was your dreamscape."
 
"No." She quirked an eyebrow. "You said my dreamscape was 'boring'. It doesn't change easily. So tonight we're in your head."
 
"Oh." I thought about that for a minute. "Mind if we pause the game? Let's play with this a bit."
 
"Not at all." She dropped the stone she was holding and the board vanished.
 
"OK." I cast my thoughts back, trying to grasp some half-remembered thing. Finally, my mind settled on what seemed like a fitting and useful test. I drew a deep breath and intoned:
 
"Three times Randolph Carter dreamed of the marvelous city, and three times was he snatched away while still he paused on the high terrace above it." As I spoke, the ocean beneath us vanished and stone appeared beneath our feet, the transition deceptively soft in the manner of dreams.
 
"All golden and lovely it blazed in the sunset, with walls, temples, colonnades and arched bridges of veined marble, silver-basined fountains of prismatic spray in broad squares and perfumed gardens, and wide streets marching between delicate trees and blossom-laden urns and ivory statues in gleaming rows; while on steep northward slopes climbed tiers of red roofs and old peaked gables harboring little lanes of grassy cobbles." The city was now becoming visible, shaped from mist in the red glow of a sudden sunset. The green grass, golden stone, and white ornaments solidified as I continued.
 
"It was a fever of the gods, a fanfare of supernal trumpets and a clash of immortal cymbals. Mystery hung about it as clouds about a fabulous unvisited mountain; and as Carter stood breathless and expectant on that balustraded parapet there swept up to him the poignancy and suspense of almost-vanished memory, the pain of lost things and the maddening need to place again what once had been an awesome and momentous place." I stopped, letting the atmosphere of the words finish shaping the scene. When it was done, I felt a cool breeze brush past, and grinned. The city, beautiful and inviting, rolled out below me just as I'd envisioned it. We were standing at the top of a high spire, overlooking the whole thing.
 
"Wow. That really worked." I looked out over an unmistakable dreamscape. I'd been able to recall both the words and what I'd originally felt reading.
 
"What is this?" Luna gazed over the city. "It's beautiful. But…empty?"
 
"It's from a book on Earth."  She walked towards the stairs, but I stopped her. "In the story, he never explores it in his dream."
 
"But this isn't his dream; it's yours."
 
"Well, sure." I shrugged. "But we can quest for unknown Kadath later. For now, let's have some music."
 



 
<"No up, no down, emotion gone."> I hummed as I walked down the path. Luna and I had spent most of the night grooving. I'd introduced her to disco floors, something I'd always wanted to actually try. <"No blood, no soul, automaton.">
 
Despite not understanding English, Luna enjoyed the experiment. It had even worked, to some extent; in my dream, I'd been able to summon the music I was thinking of, usually just by humming it. I even woke up with a song stuck in my head.
 
Unfortunately, the dream was mostly blurry and unclear on waking. Even songs I'd replayed several times were smeared. I did remember dancing on the roof of Canterlot Castle, though. Luna had recalled classical music, too, once even summoning something like a zither and performing it herself. I'd responded with what I remembered of Earth's greats, and she'd enjoyed them as well, at home with both Metallica and Mozart. I even conjured a karaoke machine, and we sang for a while.
 
Still, even if I did manage to remember I couldn't play anything until I built my synth and learned to play.
 
So I was headed into the Everfree. I planned to visit the Caverns of Shade and Sound and come back with supplies for Vinyl and myself. I carried an overnight bag, a sample hammer, and a chisel.
 
I stopped as I heard voices on the path up ahead.
 
"Why would he spend time with you? He's waaaaay to cool for your stupid club!"
 
"Hey! We're not stupid! He was totally fine with joining our club!"
 
"Yeah! He's got the cape and everything!"
 
"What? Why would he even do that?"
 
"Um, hello?" I came around the bend, announced myself, and tried to assess the scene. On one side of the path, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were arrayed in adventuring outfits; khaki blouses with pith helmets. They looked adorable. On the other side stood a slightly older pegasus, light pink, with a curly cream mane. Her cutie mark was a blossom of some sort. I saw the match immediately. "Oh, my mysterious savior," I nodded to her, "and my fellow Crusaders. What's up?"
 
"See?" Scootaloo said triumphantly. "He does so hang out with us!"
 
"Of course." I had no idea why they'd been fighting about me, but there was no way I'd turn against my compatriots. I swept my canvas hat off my head, displaying the 'cape' I'd been given tied underneath as a bandana. "As you can see, I'm a bona fide, cape-wearing member of the Cru."
 
"Oh." The pegasus seemed nonplussed.
 
"Anyways, I never got your name. You are…?"
 
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I'm Cherry Blossom."
 
"Nice to meet you." I held out a fist, which she tapped gingerly. "You accidently left a book with me last time. If you want it back, feel free to drop by."
 
"Really? I can come visit? To your house?" Her eyes widened in excitement and she hopped up and down slightly.
 
"Sure." I was a little surprised by the enthusiasm, but ignored it. "After supper might be best? I'll return your book."
 
"You…" She looked down abashedly. "You didn't read it, did you?"
 
"Of course not," I replied firmly. And you have no need to know about Dash.
 
"Oh. Good!" She sighed, relieved.
 
"Anyways, what are you three working on?" I turned to the CMC.
 
"We're going to try cragodile hunting!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "We think that might work!"
 
"Hmm." I rubbed my jaw. No good telling them not to try, but maybe I could re-direct them into a safer path. "Then what are you doing out here?"
 
"Huh?" Scootaloo gave me a flat look. "What do you mean?"
 
"Isn't the nearest cragodile at Sugarcube Corner?"
 
"Hmmm." Apple Bloom thought for a second. "Oh! You mean Gummy!" The three shared a look. "That might be a bit easier."
 
"I just thought you might want the closest one." I shrugged. "And he is a real cragodile. So I'm sure it would count."
 
"Ok!" The three clapped hooves and yelled "Let's go!" before piling into their wagon and zipping off. I sighed in relief. I would have had to drag their sisters into it if that hadn't worked.
 
"Anyways, Cherry, I'm headed into the Everfree for the weekend. I'll be back by Monday, if you want your book back." I nodded to her and set off down the path.
 



 
I was being stalked.
 
I moved quietly. It was still an hour or more to the Caverns, but I'd been making good time.
 
 I'd been using magical sensing to keep myself out of trouble for the whole hike. Now I sensed several auras behind me, matching my pace. I palmed my horn and thought.
 
At Lyra's urging, I'd disguised Splinter's horn. It was wrapped in a square of silk and wound with silver wire. I'd tied it to a strap and it hung from my wrist. I thought of it as a wand. I'd even been considering fabricating a solid metal case. I figured Rarity had the tools; she'd lent me the use of her workshop, the wire and the cloth.
 
I snarled in annoyance as one of the presences swung forward, trying to cut me off, herding me towards the cliffs. By now I had some idea what I was up against so I found a clearing and took a stand.
 
Sure enough, soon after I stopped moving, my aggressors showed. Timberwolves. I sighed. This was troublesome. Not very dangerous, but definitely annoying. I shrugged my backpack off and set it on the ground nearby.
 
The pack started to move in, snarling and posturing. I affected an attitude of indifference, pretending nonchalance. Their approach slowed at my confident display.
 
Just a bit closer…
 
I was about ready to start my counter when I heard a pony yell.
 
"Yaaaaaaaaaah!"
 
"Cherry Blossom!" I yelled in exasperation as a familiar cream-maned filly dived towards a Timberwolf. Not just any wolf either, but the Alpha, a big, gnarled Oak. "Bad, bad, bad idea!" I grumbled, even as I leaped to the rescue.
 
One hand fell to my pack, grasping a firebrand. My other slipped into my pocket and seized my lighter. I'd taken advantage of Rarity's generosity with her workshop to knock off an imitation zippo. I flicked it open and lit it all in one smooth movement. The brand ignited with a whoomph, and the wooden creatures took a step back. I flicked the torch out before me, the flame roaring at the movement. The circle widened again, but not far enough to keep them out of my reach. I dove forward, targeting the Alpha as he snapped at Cherry, coming away with a few feathers.
 
The plucky little filly was brave, if silly. She lashed back at the timberwolf, managing to throw it several feet. I struck as it landed, beating it with my torch.
 
I'd made these firebrands out of a thick branch of green wood dipped in pitch. I'd alternated layers of pitch with scraps of cotton, ensuring the whole thing would burn brightly and for a good length.
 
It also meant they were basically clubs with a sticky, napalm-like blob on the end. With every hit I landed on the Alpha I left behind a patch of blazing pitch. In seconds he was burning in a half-dozen places. I even heard something crack.
 
The fight left him pretty quick.
 
The whole pack, seeing we weren't about to roll over and die, turned tail and ran. As soon as the danger was past I carefully extinguished my torch and turned to my feathery follower.
 
"Cherry Blossom, you have got to stop doing this!" I thundered. Just like last time, my disapproval crushed her.  I sighed as her wings and head drooped to the ground and she started sniffling.
 
"I-I just wanted to help." I rubbed my eyes, trying to sort out my thoughts. Finally, I knelt by her and offered a gentle hug.
 
"And I appreciate that. But, I'm not helpless. I'm perfectly capable of defending myself and in all honesty, if you got seriously hurt trying to help me, I would be devastated. Just…I dunno, let me take care of myself." When her sniffling didn't stop, I was a little worried. "Hey, you OK?"
 
"I…I think I hurt my wing."
 
"Figures." I tried to hide my disapproval, but she quailed at my voice. I had no idea why my attention meant so much to this filly, but I mentally kicked myself for a lack of self-control. "Sorry. Ok, let me see." I sat down cross legged on the grass so I could get a closer look. "Which one?"
 
"Left." Her voice was very small.
 
"Can you spread it?" She tried, and actually got pretty good extension. But it was clear the wolf had broken important feathers; there was a visible gap, and traces of blood. "It looks like he took a bite at you and got mostly fluff. I bet there are nasty scratches underneath. Let me get my first aid supplies." I shuffled in my pack for a minute and came up with a wrap, some gauze, and antiseptic. "Hold still." I carefully parted her downy feathers and cleaned the wound as best I could. It was no more than a nasty scratch, but it probably stung like crazy. She was silent through the whole process, but shivered as I swabbed her wing with salve.
 
"That's not too bad." I attached a gauze pad, using the wrap to secure it as well as I could. "Is it uncomfortable? The cut should sting less as the salve kicks in."
 
"It's Ok."
 
"Hmmm." I rubbed my jaw. "So, um. What are you doing out here, anyways?"
 
"I…" Her voice faded away.
 
"Huh?"
 
"I just…want to be your friend."
 
"Um." I stopped, unsure of what to say. "But…following me into the Everfree?"
 
"Sorry." She hung her head. "It was pretty silly, wasn't it?"
 
"Yeah." I sighed. "Does your wing hurt too much to fly on?"
 
"It's ok…but it's unbalanced." She bit her lip. "I have spare feathers; I might fly, after getting it imped. But…they're at home."
 
"Well, Ok." I thought for a minute. As silly as her flying out here had been, being grounded was worse. I couldn't just leave her here. "You have got to stay with me. Do you understand? You're stuck with me now. Stay in my sight at all times. Got it?"
 
"Yes." She meekly bowed her head.
 
"Uh." I scratched my head in thought. "When do you need to be back?" It might be a bad idea, but if we hurried, we had time to make a quick visit to the Caves. I would have to forego my planned exploration, but I might be able to gather the stone I needed.
 
"Dark."
 
"Well…if you're Ok with it, maybe we can continue on a bit, before turning back? I'm gathering supplies, and if you don't mind coming, I think I have time."
 
"Ok!" She perked up immediately and gave me a big smile. "Let's go! It will be an adventure."
 
"I hope not," I said, with heartfelt emotion as I picked up my pack. "Walk with me, then. I'm curious; what did you mean when you said you'd have your wing imped?"
 



 
"No, I meant, does anypony use something besides a real feather? Like, an artificial one, or-oh! Here we are." I nodded to the entrance to the Caves. Imping, as it turned out, was a particularly pegasus medical treatment, where broken feathers could be fixed by 'grafting' a new one in. A splint was glued into the hollow shaft, and a replacement feather could be attached. Most saved feathers from molting. They worked just as well as new if the graft was done right and would be lost normally at the next molt.
 
"Ooo, cool!" Cherry pranced forwards, eagerly examining the door in the crevice. I scrutinized it before opening it, ensuring that none of my safeguards had been displaced; everything seemed in order, so anything nasty would have come up from the caves.
 
I paused at that thought.
 
"Cherry, I'm going to open this door, but I'm not certain it's safe. I want you to step behind the cliff and wait a moment. It should be fine, but I want you out of the way while I double-check. And if something is wrong, do not try to help."
 
"But-"
 
"Cherry!"
 
"Fine."
 
I cracked the door slowly, listening. Nothing. I used my wand; background magic, only. I flung the door wide and stepped back. No response. I sighed, taking a good look around the guardhouse. I examined the trapdoor and cracked it wide; a few strains of music escaped.
 
"What's that noise?"
 
"The caves. Wait a minute, I'm not done." I checked the wood pile I'd left behind and the fireplace but found nothing, not even a snake. "Ok, you're good. Come on in."
 
"Coooool!" The young mare gawked In wonder as she nosed around. I closed the door after us and pulled two glass jars out of my pack, placing them on the mantle. They glowed with a silvery, moonlight radiance, giving the room an unearthly sheen.
 
"What are those?"
 
"Dried flowers from a dusk-blooming chokevine," I answered absently, while I fastened the door securely. "They absorb natural magic and use it to glow in the dark."
 
"They're beautiful."
 
"Thanks." I'd made them myself, cautiously gathering full blooms from the dangerous plants in the forest and drying them carefully before packing them into glass phials and sealing the lids tightly. As long as I'd done my work well, they ought to glow for years, fueled only by ambient magic.
 
"Cherry, I'm going into the caves for a half-hour or so. You stay here and wait for me." I set out some of my food; since I wasn't camping, I wouldn't need it. "If you get hungry, eat this. There's water over there." I waved to the cask I'd left last time. "If you get bored, you can play with my experiment over there." I nodded to my proto-synth. "You okay with that?" She nodded and I turned to the trapdoor, one of the bloom jars in my hand. "Thanks. I'll be back soon."
 



 
The flashing caught my attention.
 
I looked at my watch, and found the alarm I'd set for leaving was going off, the night-light blinking warning. I sighed and turned back to the entrance.
 
I'd managed to find a good-sized stalactite. It hadn't taken long to knock down. However, the hammering meant the Caverns were vibrating fiercely. I would be glad to hear again, but I'd been mapping and may have found the entrance to another section. Which would have been much more exciting if I'd had the whole weekend to explore.
 
No way to know now, though.
 
I'd also found several quartz crystals. None as nice as the one I'd tricked Rarity into buying, but Vinyl would still be excited. The harder rock had much better audio properties.
 
"Cherry?" I climbed out of the trapdoor, and let it fall closed. For a second I was afraid she'd gone, but quickly realized I still had earplugs in. I tweaked them out.
 
I turned, hearing a tinkling noise behind me. The young pegasus was picking notes out on my experimental instrument, staring blankly into the distance.
 
"Cherry?" She started as I nudged her. "I'm back. We need to get moving."
 
"Ok." She gave the instrument a regretful look.
 
"You can keep that, if you like." I offered. She lit up immediately. "I'll carry it for you." I tucked the framework into my pack, carefully placing it on top of the stone, wrapped in blanket in an attempt to muffle it. It seemed to be work. She yawned. I retrieved the second bloom jar and led the way out into the bright sunlight.
 



 
An hour or so later, I noticed she was limping slightly.
 
I mentally cursed myself; what had I been thinking? Of course she wasn't used to hiking for hours. Besides being a child, she was a pegasus!
 
"Do your feet hurt?"
 
"I'm Ok!"
 
"Listen." I stopped. "Cherry, I've been trying to make this clear for a while now, but I don't want you to hurt yourself! Be honest, now; do your feet hurt?"
 
"A bit."
 
"Hmmm." I checked the sky. I hadn't factored breaks into our trip. If we stopped often, we wouldn't make it back before dark. We could probably make Zecora's, but I didn't want to ask a filly to stay overnight at somepony else's house. Besides, her parents expected her. "No help for it." I shrugged. "I'll carry you."
 
"Huh?"
 
"We need to move faster than this. Unless it really bothers you, I'll give you a piggyback ride. We should make better time, and you'll be able to get off your hooves."
 
"O-oh."
 
"Um…if you really don't want to, we can keep walking."
 
"N-no. It's ok."
 
"Hold still, then." I carefully picked her up and slung her over my shoulders in what would have been a fireman carry for a human. Her feathers tickled my neck. I'd carefully placed her hurt wing outwards. She was lighter than I expected, being a pegasus, but still wasn’t a trivial burden. I wouldn't have tried this with Applejack. At least not for a three-hour hike. "You Ok?" I turned my head; her nose brushed mine.
 
"Yeah." She spoke softly into my ear. "I'll be Ok."
 
"Off we go, then. Tell me if you need a break."
 



 
"Well, I did not expect that."
 
We stood in front of Ponyville. I'd carried Cherry out of the Everfree, putting her down when we neared the village after confirming her hooves were feeling better. The whole way she'd bombarded me with questions about humans. I'd answered with short breaths, trying to conserve my energy for hiking, but she'd continued insistently.
 
Ponyville, however, wasn't very welcoming today. For some reason a huge dome covered the whole thing. I thumped it with my fist. Thrumming ripples spread from the impact.
 
I waited, but nothing happened.
 
"Stay here…or, actually, hide." I motioned for Cherry to get out of sight. "We have an hour or so before sundown. I'm going to circle to the left a bit; maybe there's a way in elsewhere. If not, we're going to Zecora's. She'll put us up for the night if need be." I slipped my pack off, setting it beside her.
 
"I want to come too!"
 
"How are your hooves? We have more walking to do later."
 
"They're feeling better…"
 
"I'm going to jog. Can you keep up?"
 
"I'll stay." She hung her head, disappointed.
 
You're waaaay to focused on me… I set off at a light jog, planning to cover as much as I could as fast as I could. While I ran, I tried to puzzle out Cherry's actions. They just didn't make sense to me. She followed me around, interfered in my business, but was crushed by my disapproval and practically floated on a kind word? What was going on here? I studied the town as I ran, freed from the weight of my pack. Still need to take up jogging.
 



 
"Did you find anything?" Cherry greeted me with a smile and wave as I returned.
 
"Nope." I shrugged. "But there are decorations strung up, something about 'The Great and Powerful Trixie.'"
 
"Oh." She made a glum face. "Her."
 
"I'm sensing a story here."
 
"Well, here's what happened last time…"
 



 
"So, wait. Tell me more about these star-beasts."
 
I'd been shocked by the description. I always looked for parallels between Equestria and the Earth I knew, trying to deduce the resographical connections, but this was particularly strong one. An Ursa Major and Minor? Even my scant knowledge of Earth constellations pinged at that.
 
"Sorry, that's all I know." Cherry hung her head, shamefaced.
 
"Oh. Well, nevermind then. Um." I wracked my brain, looking for a different topic of conversation. "Uh, last time, when we escaped that alleyway together, you wanted to ask me something, but Twilight interrupted. What was that?" I recalled her shoving her journal into my hands, and stammering a question, right before disappearing.
 
"Oh! Well…" She paused, nervously glancing around. "I was wondering if you could write down some human names for me."
 
"Like, a human version of your pony name?"
 
"Oh! That would be really cool! But…I actually meant just some names that humans use. Your name, Wesley, is different from pony names, and I thought that was way cool. But does my name have a human version?"
 
"Actually, it kinda does." I rubbed my jaw, thinking. "See, there are lots of different languages in the human countries. Most human names come from another language, so while they do have meanings, they're much more obscure. My name actually means 'of the west field'. There's a language where Cherry Blossom is a name. I don't know much, but I think I know the word for it."
 
"Really? What is it?" She bounced a few steps, excited.
 
"Sakura. Maybe. If I remember right."
 
"Oooooo." She grinned, hugely pleased with the name. "So! Call me Sakura from now on."
 
"If you insist." I waved. "There's Zecora's firelight ahead. We're almost there." The forest was starting to grow dim; we were right on the edge of dangerous territory. But we'd made it, and nothing would bother us at Zecora's. As I turned, she stumbled and fell, landing heavily.
 
"Owch!" She climbed slowly to her feet.
 
"Are you Ok?" I looked down, worriedly. I'd pushed her a lot farther than a young pegasus was used to.
 
"Phooey." She brushed herself with her good wing. "I got leaves in my mane." She smiled demurely up at me. "Pick them out for me?" She arched her neck, inviting my assistance. I almost complied, but something stayed my hand.
 
Didn't Rarity say something about this…? I cast my thoughts back, to when I'd saunaed with Rarity. We'd spent a while discussing the difference between human courtship and pony courtship. Some things were the same; giving flowers and candy, for instance. Some things were very different. Hugs could be very casual for ponies. On the other hand, grooming, especially grooming a mane….suddenly, the way Cherry Blossom had been acting all day snapped into focus.
 
She has a crush on me. I froze, mind whirling. I had no idea how to deal with this. I wasn't a 'smooth operator'. I didn't think of myself as loquacious or eloquent, although I knew I could turn a phrase occasionally. I had very little experience with romance; my one attempt, back on Earth, had been an unmitigated disaster, and I'd avoided it since, waiting until I was a bit more mature. I didn't want to hurt Cherry, but I didn't want to send mixed messages, either.
 
"Isn't that a little…forward?" She deflated at my words. I winced; she'd obviously been psyching herself up, and my rejection hit her hard.
 
"Um-um-um-"
 
I dropped to one knee, and hugged her, both for comfort and to make sure she didn't bolt.
 
"Listen, Sakura." With a some effort, I picked her up like a child, and carried her towards Zecora's. "I don't know what you're feeling about me. But I want to be clear on this. I'm not getting involved in anything like that while I'm in Ponyville."
 
"But I just want to be part of your herd!" She mumbled into my shoulder. I nearly dropped her in shock. Resolving to investigate that idea later, I knocked on Zecora's door with my foot.
 
"Hello? Any zebras at this residence?"
 
"Oh, my far-flung friend." Zecora stuck her head out. "You've also been excluded from Ponyville?"
 
"Also?"
 
"Indeed. Come in, bring the filly, have some soup, and we four outcasts will hold council."
 
I stepped inside and found Twilight sitting by the fire. I gently set Cherry Blossom down and nodded to her. "Bad day?"
 
"You have no idea." She rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you later. But let's eat; my stomach's killing me." I nodded and joined the circle. Of course there would be enough. Zecora always had enough.
 



 
"So you plan to con her?"
 
It was late in the evening. The fire had burnt down completely; only coals were left. Zecora had piled our dirty dishes in the sink with her alchemical equipment, and curled up in the loft. Sakura had been tucked into the bed; Twilight and I were sitting by the fireplace, wrapped in blankets, conversing by the dull glow.
 
"Yeah. Flutttershy headed back into town. She'll alert the others."
 
"Cool."
 
"You really think so?"
 
"Hay yeah!" I crossed my arms. "There's no shame in using everything at your disposal. The ends do not justify the means, but 'fighting fair' is for chumps." I shrugged. "This seems fine to me. I mean, honestly; she's cheating with her booster thingamajig. Wonder how that works?"
 
"Beats me, but it's the real deal. Age spells are ridiculously difficult; I've barely touched geromancy."
 
"Huh." I glanced at the young pegasus, sleeping soundly. "So, I told you about Cherry Blossom. But I didn't mention the oddest thing that happened." I rubbed my eyes. "All day, I was trying to figure out why she was acting the way she did. Right before we got here, I think I figured it out. She-"
 
"She's got a crush on you."
 
I stared at Twilight, slack-jawed.
 
"What? How did you know?"
 
"Puh-lease, Wes. It's obvious from how she looks at you." She frowned. "She is a sweetie. You'd better not break her heart, Wesley Kilmer."
 
"I'll do my best to be kind." I shrugged, and sighed. "As we came down the path, she asked me to groom her mane."
 
"Ooo." Twilight frowned. "I'm surprised you caught that, honestly. You're pretty clueless."
 
"Pff, thanks. But, well, you're right. I only caught on because Rarity and I discussed it once. I brushed her off." I paused, as Twilight's eyes widened. "I mean, I brushed off her feelings, not her mane. She was really disappointed."
 
"No surprise there," she sighed, "but it's better than stringing her along. You're serious about not seeing ponies like that, right? You've said so several times."
 
"Totally." I nodded decisively. "The most I want from any pony is snuggles and friendship." I frowned. "Does that sort of thing happen much? Relationships between…well, <xenos>?"
 
"On and off." She waved a hoof. "It's not exactly common. But here and there."
 
"Huh." I thought of the second thing Sakura had said, and winced. "Um, this might be an awkward question, but after that, she mentioned something about…herds. Was she talking about…"
 
"Basically a marriage." Twilight shrugged. "But with more than two participants."
 
"Oh." I poked the fire. "Is that common?"
 
"Not so much anymore, but it still happens here and there. Ponies haven’t needed to focus on survival as much for the past thousand or so years, so things have slowly changed. I don't think it will die out, though; at least, not until somepony stops the rumors about the Royal Guard being full of handsome stallions because it’s Celestia's personal…well. Does the idea bother you? Surely it's not completely foreign. English has words for it, right? <Polyamory, harem>."
 
"<Harem> is not really the same…" I stopped, considering. "Well, most people-" don't do that, I almost said. But that was a very America-centered opinion. Lots of the world did do it, right? And America, of all places, had fringe groups. I frowned. Also, some of the people I'd met in school… "Actually, you know what? I guess it happened back on Earth just about as much, or maybe even more? But in my culture, there was a pretty strong taboo."
 
"Why?"
 
"Tradition, I guess." I shrugged. "I never really considered it. Although, now I do…" I thought of the way things often went for the guys I knew who tried maintaining several relationships at once. "You know what? I think most of the people I knew were just really bad at it."
 
"How so?"
 
"Like…" I waved a hand vaguely. "Mostly, it fell apart in pretty short order. It just doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Though, to be fair, a lot of them weren't very serious about relationships, either."
 
"It does take a lot of investment, from everypony involved. Still, it has advantages." Twilight yawned. "Anyways, I’m bushed." She gave me a soulful look. "Do you want some pony snuggles?"
 
"Well, I won't say no." I curled up in my blanket and we set our backs against each other, sharing what warmth was left from the fire as we drifted off to sleep

> 38 - Letters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, wow."
 
Vinyl gazed at the lump of limestone I placed on her table. It sung softly to itself.
 
"Thirteen pounds of singing stone. Think that will be enough for your projects?"
 
"Wooooooow."
 
"Vinyl?"
 
"Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow."
 
"Lyra, is she OK?"
 
"Give her a minute. She'll be fine."
 
"Woooow. Wooooow."
 
"Only, I thought she might want to see the quartz I found." Vinyl's head snapped around as I extracted the rock crystal from my pack and unwrapped each piece to a chorus of soft notes. "I think these sound better, but they're harder to find. I thought we could build my synth around them."
 
"Yes. Oh, yes. Oh, this is going to be great." Vinyl pulled out her scratchpad and laid it on the table in front of us. "Let's start planning this out. I want to make the coolest synth ever."
 
"Didn't you do that last time?"
 
"So?"
 



 
 "This is for your project with Vinyl and Lyra?"
 
"Yeah." I was in Twilight's lab, a half-dozen calibration tools and measuring devices scattered across the workbench. The link glowed gently in my mind; I was carefully borrowing a small stream of magic from Twilight. The core of the synth, an array of singing stones about the size of a laptop, hovered in the air over the bench.
 
I was painstakingly engraving sympathy spells into the array, following the patterns Vinyl had provided. She'd been surprised when I told her I could do the magic myself, but Lyra had reassured her and she'd acquiesced with a smile. I didn't even really need Twilight's help, but her assistance let me accomplish a week's work in a fraction of the time.
 
Vinyl, like every pony I'd learned from, was a genius in her own way. The three of us planned out a synth that should work very well, and since it was built around singing stone, also sound excellent. I didn't understand all the technical advantages that excited her,  but it was interesting enough from a magical and engineering viewpoint.
 
Even though my instrument wasn't done, I'd already started learning some music. Lyra gave me what she called 'ear training', exercises designed to enhance my ability to distinguish notes. I was also memorizing musical notation. According to her, I didn't need to be an expert musician to learn body harmonics. I just needed enough grounding in the basics to get a handle on what was happening when I turned my magic inwards. Mistakes were dangerous, and although my personal magic was extremely limited, even small amounts of energy could hurt.
 
"So, you're learning to cast on your own?"
 
"Kinda." I flipped the core over to start on the next node. Twilight gave me a mental nudge and I adjusted my grip slightly. "I'm really only learning one spell, but it's been tough going."
 
Lyra had added a magic workout to my meditation and training. Since I was using unicorn techniques the progression was natural, but that didn't make it easy. She'd had a hard time learning spell-casting, and I had even less magic.
 
"My current practice is levitating a coin. Despite knowing how to cast, I haven't managed yet."
 
"Well, sure; if you try and remember my skills, it probably won't work. My magic isn't like yours; you'll need to learn the 'feel' of it."
 
"Oh." I frowned. She was carefully double-checking the core. "Is there really such a difference?"
 
"Of course!" She shot me a serious glare. "Magic is part of your body! It would be like learning to walk on different legs."
 
"Heh, we did that."
 
"Hah, yeah."
 
I worked in silence for a minute. Suddenly, a glowing mote appeared next to my wand with a chime, startling me. I paused my work and studied it. It sparkled gently, floating just above the base. I might not have noticed it without the chime.
 
"Twilight, what's this?" I pointed.
 
"Oh. That's…odd. You've got mail."
 
"Mail?"
 
"Yeah, a vivre card. But…" She glanced at me. "I wonder who sent it? You don't have a cutie mark." I shrugged.
 
"How do I open it?"
 
"Just concentrate on it."
 
"Well, that's vague." I frowned, but followed her advice anyways. I looked closely at the mote, willing it to divulge its secrets. A piece of folded parchment materialized with a pop. "Woah. That actually worked."
 
"Duh." Twilight went back to work while I opened my mail.
 
"It's…" I paused, and read through the missive again. "It's from Sunset."
 
"Oh?" Twilight's voice was carefully neutral. I really had no idea what her feelings were on Celestia's former student, and she seemed wary of mine as well.
 
"Yeah. She wants to correspond with me. She sent this using a vivre card for…Splinter."
 
"Oh."
 
"She enclosed some of hers, so I could mail her back."
 
"Hmm."
 
I rubbed my jaw, thinking it over.
 
"I think I will. I mean, I don't know much about her, but I feel I owe her something. Maybe we can be pen-pals."
 
"Sure."
 
"Twilight, what's eating you?"
 
"You should write the Princess, too." She gave me an uncomfortable look. "I mean, don't just get one side of the story. I don't know what happened between the two, but I don't think you should just hear her version."
 
"Well, I have been meaning to write Her Majesty. But I don't think she'll tell me anything about Sunset. We asked, remember?"
 
"Well, Ok. But…I dunno. Don't go judging her. Either of them."
 
"Sure."
 



 
Dear Wes;
 
I apologize, but I will not detail what happened between me and my former student. However, the rest of your letter had some very interesting ideas.
 
Your theory that most differences between Earth and Equus can be traced to me and my sister may be correct. However, while I have definitely had a stagnating impact, I assure you that holding Equestria back has never been my aim.
 
It took decades for me to even notice my impact on culture, and much longer to understand it. My research suggests I mainly encourage stagnation in two ways. The first is the country's stability. I err on the side of peace and unity in my policies. This tends to stifle the market, which would normally be a source of healthy competition. I try to limit my involvement in the economy because of this; Luna was always better at money.
 
The other cause is more subtle. Ponies can be very herd-minded. As a leader, this often works to my advantage. However, the downside is they can be wary or even afraid of exploring avenues I don't explicitly outline. In short, they have trouble innovating. This is a source of endless frustration to me, and a large part of why I started establishing retirement options. Even without a catastrophe, I will probably withdraw eventually, if only because I don't want to do this job forever.
 
I can see your house from up here,
Celestia.
 
P.S. Luna says A8. Are you two playing a game?
 



 
"Hello?"
 
I set my book down and moved to answer the door. I'd been relaxing with a little fiction after supper, but this might be a delivery of synth parts. We just needed a few more pieces to assemble it, and then I could actually practice with it. I could already read music slowly, and I was progressing through the ear training exercises. Frankly, the physical structure was taking longer than the sound engine; we had the body and keys on order from Canterlot. But they couldn't be done yet, could they?
 
I cracked the door open. A light pink pegasus, with a creamy curly mane, stared up at me soulfully with large brown eyes.
 
"Oh, Cherry-" She glowered slightly. "Sorry, Sakura. Come on in." I swung the door open, but as I did, realized she wasn't alone. A dark blue pegasus and a tan unicorn followed her, glancing around nervously and acting a little uncomfortable.
 
"Sorry, it's kinda a mess." I shrugged; my Everfree kit was arrayed around the door, ready for my next expedition. There were a few dishes in the sink, and I had books scattered around the living room. "Feel free to make yourself at home. What can I help you with?"
 
"Um, um, um-" Cherry started mumbling, but the other pegasus nudged her, and stepped forward.
 
"She wanted her journal back," she said flatly. "And we came along because she said you were cool. Do you really eat meat?"
 
"Yeah." I shrugged. "Don't pegasi do that, too?"
 
"But, like, animal meat."
 
"Does cragodile count?" Three sets of eyes went wide at that.
 
"Where do you get cragodile?" The unicorn gasped. "Those things are mean!"
 
"I trapped it myself." I shrugged uncomfortably. "They might be mean, but they're dumber than rocks."
 
"Wicked." The dark-blue pegasus said. "Hey, Cherry says you gave her a human name. Can you give us names, too?"
 
"Is that OK?" I walked over to my bookshelf, and retrieved the journal. I'd placed it on top, out of reach of other inquisitive ponies. Unless they could fly, but still. Two out of three isn't bad. "I mean, I did it on a whim, but…there's not some sort of cultural thing to giving names, is there?"
 
"No." The unicorn gave me a puzzled look. "Where are you from?"
 
"A long, long way off. Trust me." I shrugged. "Ok. What are you called?"
 
"I'm Indigo." The pegasus gave a flip of her mane. She was wearing dark makeup, which I'd thought a little strange, and there were sequins combed into her mane. Maybe she was imitating Luna? She turned, giving me a glimpse of her side; her cutie mark was a closed eye, which looked a little odd. "I'm apprenticed to a landscaper. I prune trees."
 
"Indigo, huh?" I thought a bit. "Do you like shadows?"
 
"She wants to be a bat-pony." Cherry rolled her eyes slightly. "I am of the night!" She exclaimed, gently mocking the darker pegasus.
 
"Hey!" Indigo gave her a harsh look, and glanced at me.
 
"Ok, sorry!" I raised my hands, and they quieted. "Well then, I'll call you Umbra. That means shadow," I think, "in a language called Greek." Or Latin.
 
"And you?" I pointed to the unicorn.
 
"I'm Blackjack." His mark was an ace of spades. "We moved here from Canterlot; my parents used to run a casino, but now they're selling insurance. I love games."
 
"He plays Ogres and Oubliettes." Indigo stuck her nose up. "He's a nerd."
 
"Pff, nothing wrong with that." I thought for a minute. Ogres and Oubliettes sounded like it might be this worlds Dungeons and Dragons. I'd have to investigate that; tabletop RPG's could be a lot of fun. "Ok, then, I'll call you Gygax, after a famous gamer in my country."
 
"What did he play?"
 
"He didn't just play games, he wrote them."
 
"Cool!"
 
"See?" Cherry turned to her friends. "Isn't he awesome?"
 
"Yeah!" Blackjack enthused.
 
"Sure." Indigo answered, nonchalantly.
 
"Ok!" Cherry  exclaimed. "Then it's official! We're now the Wesley Kilmer fanclub! Wooo!" Indigo rolled her eyes slightly, but stamped a hoof a few times to cheer; Blackjack nodded enthusiastically.
 
I froze, dumbfounded. Somehow, one oddly admiring filly had turned into three worshipful teenagers. I don't think I can handle this.
 
"Um, hold on a second." I tried to calm them by waving an arm. "I really, really don't think that's a good idea. See, there's been a pony, or a few ponies maybe, who don't like me around here. For some reason, they're trying to make trouble for me, and I don't want you wrapped up in that."
 
"Oh!" Cherry jumped excitedly. "We can figure out who they are! We can be detectives!"
 
"No. Please." I barely restrained a facepalm, working to keep my voice down. "You don't understand. These ponies might be very bad news. Not all my enemies are as soft and cuddly as cragodiles. Cherry Blossom!" I fixed her with a glare; she froze. "Remember what I said about you getting hurt?" She nodded. "Good. Please don't do that." I handed her journal to her, and ushered them towards the door. I needed time to think on this.
 
"I wonder if he really has nine dee twelve hit dice?" I heard Blackjack say, as they trotted off.
 
I wish. I rolled my eyes, and went back to my book. Maybe I could figure this out as I hiked tomorrow.
 



 
Wesley Kilmer
 
I can see my resographical calculations must have been in error. The idea that Sombra was able to both create and isolate an island dimension is, frankly, astonishing to me. However, what you've told me dovetails with parts of my theory that I had not previously explored.
 
Thank you for sharing this information with me; I think it will advance my research considerably.
 
As for Celestia, that is not something we really need to re-hash. I hope I have put it behind me; if I am fortunate, it will remain that way. I appreciate your concern, however.
 
Every day ends with a
Sunset.
 



 
"Ready…Set…GO!"
 
I leaped out of my runners start, sprinting as quickly as I could. Beside me, Scootaloo's wings buzzed. I held the lead for a split second, but she quickly pulled ahead.
 
It was a bright, sunny day and we were racing.
 
I watched as the energetic filly swung a hard left, where the road Tee'd before a row of houses. I marked my path visually and kept straight.
 
To my left, I heard the scooter recede. I hit the wall, ran three steps up, and vaulted onto the roof. I crossed that in two long-legged leaps and tumbled into the backyard, cushioning my fall with a roll. Meanwhile, Scoots rounded the end of the block and started back towards me.
 
I scanned my surroundings quickly, picking my next path.
 
This had started after talking to Lyra about jogging. I hadn't been motivated, but I'd mentioned it to the Crusaders, and Scootaloo promptly challenged me.
 
At first, I'd lost. Badly. It wasn't surprising, since the little pegasus reached nearly thirty miles an hour on her machine. It was like racing a small dirtbike.
 
The second time, I'd set a bit of a rougher course. The advantage of legs against wheels was terrain, after all.
 
This time we were racing across downtown Ponyville and I might actually have a chance.
 
I leaped to my feet and dashed off. For a moment here our paths would parallel.
 
I ducked and wove through pony traffic, saying a few quick "excuse me's" and "sorry's" as I dashed past ambling Equestrians. I could hear the scooter behind me, slowly gaining. I had a small advantage in seeing ahead, but that wasn't enough to keep my opponent at bay.
 
I grabbed a lamp-post, using it to pivot around a corner as I turned sharply into an alley. Scoots zipped past as I dashed headlong down the narrow corridor. She didn't follow because it dead-ended.
 
Refusing to halt, I jumped onto a garbage can, balanced for an instant, leaped to a window-ledge, nearly knocking over a plant, and made the top of the wall. From there I hung a right and sprinted along a ridgepole before leaping across the street.
 
I smiled, wind in my hair. Ponyville spread below me for a second and I gathered it in with a glance, enjoying the bright colors and vivacity of life. I flattened my dive, barely making it across the road and nearly clipping a flying pegasus; glancing down, Scootaloo was a little ahead. But my shortcut wasn't done.
 
I tumbled to a halt on the flat roof of my target house. "Sorry!" I yelled back, leaping to my feet.
 
I slowed a bit, carefully placing my feet as I sped across the rooftops, feeling the warm shingles. Once I realized I'd be unable to find decent shoes I went barefoot as much as possible. Most days in town it wasn't a problem. I was building tough calluses. I still wore them in the Everfree and the lowered mileage seemed to be helping, but they wouldn't last forever though they were good shoes.
 
"Wes?"
 
I glanced over to Rainbow, who was easily pacing me.
 
"What the hay are you doing up here? Blossomforth was gibbering about flying humans."
 
"Oh?" I puffed, thinking back to the pony I'd almost hit. "Cucumber-melon mane?"
 
"Yeah."
 
"Sorry." I gasped, short of breath. "In a hurry. I'm racing-huff-Scootaloo."
 
"That sounds like-Woah!" Rainbow gasped as I hit a gap, two houses joined by an upper story. Instead of returning to the ground, I sidestepped and ran up the wall until I crossed. At the end of the roof I kicked off with a flip, clearing the alley and nailing the landing. My feet gripped pine shakes solidly, and I ran on.
 
"Dude, I thought you didn't do acrobatics! That was awesome!"
 
"I don't-ha-do them when-puff-fighting." I was breathing pretty hard, now, but I grinned in satisfaction. My hiking and running were starting to pay off; the limits of my body were slowly but surely going up. I was more fit and I could feel it. It felt good. I cocked an ear, trying to pick Scoots out over background noise and the speed of my own heart. "It's pretty-hah-great for running away-puff- or dodging, though."
 
"Ooooh. So, are you winning?"
 
"Dunno." Her wings were too distant to pick up. Her fastest course took a much less direct route to avoid high-traffic areas with sharp corners and narrow roads. I checked my watch; I was making slightly better time than I'd expected. "Maybe?"
 
"Ok."
 
Rainbow followed me for the rest of the course. It wasn't long, and she didn't talk much after that, but the fact she was there to catch me if I did take a fall was reassuring.
 
I finally stumbled out of town, collapsing under the deep green leaves of a maple tree. I looked up into the soft eyes of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. We'd set the endpoint in an out of the way park, so we could chill when we were done.
 
"How'd I do?" I stopped as a whirring noise rapidly swelled and Scootaloo skidded to a halt next to me, breathing just as hard. "I won?" I sat up, slightly shocked. "I won!" I grabbed the orange pegasus and hugged her. "Woo, Scoots, I won!"
 
"I-hah-know!" She struggled to escape my grasp. "Sheesh, Wes!"
 
"Sorry." I released her; Scoots didn't want hugs. She didn't like being adorable. She was 'tough'.
 
"Hey, good job, Scoots." Rainbow ruffled her mane and congratulated her, and the little pegasus swelled with pride.
 
"Really? You really think so?"
 
"Hay yeah! I saw you slalom those carts, just now. That was slick! You guys do this often?"
 
"Once or twice." I sat up, finally having regained my wind. "This is my first win."
 
"Well, I'm always up for some awesome." She nodded to me. "If you want a spotter again, Wes, let me know."
 
"Sure." I flopped back on the grass. "Thanks. Hey, I have a question for you."
 
"Shoot."
 
"What do you do with a fanclub?"
 
"Huh?" She gave me a blank, puzzled stare. "Bask in their adulation. What else?"
 
"Um-"
 
"Look, I'll demonstrate. Hey Scoots, watch this!" She threw herself into the air, flipping completely once before landing. "Check it! No wings!"
 
"Woah!" The smaller pegasus literally bounced around her older sister in excitement. "That was AWESOME! You're the coolest big sister ever!"
 
"Of course!" She puffed her chest, and strutted slightly. "See, Wes? That's how you do it."
 
"Oh." I flopped back on the grass. "Of course. How silly of me. It's very clear now."
 
"Good."
 



 
Dear Wes,
 
Yes, I was serious about you being alphabetized. When you have time, please visit the Royal Archives. I'll reimburse your ticket, if you get receipts.
 
Your entrepreneurship has started to show effect in the capitol. Alchemy is once again fashionable, now that interesting and unique preparations have begun filtering into the market. I commend your industry.
 
Ruler of all I see,
Celestia.
 
P.S. At least when I close my eyes. 

PPS. Luna says M11. This definitely isn't chess. 

"So, what's the verdict?" I played a crashing chord and let the sound fade. "Did we build the best synth ever?"
 
"Coooool." Lyra gave the instrument a thorough inspection. "This is really great!"
 
"Yup!" Vinyl stamped a hoof decisively. "This is the best synth I've ever built. You did first-class work on the sound engine, Wes, and the spell design is rock solid. If it wasn't built of out singing stone, I'd say we should go into production. We could sweep the market." I played a few more large-scale notes, feeling out the sounds. I'd been practicing on Vinyl's instruments as I could, and I'd been drilling notes and chords with Lyra, so I had some idea what I was doing. I was just about to reach beginner status.
 
The synth itself was a pretty slick piece of engineering. It was dark teak and bright metal, a little odd looking to my eye, but ivory keys were out of the question. Besides, it didn't look bad. Quite the opposite, actually. The craftspony Vinyl commissioned had matched the grain across the keys, giving the whole thing a dark, sweeping symmetry that was only broken by the shining steel of the sharps and flats. I was quite taken with it.
 
The sound engine was neatly recessed in the back under the rounded wood paneling. It had inputs and outputs arranged for easy access, but also had wireless baked in thanks to the singing stone heart and a few well-placed sympathy spells. It was currently playing across the system in Vinyl's basement without a single wire, and it sounded good.
 
It was extensively customizable. Right now, it sounded nearly like a pipe-organ. I would probably never touch the advanced features; the keyboard could be divided in any way, each key assigned a different voice or note if so desired, or even mapped to an effect. It could crunch a signal, or output nearly any sort of sound. I planned to set the thing to 'piano' and never touch it again, but designing it had been fun. Our spellcraft should mean more options and less distortion, while using singing stone promised a richer, fuller sound. If Vinyl said it was working, that was good enough for me.
 
"Yeah, that's a fine piece of work." Vinyl flopped down in her Seat. "You know, Lyra, if we had a vocalist, we could compete this year."
 
"Ooo. I hadn't thought of that."
 
"What? Compete?" I raised my head, from where I'd been contemplating the synth. "What are you talking about?"
 
"Competing at the battle of the bands, at the Summer Wrap-Up and Hoedown. It's a pretty big deal. Lots of tourists come to Ponyville."
 
"Tourists?"
 
"I know, right?" Lyra laughed. "I thought the same. But we're just close enough to Canterlot, while still far enough out that we're in 'the country', so our hoedown is pretty popular. The fair is big, and for a day, the country comes to us."
 
"Huh. Neat. But what's this competition?" I narrowed my eyes, suddenly suspicious. "You didn't dragoon me into playing the synth just because you needed a keyboard, did you?"
 
"Whaaaaat? Wes, would I, little, cute, fuzzy green ol' me do that?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Ouch!" Vinyl chuckled. "Burn! Lyra, he didn't even hesitate!"
 
"Pish. Hah. But no, you honestly need to learn a little music. I'll have you practicing sequences on that," she nodded to my instrument, "and then we'll work through them in my studio. Still, the battle of the bands is going to be big this year. I think there are Canterlot groups coming, believe it or not, and the Ponytones are definitely in. Scratch and I have wanted to be up on that stage before, but you need more than one instrument and one soundpony."
 
"Do we really need four?"
 
"No." Lyra shrugged. "But neither Vinyl or I want to take center stage. How about you?"
 
"…no."
 
"See?"
 
"Well, Ok. But that's beside the point. Do you really think I'm good enough to perform?"
 
"Not yet. But you can get there." Lyra gave me a pointed stare. "You'd have a set part and music to read. We wouldn't ask you to solo or improvise, and you'd get lots of practice before. We could make it happen."
 
"Huh." I rubbed my jaw. "I wonder."
 
"Oh, an idea." Vinyl gave me a nod. "Make it happen, Wes. We believe in you."
 
"We need a vocalist and a front-pony, right?"
 
"Yup."
 
"Give me some time to sleep on it. I might be able to find somepony capable."
 
Wes
 
I need to see you.
 
I'm not sure how much to write. This could be something big, but I need to talk to you, face-to-face.
 
You need to come to Manehatten.
 
Soon.
 
I need to go. Keep in touch.
 
Darkness comes after
Sunset.
 




"Oh, Rarity."
 
Fluttershy nodded to the designer as she trotted into the garden.  We were having tea. It had started with just Fluttershy and me, but slowly had grown as ponies arrived and stayed.
 
"Why, nearly everypony's here! All we need is Pinkie, and we'd have a regular-"
 
"PARTY!"
 
"And now it is everypony." Twilight smiled. "What brings you here today, Rarity?" I took one of the proffered cupcakes. Of course Pinkie brought snacks.
 
"Oh, well. Opal's claws need to be trimmed again. How about all of you?"
 
"It started with me." I volunteered. "I have a mouse."
 
"You got a pet?"
 
"Not…exactly. It just moved into my pantry one day." I shrugged. "I wanted to know if it would bother my food, or if more would show up, or what. The expert," I nodded to Fluttershy, "advised putting down a little food and giving it a name. I've decided to call him Despereaux. Hopefully that will be enough to secure my shelves."
 
"The rest of us just sorta dropped in." Rainbow was lying on the ground next to me, making tiny pleased noises as I ran my fingers through her feathers. I was learning about preening, and she was enjoying it. I carefully aligned another feather. She really didn't need much help; she kept her wings in tip-top shape, same as any athlete would. It was a sign of close friendship that she'd asked me for help, and I didn't mind. She was very soft and fluffy.
 
"Rainbow, you might not be so blasé if you knew just how sensitive his fingers are." Twilight grinned mischievously. "He can feel all your feathers."
 
"What?" The pegasus cracked an eye. "But he's got those finger-nail thingies." I nodded, as I raked them gently through her plumage.
 
"Yeah, but only on one side." Twilight smirked. "It would be like running your nose through someponies wing."
 
"Ooo." Rainbow shivered slightly, and glanced at me. "That sounds…kinda kinky."
 
"Um." I coughed, embarrassed. I almost withdrew my hands, but I couldn't just stop in the middle. "Rarity, I meant to ask; are you still planning on going to Canterlot?" I changed the subject roughly, but it worked; Fluttershy and Twilight went back to discussing owls, while Pinkie plied Rainbow and Applejack with sweets.
 
"Yes, in just a few days. Why?"
 
"I was wondering if you'd like company."
 
"Well, I wouldn't object. But why the sudden interest?"
 
"Oh, nothing big. I just need to finish a bit of paperwork for migration. I hope." I grimaced. "And after that, I’m headed to Manehatten."
 
"Why're you going there?" Applejack cut in.
 
"I've been writing Sunset Shimmer." I shrugged. "She wants to see me, and she's in Manehatten." I frowned. "I'm not really sure what's up, but…I get the impression she might be in trouble."
 
"Hmm." Applejack rubbed her jaw. "Wes, if you don't mind, Ah'll come with. Manehatten is a big place; Ah know a few ponies who might be able to help."
 
"Oh, indeed." Rarity nodded. "If you want help, I'd gladly come as well. Manehatten is simply marvelous."
 
"Oh." I thought for a bit. "Um, yeah. Maybe. I won't turn you two down, at least; let's give it a go."
 
"Then it's decided!" Rarity nodded firmly. "Road trip!"

> 39 - Railroading
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, that's good." I slurped my coffee, an icy, creamy blend from Sugarcube Corner. "Want some?" I offered the thermos to Applejack, who accepted cautiously. We were headed to Canterlot on the early morning train. Outside, the mist was burning off the green hills, promising another scorching summer day.
 
"Mmm, that's mighty fine." She sipped, then poured some into a paper cup from the water cooler. "How'd you keep it icy?"
 
"It's the bottle." I tapped my metal vacuum flask, one of the few artifacts Luna had recovered for me. "Well insulated."
 
"If I may?" Rarity held out a hoof, and I passed the bottle. She poured a bit and sipped. "Blech. Wes, I thought you liked sugar in your coffee?"
 
"Not anymore!" I grinned widely. "It's been nearly a month since anything dangerous or magical happened to me, even by accident. My synchronization with Twilight is actually decreasing!"
 
"Good?" Applejack ventured, cautiously.
 
"Great!" I nodded. "If it continues like this, I might actually finish healing. That…" I paused, thinking back on everything I'd been through. "That would feel like actually accomplishing something. I'd be, well, getting better. Or something. I don't know." I deflated. "Twilight would be safer at least."
 
"Good, then." Applejack nodded decisively. "Good for both of you. I can drink to that." She raised her coffee cup in a toast. I tapped the lip of my thermos to it.
 
"Hey." I shook the bottle. "Rarity, I thought you didn't want any?"
 
"Hmm?" She sipped from a full cup. "I said no such thing. I prefer my coffee with sugar. But I'm not the sort to turn down caffeine."
 
"Oh." I took another sip, and shrugged. Any day Rarity accepted a gift without complaining was a good day.
 
"Interesting thing, though," she continued, "Sweetie Belle said that Diamond Tiara came to school covered in green spots the other day."
 
"Really?" I replied blandly.
 
"Indeed. It's almost like somepony snuck into the schoolhouse, hid a note in her desk baiting her to a certain spot, and then trapped that spot with pokeweed. Or at least, that's what Pinkie claims."
 
"Really."
 
"Wes, are you trying not to laugh?"
 
"What? How did you-"
 
"Gotcha!"
 
"Dang it!"
 



 
"So, meet back here at four?" Rarity was clearly eager to leave. Applejack and I nodded. "Well then, au~revoir!" she sang, turning away from the station with a porter and a cart full of luggage in tow. I yawned and stretched; trains, even though I got to sit, were exhausting.
 
"Well, I dunno what you're thinking." I nodded to Applejack. "I've got paperwork to do for my immigration. I thought the Princess was joking, but apparently I really do need to be 'alphabetized', whatever that means. I'm headed to the library. You're welcome along if you like, but it'll probably be boring."
 
"Ah'll walk with you, at least."
 
"Sure." We set off down the cobblestone streets, pacing in companionable silence. I occasionally checked the directions I'd been sent.
 
"Watch out!" I put a hand in front of Applejack, stopping her just before she stepped in front of a cart.
 
"Sorry." She shook her head as if to clear it. "Ah'm a little out of it."
 
"Not feeling good?"
 
"Lots on my mind."
 
"Um. Well, if you want someone to listen, I'll give it a shot."
 
"It's…" She sighed. "Well, it's complicated."
 
"I feel ya." I nodded back, and we started crossing as the traffic cleared. "Sometimes I feel like my life is one huge jumble of nonsense." I shrugged. "I try to take each day as it comes, but that doesn't make it sensible. Seriously, though; sometimes talking helps. I can't promise I'll be as empathic as Pinkie, or as kind as Fluttershy, but I can be pretty quiet. If that's what you need."
 
"Maybe, Wes. Maybe." We fell into silence again, and I was beginning to wonder if that was all of it. "Ah just don't know. You know me, at least a little. Right?"
 
"I'd like to say so." I shrugged. "I mean, how much can you really know anyone? But we've spent some time together. You seem pretty straightforward, and I've always found that refreshing."
 
"Sure. The honesty. It's my thing." She gave a proud nod, but then glanced down uncertainly. "But, well…have you ever wondered?"
 
"About?"
 
"The honesty thing. You know each of us Elements are the way we are for a reason. You've seen some of that, what we've told you."
 
"Have I ever wondered why you're honest?" I paused. "I thought you got it from your family."
 
"Oh, Ah do." We turned a corner and I gazed upwards. The castle towered in the distance, high above our heads. I tried to focus on the balcony of the highest tower, where Celestia and Luna managed the sky, but it was too far.
 
"Still," Applejack resumed. "The reason it's important to me. You know, family hasn't always been my heart."
 
"Hmm." I thought back to what I'd heard from the CMC, about how their sisters got their cutie marks, and nodded.
 
"You seem like a sharp guy, Wes. I've never been good at reading you but you're a quick study. You ever notice how I can spot a lie from a mile away?"
 
"Mmhmm." I nodded again. Applejack's truth-sense was uncanny.
 
"Ever wonder about that?"
 
"Not particularly." I was beginning to feel a little uneasy about where this was going, but digging for answers would be rude. Besides, she was still offering. "I figured you got it from your Element."
 
"Pfaw." She laughed, a little harsh. "Ah thought you'd catch on, if anypony did. Any of the others get something like that? A superpower from those dinky gems?"
 
"No." I was a little surprised; I'd never actually thought about that. None of the others, even Twilight, had been affected by their elements in that way. All of their talents were innate; the Elements chose them because of who they were, instead of shaping them into what was needed.
 
"Tell me this, Wes. What sort of pony learns best to spot a liar? An honest one, or a crooked one?"
 
"…a crook," I said quietly.
 
"Well."
 
"But…" I paused. "Isn't reading hearts an earth pony talent?"
 
"Right on. But like any sort of thing, it won't do a whit of good if you don't train it." Applejack sighed. I glanced at my directions again; we were getting close. I hesitated.
 
"Listen, Applejack…we're nearly there, but I think this is important. Let's keep walking."
 
"Hrm…" She rubbed her head, thinking. "Fine. You're right; Ah ought to say my piece plain, and now's as good a time as any. You ever wonder why I invited myself along on this little trip?"
 
"Some." I admitted. We turned left I figured we could keep walking around the block. It was a nice day, and we'd been sitting long enough. "I mean, you said you knew helpful ponies. That satisfied me."
 
"And Ah do. Gah." She sighed. "Listen, this is going to be one twisted tale when it all comes out, and Ah'm sick to death of dancing around the issue. Here it is, strait'n'all. You know I went to Manehatten when I was a filly?" I nodded; I'd heard the story. "Ah stayed with my family, the Oranges. Nice ponies, but full of frills and frippery. Took me a while to figure out Ah didn't fit there. Thing is, while the idea 'go home' is a simple one, that don't make it easy to face. It wasn't until Rainbow's little show that Ah actually did. But Ah knew long before that, deep in me, that Ah didn't belong in the Oranges world. Truth is Ah spent plenty of time playing truant, running away, getting mixed up in bad business and hanging around in poor company. Ah made a bit of a name for myself."
 
"You were…" I thought, trying to place the image that was building. "You were a rebel? An outcast?"
 
"Ah was in a gang."
 
At that, I stopped walking. Applejack glanced back, apprehension on her face.
 
"Sorry!" I stepped forward again. "I don't…I mean, I'm not…Sorry." I waved my hands. "I won't judge you. I can tell relating this is tough. But the idea of you in a gang…it's a bit of a stretch." I thought back to our last battle, where Applejack had acquitted herself fiercely and effectively. "Is that where you learned to fight?"
 
"Hah, yeah. School of hard knocks, Ah've always said. That's the truth."
 
"Wow. That's wild."
 
"Maybe. Maybe not. Ah ain't quite done." She shook her head glumly. "Manehatten, you may have heard tell, is a city of favors."
 
"Uhuh."
 
"Well, this isn't so widely known, but a lot of that comes from the few ponies who really run the city. They own the land, they tax the rich hard and the poor harder, they buck Celestia's rule as best they can, and…" She swallowed. "They run the gangs."
 
"You're telling me Manehatten is run by the mob?"
 
"Huh. Mob. Not a bad way to say it. Hmm." She shrugged. "Well, maybe run ain't quite right, either. They can't make the Princess angry enough to actually act. Nopony ain't ready for that."
 
"Heh. Sure."
 
"So, they keep stuff atop the counter as best they can. But the underbelly of that city is seedy and rank, and for a while, I did my best to fit right in. Didn't do too  poorly, either, in part on account of my family."
 
"How's that factor?"
 
"You ever think of what that place is called?"
 
"The…" I paused. "The Big Apple." We walked in silence for a bit. "Wait." I finally found a wall to lean against, and tipped my head back to the sky. "You're saying, you're related to one of these mob lords?"
 
"Mah uncle."
 
"Mister Orange?"
 
"Wrong way. Orange is my mom's brother."
 
"Oh." Pony names still confused me. There didn't seem to be any sort of hard and fast rule to how they worked, how they changed, or what they really meant. "So…think he'd help us?"
 
"Sure. Family." She tipped her Stetson low over her eyes. "If he ain't the one troubling your friend Sunset."
 
"Oh."
 
"Right. Well, Ah did my share of stupid, dangerous, and just plain stuff wrong back in the day. Picked up a knack for lyin', and a real appreciation for the truth. Ah put it behind me when I headed home, and I'd like to think of myself as a new pony. Ah'm Honesty now, and Ah mean to stay that way. But you ought to know, I figured. Maybe I'll talk myself around to telling Rarity, as well." She sighed, but it seemed some of the weight had lifted from her strong back.
 
"Applejack?"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Thanks."

We returned in silence, while I tried to digest what I'd been told. As grateful as I was for Applejack's confidence, I was having trouble squaring my image of the straightforward, strong and honest mare with the confession she'd made. Still, I didn't doubt her for a minute. If Applejack said it, it could be trusted. If honesty was something she chose, instead of just another habit… Well, that simply made her more true, not less.
 
It didn't take long to reach the Archive, a towering building with tall windows and flying buttresses. It was magnificently made and elegantly designed. I pushed open the tall doors and walked into a sombre silence smelling of dust motes and sweet ink. I grinned; libraries smelled the same everywhere.
 
"Morning," I greeted the receptionist quietly. The carpet on the floor, the narrow, book-lined spaces between the shelves, the thick, flowing tapestries on the walls gave the whole place a muffled feeling. Sound was eaten, so best hold your stillness close.
 
"Barely." He grinned back. "Welcome to the Canterlot Archives. Can I help you?"
 
"Please and thanks." I pulled out my withdrawal slip; it was dog-eared, but still legible. "I need to visit the Canterlot Intelligence Archive, to be alphabetized." He pulled his glasses down, and inspected it, before pushing it back.
 
"And the lady?" He turned to Applejack.
 
"She's with me."
 
"Sorry, but-" he paused, as he caught sight of her cutie mark. "Hold on a moment." He shuffled through his papers, before checking her against something. "Ah, Applejack. I apologize; I should have recognized one of the Elements. Everything seems to be in order; you're free to go in." He swung up part of the desk, and motioned us towards a door behind the barricade. I proceeded cautiously through.
 
"Wes, what in tarnation is going on here?" Applejack whispered to me, as we followed the path we'd been set on. It lead through a bewildering labyrinth; we went up and down stairs, across galleries, even outside and through a balcony once.
 
"No idea." I shrugged. "I thought this was a prank Celestia played on me, until she said I really did need to show up. Ever since, it's been getting weirder and weirder."
 
"Ah'll say."
 
"Oh." I stopped. We were at the end of a wide, bright hall. Arches marched the walls, frosted windows letting in diffuse sunlight. A pair of ponikins, decked in ancient ornamental armor, stood on both sides of a riveted oak door with a plaque reading ‘Canterlot Intelligence Archive’. "Well, maybe we can find out." I stepped up, rapped once, and pushed the door open. Applejack followed cautiously as I passed through.
 
Inside, was…an office. Or something very like one. It was just as wide and airy as the hall, with light stone floors, swathes of royal blue carpet, and expansive frosted windows. Desks circled the edge, ranging from scrupulously neat to nearly invisible under piles and heaps of paper. The center of the room held several small tables with pony-cushions and beanbags scattered amongst. The whole place gave the impression of being a small startup business, or a casual, family-run company. A few ponies were working here and there; in the center of the room a few chatted quietly over tea, with folders of paper and an inkpot. Everypony fell quiet as we entered and the ones at their desks looked up, curious about the hush.
 
"Um, hi." I coughed. "I'm Wesley Kilmer. Celestia asked me to report here? Something about being alphabetized?"
 
"Oh, really." One of the ponies in the center stood. He was very suave, with a bowtie, a tiny moustache, and a cutie mark of three small crowns. "Did the Princess tell anypony here?" He glanced around the room, receiving only shakes and negations. He sighed. "I humbly apologize, Mister Kilmer. I'm Fancy Pants. We were told to expect you, but our dear Princess didn't see fit to say when. May I see your withdrawal slip?" I wordlessly handed it over. He glanced across it and handed it back. "Fleur, dear, would you please open an entry for Mister Kilmer? And you must be the Element of Honesty, correct? Applejack?" He turned to Applejack, who nodded.
 
"Of course, Fancy." A unicorn mare, working at one of the desks, turned to a nearby file and started rifling through it. "Could you tell me your IPBN, Mister Kilmer?"
 
"Call me Wes." I read my file number off my card. "Sorry." I grimaced. "I didn't actually know I would be coming today. It's all a bit off-the-cuff."
 
"Well. That's understandable. And it's not really a problem." Fancy Pants sighed. "Come sit with us, both of you. We can talk a bit. I assume, from our Princess' usual methods, you've been told nothing?"
 
"Nothing at all." I sat cross-legged on a beanbag and accepted a cup of tea. Several of the desk-workers wrapped up what they were doing and joined us.
 
"Typical. Absolutely typical." Fancy Pants sighed, and several other ponies muttered.
 
"Really, don't make such a big deal out of it." A nearby pegasus shrugged. "It's our job to keep her informed, not the other way around."
 
"Wait." I nearly dropped my cup, as several things started to click for me. The office. The reclusive, close-knit feeling. Acronyms. Internal Peacekeeping Bureau Number - IPBN. Canterlot Intelligence Archive - CIA. Keeping the Princess informed. Suddenly, things started making a bit more sense.
 
"Celestia made me a spy?"
 
"Pfff." One of the nearby ponies laughed. "Spy is such a harsh word. We prefer Intelligence Operatives. Anyways, you didn't think it was your guard membership that gave you a security clearance, did you?"
 
"Well…" I sipped my tea, mind whirling. "Actually, I did. This is a bit of a shock."
 
"Understandable." Fancy Pants shrugged. "Celestia sprang it on me unexpectedly as well." He passed me a tray of cookies. "Anyways, you probably have  questions. I'll see what I can answer if you like."
 
"Um." I stopped. "Well, yeah. First off, how did you know I was in the guard?" My host cocked an eyebrow, surprised by such a simple question.
 
"Who do you think compiled that resography report for you?" He shrugged. "Suffice to say, 'knowing' is our business and we're good at it."
 
"Huh." I put my tea down, questions bubbling in my brain. This could take a while.
 



 
"Sorry, but we really do need to get moving." I shrugged apologetically and Applejack nodded. We had spent the last few hours drinking tea and learning all we could about Canterlot society and the secret operations of the Intelligence Archive. They were many and varied, but most of them were also quite subtle. The effects were long-lasting and intricate, and could be hard to spot. On the  other hand, they were also hard to stop, or even notice, if you didn't know where to look. A very effective operation, when considered on the scale of decades.
 
"You two are headed to Manehatten, correct?"
 
"Yeah."
 
"Well, this is somewhat irregular, though that could be said about everything involving you…nevertheless, we have an operation in Manehatten that would benefit significantly from your aid. After your personal business is concluded, could you work with us?"
 
"I don't see why not. But…why be so polite about it? Can't you just order me to? Aren't you the boss here?"
 
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Fancy Pants gave me a puzzled look as he cleared away the tea service and led us towards the door. "No, nopony but the Princess is in charge. We sometimes operate under strict rules in the field, but in this room we are equals. We're not the army, we're not the police, we're not at war; this is simply a gathering of like-minded individuals, hoping to serve Celestia and advance the peace and prosperity of Equestria as best we can."
 
"Huh."
 
"That being said, if you do cooperate with us on this operation, you will be a field agent and you will be assigned a handler, who will direct you according to our goals."
 
"I could deal with that, I think. But what's going on?"
 
"We're moving against one of the criminal elements in the city."
 
"Oh." I was faintly surprised; I hadn't learned about the mobs of Manehatten until just now, but they seemed to be a fairly big deal.
 
"Who?" Applejack had been mostly silent, but didn't hesitate to interject.
 
"The Tweed family."
 
"They're nasty business." She gave Fancy Pants a flat stare. "What're you planning for my friend?"
 
"Oh, nothing dangerous!" The unicorn assured her, hurriedly. "We've…well, we're buying a painting."
 
"That's it?"
 
"I'm convinced it will be enough." He straightened his bowtie. "The real problem with this class of criminal is that they're the best, and often, actually finding evidence is nearly impossible. Al-Capony, despite being a kingpin and a gangster, was indicted on charges of tax evasion! That's all we could pin to him!" He waved a foreleg and sighed. "The Tweeds are just as clean. But something interesting is happening, and it gives us opportunities." He lowered his voice as the path we were on passed over a public section of the Archive, and several ponies were moving through the stacks below.
 
"For some reason, a craze is sweeping the city. Certain groups are frantically acquiring art, all paintings from very specific artists and times. Several patrons have opened their collections because of this, displaying and selling pieces that haven't been seen for decades. It's possible some are even trying to fuel the movement, hoping to boost prices higher. Whatever the reason, it's brought a swarm of auctions, which in turn, have attracted a herd of entrepreneurs, con artists, collectors, critics, and the Families."
 
"And that's a good thing?" I asked cautiously.
 
"Indeed, although it's not immediately obvious. We have unparalleled freedom to act."
 
"So, you-sorry, we- are buying a painting."
 
"Ah, yes. The operation. Indeed, that's our objective. We have very reliable information that a painting by Subdued Palette is going up for auction in a few days. If our projections are correct, this sale will spark an avalanche of bidding. Palette is not particularly famous, but her era is right to trigger the trend. If we can acquire the painting, we may be able discover what the fuss is about by investigating it. More than that, though, it's quite likely the Tweeds will attempt to steal the painting, especially if they lose the auction. If they move and we can prove it, we'll have an opening to investigate them."
 
"Clever." Applejack nodded.
 
"You really think so?" He straightened his tie again, an affectation I was beginning to associate with pride. "The plan was mostly mine and Fleurs. I thought it subtle, myself."
 
"Sure, it's neat." I shrugged. "But why do you need my help?"
 
"Oh, of course. Two reasons. Firstly, all our operatives free to act now are already known to the Families." He sighed. "If Fleur or myself were put on point, we would be spotted instantly, and the Tweeds wouldn't even dream of moving outside the law. Our informer would do it, but that would jeopardize her position. Secondly, according to your file, you know how to fight."
 
"Some," I said. Applejack snorted, giving me a scathing glance. "Well, Ok. I'm pretty good."
 
"Be that as it may, we think you know enough to keep yourself safe if the need arises. The Tweeds may be powerful, but they won't be moving en masse. You would have to deal with only a few ponies, although they may be well trained. I'm confident you could escape easily and safely."
 
"Probably." I nodded. I was pretty good at running away, and I could defend myself if need be. "Just, I'm not really sure what I'm getting into, meeting my friend. It's possible I'll be in over my head and can't assist you."
 
"Well, let us know." He pulled a slim wooden case from his pocket and passed it to me. "As an operative this will let you connect with us. There are protocols, of course; read the instructions carefully. Let us know if you're able to help, and we'll be ready to move."
 
"Sure." I nodded to the librarian at the desk as Fancy Pants saw us out. I breathed a deep sigh as the Archive doors closed behind me.
 
"Well, that was unexpected."
 
"No kidding." Applejack heaved a matching sigh.
 
"Now." I turned towards the station. "The only question is, what do we tell Rarity?"
 
"Huh?" Applejack started, and gave me a shocked look. "The truth! What else?"
 
"Hah." I smiled ruefully. "Of course." Really, there wasn't any other option. But how much trouble would this cause? I pictured Rarity's response and shook my head. "At least I don't have to tell Rainbow I'm actually a spy."
 
"Pfff." Applejack giggled. "True."

> 40 - Bids
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, I'm basically a spy." I waved a hand in front of Rarity, who had frozen solid halfway through my story. I glanced at Applejack. "Do you think we broke her?"
 
"Ayup." She sipped her latte. "She's probably panicking deep inside."
 
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASP!
 
As Rarity prepared to yell something, I calmly picked up a doughnut and tossed it into her mouth. Her impending scream devolved into a series of hacking coughs. I gave her a worried glance, afraid I'd overdone it, but she recovered.
 
"What." She gulped her iced tea, swallowing convulsively. "That is all I have to say, Wesley. What."
 
"Sorry." I shrugged. "I had no idea either." I sighed and glanced at my watch before searching the nearby tables again. We were at a small outdoor café in Manehatten. Sunset had planned to meet me here, but this was our second day and still no contact. "It looks like Sunset has stood me up, so I'm going to do my best for the Archive. Would you like to help?"
 
"Hmm." Rarity tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Let me consider. Going to a fancy-dress ball and silent auction? Mingling with the Manehatten elite? Working as a secret agent? Buying priceless art, accompanied by two of my good friends and all on the Princess's dime?" Her pupils shrunk as she prepared for another scream. This time, Applejack intervened with a muffin. "Yes!" she wheezed around the intruding pastry.
 
"Ah reckoned so." The orange mare nodded to me. "Although Ah ain't so certain about going myself. But you'd better bring Mister Fancy up to date." I nodded and slipped the case I'd been given out of my pocket, snapping it open.
 
It was an intricate little doodad, a variation on the vivre cards, but used the magical signature of the box itself. Inside were a pen and prepared papers. I shot off a quick note, carefully including my personal code. The system wasn't foolproof, but there was basic authentications. I watched the paper crumble and float away. Physical correspondence couldn't be kept, but copies were archived at headquarters. I'd memorized the instruction paper as best I could before destroying it.
 
In a few moments, a chime alerted me to a message. It was an address. Simple notes were part of the system, since the less we relied on this, the more secure we would be. I checked the codes; either the base had been overrun and Fancy had divulged the correct operation sequence under torture, or this was where we met our contact. I memorized the note before it crumbled to ash.
 
"Well, we've got marching orders." I drained the last of my drink and stood. "Let's see what they've got."
 



 
"Ah can be just as snooty as you!" Applejack exclaimed, as we climbed out of the cab. The building we'd been delivered to seemed to be an art gallery. It was hewn from slabs of bulky marble and propped up with gargantuan columns, fluted and intricate.
 
"Then prove it!" Rarity stuck her nose in the air and sniffed. "Really." I grinned discretely. The fashionista had been slowly winding the cowpony up for the whole ride. I had a pretty good idea what she was up to, and any minute now-
 
"Fine! Ah'll go to this frou-frou fancy party with you, and I'll show you Ah can be just as full of frills and frippery as the rest!" Applejack exploded,  rising to the implicit challenge.
 
"Excellent!" Rarity hugged Applejack, every trace of animosity gone. "I knew you'd come around! Oh, this is simply wonderful! We'll have so much fun! I have the perfect dress for you my dear, and just the right style for your mane. Oh! This is simply so exciting!"
 
"Ah…" Applejack caught my eye. I shrugged. She'd said it, not me. The only way out was to go back on her word. "Aw, shucks." She dropped her head and followed the excited unicorn with heavy hooves.
 
We made our way inside, where we loitered around the entrance for a while. The gallery was delicately decorated, although mostly empty. We glanced at a few of the nearby displays. I really wasn't sure what to do now; Fancy had told me contacts normally knew each other's faces, and it would take a while for me to get caught up. On the other hand, I was plenty recognizable, although I'd been mistaken for a minotaur at a distance.
 
"Hello, hello!" A tiny yellow earth pony bounced up to us. At first I thought she was a foal, but she had slender, wire-rimmed spectacles and a complicated coif in her mane, and her poise was that of  a professional. "I'm Opaque. You must be Wes, Applejack, and Rarity. I've been expecting you. You're from the Archive, right?" I nodded. The Archive was well-known. Normal librarians traveled all over Equestria and even other countries, documenting momentous occasions, gathering anything Celestia thought was worth preserving, and copying or recording all they could.  "Come right this way! We have guest passes and a place for you to freshen up and prepare."
 
"Nice to meet you!" Rarity tapped hooves with our guide. "Miss Opaque, would it be possible to send somepony back to our hotel? Most of my essentials are there."
 
"Why, of course!" The energetic mare waved a uniformed stallion over and delegated him to Rarity.
 
"Miss Opaque, is the auction happening here?"
 
"Indeed." She glance up at me over her spectacles. "Who do you think alerted Mr. Pants to this opportunity?" I nodded at that, bemused. The idea of the Archive as a circle of friends was starting to grow on me. They really didn't act much like spies. Or maybe I just had no idea how a spy was supposed to act. Perhaps Ian Fleming wasn't quite correct. "Now, Mister Kilmer." She lowered her voice as we passed a few guests. "Your job at this auction is to buy a painting and watch for thieves. To do that you need the right face, the right attitude, and the right backers. I will coordinate all of those."
 
She led us out the door again, which confused me for a moment until I realized we were headed around back. As we did, I noticed something odd; the ponies around us started to swell in number, hurrying past, usually in the same direction, maybe in response to loud yells coming from ahead.
 
"What's all the yelling about?"
 
"It's a stampede." Opaque sighed. "Probably another changeling scare."
 
"Another?" I said, the first word that jumped out. "What's this about?"
 
"Well, you know about Princess Mi Amore’s wedding?" I nodded. I'd heard, and I even remembered bits from another viewpoint. "Ever since, we've had these." She gestured at the streams of ponies. "Somepony will 'discover' a changeling and scream their heads off. Soon their neighbors show up and join the fun. Things usually snowball from there." She shrugged. "I have yet to hear of an actual changeling being caught, though."
 
"Huh. So…" I mulled it over. "Ponies just like to panic?"
 
"Maybe. The whole thing seems wearisome to me." She unlocked a door marked 'Employees Only' and led us in. She  paused for a second, thinking, before choosing a direction. In moments, she ushered us into a guest suite. Four beds, a small sitting area, and an attached bathroom.
 
"As an operative, you are welcome to use this for as long as you need." She nodded to me. "Do you have suitable clothes?"
 
"No."
 
"Yes!" Rarity interjected. I gave her a puzzled look, but shrugged.
 
"Maybe I do."
 
"Excellent. The auction begins at half-past seven. We'll alert you an hour before, or you're welcome to visit my office down the hall. Get some rest, get ready, and I will explain the plan and warn you about important ponies you may face."
 
"Sure. Thanks, Opaque." I smiled at her, and she grinned back.
 
"A pleasure to work with you, Wesley." She ducked out, closing the door. I sighed and flopped onto a bed, intending to nap. Signs indicated it would be a long night.
 



 
"Wes, wake up!" I groggily rolled over and cracked an eyelid. Applejack was shaking me gently. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. When I saw her I rubbed them some more, trying to assure myself I wasn't dreaming.
 
She was, if anything, 'dolled up'. Her normally unruly mane had been brushed to a sheen, and plaited into an intricate braid. I spotted hints of makeup, and she was wearing a surprisingly understated green and black dress.
 
"No hat?" I said the first thing that came to mind and kicked myself afterwards.
 
"Ah know, Ah look ridiculous. But we've gotta look - ahem. We've got to look the part."
 
"You look nice. Elegant." She gave me a flat glare. "No, really! Rarity really did a good job." She looked faintly disgruntled at that, which confused me, until Rarity stepped into the room.
 
"Oh no, Wes. I didn't lay a hoof on her. She is more than capable of grooming herself, it seems."
 
"Ah learned from the Oranges." She shrugged. "They are my family, after all."
 
"Oh." I yawned. "Ok." I glanced at my watch. "Huh. I guess our stuff arrived?" I turned to Rarity, who looked pretty normal to me. She was wearing a pleasant aqua ensemble, which went better with her purple mane than I’d have expected.
 
"Yes!" She pointed to the bathroom. "It's your turn, Wes. I hope everything fits; I modified some pony styles for your clothes. I had no idea I would get a chance to see you in them so soon!"
 
"Sure. I guess I owe you a suit." I rolled out of bed and headed for the shower.
 



 
I was pretty much done getting ready. Rarity had designed something very like a three-piece suit for me. The trousers, dress shirt, jacket and vest were modeled off my normal clothing. The cloth was even more expensive, though, and it had intricate little details like satin lining, embroidered patterns on the lapels and oddly, epaulets. Also less pockets, unfortunately, although there was one in the sleeve for my wand.
 
Still, it all fit comfortably, which was enough for me. The sleeves had lace around the wrists and jeweled cuff pins. There was also a tall top-hat and cane, of all things.  Maybe it was a minotaur affectation? The whole thing had an awesome Victorian feel; very appropriate for this crystalpunk world. All I needed was a monocle and an airship. However, I wasn't completely without problems.
 
"Rarity?" I found the two mares talking quietly as I came out, a length of lacy cloth held in one hand. "Sorry to disturb you, but what is this?" I held it out.
 
"Oh, really." She rolled her eyes. "I realize you've never been part of high society, Wes, but surely you've seen a cravat before?"
 
"A what?"
 
"A cravat!" I jumped slightly as she levitated the lace, wrapping it snugly around my neck. She fastened it in a complicated knot with a flurry of magic and nodded approvingly. "There!"
 
I stepped back into the bathroom and glanced in the mirror. I now had a veritable waterfall of lace dripping from my collar. I thought it looked silly, but shrugged; I had no idea what fashion was. I’d go with this if Rarity recommended it.
 
"Well, seems like we're good to go." I moved to leave, thinking we could head to Opaque's office and talk for a bit.
 
"HOLD IT!" Rarity had leaped up, outrage on her face, and was pointing straight at me.
 
"Um…yes?" I paused, hand on the doorknob. 

"You are not wearing those!" She shook a hoof at my beat-up sneakers. I winced.
 
"Sure, they don't look good," I smiled apologetically, "but I don't have any other shoes."
 
"You could go barefoot." Applejack shrugged. "Ah will."
 
"I could go…barefoot?" I looked down. I hadn't even considered that. Barefoot in a suit didn't work in my mind.
 
"No, no, no." Rarity shook her head. "Barefoot might be fine, but I do have shoes for you." She turned to her bags, and pulled out a set of…boots.
 
My jaw dropped. How had she managed this?
 
I haltingly accepted them and sat down on the bed, peeling my sneakers and socks off.
 
"This is…felt?" I rubbed the thick, black cloth with a finger. It was heavy felt, backed to canvas; maybe in several layers. I stuck a hand into the bottom and peeled up the liner to feel the insole. "And wood?" It was even molded to my feet. I turned them over; the bottom was shod with steel, and the treads were molded into fanciful patterns, mimicking the grip on my sneakers. The seams were thick and even looked waterproof. "Rarity…" I looked up. She had a hopeful expression on her face. "These are amazing. How did you do it?"
 
"I had Rainbow, ahem, borrow your shoes. This is what you get for leaving your windows open."
 
"Heh." I slipped them on. They secured with a zipper, forming the felt snugly to my calves, and clipped firmly at the top. They didn't look like dress shoes to me, but they looked good. I stood and took a few steps. "These feel great!" I bounced on my toes. "I have no idea how to repay this, but expect something worthwhile. These are better than a sack of gems. Thank you very much!" My shoes had been weighing on my mind for a while now, and I hadn't even considered talking to Rarity about it. Looking back, that was a bit silly.
 
"Well!" She flipped her mane out of her face and smiled broadly. "Now you're almost ready!" She pulled a jewelry box out of her bag and floated it towards me. I cracked the lid and a quiet chorus hummed sweetly.
 
"Oh, come on now!" I spun the box, pointing to back towards her. The singing stone brooch she'd been working on sparkled brilliantly, an intricately worked carousel pony. "Shouldn't you be wearing this?"
 
"Wes!" She lifted a hoof, feigning shock. "With this dress? Really!" She stuck her nose in the air. Applejack snorted.
 
"Fine." I drew it from the box and pinned it to my collar, where it hummed sweetly. "But I'm returning this. I'll keep the boots, though."
 
"If you insist." I smiled at the twinkle in her eye and stood, heading for the door again.
 
"Are we ready now?" They both nodded. "Alright. Let's do this." I swung the door wide and we trooped out.
 
Elegantly.
 



 
"Well, you three certainly look the part." Opaque led us into her office. It was a little after five. "Would you like some food? They have snacks at these things, but I've never found anything really satisfying to eat." She motioned to a low table, spread with supper.
 
"Yes please!" Applejack trotted over, and we followed. I watched, bemused, as the normally rambunctious pony sat primly and began fastidiously preparing a plate, careful of her fancy dress. She caught me staring and glared back. I coughed and looked away.
 
"Well, Opaque, you said I need a face, a backer, and an attitude. How're we doing?" The tiny mare gave me an appraising glance.
 
"You’ve got the face. All three of you look perfect, and even without my help. Very good!" She nodded. "The backer is simply handled. Officially, you're here on behalf of Jet Set. Unofficially, the gallery is assisting. Secretly, Princess Celestia foots the bill. Leave the money and the bidding to me; you're simply a frontspony, but your budget is unlimited."
 
GAAAAAAA-glurk
 
"Really, Rarity, you need to stop doing that," I admonished the unicorn, who had half a sandwich sticking out of her mouth. Applejack nodded seriously and returned to her supper.
 
"F'orry."
 
"Ok, that's simple enough." I nodded. "And attitude?"
 
"How far down your nose can you look?"
 
"Hmm." I stood, leaning back. The small mare gazed up at me and nodded.
 
"Pretty good. As long as you do that and don't smile or laugh at anything that's actually funny, you'll do fine. Let Lady Rarity do the talking." She snickered. "When her mouth's not full of food."
 
"Sure, tease." Rarity grumbled. "Fine. I won't talk to anypony. Just watch!"
 
"Oh?" Opaque said slowly. "Not even Croissant?"
 
"Croissant will be there?" Rarity's eyes gleamed, her smile returning like magic. "Oh! How wonderful!" She saw us all sniggering and wilted a little.
 
"Sorry, Rarity," I apologized, "but you can't keep screaming. We really do need your help. I'm horrendously bad at names, and Opaque's got a list of ponies to watch out for. If you don't talk to anypony, there's no way this is going to work."
 
"Fine." She harrumphed again, but stopped sulking. "Opaque, if you would?"
 
"Certainly." Our host helped herself to an apple. I listened hard, but soon, the names started blurring. I filled my plate and tried to focus.
 



 
"Please, Wes, focus!"
 
"Huh?" I snapped back to the present. Ponies milled about, talking quietly; we were no longer in Opaque's study. Rarity gave me a scathing glance. I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. What's up?"
 
"That was Lucent!"
 
"Was I snotty enough?"
 
"Barely." She huffed. "Really, Wes. You're almost as bad as Applejack." I glanced at the cowpony, who had a slightly glazed expression. She was definitely being snotty, but it seemed to be wearing on her. "It's like you two aren't enjoying yourself at all!" I nearly laughed at the genuine puzzlement in her voice.
 
"Sorry." I fingered the gem-encrusted ear-cuff Opaque had fit to me. It was actually my communicator. "I was wondering if we needed to bid again."
 
"Check." Rarity waved at the pendant hanging from my cane. It was a slim crystal secured with a thin chain. I raised it to eye-level, but the glass stayed clear. I sighed.
 
"Looks like we're good for now. Really, this is stressful."
 
"It's supposed to be," Applejack muttered. "They want you to bid lots, so they raise the pressure. Opaque's honest, but some auction houses use shills."
 
"Huh." We walked slowly around the room. Every so often, somepony would stop and talk to us; well, Rarity, though they weren't all ponies. Griffons were obvious, as were a few mules and donkeys. I saw someone who looked like a Saddle Arabian, and a minotaur or two were giving me curious looks.
 
Actually, most everyone gave me curious looks. I couldn't tell if it was my immaculate suit, my odd physique, or the fact that I had two beautiful mares accompanying me, but I felt over-scrutinized. As a result I kept my nose in the air, my hands in my pockets, and my thoughts to myself. It seemed to be working so far.
 
"Let's get snacks." Applejack nudged Rarity, who sighed but turned towards the buffet. I sauntered along behind, projecting devil-may-care and hoity-toit as hard as I could.
 
I browsed the buffet, trying to find something that suited me. Cucumber and daisy sandwiches? No. Hay crackers with honey? Nah. I nabbed a half-dozen miniature orange muffins and drizzled chocolate on them despite Rarity’s shocked look. Passable, but not a spot on Pinkie's.
 
"That one." Rarity was pointing discretely towards the wall of paintings. "Subtle Palette's 'Mud Pony' is that one." I followed her lead and found the piece of art we were bidding on.
 
I nodded, impressed. I'd never been an art critic of any sort, but I appreciated a well-done drawing or painting. It wasn't too hard to tell when someone had skill, and Subtle Palette had it in spades. The painting was the outline of a pony, trudging through the rain, suggestions of trees looming behind, done in the artist's trademark dull colors. The actual technique appeared crude, gobs and wads of paint shoveled onto the canvas with a palette knife, but the execution drew the whole thing together; the faceless outline, the jagged shapes, the suggestion of a broken horn or draggled wings spattered with mud and misery exuded a melancholy, distressing air that impressed even an amateur like me. It was big, too; the top easily reached my waist and it was twice again as wide.
 
The frame was a bit odd, though; it was wide and flat, with an intricate design apparently stained into the wood, a jagged, stylistic pattern that baffled the eye and repeated endlessly. It was tribal-seeming, abstract, dark swirls with no obvious symbolism, oddly emotive. It almost seemed to project onto the canvas.
 
"I wouldn't mind owning it." I shrugged. "That frame's a bit much, though."
 
"Oh, I know." Rarity puffed. "So plain. It could do with a few jewels."
 
"…I guess." There was no accounting for taste, apparently.
 
"Hey." Applejack stepped between us. "Don't look now, but Tweed himself is here. He's talking to my Uncle Orange right behind us."
 
"Oh, Mosely Orange is here?" Rarity grinned. "Let's say hello!"
 
"But Tweed," I said.
 
"Oh, he won't bother us." Rarity lifted her head confidently. "Not at the party." She trotted off. Applejack and I exchanged glances and followed reluctantly.
 
"Why, if it isn't my little apple!" Applejack winced as Mosely Orange caught sight of her. "Don't you look all grown up! But what are you doing here? I thought you were living in Ponyville! On the farm!" I stood back, letting Rarity and Applejack talk to her uncle as I surreptitiously studied Tweed.
 
He glowered back, not surreptitiously at all, and I disliked him immediately. Tweed fit my image of a mob boss precisely. He was a big, square-jawed stallion, with a scar on his muzzle. He wore an expensive suit sloppily and loomed standing still. The effect was slightly spoiled by his cheerful green coat and mane.
 
"Bid," Opaque whispered in my ear. I tried not to jump. The comm worked, but it was a little odd, especially disguised as a piece of jewelry.
 
I checked my bidder; while we'd been talking, it had gone cloudy. I grimaced slightly and tapped it smartly on the head of my cane. It cleared. I dropped it after a brief moment of introspection; a thousand bits seemed like a lot, but to the royal treasury it was nearly spare change. All those bids added up, but it wasn't my money.
 
I scratched my ear, carefully hiding my eyes as I glanced at the bidder Tweed had strung through his lapel. The phial had gone cloudy. I glanced at Rarity and surveyed the room again. I was beginning to wish I'd had a longer nap; this was even more exhausting than I'd expected.
 



 
"Phew!" Both Applejack and I sighed in unison as we left the display room. We glanced at each other and shared a laugh.
 
"Hmph." Rarity marched past us, nose held indignantly high. "Really. It's like you didn't even try to have fun."
 
"Sorry, Rares." Applejack grinned sheepishly. "Ah'm not really the fancy sort."
 
"Me neither." I shrugged and tapped my heels together. "I mean, I can dress the part, and maybe even act it, but that won't make me enjoy it. It's just so, so…"
 
"Stuffy." Applejack finished.
 
"Right. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed yourself?"
 
"It was alright," she said dismissively. Applejack and I shared a glance behind her back.
 
"Just alright? Didn't you get to talk to Croissant? And Flash Photo?"
 
"Oh, Flash Photo!" Rarity swooned slightly. "Did you see how handsome he was?"
 
I gave Applejack a thumbs-up. Good spirits restored. I motioned subtly towards the back, and she nodded; we would part ways here. I left her listening good-naturedly to Rarity's chatter and moved towards my next assignment.
 
We had, of course, won the auction. Opaque had masterminded the bidding and I didn't even know the closing price. It wasn't unusual for gallery representatives to participate in this sort of thing; even if our collusion was discovered, nopony would care. The bids had been placed legally, the money would be paid honestly.
 
"I'm moving." I tapped my earpiece.
 
"Alright." Opaque's voice was a little tinny, but understandable. "The painting is being prepped for transfer now; you'll need to shadow it. Remember, you are not here to protect it. If it's stolen, try to ID the thieves; other than that, stay out of trouble."
 
"Roger copy."
 
"What?"
 
"I mean... I heard you, that's what I'll do."
 
"Oh. Ok."
 



 
It was a dark and stormy night.
 
I stood under an awning and tried to keep from shivering in the damp breeze. Raindrops fell all around me. I turned my collar up and slunk further into the darkness, trying to be inconspicuous.
 
On the upside, my silhouette was odd; most ponies wouldn't cue on me if I didn't move. On the downside, not moving meant I would slowly chill through. At least I had a thick wool jacket and my new boots were gloriously waterproof. Rarity had really done a stellar job on them. I leaned carefully against the wall and tried to think of how I could repay her.
 
I was idly pondering the feasibility of a magical CNC lathe when the cart I needed to follow rattled slowly around the corner. I waited until it was past and began stalking it, which meant walking a block or so behind and avoiding puddles.
 
Opaque had told me the owner of the painting didn't believe the gallery was secure enough. It was being transferred from the auction to a nearby bank. The cart was armored, the guards were armed, but it was still most vulnerable in transit.
 
The trip was boring. I focused on looking casual and not sneaky. Walking behind the cart wasn't illegal. I was carefully non-threatening and tried to keep an obviously safe distance away. The guards didn't look at me twice. I tried to keep my attention on my target, but my gaze kept drifting upwards, trying to catch glimpses of the moon behind the clouds. I knew Luna wasn't literally the mare in the moon anymore, but I couldn't help feel she was watching me.
 
I was jerked back to reality as the cart came screeching to a halt. One of the guards yelled something and I ducked into a nearby doorway.
 
"Opaque, something's up. I'm moving closer."
 
"Roger copy." I grinned and slunk forward through the rain.
 
"Somepony stopped the cart." Once I got near I started reporting. "There are six… seven? They're very similar in size and shape and wearing deep, sweeping cloaks."
 
"At night?"
 
"I know. Still. They're yelling something." I cocked my head, trying to hear over the rain. "I think we know what they want. Now-" I cut off as one of the attackers laid into the guards, stretching them out with a few kicks. "Ouch. The guards are down; probably alive, though. Somepony leaped onto the cart. They're…no way!"
 
"Wes?"
 
"No way are those the Tweeds. Opaque, one of them just…sorta…grabbed the steel of the armored cart, and ripped into it. They didn't even look for the keys!" I tapped my arm where my wand was secured. "I'm getting extremely odd magic readings from everypony there, and something else as well… Uh-oh."
 
"Keep talking," Opaque growled.
 
"Sorry. Um, I was so distracted by what's ahead, I didn't look behind. The Tweeds did show. They're closing in now, and I think they've seen me. I've only got one shot; I need to make it past the cart." I glanced behind again; a phalanx of ponies was moving in. Ahead, the disturbing figures stripping the cart formed up to protect their prize.
 
Suddenly out of options and being squeezed from both sides, I left my hiding place in a rush, my new boots finding sure footing on the cobbles. I managed to jink past the first cloaked attacker, slide under the second, and fake-out the third, but the fourth was too much. I hit the cart, rolling up onto the bed, and somepony kicked me in the side. I heard Opaque mumble something as I gasped in pain, trying to regain my breath. I forced myself upright and suddenly had a good view of what was happening.
 
The painting was being pulled unceremoniously out of the strongbox by two glistening, glassy statues.
 
"Windigolems!" I yelled. "Opaque, they're windigolems! Sombra's after the painting! You need to let Princess-" I stopped as one of the golems eyes flashed red. It reached out with blinding speed and yanked my comm away. I fell into a defensive stance as it chambered a kick, but its powerful blow blew me off the cart. I slid to a stop on the cobbles as Tweed's ponies swarmed over me and towards the painting.
 
"Wes, was it?" I looked up at Tweed, who casually put out his cigar and glanced down at me, stepping on my arm as I scrabbled for my razor. "I was a little miffed when you took my painting. I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me what's going on here?"
 
"Rot…in…Tartarus." I gasped, still winded. He shrugged, nonchalant, and motioned. I struggled, but I couldn't do anything as two burly ponies yanked me upright and pulled a sack over my head. After that it was pain, noise, and darkness.

> 41 - Cell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

<"Your mom's in a glue pot!"> I yelled, as the door to my cell shut with a clang. I groaned, laying on hard stone, and listened as my jailor's hooves receded. After a while, I managed to slip my straight-razor from a pocket and saw through my bonds. It was laborious, but I managed. I worked the hood off my head and glanced around, trying to take stock of my surroundings.
 
I'd been carried somewhere. Ok, that was clear enough. I patted my pockets and felt my sleeve; they hadn't searched me, or they hadn't thought my wand and straight-razor were threats. I'd make them regret that. I felt the singing brooch at my throat as it hummed gently. One more resource, although trickier to use. I'd lost my hat and cane, which was annoying. My cravat was ruined, which wouldn't bother me except that Rarity would undoubtedly replace it with an even fancier one.
 
I inventoried my hurts. One big bruise on my side from being kicked. One matching set on my arms from blocking an even bigger kick. At least I'd managed to guard; if I hadn't been training, that would have crushed my ribs. A scattering of thumps and lumps from my jailors. Rope burn on my wrists from being hogtied. Wet clothes, dirt, and maybe a bit of blood. But nothing dangerous or seriously debilitating. I tried to rise and fell back, hissing in pain. Scratch that; I'd sprained a wrist, probably when Tweed stepped on me.
 
I rubbed my eyes and moaned softly. I'd made a very poor showing of myself, despite my big talk. I'd have to make up for it when I escaped.
 
Had I really done my best?
 
I lay still for a while, pondering that, trying to work out what sort of actions could have gotten me out of the trap. Eventually, I gave it up. I'd been pincered, and I'd made the right choice; trying to break through the smaller, less prepared group. If they weren't windigolems, I'd have escaped clean. I'd failed badly in not watching my back, though. I needed to adjust to being in more chaotic circumstances... or stop working alone.
 
I slowly sat up and surveyed my surroundings. The cell was dimly lit by a candle in the hall. It was stone, with a stout door. Light leaked through a small barred window and I could hear rain falling from another high on the wall.
 
In the corner, an orange pony was sleeping uneasily.
 
I rubbed my eyes and checked again. Still, orange pony. Still mumbling and moaning in her sleep.
 
Still fiery mane and tail.
 
Still Sunset Shimmer.
 
"Sunset?" I called softly. I rose to my feet, wincing again as I accidently put weight on my wrist. She mumbled something, but didn't respond. "Sunset Shimmer!" I tried again, as I moved closer.
 
"Splinter?" She mumbled. I stopped, heart heavy. "Splinter, is that you? Am I dreaming?"
 
"It-" I stopped, choking slightly. "It's not Splinter. You're awake. It's a friend."
 
"Oh." She yawned weakly and rubbed her eyes. For a moment she looked very vulnerable. She blinked blearily and sat up. I circled her cautiously so the dim candlelight wasn't behind me anymore. "Wes?"
 
"Yeah." I shrugged. "What are you doing here?"
 
"I'd like to ask the same."
 
"Well, it looks like we have time." I tried to find a comfortable patch of floor.
 
"Yeah," she responded quietly. "We have a little. I'll go first."
 



 
"Wait, that was me!" I exclaimed.
 
Sunset had been nabbed by Tweed because he thought the Archive sent her to retrieve the painting. She'd missed me at our rendezvous because she'd been jumped, and despite her best efforts, overpowered, drugged with magic inhibitors, and locked in here.
 
"Really? You're with the IPB?"
 
"Um, kinda." I paused, unsure of how much to say. "Sorta? They wanted some help, and Celestia assigned me."
 
"Oh…sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh."
 
"It's OK."
 
"Funny thing is, the Tweeds weren't even on my horizon." She sighed. "There's a new group in town, and they're the ones who started this whole mess. The art hunt, the auctions, the break-ins…it's all them. I was digging after them, and Tweed thought I was after him."
 
"Sombra." I spat.
 
"Really?" She gave an excited gasp. "Oh! That…oh!"
 
"Suddenly, it all makes sense?" I asked dryly.
 
"Yeah." She sounded subdued.
 
"Did you get a good look at any of them? The windigolems?"
 
"Windigolems?"
 
"The glass pony statues."
 
"Glisten!"
 
"Huh?"
 
"Their boss, Glisten. They say she's a crystal pony. I thought it was odd; real crystal ponies aren't faceted. She must be one of those."
 
"Oh." I thought back to Shadow. "Oh no. She has a name; that's another of his lieutenants. This isn't good, not at all. Why are they after the painting? What's so important about it?"
 
"I have no idea." Sunset sighed. "I mean, are we even sure that's what they're looking for? They've bought, 'borrowed', and stolen hundreds of pieces of art in the past few weeks."
 
"I…"
 
"Hmm?"
 
"Well, um…"
 
"Spit it out."
 
"I sensed odd magic from something on that cart." I could almost see her think. If I could sense magic, that meant I was using Splinter's horn.
 
"Wes…"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Tell me how my brother died."
 
"…alright."
 



 
"And now I'm in a cell again." I sighed, frustration and anger showing through. I'd done my best to recount my imprisonment with the changelings. After that, I'd given a succinct summary of what landed me here. "At least this time I have a plan."
 
"What?" Sunset's voice rang with excitement. "You have a plan? What is it? Can I help?"
 
"Sure I have a plan. Wait for rescue."
 
"Uaaaaaah…." Her voice broke, and she gave a keening wail. Shocked, I shuffled over and pulled her into a hug.
 
"What's wrong?"
 
"You don't understand!" She sobbed into my shoulder. "Tweed kills ponies! Do you really think they'd imprison us if they couldn't get away with it? We're going to die. In a cell. Helpless. Like my brother. Because of Celestia."
 
"Sunset…" I stopped, suddenly realizing she had been here far longer than me and with much less to hold on to. If I didn't have friends who knew where I'd gone…I shook my head. She sniffled, calmed a little by my voice. I wanted to reassure her, but felt odd taking a hard line with somepony I barely knew. At the same time, though, we had a connection. I felt like I was carrying something forward for Splinter.
 
"Your brother was not helpless. He sacrificed his life to get me out. If that's what it takes to free you, I'll do it. I told you, I owe him my life. I'll pay that to you, if need be." She stopped sobbing, going back to sniffles. "Besides. My friends are coming for me. They'll save us both. But Tweed better not count us out just yet." I slipped my wand out of my sleeve and held it out to her. "They've left me with more than they realized."
 
"Is that…"
 
"Yeah." I peeled back the silk wrapping, to show the yellow ivory underneath. "My wand. Splinter's horn." I scooted back against the wall and tried meditating a little. My wrist was hurting. "Sunset."
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Tell me what you meant, when you said it was Celestia's fault your brother died."
 
"I…um…"
 
"What's between you two?"
 
"I don't-"
 
"Sunset."
 
"Yeah?"
 
I lifted my wand, and tapped it to my forehead.
 
"Pretend I'm your brother. At least for a bit." I wasn't sure why I felt so adamant about this, but something told me she needed a friend. This sort of confidence was the only way I saw of getting close. Sunset seemed the sort to hold others at arms-length; I needed to be a little harsher to get past that. She scooted over and curled up beside me. I stiffened a little.
 
"Splinter and I used to sit like this," she said slowly. I relaxed. The extra warmth was nice on the cold stone. "Back in the day. I was Celestia's student, before Twilight." She felt me shift and laughed dryly. "Didn't know that, did you? He was part of the guard. Maybe Shining would know him?" I shrugged; I'd never considered asking. "He wasn't captain, or anything, but he was respected and competent. Celestia sent him on missions personally." She sighed, curling up tighter. "I always hated that. I didn't like him being in danger. But Celestia said that wasn't my decision to make. Phaw." Sunset spat. "Celestia. Her 'greater good' makes me sick." I frowned, but held my peace.
 
"Then one day, he didn't come back." Her voice quavered and she drew a shaky breath. "One day, he was just…gone. He disappeared and I was alone." She lay silent for a time, crying quietly. "I hated Celestia for it." Another long pause. "It took a while for those feelings to surface, but one day it all came out. Everything. I yelled, I screamed, I ranted and raved, I even tried to hurt her. She just stood staring, like she was confused by the whole thing. I couldn't take it anymore; I turned tail and ran, and I've been running ever since." We sat in silence for a long while.
 
"For so long, I've been pushing everypony away."
 
I sighed at that, and ran a hand over her whithers, patting her gently. Finally, I got my thoughts in order.
 
"Celestia said it wasn't your decision to make about sending Splinter out, but I know it wasn't hers either." She sniffled a little, but that was all; I continued. "Splinter didn't talk about you much, but I remember…well, we'd had a bad night. Both of us. We were broken and bleeding, in pain and maybe a little delirious. It's an odd place to be; both extremely vulnerable, physically, and still pretty much unkillable. Does weird things to your mind. Anyways, he told me about his sister. His beautiful, smart, powerful, beautiful, perfect sister, who was studying magic to make the world a better place. He loved you, Sunset." She sniffled a bit more at that.
 
"More than that; he was proud of you, and wanted to make the world better for you, even a little." I sighed. "That's why he fought. For others. He fought for you his whole life. He fought for me." I wiped a tear away from my own eye. "He was a great pony. But…well, I guess what I'm trying to say, is don't hold his disappearance against Celestia. Or at least give her a chance. She's not playing chess; she doesn't believe the ends justify the means. Ponies aren't pawns to her, and she would never send your brother if he didn't go willingly." I shrugged, awkwardly. "Did you know Celestia never stopped  searching? When I met Luna, she was working on missing pony cases. It helped us track down the changelings. She was searching for him."
 
"R-really?"
 
"Really."
 
"Do…do you think Celestia would still t-talk to me?"
 
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure of it. All you need to do is ask." The conversation lulled again and I focused on my meditation. After a while I concentrated on my wand and barely managed to cast the only spell Lyra had taught me. I wasn't really supposed to do this without her supervision, but I was getting better. The magic in my body thrummed as it harmonized, and Sunset gasped.
 
"What was that?"
 
"Sorry." I shook my head. "I can't tell you; I promised. It's a type of metamancy." I concentrated on the sequence of notes I needed, and felt magic start focusing on my wrist. I could feel each of my bones vibrate. It was still an odd sensation. A lack of raw agony meant it wasn't a fracture, though. I ran my wand over the area, scanning. It was a sprain, a bad one. I focused my magic as best I could, trying to use the energy to the best effect. I managed to reduce the swelling a little and even repair the tendons a bit before my concentration slipped and I gave up with a gasp.
 
I'd actually managed a half-minute or so. That was pretty good.  I felt the skin on my arm; it was warm, but didn't hurt. I had to be very careful of burns. Any dissonance in my internal magic was released as heat which elevated my body temperature, and I didn't have a magical musical ass like my teacher.
 
"What were you doing?" I glanced up; Sunset was staring at me, fascinated.
 
"Reiki?" I shrugged. She quirked an eyebrow. "Sorry." I grinned. "I'm used to giving silly answers. But…you're a pretty good magician, huh? Being Celestia's…former student?"
 
"Mmm."
 
"Well, it's a technique for manipulating internal magic. I concentrated some on my wrist to help it heal, since it was sprained for me earlier."
 
"Oh. Interesting." She leaned over and ran her horn along my arm. I froze, unsure of what to do; she was on magic inhibitors, right? I saw a flicker of magic, vibrant cyan shining in the dark, and yanked my arm back with a gasp.
 
"Don't hurt yourself!"
 
"Oh." She looked up, just as surprised. "That worked. Wes, that…" She stopped suddenly and jerked to her feet, pacing haltingly around the cell muttering. I watched her for a bit, unsure. I could press her; she might even talk to me. But was it worth it?
 
I closed my eyes, trying to think of a way out, and I fell asleep without realizing.
 



 
Sunshine and music woke me.
 
I'd slumped sideways, and was laying in the one small sunbeam our tiny window allowed. The light was playing across my amethyst brooch which was singing gently. Sunset was curled up next to me, her back to mine. I yawned and stretched, trying to wake up as our situation filtered back.
 
I grimaced, stood, and started stretching slowly. No point in hurting more than necessary.
 
I frowned down at my new suit. Maybe it wasn't totally ruined, but being thrown through puddles and sleeping on the floor definitely hadn't been good for it. Still, that was the least of my worries. I prowled the cell again, this time in daylight, trying to find something we could use. The cell was solidly locked and barred; the walls were thick blocks of stone, mortared firmly with tough cement. The bars in the high window were thick and solidly set, probably with melted lead. I completed my circuit, groaning in frustration. My brooch reflected the noise back sweetly and I searched myself again. Still, one suit, one wand, one straight-razor, two cufflinks, and one amethyst brooch. I played absently with my wand, spinning it vacantly around my fingers as I tried to think up something useful.
 
My mind kept coming back to the brooch. Singing stone, as far as latent magic went, was intense. There was plenty of power in the thing, if I could tap it. I unpinned it for a closer inspection. It was a carousel pony, picked out in dozens of flawlessly faceted amethysts. It buzzed as I ran a finger over it and I subconsciously tried to identify the chord.
 
Wait. What was I thinking? I'd been working with sound magic for weeks. I frowned as the idea hit me. If I could fuse what I'd learned from Vinyl and Lyra into something workable, could I release some of the magic stored in the brooch? Unsure, I sat back down next to Sunset, put my head in my hands, and stared at it, pondering.
 
"Mwha?" I glanced at my comrade as Sunset uncurled slightly, blinking up at me. "Oh. Morning."
 
"Morning. Sleep well?"
 
"Better than expected." She yawned. "Um, I think…some of that talk last night was good for me."
 
"Good." I paused. "Uh…I wanted to say, I'm sorry for forcing that out of you. It wasn't really my place, but-"
 
"Ssssh." I stopped in surprise as she placed a hoof on my mouth. "Don't apologize. You were trying to help, and I think it did. Umph." She stood, shook herself off, and ran a hoof through her mane. "For now, for better or worse, we're in this together. And for the first time in years…" She glanced back, inspecting her cutie mark. "Things might actually be looking up for me. If we can just get out of here."
 
"Well, I did have an idea on that." I raised the brooch. "Any thoughts on how to make this explode?"
 



 
"Wait, are you sure that Heather's spell has three modes?"
 
"Absolutely!"
 
I watched curiously as she turned back to the runes she was sketching in the dust. Working with Sunset was nothing like working with Twilight. They were both incredibly intelligent, which made sense; Celestia had picked and tutored them personally. However, with Twilight, we shared almost all our knowledge. It took no more than a word or three, and complex equations sprang to mind, full-formed. With Sunset, she was painstakingly working proofs, and I still had trouble following. To be fair, this was about as arcane and obscure magic as you could get; not exactly 'common knowledge'.
 
It helped that I'd been brushing up on echonarcy recently. Without that, we might have been out of luck. As it was, I think we'd nearly come up with an idea.
 
"Oh!" I suddenly saw what she was getting at with her diagram. "Yeah! That would actually work." I spun the brooch between my fingers, examining it. I carefully extracted the fastener, and slid the ornament into my pocket; the solid silver post pin would be the target of this spell. If I could actually cast it.
 
"Sure it would, if you had a power source." Sunset gave me a skeptical look. "This is only an amplification spell, after all."
 
"Leave that to me." I smiled, more confidently than I felt. "I'll make it work, one way or another. For now, I just need to do my best on this." I held up the pin.
 
It was still early in the morning. We'd woken soon after sunrise, and I didn't want to waste time. I had no idea what Tweed planned for us; it surely wasn't anything spectacular, but surely wasn't pleasant, either. I shuddered a little, and my skin crawled as I remembered I was once again in a cell. Slightly more subdued and motivated, I drew my wand and gathered my concentration.
 
"Good grief." I looked up; Sunset was watching me with a mixture of awe and disgust. "How are you so weak?"
 
"Well excuuuuuse me, Miss Unicorn. I'm not supposed to be able to do any magic. Cut me some slack."
 
"No, seriously; what's up with you and magic? I read you as a giant on my scope when you escaped Sombra's anomaly, but when I arrived, you had nothing! Now you're active, but only a trickle? Tell me how you're doing this!"
 
"Anomaly?" I thought back to my blurred memory of our first escape from the Crystal Empire. "Oh, the portal! That was with Twilight's help." I shrugged.
 
"Oh, now this I've got to hear. She was dead on her hooves. How was she helping you?"
 
"Oh. Um. Well, it all started when Sombra had us up against the ropes, and I nearly ripped this gem out of my chest…" I closed my eyes, letting half my brain wander haphazardly through the story of experimenting with our link while the rest of me carefully detailed the spell into the brooch pin.
 



 
"Crazy." Sunset shook her head. "You two are crazy."
 
"Thanks." I breathed a sigh of relief as I finished. I tapped the pin; the aura didn't disintegrate, so I'd wrapped everything up properly. "Well, that's the way it is." I slid the pin back through the ornament, and listened; it seemed slightly louder. "Now, what's our plan?"
 
"Blow something up!" Sunset sprang to her hooves, head held high. "Let's make some noise, and get out of here!"
 
"H-hold on a second!" I grabbed her mane, trying to calm her slightly. "Is that really the best idea? I'll need some rest before I can be sure of working this, and you're still coming down from inhibitors. Anyways, we don't know what's going on out there. Maybe there will be a better opportunity?"
 
"Wait!" Her ears swiveled, locking onto something I couldn't hear. "What's that?"
 
"You have better ears." I climbed to my feet. "What's up?"
 
"Yelling. Clashing. Fighting? Sounds like…something about apples?"
 
"Oh!" My fingers shook as I fished the brooch back out of my pocket. "Alright, we're leaving. Ten to one, that's our reinforcements."
 
"We have reinforcements?"
 
"Hay yeah! I've been saying this whole time; friends are coming for us. We'll let them know where we are, and they can clean up the rest of this." I triggered my meditation technique with a few quick breaths. "Now, hush. This will be tricky enough as is."
 
I shifted my wand to my left hand, holding it at arms-length with my not-sprained wrist, aimed directly at the cell door. I slowly scraped my magical resources together and wrapped the brooch in a crackling orange aura. Sunset watched apprehensively as I levitated it. It slowly hovered out in front of me, until it hung in the air about half-way to the wall. This was stretching the limits of my power; I'd slightly increased my capabilities, but I was only up to three one-bit coins in my training.
 
Now for the hard part.
 
I mentally arranged the words for the spell, carefully superimposing them on my conception of the brooch. Then imagined a line from the end of my wand, extending from the tip to the wall, and running directly through the ornament. I pulsed my internal energy, being sure to hold the spell-words, and imagined it vibrating. The brooch hummed in response.
 
Slowly, I amped up the power. A feedback loop began; I watched the wall, listened to the brooch, and adjusted my internal harmonies to match. I worked as quickly as possible, but sweat sprang out on my forehead; dissonance was already heating my bloodstream. If I held this too long, or didn't get it just right, I'd cook myself from the inside out.

The brooch's singing slowly intensified, harshening and deepening. It swooped down through the lower registers. For a second, I nearly lost control as my bowels quaked and dust and rubble danced on the floor. I tightened my grip and it passed.
 
Sunset had her hooves blocking her ears, and I didn't blame her. The sound was immense now, mirroring the sort of racket I'd raised in the caves. I saw wisps of solid magic curling off the amethysts as they began sublimating, the solid energy returning to fluid power as the vibrations pulsed through them, amplified and directed by the spell I'd woven into the pin. A swirl of light curled around the brooch, forming a vortex as the activation threshold was passed and the feedback loop became self-maintaining. The resistance crumbled suddenly, and the spell changed from an uphill climb to a downhill slide. I choked up my grip before it ran wild, checking to ensure I had everything set. I canvassed my internal power, double-checked I was pointing it at the right place, rechecked my harmonies, and when I was absolutely sure of myself, let it rip.
 
It finished in one long crescendo, not really a bang so much as a roar. The brooch flashed brightly and the wall thrummed, sound waves focused totally on one spot, selected by my internal harmonies, amplified by the brooch, and powered by the singing stone. A simple dungeon wall couldn't withstand that sort of fury. It caved like a giant kicked it, literally blasted across the hall. Sunset and I stood coughing in the smoking rubble.
 
"We need to move!" I yelled, taking a second to scoop up the twisted, smoking piece of metal that had been the brooch.
 
"What?"
 
I shook my head, pointed, and started running. Sunset followed.
 



 
"Rarity, no! She's with me!"
 
A thousand shining needles froze in midair, mere inches away from Sunset. My companions, Rarity and Applejack, had left the general melee behind and come looking for me once they heard the noise. I guess I was inextricably linked to explosions in their minds.
 
"Mares, you've never met her, but this is Sunset Shimmer. Tweed nabbed her instead of me, which is why she never showed. Anyways, who's keeping the mob busy?"
 
"My uncle and his horses." Applejack shrugged. "Family is there for you. Plus, they get to crush a rival."
 
"Do they need our help?"
 
"You kidding?" She gave me a skeptical glance. "They'd take twice as many and still not break a sweat."
 
"Oh." I sagged against a wall, tension slowly seeping out of me. "Then maybe we should run, before whoever is in charge of prisoners thinks to check."
 
"Right." Rarity nodded and led the way. We left unnoticed.
 



 
"So, let me get this straight," Applejack said for the fourth time, as we let ourselves into the back of the gallery. Opaque had left me instructions for my return, no matter it was half a day later than expected.
 
"Oh, really!" Rarity sighed. "Listen, it's very simple. Both Tweed and Glisten, Sombra's lieutenant, were after the painting. Wes was against Tweed, and Sunset against Glisten. Following?"
 
"So far."
 
"Tweed knew something was up. Maybe Glisten did, too. But Tweed thought that Sunset was the pony after him, so he foalnapped her. Because of that, Wes wasn't bothered until he ran into Sombra's goons. Then they knocked him down and Tweed captured him. He got thrown in with Sunset, and Sombra got the painting."
 
"Wait…they switched targets?"
 
"Sort of?"
 
"Oh…huh."
 
"Well, that was a bust!" I exclaimed, futility and frustration welling up as we made it to our room. I flopped onto one of the beds, not bothering to remove my bedraggled suit.
 
"We couldn't have expected Sombra." Rarity shrugged stoically.
 
"I know, but I'm so sick of being one step behind him! We actually had an opportunity here; we stumbled on one of his plots before we even knew it, and we still couldn't do anything! He's always one step ahead, and I'm beginning to feel like I'm running in circles!" My head swung around as a knock came on the door.
 
"Good, you're back!" We all gasped, as Opaque staggered through. The small mare was covered in dirt and grime, and even had a few bruises and scrapes, a far cry from the immaculate image she'd presented last night.
 
"Opaque, are you OK?" Rarity rushed over and supported her as she sagged against the door.
 
"Oh, I'll be fine." She pushed herself upright, and glanced at us. "It's good to know you made it. And with this, we have something to pin on Tweed, even if it's not theft; imprisonment and assault is a good start. But I have news. After Wes got captured," I grimaced; she shrugged, "I reported to Fancy, told you, Rarity, then triangulated his comm, and tailed the…what did you call them? Windigolems? Until they reached their destination."
 
"You found them?" I sprang upright, energy suddenly restored. "We need to move! If we're quick, we might be able to attack them before they escape!"
 
"Right!" Opaque nodded. "But first, I visited my study and found this." She stepped into the hall and retrieved a small box, labeled 'reinforcements'. "I think it's from the Princess but it's addressed to you, Wes." She passed it over. I frowned, and slit the tape holding it closed.
 
On top was a letter; it crinkled as I spread it out.
 
"Wes," I read aloud, "I'm sorry I couldn't meet you in Canterlot. Thank you for assisting Fancy. Since Sombra is involved, I've decided to authorize the use of gratuitous force. Move quick; if he's got what he needs, he'll be gone ASAP." Confused, I checked the box. A grin slowly spread across my face.
 
"Why are you smiling like that?" Sunset asked, confused. I tipped the box upside down, and Rarity and Applejack added their grins, looking at what fell out.
 
"A zebra would call those tiger smiles." Opaque glanced at the three of us. "Care to share?"
 
"Ah, yes." I held up a gem-studded iron horseshoe. "Arglefraster, meet the team. Team, Arglefraster." I pushed myself upright. "Opaque, I feel like ruining someone's day. Let's have a go at Sombra's ponies; we can plan on the way."

> 42 - Close
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It looks deserted."
 
"I know." Opaque nodded. We were standing in an alleyway, surreptitiously surveying a beaten-up warehouse on the edge of town. "But that's where I trailed them to."
 
"Um." I thought for a moment. "Hey, Rarity. Can you get a read with the gun?"
 
"They're there." She nodded. Arglefraster hovered just above and to the left of her, connected tenuously to her horn. It could scan through walls. I'd never tried using it, but it should project a small heads-up display, and even highlight targets. "I can see maybe a dozen. They're gathered in a knot, and they're working fast. Maybe we could pick them off from here?"
 
"Won't work." I shook my head. "Arglefraster's great, but it's not really a sniper. The propulsion fields disintegrate after about five-hundred yards, or if they punch through something. We didn't want to shoot through walls. Once the field is gone, the bullet starts tumbling and evaporates quickly."
 
"So we need to get inside, at least. What's the plan?" Sunset asked.
 
"It'll be tricky, whatever we do." I shrugged. "When we were up against Shadow we had Dash, and we still barely pulled through. Suggestions?"
 
"We need to hit them hard, and we need to be quick about it." Applejack stepped up. "We've got one target; the painting. We need to get in, do what we can, and get out. For that to happen, confusion is our friend."
 
"Ok." Rarity grinned. "I say we knock on the front door."
 
"Ah." I grinned, hugely. "Arglefraster can do that."
 



 
Plugging my ears helped a little against the noise. Sunset watched in awe as Rarity sent a giant icicle ripping through the warehouse. It punched messily through the wall near us and threw what I could see of the interior contents around violently. We were moving as soon as we had an entry.
 
I had no idea how Manehatten would react to the racket. Hopefully, they would stay away. We were away from residential areas. We'd discussed asking some of Applejack's contacts to help, but decided against it; since this was a government operation, they would be chary. There was no actual reward and no guarantee they'd obey us.
 
I dove through the hole we'd opened and tried to assess the situation. The windigolems had indeed been gathered in the center of the warehouse, working on what seemed to be a cart. Our attack had scattered them; as we entered, they started converging on us.
 
Standing on the cart, directing their movements, was a pony who was clearly a lieutenant. She looked fairly normal, like Shadow had, but her crystal body was more obvious in small ways. Her fuschia mane was glassy, and her robin's-egg coat seemed transparent. Her eyes glowed red, and she had a faceted, slab-like appearance in parts. She gestured and yelled, and the windigolems surged.
 
I stepped forward, unlimbered my hammer, and tried to push through.
 
"Really wish we had air support!" I yelled. "Try for the cart! Ten-to-one, she's making her breaks!"
 
I heard Sunset yell "On it!" and caught a flash of cyan magic from the corner of my eye. I ducked under a blow and smashed my hammer into the attacking windigolem. As I did, Sunset appeared on the cart.
 
Did she just teleport? My musing was cut short as she engaged Glisten at close range.
 
For a second, I thought she had a chance. She didn't try to fight the lieutenant head on; instead, she cast some sort of binding and leaped into the bed of the cart.
 
I glanced around, trying to assess how we were doing; we were holding our own against their larger numbers and had even destroyed a few. In a few minutes we'd have victory.
 
But we didn't have the time for that. I wracked my brain for a way to get to the cart, and Sunset, faster. As I did, I dodged another blow and heard a scream from the cart. Glisten dove into the bed after Sunset and she came flying over the side, landing heavily on the ground. The lieutenant followed, taking a moment to kick her again, before jumping into the traces and hauling the cart away.
 
My heart sank as I saw her crash through a thin section of the wall and clatter off at a speed only a pegasus could have matched. We'd lost her.
 
I viciously finished off my opponent, turning to help Opaque. To my surprise, she was finishing up as well. Both of us joined Applejack and Rarity and cleaned up their opponents in moments. Piles of broken glass littered the floor. Windigos began forming above them but they'd evaporate in the sunshine quickly enough. I holstered my hammer and rushed over to Sunset.
 
"Are you OK?" I dropped to one knee and inspected her. She didn't look seriously injured.
 
"Yeah." She coughed. "She took me by surprise but I snapped up a shield." She slowly uncurled, wincing. "I may have a cracked rib though. She's got some weight behind her blows."
 
"Shadow was the same." I helped her to her feet. "Although he was a trained battlemage. If he'd been supporting these troops, we'd have had a much, much harder fight."
 
"Look!" Rarity yelled, holding up a rolled piece of... canvas? "She left the painting!"
 
"What?" Applejack and Opaque turned, just as the piece unrolled. Sure enough, that was Subtle Palette's 'Mud Pony'. It was undamaged, to my untrained eye, although Opaque gasped in shock and rushed over.
 
"Yeah." Sunset coughed, wincing. "The cart was mostly empty but there was this padded setup in the back, a plain wooden frame and some cushions. It was holding a mirror."
 
"A mirror?"
 
We'd made our way over to the others, and they were listening with interest. At that point, Applejack motioned to the back of the canvas.
 
"Look." On the back of the painting, dust and creases left an oval impression. "Was that what they were after?"
 
"Must have been." I shrugged. "I wonder why?"
 
"It's magic, obviously. That's what you sensed last night." Sunset rolled her eyes and grimaced. "And it…caught me. Or I'd have grabbed it and jumped again."
 
"Caught you?" Rarity gave her an odd look.
 
"Yeah." Her voice was flat.
 
"Oh."
 
"We need to get this back to the gallery," Opaque glanced around, "and we need to get moving. The police will have a team here in short order, and while they won't obstruct us in the end, I'm not doing paperwork right now. Let's move." She stepped out, carefully balancing the painting on her back. The rest of us followed readily.
 
"Sunset." I fell behind, walking next to her. "What else did you see?"
 
"Hmm?"
 
"In the cart. Something shocked you, bad. I heard you scream - before Glisten kicked you."
 
"Blech." She grimaced and looked up at me. I saw her eyes harden slightly and pulled out my wand. I held it out to her and tapped it to my forehead.
 
"Be my friend, Sunset," I awkwardly entreated. "I want to help."
 
"Fine." She sighed. "I saw myself in the mirror." We walked quietly for a bit. "Fine!" she yelled. Everypony else glanced back, but didn't intrude. "I saw myself as an alicorn. I was tall, beautiful. I had these wonderful fiery wings, and a billowing ethereal mane." She dropped her voice again. "I looked powerful. Strong. In control. Everything I thought I wanted, back when I was young and foolish. It shook me. But I also looked little lonely. And a little angry." She sighed.
 
"I don't know, Wes. Maybe it was stupid, but when I saw that…I just froze up. For a long time, that's all I wanted. Power. But then I spent years searching for my lost my brother, and I realized just how empty all of that is when pursued for its own sake. If I'd given up on Splinter, I could have ruled this city and it wouldn't have meant a single thing." She gave a small laugh. "Maybe I’m closer to believing in Celestia's 'greater good' than I thought. Anyways, I'm sorry I couldn't do better." She hung her head. "If I'd been a little stronger, Glisten wouldn't have escaped."
 
"You don't know that," I firmly contradicted her. "Look, Sunset. This was always long shot. Nothing would have changed that, except maybe a platoon of Shining's elite guards, or a Princess. If you'd yoinked the mirror, we might have won…or Glisten might have pulled out a trump card. Maybe if we extended things, civilians would have shown up and gotten hurt. Maybe Celestia would have found us and added her strength. I don't know what would have happened and neither do you." I gave her a pointed glare, and she nodded slowly.
 
"We just need to move forward from here." I rubbed my jaw. "This mirror is unsettling. Sombra is an archmage who specializes in mirror magic." I thought back to the first attack he'd leveled at us. "He tried to do something with mirrors, when he first moved against Twilight. He claimed it was a trap, but I don't trust anything he says. He's a wheels-within-wheels plotter, more layered and intricate than I would have believed. He's putting some sort of plan together, and we need to be ready, as best we can." I groaned, quietly. "I just wish I had a bit more confidence that we’re moving fast enough."
 
"At least you're moving." She gave me gentle nudge. "Trust me, I know what it feels like to do your best and get nowhere. You've got a few years yet before you can declare yourself a failure."
 
"Heh. Ok, I'll take your word for it."
 
"Good."
 



 
"So…you're saying it's not completely ruined?" Rarity was discussing the future of the painting with Opaque. Apparently, the thick paint Subtle Palette used wasn't suited for being rolled and unrolled.
 
"It may be salvaged." The gallery curator gave a hesitant nod. "Oh." She stopped; we'd reached our destination, and just outside our door was a brace of Royal Guards, resplendent in golden regalia.
 
"Eeep!" Sunset gave a surprisingly cute shriek and stepped behind me.

"Um, hold on a second, ponies." The others halted, and I turned back. "Look, Sunset…" I sighed. "You're with friends here."
 
I saw her fright recede a little as reality returned.
 
"I don't…have to do this," she said, slowly regaining her poise.
 
"You don't." I shrugged, but I was unwilling to let it rest at that; another minute, and she'd talk herself out of it. "I really do think you should reconcile with Celestia, or at least talk to her a little. Get things started. Feel the waters. I'm certain she doesn't hate you. But I can't - we won't - make you. If you want to leave, now's the time. I'll keep writing you. We can meet up later."
 
"Um." She paused, thinking it over.
 
"Only…" I stopped and caught her eye. "It's not going to get easier." Her face fell, and I knelt to give her a gentle hug. "I know that. You know that. Haven't you done enough waiting?"
 
"Really dear, it's alright." Sunset's expression grew surprised as Rarity and Applejack joined the hug. "If you're not ready, that's your decision." Rarity squeezed her tightly. "Any friend of Wes' is a friend of mine. Give me a call if you need a hoof."
 
"That's the truth. You've helped us out plenty now and back when. Drop round the farm sometime, we'll have pie." Applejack nodded. "Ah do think you should say hi to her majesty, but what do Ah know? Just, these things don't get easier."
 
"Thanks." Sunset blinked rapidly and sniffled a little. "M-maybe. Just for a little while."
 
"That's the spirit!" Opaque cheered us on. "Okay! It's been years since I've had a royal visit! We can have lunch!" She bounded forward, energy restored. "Oh! This will be fun!" I shook my head at her enthusiasm. Why couldn't I be that energetic?
 



 
"My Princess." The words gave me a little thrill as I followed Opaque into the conference room and bowed to Celestia. She was my Princess now.
 
Opaque, in a flurry of delegation, had ordered us lunch, let the royal guest know we'd arrived, and begged a short time to freshen up before attending her. Manes had been combed and coats brushed. I'd settled for washing my face, stripping off my cravat and vest, and swapping my shirt for a clean one. My coat needed a good cleaning, but I brushed it as best I could and it didn't look horrible. Black wool has advantages. I rinsed off my new boots and they looked fine. I would have liked an actual shower and we all needed some medical attention, but bruises, cuts, and scrapes could be plastered quickly. Sunset was sporting a taped rib.
 
Oh, Sunset.
 
"Your majesty…" I stepped forward, leaning close to Celestia. She tipped an ear towards me, curious. "Thank you for coming. We moved without your support and failed. We can detail the operation later." I lowered my voice. "However, Sunset Shimmer has joined us, at least for lunch. She…would like to talk to you, at least a little. Please, please be kind to her." I gave her my best pleading face. "For my sake?"
 
"Oh, Wes." Celestia gave me a gentle smile in return. "Am I so terrifying, then? Of course I'll be kind. I've wanted to talk to Sunset for years. Thank you so very much for convincing her."
 
"Um." I stepped back, suddenly abashed. I'd just encouraged her a little; was it really such a big deal?
 
Apparently so.
 
As the rest of the ponies filed in, Celestia greeted Rarity and Applejack warmly, but hesitantly stepped forward to gather Sunset into a gentle embrace. The rest of us shared a knowing look and turned towards lunch. Our report could wait.
 



 
"You Ok?"
 
A slightly red-eyed Sunset came and sat beside me. I was busily picking daisies off my sandwich, while Opaque and Applejack argued with Rarity about the proper type of apples for a slaw. Celestia sat at the other end of the table and started filling a plate.
 
"Yeah." She sniffled a little. "She apologized, Wes. Princess Celestia. To me."
 
"Mm."
 
"What have I been doing?" She leaned her head against my shoulder and started sniffling again. "All those years!"
 
I put an arm around her neck and patted her gently.
 
"Sssh." I gave her a gentle hug. "Things get better now." I passed her a sandwich and my extra daisies. "We move forward. One way or another. Trust your friends; we'll hold you up."
 
"Ahem!" Celestia cleared her throat, and we all turned to her. She had a sandwich sticking out of her mouth; as soon as she realized we were all staring, she hastily swallowed. "Um. Uh, Sunset told me how the strike against Glisten went. You all did the best you could, although I'm very worried about the implications. Sombra's an expert in resography and mirror magic, and I'm afraid the stolen artifact may be the 'Misty Mirror'; an extremely powerful relic of the old Unicorn Crown. Wes, you remember the report I had compiled?" Rarity and Applejack glanced at me, but I nodded. I hadn't even made the connection, but there had been a mirror in there that supposedly linked to another world… I had sudden visions of invading alien armies and shuddered.
 
"That could be bad."
 
"Indeed. I will be doubling and redoubling my efforts to discover his plans. The unfortunate reality is that we may actually be at war, and I have not realized it." She grimaced at that, and we shared worried looks. "Sombra is masterminding an organization of unseen proportions, coordinating a plot of appalling depth and unguessed ends. A thousand years ago, my sister and I defeated him, but it seems his plans lived on. We need to proceed with both extreme haste and caution, an explosive combination if ever there was one. I hope all of you-" she caught Sunset's eye "-can lend me your strength as we face this threat." She sighed deeply. "For now, wait on my word. I have no idea when our next lead will come, but come it will, and we must be ready." She returned to her lunch and the rest of us went back to talking quietly.
 
After a while Sunset joined Applejack. Rarity and Opaque took the opportunity to discuss fashion and Celestia came around the table to sit by me.
 
"Wes."
 
"Yes?"
 
"I apologize for this, but I didn't come to Manehatten purely to assure your safety. I pushed you to legitimize yourself as part of the Intelligence Archive because I want your help with something and that's the best support for you." She sighed, suddenly looking very tired.
 
"Ok."
 
"Wes, I don't know what Luna has told you, but the last decade or so has been exhausting." I blinked at that, bemused; I normally didn't think of decades like that. "I try to limit my involvement to the essentials. One way or another, my little ponies will continue." She smiled at the others. "Still, it's frustrating to watch opponents poke holes in everything I'm trying to create. Maybe I'm feeling the weight of my years, but it seems that as soon as I raise the sun, there's another essential thing requiring my attention. I delegate, I schedule vacations and breaks which I stick to as best I can. It's not the government that requires my effort, you know, but Sombra and his ilk."
 
"Not that I mind, Princess, but why confide in me?"
 
"Because I’m about to ask you to stretch even thinner, and I know how that can feel. I apologized, because I realize I'm asking a lot of you. I really do need help and support from the ponies around me, and you, through accident, character, and decision, are one of the few positioned to help."
 
"Is that what the CIA is really about?"
 
"Indeed. They're not servants, but my friends." She took a bite of her sandwich. "They are the few, before Luna returned, who would naysay me, telling me not what I want, but need to hear. Everything else about them, the building they use, the system they have, the magic they've set up, is all incidental to that. What use is a spy if they won't give you bad news? I've known Opaque ever since she was a foal." Celestia smiled at me. "Did you know, the first time I met her, she yelled at me? I can't even remember what it was about, but I remember looking at this tiny, bouncing yellow filly, and thinking; 'this one's a keeper'. And she has been, faithfully supporting me and not just when I ask." She gave a bittersweet grin. "One day, maybe, Twilight will conquer her fear of me and join them."
 
"What would you ask me?" I poured myself a glass of watermelon juice, and refilled Celestia's.
 
"Have you heard about the changeling panics?" I thought back to the yelling ponies yesterday, and nodded. "Do you remember the changeling Diligent paroled when you attacked Wraith's hive?" I nodded again, more slowly this time. "Well, as it turns out, there are at least two hives left in Equestria."
 
"At least?"
 
"That I know of. There may be more; it's unlikely we'll ever be completely free of imposters, given the the nature of the insects and how many ponies live far beyond my borders."
 
"Blech."
 
"Indeed. Anyways, two hives. The changeling your team captured was named Onyx. Luna removed him to a secure location and we questioned him. At length, but gently. We learned some interesting things."
 
"Mmm?"
 
"Firstly, you may have guessed this, but not all changelings feed on the same emotions. Even saying 'feed' is a bit off. Although they gather it, they do not consume it wholesale. Certain things, like their magic, or hatchlings, absolutely require it, but we sustained Onyx for quite a while on nothing more than hay, oats, and water."
 
"…sure." A human might get scurvy, but I guess that was reasonable pony food?
 
"Chrysalis' and Wraith, in order to secure what they saw as a 'permanent' source of emotion, took drastic, uncharacteristic actions. Most changelings are much more discrete, and for good reason."
 
"They don't want panic."
 
"Not if they're smart."
 
"Well, Wraith and Chrysalis are stupid. Ok, I can grasp that. What about these other two?"
 
"One of them wants peace."
 
"Peace?" I nearly choked on my mouthful of bread and lettuce, coughing in startlement. "With them?"
 
"Yes."
 
"You're serious." I scrutinized her expression. "Of course you are. How could you even consider that?"
 
"Wes…" Celestia sighed. "This is something you'll need to work through. But, no matter your personal feelings, peace is the best option. Both for us and for them."
 
"Really."
 
"Really. When has conflict ever benefited both parties?"
 
"Who cares about them?"
 
"I do." I quailed at her fierce words, but the fact that she was willing to show me this emotion touched me a little; she knew I could deal with being yelled at. "Wes, you have free reign to speak your mind to me. I'll listen to whatever you would like to say. But do not presume to judge another. I am the ruler of Equestria; under my sun, I am absolute arbitrator in this land. If necessary, I am judge, jury, and executioner. At my word, thousands have died." She stopped, and took a deep breath to calm herself.
 
"I…" I stopped, and took a few breaths myself. "I apologize, my Princess. That was out of line."
 
"Apology accepted." She nodded, and her smile returned. "Be that as it may, Wes, you are my first candidate for an ambassador."
 
"Me?!" I nearly fell over, from one shock after another. "After that?" I stopped, and glared. "Is this another prank? Have you gone crazy?"
 
"This is not a prank. When have I ever pranked you?"
 
"Um…" I paused, about to point to when she'd labeled me a book. "…I guess you haven't. Weird."
 
"I am also, as far as my sister, my own mind, and my seven independent monitoring spells indicate, in full possession of my faculties. There's a simple reason for my decision, despite your proclivities."
 
"This, I have got to hear."
 
"You cannot be mimicked. Not easily, at any rate."
 
"Oh." I thought for a bit. That actually made a surprising amount of sense. In any negotiation, trust was an absolute issue. If Celestia was trying to find someone who could talk to both changelings and ponies, and not have to worry about whether they were replaced, I wasn't a horrible choice.
 
That didn't mean I liked the idea, however.
 
"What would this entail?"
 
"Firstly, you need to meet their Queen."
 
"Not a Princess?"
 
"No, Wes. Princess or Prince is an elected title; when I commandeered the Unicorn government, I was elected. I can go no higher without a royal decree of inheritance, and the royal line may be lost forever." She shrugged. "Although the changeling Queens are self-styled, they are truly absolute rulers. I am fortunate to have escaped that, in many ways."
 
"Huh." I nodded. "Interesting. Ok, so I need to meet the big shot. Then?"
 
"If she agrees, you will work with the Intelligence Archive to mitigate the effects of the changeling panics."
 
"Mitigate how?"
 
"Ah." Celestia gulped her juice. "I did mention there were two hives, did I not?"
 
"Yes…"
 
"Well, as far as we can tell, the other hive doesn't want peace."
 
"Oh."
 
"Indeed. We are unsure what goals they actually do pursue. However, for whatever reason, they are attempting to spark panic in parts of my populace. They have begun trying to reveal changelings from the opposing hive, and even frame innocent ponies, all in an attempt to stir things up. One of my analysts has suggested they may feed off fear."
 
"If so, they're even more stupid…or something drives them to desperation. Ooof."
 
"It is concerning." Celestia gave me a grave stare. "Anyways, you would be working with changelings from the hive of our potential ally, trying to protect them and the ponies around them from the actions of the rival hive. That's where things lie. Will you do this?"
 
"Hold up a second." I gulped my drink. "I have to ask; don’t we have changeling wards? What's up with those?"
 
"A good question. But remember, the technology is new. We were surprised and dismayed to find that they only work reliably on Chrysalis' agents." She frowned. "It's possible we can re-calibrate them if we manage to scan enough agents, or another Queen."
 
"Ok, fair enough. But how about horn-scanning? Twilight claimed she could sense changeling magic on me…that one time."
 
"Horn-scanning is unreliable at best." Celestia frowned. "Twilight is extraordinarily sensitive, and even she mistook Sombra's work for changeling magic. Even so, we wouldn't be able to distinguish which hive the agent was from."
 
"Hrmm." I thought that over for a bit, before returning to the original question. "Your mission, should I choose to accept it," I intoned. She gave me a curious glance, but nodded. "Do I have to do this?"
 
"…no." She shook her head slowly. "As a guard, I may order you; as my friend, you are free to turn this down."
 
"Argh." I dropped my head to my hands and tried to think.
 
This would be unpleasant. Besides working with bugs, I would be dealing with dramatic ponies. Every day. However, Celestia needed my help. She'd as much as admitted she was low on options; I surely wouldn't be her first choice. She wouldn't hate me for turning her down, but could I do that to a friend? I thought of the bugs.
 
Yes, yes I could.
 
I turned it over in my mind a few more times. Did I want to be that sort of friend, though? Only sacrificing when convenient? I'd helped Celestia before, but this time, she'd specifically come to ask me. I thought back on all the help she'd give me, and sighed.
 
"I'll do it." She grinned. "But!" I held up a finger. "I'll need you to pay me. Oats and wheat are fine for fuel, but to stay healthy I need green vegetables and protein all winter. I can't eat hay! I've been planning on buying dried beans and rice in bulk, and cider too, if I can get it. I'll start a root cellar and freeze what I can, but with everything going on…it's getting tricky. In a few months, the growing season will be over. If I'm to make it through the winter and do this work for you, I'll need extra cash."
 
"Oh." She looked faintly surprised. "I see. I hadn't considered that; most of my agents are independently wealthy. Name your wage."
 
"Really?"
 
"As long as it's reasonable."
 
"Phooey."



> 43 - Bugs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"They say there're cragodiles down here."
 
"Huh." I stepped over a piece of trash, blessing my new boots for the zillionth time. My thank-you for Rarity was rapidly escalating; at this rate, I'd have to create some sort of sentient sewing machine to repay her.
 
"No, really!" Applejack sidled around the rungs of a ladder and followed me slowly. "Somepony brought them for the zoo, and they escaped. Now they live down here and eat anypony who ventures in!"
 
"Cool." She snorted in disgust at my careless answer.
 
"Aw, come on." She shuffled disconsolately. "At least pretend you're frightened! You're as bad as big Mac."
 
"Look, Applejack." I glanced back at her; she was still wearing her Stetson. "It's not that I don't care. But even if there are cragodiles living in the Manehatten sewers, we're with Princess Celestia. I’m pretty sure they won't bother us while she's here." I gestured ahead, to where a warm golden glow lit our way. The tallest pony in the group was stooping low, trying to keep her horn from scraping on the roof.
 
We'd been hiking through the sewers for the past half-hour. Celestia was taking us to meet the changeling Queen; Applejack had volunteered to come.
 
"Yeah…hey, Wes." Applejack lowered her voice and I fell back to walk next to her.
 
"Mmhmm?"
 
"Is she angry at you?"
 
"The Princess?" I frowned. "I don't think so. Why?"
 
"Seems she snapped at you pretty hard, at lunch yesterday."
 
"Oh. Um, well." I grimaced. "I was being stupid, and she called me out on it. I was letting my emotions run away with me, and basically…well, I guess bigotry isn't something she thinks much of."
 
"Still, never thought I'd see the day Princess Celestia snapped like that."
 
"Heh, well." I shrugged. "I guess she feels it's Ok with a friend. I mean, you know me, right? I'm not going to just roll over if somepony gets angry. If they're wrong, I'll stand up and yell back. I've been trying to be better about dealing with my anger, but I failed pretty hard, there. She called me out on it, and she was right; I was being an ass. Not just to her, but to a whole bunch of…well, changelings I hadn't even met."
 
"You going to be okay down here?"
 
I rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants.
 
"I think so. I mean…" I paused, feeling my emotions and searching for the center of stability meditation offered. "I've been practicing this for a while now, and I think I'm getting better. I don't default to fight-or-flight when I see a changeling anymore, I hope. She seems to think I'll be OK." I nodded to the alicorn.
 
"Friends, huh?"
 
"I guess."
 
"You guess?"
 
"Yeah, well…I mean, she's a great leader. I look at what she's built, and it's amazing. She works hard for her ponies and believes in what she's doing so much it hurts, but she won't budge on her principles one inch. I mean, if she'd been serious about separating me from Twilight, she could have cut us apart and let me die."
 
"She'd never!"
 
"I know. That's why I respect her. You have any idea how hard it is to find a leader like that? But as for friends… That's a bit tougher. I mean, she wants to be my friend. But I'm not entirely certain…it's like, sometimes she's just so alien, you know?" Applejack hesitantly nodded. "Anyways, I'll try. And you should, too. She'd like to be your friend, I think."
 
"Sure." Applejack grinned. "Love to see what Granny would do if I had her over for supper."
 
"Ahhh, I’m sick of this!" Up ahead, Celestia suddenly stopped dead. "I'm shrinking myself. This is getting ridiculous. Hold still for moment, you two." She gathered her energy with a flash, and a second later, a surprisingly petite white earth-pony with a pink mane and much less flamboyant sun cutie mark stood before us. She stretched and jumped, enjoying the extra space. "Much, much better! Remind me to change again when we return."
 
"Your Majesty?" Applejack hesitated. "Could you always do that?"
 
"Yup!" Celestia pranced forward. Although she'd lost her horn, the golden glow continued on. "I call myself Sunny Skies when I use this face. What do you think?"
 
"You look…cheerful." I nodded. "Very cheerful. It's nice."
 
"Oh, really." She shot a wry glance over her shoulder. "I guess I am less imposing. Still." I shrugged to Applejack, who shrugged back. "I should have done this as soon as we started!" She sighed as she came to side passage, a look of annoyance crossing her face. "Aaaaand, we're here." She frowned, sticking her lip out in a sulk. "No cragodiles, even. What sort of sewer is this? Pfff."
 
We followed as she stomped into a dark archway. Her golden glow showed a barred doorway; she rapped imperiously, blurted a codeword, barely gave the door time to open, and swished through.
 
Inside, we found another dark, damp tunnel, but this time without dirty water and garbage. A changeling, faceted eyes glimmering in the ethereal light, watched us enter and bolted the door behind us. I quelled a shiver. Celestia glanced at the ceiling; it was much higher. She sighed, and undid her spell.
 
"I like being Sunny Skies." She shrugged. "Maybe I need another holiday." She took off down the hallway, which slowly sloped downwards.
 
"So, there're changelings living underneath Manehatten?" Applejack stepped up beside her, trying to get her attention.
 
"Surprised me, too." Celestia shrugged. "It's entirely possible they were here first, and we came later. We have found some incredibly ancient changeling artifacts."
 
"Have you been here before, then?"
 
"Once." She glanced down at the smaller pony. "I came down here to negotiate with Queen Tezeca."
 
"Tezeca?" I asked, raising my voice a little. "That's an odd name."
 
"I thought the same." Celestia shrugged. "But Tezeca is old. It's entirely possible her name is from a forgotten language, or has a secret meaning."
 
"Huh." I rubbed my jaw, and shivered. "If you weren't here, there's no way I'd be down here."
 
"I don't blame you." They slowed, waiting for me to catch up. We continued like that, Celestia in the middle, and Applejack and I at her sides. "These hives are not the most friendly places."
 
"Greetings." A voice shivered out of the dark, and we stopped.
 
"Greetings, Tezeca." Celestia nodded to the blackness ahead. "For the benefit of my friends, would you show yourself?"
 
"Ah, of course." The voice was dry and papery, but not actually unpleasant. A glimmery luminescence grew around us, a clearer, whiter color than Celestia's golden glow. As it rose, it revealed the Queen we'd come to meet.
 
Tezeca was nearly as tall as Celestia. She was definitely a changeling. Her eyes were faceted domes, a rich, royal blue. Patterns seemed to swirl across them as I watched, suggesting a starred iris and slit pupil. Her wings were tattered lace, her horn crooked and jagged. She was covered in black chitin, thick armor-plate like Wraith had worn. Besides the similarities, though, there were distinct differences. The holes in her legs were more fluted, almost decorative, and her left fore-hoof was bone white. Across her face, just below her eyes, yellow bands of color twisted. They looked symbolic, decorative.
 
Wisps of black power gathered around her horn as she finished casting. She gave us a pleasant smile, marred slightly by long, regular fangs.
 
"Welcome to my home."
 
"Thanks." I nervously nodded, unsure of how much honor I needed - or wanted - to show. Applejack followed suit.
 
"Please follow me. I have prepared an area for our conference." She turned, and we proceeded deeper into her domain.
 



 
"Woah." Both Applejack and I stopped and stared as we entered…a garden.
 
It had to be a garden. There was nothing else to call it.
 
We were in a cavern, deep under Manehatten, the city with pavement layered thickly across the dark earth. But here below, plants flourished.
 
A luminescent fungus was smeared across the ceiling, giving the area a dim, dreamlike glow. Glimmering motes hung in the air, and tiny fireflies swarmed around and about, glittering clouds of light.
 
"Woah." I said again. It was worth saying.
 
I had no idea if that was enough light for a normal plant, or even the right color. But the plants here were definitely not normal.
 
I saw vibrant flowers, beautiful in hue and shocking in symmetry, that turned as I passed. Vines of glistening berries wafted delicious fragrances at me. Grass rustled pleasantly underfoot and smelled like…well, grass. Everything was lovingly tended, each and every plant carefully arranged and pruned to fit into the available space. Not a weed was in sight, and bare ground was vanishingly scarce.
 
We followed convoluted trails. Not just the plants, but the landscape was sculpted as well, carefully arranged into a hundred little vistas by the mind of an artist. I passed through an arch, cunningly carved to mimic natural erosion. We climbed a spire, in single file, only to walk across the twisted and woven branches of a topiary, cleverly and intricately bridging to another region. The whole place was chock-full of mystery, a wonderland of hidden treasures.
 
Changelings built this?
 
My jaw slowly dropped further and further as we made our way inwards. The light brightened gradually; we moved from the dim twilight of the edges, into a more brightly lit center. Looking up, I could see that much of the light came from a tall, twisted tree towering in the middle of the garden. It's rough bark shone golden, emitting a flat, hueless radiance that gave the surroundings a surreal cast. A fountain rose from its roots, dancing down dark rocks to babble beautifully into a pleasant pool. Under the branches of the tree, on a rock in the center of the pool, cushions were arranged in a circle. A tenuous bridge arched the distance, gossamer-thin streamers of metal seeming barely enough to take my weight. Tezeca led us fearlessly, though, and we crossed without mishap.
 
We settled into a circle, around a hexagonal table that rose to my knees when I sat cross-legged. There was something oriental about its red enamel.
 
As we made ourselves comfortable, changelings appeared on gossamer-quiet wings. I froze. They stepped inwards, motions synchronized like clockwork, and with one tiny clink, the table was set. They ghosted away, leaving us staring at an array of snacks and drinks as dazzling as the garden we had just traversed.
 
"Tea?" Our host offered, motioning to a squat, fat pot. I hesitantly nodded, and she poured for me.
 
It was delicious.
 
Celestia broke the silence. She sipped her tea appreciatively, and gestured to the glowing tree above us.
 
"I hardly believe my eyes. Is that truly an Eyrir Cypress?"
 
"Yes." Tezeca gave a secret smile and set her cup down. "It is."
 
"Incredible. I thought them extinct after the blight."
 
"They were. I saved a half-dozen seeds, storing them until the sickness was gone." The changeling shrugged. "If you take the long-term view, much tragedy can be avoided."
 
"Heh." Celestia shared her smile. "I see; indeed, that is why we are here." She pointed to me, gesturing with a wing. "This is my chosen ambassador, Wesley Kilmer."
 
"Hmm.' Tezeca scrutinized me. "You are a…human? What is that?"
 
"A bundle of contradictions. Dust on the wind. Fearful and wonderful; nearly divine, mostly insane." I shrugged. "We are a lonely people; if you ask us for a description of ourselves, you will get a different answer from each."
 
"You have the soul  of a poet."
 
"Hah!" I laughed, harshly. "If that's true, it was bequeathed me in pity, like all else worthy in my life. As a great man once said, 'I get by with a little help from my friends'. Suffice to say, a human isn't so very different from a pony." I shrugged. "Maybe a bit less stable in some ways, but that's as much a strength as a weakness. If you need an ambassador, I'm willing to do it, as a favor to my good friend Celestia." I set my cup down and leaned back.
 
"I hear my sister has mistreated you."
 
I shrugged.
 
"For what it's worth, I would like to apologize on behalf of my race."
 
I spat into the pond.
 
"Fair enough." The Queen sighed, eyes flickering. "I built this garden myself." She gestured expansively, taking in the crinkled topology, a thousand tiny compositions. "In nature, the raison d'etre of a hive is growth. It serves the Queen, and the Queen produces eggs. Thus, the hive grows. Eventually it splits, and the process reoccurs." She sipped her tea. "Changelings, however, are not insects. Ponies, living in power and peace, are not presented with the same conundrum. When you are built for one thing, but that one thing is the worst choice, as Wraith and Chrysalis' showed, what should you devote your life to? I built this garden as a study. Interdependence. Mapped. If you like, one day I could show you the diagram. Tell me, Celestia, placed in my predicament, what would you do?"
 
"Cry." Applejack's head whipped around, as the Princess gave an abruptly honest answer. "Then work my flank off."
 
"Heh." Tezeca grimaced wryly. "That neatly sums my succession. It was not a good day."
 
We sat in silence for a while. Tezeca studied me; I studied indifference. The snacks were good, almost up to Pinkie's standard.
 
"Wes." I looked to the Queen, raised an eyebrow. "I am appointing you ambassador."
 
"'k."
 
"To facilitate your work, I'm bequeathing you this." She motioned to what I'd previously assumed was a rock. It uncurled into a bug. "It is both to honor your position, and act as an aide."
 
"What?" I studied the changeling, confused. It was fairly small, about the size of a teenage pony, and patterned in some ways after Tezeca. It had the same fluted look. Its eyes, however, were a flat, pearlescent gray. I knew there was some variance in changeling anatomy; maybe they were specialized for something. "What do you mean?"
 
"I mean it is yours. Do with it what you wish."
 
"What is this?" An inkling came to me, and I didn't like it.
 
"It is what you make it."
 
"No, I mean…." I stopped, stymied. "You can't just give somepony away like that!"
 
"Actually, I can." She waved her teacup. "Changelings are not like ponies, or, it seems, humans. Most of my hive is very simple, in mind and in function. Didn't you notice, under Wraith, how few of her bugs actually thought?"
 
I nodded slowly. I'd picked up bits, but never really understood the hive mind. Soldiers were semi-autonomous, and it's not like I had much connection to even them. My lip curled in disgust.
 
"Drones, hatchlings, and others; most of them can simply be considered an extension of myself. Generals and agents are the exception, not the rule. If I tell this bit that you are its owner, it becomes so." She shrugged. "And now it is."
 
"But," I turned my teacup in my hands, agitated. "I don't want it."
 
"Then unmake it." She shrugged. "I am no longer concerned. Such a thing cannot be undone."
 
"I can't just kill-!" I cut off, angrily. I could. Mechanically, it wasn't difficult; once you knew how they went together, changelings weren't hard to take apart. I knew the vital points, the weak spots in that black armor. It wouldn't be hard at all. Thoughts whirled treacherously in my mind, a thousand rationalizations sapping my will. What was one more bug, in the grand scheme of things? My hands were already dripping with ichor. It could hardly think. It wouldn't hurt. This one was soft and new. I fingered my straight-razor; no need for my knife. I pictured it fluttering out, thrown with a flick of my wrist, sinking into brittle shell. I wouldn't even stand up. The corpse would fall cleanly into the pond. I could get a new razor.
 
It would only be murdering a defenseless innocent.
 
I shook my head, driving my thoughts back. My anger, previously simmering impotently under my breastbone, suddenly snapped into focus. I wasn't angry at the bug, but the Queen. Not the message, but the writer. My heart was hammering in rage, my pulse pounding out a war-song against the inhuman monster who could do such things. I wouldn't kill here; the one who deserved my anger was beyond my reach. I grit my teeth, and slid the razor back into my pocket.
 
"Ah. Success." Tezeca smiled, slightly. "Wes, your Princess has laid on me a heavy burden. If I'm to truly have peace with Equestria, I'm required to convince one human that changelings can live in harmony with others. That you have come this far gives me hope for my hive's future."
 
Mouth suddenly dry, I swallowed convulsively. The scene spun, and I saw everything from another angle.
 
"That was a test?" I stumbled over the words, nearly choking. "A lie?"
 
"It was a test." Celestia's smooth voice calmed me, slightly. "However, she was sincere."
 
"Darn tootin' she meant it."
 
"It's truly yours. If it displeases you, terminate it." The Queen shrugged. "There was no lie. Neither of us will complain."
 
"<Damn.>" I sank my head to my hands, my heart and brain still lurching with emotion. This was getting more and more complicated, and I still wasn't sure how I felt. "Fine. There's nothing I can do about this now." I cast Celestia a disgusted look. "Anything else you plan to spring on me?"
 
"Truly, I’m sorry." The Princess laid her ears back. "I couldn’t dissuade her, Wes. Please don't hate me."
 
"Pfft." I laughed, suddenly finding my penitent Princess silly. "Nah." I waved a hand dismissively, as I realized how ridiculous my racing emotions must look, melodramatic and jerky. "Really. I know I've got anger issues. I mean, that's part of why I thought this was a bad idea in the first place. But now that we're committed, we might as well go whole hog." I laced my fingers and turned them outwards, to a salvo of tiny pops. "I've given you leave to use me as a pawn, in hopes you'll be worthy." I shrugged. "I've been claiming I can do better. Little silly to complain, when all you've done is call me on that. I'm only glad I passed."
 
"Me too." Tezeca grinned, suddenly personable. "Well, Celestia had every confidence in you. It's now official; you are ambassador to the changelings. Also, once the issues with the rogue hive are resolved, you will rule on whether it's possible for changelings and ponies to live in harmony. Justice and equity demand an unbiased account; please do your best to learn all you can."
 
"Sure." I reclaimed my teacup and filled it. As long as I was sinking, might as well drown.
 



 
"So, you're an…agent." I almost said 'infiltrator', but stopped myself.
 
"Yes."
 
"And your name is Onyx."
 
"Yes."
 
I grimaced, glancing sidelong at the second changeling assigned to me. We would be working together on cases. He was a free thinker, not part of the hive mind, able to operate in total independence. This was the same bug Diligent had paroled, back in Wraith's hive. He still had scars on his chitin, and he didn't seem to think much of me. I didn’t blame him; last time he'd seen me, I'd literally been holding a hammer over his head.
 
"Fine. Well, we're working together, now. Let's try to get along."
 
"As you say." He nodded to me. My new…aide, I guess, tripped along behind him with mechanical movements. He'd taken charge of it, coaxing it along and directing it as we made our way through the sewers. Celestia led the way, once again in the guise of Sunny Skies. I gave him another glance, sighed, and fell back to walk beside Applejack.
 
"What did she give you?"
 
We'd sat and…well, visited, with Tezeca for a bit longer. The Queen had been personable, solicitous, even. I'd been terse in response, still trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened. Applejack, actually, had done the most talking. She'd been fascinated by the garden, and when we left, a drone had presented her with a neatly wrapped bundle.
 
"Cuttings." She limped, shuffling through the packet with one hoof. "Seeds, sprouts, and notes." She glanced up at me. "Whatever else she is, Tezeca ain't' no amateur. Ah dunno how well these will do out in the sun, but it'll be interesting for sure."
 
"Cool." I thought back to my garden, the half-hearted attempt I'd been making behind my house. It was dwarfed in every way by what we'd just left. "If you get some going, let me know. I'd like a few of those for my own collection."
 
"Righty-ho." Applejack nodded. "Hope you've got time. You're busy now, Wes."
 
"Heh, don't I know it." I shrugged. "I'll make time as I can." I listed my new responsibilities in my head, and sighed. "If I can."
 



 
"'Scuse me. Pardon me. I'm with the IPB. Government, coming through."
 
Applejack, Onyx, and I were elbowing our way sharply through a throng of ponies. The ponies, in turn, were clustered around a closed door. This was the first of my 'peace operations', directly after meeting with Tezeca. Celestia had gotten a report and dispatched me post-haste, while she and Rarity discussed returning to Ponyville. I was still trying to figure out just what sequence of small mistakes had landed me in this monumentally colossal mess. There was no way I could be the right choice for this job. Now I just needed to think up a reason that would let me quit, without stabbing needles of betrayal through my conscience.
 
"Open up! We're with the IPB!" I rapped sharply on the door.
 
Nothing.
 
"Let me." Applejack stepped forward, and gave the planks a resounding kick. "Open up, Blackie! We're coming in, one way or another!"
 
A moment's silence.
 
"Applejack?" A voice rumbled from the other side of the door. The surrounding ponies hushed, and the lock clicked. With a creak, a crack appeared. "Izzat you?"
 
"Let us in!" My forthright companion inserted her nose in the crack and levered. The door swung open, and we slipped through. It shut behind us with a bang.
 
I surveyed the room, stomach fluttering. I was here as an official, and the new pressure already weighed on me. A circle of ponies, tough and battle worn, sat around a table. At the foot, very alone and very, very hopeless, sat a changeling. I calmed myself with a few deep breaths; seeing them like that was still a shock, despite my training. The seat at the table’s head was vacant. A tall, imposing stallion, with a light gray coat and a tan mane, stood by the closed door.
 
"You in charge here?" I asked, with more confidence than I felt. He was chewing a dimly glowing cigar.
 
"Yeah." He gave me a flat look and turned back to Applejack. "What are you doing here, Jackie?"
 
"I'm with him." She nodded to me. "You've got trouble, Uncle Black."
 
"Sure." He nodded. "What's it to you?"
 
I pulled out the seal I'd been given. It was heavy gold, about the length of my thumb, and deeply embossed. I passed it to him, wary of his reaction.
 
"I'm Wesley Kilmer, first and only Equestrian ambassador to the Tezecan changelings." I drew in a slightly quaking breath. "As you may have noticed, I'm not a pony. Because of this, I can't be mimicked. Princess Celestia has appointed me to do my best to solve problems like this."
 
Black inspected the signet and sneered, before tossing it back to me.
 
"Allright. So?"
 
"First, I wanted to say thanks." I gave a slightly relieved sigh and tucked the signet away before nodding to the ponies around the table. "You and yours went out of your way for me yesterday. Without that I'd have likely met a messy end, and I'm deeply grateful for your help."
 
"Well." His sneer faded slightly, and I saw him re-evaluate me. "That's nicely said." I shrugged. I was just glad they were this calm.
 
"Applejack has helped me out in the past. As a friend, I was wondering if you'd like help with this…" I waved to the changeling "…problem."
 
"Hmm. As a friend." He chewed his cigar and nodded slowly. "I might see clear to that, on account of family." He glanced at Applejack; she nodded, slightly. "Fine. Join us." He waved us over to the table.
 
"Hold on a second." I gestured hesitantly to Onyx, who looked like a pastel-green earth pony with a light blue mane. "This is Onyx. He looks like a pony, but he's working with me as the first Tezecan changeling ambassador to the ponies." There were a few sharp breaths at that, but nothing more. "In a few days, Princess Celestia will have more to say on this, but for now, you need to know two things. Remember." I gave him a telling glance. "This is secret information, for now." I saw him grin at that; he understood the value of secrets. We were handing him a sword against his enemies. I only hoped it wouldn't cut us.
 
"I've been told that this is one of the few families in Manehatten who value truth. The last, as it were, real business ponies." There were nods; Applejack had explained to me that, although these ponies might buck the law, even this branch of the Apple family considered themselves honorable. "Well, I'm giving you truth here, unvarnished and bitter. Truth is, there are changelings among us. I don't like it, either." I sighed, and ran a hand over my face. "Truth is, they're not all of a kind.
 
"Like ponies, some want to live in peace. Some want to run and hide. And some…well, some want to hurt us. For now, we're officially at peace with the Tezecans. It's my job to find out what sort of changeling we've got here, and work with Onyx to make sure something we can both live with gets done. If you will?" I waved to my compatriot. He gave me a worried look, but dropped his disguise. The magic flickered and faded, leaving behind a battlescarred bug. There were a few more gasps. I waited for a second and nodded; things were going well so far.
 
"Right." I sat down at the table, taking a place near the foot, but not next to the changeling. "If you don't mind, what's going on here?"
 
"This…this roach killed Pearlette!" One of the ponies spat.
 
"We don't know that! What if she's still alive? We need to find out what happened!"
 
"Yeah. Why are we wasting time here? Don't changelings answer to knives?"
 
"Stop!" Black Apple shouted, frustrated, and slammed a hoof onto the table. I felt the solid oak lift nearly an inch, and tried not show surprise; the Apple Family don was a shockingly powerful pony. "Just…stop." He sank his head to his hooves. "Listen, Mister Kilmer, this ain't easy for me. This morning, everything was looking up. We'd just hit Tweed where it hurt, and word on the street is that obnoxious glitterpony Glisten packed her bags and ran. I was hoping for a nice quiet day, where we could capitalize on our gains. Relax a bit. Then, I get a note from my right-forehoof here." He motioned to the hard-bitten mare sitting next to him.
 
"We run a square gig here, Wesley. We're not in this for the money, we're in this because sometimes ponies need a bit of help, and in this city, a bit of help handed out tends to come back to you. We've made good on that, and it's taken us far." There were a scattering of nods around the table. "Anyways, the note says bad news, come quick, there's trouble. So I drop my breakfast and off I trot." He shrugged. "What else could I do? I did the same for you and Jackie. It's the way we work. Well, soon enough I find myself talking to Kriss, there." He nodded to a pony marked with a curvy dagger. "Tell it again, Kriss."
 
"Sure, boss." Kriss nodded. "Well, it's simple enough. Pearlette owed me money." He shrugged. "Not much, but some. I'm no nag, but I've been wanting a bit, and I thought I'd go ask. What goes around comes around, amirite? Right. Well, I set up a meeting. We got some lunch and talked. I thought she was acting a bit off, and everypony knows that changelings are everywhere nowadays. So when I ask her about the money, and she acts like she don't know, I'm a little antsy. I back her into a corner and now she acts real suspicious. You learn to get a read on somepony, working this job.
 
"So, I've about had enough; I yell a little, thinking to scare her. To my surprise, she just…changes. She looks scared now, and right so. She realizes the cat's out of the bag, and tries silence me, but I’m too fast for her. Off she goes and I follow after with a few nearby ponies. I lost her, but put the word out. Don't take long for us to nab her; she's acting all innocent, like we'd buy that. Everypony knows changelings replace ponies. All I want to know, is where Pearlette is. I don't even care about the bits." He slammed his wavy dagger into the table, where it shuddered. "One way or another we're going to get answers here, Black. You'd best do something soon."
 
"Hold up, y'all." Applejack tapped a hoof on the table. "It ain't right to act before hearing the whole thing." She turned to the changeling. "What's your story, miss?"
 
"M-me?" The changeling seemed surprised to be addressed, breaking out of its fugue slightly. I nodded to Onyx.
 
"Speak, agent." He held up a seal, just as intricate as mine, carved from black stone. "Queen Tezeca commands."
 
"O-ok." She drew in a sniffling breath, and raised her head slightly. "I'm Pearlette, a head of the Black Apple Family." There were hisses at that and she quailed a little, but soldiered on. "It's true! I never saw Kriss! I…" She sagged a little more. "I just wanted to be a good leader."
 
"Come on, now." Applejack scanned the group. "Can't you tell she's not lying?"
 
"She's a changeling!" One pony spat. "You know they can't be trusted!"
 
"And why not?" Applejack asked, reasonably. "This may be news to you, but not all changelings are as dumb as Chrysalis. Most changelings don't replace ponies; it's too much hassle, in this city. If they want to move in, they do! Who's to stop them? It's possible Pearlette was a bug all along and y'all never knew."
 
"Really?" Black Apple gave her a hard stare. She nodded confidently.
 
"Heard it from the big bug myself. Tezecan's don't bother with stupid ploys; who's going to notice another new face 'round these parts?"
 
"But, what about attacking me?" Kriss lifted a bandaged foreleg above the table.
 
"It might not have been Pearlette." Everypony turned to me, including the bug. I hid a wince with a shrug. "I'm the ambassador to the Tezecans. Turns out, they aren't the only hive. Chrysalis is defunct, and so's Wraith…you may not have heard of her. But there's another, and for some reason, they're starting trouble. Turns out, if you can make yourself look like another pony, you can make yourself look like another changeling."
 
"Hold up." Kriss leaned close to me, across the table. "There's bugs out there, using us for their dirty work?" That got a rustle of murmurs.
 
"Maybe." I shrugged. "Just saying, don't take things at face value."
 
"But!" Another pony stamped a hoof. "She's still a bug. What are we going to do about that?"
 
"Why do anything?" They gave me confused looks. "Ok." I sighed. "I'll make this clear. I don't think Pearlette's replaced anypony. You chased a bug, and caught a bug, I don’t think they’re the same bug. Chances are, she's been a bug all along. That's a big lie, but it's not like killing your friend. Think about this. If she's really worked with you all that time, you'd better have an awfully good reason to hurt her. Do you have any way to prove who she is?" I glanced at Black Apple. He nodded slowly, and walked around the table. He leaned close to Pearlette and whispered in her ear. She got a confused look, but whispered back after a second. His expression went from grim, to shocked, to slow dismay.
 
"It's her, alright." He walked back to his place, slumped onto his cushion and thumped his head into the table, visibly distraught. "Listen up, Apples! This is Pearlette, your friend, and a head who's done stellar work with us for years!" He raised his head, and surveyed every single one of them. "If it wasn't for my misgiving, and the help of our new friends, we'd have killed her."
 
He stopped. I watched, as the realizations sunk in around the table. Kriss took it especially hard, ears wilting.
 
"You…" A hesitant, disbelieving voice came from the foot of the table. "You believe me?"
 
"I do." Black gave her a firm nod. "And I should have let you speak! I ain't ever told nopony every time you watched my back. If you'd had a mind to put a knife in it, I couldn't have stopped you. It's that made you head, really. The rest of it was just formality." He grinned, some of his dark mood dissipating. "Well, all y'all, what's the holdup? We got our friend back!"
 
"Just a second." Another pony yelled, right before general celebration broke out. "Does that mean she's been…leeching off us? All this time?"
 
"No!" This time, the outburst came from the accused. Pearlette stood and flickered; after a few seconds, she looked like a dark gray mare with a rich pink mane and tail, streaked with ash. "Never! Chrysalis was an idiot." She spat disgustedly. "Sure, it's possible to suck emotions out of a pony. But that's wrong. I'd never do that! If I'm a good leader, I don't even have to! The ponies under me, the things they feel towards me; all of that, it's no different than what they feel towards any of you, who do a good job and pass a little help around. When some of that comes my way, I store it up, and send it back to my…" she paused. "My other family. How many of you send bits home?" She glared around the table. "Is that so different?" Her disguise flickered again. "Sure, I might look a little different. But we've got pegasi and unicorns here, too. Don't…" She stopped, emotion thickening her voice. "Don't hate me. I don't think I could swallow it."
 
"Onyx, can you wrap things up with her?" I leaned over and whispered to my fellow ambassador. "I'll make sure she's not in any danger from Black." He nodded.
 
"Well, sir." I walked around the table; the mob leader rose to meet me. "Is this going to be OK? I can't leave if both of you don't feel safe."
 
"She won't hurt me." He grinned. "She's had plenty of shots in the past. And I won't let any of these ponies lay a hoof on her." I glanced to Onyx, who listened to Pearlette and nodded to me.
 
"Good." I sighed deeply in relief and tapped hooves with Black. "Then I think my work here is done. Again, thanks for your help. Let me know if something like this comes up again, and watch the news; the Princess should be taking a stand on this sort of thing soon. If you can, try to calm the city down a bit. The last thing we need is reckless stampeding, especially if it's what the other bugs are working towards."
 
"Sure thing." He gave me a grin. "Nice doing business with you; you've done me a favor today, and I appreciate that."

"You're welcome." I nodded back and turned towards the door. Applejack took a moment to make her farewells and followed with Onyx. We elbowed our way through the throng outside, ignoring yelled questions and shouted threats. My mind was whirling. I'd just helped save a changeling. It was a new experience.
 
I thought back to the emotions that had swirled through that small room. She hadn't been so bad, right?
 
Well, we would see. No need to rush to a decision.        

> 44 - Aid
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And so, we decided not to intervene."
 
"And Black Apple didn't contest that?" Celestia asked, quirking an eyebrow.
 
"Nope." I shrugged. "He seemed pretty happy his friend was okay, even if she'd been lying to him."
 
"Excellent." She smiled, genuine happiness showing through. "Good job on your first assignment. I hope they will be less frequent." She shook her head, slowly. "Especially as I activate others to help and Tezeca starts recalling agents from precarious positions. Still, we will need to deal with the rogue hive at some point."
 
"Thanks." I grimaced. "But I really did very little; Applejack did much of the talking. We just spread some facts. If you spread information to counter the propaganda it will mitigate a lot of anxiety, make both our jobs easier, and pull a few fangs."
 
"I am working on that." She glanced out the window; we were on our way to Ponyville in a private coach. After wrapping up my first ambassadorial assignment we'd packed quickly, said farewell to Opaque, and rushed to catch our train, working carefully to keep my aide hidden. Sunset had stayed behind, mumbling something about responsibilities.
 
Our car was elegantly appointed, both luxurious and spacious, the fruits of my new position. Applejack and Rarity were sitting across from us, talking quietly about Manehatten. Onyx and my new charge were a seat down, waiting silently, faceted eyes impassive. I frowned as my gaze caught on them; another headache, and not easily cured. At least not in any way I was comfortable with.
 
"Wes?"
 
"Sorry?" I turned back. "Were you talking?"
 
"No, only…" She sighed. "You need to be careful. If you don't watch yourself…"
 
"I know." I ground my palms into my eyes. "Sometimes, I'm my own worst enemy." I gave her a plaintive glance. "Does it really have to be me?"
 
"Now? Yes. Too late to back out."
 
"Blech."
 
"Heh. In a few hundred years, you won't even remember this."
 
"Oh, sure. When I'm two-hundred-something, we can laugh together." I rolled my eyes. "Right, Immortal Alicorn Princess. I'll keep that in mind."
 
"Pff." Celestia smirked. "Sorry."
 
"So, you're headed back to Canterlot tonight?"
 
"Mhmm. I'll fly myself." She shook her wings gently. "Stretching these once in a while is good for me."
 
"Would you ask your sister something for me?"
 
"Of course. What were-"
 
*SCREEEEEEEEEE*
 
"Oh, we're here." I lurched as the brakes came on, slowing the train. "Listen, just…ask her if she can meet me in the next few days. She normally helps me anyways, but I had a question for her. If it's not a problem?" I started gathering my things.
 
"Sure." Celestia nodded.
 
"Thanks." I waved once and we moved towards the door.
 



 
Despite the long summer days, the sun was setting by the time I made it back to my house.
 
I shrugged out of my pack and peeled off my wonderful new boots. I set my old sneakers by the door and headed to my room, planning eleven hours of delicious sleep. Light footsteps stopped me.
 
Turning around, I found my new burden - ahem, assistant, had followed me.
 
"Weren't you with Onyx?" I asked helplessly. It stared back, eyes glassy in the dim light. "Shoo!"
 
No response.
 
I turned back towards my bedroom and it followed blindly.
 
"No!" I halted. "Um, no. Uh, make yourself comfortable on the couch?"
 
Nothing.
 
"Uh, stand over there or something?"
 
Clip-clop
 
Problem solved for the moment, I collapsed in bed.
 



 
"So, my life is crazy right now, I bet yours is too. But I was wondering if you'd consider singing with us at the Summer Wrap-up and Hoedown. We want to enter as Electric Blue Grass, but we need a front pony. So far I'm on synth and Lyra and Vinyl are switching things up as they go, covering the drums, guitar, and soundboard."
 
"Hmm." Luna and I were re-walking my entrance to Tezeca's hive in a dream. I wanted to show her the garden. "That sounds like it could be… fun, but I'm not sure about involving a Princess in such a competition. Wouldn't it skew the votes unfairly?"
 
"Then don't go as a Princess!"
 
"Huh?"
 
"Celestia has several smurf accounts. You should do the same."
 
"Smurf accounts?"
 
"Sorry, alts. Disguises. Aren't you two shape-shifters?"
 
"To a certain extent. You're suggesting I…hide myself?"
 
"Yeah! You could be a pegasus. Change your colors a bit, be a little shorter, hide your billowy mane and modify your cutie mark. We'll call you…Artemis, or something."
 
"Artemis…is that a human name?"
 
"Yeah! Well, sorta. What do you think?"
 
"I'll…consider it. I need to discuss these…'alts', with my sister." She frowned, but at that moment we entered the garden and her expression dissolved into wonder.
 
"This is amazing."
 
"I know, right? Tezeca said she built it herself, but-"
 
"Who?"
 
"The changeling Queen?"
 
"No. Her name!"
 
"Tezeca?"
 
"…oh. I thought that's what you said."
 
"Um… Didn't your sister tell you this?"
 
"Probably, but it didn't connect. When we're apart we exchange letters, but with the difference in sleep and both of us busy…Tell me. Did Tezeca, by any chance, have a skeletal forehoof?"
 
"Her…left, I think. Do you know her?"
 
"Not as a changeling." Luna shook herself thoroughly, as if she was wet. "Sorry for my outburst. It changes nothing; I was simply surprised. Let's continue."
 
"…sure." I set off down the path.
 
"WESLEY KILMER!" Surprised, I turned back to Luna. She grinned and shrugged.
 
"Somepony is trying to wake you." She tapped me with a hoof and the dream started fading. "You'd best go; they sound angry."
 
"WESLEY KILMER, WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!"
 
Transitioning from asleep to awake was slightly easier from a dream. This voice was…Fluttershy? I wrenched myself out of bed and sprang upright. The normally demure pegasus looked…angry. In fact, she looked enraged.
 
"What's wrong?" I gasped, trying to shake sleep from my head.
 
"You…you…monster! How could you be so cruel!" She quieted slightly as I woke, but the anger didn't abate.
 
"What? What did I do?" I helplessly tried to assess the situation, but my tactical analysis came up blank. One mission completed, one nights rest, equals one enraged Fluttershy? This didn't follow.
 
"Come. And. See." She stomped out of the room. I followed slowly. In my kitchen, she marched up to the changeling, still standing precisely where I'd left it last night. "Look!"
 
"Um…"
 
"It's hungry! It's tired! But it won't move. What did you do? How could you be so cruel? Wes, I didn't think you would torture a defenseless foal! How could you be so mean?"
 
That cut me. I flashed back to my half-considered words last night. I hadn't intended to hurt it…but, I hadn't really cared much, either. I thought back on my own imprisonment and winced. So much of what had sapped my will to live hadn't been the intentional pain, but the simple neglect. When someone hurt you, you could hate them, but when they simply ignored you it was as if you were already dead.
 
"What-"
 
"APOLOGIZE!" Fluttershy locked eyes with me and suddenly the world around seemed to fade. A rushing noise filled my ears and her face seemed to fill my world. Shocked, I tore my gaze away.
 
"What was that?" I spat harshly. If I didn't know better, that felt like some sort of coercion spell. But from a pegasus? Fluttershy?
 
"Oh…" Fluttershy seemed to melt, anger vanishing. "Wes, I didn't mean to! I was just so angry, I.." She winced, recalling shouting at me, and I realized that if I didn't do something quick she'd flee in embarrassment.
 
"No, you're right."  I held up a hand. "You," I pointed to the bug, "I'm very, very sorry. I should…" I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear some sleep from them, thinking for a second. "I should have made sure you were OK. You need a name, and we need to teach you about talking, or something. For now, do what she tells you." I gestured to Fluttershy. "Shy, I'm sorry to you, too. Thanks for making sure things are OK. Maybe when I get back, you can teach me some of what I'll need to know, so I can do a better job. I need to talk to…" I thought for a second. "Applejack. Maybe she can help me sort myself out. Would you please take care of my guest for a little while?"
 
"O-ok." She seemed to perk up a little at the prospect of something to care for. I stepped out the door, headed for Sweet Apple Acres. For a laugh, find Pinkie; for a pep-talk, Dash. If you need a sympathetic ear, it was Fluttershy, for a hoof up, Rarity. Twilight did plans. But if you needed a kick in the head to help you screw it on straight, it had to be Applejack.
 



 
"So, it just stood there? All night?"
 
"That's about the size of it." I threw another shovelful of dirt. "It's like some sort of automaton. Or a weird, alien dog or something."
 
I'd found Applejack uprooting saplings. Unwilling to stand talking while she worked, I'd grabbed a shovel. I felt odd, throwing dirt in thin cotton pajamas and barefoot, but I wasn't indecent. Not that ponies cared. And I was staying cool, so it wasn't bad.
 
"Here's the thing." I leaned on my shovel while Applejack brought the cart around. "This whole situation was thrust on me pretty fast, and I didn't really have time to consider it. I mean, you were there. One minute, I'm a guard and one of Celestia's agents. Next minute, I'm an ambassador, and this…this thing is foisted upon me. Truth is, I don't like changelings. I don't want a changeling aide. But I’m put between a rock and a hard place; either care for the bug or kill it. With my own hands. It's not the sort of decision I enjoy. One option is sick, the other is bad."
 
"Yup, you've got a problem alright." 

I threw the brush on the cart with a heave. We were thinning this part of the orchard; the Apples normally planted lots, but only kept the best and strongest. "Thing is, I’m not certain the problem is the bugs fault. You went through some rough stuff, and that ain't the half of it. Sure, you've got reason to be sore. Hay, I'd probably be twice that. Thing is, though, that weren't the fault of your new guest. You'd better be careful about what you're doing, because if some bug hits you, and you hit your guest, I can say for sure that ain't right."
 
I nodded slowly. I agreed. I did. Or, at least, I thought I did.
 
"See, Wes, here's what's up. You've got a temper. Fair enough, you're working on that. But if you don't want to stop being angry, it ain't gonna happen."
 
"But I do!"
 
"No, you don't."
 
"What."
 
"Oh, you want the emotion gone, right enough. But you ain't given up hurting. You're holding that in. You've made a decision to spite them bugs, and you're fastened onto it. That's not anger, Wes. That's hate, and it's the enemy of friendship. If you can't get around it one way or another, it'll eat you up inside and you'll never be at peace with any bug, even a helpless foal like you got foisted on you."
 
I thought about that as I started digging the next tree. Applejack was telling it as she saw it, and although it cut, I couldn't deny her words; at least, not without a boatload of self-deception.
 
"Alright." I cut deep into the sod. "Maybe. But…what can I do? Forgive them?"
 
"Would it kill you?"
 
"I…" I thought that over for a bit, swinging between my heart and my head. "I just…can't!"
 
"Figured. Well, that's fine. No, forgiving them wouldn't kill you. Forgiveness is something we do for us, Wes, not just others. Even if somepony dies and never can say their sorries, no matter how you need them, you can still forgive. It's your decision. But if you say you can't, well, it ain’t my heart. At least be sure you're pointing right. Maybe you can't forgive Wraith. Maybe she deserves it. But if you hold that against Tezeca, not only will you hurt at least one innocent, you'll have trouble being fair in your new job. And that will hurt everypony dealing with bugs, not to mention the Princess herself."
 
"Blech." I spat, trying to clear the foul taste of shame from my mouth. I didn't want to change my attitude, but I couldn't pretend ignorance now. Honesty could be hard to swallow.
 
We worked in silence after that.
 



 
When I got back I found a note from Fluttershy, directing me to the library. I cleaned up, put on some real clothes, and headed to the Golden Oaks.
 
Inside I found Twilight, Onyx in his green-and-blue disguise, and Fluttershy with the bug standing behind her, sitting around the kitchen table. I joined them silently. Twilight poured me tea. The hatchling came to stand behind me.
 
"Um." I absently stirred a cube of sugar into my mug. "I talked to Applejack, and she helped me sort some of this out. Turns out, I've been mistreating both you," I nodded to Onyx, "and…it," I pointed over a shoulder, "on account of Wraith." I drew a deep, slow breath. "And for that, I'm sorry. You don't deserve that, either of you." I rested my chin in my hand and sipped my tea. "So, now what?"
 
"Give me the hatchling." Onyx sounded surprisingly adamant.
 
"Okay." I shrugged.
 
"Huh?" His expression switched to surprise.
 
"You're welcome to it. You didn't see me complaining earlier, did you? What do I need to do?"
 
"Um…" He paused. "I…don't know."
 
"Hmm." I turned to look at the bug. "Uh, belong to Onyx?" Nothing happened.
 
"It…" Fluttershy started, and then stopped, looking back and forth between us hesitantly. "It's very attached to you, Wes. After you told it to obey me, it would do some of the things I said, but not the same. If I'd ignored it, I think it would have left to find you."
 
"Oh." I sunk my head into my hand again and thought for a bit, before trying again. "Can you talk?" No reaction.
 
"Maybe…" This time, it was Twilight. "Maybe you need to be a bit more direct?"
 
"Like how?"
 
"Try giving it directions, instead of questions."
 
"Oh. Um. If you can talk, say yes."
 
"Yes."
 
All of us froze.
 
Its voice sounded surprisingly normal. Maybe a bit of the papery husk that Tezeca had, but not strongly similar. It was very…neutral. And flat.
 
"If…" I stopped, thinking. "If we ask a question, please try to answer, but don't hurt yourself. If you don't understand, tell us. If this makes sense to you, say yes."
 
"Yes."
 
"What's your name?" Fluttershy asked.
 
"I…" It paused, seeming to think. "I do not have one."
 
"Oh!" She frowned. "You need a name!"
 
It stared back, glassily.
 
"Yeah, you do." I sipped my tea. At my words, it nodded, slowly. "Um, how are agents normally named?" I turned to Onyx.
 
"We pick our own." He shrugged. "Or we're given them by other agents."
 
"Would you like to pick a name?" I turned back to the bug.
 
"Uncertain."
 
"Pick a name," I said, firmly. "Unless it's too difficult." It slowly shook its head.
 
"There was…" It thought. "A flower. You stopped to inspect it. You said it was beautiful, that it smelled nice." It pointed to me. I frowned. Did it mean in the garden? I glanced at Onyx. He grimaced.
 
"Bitterbloom." He gave me a disapproving look. "It was bitterbloom. One of Queen Tezeca's hybrids."
 
"My name is Bitterbloom." The hatchling's voice was slightly wondering. "I am Bitterbloom."
 
"Great!" Fluttershy wrapped Bitterbloom in a hug. "I'll call you Bit, for short! We can be friends!"
 
"Friends." Its ears twitched in confusion. "Bit. Is…" It looked to me. "Is this OK?"
 
"Sure." I shrugged. "Fine by me."
 
"I am Bitterbloom. I am Bit. We are friends." It gave Fluttershy a confused look. "What is a friend?"
 
"Oh, you poor thing!" Fluttershy hugged Bit tighter. "You have so much to learn!"
 
"Do I?"
 
We all nodded, slowly.
 
"Do you want some tea?" Twilight offered Bit a cup.
 
"Do I?" Bit looked to me.
 
"What do you want?"
 
"I want…I want to be helpful."

"Um." I rubbed my jaw. "I meant, as far as tea. But, um." Tezeca had called Bit an aide, or assistant, for me. I glanced at Twilight. "Maybe Spike could help?"
 
"Oh!" She smiled. "That sounds like a great idea?"
 
"Who is Spike?"
 
"Spike is my number one assistant! Maybe he can teach you some things that would be helpful."
 
"I want…that."
 
"First, though, you need a disguise." Twilight jumped up and walked around Bit, inspecting the changeling from all sides. "You're a little large for a foal. What do you think, Wes?"
 
"Um, I'm not complaining, Twilight, but when did you get so comfortable with changelings? You weren't as bad as me, but I thought they made you… twitchy."
 
"Hmm? Oh, Princess Celesita wrote me a letter, explaining things."
 
"Oh." I shook my head; I'd never figure her out. "Um, yeah. Maybe a pony disguise? You got any suggestions, Onyx? You're the expert here."
 
"Changing size is a no-go." He shrugged. "An experienced changeling might be able to pull it off, but there's no reason to stress a hatchling. Also, I might be wrong, but…well, if Bitterbloom is a special type, her shape shifting abilities might be stronger. That makes control trickier."
 
"Type?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.
 
"Yeah." He sipped his tea. "Remember my Queen's garden?" I nodded. "She's extremely focused on adaptation and interdependence. She's spent much time and resources trying to adapt her hive to various and extreme circumstances. Some newer agents are significantly better shapeshifters."
 
"She's modifying her bugs?" The idea was strangely appalling to me. "Who…what…" I stopped. Complaining was pointless, even if I really understood what she was doing. I rubbed my eyes, trying to sort things out. "What does that mean for us?"
 
"We'll need her to shapeshift to confirm it, but her disguises may be harder to penetrate, though they take more to maintain."
 
"Her?" I gave him a sharp glance. "What gender is Bit, anyways?"
 
"Ah." He stared blandly back. "I misspoke. Bit is neither, for now. Most hatchlings are uniform. As they grow, they develop as required." He shrugged. "It's possible Bit will eventually have a gender."
 
"Oh." I sat for a while, thinking. Twilight circled Bit, inspecting it from all angles, except where Fluttershy and her hug obscured.
 
"Alright!" Twilight stopped. "We don't just need a disguise, a cover story too. Why is Bit here? It-he-she - we should decide that, for the disguise - needs a relative, and a reason to be here."
 
"Onyx." I pointed. "Would you take charge of Bit? As an uncle or something? You're here as a trader, right?"
 
"Mmm." He nodded. He'd been using the same persona for years; it was the one Wraith had captured him as. He had a reputation and contacts already, and the loyal feelings of his customers were significant for his hive. His cover story was coming to Ponyville to buy alchemicals. I'd actually sold him my stockpile; he'd paid a fair price, and was making good money moving them in Canterlot. Being a cover story didn't mean it was a lie. "I'll do it. But we need a reason for Bit to be working with you."
 
"She needs a talent." We turned to Fluttershy.
 
"You've decided Bit's a she as well?" I asked sardonically. "Maybe Bit want's a say?" The hatchling slowly shook its head.
 
"She needs a talent! She's too old to not have one. What do you want your talent to be?" She turned to Bit.
 
"Helping…" It stared at me.
 
"Oh." I realized. "Um, I don't know if we've been introduced. This is Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Onyx, and I'm Wesley Kilmer."
 
"Helping Wesley Kilmer."
 
"You. Are. So. Adorable! The best pet ever!" Fluttershy squeaked quietly and squeezed Bit tightly. Its antennae twitched uncertainly.
 
"Um." I rubbed my eyes, trying to sort my thoughts out. Like it or not, I was stuck. The only way out was one I wasn't willing to take; the cost was just too high. Still, the level of devotion here was making me profoundly uncomfortable. I grit my teeth, thinking back to Tezeca and silently cursing her. Depriving anyone of free will was wrong, even if they were a bug, even if it wasn't my fault. Applejack had showed me I couldn't afford to hate this innocent, but right now, I swore to do my best to help it grow out of this. For both of us.
 
"Look, Bit. You need to think for yourself. Don't only do what you're told." All I got in return was a blank stare. "Uh. That might be too early. But, um, keep it in mind. Maybe we can help you grow out of that mindset?"
 
"You don't…want my help?" Fluttershy shot a hard glance at me; we all heard uncertainty in the hatchling's voice.
 
"Uh, I want it…but, well. Um. I want it because you need me to want it. If you didn’t need that, we might be happier?"
 
"You want…need…" Bit muttered, evidently confused.
 
"Look, Bit." Its attention focused on me. "Don't worry about that for now. I want your help."
 
"Good."
 
"So, um. Talent." Twilight was riffling through a book; I glanced over. It was labeled 'marks', and filled with simple sigils. "You should have one that matches a secretary or something. Wes is officially an ambassador, and he works with me enough; if somepony starts following him around with a notebook, we can explain it away."
 
"Even into the forest?" Onyx asked.
 
"The Everfree?" My eyebrows rose. "That's not happening."
 
"Are you sure you can escape its determination?" He gestured to the stareing hatchling. I realized, just then, that Bit had spent the entire discussion watching me and hanging on my every word. I groaned silently. Like my life needed more complications. I swore Bit and Cherry Blossom would never meet.
 
"We…will deal with that later. If needed, I could stop gathering alchemicals. Celestia pays well for my ambassadorial work, although I hope those will be infrequent."
 
"But just think!" Twilight sprang up, eyes shining with eagerness. "A chance to learn about changelings in their natural habitat! A chance to question working infil-ahem, agents! Think of all we could learn!"
 
"Eh, not a priority." I shrugged. "Ask Onyx. He's been there, done that." Her lavender eyes locked onto the hapless changeling, who quailed.
 
"We've gotten rather far off track," Onyx said hastily. "We were trying to decide on a disguise and a cover story. For now, I'll say that she's my niece, and she's studying alchemy. She's working with Wes, in an attempt to better understand alchemicals. If she hangs around him a lot, we can say that he's paying by the day, and leave it at that."
 
"Is that enough?"
 
"Should be. Look, I'm the expert here."
 
"Alright." I raised my hands, defensively. "Just asking. We'll go with that, but we still need the disguise. Can you shapeshift?" I turned to my new assistant.
 
For a moment, I got no response. Then, a change swept over the little bug. Multicolored patches of fur, strangely marked and striated, swept across it. A half-dozen hues sprang into a tail and mane which curled wildly. Four mismatched hooves appeared and its spiky antennae smoothed into slightly misshapen ears. Two eyes, mismatched and pointing opposite directions, covered it's faceted compound domes.
 
"Oh!" Fluttershy squealed. "You're fuzzy!"
 
"A true metamorph." Onyx gave a wondering sigh and glanced at me with…jealousy? Contempt? I couldn't tell.
 
"Still." Twilight inspected the patchwork pony. "You need a little work. Come with me, and we'll smooth you out." She led the way into the main room. Bit followed hesitantly at my nod, Fluttershy still attached. Onyx and I cleaned up the tea service and followed.
 



 
"Um, having a talent for writing might be good. Unobtrusive and simple." Twilight flipped through her book. "As long as we can actually teach you to write well." She glanced at Onyx.
 
"Shouldn't be a problem." He shrugged. "Hatchlings are extremely malleable."
 
"So, a quill. Or maybe a fountain pen, since you're working with Wes?" She held up the book.
 
By now, Bit had mostly regularized. Twilight had coaxed it into an unassuming shade of grass-green, with a short-trimmed ivory mane and tail and sky-blue eyes.
 
"You have fountain pens?" I exclaimed, shocked.
 
"Of course we do. But very few ponies use them, since refilling the stupid things pretty much takes magic. And they're hard to maintain. I think a quill looks much nicer on my desk, anyways."
 
"Oh." I made a mental note to order a half-dozen as soon as I could. Inkwells sucked.
 
"Try this one." Twilight highlighted another cutie mark. "Over a book." Bit concentrated, and with a flicker, the mark appeared.
 
"Not bad." Twilight circled the hatchling, inspecting it. "You look a little…androgynous, but that's Ok."
 
"Good work." I nodded. "That'll do for now."
 
Bit nodded back and swayed. I suddenly realized I had no idea when it had last eaten, or if it could even eat normal food like Onyx. Or if it had slept. I glanced at Fluttershy, who looked just as confused.
 
We both gasped as the little bug collapsed, falling away from 'Shy. I rushed over, dropping to my knees, and realized I had absolutely no idea what sort of vital signs to check on a changeling. I hesitantly leaned down, thinking I could maybe feel for breath on my cheek, just as the door slammed open.
 
"Wes! I heard you were back-" A familiar voice cut off with a shocked gasp. I looked up, meeting the eyes of an absolutely livid pegasus filly. Cherry Blossom was angry, and quickly growing angrier; her pink coat was turning red, and her creamy mane was standing on end.
 
"You promised!" She yelled, at ear-splitting volume. I winced, suddenly realizing that what I was doing might look, to an impressionable and spontaneous foal, something like a kiss.
 
"Look, this isn't-I was only checking-" And then Bit's disguise flickered once, before fading completely.
 
"Great." I sat back, clapping my hands to my face. "Just great."

> 45 - Wrapt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No, it has to be a Pinkie promise, Cherry."
 
Twilight was staring the little pink pegasus down.
 
"Um." I raised a hand. "Why is this going to work?"
 
They both gave me a derisive glance.
 
"No-one breaks a Pinkie promise," Cherry said, matter-of-fact.
 
"No-one?"
 
"Nope." Twilight shook her head. "Can't be done."
 
"What happens if you do?"
 
"You just can't. I know it doesn't make sense. It's Pinkie, remember?"
 
"O-kay." I rubbed my jaw. That was confusing, but Pinkie, so…"Listen, Cherry-"
 
"Sakura!"
 
"Sorry, Sakura. We really shouldn't have been doing this in a public area, but this is actually a secret project. If you don't promise, we'll have to.. I dunno, never talk to you again or something." Twilight gave me an aggrieved look, but held her peace. I shrugged; it was ridiculous, but all we needed was a promise.
 
"Fine." The filly huffed a sigh, rolling her eyes. "Crossmyheartandhopetoflystickacupcakeinmyeye I-promise-to-keep-your-secrets. Now, who are you?" She turned to the changeling, who had revived enough to stand, and was leaning on a bookshelf.
 
"I am Wesley's pet changeling." Fluttershy 'eeped' and stepped into the kitchen.
 
Smack.
 
"Doesn't hitting yourself in the face hurt?" Twilight gave me a concerned glance.
 
"Some. It helps me think." I turned to Sakura, who was starting to turn incandescent. "Um, I promise there's a huge misunderstanding here. But for now, both of you need to not talk while I try and sort some of this out."
 



 
"I am not a pet?"
 
"You are not a pet. You own yourself. You are my aide. That means you can do whatever you please, but if you want to get paid, there are certain things you need to do."
 
"Helpful things?"
 
"Yes, you get to help me." I rubbed my eyes. This was exhausting. How did you convince someone that you wanted to be their friend, when they had no concept of friendship? It wasn’t like facing someone malicious, who could be ignored. I wanted to help Bitterbloom, but I had no idea how to go about it, because it didn't understand the idea of me helping it. Help flowed one direction in its limited mind. It was like explaining rotary-dial telephones to Twilight. Something very basic was lacking before connections could be made; I just had no idea how to fill in the blanks. Simply wiggling my fingers wouldn't cut it here.
 
"Sooo…." Sakura sidled up to Bit, and draped a wing over the confused bug. Once I made with the explaining, she didn't stay mad long, possibly since she found Bitterbloom extremely distracting. "You're working with Wes?"
 
"I am his aide. I get to help."
 
"We should be friends!"
 
Bit looked to me. I nodded.
 
"We are friends." Bit nodded to Sakura.
 
"Squeeee!" Sakura hugged Bit. "You can join the club! We'll hang out! You can tell me about being a changeling, and what sort of things you help Wes with! It'll be fun!"
 
"Will it?"
 
"Yeah!"
 
"Oh."
 
I mentally groaned, but forced myself to re-evaluate the situation. Now the worst had come to pass, that actually sounded like it might not be completely bad. If Bit was ever going to grow up, it needed to have friends. And Sakura was enthusiastic, at least. Maybe it would learn to laugh.
 
"Um, Bit…are you OK?" Twilight was studying the hatchling.
 
"I believe so."
 
"Why did you collapse, earlier?"
 
"My head felt heavy, and my legs could not support me. I heard a rushing sound, and I couldn't tell which way was up."
 
"Magic deprivation?" Twilight gave Bit a surprised look. "Onyx, what's going on here?"
 
"Hmm." The older changeling rubbed his head. "Bit…do you know about siphoning?"
 
"No."
 
"Is that…" I paused.
 
"Yes, emotions. Changelings use emotions to power our magic, and transformations take some. Once it's set, it doesn't draw much, but changing it again and again…that builds up. Bitterbloom is probably starved." I grimaced at that, but forced my squeamishness down. I was doing better. I would keep doing better. I would not hurt Bit.
 
"Oh." Twilight grimaced. "Sorry, Bit. I didn't realize."
 
"Neither did I," the changeling responded. It seemed to be making more complex sentences after only a few hours of actual interaction. Maybe my goals weren't impossible. "What is magic?" Or, maybe not. I gave it a searching glance; Bit seemed to have some very odd gaps in its knowledge. Maybe some of them were intentional? Perhaps certain things were better learnt in person? How did it even learn to speak? I rubbed my chin, trying to think that over.
 
"Magic is the energy you need to transform," Twilight said gently. "When you were practicing earlier, you were using it to change how you looked."
 
"Um, before that, maybe we should-" I cut off, and we all froze as the door opened. "-move to the basement," I finished lamely, as Spike entered.
 



 
"Emotional energy surrounds us," Onyx said, pacing small circles in front of Bit. "As a changeling, you have a natural degenerelemental ability to concentrate emotional energy into yourself. This is siphoning." He paused. Twilight was busily transcribing. Fluttershy and Sakura were whispering together. Spike had made us tea. We were in the lab, under the gentle white glow of magic lamps. I was haphazardly organizing the place; Twilight had left it a mess, and in order to understand the organizational system, you practically had to be a mind-reader.
 
"We can only use emotions from creatures who understand names." Onyx waved to Fluttershy. "She can talk to many animals, but most aren't linguistic enough. If the subject can't conceptualize a person enough to label them, the emotions are too vague."
 
"Wait!" Twilight stopped writing. "Do you see emotions? Smell them? Hear them?"
 
"Um." Onyx's face twisted into a confused frown. "Not really…any one. It might be like seeing…if you could see sounds? There's more depth than color, but color is a huge part…"
 
"Can you tell what emotions we feel now?"
 
"Mostly curiosity, with a good dose of tension." He glanced at me. "And bits of excitement. But I can't say what's from who. I'd be guessing at best." His ears twitched. "It swirls together in a small room."
 
"So, can Bit siphon that?"
 
"Not easily." He waved a hoof. "These emotions aren't directed at her. And they're too yellow."
 
"Yellow," I said flatly.
 
"Yeah. Um, I know I said we don't see them, but…"
 
<"Synesthesia,"> I said. Twilight squealed, and her pen started flying.
 
"What?"
 
"Sorry; humans have a word for a mental condition where signals from one sense are perceived as coming from another. So reading something might create a taste impression. Your description reminded me of that. Anyways, the colors of curiosity. It's yellow?"
 
"Ish. Yellowish."
 
"And you use which emotions?"
 
"Blue."
 
"Oh, come on!"
 
"Sorry." He shrugged uncomfortably. "Emotions  aren't easily categorized. They're called feelings for a reason; you feel them. Often, not even ponies know what they feel at first. You learn what anger is as you get older, but who's to say everyone feels the same things? It's that release of physical energy that creates these emotions we gather. We find blue best. Mostly, that corresponds to a positive emotion, somewhere between admiration and loyalty."
 
"Like that feathery flight hazard." I pictured Dash. Blue and loyalty. Coincidence? Perhaps.
 
"Well, maybe not exactly loyalty. I only know my customers direct it towards me, as long as I inspire them somewhat."
 
"The 'directing'…" Twilight paused, to make a note. "Is that important?"
 
"Quite. It's like…emotion meant for you is activated." He shook his head. "I don't know how else to describe it, but it makes elemental conversion much easier." Onyx turned to Bit. "Can you see that?" He waved to something in the air.
 
"Yes."
 
"Can you see the way it twists? Hear the gentle shades?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Can you tell who it's for?"
 
"M-me?"
 
"Mmmhmm. It won't be much, since it's mostly yellow, but maybe you can siphon a little."
 
"I want that one." Bit pointed in the air.
 
"No." He firmly grounded its hoof. "That's not a good idea."
 
"But it's from-"
 
"I know. Don't do it."
 
"I'll just-"
 
The beaker I was moving slipped out of my hand, crashing shockingly loud on the stone floor. For a second, my whole body went numb, a grey lethargy spreading through my limbs. This loathsome feeling was shockingly familiar. My training broke with a snap, and I gave a choked gasp. Then the feeling was gone. Emotion came rushing back in a flood. A torrent, a deluge, an icy, buffeting storm of feelings.
 
For a second, I stood on bloody sand. For a second, throngs of bugs cheered while I writhed in agony, filled with hate and loathing. For a second, a pitiless sun scorched me, beating down hope of escape or oblivion.
 
For a second, I relived the arena.
 
When I came to my senses,  I was curled up on the floor. Sakura was leaning over me, soft nose nearly touching mine. I slowly uncurled, feeling a dozen small stings as broken glass scraped my skin bloody. I relished the pain; I was gone. Those cuts would heal normally, and until they did, they'd be a reminder I was alive and free. I drew in a few deep breaths, trying to gather my broken peace of mind. I tried to sit up.
 
"A-are you OK?" Sakura quavered uncertainly. "What happened?"
 
"I will be, I think. It's complicated, and not a story for fillies." I drew a ragged breath and carefully picked glass off my skin. "Can you bring me a trash can?" I glanced around.
 
Bit was curled just as tightly in the center of the room. Onyx watched with palpable apprehension, and Twilight stood nearby. Spike was headed my way with a broom and dustpan.
 
"Gah, that was unpleasant." I tried to keep from shaking as I sat cross-legged and dropped my chin into my hands "Did Bit just…" Onyx nodded.
 
"She siphoned emotion from you." He paused. "Considering your feelings…it was probably about as nasty as what you went through. But a hatchling has no idea how to deal with that." His voice dropped. "Please, please don't hurt her. She didn't know better."
 
"Hurt Bit?" I spat. "No, Bit's not the one responsible." I groaned. "Why, oh why did I let myself in for this? I've half a mind to punch your Queen next time I see her. Honor indeed."
 
"It is, though. You have no idea-" He cut off, staring at me.
 
"What?"
 
"Nevermind."
 
"Fine." I crawled over to Bit and shook it gently. "Hey, Bitterbloom, you OK?" Fluttershy was almost literally hovering over the hatchling.
 
"Uncertain. Is there a word for this feeling?" The little bug's voice was soft and quavering.
 
"Hmm?"
 
"I feel…like I want that to have not happened. That I want to have not hurt you."
 
"Oh. Apologetic. Sorry. Full of regret. Or…well, lots, actually. Unfortunately, that's a pretty common feeling."
 
"I'm sorry."
 
"I forgive you."
 
"What?"
 
"That means…" I sat down by Bit, and put a gentle hand on the tough carapace. "That means I'm saying it's okay, you don't have to feel that way anymore, because I won't hold it against you. It won't change how I think about you. We can pretend it never happened, if you want."
 
"Oh." We sat in silence for a minute. "I feel better."
 
"Good." I leaned against a nearby counter. "Hey, Onyx."
 
"Yes?"
 
"What did Bit do wrong?"
 
"Well." The agent straightened up, and resumed his pacing. "Two things, besides her target. Firstly, that emotion was not blue. That's a sure sign of trouble for a hatchling. An experienced agent might have been able to convert some, although it would have tasted awful, but Bit didn't stand a chance. Secondly, she drew much too much. If an agent is subtle, they can draw only the free emotions, the energy that's already released. In her case…she drew everything you felt. And since you were feeling some pretty strong things, that contributed to the backlash." He gave Bit a soft look. "She will recover, I think."
 
"Good." I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself as I skirted around my next thought. Finally, I hardened my will and spit it out. "Because we have to try again."
 
"What?" Twilight's gave a shocked gasp and set her jaw. I felt something like a tap on my temple, and let the link start with a wince. She wanted to yell at me. Quietly.
 
"How could you even consider that? Look what it did to you!" I could clearly feel the outrage in her thoughts.
 
"But…" I paused, pleading, mulling over my reactions. "It won't kill me. And, well, I am responsible for Bit."
 
"That's no reason to put yourself through that! Look, we'll figure something else out! Do you want to hurt yourself?"
 
"No, but…that scared me, and I need to face it. I can't live in fear. Not anymore!" But that wasn't all of it, either.  "I…well, I don't want to be afraid of Bit. I think I should do this. Waiting is asking for trouble."
 
"Maybe, or maybe more of that right now will make things horrible for both of you." Twilight chewed her lip. "Look, that wasn't just hard on you. I'm putting my hoof down for Bit's sake. Don't do this yet. If you're serious, wait until Bit's practiced a little more. There's no reason to rush."
 
"Um." I rubbed my jaw. Onyx and Sakura were glancing back and forth curiously. Although I didn't want to back down through cowardice, I couldn't let my willfulness hurt Bit, either. "Ok, Twilight. You win. I'll wait."
 
"Good." She gave a final stomp of her hoof. "But we  should have Bit practice, if she  needs to learn this."
 
"Is this his only option, though?" I rolled my eyes, when saying 'his' drew stares. "Look,  maybe calling Bit an 'it' is a little weird. But hearing all of you call it a 'her' is making me feel contrary. What if he turns out to be a guy? Wouldn't you all feel bad, then, for confusing him?"
 
"I'm…not sure that's how it works," Fluttershy mumbled.
 
"Whatever. Is that his only option?"
 
"It's hard to say." Onyx grimaced. "It's possible to store emotion. I normally condense mine for transport. Unfortunately, I have none on hoof, what with just leaving the hive. We normally don't take it away from there. And she'll need to learn this eventually. I can transfer a little, to maintain her disguise for a day or so, at least."
 
"Fair enough." I glanced at Bit, who still hadn't uncurled. Leaning closer, I heard what might have been gentle snores. "But maybe we should continue this later."
 
"We will." Twilight gave me a fierce look. "Maybe you shouldn't come. It will make things simpler."
 
"Fair enough." I sighed, and sagged against the counter. I could do with a little rest.

> 46 - Adopt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Lyra, Vinyl, this is Artemis. She's our new vocalist, if you'll have her."
 
"Oh, good job!" Vinyl slid her 'phones off and came around the crates in the center of the studio. Lyra looked up from the music she was arranging. Bit was at the library, practicing, but Twilight had decided I wouldn't be much help, so I'd taken the time to connect with Luna. At my urging, she'd delegated some of her work and whipped up a disguise.
 
She'd gone pinto.
 
It was surprisingly eye-catching. Dark blue blotches on a white background gave her an odd, but not unpleasant, look. Her mane shared the coloration, with highly-contrasting streaks. She'd decided to come as a pegasus, and even her feathers had a mottling to them. Her shorter height was a little strange to me; I was used to looking her in the eye. Now her dark eyelashes made her seem oddly shy as she looked up through them.
 
"Oh, oh!" Lyra bounced over and inspected her closely "Are you from around here? I think I would have noticed a painted pegasus!"
 
"She's my therapist." I nodded to the her cutie mark, a pillow with her usual moon embroidered on it; apparently completely changing a cutie mark was very difficult. "She helps me deal with my nightmares."
 
"I don't get out much." Her voice was soft and sweet. Like Celestia, she seemed to change her attitudes somewhat with her disguises. Luna veered uncertainly between formal and intimate; Artemis was more stable, hovering right around 'shy'. We'd been practicing with the disguise for a few hours.
 
"Well, let's have an audition!" Vinyl flipped a mic off the rack and tossed it to her. She caught it deftly with a wing, wrapping her feathers around it.
 
"Interesting." Lyra gave her a sharp look at that. "You've got excellent control."
 
"Ahah." She laughed nervously, trying to deflect attention. Pegasi could flex their feathers if they practiced, but few actually held things. "What should I sing?"
 
"Start with scales." Vinyl flipped switches, and speakers hummed to life. "We'll see how you do."
 
I walked around the table and settled onto my beanbag. I had no doubts about the outcome of this audition; Luna was highly skilled. If she made up her mind to join, we'd go to the Battle of the Bands for sure.
 



 
"Both of you ready?"
 
I nodded. Across the ring, Rainbow nodded back.
 
"Remember, be careful! This is a sparring match. I'll count points, and if it gets out of control I'll be stepping in."  Lyra gave both of us a final glare and stepped back.
 
We were in Lyra's studio. Bit, who liked following me everywhere, watched intently from the corner. I saw Rainbow's eyes narrow and firmed my own resolve. I focused on the horn tucked into my belt at the small of my back. It just needed to be near my skin.
 
The match was partly for me and partly for Rainbow. She'd told me she was improving and wanted a re-match. I'd been hesitant at first; I was doing better, but if I ever lost my cool, it would be in a fight. Still, I considered what Lyra said; if I never practiced correctly, I couldn't be confident when it mattered. So, I'd asked her to ref, and she'd agreed.
 
I wasn't as confident as I  pretended. We were both good fighters. I'd won last time we'd fought, but we'd both come a long way since. Rainbow had been in life-or-death fights, while I'd had calm and controlled instruction. We'd both grown considerably. I was now a fledgling echonarch metamage, but Rainbow…I had no idea what she'd been up to, and that was a little worrying. She'd held her own against Shadow, supporting Applejack and me from the air wonderfully.
 
Whatever happened, it would be a rush. I firmed my resolve as Lyra dropped the flag.
 
I harmonized my magic as fast as I could. I'd been drilling for exactly this. Until I got my power moving, I couldn't do anything really effective.
 
I was barely fast enough.
 
Even as my magic thrummed into place, Rainbow closed on me. Without my excellent instincts, she'd have floored me right there. I ducked under her hoof and dodged like crazy.
 
Hmmmm….
 
I hummed quietly to myself, focusing extra power to my core and senses, enhancing balance and agility. Rainbow seemed to slow slightly. I watched in amazement as she pivoted on a wing, making an impossibly tight turn and coming back at lethal speeds.
 
Still off balance from ducking, I threw myself sideways. Her blow swished past me and I saw her grimace in frustration. I sprang out of my tumble and pushed off the wall, diving for her. I grinned as I launched a solid strike, but scowled when I only hit her aura.
 
Chagrined, I realized my error.
 
Before I could react, a blow fell directly between my shoulders. Rainbow was behind me. I tried spinning , but she had learned to read blind spots and I couldn't even get her in my vision. A jagged rainbow trail mocked me; I'd made the most elementary of mistakes, trying to fight a pegasus with speed.
 
The blows came hard and fast. I did my best to hold my concentration and managed to keep from losing my harmony completely; my skin reddened as out-of-control dissonance flickered through my body, but I didn't feel any burns. I was learning, slowly.
 
I hummed again, trying to concentrate on a new sequence of notes. The magic in my body started to shift, moving towards a more defensible configuration. I wrapped stanzas of magic around my heart and bones, pushing lumps of it into my muscles. My stance changed as I lowered my center of gravity.
 
I focused on blocking, trying to soften the hammering Dash was dishing out. I hesitantly released my fighting spirit a little, trying for a more agressive flow while still holding my control.
 
Rainbow drew back slightly, grinning as I started moving more fluidly, but I struck past her defense and she scowled again.
 
Then we were at it hammer and tongs. Blows flew thick and fast in both directions. I blocked, she dodged. Finally, as she bent around a strike, carefully deflecting momentum and laughing at my frustration, I felt my concentration slip. With a quiet fizz, my internal magic deharmonized and I crashed.
 
I'd have taken a hoof to the face but at that moment Lyra stepped in, literally interposing herself in the fight. I fell back gratefully as Rainbow's blow was harmlessly blocked.
 
"Rainbow wins," she announced calmly.
 
"Heh." I panted. "Good fight, Rainbow. I guess you were right." And it had been a good fight. I had maintained my calm through the whole thing, and I'd even managed to hold my magic in check for longer than before. I was doing better. I couldn't have dreamed of fighting on that level without Lyra's training. Still, Rainbow's improvement had been just as impressive, if not more.
 
"Hay yeah!" Rainbow grinned back. "I told you I'd be training!"
 
"Excellent, both of you." Lyra nodded and helped me up. "You took my advice, Dash."
 
"Yeah, well. It's sensible."
 
"Oh?" I carefully started stretching, wincing at bruises. We'd both pulled punches, but that didn't mean we weren't hurt. "What was that?"
 
"Same as I gave you; understand your strengths. Rainbow doesn't need force; if she brings more of her formidable speed to the ring, nopony will match her."
 
"Hear that?" The pegasus preened.
 
"Yeah." I smirked wolfishly. "She said no pony."
 



 
"Oh, yeah! Right there! Harder!"
 
I grinned. Rainbow was lying across my lap; as a prize for winning, she'd claimed a massage. We were sitting under a tree behind my house. It was a beautiful day.
 
I carefully worked the flight-control muscles at the base of her wings, running my fingers through her fluffy feathers.
 
"Ouch!"
 
"Oh, sorry!" I pulled my hands back. "Was that too hard?"
 
"No, I think I have a bruise. Work around it, will ya?"
 
"Sure." Though it had felt like it, I guess I wasn't the only one who got hit in that match. "Hmm." I inspected my hand, and thought back to my lessons.
 
"Hey! Keep going! I won, you know." Rainbow glanced up at me, pouting.
 
"Just a sec, I'm going to try something."
 
Hmmm….
 
I focused on my internal magic, carefully modulating a tiny, tiny flow into my fingertips. I wanted it to project ever so slightly past the skin of my palm, but moving magic outside my body was much harder than moving it within. When I thought I had it right, I gently went back to rubbing Rainbow's back.
 
"Oh!"
 
"Did I burn you?" I yanked my hand back.
 
"No, just surprised. How are you doing that?"
 
"Magic." I grinned. If the technique was working, my power should be felt by Rainbow as heat, injected directly through her skin.
 
"Awesome. Back to work!"
 
"Yes, yes."
 
I carefully resumed my labors. The hardworking pegasus had knots and stress all through her muscles, despite her regular and excellent exercise routine. It probably came from sleeping wherever and whenever she felt like, in whatever position she happened to be.
 
As Rainbow slowly relaxed on my lap, I gazed up and around, appreciating her weather-work. The day was clear as a bell, and the sky shone a bright, cool blue. The green leaves of the tree above me were lustrous and dark, and the grass surrounding was lush and long. A pleasant breeze blew in from the Everfree, carrying distant scents of bewitching danger, spicy and enticing. It was late summer, and the whole world was lazy and relaxed, lying in restful wait before the big push of autumn.
 
For a little while, I was free of Bit's constant attention. It was at the library, taking lessons from Spike on how to be a number one assistant. Hopefully that would actually be helpful, and not simply increase the complications. At the very least he should be teaching it how to write, which meant I could actually give the little bug some duties. That would make it a little happier.
 
"Weeeeeesssssssss!"
 
"Who's that?" Rainbow asked blearily. She sounded nearly asleep.
 
"Ssssssh!" I hissed back. "It's Sakura - Cherry Blossom! Maybe she won't come around around back."
 
"Rainbow Dash!"
 
"Scoots?" Rainbow perked up at that. "I'm back here!" She yelled.
 
"Thanks, " I groaned.
 
"Hey, chill out, Wes. Listen; you asked if there's something you can do with a fanclub? Well, there's another one I didn't mention. Troll them. I think I know what Scoots wants."
 
"Rainbow? Oh! Hey, Sakura, they're back here!" Scootaloo stuck her head around the corner of the house. Sakura followed a second later. She puffed out a cheek in annoyance when she saw Rainbow on my lap.
 
"What's up, fillies?" I greeted them calmly. Although Sakura's constant attention could be even more wearing than Bit, mainly because she was louder, I didn't actually dislike her. I just wanted a little peace and quiet today, and unbounded enthusiasm for everything was inimical to that.
 
"Oh, Wes. What are you two doing?" Sakura asked, warily.
 
"I was getting a massage." Rainbow stood and stretched, skimming my nose with her wing. "But since it was interrupted, I'll be back for the rest, later."
 
"Fine, fine." I crossed my arms behind my head and leaned back against the tree. "Slavedriver."
 
"You promised."
 
"Yes, yes."
 
"Practice that heat thing you were doing. It was great."
 
"As you wish." I turned to Sakura. "That's all it was. A backrub."
 
"Well, if you say so."
 
"I do."
 
"Ok, then. Well, Scootaloo and I were talking." She shot a glance at the orange filly, who huffed. "You see, we both run fanclubs, and we were trying to decide who's was better."
 
"Rainbow Dash is awesomer!" Scootaloo exclaimed, angrily.
 
"Awesomer isn't even a word!" Sakura shot back. "Wes would know that!"
 
"Hey, no need to fight." Rainbow calmed them both. "So, what was your plan?"
 
Of course they had a plan. I was beginning to see where this was going.
 
"We'd have a contest, of course! Something like hoofball, or poker, or dominoes!"
 
"Dominoes?"
 
"Dominoes are hard! But we needed you two to compete as well. That way, we'd not only know who had a better club, but also a better leader."
 
Rainbow winked at me before throwing a wing over Sakura's shoulder.
 
"Alright, I'm in. Where do I sign up?"
 
Suddenly realizing what she was up to, I sauntered over to Scoots and crossed my arms.
 
"You're on, Dash. Let's do this, Scoots!"
 
"Huh?"
 
They were dumbfounded.
 
"But…" Sakura began.
 
"I'm the leader of your fanclub!" Scootaloo yelled at Dash, halfway between annoyance and bitterness.
 
"Oh, I know it!" Dash gave her a placating nod. "And you're awesome, little sis. Don't get me wrong. But Wes is almost as awesome as I am, so I want to be part of his fan-club."
 
"Wait…" Sakura, clearly confused, glanced at me.
 
"Right." I shrugged. "Rainbow is slammin' cool. I want to be in her club." The two club-leaders exchanged worried looks.
 
"Um…" Scootaloo gave an embarrassed shrug. "Are we being ridiculous?"
 
"Maybe we are." Sakura grinned sheepishly. "Why are we so worked up over this?"
 
"Hey, no!" Rainbow gave Sakura a playful buffet. "Don't back down now! I want to have a massive dominoes tournament!"
 
"Only cuz you lose at poker." I smirked.
 
"Hush, you." She stuck her tongue out at me. "I like dominoes. You're just scared of being dominated."
 
"Oh, I'm afraid, all right. Afraid of your puns. Be careful, or I'll take punitive action. I'll send you to the punitentiary. For PUNISHMENT."
 
"Oh yeah? Well-"
 
We both cut off to the sound of giggles. The two fillies were standing next to each other, trying not to laugh. A grin shared with Rainbow confirmed my thoughts; this might end up being fun.
 



 
"It really doesn't spin."
 
I flopped down on the grass, staring at our construction. A length of wire, nearly a hundred feet, stretched from Rainbow's cloud house to the ground, where it terminated in a heavy plum-bob. The pendulum was swinging gently. Bit watched one end of the arc, while Spike watched the other. We were on Twilight's lawn, just behind the library.
 
I felt a magical tap on my temple, and let the link start.
 
"Check my work?"
 
"No need!"
 
We were wary of discussing this experiment out loud. Earth spun. Equus apparently didn't, demonstrating this was definitely a different planet. Not that I really needed proof, but at the very least, I'd been skeptical about the 'raise the sun' thing.
 
But here was empirical evidence. This planet didn't rotate.
 
"Look, Foucault's Pendulum is a ridiculously simple experiment. Get a long wire, at least a hundred feet. Hang a heavy weight. Give it a push. If the planet spins, the pendulum slowly circles its suspension point. This one doesn't, not by more than millimeters. That means we're either exactly on the equator, or your planet has no notable spin."
 
"I get that, but…you're so sure this thing should move. Are you certain we're not doing it wrong?"
 
"Careful of your bias, Twilight! Or rather, my bias. Yes, I'm shocked. How your solar system works is ridiculous to me. Seriously, I thought a Tychonic system laughable.  Now? Well, I've proved it's not heliocentric, at least not in any way I understand."
 
We glanced at the pendulum again. I shrugged.
 
"Now, if we get our speed-of-light experiment going, we might actually have a common reference frame."
 
"Yeah, but the precision prism will take time. I've been grinding it myself, but glasswork is slow. My telescope took nearly a year."
 
"We could hire it out?"
 
"I'm considering it. It goes against my principles, and I'd have to double-check the work anyways, but still. What's the rush?"
 
"I've been thinking about it, is all."
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Well, see, the speed of light is constant. For now, we'd best assume that's still true; I'm not qualified to re-write special relativity. However, it's entirely possible that my universe and yours, although sharing constants, may be in different reference frames. Actually, the more I think about it, the more likely it seems. I mean, why would both our worlds be going the same direction, at the same speed?"
 
"Oh. I see. You're talking about time dilation."
 
"Bingo. It's possible the flow of time is drastically different between our universes. I might end up like Rip Van Winkle or worse, if I even make it home. I always thought the 'spend a week here and no time there' trope in fantasy was pretty silly, but the more I consider it, the more it actually starts seeming reasonable. The only problem is acceleration energy, but hey. Magic."
 
"…interesting."
 
"Right? Unfortunately, there's no way to confirm, and nothing we could do, even if it was so. We'll just have to wait and see. I can pretend there's a fifty-percent chance it falls in my favor, at least."
 
"Are you two even listening?"
 
"Huh?" Both Twilight and I snapped out of our fugue, turning to the pony addressing us. Telepathy was convenient, but we both tended to zone pretty hard.
 
"Sunset?" We exclaimed, double-taking in unison.
 
"Not that I'm unhappy, but why are you here?" I asked.
 
"In a minute. Were you two practicing telepathy?"
 
"How much does she know?" Twilight asked silently.
 
"Most of it." I mentally shrugged. "I thought, well, because of her brother…"
 
"Ok, I guess she does have some right. Still."
 
"Sorry." I winced. I'd been trying to make a friend, but half those secrets hadn't really been mine. Twilight was right to call me out; she didn't know Sunset, and had no real reason to trust her with blackmail material. I'd been careless.
 
"Stop it!" Sunset interjected again. "Don't you know how dangerous numancy can be? What has Celestia been teaching you?"
 
"Hold up a second!" Twilight visibly bristled at the implied slight. "Celestia taught me all about numancy, and how dangerous it is! I did this to save Wes' life. The…thing is just a side-effect."
 
"Really." Sunset sounded skeptical. "Just a side-effect. And there's no side effect to that?"
 
"Not that we've found." I shrugged. "As far as we can tell, rest and healing are happening, so we haven't touched the original spell. Our synchronization rate has been dropping slowly; if it continues like this, we'll be healed in another month or so." I pictured that; I'd be able to finally free myself from the last marks of my bondage. If nothing went wrong.
 
"Yeah!" Twilight stepped forward, uncharacteristically aggressive. "What's it to you, anyways?"
 
"Excuse me! I’m just trying to look out for-" She stopped, looking at me askance. "Well, maybe I need to make this clear." She turned to me, took up a firm stance, and drew in a deep breath. "Wesley Kilmer, be my brother!"
 
"Huh?" Twilight stopped, dumbfounded.
 
"What?" I gasped, equally taken aback.
 
"…please?" At my response, uncertainty crept into her voice.
 
"Um, no, I mean, maybe, um…" I waved my hands frantically. "Hold up a sec. What's going on here?"
 
"Well…" She drew in a deep breath. "It's complicated." She glanced at Twilight.
 
"You know my secrets." Twilight obstinately stamped a hoof. "Besides, Wesley's my friend."
 
"Alright." Sunset thought for a minute. "Fine. I'll tell you both. Let's go for a walk." She turned and led us away.
 
"Hold up!" I turned back to the experiment. "Bit, Spike, great job; you were both very helpful. Spike, could you show Bit how to file experimental data?" The dragon nodded and grinned, giving me a thumbs-up. He was very proud to be teaching Bit, as one assistant to another.
 
"Who was that?" Sunset gave them a curious glance, as Bit followed Spike into the library.
 
"My new aide." I shrugged. "I'll explain later. Now, what were you talking about?"
 
"Oh. Right." She gave me a hesitant glance. "Well, um."
 
We walked quietly for a little. Both Twilight and I waited for her to speak. It was overcast today, since rain was planned for the weekend. It was still pleasant, if a bit blustery. I shoved my hands in my pockets and slouched along, uncomplaining. I liked walking.
 
"Well, what've you been doing since Manehatten?" I casually suggested. "It's been a few weeks."
 
"Oh. Sure." She gave a small sigh. "Well, I wrapped up my business in the city. There wasn't much; pack my lab, close out of my lease, dip into emergency funds to pay back my contacts." She shrugged. "They help, because they know it's coming back to them. Thankfully, I was never in dire enough straits to fall in with the really bad crowd. After that, I visited Canterlot."
 
She groaned and hung her head.
 
"That was awkward. Celestia and I tried to re-connect. I took down my blocking spell…heh. Did you know, I set it up so that if she mailed me a vivre card it bounced right back, on fire? It was pretty fun, actually, making it." She sighed again. "So, I did my best, and she did too. But you can't repair that sort of gulf overnight. I spent years hating her, and she spent years worrying about me. Now…we're friends, but neither is the same." She shrugged. "Though it was awkward, it was still worth doing. That's about all I've done, really."
 
"After that, you came here?"
 
"Actually…" She gave a worried glance. "I moved here."
 
"Really?" Twilight sounded surprised. "To Ponyville? Why?"
 
"For the first time in years, some ponies called me friend and meant it. They live here."
 
"So… this brother thing," I started. She winced. "Hey, easy. I'm not disparaging you; far from it. I just want to understand what's going on."
 
"Partly, it's selfish." Sunset said, quietly. "You were friendly to me, Wes. You really cared, and you pushed me to care as well. I…well, I felt close to you. And it was a long time since I felt close to anypony."
 
"Listen, Sunset." Twilight stepped up beside her, and gave her a friendly nuzzle. "That's not selfish. It's OK to want to be happy. It's OK to want friends. That's the thing about friendship; when we do it right, everypony gets happier. You can help yourself, and help others at the same time. Don't beat yourself up over that."
 
"There's more, though." Sunset sighed even more deeply and hung her head a little lower. We were slowing, now; her hooves seemed heavy. "If it was just that, I wouldn't ask you to be my brother."
 
"Alright, but I haven't said no." I shrugged, and picked a bench nearby to sit on. Ponyville was full of restful green spaces. "I'm unsure what you intend, but if you want my help, Sunset, it's yours." I sat down.
 
"You really mean that." She gave me a wondering glance.
 
"I try." I patted the bench, and they joined me. "I want to be a man of my word. So, lay it on me. What's going down?"
 
"It's my cutie mark." She glanced at Twilight, who glanced at her flank. I'd seen it before; it was a red-and-gold yin-yang sun. "Have either of you heard my talent?"
 
"No." Twilight shook her head. "I'd never even heard of you, before our meeting in the snow."
 
"Heh." Sunset glanced at me; I shook my head. "Fine. Well, here it is; my talent is 'Exceeding Expectations'."
 
"Wow." Twilight gasped, obviously shocked. I shook my head slowly.
 
"Isn't that a little…"
 
"Broken? Overpowered? Maybe." Sunset gave a humorless laugh. "Here's the catch, though. They need to be the expectations of somepony else. And I have no idea how that person is chosen."
 
"….oh." That did balance it a little. "And since you have no real idea what their expectations might be…"
 
"I have no idea what I'll get help with, ever."
 
"That sounds hard." Twilight shook her head. "And weird. I mean, I'm no thaumotrician, but I've read up on cutie marks. Sure, there's no rules; but you break at least three guidelines."
 
"Yup." Sunset shrugged. "First, it's open-ended. Maybe not as confusing as a circular mark, but it still breaks definition. Secondly, it relies on other ponies. That's very odd, and not something you see much of. Thirdly, it's unstable." She gave her mark a searching glance. "Most talents, you know what they mean, where they come from, and how to use them. Mine's a bit of a mystery, even to me. The story isn't even interesting; it just showed up one day." She shrugged.
 
"Because of that, I've never been really clear on what it meant or how to use it. In school, I did well; I exceeded expectations, time and again. I quickly rose until I was being tutored by the Princess herself. Then we had our falling-out." She stared into the distance. "You know about that." We nodded silently.
 
"Well, I spent years distancing myself from everypony, Celestia first. After a while, I realized I had no idea if I'd ever find my brother." She caught my eyes. "I'll admit, when I reached that conclusion I snapped pretty hard." I gently placed a hand on her neck. Twilight followed suit. "The thing is, somewhere in there, I realized that I was doing it wrong. But I wasn't really willing to own up to it until you pushed me." She nodded to me. "I…well, I said my talent is unstable. When we met, I was half-convinced I'd lost it for good."
 
"Can that happen?" I asked, uncertainly.
 
"Maybe." Sunset shrugged. "There are no rules."
 
"Dang."
 
"But it didn't end there." She gave a slow shake of her head. "Remember in the cell, when I pretended you were Splinter? And I scanned your… Not fetlock. Wrist?"
 
"Yeah." I remembered the vivid spark of blue, and telling her not to hurt herself. "Why?"
 
"I shouldn't have been able to do that." Sunset drew a shuddering breath. "Do you have any idea how many inhibitors they'd dosed me with?"
 
"…no."
 
"Enough to destroy my magic completely."
 
Twilight's gasp of horror was mirrored by my own.
 
"<Damn.>" I said quietly, getting one curious and one disapproving stare. Magic inhibitors targeted areas of the brain that worked spells. I'd never considered long-term damage from an overdose, but there are no perfectly safe drugs. "No wonder you were so hopeless."
 
"Exactly. I knew they planned to kill me. But I didn't count on you expecting something from me." She looked up to me. "I don't know what it was. Don't say it! Maybe nothing specific, even. A hope, dream, or wish. The point is, my cutie mark felt that." She looked up at the sun. "And so, here I am. Near as I can tell, there's no damage. I don't have short-term memory loss, or aphasia, or dementia…as near as I can tell, the damage was wiped. Whatever you expected, I've surpassed it. And." She gave me a long look. "I want more of that. So, although it might be selfish, I'll ask you again. Be my brother, Wesley Kilmer."
 
"With pleasure."
 
"R-really? You mean that?"
 
"With all my heart. I told you, Sunset. I want to be your friend. If you need my help, it's yours."
 
"A-and you?" She turned to Twilight.
 
"Oh, Sunset." Twilight hugged her more tightly. "As if I could refuse that plea. But yes, I'm Ok with it. And I want to be your friend, if you'll have me."
 
"Thanks." Sunset sniffled quietly. I nodded, and for a while, we just sat there. Three friends, in the park.

> 47 - Work
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Yaaaaaaawn….
 
I rolled out of bed, rubbing my eyes. Not having an alarm clock or a regular job, I went to bed when I was sleepy and woke when I was rested. It was a very pleasant way to live. I'd been surprised when I realized I was going to bed earlier and waking up earlier.
 
I stretched and pulled back my thick felt curtains. When I slept, I liked it dark. The Everfree loomed cool and peaceful in the misty air. I glanced at the weather schedule tacked by the window and the outdoor thermometer. Today was a shorts-and-bare-feet day. I shrugged into clean clothes, fluffed my thin blanket once, and stepped out of my bedroom.
 
I almost tripped over a hard, black bug, curled tightly on the floor before my door.
 
"Bit…" I rubbed my eyes and sighed, before carefully stepping over my aide and continuing to the kitchen. I opened my freezer and pulled out two waxed packets of frozen strawberries. Two bowls and a jug of milk joined them on the table.
 
Berries were thawing, mixed with cold milk and a spoonful of sugar, by the time Bitterbloom awoke. It slowly joined me at the table.
 
"Morning." I pushed a bowl across to Bit, who stirred it with a spoon and carefully inspected the contents. "Found you in front of my door again."
 
"Sorry."
 
"Don't apologize." I smiled, trying to sound comforting. "If you really want to sleep there, I won't stop you. I just thought you might like your own bed more."
 
"I do." Bit slowly started eating. "But I moved in my sleep."
 
"Oh." I shrugged. "Well, Ok. Um, when you're done with your breakfast, would you check the mail?"
 
Bit nodded silently. I turned to my own bowl. Giving it ways to help, even small things like checking the mail, helped keep it happy.
 
It was developing with surprising swiftness in many ways. Its acuity and recall had surprised both Twilight and I; it had easily reached, if not surpassed, comprehension level for its disguise. At least, as far as facts went.
 
Emotionally, it still lagged.
 
I wasn't sure how to feel about that. Honestly, expecting results in weeks was foolish. Despite that, I impatiently wished it would grow up faster, feelings I hid with careful and scrupulous precision. I was a poor role model for emotions in so many ways; I didn't want to burden Bit with anything it couldn't help. Still, its inability to think freely weighed on me.
 
Bit silently finished its milk and headed for the mailbox. By the time it returned, I'd rolled out my exercise mat and started stretching. I didn't visit Lyra every day, but I always practiced. I would stretch and drill myself in techniques. In the evening, I played scales on my synth and did magic training.
 
"Ok, talk to me." That was usually enough.
 
"Yes." Bit set the mail down and stood calmly watching. "Yesterday, I learned smiling is friendly."
 
"Oh?" I puffed a breath and mimed a palm strike. "Did Sakura teach you?"
 
"Yes." Bit frowned slightly, and I grinned slightly. Even small signs of real emotion were good. Bit originally displayed little more than confusion and wariness, even to me. "But, not with her words. I saw her doing it. She smiles at ponies and ponies smile back. Then, they are more friendly. I want to smile more, so I can be more friendly."
 
"Do it, then."
 
Bit nodded.
 
I tried to reinforce the things I liked about Bit, which seemed to empower it. Doing so made me feel odd, but I didn't think stopping would be better. Besides, how else do you teach? Still, Bit's loyalty hadn't wavered one smidgen. I felt manipulative.
 
"Alright." I finished my exercises in silence, and sat cross-legged on the mat. "Your turn."
 
This was Bit's favorite part. I would allow it some emotion. Under Onyx's tuition, Bit learned siphoning. Twilight and I worked together, to find a solution that would satisfy all three of us. Twilight had even wanted to involve the link, but I'd held back. Why complicate things more? The link was sort of secret. And…well, I was wary of exposing either of them to my memories. I didn't want to hurt Twilight any more than Bit.
 
After the backlash from the first time, we proceeded with caution. We carefully learned I could give Bit small amounts, and it could restrain itself. As long as it didn't draw too much, I kept my control. As long as I controlled myself, it didn't overdose on negative emotions. It still drew some, but Onyx had taught it how to convert them, despite claiming they didn't have the same energy potential as loyalty and tasted awful.
 
As it turned out, Bit needed more emotion, on a more regular basis, than Onyx. Higher maintenance was the price paid for actually changing shape, becoming touchably fuzzy and soft, with a real mane and tail. I'd be more annoyed, but it meant I didn't worry as much about letting an inexperienced agent out in public. For that, I was willing to lend it emotion every day. Especially since it was much more careful now.
 
This time I barely noticed the drain. A haze of lethargy washed through me, followed by reactions of nausea and shivering, but I held my concentration and both faded quickly. Every day, its touch was softer, and I did a little better. 

"I'm done."

I looked up; as it internalized my emotions, color swirled across its eyes. A thin thread of blue twisted through muddy brown tension and rusty frustration. I tried not to wince. I hadn't realized my negative feelings were that strong. If I was lucky, it wouldn't know what those colors meant.
 
"Sorry. Not much pleasant today." I stretched one last time.
 
"I don't mind."
 
I shrugged. It always said that, despite the obvious lack of blue. I hoped Bit would eventually draw loyalty from its own set of friends. I felt strongly responsible for Bit and there was loyalty in those feelings, but the rest of my emotions seemed to cloud that out. I couldn't supply much emotion with only free-floating feelings. That wouldn't change anytime soon.
 
I reached for the mail. As I did, it's horn glowed slightly. I turned back, watching curiously as faint curls of blue wisped from the jagged edges, crawled up the length, and coalesced on the tip, forming a tiny crystalline drop.
 
"Is that…condensate?"
 
Bit nodded.
 
"You haven't touched a drop of my loyalty, have you."
 
Bit shook its head.
 
"Oh, Bitterbloom." I rubbed my eyes, not sure what to make of this. It was…touching, in a way, and blindly foolish, in ten more. "Hold a sec." I walked to the kitchen, opened the drawer of phials I needed to return to Zecora, and came back with a small octagonal one the size of my pinkie. "Here." I held it up. The drop of blue floated across, and filled the phial half-way. I corked it and wired the lid. "There." I held it out to Bit.
 
"It's…for you." Bit pushed my hand back, slowly.
 
"Oh." I held the bottle up, azure contents luminous in the dim morning. What could I do with loyalty condensate? Still, this was weeks worth of Bit's work. The thought really did count, right? I'd hold it for now, and maybe I could return it later. "Thank you." I tucked it into my pocket. "I'll treasure it. Now, don't forget to dress." I smiled at that. I always hoped Bit would laugh with me, but it simply stared blankly back as it assumed its disguise. "Good." I shuffled through the mail.  "Huh." I stopped at one sealed with the very new sigil of the Changeling Ambassadorial Subcommittee. "Work."
 



 
The letter crinkled in my hand as I slowly paced the path to Fluttershy's. It was early, but she rose with the dawn. Bit trotted behind. I re-read the letter, trying to internalize it completely.
 
Your Excellency, it started. Again, I tried to suppress a snort. Celestia claimed bureaucracy bred stuffed shirts, and she was on to something. If I was an 'excellency', something was amiss.
 
Your Excellency,
 
A request for aid has been submitted to the department. As this is our first real petition, we have forwarded it to you, the only ranking member and field agent.
 
Enclosed were two more letters. I'd opened the one marked 'Sapphire Shores' first.
 
To whom it may concern;
 
I'm not a changeling, somepony framed me! Please believe me; I need your help! what can I do? This is wreaking havoc with my life and tour! You're the only ponies who know what's going on; please help me! I'll be staying in Baltimare, at the Single Carrot Theater, until I can sort this out.
 
Hopeful as the next wave,
Sapphire Shores.
 
Short, to the point, emphatic and reasonable. On the whole, I thought I'd like this Sapphire Shores. The next letter complicated things a bit. It was marked 'Fancy', and sealed with a stylized iris.
 
Wes
 
News of Sapphire's plight reached me. I’m glad she decided to ask us; it makes things easier. I don't want to confuse your loyalties, so let me know if this won't work; I'm not privy to all your arrangements with the Tezecans. However, this opportunity is too good to pass up.
 
Remember how somepony was harassing you? Although we can't be sure, I'm half convinced that was a changeling plot to sow panic. Without Rarity's counter-action, we might have had serious trouble in Ponyville. Unfortunately for the Archive, your antagonist has gone to ground. Sapphire, however, offers us another chance. There's definitely an agent moving against her.
 
If possible, I would like to capture them.
 
I don't know what this will take. Work with Sapphire, and see if you can figure something out. Remember, we're not an army, but you're free to take reasonable and necessary action. Intelligence is our weakest front; we have no idea of the enemy’s long-term goals, and even our short-term projections are based on happenstance and assumption. If we only confirm they absorb fear, we will be further along.
 
Every day I rock my
Fancy Pants.
 
I grinned at that. The pony fashion of signing off with a phrase was a little silly, but usually made me smile. The more I talked to Fancy, the more I liked him. He was rich, fashionable, smart and clever, but above all, humble. That's what really made him stand above most of the Canterlot unicorns I'd met, and I think what made Celestia value him. He didn't take himself seriously.
 
Still, he was rightfully serious about the Agency. I carefully refolded my mail as I crossed the bridge outside Fluttershy's. This would be an interesting job, but he was right; we desperately needed info, and the only reliable source was the enemy. I needed to tread carefully with Shores; her well-being came first. But if we could get a prisoner or a hostage, it would be a wonderful boost to our efforts.
 
"Fluttershy?" I knocked on her door gently.
 
"Wes?" She opened the door gently.
 
"Yeah." I stepped inside. Her house was bright and airy, active and pleasant despite, or possibly because of, the early hour. "Got a minute?"
 
"Of course." She hugged Bit as it followed me in. It twitched slightly at the unexpected embrace. I'd no idea what Bit thought of Fluttershy. It didn't seem to mind the attention, but never really reacted, either. Of course, it wasn't big on 'reacting' in general, so that might not mean anything. On the other hand, Fluttershy was the best at reading non-ponies I'd ever met, which was precisely why I was here; if she thought Bitterbloom liked hugs, I wouldn't contradict.
 
"So, um." I rubbed my head, trying to think of a good way to phrase this. "Would you be willing to help me identify a changeling?"
 
Her eyes grew wide.
 
"What do you mean?"
 
"It's like this…" I spread the letters out, and summarized the situation. "…so I was thinking, maybe you'd be willing to help. At some point, we'll want to spot a pony in disguise. That means being able to read through a disguise. If anypony can get a read on a changeling, it's going to be you. You can always tell what a non-pony is thinking, and that sort of edge could be a big help."
 
"But I couldn't tell the difference in Canterlot."
 
"Well, no." I frowned. "But you weren't forewarned. And most of those bugs weren't actually agents; they were part of the hivemind. With Chrysalis controlling them directly, their mimicry was much, much more refined. Actual agents have to think for themselves; they're only as good at acting as they've practiced to be. I think you might be able to spot differences given the chance."
 
"U-um…"
 
"Hey, if you don't want to, that's OK."
 
"Well, I…I might be able to help."
 
I smiled slightly. I'd been honestly unsure what to expect here. Fluttershy was timid, true, but also one of the bravest ponies I'd ever met, facing down her natural inclination to terror time and again. This mission didn't look dangerous, but changelings were unpredictable, and she didn't like that. Still, I promised myself that if she did come, I'd do everything in my power to keep her safe.
 
"If, maybe, you'd let me borrow Bitterbloom?"
 
"Um…" I stopped, floored. "Borrow? What do you want to do?"
 
"Snuggle." She said softly. "Bit needs more hugs."
 
"Um, you'll have to ask Bit yourself, but…I don't have a problem with you hugging." I shrugged. Maybe it was her talent at work; if snuggles brought out Bit's personality faster, I wouldn't complain. "So, you'll come and look? You don't need to do any more than that."
 
"Yes, if you need me. Give me a few hours to-"
 
"Oh, no need to rush that much. We'll leave tomorrow; I need to get tickets and directions, and I was thinking of inviting either Twilight or Dash as well. If you'd meet me at the train station tomorrow, this time?" She nodded. "Awesome! You're the best, Flutters. Thanks again; see you tomorrow." She nodded goodbye, and I backed out the door. "Bit, take a letter for Fancy." My aide pulled out my slim correspondence folder, faithfully dogging my steps. I started dictating to my number-one assistant as we headed into town.
 



 
"Sorry, Wes. Can't do it; I've got to help plan the Hoedown." Twilight grimaced. "I'd love to; you know that."
 
"Sure." I grinned, thinking of the way she'd originally latched onto Onyx. "You'll have to do without changeling research for little; I'm taking Onyx with me. Bit too, probably, because I'm pretty sure it would just follow if I tried to leave it behind."
 
"Awwww."
 
"Sunset?" I turned to the other unicorn. We were in the library, surrounded by piles of books.
 
"Hmm?" She closed her current volume, and carefully re-stacked it. She grimaced at the mess. "Sorry, I can't; not unless you really need me. I've got a cartload of stuff arriving that day, and I'll be swamped. Actually, I hoped for your help moving."
 
"Blech, sorry." I shrugged. "Not my fault."
 
"I know, some things you can't help." She shot me a glare over a stack. "Not like this mess. Can't you clean up after yourself?"
 
"Heh, I  have an assistant." I puffed my chest out proudly. "Bit, could you help me here?" She glowered as my aide started to carry books off to the shelves.
 
"Hrmph."
 
"What's eating you, Sunny?"
 
"Sunny?"
 
"Sure." I shrugged. "You call me Wes, I'll call you Sunny."
 
"Pff." She laughed quietly. "Fine; here's what's up. As far as I can tell, there's no way to get that thing out of you." She pointed a hoof at my chest.
 
"Sure." I shifted uncomfortably. "We checked that. It's solidly nodalized; tearing it out before the matrix heals around it would cause more harm than help."
 
"And you're okay with that?"
 
"Obviously not!" I chewed my lip. "Still, there's not much we can do. We would either need to revisit the binding spell, which is chancy at best; Twilight half-did it by instinct, or we would need to have a schematic for the crystal."
 
"Schematic?"
 
"Sorry, rune plot." I shrugged. "It's not easy either way. We decided just waiting was the best option. We have been healing."
 
"I'd agree, if you didn't have such a penchant for trouble." She frowned at me. "You're likely to re-injure yourself, and then where will you be?"
 
"Worse off than before." Twilight gave her a sharp stare. "But the alternatives are even riskier. Celestia always said, let sleeping hedgehogs lie."
 
"…she did?" I quirked an eyebrow at that.
 
"Yeah." Sunset nodded. "I never really understood that one either."
 
"Huh." I rubbed my forehead. "But I'm not going alone. I've got Fluttershy's help, along with the changelings. I might not need to fight anything. Still, I'd like to take another friend." I shrugged. "Last time, I learned watching my own back is tricky, and a party of two isn't really enough for me."
 
"Three." Twilight rolled her eyes.
 
"Huh? Yeah, three might-"
 
"Two."

"Wait, what? Why are you count-"
 
"One."
 
"Ok, seriously-"
 
"PARTY?"
 
"Oh." I glanced at Pinkie, who had just shown up, throwing confetti, blowing a noisemaker, and carrying cupcakes. "Um. Huh, this actually has potential." I grinned at her. "Want to help Sapphire Shores get her smile back?" Her grin was answer enough.
 



 
"So, what if I promised something impossible? Like flying to the moon?"
 
We were in Balitmare, having completed the trip before nightfall. Trains weren't fast compared to planes, but they went direct and didn't stop.
 
"But you could fly to the moon, right? With a big enough rocket, or a huge cannon?" Pinkie bounced along beside me. I had no idea how she kept that up for so long.
 
"Maybe." I frowned. "I mean, yeah, you could, but I don’t think Equestria has the science or production capability. That's not the question, though. What if I Pinkie Promised something I couldn't do?"
 
"Try it!"
 
"Is that a good idea?"
 
"Oh, don't worry, silly! It won't hurt much!"
 
"That's…not very reassuring."
 
We'd been given a room by the Changeling Subcommittee. Onyx, Bit, and Fluttershy had stayed behind, while Pinkie and I went to visit Sapphire. I'd taken a bit of time to get acquainted with the local branch of the subcommittee. So far all they were doing was spreading information, but it helped. Ponies no longer saw changelings everywhere, and now let authorities deal with them instead of stampeding or forming a mob. More improvement would take more time.
 
"Just give it a try! You'll be Ok. But remember the motions!"
 
"Hmm. I promise to… run faster than lightspeed. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my-OW!"
 
"That one doesn't count."
 
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake-OW!"
 
"That one either."
 
"Crossmyheartandhopetoflystickacupcakein-OW!"
 
"Neither does that."
 
"I'm done." I walked quietly for a bit, to the gentle spring of Pinkie's hooves. "So…"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"If you promise something impossible, you can't complete the motions?"
 
"Why ask me? I don't make the rules. But who would make a promise they know they can't keep? That would be a lie!"
 
"…yeah, I guess you're right."
 
We stopped in front of the One Carrot Theater. The front was unassuming, but it was prominently placed and gave off an air of quality. The doors were closed, but unlocked. I knocked once and entered.
 
"Can I help you?"
 
A pony sat behind the ticket counter just inside. He eyed us askance, but perked up when I offered him my seal.
 
"I'm here to visit Sapphire Shores, from the Changeling Subcommittee."
 
"Ah." He inspected the seal and gave us both a searching look, before nodding. "I got your letter. Miss Shores is expecting you. If you'd follow me?"
 
"So, what's the plan?" Pinkie hissed in a stage whisper, as we followed the…concierge? Bellboy? Owner? I realized I had no idea who we were following.
 
"No need to whisper," I retorted. "We're just meeting Sapphire, to introduce ourselves and maybe work out a few ideas. We need to be sure of what we're up against before we plan more."
 
"I. Think. We. Should. Have. A. Party." Pinkie replied, still whispering.
 
"Maybe." I shrugged, honestly considering the idea. "Getting her into contact with a lot of ponies, and starting word-of-mouth in the right direction is worth doing. But we'll need to ask what she thinks."
 
"Miss Shores?" Our guide knocked on a door. Muffled sobbing could be heard from inside. I glanced at Pinkie, whose face had taken a determined cast. There was a moment of silence, muffled hoofsteps, and the door cracked. A light-yellow mare with a sky-blue mane peeked out. Her eyes were puffy, and she'd obviously been crying. Still, as soon as she realized she had an audience, she composed herself sternly and produced a pleasant smile.
 
"Yes, Carrot?"
 
Owner, then.
 
"This is Mister Wesley Kilmer, and Miss Pinkie Pie. They're here to talk to you about your…dilemma."
 
"Oh!" She gave us a quick inspection. "Well, I certainly do appreciate your prompt arrival. Give me a minute to freshen up." The door closed, and One Carrot gave us a shrug.
 
"She won't be long." He turned back to his desk.
 
I nodded. From the room, I heard water running, glass clinking, and a few chairs scraping, before the door was flung wide and we were ushered in. The room wasn't a mess, although it showed signs of hurried cleaning.
 
"Come in. I'm sorry about the room, I haven't been at my best." She spoke softly with a lilting accent. I nodded and found a cushion. Pinkie materialized some cupcakes and joined me.
 
"Thanks, Miss Shores. Um, you probably know I'm the Equestrian ambassador to the Tezecan Changelings, and I'm trying to sort situations like this out. I'd like to do everything I can to help you, but if you don't mind, we first need to confirm you’re not a changeling."
 
"O-oh." She frowned. "What do you need?"
 
"Well, the best way to tell a changeling is by touch. If you don’t' mind, could I have a hug?"
 
I gingerly embraced the pop singer. I was a little surprised when she broke down in tears on my shoulder.
 
"O-oh, Mister Wesley, this week has been absolutely horrid!"
 
I patted her back gently. Real fur and mane. I even scanned her magic surreptitiously. Unless she was a new model, like Bit, she wasn't a bug; I might distrust one test, but both combined was quite solid. From what Onyx had grudgingly divulged, Bit was far from standard, maybe even impractical for a regular agent.
 
"There, there." I tried to be as comforting as I could. "It'll be OK." Eventually, she calmed a bit.
 
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I just don't know what came over me."
 
"Stress, probably. It's not a problem." She stepped back and I offered her a cupcake. "So, can you tell us what happened? From what I’ve read, a changeling impersonated you before revealing itself to a herd of fans?"
 
"Yes, that sums it up." She drew a shuddery breath and took a bite of her treat. "I was running late that day. Imagine my horror to discover somepony else had showed up at the press conference in my place! I'm only glad I found out before I got there, or things could have turned nasty."
 
"Mhmm." I nodded; about what I expected. "Well, we'll do what we can to help you. But I’m sure you know, repairing a damaged image can be difficult."
 
"Can't you…put out a message, or something?"
 
"That's a good idea." I frowned; I hadn't really considered that. "I can send a letter to the newspaper, if you like, with my seal on it. I'm quite certain you're not a bug. That might be a good start. But, that might not be the end of it either."
 
"How do you mean?" She gave me a skeptical look. She was already perking up, resuming her confident face.
 
"Well, one reason I'm in this position is because I've been targeted in similar ways." I frowned, steepling my fingers. "The changelings can't mimic me, but it seems they're trying to spread unrest. It doesn't take much to make ponies wary of me. The point is, though, that they didn't stop after just one incident."
 
"Horseapples."
 
"Exactly. I was subject several attacks on my character. That might not be true for you, but we can't discount it either."
 
"If so… we need to catch the culprit!" She stamped a hoof firmly.
 
"That would, of course, be the best solution." I hesitated. "Unfortunately, there's no simple way to do that. These bugs are masters of disguise. We need to find them, and be sure it's them, before we move. Unless we get lucky-"
 
"Throw. A. Party."
 
"Pinkie, parties are not the answer to every-"
 
"Actually, that's not a bad idea." Sapphire Shores frowned.
 
"See!?"
 
"What are you thinking, Miss Shores?"
 
"Call me Sapphire, please."
 
"Then call me Wes."
 
"Well, Wes, this isn't the first time I've dealt with rumor mongers. None of them have been quite this devious, but they often run in the same circles. If this…agent, is really targeting me, she or her cronies will be keeping tabs. So, if I throw…well, maybe not a party. Perhaps a soiree, or another press conference, there's a chance she'll show."
 
"Hmmm." That actually made a lot of sense. "If they intend to make another move."
 
"Of course."
 
"Hmmhmm. Well, Sapphire, I must say; you're no simple starlet to think like that."
 
"Please, Wes. The simple ponies never make it to the top. I am the Pony of Pop."
 
"I'll do my best not to forget. Anyways, I think you've got a good point. This bug can't be working with close contacts; all our sources indicate agents usually spread extremely thin. If anything, they're buying information, but that's unreliable. How better to get info, then pose as a reporter or photographer? It's only a theory, but…" I rubbed my chin. "It's a good one, as far as I can tell. There are a few things to make sure of, though."
 
"Yes?"
 
"First off, Sapphire, what we're talking about here is called a 'sting'. It's a type of trap. We want to lure the changeling in and force its hoof. How exactly we'll do that, we can work out later, but I want to be clear on something. You," I pointed to her, "are a civilian. I can't allow you to do anything to endanger yourself. My colleagues and I are professionals. If you ever feel unsafe, or somepony asks you to do something you're uncomfortable with, tell me right away. It's my job to ensure your safety. Alright?"
 
She nodded slowly.
 
"That being said, we'd appreciate any help you're willing to give." I shrugged. "Truth be told, we're all treading new ground here. This is going to be interesting. We could discover important facts and set far-reaching precedents."
 
"I'll do whatever I can to clear my name and catch this scoundrel."
 
"Good." I nodded firmly. That attitude was exactly what we needed. "Then, this is for you." I passed her a coin, stamped with the same seal I carried. "Keep it on your person." I held up an identical one. "Authentication is tricky in this sort of situation, but this is the best we've developed so far. These coins have a rolling cypher in them; if we tap them, like so-" I held mine out, and she touched hers to it, "-they buzz." The coins vibrated gently. "If your coin doesn't buzz, the other is an imposter. It's not perfect, but it's not easy to duplicate, either. Be very, very careful not to lose it. We only really need them when we meet up again; after that, we'll be careful to work in pairs. We have three people who can be mimicked and three who can't, so we should be fine like that."
 
"Can't be mimicked?" She quirked an eyebrow, curious.
 
"Well, there's me." I stopped, hesitating. "And…Hmm. Did you know that not all changelings are working against us…?"

> 48 - Sting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ideas?" I glanced around our small circle. Bit, of course, stared back blankly. Onyx had a thoughtful expresion. Fluttershy shook her head slowly. We were sitting in my room, trying to think of a suitable barb for our sting.
 
"We have a party, we have a target; all we need is a SURPRISE!" Pinkie bounced extra high, scattering confetti.
 
"Pretty much."
 
We'd spent a while talking with Sapphire. We'd summarized what we knew, and she'd written her publicist about another event. I'd offered to write the newspaper, but she pointed out that might tip our hand to the opposition. What exactly we could do was still undecided. Pinkie had summarized it nicely. We had a location and bait, we just needed a trap. That was causing us some problems. How do you entice someone into revealing themselves? We needed more than a reason for them to show up; we needed something to break them out of their groove, scare or seduce them into revealing themselves. I was hoping Fluttershy would be able to spot them, but we couldn't pin all our hope on her.
 
"We could have door-hugs!"
 
"Yeah, we might catch them that way." I frowned. "But they might just not enter."
 
"It would still make the party better."
 
"Well…" Onyx started, slowly. "Isn't there already a method in place for a situation like this?"
 
"Hmm?"
 
"The changeling wards. They're designed to lock down an area for inspection, right?"
 
"Oh…oh! Hmm." I rubbed my jaw. He was right; this situation was precisely what the wards were for. They were designed to trigger on detection of a changeling, but since the builders had been working on incomplete information, they only activated for Chrysalids. That meant Onyx and Bit didn't have to worry walking around the city, but it also meant our prey was safe from us.

Unless we could find a way to manually trigger them.
 
"Good thought." If anyone had authority for that, it would be me. I pulled out my golden seal and inspected it carefully. "Yeah. Maybe we can work with that."
 



 
Drills. It was a drill.
 
"A 'changeling drill', to be precise." I nodded to Sapphire.
 
"Alright." She nodded back. "Good. I think this will work." We were standing…backstage? In the wings? Behind a curtain, behind the buffet. Pinkie was finishing her set-up for the party, or 'soiree' as Sapphire's publicist kept insisting. There was a fuzz of confetti and balloons scattered around small tables and the buffet bar, but it might be classy? As we watched, she added the finishing touches and joined us. "This ought to help clear my name, and if there's an imposter here, it may catch them."
 
"That's the plan." We walked together to the back, where Bit, Onyx, and Fluttershy waited. I checked Bit and Onyx's cutie marks; they had, as planned, changed them. An imposter, going by sight, shouldn't have known the next mark on our list, so they ought to be clear. We all had coins if we needed to double-check, but as long as we kept an eye on each other and kept our secrets close, we should be fine. "Okay! We're set up." I gave them all a long look. 

"Remember, pair up, stay together, stick to the plan as best you can. Let's do this." They all nodded back in turn. Sapphire gave an especially determined nod, and we headed for the door. Although I didn't think there would be fighting, I'd take personal responsibility for her. Onyx and Pinkie were working to make sure the party flowed smoothly, while Bit and Fluttershy observed carefully in an attempt to spot imposters. They'd signal us if they spotted something so Onyx and Bit could get clear, and I'd start the drill.
 
As Sapphire opened the door, I plastered a smile on my face and tried to look friendly. It wasn't impossible, although I felt silly. I was wearing my suit again; it had cleaned up well, although the shirt had been a loss. As I'd guessed, Rarity had made me an even frillier cravat. I was just thankful she'd taught Bit to tie it.
 
I leaned on my cane, and nodded as pleasantly as I could to reporters, business mares, pop-culture icons, paparazzi and the occasional high-society pony as they filtered in. Beside me, Sapphire was all smiles and charm; she really knew how to lay it on. I admired her poise and self-control.
 
It wasn't long before all the guests had arrived. After that I found myself dearly wishing for Rarity as we commenced to… ugh, mingle.
 
It wasn't actual torture, for which I was glad. But for the most part, it was very, very dull. As Pinkie worked the buffet, I could nearly hear her teeth grind as she restrained herself from enlivening it with a prank or two. Sapphire kept her façade up at all times, and I kept an eye on her. I had to stop myself from searching the curtain for Fluttershy, especially when somepony brought dishes through. I hoped she'd spot something; a clue or tic, enough of a hint for us to act on.
 
Still, I tried to concentrate as Sapphire forced herself to be polite and friendly to dozens of ponies. Even if we didn't catch anypony, this was a good first step towards repairing her reputation.
 
I was a little disoriented when the wards triggered unexpectedly.
 
"What?" I mumbled, surprised, as bars of green light sprang into the air around us with a quiet humm. "This isn't…" My instincts kicked in, as something in my gut told me the plan had gone wrong. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. "What's up?" I tapped my earpiece, careless of who saw.
 
"Dunno." Pinkie sounded uncharacteristically serious. "Wasn't me this time." She and Onyx were coordinating, since I was 'in the field'.
 
"Dang." I stepped forward; the lines of light bent around me, merging and splitting as the spell reacted to my auth coin. Nearby ponies had gone quiet, or were whispering in surprise. The changeling wards had been demonstrated, but this was probably the first drill most of them had been in. We'd need to change that, after we got the Tezecan's position more settled. I stepped up to Sapphire and lowered my voice. "The response team should be here soon. Take a few minutes to be a leader; it can only help you. Your coin should let you leave if need be, but if they realize-"
 
"Hush, child." She gave me a stern look and I settled down. "Leave the show to me. Take care of the important part."
 
"Right." She knew what she was doing. I gave her a nod and made for the curtain. The wards should keep everypony in place until we had time for them, but unless we got lucky, we'd missed our mark. Nopony in there would have set the wards off acting as they did, and nopony had panicked. If an agent had been in the room, I'd have expected them to make a break for it. Those wards were tough, but they weren't meant to be a death-trap, so anypony determined to leave would. It just meant revealing themselves as a changeling. If our target didn't break character, they'd either underestimated the response team, or we couldn't spot them anyways.
 
"Got anything for me, Fluttershy?" I ducked behind the curtain, moving from the main room to the catering area. The ward-bars ended here. We'd set up the trap for the main room only. I checked Bit's markings; we were good.
 
"No, I-"
 
"Changeling!" We turned in surprise, as a yell came from the kitchen behind us. We shared a glance and took off running.
 
"Where'd they go?" I gasped, skidding through the door.
 
"That way!" An aproned pony waved towards the connecting hallway. "With a camera! They must have come from the ballroom!"
 
Dang. So they'd ducked out right before the wards fired. They either had really good luck, or…or they'd triggered the wards on purpose?
 
"Pinkie, Onyx, we've got a runner." I let the other team know. "Can you-"
 
"Here too!" Onyx spat back. "Somepony just teleported! I'm starting a sweep!"
 
"Ponyfeathers!" The wards weren't built for that, and I'd discounted the idea since it took so much magic or emotion to fuel. Desperation drives, I guess. We'd be better prepared next time.
 
Fluttershy took to the air behind me as I spun around a corner and dashed down the next hall. With only Bit's light hooves and my boots, I could hear the clatter of hooves from ahead. They were…on the stairs?
 
"This way!" I took a sharp left. Our prey was headed to the roof, and I knew a shortcut. Fluttershy gave a questioning glance as I led us outside, scanning quickly in the evening light for - there! The fire-escape hung down from the third story. I scrambled up as fast as I could. Fluttershy picked up Bit and followed.
 
We reached the top just as the fugitive did, the red sunset casting long shadows. A door slammed open across the roof. A bug with green eyes stepped out, wearing a cheap suit and carrying a camera. It dashed for the fire escape, but skidded to a stop as we came over the edge.
 
"Halt!" I held out my seal and stepped forward. Fluttershy alighted behind me. It was silly, but I'd go by the book for as long as I could. "I'm the Changeling Ambassador. You're under arrest-"
 
BZZZAP! The bug, fear writ large on its face, snapped off a magic bolt.
 
I instinctively dodged the crackling spell, dropping the seal and reaching for the knife I'd tucked into the small of my back. I came up out of my roll and realized that by dodging, I'd exposed Bit! The small bug staggered, gave me a pleading glance, and collapsed as its disguise flickered out.
 
Three gasps rang out in unison. My fist clenched so hard my knuckles cracked. The changeling stared at Bit, obviously shocked to find a bug working with us. Fluttershy…
 
Fluttershy was enraged. This was my second time seeing her angry, and I still found myself shivering at the emotion in her eyes. Her Stare hit the hapless bug like a steel pin transfixing a specimen.
 
"You don't hurt my friends!" Fluttershy yelled, taking a menacing step forward. The bug retreated, frantically scrabbling away. "They're good ponies! And Bitterbloom is innocent!" I sheathed my knife and dashed to my aide. I should have been more careful, even on a 'tame' mission! We needed to lay ground rules for teamwork and staying out of trouble! I sighed in relief as my fingers found a strong, slow pulse in the joints on its neck; Fluttershy had told me how to check for vitals. It was only asleep.
 
Behind me came twin shrieks of surprise and horror. I whirled. Fluttershy stood near the edge, shock on her face. The bug was gone, but in seconds a whirring sound rose and it re-surfaced, bobbing slightly on unsteady wings. She'd marched him backwards over the edge! He gave one last venomous look and retreated at full speed. I started to follow, but stopped as Fluttershy collapsed, shaking and crying.
 
"Onyx, ours took to the air. Maybe the sweepers will catch him, but I can't follow right now."
 
"Ours escaped, too. Pinkie did…something, and almost caught it, but not even she can keep up with speed-warping, apparently. It was yelling something…Pinkie, did you hear it?"
 
"Yup!" The pink pony's voice came through clearly. "It was really angry, and shouting about a Queen Phor… Phere... Phoresy! Maybe she's the leader?"
 
"Maybe." I frowned, but curtailed my curiosity. "Anyways, I need to support my team. We'll leave wrap-up to the response ponies; make sure you've got your coin ready, Onyx."
 
"Sure thing. Over and out." I slipped the comm out of my ear and picked up Bit. It was still surprisingly light for its size. Again, I promised myself to make sure it was eating enough, and carried it over to Fluttershy. I carefully laid it down and sat next to her.
 
"Shy, Bit's just asleep. You going to be OK?"
 
"I…" She gave a shuddering gasp. "I thought I'd killed him! He was backing up, and I didn't even think of the edge, and then he was gone, and when ponies fall off of things-"
 
"Shh, it's OK." I carefully hugged her, cautious of her feathers. "You didn't hurt anypony." I tried to think of something to say. My mind floated back to an afternoon with her in the caves.
 
"Fluttershy…" I paused, sorting my words. "I…I think I know how you feel."
 
"Huh?" She gasped between sobs, giving me a confused look but calming slightly.
 
"I…" I reluctantly tried to organize what I was thinking. "I know what it's like to hold back. To have a side of yourself that's both enticing and frightening. That's part of it, right? You're afraid of others, because you're a little afraid of yourself?"
 
"Mmmm." She gave a shuddering gasp. "I…I don't know how you do it, Wes. You're so strong."
 
"Heh, sometimes." I gave a wry laugh. "But I'm also not as kind as you are. I've hurt my friends before. You know that. It cuts me less, because my heart isn't as tender as yours. Still, though, I think they can take it." I remembered sparring with Rainbow. "Sometimes they even welcome a little pain, to help me." I gave her a serious look. "Fluttershy, I don't know what happened in the past, but I don't want you to ever be afraid of hurting me. If you need me to be there for you, just ask. I try to do the same, you know that. Friendship isn't a one-way street."
 
"You…you don't know…"
 
"No, I don't." I carefully smoothed out her mane. "I don't know what I’m asking. But that's OK, because I know you. I don't need to understand everything you've gone through, or everything you're doing, because I trust you. That's part of friendship, too. I trust your kindness."
 
"I've nearly hurt ponies with my…my Stare." She was calming down. She awkwardly pulled back from my hug, and wiped her tears carefully with a wingtip. She gave a quaking breath and looked me directly in the eyes. "I promised myself I'd never use it on anypony again. Just now, I-"
 
"Oh, Fluttershy." I pulled her into another hug, to an 'eeeep!' "Don't do that do yourself!"
 
"W-what?"
 
"Look." I released her again and scooted closer, leaning against her wing. "Something like… like vowing, that's dangerous. Like cutting off a hand to keep from stealing. It might help, but it damages in return. Sure, I don't think you should use it. But if you vow like that, it'll come back when you least expect, because you haven't really dealt with it. I should know."
 
"But…but I almost killed somepony!"
 
I rubbed my eyes. Was talking this out now a good idea? I glanced at Bit; it was still sleeping soundly. We had time, but…I glanced at Fluttershy. Would this be good for her? If I didn't ask, would she talk to anyone? Would waiting help, or hurt?
 
"But you didn't. And you're not talking about just now." I'd make the most of it. This was obviously hurting her, and maybe I could assuage that, if only a little.
 
"N…no."
 
I put an arm around her neck. She wrapped a wing around my shoulder, and her voice grew quieter.
 
"Did you ever hear how I got my cutie mark?"
 
"You fell off a cloud?"
 
"Hmmhmm." She shivered slightly. "I've never been a very strong flyer. Rainbow says I could be wonderful if I practiced, but…" She sighed. "Rainbow is a good friend."
 
"Hmm."
 
"Still, that wasn't the first time I'd been teased. And it wasn't the last, either. Rainbow tried to help, but I was too weak. Until, one day, I wasn't." She hesitated, gazing into space. "The Stare; it's pegasus magic."
 
"Really?" That was interesting; I'd never really heard about it anywhere else.
 
"Yeah. Rainbow told me a little about it." She giggled. "I think she actually went to a library and looked it up." I smirked at that, picturing a young Rainbow trying to dig through reference books. She'd have done it, too; no matter how much she hated it, her friend needed her help. "Apparently, pegasi used to fight lots."
 
"Yeah, they still have a strong martial tradition." Pegasi had been extremely warlike. Air superiority was always a big deal.
 
"Well, the Stare is…I'm not really sure. But it's been in pegasi history several times. And it's powerful."
 
"Sure."
 
"No, really powerful. I…um. Do you remember what it felt like, when I…"
 
"Pointed it at me?" I tried to recall. "I got this rushing noise in my ears, and you seemed to fill the room."
 
"It works on dragons. Full-grown, ancient wyrms."
 
"Oh." That was heavy-duty magic. "Maybe because it's an eye-contact thing?"
 
"I…um. I never did much research myself. That's…that's from personal experience."
 
"Wow." She shivered at the memory, and I squeezed her a little tighter. Hug the ponies. It helps, right?
 
For a bit, I thought she'd closed up. But she started speaking again, a bit more hesitantly.
 
"One day, I just got really, really angry. I still don't remember exactly what I yelled. All I know is that if Rainbow hadn't stopped me, I'd have hurt somepony. They would have dropped, like I did. And they might not have survived." Her wing tightened convulsively around my shoulder. "I left Cloudsdale soon after that. I wasn't even sure where I was going. I-I just needed to be away from there."
 
"And you moved to Ponyville?"
 
"Yeah. Everypony there was really nice. And maybe I am hiding in my little cottage. But my animal friends need my help, and they're cute and friendly."
 
I sighed. Fluttershy, like me, seemed to divide large parts of the world into 'safe' and 'not safe'. Her animal friends, and maybe Bit, were 'safe' because she knew what they needed. Her talent told her so. Her relationship with them was something she could understand. Ponies were unpredictable, and she didn't have the confidence to risk getting hurt. She let some ponies through because they'd shown a kind spirit, but she had little confidence in relating to others.
 
For me, the divide was a little different. I had things that I knew I could accomplish. If life stayed in those boundaries, I had no problems attacking my troubles head on, sure I could move forward. Like when Celestia sent me to the Crystal Empire. But when something unpredictable happened, like Bit, I was uneasy. As much as the responsibility stressed me, I knew it was because I'd been given something precious. If I didn't value Bit, I wouldn't have cared. The price of failure was high, and I couldn't afford to fail an innocent child. But I was getting better at this whole 'friendship' thing, right? I'd touched Sunset’s heart. I glanced at Fluttershy. Maybe I could be more than a shoulder to cry on here, too.
 
"Listen, Fluttershy. I don't know if you've ever talked with Applejack about her childhood?"
 
"N-no."
 
"Well, she had some troubles, some serious ones even. But because of them, she learned to be honest. I won't say what happened is good, but you've become good through it, even despite it! You're the Element of Kindness, empirically the kindest pony in Equestria. You've got the necklace and everything! You didn't try to hurt that changeling; it was an accident. I know power is scary. Hay, the power I've been given is terrifying at times." I glanced at Bit. "Especially by this one. But turning your back usually isn't the answer. All I can do is my best, and I'm never sure if it's good enough, even though they deserve more. But you can't live in fear of yourself. Have a little heart; we're all here for you."

"I-if you will, too." She gave me a serious glance. "You need to do your best for Bit, but you're strong! Y-you can do it!"
 
"Heh, sure." She squeezed me with her wing. "I'll try, if you will. Friends, confidently!" I raised a fist to the sunset.
 
"Yay!"
 



 
"Thanks for your work." I yawned and nodded to the head of the response team, who hesitantly bowed. "None of that!" I waved a hand in annoyance. "I'm allergic to formality. Go home, get some rest. We're done here." I flipped through the pages I'd been given; nothing unexpected. Our targets had escaped, Sapphire wasn't a changeling, yadda yadda. Looked good to file, which was enough for me. Finally, we could get to bed.
 
"So, I'm in the clear?" The pop singer pranced up to me, and gave my document a curious glance.
 
"Ever since I hugged you." I shrugged. "This was for the benefit of your guests." I rubbed my jaw thoughtfully. "It's disappointing. We may have cleared your name, but the rest has been mostly a wash." I underlined the one name we'd managed to discover: Phoresy. "Still, we've learned lots about what to change. How about you? Is your image doing better?"
 
"Oh, positively!" She gave me a wide grin, and passed back the auth coin. "Thank you so much for your help, Mister Kilmer. I have no idea what I'd have done without you."
 
"You're welcome." I grinned broadly. "It was a genuine pleasure, Sapphire. I'm glad I could help. We will be setting up drills, soon, to guard against these situations." Once we got the Tezecans sorted out. I glanced at the rest of my team. "But we're done for the night." I yawned. "And we're headed back tomorrow. You've got my address, if you need to reach me."
 
"Of course." She gave me a farewell hug, and I only twitched a little.
 
The rest of the group fell in around me as we headed for bed. We were done, although it had been a long night. I'd file the report and we'd start adjusting operating procedures.
 
"It wasn't quite a wash."
 
I glanced at Onyx, who was thinking seriously and walking alongside.
 
"One name is nothing to have a party for."
 
"But that won't stop us! Right?" Pinkie gave me a hopeful look.
 
"Heh, of course not." I grinned back; her smile was infectious.
 
"That's not what I meant." Onyx swiped the report from me, and paged through to the statements we'd each recorded describing our encounters. He underlined a few words and passed it back. "This is in all three of your statements, those of you on the roof. Even Fluttershy mentioned it."
 
"Green eyes?" I quirked an eyebrow. "Sure, but that's hardly surprising. Changeling eyes stand out when you don't use a disguise. The rest of you is pretty drab."
 
"Not my point." He motioned to Bitterbloom. "What color are her eyes?"
 
"Gray."
 
"Because she's a hatchling. And mine?"
 
"Blue."
 
"Because I'm Tezecan. And Wraith's?"
 
"Red."
 
"Because she ate red. Pinkie, what color were the eyes of the changeling you chased?"
 
"An icky purply gray!"
 
Onyx nodded, and turned back to me.
 
"You know the color of Chrysalis' eyes?"
 
"…green."
 
"Get it?"
 
"Oh, man." I rubbed my forehead. "Do you mean that…"
 
"Exactly. The wards were triggered on purpose, by the one agent besides you who had the power for it. A Chrysalid. The third hive isn't as defunct as we'd imagined."
 
"Urgh." I rubbed my head; this report needed to be amended. "On the positive side, that is significant information."
 
"And the negatives?"
 
"Hmm, nope." I clenched a fist. "On the even more positive side, I've wanted to punch Chrysalis for a while. We've got no choice in the matter now." I grinned fiercely. "Let her try. We'll make her pay." I gave Fluttershy a grin, and she smiled sweetly back. "We've got this."
 



 
"Weeeees?"
 
"Down here, Twilight!"
 
"Oh, what's-" Twilight slowly opened the lab door.
 
"Twilight?" I watched, slightly worried, as she took in my contraption with a long, sweeping glance. I'd been working on it all afternoon. She didn't even register Bit, who was carefully categorizing my notes. "Are you OK?" Her eye twitched.
 
"Is that all my silver wire?"
 
"Ummm….maybe?" I laughed weakly, and slid the empty spool behind a beaker. "I'll put it back, I promise!"
 
"Ugh, nevermind." She rubbed her forehead. "What are you doing?"
 
"Well…." I picked up one of the neat stacks Bit was making. "You remember how Rarity lent me her brooch, and I kinda-sorta broke it?"
 
"Blasted it, you mean." She gave my contraption another glance, looking more curious. It was a giant spiderweb, with chunks of singing stone scattered through like dewdrops. Chalked sigils and construction marks ran wildly around it, delineating flows of power and carefully-plotted balances. "I'll admit, it was an elegant solution, given what you worked with."
 
"Yeah, I explode things real good." I grinned. "I've been looking for a way to repay her, and I'm curious about the possibilities of singing stone. So I'm experimenting."
 
"Is this a mute spell?" She scratched the outermost ring, the only active circuit. It glowed gently.
 
"Yeah. One of the few I can cast unaided. I'm really only an echonarch, when you get right down to it."
 
"Nonsense. You're spellcraft is nothing to sneeze at."
 
"Well, sure. Echonarchy and ritual magic." I shrugged. "Still, I'm not sure if this'll work."
 
"Again, what's up?"
 
"Oh, right. Well, I had a few chunks of singing stone left over from what I sold Vinyl, and I came up with this idea. See, singing stone forms when natural magic condenses into the matrix of a crystal. This causes the surrounding air-"
 
"I know how singing stone works."
 
"Sorry." I frowned, rubbing my jaw. "Long story short, I thought maybe I could transfer the enchantment." I pointed to the gem in the center of the construction. "The idea is to suck the magic out of the donor pieces, and concentrate them on the beryl - an emerald. I'd have gone with corundum, but that's nearly a nine on the moh scale. The softer stone ought to be easier to enchant, even if it has less potential. I just hope it's not too occluded."
 
"Hmmm." She paced around the construct, inspecting. "Novel, but I'd expect no less from you. It's supposed to funnel the power along these artificial leylines?" I nodded. "Mind if I double-check?" I felt a tap on my temple.
 
"Please." I inspected the sigils again, letting her look through my eyes. She scanned through my notes, checking my logic, and compared it to her own.
 
"It might work." She shrugged. "You're working from uncertain assumptions. It hangs on the sympathy coefficient of silver, when it comes to echonarchy."
 
"Why would that be different from arcanology?" I scrabbled through my notes, coming up with a page of figures. Bit patiently started reorganizing the pages as soon as I dropped them.
 
"Hello, it's a different school!" She gave a frustrated snort. "Conversions are usually unimaginable."
 
"Twilight…." I gave her a long glance. "Are you frustrated about something?"
 
"No! Nothing!"
 
"Oh, I'm super convinced." I resolved to press her later. "Well, nothing to do but try. I was going to ask for your help on this part, anyways." I mentally requested a thread of power. She obliged easily.
 
I drew my wand, and waved it gently in the air over the construct. One by one, I activated the circuits. First the guide-lines, to control power flow. Then the buffers, for safe operation. Next the feedback loops, which kept everything in carefully-calculated tolerances. Once those were active I lit the central lens, my carefully selected emerald glowing green in the flickering light. After that, I began activating extraction cells around each piece of donor stone, ten times the weight of my target in singing limestone.
 
By the time I finished I was breathing heavily, and my concentration was straining. Twilight smiled and took some of the strain. I gave a grateful gasp as she shouldered most of the burden, her highly-trained abilities barely noticing it.
 
"Alright." I pointed my wand at the lynchpin, the last piece of ritual magic that would set this whole thing moving. It was outlined with a big red switch. "Ready?"
 
"Go for it!" She gave the machine a determined smile. I grinned at that; if anything could cheer Twilight up, it was a bit of spell-work. I gave her a thumbs-up and started the process.
 
It was strangely silent, due to the mute spell. Inside the rings, power slowly swirled. At first, tiny neon pulses ran along the silver wire. They slowly grew, activation energy freeing power from the stones in an intricate interplay of glints. As the potentials surged, the pulses grew and sped, merging into a shimmering aura around the wires.
 
By then, the effect on the stones was becoming obvious. The limestone was crumbling, each fracture releasing power. Fine drifts of powder grew beneath them. The hazy aura of magic slowly swirled inwards, concentrating on the gem I'd selected. The emerald was mostly obscured by now, but before it was completely blocked, I could see it vibrating.
 
The whole process took a good ten minutes. I glanced at Bitterbloom, who had carefully straightened my notes again and was intensely monitoring the sections I'd assigned. Although the responsibility of taking care of the bug might be weighty, I had to admit it really was helpful. Spike had taught it a lot, and its aptitude and willingness were never lacking.
 
Finally, the last of the magic swirled into the center. A few wisps of power still hung over the construct, and I noticed the silver was sagging from the heat in a few places. I winced; looks like I'd have to get Twilight some more wire. That wouldn't re-spool.
 
"So, think it worked?" I asked, as the last wisp of magic dissipated.
 
"No idea." Twilight gave the emerald a curious stare. "Something happened." She reached out a hoof and wiped away one of the sigils for my mute spell.
 
We all flinched as a horrible shriek filled the room. It sounded like a chorus of fingernail-blackboards. Twilight jumped to repair the mute.
 
"Wow." I gazed at the little gem with newfound respect. "That was not what I intended." To say the shrieking was unpleasant was putting it lightly, though it hadn't caused physical pain.
 
"Is this a loss, then?" Bit gave me a questioning glance. We'd been discussing ideas of 'value' and 'responsibility' lately.
 
"Maybe, maybe not." I shrugged. "Although this isn't what I intended, there may be uses for it. While it's not as beautiful as I hoped, it's extremely magical. There may even be a way to complete the spell."
 
"I don't know about that." Twilight gave the setup a skeptical glance. "I think your assumptions on the efficiency of silver were fine for room temperature, but the extra heat threw them off. The magic transferred without harmonizing naturally." She rubbed her jaw. "in order to 'fix' the gem, you'd need to re-layer each enchantment through a separate normalizing buffer. It would be easier to just start over."
 
"You're probably right." Her off-the-cuff analysis was backed by a magic talent and years of study, after all. I gave the emerald a glum stare. "Well, at the very least, the knowledge will be valuable. It was really just an experiment." I shrugged. "I'll be back with a muting case for the stone later; I'll clean up then." I fixed her with a glance. "Now, what's bothering you, and why were you looking for me?"
 
"Ugh." She frowned, as reality flooded back. "Right. You guys wanted to register for the Battle of the Bands, right?"
 
"Yeah."
 
"Well, I need to double-check some things. it's a big deal this year. The whole festival is giving me a headache, but the Battle especially. We've got eight bands, from all over! We hardly have anyplace big enough to stage it, and I'm not even sure how big the audience is going to be!"
 
"Woah, calm down." I gave her a friendly pat. "First things first. Who are you working with?"
 
She gave me a blank stare, and I facepalmed.
 
"Look, Twilight, please tell me you're not trying to organize the entire Summer Wrap-up and Hoedown by yourself?"
 
"Umm…"
 
"No, don't say anything. Zeroth things zeroth, let's find you some assistance."
 



 
"Twilight, Twilight." Sunset shook her head, staring at the pile of documents. "I'm impressed, but horrified. Teacher always said, 'Good leaders…?'"
 
"Delegate." The other unicorn sighed. "But Sunny, I'm responsible! I need to be sure it's all done right!"
 
"Well Sparky, while 'if you want something done right, do it yourself' is usually true, it's simply impractical here." She shrugged.
 
"Sparky?"
 
"I'll let him," Sunset pointed at me, "call me Sunny. But unless you suddenly become my sister, calling me by a pet name will get you one in return." She grinned. "Anyways, I hear you explode when you get angry. Sparky sounds about right."
 
"Once. Explode once, and you never live it down! Fine. Sunset. So, will you help?"
 
"Sure." Sunset nodded. "It'll give me a chance to get acquainted with the town, and I like being in charge."
 
"No, you need to share." I gave her a frown. "Play nice, Sunset. We're your friends, and we'd like to stay that way."
 
"Of course, of course. When I say I like being in charge, I meant we still need more ponies." She sat down and started scribbling on Twilight's notes. "We're going to need lots more help, so that's our first order of business. Minions."
 
"Oh, hey." I picked up a loose leaf of paper. "Is this the band roster?"
 
"Yeah." Twilight nodded. "There's still a week to register, but that's most of you."
 
"Oh, we're on here already." I pointed to Vinyl's band-name, 'Electric Blue Grass'. "And that's all of us. Vinyl, Lyra, Artemis, and me."
 
"Good!" Twilight pulled out a checklist, and ticked off 'double-check band entries - Wes'. "Now, do you know what you're entering in the prize pot?"
 
"Prize pot?" I gave her curious glance.
 
"Really." She sighed. "Hasn't Vinyl told you anything? Every band competing puts something valuable into the prize pot. The winners get the whole thing, and a double slice of the performance money."
 
"Oh, cool. And the losers?"
 
"A single slice. Half the revenue goes to the town, the rest is divided into n-plus-one equal-"
 
"Ok, I think I get it." I frowned. "Is it usually a lot?"
 
"It can be." She shrugged. "Comparatively. Some of these bands make significantly more, like Vivre Musicale here." She motioned to the list. "Octavia Melody is a big name, even in Canterlot. But it's nothing to sneeze at, especially when you factor in the rest of the prizes, and this year it's going to be larger."
 
"Huh." I read the list again. "Bit, copy this for me, would you?" I handed my assistant the list. It passed back two pages in a few moments. "Hey, mares." They turned from their work to look at me. "I've got practice soon. If you like, I could ask Bit to help you?" Twilight hesitated a moment, but nodded.
 



 
"Once again, from the top!" Vinyl flipped her earphones down and waved to us. Lyra started us off with her drums, and after a few bars I came in on my synth. Luna, as Artemis, drew in a deep breath and launched us into the song.
 
"Good!" Vinyl grinned, as we ended with a crescendo. "We're really starting to come together." She pushed herself back from the soundboard. "Really great job, guys. Artemis, you're excellent as usual. Lyra, I'm picking you up nice and clean, but be careful not to speed through the last chorus. Wes, you're doing better, but keep practicing."
 
I nodded. We were trying to drill ourselves into a semblance of competence for the Battle of the Bands. I'd been practicing intensely. I could play most of the songs, and I was even getting to the point where I could start following Lyra and Artemis' leads through the melody and rhythm. I was easily the weakest member, but that was expected; we hadn't been together long. I was still surprised by my progress. My bandmates thought I'd be presentable by the time of the Hoedown. Having teachers with magical talents must have helped.
 
It also helped they'd assigned me simple music, with few technical challenges and no improvisation. I could get the notes down through my own study and practice, but true competence took all of us working together. I could see marked improvement in my skills, and I was starting to think I could hold up my part of the performance.
 
"Oh, hey." I pulled the roster from my pocket. "Here's the bands, as of now."
 
"Ooo!" Lyra swiped it, scanning quickly. "Ponytones, Vivre Musicale, us, The Whom, oh!"
 
"What?" Vinyl gave her a sharp stare.
 
"The B-sides are playing!"
 
"Oooooh. Awesome."
 
"Wait, what?" Artemis and I exchanged confused glances. "Who's that?"
 
"My brother!" Vinyl gave a wide grin, and turned back to her tables. "Long Play, although he goes by thirty-three and a half LP on stage. If he's coming, this is going to be fun~! Winning will really be a challenge!"
 
"Hold up; are you serious? Do you think we can win this?" I gave her a searching look. I'd thought we were just in this for the kicks.
 
"Well, nothing's certain." Lyra shrugged. "Still, there's more to this thing than just the music." Vinyl nodded at that.
 
"We need tactics, too." The DJ flopped down on her cushion. "This works like so." She held up a hoof. "We all set up, and take turns playing. You get a few songs to start, but after that you play and wait for applause and votes. Whoever gets the least drops out. It goes on until there's only one band left. Here's the thing." She waved to the sheaves of music we'd been practicing.
 
"You need to be able to react, at least a little. It's hard to tell what the crowd will like until you get on stage. We've been working on several songs, more than we'll probably need, so we can adjust what we're playing in response to our opponents." She motioned to the roster. "We've got some really skilled opponents. Octavia's Vivre Musicale is not to be sneezed at, and the Ponytones have a strong home-field advantage. The Whom are popular, and Heavy Metal Airship is nearly legendary, although their hardcore fanbase is small. In comparison, we're practically no-names. In order to counter that, we're going for bombast." She waved at her wall of speakers.
 
"We'll sound different, but not enough to lose ponies. We want to find what works best, and do it better than the other bands. Thing is, my brother thinks the same way, and he's an expert. We'll be going up against a top-class show-stallion." She shrugged. "It will make things interesting. One thing that'll help is that he insists on writing all his own songs. It usually works for him, but since we're doing some covers and remixes, we've got an edge there. Popular songs are popular."
 
"And that's OK?" Artemis asked, hesitantly.
 
"Hay yeah!" Vinyl gave her a glance. "I thought I went over this. There's no rules about what you can or can't do. It's all decided by the audience. The only thing they really frown on is lip-synching." She shrugged. "And even that, if you've got a good enough show, will get a few claps. I've just never seen anypony win with it."
 
"So what are we putting in the prize pot?" I asked.
 
"Hmm." Vinyl frowned. "No idea."
 
"How about a set of your new wireless hookups?" Lyra waved at the stubby rods beaming music from the mixer to the speakers.
 
"Maaaaybe." Vinyl gave them a dubious glance. "I still think they need more testing."
 
"They're fine." Lyra snorted. "You're just saying that because you want to keep them all!"
 
"What? No!"
 
I smirked, and turned back to my music. They'd agree eventually, and I would practice in the meantime. If we were serious about this, I would do my very best.
 



 
"Wes!" I looked up. Rainbow swooped through the forest canopy, wafting to a halt before me. "What are you doing out? Don't you know there's a storm scheduled today?"
 
"Yes, actually." I pointed to the waxed wool poncho strapped to my small pack. "I'm counting on it. It's the reason I'm hunting today. Still, I think I'll be past the edges."
 
"You're hunting?" Rainbow's eyes widened in curiosity. "What for?"
 
"Want to come and see?" I smiled, emphasizing my canines. Bit was spending time with Sakura, but company wouldn't go amiss.
 
"Hmm." She rubbed a hoof through her mane, considering and curious. "Yeah, why not? The sky is arranged! Things should be fine."
 
"What brings you to Whitetail Woods?" I asked, and started along the path. It was warm, breezy and overcast, a good day for walking and talking.
 
"I was checking on tomorrow's winds." Rainbow floated beside me. "With the Hoedown this weekend, things need to be set up in advance to ensure good weather. These woods are tricky. We need a convection cell, but the temperature can change with the leaves."
 
"Oh?" I was a little surprised by the sudden scholarly tone, but she was a professional, and leader of the weather team. "Actually, I had a weather question. How do you deal with thaumically charged air from the Everfree?"
 
"It's interesting you'd ask that-"
 
We walked for a while, discussing the science and magic of weather manipulation, until we reached the vantage point I'd decided on. I spread my poncho on the grass and unpacked the lunch I'd brought, splitting with Rainbow.
 
"Uh, Wes?"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Are you really hunting?"
 
"Yup. Why?"
 
"It's just, this seems awfully...tame. All we've done is walk. I thought maybe we'd be sneaking around, or fighting monsters or something."
 
"Hah, no. Today, we're waiting for our prey to come to us."
 
"So, this is it? Well, Ok." She flopped down on the other side of the poncho, and bit into the sandwich I'd laid out. "Woah, this is good! What's in it?"
 
"Peanut butter and zap-apple jam."
 
"Mhmfhph."
 
I quirked an eyebrow at her mumble, and she smirked.
 
"Exactly." I deadpanned. She snorted, nearly inhaling her sandwich. "Oh look, there goes the rain." I pointed to where the storm was breaking over Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres, clearly visible from our lookout. I'd brought the poncho just in case, but my worries were unnecessary. We were well out of the way. I popped the top off my cider bottle, and offered Rainbow a swig. She accepted gratefully, washing the sticky sandwich down.
 
"So, if you're not hunting, what are you up to?"
 
"Oh, I'm hunting all right. But my prey's not as easily found as a monster or a plant." I flopped onto the cool grass, watching the cloud cover fray as it deluged the town. The rain should end in an hour or so. I took a bite of sandwich, and tried for words to explain how I felt. A little homesick, mostly. "I'm...well, I'm hunting for a piece of home."
 
"Home...you mean Earth?"
 
"Yeah. Kinda. Well, um, not really. I mean, not...an actual artifact, or anything. Not a lead on how to get home, or stories of other humans to investigate, or any of that."
 
"Then what are you looking for?"
 
"A reminder. A promise. I'm not really sure. This just seemed like a fun and interesting idea, so...yeah. I was feeling melancholy the other day, and I decided to do it."
 
"So, what are we doing now?"
 
"Waiting."
 
"That's all?"
 
"Yeah. If I'm right, you'll see what I mean. If not, that's it." She flopped down on the grass.
 
"Ok then, I'm taking a nap. Wake me up when something happens."
 
"Sure." I swigged my cider and settled myself. Elusive prey took patience.
 



 
"Wake up." I nudged Rainbow. Her eyelids slowly rose and she yawned hugely. "Look." I pointed over the valley, where the spent rainstorm was dissipating. The scattering clouds caught the afternoon sun, low in the sky behind us. In the haze, resplendently chromatic, hung a rainbow. It was different from the ones the weather department put up; it shimmered and danced, catching a depth of color and iridescence that made the artificial ones seem rather flat. Her pupils shrank slightly at the sight.
 
"That's..." She breathed.
 
"A wild rainbow." I finished the thought. "I figured I might see one from the right part of the mountain. You need to be right here to see it. Neat, huh?"
 
"Yeah." Her voice was small. "Is that what you were looking for?"
 
"Mmhmm." I stared longingly at the bands of illusory color. "On  Earth, all rainbows are wild, elusive and fleeting. They've been symbols of hope for a long time, so I thought I'd try finding one here. It's not much, but...seeing one like this, it means something to me. It's a little different from the weather department ones."
 
"Yeah. It's so deep. Like you could fly through it forever."
 
"Some human legends say they're bridges to heaven."
 
We sat in silence until the ethereal spectacle faded. I rose, folded my poncho, and led the way down the mountain.
 
"Hey, Wes...thanks for inviting me."
 
"No problem, Dash. It's nothing between friends, right?"
 
"So, did you hunt rainbows back on Earth?"
 
"Once, as a child...see, there's a story that treasure's hidden where they touch the ground-"
 
We slowly made our way back into town, talking and laughing.



> 49 - Rock
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Princess Luna?"
 
I nearly choked on my caramel popcorn when I spotted the dark alicorn. She was dragging along - Big Mac? The apple-red pony looked slightly frustrated, which meant he was really quite annoyed.
 
"Indeed!" She gave a proud stamp of her hoof, stopping in front of me. "It is I! We have greatly enjoyed the festival! Look at all the FUN we have accomplished!" She waved a wing, proudly displaying ribbons and trophies from a dozen contests and a roll of prize tickets.
 
"Woah." I nodded appreciation. "You've been busy."
 
I glanced around. The Summer Wrap-Up festival was in full swing, and ponies were strolling around, talking, laughing, and generally enjoying themselves. The weather was perfect, as planned, and there were hundreds of stalls and booths scattered through the streets and plazas of the small town.
 
"Eyup." Big Mac gave a long suffering sigh and rolled his eyes.
 
"Heh, long day? What are you in town for?" I asked.
 
The red stallion produced an empty box of nails, and held it out to me with a pleading look.
 
"Oooh, sorry." I shrugged. "I think the hardware store's that way?" I gestured vaguely. He gave me a flat look. "Heh, not news to you." Of course he knew where the hardware store was; the quiet stallion was no fool. But knowing his taciturn reputation, maybe he was having a little trouble getting there. I gave Luna a sly glance; maybe I could help with that.
 
"Your Lunar Highness." I bowed. "Perhaps I could accompany you for some fun?"
 
"Mayhap." She gave me an appraising glance. "Still, my comrade here has sped our way to victory several times." She grinned at Big Mac, clearly unwilling to relinquish the powerful earth pony's help.
 
"Well, sure." I gave her a smile; all I needed to do was convince her I could be just as helpful. "Big Mac's great. But I was thinking maybe we could try a few games where I might have the…heh, upper hand, as it were." I wiggled my fingers.
 
"Indeed." She quirked an eyebrow as the idea caught. Big Mac gave me a grateful nod as she released him. "Well then, Wesley, let us away!" She wrapped a wing around my shoulder, and herded me off. I nodded back conspiratorially, and sincerely hoped I could find some games that would work for me.
 



 
As it turned out, I could.
 
Luna watched me wrap my fingers around a tennis-ball and wind up like a pitcher. The projectile hurtled downrange with my throw, crashing into the stacked bottles and sending them clattering to the ground. The alicorn grit her teeth, again trying to balance a ball on the end of her hoof for a decent throw. We'd been through the same thing with hoops and darts. The only real rule was 'no magic', and I didn't have to worry about that.
 
Her throw wobbled through the air, bouncing off the heavy targets.
 
"Good throw!" The booth operator gave us a greasy smile. "Would you like to try again, Princess?" Luna gave me a glare. Losing wouldn't have bothered her, except somewhere along the line this had become a competition, and I'd won the last few rounds.
 
"I will accede this time." She sniffed. "However, I shall choose the next contest!"
 
"Of course, my Princess." I accepted the tickets I'd won. "Choose carefully! It seems my store of fun is nearing yours." I held up my winnings, comparing it to her hoard. She narrowed her eyes. The tickets could be traded for prizes at the central booth, and had quickly come to represent the score between us.
 
"Is this fun, sir?" I turned, hearing Bitterbloom's quiet voice. While I'd been competing with Luna, Sakura and her posse had materialized behind me.
 
"Well, I enjoy it." I nodded to my aide. "But it's really about spending time with friends." I waved to Luna. "How about you, Bit? Have you been enjoying your time here?"
 
"I'm trying, sir." Its voice was fairly flat, but I heard a little warmth.
 
"Good." I gave it a friendly pat. I'd firmly stopped Bit from calling me 'Master', after it had learned that using a title showed more respect. We'd compromised on 'sir' after I couldn't cajole it into using my name. It seemed to be absorbing some of my lessons on free thinking, and turning them back against me! It only capitulated after I threatened to take my day-planner back. I was glad it had started to understand that it shouldn't mindlessly follow my requests, but although I was trying my best, I still felt uncomfortable about its devotion. At Fluttershy's urging, though, I was trying to see it in a more positive light. "How about the rest of you? Having fun?"
 
"Yeah!" Sakura nodded eagerly. "The Summer Wrap-Up is always great." Umbra and Gygax nodded as well.
 
"Sweet."
 
"Excuse me, sir?"
 
"Yes, Bit?"
 
"You asked me to remind you when setup time neared."
 
"Oh. Oh!" I glanced at my watch. It was just past six. "Shoot. Luna, I need to go. My band's going to be on stage, and I need to be there for setup."
 
"Ah, the Battle of the Bands! In which you are competing, and I am not! I look forward to it!" She winked broadly. I winced slightly. For such a smart pony, she could be awfully clueless at times. Unless she was acting?
 
"Yes, well. If you will excuse me?" I bowed to her. "It seems you are the victor; your store of fun is clearly superior to mine. As the loser, I surrender my spoils to you." I ceremoniously held out my wad of tickets. "If you would accept this hoarded fun as token of thy victory?"
 
"Verily! 'Tis only right." She gave me a grin, and accepted the prize. I'd been wondering all afternoon how much of her accent and attitude was playing along with my subtle teasing, but I didn't mind either way.
 
"Awesome. Well, see you later, maybe." I nodded to her, and turned towards the stage. "Bit, if you'd like to come, I could use your help moving some stuff."
 
"Yes." My aide nodded to her friends, and joined me.
 



 
<"To those about to rock!"> I sang, projecting my voice into the mostly empty bleachers. I had my synth tucked under one arm.
 
<"We~salute~you!"> Bit trilled. I gave an approving nod. It was carrying my sheet music and stand, and we were walking across the field towards the stage where Vinyl and Lyra had started to set things up.
 
<"Isn't that a little…I dunno, cavalier?"> Twilight was trotting towards us, a clip-board in tow. She frowned disapprovingly.
 
<"Look, Twilight, it's my life. I can joke about it if I want to."> I nodded a greeting to her. <"What's up? How's organizing going?">
 
<"Not bad."> She shrugged. <"I've just swapped out with Sunset, so she can get some supper and enjoy the fair. She really knows how to delegate; nopony's asked me about minutia for the last half hour. I was honestly getting a little bored. Where are you two headed?">
 
<"To our stage, for setup. The Battle starts in an hour or so, and we need to be warmed up.">
 
"Sir, sir!" I looked back. Bit was staring at us with real curiosity.
 
"Yes, Bitterbloom?"
 
"Are you two speaking a different language? Is that what we were just singing in?"
 
"Yes, actually." I grinned. "Good catch. I guess I should have explained."
 
"Teach it to me!" I glanced at Twilight, who raised an eyebrow in return. It might be possible to teach Bit English. The bug was a speedy learner. Still, I'd been even more chary of sharing my past with my aide than I'd been with Sakura, since Bitterbloom had so little context for things like slavery and transdimensional magic. While I wasn't really happy with how it saw me, I couldn't change it, and I had no idea what would happen if I explained my history with changelings. It had taken one dose of those emotions straight on, and that had hurt it enough. A more gradual revelation wouldn't even have the grace of being quickly over. Bit might be strong, but that didn't mean it was ready to bear my emotional baggage.
 
"Maybe." Its face fell slightly at that. It was slowly starting to pick up emotions, which was good. "Look, Bit…I'll consider it, Ok? You're a great learner, and I'm improving as a teacher, but there's a lot more useful things we could be studying."
 
"Wes, you're here! Just in time!" Vinyl waved to me, as we neared the stage. "Where's Artemis?"
 
"She should be here any- oh, speak, and she appears." I pointed upwards, to where a dark shape was winging towards us. She lit gently on the stage.
 
"Am I late?" She gave a flustered glance around. It was this sort of thing that made me wonder just how much of Luna's attitude over the afternoon had been an act. As an alicorn, she seemed to hold to certain 'princessy' attitudes, which her alter-ego freed her of. Maybe it wasn't even a conscious change.
 
"Nope, you're good!" Lyra waved a drumstick. "Now, give me a hoof with these?"
 
"And so, it begins." I glanced at the nine stages, arrayed in a semicircle around the bleachers and empty field. "Wow." I pictured the seats crowded full of ponies, the ground crowded full of ponies, even the air crowded full of ponies. "This…is going to be intense." I gave Artemis a speculative glance, glad I didn't have to be center stage.
 
"Yup, yup!" Vinyl, already done with her set up, powered up the speakers and started testing out her soundboard, adjusting knobs and sliders as she went. "It's going to be great! Check out the others, too. Look, there's the B-sides!" She cranked a knob on her board. "Hey, Bro!" The speakers threw her voice across the field, and several of the other bands shot us surprised looks. A unicorn with a light coat and a red mane waved enthusiastically back.
 
"And there's Rarity and the Ponytones." Twilight pointed towards another stage, with nothing but four mics for the all-vocals quartet.
 
"I wonder if Big Mac ever got the nails he needed?" I mused.
 
"Sir, what are those?" Bit tugged at my sleeve, pointing towards another stage.
 
"That's a string quartet." I gestured from right to left. "Two violins, a viola, and a cello…I think? Although they're backed by what looks like drums and an organ?"
 
"That's right." Vinyl nodded. "Wow, Octavia's got some big thumpers over there." She shaded her eyes for a better look, and I hummed my agreement. Vivre Musicale did indeed have their instruments wired into an almost comically large sound system. They might be famous for chamber music, but if they didn't give us a tune worth dancing to, I'd eat my hat.
 
"Is that…a saxophone?" I pointed towards another stage.
 
"Maybe. We'll get all types here. This crowd is the very definition of fickle." Lyra trotted past, absently nudging me. "Get to work, padawan. We need to be warmed up soon, or we won't even be ready for the opening."
 
"Of course." I set my synth on the stand; Bit had already pieced it together and arranged my music. "Thanks, Bitterbloom. I won't be needing your help from here on out; why don't you go have some more fun? But be sure to head to Fluttershy's before it's time for bed." I'd arranged a sleep-over and paid off my debt of snuggles in one go.
 
"It will be so." The changeling gave me a long look, before turning to Twilight. "Would you like some help?"
 
"Sure, Bit!" Twilight gave it a hug. "Come on, let's go check on the other bands."
 
I gave her a grateful smile and pressed my monitors into my ears, giving Vinyl a thumbs-up to test the foldback sound. This was going to be interesting.
 



 
"ELECTRIC~! BLUE~! GRAAAAAAASSSSS!" The crowd yelled, applause washing over us in waves. Even through my custom-fit earpieces, it was loud.
 
I waved, trying to control my breathing. Artemis took a bow, as cool and sweet as ever. Vinyl spun a knob on her board, and I relaxed slightly as our sound faded out, leaving space for our opponents. I pulled my thermos from under my seat and spun the top off, gulping ice-cold lemonade. I was sweating bullets even as the brilliant wash of the lime-lights faded off us, sweeping over to the B-sides. I felt like I'd been running a race; the adrenaline was intoxicating.
 
I was elated that we were still in the game. Vinyl had guided us carefully through our performances, matching our sound to the crowds roars. We'd played some original arrangements, work by both her and Lyra, and some recently popular songs to start off. I felt I was holding up pretty well, but the tension had quickly started mounting.
 
I hadn't really expected us to drop out first, but I'd been pleased when we outlasted the other no-name bands. I'd been surprised when we'd left The Whom and Heavy Metal Airship by the wayside, but they were heavily stylized; their dedicated fans hadn't been able to drown out the cheers our variety brought. I'd been more surprised when Vivre Musicale outlasted the Ponytones, before dropping out themselves. Rarity and company had done well, especially with their local fame, but Octavia had driven the crowd into a high-energy lane with her folk-inspired dance music and pushed them out. We'd benefited from that; the B-sides and us had both switched to more powerful styles, and Octavia had folded.
 
I was slightly shocked we'd made it this far, but Vinyl had done a masterful job of preparing our band and leading us down a twisty path. She was rocking the soundboard, spinning her tables and mixing our instruments into a smooth sound that pulled ponies to our side. She'd even switched off with Lyra for a few songs, taking a more visible role in the band when she could. Lyra was performing with consummate skill, her talent shining as she marched us along on her drums or lyre. Artemis, of course, had shone like the star she was, her vocals thrilling the crowds.
 
I was playing better than I'd ever done at practice, too; the pressure of the crowd and the glare of the lights had pulled out my competitive spirit, and I was thrashing my synth with all the soul I could dredge up. I'd fumbled a note or two, but for the most part, I was loving the strong but simple lines I'd been assigned and having the time of my life rocking out.
 
Still, now it was just us and the B-sides. Vinyl versus her older brother, in a match of wits and skill that the next song could tip either way. We'd each been given two songs for the final showdown. We'd just finished our first, and the B-sides were currently throwing the crowd into a frenzy with their second. It was going to be close.
 
"What do you think, Vinyl?" I asked quietly. Our mics were cut off from the stage speakers, but her cans carried my voice clearly through the foldback.
 
"It'll be tough, guys. We're down to the wire here, and I don't know if we've got another song that'll cut it."
 
"Yup." Lyra rang a quiet sting on her drums. "We just did our fastest number, but LP's amping the crowd up even more. Whatever we play from here is going to be downhill, and I don't think that'll be good enough."
 
"Are…we going to lose?" Artemis asked softly. I gave her a sharp glance.
 
"Maybe." Vinyl shrugged. "We won't go down easy, but LP's good. Either way, we fought well, right?"
 
"I'll say." I nodded. "This has been a blast."
 
"Is there nothing we can do?" Artemis swept her gaze over the crowd. "I wouldn't want to give any less than my all."
 
"Hey, don't take it hard." Lyra gave her a sympathetic look. "We win some, we lose some. We're doing our best, and it's been pretty dang good. If it's not enough, there's next year. But don't count us out yet; we've got another number to make it count. We can't give up on the prize now!"
 
"The prize?" I shot her a curious look. "I didn't take you for the mercenary sort, Jedi."
 
"Nope, nope, not the money!" She tipped an ear towards our opponents. "I mean the pot! Everypony throws something in, right? Well, you wouldn't believe what's in there!"
 
"Really?" Artemis gave her a curious glance. "I thought it was a secret."
 
"Well." Lyra gave a sly smile. "It's supposed to be. But if a certain purple unicorn doesn't guard her clip-board…"
 
"You didn't." I smirked.
 
"Oh, I did." She rang a cymbal quietly. "There's some really good stuff in there. And get this; Celestia herself threw in prizes this year."
 
"Oh, oh?" Vinyl pulled her glasses down to peer over them. "That's new. I wonder why?"
 
I glanced at Artemis. I had a guess.
 
"Who cares?" Lyra flipped a drumstick casually. "Maybe because this is the biggest festival we've had for years. But guess what they are."
 
"They?" I quirked an eyebrow. "You'd better say, now you've got us curious."
 
"Tickets! Passes! Or something like that." She grinned, widely. "If you need motivation for the next song, imagine this; three days of vacation in the royal villa at Horseshoe Bay!"
 
"Ooooo." We all sighed.
 
"A vacation? On the beach?" Artemis gave a musing look at the sky. "That…sounds wonderful."
 
"Well, I'm motivated now." I ran an arpeggio down my board, the rich sound ringing through my ears.
 
"But will that be enough?" Artemis was frowning, now. "Vinyl, will we be able to swing this?"
 
"Dunno." She shrugged. "Crowd's fickle. I don't want to say no, but…"

"That's what you're feeling." Artemis finished. Vinyl nodded. I frowned at that, but the pegasus mused for a second, before nodding confidently. "I have a plan."
 
"What?" The three of us gave each-other curious looks. Luna, as Artemis, was fairly soft-spoken and reserved. This sudden confidence and energy was slightly out of character.
 
"Are you three serious about winning?" We all nodded slowly. "Are you afraid of looking fools? This might not work."
 
"Heh." Lyra snorted. "If that bothered me, I'd never leave my house!"
 
"What do I care?" I shrugged. "I've no image to repair."
 
"Well, if everypony does it!" Vinyl grinned. "The moon, or bust!"
 
 "Good!" Artemis pranced slightly. "I know we can win. We need a high-energy song, right? Something to surpass even that?" She gestured to our opponents, who were tearing up their instruments and dancing across the stage. It would be a tough act to follow.
 
"Sure, that would be ideal." Vinyl frowned. "But we've played everything we've practiced. Whatever's in your mind will be tricky. You're not a talent…one of you would have to lead, with something you know. It'll be tough even if we haven't practiced. And Wes is sunk on his synth." I nodded at that. I was growing quickly as a musician, but I couldn't improvise to save my life.
 
"All we need is to find the right giant, and stand on their shoulders!" She gave me an intense look. "There are songs you know, right Wes?" I smiled slowly at that, her phrasing calling back to a shared dream and a karaoke machine.
 
"You can't be suggesting…"
 
"Oh, but I am." She grinned toothily, flaring her wings for effect. She wanted to perform a song from Earth!
 
"But…I'm not nearly good enough!" I gestured to my synth. "I mean, maybe in a few years I could bring something over, but-"
 
"Ah, you're forgetting something." She smirked. "I was there. I have a nearly eidetic memory, and I play just about everything. All we need to do is swap." She held her mic out to me, and I gulped, smile fading. I glanced at the raving crowd, feeling the pressure even with them looking away. She was right, though; if she took the keyboard, and Lyra and Vinyl followed her lead, she could work miracles. Both were giving us curious looks, but seemed willing. I wanted to entrust this to her as well.
 
But that meant I'd have to sing.
 
"I…I don't know if I'm up to that."
 
"Come on, Wes. They won't eat you alive," Vinyl quipped. Lyra and Artemis winced at her words.
 
"Heh, not this time." I forced my grin back, and reluctantly stepped out from behind my board. "One bad crowd can ruin you for life."
 
"Can you do it?" My band-mates gave me a serious stare. Vinyl apparently realized she'd touched a nerve, because her smile was apologetic.
 
"I can try." I firmed my resolve, and wrapped a hand around the mic. "What are you thinking, Artemis?"
 
"Hmm." The pegasus settled herself behind my keyboard, sweeping the sheet music away and lowering it smoothly before spreading her wings and touching a few notes. I raised an eyebrow at that, but it made sense; she had more than twice the feathers I had fingers. And with her skill, she might even be able to use them all. "Lyra, can you give us something fierce, at about…oh, two-hundred beats per minute? Listen to your marks, both of you, and do try to keep up." She gave a warlike grin, and I felt a surge of adrenaline as I realized what song she meant.
 
"Two hundred?" Vinyl grinned hugely as Lyra nodded slowly. "Oh, whatever happens, this is going to be spectacular."
 
"Wait, wait, wait! You can't be serious!" I felt like a broken record, but this was one absurdity on top of another.
 
"Suck it up, Wes." She gave me a stern stare. "You know the words; I remember. But this song isn't really about the vocals."

"It's not me!" I knew I could sing this. I might not sound good, but it would be English, anyways. "I've got the easy part!" I waved the mic. "I couldn’t even pass that song on Guitar Hero! It's not about the vocals because it's about the dual guitar solos! Can you really pull that off?"
 
"Heh, trust me, Wes. I'll show you speed metal." She smiled, and ran her feathers across the keys. My eyes popped as four distinct chords came across my monitors, each in a different voice. She had two guitars, the original synth, and a bass singing there.
 
"Woah." Lyra gave her a look of profound respect. "That's…something."
 
"How are you doing that?" Vinyl demanded. "Sure, we made that machine absurd." She gave the synth a speculative look. "I guess you could play a different song on each key if you knew what you're doing, but you'd need to be working the effects twice as fast as the keys, and even with your wings-"
 
"No time!" Artemis said, as the crowd surged. Our precious minutes of preparation were over, and it was showtime. We went silent, tension twisting quietly across the stage as the cheering died down and the limelight swept back to us. I swallowed my apprehension, and clenched my hand so tightly around the mic my knuckles cracked. I was going to give this my all. It actually got a little better when the lights occluded the crowd. I stepped up to the front of the stage in the sudden hush, trying to push the shadowy shapes out of my mind, and bowed to the murmurs of surprise.
 
"For our last performance, Electric Blue Grass will play a human song." I projected as confidently as I could, listening to my voice swell across the field. The crowd cheered. "You're listening to a cover of <'Through the Fire and Flames',>" I roared, "by the band <Dragonforce!>"
 
The speakers belched crushing sound, and we were off.
 
<"On a cold winter's morning, in the time before the light->
 



 
"I can't believe we pulled that off!" I exclaimed, again. All of us were giddy with adrenaline. The crowd had gone crazy at our finale, pushing us decisively into the top slot. Artemis had limited herself to one solo, but Lyra had taken the other on the drums. Vinyl was still humming the melody. We'd encored twice. We'd finally escaped to the after party, where we were trying to be polite to everypony who wanted to congratulate us and still keep a conversation going. Thankfully, the crush was starting to peter out, and we were standing mostly alone.
 
"I know, right?" Lyra shot Artemis a sharp look. "I can't, either. You've got  to tell me how you learned to play like that!"
 
"Um…" The pinto pegasus squirmed slightly.
 
"Hay yeah!" Vinyl gestured with her drink. "You're not a musical talent, right? But I've never even dreamed of playing at that level. Who are you really, Artemis?"
 
"Well-"
 
"Priiiizeees!"Sunset sang, floating in an ornate chest, and setting it on a nearby table. I autographed a photo with a flourish, and turned to our spoils, half-listening as the two unicorns pressed Artemis on the origin of her skills.
 
"Thanks, Sunny. You take the clipboard of office back for a bit?"
 
"Just for a minute." She winked at me. "I wanted to see the party. It's been pretty good, huh?"
 
"Hay yeah." I flipped the lid on the surprisingly small box, and peered inside. There were a handful pieces of paper; I shuffled through them. Tickets from rival bands, backstage passes, coupons for free swag, really nice stuff that might not fit in a small box. A set of silver strings from Octavia. Lyra'd like those, maybe. I ignored Vinyl's wireless hookups, but she'd be glad to get them back. Celestia's envelope was sealed, but clearly labeled. A few records lay in the back, probably collectables from Vinyl's brother. He'd congratulated us heartily on our victory earlier, giving his sister a warm, proud hug. Actually, all our opponents had been extremely nice, although not all were as personable. My gaze stopped on a trio of stone bottles, rough-hewn and carefully sealed.
 
Curious, I picked one up, brushing dust off. No label, but they practically oozed quality and care. This was granite, painstakingly cut to shape. There were three? I shook it; something sloshed inside.
 
"Any idea, sis?" I held it out.
 
"Nope." Sunset gave the bottle a once-over. "Hmm." She glanced at the rest of the prizes, categorizing them. "From the Ponytones, maybe?"
 
"Huh. Not Rarity."
 
"I'd say Toe-Tapper and Torch Song aren't the type, either."
 
"Big Mac?" I gave the bottle another curious glance. "Hmm. I want to try it."
 
"Go for it." Sunset gave an encouraging nod. "Prizes are meant to be enjoyed, right?"
 
"To the victor go the spoils." I carefully cracked the wax holding the cork in, and worked it loose. "Pass me a glass?" A crystal goblet floated over. I gave it a curious look, but Sunset just smiled. I shrugged and poured a few fingers.
 
"Woah." The fluid was iridescent. Rainbow colors shimmered across the surface. I swirled it gently, and sniffed it. "Apples…? Maybe?"
 
"Try it." Sunset was staring now, just as curious as I was. I sipped, cautiously.
 
"Holy crow." It was like nothing I'd ever tasted. Clearly alcoholic, it felt like ice on my tongue, but warmed me instantly. Still, it wasn't a bit harsh, and the flavors were intense. Apples were prominent, but it was complex and heady. "That's smooth. Crisp as snow, deep as still water, and although it's mild as milk, I bet it's got some kick." I stared at the bottle again, wondering what it was.
 
"Hey, mares!" I turned back to the others. "Check this out." I held the goblet out to Lyra, who gasped, and reverently accepted it with a golden glow.
 
"Zapplejack," she breathed. "I heard they only make a few bottles each year!"
 
"Seriously?" Vinyl gave the glass a considering stare. "I thought it was a myth. Big Mac wouldn't sell me any, and believe me, I tried. All I got was an earful of 'Eenope'."
 
"No myth." I urged them on. "Try it, try it!"
 
"Oh…" Lyra sipped.
 
"Hey." While the unicorns were distracted, I stepped over to Artemis. "You've got to tell them, you know. After pulling a stunt like that."
 
"But…" She drooped.
 
"Hey, don't sweat it. What are you afraid of? That they'll love you?"
 
"No, but…did I cheat, Wes?"
 
"No." I said firmly. "Not at all."
 
"Really?"
 
"I'm certain of it. Remember what Vinyl said? Anything goes. If we'd had time beforehand, we could have recorded three of those tracks and let you solo the fourth. Hay, we used samples all  over tonight! Remember, as long as they cheer."
 
"But I'm a princess, Wes. Is that fair?"
 
"Why not?" I shrugged. "They didn't cheer for your princess-ness. They cheered because you thrashed those solos, and they loved it. Don't overthink this. You're an excellent musician, and you pulled something astounding tonight." I accepted the glass back from Lyra, and passed it to her. She sipped hesitantly, and her eyes went wide.
 
"I…I can't believe it." She gave the glass a speculative look. "I never thought I'd drink anything to match moonshine!"
 
"Sooo…." Vinyl gave her a considering look. "I couldn't help but overhear something about Princess'. Are you from Canterlot, then?"
 
"U-umm-" Artemis took a step back, startled by the renewed scrutiny.
 
"Nah, it's got to be Saddle Arabia, right?" Lyra stepped forward, inspecting her closely. "You're so exotic! Come on, tell us!"
 
"You're worrying over nothing," I reassured her, but she still didn't seem convinced.
 
"Hold on a second…" Vinyl stepped close, as if to sniff her, but with a sudden yank, she grabbed a hair from her mane and pulled it out. Both of them gasped; as it left Artemis' head, it writhed, growing longer and deeper and floating in an invisible wind. A star sparkled on the end. Vinyl's eyes snapped wide behind her glasses.
 
"Oh, ponyfeathers." Lyra breathed. Artemis dropped the goblet, and Vinyl barely caught it. "Your Highness!"
 
"I…um…" Artemis lowered her head, letting her mane fall over her eyes. "…sorry…" I couldn't tell if she was trying to keep from drawing attention, or if her assumed shyness was affecting her more than I'd expected. Or maybe her normal confidence and brashness was a bit of an act itself?
 
I brushed my thoughts aside and stepped forward, unsure of what to do but unwilling to stand by and do nothing.
 
"You're sorry?" Vinyl sounded shocked. "What?"
 
"I…um…" Artemis took a step backwards, seeming more like Fluttershy by the moment. "I lied." She hung her head in shame. Maybe it wasn't acting. She was starting to understand this culture better. There was a difference between cluelessness and callousness. She'd always been extremely serious, and I felt a pang of guilt. Had I pushed her into something she found repugnant?
 
"Hey, don't be like that!" Lyra pulled herself together when the Royal Canterlot Voice failed to materialize. She gave the pony in front of her another look. "Your Highness…no, Artemis. You're Artemis, and that won't change. Everypony has secrets. Some better, some worse. Privacy is something we all need, and if you need a bit more, that's OK by me. You've been nothing but wonderful to us, so don't think you'll get out of the band that easily!" She stepped forward, and gave the startled pegasus a hug.
 
"You're sorry?" Vinyl repeated again. I winced.
 
"Easy-" I started, but she cut me off.
 
"You're apologizing, because you helped make one of the most exhilarating performance of my life? Because I got to play speed metal with the Lady of the Night herself? Because we thrashed my brother, and seven other professional musicians? Because you can somehow harmonize with yourself four times? If that's the sort of thing you apologize for, there's no way I'm letting you out of my sight until I see something you're proud of!" She stepped forward, and bopped Artemis on the nose with a hoof. "Now, chin up! If you keep moping like that, you'll sour the zapplejack!" She passed the glass back.
 
"T-thanks." Artemis tipped it back, finishing the liquor. "I needed that." She gave a sweet smile. "And not just the drink." She stepped forward, and swept them into a hug with her wings. "Thanks."



> 50 - Pivots
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside the Golden Oaks library, laughter and light filled the air. The promised dominoes tournament had come. Sakura and the Wesley Fanclub were playing against Scootaloo and the Rainbow Fanclub.
 
Outside, it was dark and cool, a crisp of autumn faint in the night. I was pacing back and forth before the door, muttering to myself and watching the stars twinkle through the leaves.
 
Frustration and anger warred inside me. I stopped abruptly as I reached the sign, but instead of turning stalked fiercely around the building, stepping over roots  and shrubs in the dim light from the windows. I glanced inside, and my stance softened slightly as I saw the players, heads down over their game, chattering and laughing. Rainbow glanced out and caught my eyes. She shrugged slightly, sympathetic. I turned back to my pacing.
 
Halfway around the trunk I nearly tripped over Onyx.
 
The black bug was nigh-invisible in the dim light. I only saw the glint of his carapace because he moved. My knife flashed into my hand, but his movement had deliberately alerted me, and I sheathed it when I recognized him.
 
"What are you doing here?" My voice was harsher than intended.
 
"Watching."
 
"For what?"
 
"Danger."
 
"What would attack us here?"
 
"No idea." He shrugged. "That's why I'm watching."
 
"Pfaw." I spat.
 
"You don't like me much." He gave me a flat look.
 
"I…" I stopped, struggling with my emotions. "Sorry. I'm not in a good mood. I'll go."
 
"Wait."
 
"Yes?" I turned back.
 
"Don't worry about it. I don't like you much either, but you've tried to be fair to me."
 
"…thanks." My voice was softer. "Again, I'm sorry."
 
"Stop apologizing." He gave me a hard glare. "You're stronger than that."
 
"Apologies aren't weakness!" I flared, slightly.
 
"Even if they're selfish?"
 
"Bah." I turned away from him, leaning against the tree. "Fine. I'm not sorry. I should have killed you when I had the chance."
 
"I'm glad you didn't." He gave me a wry glance. "But I never deserved the mercy Celestia showed." He studied me a for a little. "Did Bit say something?"
 
"Yes." I rubbed my eyes. "No. Maybe."
 
"Cover all your bases."
 
"Heh." I gave a bitter laugh. "Sorry. Yes, Bitterbloom was being himself. No, I'm not angry at him. Maybe my frustration is justified, and maybe I'm letting old wounds bleed all over my psyche. Either way, I need a breather."
 
"Why does her devotion sting so much?"
 
"Because I don’t deserve it!" I said loudly. "It's not even a matter of being worthy or not. Fluttershy set me straight on that; I'll never be perfect, and Bit will have to deal with that when he's ready. All I can do is my best, and bewailing that won't change anything. No, what stings is that Bit had no choice in the matter. 'I can do it,' Tezeca said. And then she did! Aaaargh!" I clenched my fists. "She disgusts me, Onyx. Your pretender."
 
"You wrong her."
 
"Buck no! The mind is a precious thing, and she just… used Bit. As a test, as a pawn. She took its free will and gave it to me. And you wonder I writhe under his gaze! I swear, if I told that foal I needed a hoof, he'd ask to borrow my razor!"
 
"No, you wrong her. Listen to me, Wesley Kilmer!" Onyx stood, and lifted quietly into the air on his gossamer wings to look me in the eye. "You know nothing about my Queen. For all your pain, you know nothing about changelings!" He dropped to the ground, and started pacing fiercely. "You bemoan Bitterbloom's fate. You rail against a perceived injustice. But tell me this! Do you know how old Bit was, when she was assigned to you?" He glared at me. "Well?"
 
"…no." I was slightly taken aback by his outburst. Onyx had always been taciturn, content to let my dislike wash past him.
 
"Hours. Not even a day old. Would you expect a newborn foal to act like an adult? To make its own decisions, decide its own fate? To judge its parents?" He turned in his pacing. "Answer! Would you blame the mother for having such a weak child? Are you angry they're not given a choice on who they're born to?"
 
"Never," I said softly. I rubbed a hand through my hair. "But she-"
 
"And you say she disgusts you, that she's a pretender." He sneered at me. "Again, you wrong her. Do you really think a changeling who values loyalty above all else feels nothing for her hive? For her child?"
 
"Then why do it?" I shouted back. "Why do this to me? To Bitterbloom? If she loves him, even a little, then she should take responsibility for him, instead of sending him with a visitor after five minutes! Is that loyalty?"
 
"You think I don't feel the same?" We were both yelling now. "You have no idea how much your attitude galls me. Fool! You take this so lightly! You have no idea what an honor you've been paid!"
 
"Then tell me!" I waved my arms, wildly. "Tell me, if it means so much! Tezeca could have!"
 
"And would you have believed her? Even now you spit over her name!"
 
"Fine." I took a deep breath, trying to bring some calm back. I couldn’t afford to let my control slip so much, no matter how good it felt. Every little piece eroded progress I'd been making. "Fine. Tell me. I know more now, about Bit and about you. Tell me why I've been honored." I glanced in through a nearby window. "Not that Bitterbloom is anything but wonderful. But an honor?"
 
"Changeling Queens can have no children to themselves." He gave a sigh, trying to calm himself as well. I wondered if my anger had resonated with him or something. He surely sensed it, as strong as it was. "They have the Hivemind, and they have Agents."
 
"But you said-"
 
"The Hivemind, for all intents and purposes, are extensions of the Queen. They don't… can't think. If you scan one, there's no intelligence. They're biological machinery, nothing more."
 
"Soldiers?"
 
"Are autonomous, not independent. Soldiers have limited and specific intelligence, above and beyond drones. That's why you were given orders to kill everything in Wraith's fortress; you were systematically dismembering her. Weakened, she could be killed, and the job would complete itself. Unguided, drones and soldiers die within a matter of days. Like a cut off limb. All agents start as drones. All generals start as soldiers."
 
"Gash."
 
"What?"
 
"I killed one of Wraith's generals. He hated me, ever since our first fight."
 
"You probably woke him. He likely feared and hated you his whole life."
 
"What?" I gave him a sharp glance.
 
"We all start as drones. Even Bit, for a few hours, because the connection is automatic and irresistible for an unformed mind. But we don't all stay that way." He gave me a searching look. "You have no idea what it's like, to be part of a greater whole. It's something only changelings ever experience."
 
I paused at that, thinking of my link with Twilight and what we'd done to assemble Arglefraster. There had been a strange euphoria there, a draw of unity and power I'd instinctively distrusted.
 
"Maybe."
 
Onyx gave me a speculative look, but continued.
 
"Every day, Tezeca checks her hive for signs of intelligence, thought, life. Each awakening is a wild chance. Some agents start young, some old. I was a drone for fifteen years." He gazed into space. "I don't remember much of it."
 
"And you're OK with that?"
 
"Is anyone OK with being a child? I had no choice in the matter! Do your hands have a choice? Drones are part of the Hivemind, and the Queen is the guiding intelligence. The rest is just instinct, reaction, scurrying."
 
"So, agents just…sort of…wake up?"
 
"No." He gave me a searching look. "No, they don't. The start waking up, for one reason or another. At that point, the Queen has only one choice. She has to force them out of the Hivemind, or the drone dies."
 
"What?" I blinked. "Just like that?"
 
"Force them out. No bug wants to leave. Thinking is hard. Tezeca does it by assigning a keeper to replace the Hivemind. Usually an experienced agent, someone who knows what's going on and has done it before. The keeper takes them far from the hive, and tries to train them into something useful. It. Is. An. Honor."
 
"So, you were once…" I glanced in the window.
 
"I was once like Bitterbloom. I had a teacher, very different from you. He turned me into what I am now, and I'm an asset to the hive because of him. You wrong my Queen, you wrong me, you wrong my teacher, and you wrong Bitterbloom. Now you know. Straighten yourself out, Wesley. You're a better than this." His voice was thick with emotion, although I couldn't tell if it was disgust or rage. I sighed, trying to dissipate my anger, but it wouldn't fade. Here was a bug, lecturing me on hate, and I still couldn't swallow it.
 
"I still think she could have been more responsible."
 
"Are you so awful, then? Do you mistreat your ward? Does Bitterbloom suffer or lack because of you?"
 
"No!"
 
"Are you spiteful towards her? Do you take out your anger on her, defenseless?"
 
"No, never!"
 
"Than stop whining, and make the most of what you've been given!" Onyx shouted, one last time. "Queen Tezeca said Bit's what you make of her. That's more true than you know! Gather your responsibility up in both hands,  and own it! You've been honored with a precious gift! Realize that, and fill your heart with gratitude instead of anger!"
 
"Fine." I crossed my arms, and forced myself to breath slowly. Eventually, I calmed down, my breathing regularized and my fists unclenched.
 
"Why…" I rubbed a hand across my forehead. "Why couldn't you just be evil?" I gave a hollow laugh.
 
"Because we're more than just insects." Onyx said slowly. "The hives that forget that deserve their reckoning." There was a wash of real bitterness in his voice. "But we won't let our hunger rule us, any more than you let your anger rule you."
 
"Right." I breathed deeply. "Right."
 



 
"This is great." I yawned, lying in the sun.
 
"Yuuup!" Vinyl, in a nearby chair, agreed heartily.
 
We were enjoying our hard-won vacation at Horseshoe Bay, with beach loungers set on a wide strip of white sand, drinks within reach. Palm trees waved in the breeze. The sun was brilliantly bright even at mid-morning; Celestia had gone all-out for us. The sound of the ocean was soothing and constant. I could see Luna, now openly an alicorn, floating on the breezes far out over the ocean. A little down the shore, Bitterbloom was investigating 'fun' by hesitantly building a sand-castle, also without a disguise. Its pearly eyes watched calmly as its latest attempt slumped under a wave.
 
"I'm still not used to that." Vinyl gave Bit a considering look. We'd introduced them earlier.
 
"Just…don't judge a bug by its cover." I crossed my arms behind my head.
 
"Oh, it's not a bad thing." She smiled at me. "Your assistant is pretty hilarious. But you still confuse me, Wes."
 
"Sorry." I shrugged. "I don't try to be secretive and mysterious. It just happens." Mostly because explaining is such a pain.
 
"Heh, if you say so." Vinyl sipped her drink, a tall glass of iced pineapple juice. "But the more I discover, the more I wonder. No pressure, but things like Celestia seeing you off at the train station surprise me."
 
"Um." I thought about that for a second; I could explain, actually. Everyone would know soon enough. "She's planning to reform Discord, and wanted to let me know, since I wouldn't be around for it."
 
"She's planning what? No, wait; she just… checks in with you? Who are you that the Sun Princess does something like that?"
 
"I wonder." I absently sipped my own drink. It was limeade; the bungalow we were borrowing was fully stocked, and if we'd asked, would have even included the butler. We'd voted for privacy instead. "A friend, maybe."
 
I absently rubbed the stone in my chest, barely feeling my habitual frown. There was a little more to that, honestly. We'd discussed the idea for a while by letter. She'd checked with me personally because she planned to mobilize the Elements, and wanted to ensure I was okay beforehand. I'd suggested acting during our vacation, because the distance might mitigate the side-effects. She'd easily agreed, since I wasn't central to her plan. I was glad of that.
 
"We have circumstances, I guess." I shrugged, slightly.
 
"Oh." Vinyl gave me a long stare. "Ooooooh."
 
"What?" I returned a puzzled glance. "Why the knowing sigh?"
 
"You're in the guard, right?"

"Um, sort of." I rubbed my forehead. "It's…complicated."
 
"So, she's your 'it's complicated'?" Vinyl gave me a tiny leer.
 
"What?" My eyes widened as I suddenly remembered what Twilight had said, about the rumors of Celestia and her guard. "Wait! No way. You don't honestly think-"
 
"The guard? Or should I say the Battle Harem?" Vinyl smirked. "She's your 'friend', huh?" She made air-quotes with her hooves. "I see. No wonder she 'checks in' with you."
 
"No! Nonono! You're so wrong, it's not even-" I stopped as she burst out laughing, barely suppressed chuckles erupting into full-on guffaws that left her gasping for air. "-funny." I narrowed my eyes, crossed my arms with a harumph, and turned my back on her. She finally calmed down, and noticed my irritation.
 
"Aw, Wes. Don't be mad, it was only a joke!" I refused to look at her. "Hey, come on now. If it really bothered you, I'm sorry, OK?"  She honestly sounded a little contrite.
 
"Don't be angry at your friends, sir." I looked up at Bit, who was coming over, carrying a sandy pail in its mouth. "It leaves a bad taste."
 
"Flavor-based morality, little one?" I gave Bitterbloom a smile, and huffed a sigh. "Fine. If my number-one assistant commands, I'll forgive you." I rolled over so I could see her again.
 
"Good. It would be a miserable weekend if I screwed it up this early. By the way, have either of you seen Lyra?" In response, Bitterbloom pointed out to sea. "What's she doing out there?" The unicorn shaded her eyes, and lowered her sunglasses. Far out in the waves, a small green figure was skimming along quickly.
 
"She stole my surfboard," I grumped. "I made it myself, with only a little help from Applebloom. It's my own design and everything, with a hollow interior and laminated walls! I even made the fins adjustable! I never got to try the thing. This morning she took one look at it, and swiped it off the veranda!" I pointed back to the luxurious cabin we were staying in. It was mere yards from the beach, and had a spacious roofed deck.
 
"She does some freaky standing-wave thing with her arts, and I swear she's hitting jet-ski speeds on it!" We watched as she jumped off a wave, catching ridiculous amounts of air and turning a complete backflip before flubbing the landing with a huge splash. She came up spluttering, and Luna swooped down to check.
 
"Looks like she's having fun, at least." Vinyl shrugged.
 
"Jet-ski." Bitterbloom carefully mouthed the words, recording them as English. It had become fascinated with my past. I'd decided trying too hard to be secretive would be counter-productive, but I wondered just how much it was managing to glean from my casual carelessness.
 
"So, wait." The DJ slid her glass up, and lay back. "What's this about reforming Discord? That guy's the worst."
 
"The Princess' has a plan." I shrugged. "She's going to sic Fluttershy on him."
 
"What?" Vinyl scoffed. "That's ridiculous."
 
"Maybe." I shrugged. "I thought the same, at first. But Celestia's quite certain it will work. Something about the magic of friendship, the element of Kindness, the fact The Stare won't work on him, and nopony looking past his pranks. Either way, though, the Harmony Cannon's there if things get out of hand."
 
"I guess." She grinned up at the sky. "Well, I'm glad to be out of that, at least."
 
"No kidding." I relaxed in my chair. At the beach, I'd miss aaaaaallll the excitement. And that was just fine.
 



 
"Lyra, go away. I'm listening to the waves." I cracked an eyelid, giving my green instructor a glare.
 
"Come on, Wes. You've been lying there all day." Lyra put her front hooves on the edge of my beach chair, and leaned even closer to my face, filling my vision with green mane and golden eyes. The sun was starting to set, and a breeze was coming in off the ocean. The waves still crashed calmly, and the seagulls still drifted lazily as the wind ruffled the palm trees.  A few stars had appeared, and it was definitely starting to cool.
 
"I know. I've been working on my tan." I'd actually moved into the shade to keep from burning. Sunscreen was unknown to Equestria.
 
"Pish, you and your made up things! Anyways, the sun's going down."
 
"It's true!" I held up an arm. "look, I change color if I stay in the sun. For real." I'd definitely gotten enough to start. My arms had a noticeable flush.
 
"Hah, yeah right. Come on, give me a backrub! Rainbow says you're the best!"
 
"No."
 
"Pretend it's training! I want to see the magic thing you tried on her!"
 
"This isn't a training camp, Lyra. This is a relax-at-the-beach camp!"
 
"Well, at least come inside." I looked up the beach, yawning. I'd taken a good three-hour nap this afternoon. The bungalow had warm lights shining through the windows, and my friends were standing in the kitchen, talking and laughing.
 
"Alright." I stretched, and stood up. "Do we have plans for supper?"
 
"Luna's teaching Bit to make simple salads."
 
"Oh."
 
"What, don't like salad?"
 
"No, no. Salad is fine, as long as it's got plenty of nuts and cheese. No, only, I've held off teaching Bit to cook, in an attempt to retain control of my kitchen. He already organizes my schedule and helps me with my work and experiments. If I let him, he'd clean the house spotless every day. He needs to be socializing, not working." I sighed. "Well, maybe I'll split with him."
 
"Really?" Lyra gave me a puzzled look. "I'll never understand you and Bon-Bon. Cooking is boring."
 
"Hey, don't knock it." I stepped up to the door of the beach house and swung it open. We slipped into the warmly-lit room. "You like eating enough-Ow!" I stopped, leaning against the door, as jets of pain swept over me, emanating from the gem. They were gone in moments, but the sudden sharpness staggered me for a second. "Ow." I rubbed my arms. "Maybe I should stay out of the water tomorrow."
 
"What was that?" Vinyl gave me a hard stare. Bit looked vaguely worried, and Luna apprehensive.
 
"Long story." I shrugged. "Nothing to worry about." The distance from Ponyville had helped, and I don't think the Elements had really activated. But still, if that hit me when I was swimming, I'd need a lifeguard.
 
"Now hold on a second." Lyra gave me a sharp look. "Privacy is great, but I could tell that hurt you, whatever it is. Give me your word it's not dangerous, or we're headed for a doctor."
 
"Lyra, I-"
 
"Your word."
 
"He's fine." Luna stepped in. "It is, indeed, a long story. But I know some of it, and if he needs a doctor, I will try to suffice."
 
"Thanks." I stepped closer to her.
 
"I also have some idea how much that hurt," she muttered. "Those gems are no mild remedy."
 
"I guess you'd know." One of the few beings to take the power of the Elements head on; no wonder she'd worried.
 
"But enough solemnity!" She spread her wings. "Bitterbloom and I have researched FUN in the kitchen, and we have prepared… salad! Please, build your own." A swarm of serving bowls, filled with chopped, grated, sliced and slivered vegetables, cheese, nuts, and even a little fish, floated out of the kitchen.
 



 
"Alright, you're next." Lyra motioned to Luna. We were sitting on the veranda, talking and enjoying the cool air. Night had just fallen, and Bitterbloom was already asleep; sun and sand had left the little bug exhausted.
 
"Hmm." The princess rubbed her chin. "Try this one, then." She hummed a few bars of Led Zeppelin.
 
"Ah, no fair." I waggled a finger at her. "No way are they going to recognize-" I cut off, as Vinyl whistled the next few notes perfectly. "What? Please don't say it's - "
 
"Magic." She grinned. "I can't always do it, but even a talent like mine is impressive if used right."
 
"You silly ponies." I shrugged, and flopped back onto the grass. "You and your magic butts."
 
"Oh, speaking of magic." Lyra stepped into the bungalow, returning with the two remaining bottles of zapplejack. "I thought maybe we should finish these together. Since we did win and all."
 
"Excellent idea." I saluted her. She passed glasses around, and started prying at the cork, before passing it to me.
 
"Here. Make your fingers useful, since you won't give me a back rub." I nodded stoically, and was about to break the seal, when Luna stood.
 
"Princess?" I glanced at her.
 
"I'll only be a minute." She smiled. "I need to raise the moon."
 
"Oh." All of us exchanged glances.
 
"Um…"Vinyl hesitantly stood as well. "If you don't mind, could we watch?" Most ponies had a chance to see Celestia raise the sun. She regularly moved the Summer Sun Celebration around the country, just for that purpose. Luna, however, hadn't been back for very long. And during most of that time, she'd been extremely reclusive. Her balcony was high, curtained, and in controlled airspace. We might be the first besides her sister to witness this.
 
If she let us.
 
"…very well." She nodded slowly, and we grinned. "However… I was planning a little excursion. You can only come if you trust me, and promise to carefully follow my lead."
 
"Yes, ma'am!" Vinyl nodded.
 
"Sure." Lyra gave a sloppy salute.

"As you command, my Princess." I bowed. She smiled at us all. We followed as she turned to the beach, walking until she was up to her fetlocks in the surf. The salt-water lapped slowly up the sand, the regular swish of the waves soothing and pleasant in the night.
 
Luna lowered her head, and wisps of magic curled off her. I heard her muttering calculations for phase and orbit, before lapsing into a sing-song whisper that might have been gibberish or ancient spell-language. As she cast, her magic coiled tightly together, and an image of the moon glimmered at the tip of her horn. Lyra and Vinyl froze with astonishment, and I touched a finger to my wand, carefully trying to sense what they were picking up. The aura nearly floored me.
 
The Princess' spell-casting was unbelievable. Her output was ridiculous and her finesse was astonishing, but her speed was absolutely stupendous. She was casting the equivalent of several dozen spells a second, and doing each one with perfect poise and grace. It was like nothing I'd ever seen. A choreographed dance might have come close, if it had been perfectly improvised and flawlessly performed by an entire troupe of artists. I caught a glimpse of spells to stabilize, adjust, monitor, spin, counterspin, balance and report before I completely lost track.
 
It was over in moments. Luna raised her head with the barest sighs, and I marveled she wasn't sweating and puffing. As she did, the moon slid over the horizon, quickly clearing the ocean but hovering just above the waves. Its gibbous shape cast a bewitching light over the beach, washing the color from my friends and highlighting them in a cold splendor.
 
"Come!" Luna urged, never glancing back. The moon threw a glimmering trail on the surf, and she carefully moved right towards it, solemnly stepping into the waves.  I confidently followed.
 
As my feet touched the moon-trail, the water fizzed and rippled, supporting me. Astonished but determined, I took another long pace. Luna was already drawing away. Behind me, Lyra gasped and Vinyl whistled.
 
As soon as we all stood on the silver highway, Luna's magic surged. There was a dimensionless lurch and the moon leaped huge, the planetary system swinging around us. I had no sensation of flight, or even movement, but in moments the gray orb swelled and twisted so I stood above it, surrounded by an barren and alien landscape. The axis of reality returned with a crackle and a pop, and I stumbled onto a rocky gray path.
 
Numb with astonishment, I looked up.
 
Equus hung motionless in the sky above, a crescent of green and blue adorning one edge. It was impossibly far, impossibly beautiful. I swayed as my mind flashed to childhood dreams of being an astronaut. I gasped, realizing that despite the expected vacuum, I had no trouble breathing. The sun, harshly brilliant, hung suspended on the edge of the sky. We were right on the edge of the umbra, where the dark shadow cut the silvery disc.
 
"Princess…" Lyra's voice was faint with astonishment.
 
"Hurry!" Luna called. I looked ahead. She was still moving with purpose, trotting with sure strides down the path. I reluctantly tore my eyes off the planet above us and jogged to catch up, the lighter gravity sending me bounding with long steps before I adjusted.
 
We were only on the path a short while. The moon around us was desolately beautiful, but in moments we twisted downwards into a gulch, and then wormed our way through a small canyon. We emerged in an oasis.
 
There was no other name for it. Hidden in a cleft of the barren rock, a small pool of water had accumulated. Looking up, it seemed to condense on the slick stone above and trickle down in drips and drops. Silvery vegetation grew around the pool, plants and grasses that matched the surrounding rocks. They had metallic leaves and stems, but grew with the grace and profusion. A single white tree arched over the pond, its light trunk rushing upwards before swooping back to trail long, willowy fronds in the water.
 
Luna barely glanced at the garden, but strode onwards to a small door set into the cliff. She swung it open with a confident motion and looked in, giving a sigh of relief before stepping through.
 
"Luna, what is this?" I followed. Inside, a sparse apartment had been thoroughly destroyed. Furniture was splintered and scattered on the floor, blankets were shredded and tossed about, a mattress had been kicked until it ruptured. Deep gashes and gouges marked the walls. Books, pages crumpled and spines broken, drifted across the wreckage. Bookshelves were shattered. A thick layer of dust covered everything. The paper was crumbling and yellow, and the wood was mouldering in places despite the dry air.
 
"In a minute. This won't hold long with all four of us." She brushed me off, and lit her magic again. This spell was a simple one; just a drop of magic floated off the end, and touched an apparently blank piece of the wall. At her impetus the stone dissolved, revealing nearly a dozen glass bottles in a honeycomb rack, each the size of my clenched fist. She scooped them up with her aura and tucked them under a wing.
 
"One thousand years, and they're still here." She gave me a smile, before looking around and frowning slightly. "This place? My retreat."
 
"What happened?" Lyra stepped inside, followed by Vinyl. "How are you doing this?"
 
"Nightmare Moon happened." Luna gave the room a sad glance. "She was determined to destroy everything I loved, and this was all she could reach for a millennium. I only withheld my most insignificant secrets from her, but I'm glad I managed even that." She carefully re-sealed the opening.
 
"She trashed your digs for revenge?" Vinyl lowered her glasses for a better look.
 
"Something like that." Luna nodded. As she did, the room we were in seemed to flicker and drip. "Oh, here goes the projection. Give it a second, and - " As she spoke, our surroundings wobbled and shattered like ripples in still water. When it finished dissolving, we were back on the beach.  My feet weren't even wet. The moon hung above, innocent in the darkness. " - we'll be back."
 
"How did that work?" Vinyl gazed around. "Was it real?"
 
"Real enough." Luna stepped out of the surf, shaking her damp hooves off and turning back to our circle of chairs. With a flourish, she produced the bottles she'd snagged. "That was a fulcrum projection. Since I balanced us against another moving object, transfer energy was much lower. However, it only works for as long as your fulcrum is in the right position. Since we were going fast and far, that didn't last long." She shrugged. "Still, I got what I wanted."
 
"Those bottles?" We re-settled on the grass, and I picked up the stone bottle I'd been opening. "Something to match the zapplejack?"
 
"Indeed." Luna gave a slow smile. "Vinyl, you said you wanted to see something I'm proud of. Here." She floated a small bottle to each of us. "I call this moonshine."
 
"You made this yourself?" I turned the bottle in my hands. It was bulbous blue crystal, with a wire-wrapped glass stopper. The liquid inside splashed thinly against the walls, foaming and settling with each movement.
 
"Yes. I learned how from the moon people, an eclectic and abstruse bunch if ever there was." She shrugged. "It begins as the sap of a particular tree, but I've made my own refinements. It concentrates some of my unique magic, the aura of the moon."
 
"May I?" Vinyl held up her bottle.
 
"Please." Luna smiled back. "There's a reason we each have one."
 
I carefully unwired the stopper. As it slipped out, the liquid suddenly frothed. But as the bubbles reached the top, instead of spilling over they floated into the air where they twinkled like stars. I gave the drink an apprehensive look, but dared a sip.
 
"Mmm." A chorus of appreciative voices sounded. If the zapplejack was autumn, this was spring. Where the apple liquor warmed and relaxed, this refreshed and rejuvenated. A sense of peace and well-being suffused from the cool drought. It tasted like fresh flowers and wild, rolling hills. Bubbles tickled my throat, and when I breathed, my breath sparkled.
 
"Wow." I held up the bottle. "So, was that intentional?"
 
"Hmm?" She sipped her own drink. "The fizz? Yes, I researched alchemy extensively for this. Re-balancing an existing drink into something that could actually catch and hold moonlight wasn't easy."
 
"No, no. Not that. Although your pride is merited. Do you know what you were humming, earlier?" I waved a hand, returning to Led Zeppelin. <"And she's~buuuying the stairway, to heaven.">
 
They gave me blank looks.
 
"No magic? None at all?" I sipped my drink again. "All right. Let me try a translation. And…she's purchasing the staircase to the skies? Not quite right. Hmm, the connotations just aren't there."
 
"Really?" Luna gave me a speculative look. "No, I picked the song at random. All I remember is that it was famous in your country."
 
"Eh, I thought maybe it was cutie mark influence or something." I shrugged.
 
"You sure find them interesting. Do you feel left out?" Lyra glanced my way. "Not having a mark?"
 
"Not really." I thought for a second. "Ok, I took the Crusader vow, but I'm not bothered. I'm sure one would be useful, but I've got more magic than I ever dreamed of, and I don't feel a pressing need to be more special. But it's interesting to learn about."
 
"It might have been some sort of effect, if it were Vinyl or Lyra." Luna shrugged. "Many musical cutie marks have been classified as precognitive by thaumotricians."
 
"Cool." I lay back in my chair. "So, what are we doing tomorrow?"
 
"Does it matter?" Vinyl yawned. "We're on vacation."
 
"Huh." I crossed my arms behind my head, and grinned. "No, I guess it doesn't."
 



 
This time, the screech of brakes jerked me out of a light nap. I sat up and glanced around; Lyra and Vinyl were snoozing in the seat across from me, while Bit, wearing its normal disguise, watched me silently. Luna had winged her own way home.
 
"How's your reserve, Bit?" We'd introduced Bit to Vinyl and Lyra as a changeling for a few reasons. One was the fact that if I gave the okay, Tezecan's would start appearing more openly in society. Bitterbloom was a test case, so I decided to make the test. There were no problems, likely since my friends were already open-minded and ready for weirdness.
 
The other reason was because three days without using its disguise meant emotion could be stored for later. After it had gifted me with a drop of loyalty, Onyx had carefully instructed Bit to be sure it wasn't depriving itself of what it needed to grow. I'd wholeheartedly agreed, and ever since, Bit had been consuming nearly everything I supplied. This chance to gain a reserve relieved a bit of my anxiety, although the reserve it gathered wasn't pure loyalty.
 
"It has reached projected levels." Bit nodded back. "I've gained sufficient power for several days of solo operation, if such is necessary." Although it wasn't really emotive, I was starting to read Bit's expressions. Its look clearly said it didn't relish the idea. I didn't care. Living day-to-day was bad planning. a backup was needed for emergency. Emotion was an essential nutrient for changelings. A grown agent could live on normal food for extended periods, but Bitterbloom was still young. Not to mention the extra drain from its metamorph ability.
 
"Good." I yawned and stretched. "Hey, Vinyl, Lyra, wake up. We're here." I gently shook my teacher, and she slowly opened her eyes.
 
"Oh, ponyfeathers." She smacked her lips. "Vacation's over, back to work." She stretched carefully, waking Vinyl, and we started gathering our bags. I let Bit take mine. I'd packed light, and it enjoyed helping.
 
"At least we missed whatever went down with Discord," Vinyl added.
 
"Heh, yeah." The Elements had activated again on the second day, but they'd never actually fired. I'd cautiously tried surfing on the third day, although I'd asked Luna to watch me from the sky. I fell off a lot. "Speaking of which, I wonder if he's still around." I rubbed my chin.
 
"Why? Curious to what he looks like?" Lyra grinned.
 
"No." I stopped there, trying to keep apprehension out of my voice. I'd been thinking about this for a while now, ever since Celestia mentioned the possibility. "You know I got here by magical accident, right?"
 
"Yeah." She smirked. "Or so you say." As one of the few who actually knew I was from another world, she liked to revel in the secrecy of it.
 
"Lyra, be polite." Vinyl gave her a dig in the ribs. "That's why you've no idea how to get home, right? Think Discord could tell you something?"
 
"Maybe." I shrugged, uncomfortable. "I mean, he's not helpful. But he is powerful." We stepped out onto the station platform.
 
"True." Lyra yawned. "Maybe he knows about humans. I mean, Lord of Chaos and all."
 
"A lord? You make me blush!" I whipped around, surprised to hear a deep, smooth voice from the empty train. We all stepped back, as a… a something stepped out of the carriage.

"Discord, I presume?" I warily tucked my hands behind my back, wrapping one around the hilt of my dagger.
 
"Of course, of course!" The creature had a head like a horse, mismatched horns, the claws of a lion and an eagle, the legs of a dragon and a stag, and the tail of…a fish? Also, tiny, silly mismatched wings. All in all, he looked like three-and-a-half creatures thrown into a blender. Or maybe like a five-year-old had assembled their own action figure from used parts.
 
"So, you must be…Wesley. It's nice to finally meet you!" His manner was pleasant and his voice was charming, but his smile and mismatched eyes made my skin crawl a little. He flowed away from the train, moving lithely through the air as if drawn through a tube. I froze as he slunk up beside me, throwing a griffon's arm around my shoulder.
 
"How do you know my name?" I released my knife; it wouldn't help against him anyways.
 
"Oh, one hears these things." He yawned. "Well, truth be told, Fluttershy may have mentioned it. <I didn't read your mind, or anything.>"
 
Vinyl and Lyra gave confused looks. Bit's ears twitched curiously. I tried my best to hide my shock.
 
<"How do you speak English?"> I stepped away from him, brushing off my shoulder. <"Do you know about Earth? Can you get me home?"> I tried to keep my voice level, but I was having trouble.
 
<"English? What? I have no idea what you mean. I'm not talking; I'm just making mouth noises."> He raised a finger to his lips, and went "B-b-b-b-b-b" to demonstrate. <"If they mean something to you, that must be a coincidence! I could sooner solve the riddle of stars than learn a foreign language, by, say, determining the velocity and position of the electrons in your brain."> He tapped my head. It made a hollow sound.
 
<"What."> I stepped away from him again, not sure what to think. <"Wait. Fluttershy told you my name? Are you…">
 
<"Reformed!"> He waved his arms spontaneously, and balloons and confetti appeared. <"This visage, no veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the villain I once was! I've promised to use my powers only for good! Mostly.">
 
<"Or awesome?">
 
<"Hmm?"> Discord pulled one of his ears off, and shook it. A pile of sand, a prickly pear cactus, and a very confused looking lizard fell out. <"I'm sorry, what was that?">
 
<"I said, you've promised to not use your powers for evil. But can you use them for awesome?">
 
<"Interesting question."> He stroked his chin, and gave me a speculative look. <"I like the way you think. It's…twisty. Maybe even twisty enough.">
 
<"Thanks."> I shrugged. <"But, honestly, I'm just looking for a way home. Any chance you could give a fellow a lift?">
 
<"Oh, no no no."> Discord grimaced. <"Even if I had the power, I don't think so. It takes more than just snapping my claws - " he demonstrated " - and dropping you on the second rock from Sol." For a moment, a tiny orrery spun above his palm. <"You might be discomfited if I missed. Though it wouldn't hurt for long; not with a bang or a whimper, as it were. Still, I'm trying my best at this friendship thing."> He gave a hesitant smile. <"I do hope you'll give me a chance.">
 
<"Not that you need my approval. It's the third rock."> I tried to grin. He'd handily crushed my hopes, although I'd carefully kept them low. I wasn't entirely convinced he couldn't do it…I wasn't entirely convinced he was on the level. I wasn't entirely convinced he was level, in his head. Still, if Fluttershy vouched for him, I'd be polite as long as I could. <"Still, I'll give you a chance. It's… chaotic to meet you, Discord."> I held out a hand. He wrapped it in his lions paw, and we shook firmly.
 
<"Why, thank you!">" He grinned back. <"I do try. How's it been?">
 
<"Disconcerting, but not painful."> I shrugged. <"I've had worse introductions. Still confused about the English, though. Can't you tell me anything? If we're even on the same timelines?">
 
<"Sorry, old boy, I'm genuinely not interested in dimensional magic."> He smiled. <"What's the point of infinite chaos, if it causes itself? Not to say I need rules to break. Still, I prefer it here. As for timelines, maybe I could help with that. What day did your flight? March fifteenth? November fifth?" He produced a giant adding machine and a pair of glasses, peering over their half-moon lenses at me. I grimaced.
 
<"I…don't know actual dates."> I frowned. <"It wasn't important at the time, and I forgot. Not that I had a chance to check a calendar after arriving."> I sighed. <"But, if you know how to calculate it, can you teach me?">
 
<"Of course not!"> Discord gave an affronted sigh. <"Chaos magic isn't something you can teach. That would completely defeat the purpose! It's something you simply do! Like a children's rhyme, it's magic itself!"> He grabbed my hand, and spun us in a circle around the cactus he'd produced earlier. <"Here we go 'round the prickly pear, prickly pear, prickly pear, here we go round the prickly pear at three o'clock in the morning!"> He released my hand and I spun in place for a second, before grinding to a halt, extremely dizzy and even more confused and disappointed.
 
<"You can't teach us anything? Not even Twilight, or Celestia?"> I rubbed a hand across my forehead. Discord was giving me a headache.
 
<"Teach Celestia? Or Twilight?"> He gave a horrified gasp. <"How could you suggest such a thing? The one's so straight-laced I break out in hives from being in the same room as her, and the other is merely a miniaturized palette swap! Trying to teach them to love chaos would be torture! My mouth is zipped!"> He loudly zipped it, but continued conversing by summoning a scroll that typed itself as it unrolled. <"She means well, but Twilight can be so very controlling! You have to watch your back around that one, or you'll be turned to stone for your own good!"> He sneezed, and his mouth returned. <"Well, maybe your case isn't that extreme. But you know what I mean. Don't take it too hard!"> He elbowed me and winked, before vanishing in a puff of smoke and drifting away. "Anyways, tell Her Royal High-Horse I said hello. Oh, and Luna too, if you see her. My work here is done!" His voice faded into the distance.
 
"What…" Vinyl lowered her glasses, and shook her head slowly. "Do I even want to know?"
 
"Um." Something about what he'd said last had cued in my brain. "Three... Four... Five?" I counted slowly on my fingers, and quirked an eyebrow.
 
"Wes?" Lyra gave me a concerned look.
 
"I…I think Twilight's keeping secrets from me." I tucked my hands in my pockets, and lowered my head. "Discord… I'm not even sure." I turned slowly away, and left them standing there. Bit followed me as I paced slowly home. This would take some thought.

> 51 - Incursion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I just don't know, Bit."
 
I was sitting on a log, in the forest. Unwilling to completely cut my alchemical business, I'd scaled back my expeditions. We stuck to the relatively safe edge, but we were going regularly. Although the ingredients were less valuable, with my salary as an ambassador I was doing just fine. I also used the time to teach Bit about the forest, information it eagerly soaked up.
 
The changeling gave me an unreadable stare.
 
"I'm not sure why you're telling me this, sir."
 
"I just need to talk. And, well, if I know one thing about you, it's you're good at keeping quiet." That was one of the first lessons I'd impressed on Bitterbloom. Staying quiet could get you through many troublesome situations with minimal effort. I'd seen it utilize the technique impressively.
 
"Thank you, sir."
 
"Just the truth." I pulled out my thermos. "Let's have lunch."
 
"As you say." Bit unslung its own pack, and carefully retrieved our lunchboxes. I snapped mine open, and grinned. Tuna salad.
 
"Mmm, good job!" Bit smiled slightly at the praise.
 
"What is it, sir, that you just don't know?"
 
"About Discord. What he said. Could you please repeat the bits I highlighted?"
 
Bitterbloom took its duties as my secretary very seriously. Under Spike's tutelage, It had cultivated its prodigious memory to record whatever it thought would benefit me. I hadn't realized the extent of its ability until it began repeating scraps of conversation verbatim, even mimicking voices and intonation. Last night we had transcribed my conversation with Discord. I often asked it to repeat various pieces as I considered them.
 
<"The riddle of stars.">
 
<"This visage, no veneer of vanity, is a vestige.">
 
<"The second rock from Sol.">
 
<"Not with a bang or a whimper.">
 
<"March fifteenth? November fifth?">
 
<"Here we go 'round the prickly pear, prickly pear, prickly pear, here we go round the prickly pear at three o'clock in the morning!">
 
<"She means well, but Twilight can be so very controlling!">
 
My assistant slowly repeated the lines, leaving a pause between each while I ate. Discord's flowing intonation sounded strange in its lilting soprano. Upon finishing, it attacked its sandwich with quiet gusto. I leaned back against a tree-trunk, and tried to think this through again.
 
"A secret in the stars, V for Vendetta, the Evening Star, and that last line. Four references to Twilight Sparkle, in one way or another.  V for Vendetta doubles, The Hollow Men, The Ides of March, Guy Fawkes day, The Hollow Men again, and that last line. That's four references to the Gunpowder Plot, and two more…betrayals. One by a trusted friend, who had the best intentions. Et tu, Sparkle?" I slowly tasted the words.
 
"I just don't know, Bit. Discord was being pretty obvious…in a very cryptic way. But it was clearly a message only for me, as though he didn't want to make actual accusations. Who else would get those references? Besides…Twilight." I frowned. "I trust Twilight. But… keeping a secret for my own good wouldn't be completely out of character. Still, that feels like manipulation, or control, and I don't like that. At all. I don't trust Discord much, but if he's trying to sow anarchy, he's doing it poorly. And Fluttershy claims he's reformed. Unless he just wants to watch me squirm." I considered that for a minute. It would cause chaos, but only for me.
 
"Could he really have been sincere? Is he just trying to be friendly, but doesn't really know how to go about it? A secret like that…I don't even know. What should I do? If Twilight's acting in my best interest, I don't want to hurt her. But the truth is, that sort of attitude…I just can't stand it. Celestia, at least, asked my permission before involving me in her plots. And even then, she knew I wouldn't be happy." I gave Bit a slow glance. "On the other hand, that one's worked out so far. Still, I'm either playing into Discord's hands, or I'm leaving this to fester." I leaned my head back, and stared at the sky. "I just. Don't. Know."
 
"Then you should ask." Bitterbloom swallowed a bite of sandwich and gave me a perplexed stare. "I realize you have much more experience with emotions than me, but I can taste this troubling you." Its ears twitched, and I remembered they were actually antennae.
 
"Maybe I'm incorrect, but I believe if you gently question your friend, she will either reveal what she's thinking or re-think what's happening. She is your friend. True friends won't let this drive them apart. Or so you've taught me. Even if Discord is being manipulative, he can't control you. Simply be a better friend than he expects. Since I've been told even I know more about friendship than him, you should be able to outwit him easily, sir."
 
"Mmmm." I sipped my drink and passed the bottle to Bit. It gratefully accepted and poured a cupful of lemonade. "Yeah, you're right." I rubbed my eyes. "That won't be fun, but it's what I've got to do."
 



 
"Twilight?"
 
I stopped my friend, just as she left her house. She had a full set of saddlebags, packed to bursting, and Spike was carrying another two suitcases.
 
"Where are you headed?" I tried to keep my voice neutral, but I was nervous. This confrontation threw me back to our first precipitous meeting. I didn't want to lose a friend. I didn't want to bring up Discord's words. But I knew if I didn't, something between us would sour. I'd end up hurting her even more in the end. Had Discord guessed this? Did he expect the one response, or the other?
 
"Canterlot!" She gave a happy grin. "With Rarity! I'm speaking to the Alumni Association on my - our, really, work on crossing schools!"
 
"Neat." I morosely followed as she set off down the road. Bit quietly took one of the suitcases from Spike, who grinned his thanks.
 
"Something bothering you, Wes?" Twilight glanced back. Normally, I'd have loved to chat with her about her presentation. Ever since I'd shown her up teaching for Cheerilee, she'd asked my opinion on several lectures. As long as they were for adults, I usually had little to add, but the discussions were always fun.
 
"Yeah." I frowned, and tapped my temple. She quirked an eyebrow, but responded with a pulse of magic.
 
"Discord said this to me the other day." I started off with a simple explanation of getting off the train, and then slowly fed the entire scene with the draconequus across the link. My memory wasn't as good as Bit's, or even hers, but I'd been going over this in my mind for several days now, and it was firmly cemented in my memory. As it replayed, I let her see my feelings and the associations that had triggered, and I tried to watch her reaction. When she saw me count the references and heard my final conclusion, the link in my head snapped with brittle crunch. I caught fragments of dismay and fright.
 
"Twilight?" I was concerned, despite myself.
 
"G…give me a minute." She was breathing shallowly. I nodded, and we walked in silence.
 
"Twilight…" I started slow. "I'm sorry to spring this on you all at once. I didn't realize you were leaving. But… well, I need to start somewhere, and if I'd waited, something would have begun crumbling. If you can't answer… I won't like it, but I'll try to respect it. For a while. But I have to ask; are you keeping secrets I need to know?"
 
"Hello, hello!" Rarity fell in step beside us. Sweetie Bell dropped a huge pile of suitcases with relief, and Spike sighed. Rarity smiled and winked at him and he instantly cheered, scooping up the load with a grin. Bit looked back and forth between them. I was probably the only one who could tell their interaction left it deeply perplexed. It glanced at me, and I tapped my watch. I'd explain as best I could later.
 
"Well, what's this?" Rarity glanced back and forth between us. My beetled brows and Twilight's heavy steps sapped her normal cheer. "Are you two fighting?"
 
"I hope not." I crossed my arms. Twilight sagged further.
 
"Sorry, Wes…I don't…I'm not…It just…"
 
"It just happened?" My voice was flat, as I recognized her regret. "And you never did anything about it?"
 
"…maybe."
 
"Huh." I rubbed my chin. "I know how that works. But you're not answering my question."
 
"Now hold on a second, Wesley!" Rarity gave me stern glance. "I don't know what you're discussing, but is this really necessary? Must you be so harsh?" She gestured to Twilight. "Look!"
 
The purple unicorn was obviously struggling. Her head, tail, and hooves drooped. She barely shuffled along, nose nearly dragging in the dirt.
 
"But…"I rubbed my forehead, trying to sort my thoughts. "I need to know! I need something! I can't just…look, Twilight, just say you're on the level! Spit in my face, call me a fool, call Discord a liar! You don't have to hold back; I can take it all! Scream, yell, rave, rant, explode, but tell me I’m wrong! Please! I don't want this between us!"
 
Rarity swallowed her words at my outburst, and turned curiously to Twilight.

"Darling...what's this about?"
 
"No, it's…" She gave me a pitiful look, and I saw her resistance crumble. "I am. I am keeping your secrets from you, Wes! It's not forever! I thought it was for your own good, I still do! I knew it would hurt you, I didn't want..! But…but telling you now…Wes, please! You would, you're not… you have to trust me! This…" She sniffled. "This just can't end well! Oh, I'm so sorry!" She leaned on Rarity, fighting tears. I flinched, trying to temper a sudden rush of anger with the feelings of companionship and trust we'd carefully grown. Rage fought against resolve, until resolve won out.
 
"Well…" I drew a deep breath. This wouldn't be easy. I wanted, desperately, to rant and rail. If I pushed, she'd snap. What did she see as such a danger to me, about me? My instincts tingled, dread and apprehension warring with hurt and impatience. She had no business hiding things to protect me. That wasn't her choice. I was an adult, and demanded respect as one. But what if she was shielding me? What if I really was better off not knowing yet, not just happier but actually healthier? I wasn't always stable or reasonable. What if she was right? Could I stand her help? That's what trust was, surrendering a little freedom to someone, as long as they never used it to hurt you. I didn't want to bring either of us empty pain, and if I forced her here, she'd be crushed. I stung because the trust was stolen. But… I could still give it. If I'd been asked earlier, I'd have said she deserved it. Hurting and wanting didn't lessen that.
 
"O-okay. I'll trust you." I choked the words out, but held up a finger as she visibly relaxed. "More. For now." She gave me an apprehensive look. "Twilight… This hurts. Maybe that's why Discord did it. But if not, I still want to be a better friend. I'll wait a while. But please, please. Search your heart. Trust me in return. If you still can't reveal it, maybe I'll eventually understand… but till then, it will rot our friendship. I won't force you. But if you can't tell me about me… you're controlling of part of my life." I shook my head slowly. "I hate that." My voice was calmer than I'd expected, but my heart was surging and bumping.
 
"I want, I need reassurance. This can't sit; I can't trust blindly. Talk to Celestia. She's proven worthy of trust by her actions and subjects. I'll trust you both. If she won't tell me…" I gulped. "So be it. But if you come back holding this to yourself… I can't swallow that. Even with Celestia's reassurance, it will hurt." I drew a ragged breath, and wiped my eyes. "Please, Twilight. I want to be your friend! I want to trust you, but it's so hard!"
 
"O-oh, Wes." Twilight's voice broke. "I never meant this to happen."
 
"Fine." I shrugged, swallowing a lump in my throat. "I'm no better. If I was stronger, maybe I could let this lie. But I can't, Twilight. I just can't." She nodded somberly at that. Rarity gave us both a heavy stare, but held her peace. I took as much luggage from Spike as I could carry, and we walked silently to the station.
 
"Wes!" Twilight called from a window, as the train pulled away. "I’m sorry!"
 
"Me too." I looked down at Bit, and shrugged. "Me too."
 



 
"Where are you, little bug?" I stared absently into the night. Normally, I didn't worry about Bit being in town without me. It was scrupulously careful to maintain its disguise, and it had good friends. Besides, Onyx watched almost constantly, from various vantages and disguises. I'd never been able to discover exactly what worried the taciturn changeling, but his vigilance eased my mind. Still, it was dusk. The moon would rise any moment. I'd made supper, and Bit was never late for supper.
 
Something was wrong. I could feel it.
 
I turned off the pots on the stove and paced. I wanted to dash into the night, begin scouring the town. But Bit was only ten minutes late. It might be delayed, though I hardly believed it. I'd hate to miss my assistant by minutes. But I'd promised myself; if it wasn't home by twenty past, I'd put out the call. If I mobilized my friends, we could easily canvass the whole town.
 
I started as a feeble knock came at my door. I jogged over and whipped it open, expecting a contrite Bitterbloom.
 
Instead, I found Onyx. Collapsed. Bleeding. On my doorstep.
 
"What happened?" I dropped to one knee, and ran a hand along his neck, relieved to find a strong pulse. His shell was cracked, and he was bleeding in several places. Blunt force was lessened for bugs, but they broke instead of bruising. "Onyx!"
 
"Bit…was taken." His voice was quiet and strained, but waves of shock washed through me. "I'm sorry!"
 
"What? How? When? No, stop." I picked him up with a grunt, and carried him over to my table. I brushed table settings off, careless as they clattered to the floor. I set him down, and snatched my pack from by the door. I dumped my first-aid supplies out, reaching for gauze and tape. "Start at the beginning. We're only going through this once, so get it right the first time."
 
"Right. Heh. Too late for that." Onyx gasped as I started to wipe bluish ichor away from his wounds. "You know I've always watched…over Bit." His chest rose and fell irregularly, but he endured the pain as I tried to staunch the bleeding on his worst fractures.
 
"Yeah."
 
"Because, she's valuable. I thought if I watched, and no-one knew, she'd be safe. It wasn't enough." I wanted to yell at him to continue, but he grit his teeth as I dabbed antiseptic on a cut. "She was coming home, after time with Sakura. We were walking through the square. She didn't know I was there. All the ponies had gone inside, and it was quiet. Someone hit me from behind." He weakly pointed to a scuff on the back of his head. "They knew I was a changeling, I think. The blow was right." I frowned at that, but nodded. With an exoskeleton, the knockout points for a bug were different; I'd used that one myself. It paralyzed an important artery. A good rap would cut off oxygen to the brain, and they'd pass out. With a knife, the effect was even more impressive. "But they didn't hit right, even with a club. I fought back, but they weren't alone."
 
"Description?"
 
"Pointless." He waved a hoof, weakly. "I saw a half-dozen disguises. They were trying to disorient me." I nodded slowly at that. Most of my opponents had been too young to disguise, but Gash had done that. He'd used it to throw off my aim, or even make me miss grapples. "Still, I'm no amateur. I got in a few good - " He hissed as I cleaned the last cut. He'd been thrashed, but not lethally wounded. " - hits. Bitterbloom didn't have a chance, though. They finally laid me out." He pointed to a bruised cheek, barely visible under his shell. "Really rattled my brain. But before I blacked out, I sensed a teleport. When I woke up, they were gone."
 
I rapidly bandaged him, working to cover his wounds with gauze and tape. My mind whirled as I rifled through my bag, retrieving  a small vial of muddy liquid.
 
"Here. Drink this."
 
"This is…?"
 
"Some of Bit's reserve."
 
"Her…reserve." There was a reverence in his motions as he accepted the vial. He glanced at me reluctantly.
 
"Do it!" I snapped. "If the foalnappers send a note or messenger, we're going to be ready!"
 
"They won't." He coughed. "It's…not like that."
 
"What do you mean?" My voice was low and dangerous. "Onyx, if you've lied…" My hand fell to my dagger. "Talk!" I didn't exactly like Onyx. He didn't really like me. But we respected each other, and I'd tried to be fair. I thought he'd been doing the same.
 
"No, no." He shook his head and giggled, slightly hysterical as he slowly climbed off the table. "No, I haven't lied. But you still don't understand changelings, or Bitterbloom."
 
"Then TELL ME!" I whipped out my knife, and flung it. It zipped past his nose and sank into the countertop with a satisfying thunk, the thick blade buried nearly hilt-deep in the soft wood. I clenched and unclenched a fist, glad it was no longer tempting me. "Tell me now, Onyx. How many times do I need to ask you?"
 
"It's not me." He gave me a slit-eyed look. "I've been…well. Here's what I can say. The changelings won't send a note, because they don't understand family or friendship like you do. They didn't take Bit because she was valuable to you, they did it because she was valuable to them. So, there will be no chance to retrieve her. Unless we make it ourselves."
 
"Then all the more reason!" I pointed angrily at him. "Drink it!"
 
"As you say." He pulled the cork, and tipped the thick liquid into his throat. "Sweet." He gave a surprised glance, and turned a considering eye on me. "Your feelings for her are sweet."
 
"Thanks." I shifted uncomfortably, unsure what that meant. "How can we pursue?"
 
"I have no idea." He set the vial down morosely, but already seemed stronger. Still, his gaze fell. "I sensed a teleport. As far as I know, there's no trail."
 
"Hmm." I tapped a tooth for a second. "Did you actually scan it?"
 
"Yeah, but I can't remember - "
 
"Good enough!" I sprang into action. "Twilight and Rarity are gone. Fluttershy and Pinkie won't be helpful here. Dash and Applejack are too far out." I stripped useless weight from my pack, and yanked my dagger from the counter. I leaped into my room, and scanned the dresser before tucking a jewelry box into a pocket. "In the central square, you said?"
 
"Yeah. By the edge, where - "
 
"No time. Run to Lyra's. Say her padawan needs her, and she'll come. I'll get Sunset."
 
"But how - "
 
"Go!" I yelled, before slipping on my boots and leaving at a dead run.
 



 
"Hurry!"
 
"I am!" Sunset shot back. We were running the road to the square. Sunset had been surprised when I interrupted her supper, but when I explained what was happening, she'd dropped everything and joined me, barely pausing to close the flues on her fireplace.
 
She poured on a little more speed and started pulling ahead. I tried to match her, but she'd apparently hit her stride on the straight-way. Not even my longer legs could match her at a full gallop.
 
She reached the square before me, and stopped in a shower of sparks, iron shoes grinding on the cobbles. Lyra and Onyx had beaten us.
 
"Alright, everypony!" I stepped forward and seized control of the situation. "My aide, an innocent foal, has been wrongfully taken. I want your help retrieving him. I have no idea what we're up against. It might be a full hive. It might be Sombra and a Changeling Queen. Are you with me?" Three nods came back decisively. "Ok. Since we're going in cold -"
 
"Wait, wait." Lyra stopped me. "We have no idea where to go! They teleported out!"
 
"Really?" Sunset gave me a grimace. "What were you thinking, Wes?"
 
"He scanned the teleport." I pointed to Onyx. "Risograph him. We'll follow from that."
 
"Hmm." Sunset rubbed her chin. "That's… risky."

"Twilight used it on Rarity, to get a read on Sombra's mirror magic! Don't tell me you can't do it!"
 
"Twilight had time and a lab. You can have either fast or safe, not both." Sunset set her jaw. "Besides, changeling magic is different!"
 
"You can trace them?" Onyx gave her a surprised stare. "Do it!" He stepped up, letting his horn show through the disguise. "If it works, I don't care if you burn me out!"
 
"…fine." Sunset gave a troubled nod. "If you're willing to risk it, I'll do my best. Stand as close to the teleport as you can, and hold still."
 
"You're serious about this, Wes." Lyra sidled up to me, as the other two walked towards a shadowy area by the town hall.
 
"Yeah." I snapped open my correspondence folder. "If we had more time, I'd get more help. But from what Onyx said…I can't wait." I started penciling a note to Fancy. If nothing else, notifying the Agency was polite. If I was lucky, they'd be able to scramble reinforcements. I laid out the situation in terse strokes.
 
"No, I understand." Lyra shook her head. "But you've certainly become attached to that little bug."

"Bit's not just - !" I stopped, choking back a yell as what she said hit me. I really was attached to Bit. More than I'd ever expected to be, honestly. At first, I'd seen it as a bother. Eventually, it had grown into a helpful pet of sorts. By now, though…I wasn't sure. I felt strongly protective. This had shaken me. I thought back to pacing in the kitchen. I'd been worried, as if for child. "Bit's like an apprentice, maybe even a sibling or… or a child? I don't know. I've never been a parent. But whatever."
 
I finished my note with a scrawl, promising coordinate and more updates if possible. I flashed the note as top priority. Anypony at the Agency would escalate it. I should have heavy-duty support by daybreak, at the latest, if I knew where to send them.
 
"It doesn't matter exactly what our relationship is. Bitterbloom's mine." I clenched my fist. "I never thought I'd say that." A sense of wonder washed over me, as I realized I really did feel a burning loyalty to my small bug. "But whoever's done this, they'd better beware." I grinned, baring my canines. "We're going for them, Lyra."
 
"Good." She smiled back. I'd never seen such a fearsome smile from an herbivore. "Let's wreck 'em." We turned back to Sunset and Onyx. The unicorn had a half-dozen trails of cyan magic running from her horn to Onyx's. The changeling was grimacing, and his camouflage flickered as the tendrils moved. Sunset grunted, squeezing her eyes closed. White sparks crept from her eyelids as her magic saturated. Cyan sigils and runes spun out from her hooves, carefully prepared to channel her spell.
 
"Runecasting…" I breathed.
 
"She's good," Lyra replied, awed.
 
"I'm right here," Sunset bit out. "I may not have finished Celestia's tuition, but I worked solo for years. I've got my own tricks." I nodded, as the runes started crackling. Instead of trying to hold the entire spell-sequence in her head, she was projecting a simple image with the information encoded and forcing power through that. It would be lossy, but much less likely to degrade. Onyx grit his teeth as the tendrils swelled, pumping magic through his horn in unnatural patterns. He began swaying, and his eyes crossed. But right before he collapsed, the entire spell snapped back into Sunset's horn. She blinked her eyes open, concentrating the entire aura into a buzzing sphere, which calmed after a few seconds. She sighed as the stress of casting lessened.
 
"I got it." She breathed a deep sigh. "That was intense, but it worked. Onyx, you OK?"
 
"I think so." The changeling struggled to his feet. "What now?"
 
"Hmm." Sunset tapped her chin, and squinted at the spherical result she'd obtained. Numbers swirled through the condensed spell, reconstructed from Onyx's horn. "That's… a good question."
 
"What's up?" I stepped forward, and carefully scanned the spell. "Oh."
 
"Exactly." Sunset grimaced. "There's no coordinates here. I don't know if you missed that, Onyx, or if it wasn't part of -"
 
"They used an telekey." Lyra stepped forward, squinting.

"Excuse me?" Sunset gave her a surprised look.
 
"Hey, Sunset." Lyra belligerently stuck out her lip. "You may be a whiz-bang sorceress, but don't look down on us small-time casters. I can read this as well."
 
"No, no!" Sunset waved a hoof placating. "I'm not trying to be…elitist. I don’t want to look down on anypony. But how can you tell?"
 
"Look, here and here." Now all four of us were gathered around the risograph. "See these tails? They'd hook directly into an artifact. Check the twists. It could hold the coordinates and calculations for somepony who needed to teleport, but couldn't master the spell. Like a bug-out bomb. It takes more power, but less control, and only heads to one place."
 
"I see." I traced the spell with my wand, slowly reconstructing it with my mind. "I wish Twilight…" I stopped. I wasn't sure how I felt about Twilight, just now. I wished…I wished Twilight was here, and I'd never heard of Discord. I sighed, but stopped as something about the spell jumped out at me. "Oh! Look!" I traced an energy-path with my wand. "Here, this is a force vector!"
 
"So?" Lyra gave me a quizzical look.
 
"Don't you see?" Excitement was starting to well in my chest. "That's got to be set as you cast. It's an automatic function, but it's different for each situation! We can work with this!"
 
"How?" Onyx looked exhausted, but determined.
 
"Watch!" I carefully pushed a tiny thread of power into the reconstruction, my orange magic distinct from Sunset's blue. "This is the entirety of the spell, minus the coordinates. However, the artifact just stores the coordinates and calculations. The numbers need to be embedded in the spell before it can actually teleport! The information is still here!" I started lacing my power carefully through the tiny nodes and loops of energy, calculations flying through my head. The whole thing was here. If we could only get at it, we wouldn't need the artifact at all.
 
"What are you doing?" Sunset was fascinated. Lyra watched curiously, Onyx with detached ferocity.
 
"Reconstruction. This spell is a kinesthism, and your risograph is a half-inversion of the original. If I work this just right…I wish I had a calculator." I only had one chance at this, or we'd have to start over. I glanced at Onyx. I didn't want to risk that, but at least we had a plan. I'd been getting better at math through absorbing Twilight's skill. I wasn't nearly as good as her, but I was better than I'd ever been. I grit my teeth, and carefully checked what I was doing three times in my head.
 
"How are you doing that?" Sunset's voice filled with wonder as I finished my weaving, and carefully started to tug one end of the spell.
 
"I calculated the inversion matrix, and tagged each part in the right order. Twilight could have done it in a split second, but even with the boost from her…" I stopped before I spilled anything on my numancy to Onyx and Lyra. "I have trouble doing complex math in my head. Thankfully, with this, I just needed to start. The spell guides the rest." I'd set up the equation, and then traced the answer through the risograph. As long as it matched, I was doing OK.
 
As I tugged, the spell started sparkling and vibrating. I was re-inverting the spell.
 
"Holy crow." Lyra breathed as I gave one last tug, and the risograph popped inside-out, suddenly resolving into a perfect copy of the teleportation spell the kidnappers used. "That's so wrong!"
 
"I don't care." I shrugged. "If you can break the laws of physics, I can break the laws of magic. Turnabout's fair play. Look at that, and tell me if it worked!"
 
"It did." Onyx stepped forward. "That's what I saw, alright." I breathed a deep sigh.
 
"OK, how can we use this?" I pointed. "There's still no coordinates. But if you release it?" I glanced at Sunset.
 
"It would draw a lot of power, and warp…at least two of us." She grimaced. "Into who-knows-where. This is a long distance spell, like they use for the military warp-net. No wonder they had a telekey; even I couldn't cast this without a rune circle. They were either abnormally strong, or using boosters."
 
"They were burning concentrate." Onyx shrugged. "A changeling's power scales with their reserves. Any bug can be more powerful than you, Sunset, with enough emotion."
 
"Blech." Sunset grimaced. "That's not reassuring. How long have the Phoresians been harvesting fear?"
 
"And what do they plan with Bit?" I rubbed my head. "Wait, no. Questions later. Sunset, can we all use this? Can we bring more than two?"
 
"I think so." She shrugged. "If we all pour into it. I can carry most of the load, but I'll be nearly dry at the end."
 
"I can amplify it a little." Lyra stepped up. "I don't like doing it, because it's risky and I rarely cast with friends, but I've got a technique that might ease our way." Sunset gave her a considering stare.
 
"You sure it's worth it?" I gave her a look.
 
"Yup." She nodded. "We'll need everypony hitting hard. If Sunset's burned out, we'll be down one before we even start. Besides, two half-drained unicorns recharge faster than one fully-drained one."
 
"Ok." I nodded. "Can we get more backup? The rest of the Elements in town?"
 
"No." Sunset gave me a flat denial. "Much as that would help, only magic users can take this warp, and we need to go ASAP. It's pulling." She waved her horn slightly.
 
"What do we do?" Lyra asked, as we stepped inwards.
 
"Plug into the spell, follow my lead." Sunset flexed her power, and tiny threads spun out of the sphere. I extended my wand, arm tingling as the cyan tendril attached. I watched carefully as Sunset began, slowly pouring magic into the construct to activate it.
 
"Alright, I've got it." Lyra pulsed her horn. "Hold on, everypony. This might get rocky. Sunset, don't fight the fluctuations." Sunset grimaced and bit her lip. Lyra pulsed her magic, the familiar metaspell missed by everyone else. Still, the effects were immediate. We all gasped as the spell structure flickered and began vibrating. I watched in amazement as the pulses of energy washed back and forth. Lyra was concentrating power exactly where it needed to be, using her meta-magic to control the flow. Sunset grit her teeth and tried to match her output to the pulsing drain. Still, it would cut casting power by at least half.
 
For a second, I thought the whole thing would fly apart. But we suddenly got ignition, the central sphere whirling outwards in a blur of color to grab us. I braced for the twist, but still felt disoriented as the magic whisked me off my feet, spun me sideways through reality, and dropped me.
 
I arched in midair, nailing a three-point landing with knife in hand and ready for action. Around me, my friends materialized. Lyra vanished before even touching the ground. Onyx flickered and disappeared, some sort of active camouflage. Sunset never even landed; she whipped up a barrier and hung floating, a dozen orbs of power orbiting her irregularly and crackling with suppressed violence.
 
Calm.
 
I carefully stood and sheathed my knife, listening to my instincts. We were safe, for now. Either no-one was around, or they were miles better than us, and didn't care what we did. Sunset slowly landed, her orbs winking out and shield fading to a dim shimmer. Onyx re-appeared, materializing by the treeline. Lyra was instantly back.
 
We were in the forest.
 
I looked up; it was full night here. We'd moved a considerable distance; hours east.
 
"Ok, spread out cautiously, search for a trail." I patted my pockets for a bloom-jar and followed my own advice, lowering my head to inspect the ground before moving.
 
"No need!" I glanced at Onyx, who was grinning. "Oh, that clever girl!"
 
"Tell!"
 
"She has trust beyond trust in you, Wesley Kilmer. Despite the teleport, she's been leaving a scent trail." He drew a deep breath through his nose. "And her captors never noticed! Oh. Oh! We might actually pull this off!" He glanced at the moon. "Let's move!" He dashed silently into the forest, flinging himself headlong down a narrow path.
 
We fell into single-file behind him, ghosts flitting through the moonlight, hell-bent on revenge.
 
I would guard my ward. Retribution and vengeance would fall fast and fierce on any who barred my way.
 
I felt a flower of anger blossom in my chest, and hesitantly welcomed it. For the first time in a while, I had someone I felt I could hate. The familiar burn of emotion was warm, and I grinned savagely in dark.
 
It felt good.



> 52 - Invade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's a hive, alright. Probably Phoresy." Onyx landed with a flutter, obviously bothered by his findings. No surprise, but confirmation was important. Bit had led us on a twisty path through the deep forest. I was half convinced we'd been closing on the kidnappers before reaching the woods edge. Unwilling to blindly leave cover, I'd tasked Onyx to scout. He'd used his camouflage to follow discretely.
 
"As we expected." I stood, brushing crumbs off my lap. It was late and I'd left supper on the table, but I always had iron rations in my pack. Lyra and Sunset had foraged a little and split one of my granola bars. "What's it look like?"
 
"Bad." Onyx shrugged. "Windigolems guard the entrance."
 
"Ouch." I grimaced. "I didn't seriously think we'd be up against Sombra and a Queen."
 
"It's dismaying, but actually an opportunity." Onyx grinned as we turned to him. "See, the real strength of changelings is the Hivemind. And windigolems - "
 
" - aren't part of that." Lyra grinned back. "Hmm. You've got my attention."
 
"Exactly. And something is very odd. Haven't you noticed what's missing?" He waved a hoof.
 
"No patrols." Sunset flicked her mane out of her eyes. "They're sloppy. Or desperate."
 
"Likely desperate." Onyx grimaced, clearly apprehensive. "No proof, but this feels like a strategic thaumaturgy setup. Queen Tezeca never pulled patrols unless her circles needed every last bug."
 
"What about Bit?" I growled. I didn't want Bitterbloom anywhere near strategic-level spell casting. Foalnapped on the very eve of? That made my skin crawl. "Are we far behind?"
 
“An hour, by pheromone decay." Onyx smiled nervously. "I never expected to make this good of time. As for Bit…" Worry clouded his face. "I've told you she's valuable?"
 
"Many times. I agree." I snapped open my correspondence folder and handed it to Sunset. She tucked the tiny octant she'd been sighting with back into my bag, and started scribbling coordinates to Fancy. We were mere minutes from Baltimare by air. Troops would arrive in hours, but we weren't waiting.
 
"When I described Agents, did you ever wonder that Bit was so young?"
 
"Not really." I shrugged. "Sure, it's odd. But stranger things happen." I refrained from listing.
 
"Well, that's important. If Bit falls into the wrong hooves… my hive is in trouble. She's literally more valuable than any other Tezecan agent."
 
"Really." I rubbed my forehead, resisting the urge to shake Onyx until he spilled everything he'd neglected. "And Tezeca fostered Bit with me." My eyes narrowed at a vile thought. "Is Bit a hostage?" My voice was harsh. Sunset and Lyra gasped, but Onyx shook his head slowly.
 
"Maybe she could be, if our leaders were different. But remember meeting Bit? What they said?"
 
"Oh…" Both Tezeca and Celestia had given me leave to…blech, 'terminate' Bit. Celestia almost certainly did it because she knew it would have the opposite effect, but she'd meant it nonetheless. What was a hostage with no guarantee?
 
"Bit…" Onyx sighed. "Is a gamble. The biggest my hive has made for hundreds of years." He shrugged. "I don't know specifics, just that she will make or break us. Here's what I do know." He grinned. "I promise, after this, you'll know all I can tell."
 
"Hah. Continue." I settled my pack. Onyx led us slowly out of the forest.
 
"Most agents wouldn't realize this." He was speaking softly. We'd be near the entrance soon. "As a hatchling Agent, Bit has… call it the Hivemind's 'key', imprinted in her. Since she never activated…never really used her link, it's unformed. It's half the key, with traces of the rest. Which means it's not magically secure. If Phoresy's good enough, she could…" He drew a shuddering breath. "She could co-opt that, and access much of the Tezecan Hivemind."
 
"She could hack a Hivemind?" I was aghast. "Is that what they're casting?"
 
"I have no idea." Onyx's voice was strained. "I'm so, so afraid. I have no idea. If it is…Bit won't survive. My hive will lose their Queen. Our gamble will fail. It will be a disaster like we haven't seen for thousands of years." His voice grew quiet. "It may end my hive. Hush. We're nearly there." He slowed, and we dropped to crawl over the last rise.
 
Ahead, the ground fell away, the path sliding deep into a narrow canyon. A sturdy door, wide, tall, plain, and heavy, was mounted solidly into a hewn rock-face at the bottom. I grimaced; that would be yards of bedrock if I'd built it. There were guards, too. A half-dozen crystal statues flickered fitfully in the dark. Obviously windigolems.
 
"Lyra, do they look different?" I whispered. We didn’t have comms. I made a mental note to build a dozen to keep in my pack.
 
"Yeah." We halted, stopping the others. I squinted, trying to isolate what bothered me.
 
"Oh." Lyra's voice was small. "Trace the path, Wes."
 
I wondered, but complied. The path wound down, and down, and down…. I sighed as I caught her meaning. I'd assumed we were hundreds of yards from the door, because I'd compared its size to the windigolems. But following the walls of the canyon showed it was nearly three times farther than I'd guessed.
 
Which meant the door, and the windigolems, were several times larger.
 
"Those are big. Not a good start." I scratched my forehead. "Not at all." I thought for a moment. "Still, it shouldn't make much of a difference for you, Jedi. Sunset, are there wards?" Our caster's horn flickered dimly, and she shook her head.
 
"They must be relying on noise for warning. Maybe there's a lookout inside, or maybe they're not concerned about attack. Which would be foolish, after foalnapping Bit." She frowned. "Odd."
 
"We've got to move on. Can you muffle Lyra?"
 
"Done." A drop of cyan floated off Sunset's horn, wrapping around the martial artist before fading.
 
"Alright, go crazy." I'd barely finished before Lyra was gone. She took four jumps to reach the door, moving frighteningly fast, little more than a blur in the air. She landed behind the golems like a feather, attacking with an astonishing flurry of blows. Each touch was devastating. One golem crumbled before they even reacted. The whole thing was silent. As soon as she left, we rose and nonchalantly made our way down the path.
 
"When those things break, they'll release the animating spirit." I nodded to Sunset. "Pull them together, and funnel them into this." I held up a jar. "We'll leave it here. They should evaporate at daybreak. I hope that will be enough to avoid alerting the boss."
 
We reached the door as the last golem shattered. Onyx and Sunset gave Lyra appraising glances. I realized that we'd never worked together like this before. I  was the one tying these ponies together. They would fly or fall on my word. That realization was both empowering and frightening. Once again, I'd jumped in over my head. Once again, I knew that my friends would support me. I trusted them.
 
Shaking off my introspection, I stepped up to the door, running a hand over the smooth wood. It was thick and sturdy; even without guards, this was a significant obstacle. We could power through. I had no doubt either mare could easily wreck the portal. But stealth needed subtlety, precision. I carefully scrutinized it, searching for weak points. My eyes kept returning to the fist-sized lock. It was thaumically resistant, enspelled with rune-circles of rejection, but maybe… I leaned down and started absently shuffling the crystal fragments with my dagger, wary of razor edges.
 
"Aha!" I found was I needed. A piece of broken windigolem, maybe eight inches long, and thin enough to fit in the lock.
 
"Wes, what are you…" Lyra's voice trailed off as I slid it into the lock, feeling for the tumblers. "Are you seriously trying to pick a lock with that?"
 
"How much do you know about lock picking?" I tapped the glass with my wand, feeling for harmonics.
 
"Not much." She frowned.
 
"Lock snapping?"
 
"What?"
 
"How about vibration picks?" Her expression turned curious at that, and she watched carefully as I set the crystal singing and torqued it. The lock buzzed and clicked over loudly, random movements aligning the tumblers just right.
 
"There!" I withdrew the crystal, tossing it back into the pile. "Just like magic!" I grinned, and pushed the door. It swung quietly. The air rippled as Onyx slipped in.
 
"But…" Sunset gave the lock a look as she stepped through. "That's spell-metal!"
 
"I know." I stepped in last. "It was science. If you want to be powerful, why limit yourself to the obvious?" I shrugged. "I won't." My grin was fierce as I stepped into my enemies' domain.
 



 
"This is ridiculous."
 
We were feeling discouraged, and rather lost.
 
There was no opposition inside. If Onyx hadn't confirmed Bit's trail, I'd have completely despaired. As it was, we still had serious trouble. Onyx reported the trail fading as soon as we entered. At the first crossroad he frowned and slowed. At the second, he grimaced and paused. At the third, he groaned and stopped, leaning on a wall.
 
"What's up?" I crossed my hands behind my back.
 
"Traffic!" He waved a hoof. "I don't know how many passed here, but each one spread the trail. I can't be sure if they went this way, that way, or straight through!" He waved.
 
"Hmm." I frowned. "Lyra, Sunset, ideas?"
 
"I could try a tracer." Sunset frowned. "But it might trigger wards. We're in deep, and if an alarm goes off we'll have trouble."
 
"I've got echolocation." Lyra grimaced. "But it's not exactly passive. Same problem."
 
"Dang." I mulled our options for a moment. "Onyx, what's going on?"
 
"What do you mean?"
 
"Why's this place so dead?"
 
"Something big’s going down. I'd still guess strategic spells." He grimaced, and started inspecting the corridor again. "I think… for now, let's go this way." He set off slowly, and we followed. "If they're setting up for a ritual, everyone would be present."
 
"All of them?"
 
"All they could spare. There might be a few with the eggs. But yeah."
 
"How's the casting work?" Sunset asked. We talked quietly, but the absolute emptiness had relaxed our guard.
 
"It's… hard to describe. Agent’s can’t participate, but each member of the Hivemind stores some emotion condensate. In the ritual, they convert it to magic and send it to the Queen. She balances all the flows, and weaves the spell. It's immensely powerful. I doubt even your Princess' could match it alone."
 
"Like an L-system. I used one for sharing magic, at the university." Sunset muttered. "But… what sort of efficiency do you get?"
 
"It's lossless." Onyx shrugged. "At short range, at least. The Hivemind isn't some kludgy rune-thing. It's fundamentally a construct of beauty and grace."
 
"You're not biased at all." Lyra snorted.
 
"Of course not!" He grinned, and our spirits lightened slightly. If we could still joke, we were still going strong.
 
"Head for the center." I motioned to Onyx, at the next cross-way. He gave me a blank look. "Just a guess." I shrugged. "But if this hive is like the others, there's a centerpiece. Tezeca had a garden, Wraith an arena." Onyx nodded slowly, and picked a corridor. "Plus," I continued, "they'll need a large space, and I bet that's central. Like you said, it's only lossless at short range."
 
I'd begun wondering if I'd made the wrong choice, but Lyra stopped us after a few minutes walking.
 
"Halt!" she called quietly. We promptly flattened against the nearest wall. She peered around the corner. "…been here for hours…" she muttered, ears spinning and scanning like radar dishes. "…Queen Phoresy won't be happy…Let us in…on your own heads…" She looked back. "Bit!" she gasped, setting off at a ghostly gallop. We dashed behind, footsteps muffled by careful magic.
 
"Ponyfeathers!" she yelped, as we came to a corner. She peeked carefully around, using a mirror held in a dim golden glow. "We just missed them!" She stepped boldly out, and we followed. "They were here!" She stomped a muffled hoof in frustration. "I could hear them talking! Two wanted in. The other didn't like it, but agreed anyways!"
 
I examined the area. Our hall intersected a spreading corridor, opulent and lushly furnished. Thick carpet ran down the center, wide enough for six ponies abreast. Suits of armor stood at the sides, carved chitin and blackened steel glinting evilly under bright crystal lamps. Double doors stood at the end, nearly twice as tall as the corridor was wide. Lyra stood glaring up at them.
 
"Onyx?"
 
"She's right. Bit was here moments ago." He gnashed his teeth. "What now?"
 
I shook my head slowly, carefully looking for our next move.
 
"There." I pointed upwards. High above the floor, on both sides of the door, stained-glass windows hung in shadow. "Any chance those - " My words cut off as Sunset vanished with a pop, materializing beside one. She hung suspended by her cyan aura. My heart jumped to my mouth as I imagined those inside noticing her. But she glanced back and smiled, before reaching out carefully and flicking something on the rim of the window. The frame swung inwards like a door. She floated through, and motioned us after.
 
"Hup!" Lyra leaped, bouncing off the walls and hurtling through. Onyx simply spread his wings and flew.
 
"Great." I rifled through my pack, feeling for my cord. "No chance I could get a lift? I'm apparently the only member of the Justice League who can't fly. At all." I tied the wire-cored rope to my hammer, and flung it through the window. No clang; somepony had caught it, because it held firm when I jerked. Setting my feet against the wall, I walked myself up, concentrating a little magic on my hands and arms to keep moving strongly. I stuck an arm in the window and climbed through. As soon as I arrived, I froze.
 
We were on a balcony, above a sea of changelings. I ducked behind the railing and peeked between the thick columns.
 
"A theater?" Lyra whispered.
 
"No, it's been re-purposed." Onyx muttered back. "This is all temporary." He motioned to stacks of panels and piles of mechanisms lining the walls. "It… may have been a maze. A labyrinth, or gauntlet."
 
The room was huge. Easily as large as the arena, seats and everything. Looking down, the floor fell away from the door. Changelings stood fifty feet below us, carpeting the floor, arranged in orderly blocs. Crooked horns and pierced legs aligned into exact ranks. I counted a square of ten, and then ten squares of ten, and estimated that there were easily four thousand bugs in the room, packed cheek-to-jowl. They faced the stage, covered with the trappings of an intricate and involved ritual. Crystals, columns, sigils, runes, even tapestry, bowls of water and… red liquid. It was unfinished, but arranged meticulously. In the center stood -
 
Bit.
 
I cued on my aide as my eyes swept the stage. The little bug stood tall and proud, fiercely facing down a Queen. Phoresy, if slit purple eyes and jagged ornamentation indicated. Three Phoresian Agents cowered behind. I slipped out my wand, and cast a subtle echonary spell, lensing and funneling sound to me. We were shadowed; though I could see clearly, we'd be difficult to spot. No wonder Sunset had been pleased. I crept to the side, surveying my friends as I listened.
 
"….Are you still claiming that, Rime?" The first voice I heard was deep and deadly.
 
"My Queen, I swear! The translation keys were correct! If it wasn't from you - " One of the cowering Agents barely dared to look up.
 
"Silence! This fiasco wastes time!" Phoresy glanced at Bit, and pointed. "Stand there. I will deal with you, later." Her smile gave me chills. My fists clenched.
 
"They're coming." Bit's voice was as soft and calm as ever.
 
"Shhh!" One of the agents stepped forward. Bit glanced back, and it stopped. There was a surety in Bit's eyes that caused even Phoresy to pause. The small bug stared down the Queen, and it was Phoresy who spoke.
 
"Who?" Her voice rang, threatening. "Who is coming?"
 
"My teacher. His friends." Calm assurance gleamed in Bit's pearly eyes. "You will pay."
 
"Fool!" Phoresy threw her head back and laughed. "No-one knows you're here! No-one's coming! They haven't even noticed you're gone! And if they do, would they care? For such a small bug?"
 
"He would never abandon me." Bit nodded firmly. "No more than his friends abandon him. He fights monsters bare-handed, and sings his opponents to death. Harmony walks with him. The Sun and Moon watch over him. Watch. Wait. Fear. You will not stand."
 
"Enough!" Phoresy's gaze spoke anger. "Your words are powerless! I stand alone as Changeling Queen in Equestria. Chrysalis is gone, Wraith is dead. Tezeca sold herself. I alone am a true Queen, the last true changeling! I stand against all, and my allies stand alongside!" She looked past the side of the stage. "Come, Glisten. We will continue." I frowned, mind whirling, as the lieutenant we'd recently met entered stage left. She was still obviously a windigolem. Her slabby blue body and fuchsia mane shone brightly among the rounded black bugs. The agents seized Bit, pulling it off the stage's opposite edge to join a bloc of bugs. They barely looked out of place.
 
"What do you feed that bug?" Lyra leaned in close, whispering. "Brass tacks? Brimstone? She threw you down against a Queen!"
 
"Uhuh." Lost in thought, I rubbed my chin.
 
"Uhuh my minty flank! That's some serious spunk! I wish my apprentice had half the fire!" She gave me a sly look.
 
"Hmm."
 
"You're not listening."
 
"I feed Bit loyalty." I turned to her. "Look, Lyra…I think we've been played."
 
"What?" Sunset leaned in to listen, and Onyx settled on my other side. "How do you figure?"
 
"Phoresy didn't kidnap Bit." I pointed to the Queen. "She wasn't expecting this at all. Those agents moved without her say-so. Did you see how angry she was?"
 
"Hmm." Lyra nodded slowly. "You might be right. That would explain the lack of guards. We weren't expected, because this wasn't her plot."
 
"Then who?" Sunset frowned. "And why?"
 
"The why is pretty simple." I grimaced. "Someone wants us to do their dirty work. And we will; we've no choice."
 
"The who is equally obvious." Onyx frowned. "It wasn't Sombra; Glisten's here. It must be Chrysalis."
 
"By elimination?" I shifted carefully. We were hard to see, but by no means invisible. I'd have been more worried, but the changeling ranks never shifted. Glisten and Phoresy had their heads down over the ritual.
 
"That, but she also knew Bit's a changeling from from the time with Sapphire Shores, and maybe guessed she's a hatchling." He grimaced. "She suborned Phoresy's agents. Who else could discover the keys? I should have been more careful after Baltimare! She realized how valuable Bit is. Maybe made a connection with you as the Ambassador having a changeling aide."
 
"Blech." I grimaced. "You could hardly have been more cautious without literally tying yourself to Bit, which I wouldn't allow. As hollow as words are, you did your best. Either way, we need to move forward." I waved at the hall. "This actually improves our situation."
 
"How so?" Sunset whispered.
 
"Simple." Lyra patted her shoulder. "They're not expecting us."
 
"Exactly." I grinned. "Look, team. Why are we here?"
 
"To rescue Bit," Sunset answered. The other two nodded.
 
"And we're willing to risk?"
 
"Everything," Lyra said, again to nods.
 
"Good." I grinned, heart swelling, glad I had friends like this. "Great. Four of us, one thousand bugs each.  We can split Phoresy and Glisten equally - "
 
"Look!" Sunset nudged me. "That's it!"
 
"What?" I turned to the stage. Glisten was carrying a silver oval.
 
"The mirror!" She leaned in close, whispering in my ear. "The mirror from the painting! From Manehatten! In the cart!"
 
"The Misty Mirror." I stopped, wondering. "That… Hmm."
 
We watched in silence as Phoresy and Glisten worked. I scanned the stage carefully, trying to understand the ritual. It seemed incomprehensible, until I glimpsed a heart-shaped crystal in the center, suspended over the mirror.
 
"No way…" I breathed.
 
"What?" Sunset glanced curiously at me.
 
"That's resography!" I leaned in close, whispering frantically. "I saw those patterns when Twilight tunneled out of the Crystal Empire! This strategic spell… they're….they're doing it again! Creating another pocket dimension!" I stopped, trying to grasp the implications.
 
"Unassailable," Onyx muttered. "She's a coward. No wonder she's so enamored with fear. I bet Bit's got her quaking in her shell. She's so scared of the Sisters she wants a trans-dimensional hideout."
 
"More than that." Sunset finished counting quietly. "This is bad, ponies. Really, really bad."
 
"Well?" Lyra gave her a look.
 
"This spell…it's not only focused here." Her whisper was harsh. "That mirror's got serious kick; as a foci, it must be miles better than the Heart. They're grabbing this piece of Equus, and another, about a hundred miles that way."
 
"Baltimare!" I breathed. "Seriously?"
 
"Check for yourself. Trace the leylines! Count the prime nodes!"
 
"You're right." I grimaced after a moment. "This changes things. We can't abandon Bit, but we need to stop this ritual, no matter what." I frowned. "That means we can't do a snatch-and-run and clean up later. Phoresy's one-upping Wraith. I am not letting her tuck half of Baltimare in her pocket!"
 
"I think we need to wait." Lyra leaned in. "It's risky, but our best chance is when Phoresy's distracted. If we wait till the spell starts, she'll be seriously preoccupied. The reinforcements might also get here, and if we're lucky, we can destabilize the construct and burn her with whiplash. Even distracted, she'll be classes above us." She grimaced. "If we're too direct, she'll hit straight back and wipe us. We can't skip to the stage. We need chaos. We need interference. We need to drop into the crowd, and thrash our way across. That way, we'll be hard to target until we're closer."
 
"Can we try a ploy? Distraction? Divide and conquer?" I looked out over the gleaming ranks.
 
"Impossible." Onyx flatly refused. "This isn't an army. There are six changelings in this room. Phoresy and her drones, her agents, Bit, and myself. Divide and conquer would become defeat in detail."  
 
"Dang." I mulled that for a second. Maybe having bodies between us and her was a good choice. "If that's how it's got to be." I shrugged.  "But we've got to have something. No need to divvy up the small fry, just a plan for dealing with Phoresy and Glisten long enough to grab Bit and wreck the ritual."
 
"Oh, that's all." Lyra rolled her eyes. "Easy."
 
"What choice do we have?" I shrugged. I was really doing this for Bit, but half of Baltimare did lay in the balance.
 
"None," she answered soberly. "None at all."

> 53 - Rifts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wake up!"
 
"Huh?" My eyes snapped open. We'd laid our plans, and waited for Phoresy and Glisten to complete their spell. Onyx claimed changelings slept less, so we'd eaten quickly and left him watching while we napped behind the banister, shielded under a mute zone. I rose cautiously, stretching and yawning discretely. I felt miles better.
 
"Is it time?" I pulled on the new pair of gloves I'd commissioned, before all of this. They were black felt to match my boots, reinforced on the palm and studded on the knuckles.
 
"Close!" Onyx answered. "They're igniting a few blocs. I think they underestimated the setup time."
 
"It always takes longer and costs more." I grinned. "Speaking of which." I retrieved a handful of vials from my pack, and split them roughly in half. "Take these." I held out three.
 
"More of Bit's…" He looked up.
 
"Yeah, his emergency reserve. If this doesn't count, nothing does."
 
"Heh." He downed the vials one at a time. "You're right." He started ripping bandages off, his carapace underneath healed completely. "This is a lot of condensate for an Agent like me." He grinned. "For a little, I'll be a force to fear."
 
"Sweet." I grinned back, and checked my watch. "Shoot!" We’d used the break well, but it was barely past midnight. I reviewed my estimates on how fast my SOS would navigate the command chain. We'd taken weeks to outfit an expedition to Wraith's hive, but this was different. I'd been optimistic at six hours, but we weren't even there. "Looks like reinforcements won’t be here." I grimaced. "We're doing this the hard way."
 
"Oh well!" Lyra grinned. "Dibs on Phoresy!"
 
"Right. As we planned." I shuffled through my pack, withdrawing pieces of metal. I quickly assembled them into something like an umbrella with a pistol-grip.
 
"That's your heavy hitter?" Lyra looked skeptical.
 
"Yup." I patted my pockets for the jewel case I'd grabbed off my dresser. "I've done better, but I wasn’t expecting to use it so soon. Wait till you see it work, though." I slotted the case into the center, and peeked over the railing again. Every changeling horn was glowing. Magic arched through the air, aimed at the stage.
 
"Get ready, team. Drop in on my mark." I rose cautiously, wary of being seen, but no-one noticed. My team stepped up behind me. Phoresy took a central position on the stage, and power began focusing on her. Glisten stood by, face impassive. I heard Sunset gasp as the spell started to ignite, circuit after circuit flaring in a flickering ripple. My heartbeat accelerated as I tensed for battle. We were ready, and any second -
 
"Now!" I leaped onto the railing and jumped off the edge, trying for distance. Onyx caught and lowered me gently. Sunset and Lyra plummeted. They hit like meteors. A  wash of cyan blew away bugs near Sunset. Lyra blurred on contact, a thousand strikes blasting her opponents clear. By the time I'd landed, battle was in full force. There was none of the chaos a normal army would suffer; most bugs didn't even turn. Nearby ones just formed a phalanx and pressed in.
 
I heard Phoresy yell. An impossibly huge bolt sizzled overhead. We'd barely gotten down fast enough. Onyx risked flying, but stayed low and moved fast. Light swelled over the stage, and Glisten moved on us with a crunch and a clatter.
 
I forced distraction away, and returned to my weapon. I hadn’t actually charged it, for fear we'd be spotted in the open on the balcony. Now in the fight, I could power it up; it was almost ready. I'd never test fired it, but it would certainly work.
 
"Hurryhurryhurryhurry…" My fingers flew as I carefully adjusted the wire struts and focusing runes.
 
"Weeees! Get your thumper going!" I looked up. Lyra was viciously thrashing small-fry. The press was strong, but she easily held them back. Still, as good as she was, she could only hit one at a time. I saw the new-style windigolems approaching over the crowd.
 
"Working on it!" I shouted. "Lasersound needs precision!"
 
"Work faster!" Sunset yelled, hovering just above shoulder level. Her cyan aura flowed like water, flaming mane and tail floating gently in the wash. As I watched, a dozen tiny projectiles whipped off with dazzling speed. Each hit a flying bug; each bug dropped.
 
"How the hay did Tweed manage to stop you?" I carefully adjusted the last fitting.
 
"Simulcasting! Which is why we need you ready five seconds ago! There's a bloc about to get their act together!"
 
"Onyx has the grenades!" A second later I heard a blast, and smiled grimly. "Alright!" I snapped the final piece into place, and flicked open the jewel case. "Charging!" I raised the gun, and forced a dab of magic through the carefully constructed framework. The center flickered fitfully green, and a discordant shriek rent the air.
 
"Here!" I drew a bead on a windigolem. "Eat this!" I squeezed a shot off. The unleashed power circled through the spreaders in a flash, focused back on the jewel-box. Inside, they hit a green gem; the only Screaming Emerald in existence. Each tone rang back, a dozen tortured voices. The frame caught, focused, and returned them. Again. And again. In a split-second, the shriek soared through the audible registers. The Emerald flashed brilliantly and a lance of solid magic, heterodyned onto a beam of tightly focused and phased sound, slammed into the hapless golem.
 
It blurred briefly, before bursting in a shower of shattered glass.
 
"HAH!" I jigged victoriously. "Booyah!" I sighted on another, and dropped it. But I wasn't here to snipe; this gimmicked weapon wouldn't last long, and we needed a path. We planned to hit Phoresy hard. I leveled the gun, flicked the selector from 'burst' to 'continuous', and fired again.
 
It ROARED.
 
A bar of solid sound slammed across the room. Bugs were tossed. Golemns disintegrated. I played it back and forth; a corridor quickly cleared. I grinned, let up on the trigger, and stowed the unwieldy contraption. I dashed for the path.
 
Glisten stepped into it.
 
"Heh." My smile returned, widened. Hands blurred as I whipped the gun up. The selector flipped from 'continuous' to 'eleven'. I braced myself, shoved all my free magic into the gun, and squeezed.
 
It screamed.
 
A lambent rod of sound, incandescently white with magic, howled across the room and scattered off Glisten. This was no Arglefraster; I'd built it as a proof-of-concept, and brought it on a whim. Lasting this long meant it succeeded, and it hit even harder than expected. But Glisten shrugged it off and marched on.
 
My eyes narrowed as the guides began to smoke and curl, the beam de-cohering as they overheated. Its lifetime was over. I released the trigger, barely taking time to snatch the Screaming Emerald before dropping the empty frame.
 
I unslung my hammer, leveled it at Glisten, and charged.
 
I had no idea if the bosses knew our purpose here, and I frankly didn't care. I would shut them down, rescue my aide, and bug out. But Glisten knew an attacker when she saw one. Thankfully, she was no Glory.
 
I dashed straight down the corridor at her. Sunset and Lyra moved up behind, protecting my sides. Onyx carefully supported us, working so we wouldn’t be surrounded. I reached Glisten in a flash. She was smaller than me, and clearly not much of a fighter. My hammer connected with her chin, nearly flipping her backwards.
 
She shook it off and came back faster.
 
I frowned, dodging. I clobbered her again, shattering a knee. She grinned as it re-formed and tried to buck my head off. I grimaced and broke her back. She got up and kept kicking.
 
This was a losing battle.
 
"Lyra! Tag!" I yelled. I could supplement my blows with metamagic, and re-balance my energy for better strength, speed, or defense. But I couldn’t manage Lyra’s fancy tricks with projection and penetrating strikes. I landed one last blow on Glisten as I slid past. I barely glanced back as Lyra engaged with a vibrating crunch.
 
As soon as I stepped past Glisten, a dozen changelings swamped me. I grit my teeth and piled in. My hammer wrecked them, but more came. I dodged magic bolts, blocked hooves and horns, parried strikes and kicks.
 
I was winning. I laughed in exultation. My body moved smoothly. I could feel new instincts, built carefully and honed methodically, carrying me through the battle. I instinctively dodged, effortlessly pivoting into a graceful kick that snapped a neck. Momentum carried me on, logically and beautifully spinning into a strike that blasted my target backwards. I calmly withdrew, fell back into a balanced stance, and started a new flow.
 
The stage flared.
 
The flash yanked me back to reality. I stumbled, nearly falling, as one of the giant windigolems struck past me. The blow hit my hip and I hissed. That would hurt later. I swung my hammer, putting all the weight and power I could into the blow. The pointed head crunched deep into its chest. It quietly collapsed. I'd lucked onto a vital point. My eyes flashed to the stage.
 
We'd taken the 'low road' to surround ourselves with interference, and keep Phoresy from blasting us with impunity. It had worked so far. Unfortunately, we couldn't simply strike at her, either. That was driven starkly home now. She'd activated another section.
 
I was winning fights, but we were losing the battle.
 
I glanced backwards. Glisten had fled to the stage. Lyra was talking urgently with Sunstet, while they carefully worked forward. I rejoined them, drawing our lines inward.
 
"The stage!" I yelled. Somewhere above me, Onyx buzzed by, the drone of his wings obvious.
 
"Right!" Sunset nodded. "I'll take point! Here we go!" She lowered her horn, and started throwing spiraling lances of magic into the crowd. A scattering of bombs fell, threshing our tightly-packed opponents. Onyx was doing his job. We moved quickly; we were nearly half-way across the room by now. I slowly let my grin return; we could make it!
 
THUD.
 
A lump of crystal, like a giant shining egg, landed suddenly before me. I frowned and moved to step around it, but it uncurled and stood. I groaned as I got a good look at my opponent. Another type of windigolem. This one had four legs, but also two viciously spiked arm-like appendages.
 
It was fast.
 
I barely dodged the first strike. The second grazed me. I skipped back, and Lyra stepped in. She ghosted through and buried a hoof in its belly. It crunched, shattered, collapsed.
 
"Wish I still had my gun." I frowned, breathing heavily. It was a startlingly simple design; stable base, speedy weapons. It had cut me. Blood trickled down my arm. I grimaced. No time for bandages.
 
"You've still got the stone!" Lyra smirked, and blew another bug away. " Work with it!"
 
"Hmm." I followed, taking rear position. Lyra claimed point. Sunset stopped floating, content to lob balls of explosive force at any knots of changelings. For the moment we mainly faced golems, and Lyra made quick work.
 
I thought as hard as I could. We needed every advantage we could scrape together. I glanced around. While we were OK personally, we were moving slowly. I frowned as the stage flashed again. We needed to move faster. Too late, and we'd be adrift in the inter-real. Again. I fumbled the emerald out, tucking it between my fingers. My fist muted the noise. I felt the power. It had magic. How to use it?
 
I absently kicked a nearby bug. It tried to block, but my foot blurred and it fell back. I winced as my bruised hip twinged, but forced myself to move on. Ahead, a dozen cyan spheres wisped off Sunset's horn, lazily  circling her head like the coins I practiced with.
 
Hmm, magic practice. I thought of the green energy my sonic lance had thrown, my metamagic, and considered the emerald. It was hard to hear in the din, but the noise was there. I could work with noise. I frowned, examining my train of thought. Was this a good idea?
 
Probably not.
 
I glanced at the stage. It was brighter. Every moment we delayed, Baltimare was closer to being ripped in half. I had no idea how many ponies were targeted, but I had some idea what was in store for them.
 
I firmed my resolve, and pulled a tiny bit of the emerald's magic into myself. I gasped. Cool fire filled my veins. A green aura flickered around my fist. I swung at a nearby golem, shifting my power as I'd been taught. The pulse moved up my arm as I struck. With surge of will, I forced the dissonance back down, into the golem.
 
It crunched and shattered.
 
"Yes!" I whooped with joy. It wasn't as powerful as Lyra's, but would do for now. I dashed forwards, leaving the rear to Sunset. "Lyra, let's move!" I jumped into the fray, and we surged forwards.
 
"Wes!" She glanced at the green energy I was pulling from the emerald, and grimaced. "That's beyond reckless! Never pull external magic into yourself!"
 
"It's fine!" I demonstrated, throwing a sonic lance at a nearby changeling. The power wasn't a fraction of my gun, but I still managed to disorient it to land a blow with my hammer. "It's echonarchy!"
 
"Really!" She bucked a golem back into the crowd, and gave me a speculative look. "Well, desperate times! But if you feel a numbness or tingling in your arms, stop immediately! You could cripple yourself!"
 
I frowned. That was sobering.
 
But I was fighting effectively. I still marveled at the difference she'd wrought in me. Although I was cut and bruised, breathing hard and struggling to hold my own at times, I was still fighting better than ever. I crushed a skull with my hammer, sweeping past another bug.
 
The fight dragged on. Not long, but it felt like hours in the press. Tense, dangerous hours. My arm tired from swinging my hammer, and I ran low on magic. I cut back, sparing my power to squeeze every drop of amplification I could from the emerald. Still, without power in, no power came out. I tried to leave the golems to Lyra; she flattened them efficiently. I faced down bug after bug, concussing, maiming, and killing quickly and efficiently with hammer, fists, feet, and force. Their tactics were simple, and attacks straightforward; Phoresy really was distracted.
 
Sunset came behind, throwing scorching orbs of crackling blue power. Onxy dropped in as we neared the stage, carefully supporting us as opportunities arose. His accurate kicks and bolts saved me several times, but I still gathered wounds. As fast and furious as I was, each of us faced a thousand enemies. My friends weren't doing much better, though they were less wounded.
 
The press suddenly broke. I fell into a defensive stance as my opponent unexpectedly drew back. Looking around, my friends were just as puzzled. The changelings and golems both stepped away, leaving an expanding circle of free space. I glanced at the stage; we were close. I realized what had happened when I saw the spell-circles.
 
We'd been too slow.
 
"You fail!" Phoresy's voice hit like a kick. I swayed as the last bugs withdrew, exposing the stage. She stepped forward confidently, purple eyes victorious. "My spell is complete! No-one can stop me! No-one will find me! I'll have a castle like Chrysalis and Wraith couldn't  imagine, and more thralls than I ever dreamed! You are too late!" As she spoke, power arced from her long jagged horn, and the last rune-ring lit. Crystals glowed. Candles flickered to life. Bowls of liquid bubbled. Mist billowed across the patterns. Pendulums began marking complex orbits. A dozen soft noises rang out. The construct was honestly beautiful, but I couldn't appreciate it. Not when it was aimed at thousands of unwary innocents.
 
"That's not actually why we're here." I forced myself tall, battle-filth spattered across my abused body. "We came to rescue the one you've taken." I forced my eyes off the spell. We'd deal with that as we could, but Phoresy needed full attention. I glanced backwards. Although we'd cut a swathe of destruction, most of the blocs hadn't even moved. They still beamed power to their Queen, who stood squarely in the powering position. At least she was gloating and not shooting, now our meatshields were gone. We were close enough to surprise her.
 
"What?" There was confusion in her voice. "Who?"
 
"Heh." I rubbed a hand on my forehead. Something smeared. "You know? It doesn't even matter. We're here to reclaim. Prepare yourself."
 
"Reclaim?" The Queen threw her head back and laughed. "Hilarious! You're weak; like insects to an insect! How do you plan to collect, little avenger?"
 
"Me?" I smirked. "No, not me." My breathing began calming and I started feeling my wounds, a niggling distraction. I'd had worse. They weren't life threatening. For now. I forced my mind back to the plan. The spell fully igniting was bad, but done is done. I snapped my fingers, liquid noise shattering the quiet of a thousand eyes. "Lyra?"
 
"Yes?"
 
"Make her pay."
 
"Gladly."
 
A blur, and she was gone. Onyx moved to support.
 
Down to the wire, Lyra was our strongest duelist. Sunset had more power, but Lyra had years of one-on-one experience against the toughest she'd found. She consistently wiped the ring with Canterlot's finest. I'd side with her against anything short of an alicorn. She'd been hobbled in the crowd, earlier. She was a high-caliber fighter, but could still only land one hit at a time.
 
Phoresy smirked, about to make another smart comment. Lyra hit like a ton of bricks. I grinned at the surprised Queen; the blow connected solidly, nearly lifting her off the floor. Lyra was barely half her size.
 
"How-" She recovered with shocking speed, snapping up shields. Lyra stepped through.
 
She'd explained the theory behind that; she called it phasewalking. Some shields could be penetrated at exactly the right speed. In a few years, I might master it. Shining's reaction would be priceless. Phoresy's eyes popped as Lyra's horn brutally gashed her barrel. She only avoided disembowelment by buzzing her wings. She dropped the shields and wised up, lowering her head and taking an actual defensive stance. Lyra, purplish ichor dripping down her face, smiled slowly. I turned away. If Lyra didn't kill the Queen in the first few seconds, she couldn't easily pull a decisive victory. I glanced around. Glisten, jaw slack, was frozen in shock.
 
A unicorn who could take on a Queen, even a distracted and unprepared one, should have that effect.
 
"Sunny." I elbowed my adopted sister.
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Keep Glisten off me. I'm going for Bit."
 
"Sure."
 
I turned and casually walked along the edge of the phalanx. The guarding agents didn't even notice until I was nearly on them.
 
"Run." I pointed my hammer; no time for revenge. They didn't argue.
 
"You came." Bit looked up at me calmly. "I knew you would."
 
"I heard." I smiled. "Your loyalty impressed me." I dropped to my knees, and drew Bit into a hug. I don't know if it needed one, but I felt a little better. It's smooth carapace was warm.
 
"Warranted."
 
"Bit…" I inspected it quickly, checking for wounds. It had obviously taken some subduing, but wasn't cracked. "Ooof." I winced as a particularly powerful blow behind us shook the floor. "I wish I could say everything will be OK. I wish we could go home and put this behind us." I grimaced. "But, Phoresy started this spell - "
 
"Yes."
 
"What?"
 
"You're asking me to risk my life. Yes."
 
"But you don't even…"
 
"Let me help. Like your friends. I'm following." Its pearly eyes glimmered, ears stubbornly set.
 
"Blech." I almost rubbed my eyes, saw the ichor on my hands, and wiped them with a sleeve. "I'm not -"
 
"Wesley!" Sunset yelled. I whipped my head around. She'd surprised Glisten, who'd keyed on me. Tendrils of cyan magic wrapped the lieutenant. "Faster!"
 
"Right!" I yelled back, scooped Bit up and slung it over my shoulders in a fireman carry. "Sorry, Bit. We'll finish this later. Sit tight, and harden your shell if you can."
 
"Yes sir."
 
I gripped my hammer, and dashed into the center of the spell construct, barely noticing the added weight. Lyra and Onyx fought Phoresy. Sunset stalled Glisten. I was in charge of breaking stuff. Unfortunately, the magic powering the ritual might hinder that.
 
I swung at a nearby crystal. My hammer rebounded with a clang. Yup, spell-tension. The reality of the entire construct was being strengthened by the magic pouring through it. This wouldn't be easy. I aimed at  a delicate silver chalice. No effect, except a numb palm. The power here was ridiculous!
 
"You can't!" Glisten called. I heard a twang as a thread of Sunset's magic snapped. "We've won again, Wesley! You'll never beat Sombra!"
 
"Oh yeah?" I yelled back. "Ask Glory about that!"
 
"Hah!" Glisten rolled her eyes. "Sombra knew Glory would fail! He sent him there so you'd remove an aggravation for him!"
 
"Cool story!" I yelled, but frowned all the same. She was probably lying. Sombra wasn't really that good… right?
 
"You can't stop the spell!" Glisten stepped towards me, dragging Sunset. Across the room, Phoresy was trying to trap Lyra with planes of force. I smirked as my teacher contemptuously stepped around them, moving with unreadable hoofwork. The unicorn was a much better fighter than the Queen, who was forced to rely on her superior magic to fill the gap. Still, the fight was slowly escalating.
 
I couldn't tell who was raising the bar. Lyra started at the highest level she could, and Phoresy had barely managed to get serious in time. But Lyra was ramping even higher, seriously pushing the envelope. I watched in awe as she snapped off a scything attack, distortion whiplashing towards the Queen before chunks of nearby walls and columns started crumbling. Phoresy scrambled backwards, trying to stay clear. Lyra pushed in close. Phoresy would be unstoppable at distance.
 
I didn't have time, but couldn't stop from admiring Lyra's skill a moment longer. Move by move, the fight grew more unbelievable. I was began wondering if she could actually take Phoresy. We'd moved first; she was still unbalanced. Lyra was still pulling out new tricks. She once told me she never did certain things, because they were simply too lethal. I whistled softly as she blurred, seeming to divide into three, and pounced.
 
She was repelled again, but every attack ratcheted up. As long as she pressed hard and controlled the flow, Phoresy kept underestimating. I winced as she released a technique with a rumble of thunder, throwing the Queen hard against the wall. The real question was how long her meager power would last. Her entire philosophy centered around being more dangerous for a reason; she just didn't have reserves for a protracted battle. Phoresy kept getting up. The walls were in worse shape than the Queen. Her most decisive strike, the gash on the Queen's side, had even stopped oozing.
 
I briefly wondered how Lyra would have fared against Wraith, a Queen who specialized in fighting. I remembered the blurring incomprehension of her fight with Luna, and winced.  Lyra wasn't that good. Yet. I wrenched my gaze back to the task at hand, and kicked over a nearby bowl. Water splashed, puffing into mist and accelerating the spell. Glisten laughed.
 
"This isn't working," I mumbled, half to myself. Change tactics. I stopped, crossed my arms, and carefully canvassed the construct. There had to be a pinch-point. Something was being stressed instead of strengthened. If I found a pinch, I could affect it.
 
My eyes drifted till they hit the central ring. A crystal heart, rough-hewn and dull, hung above a silvery mirror.
 
"Oh." I stepped forward. "That'll work. Rot seven years bad luck."
 
"What?" Glisten glanced at me and her eyes popped. "No! You can't!"
 
"Watch me!" I powered through a barrier.
 
"You'll kill us all!"
 
"Worth it!" Sunset yelled back. I paused at that, feeling Bit's faithful weight on my shoulders. I didn't want to risk even one innocent life. Bit had volunteered, but… I still didn't quite believe it was ready to make that decision. But no matter Glisten's words, I didn't believe survival was impossible. I'd gamble. I'd take responsibility.
 
"Sunset, can we make it through this?"
 
"What do you think?"
 
"I fully expect to!"
 
"Heh!" The orange unicorn tossed her mane, and wrapped another restraint around Glisten, who was now frantically struggling to escape. "If you expect us to survive, then I'll try for one better!"
 
"Slammin'." It was all bravado, but it strengthened me. I stepped into the center. Power frazzled my hair. It wasn't even directed nearby! I dropped to one knee, and raised my hammer. "Here goes! If we survive, run!" I flipped my weapon to bare the spike, and swung fiercely.
 
It landed with a wrist-jarring clang. I thought I'd failed. My eyebrows crinkled in worry. But with a tic, a hairline crack appeared.
 
"Run!" I rose, whirled, and demonstrated. Sunset abandoned Glisten to join me.
 
Behind, I heard the mirror shatter. The noise started with an odd reverberation, and it ended strangely; instead of fading, it stretched, vanishing in a crackle. I glanced back. A dimensionless black rift hung above the shards. It pulsed once, jagged, before exploding. I flung an arm around Sunset before it engulfed us.
 
There was a crackle, like the rush of water on a dive. A disorienting wave of color hit, with a sudden pain in my chest.
 
It felt like rats were gnawing my skin. I looked down in surprise, as lilac fire flared through my shirt. I ripped it open. The normal dim glow of my gem had grown to brilliant radiance. Suddenly worried, I barely noticed that both Bit and Sunset were gone. I hung in dimensionless emptiness. I touched my wand, trying to sense.
 
Purple mane. Slightly neurotic. Driven, unselfconscious except when she was; then extremely. Prodigy. Librarian. Compulsively organized, except when she wasn't; then a disaster. Awkward at times, but never let it hinder her.
 
Twilight.
 
A rush of impressions deluged me. At first, they overwhelmed; a thousand thousand pieces of a friend I knew and loved despite flaws. But they slowed. The torrent diminished, narrowing to a river, dropping to stream, a trickle, till just one was left: shock and worry, bolt upright in bed, moonlight over castle towers.
 
That lasted longest, before vanishing with a high thin sound.
 
Sorry, Twilight. I had no idea if she heard.
 
The fire flickered and flared before fading.
 
Only chaos was left.

> 54 - Dimly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke to raindrops and pain in the dim light of dawn. For a second, I had an impression of… gears? Cogs? A… crystal tree? A fading conversation?
 
My eyes flickered open, desperation yanking me from the depths of unconsciousness. It was raining. Someone -
 
Someone?
 
Someone was standing over me. Pale blue skin, and fuschia hair. A white blouse and black slacks, clinging wet. Humanoid! I rolled away, springing to my feet, bludgeoning my beaten and complaining body to respond. Bruises and cuts covered me; even with just facing small-fry and fighting better than ever, I was in rough shape.
 
If I needed force, things might get tough.
 
My eyes focused on her. She drew back, sneering.
 
"Well well." Her voice was sweet, like chimes. That color, that sound…
 
"Glisten?" I fell into a fighting stance despite the crying of my limbs. Rain trickled down my face, washing ichor into my eyes.
 
"The one and only!" She grinned. "Hah! You may have stopped the spell, Wes, but this…this is no setback!" She raised a hand, and wiggled her fingers at me. "Oh, Sombra will be pleased! To have translocation, even by accident; this will set us forward years!"
 
"What?" My brain was still trying to catch up. I kept her in my vision, carefully scanning the surroundings. The light wasn't bright, but through the mist I could see...
 
Cars. Blacktop. Sidewalks. Mowed lawns. Telephone poles!
 
"Holy crow…" I locked my eyes on her. "What are you planning, Glisten?"
 
"Do you think I'll just spill? That easily?" She gloated. "I'm no two-bit comic villain! But maybe…Hmm." She rubbed her chin. "Maybe I could, just this once. It's not like you'll survive long." She walked over to a nearby street sign, and casually ripped it from the ground. "Why, I could kill you right now." She flung the pole. I sidestepped. It flashed past end-over-end, and clattered off something behind, splashing to the ground. I glanced backwards; there was a statue of a rearing horse a hundred feet back. On the ground beside was a familiar red-and-orange mane.
 
"Sunset!" I dashed over, barely keeping an eye on Glisten, but stopped in shock when I got near.
 
"Sunset…?" I dropped to my knees, next to a rather worse-for-the-wear human. Still, she had Sunset’s colors, and something about her face… "Nice boots." I glanced at her feet. At least she had clothes. Her breathing was strong, if slightly unsteady. Though there was blood on her, thinning in the rain, I didn’t see dangerous wounds. I breathed a sigh of relief, and glanced towards the street-sign. On the other side of the statue, I saw a black hoof.
 
Bitterbloom! This time, I held my exclamation in. I forced myself to my feet, and scooped up the sign. We weren’t safe yet. Holding it like a quarterstaff, I turned towards Glisten. Even this much exertion was exhausting; my breathing had started to accelerate, and my head swum slightly. Raindrops shushed the entire conversation, swishing into the ground and running down my skin.
 
"Stop!" I shouted. Glisten paused her slow advance.
 
"Or what?" She flounced another step. "You're at the end of your rope. You're beaten! I could kill you with one hand!"
 
"I'm not beaten." I forced as much fire into my voice as I could gather, demanding functions from my body that it was reluctant to give. "You know so little! You pampered, pathetic fool! Listen up, glitterpony, because if you don't learn this now, it will kill you. I'm not beaten." I forced a ghastly wolfish grin. "I'm desperate. And if you've never faced a desperate human, you have no idea what that means. I'll say this once. There's nothing more dangerous than those with nothing to lose."
 
"Hah!" She threw her head back and scoffed. Still, there was a note of uncertainty in her voice. "As if you can stop me! I'm no ordinary pony." She raised a hand. Cracks spiderwebbed it. My eyes widened in shock, but narrowed in suspicion as the limb slowly re-formed, shaped into a short knife on her wrist. "I'm farther along than ever Glory was. Maybe nearly as far as Emperor Sombra himself!"
 
"Oh, really?" I piled on unbelief and condescension. "You think wearing the Emperor's New Clothes will save you?" I slid a hand into my pocket and palmed the Screaming Emerald. It was running low on power; it no longer squealed whenever it touched the air, but the crystal hadn't lost alignment. I clapped my hand onto the pole, and dredged up every last micro-swirl of power. With a gigantic effort, I squeezed it out my palm, into the sign, through the stone.
 
My head swam and I nearly blacked out. I held to consciousness desperately. The magic pulsed through the iron, setting it humming. I carefully concentrated on the aluminum blade, the actual sign attached to the top. It sang, vibrating invisibly fast.
 
"Watch." I spun smoothly, concentrating hard on keeping the motion effortless. I didn't actually want to fight Glisten; I just wanted her to leave so I - we - could recover. Grace. Power. Façade. We could face her again, stronger. Just not now. The tip of the sign touched the edge of the plinth; there was a squeal, a spray of sparks, and the corner of the concrete block slid to the ground.
 
"Want some?" I leveled the pole at her. She stepped back, surprised and intimidated. I'd been ineffectual in our last match, but Lyra had handily thrashed her with very similar techniques. "I've got plenty more where that came from." Maybe.
 
"I doubt that." She eyed me again, and for a second, my heart quailed. If she pressed, I would be truly desperate. I had no idea if I could win here, which was why I was trying to so hard to intimidate. I suppressed a relieved sigh as she stepped back. "But no, I don't need to fight now. I'll take my time. Gather reinforcements. Besides, I've already got what I wanted." She held up a palm-sized crystal, flatly dull. "The prototype, all to myself!" She threw her head back in mirth. "Oh, what a chance! But enough gloating." She grinned. "Flail and despair on your own time. I'd love to watch, but I've got work!" Just like that, she spun and dashed off. Within seconds, she vanished around a corner.

Gone.

Safe.
 
That stone had looked like… My hand went slowly, hesitantly, to my chest.
 
Nothing.
 
I gasped, shocked beyond belief. My shirt was unbuttoned; I ran a hand over my breastbone. There was a patch of stinging flayed skin, raw and bleeding, but that was it.
 
My gem was gone.
 
My gem was gone!

"YES!" I yelled, overcome by sudden euphoria. I threw my hands in the air in a sudden display of exuberance. I barely noticed the sign clatter to the ground. "It's over! I survived!" I clapped my hands to my face, careless of the grime the rain was washing loose. "I survived!"
 
I fell to my knees and for a minute, I just sat there. Crying, in the rain, at dawn.
 
For so long, that gem had been a symbol of my ordeal. I felt like I'd never be totally free as long as I dragged it around with me. It was a constant reminder, a continual weight, pulling me back into the patterns and habits I'd held to for so long. I'd dreamed this day would come; I'd known we were getting close. Suddenly, my exhaustion and aches were more than war-weariness; there was soul-burn piled on top. I thought back to that last rush of impressions. My bond with Twilight had broken, and I'd survived.
 
Twilight!
 
"Oh, Twilight." Suddenly somber, I forced myself to my feet and tried to take better stock of the situation. My last impression of her had been shock and worry. I had no idea if she'd had a rush of sensation, as well, but if so… honestly, even if not, there's a good chance we'd be considered dead.
 
Sure, it might have been for a good cause; Baltimare was safe by our actions. We'd actually managed to crimp one of Sombra's plans before it finished, though only by serving an enemy plot. We'd be heroes and all, but that wouldn't make it easier on our friends. I needed to find out where we were. How we got here. If this actually was Earth, hope against hope. And… maybe, just maybe, a way to get something, somepony, back to their homes. I glanced at Sunset, and my eyes drifted to Bitterbloom.
 
Bit! I dashed over to the small bug. Sunset, it seemed, was the only one of us changed by the translocation magic. I checked Bit’s pulse; it was weak, but alive. I ran hands over its shell, and winced at the bruises and lumps I discovered. I'd known it was hurt, but this was more than I'd guessed. I glanced at its eyes; the normal pearly sheen was gone. My aide was dangerously low on emotion.
 
I slipped a hand into my pack, feeling for the reserve. I found three vials; I'd given the rest to Onyx. Popping the top on each, I carefully poured them onto Bit's horn. The murky liquid was quickly absorbed. I waited a minute. Though Bit's pulse seemed stronger, there was no other response.
 
<"Damn damn dammit."> I patted my pockets, feeling for something, anything useful. I paused, and dug deep into my breast-pocket. My shaking hands withdrew a tiny vial, the sparkling contents crystal-blue. I'd carried it with me ever since receiving it. I hesitated for a second. Did I really need to do this? I glanced at Bit, suddenly struck by how dead it looked. It didn't have eyes to close, and its carapace obscured the rise and fall of its chest. With quick fingers, I unstopped the vial and tipped out a splash.
 
The reaction was immediate. Onyx had told me pure loyalty had much more energy than other emotions, but I hadn't really understood. As soon as the condensate touched Bit's horn, blue swirled thickly across its eyes. It shivered and gasped, and its disguise refreshed, a wave of dense green fur sweeping it. I breathed a sigh of relief as it finished transforming. I glanced at the vial; I still had some left. I stoppered it and tucked it back into my pocket.
 
"Sir?" It's voice was weak. "Did we make it?" It raised its head and carefully looked around.
 
"Yeah." I slumped to the cement in the rain, tension suddenly draining out of me. "Yeah, I think we did. Where we are, though… I have no idea. How to get back? Not a clue. So… yeah. But hey, at least we're alive."
 
"The others?"
 
"Sunset is with us. The others… hopefully escaped. Onyx is sneaky and Lyra is powerful; they have a chance, and reinforcements were inbound." I scooped Bit up and carried it to where Sunset lay. I checked again; she still seemed stable, just unconscious. I wished for shelter from the rain. I had no idea what to do for an unconscious human, so I made sure she could breathe and sat down. Bit curled up next to me. At least the rain was warm, or we'd all be shivering. I wiped my grimy face on my sodden sleeve and for a while we simply sat. Maybe we’d be safer elsewhere, but I didn't have energy for more.
 
The rain broke a few minutes later. Bit had curled into a tight ball, its green fur sodden. I rubbed my face one more time, and Sunset stirred.
 
"They're over here!"
 
"Huh?" I pulled my hands back, surprised as a familiar voice rang out. That sounded like…
 
"W-wait up, Pinkie!"
 
"Hurry, Fluttershy!"
 
What on Earth?
 
"Thank goodness!" An exuberant, pink-haired, pink-skinned, blue eyed human… or human-like person ran up, carrying a closed umbrella. "You're OK!"
 
"…Pinkie?" I rubbed my eyes. I pinched myself and looked around. Clearly, this was not Earth.
 
"Yup!" The apparition giggled, leaning her umbrella against the statue. "But you shouldn't know that, should you?" She grinned. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! Who are you? Will you be my friend?"
 
"What…how…"
 
"Oh! A pony!" A very cute gasp rang out, and another…pony-person appeared, this one a dead ringer for my quiet pegasus friend.  The…yellow skinned, pink-haired girl swept Bit up in her arms. I caught the changeling's eyes, and shook my head ever so slightly, warning it to keep quiet. That ought to hold until I had a chance to understand the situation.
 
"Wes?" Sunset groaned, raised a hand to her head, and moved to sit up. "I feel funny."
 
"That's strange!" Pinkie knelt, gently patted her shoulder. "You feel fine to me!"
 
"Sorry, what?" Sunset gave this strange Pinkie a glance, and her eyes widened in shock. Her gaze swung to me; I gave a nervous grin. I had no idea what was going on here. Suddenly, copies of our friends appeared? Were they locals? If so, why the resemblance? Did they know us? What should I say? How would Sunset deal with her condition?
 
The last one was answered pretty quickly. She glanced down at herself and gave a muffled gasp before struggling to rise.
 
"Sunset, it's Ok." I tried to keep her steady with a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be fine." I looked deep into her eyes, trying to communicate a need for calm. If this world was anything like mine, more commotion was the last thing we wanted. She drew in a deep shuddering breath and visibly restrained herself. I nodded slightly, impressed; she was willing to follow my lead, even in this sort of situation. I resolved, once again, to do my best.
 
"I'm Wesley Kilmer, and this is my, uh, sister, Sunset Shimmer. And our… pony, Bitterbloom." Still sitting, I held out a hand, and Pinkie shook it enthusiastically. While I distracted her, Sunset carefully inspected the new body she found herself in. I saw her eyes flashing from herself, to me, to Fluttershy, to Pinkie, to Bit, to herself again. She visibly relaxed when she saw Bit.
 
"I'm Pinkie, and this is Fluttershy! Oh, you're hurt!" Pinkie leaned over and pointed to my arm, which was bleeding freely. I winced. Sunset didn't look too bad; she'd stayed out of the press as fire-support and her clothes were new, although damp. Bit's problems were mostly bruising and exhaustion. Its disguise masked both. As for me, though… I glanced down. I looked like Rambo had fought and eaten a Goth, with black-and-iron boots and gloves, my green denim pants and button-down shirt, and obvious wounds.
 
"Yeah." I shrugged the front of my shirt closed. Buttons were missing, but she didn't need to see the raw seeping mess on my chest. It hurt, but it wasn't deep enough to be really dangerous. I hoped.
 
"We need to get you help!" She whipped out a cellphone. I blinked, but whisked it away.
 
"Hey!"
 
"Sorry." I held it away from her, but didn't do anything else. "We can't go to a doctor." We had no money. No ID. The last thing we needed was to be tagged by any sort of official system. Authority could only mean trouble. I was hurt the worst, and I could doctor myself. Probably. I paused, searching for a believable story and coming up with nothing. "Um… we…we can't." I ended firmly, hoping if I insisted, we could dodge an explanation.
 
"Give me my phone back!" She fixed me with an angry stare, and I swallowed uncomfortably, suddenly realizing that this was, as far as I could tell, a human version of one of my good friends. I didn't want to face an angry Pinkie.
 
"Promise you won't call an ambulance."
 
"But you're hurt!" Her blue eyes were serious.
 
"Yeah, but we can't pay for one. It will only cause us trouble. Really!" As I realized what I'd just said, my mind spun. Money. Money was the first thing we would need. "Look, I'm OK." I buttoned as many buttons on my shirt as I could; it might stay closed. I heaved myself to my feet, and offered Sunset a hand. She looked hesitant, but offered her own. I leaned down, gripped her wrist, and hoisted her to her feet. She gasped and staggered, leaning against the base of the pedestal.
 
"She doesn't look OK." Pinkie stood, and gave her a serious stare.
 
"She has an inner-ear disorder. It affects her balance when it rains," I replied blandly. "She'll be OK if she leans on me." I proffered the phone. "Promise, and I'll give it back."
 
"Fine!" She huffed. "But we're still going to help you!"
 
"That, we will gladly accept." I breathed in a deep sigh. "And yes. If you want, I'll be your friend. Cross my heart, hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye." She blinked at that, but grinned hugely.

"Woohoo!" She pumped an arm in the air. "Now I know your nice! New friends, get! Ok, let's move you somewhere dry! Fluttershy, can you bring the pony?"
 
"Y-yes."
 
"Then we're off!" Pinkie grabbed my hand and started pulling. I threw Sunset's arm over my shoulder, and half-carrying her, half being dragged, we set off down the sidewalk.
 



 
"Wes."
 
"Yes?" I glanced up at Sunset's morose tone. I was kneeling on the floor, unlacing her new boots.
 
"Will we be Ok?"
 
I paused, sitting back on my heels, and taking a minute to meet her eyes.
 
"Yeah." I said firmly. I glanced around. Pinkie had taken us somewhere called Sugarcube Café. It was a small cream-colored corner shop, with candy-striped awnings. It lacked the flamboyance of the Ponyville version, but Pinkie had confidently unlocked the door and led us in, saying something about the Cakes not opening till noon on the weekend. I'd barely listened, instead focusing on steadying Sunset. Our host disappeared upstairs, and I'd set my adopted sister down at a nearby booth.
 
"We're in a new world. Cut off. No way back." She shook her head, slowly. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better? Because you've gone through this once?"
 
"We'll manage." I leaned forward, and carefully slid her boot off. She still hadn't gotten the hang of fingers, despite learning fast. Boots seemed to be the fashion here; I'd fit in well. I'd reluctantly left Bit with Fluttershy. After talking to, or rather at, the shy girl for a few minutes, I didn't worry about Bit’s welfare; she really was Fluttershy. Still, I didn't want my aide separated from us any longer than necessary.
 
"Sunset…" I paused, and started unlacing her other boot. I got halfway down before I realized what I was trying to ask. "Something else bothering you?"
 
"Maybe." I looked up. She shivered, and rubbed her arms. "Yeah, OK." She glanced around, aimlessly, nervously. "Wes… my magic's gone."
 
"Oh." I frowned. I hadn't considered that, but it wasn’t surprising. "That…wait a minute." I slid her other boot off, and sat back, thinking. She glanced down, and her eyes widened slightly.
 
"Wes…" She gave a strangled gasp.
 
"Huh?" I looked up.
 
"Stop staring at my socks!" She angrily kicked out. I leaned back, letting the blow swish past.
 
"Woah!" I waved my hands. "Hold still, I'll just-"
 
"No!" She curled her legs up under her. "No you don't!"
 
"Oh, um." I stopped. "I'll just, uh…" I moved to sit across from her in the booth. "Sorry. I didn't… is that a, a pony thing?"
 
"Mmm." She blushed slightly, looking down, and I tried not to grin. I'd obviously embarrassed her; laughing now would not help, although her reaction was silly and cute.
 
"Sorry, I was lost in thought." I reached back and pulled out my wand, setting it on the table between us. Ornate silver wire, wrapped around layers of fine orange silk, glimmered softly. The shape of the horn showed subtly.
 
She started at the clink, before glancing at it with wide eyes. Her gaze slowly rose to meet mine.
 
"Um…" Her voice was hesitant. I waved it towards her. "Really? Are you sure?" I nodded. She picked it up warily.
 
"Anything?" I asked. She held it gently and inspected it carefully.
 
"I…" She gulped. "I'm afraid to try. What if…" Her voice trailed off.
 
"Our magic is extremely similar. It still works for me." I frowned. "Which is a little odd, honestly."
 
"Hmm?" She shot me a sharp glance. "Why?"
 
"Um." I stopped, unsure. Both of us were tired and hurt. We needed to rest and recuperate; telling her about my missing gem, and who'd taken it, might just add to her stress. "Later." I waved it off.
 
"…alright." She nodded slowly, accepting. "But don't forget."
 
"Cross my heart." I grinned.
 
"Oh, that looks neat!" Pinkie popped her head in, and her eyes fixed on the wand. "What is it?"
 
"A keepsake," Sunset said. "From our brother."
 
I blinked at that. Splinter… was my brother? I nodded slowly. Right. Splinter was my brother. I thought of the fights we'd been through. The confidence of working with him or the enthralling rush of adrenaline facing against him. He'd always been my brother. How had I not realized that?
 
"Oh." Pinkie's smile faltered slightly, as if she knew, but resurged. "Well, it's pretty! Sunset, I drew a bath, and laid out fresh clothes for you! Why don't you clean up, and I'll find some first-aid supplies for Wesley?"
 
"Sure." She handed the wand back; I took it slowly. She confidently rose to her feet and stepped unsteadily towards the stairs, before pausing uncertainly. I nearly got up to help, but she shot me a glare and continued.
 
"You're doing better!" Pinkie called encouragingly, right before a loud thump sounded from the stairwell. We both winced.
 
"I'm all right!" She called.
 
"So!" Pinkie said brightly. "I have a first-aid kit!" She dashed to the back of the shop and slipped behind the counter.
 
“Good.” I slipped my pack off. It was considerably lighter. I'd cut it down several times, to make it easier to run and fight, but I'd kept the essentials. I fished through, coming up with my own kit. I frowned as I cracked it open; I'd used a lot on Onyx. "If you have gauze and tape, that should be enough."
 
"But - " Pinkie re-appeared, suddenly shockingly close. I flinched; I still couldn't track her movement. " - some of those cuts look bad!" She pointed to the rip in my sleeve. "That one might need stitches!"
 
"Do you have sutures?" I asked, calmly.
 
"No, but - "
 
"Could you sew me?"
 
"Um…" She paused at that.
 
"Look, Pinkie, I'm grateful for your help." I sighed, rubbing my eyes. I was exhausted, and feeling slightly woozy and feverish. "Really, more grateful than you might guess. But we can't go to the hospital, and unless Rarity - " I stopped, mouth snapping shut and eyes going wide as I realized what I'd just said.
 
"Yeeeees?" Pinkie leaned in close, eyes sparkling. "Go on, go on!"
 
"Um…" I paused. I'd really stuck my foot in it this time. "I, I mean - "
 
"Only, I don't think you should know Rarity!" She smiled sweetly. "I'm sure she would have mentioned being on a first name basis with a college age guy." She winked.
 
"I don't - " I stopped, backpedaling. Suddenly, I remembered the first thing I'd heard her say. I'd been looking at this the wrong way the whole time. "Pinkie, how’d you know we were there?"
 
"Hmmm?" She gave me a sly smirk.
 
"When you showed up, you said 'They're over here!' and called to Fluttershy. Did you know we were coming?"
 
"Now, how would I know that?" She grinned. "It's almost as mysterious as you knowing the name of my friend Rarity. Why, it's almost like you're from an alternate universe, where everyone's a pony and has magic powers! And you disappeared in the night, and they went looking for you! But you'd vanished from the world completely, so all they could do was finish the job you'd started, collect your friends, and hope you were OK!"
 
"You know? What about Lyra and Onyx?" I grabbed her arm, voice harsh.
 
"Ow!" She winced and I let go, suddenly contrite. I hadn't meant to hurt her. "Just a hunch!" she exclaimed, instantly cheering. She winked one blue eye and tapped her temple.
 
"…no." I shook my head, slowly.
 
"Hmm?"
 
"No, that's not enough." I fixed her with a long stare. "If this was Equestria, I'd maybe accept that. But you're not a pony. Hunches aren't that specific. Please." I clasped my hands, begging her. "Tell me! What do you know? How can you… how can you do that? Can you help us get home?"
 
"Not content?" She smiled again, but there was a twinge of sorrow. "Can't you call it Pinkie being Pinkie?"
 
"Uh." I stopped. She didn't seem to be refusing, but… "Pinkie…" I stopped, checking her hair. It retained its spring. Encouraged, I forged slowly ahead. "Pinkie, I really, really would like to know. I don't mean to hurt you, but…" I dropped my head into my hands, and surrendered. "I'm in another new world. I've got two friends relying on me. I'm the best prepared, the best equipped to do something. Glisten… I don't know what she’s up to, but it's nothing good. I need to stop her, and get us back. Please, if you can help me, tell me what you know!"
 
"I…" Pinkie gave a slow shake of her head, smiling sweetly and sadly. "I can't help. Really, it was a hunch." She held up a finger as I drew a breath. "Or something like that. Listen." She set her chin on her palm, and leaned on the table. "When I was little, I didn't smile much. My family lived on a farm."
 
I nodded slowly. I had no idea how similar these people were to their pony counterparts, but I'd heard the story.
 
"It didn't grow anything well except rocks, but we persevered and survived. One way or another, we took each day at a time and conquered it. It wasn't an easy life. It was hard. It was boring. We never had much. But one day, I realized it wasn't so bad." She gave me a glance. "One day, I realized the only thing keeping me from smiling was myself. I had a family that loved me. I had food, and a soft bed. Even the work was fulfilling, despite being hard. So I stopped." She gave me a big grin. "I stopped frowning. I stopped being bitter and sad. I started smiling, and I never looked back."
 
I nodded slowly.
 
"After that, I had a dream." Her grin faded, and her smile looked serious. "I saw everything. Really everything! Not just everything that is, but everything that was, everything that could be. Every possibility, ever, spreading and branching through space, like a giant shining tree."
 
"Yggdrasil," I said softly.
 
"What?"
 
"Huh?" I started, losing my thought. "Sorry, go on."
 
"I saw everything. And you know what?" Her blue eyes were distant, glowing with remembered wonder. "It was good. There was so much joy and happiness out there, that not even the darkness could destroy. But here and there, I saw it. People fighting, people killing. Sadness. Destruction. Death. All because people chose it, because they weren't strong enough to stop themselves or others. It hurt me, Wes, seeing it." She gave a small laugh. "I'm so small, and all I can do is smile. Right there and then, I promised myself I would never stop, no matter how hard it got. Because even if I was small, even a small smile helps." She trailed off.
 
"Then, as it got darker, I saw myself in the branches. A thousand thousand Pinkies, with a thousand thousand smiles. They looked different, but the smile was the same. They saw me, too, and I realized maybe I wasn't so small. Maybe I wasn't so alone." Her smile grew a bit bigger. "So we all smiled together, facing down the dark, though it howled and screamed. It's hard, Wes. I've seen things you wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. C-beams glittering in the dark by the Tannhauser Gate - "
 
"Pinkie…" Suddenly jarred out of a speculative mood, I groaned. "Are you seriously quoting - " I cut off as she laid a soft finger on my lips, and smiled impishly. Her hair tickled my ear as she leaned in close.
 
"Wes," she whispered. "I'm always serious." I blinked slowly. "Anyways." She leaned back. "Ever since, I've remembered bits. Sometimes I think I can almost still see it." She glanced upwards. "Hanging in the vasty dark, near enough to touch, all crystal and blazing life. Sometimes, I see things that might be. Like three new friends appearing out of thin air in front of my school, hurt and lost. And sometimes, I can try to help." She smiled sadly. "But it's just a hunch. Nothing reliable."
 
"Oh." I rubbed my eyes. "Is… um, can you talk to…" I stopped, unsure of what I was even asking. "Can you talk to other Pinkies?"
 
"No, silly!" She gave a sudden trill of laugher, and the somber mood shattered. "It's just a hunch! Even though they're usually right, they're not the sort of thing you should take so seriously! Follow your heart, is all. But maybe, if it wasn't just a dream, and I'm not as silly as everyone believes - " she winked broadly " - maybe another Pinkie out there will have a hunch that you're OK. Maybe a Pinkie who's shaped like a pony, and can tell her friends, who might believe in things like magic and Pinkie being Pinkie." She grinned. "So don't mope too much, alright? You're my friend now, so at least try smiling!" She threw her arms around me in a bear hug. I stiffened, but slowly relaxed as she showed no sign of releasing.
 
"Thanks, Pinkie." I hesitantly hugged her back, careless of my damp and grime.

"You're welcome," she mumbled, smiling against my shoulder.

And things suddenly didn’t seem quite so dark.

> 55 - Scramble
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Squeak, squeak.
 
My hand rubbed against the mirror, clearing fog. I stood wrapped in a bathrobe in Pinkie's bathroom. I spread the first aid supplies out on the counter and got to work.
 
Sunset had managed to wash, dry, and dress without help, reappearing downstairs just as Pinkie and I finished scavenging for supplies. She'd kindly left the wand up here, realizing I might need it. Magical healing was my best bet, so I'd taken a few minutes to mediate, actually sitting down in the tub under the shower. I'd have loved a bath, but with the amount of grime, ichor, and blood I washed off, I was glad I hadn’t. Soaking in that was not something I'd have enjoyed.
 
A few of my cuts had started bleeding again, so I'd taken the opportunity to clean my wounds as best I could. I pulled together the magic I'd scraped up and went to work.
 
First step, the wounds that should really have stitches, but weren't going to get them. I began trying to ensure knitting and clotting started as cleanly as possible. I'd need to check these daily, but if I was careful they should hold.
 
Next, I systematically flushed any traces of filth or infection I could find, while also trying to staunch bleeding. It took a while, but at the end I was starting to look, and feel, dramatically better. I'd be black-and-blue for days, and unless I managed to do something crazy, I wouldn't be fit to really fight for a good while longer. But I would be able to keep civilized company, and I wouldn't be bed-ridden.
 
The worst wounds were deep slices on the outside of my arm and on my thigh, a bruised hip-bone and a nearly cracked rib. I didn't think I had a concussion, but I'd noticed one of my ears was ringing.
 
Finished with the worst of the work, I carefully bandaged everything else. The wound on my chest, where the gem had been, was ugly but shallow. I'd never really considered how thick the thing was; I'd somehow imagined it actually embedded into my breastbone, but that wasn't the case. Its removal had taken a fraction of an inch of flesh, leaving an oozing raw patch, nearly the size of my palm. I slapped some antibiotic and gauze on it. With a bit of reiki, it might not even scar.
 
Done with my work, I carefully cleaned every speck of blood from the bathroom before re-packing my first-aid kit. I frowned, realizing about half the supplies belonged to Pinkie. Money. I needed to do something about money, first. Well, second, really. I glanced at my bathrobe. Clothes came first.
 
"Pinkie?" I stepped into the main area of the café. Sunset waved me towards the back.
 
"She's in the kitchen." She shrugged. "Making something."
 
"It's a new-friends cake!" Pinkie sprang through the door. She held out the treat. "It's still too warm to ice, but we can eat it if you like!"
 
"Mmmm." Sunset eyed the confection. The last real meal we'd had was yesterday, with a full-on battle afterwards.
 
"That would be lovely." I sat down in a nearby chair. "But, um, I was wondering what you did with my clothes?"
 
"They're in the dryer!" She pointed to the back. "The laundry room is behind the kitchen!" She grinned and set the cake before Sunset, who cut a careful  slice with unsure fingers.
 
I found my clothes washed and dried, and quickly changed. Feeling much, much better, I slowly returned to the dining room.
 
"Slice?" Pinkie offered.
 
"Thanks." I gratefully accepted.
 
It was, of course, delicious, even without icing. Warm and moist, it nearly melted in my mouth.
 
"Well, you're just as good of a cook in this world." Sunset nearly choked at my calm statement, eyes bulging as she gasped past her piece of cake.
 
"Thanks!" Pinkie grinned.
 
"How - what -" Sunset coughed, trying to talk.
 
"Sorry." I gave her an apologetic glance. "I completely forgot to tell you. Pinkie's 'sense' told her we're from another world. She doesn't know the full story, but she knows enough. And she takes it seriously. I thought hiding the truth would be counterproductive, and it's not like she'd tell."
 
"Besides, who'd believe me?" Pinkie winked, nodding enthusiastically.
 
"I - I guess." Sunset swallowed, and began breathing normally. "Warn me next time!" She kicked me under the table. Hard.
 
"Sorry." I shrugged, wincing. "It wasn't intentional."
 
"Fine," she grumbled, taking another bite of cake. "I forgive you, but you'd better not make a habit of keeping secrets."
 
"Ooof." I sighed. "Well, looks like I need to start talking. Let's start with this." I held out the palm of my hand, showing her what I’d noticed in the shower.
 
"Hmm." Sunset took it in hers, and ran a finger over the viridian stain I'd found after taking my gloves off. "Crystallized magic, under your skin? Is this from that gem?"
 
"Oh, maybe." I frowned. Oddly, I hadn't even considered the emerald. I patted my pocket, searching for it, and froze when I felt nothing. "Ooops."
 
"What?" Sunset's ice-blue eyes snapped to my own.
 
"Um, well…" I thought back through the whole thing. "Maybe I'd better start at the beginning."
 



 
"So you just dropped it?" Sunset swallowed her bite of cake and gave me an angry glare.
 
"Maybe." I frowned, unsure. "I dropped the sign. Honestly, after Glisten left I wasn't paying much attention. The emerald must have gone with."
 
"Hmm." She set her cake down and leaned forward abruptly, seizing my shirt and pulling it open where the buttons were ripped off.
 
"Um - " I twitched.
 
"Hold still!" She gave me a glare. I complied. She carefully peeled back the dressing, and took a long look at the wound. "It's really gone."
 
"Yeah." I slowly leaned backwards and she released me. "I was pretty ecstatic."
 
"But you can still do magic." She frowned.
 
"Apparently. One more part of the puzzle." I held out the wand, and she considered it a moment.
 
"You can do magic?" Pinkie gasped. "Show me, show me!"
 
"I'm pretty drained right now." I frowned. "Um, Sunset maybe?"
 
"I'm not sure…" She looked at the wand, hesitantly.
 
"You've got to try sometime." I shrugged. "And if it doesn't work, it's not the end of the world. Better to know."
 
"Right." She hesitantly accepted, closed her eyes, and concentrated.
 
Nothing.
 
"This feels weird." She opened one eye and looked at me.
 
"Focus on your hand, not your head." I shrugged, trying to compare the differences I'd felt spell casting with Twilight. "You need to be more aware of the wand, and let your power take care of itself."
 
"Hmm." She closed her eyes again. After a few moments of silence, a tiny curl of blue wicked off the tip.
 
"Oooo!" Pinkie grinned, leaning closer. Another spark rose. "Aaaaa!"
 
"You're getting it." Sunset opened her eyes and sighed.
 
"It doesn't feel right." She frowned.
 
"Of course not." I grinned. "But you managed to make it work, despite. That's impressive." I stopped, thinking. "Was that… your talent?"
 
"I have no idea." She frowned. "The stupid thing's impossible to understand. Anyways, I don't have a cutie mark right now."
 
"Hmm." Pinkie's eyes widened at that.
 
"Do - do you know if it helped us get here?" I ignored the party person, and continued my train of thought. "I remember what you said, before the rift hit us."
 
"Again, I'm not at all sure." She handed the wand back. "Here. This is more useful to you for now."
 
"Alright." I tucked it into my belt and yawned. "Well, Pinkie, we're extremely thankful for your help." Sunset nodded. "Would you keep my sister company for a while, maybe let her take a nap? I need to go look for a gem." I forced myself upright and moved towards the door.
 
"Be careful!" Pinkie yelled cheerfully. "Come back when you're done!"
 
"Sure." I turned and smiled. "Thanks Pinkie."
 
"Aw, you're welcome!" She waved. "Have fun!"
 
"Heh, sure." I slipped out the door, and glanced at the street, the cars, and the buildings, suddenly realizing I was downtown, in a human city.
 
"I'll try." I smiled.
 



 
"Blech." I leaned my back against the pedestal of the statue and took a deep breath.
 
I hadn't expected to take long finding the gem. Even if it wasn't squealing all the time, I should be able to sense it. I didn't have the energy to do much, but sensing was simple. I frowned and glanced at the students passing by. There weren't many, maybe because it was the weekend, but it seemed extracurricular activities were still happening.
 
I really, really hoped no-one else had found it first.
 
"Hey! I found that first!"
 
Startled out of my reverie, I glanced across the lawn. A young teen girl stood nearby. She had light green skin and slightly darker hair sporting a bright stripe. She was facing down a brutish guy with gray skin and a spiked collar.
 
"Don't care." He held something up and I saw a spark of emerald. "I grabbed it first."
 
"Hey!" Green-hair was getting angry. I stood slowly, wincing at my aches and pains. Really, the worst part of fighting was recovery. I needed to practice more so I could avoid this sort of pain.
 
"Heheh." Gray held it out of her reach.
 
"Give it back!" She jumped; he dodged.
 
"Nope!"
 
"Grrr!" The girl fell into a basic stance and snapped off a punch. It connected solidly with the guy's wrist and he almost dropped the gem.
 
"Oh, you want to fight?" He stepped back and yelled. "Yo, dawgs! Someone wants trouble!"
 
"'Sup, boss?"
 
"Trouble?"
 
Two more drab-skinned and yellow-eyed teenagers stepped up. One was short, the other tall. They both wore matching spiked collars.
 
"I'm not afraid of your gang, Rover!" The girl yelled. Still, she stepped back.
 
"Oh, really. Well, maybe you should be." The biggest one cracked his knuckles.
 
"Hey now." I stepped up beside her, relaxed, hands in pockets. "Three on one doesn't seem fair."
 
"Oh yeah?" The leader, Rover, glared up at me. I could see him weighing his chances; he didn't want to back down, but I was an adult. It was three on two, but I looked tough, torn cloth and rivets.
 
"Yeah." I smiled. "The emerald is mine."
 
"Oh!" The girl glanced at me. I got a good look at her and barely stifled a gasp.
 
It was Lyra.
 
Smaller, younger, obviously less trained, but I'd recognize those sungleam eyes anywhere.
 
"It's yours?" She smiled. "Good! Hand it over, Rover!"
 
"I don't think so." Rover gave a sly smirk. "You can't prove anything. This is a very nice piece." He held up the gem. It wasn't large for an Equestrian gem; maybe fifteen carats, but if this place had a market anything like Earth that was enough to buy a car. Or three.
 
Not to mention its more esoteric properties. Beryl that spontaneously generated energy? Yeah. If I lost it here, I'd never get it back.
 
"I wasn't planning to ask." My hand blurred, and the gem was gone from his grasp. I mimed tucking it into my pocket as I dropped it into my sleeve.
 
"Hey!" This time Rover was getting angry. "You can't - "
 
"Then stop me." I shrugged, projecting an air of nonchalance. "But." I flipped my attitude, and grinned ferociously. "You'd better be ready."
 
"Hah!" Rover, unsure but brave, stepped forward. "Me and my boys, we'll - "
 
I didn't let him finish. I pulled up my already-strained reserves and harmonized my magic. Fighting though sudden dizziness, I threw a lightning-quick strike. I tapped his forehead, forcing a dab of magic through my finger. It was the same type of strike pony-Lyra used to knock me out, when we first fought. His eyes rolled back as the magic disrupted his internal systems for a second; like a blow to the jaw, but less dangerous. He folded like a concertina.
 
"More?" I spread my hands, grinning. His two accomplices shared a look, scooped him up and dashed off, shooting us nasty glances.
 
"Ooof." I walked to a nearby bench and collapsed, lowering my head to my hands. I really, really needed some sleep. But I still had to check on Bit, even just talk to human Fluttershy for a second, before I could really rest.
 
"What was that?" I looked up. Lyra had followed me over, and was staring curiously.
 
"The gem is mine," I said defensively.
 
"No, that's fine." She waved a hand. "But you just tapped his head, and he fell over!"
 
"You saw that?" I raised an eyebrow. She was less trained, but obviously still talented.
 
"Yeah! You were all like - 'Zap!' and he was all like, 'Thump!' and then you just walked away!" She threw a few jabs, trying to mimic the move.
 
"Your feet are out of line," I said, unconsciously assessing her stance.
 
"Huh?"
 
"Your feet." I knelt down and adjusted them. "If you hold them like this, it will help you balance."  She stepped back, giving a half-surprised, half-shocked look. I nearly facepalmed. I'd fallen back into the sort of interaction I'd have with the Lyra I knew. She had no problems with me correcting her, or demonstrating, although I rarely did it for martial arts. This, however, was a teenage girl. A cute, humanish, teenage girl, who didn't know me from Adam. I couldn't act so familiar. "Sorry." I stood, shrugging uncomfortably, and made to turn away.
 
"Hi-yah!"
 
I bent slightly and let the kick slide past, before turning smoothly and automatically falling into a stance. When I saw her shocked look I tried to relax and step backwards, but she pressed in.
 
"You can't go!" She threw a few jabs. I brushed them aside. "You haven't told me how you did that!"
 
"Please stop attacking me!" I leaped backwards, clearing the bench. My hip twinged. Her eyes snapped wide as she grinned.

"Shoot!" I considered turning and running. She probably wouldn't tackle me. Right? I recognized the manic gleam in her eye. I groaned.
 
"I'll make you tell me!" Her eyes glittered, and she leaped onto the bench, balancing precariously to throw a kick at my head. She had pretty yellow boots to match her eyes. Everyone here wore boots.
 
"That's dangerous!" I blocked easily. She lost her balance, and spun her arms for a second. I stepped in, thinking she was going to fall, but she smirked and grabbed my shoulder. I braced myself as she leaped off the bench, landing lightly and trying to pivot into a throw. I planted my feet and grinned as she strained.
 
"Look, you need to move your opponent around their center of gravity." I grabbed her hand and adjusted the grip. "Since I'm rather heavier, you'll need to be more precise. One hand here." I moved it to my wrist. "The other one here." I placed it on my shoulder. "Now, sweep with your hip." I let her whirl me, but writhed and rolled away at the last second.
 
"You're toying with me!" She indignantly puffed her cheeks as I climbed to my feet, trying to ignore my complaining body.
 
"I don't want to." I shrugged. "I've got places to go. Ponies to see."
 
"Ponies?"
 
"Figure of speech."
 
"You still haven't told me how you did that!"
 
"And I don't plan to. I can only ever take one disciple, and you're not it." That would be far too confusing.
 
"What?" Her eyes lit up. "Do you practice some sort of secret martial art? Can't you tell me anything?" She gave me a pleading stare, eyes wide.
 
"Well…" I paused. I didn't want to stay trapped here, but if I didn't say something, she'd never let up. I smirked, considering refuge in audacity. At worst, she'd laugh. "The truth is…"
 
"Yes?!"
 
"I'm a Jedi."
 



 
I closed the back door of Sugarcube Corner, and leaned my head against it.
 
I had not expected Lyra to believe me. I'd expected her to laugh, and maybe give me time to escape. Instead, she'd followed me until I managed to lose her at a crosswalk, trying to get more explanations out of me and bugging me about light-sabers.
 
I staggered up the stairs. Pinkie had a small suite above the shop. The Cakes lived elsewhere in this reality. I could hear the sounds of business coming from the dining area.
 
"Sunset? Pinkie?"
 
"Shh!" Pinkie was tapping away at a baby-blue laptop. She raised a finger to her lips and motioned to Sunset, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. I nodded and lowered my voice.
 
"Hey, can you let me call Fluttershy? I need to check on Bitterbloom."
 
"Your pony?"
 
"Uh, yeah."
 
"Sure!" She pulled out her phone, and passed it to me. "She's in my contacts."
 
"Huh." I unlocked the phone with a swipe. The more I saw of this world, the more it resembled mine. I pulled up her phonebook and tapped the picture of one soft eye peering through pink hair.
 
"H-hello?"
 
"Hey, Fluttershy. Sorry it's not Pinkie. I just needed to ask… is Bit doing OK?"
 
"Oh! Um. Wesley, right?" The voice on the other end paused. "Y-yes. She's doing just fine. She's in the barn. I gave her some oats, and she's asleep now." Her voice got quiet. "She's a very pretty pony."
 
"Um, yeah. Well, that's all I needed to know. Thanks."
 
"You're welcome."
 
"Bye."
 
"Bye."
 
"All good?" Pinkie gave me a wide-eyed stare.
 
"Yeah." I yawned and flopped onto the couch, handing the phone back. "Fluttershy says so. I'm taking a nap."
 
"Sweet dreams!" She gave me a tiny wave.
 
"Thanks." I smiled and closed my eyes.
 



 
I woke with the memory of flowers drifting through my head. Pinkie was gone, and afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows.
 
"Bougainvillea?" I muttered.
 
"Hmm?" Sunset was sitting at Pinkie's desk, poking at her computer. Hearing me mutter, she turned to me. "What was that?"
 
"Something about flowers. Bougainvillea. My grandfather grew them in his backyard." I rubbed my eyes. "Something in my dream. What time is it?"
 
"Just past five. You slept a good four hours. Feel better?"
 
"Lots." I stretched hesitantly, before climbing off the couch and settling cross-legged on the floor. I needed to be doubly sure I never skipped my meditation for the next few days; if I wasn't careful about tending to my wounds in the beginning, they wouldn't heal clean.
 
"Are you doing that… reiki again?" Sunset gave me a curious stare.
 
"Yeah." I opened one eye, and looked up at her. "Are you hurt anywhere? I didn't think to ask, since I didn't see much of your blood."
 
"Bruises, scrapes." She shrugged. "Fire support, magic shields, and my good fur coat saw me through." She rubbed her arms. "I miss my fur, honestly. Although these are pretty fun." She wiggled her fingers at me and smirked.
 
"I can help with bruises, if you like." I closed my eyes again. "Give me a little time for meditation, and I think I can wipe that one on your cheek."
 
"That would be nice." Her voice was soft. "Wes… is this like your world?"
 
"Some." I frowned. "It's lot's closer than Equus Five Suns was, but - "
 
"What did you say?"
 
"Huh?"
 
"Equestria what?"
 
"I…" I thought back, slightly bothered. I couldn't remember at all. "I don't know." I opened my eyes, and rubbed my head, trying to catch the memory. "I don't remember."
 
"Huh. Well, go on."
 
"No, I mean… " I cut off, turmoil rolling in my gut. "Sunset, I don't have the best memory. But… that bothers me."
 
"Losing something like that?"
 
"No, saying something like that, something I don’t remember." My frown deepened into a scowl. "If something's messing with my head…"
 
"Like Twilight?" Sunset's lip curled in an ironic twist.
 
"No. Well, yes, but not like…" I paused. "What I mean to say, is that if something's influencing my actions, and I don't know it… that's, like, worst-case scenario for me in so many ways. This time, if it’s not Twilight…." I sighed, before returning to my meditation. "Watch my back, sis."
 
"Sure." Her voice was quiet.
 
"Anyways, this world is like Earth, but also like Equus. I don't know much resography, but if I had to guess, it could be halfway in between?" I tried to catalogue everything we'd seen so far. "Well, something like that."
 
"But you're familiar with much of what's here."
 
"More familiar than I was with Equestria. With what I now know of both worlds, I feel fairly comfortable." I thought back, trying to organize the things I needed to tell her. "There’s a few things you should know. That computer? Did Pinkie explain it?"
 
"Some." Her voice was wry.
 
"Heh, sure. Anyways, computers. They're a big thing on Earth. They collate and organize data and scan for patterns. People can be traced and identified by them, if they're in the system. If the people in this world mirror Equestrians, than I probably won’t be in there. That has it’s own problems, but... You, on the other hand - "
 
" - might have a doppelganger."
 
"Exactly. Either way, we don't have identifying documents, or any of the things we'd need to interact with officials and the government. I turned Pinkie down on the ambulance because with our wounds, they'd want to identify us and talk to the police, and I couldn't risk being tagged as an alien. You might land in even weirder and more annoying trouble. First rule here, Sunset; lay low. As long as we don't draw attention, we can avoid authority. Things are much tighter, but it's surprising how much of that control is an illusion. They've just got more tools for spotting the troublemakers." I glanced at the computer.
 
"Oh, that's much better!" I rose to my feet, and stretched. The magic I'd concentrated on my wounds would speed healing. It was already reinforcing my muscles, soothing out soreness and supporting where I needed extra strength. I turned to Sunset. "Can I give you a hand?"
 
"Nope! I've got my own, now!" She held them up, and giggled.
 
"Heh, sure." I stepped in close. "Hold still." Her eyes went wide as I ran a thumb over her sharp cheekbone, focusing a little magic. Her own power responded, moving closer to the skin and concentrating there. The bruise was fairly small; most likely from landing roughly. After a second, I stepped back. It had faded from blue to yellowish. "That ought to do. Now, first order of business, literally. We need to make some money."
 
"You have a plan?" She closed the laptop.
 
"Yes, actually." I grinned, the scheme unrolling in my head. "Magic."
 
"Hmm?"
 
"Come on. I'll show you." I smirked and led her towards the door. "This should be entertaining."



> 56 - Grift
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What’s a 'gas station'?" Sunset looked at the sign. "And why does it smell?" She wrinkled her new snub nose.
 
"Hey, I like the smell of gas." I grinned. "It’s made of liquid exploding dinosaurs! It reminds me of motorbikes. Yeah. Maybe we can explore those later."
 
"Answer my question." She gave me a flat stare.
 
"Sorry!" I raised my hands defensively. "A gas station is a place that sells the oil used to fuel cars. I did mention they run on refined petroleum, right?"
 
"Oh. Hmm." She surveyed the area. "So, what are we doing here?" I grinned.
 
"Two questions." I held out the twenty-bit bill I'd borrowed from Pinkie. It had confused both of us for a good five minutes. "Have you ever used arcanology?"
 
"Secret spending?" She frowned. "Of course. Pen-and-ink communication is built around it."
 
"Ah, no. I mean, have you ever considered it for divination."
 
"To discover unknown secrets?" She gave me puzzled look. "No. It's a slick idea, but it's fairly useless in practice. Especially over distance." My smile grew wider.
 
"Second question. Have you ever played the lottery?" Her eyes widened slightly, as she realized what I was suggesting.
 
"But a raffle can't be affected by arcanology. Not until the result is actually known." She put a hand on her hip, and gave me challenging glare. "Unless it's rigged. What are you thinking, Wes?"
 
"I'm thinking that this world might have a different form of lottery." I led her into the gas station. "One that might be a little easier to bespell." I pointed to a display of scratch-off tickets. Recorded secrets, nearby, with clearly visible identifying numbers. Small enough to be unnoticed by the authorities, with instant payout.
 
"Hey." She grabbed my sleeve, and I turned back. "Are you doing this just to play with magic? We need to lay low."
 
"We do." I shrugged. "As much as possible. But we need at least a little money. I really don't want to beg from mirror-Rarity. Besides, this isn't illegal. Just impossible."
 
"Still." She jabbed at the display, which stated an ID was required for lottery tickets. "Your plan has a problem."
 
"Ah." I pulled out a pen and a notepad, and started to construct a simple numismatrix. "You'd be right, except I expected this. That's why the first secret we're going to need is a name."
 
"Hmm." She cocked an eyebrow. "Fine. I'll go along with this for now. But be careful, Wes."
 
"Of course!" I grinned, stepping towards the next person to enter the store. "This won't go wrong in any way!"
 



 
"I can't believe that didn't go wrong in any way!" We were sitting on a bench in the concourse of the mall. Sunset's eyes kept locking onto various strange things as people walked by.
 
"Heh. Told you it would work." I surreptitiously recounted my stack of bills. Nearly four hundred bits, half of what we'd managed to win. "That guy… what was his name? Silver Shill? After the third card, he was sold."
 
"Heh." Sunset sipped her soda, a celebratory drink. "That's no surprise. Ponies - people who play the lottery must be gamblers. But he actually believed your horseapples about a fancy math scheme. Did you see him eye the algorithms you were scribbling?"
 
"Why do you think I scribbled them?" I grinned. "It was all patter. After the third gas station, I think he’d have jumped me for the paper if I hadn't handed it over." I shrugged. "He wouldn't believe it was magic. But math? Everyone believes in math. The rest is just salesmanship. And since it's not actually a con, that wasn't hard."
 
"I've run cons, and even if it wasn't illegal, that smelled like one. Still shocked that it worked. I at least expected him to wonder why you weren't doing it yourself. What did you say? Something about 'observer bias' and 'quantum entanglement'?"
 
"Wave a bit of fluffy science, promise results, invent a testimony or two, and some people will bite at even the most specious of claims. He'd have been angry if I hadn't delivered, but all you need to do is make them want to believe. I'm sure you saw the same thing in Equestria. Fake magic amulets? Bogus potions?"
 
"Huh." She swished a mouthful of soda, and swallowed speculatively. "Cross-cultural context, okay. That makes more sense. Think he'll try again, on his own?"
 
"What's he got to lose?" I grinned. "I did tell him I'd crunched the numbers on my computer, but I bet he'll try something. He's missing more than half the method, though. He never saw my wand. It's a slight advantage, not having it nailed to my head."
 
"Thanks." Sunset gave me a flat stare.
 
"Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course!"
 
"Of course." She tossed her bottle into a nearby trashcan.
 
"You're really starting to get the hang of those." I nodded to her hands.
 
"Not like I've got much choice." She shrugged. "I think this body knows what to do. At least somewhat." She poked me in the ribs, and I flinched. "Besides, they have their uses."
 
"Mmm." I folded the bills again, and tucked them away. We were here for a reason. I climbed to my feet, and offered her a hand. "It's getting late. Let's get what we came for, get some food, and head back to Pinkie's. Tomorrow, we need to brainstorm on Glisten, check on Bit, and maybe… maybe think about whether we should recruit the others."
 
"That's going to depend on what Glisten's up to." She grabbed my wrist, and I heaved her upright. She frowned. "I've been thinking about that."
 
"Yeah?" I set off towards the nearest electronics store.
 
"Yeah. She took your stone. That's not a good thing."
 
"It kinda is."
 
"Heh, Ok. Kinda. It's good it's gone from you. It's not good it's in her hands."
 
"Why? Besides her actually wanting it, I mean. Specific reasons."
 
"Hmm. A little complicated."
 
"Yuck."
 
"Heh."
 
"Here." I waved her over. "Pick a color." She perused the display of phones for a second, before pointing at a dandelion yellow clamshell.
 
"What are these?"
 
"In a minute. Go on." I selected a white one and a black one, and slid a few pre-paid cards off the end of the display. All I wanted was calling capability.
 
"When I was in Canterlot, Celestia had me researching anything and everything we could find on Sombra."
 
"That was her idea of 'quality time'?"
 
"Don't judge, okay?" Sunset sniffed. "I like studying. And you can learn a lot about somepony from their reference material!"
 
"The more things change…" I gave her a speculative glance. In some ways, she was so different from Twilight. "Sorry."
 
"It's fine. Anyways, we were trying to dig up stuff on his magic." She paused for a moment as I checked out, peeling bills off a thick wad. I needed a proper wallet. "There wasn't much. Most of it was on the Crystal Heart."
 
"Oh, huh." I turned her new phone on and began activating it, but most of my attention was on Sunset. "That's surprising."
 
"When I say 'most', that doesn't mean there was a lot." Her smile was wry. "But there was something. What do you know about the Heart?"
 
"It was created by Clover the Clever, in an attempt to fight the windigoes. Like most of her magic, we're not sure what it is, or how it does what it does. But it's able to take in emotional energy… something like a changeling, honestly, and convert it to magical power. It's very multipurpose. The Empire used it to moderate the weather, monitor public opinion, and maybe even affect the seasons. Oh, and stop windigoes, using something like 'magical friendship fire', although no-one's really sure what that means nowadays."
 
Sunset stared at me for a second.
 
"Need more?" I grinned. "I think I can remember - "
 
"No, no." She rubbed her temples. "Sorry, I keep forgetting you're not an incompetent scholar."
 
"You and me both." I shrugged. "Seriously. It's not mine."
 
"Oh right. The… wait a minute." She frowned. "You still remember?"
 
"What do you… oh. Oh." I frowned, equally perplexed. A hand rose unconsciously to my chest. "Yeah. I still have Twilight's memories, despite the soul-link being gone. Um." I gave her a quizzical stare. "It is gone, right?"
 
"How should I know?"
 
"Magic?" I suggested hopefully.
 
"Seriously, Wes."
 
"Can't we… measure it?"
 
"Have you made a widderspindle from scratch?"
 
"…no." I sniffed; we were walking through the mall, and the signature odor of cheese, bread, and tomato sauce called to me. "Pizza."
 
"Hmm?"
 
"Pizza okay for supper?"
 
"Sure." She waved a hand, half-listening. "Lend me your wand?" I casually passed it over, ignoring her musing while I ordered a cheese pizza. My nose wanted onions, sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and mushrooms, but I decided to play safe.
 
"It's gone." I looked over at her. She was holding the wand pressed between her palms, and staring at me.
 
"Tell?"
 
"I checked for Twilight's signature. If she's far enough away a vivre-card won't reach, your link would attenuate at best. With what you described from the warp… I think we can be confident you're separated."
 
"Hmm." I frowned, unsure. "The memories?"
 
"Probably permanent. I don’t know what Twilight did to link you in the first place, but you said 'soul mixing' happened. Permanent side-effects don’t surprise me. Be glad they’re mostly harmless."
 
"Hmmhmm." I set the pizza box down. We sat and stared a second, inhaling the savory aroma, before helping ourselves. "I think I understand." I mumbled around a mouthful of mozzarella. "Okay, we'll go with that. Which means Twilight's still got my memories. She's welcome to them. But she probably thinks…" I stopped, realizing just what Twilight was up against. I dropped my pizza, suddenly nauseous. Sunset waited.

I rubbed my eyes, thinking back. Most likely, Twilight thought I was... But she still had... I swallowed convulsively and grabbed a napkin.
 
"Th-that was one of my biggest fears.” I wiped my mouth. Sunset gave me a concerned stare. “The idea I’d be left carrying her memories, her… ghost. Another one. If she thinks I’m dead - "
 
"We'll return." Sunset's voice was confident.
 
"Really?"
 
"Believe in yourself. Or better yet, believe in me." She smiled cheekily. "Its worked before."
 
"Heh." I smiled weakly. "We'll need every scrap of hope we can beg, borrow, or steal. Your magic is throttled, and I never had much."
 
"Maybe not much magic." Her glance was speculative. "Don't sell yourself short. Anyways, I just need time to adjust." She waved the wand, and sparkles flew from the tip. "That's what I’ve been considering. Magic, and what we've got. Back to the soul-stone and the Crystal Heart."
 
"Right." I hesitantly took a bite of pizza, appetite slowly returning. Twilight hadn't shared my fears; she would be okay. ...right? I grimaced, and shoved the thoughts aside. I wasn't dead. We'd make it back, and we'd learn more. Maybe enough to help me move towards Earth.
 
"I'm convinced your soul-stone was based on the Crystal Heart."
 
"That's… surprisingly plausible." I frowned. "Sombra had it for ages, and definitely studied it. It's basically an archetypal 'powerful artifact'. The idea that he prototyped… Dang!"
 
"Hmm?" Sunset looked up wide-eyed, in the middle of a bite. "'Forry?"
 
"She called it the prototype! Glisten did!" I wracked my brains, trying to remember exact words.
 
"Proves nothing." Sunset waved a hand.
 
"Yeah, but…" I dropped my head into my hands. "Still makes me want to scream. I carried it for how long? I have no idea what it does!"
 
"Yeah, because experimenting while it’s attached is a great idea." Sunset pointed a finger at me. "I'd have kicked you into last Wednesday if I discovered you doing that. Numancy is illegal for a reason, Wes. A very good one. I can count on one hand, heh, the number of numancers who weren't evil, made significant contributions to magic, and lived to publish."
 
"Starswirl." I rubbed my eyes.
 
"You are not Starswirl the Bearded. I'm not at his level. Clover wasn't at his level. Twilight might be close, if she'd pull her snout out of a book and get actual experience. Thing is, Starswirl’s advances weren't even in numancy. He dropped it like a sensible mage. And I bet you've learned something."
 
"Come again?"
 
"I saw Twilight's widderspindle casting. It was so heavily annotated, I could barely see the original numbers. That mare was looking for something, and I'd be shocked if she didn't have some idea. Not that it does us much good."
 
"Twilight..." I groaned.
 
"Something wrong?"
 
"I… Yeah. I just don't know what." She cocked an eyebrow. "Right before… this," I waved a hand, "I discovered Twilight was keeping secrets. I think she noticed something about me." I rubbed my eyes. "She was reviewing the widderspindle reading?"
 
Sunset set her slice down, and stared for half a minute.
 
"Something on my face?"
 
"Thinking." She shrugged. "I have no idea what she saw. But… you were okay with this?"
 
"I…" I sighed. "Not really. Trust, right?"
 
"Heh. As you say." She frowned. "I hope it doesn't hurt us."
 
"Me too." I took another bite. "Back to the Heart. My soul-stone was based on it?"
 
"Maybe." She shrugged. "It's my best guess, but that's not all. I'm nearly as certain the Elements are based on it."
 
"Really."
 
"Yeah. They’ve frustrated researchers for a long time, but consider this. Both were made by Clover."
 
"We know that?"
 
"Yes!" She thumped a fist down, and I jumped. "Okay, so maybe there's no actual proof! But just because a bunch of stuffy professors can't see the obvious composition similarities doesn't mean - "
 
"Woah, calm down!" I raised my hands placatingly, and glanced warily around the crowded restaurant. Thankfully, background noise masked her outburst. "Um, I should mention. Talking about magic isn't a problem, but yelling about it may draw attention."
 
"You got to run your game," she huffed, and crossed her arms.
 
"Yeah, but…" I scratched my head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be overbearing." I spread my hands. "It’s a public place. Please?"
 
"Fine." She relaxed but leaned close over the pizza, blue eyes serious. "Look, Wes. The Elements and Heart have significant parallels. Clover had a strong hoof in shaping both. One." She counted on a finger.

"They were made in the same decade. Two. they’re built on similar substrate. Three. They are holistic formulations, encompassing something entirely. Four. Inheritance principles mean the Elements could be a refined version, but function nothing like the Heart. Five. Clover's lost journals supposedly contain research on a school of magic uniquely suited to holistic effects. From the fragments we have, I believe that runeform would explain the artifacts’ unique properties and, six, make them the indecipherable mess we now face. I can continue."
 
"Hmm." I rubbed my jaw. "Good enough for me. Not proof, but I'll buy."
 
"Alright." She placed her palms on the table. "That's one half. Your soul-gem was the same. And that's a problem." She breathed deeply, and sipped her drink. "If it's based on the Heart, it also shares a holistic formulation."
 
"That’s a problem?"
 
Sunset eyed me speculatively.
 
"Have you seen projections on exposing an Element to inter-reallity?"
 
"No." I frowned. "When we visited the Empire, we had no problem."
 
"Oh, that." She waved a hand impatiently. "They weren't exposed. They were bound to their bearers. Like your gem."
 
"Okay?" I gave her a puzzled grin. "I've never read the projection."
 
“I’ll summarize. Holistic formulation encompasses an entirety. The Crystal Heart uses 'love'. The Elements are 'magic' - but also 'friendship', by aporiasis. For your gem, I have no idea. Possibly just 'you'. In order to encompass, they need to be anchored to something concrete, a phenomenotional object that represents the concept. That's the Bearers and the Empire. For the soul-gem, that's you."
 
"And inter-reality?"
 
"It scrambles the real-world of the equation. Things can run wild. Have you seen a burnout vortex? From shattering a rune-circle?"
 
My hands suddenly clutched the table, memories of loss and pain surging.
 
"Wes?"
 
"Sorry." My voice was quiet. I steeled my nerves, and ran through a few of the breathing exercises I'd learned. "So that's what you’d call it."
 
"Are you all right?"
 
"No, probably not." I laughed harshly. "But I'm getting better."
 
"Can I…" She trailed off, as I slowly relaxed.
 
"Sorry." I wiped my forehead. "That surprised me. Burnout vortex. Yes, I think I have. If by that, you mean what happens when a soul-gem breaks." I grinned starkly. "I've seen one up close." Her eyes widened in understanding.
 
"Splinter." Her voice was soft.
 
"Yeah." I nodded. "That's what you're talking about, right?"
 
"Mmmhmm." She nodded slowly. "I didn't…" She rubbed her eyes.
 
We took a moments silence.
 
"So. My gem could trigger a vortex? Would Glisten just break it?"
 
"She might have a better way." Sunset took a bite, scowled at the cold pizza, and dropped it. "If she’s careful, she can get some control by breaking your connection without shattering the gem.”

“What would that create, if not a vortex?”

“Hard to say. The projections were for the Elements, and they’re unpredictable. For the soul-gem… you’d at least get a surge. Enough power for even a poor teleporter to punch a hole in reality." Her smile was sad.

“It's no push-button solution. Artifacts are tricky, temperamental. The target of the spell needs to switch. It's during the re-structuring that magic is released. For an Element, you’d need a ceremony. For Magic, I'd suggest a coronation. Grabbing it and declaring ownership might trigger something, but you'd as likely go crazy and burn yourself as get a useable effect." She shrugged.

"If there’s no alternate target, you’d get a burnout. If I had the Element of Magic and could get a proper coronation going, we could have some fun." She grinned. "As it is, we need Glistens plan. If she knows what she's doing, opposition may be… difficult."
 
"Hah." I swigged the last of my soda. "Alright. Glisten taking the stone was bad." I shrugged. "Now we deal. But we're not without advantages." I slid her yellow phone across the table. "Welcome to the technology of my world. Let me teach you a thing or two." I rose, and she followed, picking up the phone. "This is called a 'cell phone'."
 



 
"Why is there a rabbit on me?"
 
I rubbed my eyes, sitting up slowly. I'd slept like a rock on Pinkie's couch, but it was the morning now, and something fuzzy was nosing around my toes.
 
"Plot twist?" Pinkie suggested, baby-blues wide with innocence.
 
"Huh?" I swung my feet off the couch, and scooped the rabbit into my lap. "Is… is this Angel Bunny?"
 
"Oh, you know him!" Pinkie grinned.
 
"Is Fluttershy here?"
 
"Mmmhmm! She's talking to Sunset." Pinkie frowned slightly. "I think. I haven't heard any words. But she said she was, so maybe they're quiet?"
 
"Maybe." I yawned. "Listen, Pinkie, thanks for letting us crash here. You just met us yesterday." I stopped, mulling that over. Right? I gave her a speculative glance. Just how much did Pinkie Pie know? How much did she hide behind that silly façade? She'd twice assured me she was always serious, and I was beginning to believe her.
 
"You're welcome!" She grinned. "But you Pinkie Promised to be my friend; that's enough for me. Besides, it's like a big sleepover!"
 
"Heh, yeah." I pushed my introspection aside. "Any idea why Fluttershy's here?"
 
"She wanted to ask about your pony." Pinkie gave a pensive smile. "Or… whatever Bit is."
 
"A changeling. Shapeshifter." I grimaced. "Yeah, something needs to be done. I'd better make sure he's got what's necessary." I picked up Angel Bunny, and started for the dining room.
 



 
"U-um, this is my house." Fluttershy lived, perhaps unsurprisingly, in a slightly worn house on the edge of a forest. To one side, a fenced field adjoined a barn-like shed.

"Okay." I nodded.
 
"It's super fun!" Pinkie bounced alongside.
 
"…nice?" Sunset quirked an eyebrow, unsure.
 
"Thanks." Fluttershy whispered. I glanced at the two of them. Sunset had borrowed some clean clothes from Pinkie, and Fluttershy was carrying Angel Bunny, who looked distinctly annoyed. At least that infuriating rabbit was dumber in this world.
 
I sighed, as we all fell back into silence. I'd found Fluttershy and Sunset sitting, perfectly quiet, across a table in the dining room, morosely eating donuts for breakfast and avoiding eye contact.
 
"W-would you like to come in?" Fluttershy swung the door open. Pinkie bounced through, and Sunset followed slowly. I paused.
 
"In a minute." I nodded to her. "I'm going to check on Bit."
 
"Okay." She hid behind her hair and turned away. I let the door swing closed and turned to the field. A moment to hop the fence, and I scanned, searching for my ward.
 
I spotted an ivory tail extending from the corner of the shed and walked over.
 
"Hey, Bit." I sat crosslegged, and leaned against the shed. From this angle, only the forest was visible. Bit was staring at the ground. "Sorry I had to ask for silence." I shrugged. "In this world, ponies can't talk, and I wanted them to underestimate you."
 
"It's okay." Bitterbloom's stare was unreadable.
 
"Well, I'm glad." I crossed my legs, and took a few deep breaths. "How are your reserves?"
 
"Suspiciously high."
 
"Heh." I laughed, wryly. "Sorry. I used your emergency reserve, trying to make sure you were okay." I paused. "Are you okay? I poured enough condensate into you, but…"
 
"I am troubled."
 
I winced.
 
"Sorry, Bit." I placed a hand on its neck. "We came as fast as - "
 
"No."
 
"Huh?"
 
"Not the rescue." It shook its head. "You… you helped as you could. But the Phoresians… I don't understand." Bit pointed to the ground. There was an anthill, inches ahead. "How did they not see? I think they were…" It mulled for a minute. "Insane? I think they were insane."
 
"Hmm." I drew a breath of fresh green air, feeling myself relax. For a moment we were merely teacher and student, all my worries dissolving. "Tell me what you noticed." The first step of teaching Bit anything was understanding what it saw. It could be surprisingly hard. It had asked about ‘wind-fish’ last time we were in the Everfree, and I still had no idea what it was talking about. It had even given up trying to explain.
 
"They didn't see it." Bit turned to me. "I explained several times. Keeping you away was impossible. They didn't understand." It shook its head. "Even the Queen. I told her you were coming, but she laughed." Its ears quirked slightly. "Is that funny?"
 
"Haaaa." Where to even start? "First, insane." I tapped my head. "Sane measures normal thinking. It’s what's common, not what’s true." I spread my hands. "Take Pinkie. She is not 'sane'. However, she knows what’s true." I shrugged. "Judging Phoresy insane isn’t useful. But there is this." I pointed to the anthill. "They are totally self-centered." At Bit’s puzzled stare, I elaborated. "They think of only themselves. Sacrifice may happen within that, but the hive is their largest concern, overwhelming all else."
 
"Onyx taught that." Bit gave a slow nod. "Changelings can’t live so."
 
"Right. Tezecans understand. Phoresians don't. They're incapable of community. That might be insane. We have a word for it; 'psychopath'."
 
"Mind-sick?"
 
"'Suffering mind' might be closer to the root." I shrugged. "You know the qualities of friendship. They all require someone else. Without interaction, and compassion, friendship is impossible. Phoresy didn't understand your warning because she can’t understand friendship." Bit nodded slowly. "I hope you can do better."
 
"Am…" Its ears drooped slightly. “I disappointing?"
 
"No, Bit." I ruffled its mane. "No. But can you remember what I said when you first asked to help?"

"You wanted my help…” Bit paused, thinking, “because I needed you to want it."
 
"Right. Do you understand that, yet?" My voice was soft.
 
"I…" It looked up, and slowly flattened its ears. "Maybe."
 
"Look." I spread my hands. "Bit. I care for you. Honestly more than I ever expected to. You're a great help. Teaching you is fascinating. You've never disappointed me, and you've never done less than your best." I turned away, scowling. "My problem is with your Queen." I shook my head, trying to disperse my emotions. "But that's not your concern. Bit, the reason you knew I was coming was because you knew me. So, if it doesn't hurt, please answer. Do you understand what I meant, yet?"
 
Bitterbloom lowered its eyes, and thought.
 
"It hurts." Its voice was a whisper.
 
"Then don't worry - "
 
"No." It looked up, voice strengthening. "No, I am beginning to understand." For the first time since I'd met Bit, I saw a tear glimmer in its eye. "I… I thought I was being helpful."
 
"You are helpful!" My words were softly vehement.
 
"But you don't want - "
 
"I want your help." It jerked slightly at my tone, but didn’t drop its eyes. "It's true, I once didn't." I shrugged. Dissembling was pointless. "At first, I saw you as a burden." I stopped, careful of my past. I'd seen Bit as more than a burden; a constant reminder of my suffering, a taunt from Tezeca.

"You changed that." I threw an arm around its neck. "I’ve learned you’re as innocent and genuine as a sunbeam. I wouldn't trade our time together for anything. I am proud of you. But Bit… while you've been helping me, I've been trying to help you." I took a deep breath. "I want your help. But I don't want to own you. Remember, you're not a pet." It nodded slowly. "I'm sorry if this is hard."
 
"I will survive."
 
"Any idea why I brought this up?" I rubbed my eyes.
 
"No."
 
"Do you remember your offer, right before I broke the mirror?"
 
"You asked me to risk my life."
 
"Yeah." I shrugged. "It hurt, that I couldn't say this to you then. I've wanted to say this since meeting you." I leaned over, and looked it deep in the eyes. "Bitterbloom, you own your life."
 
"I - "
 
"Hold up, I'm not done." I raised a finger. "When we first met… I don't know if you recall. But your Queen gave me your life." I shrugged. "I… disliked that, to put it mildly, but had little choice. You've needed me since. Everything I've taught is preparing you to take it back. The reason I felt so uncomfortable about risking your life is that I’m not sure you're ready to make that decision." I sighed.
 
"Your friends do."
 
"You are also my friend." I gave it a serious stare. "Believe that. But Bit… my other friends are adults. You're an incredibly smart little bug. But intelligence and experience are as separate as knowledge and wisdom." I shrugged. "We submit to each other as leaders, because we can choose that. We understand the consequences."
 
"Can't…" Bit paused, looking around. "Can't I choose that?"
 
"Yes." I shrugged. "You can. When you're old enough."
 
"How old?"
 
"A little older." I grinned. "Just a little."
 
We sat in silence for a while.
 
"Bit, you'd better draw what emotion you can." I settled more comfortably, and started my meditation. Bit would wait till I was ready, but as my breathing slowed, my eyebrows furled. Something nearby clinked glassily, quietly.
 
Something behind the shed.
 
I rose silently, and stalked to the corner. Someone was just around it, if I'd heard right. Someone was listening. I tensed, and leaped out.
 
"Meeep!" Fluttershy yelped and danced back, almost dropping her tray. It had tall glasses and a frosted pitcher of iced tea on it, the source of the clink. I relaxed as I saw who it was, but tensed again as I realized what happened.
 
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I just got close, and I couldn't help but overhear you and your… talking… pony…" Fluttershy's eyes grew wider and wider as she realized what she'd just stumbled across.
 
"Your pony can talk!" She rushed forward, shoving the tray at me. I barely rescued the drinks from the dirt. She fell to her knees beside Bit. "Please tell me! What are you thinking?"
 
"You smell nice." Bit gave her a wide-eyed stare. Fluttershy nearly melted. I facepalmed.
 
Well, that was one decision out of my hands.
 
Here's hoping the rest could be as harmless.
 
Hah.



> 57 - Explain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, Bitterbloom isn't a pet?" Fluttershy removed her wide-brimmed straw hat, setting it nearby.
 
"Right." I poured her a glass of iced tea. "Bit's my assistant. Aide, if you will. He - "
 
"He?" Her brow crinkled.
 
"Ah." I sipped my tea. "Bit, if you would?"
 
"I am currently genderless." Bit's inflection was flat.
 
"Huuuuh?"
 
"I am not actually a pony. It seems most efficient to remove my disguise. If I may, sir?"
 
I waved a hand negligently. Watching someone else explain was oddly cathartic.
 
"Miss Fluttershy, I will change shape. But I remain myself." Bit gave her a serious look. Onyx had impressed it with the importance of perceptions.
 
"O-okay." Fluttershy set her glass down, watching curiously. Bit’s disguise flickered out. She gasped.
 
"You're shiny!" She swept Bit into a hug. Its ears twitched. Maybe it did that because she directed strong emotions at it?
 
"Yes." Bit squirmed slightly, and she released it. "But as you can see, I'm not actually a pony. I am a shapeshifter, called a changeling. We are slightly similar to insects. I am a hatchling. I may have a gender after my metamorphosis."
 
"Oh." Fluttershy put her hat on, lowering the brim to cover her eyes. "Um… I'm sorry… "
 
"It's not bothersome." Bit's emotionless voice calmed her. "Continue addressing me as female if you like. Many feel it fits better. Wesley uses masculine because he is a contrary person, who enjoys being difficult."
 
I twitched at that. Was Bit… teasing me? That was progress.
 
"Sir, I have a request."
 
"Shoot."
 
"May I try a more advanced disguise?"
 
"What are you thinking?" I sipped my tea, and gave Bit my full attention.
 
"I would like to test the limits of my metamorph capabilities. I want to try a bipedal morph."
 
"Hmm." I leaned back, glancing at Fluttershy. I'd considered this, but... "Fluttershy, how do you feel about Bit?" This Fluttershy was very similar to pony-Shy, but blithe assumptions were a quick trip to trouble.
 
"She's… nice?" Fluttershy avoided my eyes.
 
"No, I mean…" I rubbed my forehead. "Are you scared? Bothered?" I paused. "Disgusted? Confused?"
 
"A little… confused." She looked up slowly. "Is, um, how…" Her voice trailed off.
 
"Oh, right." I set my tea down. Of course she'd be confused, after a reveal like that. "Um, for now… we're not from here. We're from a very, very long way away. We ended up here because - "
 
"Magic."
 
I stopped, surprised again. Bit was interrupting me? I gave it a long, slow look. That was also progress, and I was happy. But... was this quick progression from our talk? Should sudden changes worry me? Or was I just now noticing a slower change? Maybe I'd given Bit too much incentive to grow up. It improvised poorly; I'd need to watch carefully so it didn't overcommit.
 
"Magic?" Fluttershy's response was slow. She turned to me.
 
"Bit…" I gave the bug a glance. "Are you sure?"
 
"She is… " Its antennae twitched. "Genuine. Honest. Loyal." I nodded. Bit seriously thought a direct approach was best here, based on what it sensed from Fluttershy.
 
"Ok. Well, as my aide said, we're here by magic." I shrugged. "We can give you a more complete explanation later, if you like." I pulled out my wand, and drew a few sparkles in the air. Her eyes widened. "For now, I'll demonstrate." I scooped up drops of tea, floating them through intricate patterns before suspending them before her. She hesitantly touched one, amazed. "Magic is real. We - Sunset, Bit, and I, - can all use it somewhat. If Bit changes shape drastically, will you be okay? Can you keep it secret?"
 
"Um… I-I'll be okay. But I'm bad at secrets." She lowered her eyes. "C-can I tell my friends?"
 
"Pinkie already knows. If you want, you can tell Rarity, Dash, Applejack, and Twilight. I'd trust them, although I really, really hope we're not staying long enough to cause issues." I frowned. We needed to stop Glisten, and return Bit and Sunset. I wouldn’t mind returning if Earth-normal wasn’t an option.
 
"Twilight?" She frowned.
 
"Purplish? Lavender hair, maybe with a magenta streak? Surely you know her?"
 
"No." She shook her head slowly. "I've never met Twilight."
 
"Huh." I tried to hide my surprise. This world wasn't quite the same.
 
"How do you know Rarity, Dash, and Applejack? U-um, if you don’t mind.”
 
"Fluttershy." I caught her eyes, even as she shrank back. "I’ll explain. But can Bit try this first?" She nodded slowly. I turned to my aide. "Go ahead, Bit.  But do a projection first." I was even more cautious than Bit. It calculated for foreseen problems, but hadn't learned to account for unforeseen ones.
 
"Yes. Projection. I am about to attempt a full-bipedal transformation." Bit took up a serious posture, reporting. "I have sufficient resources, though I will rest afterwards. I may be unresponsive, but probability of harmful draining is negligible."
 
"Negligible." I frowned. That meant it was large enough for caution. "Can you extrapolate ways to simplify?"
 
"I will try." We sat in silence for a good five minutes. I sipped my tea. Fluttershy examined Bit. "I have a proposal."
 
"Let's hear it."
 
"I believe working on a smaller scale than previous attempts could have a positive effect. I can adjust my fundamental pattern. This is not from Onyx's teaching, but I am confident it is possible. My instincts say so."
 
"Hmm." I'd learned to trust Bit's instincts. I had no idea how much the little bug had inherited; its knowledge was extensive and erratic. It knew names, but not uses. It knew organizational systems, but couldn’t apply them. If it had instincts, it could certainly do this… but if it had trouble, I couldn't help. Still, it had built-in failsafes. It couldn't hurt itself easily, any more than swinging my arm could break my elbow. With care, the worst-case scenario was exhaustion.
 
"I'll give permission. But." I fished around in a pocket, and pulled out the half-full vial of loyalty. "I want you to take this back, and proceed cautiously. Remember. Do not hurt yourself." This was something I'd systematically impressed on Bit ever since my thoughtless words had left it standing overnight. "Healthy bugs are helpful bugs."
 
"Yes." It nodded, but only looked at the vial. "Must I?"
 
Fluttershy's eyes flicked back and forth in obvious confusion.
 
"Yes." Its ears drooped. "But maybe not all." I popped the top off, and poured the condensate into my tea. The emotion sparkled for a second, before diffusing; a swirl of blue, twisting into the dark liquid. I passed it to Bit. "Probably breaking more rules. Leave me a sip."
 
Bit hesitantly accepted the glass, and took a careful swallow. Its eyes immediately changed, blue swirling darkly. For a second, a catseye pattern showed. Fluttershy gasped.
 
After a few swallows, it handed the glass back, nearly an inch left in the bottom. I took a gulp.
 
It was sweet. The refreshingly bitter tea was now smooth and gentle. I enjoyed the cold drink for a second, and passed it to Fluttershy.
 
"May I?" Her voice was soft.
 
"If you're okay with it." I shrugged. "It's just a little magic. You don't really know us, but…" She gazed at the glass uncertainly, but took a sip.
 
"Mmm." She sighed. "What is that?"
 
"Loyalty." Bit's voice was impassive. "Wesley's feelings for me."
 
"Ah." I paused. "Actually, give me a minute to meditate, and maybe you can draw a little more. You'd best have every advantage before trying this."
 
I opened my eyes a few minutes later. Bit stood in the shade, ready.

"Fluttershy, may I please have a hair?" She plucked a strand and held it out, gasping as a gray aura disintegrated it.
 
"Sir, if you don't mind?"
 
I wordlessly offered one of mine, trying to scan the procedure. I blinked as I caught a trace. This wasn’t quite a spell; more instinctive. There was none of the intentional structure that denoted a magic school. Power flowed smoothly around the strand, deconstructing it on a very basic level, and sending something back.
 
Was Bit reading DNA?
 
This needed investigation.
 
I paused as Bit started to glow, a bluish aura building. I'd never seen it use fox-fire like Onyx; I'd assumed it was simply different. But here it was. Maybe it just needed more of a challenge.
 
Magically, the transformation was normal. It followed the patterns I'd seen before, only on a more precise and exacting level. The blue glow intensified as Bit writhed and changed. It assured me transformation was painless, but I winced as joints torqued, fetlocks changing into wrists and ankles, its face shortened, fingers and toes formed.
 
It was done in moments. Bit looked up, white hair falling from an androgynous jet-black face. It wore green denim and a straw hat. Almond eyes, milky white, blinked at the sun.
 
"You look like a Drow," I said, the first thing that popped into my mind.
 
"A what?" Its ears twitched. Sure enough, they had points.
 
"A dark elf. An imaginary creature." I paused. "Probably. Your transformation seems successful, but still needs work. Good job on the clothes.”

“They are illusory. But being properly dressed is important.” It had been listening.

“Can you stand?"
 
"Yes." Bit promptly rose, took a step, and wavered. "I will improve."
 
"Don't hurt yourself!" Fluttershy stood, and offered a hand. Bit hesitantly accepted, leaning slightly on her. At a glance, Bit looked twelve or thirteen. "We s-should get back to the house." Fluttershy bent to gather the tray. Bit stumbled, nearly falling, as her support shifted.
 
"Okay." I took the pitcher and glasses instead. "Yeah. Sunset and Pinkie are probably wondering what happened."
 



 
"Oh." I stopped, as we stepped into the kitchen.
 
"Um." Fluttershy stepped in behind, and stopped when she saw more people around the table. Applejack and Rarity, if eye, hair, and skin color were any indication. Not that I disliked candy-colored people any more than candy-colored ponies, but sometimes I felt I was living in a bowl of Skittles. The cool colors were especially odd. Red through brown didn't faze me, but Lyra's minty complexion had been weird. I tried to imagine Dash, and failed. I wonder what a tan would look like on them?
 
"Oh my." I jerked back to reality as Rarity gave me a considering look. "So, this is your brother?" She turned to Sunset.
 
"Yeah." She tossed her flaming hair back and waved. "And… " She gave our companion a curious glance. "Bitterbloom?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Hmm." Applejack gave a suspicious glare. "Ah thought you said Bit was a pony?"
 
"She was!" Fluttershy's excited exclamation was quiet. "But… magic!"
 
"Hmm." Rarity joined in the suspicious stare. "Really."
 
"Yupperooni!" Pinkie Pie nodded enthusiastically. "These people are magic!"
 
"Um." Fluttershy plucked at my sleeve. "You promised…"
 
"Right." I ran a hand down my face. "Explanations. Let's do this."
 



 
"They believed us."
 
"Well yeah." Sunset gave me a puzzled look. "How long have you known these people?"
 
"A day?"
 
"No, I mean…" She paused. "Okay, you're right. It was a little startling. Even with demonstrations." She looked around. We were walking past the school.
 
"You think Bit's doing okay?" I asked, slightly apprehensive.
 
"Come on. They wouldn't hurt Bit for the world."
 
"I know, but…" I stopped. I'd left Bit with Rarity and Fluttershy attempting to improve its disguise. We were walking back to Sugarcube Corner; I'd left the white phone with Bit, giving succinct instructions to call if it needed me.
 
"Bit will be okay. You've been doing a good job with her." Sunset glanced at the statue; the corner I'd trimmed had been hastily patched. The sun hung overhead.
 
"Thanks."
 
"That's him!" I turned at the familiar voice.
 
"Here comes trouble," I groaned.
 
"Is…is that Lyra?" Sunset gave the green girl a disbelieving stare.
 
"Yeah. And that's gotta be Dash."
 
"See?" Lyra gave Rainbow Dash a dig in the ribs as they neared us. "He knows your name, too! I told you he's strange."
 
"Hmm." Rainbow gave us both speculative looks. "Yeah, you're an odd one. What's your name?"
 
"Wesley." I crossed my arms. "And my sister, Sunset."
 
"A likely story." She crossed her arms as well, and started pacing. "You have shifty eyes, Wesley. If that's really your name."
 
"Oh, please no." I rubbed my temples.
 
"You know what I think?"
 
"Please, please don't say it." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I swear, Rainbow - "
 
"Aha! I've never told you my name. The only way you could know about me, is if - "
 
"Don'tsayit don'tsayit pleasedon'tsayit - "
 
"You're a spy!"
 
"Aaaaargh!" I threw my head back. "Are you serious? Rainbow, come on! You're only slightly less noticeable than a neon sign because you don't flash! I bet everyone in this school knows who you are!"
 
"I told you!" Lyra bounced excitedly. "He's a Jedi! He can fight, too! He was all like, Zam! Pow! Swish! And he did this freaky Vulcan Nerve Pinch thing, and knocked out Rover!"
 
"You knocked out Rover?"
 
"Nopenopenope!" I stepped backwards, setting my back against the statue. "No way am I fighting you!"
 
"But I need to know if you're a spy!"
 
"Give it up, Rainbow! I'm not a spy! Ask Pinkie!"
 
"Why are you so hung up on that?" Sunset stepped in. "Who'd bother to spy on you? What's the point?"
 
"The Shadowbolts!" Rainbow stepped forward, punching a fist dramatically in the air. "They're serious about beating my team! They'd stoop to any low, go any distance! Hey." She stopped, suddenly realizing something. "You know Pinkie?"
 
"Yeah! Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack, too! Please, can we not fight? I promise to not be a spy!"
 
"Weeeeeellll… Okay."
 
"Really?" I didn't lower my guard.
 
"Of course!”
 
"Good." I stepped forward, lowering my hands.
 
"Not!" Rainbow struck suddenly. It was a good strike; more trained than Lyra's, oddly, although with a little less genius behind it.
 
It hit me on the chin.
 
"Ow." I rubbed my jaw, chasing stars. I'd flinched to soften it, but she had a strong right hook.
 
"Why didn't you dodge?" Sunset stepped between us.
 
"I really, really don't want to fight you, Rainbow." I shrugged. "If that means you get to hit me a few times, I can live with that. Picking a fight when you meet someone new is silly." I thought so last time, as well.
 
"But Lyra says you're good!"
 
"I am. So are you. That's no reason to fight." I stepped out of range, keeping an eye on her. "Look, talk to Pinkie. This is really a waste of time, and - "
 
"Hey, dawg!"
 
"Oh, shoot." Lyra looked behind me. I risked glancing over my shoulder.
 
"Oh, shoot." I echoed. Behind us stood the three 'dawgs' who had harassed Lyra the other day, along with three more.
 
"Rover!" Rainbow stepped to the fore, shaking a fist. "Didn't I tell you to keep your mangy sidekicks on your home turf?"
 
"Heh, yeah, because I'll listen to you." The leader stepped up, practically bristling with aggression. "I don't take orders from you, Captain Splash. Besides, we're not here for you. We want him." He pointed at me.
 
"At least you thought to bring help." I cocked an eyebrow. "Although if they're no better than you, six still won't be enough."
 
Rainbow whistled, impressed at my bravado. Lyra pumped a fist, mouthing 'Fight! Fight!' Sunset gave me a derisive glance. I shrugged. Sure, it was juvenile, but sometimes being a jerk is fun. Besides, letting these guys punch me once or twice probably wouldn’t be enough.
 
"Heh, no." He took a step closer and flexed his arms. "No, I've got something new this time." My eyes narrowed as I saw a faintly-traced rune circle on his arm. I harmonized my magic, and flipped the wand to Sunset.
 
"See what you can get from this joker." I stepped forward, placing myself in front. She'd scan, while I fought. I could maintain my echonarchy without the wand, although not for more than a few minutes. I'd have reversed the roles, but I was actually the more effective fighter right now. That was a little unnerving, especially with Glisten looming on the horizon.
 
But I'd cross that bridge when we arrived.
 
"Hey, now." Lyra stepped up beside me. "You can't take all the fun."
 
"Right." Rainbow joined on the other side. "I might not know you, but I won't let Shadowbolts pick on anyone on my turf."
 
"I can't stop you." I tried to stay calm. "But be careful. They're rocking something unusual. I think they might be on drugs."
 
"Hah!" Rover cracked his knuckles. "As if I'd dope! No, I've got something better." He clenched a fist, and blurred towards me. "Magic."
 
Surprised, I instinctively blocked. His blow was good, magically enhanced, and with solid weight behind it, but I could take it.
 
What surprised me was the numbing effect. A chilly sensation spread from my arms, leaving them feeling sluggish and numb. I stepped back in surprise.
 
Sunset clicked her tongue behind me.
 
"Wes, get serious," she said flatly.
 
"If you insist." I drew on my harmonized magic, centering the power just under my breastbone. I palmed my Emerald, pulling a touch of power through it. Green haze flickered around my fists, and a thin wailing filled the air. The gang stepped back, suddenly apprehensive. I pushed a touch of power through my feet, feeling the resonance of the pavement, and gave chase.
 
Thwack! Thok! Thump! Thud! Thik! Twang!
 
They never stood a chance. My footwork was unreadable, my blows were blurs. Each was loaded with just enough power to stun, and they had no idea how to block magic. With muffled groans, they slumped to the ground. I turned, and dusted my hands off.
 
"Was that worth it?" I asked Sunset, calmly pressing a hand to my arm as my wound broke open.
 
Lyra and Rainbow stared, frozen.
 
"Yeah." Sunset grinned, knelt, and pulled back Rover's sleeves. The rune-circle I'd glimpsed before stood clearly against his ashy bicep. "I’m better at scanning than you. I got what we need. Also, we’re trying to lay low, right? Fighting draws attention. Let’s get these and get gone.”

“Ah.” I nodded; that was good reasoning. “So, what do we have?”

“A lead.” She grinned up at me. “He's either working without Glisten's knowledge, or she's stupider than I thought. With this, we've got a start." She started scanning the runes more closely, carefully snapping pictures with her phone. She'd warmed to the new tech fast.
 
"H-hold on a second!" Rainbow exclaimed. I turned to face her and Lyra. "What the hay's going on here? What the hay was that? Did he say magic?"
 
"I thought you were a Jedi!" Lyra stomped one foot, angrily. "You can't be a wizard too! That would be no fair!"
 
"Ugh." I sighed again. "More explanations. Sunset, would you - "
 
"Busy."
 
"Haaaah." I crossed my arms. "Okay, here's the basics…”





“This is bad, bad, bad!” Rainbow was pacing up and down Pinkie’s room. Sunset was carefully annotating printouts of the rune-circles. I was sitting on the couch, watching my mirror-friend’s reaction. Lyra stood near the door, watching me speculatively.

“Yeah, I’ve been saying that.” I shrugged. “There’s something about an evil dictator and his minion - “

“Not that!” Rainbow threw her hands in the air. “I mean, that’s bad too. But Rover… did you see how fast he was?”

“Yes?” I gave her a puzzled stare. “I was there.”

“With magic!” She turned again, began pacing the other way. “I mean, magic shouldn’t even be real!” She gave me a flat look. “Not really real, I mean. Although it’s pretty awesome that it is.” She rubbed her jaw. “I mean, it makes the world - “

“Please, no!” I cut her off.

“What?” She shot me a puzzled glance. “I was just going to say about twe- “

“Anyways, Rover!” I cut in again. “Did you know him? Who is he?”

“Hmmph.” She crossed her arms, and huffed. “He’s from Ever Free High. He plays for their soccer team, the Shadowbolts.”

Sunset and I exchanged glances at that. Some things in this world were just too different, despite pretend similarity.

“And you’re worried, because…?”

“We’ve got to play them, duh!” She waved her hands, wildly. I grinned slightly. Everyone here was younger than the versions I knew, and it made me smile a little.

“Wait, you play co-ed teams?”

“We’re a small, private school, and soccer is non-contact.” She crossed her arms.

“Huh.” I frowned. “Okay.”

“And now, they’ve got magic!” She turned back to her pacing. “Did you see how fast he was?” She turned to me, suddenly speculative. “You know stuff about magic. Can you… I dunno, cancel it out, or something?”

“I’m not helping you cheat, Rainbow.” I paused. “Unless it’s really necessary.”

“Hay, no!” Rainbow gave me an offended look. “I’d never ask for that! I mean, can you stop them from cheating!”

“Um, probably not.” I paused. “Wait a second. Why do you even think they’ll use this for the game, anyways?”

“Didn’t you notice who had those funny markings?” She shot me an unimpressed stare.

“The leader, the short guy, and the long-haired girl.”

“Exactly!” Rainbow stabbed a finger at me. “They’re the ones who are on the team. There’s no way they won’t be playing next week. Hay, I bet the whole team has magic by then!”

“Um.” I rubbed my jaw. “I’m sorry, but - “

“What’s the prize?”

“Hmm?” Rainbow turned to Sunset.

“What’s the prize for the tournament?” Sunset asked again.

“A plaque or something.” Rainbow waved a hand. “But that’s not important. I’m not trying to get something shiny with my name scratched on, I’m in to win!” She struck another dramatic pose.

“Of course.” Sunset nodded, but rubbed her chin.

“What did you realize?” I turned to her.

“Glisten’s got an angle on this.” She gave me a serious look.

“Sure.” I shrugged. “But what’s the prize got to do with it?”

“Remember what I said about the gem?”

“And vortices?” I frowned, thinking back. “You mean, the reason she’s interfering, is because she needs to win?”

“Exactly. I doubt she’s as intricate a plotter as Sombra, but I could be wrong. Still, if she satisfies the transfer conditions of the gem, even with trickery, she’ll have ‘legal’ possession.”

“Oh.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Maybe we’d better thank Rover.”

“What?” Lyra stepped forward. “Why?”

“Because, if he hadn’t been so foolishly revenge-hungry, we wouldn’t even have this much of a lead.” I grinned. “I won’t jinx my luck by saying things have started going my way… but once in a while, it’s nice to catch a break.”

Sunset winced, and tapped on the wooden desk. I shrugged. If I was worried about bad luck, I’d be sweating for seven years.

For now, I’d take what I could get.

> 58 - Bonds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Or, maybe Glisten sent Rover to toy with us."
 
We were inspecting the trophy for the upcoming game. My gem was there; I could see it.
 
That was all I could do.
 
We were standing in the hallway of Canterlot High. It was school hours, and the halls were quiet. On the wall was a plaque inscribed 'Everfree Northwest Regional Champions!' and inset with a sparkling, vaguely heart-shaped, gem. A space for names stretched below.
 
"You're sure we can't snatch it?"
 
"Positive." Sunset nodded firmly. "We absolutely can't destabilize this. Artifacts aren’t intelligent, but they follow strange and specific rules. When Glisten seized it, your ownership became tenuous. In order to safely transfer ownership, a ceremony is needed. It may have already begun. If we grab it carelessly, we risk interrupting that. It could create a vortex here." She stopped and I shuddered, imagining the havok a searing firestorm would cause in a packed school.
 
"So, winning the tournament would be better?"
 
"Maybe." Sunset frowned. "Honestly, I'm not sure yet. This needs more thought. But whatever goes down, if it happens at least semi-officially, it will be controlled." She tapped the glass case enclosing the plaque. "I hope we control it, whatever that takes. As long as we don’t turn the gems rules against us. Glisten has the upper hand; she knows enough about Sombra’s magic to set this game up as a ceremony. She’s got a plan to win. We can’t let that happen. I have no idea what she plans with the power, but there’s no way it’s good. The energy would be more than enough to send us home, if we can only harness it. I wish I knew more. We need to do some experimenting."
 
"Huh? How so? On what?"
 
"You." Sunset poked my chest with one sharp finger, narrowly avoiding my wound. "You are still a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, surrounded by annoying."
 
"Annoying, huh?" I smirked. "Well, there's a chance we can do something about the other two. Ok, let's have a try. Meet you back at Pinkie's?"
 
"Where are you going?" She crossed her arms and gave me a suspicious glare.
 
"I need to pick up some supplies." I shrugged. "I didn't have a chance earlier."
 
"Hmmph." Sunset frowned, but nodded. She'd dragged me clothes shopping with her in the morning. I'd tried to give her half our money and skip out, but she'd insisted. I'd had no chance to refresh my kit, or buy high-tech stuff to experiment with. "Fine. I'll be at Pinkie's."
 



 
"Greetings."
 
"Hey, Bit." I waved to my assistant. It was wearing slim jeans and a light t-shirt. It had pupils now, and although its skin was still jet, it no longer had the sheen of chitin. Its ears were rounded, and its white hair was shoulder-length. It still seemed mostly genderless, although it emanated a slight aura of cuteness, sitting cross-legged on the floor nibbling a donut. "How's stuff?"
 
"Well."
 
"Good." I set my shopping bags down. Pinkie's small suite was packed with four people, but she wouldn't hear of us leaving. She’d just hugged her pillow, muttered 'party', and giggled when I'd mentioned it.
 
"What did you get?" Sunset leaned over.
 
"First aid supplies." I dumped out tape, gauze, antiseptic, styptics, painkillers, thread, bandages, and wraps. It was overkill, but I'd rather cut for weight than fall short.
 
"Snacks." I dumped out the next bag. Candy, chips, and soda tumbled out. Bit's eyes gleamed ever so slightly. I grinned.
 
"And finally, something to experiment with." The third bag was the least impressive, visually. A handful of cardboard boxes, filled with tiny metal and plastic components, tumbled out.
 
"More electronics?" Sunset wrinkled her nose.
 
"Consider this." I crossed my arms, confidently.  "Do you know what microchips are printed on?"
 
"No." She shook her head, slowly.
 
"Crystal. The most pure, perfect crystals ever made, designed to store information on a nearly incomprehensible level." I tipped one of the Atmega chips I'd bought onto my palm. Her eyes widened slightly. "These combine centuries of human research and development. Consider if, back in Manehatten, someone had shown you a system that approached the same problems as magic from a different angle. A system just as sophisticated and mature, but using completely different principles and properties. A system to 'fill in' the gaps, as it were, something both undetectable and indecipherable by magic. But also compatible, so a skilled worker could mesh the two. What could you have accomplished?"
 
Sunset sat for a second, her face going pale and her breathing accelerating.
 
"I'd have conquered Gryphonia. Single-handed." Her voice was soft. "Seriously? How has Twilight not revolutionized magic, yet?"
 
"Oh, she has." I grinned. "At least once. Human technology has one huge advantage and disadvantage; it works outside the caster's magical abilities. This chip cost five bits. That'd be forty Equus bits. They can only sell them for that because they make hundreds of thousands, maybe millions. The investment, just for tools, is enormous. With research and development on top…" I shrugged. "Equus won't be doing that soon. But the principles are applicable." I handed her the chip. "I based my sound-cannon on that, magic artifacts which use stored power. Magic modeled as a 'programming language for reality', with the incompatibilities between schools carefully considered. I was curious to experiment with information-focused crystals. You're welcome to a few."
 
"I've never done much artifice." She frowned at the tiny chip, holding it up for a closer look. "Can information be stored on these without magic?"
 
"Actually, yes." I tapped the Arduino I'd bought. "We can hook it up to Pinkie's computer."
 
"Fascinating." For a second, her gaze went hard, calculating, and I shivered. Sometimes, I was very glad Sunset was on my side. "But, my experiments' first."
 
"As you say." I shrugged. "What's on the agenda?"
 
"First, your mind-link with Twilight."
 
"Um." I paused, as Bit's aura suddenly took on a sharply curious feel. I could almost hear its ears go 'Shwing!' as they pricked.
 
"Oh, come on." Sunset looked at us, and facepalmed. "Please. In the future, please construct a chart, showing who knows what secrets of yours. This is getting ridiculous!"
 
"I, um." I glanced at Bit, and sighed. "Yeah, I know."
 
"Mindlink?" My aide's voice was soft.
 
"Yeah." I shrugged. "I… I'm not sure how to explain it. It had to do with my gem, and - "
 
"Maybe not."
 
"Huh?" I turned back to Sunset. "What?"
 
"That is exactly what we're researching." She gave me a sharp glance and held out her hand. "Wand, please." I pulled it out, but hesitated.
 
"Actually… can I have a few more explanations?"
 
"Fine." She sighed. "Here's what I know. You are weird."
 
"Heh."
 
"I mean, magically! Your magic was not tied to your crystal." I nodded slowly; that was obvious, now. "Humans shouldn't have magic. It's a product of the mind." She tapped her temple. "I've been scanning people here any time I get the chance. None of them have even the tiny capacity for magic you do. Though I haven't managed to get a decent read on Pinkie."
 
"But are these humans like me? They look different."
 
"Mostly skin color," Bit interjected calmly. "You are close enough." I raised an eyebrow at that, but considered its transformation. If Bit had compared our DNA…
 
"Huh." I crossed my arms. "I told Twilight something was up."
 
"So, here's my conjecture," Sunset continued. "What about the link? What if it's - "
 
"Not from the gem, either." I finished slowly. "That… would make things easier."
 
"How so?"
 
"I always wondered how the link could be so… so benign." I paused. "I mean, if it was from the numancy spell Twilight saved me with, or from the changelings, I'd have expected it to at least hurt. As it was…" I shrugged. "No noticeable side effects. It didn't even affect our synchronization after building Arglefraster."
 
"Hmm." She cocked an eyebrow. "Explain that."
 
"Um?"
 
"What you did for Arglefraster." She nodded to the microchips. "I saw that gun, and I still don't quite believe you and Twilight made it. I thought it was one of Celestia's black-projects."
 
"Celestia has black projects?"
 
"Are you serious?" Sunset gave me a hard glare. "You know six of them! The Elements are one of the most potent weapons in existence!"
 
"Huh." I stopped, reflecting on the secrecy surrounding the Elements. At times, it seemed almost magical. Lyra and Bon-Bon hadn't even believed me when I said Twilight was a bearer. "Okay. Huh. But no. We made Arglefraster for crowd-suppression when we were besieged in the Crystal Empire. We used six vortex crystals, and it took several hours."
 
"What did you do?"
 
"We used the mindlink." I shrugged. "it's hard to explain. We, uh… merged? Our minds?" I paused, trying to define the gestalt I had experienced. "Or, wills? We still had separate thoughts, but…" I scrunched up my face. "I'm not sure how to explain."
 
"Aaaaa…" Bit had gone wide-eyed. "That sounds wonderful."
 
"Um." I stopped short, remembering what Onyx said about the hivemind. "Nope, not happening." I shook my head firmly.
 
"But…" Bit paused, groping for words. "It could be helpful!"
 
"No, no. Mindlinks are bad for small bugs!" I gave Bit a serious look, and it subsided. "Anyways." I turned back to Sunset. "Even after that, our synchro seemed unaffected."
 
"Ah. Wand." I offered it but she grasped my wrist, flattening my hand to examine the green stain on my palm. "Now, this. It's crystallized magic, I think, under your skin."
 
"Yeah." I frowned. "That happened… twice before."
 
"Oh? Tell."
 
"When we first captured by Sombra, I absorbed some sort of… crystallized emotional magic." I frowned, my better understanding triggering alarms. "After that, I nearly broke my own gem, and Twilight's magic was really low, there were these purple flames…" I stopped, as full realization dawned. "I got bits of her soul-energy embedded in my skin?"
 
"Aaaaah." Sunset gave a sigh of comprehension. "Now we're getting somewhere."
 
"Really?"
 
"Yes." She shrugged. "Once again, numancy."
 
"Oh." I frowned. "So that means…?"
 
"It's painting a picture of your innate magic."
 
"Innate?"
 
"Right. Your innate magic doesn't depend on the gem. It's a type of numancy, and has physical effects." She ran a finger over my palm. "If we can understand it, we can use it."
 
"Right." I frowned. "That… might be helpful." I stopped. Bit was staring intensely. I'd have facepalmed, but Sunset was scanning my hand.
 
"This crystallized magic. Can you feel it?"
 
"Hmm." I touched the wand, harmonizing my power. Sunset gasped, and dropped it. "Um… sorry?"
 
"That… felt strange." She gave the wand cautious glance, and picked it up again. "Very, very strange." I grimaced.
 
"Probably breaking more rules. Anyways, let's see." I moved my power to my palm, focusing on the stain under my skin. "Hmm."
 
"Yes?"
 
"I can feel them. Slightly." It was like echonarchy, but extremely high-frequency.
 
"Push them out of your skin." I frowned, but complied. There was a flash of green flame dancing above my palm for a second, and the stain faded. "Good." She gave me a long look. "You do have magic conduits. And they're abnormal."
 
"Again." I frowned. "is this about what Lyra said? About crippling myself if I pulled in magic?"
 
"Yup. Magic is of the mind." She held up the wand. "But also needs the body. If you started like the people here, you didn't have magic conduits initially. Now you do. Because they've been… developed, somehow, they're narrow and simple. You shouldn't be as worried about scrambling them as Lyra suggests; if you limit yourself to echonarchy, it shouldn't hurt."
 
"Developed. So, although it's not from the stone, my magic is not natural." I looked at my palm. The stain was gone. I'd suspected that, ever since Lyra demonstrated it, but this was strong evidence.
 
"No…" Sunset shook her head. "No, I suppose it's not."
 
"Well, we're making progress." I shrugged.
 
"Slowly." Sunset crossed her legs, folded the wand between her palms, and drew in a deep breath.
 
"What are you doing?" I asked, growing curious after a few moments.
 
"Meditating."
 
"Why? Surely you're past that."
 
"You're never past discipline, Wes." She cracked an eye, and gave me an icy glare. "Even Celestia meditates."
 
"Oh." I popped open a can of Pringles, and offered them to Bit. It took a small stack, slim fingers hesitant.
 
After a few minutes of crunching, Sunset slowly opened her eyes. She held the wand out to me. I reached for it, but paused as an icy flicker licked the length.
 
"Hurry!"
 
I touched it.
 
Snap!
 
"OW!" The wand clattered to the floor. Both of us clutched our heads. Bit glanced back and forth, worried.
 
"What was that?"
 
"Attempt one." Sunset moved to pick up the wand, but stopped. "And enough for today."
 
"What did you do?"
 
"I induced soul-burn. Just a little."
 
"Oh." I stopped. "Oh. You thought maybe we could start the link, like that?"
 
"It was worth a try." She shrugged. I picked up the wand.
 
"Let me."
 
"Careful."
 
"Like you were."
 
I hesitantly reached down through my mind, smoothly passing the magic I normally used, going a little deeper. I winced as I tore free a pinch of the intrinsic power it sprang from. Soul-burn still hurt. I carefully pushed it into the wand, and held it out. A web of orange energy crackled.
 
It took a few minutes to meditate and prepare. Sunset had lost concentration, and started on the Pringles.  She looked up, and stretched out a hand.
 
Bit beat her.
 
"OW!" I nearly dropped the wand as my headache redoubled. For a second, a sensation like trailing spiderweb brushed my mind. I instinctively grasped it.
 
There was a second of confusion. I saw Bit's mind, neatly ordered, a small, fierce affection burning brightly. Bit saw my mind, all confusion and loose ends, slowly churning. Bit dived as deep into the link as it could. For a second, I was two places, staring at myself. Then I snapped the link, hard. Bit shuddered and blinked, grinning broadly.
 
"Ow." I repeated. "Bit, please. I meant what I said! Mind-links are bad for small bugs!" Its smile faded. Bit looked genuinely bothered by my disapproval, but there might have been a bit of stubbornness on its face. I wasn't quite sure what to do. On the one hand, Bit hardly ever defied me. I'd never punished it more than a hard look, and usually tried to soften even that. On the other hand, this was something that could be genuinely dangerous for its developing mind. I sighed, dropping it for now, and twisted open a bottle of painkillers, popping the top on a soda.
 
"Did it work?" Sunset gave me a questioning stare, as she accepted two ibuprofen. I considered whether Bit could use them or not, but offered them anyways. They probably couldn't hurt it; Bit's biosystems were much more advanced.
 
"Sorta." I shrugged. "One thing about the link… I've never been able to start it, only to 'accept' it. Twilight and I did some pretty rigorous studies of this. If she used magic, the link would extend. After that, I needed to seize it. That's likely why you got nothing . I nearly missed it with Bit, but there was enough there for me to grab on reflex." I glanced at my aide, who was contritely watching the floor. "I don't know if it was innate power or what. Anyways, I agree. That's enough for today." I shrugged. "Besides, isn't it about time for - "
 
"I'm hooooome!" Pinkie's voice came up the stairwell, followed by a giggle.
 
" - school to finish?" I ended, lamely.
 



 
I lay on the floor, under a blanket, and stared at the dark ceiling. Pinkie was snoring quietly on the couch; Bit and Sunset were snuggled on the bed.
 
Pinkie had brought her friends, and we'd spent much of the evening chatting, laughing, and hanging out. We'd discussed Glisten, and Rainbow had waxed lyrical on the importance of winning. Rarity had examined my boots, fascinated by her double's work. Sunset had blushed until I took off my socks. Pinkie had convinced Bit and Fluttershy to play Candy-land. Bit had confusedly pointed out the game's static nature, but complied anyways.
 
It had been fun.
 
I sighed, trying to keep from worrying over Glisten and Sombra. So far, we'd learned a lot. The revelations about my gem and my own capabilities were a lot to process. I felt like we were about to reach a whole new level of understanding, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. It was good; but we were cut off, unable to help. If we defeated Glisten, whatever that meant, we might be a step closer to returning. If we could control the gem she'd seized…
 
I breathed deeply, trying to clear my mind. As I concentrated, I carefully folded my worries and cares, smoothing out the tension and stress. I tucked them into the back of my mind, spreading out comforting thoughts and feelings to refresh myself for tomorrow. Finally calmer, I closed my eyes and slipped into a dream.
 



 
I found a nightmare.
 
The fire burned.
 
I screamed.
 
The moai laughed.
 
The dream shattered, reformed.
 
I lay curled on the warm sand of the arena, before realizing what had happened. I swallowed a few times, trying to clear my head. Dreams were always confusing. At least this time, thanks to Pinkie's teaching, I'd managed to break free of the nightmare.
 
Bit was curled beside me, once again pony-shaped, shaking.
 
"Oh." I sat up, slowly, and examined my aide. Its eyes had gone flat, turned inwards.
 
"Oh." I ran a hand gently over its carapace. It shivered. Twilight had shown up in my dreams, after escaping Sombra’s prison; I’d completely forgotten this aspect of the link. Luna had suppressed it quickly and completely.
 
"Oh. Oh no." I tried to remember how long Bit had been here. Long enough. "Oh, Bit. I'm sorry." I carefully gathered it into my lap. This was all in my mind, but that almost made it worse. This dreamscape didn't show what happened, but how I felt. About my past. About changelings. "Oh, Luna, no!" I bent my head over Bit, remorse, regret, and tears welling up. It had seen how I felt.
 
We weren't ready for this.
 
"Wes…"
 
"Shhhh." I sniffled, but didn't let Bit speak until it stopped shivering. Then, very carefully, I changed the scene.
 
I drew in a deep breath, concentrated on where I wanted to be, and exhaled in a steady stream. Some place Bit would know. Some place to comfort it. The sand whipped around us, the bleachers blew away, the sun flit from the sky, and we sat on the floor of Lyra's studio. Somewhere to comfort me, too. The golden silence enveloped us, ever-present sunbeams dappling the warm hardwood.
 
"Alright." I centered my emotions as best I could, and summoned a cushion to set Bit on. "Now you can talk. If you want."
 
"Those were changelings!" Bit climbed back into my lap, and curled up again.
 
"Yes." I swallowed, trying to remove the lump from my throat.
 
"They were hurting you!" Bit's voice quavered.
 
"Yes." I rubbed my eyes.
 
"But… but!"
 
"It's okay."
 
"It's not okay!" Bit uncurled enough to look up. "They were hurting you!" I almost laughed, touched by its sincere confusion.
 
"It was just a dream."
 
"It…" Bit paused, looking around. Its ears twitched as it realized the scenery had changed. "It… wasn't real?"
 
"None of this is real. We're in a dream, Bit." I drew a shaky breath. "Because of the mindlink. Luna had this locked down. I guess we unlocked it."
 
"But… " Bit gave me an adorably stern look, refusing to be sidetracked. "But it did happen."
 
I paused. I could lie. If I assured Bit this was all a dream, it might not even remember what happened. I mulled the thought for a moment.
 
"It did!" Bit nudged my chin. "If you take that long to think, it was real."
 
I nodded slowly. We'd talked about deception; Bit took to the principles fast. Maybe it had instincts for misdirection and acting. Honesty was my policy, but actually tricking Bit wasn't easy.
 
"Yes."
 
"Whyyyy?" Bit wailed, quietly. I looked down. Confusion, hurt, frustration, distress; every line of its small body cried in pain. It didn't understand. It couldn't understand. It started shivering again, mumbling to itself.
 
For a while, I just hugged it. Could I explain this? Would explaining even help?
 
Watching changelings torture me had deeply affected it. I'd never explained my background. Having it revealed like this… I had no idea how to respond. I really didn't understand how Bit saw me. A protector, teacher, and maybe somewhat a parent, but what all that meant… I'd come to understand its strength of loyalty when it faced down Phoresy, but I still didn't really understand. I might never. We were separated by a gulf of perception. Until I saw the world through its eyes…
 
I paused.
 
Actually, I could do that.
 
I shoved the thought away. The mindlink had gotten us into this mess. It wouldn't make things better. I didn't think it was good to expose Bit. Even Onyx had been slightly obsessive about the Hivemind, and he'd been cleanly separated for years.
 
"They…" I stopped, giving Bit a minute to quiet. "They decided they had the right to take my freedom." I shrugged. "And I wasn't strong enough to stop them." I gave a small smile. "If someone tries again, I'm slightly better prepared."
 
"But… but I'm a changeling!" Its voice was shaky. "And… and you love me! Why? Howwww?" It gave another sob, and curled up again. I hugged it a little tighter, my feelings churning slowly.
 
Bit had seen itself in my dream. It had seen my feelings in my dream. No wonder it was confused.
 
"Because I won't be ruled by my past." I gave it a hesitant pat. "I won't let them make me be like them. I'm stronger than that. Strength is to defend the weak. The great shelter the small. I've grown. I won't let them change how I feel about you, Bit. You're right. I do love you." I'd realized it waiting in front of the stove. I'd acted on it rushing to the rescue. I still wasn't sure what I felt about Bit, but at the very least it was a precious friend and student. "I'll protect you, and do my best to make you a changeling who can…" I trailed off, the impact of my words hitting me.
 
"Heh." I laughed once, dryly.
 
"Heh heh." I laughed twice, wryly.
 
"Heh heh heh. Hah hah. Hahahaha!" I laughed, slowly building to a deep belly-laugh that had me rolling on the floor. Bit fell out of my lap, and gave me a faintly concerned stare as I convulsed, giggling.
 
"Oh, Bitterbloom." I sat back up slowly, wiping a tear from my eye and looking around carefully. "Oh, dear."
 
"Who can?"
 
"Who can live in harmony with others." I shrugged, letting the phrase finish itself with a sigh. "Oh, my. I've been played like a piano, huh?"
 
Bit cocked its head slightly, curious.
 
"Your Queen," I explained, "was given a nearly impossible task. Celestia decided, in order to save her hive, Tezeca needed to convince me that changelings could live in harmony with ponies." I summoned a recliner, and sprawled into it, picking up Bit and placing it on my lap. It was large, but not uncomfortable. "You just saw what sort of feelings I need to work through. She understood some of that. So, she did something very, very clever. She got me to convince myself."
 
"Hmm?"
 
"I guess I should go tell her." I gave Bit a small smile. "If we make it back. It worked. First, she disarmed me. You were helpless. Of course I couldn't hurt you. Second, she ensured you would learn from me. I have no idea what she did, to make you look up to me so, but it worked."
 
"I like helping."
 
"I know, Bit. I know."
 
"And then?"
 
"That's all it took." I summoned a plate of sweets, and offered my aide one. "That's all it took. How could I condemn you, when you're pretty much trying to be me? I'm not confused enough to hate that. If I won't condemn you, how can I condemn her future? She's not dead; she can still learn. It's possible. Changelings can live in harmony." I gave Bit a pat. "You can live in harmony. I've been teaching you how, since we met. It would be ridiculous to say otherwise. Without even realizing it, I’ve been doing my best to make Tezeca’s dream a reality." I stretched, and leaned back.
 
"They were hurting you." Bit gave me another serious look, unwilling to simply abandon the dream. I nodded. I couldn't explain. Bit wasn't really ready for that. But I could reassure. It would have to be enough.
 
"Yes." I frowned. "They were. I can't say I'm over it. I can't say I'm comfortable with even Onyx or Tezeca." I paused. No, those feelings weren't done yet. "Bit, don't ever think you're like them." I leaned down, to give it one last hug. "You're my aide, my student, and a precious friend. I could never feel that way about you."
 
"Good." Bit gave one last sniffle, and curled up. "Now what?"
 
"Now we dream of watching ourselves sleep." I grinned. "It's pretty relaxing. Luna taught me how to do it."
 
After a while, there was nothing but snores.



> 59 - Match
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Pinkie, what is this?"
 
I glanced at the well-worn book. It was hardbound, emblazoned with the Canterlot High emblem.
 
"A yearbook!" She flipped it open, holding it out to me.
 
"Class of... four years ago?" I hesitantly accepted.
 
"Mmmhmm!" She tucked a stray lock behind her ear. "I'm off! Bye!"
 
"Farewell." Bit gave a small wave.
 
"Later." Sunset looked up from the computer.
 
I slumped on the couch and started paging idly, but kept returning to place she'd opened.
 
There was a familiar picture there.
 
I glanced up, comparing the smiling graduate's photo to the young woman behind Pinkie's desk. They had the same hair. The same eyes.
 
Sunset Shimmer had graduated a year before Pinkie and Co. enrolled.
 
I turned another page.
 
Here was her brother, Splinter. One year older.
 
I rubbed my eyes. My thoughts felt like molasses.
 
There was no magic used in this world. No Royal Guard. No changelings, or not like I'd seen.
 
A normal life. Maybe an exceptional student, but nothing dangerous. Nothing exciting. I glanced at Sunset. In this world, she was top of her class, but in few photos. Still driven, still a loner. Splinter had no awards, but in each picture people were laughing and smiling. Still a guardian, still someone bringing life and cheer.
 
His planned to attend college nearby. Settle down, run a shop. Fix cars.
 
Maybe...
 
I glanced at Sunset.
 
"Sir?"
 
"Yes, Bit?" My aide was staring uncertainly.
 
"Sir, are you contemplating something dangerous?"
 
"Hah. Perhaps." I snapped the book shut. "Can't keep secrets from you, huh?"
 
"No, sir. You can't."
 
"Heh. Well, that's okay."
 



 
"Will you be okay?"
 
"Heh." Sunset sniffled, and sipped her drink. "Will we be okay?"
 
"Heh." I grinned sadly.
 
I still wasn't sure whether visiting his shop had been a good idea. I'd grabbed Sunset, turned on Pinkie's laptop for Bit, and headed out. I hadn't worked up the nerve to explain until I'd asked Sunset to disguise herself. After that, she'd pretty much stopped talking.
 
I pretended I needed advice on a motorbike. It wasn't hard. His shop was messy, but vibrant. He'd been charming and personable, friendly and open. Happy. Content.
 
I'd retreated when the burning in my eyes became hard to hide.
 
"Was it a bad idea?" I stirred my drink, listening to the ice clink.
 
"No." Sunset shook her head emphatically. "No, it wasn't. Maybe not a good idea, but... if we hadn't..."
 
I nodded. If we hadn't gone, we'd have regretted it.
 
"He seemed happy."
 
"He was happy. He has a mare - girlfriend. It..."
 
"It was good to see him happy." We agreed on that.
 
I sipped my drink, and sighed again. We had a battle to plan, a war to wage across worlds.
 
"Alright." I stood, shaking off my melancholy. "Back to work?"
 
"As you say." Sunset rose, squaring her shoulders determinedly. "Back to work."
                    



 
"So. Got a plan?" Rainbow passed the soccer ball.
 
"Not yet." I dribbled back. I wasn't good at sports, but training had given me reflexes and muscles. "That's why we're here." We were currently 'hanging out' on the soccer field, where the showdown between Canterlot High and Ever Free High would happen. We were scouting, looking for opportunity and advantage. There wasn't much.
 
"We've been researching Glisten's spells. Sunset got pictures."
 
"Yeah?"
 
"We think they're simple boosting spells, inked on."
 
"Huh. Is that how your magic works?"
 
"Sorry." I shook my head.
 
"Oh, right. Can't explain." Rainbow tried to slip past, but I jinked to block.
 
"Yeah. My magic is more complicated, but much better. Those spells aren't exactly safe."
 
"Hmm."
 
"They've got no feedback. They just boost. Besides needing external power, like charging from Glisten, they just strip the limiters off your body. They'll make the Shadowbolts fast and strong... but in the end, they'll be the ones who pay. It's a serious strain."
 
"Like overdosing on energy drinks?"
 
"A leeetle more problematic. Oh, they're back."
 
"How'd it go?" Rainbow turned to Sunset and Bit, who'd examined the locker rooms.
 
"They won't like it." Bit said to Sunset, who nodded.
 
"Nothing useful?" I frowned. That would be disappointing, but...
 
"No, the plan." Sunset sighed. "I've got one, but neither of you will be pleased."
 
"How bad can it be?" Rainbow took an aggressive stance. "Let's hear." I nodded.
 
"We're..." Sunset paused, taking a deep breath. "We're going to help them cheat."
 



 
"What are you building?"
 
"Hmm?" I looked up from the chip I was coding. Mixing magic and high-tech micro-controllers was more difficult than I'd hoped, but easier than I'd feared. Sunset had helped me get a kludgy spell-code working, although it took several steps. "It's a secret."
 
"Come oooon, you're killing me here!" Sunset leaned her chin on her hand, kicking her feet in the air. She was laying on Pinkie's bed. I was at the computer desk, a dozen pieces of electronics strewn on the desk.
 
"Really, dear. Give the man some space." Rarity looked up from the card-game she was playing with Bit. "True creativity takes time and concentration."
 
"Thank you." I nodded to her. She smiled back.
 
"I told you what my project was!" Sunset frowned petulantly. She'd built an area-effect magic amplifier, but wouldn't tell me why.
 
"Yeah, but it's for the plan. Which you won't explain."
 
"Because you'll veto!"
 
"That makes it okay?" I quirked an eyebrow. "You'll give me no time to consider alternatives? Just trap me into executing it?"
 
"It's not like that." She frowned. "Really, it will work. But you won't see that. How about… I'll tell, if you promise to let me lead."
 
"I'd comply, if you weren't so sure I'd disagree." I carefully slotted my microchip into the charging rig, and started trickling it power.
 
"Say I demand you let me?"
 
"I guess I'd let you." I shrugged. "I'm not power-hungry. But after, it's all you."
 
Sunset grimaced. She didn't want control that bad.
 
"Look, how about a compromise?" I pointed to Bit. Her eyebrows rose.
 
"Seriously?"
 
"He's already agreed with you." I shrugged. "But he'd represent me strongly. If you're both set on this, I'll go along. Bit can coordinate; he's excellent at that. Then neither of us are on command and also point."
 
"You were the reserve." She shook her head.
 
"...oh." I narrowed my eyes. "You were planning on giving Bitterbloom an active role?" No wonder they thought I wouldn't like it.
 
"She agreed." Sunset shrugged. "Still want her to coordinate?"
 
"Sorta." I rubbed my chin.
 
"Really?" She cocked an eyebrow.
 
"Yeah, I've been trying to give him more responsibility. Thing is, he's very poor at improvisation."
 
"If we need to improvise, the plan is shot." Sunset shrugged. "It works, or we fight. By the way, I hope you're building a weapon."
 
"Yes, actually." When the chip was charged, I slotted my emerald into the testing bracket and touched a knob. A gentle hum rang. "I am." I looked back at Bit. "How's this. Link with me, and I promise to listen very carefully before vetoing anything." Sunset frowned.
 
"Have you figured it out?"
 
"A little." I shrugged. "It's numancy, and I'm convinced it has two components. First, soul-energy. When Bit jumped in, I think it… 'locked on' to him. Then, if the… 'target' uses magic, I can grab that. Like a two-step thing. I used to be locked to Twilight, but dimension hopping broke that, and the more dangerous link that helped me recover. But I have to switch the target from Bit. Luna had it suppressed, but when I was locked to Twilight, we shared dreams. Last night, Bit showed up. In my nightmares."
 
"Oh." Her eyes grew wide. "Oh."
 
"Yeah. It was… unpleasant. I hate to ask, but - "
 
"What do I do?"
 
"Thanks." I smiled. "You remember when we both touched the wand?"
 
"Yes."
 
"I need the wand to start the link. But if I have the wand, you can't do magic… and I need that to complete the link. The only choice is for both of us to use it."
 
"Blech." Sunset grimaced. "How pointlessly arbitrary is this?"
 
"It could be worse." I grinned. "This is magic. No need to make a lick of sense."
 
"Heh." She rolled off the bed. "Okay. I'm guessing it'll hurt like crazy, but let's try."
 
"Good." We sat on the floor, facing each other.
 
"What's this?" Rarity turned to us.
 
"Magic," Bit answered.
 
I concentrated, carefully gathering power. After a minute, I held out the wand. Sunset concentrated and touched it.
 
ZAP.
 
Rarity gasped. Bit sighed. Magic arced, and for a second, the link started.
 
"This is strange." Sunset raised my hand. Her eyes shimmered white.
 
"Like last time." My voice was light to her ears. "Ow."
 
The headache hit, and I throttled the link hard.
 
"Much better." I projected carefully.
 
"Oh, wow. This is still weird. But much less weird." She picked up the trick quickly. "Mind if I…" A trickle of power seeped across the link, and I let it flow into the wand. There was a fizzy feeling, and the tension in my head eased.
 
"Oh, much better." I rubbed my forehead.
 
"Aaaaah…" Bit sighed again. Rarity gave it a strange look, but they turned back to their card game.
 
"Now, what were you planning?" With the headache rapidly fading, I gave Sunset my full attention.
 
"Let me show you…"
 



 
"I still don't like this." I sullenly munched my snacks.
 
"Of course not." Sunset sipped her drink, leaning back. We looked out over the field. "But it'll be okay. Bit will be fine."
 
"That's easy to say."
 
"I am prepared." My ward gave a serious look. "I can do this."
 
"But… but!"
 
"But if something goes wrong?" Sunset gave me a reassuring pat. "We rush to the rescue. But it won't. Bit, you know your mission?"
 
"Infiltrate, execute, escape. Unnoticeably." Bit was 'skinned' to mimic an average student. Its features were forgettable, and its androgynous look served well. Sunset nodded.
 
"Still…" I rubbed my eyes. I didn't like this at all. Sunset had persuaded me Bit was safe, that my paranoia was groundless, but it still grated. I dropped a hand to the modified flashlight clipped to my belt, my new weapon. Its cold steel was comforting.
 
Other than my ward being in danger, it wasn't a bad plan. It skirted the magical laws quite nicely, letting us act decisively while still preserving our integrity. It was summed up in Sunset's line; we were helping the Shadowbolts cheat. That didn't mean I liked it.
 
"Game time is soon. You'd better go." I nodded to Bit, who left wordlessly.
 
"Seriously." Sunset gave me a stare. "Bit will be okay. She's very stealthy, and if anything goes wrong, we'll know immediately."
 
"I wish I could go."
 
"They'd recognize you." Sunset shrugged. "Glisten'd surely spot you. If she's not around, the players you punched would. Otherwise I'd go myself."
 
"I know." I sighed, watching Bit navigate the bleachers. Rainbow had assured us that getting into the locker rooms would be easy; it was only a high-school. Once in, Bit's job was simple; activate and hide Sunset's gadget. Its disguise should let it cautiously slip under the radar.
 
"Rainbow's not happy either." I nodded to the home team, warming up.
 
"She's even loyal to her rivals. It's still the safest plan."
 
I nodded grudgingly. It was ingenious, really. Glisten had supplied the rope; all we were doing was giving a little push. She'd hang herself.
 
I sighed in relief as Bit returned, safe and unobtrusive, as the game started. I took another bite of my apple, and settled in. The plan was under way; now came the waiting.
 
The first injury happened in mere minutes.
 
I winced, as the forward limped off the field. The Shadowbolts had reserves; this wasn't game over.
 
Yet.
 
The best part of this plan was its subtlety. Bit had placed the magic amplifier near the players. That slightly overcharged the booster spells. Without feedback, overcharging made them dangerous. They didn't increase physical capability; they just stripped natural limiters. This boosted speed and power, but made it much easier to overexert tired muscles. Rainbow's team couldn't compete with magically boosted players for long, but they didn't need to. The Shadowbolts would defeat themselves.
 
We'd win through attrition. We didn't even need to get up, if the plan worked. Was this how Celestia and Sombra felt, behind their chessboards? I glanced at Bit, and shook my head. Not worth it. I'd leave scheming to the heavyweights.
 
The game progressed slowly. Despite being hard-pressed, the Wondercolts gave an excellent showing. The Shadowbolts were fast and furious, but had trouble cooperating. Despite strength one-on-one, superior teamwork showed; especially when two more players subbed out before half-time.
 
"This is honestly working better than I expected." I crossed my arms as the players cleared the field for their break.
 
"Yeah, I was wondering if - Look!"
 
I followed Sunset's pointing finger. Walking along the Shadowbolt benches, talking to a few players and inspecting the rest, was Glisten.
 
"She's been moving this situation awfully fast." I watched her carefully. If she spotted us, she gave no indication.
 
"Yeah, but if you don't care about consequences, your options broaden." Sunset gave the lieutenant a scathing look. "I bet she's hurt several people to get here."
 
"That's a safe bet. Do you think she'll grasp your strategy?"
 
"Fifty percent chance, at best." Sunset rubbed her jaw. "She might realize. But she'd need to find and understand the gizmo to guess our involvement."
 
"Think she'll react?"
 
"No idea. If she does, it'll be… uh - oh."
 
"Ooo." I grimaced. Glisten strode straight for Rainbow Dash, who was pacing slowly before her bench. "Come on."
 
"What?" Sunset gave a surprised glance as I stood, and beckoning. "Why?"
 
"To back up Rainbow, of course." I started skipping down the steps. As I moved their voices became audible, and then noticeable. "Do you think she'll just play dumb?"
 
Sunset watched the hotheaded captain for a second, before following.
 
"Of course not."
 
"This was in the plan." Bit added, matter-of-fact. Contingency one: In Case of a Fight.
 
"Right." I shrugged. "What were the chances we'd manage this peacefully?"
 
"Low." Sunset grumbled. "Still, It would be nice if - "
 
"One day." I put a hand on the railing and boosted myself over. Sunset and Bit landed lightly behind. We skirted the field edge, trying to look official and imposing. No-one really noticed; most had their attention on the rapidly escalating spectacle of Dash and Glisten.
 
"Oh, here we go…" I muttered, as Rainbow said something particularly caustic and Glisten visibly tensed. I saw emotions flit across her face; frustration blossomed into anger, which cooled into vicious hate. I winced as that finally dissolved into a careless smirk. She pointed at Rainbow, and I broke into a sprint.
 
"…just do it myself!" I barely caught the end of her tirade, as I threw myself between them. Her eyes widened, but her smirk broadened. Her arm spat something with a crack. It hurtled towards me.
 
I whipped the flashlight off my belt, deflecting it with a clang.
 
"Wesley!" Glisten stepped forward, spreading her hands. "How nice! I should have expected you behind this." She motioned to her team.
 
"Mad, bro?" I crossed my arms. "It's like you think I'm stealing something."
 
"Hah." Her glance was haughty, arms akimbo. "As if I care, Wes. Right or wrong doesn't matter now. Only winning."
 
"Too bad, then." Rainbow spat, narrowly missing Glisten's foot. "You're sunk. Even now we can  wipe you."
 
"Don't count me out!" Glisten's voice rose. "If I can't win by proxy, I'll step in myself!" She took a pace forwards, shaking a fist.
 
"This is it!" Sunset muttered. "She's starting to break the ritual. We need to reinforce this. Be loud. Be provocative. Do not attack. I'll find the trophy." I nodded slightly, and tapped my temple. Sunset's eyes widened, but after a second, I felt the link start.
 
"Go!" I sent. "Keep Bit with you." They'd take care of the difficult half. I just needed to keep an loudmouth angry. It shouldn't be hard.
 
"As if!" Rainbow shook a fist. Especially with the help of another. By now, spectators were noticing. Rainbow and Glisten had met far enough from the teams and coaches to avoid immediate notice. But now a few officials were moving towards us.
 
"Come on, Glisten. Do you really want to do this? Can't you accept defeat graciously?" I smiled, trying for smugly superior. By the grinding teeth, it seemed effective. "Just pony up and admit you were outmaneuvered. You don't even know what we did." She flinched; that hit. "Typical. Sombra can't even get decent help." I sniffed.
 
"Why, you…" Her eyes blazed.
 
"What a chump!" Rainbow laughed scornfully. "You brought this on yourself! Iiiiidioooot! Fooool! Hahahaha!"
 
Glisten flinched, but I saw her murderous rage dissolve again. This was going to get dangerous, right about - now.
 
Glisten struck, this time with a fist. I could have pushed Rainbow away; I could have blocked. I could have let Rainbow dodge. Instead, I stepped up and took it full-force.
 
It hurt.
 
I grinned, even as pain blossomed in my side.
 
"Hah." Glisten stepped back, as I choked out laugh. "Game over."
 
"Huh?" Glisten looked up as the sky darkened. Rainbow frowned.
 
"You broke the rules." I unslung my flashlight. The crowd became restless. "You set up the game, okay. We didn't know your plans, but you cheated. We didn't know your rules, but you did. So we let you lead us. The injuries? They were all inflicted by your spells. We'd have won, fair and square, no matter what. But you couldn't give up, huh?" I grit my teeth. We'd been trying to avoid disrupting the ritual, but it had always been likely. At least we hadn't instigated. "But now, instead of surrendering, you're changing the game. And that simply will not do."
 
Sunset squeezed a flurry of thoughts through the link. She'd found the trophy; it was in the announcer's booth. Glowing.
 
"Artifacts are finicky." Sunset kicked out the glass on the booth and flung the trophy. It sailed across the field, trailing effervescent magic. "You cheated, Glisten. You broke the rules. That means you lose."
 
"No!" She turned to the trophy. Curls of smoke were rising. Our predictions on this reaction had come up with nothing. We had a chance at control; we hadn't broken the ritual. We were outside, and prepared. One way or another, we'd pull through. Sunset leveled the wand at the trophy. I felt her preparing dozens of spells to react, and one very, very meticulously researched one to seize our chance at returning.
 
"Fine! If it's come to this, then I'll use force!" Glisten waved. The spectators had seen the smoke, and someone had pulled a fire alarm. The bleachers were starting to clear. Still, A half-dozen figures dashed out, forming up behind her. Seeing help apparently headed towards us, everyone else promptly evacuated. The stands cleared quickly.
 
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" All the ‘backup’ wore hoods, long pants, even gloves; no visible skin. From beneath the cloth, a dim glow flickered. "Windigolems? Here?"
 
"I made them myself." Glisten grinned, and started to shapeshift. "Think you can take us all?"
 
"Try me."
 
"No need." Rainbow stepped up beside me. "We'll do this together."
 
"Naw." I gave a lazy wave. "I've got this."
 
"Come oooon!" Lyra stepped up, her soccer jersey wrinkled with exertion. "Why you gotta be like that, Wes?"
 
"Hey hey, fighting's not a game!" I frowned at her.
 
"Focus!" Glisten's voice was aggravated as she dashed for me. I easily avoided her blow.
 
"Besides!" I yelled to the two of them. "I need a chance to try this!" I raised the flashlight. It was long enough to grip with two hands, machined from steel and painted black. I'd pulled the guts out, and crammed a handful of magic circuitry inside - including my emerald. I flicked the switch.
 
I'd told Sunset it was a weapon, and that was totally accurate. It was based in my sound-cannon, but built using human-based magitek. And slightly re-purposed.
 
Whummm.
 
"A.." Lyra's mouth dropped open, as the vibroblade sprang to life.
 
"A…" Rainbow's expression changed to shock, as she got a good look. The carrier wave only extended a few feet, but I'd carefully focused all the sound into a thumb-thick stream. It glowed green. Glisten stopped, watching carefully as I gave it an experimental wave.
 
Vuuuuuum-Wum!
 
"A lightsaber!" I grinned. "Or, well, near enough." Glisten frowned, and waved. The windigolems attacked. I responded viciously.
 
"Yes!" I shouted, exultation welling as hypersonic magic sliced a crystal arm. "Yes! YES!" I disabled the first attacker, easily bisecting the second. "Oh, yes!" I beheaded a third, whirling to take the fourth and fifth together, before slamming the blade through the chest of the sixth. "Yes, <HELL YES!>" The golem buzzed for a second, before exploding in a shower of crystal. I spun, leveling the weapon at Glisten. "Want some?"
 
The lieutenant took a step backwards.
 
"H-how…"
 
"You underestimated us, Glisten." I stepped forward. "You really only take yourself seriously, huh? You're just one big wad of conceit. Like Glory. Like Sombra. You've never truly faced us, not as people, not honestly. We're not so weak. We're not so inferior. Kindness, friendship, love; these aren't 'soft' emotions, if you truly understand them."
 
"No, this can't - "
 
"Yield!" I took another pace, raising my weapon. "Yield to me, and I'll - "
 
"No!" Glisten turned, whirling towards the rapidly-forming vortex behind her. "No, I can still win! I'll start my own Tear! I can call more windigos, and you…" I dashed to follow, but too slowly. Sunset stepped forward, pushing surprise aside as she grasped for spells, but Glisten was too fast. She dived past Sunset and grabbed the stone.
 
"AAAAAAH!"
 
By now, the field was mostly empty. Rover had even led the Shadowbolts away. Only Lyra and the Elements had stayed with us. No-one else heard the soul-wrenching scream. I watched, slightly horrified, as gemfire spread down Glisten's wrist. Her crystal body started to fracture, burning lines instantly lacing her face and arms. I stepped forward and raised a hand, unsure of my intent but pushed to action, but I wasn't fast enough. Her shriek degenerated into a fuzz of static, and she crumbled.
 
For a stunned moment, we were frozen.
 
"I-is she dead?" Lyra whispered.
 
"No idea." I grimly snapped the switch on my vibroblade, and clipped it to my belt. "But she's out of our way. I need to help Sunset make our chance to return. Once that's set up, we'll see what we can do, but stay back for now. I really hope we have time before emergency response starts arriving."
 
"Right." Rainbow nodded shakily. Her circle of friends gathered round; I turned my back on them for a moment. I had work to do.
 
"Sunset?" She'd been drawing more and more magic. Despite the hindrance of humanity, she worked smoothly and efficiently. The draw of the link was hard to ignore.
 
"Let's do this." There was a twinge of excitement in her thoughts, regarding the vortex. It was a big project. A challenge, with huge risks and rewards.
 
"Right." I touched her flows of magic, and let the link grow.
 
Power.
 
I could see magic. Both the power, with my wand, and the aura, with my eyes. Still, it wasn't the same as seeing through her. Training, years of study and intensive practice, gave her insight. When I looked at a computer or a car, it was more to me than a black box; I understood the inside. She saw the vortex the same, and it was astonishing. I gulped. This would be tricky.
 
POWER.
 
The stream swelled, and we linked deeper. There was a moment's confused whirl as some part of 'us' assigned roles, before we fell into synch and the magic started flowing. We raised our wand, and drew on the vortex. We split its power into usable pieces, and wove it to our ends. We shaped, reshaped, and finally impressed it back onto the world. It worked, at first. The vortex's aura faded, and we started to write our structure onto reality. It glowed like neon wire-sculpture, vaguely suggesting an intricate gate.
 
We hit a snag.
 
We knew magic. We had experience and learning in every school, principles at least. We knew science; we could harness lighting and fly to the stars, given time and tools. But we couldn't work with the unknown.
 
How could we mix numancy and resography?
 
The magic pouring from the gem was still increasing. The gateway hung, half-complete, but power spilled unused. We were stuck; we couldn't guess our destination. 'Here' was obvious. Where was 'home'? We'd hoped to extrapolate the coordinates as we wrote the gate. The theory was sound. But instead of shapely blanks suggesting simple answers, we'd woven a ragged spell that frayed at the slightest inattention. The gem's power was crude and wild. There was plenty, but it raged at our control. Half-complete spell structures and strangely aligned elemental power writhed as we grasped it. We struggled to layer energy onto the gate, our desperate attempt to pierce reality. It struggled back, trying to accomplish its own arcane ends.
 
We were losing.
 
"You can do it!" We turned in surprise. Our eyes glowed white, but Pinkie just smiled. She had pom-poms, and she was cheering. "Go, team! You can do it!"
 
"You've got this." Rainbow raised a fist for us. "Don't you give up!"
 
"U-um, …yay!" Fluttershy meekly called.
 
"Really, now. Surely you're not done yet?" Rarity grinned, teasing.
 
"Come on, y'all. Put some back into it!" Applejack crossed her arms.
 
"I believe." Bit gave us a nod.
 
And just like that, it clicked.
 
It wasn't obvious where the knowledge came from, but something shattered, releasing a tiny trickle of memory. It wasn't much. A glimmer of bougainvillea hung in the air. A thousand ticking clocks rang as one. A shimmer of branching crystal gleamed in our mind.
 
It was enough.
 
With a rippling slam, the gateposts crashed into reality. The doors materialized with a hissing crackle. The lintel and threshold appeared with ringing gongs. Intricate designs chimed across the surface, odd curling patterns, spiked and looping to strangely draw the eye. They were almost tribal, spiny and clean with no obvious symbolism.
 
The spell finished. The link broke.
 
"Holy crow." I clapped a hand to my head, surprised to not have a headache. "We did it!"
 
"Impressive, I must say." Rarity stepped forward, inspecting the door. "And this will take you… home?"
 
"Heh, almost." I shrugged. "As long as we got the spell right."
 
"We're good." Sunset drew in a long breath, releasing a deep sigh. "Didn't you feel?"
 
"What?"
 
"My talent! At the end, that was me!" She gave a satisfied grin. "I told you to believe!"
 
"Hah!" I grinned back. "Alright. We need to move. First, Glisten." I glanced at the shards. "Anyone got a broom?"
 
"Oh! Broom emergency! And I have presents!" Pinkie leaped into the air.
 
"Wait, it's not - " Sunset called, but Pinkie had vanished mid-hop. " - necessary." She raised the wand and a cyan aura swirled, gathering the thin mist rising from the corpse.
 
"Just like Shadow." I dug through my pack for a container, but came up empty. "Anyone got a jar?"
 
"Here." Rainbow tossed me an empty soda bottle.
 
"Heh. Hope she likes Coke." Sunset slowly streamed the fog into the container and I capped it tightly. "Think she's okay?"
 
"Couldn't care less." I tucked the bottle into my pack. "We'll hand this over to Celestia, and she can do whatever she did to Shadow. Leave her on a shelf for a thousand years, maybe."
 
"Tadaaa!" Pinkie returned with a flourish, carrying a sack of brightly wrapped parcels and a broom. "This is for pony-Twilight! And this is for pony-me! And this is for pony-Applejack! And this is for - " I snatched the sack, before she passed them all one-by-one.
 
"Are they labeled?"
 
"Yuperooni!" She gave a wide grin.
 
"Good enough." I glanced at Sunset, and at Bit. "Alright. The windigos will dissolve, but there's a lot of broken glass. Can you guys deal with cleanup?"
 
"It's fine, darling." Rarity gave me a wink. "We don't need to explain anything. What happened here was impossible, after all."
 
"Heh, that works. Okay, we need to go, so get your hugs - Oooof!" I gasped, as Pinkie swept me into a rib-crushing embrace. " - now," I wheezed.
 
We would have lingered over goodbyes, but the threat of firemen loomed. We traded hugs, a few kind words, and turned to the door.
 
"Are we really ready?" Sunset gave Bit and me a long look.
 
"Got my pack." I patted my haversack. "And the presents." I hefted Pinkie's gift-bag. "Bit?"
 
"Ready."
 
"Okay." I stepped forward, and pressed one hand to the door. It swung gently open, revealing a swirling portal of hypnotic colors. "Let's do this." I held out my hands. Bit took my right; Sunset grasped my left.
 
We stepped forward together, and fell into space. It wasn't home… but it was enough for now.
 
We were returning.



> 60 - Phase
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Princess Twilight cometh, behold, behold…"
 
Did I black out?
 
I jerked alert as an exit to the warp-corridor opened. I remembered stepping into the door, but the trip…
 
"Ooof!"
 
My musing was interrupted by flagstones. Sunset and Bit impacted loudly nearby. A flurry of gasps warned me we weren't alone. A musical disharmony echoed; we were inside, somewhere large. I fought through disorientation to regain my feet.
 
"Uh, hi." I waved awkwardly to a crowd of formally-dressed ponies. A small tension in my chest eased. If the populace was any indication, we’d returned to Equesria.
 
"Sunset? Bitterbloom? Wesley?" I turned hesitantly at a familiar voice.
 
"Princess…es?" Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and… "Everyone?" …all the Elements except Twilight stood on a wide stage. "Are we interrupting?"
 
"Wes!" I heard galloping, and suddenly, my vision went dark. I slowly unfroze. That sounded like Twilight, but my vision was blocked by purple feathers.
 
"Twilight?" My voice was uncertain.
 
"You're alive! Pinkie said you were alive, but I wasn't sure, and Celestia sent this spell to cheer me up, and now - "
 
I awkwardly turned. It was Twilight. She was hugging me, and she had wings.
 
"What the hay…" Sunset's voice was low with shock.
 
"Sorry, Twilight." I carefully hugged her back. She was sobbing quietly. "I'm sorry for making you worry. I didn't mean…" I lapsed into silence. We had some catching up to do.
 



 
"So, now you can retire?" I whispered to Celestia.
 
Bitterbloom and Sunset had slipped out, but Twilight had insisted I join the stage. I felt she wanted to keep me in sight, at least for now. I wouldn't begrudge her; I could only imagine her feelings after I sent her off guilt-ridden and vanished.
 
"Not yet," Celestia murmured back. "This is for options. It’s for my nation, not me. Twilight's exaltation is wonderful, but I'm not hurrying to hand over my responsibilities. I'll retire when needed... And for her sake, I hope that’s not soon."
 
"Shh!" Luna shot us a dark glare.
 
"Sorry." I meekly ducked my head, returning my attention to the speaker. The drone of their voice was boring, but calm. I slowly relaxed, resting in being part of the crowd, even such a small one.
 



 
"Pinkie!" Bit bounced across the small stage to a chorus of oohs and aaahs. I sipped a glass of punch. We were at a very, very small reception; the Elements, royalty, Twilight's family and friends only. The coronation had been followed by a parade, which was followed by a festival,  followed by an after party, followed by this. It was early in the morning. We'd gathered in a small tower room, with a bowl of punch and some snacks.
 
"F-fluttershy." Bit spun, transforming into the meek human. It bit its lip, looking shyly down.
 
"Do Twilight!" Rainbow called.
 
"W-we never saw Twilight," Bit replied quietly. "Maybe her move to Ponyville never happened in that world? If that’s alright with you."
 
"Do the Principal!" I called. Bit stepped behind a folding screen. Ponies gasped as it returned, Celestia's multicolored hair and commanding gaze obvious. We'd only seen her from a distance, but that had been enough.
 
"And my sister?" Celestia smiled. Bit swept behind the screen, emerging as Luna to glower cutely.
 
"Ooo, ooo, do Cadence!" Shining called.
 
"I have no data on her." Bit shook its head apologetically. "Neither she or yourself ever appeared." It yawned discretely. "I will perform one more transformation before I must withdraw. Sleep is needed  to perform my duties optimally."
 
"You said Sunset was a human?" Twilight called. "Let's see!" Bit nodded and transformed again. A smaller version of Sunset gave her an icy stare.
 
"And now, I will retire." Bit swept a bow, the illusion blinking out. "Thank you for your attention."
 
"Come, sit with me." Celestia called. "I will be sure you get your rest." Bit stepped off the stage, making her way over. The impromptu performance done, the viewers split into smaller conversations.

I headed for the balcony, only pausing to refill my drink.

“Evening.” I nodded to Pinkie, also enjoying the cool night. “Oooof!” I gasped as she gave me another bone-crushing hug. I weakly hugged her back. “Careful. I think I’ve got bruises.” Everypony had been hugging us all day. Fluttershy was the only one who hadn’t  squeezed me nearly lifeless.

“Toughen up!” She glared harshly, before bursting into giggles. “I’m glad you three made it back safely, Wes.”

“Thanks.” I slowly disengaged, leaning against the railing to look at the stars. Yellow lamplight spilled from the doorway; inside, the party began winding down.

I found my hand straying to the medallion around my neck. During the day, we’d stolen moments to explain events from both worlds. At one point, Shining Armor had taken me aside.

He’d led me to a small room, tucked discreetly away from the crowds. Inside stood a stone pedestal. On it sat three medallions, surrounded by flowers in various states of desiccation. Some were fresh.

“We had a memorial.” His voice was low. “Pinkie insisted you weren’t dead. Yours was for a soldier missing in action.”

I swallowed, trying to clear the sudden lump from my throat. I could almost see my friends standing here, uncertain if they’d ever see us again.

“There were just under a dozen ponies.” He shrugged. “Still, it was more heartfelt than many.” He levitated a medallion over to me. “This is yours. You technically left the Guard. You agreed to ‘until you left the world’, and, well, you did.” I rubbed a finger over the medal.

“Opposing an enemy of all ponies?”

“Words.” Shining shrugged. “You know what you did. We know what you did. They’re just words. Maybe someday, somepony who doesn’t know you will know what you did. That’s all they’re for. Come on, we can’t be late for the parade.”

Every time my friends hugged me, I would bite back impatience by thinking of the medallion. They’d been worried about us.

When we finally reached this after-after party, the last hurrah, I’d taken the stage and explained, from start to finish, everything I remembered about our experience. Sunset and Bitterbloom had pitched in their perspectives. It had taken a while, but we should be caught up. I breathed a sigh, looking up at the stars. The medallion hung heavy around my neck. I didn’t like the idea of my friends crying, but… if needed, I’d do it again. Bit was worth it.

“Wes?”

“Oh, Twilight.” Pulled from my reverie, I tucked the medallion back into my shirt.  We stood silent a moment.

“I didn’t forget. About our agreement.” Twilight scuffed a hoof on the floor, embarrassed. “I was going to ask Celestia about your secret. But…”

“Let me guess. No time?”

She nodded slowly, cheeks flushing.

“It’s fine.” I sighed. “I didn’t expect an answer immediately, and I do trust you. Let’s talk about less depressing things for now.” Twilight visibly brightened.

“So! Tell me about your magic sword!”




 
"Woah, clouds are great!"
 
"Heh, I like them." Sunset and I lounged on a fluffy cumulonimbus, high above New York City. "Still, I don't know how this actually feels."
 
"Good enough for me! But why is this the first dream we've shared?" Sunset looked over the edge, tracing blacktop and high-rises carefully.
 
"No idea." I shrugged. "Twilight and I didn't always meet. Sleep-cycles, maybe? Human's don't dream all the time. I didn’t do this for long. Princess Luna suppressed it quickly."
 
"Sensible. What have I said about numancy?"
 
"Leave it alone. Although, what do you think of Twilight's… well, ascension?"
 
"I…" Sunset paused, thinking. "I’m honestly not sure." She turned away. "I'm glad… I think. The event is magically fascinating. Celestia claimed Twilight created a new type of magic, something nopony has ever done."
 
"Which is interesting, since we already have three alicorns." I looked up at the tree shading us.
 
"Yeah." Sunset rolled over. "Have I ever mentioned how good it feels to have my coat back?" She ran a hoof down her once-again furred side.
 
"And you’re a nudist again." I rolled my eyes.
 
"That's a word?" She gave me a sharp look. "That was a thing? I could have - "
 
"No."
 
"Phooey. You're no fun."
 
Biiiiing.
 
A crystal chime rang, a ripple spreading in the air before me.
 
"Oh." I reached out, but paused. "Sunny, do you mind if Princess Luna joins?"
 
"Is that her?" Sunset looked at the ripple in the air, something like a circular heatwave.
 
"Yeah. If I'm not in a nightmare, she signals before jumping in. After, um, incidents."
 
Biiiing.
 
"Let her in. What sort of incidents?"
 
"Awkward ones." Luna stepped out of thin air, hooves lightly dimpling the cloud. "Believe me, Sunset. Wes, I trust you have an explanation?"

"In tomorrows report." I shrugged. "Long story short, like Twilight, but with Sunset."
 
"Hmm." Luna gave us a long stare. "Will this need suppression? I thought your soul energy was recovered."
 
"Yeah." Sunset nodded confidently. "This is actually Wes' intrinsic magic. Should be safe! You can leave this."
 
"Aaaand my privacy?" I quirked an eyebrow.
 
"Come on, Wes!" Sunset bounced over, and flung a hoof over my shoulders. "I'm your sister, right?"
 
"…that's not exactly reassuring. Do you just want to pick my brain?" I gave her a suspicious stare.
 
"Ahem." Luna coughed. "The spell to ward dreams is complicated, but doesn't take much power. I will teach you, if you like."
 
"Spoilsport." Sunset pouted. "Oh, hey, Princess! Check out the sculpture! It’s like the one in Manehatten!" She raised a hoof, pointing out over the bay, where one of the America's most well-known landmarks stood. <"The Effigy of Freedom!">
 
"Impressive."
 
"Just because you’re in my dream, doesn’t mean you know English." I gently guided the cloud closer to the statue. "Still, that was shockingly close. Remember, I've never seen this in person, so it's probably inaccurate."
 
"Still." Luna inspected the green lady. "It is striking."
 
"Yeah. The French made it, I believe."
 
"Prench?" Sunset gave me a sharp look.
 
"Um, no." I shook my head. "Anyways, Luna, what happened after we broke the mirror? Lyra and Onyx escaped, but no-one gave me details."
 
"Ah." Luna furrowed her brow. "Maybe… I could show you?"
 
"Oooh, dream theatre!" I grinned. We'd done this before. "Sure. Hold on, Sunny."
 
"Wha - " Sunset's question cut off as Luna flexed her dream-powers. The world around us rippled and flowed.
 
"Ooof." She grunted as the cloud dissolved, dropping us a few inches to the ground. We were at the forest edge, near Phoresy's fortress. It was night, but everything was clear with Luna’s excellent vision.
 
"Look!" I pointed over my shoulder to a squadron of pegasi streaking low over the trees. I kicked off the ground, soaring into the air.
 
"Pick me up!" Sunset yelled after. "I can't float for long!"
 
"You can here!" I called back. She stomped a hoof. "Fine." I pointed a finger, and she yelped as my dream-powers wafted her to my side. Just out of hoofs-reach. Upside down. She flailed ineffectually.
 
The squad of pegasi dropped accurately in formation, landing hard and fast. They faded into the trees. I watched through the canopy as they set a perimeter.
 
"What are they setting up?" Sunset finally managed to right herself, staring down in confusion.
 
"A beacon." Luna nodded to the technician, carefully tinkering with an engraved bronze gyroscope.
 
"Oooh, fancy." I grinned, remembering my experience in Wraith's fortress. "Will you act as yourself?" 'Dream Theater' wasn't just a catchy name.
 
"I would, if I'd been the one who came." She grinned at my surprise. "Wes, when you asked to escalate that warning, it went up. I scryed most of this. I have, you might say, a vantage.” She poked a hoof at the moon, just above the horizon.

The beacon activated with a flash, and a squadron of Royal Guards appeared, tough and coordinated. They reinforced the perimeter as the beacon powered up again. This time, Celestia warped through in a blinding whirl.
 
"Is… is she on fire?" I looked at the Princess. Her mane was smoldering. "Like Twilight?"
 
"Not quite." Luna gave her sister's representation a small smile. "No, Twilight burns like her. Unlike me, Celestia doesn't have a dark side. She's crushingly straightforward. The only thing she ever gets is more. More herself. More intense. More… well. Watch."
 
"What time is this?" I looked up, guessing.
 
"Soon after your transwarp. Look." Luna pointed to the gully where the entrance was hidden. There was a distant thump, and a wooden door arced into view for a second.
 
"Holy crow." I watched as Phoresy and Lyra's fight spilled out into the cold night. "Did Lyra push her that hard?"
 
"She won't say." Luna shrugged. "I asked her about this, and I couldn't get a straight answer. Still, it looked like she was running, to me."
 
I nodded. Phoresy was moving with unstoppable power. Lyra countered with blinding speed, but she was retreating.  For a second, neither combatant noticed the alicorn; Celestia was suppressing her presence, maybe to avoid forest fires. Magic streamed after Phoresy, blocs of mindless drones swarming after, relaying power. Lyra tried breaking the links, but she was blocked each time.
 
Krrrrssssshhhh….
 
The guards around Celestia scrambled backwards as her aura surged. Green leaves burst into flame; live wood flared to embers. Phoresy and Lyra froze.
 
The Queen dismissed the echonarch in favor of a greater threat. A shield slammed into place between her and the Princess. Sunset gasped, and I narrowed my eyes. Runes danced across the shimmering barrier. That was strategic-level fortification. Phoresy had juice and to spare if she was still pulling that sort of power.
 
Snap!
 
Sudden movement drew my eye. Lyra, although she'd been ignored, hadn't stopped. She darted for the nearest relay and massacred them. She started for the next, but before she got there, a blast wiped out all but one changeling who’s purple eyes flicked to blue. She grinned, grabbed him, and darted for the barrier.
 
"Now that, I'm honestly curious about." Luna pointed as Lyra phase-walked through the shield, towing Onyx.
 
"Sorry." I shrugged. "Can't tell you. Ask Jedi."
 
Lyra collapsed behind Celestia, every trace of tension evaporating from her body. The guard hurried forward, helping her and Onyx back into the trees.
 
Celestia and Phoresy faced each other down.
 
"Phoresy!" Celestia's voice rang clear. "I judge you guilty of conspiracy against the crown, and the subjects I protect!"
 
"Hah!" Phoresy tossed her head. "Tyrant! Pretender! I am a Queen! The only true Queen in this land!"
 
"How do you plead?"
 
"Not guilty!" Phoresy smirked. "How can an absolute ruler break the law?" Celestia's mouth twisted, like she'd bit a lemon.
 
"Your hubris is astounding." She lowered her head, and a few faint wisps curled off her horn. They glowed an ethereal yellow.
 
"What was that?" Sunset whispered.
 
"Alicorn magic." Luna's voice was strangely loud in the tense air. "It counts life forms. She's checking for your party. When she only found the Queen and three agents - ”
 
"Phoresy, what have you done?" Celestia's voice was no louder, but a thread of iron rang through. "Where is my agent, his ward, and my former student?"
 
"Gone!" Phoresy laughed, a hint of hysteria obvious. "Swallowed by the night!"
 
"You - " Celestia stepped forward, but one of the guards trotted hesitantly up and whispered something.
 
"Hah!" Phoresy called. "Rant and rave, Princess. Rant and rave!"
 
"No." Celestia's mouth snapped shut. "No, I will only say two more things before I turn to action. Phoresian agents!" Her voice rolled across the empty field. "You are being offered clemency! Step forward, and I will allow you to turn inquiline! Your lives will be spared."
 
From behind Phoresy, three changelings moved forward uncertainly, pushing their way through the mindless drones. Two were Bit's foalnappers, and one was the door guard they'd fast talked. The Queen stared in shock, horror flitting across her expression as Celestia smiled.
 
"What are you doing?" The Queen's outrage was palpable. "You can't trust her! I will prevail! I am powerful! I'm a secure! I have allies! I - " She stepped forward, as if to retaliate against their betrayal.
 
"Enough." Celestia's voice cut through her tirade. "Phoresy, your illegal activities in this land are acts of war. If you do not plead for mercy now, I will show you none."
 
"Fine!" Phoresy spat, a gob of phlegm spattering across the inside of the shield. "I'll show you! I'll - "
 
"No." Celestia's word fell with the gravity of granite tombstones. "I will show you. The time for words is past. Prepare yourself, Queen Phoresy. Your end is nigh."
 
The changeling beetled her brows, setting herself stubbornly, as if to receive a monstrous blow.
 
It was just after midnight, but the gold light of dawn touched the horizon.
 
Phoresy started preparing a spell, streams of magic collating and coalescing around her, arcs and flows bending into a cage of power that crackled with potential.
 
The sun rose gracefully into the sky, faster than normal, but with a confident smoothness.
 
The Queen's formulation began to take shape. Ghostly curves and lethal spikes began materializing from the maelstrom as Phoresy bent unthinkable forces to her will.
 
The sun reached its zenith, and Celestia stamped a hoof.
 
Phoresy's preparations were immediately dwarfed by the alicorn's. As soon as the Princess' horseshoe landed, blinding flows of magic spun away from her white figure. Rune circles dilated with blinding speed, unimaginable power rippling over the landscape in carefully calculated patterns and sequences. Even from our vantage, the size of the setup was shocking. Runes encompassing distant hills shone on the horizon, brilliantly glowing in the midnight sun. Curls and snarls of power directed unthinkable energy. I vainly tried to read the setup, but couldn't fathom more than a fraction. Something about… harmony?
 
"Celestia is rune casting?" Sunset's awed voice was breathless.
 
"Before I was sealed, the Dawnhammer was merely an inkling." Luna sounded proud. "It's one of her crowning achievements. I don't think she's been this… what is colloquial? Pissed? Yes. She hasn't been this 'pissed' for more than a millennium. Partly, it's just having a target to wreak vengeance on, but the fact that Phoresy had such grand plans, and under her very nose… I wasn't there when she received your letter, Wes, but rumors say she melted parts of her crown. She takes the security of her citizens personally, and your succinct breakdown of the plans for Baltimare were something of a shock."
 
"Look!" Sunset pointed upwards. The rune circles started shifting slowly, interlocking rings grinding brightly over the landscape as magic began flowing through the unfathomable structure. Above us, the air responded, forming a stack of glassy discs.
 
"Lenses….?" I tried to calculate focal points, but they seemed wrong. "No, not quite…"
 
"Let me try!" Sunset's horn lit, and I felt her clawing at my mind.
 
"Ow! Gentle!" I let the link start, but shot her a disapproving look.
 
"Sorry." She hung her head slightly, abashed, but as soon as I let her use my instincts, she gasped. "Oh, oh! She's changing its index of refraction!"
 
"I get that." I patiently showed Sunset what I'd already considered. "But it's wrong for a lens."
 
"No, not a lens." Luna grinned. "Just watch."
 
I nudged Sunset's attention back to the spell, checking it through her perception for a second.
 
"Oh." My voice was small, as I saw the threads of power Celestia wove. Not even Sunset fully grasped it, but the large strokes were much more clear. I had knowledge of magic, but practice still meant a lot. What I saw was different than expected. I looked up again; the discs were falling into carefully spaced alignment, dancing in precise patterns. A few prisms and other shapes circled. I slowly correllated the runes against the sky. The spell had emphasized harmony and power, with undercurrents of resurgence and cycles.

"Phoresy!" Sunset gasped, and I glanced back at the Queen. Her spell was nearly complete. Ghostly armor surrounded her, layered deep and strong. Runes of reinforcement from a half-dozen schools danced dynamically across the second carapace. A huge halberd hung above her, a wicked edge gleaming in the unnatural light.
 
The sky started to darken.
 
I looked up again, as a dark spot formed on the sun. I glanced down in confusion. Celestia's horn had been shimmering with power the whole time, but now a sun sigil danced in her blinding aura, proof she was applying her powers to their full, even including her special talent.
 
Phoresy started forward, confidently trotting towards the Princess, trusting her armor and reactions against the impending strike.
 
She hit a wall, and stopped in confusion.
 
I looked up. The dark disc had eaten most of the sun, and was starting to spread blotchily across the rest of the blue sky. Stars winked in as the boundary spread. It leeched the color like an ink stain, rolling unevenly across the heavens like fire crawls across paper.
 
Phoresy probed the boundary she'd found. Frustration appeared on her face. She struck with her halberd, the ghostly weapon drawing impossibly thin lines through reality. I shivered; that was sharp beyond belief, but it bounced off whatever barrier Celestia was using.
 
The sky was nearly all black. The sun showed dimly, but the rest was night again. I frowned as a few stars twinkled more brightly.
 
The Queen started to show worry. Celestia maintained a stony demeanor, her face impassive and her gaze cast upwards. Lyra, Onyx, and the royal guard had dropped all pretense of work, and stood starkly staring.
 
"Holy crow." Suddenly, I realized what I was seeing as the twinkling in the sky grew. "She's using telekinesis to bend light?"
 
Luna just smiled.
 
"That construct… Oh. Oh." Sunset's face suddenly went strange. "We need to run!"
 
"Relax." I put a hand on her withers. "It's just a dream, Sunny. Still, I never would have imagined I'd see something like that here."
 
"Oh?" Luna quirked an eyebrow. "Unpack that."
 
"We built these." I absently waved to the column of prisms, lenses and mirrors. "Just never on this scale." The twinkles I'd seen lanced down, illuminating the column. For a second, the whole thing was brilliantly lit, but it soon settled into a steady glow. Streams of solid sunlight flowed through the structure, thickening and intensifying.
 
"Fascinating. We must discuss the mechanics at some point." Luna gave me a speculative glance. "Actually, I had a proposal for you, although it can wait. Watch this."
 
"It's because photons like taking up the same space." I pushed a dab of physics at Sunset, who saw the implications with dawning clarity. "If you concentrate them enough, they form a condensate. Release them as a beam, and we called them - "
 
"Lasers." Sunset breathed. Celestia's spell hit capacity, and a stroke of impossible destruction fell across the landscape.
 
Phoresy couldn't react at the speed of light.
 
She'd been pinning her hopes on reaching Celestia before her spell finished, but the Dawnhammer struck like a bolt from the blue. The ground rumbled as a laser, pumped by the output of a small sun, blasted into the planet's crust. The ponies around the Princess fell like ninepins, but whatever barrier she'd put up held firm. Small flickers of flame licked the grass around the shield, but it blocked most of the energy. I doubt they even felt warm.
 
It seemed to last an impossibly long time, but vanished before I could really comprehend the sheer magnitude of the attack. When the onslaught let up, the ground-level inside the ring had dropped several feet, and the only surface left was white-hot glass. Celestia had vaporized everything to bedrock. An expanding plume of incandescent gas jetted upwards, contained by the barrier.
 
Three terrified changelings stood in a tiny circle of safety, on a thin column of soil. The Princess gave them a calm smile.
 
They fainted.
 
"Wow. Just… wow." I shivered. "Remind me to never make her angry."
 
"Hah!" Luna chuckled. "It was your note that triggered this."
 
"Blech." I grimaced. "I don't think there's two atoms of Phoresy left! Can you say 'overkill'?"
 
"OVERkill." Sunset enunciated clearly.  "Overkill."
 
"Does that answer your questions?" Luna gave me a smile.
 
"Pretty much." I shrugged. "I'll ask Onyx and Lyra for their stories, but yeah. Phoresy and Glisten are accounted for. That's good enough for me."
 
"Excellent." Luna nodded, and the dream dissolved. "Now, it's my turn."
 
"Huh?" Sunset looked perplexed.
 
"Hey, relax." I gave her a reassuring smile. "No need to be so stiff. Luna and I have been doing this for a while, and we've got a pattern. First, I pick something. Then, she picks something. You'll get a turn after, I guess?" I raised an eyebrow at Luna.
 
"Works for me." The Princess shrugged.
 
"Alright." I cracked my knuckles. "Serious business is over. What do you have in mind?"
 
"Well." Luna grinned, and flared her wings. "I'll start with something simple, then." She tapped me gently on the nose. "Tag!" With a snap of her wings, she was gone. "You're it!" She called back.
 
"Heh." I grinned at Sunset, who took a startled step backwards. I dove for her, and tapped her side. "Tag!" I turned my fall into a spin, curling upwards into the air.
 
"No fair!" Sunset shook a hoof at us, as Luna and I circled each other in the sky. "I can't fly yet!" She fumed for a second, before remembering she could cast magic. She wrapped herself in her aura, and started after. We floated away, giggling.

> 61 - Recall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vuuuuum…
 
"Okay, it's awesome." Lyra nodded slowly, staring at my vibroblade. "But how do you not slice your arms off?" We were in a courtyard, borrowed from the Royal Guard. Lyra had been in the audience yesterday, and she'd tracked me down early this morning.
 
"Because it's echonarchy!" I gave her a wide grin. "I can feel where the blade is! I mean, I'm actually powering the thing myself. I don't know if anyone else could even use this." I tossed it in the air; the blade winked out. I caught it again, and it returned. "I could maybe add a power reservoir, or re-charge the gem enough to run on its own, like the gun originally did." I frowned. "Or, maybe I could - "
 
"Enough!" Lyra cut me off. "The theory is neat, but that's not important right now." She gave me a harsh glare. "Are you planning to seriously to fight with this? Make it a part of your style?"
 
"Yes." I nodded slowly. "I've used weapons before. I should probably drill with a cane, but…" I shrugged. "If you're worried about me taking it seriously, I've already given it some thought. I'm going up against more and more powerful opponents, and I need an edge. You don't think much of weapons, and I mostly agree; personal power is the strongest power. But the quickest way to being more effective is a decent tool, and I don't know if I have time for the long road. I think I can handle a shortcut. Unless you decide it's too early." I gave her an uncertain look. As my teacher, she could veto this, at least for training. If she thought it would hurt me more than it helped, I'd trust her judgment.
 
"Weapons aren't the problem." Lyra shook her head, slowly. "No, I'm okay with you using a weapon. But this is much more lethal than your warhammer, and you want to integrate it completely into your training. It's a big step up from hand-to-hand."
 
"I'm ready to go all-out, teacher." I gave her a firm nod. "If I'd had this in Phoresy's hive, we'd have made the stage in time."
 
"…yeah, we might have, at that." Lyra gave a slow nod. "Alright, I'll train you with it. Don't get dependent, though."
 
"Yes ma'am." I saluted, touching the handle to my forehead.
 
"Tag." A hoof tapped my shoulder; I spun, blade raised. Luna smirked. "You need to be more aware, Wes."
 
"No fair!" I switched off my sword. "How can you sneak so well with hooves?"
 
She flicked a wing in response.
 
"Practice for a few centuries, and you'll be just as good. Lyra, may I borrow your… what was the word?"
 
"Padawan." Lyra smiled. "Of course, Princess. But what do you need him for?"
 
"I would like his input on a project." She grinned. "We are working on contingency plans, and he's planning on returning to Ponyville this evening with the rest. Collaborating in dreams is convenient in some ways, but it's difficult to write things down."
 
"Thanks, Jedi." I bowed.
 
"Aw, get going." Lyra waved a hoof. "Just be sure not to get sucked through any more portals. We were all worried sick, you know?"
 
I nodded, and turned to follow Luna.
 



 
"Well, that's enough for now." I tapped a spoon against my teacup; Bit stepped in and carefully refilled it. I nodded thanks. "But what is all this for?" On the table in front of us, plans, schematics, drawings and calculations. "I mean, really. Could this even be used? Isn't the Dawnhammer more effective? Actually…. Why could Celestia even use her huge laser?"
 
"Could?" Luna tipped an eyebrow.
 
"Well, yeah." I waved a hand. "The energy density you magical types wield is ridiculous, but I can't believe you're the only ones packing that sort of firepower. Checks and balances must exist. We had a similar thing. We called it Mutually Assured Destruction."
 
"Ah." She frowned. "I don't doubt your ability, Wes, but… you reached Impasse without magical weapons?"
 
"Impasse. Hum." I crossed my hands behind my head, leaning back in my chair. "I believe the quote is: 'I don't know what weapons world war three will be fought with, but world war four will use sticks and stones.' None of our weapons had the sophistication of the Dawnhammer, but they were no less lethal for all that. It only made the prospect of war more terrifying. Still, before I… well, left, we had deterrence capability, as did many other countries. How does it work here?"
 
"Mutually Assured Destruction." She nodded slowly. "Yes, that sums it nicely. Indeed, there are deterrents to even the power of me and my sister. Several other nations have assets that we… respect. Has Celestia ever mentioned our threat assessment system?"
 
"I think so." I frowned. "you use letters, right? A, B, C'?"
 
"Well, somewhat." Luna shrugged. 'D', 'C', 'B', 'A', 'S', and 'SS'. Aerie's Five Winds, Minoa's Great Snarl, the Eastern Archipelago's Lord of Waves… They are not threats to scoff at."
 
"Wait, S and SS?" I frowned. "It goes higher?"
 
"Not exactly higher… The first four letters are rough estimates of known threat levels. An average pony is a C, My sister and I are A. S and SS are at least as dangerous, but also unquantifiable or potentially immeasurable threats. They may not be stronger than us… but our not knowing puts them in a different group. The Five Winds are all S level; I think I could take one, but…" she shrugged. "I might be wrong."
 
"Huh." I mulled that over a minute. "So, do you have treaties on the use of your power, or what?"
 
"Nothing formal." Luna gave me a bemused glance. "This strength is personal. They can't bind us any more than they could lock the Canterlot Main Gate. Although we may not be quite as free as the average pony in some ways. One of the reasons the Elements are so useful is their precision and non-lethality. They can actually be deactivated; we can't. Celestia hasn't been skiing for years, because Alpen considers her crossing their border an act of war."
 
I sniggered, imagining Celestia on skis.
 
"Um, so, those griffons; the Five Winds, are S class. Does Equestria have any S's?"
 
"Esses?" Luna quirked an eyebrow. "Lyra might count, if she wasn't so scrupulous. It's a stretch, but I don't actually know how strong she is. The Elements, when they're all together, easily. Twilight… hmm. Twilight may actually be the first friendly SS we've seen for a while." Luna gave me a serious look. "I honestly have no idea how strong she will be when she's done growing, but she'll be no lightweight."
 
"Celestia expects her to surpass both of you." I nodded soberly.
 
"She may, at that." Luna shrugged.
 
"What about Discord?" I sipped my tea. "Surely he's an SS?"
 
"No, actually." Luna raised an eyebrow at me. "He's powerful, for sure, but he's not actually growing. Sombra might be an SS, but we don't even know enough to label him. Despite the versatility of Discord's power, it does have limits. He has trouble affecting anything he can't see, and simply repelling his magic doesn't take much. Celestia has enchanted the Elements to resist him. If he was any less chaotic he'd already be an A, but we simply can't be sure we really understand him. Remember, S and SS are threat, not power. We've labeled creatures much less powerful than him as SS, simply because we didn’t understand them."
 
"So he might be stronger than you?" She nodded.
 
"Truth be told, neither of us are willing to fight the other directly. We used the Elements on him, and managed to forestall whatever plan he had in the works. It could have easily turned the other direction if Celestia hadn't moved promptly."
 
"Wow." I grimaced. "That close, huh?"
 
"Wes, it's always that close. Strength is built on a thousand small decisions. We're not overwhelmingly powerful at certain times; we're consistently effective all the time. But discussing theories of power will have to wait; the start of the night court draws near."
 
"And I'm on the evening train." I cautiously accepted a hug, took Bit by the hand, and started for my room. I didn't have much to pack, but it was all necessary.
 



 
I woke to pounding on my door. I rolled over and considered ignoring it, but it returned insistently.
 
"Weeeees!" A gravelly voice called.
 
"It's unlocked, Rainbow!" I called back sleepily. Something warm and smooth rubbed against my feet. "Hey, Bit." I poked the bug with a toe. "Wake up." It was curled in a ball at the end of my bed, a smooth lump under the covers.
 
"Waaaaaaaah!" Bit sat up abruptly, stretching and yawning hugely, thin cotton robe pooling around its slender form. "Oh." It looked around, surprised to find itself in my room. "I sleepwalked again." It slipped to the floor, and padded over to the door.
 
"It's fine." I climbed out of bed, and gave the wool blanket a flip to neaten everything. "How are your reserves?"
 
"Nearing the levels needed to return my ordinary shape." It plucked at the its clothing. "It will be nice to change back. I miss Sakura."
 
"You could visit. I'm pretty sure she'd recognize you, since she knows you’re a shapeshifter.'
 
"Undoubtedly." It dressed with a flicker of illusory magic, and hung its pajamas on the door. It had nothing to hide, but had adopted the custom for my sake. "Which creates difficulty. If I search her out things would quickly become confusing, complicated. I know I have a cover story, but deception is difficult. If I could be sure of catching her alone, I could explain, but the only place I'm sure to find her is around others. And she can be resolutely clueless."
 
"Well, she'll likely come looking for us. She knows I'm back in town, I bet." It nodded and stepped out the door, headed for the kitchen. 'Bitterbloom' the pony was on a business trip with Onyx, the merchant. This was my friend, another traveling human, coincidentally also named 'Bit'. Most ponies wouldn't think twice, although they might remark on the name. Actual shape shifters were beyond rare. I pulled on clean clothes myself, and followed.
 
"Breakfast, Rainbow?" I opened the freezer, searching for something edible. I hadn't had a chance to shop; we'd gotten back into town late last night, with the rest of the Ponyville contingent.
 
"Tea?" Bit set the teakettle on the stove, and started rummaging for cups.
 
"I'd have some tea." Rainbow flopped into a chair, and carefully set a steaming pot on the table. "But I brought breakfast."
 
"Really." I tipped the lid; scents of cinnamon-apple oatmeal and thick cream wafted out. "Wow. This smells delicious!" I pulled bowls out of the cupboard, and snagged a jug of milk. "What's the occasion?"
 
"Oh, you know." Rainbow helped herself to a scoop. "I figured, since you'd been out of town, you might not have much to eat."
 
"Huh." I gave the pegasus a long glance, before yawning again and serving. Rainbow had many wonderful qualities, but 'thoughtful' she was not. I took a bite; the food was as good as it smelled. Most of her troubles stemmed from lack of forethought. She just didn't think things through. Mostly, she didn't need to.
 
So she was up to something.
 
Still, it would be rude to refuse. Besides, she claimed there were no strings attached, and she could be taken at her word.
 
"So." She broke the silence. "Can I try your brain-magic thing next?"
 
I nearly swallowed my spoon.
 
"Hack." I tried to not choke or spit oatmeal across the table. "Cough!" After a few seconds, I managed to recover. "Um…" I gave Rainbow a careful look. She stared innocently back.
 
Bit sighed, and dolefully took another bite of oatmeal.
 
"What's wrong, ladybug?" Rainbow gave the melancholy changeling a sympathetic pat.
 
"Nothing." Bit assumed a carefully bland expression, but Rainbow wouldn't be fooled.
 
"Don't be like that, Bit! Tell your friends." Rainbow threw a hoof around its thin shoulders.
 
"Wes might share with you, but not with me."
 
"Huh?" Rainbow gave me a confused look. "What? Why not?"
 
"It's… complicated." I shrugged. "I, um. Rainbow, why?"
 
"It sounds like fun?" Rainbow flicked an ear. "And, Rarity thought - " She stopped, realizing her mistake, as my eyes narrowed.
 
"Yeeeeees?" Thoughtful might not apply to Rainbow, but it did apply to Rarity. "Please tell me. What sort of scheme has your little conspiracy hatched?"
 
"It's not a conspiracy." Rainbow huffed, and took a bite of oatmeal. "Look, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and I talked a little on the train, while you and Pinkie napped. You told everypony what happened, and a little about how you felt. Rarity figured you might need a little help adjusting to your new magic, and I volunteered to help."
 
"This… isn't exactly new, though." I frowned.
 
"Exactly! That's what you need to adjust!" Rainbow jabbed a wing at me. "Your magic seems the same, but it's not! Look, Wes, you thought this link thingy was a side effect from that evil artifact, right?"
 
"Uhuh."
 
"Well, it wasn't. But you've been thinking like that for so long, you can't get it out of your head! This magic isn't evil, it isn't from an artifact, it's you." She poked me firmly with a hoof, and gave me a piercing stare. "Just like these," she flared her wings, "are part of me. And if there's one thing I know about my magic, it's awesome. Magic is to make life better! So, you need to change the way you think! Give it a chance! And that means, use it!"
 
"Uhhh…huh." I swallowed another spoonful of oatmeal. It was just the right warmth for the chilly morning.
 
We ate in silence for a minute.
 
"Rainbow, I'm not sure - "
 
"Look at it this way." Rainbow finished her meal, and pushed her bowl away. "If you work with me, now, you'll have an excuse to give Pinkie, later."
 
"Ah." I paused. "Alright. I'll do it - "
 
"Yeeees!" Rainbow pumped a hoof. "Okay! How does this work?"
 
" - after lunch." I set my spoon down with a clink. "Your idea's good, and I appreciate the thought. But I've got somepony I need to meet at the library; Luna's having me work on a project, and we've got deliveries coming in."
 
"What?" Rainbow gave me a perplexed look. "You're seriously going to choose egghead stuff over hanging with me?"
 
"Look, Rainbow." I threw an arm over her shoulders. "You're awesome, no doubt. But I've got promises to keep. Your curiosity will have to wait. Besides, Bit's got the day planner." My secretary looked up from the slim book it was annotating. "If you can get it away from him, then I'll have free time. Otherwise, it's going according to plan." Bit's eyes narrowed, and Rainbow sighed.
 
"Fine, ladybug, you win." She threw a wing around the changeling, pulling us all close together. "But I'll come with. Maybe I can find something interesting."
 



 
"Don't touch that!"
 
Rainbow froze mid-poke. She was staring at a glass tube, carefully inked with formulas and resting on stands.
 
"Seriously, Rainbow. Can't you go upstairs? Read a book?" I looked up from the pieces I was assembling on the lab bench. Bit was holding a light for me. "You don't actually need to be in the lab, right?"
 
"What is this, anyways?" Rainbow casually ignored my admonishment.
 
"A weapon." I snapped a few pieces together. "It's based on Luna's magic, and several concepts from my planet's science, with a pinch of echonarchy. We outlined the principles yesterday and she sent the parts from her lab overnight, so I could run some tests to see if it's actually feasible. She calls it 'collateral', although I'm still not sure why." I held up a green sliver of glass, carefully meshed into metal supports. "She's definitely got stronger spells. And although it's a pretty good system, a dozen unicorns could do better with the same stuff." I shrugged. "The only thing I can think of is she needs a mostly non-magical weapon."
 
"Uhuh." Rainbow's eyes re-focused after I stopped talking. "Anyways, you about done?"
 
"It's not even ten, Rainbow!" I gave a frustrated sigh. "Look, here's the plan. Work here until noon. Get a bite to eat. Then, fun with mental magic. As long as - "
 
"Hello?" A curious voice called from above. "Wes?"
 
" - nothing comes up." I set the assembly down with a sigh. "Bitterbloom, is that who I think?"
 
"Chances are, it's Sakura." Bit sat the lamp down, and gave me a hopeful look.
 
"She won't leave us alone now. Go on, have fun." It nodded, and dashed off. "Well, that's that." I shrugged to Rainbow. "Without my assistant, this will be twice as frustrating. I'll knock off early, and we can go be awesome." I neatened the bench, and scrawled a note for Twilight. It was her lab, after all.
 
I frowned, thinking of her. I'd gotten a message with the supplies this morning; she'd talked to Celestia, and she planned to tell me everything. Since she had a few days left in Canterlot, she'd scheduled a dream-conference with me and Luna.
 
I shoved the thought aside as I climbed the stairs; enough time for that later.
 
"Weees!" An excited pink filly latched onto me, wrapping me tightly with her wings.
 
"Ooof! Hey, Sakura." I smiled at her. "How's my number-one fan?"
 
"I'm good! Are you good? Did you have a good visit to your homeland? Did you do everything you needed?" The impulsive teenager released me, and started bouncing in small circles. "Did you bring me souvenirs? Please say yes! Pleeeease!"
 
"Actually…" I drew the word out, watching her excitement grow. "I did."
 
"Yaaaay!" She threw her wings in the air. "What did you get? Where did you put it?" She started trying to look in my pockets, and I stepped back, startled again by her vivacity.
 
"Um, it's not on me. Bit?" I glanced at my aide. "Plans?"
 
"Your schedule is clear, sir." Bit passed me the day planner. "I think if I spend time with Sakura, my reserves may rise to a useable level." It shrugged. "May I have the rest of the day off?"
 
"Of course." I smiled warmly. "Why don't you two head back to the house, and get Sakura's gift? It's in the bag Pinkie gave me, labeled 'To Wes' Number One Fan'. I’m a little curious as to what it is."
 
"I got shoes." Rainbow raised a hoof, showing off the synthetic horseshoes Pinkie had sent her.
 
"They look funny!" Sakura's eyes widened at the artificial material.
 
"They're super light." Rainbow grinned. "And really comfy. I almost know how Pinkie does it now." She bounced experimentally.
 
"Anyways." I shrugged to Bit. "We'll be around. If you two want to eat at the Corner, Bit, you can put it on my tab." Sakura's grin broadened at the prospect of cake.
 
"You should come with!" She wrapped a wing around me again, and tried to draw me along.
 
"No…" I glanced at Bit, and patted the wand at my waist. "No, Rainbow's going to teach me about, uh, thermoclines?" I tried.
 
"Oooh, thermoclines are fun!" Sakura spread her wings. "When you hit them, you can just cooooast! Come on, Bit!" She pretended to fly away, trotting out the door. Bit glanced between Rainbow and me, following uncertainly.
 



 
Biiiiing.
 
"Ugh." Feeling exhausted in a dream was strange and new to me. I considered pretending to not notice Luna's call. She would respect me, if I refused her entrance.
 
But that would send Twilight mixed messages, and that was not the way I wanted to be.
 
I lounged on my cloud for a bit, thinking. We were going to finally deal with Twilight's secret. I was glad of that. This whole thing had made me very uncomfortable. I honestly hadn't felt good about my relationship with Twilight ever since Discord had shown up. I frowned. Blech, Discord. I sighed, lurched to my feet, and reached for the ripple, opening an imaginary door and stepping through.
 
I expected to see Luna's moonlit meadows, but instead, found myself on a tall, open tower. Storm clouds hung low on the horizon, a red sun low in the sky opposite.
 
"Princess?" I turned, looking for Luna.
 
"Wes, over here!" Behind me, the purple and blue alicorns were standing by the edge, looking down over a broken and barren landscape.
 
"Not feeling so good?" I gave Twilight a wan smile, gesturing to the nightmarish scenery. She returned a wry grin.
 
"I'm a little apprehensive."
 
I nodded. I knew the feeling.
 
"So, um - "
 
"WOAH!"
 
Suddenly, a multicolored blur sped past us.
 
"Rainbow?" Luna and Twilight turned in sync, following the pegasus.
 
"This place is wicked! Wes, did you know we're floating?" Rainbow curled around to touch down in front of us, prancing with excitement. "The whole tower!"
 
"Huh?" I looked down, leaning over the edge; sure enough, the tower was shattered halfway down, debris and rubble hanging in mid-air like high-speed photography.
 
"Wait, what?" Twilight gave Rainbow a confused glance. "How are you here?"
 
"It's part of the link, right? You did it too!" She grinned at Twilight. "We've been experimenting - that's the word, right? Experimenting? All day!"
 
"All afternoon, at least. More like, we've been trying to apply it to aerial stunts." I shrugged. "I'm not complaining, but I think I'm about to fall asleep - in your dream, Twilight." I rubbed my eyes. "This one doesn't know the meaning of moderation!" I pointed to Rainbow.
 
"Come on! Awesome doesn't have brakes!" She clapped a wing on my shoulder. "Besides, you have no idea how useful it was, to get an actual outside look at my stunts! I’m telling you, Wes, magic is to make life better!"
 
"Heh, well. I won't say I didn't enjoy it." I shrugged. "Honestly, I had a blast. But it was exhausting."
 
"Well, we're asleep now, right? We can try more stunts!" Rainbow turned to me, trying her best for a CMC pleading look.
 
"Normally, I'd be all for it." I dropped to the stone floor, sitting cross-legged. "But I actually need to talk to Twilight about something, and…"
 
"It's heavy stuff." Twilight sat in front of me.
 
"Oh." Rainbow laid her ears back. "Sorry."
 
"Not your fault." I waved a hand. "I should have seen this happening, honestly. I knew they'd be showing up for me."
 
"We can go." Luna pulled Rainbow close with a wing. "If you'd like privacy."
 
"I… I don't even know." I shook my head slowly. "I mean, I don't really mind. But I have no idea what's up, honestly. Twi?" Twilight bit her lip, and cast her eyes down.
 
"I, um. If you're okay with it, they can stay."
 
"Very well." Luna took a seat on my left, while Rainbow settled herself opposite.
 
"Just, don't interrupt." I pointed at Rainbow. "Bite your tongue, or I'll tickle you until you can't breathe… with my mind." I tapped my temple.
 
"You can't do that."
 
I cocked an eyebrow. Twilight coughed.
 
"Can he?" A note of uncertainty entered her voice, as I smiled.
 
"His dream powers are impressive," Luna deadpanned. Rainbow's eyes widened slightly.
 
"Shush." I tapped her nose. She subsided. "Alright, let's do this." I gave Twilight a square look, and took a deep breath. "Twilight, you have something that's mine. I don't know what it is, or why you have it, but I'd like it back. I won't hold what you did against you, but we need to make this right, or it will poison our friendship. Can you tell me?" I swallowed, anticipation and fear squirming in my belly.
 
"Yes." She nodded firmly, but her voice was weak. "Yes, I know a secret - two secrets - of yours. I kept them from you because I thought it was for your own good, but it wasn't my responsibility, and I should have at least asked permission." She drew a deep breath. "Celestia and I both think telling you everything is the right course of action." She grimaced. "I'm still unsure how it will affect you, Wes. Can… Um…" She shook her head. "No, I won't ask you to promise anything. But please, please! If this bothers you too much, please ask for help?" She gave me a pleading stare.
 
"I, um." I swallowed. "I won't make promises either, Twilight. But… well, I'll think twice."
 
"Thank you." She sighed. "Okay. Well, firstly, the reason we're doing this in a dream is because I thought it would be best to show you what I saw, as best as I could."
 
"We could link, maybe?" I hesitated; would the link work in a dream?
 
"N-no." Twilight shook her head. "Sorry, Wes, but that won't be… well, it might be possible, but it won't be simple. Since I've become an alicorn, I have the magic of all three races. They're not one smooth power, but more of a trilogy; three discrete chunks. We'll have to run some tests, but I'm afraid the link would be scrambled at best, and dangerous at worst. I did have an idea, though..." She trailed off. "But later. The link isn't a good idea now. So this is the best we can do." She shrugged. "I think it'll be enough." She took a deep, steadying breath. "Let me start at the beginning."
 
"Okay." I nodded slowly.
 
"This was, honestly, all an accident." She lowered her eyes. "I never intended this. Heh. Paved with good intentions, right? Well, I noticed something was up when I read these." She motioned, and a stack of stapled paper materialized. I picked it up, and skimmed through. Most of it was blurry; she hadn't memorized everything, apparently. As I reached the center, though, one chunk stood out clearly.
 
"This is my report from Manehatten." I frowned. She waved again, and another appeared. I skimmed through it. It was the same, but from Rarity. "What…?" I trailed off as I reached another clear bit. I set them down, side-by-side. "Is this it?"
 
"The start." Twilight said soberly. "I'm not sure if anypony else thought much of it." Her voice hitched. She rubbed her eyes. I re-read the text.
 
Both reports were open to the account we'd given of the auction and banquet. Each of us had written a blurb on the painting. They were the only clear text in the whole document; not even Twilight's prodigious memory could perfectly reproduce something she'd only skimmed.
 
I read Rarity's account. I read my account. I read Rarity's account again. I frowned, and read my account more slowly. A chill started to creep up my spine.
 
I underlined part of Rarity's account. I compared it to mine. Both of us had gone into detail on the painting. My account had a complete description of the canvas, including a blurb on the execution of the painting and the evocative subject. I also described the strange, ornate patterns I'd noticed on the frame; curling, spiky, almost tribal, but with no obvious symbolism. They'd almost seemed to extend onto the painting.
 
Rarity's account was much the same, but it differed in one specific particular. She described the frame as 'plain, almost rough wood, completely devoid of ornamentation or interest.' I swallowed, and read them again. I rubbed my eyes, thinking back.
 
"So plain. It could do with a few jewels," she'd said. I'd thought it strange at the time, but dismissed it.
 
"Th-this…" My voice was hoarse. "There's something…"
 
"That's the first thing I should have told you." Her voice was sombre. "Wes… something's affecting your perceptions."
 
"Ugh." That hit home hard. I bent over, rubbing my eyes. How long? I tried to control the churning in my gut. Something was affecting my mind. I shuddered at the thought. Mental manipulation was scary. If you can't trust your senses, you can't trust yourself. And here was proof; seeing, for me, was not believing.
 
Was this because of the spell she used to heal me? Because of what the changelings did?
 
Had there been other things?
 
I frowned. The patterns. Curling. Tribal. Spikey. No obvious symbolism. I'd seen them before Manehatten. There had been something like that in the Crystal Empire, after the stairway in the throne-room reverted, and above the entrance to the Caverns of Shade and Sound. Fluttershy had trouble finding me! She kept glanced backwards!
 
That was after both the spell AND the changelings. Manehatten was the last time… No… No! That wasn't right. I had seen this pattern more recently, and in a very different place. It was on the door we summoned to return to Equus! It had appeared with chimes!
 
So… it wasn't from Twilight's healing spell? Unless… the effect had persisted. I groaned quietly. This was getting nowhere! I drew a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. Whatever was happening, we could deal with it. It wasn't hurting me… probably. Yet. That I could tell. I focused on calm.
 
Suddenly, I had a thought.
 
"You said you had two secrets?" She nodded soberly.
 
"This is the first. And it leads to the second." She drew a deep breath, and gave me a woebegone look. "These reports are a formality. They mostly get filed and forgotten. Nopony else would read both. Even if they did, the chances of them being compared were slim. It's just a sentence or two." She shrugged. "But it caught my attention… So I had you remember it for me."
 
"Right…" I thought back. When she'd asked me for particulars of our trip, I'd remembered the painting across the link, so she could take a good look. "Because of the pattern?"
 
"Mmhmm." She nodded slowly. "Seeing it shocked me."
 
"Huh? Shocked?"
 
"Yes." Her voice was strained. "Um." She stopped, mouth working. "Um, well. Do you remember doing memory games, to test our synchronization?"
 
"The bad old days." I cracked a smile, but she looked away. "Yes. Why?"
 
"I, um. You remember, I was better at recall? Even with your memories?"
 
Another chill walked down my spine.
 
"Twilight…?"
 
"I remembered this pattern. From your memory." She swallowed. "And I still didn't tell you."
 
"From the - " I stopped. "From where?"
 
"I'm still not sure." She shook her head, slowly. "I need to show you." She stood. A harsh wind started to blow. The scarlet landscape around us slowly dissolved, until we hung in space. Walls and a floor appeared around us. I tried to focus on them, but with dreamlike logic, I couldn't make out any details. Twilight remembered this better than me, but it was still fuzzy.
 
Despite the blur, dream-logic told me the four things surround me were 'walls', and the ground was covered in 'grass'. The blurry green lump in one corner was 'bougainvillea'. Things got a little clearer as I approached the center. Luna moved quietly around, examining. Rainbow scrutinized the table and chairs, the clearest pieces in the… yard? Yeah. This was someone's backyard; I knew that. Suddenly, the walls focused slightly; an opaque fence, formed from tall white planks. The grass was short-trimmed, and there was a sandbox on the corner. The bougainvillea had been eating that corner for years.
 
"I… remember this, a little." I shook my head. "This is my grandfather's backyard."
 
"Really?" Twilight's ears perked slightly. "That… um. Wait. You haven't seen this bit yet." She motioned me to the table. "Do you remember him?"
 
Seated at the table, was… a manikin? It was human-shaped, formed from something like smooth white wax, but with no eyes, mouth, or nose. It was frozen in position. Again, the dream gave me pieces and impressions. I glimpsed gears, belts, and chains; intricate mechanisms. This… man? Thing? It… might be a robot? My memory shifted. At the same time, I got impressions of might and strength, indomitable power, strangely limited. Like the wind or waves. A force of nature, but unable to choose or decide.
 
"Ugh." I put a hand to my head, straining to understand the welter of impressions. "I.. .um." My gaze fell to the table, and I blinked. The clearest piece of the dream was sitting there. A tiny, intricate, spreading, crystalline tree, only as tall as my hand. A slender trunk split into a profusion of branches - slivers - shards - crystalline threads, which again split and split and split. I didn't see any actual leaves, but it hardly needed them. The shape was perfect, like a giant seen from a distance. The intricacy was incredible.
 
It sat in an impossibly shallow pot, and on the table around it was… A spikey, thorny pattern, which drew the eye strangely. It had no obvious symbolism.
 
"It's the tree!" I pointed to the tree. "It's casting a shadow! Or… an aura?"
 
"I thought the same." Twilight nodded. "The… tree? Is projecting the pattern, somehow. That's what I remember."
 
"This… " Luna's voice was soft with wonder. "Wes, this is in your memory?"
 
"I… guess." I answered slowly. "I'm not remembering much yet, but it's becoming clearer."
 
"When is this memory from?" Luna gave both of us a stern glance. I shrugged helplessly. Twilight looked away.
 
"Twilight?" My voice was strained. "Tell me."
 
"I, um. I'm not sure, but I think… well, look at yourself." I glanced down.
 
I was wearing my clothes from Earth. They were mostly clean and soft. I patted my pocket; my cellphone was there. I wasn't wearing my watch.
 
"Is this…" I stopped, unable to continue.
 
"I think so." Twilight nodded slowly. "It… it might be. Either from just before, or just after…"

"The day I arrived." I swallowed, as the full impact hit me. "Twilight, I…" I trailed off, unable to continue. Was this… was this a key to my return? An answer as to how I got here? Why I was here? I looked around again, trying to take in the whole thing. There wasn't much here, but I tried to fasten every piece in my memory.
 
This was the second secret. Twilight knew something about how I'd arrived. No, I knew something about how I'd arrived. I clapped a hand to my forehead, suddenly feeling faint. How dare she keep this from me? My home! My heart rate suddenly accelerated, and I grit my teeth.
 
No. I squelched the reflexive anger consciously. I wouldn't hate my friends. She knew she was wrong; she'd apologized, and was working to make it right. That anger was exactly why she'd been afraid of telling me. Letting it out now would only confirm her fears. Besides; I didn't want to be an angry person. Was this even useful? It did seem to be…
 
"Before." I said slowly. "I still have my  cellphone. It has to be - "
 
"After." Luna interrupted, gaze still fixed on the crystal bonsai. "It has to be."
 
"Huh?" Both Twilight and I gave her disbelieving stares. "Why?"
 
"This." She pointed to the tree. "There's no way it's from your memory. You must have seen it."
 
"What?" I gave her a confused glance, anger fading to training and curiosity. "Why…"
 
"Because this isn't what it looks like." She gave me a sharp glance. "Not in real life."
 
"Oh?" I stepped forward, staring at the tiny crystal tree. "This almost looks like something Pinkie…" I trailed off, trying to think. What had Pinkie said about her crystal tree?
 
"Pinkie?" Luna frowned. "What does she have to do with this?"
 
"I have no idea." I shrugged. "Twilight, do you remember any more about… any of this? The tree? Him?" I pointed to the manikin.
 
"He's powerful. Or you thought he was. Like a force of nature, almost, but just as limited. You… pity him?" She cocked her head. "I feel like you two were talking."
 
"Yeah…" I paused, as her words resonated with me. "He was saying something…" I tried to recall the words. "He'd… called me? Or.. Sent me? Or… caught me? Was I… falling?" I frowned again, trying to grab bits and pieces of memory as they floated by. I could almost… almost remember. Maybe…
 
I slowly pulled out the chair across from him. I'd been sitting here.
 
I carefully crossed my legs at the ankle, leaning my chin on a hand. I'd sat like this.
 
I closed my eyes, imagining his voice. It had sounded like a thousand thousand clocks striking as one, or a thousand thousand gears grinding unstoppably.
 
<"Arc…"> Just one word, but it was important. I could feel it.
 
<"Arcana…"> I trailed off again, fishing for it. I almost had it.
 
<"Ar - ">
 
<"Arcanaclypse."> Twilight finished, eyes going wide. "He was saying that! And it made a huge impression on you! That's why you remember this, just this bit! <Arcanaclypse!> It's important!" She paused, puzzlement creeping into her expression. "What does it mean?" She looked at me. "Wes?"
 
Arcanaclypse. Arcana - clypse?
 
"No idea," I lied, suddenly scared.
 
"Really? But - "
 
"Nope." I shrugged, plastering a false smile on my face to hide the returning turmoil in my gut, cold fear pulling hot anger back. "Is this everything?" My voice was cold, and she wilted. I called on my dream-powers to hold my expression neutral. Luna blinked as reality warped, protecting my calm demeanor.
 
"Y…yes. Wes, I… "
 
"It's fine." I gave another hollow grin. Rainbow, silent this whole time, was staring at me with her ears laid back. I smiled at her, and she flinched. "Really, guys, I'm okay. I just need some sleep." I pulled on the dream-fabric. "I'll talk to you later, okay Twilight? We'll work things out."
 
"You're not mad?" She looked up, hopeful.
 
"No more than before." That was nearly truth. I'd decided to forgive her. I needed to deal with these feelings on my own. "I won't hold this against you. Just give me a bit of alone time to cool off, okay? I'll get over it." I tried to give her a warm hug, but the coldness in my chest stiffened it. "I'll be okay. I'll see you when you're back, but I need time to think. If you're done…?" She nodded slowly, and I concentrated.
 
"Wes!" Luna called, but I ignored her, focusing on waking up.
 
The dream dissolved around me and I awoke. My bed was warm, and Bit was curled up at my feet again. Silly sleepwalker; it couldn't be comfortable. Still, better than the floor outside my door.
 
But my heart was cold. I pushed thoughts of the secrets aside; I knew, now, and I could think that over later. Twilight was still my friend. I would not let this come between us permanently. No, I had to think about that word, but the more I considered it, the more chilling it was.
 
<Arcanaclypse.>
 
This was bad.

> 62 - Branching
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I lay in bed for a while, before the roiling in my gut got too difficult to ignore.
 
I slowly slipped off the mattress, trying not to disturb Bit. I needed to be alone. I needed answers. My best bet for both was where I'd first seen the patterns; a cave in the Everfree.
 
I stood, a little unsteady. Feelings of shock, worry, and confusion swirled in my head. Something was in my mind. Twilight had known something about how I got here. Why? Why hadn't she told me?
 
Confusion, fear, and shame, most likely. I understood that myself; inaction turned into procrastination, and procrastination slid into secrecy; not even intentionally. She'd been afraid of my reaction, and as time went on, it would have only gotten harder and harder to confront me. I sighed softly, and rubbed my eyes.
 
My reaction… yeah. That was another. I'd always been a little unstable. Like our first meeting, or my various outbursts of temper. I was more in control than ever, but I was still, in many ways, impulsive and unpredictable. The prospect of me lashing out at her wasn't unreasonable. She'd be more scared, though, of me lashing out at me, or isolating myself.
 
Which… I was about to do, actually. I pushed the thoughts aside.
 
My belt clinked as I tied it on, and Bit stirred, lifting its head.
 
"Wes?" Its voice was bleared with sleep.
 
"Shhh." I tried to sound calm and collected, squelching the emotions whirling in my chest. "Go back to bed."
 
"Yes, Master."
 
I stopped, frozen to the core.
 
Tense silence hung in the air for a moment.
 
Bit lay back down.
 
"Bit…" My voice cracked.
 
"You said I shouldn't call you that, because I was your friend." Its voice quavered, slicing my heart. "But… but! Do friends sneak off in the night? Without even a word?" It sniffled. "Do friends disappear like that, leaving friends to worry?"
 
I slumped back against the wall, knees weak.
 
"Bit, I…" Suddenly, I felt more than a little selfish.
 
"P-princess Luna visited me just now." Its voice was shaking. It may have been crying; I couldn't see. "She said to keep an eye on you. I didn't think I'd need to, because I didn't think you'd abandon me." It sniffled again, and I hid my face.
 
"S…sorry." I choked out. "I'm… it's…"
 
"Dangerous?" Bit's voice was soft. "No place for a child?"
 
All that and more.
 
I was headed to the Caves of Sound and Shade. I was hiking through the Everfree, in the middle of the night, to explore one of the few places even more wild and uncharted. I was going now, because I needed answers. I couldn't hide my intentions for long, but there was no way my friends would let me go alone. And I needed to go alone, because…
 
Because…
 
It was dangerous, but my friends could handle that. It was late, but I'd called them in the middle of the night before. It was unknown, but some of them liked that.
 
Ah.
 
I stopped, realizing. I was going alone because of that word.
 
<Arcanaclypse.>
 
It was English. Half-remembered. Twilight hadn't even caught it the first time, and still didn't understand it.
 
Which was understandable, honestly. English was a language for poets and writers. It could be layered with deep meaning. I'd been using it for twenty years, easy, and I was still surprised by new words and rules.
 
But the meaning of this one was somehow clear, even if how or why I knew it wasn't. Whoever coined it had combined 'arcane' and 'apocalypse'. Magic. Danger. Enough to qualify as the end of the world.
 
Equus? Earth? I didn't know. But I needed to find out. And I was in no condition for explanations. No mood for putting together a decent party, with precautions and safeguards. Turmoil rolled in my gut. I wasn't decent company right now. I didn't have the energy for concerned questions, or the fortitude to explain my reasoning time and again to everypony willing to help. And if I asked, they would help. I'd be smothered in well-wishing.
 
Easier to just not ask.
 
My attention jerked back to the present as Bit sniffled on the bed.
 
Leaving it behind was a selfish choice, but my reasons were good, right?
 
Twilight's reasons had been good, too.
 
"I…I just want to help." Bit's voice was soft. I grimaced. "You've been p-protecting and helping me for as long as I've n-known you, Wes. Which is forever. P-please, let me come? I-I want to help. You're hurting. I can t-tell." It sat up, sniffling, pajamas ghostly in the moonlight. "I don't want you to hurt. Please, let me help? Somehow? You've been guarding me, in so many ways for so long. I want to - to g-guard you too, protect your heart. C-can't you tell me what's hurting you? L-let me be your friend?"
 
"Oh, Bitterbloom." I ground my palms into my eyes. "Oh, Bit."
 
We sat in silence for a minute, my deep, slow breaths counterpoint to its quiet sniffles.
 
"Alright." I slowly stood and picked up my dagger, holding it out. "Take this. Get your kit. We're headed into the Everfree." Having someone to protect would protect me, too. And Bit was about as undemanding of a companion as I could ask for.
 
"W-what if… what if we meet a monster?" Bit slipped off the bed, hesitantly accepting the dagger and wiping its eyes.
 
"They can beg the heavens for mercy." I shrugged, clipping on my vibroblade. "Because I won't show any."
 



 
"You're grim tonight, sir."
 
"Hmm?" I stepped past the piles of deadwood. They had been timberwolves a moment ago. The green glare of my blade winked out, darkness reclaiming the clearing. "Sorry. I’m thinking."
 
"Tell me."
 
I paused, looking to my aide. Its eyes glimmered darkly in the moonlight. That had almost sounded… demanding?
 
"Alright." I nodded, taking a deep breath. Maybe talking this out would help still my inner turmoil a little. "It all started when Discord accosted us, not that long ago…"
 



 
"And so, you're angry at your friends? At Twilight?" Bit cocked its head.
 
"Not… really." I frowned. "I mean, I was, at least somewhat. But… I don't feel that way so much, right now. More like disappointed? Frustrated? Lots of that might be spillover from the memory, though. I just feel generally… bad. About everything, and everypony. It's like - " I cut off, as Bit turned and wrapped its thin arms tightly around me.
 
"Shhh. It'll be okay."
 
I smiled involuntarily, letting it comfort me.
 
"Thanks, Bit." I patted its back. Eventually, it released me.
 
"Feel better, sir?"
 
"Yes, much." My grin was small, but genuine. "Alright, we need to move faster. Are you up for a little running?"
 
"Ready as ever."
 
"Good." I adjusted my pack. "I'd like to get there before daybreak." We slid off into the night.
 



 
"Sir, why are we hiding?"
 
"A minute, Bit."
 
My aide fell silent. I stared just a little longer.
 
"Bit, can you see it?"
 
"No, sir." It gave me a serious glance. "You say the pattern is just above the door?"
 
"Yeah."
 
It inspected the cliff face carefully in the dim, pre-dawn light.
 
"It seems blank of purposeful patterns."
 
"Blech."
 
I could still see the patterns. I paced in a small circle, trying to sort my thoughts out again.
 
There was something in my head.
 
It had affected me, without my knowledge.
 
It made me… see things? Was that all? I squelched that train of thought before I started second-guessing every single thing I'd done here in Equestria.
 
It might be connected to my appearance here.
 
It was definitely connected to the crystal tree.
 
"Shoot!" I suddenly remembered what Luna had said. I'd been too distracted to follow up on it, but… she might have known something about the crystal tree. It certainly sounded so. I glanced at the mural again. It was still evident to me, splayed across the bare rock, like it had been stained into the surface. Swirling, confusing, it drew the eye strangely.
 
"Fine, enough." I stopped my pacing, and turned to the door in the cliff-face. "This is the only place I could think of that might have some answers. Let's see what we can find." Bit nodded, and followed me. I pushed the door open, but froze.
 
Warm light spilled from inside the small guardhouse. I made a discrete motion to Bit; it vanished silently.
 
Firelight?
 
Somepony - something was here, and I had no idea -
 
"Come in, Wes."
 
I stopped, suddenly more confused and less worried.
 
"Pinkie?"
 
"The one and only."
 
I slowly stepped through the door. Pinkie was sitting inside, cooking pancakes in a skillet on the coals.
 
"What… how…"
 
"I thought you might want a warm breakfast. And maybe a friend?"

"Hah." A wry smirk twisted my mouth. "It's no use, huh?"
 
"None at all!" Her serious stare belied her cheerful words. "Don't imagine you can just ditch your companions so easily."
 
"How did you know?"
 
"Know?" She shrugged. "I don't know anything. I just guessed. This time, it seems I was right. So. Come in, bring Bit, have some breakfast."
 
"And explain?" The words were harsh. Telling Bit had been one thing; it was almost incapable of judging me. Pinkie, on the other hand… I had the uncomfortable feeling any comments she made on my feelings would be uncannily, precisely cutting. I didn't want to deal with that. I'd run from exactly that, much as I hated to admit it.
 
"No." She produced glasses, milk, and syrup from a small pack, and laid out the meal. "Not if you don't want to." She shook her head slowly. "You don't really get it yet, Wes. You think you're the only one who's willing to accept someone just as they are?" Her stare pierced. "Get over yourself. Your friends aren't that shallow. If you need some space, that doesn't mean you should run. Just ask for some."
 
I nodded hesitantly, and motioned for Bit. It faded into view, and we stepped into the room.
 
The food was good.
 
The milk was cold.
 
The companionship was pleasant.
 
"Thanks, Pinkie." We'd chatted quietly, and by the time we finished, I was feeling a little better. "Are you coming with?" I motioned to the trapdoor. "We're headed into the Caverns."
 
"If you'll have me." She shrugged. "I won't force my way in. I'm not even sure why you're here, or why I felt I should come."
 
"Well, if you'd like…" I grinned. "You can join the - "
 
"Search party?" She grinned back. "Yeah, I'd like that."
 



 
"You have no idea how much easier magic makes this." I spoke quietly, but my companions heard me easily.
 
"This is suuuuper easy!" Pinkie grinned. "So, lots and lots?"
 
"Yup." I smiled back. We were working our way through the singing caves. "There's a reason I practiced the mute spell so ferociously.  We'd have been hard-pressed to make it this far otherwise."
 
My magic, which centered around sound, gave me a distinct advantage in this part of the caves. Instead of relying on earplugs, I now had the skill to simply surround us with a null-sound bubble. It even extended into the rock below, cutting off all of the vibrations that we released and stilling the echoing hum before it even began. There was a gentle, low-level vibration through the whole cave, but it was almost pleasant.
 
We'd been hiking for an hour or so. It was hard to tell what direction we were headed, but it seemed like we were moving generally back, towards the castle on the edge of the forest.
 
I ran a hand along the wall. Again, this part of the caves seemed to have been prepared, shaped, at least somewhat. Working stone in this cavern was very difficult without my specialized magic, but somepony seemed to have taken the time to smooth and mark a path, at least a little. I'd been following faint chisel marks, being sure to leave my own magical markers at every intersection for our return. Bitterbloom was trailing its fingers along the walls and floor as well, possibly leaving a scent trail.
 
"Sir, something is ahead."
 
"Yeah." We reached the end of the corridor, where Bit was pointing, and stopped. It was different here.
 
I'd seen something like this when I'd been exploring last, with Sakura waiting up top. I hadn't had time to do more than look, and I hadn't been close enough to even confirm what I was looking at. Directly in front of us, a curtain of blackness hung across the corridor.
 
"Well, let's start with the most basic scientific test." I pulled a twig out of my pocket. "Poke it with a stick!"
 
My 'scientific instrument' emerged from the blackness unharmed.
 
"Alright, stage two!" I graduated to a finger. Nothing happened. "Seems harmless?" I frowned, and tried to scan. The response I got made me shudder.
 
"Sir?"
 
"Sorry. The background magic here is ridiculous. I can't pick anything out of it with certainty. On the other hand, it's not more magical than average. But the average here is so high…" I frowned, and took a deep breath. "It just looks like… blackness. Like a field that absorbs light. I think we found the 'shade' part of the caverns." I frowned. "Which means, once we're past this, we're into unknown territory." I didn't know much about the Caverns. No-one did.
 
"So, how do we get past?" Pinkie eyed the wall of darkness. "I want to keep exploring!"
 
"Yeah." I frowned. "We need to move on, but if we can't see…" I stopped, an idea striking. "Let me try something." I stooped, running my wand over the stone floor. This close, picking up the magic of the singing stone was definitely doable. I slowly scanned forward, extending my reach nearly into the dark.
 
"Hah!"
 
"What is it? Huh? Huh?" Pinkie bounced eagerly. "Ooooh, should I guess? Is it - "
 
"It's different magic." I stood. She quieted. "It's not singing stone, which means once we're in, I can drop this mute spell."
 
"And that means?" Bit gave me a frown.
 
"Well, maybe I have a spell that can help us navigate." I eyed the wall of shadow again. "But I'm a little leery of stepping into that before we know what's on the other side." I glanced backwards. We hadn't met anything hostile; we hadn't met anything at all. But that was no guarantee that we were safe. "I'm scared of grues."
 
"That's silly!" Pinkie smirked. "There aren't any grues in the Everfree!"
 
"Um, okay." I shrugged. She was probably right, but I still wasn't taking chances. "Step back, you two. I'm going to see if I can set this spell up." We drew back from the dark curtain, and I concentrated on remembering.
 
Echonarchy was a versatile and powerful discipline. Lyra used it for just about everything, and one thing she needed was full-circle threat detection. She had taught me this spell early on, but I hadn't started practicing it seriously until after storming Phoresy's keep. By now, it was nearly usable. It was an echolocation spell.
 
I carefully harmonized my magic again, trying to visualize the effect I needed. I wove the spell structure slowly; no need to push myself. I'd rather get it right the first time. The most difficult part of the spell was the converter, a complex piece of magic that could translate the sound patterns into something useable, and project that sensation into my consciousness.
 
When I was done, the spell hovered in the air in front of me, a neon globe coated with tiny spikes and barbs. I double-checked everything, and raised it to my forehead. Lyra could cast this in a split second, but mine at least seemed correct.
 
It settled into place with a strangely electric feeling. I blinked; I didn't see any difference. I snapped my fingers, and lights went off in my head.
 
"Oh, weird." I cut off, and tried to squint at my throat. "Man, this is weird." Sounds exploded on my consciousness like fireworks. Snapping fingers shot silver sparks; clearing my throat threw lines of green light.
 
"Sir?" I turned to Bit; its light voice had a silvery hue, and I could 'see' it even with my back turned. "Is it working correctly?"
 
"I think so. Let me move the mute zone, and maybe I can take a look into the next area." I carefully extended the magic bubble we were traveling in, stretching it out until one end of it stuck well into the darkness before opening one end, so I could hear the response.
 
"Hello?" I yelled into the tunnel.
 
"…ello, ello, lo, lo, o…." My voice bounced off the walls, echoing back and forth as it traveled. With each bounce that returned to me, I 'saw' part of the tunnel up ahead. The smoothed area continued, although it meandered and twisted strangely. Nothing moved.
 
"This stillness is almost creepy." I turned to my companions. "It seems clear. I don't know how far the darkness extends. Um, maybe if we walk single file, we can - "
 
Bit clicked its tongue, and silvery sparks shot into the darkness. It turned its head. Its ears stretched, growing ribs and taking on a wider aspect. It was copying me.
 
"No need, sir. I can see."
 
"…huh. Did you learn that just now?" I gave it a curious stare. Sometimes its precociousness was almost scary.
 
"I borrowed it from a bat. Fluttershy showed me."
 
"Clever." I nodded.
 
"It seemed it would be useful." It shrugged. "Now it is."
 
"Soooo." Pinkie leaned in close. "It's just me. All alone. In the dark. It'll be scary, Wes. I won't be able to see."
 
"Um…"
 
"I won't know if something's sneaking up on us. I won't be able to see you, in case I need an emergency hug."
 
"I, uh - "
 
"What if we get separated? I'd never find my way back. I'd starve, Wes. Or die of thirst. If a grue didn't get me!"
 
"I thought - "
 
"Wes! You've got to do something! I can't take it! I can't do it, Wes, I can't go on like this!" She threw her forelegs on my shoulders, flinging her head back dramatically. "Wes, please!"
 
"Alright, fine! We can try the mindlink!"
 
"Woooo!" Pinkie dropped to the ground, bouncing in joy. "Finally! Woohoo!" She turned a backflip.
 
"Ugh." I facepalmed. "I can't believe…. Whatever. Let's get this over with."
 



 
" - next year I'll shave my eyebrows off, cuz I like looking WEIRD. Fiddle-dee fiddle-die fiddle-dum-dum, I get - "
 
"AAAAAAARGH!" I threw my head back, letting out a primal roar of frustration. "Pinkamina Diane Pie, would you please stop singing!" I rubbed my temples. "Talk about 'can't get a song out of your head!' Seriously!"
 
"But I like singing." I could see the disappointment in her voice. "And when I sing through the link, I can do awesome sound effects!" She demonstrated by playing three accordions at once. In my head. I twitched.
 
"I, ugh." I stepped forward, and blinked. The neon world of echoes and song was suddenly filled with real color. The glow of my headlamp lit the tunnel dimly, but it was lit. I could see. We were out of the Shade.
 
"Free!" I dropped to my knees, raising my hands to the roof. "I…I'm free!" I reached back into the darkness, and yanked Pinkie out before snapping the link and collapsing on the floor. "No more party songs in my head. No more accordions! Oh, sweet, sweet silence!" I kissed the now-visible ground.
 
"Sir, you're embarrassing me." Bit gave me a flat look.
 
"You are such a teenager." I grimaced back. "Let me have my fun. No need to be serious all the time, right?"
 
"Maybe so. But perhaps we should be serious about what's ahead." Bit motioned to the end of the tunnel, where spikes of crystal were obvious. As I watched, a crackle of magic jumped from one to the other. "That doesn't look exactly… inviting."
 
"Great." I sat down and rubbed my eyes. "Alright, we're taking a break for now. It's lunch; I'll set wards, so let's rest."
 



 
"How long has it been?"
 
"Seven hours, sir."
 
"And how many sections have we seen?"
 
"Thirteen distinct sections, although several were only a few minutes long."
 
"Like the one with the fox-fire. Thankfully."
 
"Indeed."
 
"Heeeeey, loooook!" Pinkie called from nearby. I turned; she was pointing at a large, embossed vase. "There's writing on this!"
 
"Yeah, but we can't loiter!" I called back. "Much as I'd like to. I want to get to the end of this road, if we can."
 
We were currently working our way through a section of the caves that may have been inhabited. The 'pathway' we'd been following the whole time actually expanded into something like a paved road, here. Doors lead off into the darkness on either side, and columns and arches supported the roof. I snapped my fingers, watching sparks of sound bounce into one hidden area. It was empty, just like the rest. I nodded. I still wasn't convinced that we were safe, but I was starting to believe we might actually be alone.
 
The sections we'd traversed had all been varied and beautiful, though several were exceedingly dangerous. Only good judgment and a large dash of luck had gotten us through. Especially the section with floating tongues of flame. Fox-fire was nasty.
 
We'd walked along shallow streams, surrounded by glowing plants. We'd climbed up and down winding spires, gazing at iridescent patterns formed by moss on the distant ceiling. We'd nearly gotten lost in an embarrassingly small maze. We'd been chilled and warmed, dirtied and dampened, but we pressed on.
 
"We're nearing the end of this section, I think." I looked around. The buildings, such as they were, were shrinking. The road narrowed slightly. "We need to tell the Princess about this place. I bet it was old when the city was here."
 
"Yes." Bit looked up. "She would like that. Wes?"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Will you take me to see my mother?"
 
"Huh?" I stumbled, nearly falling, in my surprise. "What brought that on?"
 
"Celestia said I should. I talked to her at Twilight's party."
 
"…how did that come up?"
 
"I, um." Bit hesitated, and gave me a cautious look. "I asked her how to be grown up. She said to ask my mother for advice."
 
"Ah." I rubbed my eyes, trying to think. "Well, maybe we should."
 
"Really?"
 
"Yeah, if Celestia thinks it's a good idea, it probably is. And I need to talk to Tezeca as well." One of my fists clenched; I slowly relaxed it. "I need to give her my verdict. And maybe a piece of my mind."
 
"Ah." Bit gave me a searching glance, but said no more.
 
After a minute more of walking, we turned a corner and reached a wall.
 
"Huh?" Pinkie stopped. "Wes, the road ends."
 
"Um." I stepped forward. She was right. The smoothed path ended here. I ran a hand over the wall, casually inspecting the patterns marked onto it. They were twisted and tangled, spikey and… wait a minute.
 
"Um, Bit, Pinkie, can you see anything on this wall? Any pattern? Anything at all?" Both of them shook their heads. "Oh. Um." I stepped back.
 
The road, chipped and cut to a noticeable path, ran right up to the foot of the wall before stopping. The wall was rough-cut, but didn't seem specially worked in any way. It  was almost as if the builders had gotten this far, and then just decided to quit.
 
Or… maybe they'd started here?
 
I looked backwards, tracing our footsteps in my mind. If… whoever, whatever, had built this path had lived in that strange, underground city… maybe they'd worked their way from here, and carved a useable path through the caves until they were near enough the surface to… escape? Visit?
 
I shook my head; speculation was useless. All I knew was that we'd reached the end of the road, and it was a dead end. I sighed, stepping back.
 
"Is that it?" Bit gave me a confused look.
 
"I think so." I shrugged. "I was hoping for answers, and we found something." I looked back over my shoulder, examining the wall again. "It's just not - " I stopped.
 
This one was… different?
 
Like the rest of the patterns I'd seen, the spirals seemed jagged and sharp, pointless, almost tribal, with no obvious symbolism. They drew the eye strangely, but.. This one, instead of leading the eyes of the viewer in wandering paths, confusing in their complexity and dizzying in their depth, it kept pulling my eyes back to one single spot.
 
This mural had a center.
 
This mural was telling me something.
 
"Sir?"
 
"Just a second…" I ran a hand over the stone, feeling for a clue or a hint. "I think there might be something here."
 
I worked in silence for a good half hour, carefully canvassing the entire wall, trying to unlock its secrets. At the end, I knew no more than when I'd started.
 
Finally, in frustration, I thumped a fist against the wall.
 
It echoed.
 
"Oh!" I stepped back. Sparks danced in my vision as the sound-spell tried to translate the sound into something I could see, but all I got was a mess. Still, there was something back there.
 
"It's hollow." I looked at the wall again. "There's something behind it." I rubbed my chin in thought. "We need to get through." I paced in a small circle, trying to assemble my options. "I don't really care how." I rifled through my pack, searching for tools. Eventually, my hand dropped to my belt. I rubbed a finger along the hilt of my vibroblade, thinking. Finally, I made up my mind. "Stand back." I unclipped the weapon, and raised it. "I'm cutting my way in."
 
"Ooo!" Pinkie gave an appreciative grin. "Awesome!"
 
"Shield your eyes, sir."
 
"I'll just keep them closed. The spell should be enough." I took a moment to dig a bandage out of my first aid kit, to tie over my face. Then I pushed a little power into the blade, and it winked to life. I carefully drew the echonarchy down, concentrating it. The vibroblade was a weapon, not a powersaw, but it should be able to cut this; I'd engineered it for use against the crystal golems. I touched it to the stone wall, and with a squeal, a plume of dust shot away. It basically buzzed the stone apart, using high-frequency sound to rip tiny pieces off. I could 'see' it cut easily, the echolocation spell even allowing me to look into the cliff. As soon as the blade was through, I started dragging it sideways.
 
It was hard work, physically and magically exhausting, slow, hot, and gritty. By the time I was done, I'd cut a hole barely two feet square; just enough for me to climb through. I cut the last piece holding it in, and it fell with a dull clunk, disappearing into the hole. I stepped back, wiping sand of my forehead, and untied the cloth around my eyes.
 
Something gleamed brightly through the opening.
 
"Woah…"Pinkie stuck her head through for a second, before climbing through completely. "Woah! You guys gotta come see this!"
 
"Just a sec." I dusted myself off, and motioned for Bit to climb through. It carefully complied. I gave the tunnel one last look. Now that I'd opened a path, the pattern was fading off the wall, as if it had accomplished its goal.
 
I leaned down, and crawled through.
 
"Holy crow…"
 
"This is it." Pinkie's voice was solemn. We stood, awestruck, staring up at a gigantic crystalline… tree. It's branches spread evenly, reaching up for a non-existent sun. It had no leaves, but the lacy profusion of branches didn't seem to need them. It was a clear, pure blue, shimmering slightly even in the dark.
 
It towered above us. The cave we found ourselves in was huge, soaring, cathedral; the wall behind us curved brokenly into the darkness. The glow of our lamps was lost in the depths of shadow. The feeble light of the tree wasn't nearly enough to show the walls. Looking up, it was hard to get a feel for how huge it actually was, but even with perspective twisted by darkness and depth, it dwarfed us.
 
"I thought it would be smaller," I said helplessly. Last time I saw it, it was only the size of my hand.
 
"You knew this was here?" Pinkie's voice was incredulous. "I've been searching for years!"
 
"No, I… " I stopped. "I didn't know. I had no idea where we were headed. But, um… where did you…"
 
"In a dream." She stepped closer, slowly. "I had a dream about this place, once."
 
"Gah." I slumped against the wall, pressing a hand to my head, and trying to think. "What they hay is this thing?"
 
"Hmm?" Pinkie turned back to me. "It's the tree, of course!"
 
"But that doesn't mean anything!" I threw my arms out. "I saw it in a dream, too! It was only this big!" I motioned with my hand. "Someone had it in a pot! But Luna said it didn't look like that! And here it is, except it looks like that! And you've seen it, which means… I don't even know! Should we expect other Pinkies to show up?"
 
"Of course not, silly!" Pinkie giggled and poked my forehead with a hoof, forcing me to look her in the face. "That would be ridiculous!"
 
"Oh. Well then." I sighed bitterly. "Blargh. Alright. Let's keep exploring." I pushed Pinkie's strangeness out of my mind and tried to deal with the pieces I understood. One; I'd seen this, or a representation of this before, and it seemed connected to how I got here. Two, the patterns I'd seen were connected to this, or to the small tree… I stopped, confused. I still didn't know enough. I still didn't know anything. I sighed, and rose.
 
"Sir, come look." Bit's voice called from the center of the cavern. I set my pack down by the entrance, tagging it with a spell so I could find it again, and followed.
 
My aide was standing stock-still near the trunk of the tree, looking down into a pool of… something. The trunk rose from the pool, yards across, stabbing roof-ward with a gentle curve. The pool surrounded the trunk completely. It almost looked like water, but the surface rippled and moved constantly, throwing strange reflections back to my lamp. It looked like silk in the breeze, transparent, held against the night sky.
 
"My gosh - it's full of stars!"
 
"Blergh." I facepalmed. "Pinkie, how many of your comments are from old sci-fi movies, and I've just never noticed?"
 
She only smiled.
 
But she was right. The pool - if that's what it was - did seem to be full of stars. I pulled my twig out, and poked it into the surface. It left a ripple, much stronger than I'd have expected, which spread much faster than it should have. When I drew it out, it glimmered oily. I poked it in again, and dragged it slowly towards the edge, feeling for the bottom. At the boundary, it met a sudden resistance, and then it came free. It had been cut cleanly in half.
 
"Oooo - kay." I looked at the end of the stick; it was smoothly sliced, as if by an impossibly sharp knife. "Both of you, stay away from this thing. I have no idea what we're looking at, but it's dangerous." I turned my lamp back to the rest of the cave. "Let's see what else we can find."
 
We carefully circled the cavern. It was fairly dull work. The cave was large enough that by the time we made it halfway, we were starting to get tired. We moved towards the wall for a break, and I noticed the vines.
 
"These are strange." I poked one. They were black, and seemed old. "They're not dead, but what are they living on?" I followed one down to the floor. It sprang from a tiny seed. I searched for a while, coming up with an un-sprouted one. I scanned it, and blinked. "Discord?"
 
"Huh?" Pinkie looked towards me.
 
"This feels like Discord's magic." I frowned. Had he known his casual comments would end with me here? I sighed, and rubbed my eyes. Just what I needed in my life; an amoral chessmaster. Celestia at least had the decency to ask. I carefully extracted a bottle from my pack, and sealed the seed inside. The enchanted crystal ought to keep it dormant until I could get Zecora to look at it.
 
Tiiiiiiiing!
 
All three of us turned to the tree in surprise. A flash of light emanated from the pool, running up the trunk. It split at each branching, tracing the whole thing with a thousand thousand glimmering dots, as it divided again and again.
 
As the glow grew slightly, the walls and ceiling of the cavern came into view. I gasped; the light the tree threw traced a familiar pattern. Spikey, swirling, almost tribal. I gulped, and rubbed my eyes. If I'd needed confirmation…
 
The light slowly faded, but the pool kept glowing. Hesitant, I looked to my companions. Bit was as impassive as ever. Pinkie seemed cheerful. I pushed thoughts of danger from my head, and walked back to the edge.
 
"Woah…"
 
Looking into the pool, the stars were gone. Instead, a vision of machinery spread just below the surface. Gears, wheels, springs, cogs, sprockets, brackets, rotating and reciprocating mechanisms whirred and ticked with complex and confusing power. My mind flashed back to the manikin I'd seen.
 
Was this… a machine? Why was it here? How -
 
Plib.
 
My thoughts cut off, as the end of my stick was ejected from the pool. It arched gently through the air, and landed at my feet.
 
"Oh." My voice was quiet.
 
<Wesley Kilmer?>
 
I started. The voice was grating, mechanical and monotone, but understandable.
 
<"Y…yes?"> I answered hesitantly.
 
<You made it. It's possible I'm glad. I hope the journey was not unduly difficult. Are you ready?>
 
<"I… no, um…"> I stopped, suddenly unsure. I held my silence for a second, thinking. Finally, I firmed my resolve. Whoever - whatever I was talking to, they didn't seem evil. I'd best be honest; I didn't know enough to fabricate a decent lie.
 
<"Look, I'll be straight."> I drew myself up, laying out my words candidly. <"I'm Wesley Kilmer, but I don't have any idea who you are or what you're talking about. Can you explain what I need to be ready for? Why you expect me to be ready?"> A hint of desperation crept into my voice. <"Anything?">
 
<Oh dear.> A moment's silence, filled only with gentle ticking. <It's possible I’m discouraged. I assumed… Ah. That was my mistake. Hold a moment, Wesley.>
 
As I watched, the machinery in the pool started to move, to fold. It gathered inwards, compressing and compacting, sometimes folding in what looked like impossible movements, until it finally made a package no bigger than my hand.
 
With a sudden movement, it sped towards us. I stepped back, surprised, as a huge face seemed to fill the pool. Then, a hand rose from the surface, and landed on the edge. The manikin shrank as it climbed out; it was no taller than me. The pool had magnified it to strange sizes.
 
<"I apologize."> It shrugged. <"You say you don't remember me, so for now, you can call me Cog. If you please, maybe I can help your recall."> It stepped forward, and with shocking speed and grace, placed a hand on my forehead. I flinched, but it had penetrated my guard easily; if it wanted to kill me, I'd be dead. Something in my mind clicked.
 
<"That is all the interference I can manage."> It shrugged fluidly. <"Someone wounded your soul. You've been recovering, but scars are still apparent. You now have a chance to remember. When it arrives, seize it firmly! Be well, Wesley."> It stepped backwards, and without even turning, tumbled into the pool.
 
<"Wait!"> I leaped forward, trying to catch it. <"How will I... Can't you tell me…"> My voice echoed into silence. <"My answers!"> I lamented, hand outstretched.
 
But it was gone.



> 63 - Well
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We stood by the edge of the pool for a while. I rubbed my temples, trying to line my thoughts up.
 
"Sir…"
 
"Yes?"
 
"We should complete our investigation and begin our return." Bit gave me a serious look. "The trip was arduous. We should be careful on the way back."
 
"You're absolutely right." I heaved a sigh. "Thanks, Bit. Let's grab our stuff, look around, and try to head out in an hour."
 
"Of course." It gave me a nod and turned towards the packs.
 
"Wes."
 
"Yeah, Pinkie?"
 
"Are you feeling okay?"
 
"Better." I grinned. "I guess I owe you an explanation." A thought struck me. "And maybe you can explain what you know about the tree."
 
"Not much." She shrugged. "But of course I'll tell you! Maybe when we're crossing the shadowy part again! There can be singing! And an epic trombone solo!"
 
"Ugh." I grinned, despite my dismay. That enchanted darkness was more trouble than the foxfire had been. "Pinkie…"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Thanks for always making me smile. Don't ever change, 'k?"
 
"K~!" she sang, bouncing off.
 
I heaved a sigh, and started pacing slowly back. The return trip would be laborious, but -
 
I stopped, thought cut off. As I walked, sparks flew up around my ankles. The pattern cast by the Tree at Cog's arrival had mostly faded, but it had lingered under my feet, and now it was reacting to me. I took a few more steps. Twists and curls flared as I moved. Specks of glowing power rose, like fireflies in the evening. It was pretty.
 
No. I frowned. Magic. This pattern was magic. I needed to adjust my thinking. I'd assumed it was something others could see, but that was wrong. Something was affecting my brain. That bothered me, but now I knew. There were principles behind it. Even the wild magic of the Everfree had phenomenotions; the basic symbolism that underwrote all spells. If they were simple enough, maybe I could divine them and see the intent behind it.
 
I threw my mind back to the memory Twilight uncovered, focusing on the pattern. It had appeared around a crystal tree, much like this one, only smaller. I looked up. Maybe that one modeled this. I smirked. Or the other way around? That was the first time I remembered seeing the pattern. So was the effect in place before that?
 
I groaned, rubbing my temples. I let my mind wander, searching for more memories. Cog said I had mental scars. I'd felt something change when it… did whatever, but I couldn't recall anything new.
 
"A chance," I mumbled, trying to remember exactly what Cog said. I'd have Bit repeat it later for transcription; it would definitely remember, even if it didn’t understand English. "Cog claimed it gave me a chance, but couldn't interfere much, so I should be ready to seize it." I pondered that for a minute, before tabling the thought. It was useless worry. I scanned the memory Twilight found again, searching for a sense of time. When was it? How long had it taken?
 
I'd told ponies I’d fallen asleep in one world, and woke up in another. Until last night, I'd honestly believed my own story. Still, I hadn't explained that to anypony until I'd learned Equestrian, which was months after my arrival. Looking back, I was fuzzy on the details. I did remember something like that, but I may have forgotten something more. I'd been captured in short order, and after… I hadn't done much thinking. It had taken a friendly voice and strong motivation to return me to my senses.
 
Now, I wondered. Just how much memory was I missing?
 
Relativity aside, I'd considered 'transit time' to be instant, not unknown. I had no guarantee for that. Camping, I’d fallen asleep soon after sunset and awoke lost, soon after sunrise. Twelve hours? Okay, that was my simplest guess; twelve hours transit time.
 
Twelve hours was a long time. It was just over fifteen hours since leaving Ponyville. A lot could be accomplished in that time.
 
But I had no guarantee that was right, either.
 
Relativity meant I couldn’t measure time between dimensions. My clothes had seemed the same. My cellphone had battery when I turned it on; I’d been searching for GPS, or even cell signal, when the changelings attacked me. But a battery would last weeks or months with the device shut off. And if magic was involved…
 
Could I guess a maximum? Months? Years?
 
Was this even my first world? Would I have noticed a year's physical aging?
 
I shook my head slowly, throttling my brain back as it tried to shift into overdrive. I couldn't afford to trace that train of thought; it would only lead to frustration. For now, I would choose simplest. Transit was twelve hours, give or take, and some of that was sleeping. Besides; my beard hadn't grown past stubble, so without magic I wasn't missing more than a few days.
 
That was less insanity-inducing. It hinged on no magic intervention, but I needed to make some assumptions. If it was wrong, I'd revise.
 
My thoughts drifted back to the pattern and the memory. I couldn't remember anything before or after, but I could remember the Tree, the pattern, and Cog. Cog and the tree were for later; I needed to consult Twilight, Pinkie, and Luna. Maybe Celestia, too. The pattern, though...
 
In the past day or so, I'd learned three things. The pattern was magic. The magic affected only me, and it may have been applied before my arrival.
 
Now, what did that mean?
 
I slowed my pacing, trying to synthesise an answer. Curling. Tribal. Twice, it showed up by the Tree. I set those aside. There were four others. The entrance to the Caverns, the Crystal Kingdom, the painting, and the inter-dimensional portal. Each situation involved powerful magic, even if I hadn't known. The mirror was hidden behind the painting. The Caverns. Sombra's secret passage, and teleport door.
 
My excitement grew as I started to make connections. The entrance to the Caverns was an intricately warded trapdoor. Sombra had a teleport door hidden under his throne room. The painting concealed the Misty Mirror which took us to Mirror Equestria, while the dimension door brought us back.
 
Was that it? Doors?
 
I looked at the pattern beneath my feet. It glowed and faded as I moved, lighting up step by step. Farther away it was nearly gone, but nearby, I could see it clearly.
 
"Hold on…" I stopped, and turned around.
 
Behind me, I could see every step I'd walked. The pattern grew, thorny and intricate, from my feet. It traced my trail, running along the floor, marking a… pathway. It extended under my feet. I’d never have noticed, without turning around.
 
I traced it into the dark, towards one of the unexplored walls. A trail. To… something. A door?
 
"Holy crow." I rubbed my eyes, and stepped carefully backwards. The pattern sparked to life beneath me, extending by inches. The glow faded when I lowered my foot, leaving another portion of pathway connected. "That's… actually pretty cool."
 
I peered into the darkness. Pinkie and Bit's light were small sparks, nearly lost in the dark, moving around near the entrance we'd made. I sighed, and continued my walk. We could investigate after I collected my pack.
 



 
"You believe it's a… signal?" Bit gave me a curious look.
 
"Yeah." I walked back along the path. As I followed it, the pattern slowly faded. "Whenever I've seen the pattern, it's near a door or portal. I don’t trust it, but… it hasn't hurt me yet. I think." I shivered. Looking back over my actions, I didn't seem manipulated. But then, maybe I wouldn't. The idea of my perceptions being messed with no longer scared me stiff, but it was still unsettling.
 
"So, we're following it now?" Pinkie bounced along beside me.
 
"Yup." I looked into the darkness. "We don't have time to explore everything here, so I picked the most interesting."
 
"Okey dokey lokey!" Pinkie grinned at me. "Oooo, look!" She pointed ahead with her lamp. "Is that where it goes?"
 
"Yeah." I followed her beam. A crevice in the stone wall yawned wide. "Yeah, it leads right in there."

"Sweet!" Pinkie bounced ahead.
 
"Do you think the pattern harms you?"
 
"I'm honestly not sure, Bit." I sighed. "It's possible it’s benign. It's even possible I knew what it was, and just forgot. Hay, it's possible I brought this on myself, and forgot! I wish Cog…" I sighed again. "But, if wishes were fishes, the sea would be full."
 
"I will take your word for it." Bit nodded. "Ah. Stairs."
 
I stepped into the crevice. The pattern I was following continued on, running up a rough-carved flight of stone steps. We followed as Pinkie sprang upwards.
 
"I swear, she's half bouncy ball." I rolled my eyes at her inexhaustible energy.
 
After a long, long, tiring climb, the pattern faded out. We had reached a door. The smooth stone was obviously a portal; the lintel and side posts were clear, but there was no obvious means of entry, just a carved frame sealed with a solid slab. I thought, while Pinkie scrutinized and searched, running her hooves over it methodically.
 
"Maybe it's magic?" I tried to scan the door. "If this pattern points to portals, it only illuminates certain ones. I've never seen it around normal doors."
 
"Oooooh!" Pinkie grinned, stepped back, and pushed me forward. "Why didn't you say so sooner? Get to work!"
 
"Um." I raised my wand and tried another scan. "But the background magic is too strong, and I don't know how much - "
 
"Excuses!" Pinkie slapped my back roughly, unbalancing me. "You're the magician here, so it's your job!"
 
"Right," I said weakly, stumbling forward. I put a hand out for balance, bracing myself against the door.
 
I nearly toppled as it suddenly shifted, sliding sideways until the gap was open.
 
"Ooooh!" Pinkie grinned. "See, I knew you could do it!"
 
"Did you?" I gave her a skeptical look. "I'm never sure when you're being literal, Pinkie."
 
"Perfect!" She rubbed her hooves together, and chuckled darkly. "My evil plan is working!"
 
"Uh… huh." I stepped through the doorway, and whistled. "Is that…"
 
"The tree." Bit followed me in.
 
I’d no idea how high the stairs had climbed. They'd twisted and turned, going up and up. Now I knew we’d reached near the roof because here, extending through a gaping hole in the floor, was a thick column of crystal.

I edged towards the edge, and peered down. The Tree spread below me, a dizzying profusion of branches curled and twisted together. Perspective flattened them into a spiny, thorny pattern, which strangely drew the eye. I shook my head, and turned away.
 
"Yup, that's the Tree."
 
"Look!" Pinkie pointed. "It goes up more!"
 
Sure enough, across the room, the stairs wound up the wall. They were carved directly into the face of the stone. The Tree continued as well, eventually vanishing into a cracked stone ceiling.
 
"Those look… precarious." I grimaced.
 
"I think you mean fun~!" Pinkie bounded across the room, and started bouncing up the stairs. "Look, you can see all the way down to the pool!" She gazed over the edge, waving a hoof into space. I grimaced.
 
"Pinkie, you have good balance, right?" I walked over to the steps, and started carefully ascending. "Bit, be careful."
 
"As you say." My aide started after me.
 
"Well, I can unicycle on a tightrope!" Pinkie bounced a little higher. "Is that good?"
 
"Good enough." I stopped worrying about the pink pony, and concentrated on my own climb.
 
"Hey, art!" Pinkie pointed to the step she was on.
 
"Huh?" I looked down. Sure enough, each step was carved with a rune. "Oh, interesting." I stopped, and rubbed a finger over my own. "I wonder…"I drew my wand, and carefully scanned the stone. At first, I didn't get anything. But as I focused, I picked up faint traces of magic over the background noise. "Bit?"
 
"Yes?"
 
"Can you use detect?"
 
"Indeed." Bit nodded back. "If I locked down my magic, I would require assistance to return to my shape."
 
"Right. Huh. Okay, I know you don't cast much, but could you scan one of these? I want your opinion." Bit memorized spells quickly and easily, but its overly literal viewpoint made it an inflexible caster. Its disguise was an earth pony, and most of its power went to transformation. It wasn’t much for magic.
 
"Strange." Bit ran a hand over the faint carving. "There is no spell here, but… magic persists."
 
"My thoughts exactly." Each step had a rune. I turned, motioning Bit back. We walked to the bottom step, and I examined the first one. "These are magic runes, but they're only tied to each other once, in a stream. Like… like…" I paused, thinking it over. "Like someone cut a grimoire apart, and pasted the words randomly onto a… paper." I stopped, looking at the stairs again. When I was a child, I'd done that with a newspaper. "This is... A message?"
 
"How?" Bit gave the runes a skeptical look.
 
"Phenomenotation." I ran a hand over the rune. "Runes store meaning, magically. It's independent of language; it's a direct concept, tied to a symbol by the caster. With clever formulation, you could leave a series of runes readable by anyone who could scan, if they understood the concepts. A nearly universal language."
 
"Ingenious."
 
"Very."
 
I leaned down, and scanned the rune again. This time, instead of looking for spell-structure or connections, I concentrated on understanding the meaning, the idea that the rune signified.

It looked different from a pony rune, like a comb with missing teeth. It linked to exactly one other; the rune marking the next step. I scanned upwards, and added that meaning to the one in my head.
 
"We."
 
"Hmm?"
 
"These two." I pointed to the steps. "A person and the group they belong with. It's the first… word?" I shrugged. "Yeah. The first word." I looked up the stairs. "This is a message. Let's see if we can read it."
 
"Sounds challenging." Bit produced a notebook. "Ready when you are."
 
"Right." I lowered my wand to the steps, and started upwards. "I may give several words for some runes. I keep getting vibes of trees, even from these two. I have no idea how cognate our concepts will be, but I bet we can get something."
 
"Understood."
 



 
"Good grief." I slumped on the landing. "We finally reached the top." Behind us, the stairs stretched down. Beside us, the lone crystal column continued, disappearing into the roof. Before us, another sealed door barred our way.
 
"This is intriguing." Bit gave me a serious stare. "But we should send word back soon, or the others will begin to wonder."
 
"Blech." I grimaced. "I left in such a hurry, I didn't think to grab - "
 
Bit silently extracted my communication folder, and presented it to me.
 
"Bit, have I ever told you you're the best assistant in the world?"
 
"Yes." Its voice was quietly pleased. "But it is nice to hear again."
 
"Bitterbloom, you're absolutely the best assistant in the world."
 
"Thank you, sir."
 
"You're welcome. Now, take dictation; a vivre card for Twilight, and… copy to Sunset."
 
"Ready." It flipped open the binder.
 
I dictated a quick blurb, enough to dispel fears of our being lost, with just enough information to quell search parties but not bring rabid curiosity down on us. I promised answers, reparations, and hugs. Bit sent the letters in a stream of sparkles, which wafted quickly towards the roof, fading from view.
 
"Now, what have we got from the steps?"
 
Bit handed me the notebook. I carefully scanned it.
 
"Is it done?" Pinkie gave me a wide-eyed look. "I'm turning into a cat over here! And then dying! Because of curiosity!"
 
"Yeah, we've got… something." I scanned the paper. It was neatly printed, but still seemed scrambled. First came the names of trees. For some reason, each separate rune had one; there were twenty or so, total.

Underneath were the concepts for each step, followed by concepts grouped into words, often chained by slashes. Although the message was surprisingly readable, several concepts weren't concrete. Some were only sounds; likely names. I carefully copied the completed 'letter' onto a blank page, trying to understand the message as a whole and pick appropriate meanings. Eventually, I had a message of sorts.
 
"Alright, here's what we've got." I scooted back against the wall, and held the translation up, reading it slowly. I wasn't certain every word was correct, but it was legible and mostly understandable.
 
"We are children of the supreme being Danu. Defeated and tricked by Amergin of the Milesians, we fled into the West, choosing to rise in transcendence instead of suffering their rule. Mananan Mac Lir has led us on the path of the people of the mounds. We have arrived in a gentle and beautiful world, passing through a Well filled with stars, a Tear in reality itself.
 
"Beware, you who follow. If you continue West, take heed! A Tear such as this may be created by careless walking! We did not create the one here, though it eased our entrance. The dangers of foolish walking are clearly seen here. It is a source of strange power, leeching the very fabric of the Otherworld into this place. Even the sheevra come and go freely, afflicting all who linger. To repel the corruption, we have sealed this cavern. The One Between works against them, though his efforts have yet to bear fruit.
 
"Escape from the cave can be found above, but beware the wilderness. We have laid our vanquished Kings to rest here, beneath the Record of All. Safety can be found in our halls. We welcome all who walk peacefully. These are the words of Oghma."
 
I slowly lowered the paper. I'd translated this, and it was still strange to me.
 
"Wow." Pinkie gave me a wide-eyed stare. "Twilight is going to tweak."

"No kidding." I gave her a weak grin. "This is ridiculous. Tears in reality? Walkers? The One Between? She'll go berserk."
 
"I hope that was worth it." Bit yawned. "Night is falling. We will need to spend it here."
 
"I think it was." I shrugged. "This is going to take some serious thought, but… even without Cog's help, there's more here than I thought I'd find." I glanced up. "Let's just try one more door, and then we can make camp."
 
"Alright." Bit rose wearily, dusting itself off. "Maybe we can find a sheltered spot."
 
Again, the door moved easily before my hand. I gave it a suspicious glance. Why had these doors moved for me, but not Pinkie?
 
I stepped through, and glanced around.
 
"If the letter is correct, we should find the tombs of their kings, and the Record of All. They didn’t warn against them like they did the Everfree, so they’re probably not a big deal, but be careful. We have no idea what sort of ponies…" The words died on my lips, as I shone my light into the darkness. Yellow gold flashed back, but that's not what silenced me.
 
"Sir…" Bit breathed. "Those are not ponies."
 
"They must be the kings." My voice was numb. Three slabs lay before me, wreathed in runes. Upon each rested a body, dressed beautifully and crowned richly. No decay touched their faces, no wounds marred their bodies.
 
Three human corpses. They looked like they were asleep.
 
"People of the supreme being Danu. I could have translated that goddess." I rubbed my eyes. My mind flashed back to meeting Celestia. Crying on her couch had left a deep impression on me, but there had been more to that day.  I'd asked her for myths of humans. "The Princess called them ‘Tuatha’. The dragons had stories of them. I never made the connection. On Earth, the legends called them Tuatha De Danann. People of the goddess Danu." My voice was quiet. "The ancestors of the Irish, driven out by invaders from Iberia. They left for the Otherworld. Humans. From my world?" I looked back down the stairs. "The message said they came through the Well. It must be that pool, under the tree. The One Between helped them; that can only be Cog." I slumped against the wall, head spinning. "What… why… what…" I lapsed into silence. "What do I do now?"
 
This was overwhelming, confusing. Suddenly, I had more answers than I could deal with. Humans? Here? Why? How? I couldn't process this. It was just too big. I felt like I'd stepped into a puddle and landed in the ocean.

I sat in silence for a while, unsure. Bit and Pinkie left me in peace, carefully examining the room. My confusion subsided slowly. My brain began moving again. I rose, and ran my fingers over the runes, looking down at the corpses. The sea of answers started to align, pointing to ever-more questions.

“Humans.” The word rang loud in the tomb. “From Earth?” The legends matched. Tuatha and Tuatha. But they had magic. They… walked West. Is that how they got here? I found spells for preservation and repelling rot, desiccation and embalming, even removing dust. “Oh.” I found a name; it only took a moment to decipher the spell-script. “Ethur of the hazel?” I stepped back, trying to get a good look.

He looked like a human.

He could have been sleeping. A strong but weary face, still in slumber. He looked like a nice guy, the sort of person who’d be a good friend. I stared for a while, before moving to the other slabs. Knowing where to look, I found their names easily.

“Tethur of the plow, and Cethur of the... sun.” I shook my head. “Would you know how I got here?” I addressed the corpses quietly. “Could you tell me how to get home?”

There was no answer. I sighed, suddenly feeling more lost than ever.

"Come on." After a moment, Bit tugged gently at my wrist. "We're not done yet." It pointed to a staircase across the room. "One more door."
 
I hurried across, suddenly desperate to be moving away. I needed a break from revelation, a surcease of wonder. I wanted a bit of boring.
 
This door grated as I touched it. No wonder they only moved for me. I was the only human. Could Bit open them? It hadn’t touched one yet.
 
We stepped into a large cave. The setting sun poured light around a corner ahead. The door shut behind us with a slam. I turned, worried; it had vanished without a trace. I sighed in relief as a familiar pattern sparked to life on the bare stone. As long as I could see the curly, twisty shapes, I wouldn't lose the entrance.
 
Suddenly, it looked a little like Celtic knot-work. How had I not seen that before?
 
I turned back, moving to the exit. We'd reached the end of the Caverns. We must be in the Everfree; hopefully somewhere I recognized.
 
Turning the corner, we found one last surprise. The crystal pillar we'd been following, the topmost offshoot of the Tree, emerged from the ground here. Cracks radiated through the stone around it. It divided a few more times, radiating glimmering spikes as it branched into a final treelike structure. From the branches hung chains of crystal, and on the trunk stood the symbols of sun, moon, and stars.
 
A dark alicorn stood beneath, expression worried.
 
"Luna?" My call was more a gasp.
 
"Wes!" She turned to us. "Bit! Pinkie!" She galloped over, and threw her wings around us. "I'm glad I found you! After seeing your dream, I knew you'd be looking for the Tree of Harmony, but…" She drew back, giving me a confused frown. "How did you get here?"
 
"Hah!" Suddenly overwhelmed, I burst into slightly hysterical laughter. "Hahhahah!" I slumped in her grasp, giggling. She gave me a hesitant glance, and turned to my aide. "Bit?"
 
"Princess…" The changeling drew out the word. "Have we got a story for you."

> 64 - Inheritance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Here." I passed Twilight a pebble and hugged her. "I'm sorry. We can sort things out tomorrow, after sleep."
 
"O-oh?" She glanced at the stone, and then back at me. "This is?"
 
"Recording. Echonarchy layered into limestone - nevermind." I yawned. "Shake to play. Ask Luna. Talked to her on the way back; sorry I missed you at the station. Thanks for worrying." I waved, and turned towards my house. "Bit will have transcripts by noon. See you for lunch, maybe?"
 
She nodded mutely, and I slouched down the road. We’d been up for almost twenty hours, and I was dead on my feet. Luna had expedited our return to Ponyville with a cloud walking spell and a little wing power.
 
"Bye~!" Pinkie waved, before bouncing off. Where did she get all that energy?
 
<"Dancing in the moonlight, singing in the rain. Oh, it's good to be back home again."> I hummed a few lines, drawing a deep breath of the cool evening air. I held a hand out, and Bit took it. We meandered towards our shack.
 
"Feeling better?"
 
"Much." I sighed. "I know  we haven't solved anything. Hay, we've got more questions than ever. But we're moving forward. One foot at a time, we're progressing. I could look Twilight in the eye and hug her without wondering if we were still friends."
 
"You owe her an apology."
 
"Don't I know it." I chuckled as I swung the door open. "Maybe I'll grovel tomorrow, but she'll likely be too busy organizing the inevitable expedition. Not that I blame her. I'm honestly curious about what she'll uncover." I yawned. “But not enough to get up early.”
 
"Another day." Bit yawned back. As a hatchling, its sleep requirements nearly matched mine. "Supper?"
 
"No thanks. I had a granola bar on the cloud. Let's hit the hay."
 
"Mmm." It snagged its pajamas from my room, before heading to bed. I crawled into my sheets, barely pausing to unlace my boots. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
 



 
In my dream, the crystal tree spread above me.
 
I walked slowly around the Well, staring into the depths. Stars sparkled and rippled under the surface. I looked up; the branches twisted together, reminiscent of knotwork. But… something was different. On this Tree, darkness gathered in spots, spreading in threads along limbs and branches. Not much; just enough to notice. It seemed profoundly wrong, like clashing colors, dissonant notes.
 
"Yuck." My voice echoed loudly in the cavern. "That doesn’t look - "
 
"Right?" A cheerful voice interrupted.
 
"Pinkie?" I looked up as my bubbly friend trotted from the gloom. "Why are… oh, the link."
 
"Must be!" Pinkie grinned. "You mentioned this, right?"
 
"You remember that?" My eyes narrowed. "Pinkie, remind me to never underestimate you."
 
"Don't forget, Wes - never underestimate me." She grinned.
 
"Thanks, Pinkie. " I ruffled her mane. "Anyways, yeah. The tree looks… unhealthy. Any ideas?"
 
"The blackness." Her answer was firm. "I don’t dream this often, but I always notice the blackness. That's why I've been searching for it, ever since the first time."
 
"Your mirror-self…" I trailed off, casting my mind back. "She dreamed of a crystal tree. Was it this?"
 
"Yup!" The instant reply surprised me. "She lives over there!" Pinkie pointed to a snarl of branches.
 
"Huh?" I looked up into the tree, but could only see a cloud of crystal limbs. "I don't - "
 
"You can't see her from here, silly! You gotta be closer!"
 
"Oh." I leaped, trying to levitate over. I stumbled as my dream powers failed, coming down with an awkward thump. "What? I can't fly?"
 
"Won't work, Wes." Pinkie shook her head slowly. "This isn't a normal dream. There's more to it, somehow. You can't choose where you'll go, or what you'll see. Sometimes, it chooses you."
 
"Woah." I looked up at the tree again. "Wild."
 
"Totally."
 
"So, is this why you were so excited about the Tree in real life?"
 
"Yeah!" She bounced once or twice. "It's totally like this one! Or at least kind of somewhat!"
 
"Yeah." I inspected the branching crystal. "But it didn't have black smears."
 
"The corruption, right?" Pinkie frowned. "I think that's because it's an… offshoot."
 
"Huh?"
 
"Well…. The actual Tree of Harmony, or what the Princesses call the Tree, isn't what we found. We found the underneath bit, the trunk. I think this Tree is underneath that."
 
"Yggdrasil."
 
"Yggdrasil?"
 
"What?"
 
"What you just said."
 
"Ooof." I facepalmed, trying to think. I’d done that before. "Please repeat it? Slowly?"
 
"Ygg~dra~sil." She drew the name out.
 
"The World Tree." My voice was small. "Yggdrasil."
 
"Ooooh." Pinkie's voice was wondering. "Because it has all the worlds!"
 
"Come again?"
 
"All the worlds! Look! Mirror Pinkie lives in that branch!" She pointed again. "It splits off further down, I've no idea why. Celestia's Student Pinkie lives in that branch! Her world is crazy." She pointed again. "Alicorn Pinkie's world is over there! She has great recipes," she confided, "and griffon Pinkie - "
 
"Hold on a second." I cut her off. "You mean, each branch is a world?"
 
"Maybe. How would I know?" She gave a candid grin and a shrug. "Don't overestimate me either, Wes! But, I sometimes see them. Sometimes we talk."
 
"Fair enough." I slumped to the floor. She snuggled up beside me, and I threw an arm over her. I had less personal space issues in dreams; I knew I was safe. In non-nightmares, at least. "Is the… actual Tree the same? What if we broke pieces off? Would parts of our world disappear?"
 
"No idea." Pinkie shrugged. "We should try! But I bet it won't break."
 
"Let’s… not try." We sat quietly a while, staring at the Tree.
 
"So." Pinkie eventually broke the stillness. "Let’s have a normal dream! Have you ever tried swimming in Jello?"
 
I looked at her grin, and felt myself smile in return. I might regret this later, but for now, I’d enjoy every moment.
 



 
"Blergh." I rubbed my eyes and yawned. My room was quite dark. I'd installed wooden shutters to block the sun, but noon must be near. For once, Bit wasn't sleeping at my feet. My bed was large; I'd combined pony-sized beds until I felt comfortable. I didn’t really mind, but the amount of times it went to sleep in its room and woke up in mine was surprising. Maybe sleeping curled up was less uncomfortable for a changeling?
 
I focused my thoughts as I stumbled to my dresser, struggling to bludgeon myself awake. Could a dream leave you hungover? Having Pinkie Pie in my head felt like mainlining LSD cut with glitter.
 
I opened the door, and nearly bumped into Twilight. Her mane was frizzy, her eyes manic. I winced.
 
"Please. Please tell me you haven’t been standing for hours, waiting for me to wake up."
 
"At least two hours and thirty-five minutes." Bit's voice floated down the hall. "I have toast and eggs, sir, if you'd like breakfast."
 
"Answers." Twilight grated. "Give me answers!"
 
"Of course." I rubbed my eyes again, and brushed past her. "Did you ask Bit?"
 
"I have compiled my report." Bit waved to a nearby stack of paper as I took a seat. "She has consumed it."
 
"You slept, right?" It nodded.
 
"Synthesis!" Twilight slammed a hoof on the table. A curl sprang free from her mane. "I don't want observations, I want answers! So, Wes, talk!"
 
"I’d love answers myself." My mouth twisted wryly. Bit set an omelet on my plate; I nodded thanks. "But I'll try my best."
 
"Good." Her violet eyes transfixed me. "Start with awakening from the dream."
 
"Okay." I took a bite of omelet, and chewed reflectively. "I wasn't feeling very… stable, after your revelation. I promised to think twice before acting. But I wanted answers, and I couldn’t deal with solicitous kindness, even from my friends. So I thought twice, but it wasn't until Bit…"
 



 
"Okay." Twilight spun her paper, passing it to me. "This is what we've got. Does it look complete?"
 
The paper listed points, outlining our talk. Twilight's notes were stacked near Bit's, who was slowly cross-referencing them.




 
- Humans on Equus. Investigate myths of the Tuatha; compare to what little Wes remembers. Same as Earth's Tuatha De Danann? Investigate magical script, terms in the message. Tear = Well = Pool? The One Between = Cog? walking West, Sheevra, corruption.
 
 - Ask Celestia about the Tree of Harmony. Twilight's, Luna's, Celestia's/Sunset's cutie marks on the trunk?
 
 - The Tree Beneath. Talk to Pinkie. Yggdrasil? Tree of Worlds? Research resography, multiverse theory. Corruption, again.
 
 - The Pool. Same as the Well? Leaks wild magic? Correlation with the Caverns and Everfree?
 
 - Cog. The One Between? Can't interfere much. Investigate inter-dimensional beings. Wes’ chance for memory restoration.
 
 - Pattern. Reveals doors? Visible only to Wes. Experiment with this.
 
 - <Arcanaclypse.> Said by Cog, in English. Elements of disaster, magic, and secrets.




 
"I think that covers it." I looked up. "Have you got a team?"
 
"Luna’s on it." Twilight absently re-read the paper. "She's mailed university ponies who have clearance; it should be covered. Are you coming?"
 
"I'll need to, to open the door behind the Tree. I wish I could stay, but… Luna and I started a project before this, and I've got to work on that; previous commitments." I shrugged. "I'll help as I can."
 
"Good." She nodded firmly. "If you come up with more for the list, send me a note. We’ll focus our research on it."
 
"Will do." I sighed, and slid my chair back. Morning was long gone, and afternoon was fading. "Now, I need to get Pinkie out of my head."
 
"Not so fast." Twilight's eyes narrowed, and I stopped. She grinned slowly. "You promised to apologize for running off, and I want to make up for keeping secrets. So, um, could we hang out?"
 
I lowered myself back into the chair.
 
"Actually…" I grinned back. "That sounds great, Twilight."
 



 
"Yes, mister Erlenmeyer. I am talking about pounds, not ounces." I gave the chemist a brittle smile. "My draft was clear."
 
"But you see, these are restricted substances." The yellow stallion across the table returned an uneasy grin. "I can't just sell them to anyone."
 
"Really." I sighed. "Isn’t my commission, penned by Princess Luna, enough?"
 
"Sir." Erlenmeyer Flask peered over his glasses. "Your 'commission' is a note. Hoofwritten. It says, I quote, 'sell this person whatever he asks'."
 
"Your point?" I raised my teacup, but it was empty. I tapped it with my teaspoon, distracted.
 
"Merely that - oh my." He glanced over my shoulder. "Is this your - "
 
"Butler," Bit said, stepping up beside me. I tried to hide my surprise. It poured my tea, careful to not spill. It wore an immaculately tailored three-piece suit with a neat bow-tie, white hair loose around its shoulders.
 
"Bit?" I kept my voice carefully level.
 
"Yes?" It turned to me.
 
"…nevermind." I shook my head slowly, as it vanished into the kitchen. That's the last time I let Rarity rummage through my memories. "Mister Erlenmeyer." I placed my hands flat on the table and leaned towards my guest. "If there is a problem with my draft, take it to the Night Court. The order I submitted for mercury fulminate was correct; all due paperwork was attached. How I plan to use it is my own business. You are, of course, free to refuse the sale, but I will not be harassed!" I leaned back. Luna had double-checked Bit's work on the draft, back in Canterlot. I needed the chemical to verify our new weapon system, and I was tired of dealing with this stuffed shirt.
 
"Well." He gave me a considering look, as if my ferocity had eased his mind. "As you insist, I will take it up with the Princess. Pending approval, you can expect delivery in the next few days." He turned to the door, snagging his hat. "Good day, sir."
 
"Good riddance," I muttered once he was gone. It may have been uncharitable, but his 'concerns' had interrupted me as I was about to leave.
 
"Wes? Weeees!" Twilight stepped through the door. "Are you ready? We're waiting for you!"
 
"Just a second." I shrugged my pack on. "Bitterbloom, are you changing?"
 
"Change?" Twilight leaned around me, to peer into the kitchen. "Oh, Bit! You look quite nice! Where did you get that?"
 
"Rarity made it for me." Bit smiled. "After you visited her yesterday."
 
"Best. Idea. Ever." I deadpanned.
 
"But it got Pinkie out of your head." Twilight grinned at me. "And she had such a good time."
 
"Yeah, she did at that." I rubbed my head. Yesterday, Twilight and I had drifted around town avoiding work, washing up at Carousel Boutique for a cup of tea. On a whim, I'd offered Rarity a few memories from Earth and Mirror-Equestria to repay some of her gifts. She'd jumped at the chance.
 
Now, though,  she was gifting Bit instead. I glanced at my aide. It did look good, and I couldn’t tell it to refuse. Rarity was sly.
 
"She also made a dress." Bit exchanged the real suit for an illusory one, returning to buckle on the dagger I'd given it. "She instructed me one was for a 'butler', and the other a 'maid'."
 
"Hmm." Twilight gave me a tiny grin. "Well, be sure to show me soon, okay?"
 
"Of course."
 
"Anyways." I stepped towards the door. "Are we ready? Your scientists arrived?"
 
"Yup!" Twilight trotted after. "Are you sure you can't come?"
 
"Sorry." I shrugged. "You know I'd like to, but I’m no archeologist. Maybe I’ll visit when you get a full team in. But for now, I'll open the door and stop there."
 



 
The door swished open, and the ponies behind me gasped in unison.
 
We were standing in the cave behind the Tree of Harmony. Luna had commissioned a very small party; only three ponies, besides Twilight and Sunset. It would be enough to start the project right, and more could come later. They had two guards each for protection and portage.
 
"Did you accidentally cut through a door at the bottom?" Twilight gave me a curious look.
 
"No idea." I shrugged uncomfortably. "I did touch that seal, but… maybe it was one way?"
 
"Maybe," she replied. We stepped aside; the project leader, Fossil Record, was shivering with excitement. "How long will Luna's project take?"
 
"At least ten days." I shrugged. "It's mostly testing. Once I get the schematics drawn up, she'll have actual craftsponies fabricate it. Then she can position it. I still have no idea why she needs it."
 
"Yeah, but that's why she's a Princess." Twilight grinned impishly.
 
"You too." I ruffled her feathers playfully, and she gave me a wry look.
 
"You know I don't want to be treated differently."
 
"Nah, I get it." I raised my hands in defense. "I've had to talk Bitterbloom out of the same sort of thing."
 
"And it only half worked, sir!" the changeling called, proud. It had taken a station by the entrance, automatically assuming lookout. I gave it a fond glance; that sort of consideration always made me smile.
 
"So." Twilight lowered her voice. "You're visiting Tezeca?"
 
"I think so." I shuffled my feet. "I've got a few more things to sort out, but… yeah. I still need an escort, and I want absolute assurance the Hivemind won't affect Bit. The last thing he needs is head-problems like me."
 
There was a flash and pop behind us.
 
"Am I late?"
 
My adopted sister, fiery mane unkempt, trotted up.
 
"Nope, they just started." I smoothed her hair and watched the warp beacon we'd installed spin down. "We should get some shields here. Unless the Tree is enough?"
 
"It might be, but I'll ask Shiny. Hey, Sunset." Twilight grinned at the newcomer. "Glad you could make it. This ought to be fun."
 
"No kidding!" Sunset grinned back. "Just think! We can co-author a paper! Do you want to do the bibliography, or can I?"

“Wait, wait!” Twilight squealed. “I know! You can do it in MLA, and I’ll do it in APA!”

“Perfect!” Sunset exclaimed. “This will be so much fun!”

"Good grief." I leaned down to give them both a hug. "As exciting as that sounds, I've gotta go. Shoot me a note if a not-teleporter needs escorting, okay?"
 
"Sure."
 
"FOOTPRINTS!" Fossil Record appeared at the door. "You left FOOTPRINTS! All over!"
 
"Um, yeah." I glanced sidelong at the irate pegasus. "I can't fly. Sorry, gotta go!"
 
"Just a minute! I’ll teach you proper respect for archeological sites!"
 
“No thanks!” Bit fell in as I jogged off, ignoring the angry archeologist’s increasingly loud recriminations. At least they hadn't found the hole I cut. Yet. Maybe I should avoid this place for a while.
 



 
"Good to go?"
 
"Yup!" Twilight called from across the lab. "Ready when you are, Bit!"
 
"I…I'm not sure how I feel about this." My aide frowned uncertainly.
 
"If you say so, we’ll stop." I shrugged. A few days after the archeology project began, Bit’s reserves reached the levels necessary for transforming back into a pony. I’d decided we needed that before visiting Tezeca. I'd told Twilight, who’d leaped at the chance to study transformations. She’d convinced Sunset to lead the archeologists in her absence by promising to bring the results back.
 
"But!" Twilight called.
 
"No buts!" I called back. "If Bit doesn't want to do this, we won't. Still… why now?"
 
"I…I'm not sure." It looked down. "Now I feel like… I don't want ponies staring?"
 
"You… are feeling shy?" I rubbed my head. "Huh."
 
"Is that bad?" It raised wide eyes to my face.
 
"No, not at all. I mean… Look, Bitterbloom. Don't go categorizing your feelings as 'good' or 'bad' until you understand how they affect you. I've never been a fan of the spotlight, so I know the feeling. If you’re too uncomfortable, we'll stop."
 
"Maybe…" It's voice was small. "Maybe you could turn around?"
 
"Sure." I stepped behind the instrument bank Twilight was monitoring, turning away. "Is this better?"
 
"Some." It drew a deep breath. "Okay. Here I go."
 
Blue light flickered on the wall. I heard Twilight's machines chatter and squeal, tape and graph-paper spooling and clicking.
 
"Huh." Bit's voice sounded almost identical.
 
"Can I look?"
 
"Yes. I'm done." I turned around.
 
"You're back to normal." Bit's shape was pony-like again. It flicked lacey wings, resettling them.
 
"Yes. But that was strange."
 
"How?" Twilight's voice floated around the console, as she rapidly collected and collated results; I heard readouts tear and her stapler click.
 
"This time took less power. Much less."
 
"Oh." I shrugged. "That's good, then."
 
"I guess." Bit looked uncertain. "But I have no idea why."
 
"Ah, don't sweat it." I patted its head. "Besides, since when have you bothered about why's? Starting to grow up?"
 
"I… hmm." It gave me a thoughtful look. "Is that a sign of maturity?"
 
"Yup." I reached down to give it a hug. "Thinking ahead, considering meaning and consequence, all of that… that's not hatchling behaviour. You'll get there."
 
"Can we still visit mother?"
 
"Soon as I hear from Luna."
 



 
"Ready?" Princess Luna gave me a reassuring smile.
 
"I think so." I looked at the entrance to the sewers. "Bit? Last chance. We warded you against the Hivemind, but until you metamorphose, it won't be completely cut off. I have no idea what could happen if the wards fail."
 
"I trust the Princess. On we go." My aide gave an uncertain smile.
 
"Still scared, Wes?" Onyx’s glance was contemptuous. "Queen Tezeca has guaranteed your passage." He stepped forward, taking point. "She is as good as her word."
 
"Well, of course she'd say that." He ignored my response, and I sighed. Truthfully, I wasn't as bothered as I’d been last time. I was more used to changelings, from living with one, and I'd done this before. Not to mention all the promises of safe passage we'd arranged. I still didn’t think much of Tezeca, but she’d been extremely solicitous in our correspondence. I'd managed to politely convey my verdict on changeling coexistence. She'd been profusely thankful, and meekly apologized for the deception. I hadn't written her back yet. Whenever I thought about her and Bit, my chest burned a little and my hands started clenching.

“Will you be okay?” After a few minutes of walking, Luna broke the silence.

“I… maybe. I don’t like Tezeca, but that’s just… feelings. I think I can be civil. It’s not me she wronged.”

“Mmm.” Luna glanced at Bit, walking beside Onyx. "Is the archeology project progressing?"  

"Slowly." I shrugged. "They haven't found much. The Tuatha were a small group, and although they accomplished some astounding feats, they didn't stay for long. A generation or two, maybe."
 
"Did they die off?"
 
"Can't say, yet." I shrugged. "Dragon legends might give us clues. Still, they could have 'walked further West', whatever that means. Best we can guess, it's resography; a transfer between worlds, like Sunset and I used."
 
"And this is a human magic?"
 
"Um." I mulled that for a minute. "I'm hesitant to say yes, because… well, I'm not sure they're human."
 
"Really?"
 
"Yeah. They look like me, but… even in their own history, they work magic. There's no clean scans of the tomb, yet; Twilight and Sunny are working on that. If we can get a good read off one of their kings, maybe we can say more."
 
"Hmm."
 
"And your weapon? Do you have a name for it?"
 
"I will name it at launch." She grinned. "Preliminary tests show your schematics exceed my goals. I need you to enchant a full complement of charges, so assembly can start."
 
"Sure thing; I'll get Lyra to help, and we’ll knock them out quick. Oh." We stopped at the entrance to Tezeca's nest. The barred door stood wide. "That's odd."
 
"Come in." Onyx's voice was gruff. "I'll lead you through."
 
Luna and I exchanged glances. I shrugged, and we continued. Bit scrutinized the stonework. Maybe it was reading changeling messages.
 
"Oh…" Luna and Bit stopped in wonder as we reached the garden, glowing dim in the half-light. "Wes, this is just as impressive as you said."
 
"No…" I stopped, uncertain. "Something's different."
 
"Really?" Luna gave me a speculative glance. "Should we turn back?" Onyx huffed, impatient.
 
"Let's continue." I stepped forward. "I don't feel threatened, but…"
 
As we walked, on a different path than I remembered, I struggled to define the feeling.
 
"This one." Bit jerked to a stop before a spray of blossoms. They were tiny trumpets, growing in groups, with a fresh, sweet scent. "This is it."
 
"Bitterbloom." I leaned in, drawing a deep breath. "Your namesake. It smells like night-blooming <jasmine>."
 
<"Jasmine."> Bit repeated, slowly. "I wonder if mother would give me a cutting."
 
"Probably."
 
"Maybe a shoot?" Luna pointed to the nearby soil. "Are these seedlings?"
 
"No…" I bent to peer. "These are… weeds?" I stopped, peering around. "Oh."
 
"What?"
 
"I got what's bothering me. This garden is beautiful, but not immaculate. It's just a touch unkempt."
 
"Strange." Luna frowned. "That is strange indeed. If Tezeca lacks workers…"
 
"Come on!" Onyx called back. “Ask her yourself! We're almost there!"
 
Luna gave me a skeptical glance. I returned an uncertain nod. Even if something was up, we were already here, and I trusted Luna if we needed to escape. She'd beaten Wraith, even on her own ground.
 
Tezeca was waiting on the island, under the spreading cypress. As she rose to greet us, she looked… less, somehow. Her wings were more tattered and I saw signs of weariness, learned from Bit, in the set of her fluted legs. She favored her skeletal forehoof, and the yellow scrollwork on her muzzle was dimmer.
 
I stepped past Onyx, a sudden rush of feeling pushing me on. I tamped it down, but my steps still rung on the bridge. My thoughts flicked back to her treatment of Bitterbloom. Her total disregard for its life, her complete willingness to abandon it, mere hours after hatching it.
 
Onyx's arguments rang back to me. I knew little of changelings. I countered them with my own ideas about honor, honesty, and loyalty. Bit deserved something from Tezeca. My fists clenched. Bit deserved more from Tezeca. The Queen's eyes flickered as I marched up to her, the blue facets shimmering into an expression of surprise. Luna moved to stop me, but I’d stepped past her reach.
 
My thoughts lurched, powerless against feeling. I was frustrated and angry. Frustrated at myself, for all the times I'd had to squelch my anger around Bit. Angry at Tezeca, still, for wronging my ward. I knew what loyalty was, and I couldn't square it to the Queen.
 
My fist hurt as it clenched, nails drawing blood on my palm. Onyx yelled something as I chambered a strike, but I ignored him. All my anger flashed through my fist, concentrating every ounce of feeling on three inches of knuckle. My training sang in me, pushing every last drop of magic into the blow. Echonarchy rang from heel to hand, grounding the strike and transmuting all my aggressive speed into ferocious power, tuned by Lyra's genius and my intensive training.
 
"This is for Bit!" I let it all out with a yell, as my fist connected. It felt like hitting a brick wall. I'd have shattered my fist, without magic backing. Tezeca barely swayed but Luna grunted, and I knew the Queen felt it.
 
A split-second later, Onyx tried to kick me in the head.
 
My vibroblade almost bisected him.
 
"Enough!" Tezeca seized us with her aura. "Onyx, your loyalty is noted, but stand down. Wes, thank you."
 
"Th…" I stuttered, shocked to my core. "Thank you?" I lowered my blade, as Onyx shuffled backwards.
 
"Yes." Her expression shifted to sadness. "I truly deserved that. For… Bitterbloom."
 
"Should I leave?" Bit's voice cut into the quiet. "Are you two being… kinky?"
 
"What?" Four voices rang in shock.
 
"No!" Tezeca and I replied in unison, tension suddenly gone. Bit gave me an ever-so-slight smile. I nearly facepalmed; it was getting the hang of humor.
 
"Just what have you been teaching her?" Tezeca gave me a stern glance.
 
"Nothing like that!" I protested. "Do I look like Hikaru Genji to you?" I sighed at her puzzled frown. "Anyways, you can just ask. We came here so you two could talk."
 
"Yes." She gave a slow nod. "Of course. I will talk with her. If you would like, please enjoy the garden."
 
"Luna?" I called. "They're going to talk. Want to look around?"
 
"Mmm." The Princess and I paced back across the bridge.
 



 
"You're using Lagrangian points?" I looked up from the rose I was examining. "Is that even practical?"
 
"Our moon is much closer than yours." Luna shrugged. "It ought to work."
 
"Hmm." I harvested a bloom. It was a deep, sky blue. This part of the garden was lit by floods of some sort, bright as day. "Well, you're the expert."
 
"Any idea what sickens her?" Luna glanced at a nearby tree. Spots speckled the leaves, some sort of fungus. "Tezeca is clearly unwell."
 
"You noticed too?" I shrugged. "No idea." I hesitated. "Did I actually hurt her?"
 
"You didn't injure her." Luna grimaced. "But she was clearly stung. That was poorly done, Wes. No matter how she deserved it."
 
"Wars have started over less." Both of us turned, to find Onyx approaching. "Even guaranteeing you passage would not shield against such an insult."
 
"Blech." I grimaced. "Yeah, it was stupid of me, letting my emotion ride like that. I'm sorry, Onyx. I'll apologize to her, as well."
 
"Hmm." The changeling looked slightly surprised. "Well, if she forgives you, I will follow. Friendship is worth preserving."
 
"Thanks." I tucked the rose behind an ear, dusting my hands off. "Are they done?"
 
"Yes. My Queen would speak with you, before you leave."
 
"Okay." I nodded. "Yeah. Ready, Princess?"
 
"Of course. I'm merely here to sightsee." She grinned at me. "And for your peace of mind."
 
"Awww, that's sweet!" I gave her a sudden hug, ignoring her broken propriety. "A security Princess! To take with me everywhere! And it's fuzzy." I fluffed her mane, watching it billow.
 
"Prithee, Wesley, unhand me! Tis most unseemly!"
 
"Oh, fine." I stepped back.
 
"Ahem." she coughed awkwardly. "Anyways, let's go." She turned down the path, modern accent suddenly restored. I grinned at Onyx, and we followed.
 



 
"Find some answers?" I gave Bit a warm smile.
 
"Maybe." It sounded unsure. "We talked. And it was good. But looking back… I'm not sure she actually said much."
 
"Ah." I nodded. "Yeah, I get that. Deflective. She's had a lot of practice steering conversations." I looked over to where Luna and Tezeca were conversing quietly. "Well, she wants to talk with me before we head out. We can come back, if you feel we need?"
 
"I will think on this first." Bit frowned. "And practice dialogue."
 
"Sure." I shrugged. "Oh, they're done." I turned to where the Princess and Queen were parting.
 
"Your Highness." I greeted Tezeca with a nod. "I need to apologize."
 
"Apology accepted." She nodded back, shuffling her wings.
 
"Don't you want to hear what I did?" I raised an eyebrow.
 
"Accepted." She emphasised the word. "Unconditionally. I owe you no less." I followed as she turned away, leading me down one of the myriad paths that wove through the terraced tapestry of her garden.
 
"Um." I paused, uncertain. "For punching you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it. It was wrong."
 
"Forgiven." Her blue eyes sparkled. "How many times will you make me say it, Wesley?"
 
"I, uh." I stopped. "You're not even a little angry?"
 
"No." She led me through a tiny maze of lush blooms, less than four feet square. They brushed my ankles, paths just wide enough for one foot at a time. "It made me happy."
 
"Please, please tell me you're not being kinky." A drop of wry amusement colored my voice.
 
"Hah!" Her laugh was genuine, but weak. "No, no. I'm pleased your care is so fierce. It's a weight off my mind. Today is a good day."
 
We walked in silence. The light brightened, from a moonlight garden to shaded woodlands.
 
"So, what’s this about?" I gave her a curious glance. She was almost unreadable, but my experience with Bit gave clues. "Are you… nervous?"
 
"Hmm." Her expression clouded. "Maybe. I've never discussed this before. It's… complicated. Delicate."
 
"What?" We stopped under a spreading tree. I stared up at the waxy white fruit. "Is this about Bit?"
 
"They're edible, if you like. The taste is excellent, but they don't keep more than a day." She shuffled her bone-white hoof, uncertain. "Yes, this is about Bit. For… reasons, I've withheld… information. I mean to tell you everything."
 
"You're afraid of my anger?" I was incredulous. "You just took my best shot. Luna would kill - sorry, be severely disappointed if I ran wild again. I can’t deal with a disappointed Luna. Those droopy ears! I’ll behave." I selected a fruit, tasted it. "These are delicious." It was like a peach, but with a deep flavor I'd never encountered.
 
"Really?" She gave a genuine grin. "Thank you." For a second, her eyes flickered with real joy, and I glimpsed a weight of secret emotion.
 
"A small enough compliment." I coughed, embarrassed. "Though I guess you’d get few."
 
"None." She stared into space. "My life as Queen has been… lonesome. My agents are spread afield. The only pony I know, Princess Luna, sees me through the Dreamtime as a distant rival." Her voice dropped. "I promised my daughter I would provide her better."
 
"Your daughter? Bit?" She spun away at my words. I snatched a few fruit, and trailed her down the shady lane.
 
"Wes, you understand progress."
 
"Do I?"
 
She gave me a disgruntled look.
 
"You do. What is progress?"
 
"Change. For the better." My answer was immediate.
 
"See?" She led me across a bridge of seven turns, leading to a fluffy, brightly-lit surface.
 
"Is that… cloud? I'm no pegasus."
 
"Only a few inches deep." She waved me forward. "You'll leave footprints, but they'll fill."
 
"Huh." I reached out a toe. My foot found solid ground under the fluff. "Okay."
 
"Much as I hate to admit it, my rule has stagnated my hive."
 
"Really?" I flung an arm out, encompassing her wondrous garden.
 
"Really." She shrugged. "Oh, we have accomplishments. But even this garden is formulaic. Run. Hide. Scrape. Scrimp. Grow… in secret. My agents work for me, and I for them, but we never moved past the boundaries we drew with such care. Fences of safety." She loaded the word with scorn.

"In the past, I would look beyond and shudder. I knew we couldn't stagnate forever." She paused. A narrow stream of liquid rainbow ran before us. Tiny, sparkling crystals studded the banks. "My studies confirmed it time and again." She pointed to one of the intricate flowers, growing on cloud and magic. "Every time I learned: change or die. But I always had reason to delay. I would enact reform after this plan, after that danger. I put it off. Until something changed."
 
"Chrysalis."
 
"Buck Chrysalis." Tezeca's harsh tone surprised me. "If you see her, punch her for me. Please?"
 
"Um, okay." I tried to pluck a crystal flower. It melted at my touch.
 
"They're very unstable. Hybridizing was tortuous." She stepped across the stream. I eyed the flow.
 
"Will this stain my boots?"
 
"Here." She held out a hoof. I shrugged, and used it to vault over. "But, no; if it was only Chrysalis, I’d have weathered it somehow. Even after the wedding, the Crown knew very little about changelings, and nothing whatsoever about me. No. What happened was one of my best agents disappeared, before turning up with a ridiculous story about Celestia wanting peace talks. Crazy, right?" She gave a dry laugh.
 
"Onyx?"
 
"The very same." We left the cloud, taking a sharp turn into a narrow cleft of rock. In a few steps, the landscape went from idyllic clouds to harsh, broken boulders, our path painted through the scree. "He came bearing news, goodwill gifts, and most surprising of all, not even one string."
 
"Funny, isn't it?" I chuckled. "Respect, the strongest coin, and so few use it."
 
"Few can bear to give such a precious commodity."
 
"True enough." I picked my way past a flowering cactus. "How do you keep your micro-climates separate?"
 
"Practice." Her answer was distant. "Constant attention."
 
"Your garden is looking a little… scraggly. Here and there."
 
"Too true." Her laugh was bitter. "Back to important topics, then. Yes, Onyx. He told me of his time in Celestia's dungeon. He told me of his time in Wraith's dungeon. And he told me about you."
 
"Blech." I remembered how close I'd come to crushing him. "Not my finest moment."
 
"Maybe." She shrugged. "But it was interesting. He couldn't gather much from your group, but he was left curious. So I paid attention. I mulled over the idea of 'peace' for quite a while. And when I decided to reply to Celestia, to open talks, I mentioned you. The response was interesting." She stopped in front of a cliff, streaked with what seemed streams of metal.
 
"Should I be worried?" I poked one of the shining columns. It was a vine, mirrored to near spotless perfection. I yanked my finger back; they were cold.
 
"Heh. No more than usual." She smiled at me, and we walked on. "I learned that there was someone new in Ponyville. Completely new. Uncolored by Equestrian culture, history, prejudice or pride. Someone who was learning how to fit into pony culture. And can you guess?" She narrowed her eyes, grin fierce. "The ponies were helping."
 
"Ah." I rubbed my head. "Sounds like, heh, progress? The sort changelings need?"
 
"Exactly." She shouldered her way through an arch. I blinked and gasped; as I followed, the air around us ballooned into a shimmering membrane, forming a sphere. Surrounding us, dimly lit water rippled and stirred. In the depths, I could see the shadows of fish. Nearby, exotic weeds stirred in slow, invisible currents.
 
"Underwater?" I looked up. The silver surface was a dozen feet above. "Ridiculous!"
 
"Heh. This one took a while." She gave the vista a fond glance. "Want to see my reading spot?"
 
"I'd love to. So, um. According to Celestia, sending Bit to me was your idea. You did it because you needed… information?" A hint of disgust tinged my words.
 
"Yes." She sighed, hanging her head. The bubble moved with us. I felt fresh breezes waft up from the dry stonework underfoot; she'd built some truly impressive machinery to make this casual wonder work. "I wanted her to see pony society from the inside. I wanted her to know ponies as friends, not assets. I wanted her to understand that what is different could be accepted, and that some enjoy and celebrate it."
 
"There's no better place for that then Ponyville." I smirked. She joined.
 
"True. And, from talking to her, my scheme was a success." She sighed. "Wes… for what it's worth, I apologized to her."
 
"That… is worth something." I remembered spitting at her last apology, and regretted it slightly. "Perhaps."
 
"Will you accept my apology now?" I saw a hint of apprehension in her stance.
 
"I'll accept on Bit's behalf, if you'll say it straight." I stared off into the murky depths. Myriad lights gleamed, stars in the sea.
 
"I'm sorry." I could hear real emotion in her voice. "I'm sorry, Wes. I'm sorry I abandoned her. I'm sorry I couldn't be what she deserved. I'm sorry I couldn't support her, and teach her. I'm sorry I've done so very, very little. I'm so, so sorry." Silence fell. Our breathing filled the bubble.
 
"I accept your apology." I lowered my head, letting my pent-up frustration and hard-wound anger begin to soften. "I forgive you, Tezeca. No-one's perfect. Hay; I've wronged Bit myself. Change, right? Progress? We try to do better, next time?"
 
"Exactly. Thank you, Wesley Kilmer." Her words were heart-felt, but heavy. She led me through a stand of kelp-like plants. "Here; my reading spot."
 
"Oh, very nice."
 
Inside an airy bubble, a few tall bookcases surrounded a glimmering globe. A Queen-sized bean bag sat on the mosaic floor, accompanied by a few smaller ones.
 
"Sit?" She flopped unceremoniously onto the largest. "I'm exhausted."
 
"I can tell." I eyed her, as I slumped onto the nearest seat. "You've been strangely… friendly, Tezeca. So I'll be bold. Why?"
 
"Friendly? Or exhausted?"
 
"Both, really." I rubbed my nose. "Might as well add intimate to that list, too. You've no reason to like me. No reason to be tired, and certainly no reason to tell me all of this."
 
"Heh." She rolled over, waving her hooves in the air like Rainbow. "You might be right, if I was still a great Queen. But all that is, ends."
 
"Huh?" I stopped skimming book titles, gaze snapping back to the upside-down changeling. "Are you not feeling well?"
 
"Not well at all." She blinked. "But it's no surprise. I’m old, Wes. I've been winding down for years."
 
"Wait, what?" I rubbed my eyes. "Are you seriously sick?"
 
"My condition is desperate. I've sustained myself on loyalty and secret magic, but… it's catching up. Immanent mortality gives everything a certain… clarity. I'd rather be friendly and intimate while I have the chance. Even at the cost of pride."
 
"Worthless stuff, pride." I absently shifted on my beanbag. "So, your Hive?" My voice grew serious. "Is this the last of it?" I'd never been particularly empathic with Onyx, but this sudden ceasing… it had a sadness to it. I looked around. This garden already suffered. Would it be lost to memory? All Bit's heritage?
 
"Hah!" The sudden, cheerful laugh jerked me from introspection. "Of course not!" Her eyes narrowed, and she rolled upright. "Wait, have you honestly not guessed?"
 
"Oh, no. No. I hate guessing games." I shook a finger at her. "If you've got something to tell, cough it up. You promised completion, so don't hold back." I swung my arms wide. "Lay it on me!"
 
"Seriously!" She threw her head back, laughing. "Onyx was certain you'd guessed! Though he was guessing himself."
 
"I'll deal with him later." I crossed my arms. "Talk. What have I not guessed?"
 
"Well…" She drew the word out. "We’ve been discussing my daughter, right?"
 
"Yeah. Bit." I scratched my head.
 
"You do know?" She quirked an eyebrow.
 
"Of course. You're the only Queen in this vicinity." I gave her a puzzled frown. "You sent him to me."
 
"Him?" She frowned. "Oh…" Dawning comprehension lit her face. "Oh - ho! Look, Wes. Hatchlings have no gender. There is only ever one type of changeling that's born knowing how its metamorphose will end."
 
"Wait…" I stopped, giving that idea a full minute to trickle through my consciousness before I exploded. "Bitterbloom is a Queen? Your heir?" The outburst left me breathless; I stared, dumbstruck and panting, as a look of realization crept across her face.
 
"Yes." Her tone turned somber. "Yes. Heir. That's a good word." She shrugged. "The changeling term is 'avatar', but I like yours better. Let's use that. Bitterbloom is my heir. She will inherit all of me."
 
"Holy crow." I massaged my temples, trying to superimpose the image of my quiet assistant over the changeling Queen. "Onyx!" I hissed. "He was the one who started calling Bit female!"
 
"Hem." Tezeca flicked an ear, uncomfortable. "I did give him some clues. He's always been slyer than I expect. Please, don't be too hard on him."
 
"Ohhhh." I groaned. "Seriously! I wasn’t merely tricked into convincing myself changelings could live with ponies. I also taught them how to do it, and trained their new leader?"
 
"Do you understand my circuitous route?" Tezeca smiled hesitantly. "You would never have agreed."
 
"I almost didn't." I remembered the cold steel of my razor. "What would you have done if I killed her?"
 
"Mourned." Tezeca's voice was low. "Done what I could, before the end. Wes, you have no idea how close I've cut this. I might have continued, if I hadn't invested myself so heavily in Bitterbloom, but she really was my last chance. If this gamble failed, nothing would be left. Even now, I'm all here. My garden is unkempt because the last of my drones are dead. I won't hold out much longer."
 
"Did you ask Celestia to send us?"
 
"No." She shook her head firmly. "But I'm convinced she knew."
 
"Yeah, knowing is her thing. Still, it’s unlike her to lead Bit on." I laced my fingers behind my head and leaned back, looking up at the underwater landscape. Did Bit like gardening?
 
"Lead her on? How?"
 
"From what she… heh, that sounds weird. From what Bit said, Celestia told her you could help her grow up."
 
"But…" Tezeca gave me a puzzled glance. "I can."
 
"Wait, what?" I pushed thoughts of gardening out of my head. "What does that mean?"
 
"Um." Tezeca paused. "Well, I did mention it. Everything I am will be hers."
 
"You… you don't just mean stuff." A sudden certainty settled on me.
 
"No." Tezeca shook her head. "No, I don't. Changeling Queens pass on literally everything. Bitterbloom will inherit my Hive. My agents, if they'll have her. All my magic, skills and strength. Even my memory." She shrugged. "Everything that is myself, except my body."
 
"And… the effect on her?" I tried to sound cautious, instead of paranoid, but she caught the tone in my voice.
 
"She will remain herself. Really, do you think Celestia would let me, otherwise?" I relaxed at that. "The memories are… disconnected." The Queen shrugged. "Accessible, but not relevant. Like specimens, pinned under glass. Here is 'rage', spread for observation. Here is 'shame', frozen for learning. The effect, though." She sighed. "It may be significant. Still, it is her… heritage."
 
"And the effect on you?"
 
"Why do you think I'm like this?" Tezeca laughed, fanning weak wings. "I can't even fly. Nothing takes more from a Queen." She drew a shimmering pendant from her mane. “This was ready from the day she left my care." She tossed it to me. I caught it reflexively.
 
"You're giving this… to me?" I inspected the piece, a golden symbol matching the yellow curls across Tezeca's face. I scanned it; magic fairly radiated from it, in threads and streams more complex than any construct I'd seen. It was nearly… alive.
 
"Who else?" Her voice was wry. "I no longer have the authority to make decisions for her. You're her foster. When you think she's ready, give it to her."
 
"Do you think she's ready?"
 
"Honestly?" Tezeca sighed. "More than I was. I think she could grasp my inheritance, and use it better than I. She has drive, a commitment I lacked, and more depth of feeling and character than I dared dream. You've done well, Wes."
 
"Thanks." I strung the pendant around my neck, tucking it into my shirt. "Thank you."
 
"A small enough compliment." She smiled wearily. "Nothing but the truth. You and your friends are what she needed. I should be thanking you. Wes…"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"If you continue on this path, one day you will be great in this land."
 
"Um." I started speaking, but had no idea what to say.
 
"No, don't discount my words so swiftly." She glared at me. "You will. Not because you're a good fighter, or a clever schemer, or even a great scholar. No, you'll be great because of the size of your heart." She grinned softly. "Your friends will raise you to greatness, just as you raise them. Wait for it, Wes."
 
"Follow your heart, huh?" I sighed.
 
"Heh." Tezeca forced herself upright. "Close enough. I'm tired, Wes. Let me show you back."
 
"Sure." I fell in behind her, and we retraced our steps.
 



 
"Done?" Luna turned away from talking to Bit.
 
"Yeah." I rubbed a hand over my eyes, resolve settling on me. I'd been thinking about this on the whole walk back; we hadn't exchanged a single word. "Tezeca, hold on."
 
"Yes?" The Queen, about to leave, turned back.
 
"Just… wait a second. Bit…" I reached into my shirt, and pulled out the necklace. Luna and Onyx gasped. "This is yours." I carefully unlooped it from my neck, but held it back.
 
"Yes?" Bit eyed it curiously.
 
"This is exactly what Celestia said your mother could give you. It's help for growing up."
 
"Wes?" Tezeca gave me an uncertain look.
 
"Just, hold on." I turned back to Bit. "I can't explain how it works, or even very much what it does. All I can say is that, if you take this, you will change. How? Can't say. But it will give you a new perspective on… well, everything." The necklace contained the full power of a Changeling Queen. A power that, used correctly, could rival Luna and Celestia. From mild-mannered secretary, to… what? I couldn't say. Still, my aide would remain Bit through it; of that much, I was sure.
 
"C…" Bit's voice faded.
 
"Yes?"
 
"Can… can I…" Its hoof twitched towards the necklace. "Can… I… Can I have it?" A mixture of uncertainty and pleading entered its voice, and I hesitated for a second before extending my hand.
 
"Of course." I smiled. "It’s yours."
 
"Wes, are you - " Tezeca's voice cut off, as the pendant touched Bit with a flash.
 
It wasn't visually spectacular, like some magic. But the inheritance had a gravitas to it; a weight of certainty and destiny that lent a seriousness all its own. As I watched, magic streamed from the pendant. It didn't even light up; after the first flash, it was visible only to my scanning as it laced itself carefully into Bit's body, layer upon layer of power.
 
It continued for minutes, stretching out longer than I’d imagined. Power poured endlessly, strong currents of magic. I would have marveled at such a small body containing it all, except it was so obviously right. Bit's natural abilities dovetailed seamlessly with her inheritance, each fragment of magic slotting perfectly into the outline provided.
 
The very last thing to change was her appearance. She cried out, stumbling, as the color leached from her left forehoof. I stepped forward to catch her as the yellow scrollwork Tezeca wore blossomed on her face. It was twisty, curling, strangely drawing the eye…
 
"Bit?" My voice was uncertain. "Are you okay?"
 
"Hic." In my arms, the new Queen started sobbing.
 
"Bit!" I carefully held her out, examining her as best I could. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
 
"W-wait..." She stifled her sobs long enough to silence me. "A… a minute."
 
I lapsed into silence. We all waited for her to finish crying.
 
"Sorry," she said weakly. Her eyes swirled, suddenly taking on the rich, royal blue Tezeca's had. The surface shimmered, patterns of a pupil and iris appearing. "It was intense."
 
"Are you okay?" I moved to release her, but she pulled me closer.
 
"Just… a minute more?" She looked up at me with pleading eyes. "A second ago, you… you were everything in the world that mattered. I don't want to give that up… just yet."
 
"Oh." I hugged her close again. "Okay."
 
"Bit?"
 
After a moment's silence, I broke the quiet.
 
"Yes?"
 
"Are you a Queen now?"
 
"Y-yes. I must make a cocoon, soon. But I'm Queen Bitterbloom Tezeca." Her voice was shaky.
 
"Are you okay with that?"
 
"I think I will be," she mumbled into my chest.
 
"How do you feel?"
 
"Scared." Her voice was small.
 
"Would you take a letter for me?"
 
"Mmmhmm." She didn't move.
 
"To Her Royal Highness, Queen Tezeca." Bit shivered at the words, but didn't speak. "As the Changeling Ambassador, I'm granting your Hive the right to pursue integration with Equestrian Society. The Equestrian Crown will aid in this endeavor, for the profit of both sides. Signed, Wesley Kilmer." Bit sighed. "Postscript. Dear Bitterbloom. I know being important and in charge can be scary and a lot of work. If you ever need to come see some friends who aren't afraid to call you ‘ladybug’ and have you make tea, visit us in Ponyville. We'll always welcome you."
 
"A-are you firing me?" Her voice was small.
 
"Um…"

"Because I don't want to resign."
 
"Bit, I…" I paused, the absurdity of the situation settling on me. "I can't have a changeling Queen as my secretary!"
 
"Why not?" She finally released me, and stepped back.
 
"I… uh…" I froze, unable to formulate a response. "Because?"
 
"That is a bad reason." She gave me a firm glare. "If you don't fire me, I won't resign."
 
"But… don't you have duties and things? Stuff to take care of?" I waved at the interior of the Hive.
 
"Oh." Her face fell slightly. "Yes. Perhaps."
 
"Ah." I paused, my attention suddenly returning to the scrollwork on her face. I traced a finger lightly across her muzzle. "What's this?"
 
"You can see that?" Tezeca's voice was shocked. Bit gave her a disparaging glance. I nodded.
 
"I-I'm not sure." Bit looked at my finger, cross-eyed. The pattern was nearly, but not quite, the same as the ones I'd seen before, despite being yellow. Curling, spiny, tribal. "All I know is, it's from when I… well, one of us, ate the sun."
 
"Ate… the sun?" Luna gave her a confused look.
 
"Celestia isn't the first." Tezeca stepped forward. "And she won't be the last." She shrugged. "But the memories blur, over the ages. Though Bit will understand my thoughts, she will have more trouble with my - " Tezeca's mouth twisted " - mother's. I don't remember more, either. Just, we ate the sun." Tezeca and Bit shared a glance.
 
"Well." I clapped my hands. "Good enough. Now, Bit. If you're serious about still being my secretary, you're welcome back anytime. But for now, I think you might benefit from spending a little time with the former Tezecan Queen."
 
"But…" Both of them looked uncertainly at me.
 
"You trust me with that?" Tezeca's voice was soft.
 
"Pshh." I shrugged. "You couldn't hurt Bit, even if you wanted to." Luna nodded. Both of us could tell; even newly crowned, Bit's power left her little to fear from the weakened former Queen. "And…" I smiled. "It might be good for both of you." I’d come to realize, I really was able to release my feelings for Tezeca. She cared. She wasn’t perfect, but hay; who was?
 
"If you say so." Bit looked up at me. "I don't feel very grown-up yet."
 
"Give it time." I patted her head. "You've got other duties now, and I'm sure you'll do great. Spend a little time learning them."
 
"Right." She drew a deep breath, and turned to the former Queen. "Right!"
 
"But, we need to go." Luna stepped forward, drawing Bit's attention. "Queen Bitterbloom Tezeca." She bowed low, a formal bow to an equal. Bit stepped back, shocked, but hesitantly bowed herself, accepting the respect.
 
"Bye, Bit." I gave the changeling a hug. "Be well." A twinge of worry and uncertainty tweaked my heart, but I looked from the new Queen to her… mother. She needed this. They both needed this. I firmed my resolve, and smiled at my erstwhile aide. "Come find me when you're ready."
 
"Yes sir." Her voice was soft, but she returned my hug fiercely for a second, before stepping back. "I'll make you proud."
 
"Of course you will." I smiled, and turned to follow Luna. "You always do your best."

> 65 - Pieces
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"A plunderseed?" I looked at the withered black vine, trapped in a slim glass tube.
 
"Correct." Zecora scooped a tiny cauldron off the fire, pouring the contents into the vial. The glass immediately frosted over, and she quickly corked and wired it. "Reckless, even for Discord. I wonder what drove him?"
 
"Probably alicorns." I scooted back against the wall, under the carved masks’ disapproving frown.
 
"You found this beneath the Tree of Harmony?"
 
"In… a manner of speaking." I frowned. "Actually, the whole story is a little ridiculous. But yes. By the way, do you have any idea why the Tree has cutie marks on it?"
 
"None at all." Zecora carefully hung the preserved plunderseed vial from the ceiling. "I recognized Luna and Celestia. When I met Twilight, I was quite surprised."
 
"I bet." I crossed my arms behind my head. "Although I thought maybe Sunset's cutie mark - "
 
"What're ya'll talking about?"
 
I stopped as a large red bow poked around the doorframe, followed by a small yellow head.
 
"Oh, Apple Bloom." Zecora smiled at the filly. "Come in, come in! We were discussing cutie marks and magic plants."
 
"Those don't mix well." The filly trotted over and sat next to me. "Hey, Wes. Good to see ya."
 
"Thanks, Apple Bloom." I gave her a quick hug. "Been a while since I've spent much time out here."
 
"You've been busy." Zecora smiled. "Your friends ask much of you."
 
"Well, that goes both ways." I scratched my head. "But yeah. It wasn't long ago you were the only two ponies I knew." I glanced at the bed. "And I was laying here, half-dead, trying to pull myself together. Now I've got commitments and connections pulling me every-which-way."
 
"Feeling melancholy?" Zecora grinned. "Come here to escape?"
 
"Heh. Maybe a little." I gazed at her shelves. "Say, Zecora. Do you have any potions for memory loss?"
 
"To cause, or cure?" She raised an eyebrow. "Erasing a memory is simple, but rarely useful. I could have erased your troubled past, Wes, but it wouldn't have lessened your pain; merely buried it. Recalling the lost is more difficult, but sometimes possible. Have you lost something?"
 
"Maybe." I frowned. "Possibly. When Twilight’s spell sort-of-rescued me, she remembered pieces of something I may have lost."
 
"Ah." Zecora shrugged. "That is murky water. Celestia's rules are mere guidelines to a free zebra, but I am still wary of soul-magic. I shed such treacherous power with my foolish youth."
 
"Dang." I sighed.
 
"Perhaps a potion of return could be made, with some help." Zecora pulled out a small card-file and started flipping through.
 
"Potion of return?" I glanced curiously up at the zebra. "How does that work?"
 
"Poorly." She shook her head. "They can… cast the spirit through time, to see events deemed important. The recipe is rarely used, because it takes the magic of all three pony tribes to complete. Though perhaps a Princess would help you. All we need is something to indicate the location."
 
"Hmm." I frowned, contemplating the idea of inter-reality. "But… even if I remembered where I was, I don’t think we can get anything from there."
 
"Ah." Zecora snapped the box shut. "Then, I cannot help. The spell must be grounded."
 
"Phooey." I sagged against the wall.
 
"Aw, don't be sad Wes!" Apple Bloom gave me a hug and I smiled.
 
"Okay." I ruffled her mane. Not all the Crusaders were as standoffish as Scootaloo.
 
"Ah know!" She bounced away. "You can use that time spell of Twilight's! Go back and find out!"
 
"Seriously!" I groaned, imagining 'Cutie Mark Crusaders: Time Travel Edition'. "Does Twilight have no sense of self-preservation? How do you know about that spell?"
 
"Well, um, Rarity was talking about it." Apple Bloom looked sheepish. "But we looked all over, and couldn't find it anywhere."
 
"Good!" I sighed in relief.
 
"Traversing time?" Zecora raised an eyebrow. "Are you even strong enough? That sounds quite hazardous."
 
"It doesn't take much power, although it would strain me. Still, it's not as dangerous as you'd think." I frowned. "It's not really time-travel; Twilight proved that, when she solved the Infinite Stable Loops paradox. It's actually a type of prescience, but… well." I spread my hands. "Long story short, it won't be causing paradoxes, because you cast it from the future to your past self, and you can't change a future you've already seen. It does lock the future in place, though. Sort of a reverse-predestination?" I grimaced. "No, that's dumb. Forget I said it."
 
"Of course." Zecora smirked. "Now, would you like some lunch?"
 
"I would love some lunch." I accepted a bowl of her ever-present soup, and the three of us settled into companionable silence.
 



 
"WeeeeesLEY!"
 
"Huh?" I raised my head groggily, blinking sleep from my eyes in the dark room. "Bit, see who's - "
 
"WESLEY!" This time, pounding accompanied the voice.
 
Waking more, I rolled out of bed and padded to the door. My head was thick from oversleeping, and sweat slicked my skin. It was unseasonably hot; Indian-summer was scorching the town, and Rainbow wasn't moving in a cold front until Tuesday.
 
"Sunset?" I blinked groggily as I cracked the front door. "What are you doing here?"
 
"Bringing you brunch!" My adopted sister shouldered her way in. I stumbled back, trying to escape the sunlight, but she flipped the curtains open with a twitch of her magic, and plopped a wicker basket on the table.
 
"But the project - "
 
"Can wait." She gave me a fierce stare. "You've been moping, and I'm here to end it."
 
"I haven't been - "
 
"Look at yourself!" I glanced down. I was still in my pyjamas. "Sleeping in occasionally is one thing, but this?" Sunset stamped a hoof. "Lyra said you've barely been outside!"
 
"I'm… catching up on my reading?" I tried.
 
Sunset lifted an eyebrow, and meaningfully surveyed the room. There wasn't a book in sight.
 
"Do you miss Bit?" She pushed me towards the table, and I sank into a chair. She passed me the basket, and I opened it; two slices of ice-cream cake, still frosty, were nestled inside. A fork floated over, and I took it.
 
"Yeah, some." I frowned. "Have I really been… " I stopped, and tried to think back. "Huh. Moping. But I did go see Zecora." I protested weakly.
 
"Look, Wes." Sunset sighed, and plopped into a chair across from me. "There's nothing wrong with taking it easy once in a while. We all need a break now and then. But is that all you're doing here?"
 
"N…no." I took a bite of the cake. It was vanilla and maple; perfect for a hot, still autumn day.
 
"Then decide when you're getting back to work, and get something done!" Sunset levitated her slice out of the basket. "Bit's not gone for good. She might come back, but… well, your life will be different until she does. She's not here to take care of, or to take care of you. But you can't let that keep affecting you!"
 
"You're right." I put my fork down. "I dunno. I wasn't even thinking. Suddenly, I had all this free time. Until the mercury fulminate arrives, or I hear back from Celestia on memory magic, or the harvest comes in and my winter supplies need to be put up, or… an emergency, I’m free." I shrugged. "I've got time for my own projects. I just started by catching up on my sleep."
 
"There's more to it than that." Sunset's glare pierced me. "You've got a hundred-and-one projects you could be working on, and you choose sleep?"
 
"Well." I rubbed my nose. "Maybe I was feeling a little depressed." I sighed. "I really spent a lot of energy on her, you know? We were always talking. She always had a question or seven. I looked towards her future, and she looked towards my present. Half the time, she knew what I needed before I did, but couldn't imagine what tomorrow would bring." I stared into the distance. "And now she's all grown up."
 
"So, was it worth it?" Sunset floated a jug of milk out of my fridge, and poured herself a glass. "In the end?"
 
"Completely." I accepted the milk jug. "I'd do it again, too, despite all the angst and annoyance I threw around when they dragooned me." I thought back to my initial indignation and smiled. "I guess Celestia’s plan had some merits."
 
"She has her moments," Sunset mumbled around a mouthful. "And Bit? You talked about her like a work-in-progress. Did she turn out okay?"
 
"She's not done yet!" I imagined Bit moving forward with her own strength, gathering friends around her as they walked towards the future together, one strong, sure step at a time. I smiled; I was already feeling more upbeat. "I just started her off. She'll keep growing for years. Hah." I lowered my fork, and looked Sunset in the eye. "Okay, I'm over it. Thanks, sis, for taking the time to talk that out of me."
 
"What are friends for?" She grinned. "Glad you're feeling better. Now, come help us with the project! We want your input, and Twilight's been itching to have you review our paper!" She eyed my cake. "You going to finish that?"
 
"Yes!" I curled my arm around it protectively, waving my fork. "Back, back!"
 



 
I stumbled away from the warp beacon, trying to stop the world from spinning.
 
"No matter how many times I do that, I'll never get used to it."
 
"Filly." Sunset shook her head once, and walked over to the door. I glanced back, taking in the Tree of Harmony and the pink shield sealing the cave mouth.
 
"They really locked this place down," I said in awe. "That's double-thick, isn't it?"
 
"Yeah." Sunset didn't even turn to look. "Shining Armor did it himself. Oh." We stopped just inside the entrance. "Princess Luna's here."
 
"How can you - " I stopped, as a familiar voice, muted by distance, floated up the stairs. "Is that the RCV?"
 
"Probably." Sunset sighed. "I swear. One of these days, she and Fossil Record are doing to start pulling each other's feathers out." I glanced curiously at the meticulously lettered circles of paper ringing the stairwell.
 
"Climate control?" I skimmed the runes carefully; I only recognized a few.
 
"And security, dust and dirt wards, even a sonic filter."
 
"I see that one." The echonarchy stood plain, as we stepped into the tomb. "Woah."
 
"Yeah, it's a little messy." Sunset shrugged. Messy was an understatement; the tomb was difficult to walk through. Magic dampeners, field modifiers, crystal resonators; if it had anything to do with measuring, modifying, or managing natural magic, there was at least one of them. Most were in pairs.  I counted seven attunement kits. In the middle, Ethur, Tethur, and Cethur lay peacefully, careful cocoons of emptiness protecting their pedestals.
 
"This seems… a little disrespectful." I grimaced at the spectacle.
 
"We're just looking." Sunset paused, glanced around, and sighed. "Yeah, we should clean up. At least the things we know don't work. But… if we can get a decent reading…"
 
"Yeah." I nodded somberly. If they could get a successful scan off one of the corpses, it might yield all sorts of answers. "Oh." We stepped out onto the landing, and I smiled. "This is an improvement."
 
"At least for us without wings." Sunset nodded. Before me, just to the left of the landing, a column of air shimmered with magic. I recognized the spell; it was our variable-gravity zone.
 
"Can I just…" I stopped, as she stepped off the edge, floating in space.
 
"Come on; I'll take you down!" She held out a hoof, and I took it, gingerly forsaking the landing for thin air. My stomach only fluttered slightly as gravity disappeared. Sunset pulsed her power and we started to slide gently down the column, alighting at the bottom of the cliffside stairs.
 
"Clever." I eyed the rune-circle. "You float up the same way?"
 
"Yup." Sunset led me towards the next set of stairs. "Even the lightweights can levitate in a grav-column. Luna likes it a lot; I swear, she spent, like, five whole hours doing backflips the first time she tried. Only problem is, earth ponies need a lift."
 
"Huh." I glanced back. "I'll have to try myself, next time."
 
"You could do it, I think." Sunset nodded judiciously. "With a little straining."
 
"Eh, just want to give it a shot. Why don't you install the same thing to bypass these stairs?" I grimaced at the wearying steps.
 
"Can't; there's a branch in the way." Sunset shrugged. "The magic doesn't bend. Even slanting it would be dangerous. Besides, these don't have an ancient message inscribed. Fossil was nearly foaming at the mouth when he discovered you'd walked on them."
 
"Ah, yeah. I could see that." As we neared the bottom of the stairwell, Luna's argument started to sound clear. "He even gets on Luna's case?"
 
"Doesn't like the way she puts trivial things, like safety, at the top of her priorities."
 
"Silly Luna."
 
"Uh - huh."
 
" - AND YOU WILL NOT REMOVE THE MARKERS I'VE PLACED FOR THE ZONE OF EFFECT!"
 
We stepped out of the stairwell, into the cave. I blinked, and looked around. It was bright down here. Floods lit the floor, opening the depths of the cavern to view.
 
"This is base camp, I guess." I glanced around. Tents looked a little odd underground, but the community was obvious enough. "What's the ruckus?"
 
"My guess? Fossil's been 'tidying' Luna's danger zone." Disgust was evident in Sunset's voice. "I swear, if he was any less of a scientist, I'd have bucked him out on his ear ten minutes after meeting him. Give him a nice, contained job, and he's the best archeologist in the world. Let him run wild, and he's insufferable."
 
"Danger zone?" I peered warily around. "Why?"
 
"Around the pool." Sunset shrugged. "Besides the obvious reasons, we've discovered its edges move, very slowly. Luna cordoned it off, to keep ponies out. Fossil must have decided to adjust the cordon, for who-knows-what harebrained reason."
 
"Huh." We walked over as Luna finally wound down. The pegasus archeologist looked like he was about to retort, but tried to slink away with dignity when he saw us coming. I ignored him.
 
"Oh, Wes!" Luna nodded to me, grinning. "Good to see you!"
 
"You as well, my Princess." I bowed.
 
"Ahah! Proper formality!" Luna clapped a wing to my shoulder, staggering me. "Wait, let me try. I believe the teenagers say: nah, brah, chillax." She grinned. "How was that? Was I 'cool'?"
 
"Ice. Cold." I held out a fist, and she bumped it with a hoof. "But in all seriousness, good to see you. How's the project?"
 
"It… moves." She sighed, returning to reality. "Slowly. We haven't found much, Wes."
 
"No breakthrough?" I shrugged. "That's fine." I understood her frustration somewhat. The last report I'd read had described exploring the entire underground city and finding nearly nothing. Merely a few relics, mostly art or trash. "But why did you want my input?"
 
"Ah!" She brightened. "We want you to search for patterns!"
 
"Ooooh." I nodded, understanding. "Yeah, that's a good idea. We breezed through, last time. Let's see what we find!"
 



 
"Nothing." I paced the edge of the danger zone. "Not one pattern!"
 
"Well, they're not exactly common, right?" Twilight gave me a reassuring smile. "You saw barely a half-dozen before this." I'd canvassed the whole underground city, scrutinizing every inch of bare wall. Various members of the team had taken turns guiding, so i didn’t get lost. I hadn't found even one magical pattern.
 
"Yeah, I guess." I frowned at the shimmering darkness beneath the Tree. "Still disappointing."
 
"I know." We stood in silence for a few minutes.
 
"Hey, Sunset said this thing moves. What's up with that?" I waved at the surface of the Pool. The stars rippled.
 
"Um." Twilight gazed up at the tree. "The whole Pool… actually, Tear fits it better. It's really a tear in reality." She frowned. "It's intrinsically unstable. Since it's this large, it doesn't shift fast, but the edges do move. If you want more than that, you'll have to ask Sunset; she's been studying it ever since we arrived. I think inter-reality fascinates her, after your little jaunt."
 
"Huh." I could see that.
 
"Actually, she might have learned more about the Pool than we have about the Tuatha. I'm half-tempted to say she should publish it separately." Twilight sighed.
 
"Heh. Such hardship!" She glared while I snickered. "Seriously, though. What sort of things has she learned?"
 
"Well, the surface is almost liquid. We've tried to collect some for testing, but it evaporates quickly. Also, the portal is razor thin." Twilight waved at the darkness. "If you dig down a little, it becomes obvious that 'underneath' and 'through' are different spaces. But we could have guessed that."
 
"No wonder the stick I poked it with got sliced." I rubbed my jaw. "Have you dropped any more things in? I'd almost do it again, just to see if Cog shows up."
 
"…not on purpose." Twilight frowned. "Before the cordon, someone lost a lantern to it. They'd set it down, a good three feet away, and when they came back, it was gone."
 
"Did Cog show up?"
 
"No… actually…" She gazed into the distance. "Not Cog. But later we had to fight a few windigos. Fossil Record nearly got a tragic case of frostbite. I was worried that Sombra had found us, but the security didn't show intruders."
 
"Windigos?" I grimaced. "From the Tear?"
 
"I know, right?" Twilight shrugged. "But then, there have been theories they're extra-dimensional. And you said Glisten had them, in the Mirror World."
 
"Oh." That stopped me; the slim report I’d gotten from the Archive had mentioned that. "You're right. Woah."
 
"That is why I call it the Well." I jumped, as a voice suddenly boomed beside me. I turned, and Luna gave a playful smirk.
 
"That was one of the names the Tuatha used." I considered trying to tickle the Princess in revenge, but she'd probably kick me.
 
"Maybe, maybe not." Luna shrugged. "Translations of Ogma's script have become a favorite discussion among the unicorns here, and the different definitions we've arrived at are myriad and mostly pointless. I call it the Well, because I believe it's the Well of Silver Stars, from the unicorn mythos of prehistory."
 
"Well of Silver Stars…" I mumbled, trying to place the words. "Oh…!" Slowly, a half-remembered story came to mind, drawn from deep within Twilight's memories. "That Well? Where the first unicorn drank?"
 
"It fits, doesn't it?" Luna looked up. "In the days before magic, when we were merely ponies, three sisters found a tree with wide, spreading branches. One of them ate the leaves, one of them grazed near the trunk, and one of them drank from the Well of Silver Stars at its roots. They brought magic into the world, and were the first pegasi, earth pony, and unicorn. But their actions released a great evil."
 
"The windigo." Twilight shrugged. "It does fit, in a narrative sort of way. But there's no leaves, and nothing at the base of this tree. And… I highly doubt you could 'drink' from this well."
 
"Ah." Luna smiled at her. "You are correct. However, most fairytales aren't descriptive, but symbolic. There's likely a truth hidden there that we're missing, simply because we lack context. And… well. I, for one, am convinced that it was Nightmare Moon who was released, and not the windigos." She grimaced, and ignored our questioning glances.
 
"Sunset thinks she could close it." Twilight turned back to the Pool. "If it was smaller."
 
"Really?" The idea intrigued me. "What does that even mean?"
 
"You'll have to ask her." Twilight grimaced. "I haven't had time to look over her work, and I can't just absorb it out of her head like you."
 
"Heh. Maybe I'll do that." I shoved my hands into my pockets. "Well… sorry I wasn't more help, but I need to be getting back." I glanced around automatically for Bit, sighed, and turned towards the stairs. "I think Sunset's up in the tomb; I'll ask her for a lift."
 
"Sure." Twilight gave me a parting hug. "Thanks for coming."
 
"No worries. You'll be seeing more of me." I smiled as I left. I had things to do; ponies to see. How had I forgotten that?
 



 
Ready, Rainbow?
 
Let's do this.
 
"Ready, Lyra?" I kept my face smooth, hiding any hint of glee. My teacher knew something was up, but had no idea what. I'd resolved, soon after returning to Equestria, to tell her everything. But first we'd have a little fun.  She scrutinized me, but no hesitation entered her stance.
 
"Give me a moment." She closed her eyes, and focused on meditation. Rainbow yawned, already looking bored as she floated by the rafters in the sun-drenched studio. The slow beats of her wings were loud in the stillness. I idly wondered if Lyra had soundproofed the room; I'd never heard more than faint noises from outside, even when the street was packed.
 
"Okay." Lyra nodded, and I drew my vibroblade. I'd quickly discovered that she could block it with her bare hooves, so I'd abandoned training with a cane.
 
I harmonized my magic as Rainbow raised the flag. She dropped it, and we both watched it flutter to the ground. As soon as it touched, Lyra was on me.
 
I didn't spar with her often. She was too far out of my league for it to be useful for her, and I always felt toyed with whether she let me win or thrashed me. But fighting was different from drilling, so we made a point to do this once in a while.
 
My weapon flashed and hummed as I whirled it, trying to match her flurry of blows. She was holding back, running me through forms I'd been practicing. Each time my blade impacted her skin, sawtooth dissonance and a shower of sparks showed she was nullifying it easily.
 
Our sparring normally went in stages. She'd start with as much ferocity as she thought I could take. As soon as I got up to speed I'd push back, and she'd match me. We would go back-and-forth, until I reached my limit.
 
We had a ways to go. I concentrated, trying to internalize the flow and rhythm of her motions. As soon as I grasped it, she'd change, but if I could read her for just a second…
 
There. I punched smoothly through the pattern, forcing Lyra to draw back a step. It wasn't much space, but I'd take what I could get. I could feel Rainbow's excitement, a subtle pressure behind my forehead just left of my nose; she was enjoying this.
 
Can we try it? Can we try it?
 
Hold on, this is going to be tricky.
 
I needed more space. And getting anything from Lyra was beyond hard; she was so much faster than me. This was a good start, but I'd managed this much before. She be on me again in a split-second.
 
So, I tried something new.
 
The power from my vibroblade came from my hands. I pumped magic into the metal barrel of the handle, and let the enchanted crystals inside do the rest; one piece of silicon and one piece of green beryl. It wasn't much power, but it was still my magic. I could still feel it, even after it was tightened, synched, and focused into a beam. And that meant I could still control it.
 
Lyra's eyes widened slightly, as I raised my arm. This wasn't part of our drills. She could tell I was about to try something new, but she couldn't guess what. I smirked, and she dashed, thinking to break my stance. I whipped my arm down, and she dodged around the straight blade.
 
So I bent it.
 
Crack!
 
I felt Rainbow gasp as the stream of green squirmed, popping like a whip. Lyra's eyes narrowed as the blade lashed around her guard, slicing across her face. She managed a block, but the unexpected attack was enough to push her slightly, ever so slightly off balance.
 
Got her. My satisfaction rang across the link, and Rainbow grinned with me. Here goes. I stepped in, pushing back. A blow at her knee, trying to stumble her, and she danced back, pulling out past the range of my now-fluid blade. Arcs of green sang around me as I chased, stabbing and probing her guard. She would adjust quickly, so I stepped things up again.
 
I let my reflexes ride for a moment, and reached across the link. Rainbow willingly offered me what I needed. Lyra's eyes popped wide as I grasped Rainbow's formidable magic and accelerated.
 
"You've been holding out on me!" Lyra's smirk was in slow-motion.
 
I could feel Rainbow's glee as I danced around suddenly avoidable strikes. For a second, a gleam out of the corner of my eye distracted me.
 
Am… am I leaking aura?
 
Bucking yes! Check it!
 
For a moment I could see myself from Rainbow's eyes. Trailing my motions, a barely discernible rainbow hovered in the air, orange stripe crackling. I pushed the distraction away and concentrated on the fight.
 
Hey, Wes…
 
Gah, stop interrupting! I frantically dodged a strike, trying to keep my focus.
 
But I just thought that -
 
I picked the rest of the idea out of her head. She was wondering why I wasn't using her powers to the fullest. For a second, I pondered what she meant. Then she pushed it across the link, and I understood.
 
With a sudden flash of insight, I saw the air in the room as Rainbow did. Not just as sort-of-filler, or a carrier for my soundwaves, but as a living, moving, connected whole, where each pocket of pressure and whisper of movement propagated through the entire system, a sliding, changing, breathing thing.
 
You see like this all the time?
 
This is nothing! Try monitoring a blizzard.
 
Just like that, I realized how little of Rainbow's power I was actually using. Still, I didn't have time to experiment. I took every advantage I could, scraped up every scrap of intuition and innovation, and pressed in, but my chances of winning were still beyond slim. For a moment, I carried the momentum. For a moment, I'd truly surprised her. For a moment, I thought I might land a telling blow.
 
Then Lyra noticed my aura.
 
She hit me so hard and fast I bounced off the wall.
 
"Ow." I groaned, all my fight gone. "The hay, Jedi? If I hadn't blocked, that would have broken ribs!"
 
"That was numancy. You were using pegasus magic." Lyra took a step forwards, and I saw uncertain frustration in her stance. "Wes, if you're on the wrong side of the law - "
 
"Oh, that. Don't worry!" I wheezed, slumping to the floor. "I've got a license." I did; Celestia had legitimized my magic, although it was irregular. I'd already resolved to tell Lyra everything. Maybe I shouldn't have done it in such a haphazard manner.
 
"You can't get licenses for numancy." Her frustration was moving into anger.
 
"You can," I pushed myself into a sitting position, "if you're part of the Intelligence Archive." Her anger faded, mouth widening to an 'O' of surprise.
 
"Wait!" Rainbow caught the tail end of the sentence, and I felt her shuffle through my thoughts, looking for the meaning of 'Archive'.
 
"Oooof!" I gasped, as she literally dropped onto me, forehooves landing on my shoulders and pushing me down.
 
"You're a spy?"
 
"Yes." I groaned, remembering why I'd never actually discussed the Archive with her. Screw it; I was going to tell everypony everything. To Tartarus with keeping secrets; it didn't help, anyways. "Yes, Rainbow. I'm a spy."
 



 
"Your lab looks like a small-scale copy of this one, Twilight."
 
"There's a good reason for that." Celestia smiled at us. “It is.”
 
"Heh." I looked around. We were in Canterlot, in the castle basement. It would be ridiculous to say I could call on Celestia whenever I wanted, but she'd promised me her help, so I'd asked her about memory restoration and she'd made some time in her schedule.
 
The lab was impressive. It was maybe half the size of the full basement, with vaulted ceilings and intense floodlights. Machines, newer and more intricate than what Twilight used, were carefully arranged; experiments in progress stood in neat progression, each properly delineated and annotated, so they could be continued on a whim. I saw half-completed rune circles, potion distillations, and even what may have been parts of an automaton.
 
"So, gonna hook me up? Give me a scan?" I forced a laugh. Being experimented on wasn't usually pleasant, but my memory was worth a little discomfort.
 
"Yes… well, we will try." Celestia turned back, brushing her mane out of her eyes. "The chances are slim, Wes. But you know that." I nodded. We'd discussed this. Celestia was willing to probe for my past, but memories damaged through numancy were notorious. "Here." She motioned me towards a simple rune-circle.
 
"Why the secrecy? Couldn't we have cast this in Ponyville, from your instructions?" I glanced at the markings curiously; Celestia used some sort of pastel instead of chalk. I scuffed one line with a foot, but it held firm.
 
"Hmm." Celestia gave me a hooded glance. "Well, you'll keep my secrets, and Twilight will inherit this eventually." She levitated a slim volume towards me; I snagged it from the air. "Still, I didn't think it wise to allow it out of my sight."
 
The cover said Runes. It was a simple notebook, the sort a student might use. I flipped through it, and paused.
 
I didn't recognize any of the runes in here.
 
Suspicious, I turned to the back. My eyes widened; sure enough, written in neat spell-script was an exhaustive declaration for each rune, outlining what it did, why it did it, and even why that was necessary.
 
"This is your codex?" I handed the book to Twilight, who took it reverently. Codifying their understanding of magic in runes was a huge step for a magician, and Celestia was the most important magician in Equestria. Her codex would shape magic for generations to come.
 
"Eight hundred years of work." Celestia shrugged. "It has some… unique properties." I nodded slowly, and re-inspected the runes at my feet. Here and there, I could see Celestia's original composition thrown into the mix. No wonder the circle was hard to read. "They describe personality traits. I intend them for use in spells that need feedback from the target."
 
"Such as this." I nodded to the circle.
 
"Exactly. The aim is to scan you for the missing memories, using feedback from what you do know to track them." She shrugged. "It's a slim chance, but I guarantee you won't find better."
 
"I believe you." I stepped into the circle. "Alright, light 'er up."
 
Celestia nodded, and touched her horn to the key. The circle flashed bright.
 
We all stood quietly for a few minutes.
 
"Now what?" I glanced around, hesitant to disturb the spell.
 
"Now we wait." Celestia sat nearby. "It will work in the background, trying to draw your memory to mind. If it exists. If you've recalled nothing in the next five to ten minutes, this spell is a failure."
 
"Oh." I glanced at my feet. "Anything I should do to help?"
 
"Try not to think about it. Talking might work."
 
"Hmm." I rubbed my jaw. "How about this, then? When we were in Manehatten, trying to recover the painting, Sunset got the closest. She saw the Misty Mirror before Glisten escaped with it, and her reflection shocked her."
 
"Shocked?"
 
"Yeah. See, she saw herself in the Mirror as an alicorn."
 
"Fascinating."
 
"Yeah, the Mirror was strange. But it made me wonder… you picked her as your student. Did you see something in her?" I jerked a thumb at Twilight, nose tucked into the codex. "Like you saw in Twilight?"
 
"I…" Celestia sighed. "Maybe. You must understand, Wes, I actually have very little certainty about alicorns." She lowered her voice. "Twilight's ascension was carefully choreographed, but it's not like I plotted a course from the day we met. I didn't know for certain my plan would work until nearly a year ago. And after your arrival, I was afraid it would never work at all."
 
"Because of the cracked element." I rubbed my eyes. "That is sorted out, right?"
 
"You've seen it mended." She frowned. "Though it has changed shape. It's her crown, now. Didn't you know?"
 
"Oh." I blinked. "Huh, no. I didn't notice."
 
"Soon after you left, I found it restored." She looked thoughtful. "I believe that the soul-gem you had was confusing the Element. Since it was built along the same lines, and you were bound to Twilight, it thought you should 'fit in'. But since the Elements are whole at six, trying to include you strained it."
 
"And that's also why it hurt so much when she used them." Celestia nodded. "Okay. So when I broke the Mirror and dimension-hopping snapped my link to Twilight, it fixed itself?"
 
"Basically. So I jumped at the chance to implement my plan. And it worked." She smiled softly at her student. "As for Sunset…" She grimaced. "It's out of my hooves; she's my student no longer. But I'm confident she has the potential for alicornhood. What that would take, though… " She shrugged. "I can't guess."
 
"Sure," I answered absently, imagining Sunset as an alicorn. It made a nice picture. "Okay, thanks." I looked down at the circle and sighed. "This is a wash, huh?"
 
"I guess." Celestia shrugged, and waved a wing at the lab, smiling much like Twilight. "But I have a few more tests we can try."
 
"Haaaaah."
 



 
"So, do you think she was serious about that?"
 
"Hmmm?" Twilight looked up from a vanilla milkshake. "About which?"
 
"What she was discussing at the end there. About…" I waved my hands vaguely.
 
We were in a small teashop, not far from the castle. Yesterday, Celestia had tried everything in her arsenal to recover bits of my memory, but nothing had worked - much. I could now remember the pieces I'd already recovered with surprising clarity, but nothing new.
 
"Oh, about getting you elected?"
 
"Yes." I lowered my head to my hands. "Do you think she'd really do it?"
 
"Dunno." Twilight grinned. "I must say, you'd look good with a crown."
 
"Really?" I gave her a flat stare. "Really? Prince Wesley Kilmer? She just wants to give me more jobs! Like, like…"
 
"Ambassador to Aerie. It would be interesting to see the griffons confronted by another predator." Twilight smirked. "Go on, do your 'fierce' grin." I smirked, baring my canines. Twilight shivered. "Yeah, like that. I bet you'd be a great negotiator."
 
"Blargh." A pony entered the shop; I tapped my teacup with my spoon. "Seriously, though. I've never once woke up in the middle of the night and thought - 'You know, I want to be more like Blueblood!'" Twilight snorted. "I mean, I realize 'royalty' here is an elected position, but still. Me? A prince? What have I done to deserve that?"
 
"More than Blueblood did." Twilight shrugged. "Cronyism can be a problem with the unicorn elite. I'm not sure how Celestia would manage it, but… she's not really one for jokes."
 
"Even though she pretends to be." I rubbed my forehead, and tapped my teacup again as a customer left.
 
"Why are we even here?" Twilight looked around. "Shouldn't we head back? I left Sunset in charge, because last time she was the one who got to leave, but she won't be happy if I'm gone for too long. Even though she's been studying that portal night and day."
 
"I got a note." I pulled it out of my pocket and flattened it on the table for her. "On my nightstand this morning."
 
It was simple enough; the name of the shop, todays date, and a squiggle.
 
"It's typed." Twilight frowned. "Except for this." She pointed to the scribble. It looked like part of a square-wave, or maybe a sharp, sideways 'S'. "And it was on your dresser? Maybe the last pony to use the guestrooms left it?"
 
"No, no." I waved a hand dismissively. "The room was clean, and I use that dresser. And I ward my rooms, at least with an alarm."
 
"Really?" Twilight's glare was flat. "In the castle?"
 
"Look!" I sighed. "Just because I’m paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me."
 
"Heh." Twilight grinned. "I guess you might have an excuse. So… somepony left you a note, and didn't trip your wards. Well, it wasn't me."
 
"Sure." I shrugged. "Or Celestia or Luna. They've no need for notes." I tapped my teacup, as a waitress passed.
 
"Why do you keep doing that?" Twilight pointed to my teaspoon.
 
"Well, I had an idea." I shrugged. "About the sort of pony who could get through my wards. It's a long shot, but this is a trap." I looked around. The café was fairly empty. A barista stood behind the counter, and a waitress was polishing tables. When she got near, I tapped my teacup again.
 
Absently, she stepped up to our table, picked up the teapot, and refilled my cup.
 
"Thanks Bit," I said softly, and sipped my tea.
 
She froze.
 
"I, uh, don't know - "
 
I tapped my teacup.
 
She refilled it.
 
I took a sip.
 
She looked at me. Looked at the cup. Looked at the teapot. Her ears drooped slightly.
 
"It seems I'm still an open book to you, sir." Her disguise flickered, just enough to confirm it really was my erstwhile assistant.
 
"Your disguise is good, but you still need to work on your reactions." I smiled. "But it's nice seeing you, even if I didn't expect it."
 
"Yes. And I would have approached you eventually. Still, how did you know I was here?"
 
"Um." I frowned at the note. "You didn't leave this for me?"
 
"No." She examined the scrap of paper. “Why would I do that?”

“Maybe to see if I could recognize you?” I frowned. “But… you don’t know who it was?”

“No idea.” She shook her head. "But if they intended us to meet, they have penetrated my disguise."
 
"Oh." I tallied off ponies in my head. "Not a Princess, present company included. Not a Queen, but somepony who knows her movements." The list of possibilities contracted quickly, eventually emptying completely. "Then who?" I frowned. My friends shrugged. "Great." I sighed, and rubbed my forehead. "I guess… what we’ve got here is… a mystery?"

> 66 - Squares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So." I spun the note idly under a finger. "No leads. No clues. No ideas?" Twilight and Bit shook their heads. "Wait a minute." I pinned the changeling with a glance. "I thought you were here to see me, but that's not right. What are you doing?"
 
"I will tell you." She turned to the counter. "Pearlette, I need a moment to talk."
 
"Sure thing, boss!" The barista chirped, throwing a salute. "Hey, is that you, Wes? Greets from the Black Apples!"
 
"Oh, Pearlette." I grinned. "Are you expanding? Should I warn Celestia?"
 
"Naw, just here for the mission. Good job with the boss, by the way; you've done our hive well."
 
"Um, thanks." I managed a smile. "She was no trouble."
 
"Ahem." Bit coughed, and took a seat. "No, I'm not here to see you. I am here on my mother's behalf."
 
"How is she?" Twilight asked, genuinely curious.
 
"We parted friends."
 
"Oh." Twilight's ears drooped. "Sorry."
 
"It is nothing." Bit shrugged. "It's more than she had from her mother. Besides, I carry her will forward. So, I am in Canterlot. One of the projects mother started, knowing she wouldn't live to complete it, was tracking Chrysalis. Possibly with intent to harm her."
 
"Why?" I raised an eyebrow. I'd seen Tezeca's feelings about the other Queen, but I hadn't totally understood them.
 
"Her thoughts on that aren't clear." Bit gazed into the distance. "I believe… it was because of the incident with Phoresy."
 
"Oooh." I winced. "Yeah." That made sense. Sunset and me disappearing had caused trouble; Bit could have sparked even more, despite my ignorance at the time. "So you're here in Canterlot looking for her?"
 
"Yes - um." She cut off, looking up as a tall pegasus, a pinto with a cream and navy coat, trotted up to our table.
 
"I say, old chap! Fancy seeing you here, what what?" She grinned at us.
 
"Um." I frowned. “Artemis, what are you doing?"
 
"W-was that wrong? Shoot! Um - " She adjusted her floppy hat nervously. "Wait, no, I've got it! Hey, dude, wazzup?"

Twilight frowned at the sudden anachronism, and inspected the nervously smiling pegasus curiously. I facepalmed; she’d just seen Luna acting like this in the caves under the Tree.

“Princess… Luna?” Her eyebrows slowly rose in query.
 
"It's Princess Luna." Bit gave her a flat glance.
 
"Wes, you blew my cover!" Artemis hissed. "And I was doing so well!"
 
"No." I shook my head. "No, you weren't."
 
"Wait a minute!" Realization dawned on Twilight's face. "You're Artemis! You played with Electric Blue Grass!” She turned to me. “Princess Luna was in your band?"
 
"Um." I stopped. I'd resolved not to keep secrets, but this wasn't really my secret. Still, from the reaction Lyra and Vinyl had given -
 
"That's so cool! Princess Luna, how long have you played the keyboard? Or, or piano? Does Celestia play any instruments? Can you tell me about ancient music? Oh, did you know any famous composers?"
 
- it wouldn't be a problem.
 
"O - oh?" Artemis gave Twilight a faltering smile. "Ah, yes. I am Luna. This is my alter-ego, a mild-mannered therapist who moonlights as a rock star."
 
"So obvious." Bit poured two more teacups, and took a seat. "Well, my disguise was penetrated as well. Have a seat. Drink the tea. Wes is paying."
 
"Oh?" Artemis’ smile strengthened. "Then we need snacks!" She waved to Pearlette. "Miss, do you have cake?"
 
"Great." I rubbed my eyes. "Maybe I can bill it as changeling relations?" I did have an expense account. Now if only I knew where Bit had filed it.
 
"Of course!" The barista smiled, and turned towards the back. "I'll bring you a tray!"
 
"Hold up; weren't you positioning your new weapon today?" I sipped my tea, and frowned. I'd steeped it for too long; better have Bit brew the next pot.
 
"Done, done, all is in readiness!" Artemis shrugged. "But tell me; who is this?" She waved at Bit.
 
"Oh, yes." The changeling flickered, resuming the disguise she'd used in Ponyville. "Is this better?"
 
"Bitterbloom!" Artemis threw a wing around her, pulling her into a hug. Bit's ears twitched. "Good to see you! Taking your job back?"
 
"Maybe." The changeling shrugged awkwardly, squeezed against the larger pony's side. "I was about to explain my presence here, actually. Did any of you hear about the changeling scare last week?"
 
"I wish they wouldn't call them that." I set my cup down with a clink. "You get a bad enough rap, without ponies calling wards testing or drills a ‘scare’. Really!" I sighed.
 
"This one was different, though." Artemis nodded to the Pearlette, accepting a platter. Samples of cake were arranged artfully on it, elaborately drizzled with chocolate and raspberry syrup. Awfully fancy for a cover; I'd have to ask about this tea shop. "The wards malfunctioned, near as we can tell. We never triggered them, but we didn't catch any infiltrators, either."
 
"Did they warp out?" I tried a piece of carrot cheesecake. It was surprisingly good. "That's how they escaped us in Baltimare."
 
"Not as far as we can tell." Artemis shrugged. "We couldn't scan any noticeable residue, or find any loopholes or mistakes afterwards, but we didn't catch anypony, either. It was passed off as a glitch in the system, because if it wasn't, that means we're absolutely off on the capabilities of changeling agents. Chrysalid agents and drones are the one thing they should be absolutely reliable for, and if they’re fritzing on that..."
 
"Ah." Twilight frowned. "But."
 
"Yes." Bit nodded. "You've missed something."
 
"Hmm?" I looked at Bit.
 
"I don't believe the changeling you missed catching was an agent."
 
"Oh." I nodded.
 
"Hmm?" Artemis gave a puzzled frown.
 
"Ah, you missed it. Bit was telling us how she's here in Canterlot because she's chasing Chrysalis."
 
"Oh…" Artemis inspected the changeling. "Hmm. Yes. A Queen might slip through. Their transformation is different magic entirely. But then… why would the wards trigger at all?"
 
"Ah." Bit sampled a piece of pumpkin cheesecake. "That is an excellent question, and one of the reasons mother was so very interested in finding Chrysalis. You see, I think there is something we haven't understood happening between Chrysalis and Sombra."
 
"Really?" I went over the circumstances in my mind. "How so?"
 
"Well." Bit sipped her tea. "Firstly, Phoresy. Why?"
 
"Hmm." Twilight nodded. "I wondered the same thing myself. Bitterbloom, you are the most intelligent changeling Queen we've met."
 
"Thank you." Bit nodded.
 
"And Sombra is anything but an idiot. So when I learned what had happened…" Twilight trailed off.
 
"You wondered why he would ally himself with Phoresy." Bit finished.
 
"Exactly."
 
"Mother thought the same. Her conclusion was that he needed something from her. Hardly a deep conclusion, but worth thinking about."
 
"Something only a changeling Queen could do." I frowned. "Hmm."
 
"Hmm." Twilight gazed into the distance. "I wonder…"
 
We sat in silence for a moment. I ate a piece of apple cheesecake. Were these all cheesecake? I frowned at the platter. Changelings sure could cook.
 
"Yes?" Artemis finally broke through her trance.
 
"Oh, sorry!" She flustered, taking a bite of cake to cover her embarrassment. "Is this… raspberry cheesecake?"
 
"Yes." Bit nodded. "I made it. What were you thinking?"
 
"Right, right!" She set her fork down. "Look, Wes. Every time we talk about Sombra, I try and piece together what we know of him."
 
"Right."
 
"And every time, I go back to the only time we've actually met him, when we were captured." I grimaced; we'd escaped that by the skin of our teeth. The first of many such escapes. I glanced at the note, and sighed.
 
"Sure."
 
"And each time, something about what he said bothers me. He was threatening to kill you and steal your… form." Bit's head whipped around at that, eyes narrowing slightly.
 
"Gah." I rubbed my eyes; now that I'd decided on full disclosure, I didn't need a chart for keeping secrets; I needed a press conference. "Later, Bit. Yes, go on, Twilight."
 
"But looking back, that seems pretty strange. Sure, your body is better than being made of mist, but it's not very impressive. Just about any pony would be a better choice." I nodded at that; I was physically fit, but the disparity in magic more than made up for it. "And, besides. He had windigolems even then."
 
"Oh…" I frowned. That really did cast things in a new light. Why would he want my form, when he could have a shape like Shadow Glory or Glisten used? Nearly indestructible, enhanced with magic, and even a shapeshifter? "Hum."
 
"Exactly. But… and this is a big idea to draw from such a small conclusion… there is something strange about what he said. I remember his monologue; he talked about how you had a crystal matrix and a healthy body, and even guessed at your science, but… he also mentioned your hands. And… he called you a ‘human’."
 
"Oh." I frowned. "Oh."
 
"And so, every time I look back on that, I wonder. Why did he use that word? It made sense to me at the time. Human is different from <human>, just like unicorn is different from <unicorn>. Looking at it from an etymology standpoint, it obviously refers to the Tuatha. At the time, I didn't even think about it; he saw you, he drew a name from the myths, and he used it. If you'd called the Princess a <pegacorn>, it would be about the same. But it seems a little more suspicious now - "
 
" - now that we've found the Tuatha." I finished grimly. "Holy crow. We need to get this to Celestia, ten minutes ago."
 
"Woah, dude. Chillax." Artemis threw a wing around me. "No need to get all hot'n'bothered."
 
"Okay, no. Just… just stop." I poked her in the side, and she clamped her wing down, protecting her ticklish underbelly. "Stop being 'cool'. You're way too awesome as an anachronism. Own it. But tell me; why not?"
 
"Forsooth, knave; Mine sister hath no need for thy misty mazing's!" I grinned, and she smirked back. "The connection between Sombra and the Tuatha is already clear. No need to go running."
 
"Is this something from the archeology project I'm missing?" I sampled a piece of… cinnamon cheesecake? Interesting.
 
"No, no." Artemis waved a hoof airily. "It's become increasingly obvious that Sombra is intent on some sort of resography; his inter-dimensional magic is far beyond ours. First the Crystal Empire disappeared. Then, he tried using Shadow Glory to vanish it completely. Later, Glisten goes for the Misty Mirror, which we didn't even know was in Manehatten. Afterwards, she constructed an even more intricate spell for Phoresy, and I'd bet a bushel of apples that wasn't her original work. Finally, the windigos have marked his steps the whole way, not to mention all the things Glisten said when you confronted her in the mirror-world. The Tuatha are closely tied to an Otherworld in every single Equestrian myth about them. I would be shocked if Sombra hadn't turned them up in his research. Hay, it was one of the first things you looked into when you considered interdimensional travel, right?"
 
"…right." I sat back down slowly. "But still."
 
"Oh, you're correct. Tia needs to know." Artemis hooked the platter, with one lonely piece of cheesecake remaining, a little closer. "But no need to rush off. It's not a new idea; merely another data point. Besides, we’re not done. We can’t just ask if he was interested in your form; we need to ask why? What is there, about you, that he would value above Shadow Glory's power, or Glisten's adaptability?"
 
"And after you proved yourself no easy prey, was that reason enough for him to recruit one of my… peers?" Bit pulled the platter back a few inches. Artemis' brows lowered. "Despite the tendency of changeling inheritance rituals to produce self-centered fools, who can't see past their own noses?"
 
"Exactly." Artemis smiled, and tugged on the tray slightly. Bit refused to yield.
 
"But." Twilight snagged the last piece of cake, ignoring the twin frowns she received. I sighed, and waved for Pearlette. "A changeling? As a replacement for him?" She waved at me. "He may not be much - "
 
"Hey!"
 
" - but he is weird - "
 
"Hey!"
 
"- and I don’t think a changeling could mimic that."
 
Bit frowned, and glanced around the café. Although customers had been coming in and out, it was empty for now. She closed her eyes, and concentrated. Blue fire wreathed her momentarily, and after a second a svelte human sat before us., wearing a cream tuxedo to accent her black skin.  Her eyes had returned to crystal facets, but the shimmering patterns unique to Queens formed royal-blue pupils.
 
"Like this, I would pass as human to the average magical inspection." She flickered, and her eyes normalized to human orbs, her skin took on the translucence of flesh, and she spread fingers with real prints. "Like this, I would pass as human to even the most detailed inspection, magical or scientific." She raised one hand, and it arced blue, changing from dark to pink. She grasped my hand and turned it over, placing our fingers side-by-side. "If you look, the prints match. If I continue, I could even fool a scan of the veins in my palm or retina. According to my research on mimicry in the mirror-world, that is difficult."
 
"We had that tech. It was considered some of the highest security." I mumbled. "You are dangerous."
 
"Then I'm in good company." She flickered back to her first human form. "You're correct, Twilight. A changeling can't. But a Queen could, given time and resources. I've been fortunate to acquire a secondary form as a hatchling, from combining samples of Wes and Fluttershy's base-patterns - " She cut off, as Twilight and Artemis shared a glance, and burst into giggles.
 
"What?" Bit and I matched confused frowns. They giggled harder.
 
"Hah - I was just - heehee - picturing Wes - glurk - married to Fluttershy." Twilight collapsed in giggles. Pearlette carefully avoided her flailing as she set another platter of cake on the table. I nodded my thanks.
 
"And - hah - Fluttershy adopting a Changeling - hoo -Queen!" Artemis pounded the table. I sighed, and shrugged. Pony humor. Although the idea of Fluttershy as Bit's 'mom' was a little silly; I pictured her ever-so-meekly admonishing an impassive Bitterbloom, and smiled.
 
"Putting that aside…" Bit waited until they calmed down enough to speak again. "Another Queen could do something similar, although it might take much more time and power."
 
"But as for what…" I frowned.
 
"We can only speculate." Bit shrugged. "Still, we know this. Sombra knows about the Tuatha. He wanted something from a changeling Queen; something he was willing to pay handsomely for, if he put the Mirror at Phoresy’s disposal. And Chrysalis, for some reason, decided to interfere in that bargain." Bit's ears flattened very slightly. "Using me as a pawn. Chrysalis was trying to knock Phoresy down, using the most effective tool she could get her hooves on. It worked. She may be stupid, but she's still sly. What is she doing now? What was her end?" The changeling sighed, steepling her fingers before her face. "That's why I'm here in Canterlot. That's what I have my agents investigating."
 
"That's… a very good reason." I rubbed my forehead. "But… why all the secrecy?"
 
"What secrecy?" Her voice was flat.
 
"Um…"
 
"Sir, when did you last check your correspondence folder?"
 
"Uh…" I tried to think back. Where had I left it?
 
"Really." She sighed softly. "Are you helpless without me? Please tell me you didn't spiral into depression and spend all week moping."
 
"I wasn't - "
 
"You were moping."
"He was moping."
 
"Ouch!" I glared at Twilight and Artemis. "Not even a heartbeat's hesitation!"
 
"And you're looking scruffy." Bit leaned in close, running a finger along my jaw. "You haven't shaved this week. For shame, sir." She wrapped slim fingers around my wrist, and shot my cuff up my arm, revealing my straight-razor. "And you have no excuse for that."
 
"Wes… do you carry sharp objects everywhere?" Twilight looked at the cold steel, and sighed.
 
"Yes," I replied, matter-of-fact. "Don't you?" I pointed to her horn.
 
"This is - "
 
"Yes." Artemis gave Twilight a quelling look. "Take it easy, Twilight. Physical weapons aren't even much of a threat."
 
"According to mother, you almost killed me with this." Bit contemplated the razor. I swallowed.
 
"Look, Bit - "
 
"I remember it, you know? It was one of the last memories she had, before she completed the inheritance focus. She could see your wrath, your imbalance and strife. You almost ended it then."
 
I looked up at her impassive eyes, unsure what to say. I couldn't deny the accusation, but I'd choke before I said it to her face. She caressed the steel absently, fingers cool against my wrist.
 
Everything was still.
 
"I'm confiscating it." I flinched as she slipped the blade from my arm.
 
"Wait - " I reached out, but she snatched it away. I grasped helplessly as she spun it between her fingers. "Give it back!"
 
"Denied." She smiled ever-so-slightly. "Use it or lose it. Now it's mine."
 
"But!"
 
"Nope." She slipped it into a sleeve, and I blinked. Weren't those illusions? "It's too dangerous to carry around. If you need it, ask nicely. I'll lend it back."
 
"Hmm." Artemis sighed, and set down her piece of cake. "Well, this has been fun. Is there any other reasons you called me? If not, I should really be getting back to work."
 
"Wait a second." I held up a finger. "Called you?"
 
"Of course." Her puzzlement was frank. "You were waiting for me, right? Isn't this from you?" She produced a piece of paper. It was typed, with the address of the café, and a square-wave sideways 'S' squiggle.
 
"Oh." I slumped, suddenly returned to reality. "You too?" I slid the note I'd received across the table. "It looks like the fun has been doubled."
 
"Scuse me?" The four of us looked up, as a courier stepped up to our table, tipping her hat. "Delivery for one Artemis Cutepillow?"
 
"That's… me?" Artemis hesitantly accepted a letter, to our giggling.
 
"Her name is Cutepillow."
"Pffft. Cutepillow."
"Cutepillow. Hah. Adorable."
 
"Shush!" She snapped, as soon as the courier left. "I never even gave this disguise a last name!" She opened the letter, and grimaced.
 
"Bad news, Miss Cutepillow?" I suppressed another snicker, to a dark look.
 
"I'm not quite sure." She sighed, and flipped the paper towards us. "It seems the fun has been tripled." On the paper was one address, a time, and the now-familiar sigil. I mentally named the sender 'Squarewave'. "Should we go?"
 
"I don't think we have much choice." I scribbled Pearlette an I.O.U. for the embassy. Not something I made a habit of, but… I glanced at the time. We didn't have long. "We've got a pretty strong group here. Let's proceed with firm caution."
 
"Emphasis on the caution." Artemis glanced at the slip of paper again. "Whoever this is… they don't seem malevolent so far. But I'm uneasy about somepony who's seen through my disguise so simply."
 
"Join the club." I shrugged. "But, yeah. Emphasis on the caution." I shrugged, and we turned towards the door.
 
One way or another, we'd get to the bottom of this.
 
Hopefully it wouldn't hurt too much.
 



 
"It could be a noble?" I looked up at the buildings around us. We needed to be a few streets over.
 
"No." Artemis rolled her eyes. "No pony who knows Celestia is insane enough to try manipulating her agents. And nopony anywhere is insane enough to try manipulating me."
 
"How about xenos?" Bit suggested. "Griffons? Minotaurs? Foreign changelings? We’ve only accounted for the Equestrian Queens, after all."
 
"Speculation is pointless." Twilight rolled her eyes. "We don't have nearly enough information on the notes. That's why we're here. I just wish we had time to send for backup."
 
"Yeah." I grimaced. "I hate walking into traps."
 
"Sir, if they'd wanted to kill you, they could have left you a slit throat instead of a slip of paper." My razor flickered in Bit's hand for a moment. "I think you have control issues."
 
"I probably do!" I threw my arms in the air. "I'll stop being paranoid when I stop being right!"
 
"Oh." Bit looked up, as a sudden noise split the air. "Hmm."
 
Wooop. Wooop. Wooop.
 
Bars of green light sprang up around us, bending to fit through the group.
 
Wooop. Woo -
 
The wards flickered, and the calm warning faded, disappearing as quickly as it came. We traded looks.
 
"The changeling wards are acting up?" I glanced at Artemis, as we unanimously walked faster.
 
"Same as last time." She frowned. "They trigger, and then fade."
 
"Strange." Bit frowned. "That's not at all how they should - "
 
Sudden yelling and stampeding drew our attention to the end of the street. The address we were headed towards was leaking heavy black smoke, and ponies were yelling and running.
 
"A fire?" I slowed slightly, looking for rescue teams.
 
"No." Bit accelerated. "That's infused with power! Somepony was spellcasting in there."
 
- oop. Wooop.
 
The streams of ponies halted, as the wards re-activated for a moment. Bit and I paused; the other two didn't have auth-coins, so without us, they'd have to break through.
 
"We should - "
"Hold on, let's - "
"Why can't we - "
"HUSH!"
 
The group turned to me as I waved my arms and yelled.
 
"Look, before we get into anything, we need a leader, or we'll be at cross-purposes the whole way." I crossed my arms. "We have two princesses, a Queen, and a meddlesome human. No-one in this group is a bad choice, but we all think differently. We need to pick someone and stick with it. I vote for Bit."
 
"Me?" She took a step back, raising a hand to her face.
 
"You know about Chrysalis." I shrugged. "Besides, you're grown-up now, right?"
 
"I vote for Artemis." Twilight grimaced. "No offense, Bit, but you're a little inexperienced for this."
 
"She has Tezeca's experience." I frowned.
 
"I vote for Wes." Bit crossed her own arms. "He's excellent at improvising, and we're going to need that." All of us turned to Artemis.
 
"I get the deciding vote, hmm?" She smiled. "Well, I make it a principle to not vote for myself, and tempting as it is, voting for Twilight would be an inexcusable - "
 
CRASH.
 
Despite the wards, somepony was still moving at our destination. I winced as a body blasted through one of the windows, bouncing off the opposite wall.
 
"Bit's in charge." Artemis clapped her with a wing. "We'll back you to the hilt so don't hesitate now, little one."
 
"Right." Bit gave a firm nod. "First thing, Artemis, link with Wes."
 
"But I can't - " I started to object, but Bit shushed me.
 
"You can as long as she stays disguised. It's enough of a dampener. You've locked down more than two-thirds of your nature, right Artemis?" The pegasus nodded. Bit walked over to Twilight, and threw an arm around her neck. Walking forward, the wards reacted to her authorization, and bent around both of them. "I'd ask you myself, but I haven't mastered suppression yet, and asymmetrical links are dangerous. I understand that, now." She shrugged wistfully. "Maybe in a few years, or if we get really desperate. You should practice suppression too, Twilight."
 
"Hmm, yes. It could work." Artemis gave me a thoughtful nod.
 
"And right now, Wes is our most vulnerable asset. He's always more effective in symmetry, so unless you really need to bring in the high-power stuff, work with him."
 
"No high-power stuff in the city." Artemis shook her head. "Limiting my power here is necessary anyways. Wes, if you like?"
 
I hesitated for a second, but nodded. I felt a little strange about all the linking I'd done since returning. It was an oddly intimate thing. Still, it's not like these ponies were complete strangers. And we hadn't gone to extreme lengths.
 
The link formed with a snap. Luna winced, and I shook the pain from my head. The backlash seemed to lessen each time.
 
"Testing, testing?" I pushed a few words, and a vision of Alicorn Pinkie across the link. "Can you say - pretty-pink-party-pony-princess?
 
"Gah!" Artemis winced. "What a horrifying idea!"
 
"You catch on quick." I extended a mental plea. "Lend a little magic?"
 
"Sure." She passed a tiny feed of power across the link. I drew it in, and felt myself grow lighter. I threw an arm around her neck. Bit and Twilight were almost at our destination. The wards flickered intermittently, and ponies fled in jerks and halts. As I watched, the pony thrown through the window limped back inside.
 
"That's odd." Artemis frowned. "Let's move." I felt her gather the wind around us, pulling currents of air into a workable stream. She flicked her wings wide, and air wrapped me, gently wafting us off the ground. She flapped once, and we skimmed down the street like a thrown dart, zipping past Bit and Twilight at shoulder-level. I glanced at the pavement flowing quickly past, and wished for a skateboard helmet.
 
"I won't drop you." I could feel her smile across the link. "I've been at this longer than Rainbow."
 
"Could you beat her in a race?" Honest curiosity tinted the thought.
 
"Not as a pegasus." Artemis gave a mental shrug. "As an alicorn it wouldn't even be a contest. The boost from my other magic is unreal."
 
"Yeah, I've seen some of that in Twilight, already. Her physical power has gone through the roof, and it affects her spellcasting." We touched down outside the building, and I drew my vibroblade. "She may not have noticed herself. She's still too unicorn, I think."
 
"Give her a few centuries." Artemis shrugged. "She's two-thirds foal."
 
"Huh." I hesitated. "Should we go in?"
 
"Wait for the leader."
 
"Okay." Bit and Twilight arrived a moment later. The changeling stepped up, and raised a hand. "There's magic happening in there. I'm going to disrupt it as best I can, and then we're going in."
 
"Disrupt?" I watched curiously, as she swung her arm, tracing a pattern in the air with outstretched fingers. A rune-circle quickly formed before her, glimmering a deep, royal blue. I blinked; her magic had changed color. My focus shifted as I realized she was using unfamiliar runes. Inherited from previous Queens? That could contribute significantly to her power.
 
Before I could try analyzing the circle, it activated with a flash. There was a burst of power, but it was disorganized chaos, scrambled noise.
 
Something inside shattered.
 
"Overloading the ambient magic?" Twilight whistled. "Clever. I bet bypassing the ground protection on their spell took some oomph, though."
 
"I'm flush with power. Enter!" She leaped through the shattered window; Artemis kicked in the door, and Twilight and I dove after.
 
Inside, ponies stood around a smoking spell-circle, arguing.
 
"This is our second failure! You said you could do this!" One was a stick-thin pegasus stallion, ash-grey with flat, ink-black eyes.
 
"Shut up, Bodkin! I can!" The other was a changeling Queen, gnarled and scraggly, with a ragged blue mane. She looked hard-pressed. Her shimmering green eyes were dancing with anger and fear.
 
"Chrysalis!" Twilight and I hissed together, as they turned towards us.
 
"Well, that escalated quickly." The dark pony shrugged and spread razor-thin wings. They glittered crystal in the dim light; I'd eat my hat if he wasn't a Lieutenant. "First the wards, now this! I'm bailing. If you can't clean up here, explain it to Sombra yourself. Golems, cover me!"
 
"Stop him!" Bit stepped towards Chrysalis, waving us at Bodkin. He smirked, and slashed his wings downwards. I yanked on Artemis' power, drawing my vibroblade as I accelerated. Surprise flashed across his face as I nearly clipped his feathers. He swerved hard; I swerved harder, using echonarchy for traction and power. I matched him in a flat dash for the window. Our battle was already progressing faster than the eye could see when Artemis joined.
 
I felt a hint of apprehension from the link. She interposed herself roughly just before I blocked a blow, carefully deflecting it instead. I winced as Bodkin's crystal pinions shredded her wing.
 
"Careful, Wes. Those are more than just feathers." I nodded, wary. Those crystals doubled as blades. Bodkin curled up, somersaulting past her in mid-air to land in the street. He nearly made good his escape, but Artemis followed quickly; her slashing tackle cut in at knee-level, changing his take-off to a clumsy tumble. I gathered power on the windowsill a moment, springing across the street in a level arc, blade slashing as I passed. He twisted a wing deftly to roll in midair, slipping between my blade and Artemis' hooves by the barest margins.
 
Tak.
 
We landed in tableau, inspecting each other carefully. This was a serious fight; despite being two-on-one, Bodkin had held his own. In some ways, this pegasus was as formidable as Shadow. Luna might make quick work of him, but Artemis was limited by civilians.
 
"Gol~LEMS!" he yelled, projecting his voice hugely.
 
Crash-crash-crash-crash!
 
I stumbled back, as huge chunks of crystal rained from the sky.
 
"Get back!" I pushed an image of unfolding windigolems to Artemis, and she danced away from the juggernauts. Sure enough, the chunks of glassy rock uncurled, taking only vaguely ponyish forms. I leaned on Artemis’ power to zip in, bisecting the nearest before it finished. My blade sung through it easily and it crumbled into sand. Bodkin shot me a sharp glance, clearly re-evaluating me after seeing the vibroblade’s effect.
 
"Oh, hay." I took in the forms of the golems, and pushed a hint of terror towards Artemis. They still had four legs, and something like a head, but now… instead of simple stabbing arms like I'd seen in Phoresy's hive, these golems were clearly packing barrels. As I watched, mechanical movement cycled through all of them, and I threw up the strongest shield I could manage, lunging to cover my pegasus companion.
 
It was barely in time; a barrage of crystal slammed me back into Artemis, and a cloud of stinging sand lashed through the shield. I couldn’t stop the projectiles, but least my echonarchy had disintegrated them.
 
"Faster," Artemis mumbled. "Accelerate, Wes."
 
"You want me to dodge bullets?"
 
"A moment ago, you might have. Watch." She blurred, leaving a star-spangled aura. Three ear-splitting cracks rang out, and the remaining golems shattered. Bodkin frowned, but he was already in the air.
 
"Chrysalis, you stupid roach! Are you coming, or not?" His voice rolled through the street.
 
"Good try!" the changeling Queen taunted, flitting out the window. Bit followed, in changeling form again, and looking somewhat the worse for wear. "Try again in a few years, hatchling!" I glimpsed Twilight facing more golems inside; their projectiles ricocheted off her shield as she calmly dismantled them one-by-one.
 
"Stop!" I moved to block Chrysalis, but momentum slid her past. For a fraction of a second she turned to look back, and I saw her expression change. Ferocity gave way to something else, and she mouthed a plea. I’d nearly missed it. She spun back towards Bodkin, face set again. Artemis moved after, but Bodkin touched the Queen’s shoulder and they vanished in a flash. Rainbow might be the fastest pegasus, but those crystal bodies were pure haxx.
 
"She said ‘help me?’" I stood dazed in the street as my friends cleaned up the last of the opposition. Chrysalis, in the split-second she had been certain Bodkin couldn't see, had begged for my assistance. "What the hay?"

> 67 - Freefall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, what have we got?"
 
I watched the street, while Luna and Twilight analyzed the burned-out spell.
 
"It was a… locator?" Twilight frowned at the charred mess. "Maybe?"
 
"Probably." Artemis shrugged. "But it is too destroyed to be sure..”
 
"Helpful." My voice was dry.
 
"Hush, sir. I don't see you working." Bit, human shaped again, leaned on the doorframe with her hands behind her back.
 
"You're switching shape lots." I quirked an eyebrow, ignoring the jibe. "Are your reserves healthy?"
 
"I appreciate the concern." She smiled slightly. "But taking human form is trivial. Since I learned as a hatchling, it is practically second nature. And my reserves are far beyond needing daily checks." She looked away. "But I still do, of course."
 
"Of course." I smiled. "Must be nice. You have agents now. Will you even need my help?"
 
"I… don't need it." She hesitated. "But, um, since I am going to be your secretary, you should pay me something… maybe?"
 
"Hah! Well, then there's no avoiding it. Daily wage; one dram of loyalty. Fair, for such a skilled assistant."
 
"Mmm." She nodded.
 
"But what happened in here? Were the windigolems too much, or what?"
 
"Hmm." She rubbed her jaw. "That was part of it. They occupied Twilight, and I faced Chrysalis. You and Artemis had the more difficult opponent, but I was still unable to hold my own." She shrugged. "I've inherited some useful instincts, but it seems fighting isn't easily transferred. I’m acclimating, though."
 
"Adjusting to being a different shape?"
 
"No… well, perhaps partially." She frowned. "But I change my shape while fighting. Tezeca’s methods center around that."
 
"Oh, interesting." I shrugged. "Well, I can't help with that. But, hey; we should spar sometime."
 
"Hmm." She gave me a speculative look. "That might be fun."
 
"Alright, we're done." Twilight and Artemis trotted out. "What's the call, Bit? Do we continue?"
 
"Uh." The changeling looked up, surprised.
 
"You're the leader until this is over." I crossed my arms. "So, is it? Are we giving up?"
 
"I, um." She frowned. "Well, I'm not sure. Ideas?"
 
"We've lost them." Artemis shrugged. "We could put out a call on the Guard; actually, we should do that anyways. But the likelihood of a search actually finding them is slim."
 
"Unless they want to be found." Twilight grimaced.
 
"Actually…" I raised my hand. "About that. At the end of the fight, something very strange happened. Chrysalis was fleeing, and I moved to block her. I didn't make it, but for a moment she was completely between me and the other, Bodkin. When she was certain he couldn’t see, she gave me this pleading look and said 'help me'. I have no idea what to make of that, but…"
 
"It's probably important." Twilight frowned.
 
"She wants to betray Bodkin." Artemis emphasized with a stamp.
 
"What?" Twilight looked up, puzzled. "How do you know?"
 
"The wards, for one." Bit waved at the surrounding area. "I'm confident that the wards firing, and firing intermittently, was Chrysalis' doing. She absolutely has the ability to evade them. That's purposeful. She wants to draw attention to whatever Bodkin is doing. And now she's attracted our attention, she's begging for mercy."
 
"Blech. Yellow-bellied-lily-livered-two-timing-cockroach!" I spat. "But, she's with Bodkin. If he's not a lieutenant, I'm deaf and blind. That means she's with Sombra. How did that happen?"
 
"It's useless to speculate." Twilight shrugged. "But…"
 
"Go on."
 
"Well, Chrysalis knocked Phoresy down, right?"
 
"We did, but yeah."
 
"What if she wanted to take her place?"
 
"Ah." Bit nodded. "Sombra needs a Queen. There were only four changeling Queens in Equestria. Wraith was taken out early, and Tezeca wouldn't have allied with Sombra. Phoresy was in a much better position than Chrysalis, but maybe Chrysalis still wanted the spot."
 
"So she schemed to take her rival's place." I shrugged. "Yeah, that makes some sense. But then, if she wanted this, why is she suddenly so scared? Did she get cold feet?"
 
"Sombra's scheme is enough to dismay Chrysalis?" Artemis whistled. "That… does not paint a good picture."
 
"All speculation." Bit waved a hand, cutting the discussion off. "These thoughts are good, but not based on anything concrete. We need to focus on the matter at hand; protecting Canterlot, and foiling Bodkin. We can worry about Chrysalis later."
 
"Well, you're not wrong." Artemis shrugged. "But how do you plan to find them?"
 
"It's uncertain at best, but remember; we've still got another mystery." She walked across the street, into a dimly lit alley. As my eyes adjusted, I saw a sideways "S" painted on the wall, with an arrow directing us around the corner. "It seems our mysterious benefactor has been here as well."
 
"Dang." I rubbed at the paint; it was some sort of pastel. "I guess….it's the best we've got."
 
A round of shrugs answered.
 



 
"Are we going in circles?" I scratched my forehead.
 
"Yes." Bit shrugged.
 
"Did we miss an arrow?"
 
"No," Artemis groaned.
 
"Should we stop?"
 
"Probably." Twilight sighed. "This is getting us nowhere!"
 
"No, wait. We're actually going in circles?"
 
"Yes," Bit repeated. "The last several arrows are circular." She ran a hand over the nearest square-wave. "But I don't have any better ideas, so we looped three times. Can I step down?"
 
"Later, if you like." Artemis shrugged. "Anypony struck by inspiration?"
 
"More circles?" I suggested.
 
"We could follow the screaming?" Twilight paused. "Wait, screaming?"
 
We paused, listening. Sure enough, in the middle distance I heard stampeding, and what might be flickering wards.
 
"Wes!" Artemis spread a wing towards me. "I'll give you a lift! Let's go!"
 
"Right." I threw an arm around her neck. "Twilight, Bit, you can fly yourselves, right?"
 
"Sure." Bit shrugged, and lacy wings burst from her shoulders. "Although mix-and-match can be tricky, I've got this one."
 
"Woah." I blinked at that. "Sweet. Race you?"
 
"Pff." Artemis flipped her wings, and we were gone. "She doesn't stand a chance."
 
"You know," I projected across the link, "I don't mind Squarewave. Really, I can deal with manipulation and not knowing. I don't actually have control issues. Right? Being secretive, that's okay. Forge ahead, keep a weather eye; as long as they're helping, we're good. If they cross us, we bust out the kick-ass. But routing us in circles like that? Kinda a jerk move."
 
"Should have kept a weather eye," Luna retorted. Amusement was palpable in the thought. "Or learn to take a joke. Hang out with Pinkie more."
 
"Blech." I looked down. We’d reached the stampede. "Do we have a plan this time?" I reached to my ear, feeling for an intercom, thinking to ask Bit. "Wait - gah. I totally forgot I was going to start carrying communicators everywhere."
 
"This works for me." She looped wide, approaching the street with smooth speed, before braking on a dime and landing light as a feather.
 
"Sure, the link is great in a pinch." I shrugged. "But it's just one-on-one. I was going to ask Bit, if -"
 
ZZZZZZZZZZZ
 
I whipped my head around as Bit hurtled in at head-level, backwash whipping my hair. She scooped with her dragonfly wings, alighting right next to me. Her tux was barely creased.
 
"Found 'em." She pointed to a nearby building. "Could Squarewave have directed us intentionally?"
 
"Hope not." I rubbed my nose. "I thought Discord was bad. But he can't actually see the future."
 
"Well, whatever they're after, they're trying again.” Bit frowned. “They've got to be desperate, or they'd lay low. That's good for us.  I won't scramble their spell this time; maybe we can get a read on their intentions. But we need to switch things up a little. Last time, we barely held our own."
 
"Take Artemis against Chrysalis. Twilight and I will keep the golems and Bodkin off your back." I checked my vibroblade.
 
"Might work." Artemis shrugged. "Leaving the strongest for last can be an effective strategy, as long as you can afford to stall them. But if you take point, Wes, and Twilight covers you… that could work. Your weapons are the most effective against crystalline enemies. You’re the squishiest, as well."
 
"Blech."
 
"Sounds good." Bit nodded. "Ready?"
 
"Huff!" Twilight wafted in behind, panting.
 
"Ready!" Artemis and I shouted.
 
"Go!" Bit and Artemis took off at top speed, headed for the building.
 
"Wait!" Twilight raised a hoof. "What are we doing?"
 
"Come on, you're with me." I drew my blade, and we dashed after. "Just, try to keep them from poking holes in my tender pink skin, huh?"
 



 
"Seriously!" I slashed through another windigolem. "Where do they get these things?"
 
"Make them on demand?" Twilight stepped up beside me, pushing the shield forwards. "The crystals grow on magic, and I bet I could fit a dozen windigos in a teaspoon." She used two planes of force to crush another golem. "If I squished hard enough."
 
"And I bet he's got magic batteries of some sort in those fancy wings." I looked up. Bodkin was hovering overhead, apparently content to keep his distance from my vibroblade. "How's he pulling them from the sky, though?"
 
"Dunno." Twilight shot a few rays at him; he dodged easily. "Pegasus magic?" I groaned, as another wave of golems cracked the pavement.
 
"And that confuses you? You're, like, a third pegasus!"
 
"Actually, I'm all pegasus. Just like I'm all unicorn, and all earth pony. Three completes, not three fractions." She bucked a nearby golem so hard the shrapnel damaged two more. "It's part of why the link won't work with me, until I can pull that nifty alt spell."
 
"Enough of this." I glanced at the building. "What's keeping them with Chrysalis?" A window shattered.
 
"That bug might be dumb, but given the chance, she can fight," Twilight spat. "Bit and her were doing this whole melt-and-flow deal. I could barely follow them."
 
"Crazy. Hope Artemis is better at support."
 
"Bound to be." Twilight grimaced. "I could barely duck and cover fast enough."
 
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Twi. Hey, I know; you can support me. Give me a few footholds?" I waved upwards.
 
"Take to the sky?" She frowned at Bodkin. "I'm not sure that's wise."
 
"I'll borrow a bit of pegasus magic from Artemis." The nearest golem crumbled under my blade. "Besides, he's wary of me. Please? Just… keep something under my feet."
 
"Hmmm." She narrowed her eyes. "That won't be good enough. How about we try…. Saturation?" Blink. She focused, and a swarm of small shield globes, none less than six inches, popped into being. "Not enough." Blink. They multiplied, filling the whole block, reaching above Bodkin's height. "More!" Blink. Blink. Blink. Looking up, the sky was filled with tiny, purple stepping stones. Bodkin glanced around, disconcerted.
 
"Good enough." I smirked, and called for power. Artemis poured it across the link. I crouched and vaulted high, soaring up into the noonday sky. "Wooohoooo!"
 
Bodkin's eyes widened, as I rocketed straight towards him. He spun to flee, but hesitated as the orbs started to shift, moving in seemingly random curves. I reached for the nearest to shift my path, vaulting higher.
 
"Careful not to hit me, Twilight!"
 
I couldn't tell if she nodded, but the orbs started to hum in their paths.
 
"Best. Support. Ever." I could feel them around me. Bodkin turned back, just in time to dodge my next blow.
 
"That's ingenious." Artemis' voice pierced my battle-focus.
 
"Tell me about it. She's given me a boost, while hampering him." I bounced off a sphere, taking another pass at Bodkin. He was fast, but the unpredictable movements of the orbs hampered his mobility, while boosting mine. "If we can't hold him like this, we can't hold him at all." A bit of surprise filtered across the link, as the crystal pegasus crushed one foothold with a kick. "And, yeah. That might be the case. How's it going in there?"
 
"Wild." I nearly fumbled my hold, as I caught a glimpse of the inside fight. The room was a whirlwind, centered on Bit and Chrysalis. Their forms flickered, flowing fluidly from shape-to-shape as the very battle paradigm changed, fast and furious. I saw speed attacks shift to long range, to high power, to illusion, and back to speed. For a second, I swear Bit was spinning a chainsaw. It matched her ivory suit and jet skin.
 
"Hold up! Can you fight like that?" I imagined Wraith, as I backed away from Bodkin, just trying interfere as he started clearing the nearby area.
 
"I don't need to, most of the time. My power tops theirs, if I have room to use it." I caught a hint of her frustration. She felt constricted fighting in a city; hemmed in by hostages, her very strength turned against her. "Still, I've got data. This locator thing; it's pointing towards Bodkin."
 
"Later!" I brushed her aside as the lieutenant flashed past me.
 
"Really, Wes." She reached across the link; I could feel her smirk. "No need to be so gentle. You're not going to hurt me." And she poured power into my head.
 
"Again with the aura," I whispered, as I started trailing stars.
 
The world slowed.
 
Blink.
 
Twilight repaired the field.
 
I smirked. Bodkin glanced over his shoulder, actual worry showing on his face. My sword nearly took his left wing at the shoulder.
 
I lost him with a flash. He was accelerating too, leaving a trail of glistening jags.
 
"High speed takes finesse." Another part of Artemis' mind opened to me, and I felt the wind sing.
 
"You are better than Rainbow." I grabbed a passing current and bent it around myself. The globes aligned under my feet, as I zipped after my opponent. He dodged again, and I smiled, bending my blade. This time I did take him at the shoulder. I hissed as he reformed. "Even if you're slower. But I need to focus. Pretty please?"
 
"As you will." She chuckled, and turned her attention back to her fight, probing every moment for a gap in Chrysalis' and Bit's battle.
 
Slash. Zip. Zing! Woosh.
 
I pressed in hard, submerging myself in the flow of the fight, dancing near the noon sun. Lyra's training let me dissolve into concentrated ferocity, without having to struggle to maintain control. My sword folded around me, blocking and attacking simultaneously. Bodkin moved like lightning, and I responded with thunder, echonarchy pulsing and roaring through my body. I was actually pushing him, nearly matching him, though it was technically three-on-one.
 
Still, no matter how I tried, I was out of my league.
 
And he could heal. I swear; pure haxx.
 
He eventually landed a solid blow, breaking through a shield sphere to slam me out of the sky. I blacked out, but recovered moments before hitting the ground. I pulled on Artemis' power hard, drawing the sting from the landing as I slammed onto my back.
 
"Ooof." I looked up. Nothing broken; merely winded. Pretty good for falling four stories. Coruscating beams sliced the sky; Twilight was keeping Bodkin from following, but she was starting to look winded.
 
"Where they hay is the guard?" I frowned. "Or the other princess?"
 
"The guard don't intervene in this sort of thing," Twilight grit. "Not without orders from someone on Shining's level. And Princess Celestia would be just as hampered as Luna. At least they're not actively taking hostages."
 
"Yet." I grimaced. "Well, Bit, I hope you're done in there soon, because -"
 
CRASH.
 
My assistant came flying through the wall, still locked in combat. Chrysalis looked up, and one more round of golems fell.
 
"Blech." I scrambled to my feet. As they moved in, the Queens disengaged. Artemis attacked, but Bodkin swooped, pushing her back. Chrysalis hooked a foreleg around him, and spread her wings. They ran.
 
"Again." A moment later, we stood surrounded by smoking heaps of glass. I slumped, tension draining away. "They ran again! What the hay?"
 
"At least we put up a decent fight." Bit staggered over to lean on me. I accepted her exhausted weight, slumping against the wall myself.
 
"We did make a better showing." Artemis frowned. "But I feel just as frustrated." She looked up as a courier haltingly approached, avoiding broken glass and rubble.
 
"Message for an Artemis Fuzzmuffin?" The mailmare hesitantly offered her a folded paper.
 
I could barely restrain my laughter at her disgruntled face.
 
"Squarewave, I swear…" She ripped the envelope open.
 
"News?"
 
"Olds." She sighed. "Another address. Dated for tomorrow. Oh, and a note. 'Trust your lucky stars. - Squarewave'."
 
"What is this guy, a fortune cookie?"
 
"I'm more bothered by that signature. Did they guess, or have they heard us calling them Squarewave?" Twilight sighed. "I don’t like either. But, at least we've got the invitation to our next grudge match, huh?"
 
"So relieved." I slid down the wall, ending up cross-legged on the ground with Bit at my side. "At least we get the evening to recuperate."
 
"You need to shave," my assistant mumbled.
 
"Ah. Yes. I always forget the important things."
 



 
"Ow!" I winced away from the gauze. We'd retired to the castle, to patch our wounds and plan.
 
"Hold still." Twilight pierced me with a glare. "I need to clean these cuts."
 
"They're shallow!" I reached for magic, thinking I could quickly scab them, but it slipped through my grasp. "And if I wasn't so exhausted, I could do something about it." I glanced at Bit. "How'd you fare, assistant mine?"
 
"Poorly." She grimaced. "Artemis' support was invaluable, but she couldn't interfere directly. Still, I managed to hold for longer than I anticipated."
 
"You did well, for a novice." Artemis patted Bit with a wing. "With training, you will be formidable indeed."
 
"So, did we get anything besides a beatdown?" I tried to fend off the floating antiseptic, but Twilight slipped it past my guard. "OW!"
 
"Well, Squarewave seems to be prescient." Artemis shrugged. "But also helpful. We'll have to ask Celestia what sort of backup we can get for tomorrow."
 
"Oooo, a squadron of Guards!" I waved my hands, excitedly.
 
"No." She gave me a disgusted look. "Imagine them going up against Bodkin."
 
"Um." I envisioned a meatgrinder, and flinched. "Ouch. Wait, we talked about this. What class is Bodkin?"
 
"A." She nodded firmly. "Very high A. If we didn't already have a good idea of what lieutenants can do, he'd be an S. We can't take anypony classed below B against him. Most of the guard tops out at C. Shining or the Wonderbolts would be useful, but… for any official help, this is pretty short notice."
 
"Besides." Twilight shrugged. "Maybe we've got this?"
 
"Maybe." Bit grimaced. "But why work harder than necessary?"
 
"Now that's my student!" I ruffled her hair playfully. "Right. There's no reason to turn down an advantage. Seriously. Who can we get? Would Celestia come?"
 
"She has court soon after." Artemis frowned. "She'd love to skip, but… with us already involved, she couldn't convince herself. As Twilight said, we may be enough."
 
"Rainbow? Sunset? Rarity? Applejack? Flutter - wait, no. Lyra? Anyone from Ponyville?" I scratched my head.
 
"Transportation is the issue." Artemis grimaced. "We could conceivably get them here, but the resources needed… again, hard to justify. Rainbow is the best option if she flew herself, but she'd be exhausted. Sunset might take the internet - "
 
"Wait, internet?"
 
"Interstitial warpspace net? The teleport system the Guard uses in emergencies?"
 
"Oh. Right."

"But the same would apply. Sixteen warps is no joke, even with beacons."
 
"Blech. OWWWW!" I snapped the piece of gauze from the air, shattering Twilight's aura. "Enough! I'll be fine!" I heaved a sigh. "Even with my vibroblade, I'm still the squishiest." I glanced around the room. "I guess that's what I get for hanging with the bruisers."
 
"Awww, it's okay." Twilight gave me a feathery hug. I only twitched a little. "Don't be gloomy! I know! We've got the whole night, right?"
 
"Yes." Artemis gave her a quizzical look.
 
"We should relax! Have some fun! Recuperate!"
 
"All of those things sound nice." Bit nodded.
 
"Then, let's have a slumber party!" Twilight grinned hugely.
 
"Uh…" I glanced at Bit and Luna, who shrugged. "None of us know how to do that."
 
"Even better!" Twilight stomped a hoof, drawing herself up triumphantly. "Because I have practiced! And, I have a book! That makes me nearly an expert, so I'll be the leader!"
 
"Excellent." Bit's voice was totally devoid of sarcasm. "Then nothing can go wrong." She sounded completely serious.
 



 
"Okay. Real clouds are one-hundred-percent win." I threw myself onto the chunk of cumulonimbus Artemis had anchored on her balcony.
 
"Alright!" Twilight curled up on another corner, with All You Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask. "I've got the book! How are we doing on snacks?"
 
"Secured." Bit settled in, placing popcorn, chips, strawberry - lemonade and assorted cake in front of her.
 
"W-woah!" I started sinking, and pulled a little more pegasus magic from Artemis. "Sorry to keep you disguised, Princess, but there's no way I'd miss chilling on a real cloud."
 
"It's fine." She finished securing our slumber party raft, and climbed on. "But, you could make it up to me." I felt her reach for part of my knowledge, and shrugged.
 
<"Sure, if that's all it takes.">
 
<"Woah."> Her eyes crossed, as she tried to watch her own lips speak a suddenly familiar language. <"This is sicknasty, dude.">
 
<"No."> I facepalmed. <"Just, just no. Please.">
 
<"That's not really fair."> Twilight frowned at us. "Bit's left out."
 
"Pff." Bit drew a pout. "You should teach me English already."
 
"Sorry, ladybug." I grinned apologetically. "I could, now. I mean - um." I paused; I'd never given Bit the whole, formal explanation of where I came from, or even how I got here. She'd always been so very… innocently accepting.  "I'm not keeping any more secrets from my friends, so I really need to have a press conference explaining my dark and mysterious past. Or, wait." I started ticking off on my fingers.

"The Elements know. The Princesses know. Sunset knows. Lyra knows. Zecora knows. Who's left?" I frowned. "You," I pointed at Bit, "the CMC, and, blech, my fanclub." I rubbed my head. "I'm not telling the CMC or my fanclub. They're not really… reliable, in various ways. But you deserve an explanation. Still... maybe not now?"
 
"Hmm, I dunno." Artemis shrugged. "We could tell stories?"
 
"Yeah!" Twilight grinned. "Storytime! That's on my annotated list!" She flipped through her book. "If it was ghost stories we’d need a flashlight, but for this, we need to be snuggling!  Snuggling and telling stories is a traditional slumber party activity." She pulled Bit and Artemis close with her wings, and waved to me.
 
"Really?" I gave her book a skeptical glance. "Who wrote that thing, anyways?"
 
"An expert," she assured. "And the expert says snuggle. Get over here, Wes!"
 
"Alright, alright!" I scooted closer. Bit grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me into the fluffy pony pile. After a little adjusting, I was moderately comfortable. I breathed evenly, and after a little, most of my twitches subsided.
 
"Alright, Wes, you start," Twilight prompted.
 
"Well…" I let the word roll of my tongue. "It was a dark and stormy night. In a fit of pique, I decided to leave town for a few days…"
 



 
"I have wood, that I wish to exchange for wool." Luna held up her cards.
 
"I'll take that." I passed her a few of mine.
 
We were sitting in a recent recollection of Tezeca's garden. We had told stories and enjoyed our snacks, but it had gotten late. Twilight and Bit were reluctant to stop the party, though we needed sleep. We'd eventually hit on a compromise. Everypony present could dreamwalk, and the one human was used to phantoms and figments chasing nightmares through his head.
 
So we'd all retired early. I'd dropped off to sleep, and they'd all dropped in.
 
"What did you call this game again?" Twilight had spent the last three minutes fastidiously neatening the hexes near her.
 
"Settlers of Cataan." I placed another road. "With the expansion."
 
"It's very well designed." Twilight smirked, as the dice came up six. "And I - WES!" She glared at me, as I bumped the table, causing tiny cracks to appear in her orderly hexes.
 
"Ooops." I grinned as she started carefully aligning them again.
 
"Ah. I have secured the Longest Road." Bit reached over to appropriate the card. "That brings me up to twelve points, so I become the victor." She placed the card nearby, and smiled. Luna grimaced.
 
"Oooh, good job!" I clapped her on the shoulder. "Aaaaand, I've had enough!" I leaned back. "What's next on your annotated list, Twilight?"
 
"Hmm." Twilight concentrated, and summoned a neatly-typed piece of paper. "We've done stories, snacks, board games… Truth or Dare!"
 
"Ooof." I rubbed my eyes. "It's been a while since I played that." A slow grin crept across my face. "But, it might be fun. Let's give it a shot."
 



 
"I dare you to try bacon." I held out the delicious-smelling figment of my imagination. Luna looked at it curiously. Twilight turned pale.
 
"Don't do it, Princess!" She waved her hooves frantically. "It's not worth it! Take the penalty!"
 
"But what is it?" The alicorn frowned. "It certainly smells intriguing."
 
"Not worth it!" Twilight concentrated, and the bacon dissolved.
 
"Aww." I frowned. "Fine, fine."
 



 
"The truth is…" I laced my fingers behind my head, and sunk further into the cloud.
 
"Yes?" Twilight stared at me.
 
"I'd have asked Mirror Pinkie for her number."
 



 
"Sonic Starboom!" A blast of glittering fragments haloed out from the speeding princess.
 
"Woah." All three of us stood gaping.
 



 
"Remember, sir, only the truth, now." Bit gave me a serious look.
 
"Of course." I settled cross-legged, sensing a serious turn to the proceedings. Bit didn't really 'get' competition, or embarrassment, or even extremely curious, so she'd only participated hesitantly so far.
 
"Earlier, you assured us you were from another world." She glanced at me speculatively.
 
"That's right."
 
"Given the choice, right now, would you return?"
 
"Ah." I frowned, and Twilight and Luna shared a glance.
 
"Bit…" Twilight stepped up, as if to intervene.
 
"No, it's fine." I raised a hand. "A legitimate question." I rubbed my head. "Just… give me a minute to think."
 
We sat in silence, and I contemplated.
 
"Well…" I shrugged, leaning back to look at the stars. "I might not."
 
"Really?" Twilight's concern changed to puzzlement.
 
"I mean, I might." I waved a hand. "I'm not saying I'd absolutely refuse. But… it's not so simple anymore, you know? I've got family back home, and they mean a lot to me." I thought back to my brother, my parents. "We always got along really well, and meant a lot to each other. Heh." I laughed.
 
"At college, my friends would sit around and complain about how much they hated their siblings, or they'd never known their parents, and I couldn't speak. If they asked, all I'd say is 'They're great! I love my family.' but to some extent, even before… this, I'd grown up and moved on. We didn't even live in the same town. Sure, I miss them. But that didn't start here, and it won't end so simply, even if I return." I looked at my aide. "And now I've got connections here, friends, even some I could call family." I shrugged.
 
"Things aren't so cut-and-dry. I've got commitments. Projects I'd like to see through. Sure, everypony would understand if I walked out; hay, some even expect it. But we know so little about dimensions. Could I even make it back? How much time has passed? Are my family and friends still alive? Even when I started searching for a way home, it was more about, I dunno, having a concrete goal than really needing it. So…" I paused, thinking it over again.

"If that's all I had? A one-way ticket, with no idea of what's on the other side? I might say no." I shrugged again. "But then… I might say yes. And that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Is it enough?"
 
"It is enough." Bit's crystal eyes were inscrutable.
 
"Good. Then, Twilight… truth or baco - I mean, dare?"
 
"Blech." She shuddered. "Truth, Wes. Please, truth."
 



 
"Verily, I am done with this game." Luna flopped over sideways.
 
"Yeah, I'm running out of truths." Twilight glared at me. "And I'm getting really sick of your dares, Wes."
 
"Look." I spread my hands, trying for innocence. "You won't eat a burger or a taco. You won't let Luna try bacon. You even stopped me from offering Bit sashimi!"

"Human food." Twilight shuddered. "Carnivores! You give me the shudders!"
 
"Hey, at least we're not nudists." I sat down by Bit.
 
"I still can't believe you have a word for that."
 
"I want to try sashimi." Bit looked up at me. "Is it hard to make?"
 
"No idea." I shrugged. "It seems simple, but I've never prepared it. We'll look for some really fresh fish, and a sharp knife."
 
For a while, we rested peacefully. Resting in dreams was extremely pleasant. I could let my body completely relax, and enjoy the feeling without falling asleep.
 
"So…" Luna's voice was fuzzy with lethargy. "Did we ever figure out what Bodkin and Chrysalis want?"
 
"Chrysalis wants help." I frowned. "Or so she says. Bodkin, I dunno. What was his spell circle doing? You said it pointed towards himself. Why would he try and locate himself?"
 
"He might have been looking for windigos." Bitterbloom volunteered. "He was the closest. He’s similar enough."
 
"That's possible." Twilight rolled over, waving her hooves in the air. "We did interrupt them twice. Maybe they weren't able to calibrate it?"
 
"Could be." Luna's ears perked up a little, as the conversation drew her interest. "Hmm. Sunset was going crazy about windigos and resography for your paper, right Twilight? Could they be searching for another Tear?"
 
"There's more Tears?" I rolled over, catching her eyes. "Besides the one under the Tree?"
 
"There could be." Twilight sighed. "Sunset wasn't really clear on it. I checked her math… and yes, it's possible. Whether it's realistic…. I couldn't pin her down. Obviously somepony thought so, or they wouldn't have fit the Elements to the Tree as stabilizers. But on the other hoof, Princess Celestia was willing to put her own needs above that. She either dismisses it as a problem, or is willing to take that risk."
 
"After all the research we've done on the Tuatha, we're positive they went somewhere." Luna yawned, slowly. "Dragon legends place them near the Smoking Wilds, so we've sent our expeditions that way, but… maybe Sombra knows something else. There are crystal caves under the Palace. Although they might have left through the Tear under the Tree."
 
"Enough!" Twilight sprang upright. "This is a slumber party! Be less serious!" She grinned slowly, looking down at me. "Besides! We haven't finished the list yet!" I frowned, looking up as a sudden shadow fell over me. Surprise thrilled through me as I saw a huge, fluffy shape looming. "We've got one activity left!" she called gleefully, as I scrambled to avoid the missile.
 
POOOOMF.

My world went black, as cubic yards of feathers and satin flattened me to the ground.
 
"PILLOW FIGHT!" Her voice was muffled, but I could hear her grin.
 
"Oh, it is on."

> 68 - Court
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No, Bit. I can shave myself. Just let me borrow 'your' razor."
 
"Hmm." She looked up, the silver blade clasped firmly.
 
"Please!" I begged. "Seriously. Or I'll grow a beard."
 
"Well," she reluctantly passed me the razor, "if you insist."
 
"I do." I idly spun the blade. Suddenly, I realized Bit had been mirroring me, and stopped. I walked over to the vanity, where my shaving kit was laid out, and started making a lather. Bit sat on the end of the bed and watched.
 
"Sir…"
 
"Yes?"
 
"Have I changed too much?" Her voice was very small.
 
"No, Bit, I don't think so." I contemplated the question for a moment. "You're more… emotive. Not a lot, but some. Your sense of humor is stronger, although still sharp and subtle. And you're more… self-possessed, I think." I shot her a sharp glance. "All of those are good things."
 
"Good."
 
"So, what's the plan for today?" I wiped my face.
 
"Hmm?"
 
"Are we just following Squarewave? Are we doing something crazy?"
 
"Huh? Am I still in charge?" Bit raised a hesitant eyebrow.
 
"I don't see why not." I shrugged. "You never resigned."
 
"Oh." She frowned. "Hum. Well. I think… we’ll head for Squarewave's address and improvise. Maybe this time, you and I should aim for Chrysalis. Bodkin's bound to be wary of you after yesterday."
 
"Could work." I shrugged. "Artemis and Twilight versus Bodkin seems doable. Um." I wiped my face. "Will you ask me to link with you?"
 
"Would that bother you?"
 
"I'm… not sure." I frowned. "Is it safe?"
 
"I'm not sure, either." She grimaced. "As a hatchling, mother moved my fixation for the Hivemind to you. Normally, that's not a problem, because… well, most fosters can't do anything resembling a mind-link." She sighed. "That sort of mental magic is exactly what new agents need isolation from. The Hivemind subsumes and sometimes kills minds that are self-aware. You were wise enough to hold back. Now I'm a fledgling Queen in my own right, we have the opposite problem. Can I share? I'm much more powerful than you, magically. All my instincts about the Hivemind have moved from 'serve' to 'control'." She rubbed her eyes, and for a moment, tension lined her face. “I have no idea what would happen if I overpowered you. If it continued any length of time… you could be seriously hurt.”
 
"Responsible."
 
"Huh?"
 
"Another change in you. You're responsible." I sat beside her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's hard, but rewarding. Keep practicing; you'll be good at it."
 
"Thanks."
 
"Is this real flannel?" I pinched the collar of her robe.
 
"Not really." She shrugged. "I don't know flannel. This is a cotton-analogue designed to be fuzzy and warm. I made it myself. I can create nearly any natural fiber, so… instant wardrobe."
 
"Huh. Neat. Be careful around Rarity." I smirked.
 
"Pff." Bit grinned back. "Best. Idea. Ever."
 
"Yeah." I sighed. "About the link. I'd be willing to try, but… maybe we should get a spotter?"
 
"That might work." She stared at me a moment. "But first, I'll need my razor back."
 
"Of course, your Majesty."
 



 
"Alright." The four of us were in Luna's private gym, or, as she insisted, studio. I turned to Twilight. "Bit and I are going to try linking. If it lasts longer than, say, ten seconds, hit me with this." I held out my vibroblade.
 
"Your lightsaber?" She gave me a dubious look. "That doesn't sound safe."
 
"You'd be right, if it was a lightsaber." I pushed a little energy into the blade. "But since it's sound, it will only cut hard or brittle things."
 
"Like a dentist drill?" Twilight hesitantly accepted the weapon. "Don't bones count?"
 
"I lowered the power, and it's my own magic. It’ll just disrupt my internal energy." I waved a hand through the blade to demonstrate. It felt like running an electric razor over my palm, but left no mark. "A good stab should scramble the link. Lyra uses a similar attack. I might get a headache, but… do it."
 
"Hmm." Luna inspected the thrumming green blade. "You never gave me a breakdown on this weapon."
 
"Later." I turned back to Bit. "Are we doing this?"
 
"Why did you call me that?" She crossed her arms.
 
"Huh?"
 
"Before. Your Majesty. Why?"
 
"Um." I scratched my head, trying to understand.
 
"I'm not your Queen."
 
"Oh." Suddenly, it clicked. I mentally kicked myself; no matter how much Bit had matured, she wasn't done adjusting and growing. "It was a joke, Bitterbloom."
 
"Oh." She looked down.
 
"It's just, you were ordering me around. And levying taxes. If it really bothers you, I won't do it again."
 
"The address isn't wrong, though." Luna interjected. "You are always 'Your Majesty'. If he'd said 'My liege' - " She cut off, as both of us glared at her.
 
"I know how you feel," Twilight said. "Some ponies insist on calling me Princess, but I don't want to be treated differently. Like that?"
 
Bit nodded.
 
"Anyways, I'll watch my words." I smiled. "Good enough?"
 
"Good enough." Bit smiled back. "Then, let's try. If it fails, we have a little time."
 
"Alright." I drew in a deep breath, and readied my power. I held my wand out, and she raised a hesitant hand.
 
Zzap!
 
The link formed, but it felt strange. It seemed to writhe in my grip. I strove to hold control, to pull power like I'd practiced with Twilight, but it was too much.
 
Whirling. Weightless. I felt a sudden vertigo as my vision faded.
 
A moment later, Twilight stabbed me in the chest. It felt like red-hot peppermint.
 
"Ow." I slumped to the floor. Bit was standing shocked, hands clasped to her mouth. "What happened? That felt strange."
 
"I… I'm not sure." Bit gulped. "I think I pulled too hard? I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"
 
"It's okay." I shakily forced myself back to my feet. "No harm done, right?"
 
"Fascinating." Twilight passed my sword back, and turned to Luna. "Did you get that as well?" Luna shook her head, slowly.
 
"My scans were a jumble." She shrugged. "What did you see?"
 
"B-but it was so clear! And simple!" Twilight gasped. "How—"

"Twilight." I coughed. "If she said she got jumbles, that's what she got."
 
"B-But!" Twilight paused, and stopped. "Right, yes, okay. But there were these intricate little knots, and they, they…" Her eyes crossed. "Shoot!"
 
"What?"
 
"I don't know what they were! But it was crazy!"
 
"Hmm." Luna eyed her speculatively. "Interesting."
 
"Thoughts?" I reset my sword and clipped it to my belt.
 
"Maybe you can see more because of your talent?" Luna gestured to Twilight's cutie mark. "And perhaps because of your ascension?"
 
"M-Maybe." Twilight frowned. "I need to write this down!" She whipped out a notebook and started scribbling.
 
"So," I turned to Bit, "are we trying again?"
 
My assistant wordlessly shook her head.
 
"I'll be okay, you know. No harm done."
 
"Not today." Bit still looked shaken.
 
"Was it like the Hivemind?" I asked gently.
 
"I…I'm not sure." She looked down, refusing to meet my eyes. "Each Queen experiences the Hivemind differently. And I won't create my own for years yet. I'm not done becoming myself."
 
"Aww, and here I thought you were all grown up." I gave her a gentle hug, and she relaxed a little. "At least my little Bitterbloom isn't running off to get married."
 
"Mmmm." She nodded. "Changelings are more built than born, anyways."
 
"Really?" Twilight zipped over, notebook ready. "Could you elaborate on that?"
 
"Um." I gently pushed her back. "Maybe we should worry more about getting ready for our fight? And thinking about what we'll do if it's not actually a fight."
 
"Oh." She returned to reality with a frown. "Boring."
 
"But necessary," I said. "Let's do some planning."
 



 
"We all know the plan?" Bit looked at each of us, and we nodded. "Such as it is?"
 
It was a simple plan. We were heading for Squarewave’s address, hoping for something interesting. The Guard had been searching since yesterday, but found nothing. If we made contact, Bit and I would face Chrysalis while Artemis and Twilight attacked Bodkin. They'd taken time to prepare a few surprises.
 
"Head out, hang around, look for trouble?" I blithely suggested.
 
"You make us sound like teenage delinquents." Artemis frowned.
 
"Still, he's pretty much right." Twilight shrugged.
 
We walked quietly for a moment. Twilight moved up next to Bit, while Artemis drew me back for a quiet word.
 
"Bit's afraid she'll lose you.”
 
"Hmm?" I looked up. "Yeah, maybe."
 
"No maybe about it." Artemis sighed. "She's inherited a lot of things, including power, and a new view of the world. Did she sleep at your feet last night?"
 
"Yeah." I frowned, puzzled. "How did you know?"
 
"Remember her question about you leaving?"
 
"Yeah." I nodded. "It was understandable, but I’m not running off. Hay, I’m not even searching for a way home right now."
 
"But you still call it home." Artemis shot me a telling glance.
 
I digested that for a few moments.
 
"Yeah." I sighed. "Yeah, I guess I do."
 
"This isn’t just conjecture, Wes. I've always monitored Bit's dreams, such as they were."
 
"Really?"
 
"Yes. Partly to check Tezeca’s claims about her. Heh." She shook her head slowly. "That… well. At first she didn't dream much. After her inheritance, that changed. Sometimes she relived her past lives. Sometimes she slept peacefully. Once, she had a nightmare."
 
"Are you sure you should tell me this?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Oh."
 
"It wasn't much. She was just living in Ponyville. Alone. She woke up alone. She ate breakfast alone. She spent the day alone." Artemis sighed. "When I showed up, she nearly cried."
 
"Ooof."
 
"She told me, that day she'd realized just how little anypony actually needed her."
 
"But… that's not what friends are about." I shot Artemis a puzzled glance.
 
"How well does Bit understand friendship?"
 
"Meh." I sighed. "Okay, I'm beginning to grasp your point."
 
"Are you?" She looked into the distance. "You told her you needed her because she needed you. Now… she's a Queen. She's growing into a force to be reckoned with. Given time, she could challenge the power of a small country. She realized she has no actual claim on your loyalty. Nothing concrete."
 
"So... since she doesn't 'need' me, she's afraid I'd abandon her?" I rubbed my head. "That’s… a little silly."
 
"And your feelings think clearly?"

"Fine, fine." I blew out a sigh. "Okay. Yeah. Okay. She needs something to hang onto, huh? She’s… nearly family. I'd never ditch her. Maybe saying that would be enough?"
 
"Maybe." Artemis' glare forced me a step back. "But whatever you do, Wes, mean it. Being half-hearted will only make things worse."
 
"Sure, sure." I raised my hands defensively. "To quote a good friend, 'I'm always serious.' Now, weren't we supposed to run into trouble around here?"
 
"Yeah, but— HEADS!" Artemis yelled and threw Twilight and I forward. "Maybe trouble will find us first!"
 
"Mine!" Bit snarled, as Chrysalis scythed in low, wings thrumming in the crowded street. The wards started flickering. "Spread out, look for Bodkin!"
 
Twilight threw a wing over Artemis, and they vanished. We'd upgraded our kit; we all had ward authorization tokens and communicators.
 
"Right." My sword flickered to life. "Let's do this."
 
We'd talked about Chrysalis’ character and actions. She begged our help, but had no qualms about attacking. She was either playing a deep game, or Sombra had a tight hold on her.
 
We were betting on the latter.
 
Chrysalis spun in mid-air, landing with a crash. Surprise swept her face as I dashed forward.
 
She was out of my league. Of course she was.
 
But I was used to that. Nearly every opponent I'd faced was out of my league. I survived because I planned ahead, thought outside the box, and asked for backup.
 
Chrysalis and I traded frantic blows. I couldn't tell if she was holding back or honestly couldn’t measure my capabilities. I made the best of it, pushing hard and feinting. My sword flared, and I bent it around her guard. I'd have landed a telling blow, but a hole opened in her leg, and the blade lanced harmlessly through.
 
"No fair!" I yelled. Her return threw me across the street. Bit stepped up and took my place. "Woah."
 
Now, that was a fight.
 
I watched as they whirled into a churning storm of violence. It was shocking and amazing, from a technical perspective. It was also strangely... predictable?
 
"Bit? What are you..." As I watched, I started automatically analyzing my aide's fighting style. I'd been surprised at her trouble using Tezeca's instincts, but now I really saw her fight, the problem was blindingly obvious.
 
She might have all sorts of new information, but she was still really bad at improvising.
 
"How did Artemis not spot this?" Did my experience with Bit make that much of a difference?
 
Maybe.

I watched as she sprang into the air, planning for a dive, I could tell.
 
Sure enough, a moment later she flashed down with a flick of her wings. I saw genuine surprise on Chrysalis’ face. Would Artemis have caught that?
 
No idea.
 
Still, hanging back was pointless for me. We had a plan, and I needed to act. This made things easier.
 
She's going long-range.
 
Bit dashed backwards, turning a lazy flip in mid-air and making a three-point landing. Her free arm reshaped into a barrel, and a spray of bullets spattered the pavement. Chrysalis dodged and moved in to retaliate, but I stepped between them.
 
My sword pushed her back. Artemis could have done better, but I just needed a moment.
 
"How are they holding you?" As she dodged, I threw an earpiece. Puzzlement, shock, comprehension, and gratitude flashed across her face. She snagged it, and I bailed. I flicked over to its separate channel; no point letting her hear our chatter. A moment’s silence convinced me she wasn’t talking. Dang. "If you're afraid to speak, change your mane color."
 
Her hair went flaming red as she dodged Bit's riposte.
 
"Okay, fair enough. If your hair is blue, that's a no. If it's red, that's a yes. Understand?" Her hair went green for a second, before returning to red. She understood.
 
I flattened myself against the wall, and tried to think. This was going to be tricky. I was playing twenty-questions with a rather distracted hostage.
 
"Are you unable to talk because Sombra is listening?"
 
Her hair went... purple?
 
"You're uncertain?"
 
Red. Huh. Quick thinking.
 
"Okay. You're not sure just how powerful he is."
 
Red.
 
"Fair enough. You're not talking because you're afraid he might be able to listen, but you're not sure."
 
Red.
 
"Okay. You want our help. But Sombra's got a hold on you, and we can't help without knowing what it is. Did you have a plan for this?"
 
Blue. Dang.
 
"Well." I thought for a moment. Bit picked Chrysalis up and tossed her across the street. Chrysalis morphed to absorb the blow, and pivoted around a lamppost for a return strike. "Do you know where Bodkin is? Is he with you?"
 
Blue twice. No help there. I wanted desperately to ask how and why she found us here, but I held back.
 
"Did he send you?" The best I could do.
 
Red. I clicked my comm over to the party band.
 
"Watch out, flygirls. It's looking more like a trap."
 
"Roger copy," Twilight returned. "But we knew that going in, right?"
 
"Right." Artemis was blasé.
 
"Just letting you know. Over and out." I clicked back to Chrysalis. She was trying to pin Bit to the wall with three-foot spikes. Bit was throwing them back, nearly faster than I could follow. My secretary rocked.
 
"Chrysalis. I'm going to make some guesses here." My mind was churning with possibilities. "You're afraid of speaking. Sombra's using a spell to threaten you."
 
Red.
 
"It's designed to ensure your loyalty. Bodkin can control it."
 
Red.
 
"Will it auto-activate?"
 
Purple. My question distracted her enough for Bit to land a telling blow. Shreds of wing-lace fluttered around me. I smirked.
 
"You're unsure. Okay. Does the spell have a physical focus?" Bespelling a powerful Queen would be much easier with an artifact.
 
Red.
 
"Now we're getting somewhere. If we destroy the focus, will the spell break?"
 
Red. Purple. Red.
 
"You think so, but you're not sure. Hmm." I tried scanning her, and got a headful of roaring static for my efforts. They were throwing entirely too much power for me to get a decent read.
 
"Have you purposefully avoided hostages?" I'd been thinking about this for a while, and one of the best reasons I could think of for their actions was simply laying low. "Are you trying to not draw attention?" They seemed to be trying for stealth.
 
Red.
 
"Hmm." I mused for a moment, as Bit blurred into impossible speed. Chrysalis countered with planes of force. "If we move the fight to somewhere more populated, can you justify toning it down? I can maybe help, but I need to be closer. If you fight less furiously I could face you, take a stab at it." That wasn't quite true; I really wanted Bit free for scanning, but no need to tip my hand.
 
Red.

I clicked over to the party channel.
 
"—ound him! Twilight, move in!"
 
I listened for a moment. It sounded like Twilight and Artemis had found Bodkin. A shower of gravel jerked my attention back.
 
"Bit, we need to move the fight. If we move somewhere more populated, she can tone things down without alerting Sombra. Proceed carefully. Watch her."
 
"Yes, sir." Bit nodded once, before dashing away. Chrysalis pursued with a scowl. I jogged after.
 
Sure enough, as they moved Chrysalis pressed less and less. Ponies ran screaming from the brawl, although the two were restraining themselves. Eventually, they were mostly using physical attacks. They didn't stop shapeshifting, though. Watching Bit melt away from punches was impressive.
 
"Tag." I stepped between them, timing it perfectly. Bit stepped away, and I swung my sword. Chrysalis' eyes widened as I nearly took her foreleg off.
 
"Of course this is a serious fight." I smiled. "Besides, I owe you something." I threw in a feint and a stepped past her guard, breaking her defense with an unexpected palm strike. My hand connected with her chin and she spun, trying to absorb the force. The blow still destabilized her.
 
"That was for Tezeca." I took vicious advantage of the opening I'd created, and lay three stripes across her side. "And that's for Twilight, Cadence, and Shining." I nearly, nearly clipped her wings. "I'll let Bit get her own."
 
She scowled, and her mane flickered blue. Right; we had serious business here.
 
"Scan her, Bit!" Hopefully, if I fought, the magic interference would be much lower.
 
"Yes sir! Keep moving!"
 
"Alright." I nodded, and kicked Chrysalis through a wall.
 
The next few minutes were completely filled with grueling close combat. I was fast, and my technique was much, much better, but Chrysalis countered with unconquerable energy and her cheat-like shapeshifting. Grabs were useless; she would literally flow out of my grasp. Kicks and punches could be dodged, even against momentum, by impossible bends and shifting gaps. I was beginning to wonder if I could even hold my own, hampered though she was. If I had Artemis to draw on… but wishing was useless.
 
We moved down the street, progressing in dashes and throws. Bit flitted around above, the zip of her wings distinctive against the distant background panic.
 
"Got anything?" I was really starting to wish we had an easier way to do this.
 
"Maybe." Her inflection was flat across my comm. "I'm picking up non-changeling magic from inside her. Her shapeshifting is making pinpointing it very difficult. Tone things down more."
 
"I'll do my best." I spun in mid-air, tumbling towards a glass display window. I pulsed my magic, blasting the pane inwards. I landed in a skid, glass fragments crunching under my boots. Once again, I thanked Rarity.
 
Chrysalis hurtled after, eager to press her advantage. She wasn't striking for critical points. Although we were seriously fighting, we'd mutually avoided killing intent.
 
It still hurt, though.
 
I dashed towards the back of the shop. It was the sort that linked to an indoor arcade, the precursor of a shopping mall. Maybe I could hamper her even more, with a more enclosed space. If Sombra was serious about avoiding Celestia's ire until he was ready, he would give strict orders to prevent civilian casualties. We'd already tested that to some extent, but she also wanted my help. I needed her to hold back. She needed an excuse.
 
I burst through the back door. Strangely, the interior space wasn't bright, airy, and speckled with casual shoppers.
 
Instead, it was closed tight and lit with floods. A contrast in stark light and harsh shadow.
 
I gaped for a moment, taking in the tableau. Dozens of ponies, arranged in rough ranks, ringed the lit area. Simple masks and nondescript clothes rendered them casually anonymous.
 
They were watching a fight.
 
I barely remembered to dodge as Chrysalis whipped past me. She faltered as well, also shocked. The fighters in the floodlight paused, looking our way. The ponies in the audience turned to see, mumbling and muttering.
 
"Who?" A voice rumbled out of the darkness. A steel-blue earth pony with an ashy mane marched into the spotlight. She had no mask, and was wearing only a set of brutally plain horseshoes. "Who interrupts my court?" Her cutie mark was a flaming hammer.
 
Hold up… Steel-blue? Masks? Fighting? Secrecy? I knew this one. We'd stumbled on the Canterlot Underground! Secret Unicorn Martial Society. Lyra's training ground. Or as I liked to think of it, magical-miniature-horse fight-club.
 
"I'm… Skywalker, Harmonix disciple. You're Lahar?"
 
"Of course." The mare glared at me, and looked to Chrysalis. "Harmonix disciple. And a challenger. Hmm."
 
A rumble went through the crowd at that. Jedi Lyra was still remembered here.
 
"Throw them out!" a voice yelled.
 
"Feel free." Lahar rolled her eyes slightly. "If you're up to it, Sweet Mask." The rumble died.
 
I tensed, as Lahar studied us. We'd tumbled out of the street, into an entirely new arena. This was somepony whose skills Lyra treated with absolute respect. I had no illusions about facing her. I'd be in even more trouble if she decided to take out Chrysalis. Whether or not she succeeded, I'd struggled to get into this setup. She could ruin everything, if she felt so inclined. Chrysalis caught my tension, and held back; she couldn't let it seem she was surrendering, but this situation was odd enough that inaction might be excusable.
 
"Harmonix disciple!" Lahar repeated, this time with a rumble. "You're a member, by inheritance. It's your first night here, and you’ve brought a challenger. Show us what you've got!" And with that, she turned back to the stands.
 
"Are you serious?" The smaller of the two fighters currently in the ring gave an indignant yell. "You're just letting this… whatever, and some changeling take over our fight?"
 
"You're welcome to stop them." I couldn't see Lahar in the dark, but her words were dry as chalk.
 
"Maybe we will." The two turned towards us.
 
I shared a wry glance with Chrysalis, who smirked slightly. These jokers couldn't even tell how outmatched they were. She ignored them completely, and dove for me.
 
I casually dodged, letting her slide past. One of the duelists struck at her. She barely acknowledged the blow, as I tried to follow up. The other fighter tried for me. I nearly laughed at his sluggish kick.
 
"Is this the best the Underground can bring, Lahar?" I smirked into the darkness. "Harmonix would laugh at these foals."
 
"They don’t have your… experience, Skywalker. Why don't you show us how it's done?"
 
"Heh." I grinned at Chrysalis. "Shall we give them a show?" She shrugged slightly, and we…
 
Took it down a gear.
 
I sent a graceful kick at her. She swayed smoothly out of the way. I choreographed a follow up, and she carefully returned the blow. I absorbed her momentum with a flashy spin. The audience fell silent.
 
I struck with my sword. She deflected with a wing. She stabbed with her horn. I dodged by a hair's breadth. We traded grins as the crowd began calling bets.
 
I turned a handspring. She formed a sword. I did a few aerial moves, just for fun. She started mimicking my swordwork. I returned with what I remembered of her kicks. The watching ponies started to cheer.
 
It was a silly, flashy performance. I telegraphed my moves; she pretended they hurt. She took the obvious shots; I purposefully soaked them up. We were careful to stay in the ring.
 
We danced around the duelists, who stood with slack jaws. I had no idea how good they were, but if they couldn't tell we were faking…
 
Lahar could. She was laughing uproariously.
 
I turned a lazy flip in mid-air, and threw her a salute. She flashed a white grin in the darkness. I half-heard Bit's wings in the rafters.
 
"Wes." Her voice came through my earpiece. "I've started to decypher what I'm sensing. Chrysalis has a sliver of crystal embedded in her. It must be bonded to her nervous system somehow, since it moves independent of her shapeshifting."
 
"Implants? Monitoring implants? No wonder she's afraid of saying anything. Sombra is an ass."
 
"Racism is wrong, sir. Donkeys can be very pleasant."
 
"Um, right. Any suggestions?"
 
"It's crystal. It ought to resonate."
 
"Hmm." I dodged a kick by a hair's breadth. Half the audience groaned; the other half cheered. "Alright. Let's give that a try." I pushed a pulse through my sword, but blurred the blade. It belched power, puffing a cloud of shimmering magic at Chrysalis. She waved it away in annoyance, but I felt something respond.
 
"Oh." I tuned my blade towards that frequency, and tried again. "Yeah, I'm feeling it." Chrysalis' eyes narrowed, and she clapped a hoof to her neck. "Woah!" I nearly couldn’t dodge her suddenly serious strike.

"Okay. Looks like I hit a nerve." I fell into a real stance, and we kicked it up three gears.
 
The crowd fell silent, as we traded suddenly blurring blows. The two duelists stepped back, fear apparent on their faces. They could tell they were out of their league now.
 
Once again, I was outmatched.
 
"Chrysalis! What are you doing?" I yelled, unable to steal a moment to re-set my comm.
 
"You lied," The Queen hissed. "Are you simply baiting me to drop my guard? I know there's no love lost between me and the Royal Sisters, but I hoped I could trust you."
 
I frowned. That… made a surprising amount of sense, actually. Chrysalis lived in a bug-eat-bug world. I'd been suspicious of her motivation more than once. The idea she might return that… I should have seen it coming. Well, I had everything I needed. I could help her now; whether she wanted it or not.
 
"Bit! Lahar! I need her still for a moment!" When in doubt, call for backup.
 
I'd barely finished yelling, when something whiplashed past me. I thought it was Bit, but a flash of steel-blue disabused that.
 
"Woah." I barely had time to gasp before Lahar's strike landed. I couldn't even tell what she'd done, but it was enough; the Queen stumbled, and for a second, I had my opening.
 
I dove for her, the color of my sword deepening from grass-green to deep forest. Her eyes widened as I slashed, and fear and shock were writ large on her face. I would have laughed, if I had time.
 
My blade plunged deep into her neck, and the crystal shattered. I could feel it dissolve beneath her chitin.
 
A puff of magic floated towards the ceiling. Lahar covered my retreat, as the Queen reflexively to countered. Shock changed to amazement as she realized she wasn't actually decapitated.
 
"You… what?" She felt at her neck and stumbled, suddenly losing coordination.
 
"Should be good." I shrugged. "I broke Sombra's toy." She fell to her knees. “Blasting the artifact might have temporary side-effects, though. It was near your brain." She groaned, and slumped to the ground.
 
"Good job, sir." Bit dropped in, and the crowd gasped again.
 
"Very impressive." Lahar smiled at us. She leaned in close. "This court wasn't as boring as I expected." Her voice dropped a few registers. "But you'd better check on my sister, Wes. I'll clean up here."
 
"Huh?" I barely had time to register surprise. "Wait, you're Princess—" I cut off, as my comm burst to life.
 
"Wes, Bit, we need backup! Get here now! We're at—" Krsssssssh…
 
I grimaced as the comm cut out.
 
This was going to be another exhausting day.

> 69 - Mesh
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Artemis! Twilight!"
 
Bit dragged me through the sky. Her flight was powerful, but clumsy. Still, my grasp on her wrist was firm and we moved quickly. I simply clamped my eyes shut, and let the backwash stream through my hair.
 
"Something happened with Bodkin!” My comm sparked to life. “A moment ago, he suddenly—" Krrrsssssh…
 
"Artemis! Can you hear me?"
 
"—interference! I'm trying to calibrate for—"
 
"Dang it!" I squeezed Bit's wrist, and she accelerated. Our comms were malfunctioning, but we had a vague destination. I'd heard half the address, and Bit could scan the communication spell.
 
"What the hay?" The plan had obviously broken down. As we got near, I realized just how extreme it was. Bit landed on a building near our target, and I tried to analyze what I saw. "What are those?"
 
Spiked crystal balls were floating above several city blocks. They were each several feet in diameter, and drifted in uncertain patterns. Arcane circles formed and reformed on the ground, constantly changing. It was obviously an area-effect spell, but I couldn't grasp even a hint of it’s purpose.
 
Krck. " - Wes! Bit! Sta - " Krak " - inefield! "
 
"Woah! Mines? That's… yuck." I rubbed my forehead, trying to think. We'd acted on the assumption civilian lives tied Bodkin's hooves. A minefield in downtown Canterlot defied that. This was an absolute worst-case scenario, tactical destruction spells in the city. A little discouraging coming directly after a victory, though it was small.
 
"Because Chrysalis escaped." Discouragement tinged Bit's voice. "Bodkin knows. Something changed."
 
"Blech, you're right." I wracked my brain. "We need clearer communications with Twilight and Artemis. Thoughts?"
 
"We could use a line-of-sight spell." Bit surveyed the area. "They should be nearby, likely in… that." She waved towards the drifting traps.
 
I felt a phantom tap at my temple.
 
"Oh, hold on. Artemis is near enough to start the link." I'd re-targeted her this morning, since she was the only team-mate who could reliably lend me power. "Yes?"
 
"Wes! You're staying back? Good! How'd things go with Chrysalis?"
 
"Your sister has her." I packaged the main points of our fight, and pushed them across the link.
 
"Woah!" I felt her surprise, as a block of knowledge materialized in her brain. "That is… woah."
 
"Oh, yeah. I never showed you that." I grinned. "It made collaborating with Twilight interesting. Can I get a breakdown from your end?"
 
"Sure… I'll just tell you. We found Bodkin soon after we split. I think he hoped Chrysalis could stall us; he was pretty frustrated by our arrival. I engaged with Twilight’s support. We did well, pushing him significantly, but then he deployed this."
 
"There's no way a pegasus cast this! It's a minefield?"
 
"He didn't cast it. It's a recorded spell, an artifact from the old Crystal Empire." I felt her frustration. "It's called a Shard Field, a thousand-year-old military spell that's brutally effective and ridiculously overbuilt.  I bet Sombra designed the original. He can probably make them in his sleep.   At least he hasn’t upgraded it. I think."
 
"You know how it works?" I grasped at the straw. "Can you crack it? Disable it? Something?"
 
"Maybe from the outside." I could almost feel her grit her teeth. "We had a nifty trick, back when we first fought Sombra. When it's cast, the safety mechanism generates the unlock code using the environment. If we knew they were being cast, we had a spell to hijack that. We could set the de-activation sequence to anything. Sombra never caught on. Too bad that’s useless here."
 
"You're annoyed because you've dealt with these before, but since we didn't plan for it, you're trapped."
 
"YES!"
 
"Woah, calm! It'll be okay."
 
"You don't know that! While we're trapped, Bodkin will accomplish his REAL objective! We can't stop him; we’ve got to focus on escape and deactivating this. Shard Fields chain-link explosions! Alicorns might survive, but shrapnel will cover half of Canterlot! Cowardly hostage-taking cur! Splintered spawn of a timberwolf and - "
 
"Okay, okay! Sorry, I didn't intend to be flippant." I sighed. "I understand your feelings. But! We got Chrysalis! Unless Bodkin pulls something fantastic, we've deprived Sombra of an asset equalling one of his lieutenants, and we've got information. We've badly needed information since the very beginning. Chrysalis is stupid, but sly. If she didn't latch onto every interesting fact she could, I'll eat my hat."
 
"You don't wear a hat."
 
"Heh. Bit can make one. Feel better?"
 
"No. Just calmer."
 
"Wes." Bit tapped my arm, and I looked up.
 
"Oh, sorry." I frowned. "I'll relay for you in a minute, okay? Let me finish - "
 
"No, not that." She waved impatiently to the street below.
 
Painted on the pavement, directly under where we stood, was a squarewave and an arrow. I wouldn’t have seen it without looking nearly straight down.
 
"Oh, hay."
 
"What's up?"
 
"Artemis… how much do we trust Squarewave?"
 
"Not much. Why?"
 
"Do these minefields have a safe path?" I pushed an image of the sigil and arrow across the link.
 
"Yes. Several. The key would set them." I felt her ponder for a moment. "Don't."
 
"Right, but…" I paused, considering. "Dang, I’m tempted."
 
"Not worth it. We hardly know the guy."
 
"I know, I know." I sighed. "Okay, this is ridiculous. Artemis, can you direct us to a spot for line-of-sight?  If we set up a relay, Bit and Twilight can contribute."
 
"Good idea. Head…. Seven degrees counterclockwise."
 
"Okay." I surveyed the landscape. "Bit, take us... there." I pointed to a handy roof. She nodded, and grasped my hand. For a moment, we were airborne.
 
"Can you do a line-of-sight communicator?" I asked.
 
"Maybe." She frowned. "I'm not sure."
 
"Then let me." I drew my wand and sword, and spun a sound spell. Focusing on the emerald cut the power by orders of magnitude. "Okay." I passed her the projector; a small green dish hovered at the end of the handle. "Keep this pointed at them, and we can talk. They're…" I turned, shading my eyes. "Over… there… " My voice trailed off.
 
Artemis and Twilight were standing side by side, watching each other's back. But that wasn’t why I paused. On a nearby building, visible only to us, was another squarewave. It was rougher, with an arrow pointing left, directly at a strange, spiky pattern, swirling and intricate, with just a hint of tribal influence. It was scrawled all across the building, spreading smoothly across bricks, windows, and the door. It even dripped onto the street. I recognized it instantly. It was a tree-shadow, a Pattern.
 
It looked strangely fuzzy around the edges. I started for a good ten seconds, unsure of what that meant. As I watched, a strand broke up, slowly dissolving into nothing. Like the pattern Cog's appearance produced, this one was fading.
 
"Sir?" Bit gave me an apprehensive look.
 
"Can you see that?" I rubbed my eyes. Another small chunk evaporated. It was fading very slowly. The Patterns indicated magic. Was it fading because that was gone? When was it removed? Could I trace it? Could I extrapolate -
 
"See what, sir?"
 
"That!" Bit eeeped as I yanked her close, laying my arm along her head and pointing to the Pattern. "That, that! There's a Pattern there, I think it might be—"
 
"This is Princess Celestia. All Canterlot Agents, report in." Celestia's voice came clear across my comm, interrupting us. The line-of-sight relay picked up her voice and directed it to our friends, despite the interference from the Shard Field.
 
"Uh-oh." Artemis' sounded worried. "That's bad."
 
"No kidding." Pattern forgotten, I released Bit. If Celestia was using the comm override, she really needed us. Something was seriously wrong if she'd already dropped her cover as Lahar.
 
"Wesley Kilmer, reporting with Queen Tezeca Bitterbloom."
 
"Artemis, reporting with Princess Twilight Sparkle."
 
"I'm glad I got through." Celestia's calm voice was taught with stress. "This situation is developing rapidly. An unidentified agent, likely Bodkin, used ancient Crystal Empire tech to penetrate one of my secure facilities. He exfiltrated before I could respond. We have to assume he's achieved his target."
 
"Buck," Artemis breathed. I heard Twilight gasp in the background. "Any idea what?"
 
"I'm cataloguing as we speak. Chrysalis is secure, and I have support inbound. I called to warn you! He's headed your direction. Expect—"
 
KRACK - A - THOOM! Thunder echoed from a blue sky. I looked up. A blast wave washed across the city, as a dark shape streaked past. By the jagged contrail, Bodkin had broken the sound barrier and was accelerating. In his wake, a spray of dark shapes appeared. As I watched, they grew, and grew, and grew.
 
"—trouble." As she finished, crystal golems rained around us.
 
"Princess Celestia, Bodkin's gone." I fell into a fighting stance, but didn't grab my sword; Twilight and Artemis needed to hear this. "He left us a slew of golems to fight, though, and we're stretched thin."
 
"He deployed a Shard Field to trap Twilight and me." Artemis' frustration was clearly audible. "We're locked down hard and helpless, without even a decent option for teleportation."
 
"I'm routing support to you. Keep the golems from triggering the minefield at all costs." Celestia's voice might have betrayed a touch more stress. "Advise me as you can."
 
"Yes, ma'am." I snagged my sword, and leaped from the roof. We couldn't waste another moment. I landed hard; thankfully, most of the golems had been dropped in a carpet-bomb pattern. They didn’t surround us. Bodkin was flying fast when he loosed them; they'd spread across the neighborhood in a loose smear. I struck a stance, interposing myself between the minefield and the oncoming enemies.
 
They leveled their barrels, and nearly wasted me.
 
"You're being reckless, sir." Bit slammed down before me, erecting a shield of pure chitin. I gasped in relief as crystal bullets zinged from her defense. "If you don’t think ahead, you hinder us all. I’m the leader. Hold back, and plan me a course of action. "
 
"Hah." I puffed out a breath, and nodded. I'd leaped without looking. If she hadn't caught my mistake, I'd have been in serious trouble. "Okay, hold them a moment."
 
"I'll do my best." The zings changed to crunches, and she winced. "I'm poor against squads, sir."
 
"Right," I mumbled. "Artemis!" I called across my comm. "Link!"
 
"Right." The link formed. "I thought Bit was leading?"
 
"She's delegating. If you can, switch to a unicorn alt!"
 
"Good idea." The link stretched and warped strangely. For a second, my perception of Artemis flickered and spun; she seemed to ooze into three, then blurred and smeared. Behind her fragile façade I glimpsed impossible depths, calm and vast voids speckled with comet fire and dusted with frozen helium. The dark silhouette of a pony filled my mind, filled with glittering stars. Hugeness and silence overwhelmed me, until everything snapped back into place.
 
"Wes?" She was back to… well, maybe not 'normal', but at least baseline. Everything pegasus was gone, her wings replaced with a horn.
 
"You're gigantic."
 
"Focus, Wes. We can talk diet advice later." Her amusement was palpable, and I tried to withhold chagrin.
 
"Sorry. Right. First order of business; shields." I asked for power, and she complied.
 
"HAH!" I forced magic through my wand and a dark blue shield, cut with orange crackles, sprang up. Bit relaxed with a sigh as I took over defense. Crystal projectiles spattered the field with deep thrumms, throwing ripples and failing to penetrate.
 
"Good job." Bit smiled at me. "What's the plan?"
 
"This is as far as I've gotten." I grinned ruefully. "How many did Bodkin drop?"
 
"Scores." Bit grimaced. "And they're bigger and stronger than we've faced yet."
 
"Of course." I groaned. "Of course. Hey, Squarewave!" I threw my head back, and yelled to the sky. "I'd appreciate a hand right now! Can you do something useful for once?"
 
"Focus, Wes. I think we've gotten all the help we can from him. Maybe he's played out."
 
"No, that can't be right. He's powerful! He knew where to spot—" I cut off. The Pattern. He'd known where to spot the Pattern. Which was pretty strange, because until now, I had been the only one who could even see the Pattern. "Hold up…"
 
I was missing something; something important. I could feel it.
 
"Wes!" Bit jerked me back to reality. "They're moving!" The golems were big, the size of a small car. They were made from the same slabby dull crystal as before, but were more squat and menacing. Windigolems never had faces, but these totally lacked heads. They were simply rounded blocks, with a leg on each corner. Long barrels were mounted on their backs, crude attempts at guns. They reminded me of tanks. Four-legged tanks. Marching at me.
 
Crude, but effective.
 
I quailed as another round of bullets shattered against my shield.
 
"Okay. Okay! First plan. Try the obvious thing." I shifted my sword from my hand to my aura. A half-dozen tendrils of blue magic attached to the handle. The Screaming Emerald had been a gun once; it could be one again. Bit nodded approvingly, and her form flowed. Tentacles whipped out, anchoring her to the surrounding buildings. A surprisingly large barrel sprang from her shoulder.
 
BO-BOOOM.
 
We fired simultaneously. Thunder echoed in the narrow street, and the first wave of golems crunched to dust. I gathered my energy to fire again, but when the dust cleared, the golems were gone.
 
"They're moving." Bit retracted her supports, folding her weapon away. "They're circling. Clockwise. Surprisingly fast, for such large constructs."
 
"They're learning?" I frowned, and we took off at a dead run. "Or somepony is commanding them."
 
"No way to tell." Bit grabbed my collar, and hoisted me into the air. "Doesn't matter."
 
"Right." My morale sank further. I looked down as Bit landed. We’d moved seven degrees back. The squarewave we'd seen below us was here, still pointing into the minefield. I grit my teeth. If we could disable the Shard Field, we might have a real chance.
 
I scuffed the sigil with my foot. It was blockier than I'd thought. Down, right, up, right, down; a simple sigil. But the second ‘right’ was longer here, and the the 'cup' on the end was squished. It almost looked like… like…
 
"Duck!" Bit called. I dove as a zooming golem tried to decapitate me. My sword spun up, bisecting it.
 
"Artemis, look at this." I shoved the sigil at her. "Does this look like—"
 
"—the Little Dipper." She finished my thought, curious. "Down, over, up, over, down. That's the Little Dipper. Good grief; remember the note? Squarewave said 'Trust your lucky stars'. He wants you to follow that. Were all the sigils like that?"
 
"No…" I thought back. "They became more and more recognizable." I blasted another golem. They were combining punishing barrages with crippling close assaults. Bit and I were fighting back-to-back, and they were pressing us hard. If they'd gone straight for the minefield, we'd have been sunk; but either the commanding intelligence was too stupid to understand, or too proud to ignore us.
 
"Weird.” Artemis had no distractions on her end. “Seriously weird. The only ones who should know about that are—"
 
"—you, me, and the Elements. The ponies at my Hearths Warming Pinkie Pie Party. But that's not all. Earlier, I saw a sigil pointing to a Pattern.” I pushed her an image. “Squarewave knows things he shouldn't. He knows what we call him. He knows my guide star. He can see the Pattern. If I didn't know better, I'd be forced to say there's only one conclusion."
 
"You're Squarewave?" Artemis' thought was incredulous. "That's impossible."
 
"So's the rest of this."
 
I fought in ferocious silence for a little.
 
"… maybe I spoke too quickly.." Artemis wrapped up a bundle of thoughts, and pushed them across the link to me. “Maybe that idea’s not as stupid as it seems.” As her ideas unfolded, my incredulity grew by leaps and bounds.
 
"No way. No actual way." I considered it again. "No literal actual way. That's impossible." Her suggestion was pure baloney. Ridiculous. Beyond foolish.
 
"You could test it." Her suggestion was innocent. I hesitated. That would be easy enough, but…
 
"If it is right, I'd need to leave Bit alone here." I looked to my assistant.
 
"She'll be fine. You're holding her back." I grimaced at that; it was probably true. I shattered another golem and thought. This was crazy. Ridiculous. Impossible.
 
I drew a clear space around me with my blade, and reached down for a cobblestone.
 
It came up easily in my fingers. Someone had lifted it recently. I turned it over; on the bottom was the Little Dipper, what we'd been calling the Squarewave Sigil.
 
<"Fuck!"> I swore vehemently.

That was proof… or close enough. I looked up. The golems were coming. I needed to act, and I needed to act now. If I made a single mistake, the Shard Field would go off. Fighting golems hand-to-hand was a stopgap measure, and a poor one at that. But Bit could hold. Bit had to hold. I wouldn't be gone long. Artemis was right. She had to be right.
 
"Alright, let's do this." My thought was grim. "But give me a moment to explain."
 
"Be fast, Wes. The longer we draw this out, the more likely disaster becomes."
 
"Bit!" I smashed through a golem, placing my shoulder next to hers. From my position, I could cover her, and she could cover me. It was easy for me to read her intentions. Her movements flowed as I predicted her actions, following her blows and movements with ease. "Bit, I need to move closer to Artemis!"
 
"Huh?" She faltered in mid-strike, and I picked up the slack. "But—"
 
"I'm holding you back!"
 
"No Wes, you're—"
 
"Just, let me talk!" She fell silent. We dove behind cover as the assault slackened. "Listen, Bit. You don't need me here. You’ll fight better without having to protect me." Hurt shimmered in her eyes, and I choked on my words.
 
"She doesn't want you to leave! She feels abandoned."
 
"Thank you, I realized." My thought was acid, and Artemis retreated.
 
"Look, Bit." I shoved our situation down, and spun her to face me. "You're… grown up. Self-sufficient. Powerful. I don’t need to protect you. Right?"
 
"Right." She forced the word. Her eyes cut me, but I continued. She didn't need me. She'd realize that.
 
"If I leave you, you'll be better off. You're stronger than me. I'm not helping. I need to go. You can handle this, right?"
 
"Yes." She looked down. I could hear the golems advance. Artemis was calling, but I suppressed her.
 
"I've got a plan, an idea. I think I know what's going on. I can resolve this. But… I need to leave you. Okay?"
 
"Okay."
 
"Look at me, Bit." She wrenched her eyes up to mine. She didn't need me. I wasn't abandoning her. I needed to convince her that was okay. "You're an adult. You're strong. You're independent."
 
"Wes, I—"
 
"That is a good thing.” My words were forceful. “Don't ever doubt it!" I raised my sword, pouring Artemis' ample magic into it. The blade flared, and the Emerald started shrieking. It would hold, even without my input. "Listen, Bit. You're strong. Believe it. I'm not doing this because I want to leave. I need to." Puzzlement appeared in her eyes. A round of shells whipped past. "I'm asking because you're strong. I can rely on you. I can ask for your help."
 
"Huh?"
 
"Bit, you're no longer just someone I protect. Now, you're someone who can protect me. Someone I can entrust with responsibility. I need your help! Guard my back. Defend, so I can work." I grinned wide, a ferocious smile. "Bit. I'm asking you to step into danger. Fight for me."
 
I spun my sword, offering her the hilt. Her hurt dissolved into a wide-eyed wonder as she finally understood. Ever since we’d met, she'd wanted more from me; more trust, more responsibility. Now I was offering, and she hadn't even asked.
 
"Yes!" She snatched up the blade, and held it high. It flared green. "You can count on me!"
 
"Good." I nodded once, and spun towards the sigil and arrow painted on the pavement. "I'm off. Guard my back." With barely a hint of hesitation, I dashed into the minefield, following the path of arrows.
 
"How close together do we need to be?" I was sold out. There was no turning back. I'd entrusted myself to Squarewave, and decided to believe Artemis' crazy theory. I skidded to a stop on the next sigil, spinning to dash after the arrow. So far, I hadn't triggered any mines. Three turns in, and I was still alive. More evidence.
 
"We need to be touching, or it won't work."
 
"Alright." I pulled power through the link. Pure magic couldn’t speed me as fast as pegasus power, but I could re-enforce my legs, lungs, and heart. I paused to glance back. A flare of green showed the power in my sword was holding; Bit ought to be okay. I really had held her back.
 
"Hurry, Wes!" I returned to my course, really leaning into my run. Finally, I sprinted into the area where Twilight and Artemis were standing. It was a clear zone; the Shard Field dappled the surrounding area, but avoided them.
 
"Wes?" Twilight looked up surprised, as I dashed around the corner.
 
"Yup! Okay, Artemis; I've tested it twice, and both came up positive. Let's go for broke."
 
"Right." She drew a nervous breath, and flared her magic. It coalesced into a glowing sphere, and tentacles of power snaked away, snagging the floating mines.
 
"What are you doing?" Twilight's voice quavered slightly.
 
"Disabling the Shard Field." Artemis' voice was distant.
 
"But we don't know the code!" Twilight gasped.
 
"Right. We're going to guess." I put a steadying hand on her neck. "And we'll get it in one go. Because we're the ones who set the code."
 
"What?" Twilight frowned. "Princess, you said we needed to cast the foiling spell before it was in place! How can you—" She cut off, as Artemis’ interface spell started spinning, knocking out random numbers. We couldn't just guess all zeros; it had to be a possible sequence, or the Field would never have activated. I frantically memorized them. Pulses traveled the interfacing threads, and one by one, the crystal mines went dark and fell from the sky.
 
"I guessed." Artemis shrugged. "The only stable loop was me guessing right." She grinned fiercely. "Now we're going to set things in stone. Let's do this, Wes."
 
"Right." Keeping one hand on Twilight, I tangled my other in Artemis' mane. "Go!"
 
"Here goes nothing." Her horn flared. I felt a surge of power across the link. There was a flash of brilliant light, a confused impression of movement, and the distinctive yank of a warp.
 
"Why didn't you just teleport out of the Shard Field?"

"No clear landing space. Remember, you need to see your destination."
 
"Oh."
 
"This spell is different, though."
 
I sighed, feeling tension fade as the world re-formed around us. I found a scrap of paper in my pockets, and scribbled down the deactivation numbers I’d memorized.
 
"Well, yeah." Around us, ponies were walking through a busy street. The sun was high in the sky. Everything was calm. There were no golems. None of the wreckage we'd created with our brawling. After all, it hadn't happened yet. "Oh, Twilight didn't come." I sighed.
 
"That was expected. She's already used this spell once."
 
"Right, right." I looked around. "What was this called? Starswirl’s Chrono-melter?"
 
"Chronometer. Remember, it's not a time-travel spell."
 
"Yeah." I rubbed my nose. "Yeah, I know. It's just… such a strange concept."
 
"Time is strange." Artemis shrugged. "Let's check we arrived correctly." She trotted down the road, heading for a newspaper stand. I followed. She picked up a paper, skimmed it, and passed it to me. "Looks like we're good. Three days in the past."
 
"This is ridiculous." I groaned, and started pacing in circles, trying to think. "Your solution for me being Squarewave and not knowing it was time travel?"
 
"It worked, didn't it? You picked up that cobblestone, and I disabled the Shard Field. Besides, it's not—"
 
"Right, right. It's not time travel." I waved a hand. "We're not actually changing the past. All of this happened already. We're just… experiencing it out of order? Like Twilight did, when she first used this spell. It's… reverse-predestination. Yuck. That sounds just as stupid the second time."
 
I cradled my head in my hands and tried to think it through again. Squarewave had known things he shouldn't. I was the only one who knew those things. Artemis had warped us back in time… sort of. Everything I'd experienced was locked into place, so now we needed to do everything Squarewave had done, because I was Squarewave. When we had, we'd warp back to the future, creating a stable time-loop.
 
Since only one loop was created, and only stable loops could be created, we couldn't actually change the past. But then, we didn't need to; we just needed to make sure everything we'd seen actually happened. We knew the directions Squarewave - me - had given, and the code to disable the field, because we'd experienced it. It was locked into place. We were doing the locking.
 
"Blech." I thrust the confusing mess from my mind, and tried to focus on concrete actions. "Okay, this is giving me a headache. I hate not-time travel."
 
"Still, it's what we've got." Artemis dropped the paper, and turned away. "Now, I need to get a Shard Field foiling-spell together. What do you need to do?"
 
"Write one, two… three notes?" I frowned. "Deliver one to myself, and hire two couriers. I need a can of spraypaint, and to set up some time-delay stuff.”
 
"Right. Let's do this." She snagged me with her aura, and started tugging me down the road.
 
"And afterwards, let's never use this spell again." I caught up to her, and she released me. "Time Travel is entirely too confusing."
 
"Well, it seems each pony can only cast it once. Or only under specific conditions. It's not well understood, and it’s not—"
 
"Right, right. Not time travel." I crossed my arms behind my head, and leaned back, staring up into the sky. "Whatever. Not-time travel is even more confusing."
 



 
"You're done?" She frowned at me.
 
"Yeah." I pointed to the cobblestone I'd just pried up, spray painted with the Little Dipper, and replaced. It was the same one I'd snagged during my fight with the golems and Bit. I'd been checking whether someone would know I'd pick up that exact stone. It had been enough to convince me Artemis' not-time travel scheme was correct. I had known I’d pick up the stone, because I had picked up the stone. Or something like that.
 
"We're not warping."
 
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Artemis rolled her eyes. "Are you sure we've gotten them all?"
 
"Hmm." I thought back. "One note to myself, pointing to Bit's café. One note to you, same. One courier for the first fight. One set of timed invisible spray-paint arrows for the second fight. Another courier for the third fight. Arrows for the minefield, and a cobblestone to show this is the right plan. Oh." I frowned. "There was one more." I turned. "Seven degrees counter-clockwise… can you get us up there?" I pointed to a distant roof-top.
 
"Sure." Artemis grabbed my sleeve, and wrapped us in her magic. We wafted across. "Why here?"
 
"I painted one last one, over there." I pointed to the Pattern. It seemed much crisper. "Oh, interesting. It looks different now."
 
"What are you talking about?" Artemis shot me a curious glance.
 
"Let me show you." The link started, and I let her borrow my eyes.
 
"That's… the Pattern?" She hesitantly accepted the images. "It's… weird."
 
"I know. You know, you’re the first person besides me to actually see one in the real world? I'd like to ask Cog why, but… yeah. Here." I tossed her the spray paint. "Put a big squarewave and an arrow on that house next door, pointing right at the pattern."
 
"Sure." She lifted the can in her aura, and floated it towards the target. It was done in a moment.
 
"Still not warping."
 
"Still obvious." She rolled her eyes. "Again, have you forgotten anything?"
 
"Hmm." I repeated the itinerary in my head. "I don't think so."
 
"Hold up." She frowned. "You put up a squarewave." She pointed. "But did you investigate the Pattern? Why point to it?"
 
"No..." I frowned. "I didn't. But before, it was fading somewhat."
 
"Fading?"
 
"Yeah, bits were disappearing. It was smaller, and I watched a chunk fade out."
 
"Like the magic was gone? Like you'd… already done something?" She cocked her head. "Maybe…"
 
Our eyes met.
 
"Now?" I quirked an eyebrow.
 
"Well, we can look." She floated us off the roof. "Let's head over and find the focus."
 



 
"Hello?" I knocked on the door. "Anypony home?"
 
"Hold up." The link broke. Artemis concentrated a second, and shook herself. Her pinto coat dissolved into mist, and when it cleared, she was taller and more regal, sporting wings and a horn. "I'll go first. Let me do the talking."
 
"Um." I imagined the Royal Capslock Voice, and shrugged. "Alright." She wouldn't hurt anything.
 
"Hello?" A unicorn opened the door, eyes widening as he looked up at us.
 
"GOOD MORNING, CITIZEN!" Luna's greeting pinned his ears against his head, and he fainted dead. "Ah." She smiled. "It would seem the way is clear."
 
"Are you doing this on purpose?" I shot her a suspicious glance.
 
"Who, me? Cute, fluffy, little blue me?"  She widened her eyes innocently. I chuckled.
 
"Of course not; how silly of me. The very thought is ridiculous." I bowed extravagantly, waving her forward. "After you, milady."
 



 
"Hold up." I raised a hand, and Luna stopped. "It's in there." The house we were in was fairly small. We hadn't even needed another of Luna's 'explanations'. We were walking past a door that led up into the attic. The Pattern spread across plain oak planking.
 
"That was fast." She turned aside to crack it open, peering through. After a moment, she resumed her limiting disguise, and we stepped in.
 
"Woah." The whole room was covered with the Pattern. Everything had a twisting, curling overlay. "This is super trippy."
 
"Let me see?"
 
"Sure." I opened the link.
 
"Woah. Super trippy." Artemis scanned the room. "It centers… there?" She pointed across the room, directly for a small box. The pattern swirled inwards around it, disappearing under the lid.
 
"Yeah." I walked across the room, but hesitated before touching it. "Should we do this?"
 
"Yes." She nodded. "This Pattern… it's yours, somehow. At least take a look. It's tied to you, and tied to Cog. And that ties it to your memory. Remember what Cog said?"
 
"I've got one chance to remember." I drew in a shaking breath. “I need to grasp it with both hands." I flipped the chest open and peered in.
 
"Hah." Artemis glanced in. "Well, it's obvious who did this."
 
"Cog."
 
The bottom of the box was carved with innumerable gears and mechanisms, interlacing machinery carefully rendered in soft wood. The pattern flowed up the walls of the box, spilling over into the room around us.
 
"That one's loose." I pointed. One of the gears was turning, ever so slowly. A faint radiance emanated from it, and every twisting thread of the Pattern twined into its base. "Should I?"
 
"Both hands, Wes."
 
"Right." I drew a deep breath, and reached in carefully. I could barely fit my wrists inside. I steadied my fingers, and wrapped them firmly around the gear.

> 70 - Enact
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

THUMP.
 
I woke up when I hit the ground.
 
"Ow." I pried my eyes open. No, I'd been mistaken; I was still dreaming.
 
Right?
 
It was spring break. On a whim, I decided to eschew civilization, so I’d ridden my motorbike into the woods and fallen asleep in a small nylon tent.

Now I was in a wide, grassy field, under a sky of unfamiliar stars. Of course it was a dream. What else could it be?
 
"Ahem."
 
Someone behind me cleared their throat. I whirled, and found... a manikin? I stared a moment; the scene was surreal. It looked like a fugitive from a department store, lost in a sea of grass. It was slightly shorter than me, perfectly symmetrical, and completely featureless. It had no eyes or mouth, and its nose was a smooth jag. It was formed from a white, waxy substance and had no identifying features.
 
It was almost creepy.
 
"Ahem." It carefully raised a hand and coughed. I flinched at the unexpected movement, but it's mannerism was so… studied, artificially casual, I almost laughed.
 
"Um, hello?" I looked around. Despite the surreal setting, this dream was one of the most realistic I'd had in a while. "Yes? Do you need something?" Might as well play along. My subconscious could be surprisingly entertaining.
 
"Could I possibly ask your name?" Its voice was a grating, mechanical monotone, but perfectly intelligible.
 
"Wesley Kilmer." I nodded firmly. "And who are you?"
 
"Please call me Cog."
 
"Huh." I walked slowly around it. "Some dream, huh?"
 
 "It's possible you could call it that. Wesley, let me ask you a question." Its head spun to follow me. Eventually I completed a full circle. Its face settled back in place with a click.
 
"Okay?"
 
"Would you like to go on an adventure?"
 
"Hmm." I turned, and started walking. The grass was cool on my bare feet. The starlight was bright, and the air was pleasant. "Nope, not really."
 
"Please elaborate." My waxy companion paced alongside. Its movements were fluid, but a subtle repetition gave it a mechanically deliberate quality.
 
"Well, I'm already on one." I shrugged. "I mean, I'm camping in the woods. I needed to get out of town, so I did. I needed some variety in my routine, so I made some. I stopped waiting around for adventure to come find me when I was fourteen, and began making my own. It didn't take me long to realize that civilization rocks, and adventure is best experienced in small, measured doses. There's no way I'd rush into something I have no control over."
 
"Hmm." Cog rubbed its chin. Again, the obvious affectation seemed awkward, comic. "And if you had no choice? If you were thrust into adventure, despite your wishes? How would you respond?"
 
"Step up and deal… I hope." I grimaced. "Surprises can be really painful."
 
"Hmm." Cog paused, and we stopped walking. "Wes. I'm sorry to say this… but it's possible you've met a terrible fate."
 
"Huh." I scratched my head. "Interesting."
 
"You don't believe me."
 
"No, no, go on." I waved for it to continue. It had been a while since I had a really epic dream, but this one was shaping up to be pretty good.
 
"Before that, maybe we could move to somewhere else? Where do you feel comfortable?"
 
"Move?" I raised an eyebrow. Usually, dreams weren't this proactive. "Dunno. Comfortable, you say? How about my grandfather's house?"

“Could you imagine it for me?”

“Here goes.” I pictured the destination, as best I could. Cog waved a hand. One massive click rang through the air. I blinked.
 
I was standing in the sun; the stars had vanished. A white fence surrounded me, tall vertical planks blocking the street. Bougainvillea runners climbed it enthusiastically. The grass under my feet was short-trimmed, and a sandbox filled one corner. Bright plastic toys lay abandoned. A glass and metal patio table sat in the center, surrounded by flimsy plastic chairs.
 
"Oh. Huh. Cool." I leaned one of the chairs back, spinning it with one hand. It felt real. I set it down, and lowered myself to the table. Cog took a seat across from me. "So, what's the skinny? The lowdown? What's my quest, mission?"
 
"Quest." Cog shook his head slowly. "It's possible laying it out now will be most efficient." It shrugged, intentionally. "Yes. Well, Wesley, what do you know about multiple worlds?"
 
"Multiple worlds?" I raised an eyebrow. "Like, the metaphysics theory? That quantum decisions create alternate realities?"
 
"That's the one."
 
"Not a whole lot." I shook my head. "In fact, that sentence may sum my knowledge up completely."
 
"Well, it's a start." Cog leaned forward slightly. "I’ll give you the condensed version. In certain settings, usually involving quantum measurements, observing changes the thing observed. That suggests observation, and by extension consciousness, shape reality. Besides being ridiculous and counterintuitive, this… causes other problems. Multiple-worlds theory is an attempt to resolve those. It says quantum decisions aren't either-or, but instead both realities come true, in different universes. Instead of choosing A or B it picks C, all of the above. It claims there is an infinite, or near-infinite number of universes, expanding at each quantum event."
 
"Okay?" I gave the manikin a puzzled grin. I'd have to write this down when I awoke. It would be interesting to see how my dream-babble stacked up against the actual theory.
 
"Remember this, because it’s very nearly correct." Cog rested its chin on a palm. Again, I got the feeling it was rehearsing the movement. "Though there aren’t nearly that many universes."
 
"Oh? Why not?" I'd heard variations on that theory, usually in novels. They varied in complexity.
 
"Ah. Well, multiple worlds means alternate futures are a valid idea." It drew a finger along the glass, leaving chalklike smears. A line, branching into two. "This world-line hits a quantum event, and splits into two. Different possibilities, both happen. Right?"
 
"Right."
 
"Well, why should that idea only apply going forward? If multiple futures are valid, then multiple pasts are equally valid. It's possible to reach the same position by traveling various paths. After most quantum events, the world is not changed enough to notice. Given enough time, all evidence of the event will disappear. Or at least become unmeasurable, due to uncertainty."  It looked up at me, and then merged the two branches back together.

"At that point, there's no observable difference between the worlds, and they stop being separate. Basically, worlds can split… but they can also merge. They have a tension, if you will. To create realities that are actually separate, headed strongly in different directions, the quantum event needs to be significant. Very powerful, or observed by many."
 
"Cool."
 
"It's possible."
 
"So, what does this have to do with me?" I leaned back in my chair. "Why teach me this?"
 
"Wesley Kimler, you have fallen out of reality. Left your world-line."
 
"Huh?" Despite myself, I nearly tipped backwards. I recovered after windmilling my arms a moment. "What? How? Shouldn't that be impossible?"
 
"Impossible… isn't. Most of the time." It froze for a second, as if thinking. "In truth, the multiple worlds theory is an analogy. Like the Bohr atom, it's useful and correct in some generalities, but wrong in several important specifics. Reality is not so easily encompassed. Understanding your predicament correctly is impossible without a lifetime of study." His mechanical voice took on a contemplative tone. "And that assumes scientific achievements your world lacks. Suffice to say, you have fallen out of reality."
 
"Then… where am I?" I pressed for specifics, curious. "Where have I ended up?"
 
"Between worlds. Right now, you're falling through inter-reality. I've matched the movement of this pseudo-reality to yours so we seem stationary, but your velocity is extreme."
 
"And how did it happen?"
 
"Your world… has a tear." It fidgeted, and actually seemed spontaneously nervous. "Just a small one. It's size and position are extremely uncertain, but… it was enough to pull you through."
 
"Is that the adventure you mentioned?"
 
"It is possible." It cocked its head. "You're falling right now. You will soon impact another brane, and enter another world. I can't help much; my power is limited to specific things, but I thought I'd warn you. It's a friendly world in many ways, though no place is perfect. Returning to your previous world is an eventual possibility. I may be able to give you guidance and help."
 
"Oh. Cool. So, let me get this straight. My adventure is to go to another world, work with the things you're giving me, and find my way home?"
 
"You still consider this a dream."
 
"Isn't it?" Dream characters usually didn't acknowledge that, but there were very few hard rules to dreams.
 
"Educating you now will significantly increase your chance of survival. I'm sorry about this, Wes." It raised a hand, and brought it back down on the table with a CLANG.
 
The sound filled my world.
 
CLANG echoed through my head, bouncing off the inside of my ears. It shimmered through my bones, shaking me violently from the inside out. I may have yelled; I know I clapped my hands to my head. I curled up, trying to escape the noise, and fell out of my seat.
 
Instead of landing on the ground, I just kept on going.
 
I fell through the earth. I glimpsed blackness so intense it scored my brain. I was hanging in space, totally alienated from stability and safety. My breath caught in my throat. For an instant, I was filled with fear, convinced I was lost forever in a void. Then I saw the Tree, and all my fear was forgotten.
 
It appeared as a glow, a sort of purple haze that seemed to rise behind me. I spun, somehow translating intent into action, and it dawned in my view.
 
It was magnificent. It was huge, incomprehensibly large. It spread through space, thrumming chords of power and beauty, crystal columns of truth and reality. It formed a snarling pattern of branches and paths, twisting and writhing in ways that strangely drew the eye.
 
"Do you understand?"
 
Cog's voice filled space, ringing from below my feet as the noise in my ears faded. I looked down. Below me, an expanse of mechanisms spread. I couldn’t point to a beginning or end. It was interminable. Ratchets clicked, flywheels spun, gears smoothly counted out their teeth.
 
This was not a dream.
 
This was too much, too fast, too strong, too… too real to be anything but reality. I shook my head, trying to clear it. What had I been doing? I’d made a logical conclusion based on my surreal surroundings. Deciding I was in a dream was reasonable, but… wrong. Tree. Cog. Seeing them like this, I was absolutely convinced. Maybe it wasn’t even a rational decision. I just knew; this was True, with a capital T. They couldn't be anything except what they were, and I was seeing everything they were.
 
And it hurt.
 
Reality was too MUCH. Knowledge, pure and simple, flared furiously through me. My head spun, my jaw clenched, my eyes dilated, my vision blurred. Fire crawled into my head, roaring behind my eyes and spreading down my spine in wires of red-hot agony. I threw my head back and screamed.
 
THUMP.
 
I returned to my grandfather's yard with a crash. I lay curled on the grass, whimpering, as a wash of scarlet pain crept over me.
 
"It's possible I'm sorry." Cog's voice was uncertain. "I'm not sure I understand the emotion, but… this may be it. The pain will fade. You are safe now."
 
"That hurt." Slowly, my nerves stopped screaming as the agony drained out of my fingertips and toes.  "A lot." I drew a shuddering breath, and lurched upright. "But… I understand, somewhat. This is real? Yes. This is real." I strengthened the conviction in my voice. "You're real. I saw… you. You're a mechanism?" I crinkled my eyebrows. "Somehow. And the… thing. Like a tree. I saw the Tree. You said I fell out of my reality. That was real? That was real. I'm… good grief." I rested my head in my hands, as the enormity of my situation washed over me.
 
"Will you be alright?" The solicitation in Cog's voice sounded genuine.
 
"I, uh." I lapsed into silence "Maybe. Woah." I forced myself upright and wobbled over to my chair, holding firmly to my self-control. The familiar surrounding soothed me, even though I knew it wasn't… no, it was real. But it wasn't the 'real' I knew. "I… yeah, I'll be okay. I don't have much choice, huh?" I laughed nervously. My former blithe confidence was gone, wiped away by a mega-dose of real. This wasn't a dream. I was in waaaaay, waaaaay over my head, and there was nothing I could do about it.
 
"No." Cog shrugged. "No, you don’t. I'll lay it out straight, Wes. You've drawn the short straw. You're up a creek. You've got problems. Still, don't lose hope just yet."
 
"Right." I rubbed my eyes, wincing. They were raw, and stung. "You said you'd help me get home?"
 
"It's possible you may succeed." It shrugged. "I'll do what I can."
 
"Then yes. I'm okay. I'll be okay. One way or another." I gulped, dropping my forehead to the table. "I hope."
 
Silence settled around us.
 
"Well." After letting my mind churn, I tried to sit up again. "Okay. I fell out of reality. What's happening to me now?" I concentrated, determined not to choke on the words.
 
"You will land in another." Cog sat motionless. "I've traced your trajectory. You're moving quickly, but not so fast I can't direct you slightly. My influence is very limited, but for now, it suffices. It is, on the whole, a soft world." Cog waved a hand, and left a glittering trail of images in the air. A sun, moon, rainbow… a half-dozen strange symbols. "Much like yours."
 
"My world was soft?" I frowned. "Maybe in some parts, but—"
 
"Trust me on this one." Cog cut me off. "Your world was soft, lovely, and kind. In comparison, at least." It placed a hand flat on the table, and lifted it slowly. A tiny, crystalline tree rose underneath, appearing from the glass with a ripple. It was twisted, knotted, strangely intricate.
 
"Is that… the Tree I saw?" I gulped, shielding my eyes for fear of the burning I'd experienced.
 
"Parts of it. Fitting the entire akashic record into this pseudo-space would be challenging." Cog pointed to the crystal bonsai. "It's the local pieces, the relevant bits. Look, here and here." It's fingertip sharpened, pointing to specific branches.
 
"Blackness?" I leaned in. The bonsai was maybe eight inches tall, and it sparkled incredibly. But here and there, it was dulled. "Is that… fungus?"
 
"Not a bad analogy." Cog shrugged. "Not correct, but enough for now. I call it the corruption. My work is to hinder it."
 
"Woah. Good versus evil? Light versus darkness?"
 
"If only. No, I am no moral agent, although I try. It's simply life versus death. Perhaps fighting for my life is good, but… desperation is my motivation." It shrugged, the most human motion I'd seen yet. "The corruption eats at the Tree, while I strive to burn it away."
 
"Wait. Fighting for your life?" I scratched my forehead, and pointed from the Tree, to Cog. "Are you the Tree? What? How? I thought you were the… infinite mechanism."
 
"Well, yes. Both. In some sense." Its voice grated. "You are your mind, and you are your body. If all I could see was your skeleton, maybe that could be considered 'you'. The Tree isn't conscious, but it is alive, in some sense of the word. It has a will, a purpose. All life reflects it; all life strives to live and grow. In order to combat the corruption, it's changed itself. The parts that fight become stronger, more effective, more mobile, more… aware. Me."
 
"You're an antibody!" I pointed a finger at him. "A white blood cell!"
 
"I am a whole, not a part." It waved the thought away. "No, the analogy is too vague. I won’t pursue it. Suffice, I'm tied to the tree on a basic level. I strive against the corruption, which strives to eat me. I seek to hinder it in every way, so I’m saving you."
 
"What?" I frowned. "How does… wait. Did the corruption cause me to 'fall out of reality'?" I made air-quotes with my fingers. Cog nodded slowly.
 
"Yes." It pointed to the tree again. "See? The corruption spreads. One way it manifests in worlds is through tears in reality. Small ones rapidly change size and position. You were unlucky to camp near one. It… swallowed you."
 
"So… I really just, sort of… fell out of reality." I rubbed my forehead. "Through a tear."
 
"Pretty much." It inclined its featureless face towards me. "I'd have stopped it, if I could. I apologize."
 
"Blech." I frowned. "Well, I can't say I'm happy… but blaming you is meaningless." I sighed. "As nice as it might feel." I shrugged. "Forget it. I don't mean to sound greedy, but… please, focus on helping me now." I swallowed. "This is hard enough to deal with. Anything would be welcome."
 
"As I said, I'm quite limited." Cog waved a finger, and the bonsai spun lazily. "But, I will do what I can. Watch the Tree."
 
I flinched.
 
"This won't hurt."
 
I reluctantly relaxed. I was wary, but I trusted Cog somewhat. He'd shown me… well, everything. I watched the bonsai. As it spun, the half-visible pattern in the branches, the twisted, intricate paths, wove themselves into a complicated knot that drew the eye strangely.
 
"Woah." I blinked, and the illusion shattered. "What was that?"
 
"My power is limited," Cog said, "but I can't be less than I am. I've shown you the Tree twice, reflecting various aspects of reality. It changed you. The first one blew away the illusions you lived in. The second one has given you a little more."
 
"Oooo." I traced a finger across the table. Around the bonsai’s pot was a pattern. The branches seemed to be projecting it. It mirrored their swirls, and it was almost layered above the glass. "Pretty."
 
"Patterns perceived on a subliminal level register with your consciousness as 'beauty'." Cog rested its chin in a palm. "An interesting study, honestly. But this Pattern is more than decoration. It's from a part of you that can see the truth of reality even from inside a world-line. It will reveal hidden magic, especially doors and portals. If you see anything, anything at all with this Pattern on it, it's important. This is your key to return, your road to home. Head for the Pattern, and find the Tree."
 
"So." I drew in a shaky breath. "Follow the yellow brick road."
 
"It is possible that's humor?" It cocked its head. "Yes. Possibly. Hah. Hah."
 
"Okay, nevermind." I waved a hand. "Follow the Pattern, and it will lead to… what?"
 
"Eventually, it will lead you back here." Cog gestured around. "Interreality."

"Interreality. Okay. And from here… I can get home?"
 
"It is possible."
 
"That's… not reassuring."
 
"It's the best I can do. There are no guarantees. If I meet you at a portal or tear, I may be able to help you return. It's all I've got for you."
 
"Then I'll take it." I sighed. "Is that really everything?"
 
"Unfortunately." His nod was solemn. "Yes."
 
We sat in silence for a while. I pondered everything I'd been told, and tried to fit it into my brain. Slowly, I felt stress begin weighing on me. I began tensing up. My stomach started to roil, the immensity of my predicament pulling me down.
 
"Cog." I cut the silence before the stress drove me crazy. "Tell me something."
 
"Of course."
 
"You said, the corruption is killing… you?"
 
"It tries."
 
"And it manifests as tears."
 
"More than that, but that's how it first attacks."
 
I leaned in close to the bonsai, trying to see the blackness more clearly.
 
"Then what?" I squinted. "After the tear, what’s next?" My voice went solemn. "What's happening to my world, Cog?"
 
"For now? Nothing to worry about." It pointed to a branch. "This is your world." There was a tiny black smear. "As you can see, it's relatively unharmed. Given time, it may heal. I'll do what I can, of course. As long as things progress linearly, it will be millennia before serious effects show." It seemed to sigh. "I hope that's the case. Your fellow humans may eventually take up the fight themselves."
 
"Is that… unlikely?" I frowned. "What happens otherwise?"
 
"The corruption spreads." Cog spun the tree. "It is… a cessation, of sorts. It mirrors the Tree, in some ways. It appears to be alive. It appears to grow. It feeds on the Tree, and on any life it encounters." It pointed to a branch.
 
"It's broken?" I leaned in. "No… it's rotted." I swallowed, and sat back. "What does that mean?"
 
"The corruption freezes everything it touches. Nothing survives a full-scale incursion. It pours through the tears, swallowing everything in its path, and converting the entirety of the world-line into… well, nothing." Cog pointed to the rotted branch again. "If it manages to consume everything, the world-line stops completely, and… that's it. The death of worlds."
 
"Oh." I swallowed. "Is… is my world really safe?" This seemed surreal, ludicrous almost, but I couldn't shake a looming worry.
 
"Again, for now. The most dangerous possibility would be intrusion from a more infected world." It pointed again. "You're headed towards one such. I've labeled it Equus Five Suns. They've managed to stem the growth of the corruption, through various means. But if any of them were to end up in your world, their innate makeup is different enough it would widen the tears and accelerate the process catastrophically. You transcendentals are extremely unpredictable, and I have little to no power inside the world-lines. I've seen it happen before, despite my best efforts. In your language, I might call it ‘Arcanaclypse’."
 
I frowned, mulling the word over, committing it firmly to memory. This was important.
 
"Arcanaclypse, Arcanclypse. Magical destruction?" I frowned. "Immense destruction, brought on by magic? That sounds… very, very bad."
 
"Yes. Due to your world’s population density and distribution, I estimate exposure to the corruption would kill eighty percent of your population in twenty weeks. The remainder would have at most a fifty percent chance of avoiding complete annihilation."

“Woah.” That might be worse than full-scale nuclear war. I ground my palms into my eyes, and tried to understand. Eventually, my brain just gave up. This was too much, too fast. I pushed the problem aside; I was literally incapable of doing anything about that, even if I wanted to. Still, one thing bothered me.
 
"Destruction, I understand. But why 'magic'?"
 
"Really." It pointed one finger at the bonsai. "You see this, and still ask?"
 
"But this is… science, right?" I raised an eyebrow. "Rules of the universe? I mean, you just showed me how things really work."
 
"To some extent, yes. But there's more to it than—"
 
"Huh?" Suddenly, a wash of chill air coated me. A chorus of soul-chilling shrieks rang out, as I turned. The whitewashed fence behind me was dissolving, eaten away by a howling darkness.
 
"The corruption has found us. This pseudo-reality can't hold long against it." Cog reached over the table, and picked me up easily with one hand. "Wes, I'll accelerate your trip. Be warned; you won't remember this experience right away. With a little time, it should return to you, but until then…" It flung me into the blackness. I screamed as an arctic frost engulfed me, and I was again sailing through the dark. "Try to survive!"
 



 
<"Good grief!">
 
I reeled back from the chest as a hundredweight of memories slammed into my skull. Something tingled in my grasp and I looked down; I'd been clenching the gear so firmly it was still in my hands.
 
<"Oh, that's just - ">
 
Blackness engulfed me again.
 



 
"OWCH!" I landed with another thump. 
 
"Ooof!" Something large, fuzzy, and blue landed on top of me. The Princess' transformation had dissolved in whatever sort of transfer we'd been through. Her ethereal mane filled my vision with stars.
 
"Luna. Crushing… ribs. Please. Move." I shifted back to Equestrian with a gasp, shoving ineffectually at her feathers.
 
"Wes?" The midnight alicorn looked down. "Oh, sorry!" She lifted off with a flap. "Where are we?"
 
"My grandfather's backyard." I frowned, inspecting the whitewashed fence, the bougainvillea, and the patio furniture. "Again."
 
"I apologize." With a click, the door swung open, and a waxy manikin stepped out. "I didn't intend that to be so choppy."
 
"Cog?" I scratched my head. "What's going on here?"
 
"I've returned your memories." It pulled out a chair, and sat down.
 
"But… it seemed really real." I joined it at the table. Luna glanced at the chairs skeptically, and sat on the ground.
 
"It was." It shrugged. Luna quirked an eyebrow at the mechanical motion. "Your original memories were damaged beyond repair, so I simply re-enacted them. As someone who’s business is understanding quantum differences, let me assure you; they’re indistinguishable from the original in all important ways."
 
"Uh-huh." I sighed. "Okay. Thanks.” I paused and drew in a deep breath. “Really, thank. you. But… why are we here, now?"
 
"It's possible you have questions, Wes." It pointed to Luna. "And you as well, Princess. I appreciate everything you two have done against the corruption in this world, and I'll do my best to repay you as I can."
 
"The corruption?" Luna looked to me. "What does that mean?"
 
"I think that’s... the windigoes. Can I try to explain?" I looked to Cog, who nodded. "It's… complicated, Luna, but here's what I've got. The Tree of Harmony is an offshoot of another Tree. Cog calls it an akashic record, I call it <Yggdrasil>, a World Tree.” I pointed to the bonsai.

“It looks a lot like that. It's not really a tree, but a representation of the world. Of all worlds. It shows how world-lines split into multiple realities. The original one contains and is made of alternate realities. It's… beautiful." I shook my head.

"Cog here, is an agent of the Tree. Part of it, kinda, fighting against the corruption, a sickness attacking the Tree. Both the sickness and the Tree are alive, but not aware. Cog gained awareness in order to be a more effective fighter. With me so far?"
 
"I think so." Luna nodded slowly.
 
"Now, here's where I move into conjecture." I pointed to Cog. "Correct me if I'm wrong. A moment ago, I remembered my first meeting with you, Cog. You told me I fell out of my world through a tear in reality, and the corruption causes those. If they get wide enough, it seeps in so it can, get this, freeze the world. Sound familiar, Luna?"
 
"Ah."
 
"And more than that. Right before we parted ways, the corruption attacked. It shrieked and howled, and felt like frost. Looking back, I recognize both those."
 
"Excellent observations." Cog nodded.
 
"Wait wait, not done yet!" I waved my hands. Connections were forming in my brain, neurons firing and intuition flowing. "You also talked about infection from another world. You said that Equestrians have been fighting the corruption here for a long time, and that if they ended up in my world, it could be bad, maybe catastrophic, because of their innate makeup." I pointed to Luna. "There's only one thing every Equestrian creature has in common."
 
"Magic," she finished.
 
"Exactly. It's even half of Arcanaclypse. The innate magic of an Equestrian would widen the rips in my world. It's the same as the Tuatha said; incautious walking causes tears."
 
"But—"
 
"Not done yet! More smartness coming! The Tuatha talked about ‘walking west’, and ‘rising in transcendence’. You," I pointed to Cog, "called us <transcendentals.> They're connected. I've also mysteriously acquired magical power since my trip through dimensions. You said the Tree had marked me twice. The second time, it gave me the pattern. The first… I think it gave me magic." My eyes widened. "No wonder seeing the real Tree hurt so much! Exposure to interreality is the cause of magic! It's a vicious cycle; tears introduce magic, like in the Everfree, and the magic widens the tears!"
 
"Um, Wes?" Luna tapped me on the shoulder. "I'm sure you're having fun, but there's a problem with that theory."
 
"Ah, huh?" I turned to her. "What?"
 
"Windigos don't like magic. They eat emotions. If magic was tied so tightly to the corruption, then why have we been using it to fight them for something like three thousand years or more? Not to mention the Elements, extremely powerful magical artifacts, were used to seal the tear under the Tree of Harmony. Also, the Tuatha had magic before they 'walked west'." She sighed. "Cog? Was any of that right?"
 
"More than I expected." It turned to me. "There is a connection between interreality and magic. That connection is here." It pointed to the Tree. "When you saw the Tree, it affected you. The things you know and how you think affect your brain’s physical structure. That burning you felt was an extreme example. The first time you saw the Tree, you gained the ability to use magic."
 
"Ahah!"
 
"But that ability is useless without authority. It’s imbalanced or misplaced authority, that really causes problems. Especially if a magical being enters through a tear, instead of a proper portal. Natural magic is ‘part of the system’, but misplaced magic is very dangerous."
 
"Tell." Luna fixed Cog with a stare, her eyes burning with lust for knowledge. "Explain about magic. Authority. Capacity. Please!"
 
"Of course." Cog leaned forward, clasping his hands. "It's something like this. Magic is direct interference with causality." It waved, and the bonsai grew. When it was a few feet across, the edges disappeared, delineating a cube. "This record is fractal." It pointed. As we zoomed in, it became obvious that each crystal branch was actually a myriad of streams, running parallel to each other. It focused on the ends of one set. "A world is made of lives." Zooming in further showed each was, in turn, wound from its own fibers of crystal.

"Lives are made of thoughts. This is one interpretation of reality. If you prefer another," the picture warped and jumped, settling into a slightly different orientation, "worlds are made of lumps. Lumps are made of smaller lumps. Eventually you reach elementary quanta." It shrugged. "Really, they're about the same. This, is magic." Suddenly, all the streams in the viewer glowed, and bent.

"From farther out." We zoomed out, and the streams combined into a larger flow, bending around the ones nearby, still energized with strange power. "Let me show you the ‘reality’." The viewer fogged, and cleared. Overlayed across the world-lines was a picture of a young unicorn lifting a rock. As the levitation magic pulsed, the glowing lines jerked and jagged.
 
"By the stars…" Luna breathed. "Direct interference? Magic is directly influencing the, the growth of the Tree?"
 
"Correct. True splits in world-lines are rare. Most divergences heal in a matter of moments. But it's possible to move world-lines without creating a split, given the ability and the authority. Ability is a matter of the mind's physical structure." It tapped its temple. "Every living thing can gain ability. It just takes the right mindset. Unicorns call the thought patterns needed for magic 'conduits'. Simply seeing the Tree, or prolonged exposure to magic, is enough to form those."
 
"Ahah!"
 
"Authority." Luna shot me a quelling glance. "How does that work?"
 
"Simply having the ability for magic doesn't mean you can cast it. Magic is not just inside of you." Cog pointed to the image of the unicorn practicing. "It affects reality on the most fundamental level. Growing magic conduits is like growing another arm. Authority is the strength of that arm, and it's not something that you can get for free. It's grown or inherited, and it’s something even I don’t really understand. It’s truly part of the Tree, and if someone incautiously moves between world lines, misplaced authority can stress the local reality enough to tear it.”
 
"But what about magic energy? The actual mechanism?" I leaned forward. “How does that work?"
 
"If the Tree understands your intent, it takes your energy for growth." Cog folded his hands. "Conduits transfer the energy. More authority makes larger changes possible. Conscious magic is simply willing the Tree to respond, and supplying energy so it can."
 
"Amazing." Luna breathed. "Finally! Celly will go wild over this!"
 
"Twilight, too." I smiled, imagining her excitement. "Um, Cog?"
 
"Yes?"
 
"How long do we have, here?"
 
"Not much longer."
 
"Then, one more question. What is transcendence?"
 
It regarded me for a moment.
 
"I'm not sure I should answer that."
 
"The Tuatha knew what it was." I crossed my arms. "And you called us transcendentals."
 
"Both of those things are true." It tapped a finger on the table. The gesture would have been thoughtful, if it didn't seem rehearsed. "Very well, I will explain the basics." It waved, and the view of the Tree zoomed sideways. Eventually, it settled on a branch that split off, moving away to join another. "Here is the Tuatha's world line."
 
"It leaves… Earth?" I looked up, and it nodded. "And it joins Equus… what did you call it? Equus Five Suns?"
 
"My world." Luna looked to Cog, who nodded.
 
"That is the basic idea behind transcendance. Correct and proper movement of world-lines can be a great good." Cog waved again, the view zoomed out. Again, the tree was tiny. "Look." It pointed to the base of the bonsai. "This is?"
 
"The trunk," I replied, bemused.
 
"Correct. But?" It turned to Luna.
 
"It’s the original world-line." The alicorn frowned. "And the largest."
 
"Correct again." It zoomed in, this time diving towards the trunk. "There's a reason for that." I gasped, as I saw what it focused on. Near the trunk, world lines split, jagged a few times… and merged back in. I'd understood Cog’s explanation of world-lines merging, but this seemed… extreme.
 
"Fascinating." Luna squinted. "Is that the end of magic?"
 
"End?" I glanced at her.
 
"Purpose." She glared back.
 
"I was actually confused by that!" I raised my hands defensively.
 
"Impressive deduction." Cog manipulated the bonsai again, returning it to its original state. "Yes, that's the eventual end of all world lines. If I'm able to hold back the corruption, the Tree may eventually look like this." Cog's fingers traced an outline above the crystal, and a glowing image took shape. I stared in amazement as a spindle-shape formed, with a thick bundle of world-lines at the trunk and top, but a fuzzy profusion of splits in the middle. "That, Wes, is transcendence. Returning towards the original condition of the world - of all worlds." It stood, and clapped once. "And that is all I can say. Again, I'm sorry to leave you with half-answers, but I'm limited in many ways, and time is one of them. Farewell."
 
"Dang it, Cog! Couldn't you at least give us—"
 



 
"—five minutes' notice?"
 
The gear slipped from my grasp, landing at my feet with a clatter. Luna stumbled into me with the sudden transferral. However, as we tried to get our bearings, another started.
 
"Hold on, Wes! Looks like we finished—"
 
This time, instead of blackness, it was a glaring light.
 



 
“—our time loop!”

"Wes! Luna!" We staggered, nearly falling, as Twilight glomped onto us. "You're back! What happened? Where did you go? You're an alicorn again, Princess!”
 
"We used Starswirl's Chronometer." Luna gave Twilight a comforting pat. "I’ll give you a full report later. What's the sitrep? How long were we gone?"
 
"Not long. A quarter-hour?" Twilight waved. "Once the Shard Field was down, the Wonderbolts showed up. They’re helping Bit with the golems." I heard a distant thrumm, and caught a flash of green. Just what was that bug doing with my sword?
 
"Luna, reporting." Luna tapped her earpiece on.
 
"Wesley Kilmer, reporting." I did the same.
 
"Good to hear from you, sis." Celestia's voice came in loud and clear. "Good job with the Shard Field. Leave cleanup to the Wonderbolts, and get over here as soon as possible."
 
The three of us exchanged glances.
 
"What's up, Princess?" I broke the silence. "What's the rush?"
 
"I discovered what Bodkin was after." Her tone was grim. "it should have been obvious, but I needed to double-check. You said his tracking spell pointed at himself?"
 
"Yes."
 
"He wasn't searching for golems or windigoes. He was searching for lieutenants. I had both Shadow Glory and Glisten imprisoned at this facility, and Bodkin escaped with both. Chrysalis was desperate because she discovered Sombra wouldn’t need her if Glisten returned. Things are going to start moving soon, and we need to be ready."
 
"Hay." I swore softly. "And the good news?" I joked.
 
"Actually, there is some." Celestia dropped some tension. "I've been pumping Chrysalis for info, and there’s more. Get this." Her voice rang with soft triumph. "Sombra’s moving boldly, because he’s committed to action. He’s traced the Tuatha, and to capture what he’s found, he started a serious maneuver. We have locations, dates, and even some troop composition. He’s got what he thinks is a tear, and he's headed for it."
 
"But we'll be there first," Luna cut in with a smile.
 
"Finally! Hah!" I threw my head back and crowed. "Finally, we've got our break! Finally! Watch your flank, Sombra!"
 
"We're coming." Twilight's grin was just as fierce. Finally, we had what we'd always needed; information. Finally, we weren’t going in blind.
 
Now he'd bleed.

> 71 - Hugs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So." I stepped away from Luna, and looked out over the city. "All that's left is mopping up, huh?"
 
"Yeah." Twilight nodded. "Chrysalis is captured, Bodkin is gone, and the Shard Field is down. We just need to collect Bit and destroy the golems. I don’t know—"

"Allow me."
 
Twilight and I spun, as Luna's sepulchral voice boomed off the nearby walls.
 
"Finally, I can use my power!" Her aura surged, and her eyes hazed. Her wings flicked wide, and a magic upsurge wafted her upwards. We watched in awe as she started weaving an exceedingly intricate spell.
 
"Holy—" I grabbed Twilight, dragging her to the ground as a midnight blast flashed over us. In the distance a series of ringing bursts sounded, like light bulbs exploding.
 
"Oh, that felt good!" Luna landed, stretching hugely. "Really Wes, no need to duck-and-cover. Now the power-players are gone, I can afford to show off without worrying about escalation."
 
"Well, good show." I looked up as a dark speck bobbed into the sky. "And here comes our final member."
 
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIP!
 
Bit alighted nearby, wings thrumming loudly in the narrow street.
 
"All the golems disintegrated, and the spell looked like Luna's. Is it over?" Her crystalline eyes darted back and forth. "Your plan worked?"
 
"Like a charm," Luna nodded, "although there were a few tense moments."
 
"Yes." Twilight frowned. "And I still want details. This is a fascinating situation, and—"
 
"So we won?" Bit stepped up, pitching her voice to cut Twilight off.
 
"Yes. Good job, Bit." I smiled as she grinned triumphantly.
 
"Well, um, then as leader…" She glanced around nervously. "Can I say one last thing?"
 
"Of course," Luna said. We all nodded.
 
"Then, maybe, um. Victory group hug?" She spread her arms wide. Luna and Twilight enthusiastically threw their forelegs around her. I hung back for a moment, but two sets of wings snagged me and dragged me in.
 
"Get over here," Twilight grumbled, and I surrendered.
 
There were worse fates.
 



 
"So…  we have a plan, right?" I stood before an ‘interstitial warp space node’, ready to enter the 'internet', the Equestrian military's top-secret rapid transit project. It was a permanent magic circle, silver wire hammered into a granite base. Technicians surrounded it, preparing to send us off. Later jumps would be self-powered, but we had enough casters to continue comfortably.
 
"Of course." Celestia smiled at me. This was her personal node, in a small, featureless room near her throne. She had recalled us to the castle as soon as we reported our situation, and now she was sending us off again less than an hour later. "It's quite simple. Get there first. Speed is one of the strongest tactical advantages in any situation. Expect support to be inbound for the next few days. Sombra will also move, but I'm confident my infrastructure will give us the advantage." She waved to the node.
 
"You're sure our intel is good?" I glanced across the room. Celestia hadn't let Chrysalis out of her sight. The Queen looked disheveled, but no more so than usual. Twilight was quietly berating her, and she hung her head in what might have been true misery and dejection.
 
"I believe so." Celestia frowned slightly. "I've promised her a measure of clemency, although she will still stand trial. Her gratitude and fear seemed genuine enough. Besides, she has committed to us firmly."
 
"What did you offer?" I raised an eyebrow, curious.
 
"I promised her an impartial jury, a sentence under Equestrian law, and that when her punishment is set, it will be carried out under Luna's authority."
 
"You'd have done that anyways, though." I frowned. "That's just. And Luna's the closest to 'impartial' you've got."
 
"Ah." Celestia smiled. "But Chrysalis doesn't know that. The very idea of 'fair' and 'just' is about as far from her mindset as can be. Speaking of which, could you attempt to find a half-dozen impartial changelings for the jury? Filling my half and finding a judge is going to be difficult enough. I've even considered having her tried in some sort of international court." She sighed. "But I don't think any of my allies would be able to resist the lure of double-dealing. They're not bad, per se, but… well." She shrugged. "Governments. And this really is an internal affair."
 
"I think I could do that." I frowned. "My ambassadorial staff should have a list of Tezecans registered by location. Maybe we can pick some far enough out who haven’t spoken to the Queen much. Perhaps the Phoresians would work? I'll look into it." I glanced at the node again. "After." I shrugged noncommittally. It wouldn't be a big deal as long as we made it back.
 
"Right." The princess nodded. "Yes. When Luna and Bit return, you'll depart. I've sent messages to Ponyville, so the rest of the Elements, Sunset, and possibly Lyra, should be inbound. According to Chrysalis, Sombra believes your destination is where the Tuatha exited this reality. He thinks the next step in his… 'evolution' can be found there. Your first and foremost goal is to deny him that, whatever that means and whatever that takes. He’s nearing alicorn levels of power. If he believes he can attack us directly, the only outcome is total war. And that can only end badly." I nodded soberly.
 
"You're not coming?" I glanced up at her. She smiled wryly.
 
"Would that I could, but despite the desperation, we do need reserves. Planning to not need contingencies is not a contingency plan."
 
"Fair enough." I nodded. "So… what do we know about the location?"
 
"I've briefed Luna," Celestia said. "She can give you the details, but we don't know much. It's in the Smoking Wilds, as legendary histories of the Tuatha indicated, although much farther than we expected. It will be rough terrain, but everypony here is experienced with wild lands."
 
"Okay." I nodded. "I just have one more question."
 
"Yes?"
 
"This… internet. It doesn't have 404 errors, does it?" Celestia frowned in confusion. Across the room, Twilight snorted.
 
"HOLD!"

"Stand down!"
 
We shared a glance and spun for the door as two familiar voices rang in the corridor. Celestia flung it open with her magic.
 
Luna and Bit's retainers were facing each other down.
 
One side was Luna's night guard, a dozen fierce, tough ponies wearing her trademark uniform. On the other were six of the biggest, most dangerous changeling soldiers I had ever seen. They were nearly Big Mac’s size, and were marked with startlingly blue stripes. Both sides stared warily, ready to burst into violence at the first excuse.
 
"Peace!" Celestia called, drawing everypony's eyes.
 
"Stand down, I said. Do not embarrass me." Bit was pony-shaped again, her ornate carapace openly displayed. The soldiers dwarfed her, but at her flat demand they formed ranks and stood like stone.
 
Luna just hissed, ever so slightly, and her guards formed up even faster. The two sides froze solid, with the exception of the leaders. Luna coughed, embarrassed, and nodded to Bit.
 
"I apologize, Queen Tezeca, for the behavior of my soldiers. I neglected to brief them on your inclusion. It was an inexcusable oversight on my part." I winced as the Night Guard's eyes widened. Causing Luna lose face obviously stung their pride harder than any reprimand.
 
"Think nothing of it, Princess Luna. These roaches obviously don't know their place yet, to threaten declared allies without even my command." Bit's voice was level, with just a hint of contempt. Her soldiers were unreadable, but I could tell she was seething inside. The two turned and walked side-by-side into the room. Their contingents shared what might have been sheepish looks before following.
 
"So, um. Nice army, Bit."
 
"Do you like them?" She glanced back. "They were my mother's.  Normally they'd each have a contingent of drones, but my hive has no soldiers."
 
"They seem… seasoned?" I frowned. Actually, from what little of a read I could get on them, they were lethal.
 
"They're generals." She shrugged. "They are war. This is now an official joint military action between the Tezecan Hive and Equestria." She glanced over at Luna. "I hope we can all get along."
 
"You honor us." Luna nodded. "Thank you for your support."
 
I blinked. The two of them were giving off an extremely official vibe. I hadn't seriously contemplated how significant the risk was here. They were both extremely important to hundreds, thousands of ponies, and we were headed to battle. Maybe war. I swallowed, suddenly much more apprehensive, and glanced at Bit. She was as calm and collected as ever. Still, watching her walk alongside Luna as an equal, my comment on how she’d become responsible really hit home. She was responsible for the welfare of her entire hive, and she was risking it all for her allies.
 
I sighed and bowed my head. I’d asked her to face golems earlier today, but I'd known she was up to the task. Letting her face Sombra? I flinched at the thought. But I'd told her she was free to fight for her friends. She hadn't needed my permission, really – I didn't have authority to naysay her, even if she'd was doing wrong. Which she wasn't.
 
"Heavy thoughts?" Twilight trotted over.
 
"Yeah," I grinned wryly. "I just realized how weighty this task is. I think it’ll be better when we’re actually moving."
 
"Well then, let's start!." She turned to the group. "Everypony, listen up! Today, we will be traveling long distance on the internet, and here's how it's going to work!"
 



 
ZAP!
 
"Woah."
 
I stumbled out of the teleport arrival zone and looked out over a blasted, broken landscape. A tiny guard outpost, just enough for a cache of supplies, stood behind me.
 
"No wonder they call it the Smoking Wilds." The land seemed mostly volcanic rock, crumbled and scattered carelessly across the ground. Occasional plumes of harsh ash floated in the breeze. I forced myself alert and marched to join the advance party, three of Luna's Night Guard.
 
ZAP!
 
The next passenger, one of Bit's soldiers, warped in behind me. This was our last stop, and I was glad. Teleporting didn't exactly give me motion-sickness, but whatever I felt was only one step away. The others seemed unfazed.
 
The general stepped up beside me, keeping me between him and the ponies. I gave him a curious glance. They had thicker carapaces, streaked with vivid blue. I tried to match them to changeling types I'd seen before and failed. Maybe they were more of Tezeca's special projects? I'd have been more nervous around them, except I'd seen the way they deferred to Bit. And I trusted Bit.
 
ZAP!
 
The Night Guard glanced back and moved to make space for their leader. Luna stepped up to join them.
 
"From here, we have eleven hours by air." She looked to her soldiers. "Negotiating the Wilds on hoof is unreasonable, so non-flyers will camp here until we have a warp beacon set up. Considering the distance, that may take several more hours. Lumiere, you are in command until I contact you." Nods and salutes answered. The Guard sectioned themselves into 'stay' and 'away' as more warped in.
 
ZAP!
 
Bit appeared, and her contingent formed up. She gave them an exasperated look but held her peace. Both the Guard and the Tezecans had acted extremely formal since this morning.

ZAP!
 
Twilight was the last one through, and she was panting heavily.
 
"You okay?" I stepped over, and offered her my canteen.
 
"Yeah." She accepted gratefully, gulping my water. "In a minute. That was draining." She sighed and relaxed. "At least now it's over."
 
"Yup." I grinned. "Now we just fly until three in the morning and pitch camp."
 
"Urgh." She slumped slightly. "Forced marching sucks."
 
"Sorry." I gave her a reassuring pat. "If you want, you can stay and wait for the second group."
 
"No." She shook her head. "I'm going with. I’ll set up the beacon. You understand, right?"
 
I nodded. She felt as strongly about this as I did. Sombra needed to be stopped. Doing any less than our utmost was inexcusable. To that end, I'd be the only non-flyer in the advance group. It would be difficult, but since there might be Tuatha artifacts at our goal, it was necessary.
 
"Fly with me a little?" She fluffed her wings, and I eyed them apprehensively. "I want to talk."
 
"We can set our comms," I offered. "Not that I have anything against your flying, but I'm not exactly a light load."
 
"Pff." She huffed but nodded.
 
"Wes?" Luna called.
 
"Yes?" She stood beside a sleek pegasus wearing the Night Guard armor, adorned with a Wonderbolt badge.
 
"This is Zephyr. She will assist you for the first leg."
 
"Awesome. Sorry to be a bother." I held out a fist. Zephyr hesitantly bumped it.
 
"She never said you were so big." She eyed me. "Whelp, there's nothing for it."
 
"Sorry, I—" I awkwardly rubbed my neck.
 
"Night Guard, move out!" Luna called. I barely had time to gasp before Zephyr blasted skywards. I flailed in shock as her contrail snatched me up and whipped me along.
 
"Holy crow!" I yelled as we climbed with blistering speed. "How are you doing that?" She was carrying me without even touching me! I just hung in the air, a few feet to the left and just behind her shoulder. She nodded approvingly as I flipped around, orienting myself face-first to minimize air resistance, and summoned a simple harmonic shield for my eyes.
 
"No need to yell." Her voice came clear across my comm. "I'm a professional. Wonderbolt training is no joke. Want to see a real trick?" She glanced to be sure I was watching and folded her wings. We didn't even slow down! She just hung there, smirking, wings folded.
 
"Showoff," came across the comm. While we'd been talking, the rest of the Night Guard flyers had caught up. Luna had brought four pegasi, and three had the Wonderbolt badge. The last had a strange winged skull sigil and seemed to be acting leader. "Really, Zephyr. No need to waste your energy on stunts here. Let's get a slipstream going." He positioned himself ahead of us, and I felt our airstream smooth. "Princess Twilight will join us in a minute and we need to be ready to support her." The rest of the guard fell in, and he put us into a holding pattern over the outpost. Twilight and Luna were talking below, but they glanced up as we started circling. Nearby, Bit was martialing her generals into a V formation.
 
"And the… Tezecans?" Another guard asked. "Are we working with them?"
 
"Only one of them has a pegasus pony form," I answered. "He might join us. But the rest of them will be flying with Bit— Queen Tezeca. Their changeling magic won't mix well with yours, so they're forming a separate group. They might try pushing ahead of us."
 
"Good luck with that." One of the guards chuckled. I shrugged. That confidence wasn't bad, but Bit had visited her agents in Canterlot for two reasons. One was to pick up her army, and the other was to top up her reserves. She'd burned an incredible amount of magic during her fights with Chrysalis. She should be nearly at full power now. If she wanted to arrive first, Luna would be the only pony with any hope of matching her staying power.
 
"Okay, here I come!" Twilight lifted into the air. The Guard made a place for her. Luna followed a moment after and took a spot at the head of the column. I looked back, watching Bit, as our convoy oriented itself and headed into the wilderness.
 
"What are they doing?" Zephyr muttered, looking back as well. The Tezecans had lifted off and followed us leisurely in a tight V.
 
"Bit's up to something." I squinted as curls of blue foxfire lifted off her horn. "I bet it'll be impressive."
 
I wasn't disappointed. The wispy changeling magic slowly spread across the group, before solidifying into a large, curved shell. The bugs began picking up speed.
 
"It's a… wing?" I frowned. Bit had constructed an aerodynamic shell, optimizing airflow the same as our pegasus convoy.
 
"Bit?" I clicked my comm over to the Tezecan band. "What are you up to? It's looking pretty neat."
 
"Something my mother worked out." Her voice was calm, but I could hear a hint of strain. "Hold on a second, and I'll— Ah, there." Her magic finished solidifying and she sighed in relief. "It's a formation to use changeling magic more effectively. In our native forms, we fly and cast magic." Swirls of power started building behind each Tezecan general. "With this I can manage the airflow and control, while my cohorts provide impetus. It plays to our strengths of adaptability and cooperation."
 
"I can see." I nodded as the generals finished casting. Spikes of magic, pulsing with force, extended behind each one. The complete formation looked like nothing so much as a glass airplane, a multi-engine flying wing straight out of a sci-fi film. It smoothly accelerated, quickly passing our speed. It eventually leveled off and slid ahead of us.
 
"I will go ahead and set up camp. See you tomorrow, Wes."
 
"Night, Bit." I clicked back to the Guard channel. "They're going ahead."
 
"I can see that," Zephyr replied sourly.
 
"Hey, don't take it so hard." I grinned. "You've got a passenger and an amateur with you, after all."
 
"True." She lightened up a little. "Even with Commander Luna's help, it’s challenging."
 
"Yeah. So, um. Do you need my cooperation for this lifting thing to work?"
 
"No." She shot me a puzzled glance. "Why?"
 
"Well… I'd like to take a nap." The airflow around me was nearly gentle, despite our speed. Zephyr's magic wasn't as comfortable as clouds, but it was better than most people's couches.
 
"Heh." She snorted. "Knock yourself out."
 



 
"Wes. WES!"
 
"Huh?" I jerked awake. The sun was a little lower. I'd managed a decent nap. The pegasus holding me had changed, but this voice was…
 
"Twilight?" I tapped my comm, re-seating it in my ear. I really should have put it in my pocket, but at least I hadn't lost it napping. "What's up?"
 
"We need to talk."
 
"Okay." I yawned. "I'm listening."
 
"Change your comm to channel six."
 
"Sure. Over and out." I fumbled with the switches but eventually got it.
 
<"You there?">
 
<"Yeah. Twilight, what's this about? You're being very serious. A private channel and English?">
 
<"Well, it's an important friendship issue! Of course it's serious! What do you think it’s about?">
 
<"Um… Twilight, I hate guessing games. Just lay it out for me, will you?">
 
<"Fine."> I could almost see her puff her cheeks in annoyance. <"Wes, how do you feel about Bit?">
 
<"Uh."> I paused again, suddenly unsure. <"She's my friend.">
 
<"Then why does she make you uneasy?">
 
<"She doesn't—">
 
<"Don't give me that."> Twilight cut me off firmly. <"You hesitated to join the victory hug. I saw you pause, and it was more than your ordinary ‘I’m a twitchy human who loves personal space’ pause. What was that about, Wes?">
 
<"Oh."> At her words, I realized what she was talking about. <"You mean, after Luna wiped up the golems.">
 
<"Right.">
 
<"I… um."> I thought back. My hesitation hadn't been anything conscious or intentional. <"She looked… different.">
 
<"Scary? Dangerous?">
 
<"N-No."> I pictured her coming in to land, a svelte girl with jet skin, white hair, and dragonfly wings, wearing a crumpled tuxedo and carrying a lightsaber. Striking, to say the least. <"Well, sort of dangerous. In a good way. She looked… strong. Powerful. I mean, I knew she was. I told her she was. But I didn't see it until then. For a moment, I saw her differently. And I realized… I'm really not sure just what our relationship is, now."
 
<"And that scared you."> Twilight sighed.
 
<"Maybe. It made me pause, at least. For a second, she seemed different. Strange. And I usually don't just hug strangers.">
 
<"Did you find her beautiful?"> Twilight asked bluntly. <"I know you don't find ponies attractive. But half the time, Bit's human. Well, human-looking.">
 
<"Urgh."> I groaned, wretchedly uncertain. <"Twilight, I don't even know. That's—">
 
<"Complicated?"> She laughed lightly. <"Then it's probably worth thinking about.">
 
<"Blech."> She was right, of course. So I did.
 
For a good five minutes, I just hung in space and thought. The pegasus carrying me swept his wings in a calm rhythm. The ground flowed away smoothly and slowly. The landscape was still broken and shattered. Occasional pockets of green or columns of ash interrupted the monotony of blasted rock. I pondered Twilight's question, and tried to pick paths and patterns out of the pockmarked landscape.
 
<"Alright."> I sighed. <"Well, I can't claim I've figured everything out. But… yeah. She's pretty. Beautiful, even.">
 
<"Ahah!">
 
<"But there's more to it than that. I mean, I think Luna's pretty, even as a pony. But I never thought of Bit as attractive before.">
 
<"Before what?">
 
<"Before she inherited Tezeca's memories. It's this whole relationship thing. Before she inherited, ascended, whatever, our relationship was pretty well set in stone. I decided I was going to be a teacher and protector, and that's exactly what I did, to the best of my ability.">
 
<"And she just accepted that,"> Twilight said. <"Okay, I think I get it. Now, you're not sure what your relationship is anymore, because she's changed. But you feel like 'teacher, protector' isn't quite correct. You have no idea what Bit thinks, and you can't ask because 'what if'? And you're afraid of 'what if', because it's unfamiliar and uncertain.">
 
<"…Something like that.">
 
<"Well, for what it's worth, I think keeping some distance is the right idea."> Twilight sighed. <"Bit is unique, as far as I know. A changeling Queen raised by a human and living openly with ponies? She's going to have a hard time figuring herself out, and she only just started. She barely understands friendship. If she got the idea in her head that she was in love with you… I don't know, Wes. I just don't know.">
 
<"Me neither. Still… for what it's worth, I don't think she's likely to."> I watched the sun sink a little lower. <"She's less aware of how she's changed, and I don't think she's realized yet how that affects our relationship. Or she doesn't want it to."> I sighed. <"I think if I let her, she'd be happy to just keep taking notes for me and sleeping at the end of my bed.">
 
<"You still let her do that?"> Twilight's voice was sharp.
 
<"I never really had much say in it,"> I mumbled. <"She just sort of moved in. She's surprisingly adamant behind that meek attitude.">
 
<"That… That's exactly the sort of thing you need to stop, Wes. Look, I didn't really bring this up to badger you about whether you think your secretary is cute—">
 
<"Hey!">
 
<"—I brought it up because when you hesitated to hug her, I thought 'is he angry at her?' and I don't know if Bit noticed, but if she did, I bet she thought the same.">
 
<"…Really?">
 
<"Absolutely. Wes… this is Equestria, remember? On Earth, hugging your friends might have been a little odd, but I think Rainbow said this to you before. Here, sometimes you've just gotta hug ponies. If you keep distancing Bit – and I mean distancing her more than the rest of your friends – when she notices—">
 
<"She'll be hurt,"> I finished soberly.
 
<"Exactly. So, if you want to keep your relationship 'just friends', that's probably wise. After all, you haven't really given up on leaving, right?">
 
<"Yeah.">
 
<"Well and good. But now Bit's in a better position to understand being friends, you'd better at least treat her like one. So, here's your homework, Wes. When we make camp, ask yourself: 'have I hugged a changeling today?'">
 
<"Pff."> I smiled, despite myself. <"Alright, alright. Friendship lesson learned. You're the Friendship Princess.">
 
<"Damn straight I am,"> she said firmly. <"…Why are you laughing?">
 



 
"By the stars, this is insane!" Zephyr giggled across the mindlink, and I smiled.
 
"Don't I know it." I grinned into the air flowing around me. It was after sundown. "Hey, how's Twi doing?"
 
We'd stopped for an half-hour break before dark fell, eating concentrated rations and resting as best we could. The column formation we were using meant that the trained athletes could push a fast pace all day, supporting each other like long-distance bikers. They were tired, but still good for miles, even carrying me.  Luna was in the best shape, and Twilight in the worst. She had large magic reserves, but her muscles weren't nearly as well developed or trained. She'd been spared taking point at least.
 
"'Twi?' really?" Zephyr's thought was surprised. "She's looking better. That rest was good for her, and Commander Luna's been keeping her close. Should you be so familiar?"
 
"I don't think it will be a problem." I grinned. "Not even your captain's security clearance is enough to hear about everything we've gone through together."
 
"For real?" Out of boredom, I'd asked Luna about the security clearance on her guards. My mind-link wasn't exactly a state secret, but caution never hurt. Apparently, the prerequisites for the Night Guard were strict. Stacked on top of Wonderbolt training, these pegasi were an impressive contingent.
 
"For real." I considered for a moment before coming up with a 'safe' story she might enjoy. "Still, most of it was fairly normal. Tell me, have you ever heard of Poison Joak?"
 



 
"And she drove off the manticore? In your body?"
 
"Seeing is believing, right?" I pushed a snippet of what I remembered from the fight across the link. Astonishment echoed back.
 
"That's wicked awesome. So, you can use this mindlink thing to borrow magic?"
 
"Sort of." I hesitated. "Actually, that's part of why I showed this to you. I've got a favor to ask."
 
"Shoot." Her curiosity trickled across.
 
"How hard is it to learn that wingless flight trick you were doing?"
 
"It's not a difficult maneuver, but it's really hard to actually teach. Using magic through flapping your wings is natural. Using magic without flapping takes a lot of practice. It usually takes hours of falling before a pony gets the hang of it."
 
"What about someone who'd never had wings?" My thought was mischievous. "Maybe someONE who can see inside a pegasus' head?"
 
"You want me to teach you?" Her surprise was obvious.
 
"Why not?"
 
"Uh." She thought for a second. "You know what? No reason whatsoever. Let's do it!"
 



 
"Haha, awesome!" Zephyr guided me as I carefully bent the airstreams and stumbled out of the air, making my own controlled landing. I couldn’t see the ground in the dark, and my knees buckled at the unexpected burden. I collapsed, laughing. I was nowhere near mastering flight, but just attempting my own landing was enough of a thrill.
 
"Hey, you okay?" Zephyr alighted softly and gave a worried frown, leaning over me. Her face was dim in the moonlight, but I grinned up and poked her nose.
 
"I'm feeling great." I forced myself to sit up. Actually, I was probably in the best shape out of our whole group. I had spent the afternoon and most of the night floating. I didn't even have the holding-still exhaustion long car rides gave. "Thanks, Zephyr." Determined to show Twilight I'd listened to her lesson, I pulled the pegasus into a hug.
 
"Um, no worries." She stepped back, and gave me a strange look. "You're alright, Wes. None of us were really sure what to make of you, but you're alright."
 
"Thanks." I wobbled to my feet as the rest of Luna's column landed around us. I looked around, and spotted tents. “Looks like Bit made good on her promise to set up. They must have arrived at least an hour earlier.”
 
"That almost makes up for being second," Zephyr sighed. "Almost. I could use a good night… well, morning's rest."
 
"I hope you enjoy it." I smiled. "I've got graveyard shift yet, with the Princesses."
 
"Haha, good luck!" She clapped me with a wing and trotted off towards the tents. I followed, moving to join up with the rest of the group. Bit came out to meet us.
 
"Right." Twilight stepped up. "Let's see about getting the warp beacon set up. Bit, if you're up for it, Luna and I would appreciate your help with that. Wes, would you start scanning for anything related to the Tuatha?"
 
"As you say." I nodded and turned away, stifling the urge to yawn. The night stretched on.





“Okay.” I stumbled out of the stone arch, the magical door swooshing closed behind me. “Yeah. That’s the entrance.” It was nearly dawn; the horizon was starting to color. “You’ve got orders for fortification?” The changeling guards escorting me nodded.

ZAP!

I heard the warp beacon activate for the first time and smiled.

“That’s my signal for bed.” I nodded to the soldiers. “Thanks. If Sunset shows up, direct her here.” I shook my head fuzzily and meandered towards the campsite, leaving them behind.

“Bit?” I poked my head into the tent I’d been assigned. My secretary was already there, curled up on the end of my bedroll. “Haaaaah.” I sighed, Twilight’s admonishment floating up in my mind. “Bit, wake up.”

“Hmm?” The Queen roused from her slumber and yawned. “Do I need to move?” She uncurled enough to look soulfully up at me.

“No…” I pondered for a moment. How best to say this? “Look, Bit. I want you to know, I’m perfectly okay with you sleeping nearby, next to, or on top of me, as long as you do it shaped like a pony.” I sat down on my bedroll and unzipped my boots, sliding them off.

“Okay.” Bit rubbed her eyes with a hoof and curled up again. She’d been pony-shaped all day, but I wanted to be clear. “Why?”

“Um, cultural reasons.” I yawned again. “Anyways, now you’re a little more mature, we can be better friends. And so, I want you to stop sleeping at my feet. That’s something a pet would do, and you’re not a pet.”

“But I thought you said— Eeeep!” She gave an adorable squeak as I lay down, wrapped my arms around her, and rested my head on her shoulder.

“According to the Princess of Friendship, friends in Equestria hug each other, and I need to give you more hugs. So, if you’re going to sleep nearby, you’re going to be my pillow.”

“Okay.” Her reply was meek, and I sighed, finally relaxing after a long day. Right now, we were at our most vulnerable. We were trusting in our speed, believing we’d arrived in time to dig in and be ready before conflict arrived. If Sombra was faster than we guessed, we could be in serious trouble.

Right now, though, I couldn’t bring myself to care. Bit smelled comfortingly of cedar shavings and sun-warm cloth. I drifted off to sleep, listening to her breathe.

> 72 - Dawn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Pillow…." I mumbled as the soft, fuzzy thing I was hugging shifted.
 
"Sir, I need to be up and about." Someone gently detached my clinging arms. "Here, hug this." I felt something fluffy being substituted, and latched on.
 
"Wes, what are you— Eeeeep!"
 



 
"Morning, Wes. Or afternoon?"
 
"Morning." I blinked myself awake and found myself staring into a set of deep red eyes. "Rainbow?" I gave a confused yawn. "What are you doing?"
 
"Being relentlessly snuggled." The pegasus chuckled. "I arrived with a message for Bit, but apparently someone needs a pillow for their feet and a pegasus for their head."
 
I realized I had my arms wrapped around Rainbow, and my head was resting on her wing. My feet sat on the discarded pillow.
 
"Mmm." I nestled a little deeper into her feathers. "And you didn't mind?"
 
"Nah." Rainbow yawned back. "We've been going non-stop since we got the call yesterday, and I’m bushed."
 
"Oh." I sat up and stretched. It was getting late and I still felt groggy, but if I didn't get moving I'd have trouble sleeping at night. "Who's here?"
 
"Mmm." Rainbow curled up again. "The Ponyville crew. The Princess sent guards to help us through the warps. We got here as fast as we could."
 
"Sure." I stretched and felt for my boots. Sunset would be nose-deep in the Tuathan ruins by now, but maybe I could find her. "Sleep well."
 
"Mmmhmm." Rainbow started snoring as I ducked out of the tent.
 
"Woah." I stopped, staring in awe as the harsh afternoon sun revealed a changed landscape. I had fallen asleep to a cluster of tents, but a lot had happened since. Now the camp looked like a formal outpost. It might even withstand attacks.
 
The changeling soldiers had been working as I fell asleep. They rested less, so they'd been laying out markers and planning groundwork. The Night Guard reserve must have joined the work as soon as they warped in.
 
I gaped openly at their accomplishments. The fortification was laid out in a star, around the warp beacon and the Tuathan ruin. Last night I had confirmed there was only one entrance. That had been enough to start. Now our camp had temporary fortifications, which were rapidly being strengthened into something like a small fortress. They had started with magical shields, but I saw teams of unicorns and pegasi working tirelessly to cut and move blocks of the local volcanic stone. I watched Luna lift freshly cut stone into place, completing a whole section of wall. She welded the rock into a seamless panel with careful blasts of magic.
 
"At this rate, you'll be done by sunset." I walked over to run an admiring hand over the wall.
 
"And it won't be a moment too soon." She huffed out a tired breath. "I feel exposed, Wes." She glanced at the desolate wasteland we traveled yesterday. "I wish we were done now. Sombra's out there. I can feel him."
 
"Blech." I frowned. "Yeah. Think we'll make it?"
 
"We'd better." She continued her work, chiseling another block of stone and lifting it to the wall. "We've got a little more support inbound, but... there's only one true way to tell."
 
"Sure." I scanned the horizon. "Well, thanks for your work. Be sure to get some sleep when you can." The fortress was essential, but Luna was our leader and one of our irreplaceable assets.
 
"I know, Wes." She gave a short laugh. "Teach your granny to pick apples."
 
"Heh, fair enough." I gave her a smile. She was a veteran’s veteran.  "Is Sunset helping here?"
 
"She's in the ruin." Luna confirmed my suspicion. "I'd like her help, but understanding Sombra's objective is even more important."
 
"Well, I'll join her." I glanced at the massive project and shook my head in awe. "I can't contribute anything here."
 
"Sure." Luna nodded. "Good luck."
 
"Thanks."
 



 
"Wes!" Sunset spun as I walked into the room. "You woke up! Come on, have a look! This is awesome!"
 
"What did you discover?" I hurried over, scanning the area. I'd been here briefly last night, but barely glanced around. I’d found it by scanning for Patterns in slowly widening circles. I eventually discovered one of the Tuatha’s human-locked doors, like those under the Tree of Harmony. I had ensured there were no other entrances and headed to bed.
 
It looked very different now I was rested and it was well-lit. The walls were scrawled with Tuathan rune-writing and the floor was carved  with the strange, twisting knotwork I recognized as the Pattern of the Tree.
 
"This, this!"  She waved at the floor. "I think it's a map!"
 
"It's a Pattern," I said, confused. "A map of the Tree."
 
"What?" She shot me a sharp look. "What do you-- no, wait. By 'Pattern', you mean that—"
 
"The magic Pattern I see. That's what it looks like." I indicated the knotwork. "It's like... the branches of the Tree. From a distance. That's what it looks like." I frowned. "I guess I never actually drew one out? Surely I've described them. Luna and Twilight have seen them, so…"
 
"Twisting, spiny, strangely draws the eye." Sunset flashed me a grin. "Yeah, you've said it." She paused and looked at the floor again. "So, what about this?" She drew a hoof over the design. I followed her motion, and what I saw surprised me.
 
There was a path  across the Pattern. It almost looked like a branch, but it twisted and turned through the knot instead of running above or below the other shards.
 
"Oh, interesting." I traced it. "That's not normal."
 
"Like I said, I think it’s a map." She waved a hoof at the runes. "I've been trying to decipher the sigils. I'm getting numbers, names, all sorts of incoherent stuff. I think it's a formula of some sort!"
 
"Want a hand?" I pulled out my wand, offering it to her. She gave me a hesitant glance.
 
"You sure?"
 
"Come on, Sunset! Let's see what we can accomplish working together."
 



 
"Wes! Sunset! You in here?"
 
We turned as Lyra entered.
 
"Yes?" our voices rang together.
 
"That's… sort of creepy, guys."
 
"Sorry." We dialed back on the link until our eyes stopped glowing and the concept of 'I' became clearer.
 
"Sorry," I repeated. "What's up?"
 
"It's supper time. You two want food?"
 
"I'm hungry." I nodded to Sunset. "I think we've got a pretty good handle on what's here, huh?"
 
"Woah." Sunset clapped a hoof to her head. "Yeah. Woah, that's weird."
 
"I know, right?" I shrugged. "It's pretty cool, though."
 
"Uhuh." She gazed around the room, and I could see her recalling the meanings we'd deduced together. Working closely, deeply linked like that, had been very interesting. I had done it once before with Twilight, but the experience with Sunset had been different. Less smooth. Instead of progressing evenly towards our goal, our combined concentration had flickered from point to point, randomly changing focus. We still accomplished a lot. It had just been different.
 
"That was your magic, right Wes?" Lyra gave us a fascinated look. "What did you call it, 'mind link'?"
 
"Y-Yeah." I nodded once, firmly. "Yeah. That was my magic we were using." I grinned. "Mine. It was useful. And cool. Let's go get some supper."
 



 
"Wow!" I held out my bowl for a serving of stew and gazed around at the construction. The sun was setting, but work continued under magical floodlights. The fledgling fortress was nearly complete, and it had grown teeth. Weapon emplacements were being installed and magical barriers were scrawled across the walls. "So," I turned to Luna, "is it done?"
 
"Nearly." She frowned into her stew. "Nearly. But worry won't speed it any. How about your project?"
 
"Well, hmm." I grimaced in return. "Let's go sit with the rest, and we can talk about what we found."
 
Luna nodded, and we walked over to our circle of friends. Everyone else already had their food. I found an open spot between Applejack and Fluttershy. For a while, we stuck to light topics. It was a large circle: the six Elements, Sunset, Lyra, Bitterbloom, and Luna – everypony who had helped me along the way, except Celestia, and… Splinter.

Eventually, the conversation wound down. I cleaned my bowl and leaned back. Luna's field rations were good.
 
"Alright." Luna heaved a sigh of relief as a barrier flickered to life overhead with a  deep thrumm. "Our fortifications are complete. We're ready for attack now."
 
"Think he'll be here soon?" I looked up. The stars were slightly occluded, shaded a darker blue by the barrier.
 
"Yes." She nodded. "He's sure to know we're moving, and he's sure to know where. Only Celestia's forethought got us here as fast as we did. Without the warp network, we'd have been hard-pressed to catch up. As it is, we've got a fighting chance."
 
"Ah hope it's enough." Applejack stared up at the stars. "We've been up against some mighty tough things, but Ah ain't never been in something this serious."
 
"Oh, I don't know about that, darling." Rarity yawned daintily. "Sure, this situation may be more organized, but the stakes aren't any lower than when we went up against Discord, or even… " She glanced at Luna and coughed. "Anyways, friendship will see us through. Just you wait."
 
"Right." Twilight nodded. "We'll just have to do our best! What I want to know, though, is have you two figured out what Sombra's actually after here?" She turned to me.
 
"Well, we got something." I shrugged. "What have you written down, Sunny?"
 
"Ahem." Sunset produced a notebook and flipped it open. "According to our resograph, the thingness constants of the axiomatic aether was—"
 
"Yawn!" Rainbow tossed a pebble, bouncing it off her nose. "Cut to the chase and give it to us in Equuish."
 
"The world is thin here." I tossed her pebble back.
 
"Come again?" Lyra gave me a confused look.
 
"It's like under the Tree of Harmony, except not quite so bad. The… realness of this place is… depleted?" I searched for words to describe an alien concept. "Under the Tree, it's torn – completely gone. Here it's thin, but not quite punctured. The Tuatha wrote formulas describing the path they left by, and how they got here."
 
"You mean…" Bit gave me a long look. "A path to… Earth?"
 
"Maybe." I shrugged. "If we knew how to follow it."
 
"So, Sombra wants those formulas?" Rarity gave us a frown. "Couldn't we just destroy them?"
 
Sunset and I shared a look.
 
"That's not a bad idea, but I don't think it would be enough," Sunset said. "He seems to be trying to actually leave this reality. He may be coming more for the… ‘thin-ness’ than the math."
 
"No, I think the information is— was important as well." Luna gave us a serious look. "At one point, he wanted a human. After Wes escaped, he found a changeling. I think he hoped they could open the human-locked doors. He was even willing to deal with Chrysalis. But I don’t think he needs the formulae anymore. He moved so desperately to recover his lieutenants because Glisten has already crossed dimensions. Instead of gambling Chrysalis could mimic a Tuatha, he used her to recover Glisten, who definitely knew more about inter-reality. That's why Bodkin abandoned Chrysalis. Glisten's knowledge makes her obsolete."
 
"Hmm." I rubbed my chin. "Yeah, that sounds plausible. Glisten even said something like that when we faced her in the Mirror-world. She was crowing over ‘dimensional transference’ before I even knew what happened. Our return was hardly private – any skilled unicorn could have guessed what was happening, though not how. I bet Sombra had some sort of agent there. Bodkin definitely knew Glisten and Shadow were in Canterlot. If Sombra connected our transferal with Glisten’s capture and return, and was willing to gamble she had the info he needed, when he found this 'thin spot', he just acted."
 
"M-Maybe we should just… let him go?" The suggestion was soft, but I turned to Fluttershy in shock.
 
"It's worth considering." Dash crossed her forelegs and gave us all a defiant stare. "Maybe if we get out of his way, this son-of-a-buck will just leave us alone."
 
"No, no, no," Twilight gave a firm denial. "That's not an option at all. Look, maybe I wasn't clear, but even letting Sombra open a portal to leave could be really bad. Windigos are inimical to everything, and they come in through these tears. When the Elements were part of the Tree of Harmony, they poured all their power into stopping that. As their Bearers, we can't do less."
 
"Twilight's right." Sunset nodded. "I don't know what Sombra's planning, but the Tuatha were pretty clear. If somepony doesn't know what they're doing, leaving or entering reality has serious consequences. I wouldn't be confident trying resography anywhere near that ruin, and I'm certainly better than Sombra. Worst case, he could freeze the whole world on his way out. Best case, he'd still be out there, causing trouble for somepony else."
 
"There's no way around it." Luna's voice was gentle, but firm. "He simply needs to be stopped. As the Element of Kindness, I'll need your support for that."
 
"Oh. Okay. S-Sorry." Fluttershy looked abashed.
 
"Aw, don't worry, Flutters!" Pinkie threw a hoof around the pegasus. "It'll be alright! Just you wait!"
 
"Blech, waiting." Lyra slurped up the last of her stew and flopped to the ground. "Waiting is the problem. We've got an attack hanging over our heads now, and all we can do is wait. I hope it doesn't take long."
 
Nods and shrugs circled the group, and we all sighed a little.
 
Long or short? I couldn't decide which was better. All I knew was I disliked both.
 



 
"Sir?"
 
"Sorry Bit, I didn't mean to wake you." I looked over to my 'pillow', who was stirring.
 
"What are you doing? What time is it?" Her voice was raspy, but she wasn't going back to sleep. She looked up at me. Her large crystal eyes gleamed in the dim tent.
 
"Nearly dawn. I'm double-checking my sword." I motioned to the pieces spread before me. "I think that trip messed up my sleep cycle, because I woke up early. All I could think of was preparing."
 
"Hmm." She stared into space, zoning out for a second before scooting over to join me. "What does that piece do?"  She motioned to the microchip.
 
"It's a runic echonarchy amplifier, a magic circuit inscribed on a crystal. The heart of the weapon." I screwed the pieces back together as I spoke, rapidly re-assembling the sword. "Why have you been zoning like that?"
 
"Like..?"
 
"Like you did a moment ago." I carefully tested the blade. It thrummed green. "You've been pausing to stare into space ever since we left Canterlot."
 
"Hmm." She gave me a hooded glance. "And if I didn't want to tell you?"
 
"Then I'll drop it." I shrugged. "If you want."
 
"It's fine." She sighed. "I'm talking to my army."
 
"Talking?" I gave her a sharp glance. "I thought they were agents?"
 
"They're generals. They have their own version of the hivemind." She frowned. "Sort of. If I had soldiers, they would command them."
 
"So you can connect to them? Talk to them?"
 
She nodded.
 
"Interesting. I wonder—" I cut off as she shot upright and her eyes snapped wide. "What's wrong?"
 
"He's here." She gasped and leaped to her hooves. "Sombra. His army! One of my generals spotted them!" At that moment, a bell began ringing. I leaped to my feet and jumped into my boots. Bit threw the tent-flap open and we dashed out.
 
Our fortress was small and held a small force. The Ponyville contingent had joined us, and Luna's original twelve had been complemented by another dozen Day Guard and the weapon emplacements. It didn't take long for all of us to turn out on the walls.
 
In the distance, we could see a cloud of dust rising in the pre-dawn light, as a large group moved across the Smoking Wilds.
 
"Sure, I wanted short." Lyra grumbled as she joined us. "But honestly, I would have settled for never. Let's be real here."
 
"Hmm." Luna gave the approaching army a long look. "He's been bypassing my scrying spells. I should have gotten more advance warning. Good job, Your Majesty."
 
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
 
"You're welcome, Your Majesty."
 
Bit and Luna grinned at each other.
 
"So, what now?" Sunset pointed to the fortifying weapons. "Can we bombard them or something?"
 
"When they're closer, we definitely could." Luna frowned. "They'll have defenses against large-scale spells, but we'll let them get well into range before we try…" As she spoke, the approaching army slowed and stopped. "Unless, of course, they decide to camp outside our range and attack when we least expect." She shrugged. "Alright ponies, shows over! Back to your stations!" The guards on the wall saluted and started breaking up.
 
"Rainbow!" Twilight snapped as her friend jetted into the air. "You are not going scouting!"
 
"Pff, stop me if you can." Rainbow smirked. "They can't."
 
"Bodkin can break the sound barrier," I interjected. "You'd better be careful. If you stay in range of our guns, at least we can support you."
 
"I would like a closer look at their composition," Luna said, calming Twilight. "She's the best flyer we've got."
 
"That's right." Rainbow nodded matter of fact. "So, what's the range on those suckers?" She waved at the enfilading guns, positioned on a nearby point of the wall. They were a modern system, similar in style to the tac cannon Twilight had used but much more portable.
 
"Um." I paused, trying to think of how to mark the distance for her.
 
"You know what? Nevermind. Just come with." She held out a hoof to me.
 
"Wait, won't I slow you down?" I gave her a puzzled frown.
 
"No, no. Do your magic thing." She tapped her head. "Get in here, Wes."
 
"Oh." I drew my wand. "Okay."
 
"I swear, your magic is like cheating." Luna watched as I linked with Rainbow.
 
"Magical pony princesses aren't allowed to say that," I shot back.
 
"Alright! Give me some positions here, Wes!" Rainbow thought, as she sped off.
 
"Ooof. Move over." I mentally elbowed her as I shifted some of my attention to her senses. "Is it just me, or is it crowded in your head?"
 
"I'm not dumb! You're fat."
 
"Pff." I smirked and laid down a few boundaries on the sandy rock below. "Don’t go past this."
 
"Conversely, anything inside that's fine, right?"
 
"What are you— Woah!" I twitched as she threw herself into a double loop.
 
"Chill, dude! I'm just warming up!"
 
"It's a good thing I don't get airsick." I shifted most of my attention back to the wall.
 
"What's she doing?" Twilight gave the cavorting pegasus a confused look.
 
"Showing off, of course." I shrugged. "Oh, she's near enough to see something." I swallowed as the army came into view. It was big.
 
"So?" Luna gave me a challenging glare. "Report."
 
"Um." I did a quick estimate. "At least several thousand crystal golems. They're grouped in hundreds. I see different configurations… long-distance, fast attack, heavy support, maybe even siege… Flying?" I broke off as a squad launched into the air.
 
"Rainbow, watch them!" The flying group rushed closer. They looked more like small dragons than ponies, but were obviously formed from crystal. Snaggletooth jaws hung from whip necks; I imagined them slashing through the air and shivered.
 
"No duh, Wes." She focused on the group’s leader. "Oh, is that Bodkin?" He was a gaunt ashy pegasus who sparkled even in the slowly-growing morning. "He's hot!"
 
"Are you saying that just because he's glittery and dangerous?"
 
"N-No, of course not!" She gave a vehement denial. I smiled. A moment later, Bodkin peeled off from his escort and matched Rainbow, staying carefully outside the range of our guns.
 
"They know our firing limit." I frowned.
 
"Or they guessed, based on Rainbow's flight." Luna waved dismissively. "Either way, I figured we wouldn't get a chance to target them until the attack."

"Right. Woah!" I put a hand out to steady myself as Rainbow started into another stunt.
 
"What's she doing now?" Twilight watched in confusion.
 
"Playing 'follow the leader' with Bodkin." I groaned as the two pegasi matched each other trick for trick. "I guess she's bored."
 
After a few minutes, the stunts faded out with Bodkin leading by one point.
 
"You could have totally taken that. What gives?" I questioned Rainbow as she intentionally fumbled a stunt.
 
"I want him to underestimate me." Her reply was serious. "This is war, Wes, not a game. You need to take the long-term view."
 
I sat, stunned, as the last pony I ever expected lectured me on strategy.
 
"Um, right." Bodkin hovered a moment and bowed to his opponent before tossing something nearby and zipping off. "DON'T CATCH IT!"
 
"Duh, Wes. I'm not flying into that sort of trap." We both watched the projectile soar past, landing with a whump. Rainbow floated down to the ground and gave it a good long look. It was a crystal construct, maybe the size of two fists. "Okay, magician. What is this thing?"
 
"Looks like…" I stared at the lump of crystal. Inside was a magic circuit, several intersecting runes and a small flat slab of black glass. "Wait a minute. That's my cellphone!"
 
"Whoozawhatzit?"
 
"Cell phone… a communication device of mine. From Earth. Um." I gathered up some relevant memories and passed them over.
 
"Ooooh. Hold up, I thought you lost it?"
 
"I did; or rather, the changelings stole it after I arrived. But…" I paused, considering. "You know what? I don't even care. Sombra's pulled so many 'impossible' things. I'm over it. Maybe he had spies in a Changeling Hive, and that's just how good he is. Maybe he's taunting me. Maybe he found it in the rubble after we were done. It's not important. That's a communication spell." I indicated the inscribed magic. "And the energy reserve is too small to be really dangerous. Pick it up carefully and bring it back."
 
"Sure." Rainbow snagged the sphere and balanced it on her back, turning towards the fort. "Here I come."
 
"She's coming—" I cut off as Rainbow touched down lightly "—back," I finished lamely.
 
"Here." She tossed me the crystal. I caught it reflexively and nearly dropped it again as it started to glow. Luna's horn flashed, and the scenery around us grew muted and fuzzy.
 
Whum.
 
A small, pony-shaped figure appeared over my hand. This time I actually did drop it, fumbling to recover. It was Sombra.
 
"Greetings." The small figure gave a mocking bow. "Honored enemies."
 
"Tradition is ash at your hooves, Sombra," Luna growled. "Say your piece and drop the mockery."
 
"Really Luna? Such hostility! Need I remind you who the instigator was in our previous disagreements?" Sombra's voice had lost the hollow quality I'd heard before, and even in the projection he looked much more solid.
 
"You were harming your own subjects." Luna glared. "You forfeit any pretense of justice to satisfy your own evil desires."
 
"Mmmhmm." He gave her a lazy smile. "Well, your logic and calm reason have persuaded me of my evildoing. I guess I was a real nightmare."
 
A hiss rose from those of us watching, and Luna froze.
 
"I'm not here to simply point out your hypocrisy, simple though it might be. No, I'd like to offer you a chance." His eyes went hard, and even in miniature I felt waves of threat roll off him. "Stand aside, and I'll pass without destroying you."
 
"Your logic and calm reason are most persuasive," I deadpanned, "but aren't you a little overconfident?" I smiled with as much bravado as I could. "Really. We've already stopped you time and again, but now you're planning on facing the Elements, the Princess of the Night and the Tezecan Queen?" I smirked as he glanced around the circle. "You have no idea what we can do. How about this? Surrender now and you'll be promised leniency."
 
"Fool," he hissed, eyes focused on me. "Silly, hopeless fool. You don't even know what I'm doing, do you? I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anypony! I just want to leave. Is that so much to ask? Just let me get out of your mane." His eyes narrowed, and he smiled slightly. "Or better yet, come with me."
 
"Hmm." I paused, pretending to consider it. "What are you offering?" Fluttershy gave me a shocked look, but she subsided as Applejack nudged her.
 
"Power." Sombra's voice was deep. "Power beyond dreams of power. I've discovered your sister’s secrets, Luna, and I plan to have them for myself. Beyond this world lies unimaginable magic. I'll tear back the veil and walk into the abyss. I'll transcend this plane and rise above even this mortal form. Anypony who swears to follow me can come. Everypony who does will become more than they ever imagined."
 
"That's not how transcendence works." I cut Sombra off abruptly. "You literally have no idea what you're talking about. You place countless lives at risk to sate your own lust for power."
 
"Life is risk," he spat. "If you can't sacrifice, you can't progress. Through me, ponykind will fulfill its potential."
 
"The ends justify the means? Really?" I gave a sardonic smile. "It's funny how often that idea comes up. Unfortunately, whenever I hear it I'm the means and you're the end."
 
"If you can't look past your unrealistic ideals of 'love' and 'harmony', I will crush you. That's a promise. You can't hope to stand with that naïve outlook." He smirked back. "I'm simply being realistic."
 
"You think we don't understand sacrifice?" I quirked an eyebrow and looked to Luna. "You planned to give a speech when things got serious, right? Would you mind doing it now, Princess?"
 
"My pleasure." She turned to the fortress and raised her voice. "ALL PONIES, FRONT! AND! CENTER!"
 
There was a minute of confused scramble, and every guard in the fortress formed up in the open area by the gate. Luna extended the blur she'd conjured so we could see them clearly without revealing the specifics of our defense.
 
"Good morning, my little ponies!"
 
CRASH!
 
The massed salute rattled armor and weapons.
 
"The enemy has arrived. You have seen them." Luna's voice rolled off the black stone walls. The sun peeked over the horizon, and sunlight started pouring into our fort.
 
"They are a mighty host. They outnumber us by the hundreds, and I can't assure you we will emerge victorious. When the battle comes, it will rise furious and we will stand against it alone. DO! YOU! UNDERSTAND?"
 
CRASH!
 
"Good." She paused, and silence fell for moments. The ponies below were still as statues, a dozen Night Guard and a dozen Day Guard.
 
"Now!" She looked up to the sky. "For now, we have a respite, and I mean to give you a choice. If you value your life, I will let you depart! Leaving takes courage too, and it won't be held against you. But before you decide, think on this." Her voice softened. "Think on the friends your death would sadden. Think on wives and children, standing over your grave. Think on the eyes of your lover, wet with tears."
 
Silence fell again.
 
"And after that, think about what you face. Life in battle is nasty, brutish, and short. You face bloody death, pain, and terror if you stay. So, I'll ask you, and I'll only ask you once. Are you willing to stay? Will you risk not just your life, but the happiness and friendship of those close to you? If you can't, leave now and go with honor. The teleporter is charged."
 
She whirled with a flourish, turning her back to the group to watch the rising sun. All of us on the wall turned with her. I heard her counting very quietly under her breath. When she reached five hundred, we all turned back.
 
There wasn't a single gap in the line.
 
"And you say we don't understand sacrifice," she spat at Sombra. "Thank you for your support!" She nodded to the ponies in the yard. "I'll do my best to be worthy of the trust you've given me, and bring every one of you through this. Dismissed!" She turned back.

"You're lost in blind worship of strength, Sombra. You're afraid to trust anypony because deep down, you're a coward. You think idealism is weak, but you're incapable of understanding our actions because you're incapable of caring about anypony besides yourself. You're a selfish, egotistical maniac, and we'll risk everything to stop you."
 
Sombra's expression darkened as every single one of us nodded firmly.
 
"Fine," he snarled. "If that's how you feel, I'll destroy you gladly. Tomorrow at dawn, I'll destroy you all. But for now," his eyes fixed on me, "I'll start with the weakest." His form blurred and vanished, and a spark leaped from the crystal onto my hand. I dropped the globe, which bounced on the stone.
 
"Ow." I flicked my hand, stung. It felt like static.
 
"You're dead, Wes." His voice crackled from the globe. "Glisten held your heart for days. More than long enough—" The sound cut off as Luna crushed the globe underfoot.
 
"Ow." I clapped a hand to my head as my ears started ringing.
 
"-to record your soul-signature. It didn't take long to put together something nasty." I looked around, but his voice was inside my head. "I'll repay you for crossing me, little human. I'll repay you tenfold."
 
"OW!" I yelled, dropping to my knees as a sudden pressure threatened to cave in my skull.
 
"Wes!" My friends crowded around as I struggled against a sudden surge of magic.
 
"Back!" Luna stepped in front of me, keeping the others from mobbing me. "Wes, quick! How can we help?"
 
"Sombra—" I grit my teeth. "—inside my head—" As I spoke, Sombra’s magic started to move, and he began invading my mind. The sensation turned my stomach. More than that though, I realized just how much trouble I was in. This was more than a headache. This was a fight for my life.
 
I fought back with everything I had, but it wasn't much. The tricks I learned 'wrestling' Twilight seemed ineffective against the torrent of dark power. I struggled in silence as Twilight, Sunset, Lyra, and Luna all frantically tried to help.
 
After a minute, my senses started feeling muted. I could hear Sombra's insane laughter as he slowly tore into my mind. I fought him every inch of the way, but he was inexorably pushing forward.
 
Stop. Think. Despite my desperation, I stepped back to my training. I drew in a deep breath, blowing it out slowly as I tried to center my mind. I pushed back the panic, anger, and adrenaline; I didn’t have time for it. Emotion wouldn't solve this, but rational thought might.
 
"This isn't helping," Sunset gasped frantically. I heard her as if through earplugs. "He’s locked on too firmly!"
 
Sombra carefully crushed another of the defenses I'd erected, and I groaned in pain.
 
"We don't know enough numancy!" Twilight cried desperately. "We need mental magic—"

Luna yelled something as well. Magic washed uselessly over me.
 
Expert. I need an expert. I beat back the encroaching oblivion and fumbled out my wand. For an instant, my mind cleared. I knew an expert in mental control. Someone strong enough to toss even a dark magician out of my head.
 
"Bit," I grated, extending my hand. "Help."
 
"But!" I saw fear in her eyes. "You're not safe from me! What if—"
 
"I trust you— with my— life!" I shook the wand for emphasis. "Bit, he's killing me by inches— I don't care if I become your drone— get him out!"
 
"I can't—"
 
"Bitterbloom Jasmine Tezeca— I'm begging for your help! Get in my head!"
 
Her expression steeled at that, and she touched her horn to my wand. The link formed with a snap, and I felt her presence wrap me like a warm blanket on a snowy day. Sombra's confusion was immediate, but it gave way to abject horror as she reached through my mind and dealt him a blow that shivered to my heels. For a second I glimpsed her as a swirl of light, a spray of white blooms that tore through his shadowy presence. The fog on my senses started to shred, replaced instead by blinding glare. I relaxed and surrendered to the brightness.
 



 
When I woke, I was standing in the circle of my friends, hugging Bit.
 
"Ow," I croaked. My head hurt, and my throat was dry.
 
"Oh, thank goodness!" Fluttershy darted forward, wrapping me in a hug. After a moment, everypony joined.
 
"I made it?" I looked down into Bit's eyes.
 
"You made it." She smiled up at me. "I made it."
 
"Thanks." I squeezed her a little tighter. "Thanks, Bit. You really saved me, there."
 
"You're welcome," she mumbled into my chest. "Don't scare me like that again."
 
"Sorry."
 
Slowly, the hug broke up. After a minute, I turned to the wall and looked out over the distant army.
 
"So, how's it looking?" I asked Luna. “That’s a big army.”

“Can you pull out some crazy magic and even the odds?" Rainbow asked.
 
“We’ll see. If he’s using any of his old tech, he's got tactical defenses; large-scale disruption like Phoresy never dreamed of.”  Luna shrugged. “It would hinder a Moonlance, and Celestia’s Dawnhammer wouldn’t even start. If I’m reading him right, he thinks he's got us cornered."
 
"A-Are we going to be okay?" Fluttershy's voice was weak.
 
"Oh, yes." Luna smiled viciously. "Yes indeedy. I've got him exactly where I want him. Tomorrow at dawn, he said. Tomorrow at dawn, we'll even the odds. Let’s see how he likes a fair fight."

> 73 - Gather Your Friends Around You and Hold Them Close
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sombra kept his word, huh?"
 
I rubbed my eyes as I sat up. To say we'd been on alert would be an understatement. I don't think any of us slept very soundly, but dawn was here and there had been no alarms.
 
"Mmm." Bit uncurled, peering at the dim light leaking through the tent flaps. "It would seem so." She yawned, covering her mouth with a dark hoof.
 
"You've been pony-shaped a lot." I gave her a long look. "Why is that?"
 
"You said so." She gazed back in puzzlement. "Cultural reasons, you said."
 
"No, I don't mean…" I waved at my bed "…asleep, I mean the rest of the time. In Canterlot, you seemed to like being human-shaped. Here you've been staying as a pony."
 
"Oh." Her brow furrowed, and she turned so I could change. Some of my habits amused her, but she bore with my 'silliness' patiently. "It's, um. My army."
 
"Come again?" I pulled on clean clothes, wished for a shower, and reached for my boots.
 
"They expect me to be pony-shaped. I haven't shown any of my hive my… alternate form. Except Onyx, but he can keep a secret."
 
"Hmm." I frowned. "You make it sound special, but I thought changing shape wasn't a big deal."
 
"It's normally not." She fell in behind as I left the tent. "But… this isn't just any morph. Since I scanned it as a hatchling, my human form is a true alternate shape."
 
"Um?" I glanced back, confused. "And that's important, because?"
 
"Because…" She trailed off with a sigh. "Because I can only hatch drones after my real shape."
 
"Oh." I thought for a moment, the implications dawning. "Oh. You could make… human-shaped drones?"
 
"Eventually."
 
"I'm… not sure how I feel about that." I examined the thought, surprised it didn't immediately revolt me. I didn't like it, but.. it was strange.
 
"Me neither." She shrugged. "I can't even hatch drones yet, but I won't even consider trying until I figure that out. Actually, I'm not sure I'll make any drones for a while, even then. My mother…" She stared into the distance for a moment. "My mother managed to create real change. I'm a changeling Queen living openly among ponies. That's something unheard of, completely new. I won't rush into anything until I understand it."
 
"Good." I nodded firmly and tabled the thought. "Okay, I understand. You're not spreading the idea around until you've thought it over. I think that's wise. But… How would your generals know it's a 'real' shape?"
 
"Um." She paused and carefully touched a hoof to her head. "This is how you do it, right?"
 
"What?" I gave her a confused look.
 
"That thing you do. To indicated frustration and surprise. 'Facehoof'?"
 
"Heh." I gave her a pat. "Yeah, close enough."
 
"Okay. Good." She spun and a swirl of blue flame rose around her. A moment later she stretched her arms and yawned again, turning to give me a hug. "I do like this shape. It's better for hugging."
 
"Well, that's good." I hugged her back.
 
"Wes! Bit!" I released her, turning to see Luna wave atop the wall. "Come on up! Sombra's moving! I'm about to call stations and start the counter-offense!"
 
"We'll be right there!" I called back. We headed for the wall, moving carefully around the detritus of yesterday's work. Sunset, Twilight, and I had carefully copied everything from the Tuathan ruins before sending our records to the castle. Luna had rigorously tested Sombra's tactical defenses and declared her large-scale spells practically useless. Her maniacal grin had widened with every experiment.
 
Half-destroyed spell-circles littered the dust, sprinkled with consumed material components and pages of discarded notes. I skimmed a few of the formulae and shook my head slowly. She'd been at it all day.
 
Sombra's defense was both clever and powerful. Her experiments confirmed it as ingenious targeted jamming. It broke down the carrier spells rune casting relied on, scrambling the self-propagating magic circles I'd seen with Celestia's Dawnhammer. It was the sort of elegant counter a hack like Phoresy couldn't imagine, one of his last and best efforts in their battle a millennia ago. It had stumped the sisters and might have turned the tide of the war. They'd made their desperation strike with the Elements soon after.
 
Still, Luna had come up with something. I had a few ideas on what fueled that grin. Each made me shiver more than the last.
 
"Alright, alright!" She giggled happily as we joined her. "Everypony's here? Good!" Turning to face the fortress, she drew in a deep breath. I judiciously plugged my ears. "BATTLE STATIONS!" rang loud and clear. The Royal Canterlot Voice was versatile.
 
The scrambling was minimal. We'd expected this. Sombra had thrown down the gauntlet and we were about to pick it up. In moments, every battery of guns was attended, every shield and defense was in proper order. Small squads of guards were on watch, reserve, and medical duty.
 
Looking out into the field, I saw Sombra really was up to something, though I had no idea what. Clouds of dust rose above his army, but he hadn’t started to approach. Maybe he was re-organizing.
 
"Today, we fight!" Luna pulled my attention back as she addressed the fortress.  "I predicted our conflict with Sombra might come to this. Pitched battle between old enemies." Her voice easily covered the whole structure. "He's gotten better, but so have I. Our plan today is simple. Destroy the majority of Sombra's army using tactical strikes." Her grin grew a little wider. "We know he can replace fallen units. However, we also know there's a practical limit to how fast he can work." I nodded at that. We'd managed to suppress Shadow Glory's golem regeneration with Arglefraster.

"After the bulk of his force is destroyed, the Guard and the Tezecan army will defend the fortress while our allied Queen, the Elements, and the Special Irregulars—" Lyra elbowed me in knee, and I nodded; that was Sunset and us "—will strike towards the enemy commanders. Our goal today is to kill or capture Sombra and his cohorts. Follow your captains and fight well! Today we defend the integrity of reality, the survival of our very world!" She stomped a hoof and flared her wings.
 
CRASH! A rattling salute answered. The Guard settled in, talking seriously but working deftly and easily. Luna turned to face the approaching army as Twilight sidled up to her.
 
"Princess, I know you said we'd use tactical strikes." She coughed, slightly embarrassed. "But Sombra has tactical defense magic." As she spoke Sunset scooted up on Luna's other side, eager to listen.
 
"Both are true." Luna smiled. "Since I can't use tactical magic but plan to use tactical weapons, the conclusion is simple. Anypony?"
 
"Yer weapon ain't magical," Applejack answered firmly. "What?" She raised an eyebrow at the surprised looks. "She's right. It's simple."
 
"But—" Twilight started.

"But—" Sunset echoed.
 
"Wait," Lyra interjected. "Does this have to do with that 'secret project' Wes and I worked on? He kept being all 'Help, Jedi! I'm too weak to do this on my own, Jedi! You're the greatest ever, Jedi! I have wimpy noodle arms, Jedi! I admire your dashing good looks, Jedi!'"
 
"I'm pretty sure you made some of those up." I gave her a wry grin. "But I wondered the same thing. Do you plan to bring down Starfall?"
 
"Starfall?" Twilight echoed the word. Sunset's ears swiveled in interest.
 
"Yes." She looked to the sky. "Starfall. What do you think? Will it work?"
 
"Almost certainly." I shrugged. "But it's not—"
 
"What is this?" Twilight gave both of us a frustrated glare. "Would it hurt you to explain?"
 
"Sorry." I rubbed my head, abashed. "Remember, right after we got back from the mirror-world? Luna took me aside and gave me a special project. Build a projectile weapon which doesn’t need magic."
 
"Oh." Twilight's eyes widened. "Oh. I remember that. You were making all those glass needles and buying mercury fulminate. I’m still finding crystal trinkets in my lab."
 
"And we built those echonarchy spell dies," Lyra added. "The sort needed for large-scale production. What exactly did you two build?"
 
"I'm trying to tell you," I said impatiently. "Starfall is an orbital kinetic cannon. Or so I thought." I turned to Luna. "What exactly did you make with those plans?"
 
"Hmm, hmmhmm." Luna hummed happily as a small spell curled off her horn, floating into the sky. She took a moment to set it on a careful path. "Well. When Wes was done, Starfall looked something like this." She produced a magic hologram. It was an octagonal tube nearly as long as my arm. "He can give you the breakdown later, but it uses a magically treated explosive to propel a targeted glass shard."
 
"At ridiculous velocities," I interjected. "I intended it to mimic a railgun. It was supposed to be for precision strikes! Luna, what did you build?"
 
"Behold!" The hologram flickered once, twice. The original tube morphed into a cluster, as tall as me, then 'zoomed out' to reveal a whole array. "The Starfall Battery!"
 
"Good grief." My jaw dropped and I spun to watch the sky. "This… you… good grief!" How many had she made? Hundreds? Thousands? This... This would be big.
 
"Just watch." Luna's grin widened.
 
"Hold up!" I whipped out my cellphone. "I need to video this!" I'd recovered my gadget from Sombra's trap. Sunset had helped me cobble together a magical charger, but I was still surprised when it powered up. Sombra had probably used it in his spell without really knowing what it was. Even inert, it was a powerful symbol for 'communication'. He didn’t have fingers for the touchscreen anyways, if he’d even managed to turn it on.
 
The attack started small. Luna had told me the weapon was named after the meteor effect it created. This was my first time seeing it, but it didn't disappoint. Threads of fire laced the sky. At first they burned brief, flickering out, but then they multiplied. I imagined each of those clusters shattering into dozens of individual projectiles. In seconds, the sky was full of lines, like it was brushed with paint.
 
Sombra's army took notice. Maybe they were finished reorganizing already, but as the sky lit up, they advanced at full speed. The lines of fire curved to follow.
 
I had some idea how this weapon worked. I had helped design it. Luna had placed them in space, so she knew their orbit. All she did to fire was specify a target and bring them down nearby. The whole mechanism fell, launcher and guidance together. When they got near…
 
"Lyra, we'll want a mute." I poked her. "Quick."
 
She gave me a questioning glance, but threw a glimmering shield over us. After a moment, it expanded to encompass the whole fortress. I was impressed despite knowing her talent. Luna gave her a nod and an approving smile.
 
The threads filled the sky. It really did look like the stars were coming down. I tried to estimate the effect. Each projectile was nearly two pounds of glass. The firing mechanism would accelerate them several times faster than sound. They were packed together, despite the wide area. Saturation wasn't the half of it.
 
As the barrage neared, defense spells arced into the sky. Shields were erected and disruptions fired. It might have some effect, but Luna had been clear when we started the project. This weapon had to be mostly non-magical. I hadn't understood at the time, but now… well, now I was seeing the sort of thing Sunset had pictured when I described merging Earth's science with Equestria's magic. Sombra would literally have no idea what hit him. He didn't have tactical science defense.
 
His unthinking army didn't panic, turn, or stop, but held their pace even as the barrage began landing.
 
I turned to watch the unicorns in our group as the first of the launchers fired. They were taken by surprise as the devastation began without even a spell cast. The launchers were still at least a thousand feet in the air when they began firing. Each had a shaped explosive, a multi-layered charge stamped with runes, the most magical part of the weapon. The bang of that explosion was dwarfed by the crack as the glass spike accelerated downwards, pushed screaming through the air, until it landed with a blast. Hundreds, thousands of blasts.
 
It sounded like unending thunder, even with Lyra's shield. I watched as wave after wave of devastation swallowed the approaching army, tossing golems like toys and leaving only shattered glass in the wake.
 
 When it ended, I was shocked by the silence. Then I was shocked by the noise.
 
"LUNAAAAAAA!" came the howl. Shapes arose from the wreckage. I saw Bodkin first, contrail screaming into the sky even as the last debris settled. Shadow was evident next as strong magic surged through the battlefield, reconstructing soldiers. Glisten flickered from point to point, as if unwilling to stop dodging. A fourth lieutenant was obvious as well, a huge earth pony approaching too warily to be a mindless golem.
 
Sombra lifted from the gleaming wreckage like an evil mist. His eyes flickered huge, mouth gaping wide as his rage rose to the heavens.
 
"Luna, I will crush you!"
 
"Dibs," Luna said calmly. "Split the rest up and hold them back. The Guard will keep golems out of the fort. Once I've suppressed Sombra, we can defeat them in detail and power up the Elements." Her wings snapped wide, and she flashed into the battlefield.
 
"I'm on Bodkin." Rainbow slashed into the air. "Rarity, back me up with your gun!" she called.
 
"Aye aye!" Rarity grinned. Arglefraster came online with an ominous hummmm, the fashionista giggling in anticipation.
 
"I'm taking Glisten." Sunset's aura lifted her into the air, projectiles forming around her head as she charged a warp. "I owe that glitterpony, and I plan to collect in blood."
 
"Ah'm coming too." Applejack threw a hoof over Sunset just before she blinked out. "You're not going up against a lieutenant alo—"
 
"I'm on the new guy." Twilight pointed to the unnamed lieutenant and charged her own warp. "Fluttershy, you should wait here in case we need your help."
 
"Y-Yes." Fluttershy didn't seem to mind. She had a medkit and was definitely willing to aide any of us, but until then, she seemed happy staying safe.

Twilight vanished in a flash and Pinkie shrugged.
 
"Looks like I’m with her." She casually bounced off the three-story wall.
 
"Then we've got Shadow." I glanced at Lyra and Bit. "Looks like it's time for a rematch. But… how can we get down?"
 
"Really." Bit offered me a hand. "You should at least rely on me for the small stuff."
 
"Of course." I clasped her hand. "Bit, would you escort Lyra and me into battle?"
 
"My pleasure." She wrapped an arm around Lyra, who gave us a surprised look.
 
"What are you— AAAAAAAAA!"
 
I grinned as the thrum of wings drowned her shock.
 



 
Thunk!
 
I rolled to avoid flying crystal as Shadow bucked shards of glass into my face. Lyra stepped up to land an explosive blow. Bit dived in, wielding a hammer. Shadow shrugged off Lyra's attack, dodging Bit without even looking even as he healed. We were better, stronger, faster, but so was he.
 
I paused, glancing around. The fortress' black walls were the only real landmark. Everything else was a waste of sand, rock, and shattered glass, brilliantly shimmering in the morning sun. Our thirty-odd ponies were faring much better than I'd expected, after Luna's orbital strike had evened the numbers.
 
Above, multiple shockwaves slashed the sky as Rainbow and Bodkin clashed beyond the sound barrier. I saw a few Guards attempting assistance, but even Wonderbolts would be pressed to follow where those two winged. Occasional bursts of machinegun fire from Arglefraster kept Rainbow from being overwhelmed. Rarity's support definitely helped.
 
Sunset and Applejack were systematically hunting through the wreckage. They seemed frustrated. From what I'd seen of their battle, Glisten's stealth and delaying tactics were annoyingly efficient. They pounced on a crystal pony as I watched, only to have it dissolve. Another decoy.
 
Twilight and Pinkie were faring better against the unnamed earth pony lieutenant. They were pushing him back with an effective mixture of long-range spells and Party Blitz, and he was starting to look desperate. They were near enough for the Guards in the fort to support them and they made the most of it.
 
The fortress was definitely under attack, but they were holding well. Elites with power-weapons fighting leaderless ground troops, even ones as unusual as crystal golems, was a foregone conclusion. Sombra's army could still regenerate, but there were less windigos than I'd expected. I frowned, thinking back to the situation Cadence and Shining had faced defending the portal to the Crystal Empire. Windigos didn't last long in direct sunlight except in large enough swarms.
 
I pushed the thought away as the last conflict came into view. Luna hadn't taken any of us for support. Now I knew why. The fight she was in dwarfed all our battles combined.
 
Rainbow might have matched her speed. Twilight or Sunset might have kept up with her combat casting. Lyra might have equaled her sheer martial prowess. Still, none of us could have combined all of those into the seamless, deadly whole she wielded against Sombra. The Princess of the Night faced the Dark Crystal Emperor, and their conflict was devastating.
 
A whirlwind of debris obscured the actual clash. In the midst, magic flashed, blows fell, complex gambits were formed and discarded at the speed of sound. The blurring incomprehension boggled me. They'd been at it hammer and tongs for the duration of the battle and it only intensified.
 
"Wes!" Lyra's voice lashed across the mindlink. "Concentrate! We've got our own fight here!"
 
"Right!" I dove back into the offense against Shadow. Unwilling to forgo any advantage, I'd offered Lyra my support. She'd gladly accepted despite never having practiced. It was, once again, more effective and interesting than I'd anticipated.
 
Following her instinctive lead, I slipped past Shadow cleanly. He turned to follow, confused as I deliberately missed an opening and dropped my sword. Lyra's magic wrapped my weapon, pulsing echonarchy to lash his exposed back. The green blade sliced his shoulder cleanly, and he roared. Bit swooped in, hammer landing solidly.
 
His foreleg flew off.
 
He regenerated in a flash, but it was another opening, a finger-hold as we climbed towards victory. This wasn't the drained lieutenant Lyra had easily crushed after our campaign in the Empire. But I wasn't the same uncertain, half-trained, emotionally-crippled novice I'd been then, either. I snatched my sword from air and let Lyra follow my lead. The mindlink conveyed intention quick as thought and deed. I whirled, re-directing a pulse of power with my wand as my soundsaber slipped past his defense, stinging him into flinching enough for Bit to clobber him. He might have recovered from that, but Lyra was waiting. She stabbed him with a glowing horn, her strike shearing his crystal body like rotten ice.
 
His eyes narrowed as he recoiled. He regenerated, but the reality was clear. We were better.
 
That sort of realization turned tides. The three of us tensed, instinctively wary. Desperation was dangerous. I'd taught him that last time. I wasn't about to fall prey to the same mistake.
 
Still, he clearly believed himself superior. His rationale asserted itself and he leaped at me with deadly intent. Attack the weakest, divide and conquer. The strategy was obvious, simple and sound.
 
If he could manage it. I shadowstepped, drawing on Lyra's training to up my game. Last time, Applejack and I had pushed him on the ground while Rainbow supported from the air. Bit might not have Rainbow's speed, but I smiled as she literally flowed around his counterstrike. This was a whole different game. Lyra ghosted in behind him as realization flickered across his face again. He might be cocksure but he wasn't stupid.
 
Still, he had time. He took the blow, trading damage for a chance to close in. I barely evaded, throwing myself into a handspring for distance. He followed with lightning speed, and only Bit's intervention kept him from seriously hurting me. I still took a glancing blow to the head, stars dancing in my vision. At Lyra's direction, I collapsed, letting her blast him with enough force to separate us. He rolled to his feet and locked onto me again.
 
I hated being squishy.
 
What followed was several long minutes of running and dodging. My teammates punished every opening Shadow left, and I ensured there were lots. Still, no matter what I did, he had me pegged. If he could cripple me, it would be two-on-one. Our teamwork held our advantage. I grimaced as he healed again. He could afford to take hits. I'd be out for good with one mistake.
 
He grazed me again, adding another cut to my growing collection of shallow wounds. Scratch that. Even at this rate he'd get me.
 
I cowered behind a lump of crystal, trying to gather my concentration as Lyra and Bit occupied him. We'd held the upper hand in each exchange, but he still controlled the flow of the battle.

"Tag?" I jumped as a voice drawled behind me. I spun and found Applejack. The farm pony winked and held out a hoof. "Ah'm sick of playing hide and seek with Glisten. Want an assist?"
 
"…Yeah." I considered it and nodded quickly. A flash of thought let Lyra know what I intended. Approval flashed back and I held out my wand. The link formed with a snap. "Oh, yes!" I felt earth-pony magic flow through me as I drew deeply on Applejack's strength. Shadow tossed my cover to the side and smirked.
 
I punched him in the face.
 
He recoiled in shock as the blow shattered his jaw. I followed with a scything kick, flipping him into the air.
 
"Finally!" I roared, stepping up to hammer him again. Applejack pincer attacked, adding her own decisive blow. "Finally, I am not squishy!" I shook off Shadow's riposte with the strength of the earth, the solid impassive power that let ponies haul trains and grow rocks. This would change things.
 
Shadow Glory realized it too. His eyes went wide as he panicked.
 
I saw what was happening as he leaped back. His plan to divide and conquer had been beaten. Not even foiled through trickery, but crushed directly. Suddenly, the softest opponent on the field shook off blows like water, and our group had grown from three dangerous opponents to four.
 
He spun to flee.
 
"After!" I howled. Bit zipped in, wings throwing her in his path. Lyra followed, incomprehensibly swift. Finding his way barred, he gathered his power and teleported.
 
Right into Luna's battle.
 
The two most dangerous fighters faltered as a third combatant literally materialized between them. I expected Luna to blow him away. I expected Sombra to take vicious advantage of the opening. I expected them to keep fighting.
 
I did not expect Sombra to laugh.
 
"Hah. Hah! HAH! HAHAHAH!"
 
His cackle was loud, insane. It echoed across the battlefield and every combatant froze. Even the crystal golems paused. For a brief second, Shadow's panic skyrocketed, a look of absolute horror flashing across his face before Sombra touched him with his horn. The hapless lieutenant vanished. Luna dashed into the opening and their incomprehensible fight resumed.
 
"Um." I glanced at my companions.
 
"Uh?" Lyra shrugged back. Bit's brow furrowed with worry, and Applejack's uncertainty washed the link. Something had just changed.
 
"Wes!" Sunset appeared with a crackle-pop, carrying a rather battered Glisten. "Did you scan that? Sombra just—"
 
Her voice cut off as a thousand soulless shrieks rang across the battleground, an eerie counterpoint to Sombra's insane laughter. A second later, an ineffable ripple passed through the air, staggering us all.
 
"Was that—" My eyes widened.
 
"The tear!" Sunset yelled. "He's using the windigos— they're from outside! He must have gathered the remains of the army! Shadow tipped the balance enough to start opening it!"
 
"With me!" I held out my wand. I was battered and bruised, but nowhere near spent. "We need to get Twilight and see if we can patch things up!"
 
"HAAAAAAHAHAHAAH!"
 
I barely registered the link forming. Sunset pulled deep on my knowledge as I fell into her awareness. There was another ripple. Suddenly we saw what was happening and gasped.
 
Our pony half was right. The windigos, ethereal, had been directed downwards, through the earth. Sombra's dark magic bound them, corralling them into a channel of ghostly hatred. It began below his fight with Luna, the tether weak enough to ignore under the insane magical combat, but it stretched towards the ruin. Something in it pulsed. We recognized Shadow.
 
He did not seem happy.
 
Our magic senses reached as far as the fortress, even penetrating rock and dirt. Sombra's spell was neither soft nor kind. It directed the windigos like whips of fire, forcing them towards the ruin, binding them into complex spell-shapes. It was literally a rune-circle made from the living embodiment of hatred, windigos. Which Shadow was, for all intents and purposes. His power, real unicorn magic, had given the spell a massive boost. The windigos natural affinity to the outside strained the fabric of space. As we watched, it thinned a little more.
 
"We have to stop this." Our human half laid a hand on our pony half. We twisted space-time, stepping towards Twilight.
 
She had felt the ripple as well.
 
Pinkie bounced and zipped around, thoroughly confusing their opponent. Twilight stood stock still, staring towards the ruin.
 
"Twilight!" we called. "Sombra's using windigos. They're formed into a rune underground! He's opening the tear! We need to stop it, but it'll be tough on our own. Help?"
 
"Of course." Her eyes widened. "Of course! Listen! Simply shattering his rune won't work—"
 
"We know. We need to reverse the spell." Sunset's knowledge was clear on this. Of all the ponies, she'd studied inter-reality the most. "We need you to counter the windigos so we can shore up the damage. Shadow's out of the battle and Glisten's captive." We glanced back to the group we'd left. Lyra would take care of that, and they would be here to help Pinkie soon. "If you can nullify the effect—"
 
"On it!" Twilight's horn lit up and her magenta magic flashed wide, instantly locking onto Sombra's flow of windigos. It took her mere seconds to produce an exact negation.
 
"Alicorns. Are. Hax," we thought, smiling at each other before turning to work.
 
We launched our senses into the magic, following her along. Pony half's power was complemented by human half's calculations. We started threading power around and through the spell, letting Twilight carry it to the ruin. We might have done better if we were closer, but the energy needed for teleportation would be better used elsewhere. Our cyan and orange magic slowly oozed along the stream of windigos, seeping into the cracks in reality as it quickly began strengthening and repairing the damage. We shut our eyes, trying to concentrate as the sounds of battle faded around us. The others were rapidly gaining the advantage in their fights. If we could finish this, then maybe Luna—
 
"Uh-oh." We flinched as Sombra noticed.
 
His attention nearly felt like a physical blow. We saw a pulse run down the stream of malevolence, despite Twilight's best efforts. It tore through our mitigating magic and began prying the invisible cracks wider. Wild laughter echoed across the battlefield.
 
We straightened up, dug in our heels, and tried harder.
 
More power. More subtlety. More audacious. More. More!
 
We lifted off the ground, floating on a wash of blue and orange magic. The battle raged behind us, magic surged before us. The air rippled again.
 
It wasn't going to be enough.
 
"Twilight—!" We gasped, trying to hold against Sombra. It was useless. Any second now, and—
 
Riiiiip.
 
It was more felt than heard. Reality fractured, shattering slowly along ethereal seams. The tear sheared our magic, backlash knocking us to the ground. We leaned on each other for support, panting, terrified of what was happening. In our magical sight, a thin sliver of nothing had just appeared.
 
"We need to stabilize it!" we shouted, even as Sombra's magic surged again. With a pang of fright, we remembered what Cog had said.
 
When tears are small, they fluctuate, changing size and position quickly.
 
Sombra's magic surged. Something zipped towards us, even as Twilight's magic flared to intercept. There was a flare of color, a rush of noise, a feeling of falling, and—
 
Black.
 



 
We've done this before. They knew we could, and so we did.
 
The Tree loomed huge. A thousand clocks struck. Somewhere, bougainvillea bloomed. A glimmer of crystal showed the way.
 
Follow the path.
 



 
"Wes, Wes!"
 
"Ow."
 
My mind was my own again. I lay on hard ground, leaves rustling nearby. I heard bugs and a soft breeze, comforting sounds of the forest at night.
 
"Wes, get up!" It was Sunset. A hand shook my shoulder.
 
"This again?" I registered 'hand' and forced my eyes open. "Ow. Does your head hurt too?"
 
"It'll fade in a moment." Even by the light of the moon, the girl before me had fiery red hair and wide blue eyes. It was obviously Sunset.
 
"You look different." I squinted in the dark.
 
"No duh." She yanked on my arm and I realized I didn't have time to lay around.
 
"I mean, different from last time you were human-ish. What happened?" I forced myself to sit up. "We're in the mirror world?"
 
"We're not. This place… feels wrong." I heard a tinge of fear in her voice. "We fell through that portal. I think Sombra pushed us. I don't remember much. We were still linked! There was something about flowers. I saw the Pattern, the Tree, and we did… something. I don't even know! We need to get back, we need to get out of here!" She pulled her jacket close and shivered. "Wes, Sombra was winning. They need our help!"
 
"Wait, what?" I stumbled upright. She was right, the headache was fading. "Oh. Oh." I tipped my head up, searching through the leaves. I stumbled forward, feet unsure in the dark.
 
"Wait! Where are you going?" She gripped my shoulder.
 
"I need to see the sky." I took her hand, lacing my fingers through hers. "Come on. This way, I think." I fumbled out my cellphone and swiped for the flashlight clumsily, long out of practice. Cool light flared and my steps became sure. "Right. Yeah. This way."
 
"Wes?" Sunset's voice was small.
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Where are we?"
 
"I, um. I'm not sure yet." We walked for a moment in silence until I stumbled out of the tree line. My light gleamed off a dark road. I stopped, leaning back. "Ahhhh…" The moon was dim and there were no lights nearby. Above us, a sea of stars spread deep and shining. "There." I pointed. "Look. See that? Those stars, the hook, and the two connecting…"
 
It was the Little Dipper.
 
"I'm home." I nearly dropped my phone, turning to hug her. "Sunset, this is Earth. I’m home. <I'm home!>"
 
"Mmmph!" She squeaked as I squeezed her.
 
"Sorry!" I suddenly remembered she wasn’t a pony and stumbled back awkwardly. "Um." I paused as the realization hit me again. "Earth. We're on Earth!" I flashed the light from my phone around. "This is the road I took into the woods, before setting up camp. No one ever comes—"
 
"We need to get back. Now!" Her eyes flashed fierce in the dark.
 
"Of course, but—"
 
"Wes, how long has it been?" She stepped forward, confronting me.
 
"A few minutes?" My brows furrowed. Sure, the battle was important. But we didn't even know how we'd gotten here.
 
"No, since you left." She poked me in the chest with a finger. "How much time has passed here?"
 
"Oh." The bottom fell out of my stomach as I realized what she was saying. "I, uh. Just a second." I thumbed my phone on and killed the flashlight. I squinted at the bright screen and fumbled for the calendar.
 
"Th-Three days." my voice was quiet. "I left at the beginning of spring break. It's been three days."
 
"Oh…" Her voice trailed into a groan as she slumped. "Wes, the battle could be over. Three days here to, what…"
 
"A year and half." I supplied softly.
 
"A year and half there? That's more than a hundred-fifty to one time difference. An hour here would be nearly a week there. Our friends might be dead. Sombra might have won."
 
My knees suddenly went loose. I found myself squatting on the ground.
 
"Good grief." I rested my head in my hands and tried to think. "Sunset… is time difference absolute? There's no way to… I dunno, turn it back?"
 
"I… I have no idea." Her voice firmed up. "But I don't know it's impossible. Wes, we need to return. Now."
 
"Right." I forced back sudden hopelessness. "Right! No time like the present." She offered me a hand and pulled me upright. "Um." I straightened up. "Any ideas how?"
 
"How did you leave?"
 
"Cog said I 'fell out of reality'." I paused, thinking. "A tear. There's a tear around here somewhere. A small one, maybe smaller than the one Sombra made. It moves."
 
"Ah!" Her eyes lit up. "That's useful. We started with a tear when we left the mirror-world."
 
"Can you scan it?" I offered her my wand.
 
"Probably." She hesitated. "Let's link again, less strongly. Your knowledge is helpful."
 
"I won't object." There was an instant of strangeness as we both drew power from the wand, but the link started easily. "I think you just like goofing off with this."
 
"It is interesting," she admitted as she started her scan. "Um. It's moving."
 
I nodded, surprised as I saw the reading. I'd expected the tear to move; I just hadn't it expected to be this fast. The signature was ridiculously easy to find with no background magic. Unfortunately, it was several miles off, and moving further away faster than either of us could run.
 
"We'll never catch it like that." Her tone was soft with worry. For a second, reflected despair threatened to engulf me.
 
"No, no!" I waved my hands. "Don't give up yet!" I turned to the trees. I'd left it… There! "We have a means of transportation!" I pointed to the dark shape.
 
"Um." She gave me an uncertain glance as I ripped the tarpaulin away, revealing a rusty contraption. "This is?"
 
"My motorbike!" I flipped my helmet off the handlebars, fishing in the padding for my keys. "Ta-da!"
 
"And this will get us there?" She gave the old bike an uncertain look.
 
"Easily! It may be old, but it's fast. You're looking at a Kawasaki triple, three cylinders, five hundred cubic centimeters of two-stroke power packed into a poorly-designed frame!" I wrestled the bike around, brushing a few leaves off. It started after a few kicks, engine noise obnoxiously shattering the still night. I donned my helmet and flicked on the headlight to cut the gloom.
 
"What are you waiting for? Hop on!" She gingerly climbed up behind me, placing hesitant hands on my shoulders. "Good. Can you show me the tear?" Knowledge flowed across the link and I concentrated, trying to remember the roads in the area. "Alright. I think I can get us near, but you'll need to hold on tighter than that." I goosed the throttle and slipped the clutch.
 
"Wait. Just how fast does this thing— Eeeeeee!"
 
We vanished. leaving a puff of fumes and a fading shriek.
 



 
"Wes, you alright?"
 
The cool breeze ruffled my shirt. I absently enjoyed the feel of my bike as I guided it smoothly through the night.
 
"Yeah. Just… thinking." I pushed a few images across the link. My brother, father, and mother. My friends from college. There weren't many, but they were close.
 
"Mmm." Sunset’s hug snugged up as we roared around another curve. "This is your… home."
 
"Yeah." It was hilly here. My bike swooped and soared, gliding into valleys and over rises. "I… well, I miss it sometimes. And now…"
 
"You're back."
 
"But I can't stay." It felt strange, the idea of being back. Even for a short time. It was like visiting the neighborhood where I grew up. Familiar, but strange. Nostalgia made my memories rosy.
 
"You could, maybe."
 
For a moment, I entertained the thought. Maybe once we found the rift, I could send Sunset on alone. If I returned now, my friends probably wouldn't even notice. I'd checked my phone. No missed calls. They might comment on my scars if they saw, but I liked long sleeves.

I imagined my tiny apartment, stifling in the summer and freezing in the winter. Doing homework. Surfing the internet. Playing videogames. Drinking with college buddies. Calling my brother. Seeing my mother and father at Christmas. For a moment, I considered all the good things I had here and I almost, almost reached for the idea, the comforting familiar feeling of 'known' weighed against… responsibility. Uncertainty. War.
 
Twilight. Lyra. Pinkie. Applejack. Fluttershy. Rarity. Rainbow. Celestia. Luna.
 
Bitterbloom.
 
"No… I don't think I can."
 
"You don't have to—"
 
"It's not just… feelings." I twisted the throttle savagely, trying to outrun my regrets. The bike jumped, leaping to the top of the hill. I slowed on the crest and for a moment, paused. Below us was the town. It wasn't big but it was lit for the night, laid out like fireflies under glass. I set a foot down for balance and pointed.
 
"There's my college. My apartment is a few blocks east— that way. That's downtown. There's a great coffee shop there. If we had time, we could go. They're open late. I like the little movie theater nearby. Sometimes I buy junk food at the corner store and read books in the park." After a moment, I leaned back onto the bike and we rolled off.
 
"Sure, this is my home. I'll miss the places and people. Mainly the people, really. But… have you examined the tear recently?"
 
"I'm looking at it—"
 
"No, I mean…" I sighed, trying to organize my thoughts. "It's slowing down."
 
"Huh?" I felt Sunset check my memories against hers. "…You're right."
 
"Yeah. It's not far, just a few more curves. When I talked to Cog… he explained Arcanclypse, why it's important." Sunset gave me a moment. I listened to the engine, watching the dark trees slip by. "These tears, they're affected by reality. Magic is more than just things happening. It's us affecting reality on a fundamental level. I don't really know how it works. Ask Luna or Twilight. Still, he made it clear. Equestrian magic in this world is a bad idea."
 
"You mean, just us being here…?"
 
"It's widening the tear." I gave a mental shrug. "I don't have much magic, so I don't know how long it would take. But ever since I inherited Splinter's power, I've been… kinda-sorta Equestrian. I don't really fit here anymore. If I stayed, the tear would grow. Magic would leak in. The wrong kind of magic, like the bad stuff in the Everfree. Cog predicted inter-reality leaking into this world would be disastrous." I let my mind drift, wondering about the effects. "Maybe people would discover how to use it and widen the tear faster. Maybe windigos would get in and cause problems. He didn't give specifics, but the word 'exponential' seems right. He claimed eighty percent of the world's population would die in twenty weeks."
 
I could feel Sunset's emotions, swirling just below the surface of her mind. Surprise, horror, sadness.
 
"Thanks," I mumbled. The wind tore the words away.
 
"For?"
 
"Being sad for me." It was a little thing, but it was one of the best parts of having friends. A sorrow shared is halved. I'd never felt that so strongly.
 
"Maybe…"
 
"Maybe there's a proper way back." I grimaced. "The Tuatha would know. We didn't cause problems leaving the mirror-world. It's not—"
 
"Impossible." She finished the bitter thought.
 
"I'd just have to leave my magic behind." The idea was heavy. I shrugged and resigned myself. "But for now, tonight… I can't risk it. I can't stay and invite disaster."
 
"Right." Her thoughts firmed. "Right. Okay." She pondered for a moment. "I think… maybe, once we're through, I could… close it."
 
"The tear? Really?"
 
"Yeah. Maybe." She frowned. "It's something I researched in the Everfree. Like what we did against Sombra. Without his interference, it should be possible."
 
"Huh." I pondered for a moment. "Okay, awesome." I surveyed the road, comparing my memories to her scans. "Um, we have a problem."
 
Sunset rifled my thoughts and frowned.
 
"You're right."
 
We were nearing the tear ahead. It was moving quickly, but much slower than my bike. The problem was where. It was nearly a hundred feet off the road. We were on a hill. Reaching it meant driving straight into thin air.
 
"How much does this motorbike weigh?"
 
"A few hundred pounds."
 
"…It might work." She gathered her magic and began shaping a spell. The wand glowed, casting a dull orange on the road. I glimpsed what she was preparing. Magic to get us through the portal. Magic to close the portal. Magic to—
 
"Hah." I laughed as the concept sunk in. "Slammin'. Radical. Awesome!" I grasped the idea and rode with it. As we rounded the next corner, I saw the tear. To my magical senses, it was a slim black line. To my eyes, it was nearly invisible in the night, a bare ripple against the stars. "Okay, let's do this!" I gunned the engine, aiming straight for the edge of the road. My bike jumped as I hit the curb, barely missed the edge-rail, and rode into thin air. Sunset's magic rippled around the wheels, blue fire limning our path as I left flaming tracks in the sky. For a moment we hung in space and then— a rush of color. A flare of noise. A feeling of falling and—
 
Black.
 



 
A cold rush of blackness enveloped us. I killed the engine and took my hands off the handlebars.
 
"I'm still a human."
 
Sunset's voice was loud in the stillness.
 
"Must be an entrance thing, not an exit thing." I turned my head to glimpse her behind me. Sure enough.
 
"Then I'll need the wand and a little distance."
 
"Sure." I watched as she floated off the bike, her blue aura wafting her easily in the absence of gravity. The link thinned and snapped as she took up position behind me, her magic flaring as she began her spell. I had some idea what she was doing, slowly sewing together the tear, strengthening the fabric of reality. I'd have offered assistance but she didn't need my help here. She had done this before, and my magic wasn't very strong.
 
I turned forward, hooking my feet under the bike's pegs to keep from floating off.
 
All around was blackness.
 
I frowned, wondering. Interreality was strange. It seemed empty, but we had air. No light, but I could easily see my bike and sister. Were the windigos out there? I shivered, imagining a black wind shrieking towards us through the darkness.
 
I blinked as a sliver of light appeared. I watched the Tree appear in the darkness, forming from the void as if it rose from oil. Crystal knots, curls, and twists materialized, tracing complicated patterns and shapes. In moments, it filled my vision completely, dwarfing me. Looking behind, I saw the 'branch' Sunset worked on. Her blue magic was nearly invisible against the Tree, but I could see a tiny speck of darkness in the crystal, shrinking as she concentrated.
 
Tick.
 
I whipped my head around at the noise. Near… well, maybe near. It was impossible to judge distance with so little scale. To my right hung a mechanical figure.
 
"Cog?" My voice was uncertain. Instead of being an impossibly large collection of gears, ratchets, springs, levers, flywheels and coils, it was human-shaped. But instead of the waxy, white skin I'd seen before, all the mechanisms showed.
 
"Yes." Its voice sounded the same. Flat, mechanical. "I apologize for looking this crude."
 
"Nah, it's cool." I waved a hand. "Um. Did you want to say something?"
 
"Indeed. It's possible your return will be problematic."
 
"Ugh." I leaned down to smack my helmet against the handlebars. "UGH. Seriously. What. Just what."
 
"It may take significantly longer than your arrival."
 
"Oh." I sighed a little. "Well, we expected that. Actually—"
 
"Projected transit time is two years."
 
"What." I froze in shock, mind spinning. Two years? Two years? That was just— No, wait. I narrowed my eyes. "You can help us."
 
"Unfortunately, that's not in my power."
 
"Maybe. But you can help, or you wouldn't have come. Get us back faster, Cog."
 
"My authority isn't—"
 
"Sudo get us back faster, you stupid machine!"
 
Silence settled. I could literally watch the gears in its head grind.
 
"It's possible that's a joke?"
 
"Yeah, um." I shook my head, embarrassed. "Sorry. That was insulting."
 
"Ah. Apology accepted."
 
"But you came here for a reason, not just to say we'd be late. Drop your clues. Give your cryptic hints. I'm all ears."
 
"Well." Its face was impassive, but I imagined a frown. "You are correct. Having you in inter-reality for extended periods isn't a good idea. Besides, you've done me a significant service." He nodded to Sunset, patching up the Tree. "There's a detour you can take." It pointed inwards, towards the trunk. "Think on what I showed you, the end of magic. A man with friends is never helpless. Overcome your limitations and make your own way." He gave one of this not-quite-shrugs. "That's what I came to say. More than that… I want to wish you success. I'm willing to help as I'm able. Inter-reality is not entirely devoid of good or goodwill."
 
His head twitched, eyeless visage spinning to focus on something unseen. He bowed once, bending precisely in half, and vanished.
 
"Ugh." I rested my head in my hands, repeating what he'd said. Detour. What he'd showed me. End of magic. Friends. Limitations. My own way. Two years.
 
Two years.
 
I contemplated that for a second and groaned. Inter-reality was just so much trouble. Last time we'd been matched nearly one-to-one and it still provided mountains of drama. This time our friends would be certain we were gone for good.
 
If they even managed to repulse Sombra without our assistance.
 
No. I squelched that thought. They were strong. They'd been up against strong opponents before. Still, uncertainty tickled at the back of my mind. Our friends were passionate, and no-one on a battlefield thought completely logically. I'd done stupid things to avenge friends even knowing they weren't gone.
 
Detour. My mind focused on the hope I'd been given. It was small, but it was there. Cog had told us to take a detour and pointed at the Tree.
 
My mind clicked at that. I remembered what he'd said about the end of magic and what he'd shown us, how world-lines bent and merged. Transcendence. He'd pointed at the trunk. Transcendence was nearing the 'trunk' of the tree.
 
A man with friends is never helpless.
 
My eyes widened as a thought surfaced in my mind. Transcendence. Make our own way. I glanced back at Sunset and frowned.
 
Was that really what he meant?
 
I ran over the idea in my mind. Sunset was, in many ways, exceptional. Her talent was 'overcoming expectations' and she used it amazingly well for such a vague power. She knew more about inter-reality than any pony, including the princess'. She had been Celestia's student.
 
For a second, I shivered as the reality of my situation came crashing back. What could we lose? I surveyed the unending blackness, punctuated by gleaming crystal, and tinge of fear washed me. Two years. Was that two subjective years? I shuddered, remembering the edge of the 'island' holding the Crystal Empire. Void had always scared me, the simple idea of so much nothing got under my skin in a primal way.
 
No. I'm not alone. I'm not helpless. I pushed the thoughts away as a memory rose to take their place. Tezeca, dying, had taken the time to push home one fact to me. I changed my friends, and my friends changed me.
 
Your friends will raise you to greatness, just as you raise them.
 
Focusing on that, I drew in a deep breath. Sunset's talent was different, even I knew it. It was 'open'. She had potential. Celestia chose her for it.
 
Overcome your limitations and make your own way.
 
The Tuatha had chosen to rise in transcendence, walking West. I looked back at Sunset and gathered every ounce of conviction I had. She was the best at resography. She'd opened the portal from the mirror-world when our friends believed in her. She was strong. She was smart. She was my sister, and with her power, we could return.
 
"Sunset Shimmer!" I called. She turned to look at me, confused. I strengthened my voice, putting every scrap of feeling I could dredge up into it. This wasn't just an expectation to overcome. This was me, shaping my friend, shaping the future. In that second, I seized the perfect words.
 
"RISE UP!"
 
Her eyes went wide in shock before whiting out completely. A surge of power snatched me up, nearly knocking me off the bike. A moment of intense vertigo hit, and I struggled to remain conscious.
 
Don't wanna… black out… again!
 
Random magic battered my mind but I clung to reality, even as the Tree swooped nearer. Sunset shone brighter and brighter. She was an inferno, a vortex of magic blazing in the void. Her power surged forward, dragging me along like a riptide. I shook my head to clear it. At least I'd managed to cling to my bike.
 
Crash!
 
We collided with a Branch, entering some world-line with a horrible shattering sound. I flew off my bike, curling up to land mostly unharmed. Sunset's radiance stabbed my eyes but I forced myself upright, forced them open. I needed to see. I slipped off my helmet and squinted into the brilliance, trying to discern what had happened.
 
"Wes? Sunset!"
 
I whirled as a shocked voice rang behind me.
 
"Celestia?" I asked dumbly. I had no idea where I was. We'd definitely entered a world-line, but I stood on nothing, surrounded by stars.
 
"Wes, what happened?" Celestia helped me up, gave my crashed bike a confused glance, and turned to Sunset. "What's going on?"
 
"I'm… not really sure." I confessed. "We needed to get back, so I called out to Sunset. I wanted her to 'walk West', told her to rise up. And…" The light faded. She was a pony again. "And now… now she has wings."
 
Both of us rushed over as Sunset slumped to the ground.
 
"I-I'm fine." She gasped and struggled to stand. I wrapped an arm around her and helped her up, collecting my wand from nearby.
 
"Sunset!" Celestia wrapped a wing around both of us, squeezing tightly. "You made it!"
 
"Need… air!" she gasped. Celestia released us and stepped back. "Oh." Sunset looked down. "I'm a pony again."
 
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at Celestia. "She hasn't realized. Should we count?"
 
"Huh?" Sunset gave us confused glances.
 
"Five minutes." Celestia grinned.
 
"Nah, we've been talking," I shot back. "It won't take that long."
 
"Ah, but you've forgotten something." Celestia waved a wing as Sunset realized where we were standing.
 
"Woah!" She gazed at the stars, wonder evident in her face. "This place is awesome! Is this what Discord calls your 'creepy stalker dimension'?"
 
"Ahem." Celestia coughed at the name but nodded reluctantly. "Yes, this is my observation plane. I was watching—"
 
"The battle!" I leaned forwards. "How, what, we need to get back!" Celestia nodded.
 
"Of course. But don't panic just yet. You haven't been gone long and time is malleable here. I want to know what happened to you. Sombra caught you unawares."
 
"Not gone long?" Sunset's eyes narrowed. "That can't be right. One minute in your world should be several hours here." She glared at me. "What exactly did you do, Wes?"
 
"Me?" I returned her shocked look and glared at Celestia when she started giggling. "Why me?"
 
"You always pull something at the last minute." She poked me with a hoof. "Don't deny it!"
 
"But— what— " I sputtered for a moment before sighing. "Okay, fine. But this time, it wasn't me. Or," I grinned, "not just me." I snagged one of her wings, pulling it wide. "What do you say to this, sister-of-mine?"
 
Her eyes widened. Her breathing accelerated.
 
"Glurk," she said.
 
"Thought so." I grinned and plucked one of her feathers.
 
"Ow! What was that for?" The pain shocked her into glaring.
 
"A keepsake." I tucked the feather away. "I'm adding it to my collection."
 
"You have a collection?" Celestia gave me a puzzled look.
 
"Maybe." I crossed my arms. "Feathers are cool. Anyways Sunset, it wasn't me. Cog told me a few things and you did the rest. Apparently for alicorn magic, the flow of time is a little more malleable, at least from the outside."
 
"Oh." She frowned. "Oh! We were the only observers, so once we left both timestreams the probability function— Hold on." She clapped a hoof to her head. "How do I know that? I shouldn't know that."
 
"Alicoronation is complicated." Celestia gave her a comforting hug. "I wasn't born raising the sun, nor Luna the moon. Truly understanding the meaning of your powers will take a lifetime of study. Or two, perhaps." She grinned. "But you have time to spare. So, you were in Wes' world?" She gently steered the conversation back on track. I nodded.
 
"Yeah." I turned to my motorbike, picking it up with a grunt and carefully dropping the kickstand. "After getting pulled through the rift, we found ourselves in a small clearing in the woods…"
 



 
"..and Wes called "'Rise up!' My back started itching, my talent kinda kicked me in the head, and then this." Sunset waved a wing. When she tried folding it again, it refused to lay flat. "Drat!"
 
"There was the rush of light and we ended up here." I turned to Celestia. "What's happened on your end?"
 
"Well…" She waved and cloud of glowing white squares materialized. "Let me show you." She drew one of them forward and a scene appeared.
 
"Creepy stalker dimension indeed." I raised an eyebrow. We watched as the battle appeared, shattered glass and sand white under the sun, black rock fortress looming in the background. I focused in on Sunset and myself, eyes blazing white. Magic poured into the ground. We tried to stop the tear and then… Something nearly invisible rippled towards us, scattering debris in its wake. Twilight's magic snared it, but despite her strength, it surged forward a few more feet. It touched us and we warped, stretching impossibly thin and spinning in a nauseating manner.
 
"Real life has bad special effects," I grumbled.
 
"Shhh." Sunset kicked me discretely.
 
Twilight's response was obvious. Her eyes went wide and magic poured from her horn, totally locking down the tear. The others fights continued for a few minutes but suddenly, the action slowed drastically.
 
"And this is now." Celestia smiled. "You've made it back, in better time than I ever dreamed."
 
"We need to go. Celestia, get me out there. Now!" I spun to face the Princess, who stepped back from my vehemence.
 
"What?" Sunset gave me a frown. "No need to be rude, things are—"
 
"Out of hand. There's going to be trouble. Look." I jabbed a finger at the screen. "Here. Get us there. Quick!"
 
"What is…" Sunset and Celestia peered where I was pointing. There was a dark blur on the screen. The Princess frowned and zoomed in. A young girl, black skin shining in the sun, flew nearly fast enough to tear her lacy wings. A scowl of anger twisted her face.
 
"Bitterbloom," Sunset said hollowly.
 
"If anyone noticed my disappearance, it would be her," I said firmly. "But look where she's going!" I pointed to the continuing fight between Sombra and Luna. "Things will get really messy, really fast. Besides which, despite Twilight's magic, Sombra still controls that portal. We. Need. To. Go."
 
"Right." Celestia nodded firmly. "Sunset, I think I can reach the warp beacon from here with your help. This spell won’t be easy."
 
"Okay." The new-minted alicorn took a firm stance and nodded. "Let's go."
 
Celestia started the spell slowly. Sunset followed her lead easily. The magic wrapped around us, and I threw out a hand to steady myself as the strange sideways jerk of teleportation yanked us through the air.
 
"OW!" Twin voices rang out as the sound of steel accompanied our arrival at the fortress. Something echoed in the air. Sombra was still laughing.
 
"Wes, did you have to do that?" Sunset glared at me.
 
"What?" I gave her a confused look, even as I realized my hand had caught on something. I turned and found I'd grabbed my motorbike. "Oh." I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."
 
"It's fine." Celestia nodded to the Day Guard who surrounded us, weapons ready. "Stand down." She tapped her insignia, which flashed once. The guards nodded and dispersed.
 
"Gotta stop Bit." I hopped on my bike, kicking it to life.
 
"Or you could use the comms." Celestia's gentle magic placed something in my ear, and I nearly facepalmed.
 
"Right." I flicked the comm on. "Bit! Come in, Bit! Do you read me?"
 
"Wes?" The shock in her voice was obvious. She'd been crying. "Wes! Are you okay? Where are you?"
 
"In the fortress. I'm fine. Stand down! Don't interfere with Luna's fight!"
 
"Wes, I think she needs help." Bit's voice was serious. "Sombra's still doing something. It's trouble."
 
"Well, we've got help." I nodded to Celestia. "Now that you've committed the reserves, my Princess, better make the best of them."
 
"Indeed." She spread her wings and sprang into the air with flash of ethereal aura.
 
"I'd like to try that." Sunset gazed after. "But for now, I'll go with you. I'm not teleporting your dumb chunk of metal again." She climbed onto the seat behind me, a little more awkwardly than she had as a human. Still, Equestrians were flexible and she made it work. I felt her hooves tighten around my waist and spun the throttle.
 
The 'gate' we'd installed was a one-way barrier. My bike roared through, swaying as I dodged oncoming crystal golems. I turned towards the immobilized tear, riding fast and reckless on the hard-packed, sandy earth.
 
"Mmm…. On I burn, fuel is pumping engines, burning hard, loose, and clean…" I hummed as I worked the clutch, kicking it up a gear. This bike was older than me, but I'd always kept it running in good condition. When it was new, it had been one of the fastest, and it still had more jump than most. Sunset's hooves tightened around me. Acceleration was a drug, and I loved every second.
 
"I thought… you were going fast… on the road!" She yelled in my ear.
 
Quench my thirst, with gasoline…
 
"Nah, watch this!" I swerved around the last corner of the fortress and we hit power-band. Now we were getting somewhere. The bike surged and I almost didn't want to brake as we neared Twilight.
 
Still, Sunset needed to be here. I slowed to a stop, careful of my traction. This surface was surprisingly good. I frowned, looking ahead to the fields of broken glass. I wouldn't be taking my tender rubber tires out there.
 
"Right. Do your thing, Sunny."
 
"Huh?" Sunset gave me a surprised look as she climbed off.
 
"You're an alicorn. Ipso facto made of hax-o. Shut the tear. I can't help you now."
 
"Right." She shook her head and turned to Twilight, who stared at her wings with undisguised shock. "Long story short, I have wings now and I know more how this works. Let me have a try." Her horn lit and magic started flowing. "Woah, this is— Get back!" I jumped at her words, diving behind my bike as the portal pulsed. She grit her teeth and managed to contain it, but I saw the strain hit both her and Twilight.
 
"What's he doing?" I climbed to my feet and looked to where Luna and Celestia circled Sombra. He was totally on the defensive now. The fight couldn't last much longer, but he wouldn't stop laughing.
 
"He's nearly a windigo himself," Sunset ground out. "I think he's going to join the spell. That will be— Urgh." Both alicorns wavered. I looked to where Sombra was fending off the Princess'. Whenever they landed a hit, thick, viscous mist poured dark from his wounds.
 
"What can we do?" I turned back.
 
"Nothing." Twilight said miserably. "Nothing that we're not doing already. This will be close, Wes. If the Princess' don't hold him down and we can't hold him back—"
 
"We've got this." Sunset draped a wing over Twilight. "Why, the two of us working together, we can do anything. We'll make Celestia proud."
 
"Ooof!" I stumbled as a thin pair of arms wrapped me. "Bit!"
 
"You're okay!" My secretary buried her face in my shoulder. "You made it back!"
 
"Yeah."
 
"Here it comes!" Sunset called. Even as I watched, Celestia landed another blow on Sombra. Luna followed with a slash to his heart. Still laughing, the dark Emperor dissolved into mist.
 
"Hold!" Twilight yelled. The two of them braced their shoulders against each other and poured everything into sealing the portal. The black magic they were binding surged and they swayed.
 
For a moment, I thought we had won. But just as I was about to pump my fist, jump in the air, and do a silly dance, a blue feather floated past my nose.
 
"Oh, no." My eyes snapped wide as I realized there was still another battle. I spun, craning my neck, trying to see the last lieutenant. I found Rainbow, slowly falling out of the sky. She’d fought one of Sombra's lieutenants to a standstill, but she couldn’t last forever. A moment later a shockwave nearly knocked me off my feet. Bodkin, flying directly out of the sun, slammed into Twilight and Sunset.
 
I gaped in horror. Their magic shattered like glass.
 
They regained their feet in moments, but the damage was done. Sombra's laughter rang one last time. With a sound like thunder, the tear widened.
 
Frantic spells went up, azure and lilac, but they were powerless to stop the rupture. Golden and midnight spells joined them, but the rift kept growing.
 
I flinched at the blast of cold wind. Shrill shrieks rang forth, eerie laughter sounded in the distance.
 
"This is bad, bad, bad." Twilight spun, calling. "Elements! To me!"
 
"Too late." Sombra's words fell from the tear like slabs of lead. The rip was huge, large enough to fit a barn. The blackness within rippled and green-purple eyes as tall as me winked open. "Finally, I have my dreams in reach. Finally, nopony can stop me. Finally. Finally, I can act with impunity. Finally, I can crush you!"
 
"Finally, shut up!" Rainbow yelled. The Elements formed up on Twilight, even Fluttershy rushing to join. The gems flashed to life and for a second, worry clouded the eyes in the void.
 
"No." The rainbow power of the Elements lashed out, but as they did, a torrent of shrieking blackness poured from the rift. "No!" The prismatic beam clashed with the darkness, and the darkness pushed it back. I gulped, turning to Sunset. She gave me a worried look as frost crackled around my feet.
 
"Hold!" Celestia and Luna arrived in a flurry of feathers. They leaned in, adding their magic to the Elements.
 
It wasn't enough.
 
The bottom dropped out of my stomach as the tear widened further. Sombra's eyes narrowed in triumph and a huge, smoky head pushed out of the rip. He followed with a hoof. The shrieking grew louder.
 
"Run."
 
The voice was quiet, but it easily cut the cacophony. I turned to see Celestia, dwarfed by the ethereal stallion, stance firm and horn blazing.
 
"Run, my friends. Escape, live. This isn't going to be pretty."
 
"Princess—"
 
"Sister—"
 
"Celestia—"
 
The words froze in my mouth. Literally. A thick, rolling fog poured from the rift as Sombra looked down at us.
 
"I'm going to enjoy this."
 
Everything froze.
 
My thoughts went sluggish as streams of windigos wrapped me, ice running up my legs as fear, hatred, loathing and anger filled my mind.
 
No. I fought back the influence, but it streamed around my attempts at calm, filling my mind again. Frustration welled up and the feelings fed on that, returning.
 
I shook my head, trying to clear it. Ice burned, crackling on my skin as I shifted. I needed to be doing something. Something important. But it was unclear. Everything was unclear.
 
These blurry shapes around me were important. I needed to be doing something.
 
Something.
 
Unsure, I reached a hand to the nearest figure. My fingers closed on something smooth and a head whipped around. Large crystal eyes narrowed in rage and something slashed my face.
 
The blood was warm.
 
The pain was warmer.
 
Suddenly the haze on my mind cracked slightly. I seized that, extending it, holding firmly to the following calm. I knew this. I knew rage. I'd fought it, in myself, time and again. It would not hold me.
 
I asserted that as calmly and clearly as I could.
 
"Wes?" Suddenly the crystal eyes I was looking into cleared, and meaning returned to the world. The shapes around me fell into place. Friends. "I cut you!"
 
"Thanks, Bit." I smiled. "Hold that thought." I pulled her close and tried to reason, even a little. Celestia and Luna’s magic flared, fighting as best they could against the intrusion, the wrongness that Sombra was spilling into the world. They couldn't hold for long. We'd lost our chance to escape and Celestia couldn't buy us another.
 
Once again, things were getting desperate.
 
You always pull something at the last minute, Sunset had said. A small, feral grin crawled across my lips. She was right, honestly. It wasn't even something I tried for. One day I had just gotten sick of losing. So, come what may, I refused to lie down and give up. Desperation spurred me to action even if it was stupid or dangerous. When all is lost, guess.
 
But I'd never done it alone.
 
Once again, I needed to act. I needed to do something. Anything. Even if it was just one last scream against the dark, I would try, and try again, until I couldn't scrape up even another fingernail worth of effort.
 
And when that happened, my friends would be there for me.
 
"Bit, you still with me?"
 
"Yes." Her voice shook. It grew harder to think. I felt cold creep in.
 
"I'm going to do something dumb."
 
"Okay." I grinned at the trust in her voice. This was strength, this was power. I might not be much on my own but when I asked, ponies answered. My friends were good like that.
 
"Right. We've only got one shot at this. I want you to link with me." She nodded and I pulled up all the magic I had. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.
 
Snap!
 
Again, her presence warmed my mind. I felt something in her relax as we connected.
 
"Hold!" I called. She did. It was the third time we'd tried this. Bit was one of the fastest learners I knew. Even now, she grew better and better. I felt her carefully corral her power, keeping it away from me.
 
"Actually, I'm going to need that." Her surprise was palpable as I reached across the link and tapped the deep wells of strength she kept buried. It hit like a headrush, sudden euphoria infusing my mind. I clamped down on my emotions with iron control, determined to hold the windigos at bay.
 
My power, my magic, was a power for sharing. Time and again I'd leaned on the strengths of others, loaned them my strength. But there were certain barriers I couldn't cross, imbalances that made some things impossible. I could never touch the mind of an alicorn.
 
At least, not on my own.
 
Bit's power was for sharing, too. As a changeling Queen, she was one of the most powerful users of mental magic in existence. It wasn't a spell to her. It was herself, innate power.
 
Together we might be enough.
 
"Balance!" Her thought rang clear and I re-centered myself. She saw my plan, the risks rushing through her like a torrent of ice. For a moment, I thought we'd lose the connection, lose everything, but she leaned on me and stabilized.
 
"Good!" My approval warmed her and she smiled. "It's a start, but we need to act fast."
 
First, something simple. I gathered the power she lent me, the mind that could command thousands, and bent it carefully to my design. A whisper of magic, subtle and soft, snaked away from us. It wafted through the blizzard and reached…
 
Fluttershy.
 
The Element of Kindness was one of the bravest ponies I knew, precisely because she was also one of the most timid. As the tendril of magic touched her, a rush of fear, anger, and pain coursed through us. It wasn't directed outwards, though; Fluttershy had aimed every single shred of that mental torment at herself.
 
"Fluttershy!" The link hummed, seeping a little warmth into her mind. I pictured the night we'd cried together, atop a roof in Manehatten, and sent her a little of the warmth and gratitude I felt. "Have a little heart! Your friends are here for you. Stand with us, show us your confidence!"
 
It seemed ages, but slowly my words leaked through. Slowly, the cage around her mind melted and she reached back.
 
"W-Wes? Bit?"
 
"Yup."
 
"Here." Bit pushed some of her strength across the link and I felt Fluttershy's mind relax into the warmth. Kindness glowed in the strange unreal structure we'd started. I smiled.
 
The next tendril was more confident. It snaked from Fluttershy, directed by the will of three, and touched Applejack.
 
The Element of Honesty was full of conflict. She was, in some ways, the most contradictory of my friends. A trained liar who forsook the shadows in search of a better pony, she eventually grew into everything she wanted to be. But doubt was still there. Even as the Element of Honesty, she sometimes felt like a fake, like she wore a mask. As I touched her mind, I found her frozen under the weight of her past, paralyzed by the idea that she didn't, couldn't deserve the life she lived.
 
"Applejack!" I gathered my memories again, thinking back to Canterlot when she'd bared her soul to me on a walk through the city. "Applejack, change is not deception. Your dedication to the truth is real, tested by fire. Don't lie to yourself now!"
 
This time the connection formed a little faster. I saw her actually shake off the frost riming her and turn to us.
 
"Thanks, y'all. I needed that." She fell into synch and our group drew power from her honest strength.
 
"Dash is next." Fluttershy's thought was clear. I nodded and touched Rainbow.
 
Loyalty was Dash's Element, a deep, ingrained need to support her friends. When she couldn't, when she failed, she felt it more keenly than anypony. She was filled with loathing, anger at her powerlessness in the face of Sombra. She jumped at our touch, trying to lash out, but I caught the rage and let it slide harmlessly away.
 
"Dash, listen. Loyalty isn't lessened by failure. You've never let us down. We'll lend you our strength, so don't give up yet!"
 
The anger faded from her mind quickly. Loyalty wouldn't let her deny that call.
 
"Help us help you help us, huh?" Her smirk carried through the link. "I can get behind that." The ice fell from her thoughts. "Get to Rarity, quick!"
 
I nodded. The fashionista was nearly frozen solid, a thick layer of ice growing by the second. Dash laid a hoof on her and we pushed.
 
Rarity would easily admit she could be shallow. Her emotions flashed and spun, whirling on a dime. Anger coursed through her, pointless and undirected, but real all the same. She seethed and boiled, simply lost in the feeling.
 
For such a giving pony, maybe the direct approach was best.
 
"Rarity, lend us your power!"
 
The ice shattered as her generous nature surged. She was halfway into the link before she realized what happened.
 
"Oh, dear. This really is a situation, isn't it? We'll need Pinkie for this one."
 
By now, my mind was stretched thin. I grunted at the effort, and the five minds I held noticed just how much strain I was under.
 
"Wes, you gonna be alright?" Rainbow's thought was wary.
 
"I'd better be." I reached for Pinkie, unwilling to pause even a moment. "This was a dumb plan, but it's all I had. Sink or swim, right?"
 
Oddly, Pinkie barely had a hint of ice. When our magic touched her, I only sensed a single thought, repeated over and over.
 
"Smile, smile, smile, smile, smile—"
 
I glimpsed her mind and remembered the Tree I'd seen in her dream, the story Mirror-Pinkie had told me, and understood. She had been fighting this battle longer than any of us. She knew what was happening, she'd seen it before. It scared her, from the tips of her ears to the end of her tail, but she refused to give in or give up. Giggle at the ghosts, even if they can hurt you. It only took a single call.
 
"Pinkie!" She bounced gladly into our group and suddenly, everything seemed a little lighter.
 
"Thanks guys, I needed that."
 
"No worries." Feeling more confident, I reached for my mentor. The shock nearly rattled us loose.
 
Lyra wasn't just full of hatred. It engulfed her. I couldn't even glimpse what froze her so before it rushed into our group, a chilling torrent that nearly swallowed me.
 
"Easy there, sugarcube!"
 
"Really, Wes."
 
"Hooold that smile!"
 
"Float or fly, big guy!"
 
"Steady there, sir."
 
"U-Um…"
 
My friends caught me, their minds tempering the connection with a rush of compassion. I firmed my resolve and tried again.
 
"Lyra!" It felt like screaming into the wind. My teeth chattered, my face stung. "You're strong, one of the strongest ponies I know! SNAP OUT OF IT!"
 
"Huh?" Stability entered the vortex in her mind like a drop in a pond, ripples, waves, slowly washing out from a center of calm. Lyra's breath caught in wonder as she realized what we were doing. She threw everything she had behind us. "Right. Sorry about that."
 
"Okay, the easy part's over." I grit my teeth. The true test was yet to come. I reached for an alicorn.
 
Twilight felt like a huge knot of power, a giant snarl of spells. Her strength was unbelievable, her magic vast and limitless.
 
"This might be tricky." Calm tension stressed the group, I extended a thread of power. She was something else, as different from a pony as she was from a rock.
 
"Leave this one to us." Rainbow gently wrested control from me. "All together now, girls!" Five ponies drew in deep breaths, five tenuous links reached out.
 
"Twilight!" the Elements called. "Show us your magic! We need a spark!" Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, and Kindness all glowed together, their power huge in the mental landscape we shared. I groaned as the connection started, the stress unlike anything that came before. Twilight shook herself, ice and frost rising from her coat as her Element responded to the call. She blinked as she realized what was happening.
 
"This is dangerous." Her thought was mild, but I read the dire warning in it.
 
"Yeah, well… Desperate is as desperate does." Without even a moment's pause, I reached for Sunset. "All together, now. Help me with this."
 
"Sister!"
 
"Sunset!"
 
"We believe in you!" The call cut through the winds and fog around us, and Sunset jumped. Confusion registered as the link touched. I saw her mind clear shockingly fast. Beyond expectation, indeed; she not only joined the link easily, she actually managed to pull a little of the stress from me, balancing Twilight's power against her own. She glowed like a thousand curling branches in my mind and I grinned.
 
This just might work after all.
 
Luna's mind was very nearly calm, a serene void of stars, as she fought alongside her sister. She seized the link as we offered it, acceptance simple and complete.
 
"Took you long enough." My shock was clear, and her amusement echoed back. "Come now, Wes. Adapt or die. I didn't believe all of you would just roll over." She gathered the link to herself and together, we threw our minds to the last pony standing.
 
Celestia's shock was evident as we touched her, her relief palpable as our gathering of minds threw their power behind her. She accepted gratefully, and my knees buckled under the strain. Her power, huge and fierce as the sun, settled easily into her sister’s embrace. She faced Sombra, putting her life on the line to keep him out. She was losing by inches, but maybe we could change that.
 
"You okay, Bit?"
 
My assistant nodded, although sweat rolled down her face. She was lending me power, and I was somehow channeling it all into this strange amalgam we'd formed. The magic strained me so I could barely speak, but I forced one last sentence out.
 
"Alright, it's up to you all. Get him, girls."
 
Assent poured in from everypony as we struck back.
 
"I've got a plan." Sunset's thought was clear. "We can't face him head-on. We've got to control that portal."
 
"We'll hold him off." I felt Luna touch her sister's mind as they faced the darkness.
 
"Get ready, Sunset. We'll make an opening." I felt Twilight call on the Elements. Harmony sang through the link.
 
"I can help hold this together." I felt Lyra take some of the strain from me, her genius and training coercing the magic into more manageable patterns. Relieved of a little strain, I focused my eyes and locked them onto Sombra. I did not want to miss this.
 
"We stand together!" Luna called, as she stepped up next to her sister. They wielded the combined might of the Diarchy, thousands of years of training and power lashing Sombra.
 
"We are united!" Twilight and the Elements blazed with light. A rainbow beam sliced into the dark, shredding it. Sombra's eyes went wide.
 
"We are strong!" Sunset's magic flared, crinkling and swirling into a thousand tiny curls, aimless tribal patterns that drew the eye strangely. They settled across the portal and rippled, wresting control.
 
"And." Our voices called as one, everypony adding their affirmation to the chorus. "We. Deny! YOU!" The last word slashed through the blizzard, a sudden rush of power crashing into Sombra and literally shattering him.
 
For a moment, everything was still. We stood frozen in tableau, strained to the limit, pushing him back. For a moment, I thought we had lost.
 
Then, with astonishing swiftness, something else flashed out of the portal.
 
It was a giant hand, mechanical, thousands of gears, sprockets, flywheels, chains and springs moving as one. It closed around Sombra with an echoing snap and a dry, monotone voice rang out.
 
"Thank you for your assistance. I'll take it from here."
 
The ethereal stallion shrieked in fear as he was yanked backwards through the rift. There was a shuddering clang as reality asserted itself, closing the tear in a heartbeat.
 
Bit fainted, slumping against me, and the link frayed instantly. The pressure on my mind lifted and I fell forward, catching myself with my hands. Around me, ponies were shuddering, fainting, crying, and generally breaking down from relief. Distantly, I saw a wing of Guards lift off from the fortress and zoom towards us. The ice around us started to steam, already dissolving in the heat of the day. I slumped to the ground, rolling bonelessly onto my back as huge, gasping, hysterical laughs tore from my chest.
 
It was over, somehow.
 
We had won.

> 74 - End
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ouch!" I flinched as something stabbed me.
 
"Hold still." Doctor Silk Suture gave me sharp stare, and I subsided. His magic gently pulled the thread in my arm tight, looping around for another pass.
 
"Sorry." I concentrated, and the pain dwindled to a vague irritation. If I wasn't so exhausted, I could have helped staunch the blood and flushed the wound myself, but for now I was happy to let him do his job. All around us, the small fort was occupied with triage and accounting. The Guard had arrived at the scene of our battle within minutes, ready to help. Celestia had fired off orders, and we'd been rushed back to the base for first-aid and recovery. It hadn't taken long for further support to arrive once the last of the crystal golems had been mopped up and the fortress was deemed relatively secure.
 
"Commander Shining!" I called as Twilight's brother trotted through the gate. "Or is it Emperor now? Did you get them? How's it going?" He levitated two smoke-filled flasks in response, and I frowned. "Only two?"
 
"Commander is fine." Shining grimaced. "Glisten and the other lieutenant, the earth pony, were simple enough. Sunset claimed Shadow isn't a threat, and we've got agents tracking Bodkin. He might be fast but we'll get him eventually." I nodded at that. Shadow was likely gone with Sombra, although it would be great if we could get confirmation from Cog. He was difficult to reach, unfortunately.
 
"I wish I could have helped more." He frowned, looking to where Twilight was being bandaged.
 
"Next time, maybe." I grinned. "Set your techs working to hook the Empire into the internet."
 
"Already happening." He sighed. "Still."
 
"Hey, it turned out." I waved at the surrounding chaos. "We carried the day. Although having you here would have been great."
 
"It was a near thing, from what I've heard."
 
"True." I tried to shrug, but my doctor stopped me with a hiss. "Um, where is Sunset? I haven't seen her."
 
"The Princesses isolated her because of her… condition." He glanced meaningfully at the civilians. "They want her to have some choice, when she's ready for it."
 
"Huh." I tried to turn, looking to where a few tents had been set aside for the more serious cases.
 
"Alright, I've had enough of you tearing up my work." Silk Suture pinned me down gently, and I felt a hypodermic stab my arm.
 
"Hey!" I twitched as something cold flowed into my veins, but I subsided as a quick numbness started spreading. "I'll be fine, I promise!"
 
"If that doesn't knock you out, I'll believe you. It's just a mild sedative. But you're making my job difficult."
 
"I'll be— Oh." My head suddenly swam, and I realized I really, really wanted to take a nap. "I'll just lay down now."
 
"That's what I thought."
 
"Later, Wes." Shining smiled and turned to go.
 
"Later, Commander…"
 



 
"Urgh." When I came to, I found my head resting on something smooth and warm. "Bit?"
 
"Mmm?"
 
"It's funny." I surveyed the inside of the small tent we'd shared for the past few days. "You're just as constant as my pillow as you were at my feet."
 
"I like listening to you breathe."
 
"Heh." I rubbed my eyes. It was dark, probably the middle of the night. "You know, I'm sometimes amazed at how you manage to be cute and not creepy."
 
"I practice."
 
"What's the final count?"
 
"Several of the Guard needed intensive treatment, but they should survive. One of my generals is retiring, although I may be able to repair him. Some of the flying golems escaped the bombardment and nearly caused serious trouble. Beyond that, massive amounts of minor injuries. I counted seventeen stitches on you. Our entire core group was diagnosed with extreme exhaustion and minor soul-burn, although the alicorns and I will recover more easily. Your sister remains in seclusion, to curb the spread of rumor. Go back to sleep."
 
"Mmm." I rolled over, pulled my blanket tighter, wrapped my arms around her, and drifted off again.
 



 
"…the hand shut with this huge clang and yanked Sombra back through the portal. After that, the portal sealed up. I think Cog helped. You fainted, the super-link shattered, and we all basically collapsed. The Guard showed up soon after."
 
"Alright." Bit signed the paper and pushed it over to me. "Sign that and we're done with your report."
 
"Good." I looked out over the ocean. "Lyra promised to return my surfboard after supper. Are you sure you're okay with doing this?"
 
"I enjoy writing and I'm a good listener." Bit capped her bottle of ink and cleaned her quill. "Besides, I'm nearly done. I just need Lyra and Fluttershy's reports to complete the set." The afternoon light sparkled on the sea. I sipped my drink and sighed happily.
 
"Man, I love this place. I wonder what a beach-house costs?" I glanced back at the bungalow behind us. "Maybe a smaller one, though."
 
After we'd recovered enough for travel, the Princesses had decided that all of us needed a little peace and quiet to get over the aftereffects of the battle. Lyra had dropped a few broad hints, and they'd packed the entire group off to Horseshoe bay for an extended vacation. We'd been goofing off and playing around ever since. Most of us were healing quickly, with the help of a little magic and lots of fresh air. I was sitting on the veranda with Rarity, Bit, and Rainbow, who was napping soundly.
 
"I believe you could afford one if you were willing to sell that obnoxious contraption of yours." Rarity lowered her shades to peer over her newspaper. We were sitting on the veranda, watching the ocean roll in. "Didn't Luna make you a generous offer?"
 
"I'm not selling my bike!" I gave her a shocked stare. "I've already promised to let the Princesses take it apart if they help me get it back to Ponyville. I think I can re-work the engine, maybe make it run off glitter and rainbows or something."
 
"As long as it's quieter." The fashionista sniffed. "Really, I never dreamed 'progress' would be so barbaric."
 
"That's nothing." I grinned and crossed my arms behind my head. "A guy I knew had this Harley Davidson, a big old cruiser bike, and he put a nitrous booster on it! The thing was—"
 
"Weeeeeeeees!" Twilight came galloping out of the house.
 
"Huh? What?" I jerked upright, nearly spilling my iced tea. "Trouble?"
 
"It's S-Sunset! Tell her she's wrong!" Twilight gave me a pleading look.
 
"It's totally true." Sunset trotted after, proudly preening one of her new wings. "We can't both be the princess of magic. You're obviously the princess of friendship."
 
"But friendship IS magic!" Twilight stomped a hoof.
 
"Exactly!" Sunset nodded in triumph. "So you're the princess of friendship-magic. That makes me the princess of real magic. See?" She gave a pleased grin.
 
"Weeeees!"  Twilight's lip wobbled in a pout.
 
"Wait, wait." I waved my hands. "Sunset, I thought you were calling yourself the alicorn of worlds?"
 
"That was yesterday's Sunset." My sister gave an imperious sniff.
 
"Next thing we know, you'll be adding 'great and powerful' to your name." Rarity gave a disparaging chuckle. "Anyways, you're not a Princess yet. Or did Their Royal Majesties offer you a crown?"
 
"Um." Sunset gave us an uncertain glance. She'd talked extensively with Celestia and Luna, but she had kept the discussions private so far. "I'm getting a stained-glass window?"
 
"Snerk." We all looked over to Rainbow, who propped herself up on one bandaged hoof and grinned. "I've got at least three of those. Can I be the Princess of Awesome? I'll be at least twen—"
 
"We're really getting a window?" I interrupted. "Cool."
 
"Oh, yeah. Save the world, get a window." Rainbow flopped back down. She'd been wounded the most and was still hesitant to move much. "You get used to it."
 
"Caaaaaake!" Pinkie called, from inside. "Come and get it!" There was a general movement towards the door, and Sunset fell in beside me.
 
"They did," she murmured. “Offer me a crown, that is.”
 
"Really?" I pictured it, smiling. “How's that work?"
 
"Ponies will expect it." She fluffed a wing. "I was Celestia's student. She said something about me learning the true meaning of friendship and then… yeah."
 
"So?" I slowed at the door, turning to lean against the wall. "Did you accept?"
 
"Not yet." She sighed, long and soft. "I’m just… I don't know. Should I? Do I deserve it?"
 
"Oh, come on." I reached out and bopped her on the head. "Isn't this what Twilight went through, too? Remember what Celestia said?"
 
"It's not the crown, but the pony who wears it." She looked down. "But Wes, this… " She waved a hoof vaguely. "I didn't do any more than them." She pointed into the bungalow where Pinkie was enthusiastically serving chocolate-chocolate-double-chocolate-chip-with-coconut cake for supper. "Sure, I helped save the world, but you heard Rainbow. That's old hat for them. So why me?"
 
"Oh." I pinched the bridge of my nose, and stared at the sea. "Yeah, I get that." I shrugged. "And, well, that's not wrong." We watched the waves in silence a moment. "Each of those ponies deserves honor and praise for what they've done, and they'll get it. Maybe this time you were just lucky."
 
"Pfeh." She grimaced. "Princess of luck, huh?"
 
"Aw, don't be like that." I ruffled her mane. "Being royalty isn't all sunshine and sparkles from what I hear. Besides, you're not taking anything from them, and they won't begrudge you the honor at all. If you want the privilege and extra work, accept. If you want to hide your wings and shoot for 'normal', you can do that too. It's up to you and there's nothing wrong with either choice. You already have work, right? With the tears?"
 
"Yeah." She gazed at the ocean. "We don't know if there's more. Still, sompony needs to find out. I can close them, too. I've got the knowledge and magic for it."
 
"Would it be useful to have the support of the crown for that?"
 
"Probably."

"That's a beginning."
 
"Mmm."
 
"Come on, let's get some cake." I turned towards the party and she followed.
 



 
"Oh yeah, they've started."
 
I looked up at the Tree of Harmony. It was pulsing, strands of white magic surging up and down inside the glassy trunk.
 
Sunset nodded and stepped forward. We were in the cavern under the Tree. Floodlights borrowed from the archeologists lit our area, but the Well seemed just as deep and dark as ever.
 
"You sure this is necessary?" I frowned as her horn started glowing.
 
"Completely. If we don't re-attach the Elements to the Tree, this tear will keep widening. It's not obvious, but the stresses that it's creating cause wrinkles in reality that stretch thousands of miles. I’m certain the Tuatha found their jump-off point by calculating it from here. If we can alleviate even a little of that strain, we can cut down the threat of incursions significantly."
 
"Alright." I watched carefully as she cast her spell. For a second, at the tip of her horn, I saw a fragment of the Pattern glimmer in her aura. She was truly casting as an alicorn now.
 
Her spell settled across the tear with crackles and swirls, cyan magic forming a fragile net. She sighed and stepped back as it took.
 
"Oh, look." I pointed into the Well as a figure appeared in the depths. It zoomed towards us, quickly resolving into a familiar manikin.
 
"Dang it, Cog!" Sunset yelled as a waxy white hand poked out of the tear, fraying her carefully constructed magic. "I just made that!"
 
"It's possible I'm sorry." It tilted its head sideways as it climbed over the edge. "When I realized you were here, I came to meet you."
 
"Fine, fine." She sighed. "What's up?"
 
"Firstly, some good news." Cog folded its hands, standing perfectly still. "I have sequestered Sombra and his lieutenant. They are in a world-line where they can cause no harm. Don't worry about them anymore. Even if they do manage to escape, I will deal with the problem."
 
"You're not… hurting them?" Sunset asked hesitantly.
 
"No." Cog shook its head. "I have no need for cruelty. They may be bored, but that's all."
 
"And bad news now?" I frowned.
 
"No, no bad news. Secondly, thank you again for your assistance. My power is limited, and having your aid is much appreciated."
 
"You're welcome."
 
"No problem."
 
"Thirdly, I have something for those above." It turned and walked across the surface of the tear like it was solid. It touched the trunk of the Tree and its hand melded into the crystal. After a second, the trunk bulged outwards, a new stalk surging upwards swift and smooth. It withdrew its hand, waved once, and fell into the Well smoothly and silently.
 
"That guy is weird." Sunset patched up her spell and shrugged. "I guess we're done here. We should go see what happened up top."
 



 
"It's a box."
 
"Yup!" Twilight showed us the chest, a hexagonal lockbox with six keyholes. "It came out of a flower! I can't wait to find out what's in it!"
 
"I guess that's Cog's gift, then." I smiled at her excitement. "It's cool. Looks like you're in for more adventures at least."
 
"Really, Wes." Sunset sighed. "Did you expect anything else, considering where we live?"
 
"Hah, true. Life in Ponyville is never boring."
 



 
"I'm so glad to be done with the bandages." Rainbow floated alongside me, just at ear-level, as we walked down the hall. We were trailing at the back of the group. "Really, that Bodkin guy was no slouch."
 
"Well, if you're better, I guess we're all officially recovered, huh?"
 
"Yup!" Rainbow grinned. "Now we get to see our window. Tomorrow Sunset gets her crown, there’s a party and a parade, Celestia passes out hugs, and everything goes back to normal!"
 
"Normal crazy, you mean."
 
"Well, yeah. If life stopped being crazy, it wouldn't be normal, right?"
 
"Pff. That's one way of looking at it, I guess."
 
I paused as the guards waved us through the door, into the gallery.
 
"How many halls of windows do they have?" I looked around. "You guys save the world, what, twice a year?"
 
"Something like that." Rainbow shrugged. "This one's a little out of the way, but it gets nice sun."
 
"Welcome!" Celestia approached from the other end of the hall. "It's good to see you here. What do you think?"
 
She waved a wing and the curtains pulled back, revealing the stained-glass windows in the walls. There was more than one, which surprised me a little. They showed various scenes, starting with a rough representation of me falling through a rip in reality. We traced the story along and it hit the high points: the re-appearance of the Crystal Empire, truce with the changelings, facing down the lieutenants, the shattering Mirror, and finally, our battle with Sombra.
 
The last one was the most impressive, an intricate piece which showed everypony's cutie marks, meshed together through a ring decorated with jasmine flowers and marked with the Little Dipper, throwing a torrent of rainbow light to force a pair of glowing green and purple eyes into a rift filled with intricate mechanisms.
 
I grinned, looking up at it.
 
It felt good. A physical record of what I'd helped accomplish. I looked around and saw the smiles of my friends. It was just a picture, but it felt good to have this symbol of recognition.
 
We would be remembered for this, and it was something worth being remembered for.
 



 
"Sunset, stop pacing!"
 
"Oh, like you're one to talk, Twilight!"
 
"You weren't even here for my coronation!"
 
"Hey, don't fight." I glanced up from my reading. Sunset's coronation was tomorrow, and she couldn't sleep. I understood it was stressful for her, but that meant we couldn't sleep. "Look, maybe we can find something else to talk about. Like, how about this. When we were moving between worlds, you did something funny with the timelines, right Sunset?"
 
"Really?" Twilight perked up at that. "How did you do that?"
 
"Well, I—"
 
"No wait, I'm not done yet." I waved a hand. "I've been thinking. If you could bend time, why didn't you take us further back? Maybe we could have changed something, avoided some of that mess."
 
"No, no, no." My sister stomped a hoof. "Look, Wes. Time doesn't work like that. All I could do was speed it up or slow it down. It was still moving forward in both frames. I just changed the speed it was moving at, because we were the ones who had observed both reference frames and at the time we were outside them."
 
"Ah, but if that's the case—" Twilight took up the discussion eagerly.
 
I nodded once and went back to my reading. I might not get much sleep, but at least they weren't fighting.
 



 
<"Stupid fuzzy ponies with stupid fluffy manes and stupid feathery wings and stupid adorable eyes!">
 
I stalked down the corridor, Bit pacing patiently alongside.
 
<"Fuzzy, fuzzy, huggable fluffy ponies!"> I whipped around a corner, annoyance driving me forward.
 
<"I thinked ceremony was nice.">
 
<"Thought the ceremony was nice, Bit.">
 
<"I thought the ceremony was nice.">
 
<"Oh, it was."> I nodded once, and slammed open a door. <"Yesterday was wonderful. Sunset was beautiful, and everything went smoothly. She’s officially a princess now, and all the nice, fluffy ponies saw her. The fuzzy, stupid, nice ponies!">
 
<"Wes?"> Twilight looked up in surprise as I stomped past the sunbeam she was reading in. <"What's gotten into you? Where are you off to?">
 
<"I'm going to yell at a fluffy adorable pony princess!"> I tromped past, and she rose to follow.
 
<"Princess? Who? What happened?">
 
<"That cute, fuzzy white one! She pulled a fast one, tricked me, hornswoggled me!">
 
<"She what?"> I turned back at the shock in her voice.
 
<"She hornswoggled me! Look—"> I stopped, as Twilight flinched. <"What's wrong?">
 
<"That… word.">
 
<"What, hornswoggled?">
 
<"Don't say it!"> She shuddered.
 
<"What?"> Some of my annoyance fell away, replaced by curiosity. <"Why not?">
 
<"It… it just sounds so dirty.">
 
<"Hornswoggled."> Bit repeated slowly. Twilight looked aghast.
 
<"Wes, what are you teaching her?">
 
<"English?"> I said, confused. <"Look, Twilight. I don't know what you're thinking, but hornswoggled—">
 
<"Just stop!">
 
<"Okay, okay, fine!"> I raised my hands in surrender. <"That word isn't a bad one. It just means she tricked me, got the better of me. Now I'm going to go yell at her until I feel better, and everything will be fine."> I turned down the corridor again and threw open the door to Celestia's laboratory. Twilight trotted hesitantly after with Bit.
 
"Celestia!" I waited until my friends were through and slammed the door loudly. It was very satisfying.
 
"Back here!" I followed the voice through a few doors, which connected to Luna’s lab.
 
"Celestia, I need— Woah!"
 
"Oh, Wes!" Celestia looked up from her work. She was disassembling my motorbike. It hung in the air, almost completely in pieces. Each one was limned with a golden glow. Complicated spell circles covered the floor, carefully arranging each component. It had been stripped completely down, and even the interior was being disassembled. The Princess moved through a small galaxy of parts, a caliper floating alongside a notebook and quill. It looked like the 'exploded diagrams' from my shop manual but in real life.
 
"That's incredible!" Twilight bounced up to the edge and tried to touch one of the pieces. It swooped away.
 
"Yeah, it's— No! I'm here to yell at you, Princess!"
 
"Well then." Celestia walked out of the construct, bits moving to avoid her before settling back into place. She stopped in front of me, and laid her tools down. "Please, proceed."
 
"Do you see this?" I reached into the bag I'd brought and whipped out a circlet. It was crystal wrapped with silver, formed into a jagged, delicate design. The brow was crooked into a square wave. It fit me perfectly.
 
"Your crown?"
 
"Yes! I found it shoved under my door this morning! It came with a note!" I whipped out the offending paper. On it was scrawled 'Congrats!', and a smiley sun face. "Is this from you?"
 
"Of course." Celestia looked perplexed. "I knew you didn't like ceremony, so—"
 
"I didn't want a crown!" I threw my hands in the air. "I don't want to be a prince! You just did this so you could make me ambassador to the Griffon Aerie, didn't you?"
 
"Ahem." Celestia coughed, looking slightly abashed. "Well, yes and no. You see—"
 
"I KNEW it!" I dropped my face to my hands and rubbed my eyes. "I don't want another job! I'm perfectly overcommitted as it is! Can't you find someone else?"
 
"Well, I can't make you be ambassador." Celestia put a comforting hoof on my shoulder. "But you see, now that your sister's a princess, I couldn't very well let you stay a commoner, could I?"
 
"You…that’s just an excuse! She’s not officially my sister! Is that rule even a thing?" I turned to Twilight. "What about Shining, or Spike?"
 
"Shining was already married to a Princess." She shrugged. "Spike has several titles now. I lose track of them. Wait, I think I have a list…" She thought for a moment. "Yeah. When we get back, I can show you."
 
"Urgh." I sighed, and slumped in defeat. "I… you… just… urgh."
 
"There there." Bit patted my back. "Look, things are already getting back to normal."
 
"This was a dumb plan. Stupid fluffy ponies. Crazy normal sucks. I need a vacation."
 



 
Knock knock
 
I set down my spoon and stood to open the door.
 
"Twilight? Sunset? What's up?"
 
"Come for a walk?" Sunset waved. "It's a great day."
 
I leaned out, peering around. Sure enough. The sun was shining brightly in the morning air. The leaves were golden brown, starting to migrate out of the trees for the winter and there was the wonderful nip to the wind that spoke of frost and snug, winter nights.
 
"Okay." I grabbed my jacket from the pegs by the door and shrugged it on. "What's up? Where are we going?"
 
"Well, we've been talking." Twilight led the way into town. I shoved my hands in my pockets and followed.
 
"See, Twilight's talent is sort of magic and so is mine," Sunset said. "Her talent is seeing magic from the inside, magic as it exists in the world-line. Everything that magic means to us while we're in reality."
 
"Sunset's talent seems like magic from the outside. Magic is movement of world-lines, and that's how her talent works. She sees her talent as changing reality and 'movement of worlds', because that's magic too. They're the same idea, approached from opposite directions."
 
"Cool." I nodded my understanding.
 
"We've been putting our heads together." Sunset gave me a serious glance. "Wes… if you want, we'll work on getting you home."
 
"Hum." I breathed in deep, and leaned back to look at the sky. "Okay. If you want, I wouldn't object. I mean, you plan to do this anyways, right?"
 
"Heh." Twilight giggled. "Yeah, well. Can't resist a challenge."
 
"We plan to investigate, at least." Sunset grinned. "Just to see if it's feasible. We'd need to find out more about lots of things. Inheritance. Transcendence. What 'West' really means. Time differences. It might not work."
 
"That's fine too. Listen, I'm not going to die if I never make it home. Give me a few years and I might even stop calling it that." I smiled at my friends. "It's not the places that make somewhere home, but the people. And… well, I've got friends and family here now, too." I sighed. "Leaving would mean losing ponies important to me, even as staying means losing people important to me. Change is continually hard. Even if you do figure it out… well, I may say no."
 
"That's fine." Twilight shrugged. "If you want to stay, we won't stop you. We just wanted your input before we moved ahead."
 
"You have my blessing." I grinned. "Thanks, both of you."
 
"Oh, we're here." Sunset stopped in front of the library. "Come on, Wes." She swung the door open and stepped in.
 
"What?" I gave Twilight a puzzled glance. "I thought this was a walk."
 
"It was. Now we're here." She waved me inside and I hesitantly entered.
 
"Okay, what are—"
 
"SURPRISE!" Confetti exploded around me as the lights flashed on. Balloons littered the ceiling, paper chains decorated the walls, games, snacks, and ponies filled the floor. Pinkie bounced up and threw her hooves on my shoulders to look me in the eye. "Surprise, Wes! Welcome to the party! You're the last one, so let's get STARTED!"
 
Music washed the room, breaking the silence. A dozen conversations broke out. Groups formed, games began. Sakura waved excitedly, motioning me to join her.
 
"Wait, what is this?" I grabbed Pinkie before she vanished. "What's the occasion? What's happening?"
 
"Silly Wes, it's a happily-ever-after party!"
 
"What?" But… you can't do that! This isn't—"
 
"Wes, we have one of these every year." Pinkie gave me a serious stare. "You don't need an end, you don't need a beginning. If you want to be happy, don't wait around for it to find you. You just need to live it!"
 
"Oh." I grinned. I could get behind that.
 










That's all, folks! I hope you found the ending satisfying. I don't get many chances to practice them, you see.

If you're interested in reading my final thoughts, I've written a blog on that. Check my page, or find it at this link.